Disclaimer: I don't own Stutterin' by Fefe Dobson!
A/N: Ok this is the part of the story where it turns into sort of a songfic. Mind you this is my first try at writing something song-related, so it might seem a bit choppy or rushed. I'd really appreciate any constructive criticism for those who have had experience with songfics! Enjoy!
Mungojerrie could hear quiet humming from somewhere nearby, but he wasn't sure if it was in his head or if another cat was actually humming a tune. He was too absorbed in his blissful world, kissing Portia and getting his fill of sexual pleasure. 'Jerrie ignored the abstract noise as the black and white queen ran her tongue along his lips and he accepted without thinking, acting solely on instinct. He began French kissing her and pressed her closer. Wasn't lust just great? He could fulfill his desire for pleasure and no one would have to know because it only lasted for a very short period of time!
That humming abruptly stopped and the calico tom pricked an ear to his right as he heard a soft gasp from that direction. At least now he knew it wasn't in his head. He didn't pay it any mind and let out a low moan as Portia trailed her fingers up his thigh again. 'Jerrie got a nagging feeling in the back of his mind like something was wrong, though. The gasp he just heard was high-pitched, as if it had come from a queen. Before he could match the voice to anyone he knew, he heard a sort of half sob, half whimper and footsteps fading away. He listened to the footfalls as he gradually came out of his own little world and became aware of reality once more. The footsteps were light, quick, and barely audible against the concrete floor. Now who did he know who would gasp at the sight of him kissing a queen, was a queen herself, and had stealthy, quiet footfalls as if they were a born thief?
"Oh...Shit."'Jerrie thought as a sense of dread came over him. Rumpleteazer had just caught him kissing another queen! Pushing himself away from an immensely disappointed Portia, he didn't bother apologizing for his sudden impoliteness as he jogged to hopefully catch up with the calico queen. Rounding the corner, he saw a flicker of orange, black, and white turn the next corner at the opposite end of the hall. 'Teazer was heading for the stairs to the roof.
"Is she crazeh? It's freezin' outsoide! Tha wind's strong, too; she could fawll off up there!"The calico tom realized with growing fear and picked up his pace, breaking into a run.
'Teazer's vision became blurry as she let her tears fall freely. How could 'Jerrie cheat on her right after he promised he would never hurt her? Had he been going behind her back with Portia all along and thought she'd never find out? Her racing thoughts suddenly got cut short as she spotted a door on her left that read, "Roof" in fuzzy, almost indistinct letters. 'Teazer wanted to get away from 'Jerrie, so climbing up to the roof didn't seem like such a bad idea. He probably wouldn't think of looking for her up there, if he even wanted to bother with her anymore. Grabbing the worn brass handle of the door, she heaved it open and started up the winding staircase. It was dank and narrow, and she could barely see a thing as she quickly went up, not bothering to watch where she was going. As a result, the calico queen tripped and fell with a grunt, but broke her fall with her paws. Shaking her head vigorously, she began jogging up the stairs again, but being careful to watch her step this time. The concrete steps suddenly ended and 'Teazer found herself in front of a door. She pushed it open and stepped outside into the frigid night air.
She had never been on the roof of the hideout before, and she was surprised at how narrow and dangerous the walkway looked. She stepped out onto the metal beams that made up the walkway, since she had nowhere else to go. The calico queen had the sloping roof of the warehouse right up against her on her left while there was a good one-storey vertical drop to her right. There was barely three feet of width to the metal beams and there was no railing. Talk about precarious situations...A couple of sentries shot her curious glances as they made their rounds. They had sharp-tipped spears as well as a quiver loaded with arrows and a bow strung across their backs.
'Teazer sat down and pulled her knees up to her chest as she stared out over the nightlife of London. The landscape was brightened by the numerous lights emanating from buildings down below and the streets were abuzz with cars and humans alike. A song came to mind as her tears slowed. She had heard it as she was rummaging around in a restaurant's dumpster once and they were playing the song at the front where all the humans were eating. It stuck with her ever since and she felt it suited her predicament perfectly. 'Teazer cleared her tightened throat and began, not caring whether the sentries heard her or not.
There's a whole lot of things that I will forgive
But I just can't take a liar
I was by your side 'til the very end
'til you pushed me in the fire
I tried to believe you but something is wrong
You won't look in my eyes tell me what's going on
'Jerrie stopped as he placed a paw on the handle of the door that led up the roof. The sound of someone singing floated softly down from the roof, and he pricked his ears to hear more. He knew it was 'Teazer, but he never thought she had this great a voice when she told him she liked singing a couple of weeks ago. He opened the door and climbed the staircase slowly, step by step, while listening to the calico queen with ever-growing appreciation and also regret for what he had just put her through.
