Author's Note: I love this chapter so much, and I hope you do, too. I put a lot of effort into making it really cute, emotional, and a little fluffy, but at the same time progressing with the plot. I pulled in my favorite character—briefly—and even though he's a bit out of character, he's there! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll review (please!)! It will be wonderful! Enjoy!

"Why are you doing this?" Mistofelees asked Victoria. They'd only been dating for a month or two, and he hated being dragged along on her family outings.

"Because he's family, and he's hurting. Now hold this." She handed him a plate of cookies as she slipped on her coat.

"Well, everyone swears that I'm related to Bustopher—Heaviside knows I don't see it!—but you don't see me bringing him cookies every time he has one of his melt downs!" And with the economy the way it was, that had been rather often.

"Well, you should!" She took back the cookies and he held the front door open for her. The entire den smelled like she had been baking, and Mistofelees was more than a bit disappointed when Victoria had said it wasn't for him.

"I don't even like your uncle! Come to think of it, I don't know a tom—besides your dad—who does! Why can't we take these cookies down to the lake," He took her paw. "And have a nice, worry free, Tugger free after noon?" He kissed her paw gently before she pulled it away giggling.

"Because," She said, still laughing. "He's getting those casts off tomorrow, and he needs to know that not everyone has shunned him."

"But everyone has shunned him!" Victoria thumped him on the back of the head.

"No they haven't! I haven't, my dad hasn't, my mom…" She stopped to think for a second. "Yeah my mom has…But you haven't! C'mon, be nice."

"Why can't you take Electra, or Etcetera, or Jem, or one of your girlfriends?"

"Because, I want to make him feel better, not get him eaten alive. Beside, you're going to help him fix his door."

"Oh, no I'm not!" He skidded to a halt.

"Yes, you are." She grabbed his arm, and began dragging him along beside her. "Besides, think about it, when we're married, and Uncle Tug is at the wedding, don't you want him toasting his new nephew, that even before they were related, was the kindest, gentlest, most generous, most thoughtful person he knew?" She stopped and gave him a peck on the cheek. Mistofelees practically melted.

"Yeah…" A wide, goofy smile spread across his face. "I suppose you're right…" He chuckled.

"Good. Oh, would ya looky there! We're here! Hold theses." She ran up to her uncle's house and tapped lightly on the door. "Uncle Tug?" She moved it aside gently. "Uncle Tug, it's Victoria—" Misto coughed outside. "And your old buddy Misto. We brought cookies!" She stepped inside the den. "Hello?" Mistofelees came up beside her, clutching the tray of cookies close to him.

"Hey, Tug!" He called. "I can't believe anyone could live in such total darkness. There's not a single window in here." He took a step down into the den, handing the tray back to Victoria, and searching blindly for anything that could produce any light. Suddenly, he stepped on something hard and round. As he fell, his claw hooked on to string hanging from the ceiling. As he hit the ground, the string pulled on a piece of cardboard, freeing it from the ceiling, and let in a wide stream of light.

"Misto!" Victoria set down the tray on one of the steps and ran over to her boyfriend. "Are you okay? What did you step on? What did you pull to—whoa…" The den was almost completely empty. The floor was clean, and the walls were free from the papers that had hung on them since the den had been inhabited. Victoria hadn't been in here many times, and it had been a while, but she knew that this was definitely a change. There was only a single pillow and a small, wooden chair in the room. It smelt nice, and that nice, unrecognized smell was starting to blend with that of the cookies.

"I think I'm fine. What did I trip—hey, look!" Mistofelees pointed over to the bottom of the steps. There, lying almost undetectable, were two worn, dirty casts. Mistofelees walked over and picked one up. The ends were frayed, like someone had chewed on them, and one had a ragged line cut down the center. "Looks like he chewed one off, and cut the other." There was a small sliver pairing knife on the chair next to them.

