Author's Note: Thanks for sticking with me guys!!! Especially to everyone who has been with this story since the beginning. You know who you are so…I won't mention names because I don't want anyone to be left out. I just hope that everyone loves this next chapter!

Chapter Ten: Promise me that all you say is true

Three weeks after Jemima has begun her daily classes with Jenny and Jelly, and about two since she had last seen Tugger, Bombalurina was attempting to get her daughter to go to sleep.

"Not sleepy." Jemima yawned.

"You are." Bombalurina chuckled, placing a blanket over the kitten, who was growing steadily by now. However, for having such tall parents, she was staying surprisingly small, even for her age.

"Maybe a little." Jemima snuggled against her pillow and closed her eyes.

Waiting a couple of minutes to make absolutely sure she was asleep, Bombalurina padded back outside the den in search of her sister, who unsurprisingly was sitting on the tire with Munkustrap. They were both listening to something Alonzo was telling them and promptly quieted themselves upon her approach.

"Nothing to report on the borders Munk!" Alonzo said a little too loudly.

Bombalurina raised an eyebrow but decided not to push whatever they were on about. She settled down and began checking her claws, listening to Demeter and Munkustrap whisper to themselves. She rolled her eyes to herself and stretched out, soaking the last few rays of the sun.

"Bomba?" Munkustrap said tentatively.

"Yes Munkustrap darling?" Bombalurina mocked, earning her a bat from her sister's tail.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"I believe you already did." She smiled cheekily, at the annoyed look on Munkustrap's face. He was so easy to mess with and she loved it so much.

Munkustrap sighed and glared at Demeter who jabbed him in the ribs, signaling to go on with whatever he needed to say.

"Bomba, what have you done to my brother?" He blurted.

"What?" Bombalurina raised an eyebrow, sitting up and staring at him with a cocked head.

"What have you done to Tugger?"

"I haven't done anything to him. Why?"

"He's been moping around Dad's place since last week." Munkustrap grumbled.

"What?" Bombalurina's eyes narrowed at the silver tabby.

"Yeah, he's well, been depressed? That is according to Dad when I dropped in today. He's at the bottom of a sock drawer and refuses to come out."

"The bottom of a sock drawer? A little immature don't you think?" Bombalurina flicked her tail from side to side.

"So what did you say to him?" Demeter prompted.

"I didn't say anything to him! I haven't seen him for a week and he was all over Cassandra." Bombalurina hissed her name. "Maybe it was something your mother said to him."

Munkustrap and Demeter glanced at each other and Demeter shook her head.

"I don't think it was." Munkustrap said.

Bombalurina rolled her eyes. "Then what was it because it certainly wasn't me. Why don't you go and ask him instead of bombarding me with questions!"

Munkustrap looked back at Demeter who arced an eyebrow at him. "It might not be such a bad idea."

"Why didn't you say that before?" Munkustrap groaned, at the blatantly obviousness at Demeter's statement.

"Why didn't you think of it?" Demeter sighed. "Do I need to do all your thinking for you?"

Munkustrap looked briefly hurt before shaking his head. "Fine. I shall go and talk to Tugger myself."

"Well what a grand idea!" Bombalurina exclaimed.

Munkustrap grumbled to himself as he leapt from the Tire, throwing Demeter and Bombalurina a grumpy look before trotting off towards the entrance to the Junkyard. Bombalurina laughed, stretching out even further, smiling broadly at her sister who raised an eyebrow at her expectantly.

"Oh come on Deme. You can't think I have anything to do with whatever Tugger is up to do you?" Bombalurina asked.

"No, I mean, I don't know. But do you really need to rile Munk up like that?" Demeter sighed.

"Oh it's all in good fun you know. Munky-poo loves it, you know he does." Bombalurina rolled onto her back, feeling the sun warm her stomach. She closed her eyes in content. "Personally I don't particularly care what's up with Tugger."

Demeter rolled her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes Deme." Bombalurina said, peeking at her through one open eye.

"How did you…?" She shook her head and crossed her paws across her chest. "Never mind."

Bombalurina chuckled. "Tugger can do whatever he wants, I knew he wouldn't keep up with his promise."

"Oh come off it. I know that you know that you care."

"I do not!"

"Oh yes you do Bombalurina. You can pretend you don't but deep down inside you really do." Demeter sighed, getting up and jumping off the Tire.

"Where are you going?" Bombalurina asked.

"I'm going after my mate." Demeter said, turning her tail on her sister.

Bombalurina watched her go, groaning to herself grumpily. Demeter is so wrong. I don't care about what Tugger is up to. But that familiar pang in her stomach told her otherwise. Oh go away. She thought, smacking her stomach, making the pang just get worse. I DO NOT care about why Tugger is upset. She affirmed to herself, ignoring the pang in her stomach growing worse and worse.

"It's not healthy to run from your feelings." The vacant voice of Tantomile said, as she appeared from nowhere.

"What?" Bombalurina said, jumping slightly at the sudden appearance of the mystical cat.

"You heard me." She said, wafting away to join her twin who wasn't too far away.

"Come on out Tugger." Munkustrap cooed to a closed sock drawer within Old Deuteronomy's people's house.

"Why?" Tugger's muffled voice said.

"Demeter and I just want to talk to you alright?" Munkustrap said.

"Please?" Demeter urged.

The drawer slid open and Tugger's head emerged, a sock falling from his head as he did so. Demeter smiled comfortingly and Tugger rested his head on the edge of the drawer.

"What?" He said.

"Have you forgotten your parental duties to Jemima?" Munkustrap demanded.

"Munk!" Demeter reprimanded, pushing him out of the way and leveling herself so her face was at the same level as Tugger's. "What Munkustrap means to say is, is everything alright?"

"Um, yeah." Tugger said nonchalantly.

Demeter cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. Tugger looked away and scratched the back of his neck.

"Well. No." He sighed.

Demeter sat patiently, staring at him intently, not saying anything, but waiting. Munkustrap fidgeted impatiently, wanting to open his mouth and reprimand his brother for once again abandoning something that he had done but was faced with Demeter's tail whacked into his mouth so he couldn't speak. He crossed his paws across his chest, sitting tight, his tail flicking from side to side in annoyance.

"You see Demeter, I think I did something bad." Tugger said.

Demeter cocked her head to the other side. "Really?"

"Yeah. See. Well. Maybe it wasn't bad. But then afterwards, it was bad and then." Tugger inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly, sitting up straighter. "See I, well I told Bomba that I loved her."

Demeter said nothing, digging her claws into Munkustraps paw to prevent him from speaking.

"But then, I spent the night with Cassandra."

"I see." Demeter said.

"I shouldn't have. I mean it was bad. That's the bad thing I said before. But that's not the end." Tugger said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah well, Cassandra and I we were, you know…"

Demeter nodded her head, she didn't need Tugger to spell it out for her. That was something she really didn't want to imagine.

"And well. I said something." Tugger's cheeks began to burn. "I said Bomba's name."

He hid his face as Demeter attempted to suppress a smile.

"Demeter I love her!" Tugger sighed exasperated. "And I don't know what to do."