"It's you and me against the world",
That's what you said, that's what you said
If you can't be honest with me
Then I'm afraid this is the end
Hurry up, hurry up
If you ever really cared about me
Tell the truth, give it up
You sound guilty, 'cause you're stutterin'
Oh oh oh oh oh ey ey ey ey ey oh oh oh oh woah
Yeah you're stuttering
Oh oh oh oh oh ey ey ey ey ey oh oh oh oh woah
Yeah you're stuttering
The calico tom felt a whole host of different emotions as he gradually neared the door to the catwalk outside and 'Teazer's singing increased in volume. He felt a pang of remorse at the lyrics he had heard thus far as well as a mixture of self-loathing, sympathy, and longing.
Now the seconds turn into minutes now
But you won't give me an answer
You can tell me this, you can tell me that
But don't say you don't remember
'Cause I know you better than you know yourself
So don't say I'm crazy, I know very well
"It's you and me against the world",
That's what you said, that's what you said
If you can't be honest with me
Then I'm afraid this is the end
Hurry up, hurry up
If you ever really cared about me
Tell the truth, give it up
You sound guilty, 'cause you're stutterin'
Oh oh oh oh oh ey ey ey ey ey oh oh oh oh woah
Yeah you're stuttering
Oh oh oh oh oh ey ey ey ey ey oh oh oh oh woah
Yeah you're stuttering
The tiger-striped tom finally reached the door to the outside, but he didn't want to face the calico queen just yet. He knew it would be incredibly rude to interrupt someone in the middle of a performance, even if it wasn't meant for him or if it wasn't an actual performance. So he leaned against the brick wall of the dingy staircase, hung his head, and let 'Teazer's beautiful voice play his heartstrings like a harp. Her voice cracked at times because he knew she was crying, but it was still the prettiest piece he had ever heard.
I-I-I don't-don't wanna hear you're so-orry now
The-e-e best thing you can do for me is just spit it out
I-I-I don't-don't wanna hear you're so-orry now
Stop-stop stutterin' your words
It's only making you look worse
Hurry up, hurry up
If you ever really cared about me
Tell the truth, give it up
You sound guilty, 'cause you're stutterin'
Oh oh oh oh oh ey ey ey ey ey oh oh oh oh woah
Yeah you're stuttering
Oh oh oh oh oh ey ey ey ey ey oh oh oh oh woah
Yeah you're stuttering!
The song stopped and 'Jerrie felt his heart lurch as the sound of sobbing entered his ears again. The simple music meant so much and every word of it could be applied to 'Teazer's current situation. The calico tom felt an overwhelming urge to yank open the door in front of him, gather 'Teazer up in his arms, and beg for her forgiveness. But he did no such thing. 'Jerrie stayed glued to the spot by the wall and waited. He had to time this just right. If he showed himself to 'Teazer now, while she was still shaken up and irrational, he could make her situation ten times worse. If he confronted her after she had a chance to calm down and collect herself, he stood a much better chance of explaining his side of the story, getting her to reason with him, and making a complete fool of himself all the while. His friends would laugh at the sight of him falling to his knees and pleading his case like a condemned prisoner, but if that was what he had to do to get Rumpleteazer back, he wouldn't think twice.
The calico tom decided he would count out five minutes in his head and then open the door. Five minutes should be enough to calm down and think things through, right? Well, the method had always worked for him when he got overwhelmed, so why wouldn't work for 'Teazer? Of course, being a tom, he had no idea that it took much more than five minutes to come to terms with a broken heart. For him, he just brushed it off and moved on. He didn't know that queens often had a complete breakdown, took a couple weeks or even months to recover, then moved on because he never bothered to wait and see how they took a breakup. As 'Jerrie tapped his foot impatiently on the concrete stair, he fidgeted with his tail, ran his fingers through his headfur, and tried to quell his nervously churning stomach. By the time he counted out three minutes, he couldn't take it anymore. Pushing the door open, he stepped outside and immediately spotted 'Teazer a few feet away. She hadn't noticed him yet.
Taking a deep breath of the chilly night air, he casually strolled over and crouched beside the calico queen. 'Jerrie tentatively placed a paw on her shoulder, but was forced to retract it when she swatted, or rather whacked, it away. She whipped her head around to face him with a venomous hiss that made the tiger-striped tom shift uneasily. 'Teazer stood up, so 'Jerrie decided it was only fair that he stand up, too. A tense, heavy silence blanketed them for a moment, but the calico queen broke it.
