Chapter Twelve

Several Weeks Later…

Demeter stared out at the rainy day with a heavy sigh. Another day without Bombalurina. It had been preceded by a day without the red queen, and would be seceded by yet another day without her—and another, and another, passing in bleak succession.

Jellyorum had told her that it would get easier. The days would cease to be so painful, the nights would grow less cold. But so far, that promise had not come true.

Munkustrap had been good to her. He had been understanding through it all—he loved her, but even he knew that he could never replace Bombalurina. He had held Demeter as she wept, comforted her for countless nights on end, and still remained faithfully at her side. Demeter counted herself lucky to have such a supportive mate. Not everyone found such steadfast devotion, you know.

~*~

Jemima sat on the edge of the couch, her eyes fearfully fastened to her mother's dark form in the windowsill. Mother had been so sad since Bombie's disappearance. Some days, she didn't even speak—like today, she merely stared out at the passing cars, her void expression reflected in the windowpane.

Mistoffelees had changed as well. Whenever he was around Jemima, he tried to put on a happy face—to laugh and joke as he always did. But Jemima could see behind those smiling eyes lay tears. She wasn't the oblivious kit that everyone assumed she was. She could see the pain, the sadness in everyone's faces, could feel the tug of sorrow in their voices. First Tugger, now Bomba. The two brightest lights of the Jellicle Junkyard were now gone—both in tragic, inexplicable ways.

Jemima hoped that wherever they were, Tugger and Bombalurina were safe and happy.

~*~

"Oh, Tugger, you are such a tease!" Bombalurina laughed heartily, wiping away a tear from her eye. They were in the booth of their newest haunt—a local pub they had discovered after their departure from the Tribe.

"I wasn't meaning to be," Tugger held up his hands in a gesture of innocence, laughing along with the red queen. Bombie just rolled her eyes. Tugger defended himself playfully, "Come on, if a tom had winked at you, would you really have fainted?"

"Personally? No," the red queen admitted. She motioned across the room with a grin, "But apparently, she would and she did."

"Not my fault," Tugger repeated. Bombalurina burst into a fresh onslaught of giggles. This was their newest pastime: hitting on the locals and comparing their success rates.

"Okay, okay," Bomba sat up, trying to control her mirth. She flipped her whiskers prissily. "My turn."

"Get 'em, Tiger," Tugger joked. The corner of her mouth curled in response.

Bombalurina's dark eyes scanned the room for a potential target. Finally, she found one; her gaze locked onto him like a radar. The tom noticed her, sat up, and looked around confusedly. Then, with a smile, he realized that the breathtaking beauty in the corner was looking at him. He motioned for the barkeep to give the lady a drink.

"For you," the waiter held the tray before her. "From the tom at the bar."

Bombie took the drink daintily, a smug smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She raised her glass in salutation to her unknown benefactor, her eyes twinkling devilishly. He returned the gesture.

"Score one for me," Bombalurina whispered in a throaty voice, never bothering to take her eyes off her newest prize.

Surprisingly, Tugger was not at all jealous. He thought he would be, whenever Bomba first invented the game a few weeks earlier. The game had evolved from the queen's observation about their effects on their respective opposite sexes. It had started innocently at first, and then grew to a level of rules and scoring systems, becoming a daily ritual between the two.

Perhaps it was because Tugger knew that at the end of the day, when the fun and games had ebbed, Bombalurina would still leave the pub at his side, would still go home with him. Sure, they wouldn't share the same bed—or even the same room, for that matter—but in some small way, she was choosing to be with him. That was all Tugger needed to convince him to play this game. Of course, the added bonus of having queens faint at a mere wink helped, too.

"Shall we go now?" Tugger asked, leaning in so that Bombie could hear him over the din of the pub. The red queen smiled demurely and nodded.

"Certainly."

~*~

"Certainly not!"

Jennyanydots' words rang in Electra's ears. The dark kit's ears pinned against her head in anger, but she was smart enough not to retort. Jenny might seem like a loving mother figure, but she had a mean left hook.

"It's just one night," she mumbled, not daring to look Jenny in the eye.