"Good work, Sherlock." Mistofelees gave her a sarcastic grin, and she smiled back cheekily. "But where'd he go?" Victoria stuck her head out the large window, and surveyed the land behind it. It was easily the nicest view in the yard: it opened to a large, green-ish field, scattered here and there with trash blown off of the main piles, there were two trees that flowered when they felt like it, and in the distance—maybe a quarter mile or so off—there was a large, clear pond. Victoria stretched her neck to see farther. It was then she spotted a small, black figure sitting on the edge of the pond, throwing pebbles into the water. "Misto!" Victoria whispered loudly. "I found him!" Mistofelees walked over to her, and stuck his head out, too.

"Hey, yeah!" He put up his arm and began to wave it. "Hey Tugg—!"

"Shut up!" Victoria put her paw over his mouth. "Grab the cookies, follow me, and be quiet!" She pulled herself on to the roof of her Uncle's den, and slid down to the ground gracefully. She jogged towards her uncle quietly, Mistofelees in tow behind her with the plate of now, undoubtedly squished, cookies. When she got close enough that he could hear her if she spoke, she slowed to a walk and slunk carefully down until she was just a few feet behind him. "Um, Tugger, I—" She was cut off by Tugger standing up, turning around, and grabbing her in a choking hug so fast that she didn't even have time to think.

"Oh, Demeter! I knew you'd come back! I knew you'd choose me over my stiff of a brother!" He was holding her tightly, an his eyes were closed, almost crying. "I knew you'd find it in your heart to forgive me! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" he continued to hug her, but when he let go and went to kiss her, he stopped short. "Agh! Victoria!" He stepped back. I'm really sorry! You know you sound just like…like…just like…" He sighed, and gave up trying to say her name. "What are you doing here, anyway?" He sat back down on the edge of the pond and put his head in his paws.

"Misto and I brought you a little present." She smiled and waited for her boyfriend to appear behind her. He didn't. "Misto!" She called up the hill. He was sitting pleasantly in one of the trees, clutching the cookies like they were a life preserver, and he was about to jump into the ocean.

"Fine." He said unenthusiastically. He jumped down, with precision like a jungle cat, landing on three paws, and holding the tray in one above his head.

"I used to be able to do that." Tugger whined. "Before I became old and undesirable." He began to sniff. "I used to be able to do anything!" He wiped his eyes with his paw. "Anything! Anyone! I could do it all!" He began to sob quietly.

"Okay then! I don't need the gory details of your childhood, Tugger. Enjoy the cookies, Vic and I are out."

"No we're not!" Victoria grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. He reeled, and once again landed on his tail. "Look, Uncle Tug, there are plenty of queens in the yard that would be lucky to be your mate!" Victoria grew nauseas at the thought, but continued. "I mean, there has to be one person that you really, really like! Think hard about it." She put a paw on his shoulder. After a minute of awkward silence, Tugger began crying again.

"YOUR MOTHER!" Tugger sobbed. Victoria smacked her paw to her forehead in exasperation.

"Someone else?" Victoria pushed.

"No! There's no one else!" Tugger wailed. Mistofelees climbed back into the tree and tried to cover his ears.

"Uh…Cassandra?"

"She dumped me when she heard I got arrested."

"Bomba?"

"She scares me a little. To intense for my taste." Victoria's head dropped.

"Jenny!" Victoria suggested!

"Twice my age."

"Jem!"

"Half my age."

"Um…Jelly?"

"Married."

"Teazer!"

"Aren't she and Cori an item?"

"I thought she was with Jerrie?"

"I thought they're siblings?"

"Maybe."

"Anyway, no." Victoria groaned.

"Um…Electra?"

"No way."

"And why not? She's not so young! She's older than me! And she's not as big of a freak as her sister! It's perfect! She loves you!" Victoria patted her uncle on the back.

"No she doesn't. She's in love with the façade. She's in love with The Rum Tum Tugger! Not, the real me."

"Well, what's 'the real you'?"