Cocobutterrox/ Thank you for your comment! Luck never seems to be on his side, does it? I thank you for always reading my chapters and commenting! :)

She opened her eyes. The colors of reality rushed into her two eyes. She looked around and realized that Pouncival was gone.

She put a paw on her heart: Beating at an unimaginable speed. She then raised her paw up to her neck and felt it; instead of the usual dryness of her soft fur, she felt cold sweat. The cool air would meet her sweat and she would shiver very much; she would feel for a quick moment as if she was in the middle of a bitterly cold field while there was a blizzard roaring.

Jemima then remembered of the "conversation" that she had with "her consciousness" a few minutes ago. It was like a dream, something blurry, yet the memory of it was clear; it seemed no less than a reality. Yes, it was a reality; it did indeed happen, somehow…

I guess… it really happened…

Yet she still couldn't believe it. The concept of her consciousness revealing everything to her seemed so mystical to her, something so unreal… A reality with the texture of a dream, yet without becoming the dream itself…

Do I really know… more than what I think I know…?

Suddenly, she felt so small and weak compared to everything around her. The normal, everyday objects around her turning into something dark, something evil, fiends… They all seemed to gather around her and look at her with evil eyes…

Jemima, unable to make any big movement at this point, slowly raised up her blanket and hid under it. It was a cowardly, immature way to escape from something frightening, certainly a kittenish way, yet she always found comfort in it before. It would work today, for sure. It would be embarrassing to tell others that she still did it, hiding under a blanket, but it would always work.

But today, it didn't work.

Pouncival sat in his own den, his eyes closed tight. He would not let a single line of light come through; no, that was too big of a distraction to his meditation…

Well, I said I would have an end to the crush if she doesn't give me help… and I guess she didn't give me help… But… but… This is different…

He sighed. How selfish and kittenish he felt to change around the vow he made earlier that day.

I mean… yes; technically, I have to give up. But that's being way too technical. This time was different. She had some kind of a panic or something suddenly. And I can't control that. It was way beyond my paws. I'm sure she would've given me help if she didn't go into the panic thing… I'm sure that's how things would've been… I'm sure…

Slowly, he was hypnotizing himself with such excuses… for he didn't want to let go of what he held on to for so long.

I can't give up now… I can't turn back at this point in the road…

"You should… you should… You know it's just lust…" whispered something in him.

No! It's not lust…! It's not… uh… I guess… She is beautiful; Etcy is really pretty… but there's something more to it… something… uh…

He couldn't continue. He tried to make up a reason, but he could not. Is Teazer sending me mental messages or something? He remembered the conversation he had with her… only yesterday (or maybe, the day before; he couldn't grab out the dates in his mind recently).

And I…

Hoping for a miracle, he looked out of his den. His eyes widened when he saw a young queen running toward him in the rain. It would've been perfect if it was Etcetera. Like the climax in all fairytales, in all stories…

It was Jemima. Oh… Better than nothing. It's good to have company…

"Pounce, you don't need to come out. It's raining…" she said, rather loudly so that her voice could travel through the rain.

"Oh…!" Pouncival then realized that he was a step outside of his den, under the pouring rain… He hypothesized correctly that it was his anticipation for the guest whoever it would've been, that had carried him out there. He slowly stepped back into his den. "Hey… come in quick… You don't want to stand there in the rain," he said, looking back at Jemima.

She did so.

He was brushing off the rainwater from his body when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Hmm?"

"Pounce… To be frank… I'm here 'cause I'm… I'm… kinda scared…" she whispered, her face red with shame. "Can we stay close…?"

"Oh, uh… sure…" Pouncival said, giving an empty laugh to try to fill in the awkward silence. "W… why are you scared…?"

"I… I… don't know…"

"By the way, what was happening when we were at your den earlier today? Is that why you're here and hugging me…?" he asked, trying to find an explanation for his curiosity.

"Well… uh… yeah… The panic thing. Don't worry. I was just… worried and all. It just left me a little bit scared… So I decided I don't want to stay alone by myself…" she answered; the red color of shame still didn't leave her face.

"You could've gone to Etcetera's. You know; if Munkustrap finds a young tom and a young queen hugging in a den when it's close to night… he might misunderstand it and beat us up or something… Hehe… Right?" he said, trying to add some humor to the situation. (He had to admit in his mind how awkward it felt to be suddenly hugged by a fearful young queen.)

Jemima didn't laugh at his joke. Instead, she kept on tightly holding onto him, like a small kitten (although she was a kitten) would do so to his or her mother or father when the barking of a dog could be heard. Pouncival mechanically put his paw on her back and patted it gently, trying to calm her down. He then rubbed it in the shape of an oval, like his mother used to do to him; her fur was soaked from the rain.

"I… I don't know what to say… Jem… or what to think… I mean, you kinda came without warning… But you really seem… scared about something…" he whispered.

"Pounce… Just shut up and hug me tight… I'm sure the fright will go away in a few minutes…"

"Uh… okay…"

A few minutes passed so; the young queen hugging the young tom she was suppose to give advice to because she was scared… about whatever fright she felt in her own den… Meanwhile, every minute or two, Pouncival looked up to see the outside, making sure that there was no cat outside who would see this and mistake it for a shameless affair. I'm trying to calm this cat down, suckers!