"Electra, I said no," the Gumbie Cat said sternly. "You and Victoria are still too young to go out by yourselves. Besides, after that Pollicle attack, I don't think Munkustrap will let anyone travel unaccompanied."

Electra jumped off the washing machine with an angry sigh and slipped away to an abandoned corner of the yard. She hated being treated like a kit. She and Victoria were over a year old—almost two! Why couldn't Jennyanydots just understand this? Why couldn't she let them go out for one night—just like all the other cats?

If I'm a grown up, why am I asking Jenny for permission? Electra suddenly thought. None of the other cats came to Jenny, begging for the right to go out. Why should she? Jennyanydots was not her mother; she had no control over Electra.

"Hey, Tori," Electra called to her friend, who happened to be passing by.

"Hey, Lecs," the snow white queen bounded up to her friend with a smile. "Did Jenny say yes?"

"Who cares what Jenny said?" Electra asked, her defensive tone causing Victoria to frown.

"It was a no, then."

"Look," Electra rolled her eyes. "We're both old enough to make our own choices. We can go out if we want—we shouldn't have to ask Jenny."

"I don't know," Victoria bit her lip apprehensively. She feared the Gumbie Cat's wrath. Like Electra, she was all too aware of Jenny's left hook.

"Oh, don't be such a goody-goody," Electra gave an exasperated sigh. "Let's just go, okay?"

"I don't think it's a good idea," Victoria shook her head.

"I'll go."

The two queens turned to see Pouncival.

"Girls only, Pounce," Electra smiled sweetly.

"Your loss," Pouncival shrugged. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Of course, you probably won't make it past the night watch."

"Oh," Electra said. She had forgotten about that.

"Although," Pouncival gave a wicked grin. "I do know a way out. A secret way."

"I don't like the sound of this," Victoria whined.

"Tell us," Electra demanded.

"Girls only, remember?" Pouncival shot back.

"Fine," Electra rolled her eyes. "You can come—but if we get caught, I swear to Rumpus Cat, I'll blame the whole thing on you."

"Deal," Pouncival grinned again.

~*~

"Anybody home?" Asparagus stuck his head through the kitty door tentatively. Once he spotted his sister and his niece, he entered, "Hey, Jemmie, how's it going?"

Jemima gave him a sad look, "It's a bad day."

Asparagus nodded in understanding. Ever since Bombalurina had disappeared, he had been making daily visits to his sister. Wordlessly, Asparagus jumped onto the windowsill beside Dem, looking out at the traffic as if he had never seen anything more interesting.

Finally, Demeter spoke, "You're late."

"So you've actually been keeping track of the time?" Asparagus joked. Dem did not respond. After another thoughtful pause, he added, "You weren't this depressed when Father died."

"That's because I had a chance to say goodbye," Demeter replied, never taking her gaze from the windowpane. "I had time. Time to tell him how much I loved him, to tell him what he meant to me."

"I'm sure Bombalurina knew how you felt," Asparagus said reassuringly. Demeter shook her head.

"Mummy and Bombie had been fighting," Jemima piped up. "They didn't talk for a long time."

Asparagus turned to his sister with sorrowed eyes. "That's what this is, isn't it? You two were at odds when she disappeared. And now you feel bad because you think that your fight made her leave."

"I don't know," Demeter admitted quietly. "But I don't see why else she would leave. We hadn't spoken—hadn't truly had a conversation in weeks. I never had the chance to apologize, to make things right. And now I never will."

At this confession, a single tear slipped down Demeter's cheek. Asparagus wrapped a comforting paw around his sister, "It wasn't your fault, Demi. These things just happen."

"You're right. I'm just…I just…can't believe she's gone," the queen admitted sadly. Then, she seemed to lose all emotion as she turned back to the window, "But I suppose that is just how life is, isn't it? Just one string of unbelievable tragedies after another until finally, you crumble under the weight of it all."

With that, the black and gold queen returned to staring bleakly out the window, her face as devoid of emotion as a blank sheet of paper. In that moment, Asparagus felt his sister mentally leave the room. Where she went, he could only imagine. But he was certain that it was not a pleasant place.