"Ya two-toimin' bastahd! Ya loiyin' cur! 'Ow dare ya come up 'ere an' troiy ta rub ya kiss with tha' bitch Po'tia in moiy face! Ya've got some nerve, Mungojerrie!"Rumpleteazer shrieked furiously and roughly pushed the calico tom backward with every insult.
'Jerrie winced at the pain, betrayal, and anger in her tone as he raised his paws in surrender at the same time trying to calm her down. At this rate, it was also going to take less than three more pushes to send him tumbling over the end of the walkway, seeing as she obviously wasn't going to let him turn the sharp corner and keep backing up. "Whoa; easy 'Teazah, easy. Oi jus' came ta apologoize. Can ya calm down an' 'ear moi out?"The calico tom struggled to keep his voice low and soothing. It wouldn't help the matter if he started shouting, too.
'Teazer hissed again and her white teeth gave a menacing contrast to the darkness around them. "No 'Jerrie, Oi won' calm down! Ya 'ad ya chawnce, an' ya blew it straight outta tha watah! 'Ow do ya think Oi felt, watchin' moiy own tomfriend makin' out with anothah queen who clearley 'ates moi? Huh?"Her voice had gone from a shriek to a vicious growl in seconds, and 'Jerrie could feel the edge of the metal walkway at his heels and the cold wind rushing up from behind him, threatening to knock him over.
"'Ey, ya jus' cawlled moi ya tomfriend! Tha's a step ta recoverey roight there."The tiger-striped tom smirked cheekily, but it instantly disappeared when she prepared to give him another shove; she didn't know they were right on the edge. "Wait, no-!"He started, but 'Teazer interrupted him.
"Go ta 'ell!"She yelled, and gave 'Jerrie one more push. This time he stumbled over the edge with a frightened cry. The calico queen gasped and her eyes widened with shock as she realized what she had just done. "'Jerrie!"She screamed, looking over the edge of the catwalk. He was not hanging on to the metal beams for dear life as she expected; in fact the tom was nowhere to be seen. 'Teazer's brown eyes welled up with tears as she sat back on her haunches, guilt overcoming fury. "Evahlastin' Cat, whot 'ave Oi done? Oi've killed Mungojerrie! Oi've murdahed 'im! Oi didn' mean ta push 'im off tha soide o' tha buildin', Oi was jus' so angreh an' jealous tha' befo' Oi knew it, 'e fell ta 'is death! Oh, Oi loved 'im an' Oi killed 'im!"She wailed as sobs racked her body. The only things she could hear for a few agonizing seconds were the rumble of cars in the distance and her own weeping.
"Could ya repeat tha' last paht again, princess?"A familiar Cockney voice sounded from her left.
'Teazer's head shot up and as if by some miracle, Mungojerrie was standing less than five feet away from her, unscathed and smirking. Her dumbstruck mind couldn't make coherent thoughts for a minute and it was as if her body had a life of its own. Her tears of sorrow turned to tears of joy as she jumped up and ran over to him, flinging her arms around his neck and nuzzling his chest, trying to reassure herself that he was really there and he wasn't some ghostly apparition attempting to achieve revenge. 'Jerrie smiled gently as he wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling pleased with his little death-defying stunt. Even though 'Teazer might have been angry with him a few minutes ago, he knew she was still head-over-heels for him. Her reaction to his supposed "death" proved that and she even said it herself.
So how did 'Jerrie survive that fall? Truth was he didn't even fall in the first place. You see, there was a set of fire escape stairs right below the walkway on that side of the warehouse. When 'Jerrie was pushed over the edge, he swung himself under the catwalk and right onto those stairs. Because of the length of the walkway, it overlooked the stairs and you would have to look under the edge to see them. Thus, 'Teazer didn't see him pressed against the wall of the warehouse when she peeked over the edge. After that he merely snuck back up and the rest you know.
"So Oi take it ya don' 'ate moi? Ah' ya willin' ta 'ear moiy soide o' tha storeh now?"The calico tom murmured, resting his chin on the top of her head. He felt 'Teazer nod against his chest, and recounted his tale. "Moi an' tha boiys came back from ah' mission, which is done boiy tha way, an' then SD brought us beer. Then Po'tia came up ta moi an' attempted ta seduce moi. Tha rest Oi think ya saw. When Oi figured out t'was ya tha' was watchin' us, Oi followed ya up 'ere. Ya song was 'eart meltin', princess. Oi 'eard evrey word plus tha' lil' confession jus' now."'Jerrie let out a soft chuckle and then continued, "Ya thought ya murdahed moi, tha's so cute. Ya ain' gonna ge' rid o' moi tha' easy."