Finally, Jemima let go of the tom and sighed. "Thanks," she said, "I need a hug sometimes…"

"We all do. Everyone does," Pouncival smiled. "Oh, uh… Before you go… You know what I'm gonna say…"

"What? I don't know what you're gonna say, Pounce…"

"You know… about… you know… her…"

"Oh, Pounce! Are you ever free from that thought?" Jemima responded, rolling her eyes.

Pouncival simply shook his head. "Please…?"

"Pounce… I can't say anything because I don't know how I can give you help…" she said, having eye contact with the ground and not him.

"Jem! I freakin' gave you a hug for like twenty minutes or something 'cause you were scared about something I don't even know, and now that's what you're saying? Come on, Jem, you know I won't be able to sleep tonight if I don't know what to do with her! I waited for long enough!" Pouncival complained.

Jemima's heartbeat started to accelerate again. "Pounce… I know it's a relationship you want with Etcy…"

"Well, duh!" Pouncival said, laughing. But he did notice that something was making Jemima feel uncomfortable, perhaps the same thing that brought her frightened to his den.

"Pounce… If it was a friendship thing, I would be able to help you… But this is too much for me. What if Etcy doesn't want a relationship?" Jemima asked, trying to be as careful as possible in what she was saying.

"Jem… you can't say that… What do you mean? You've been helping me so far…"

"I mean… You can't just think about your own wants. There's Etcy, too. What if she wants to be just friends with you? Have you considered that part…?"

"Jem… I… I thought you knew what I wanted with her… Again, I repeat, it's not just a 'friendship' thing…"

"Pounce, give me a break. Have you ever thought about Etcy's feelings?"

"Jem! You're acting as if you know exactly what she feels like! Did she like tell you something about me or something like that…?"

At this, Jemima couldn't answer. "Uh… uh… well…" she murmured. To lie in front of him would be being disrespectful to her friend. But he would rip her into pieces if she admitted that indeed, Etcetera had told her before explicitly that she does not want a relationship with him. To lie for my own sake, or to tell the truth for truth's sake? Two little cats from her own mind were floating on top of her shoulders, one on the right, one on the left; usually, they were an angel cat and a devil cat, but this time, both cats were devil cats. Where's the angel cat?

"She… never told me. Yup, Etcy never told me about you…" she said, close to muttering. A great catharsis swept her down; a catharsis of guilt. She had never lied for a great amount of time, more than she could remember; but today, it all broke down. An arrow of guilt shot her directly in the heart; the arrow seemed as if it was sadistically enjoying the agony it was giving her.

"Well, then why are you acting like you know what Etcetera thinks?" Pouncival asked, trying his best to not put away a friendly look but also not being able to completely hide his irritation.

"I… I am her friend…" she answered.

"But that doesn't mean that you know all about what she feels…! It's her own decision, right? You and she are not one cat!" Pouncival said.

"Pounce! It's not like you know everything about her!" Jemima replied.

"But you don't know everything about her, either! Stop being so arrogant!" Pouncival said, looking directly into her eyes. He then somewhat regretted having said the last sentence.

"But you know what, Pounce? I was just trying to tell you what the other side of the story may be like! Pounce! Please! Open your eyes! It's not only you who's in this whole situation!" Jemima said, almost shouting by the end. Her patience was quickly becoming thinner and thinner.

"Jem! What's wrong with you! Stop trying to make me look stupid!"

"Pouncival!" she cried. She gasped at how she said his full name without realizing it; that didn't happen often. "Pounce! You think it's just you and her. But that's not it! I'm in it, too! I'm trying to make the best happen for you guys, and I'm sacrificing my own peace and comfort to do that! And why don't you notice that! I'm wiser than you think! I think more than what you think that I think about what you think!"

"Huh? Think about think about… what…?" Pouncival said, giving a confused face.

"Okay. Never mind what I just said. But you get my whole point! I am deeper than what you think! Just because I was mostly silent so far since your crush started doesn't mean that I didn't have a war within my mind! 'Cause I did have a war in my mind, for you and Etcy! I'm always trying to make sure it goes well, and I'd love to give you two help, but I just don't know how to! I'm not a perfect, wise guru or something! So, please! Give me a break!" And at this point, tears started to travel down from her eyes.

"Why the fuck are you crying…?" Pouncival said quietly, shaking his head.

"You… you never care about what I feel…" she said in tears. She walked out of the den without hesitating and into the pouring rain. It was black outside.

"What the fuck is wrong with her today… Is she having her period?" Pouncival said to himself, but making sure that Jemima couldn't hear.

Jemima walked as slow as a turtle in the rain, pondering on each of her steps; she couldn't distinguish between her own tears and the tears of the sky, or at least that's what the rain seemed like to her.

But she had a peculiar feeling within her… that told her that she wanted to go back. Maybe… she was the one who acted like an asshole. Maybe she should go back and apologize...

"Oh, shut up!" she cried out loud at the thought. I'd look like a total Idiot! But she couldn't deny how sweet the idea of making an apology was.

But it'd make me look even more like an asshole...!

Whew! My longest chapter so far! I really appreciate those of you who are still reading, and I certainly appreciate comments and criticisms! Please, feel free to tell me what I can improve on! :)