~*~

Once they reached the flat, Tugger asked the same question he asked every day, "So, any ideas yet?"

"None worth mentioning," Bomba admitted. Any way she looked at it, there was no possible way that she and Tugger could make the others realize the gravity of their situation. Every idea seemed so…futile.

Bombalurina fiddled with her tail absentmindedly, her brown eyes staring blankly ahead. Tugger watched her with an amused smile. She was so adorable when she was serious.

"I'm worried about Demeter," she finally spoke.

Tugger kept quiet. He realized that Bomba was merely thinking aloud, not seeking advice. He knew that a few weeks ago the red queen had taken advantage of a recent Pollicle attack—upon hearing of the incident, she had bribed a cat to swear that he had seen her leave the scene badly wounded. Surprisingly, no one had countered the claim; the Jellicles had assumed that Bombalurina had died.

Until now, Bomba had not regretted her actions. But to be honest, she hadn't really had a chance to reflect on the situation. Tugger had kept her busy—they spent every day at the pub, every night at the club.

But something had happened today. On the way home from the pub, Bombalurina had seen two kittens playing hide-and-seek, shrieking and laughing as only kittens can—just as she and Demeter had done when they were younger.

Suddenly a thousand memories of her friend had flooded her brain, and Bombalurina had been filled with an intense bout of homesickness.

"I miss her," Bombalurina admitted. She gave a sigh, "And Jemima. And Misto."

"Misto?" Tugger sat up suddenly. "Why on earth do you miss Misto? I didn't even know you two spoke to each other."

Bombalurina gave him a dark look—one that told him that if he valued his life, he would not pursue the subject further.

Tugger sat back, his mind processing this new development. Apparently Bombalurina had left behind an amore. This explained why she implemented the no-relationship rule—although it still blew Tugger's mind to think that Bomba would choose a tom like Misto. He was so weird.

Bombalurina returned to her thoughts. She had to see Demeter again. She had to see her son. She had to make sure that they were alright, that they could live without her. She had to know.

~*~

"Hey, Cetty!" Electra whispered, motioning her friend into the pipe that served as their secret hideout.

"What is it?" Cetty noticed that the pipe also contained Victoria and Pouncival. Something was definitely up.

"We're going out tonight, to The Mouser's Palace," Electra replied, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Jenny said it was OK?" Cetty was incredulous. The uneasy look from Victoria, accompanied by Pouncival's smirk and Electra's look of defiance answered the question.

"Are you coming or not?" Electra did not even bother to answer Cetty's previous query.

"I'm not up to it," Cetty admitted, her gaze falling to the ground. "I'm not in the mood for fun."

"You can't spend your life waiting for Tugger," Pouncival said gently. Cetty looked up, shooting daggers with her eyes.

"What do you know, Pouncival Caticus of the Jellicle House of Kismet?" Cetty used his full name—a sign that she was truly angry. "You spend all day moping for Bombie. Why can't I just be left alone?"

"Because you don't like being alone," Victoria said in a small voice. Her face was filled with concern for her friend.

"How would you know what I like or don't like?" Cetty asked hotly. "Ever since you danced with Plato, you've been spending every second with him!"

Victoria opened her mouth to give an indignant reply, but Electra interjected, looking at the white queen with a critical eye, "She's right, Tori; you have been stuck on Plato like a leech."

"Not fair!" Victoria protested. Pouncival snickered. Dark looks from all three queens quickly silenced him.

"Look, I'm just not up to it, okay?" Etcetera turned away and disappeared into the yard again.

"Well," Electra shrugged it off. "We won't let her ruin our fun, will we?"

"No way," Pounce agreed.

"She won't, but I will," a voice came from the other end of the pipe. It was Alonzo, who apparently had overheard the entire conversation. He approached the kits, a stern look on his usually mild features. "What were you thinking? Don't you know kittens are not allowed to leave the yard unattended?"

"We're not kittens," Electra growled. Alonzo fought back a laugh. This only deepened the dark queen's anger.

"We're not!" She insisted angrily.

"Alright then," Alonzo's demeanor suddenly because stern and imposing once more. "Then you'll be treated as adults. Cats caught breaking curfew law are sentenced to two weeks' clean up duty."