'Teazer giggled, feeling a bit silly. "Oi guess Oi shouldn' 'ave 'ad such lil' faith in ya then. 'Ow did ya ge' back up 'ere anehway?"She queried.
'Jerrie didn't answer as he knelt down with her and pointed under the catwalk. 'Teazer glanced over the edge and the answer became obvious. There were metal stairs right under them that zigzagged all the way down to the ground. The steps looked more like rungs because they were very thin and narrow, though. The staircase itself didn't look very stable.
"Ooh, tha' makes sense. Oi'm glad ya're not dead, 'Jer. Then who would Oi use as a punchin' bag?"The calico queen pursed her lips in mock-thought and looked at 'Jerrie as he nudged her to get his attention. Her brow furrowed at his serious expression.
"Do ya believe moi now? Do ya know now tha' Oi didn' wont ta 'urt ya an' whot ya saw was moiy 'uge mistake? Oi'm so sorreh fo' makin' ya think Oi was goin' be'oind ya back an'-"The tiger-striped tom's rambling apology got cut off as 'Teazer suddenly silenced him by pressing her lips to his. 'Jerrie stiffened, taken off guard. He closed his eyes out of habit, but was too shocked to return the kiss.
The calico queen pulled away and chuckled at his astonished face. "Oi fo'give ya. Jus' remembah tha pain if this evah 'appens again."Her tone had a hint of wickedness to it on that last part.
'Jerrie shot a confused look at 'Teazer. "Whot pain-"He began, but that turned into a grunt as she whacked the back of his shoulder with quite a bit of force. He tensed and coughed once as she thumped his back again harder before slightly clearing his throat and correcting himself in a strained voice, "Oh, roight. Tha' pain."
"Yeah, ya shouldda seen tha' comin'. Whot ah' ya goin' ta do now tha' tha mission's ovah?"The calico queen commented, changing the subject. A cold wind blew at her back, causing her to shiver. She nestled herself closer to 'Jerrie for warmth.
The tiger-striped tom smiled and made them both stand up, since they were still kneeling. He slung an arm around her shoulders and guided her over to the door that led back into the stairwell. "Staht sleepin' at noight, Oi guess. Ge' moiyself back in good 'ealth again. Work on moiy commitment an' troiy ta redeem moiyself fo' ya."He shrugged non-chalantly as he opened the door for them both.
'Teazer raised an eyebrow at that last statement and gave him a slightly puzzled look. "But 'Jer, ya've awlreadeh redeemed yaself boiy apologoizin'. Ya're committed enough ta know when ta say sorreh, come back ta admit ya did somethin' wrong, an' seek fo'giveness instead o' jus' givin' up an' walkin' away."She explained as they descended the stairs.
'Jerrie fell silent for a few minutes and didn't speak until they were in the hall again. He ran his free paw through his headfur and sighed heavily before answering, "Tha's not whot Oi mean. Sure Oi'll come back an' apologoize, but often toimes tha's not good enough fo' moi. Next thing ya know, Oi'll be in anothah queen's bed! Oi wont ta prove ta moiyself tha' Oi can be committed an' challenge moiyself ta stay tha' way, even when someone else is playin' on moiy greatest weakness. Oi'm a bad tom, Rumpleteazah, but Oi don' wont ta include playboiy in tha' list o' definitions. Criminal? Definiteley. Devious? O' course. Assassin? Sure. Playboiy? Tha's a thin' o' tha past."
"Aww, 'Jerrie! Tha' was beau'iful! Oi'm proud o' ya."The calico queen said happily as she pecked the tiger-striped tom on his cheek and laid her head on his shoulder. They strolled down the jail hall in comfortable silence and 'Jerrie felt like a heavy burden was suddenly lifted off his shoulders.
Once they were inside the barracks he led her over to his bed and 'Teazer had no problem with snuggling up beside him. As 'Jerrie pulled the blanket over them to cover them both, he draped an arm over 'Teazer's torso and settled himself next to her, kissing her goodnight and closing his eyes. The calico queen, in turn, rested her head on his chest and sighed blissfully, promptly falling asleep in his warm embrace. Everything was alright again.