"Aw, c'mon!" Pounce whined. "We didn't even actually sneak out!"

"I know," Alonzo said simply. "Which is why I'm only giving you three days' punishment."

"What for?" Electra demanded.

"A deterrent." Alonzo said as he walked away.

"This sucks," Electra grumbled.

"Four days," Alonzo said over his shoulder. The kits all rolled their eyes, but this time they kept their mouths shut.

~*~

It was raining again. Tugger gave a heavy sigh and cursed the weather. It would be another boring day at the loft. Bombalurina refused to leave the house when it rained—she hated water even more than the average cat should. Oh well, Bomba's hydrophobia wouldn't keep Tugger from having a good time.

"Hey, Boms," Tugger stood outside her door. "I'm going out for a bit."

No response.

"Didja hear me?" Tugger asked again.

Again, no reply.

"Bomba?" Tugger spoke a little louder.

Still no response.

Tugger tried the door knob. It was unlocked. If he walked in and woke up Bombalurina, she would murder him for sure. Still, Tugger decided it was worth the risk.

He opened the door slowly, peering in cautiously. There was no one in the room.

He looked around in confusion. Where in the world was Bombie?

~*~

Ugh. She hated the rain. But Bombalurina knew that braving the elements was worth it—peace of mind was worth the damage to her coat.

She approached the house with the stealth that only a cat can possess. A smile dawned on her face when she spotted her son, who lay sleeping in the windowsill. She desperately wanted to wake him, to speak to him, but the red queen knew that she could never do such a thing. If Mistoffelees knew that Bomba was alive—and with Tugger—the young tom would be in danger. Bombalurina wasn't sure what Munkustrap would do if he found out; quite frankly she didn't want to know. Right now, the safest place for Misto was with Munkustrap—away from Macavity.

Bombalurina then turned her attention to the house across the street—the house that she had once shared with Demeter. She slipped into the dreary rain again, her eyes darting about furtively as she moved closer. She stealthily peered into the window. Demeter was still asleep, Jemima was curled up beside her.

Bomba's breath caught at the sight of her best friend's face. Dem looked so…old. And tired. What had happened?

You did that, a voice echoed inside of her head. She thinks you're dead, remember?

The red queen sighed. She knew that Demeter would mourn her loss, but she didn't think it would be this hard on the black and gold queen.

She's not as strong as you are, the voice reminded her.

Bomba felt a pang of regret. She had really hurt Dem this time—even if it was for her own good.

Let her know you're alive, the voice prompted. Bombie took a moment to contemplate the situation. If Demeter found out that she was still alive, she might tell Munkustrap. Munku was a smart cat—he'd realize soon enough that Bomba had faked her own death. Which would eventually lead him to the truth—and put Misto in danger. But on the other hand, if Demeter knew that her friend was still alive, perhaps she could pull herself out of her obvious depression. Bomba decided that her friend's happiness was worth the risk. With a sudden sense of determination, she plucked the charm from her collar and tossed it onto the garden path—in plain sight of anyone who walked by. Then, realizing that every second increased her chances of being seen, Bombalurina quickly disappeared.

~*~

From her perch atop the roof, Tantomile watched Bombalurina retreat down the muddy street. The black and white queen gave a small smile of satisfaction. She was the voice that Bomba had heard inside her mind; she was the one who convinced the red queen to leave a sign.

In all honestly, Tanto was not surprised to find that Bombalurina was alive. That cat was too tough to go down without a fight. What worried her was the fact that the red queen had chosen not to return to the tribe. Not that Tantomile really cared—she had no connection to Bombalurina, nor any desire to know her whereabouts.

But she did care about Demeter. Years ago, Tanto had received a vision—one about Demeter. Instead of acting on it, the mystic assumed that it was merely a dream, nothing more. That was the night Demeter was kidnapped by Macavity. Tantomile never quite forgave herself for allowing such a tragedy to befall the timid, gentle Demeter.

Now she had the chance to make things right—hopefully her plan would work. But the rest was up to Demeter. If she could emerge from her fog of despair long enough to discover Bomba's charm, then she would realize that her friend was still alive.

Tantomile furrowed her brow at that last thought. She highly doubted that Demeter would be able to do such a thing. Demeter had been almost completely consumed by her grief—she hardly noticed anyone, not even her own daughter, Jemima.

Jemima! Tanto brightened at the thought. Jemima was a precocious kit—surely her bright eyes would see the charm. Perhaps this plan would work after all.

~*~

Three rooftops down, Rumpleteaser was practicing her balancing skills. The rain had made the gables very slippery—a perfect obstacle course for the agile queen. After joining the Jellicles, she and Mungo had sworn off a life of crime, but she kept her skills in tact—just in case.

Suddenly, a movement caught her eye. It was Tantomile, who was also on the roof. The only thing wrong with the picture was that it wasn't Tantomile's house. It was Dem's.

Her curiousity sufficiently stoked, Teaser quickly made her way across the rooftops, reaching Tantomile in a matter of seconds.

The black and white queen whirled around, startled, "Where did you come from?"

"Oi 'ave my ways," Teaser smirked. Then she looked at Tanto with confusion, "Wot're you doing 'ere?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Tanto replied, avoiding the question.

"Thissus my street," Teaser motioned towards her house. She turned back to Tanto, "Which still dohn't explain why you're 'ere, on Dem's roof, at this hour offa morning, in tha pourin' rain."

"I was on my way to visit Mistoffelees," Tanto replied smoothly.

"You usually travel boiy rooftop, then?" Teaser asked dryly. She wasn't buying Tantomile's excuse.

"I was worried about Demeter," Tantomile admitted. She never was good at lying. The black and white queen took another deep breath, "She had not been well."

"Tell me sumfin' Oi don't know," Teaser retorted in a wry tone. She shrugged, "She's jus' upset over losin' Boms."

"Yeah," Tanto nodded sadly. She was not about to tell Teaser her secret—that Bombalurina was alive and well, and had just left the vicinity.

"They were real close," Teaser added ruefully. She had never been close with anyone—not as close as Dem and Boms were. That was especially true when it came to her older sister. She and Bomba barely spoke. Teaser was slightly jealous of Demeter.

"I know," Tanto said sadly. She, too, was jealous—but not of Demeter. Bombalurina was the one to be envied—she had a friend who stood beside her through thick and thin, who looked past the ugliness and loved her anyways, someone who mourned her loss and cherished her memory. Tantomile didn't have anyone who would do the same for her. Sure, she had Corico, but it wasn't the same. He was her brother, her twin—he was practically obligated to be her friend.

"What the hell are you doing up there?"

The two queens looked down to see Asparagus standing in the yard, staring up at them with a confused expression.

"Nuffin," Teaser replied in a small voice. Asparagus didn't seem convinced.

Wordlessly, the two queens came down from their perch, landing deftly on the ground. Demeter poked her head out of the cat door, a confused look on her tired features, "What's going on?"

"Hello, Demeter," Tantomile forced a smile. The black and gold queen did not look well.

"Jus' chattin'," Teaser flashed a way-too-innocent smile.

Demeter just gave a slight nod before disappearing into the house once more.

"Oi think we'd best be goin'," Teaser said quietly. Tantomile nodded in agreement. Asparagus gave them one last caustic look before following his sister into the house.

Tantomile turned back to Teaser, only to find that the tiger-striped queen was already scampering back to her own home. Tanto gave another heavy sigh. Apparently Teaser did not wish to be seen with her. She turned and made her way to the junkyard. Rumpleteaser's curious expression still played in her mind. Wot're you doing 'ere?

Tantomile did not have an explanation, other than she had merely been watching over Demeter's house that night. She had sensed that something was about to happen to the petite queen, and, fearing the worst, she had rushed over—only to find Demeter sleeping peacefully. Unsure of what her premonition meant, and fearful of the answer, Tanto had spent the entire night atop the house. Then Bombalurina had appeared in the early morning, and Tanto realized why she had felt the premonition. Hopefully, her plan would work. Tanto felt that she owed Demeter that much—after all, if Tanto had spoken about her vision all those years ago, Dem would never have fallen into Macavity's cruel paws.