OH DAMN! This chapter literally took me a few hours to write! I was so concentrated and determined and extremely motivated! Can't wait to hear what you think! There will be some coarse language that includes the use of the F word by a minor :P I love how, of all characters, he's the one to drop the worst curse. Tugger was in the lead with 'shit' but Quax has him beat now... Tugger better start smartening-down! USE YOUR WORDS, TUG!

2ScarletRibbon: That's great! I kept hearing about it when I was young but never actually watched it until about a year ago :) Sweet! I'm honoured to be your first fic! Hey, no one's judging you for the angst, it's way more interesting than romance in my opinion ;)

ZeeAwesomeSauceIsAwesome: Welcome to the fanbase! Sick, they rock legwarmers ;) I find that cool because my youtube name is imaginationroxmysox and it reminded me of that funnily enough :3 I'm not trying to advertise myself! I'm just sayin.

ENJOY! I know I did :P

Quaxo's mind hummed with the remnants of a headache as sunlight filtered through his eyelids. He inhaled deeply while he stretched himself out, realizing now that he was lying down on Tugger's bed, and there was a heavy arm draped around his midsection. His eyes snapped open, the sun immediately taking the opportunity to burn his dried and still swollen eyes. It took a few moments for them to adjust and focus in on the sleeping figure in front of him. As if pulled from his very nightmare, there lay the quiet and benign looking Munkustrap. But Quaxo knew.

He let out a terrified scream as he retreated to the edge of the bed, where was Tugger? Despite their little altercation the night before, he still looked to the coon for protection now that the one person he could truly trust had been corrupted. Once again, he tumbled off the bed, just barely avoiding hitting his head off the night stand. The tabby sat up with a start at the loud yelp, quickly gathering his bearings when the terrified tux dropped off the side of bed.

"Are you OK?" he crawled to the tux's side to help him back up. He was put off when the tux continued to scream, calling out for Tugger and no longer for the tabby. He lowered himself to the ground and slowly approached the terrified tom on his hands and knees; Quaxo enveloped himself in his blanket and continued to scream for the coon's rescue.

Tugger stormed into the room; his short mane was a mess, his headfur disheveled, and his eyes were droopy. His gaze darted madly between the two, confusion evident in his still foggy mind. Munkustrap shrugged, equally confused.

The maine coon walked over to the concealed tom, rubbing his back comfortingly. He shot a glance at the silver tabby in hopes of getting some sort of ground on what had happened, the tabby gave a somewhat fearful look: he knew nothing. He gently pulled off the thick, poofy duvet to reveal the tom's face. "Quax, what's wrong?" The young tom's eyes snapped open wildly, darting around the room until they rested on Munkustrap.

"Just stay the hell away from me!" he yelled at the tabby, his expression was crazed and dazzled at the same time; making him look extremely dangerous.

Munkustrap shifted in his position until he sat in a kneeling squat in front of the tux. "Why-?"

"Don't you fuck with me!" He screamed again, getting even more frantic than before. Tugger saw the flash of hurt and confusion flicker across his face, seeping quickly under his dutiful shell but the remaining residue was easy to read for those who knew him well. Tugger decided that this was this had gone on long enough when the tux had taken shelter behind him and was glaring accusingly at his older brother.

"I'm going to take him out for a bit. We'll get this settled, Munk," he whispered comfortingly as he gave the silver tom a strong pat on the shoulder. He straightened up and watched silently as his younger brother led the tiny tux out of his room, looking back once to give him a reassuring smile. He could feel the tears sting the backs of his eyes, his son didn't even trust him now; how could he let his relationship with the young cat fall through the cracks? Had he really been neglecting him so much? He gave a huge sigh before plopping down on the coon's bed; laying down on his back and trying to push the thought of his brother being the new Munkustrap. The one cat who hadn't bothered raising the kitten at all was now the center of his paternal affection.

Tugger tied the knot quickly around their waists before leading the younger tom quickly out of his den; his one paw gripped Quaxo's upper arm tightly. He ignored the protests of pain as he practically dragged him down the dirt path.

"What the hell was that?" he fumed as he released his grip to face the magician.

"How could you not see, Tugger? He's been fooling you- He's been fooling all of us!" Quaxo was infuriated, how could he not see what was right in front of him this entire time? Could he not tell the difference between Munkustrap and Macavity? It was shaping out to look like one of those bad movies where the one character is putting up a pose for the whole world but is really a monster that only reveals itself to its victim. "You think it was a coincidence he came over right after Macavity charged the junkyard? Why did he stay there last night, Tugger? It was his plan! He's waiting for you to leave! He wants you out of the picture!-"

"Quaxo, you dolt!" Tugger screamed. "He was there because he was checking up on you! He was worried-"

"I'm sure he was worried!-"

"Shut up! I invited him in, I was the one who suggested he stayed the night. What, you think now that everyone's out to get you? Open your eyes! He's your father for Cat's sake!"

Quaxo paused his retaliation, the corners of his mouth pulled down a fraction and his ears drooped. For those who knew him and the subtle but telltale signs of his inner turmoils knew this was a sign of sadness or extreme thought. "He is my father," he said finally. "Which is exactly why I hate him."

Tugger froze. He hated him? He was so confused, it wasn't a week ago that he wouldn't let the tabby out of his sight- hell, he couldn't sleep without him there to protect him! He just couldn't wrap his head around the tuxed tom's new and extremely out of character behaviour. It angered him to no extent how he stood there talking about how he now hated the tabby; the one cat who took him in when there was nowhere else to go; the one cat who, despite his overcrowded schedule, took the time to teach him how to clean himself properly and hunt his own food; the one cat who always went out of his way to make sure he was safe and warm at the end of the day.

"You..." He muttered through a clench jaw, he had nothing else to say to the tom. He wouldn't stand there and listen to his brother being hated on, it wasn't right. He began towards the clearing where most, if not all, the Jellicles sat around and socialized. Quaxo followed silently, he never wanted to hurt Tugger, if anything he was trying to protect him! He hated it when the coon was angry with him, yesterday's misunderstanding didn't help ease the tension between them any.

Victoria, the tux's sister who magically disappeared for the past few weeks, wandered over. She offered the two toms a smile and turned to shyly begin conversation with her once shut-out brother.

"Hey, Quaxo. How've you been?" she began sweetly. Tugger took the opportunity to dump his burden on the queen, he wanted to make sure that Munkustrap wasn't too put off. "Here," he interrupted before the conversation continued. "You chill out with your sister for a bit. I've got things to do." He hastily untied his knot and stomped off towards his den. Etcetera, who had ran over to glomp the maine coon, whined sadly when she caught a glimpse of his dark fur disappearing into the surrounding junk. Electra and Jemima both whispered energetically before playfully pushing her over and running off in the opposite direction.

"So how are you?" Victoria prompted the distracted tux who stood surveying the area where the coon had disappeared.

"Oh, I'm doing better," he said vacantly before he returned his gaze to her snowy face, a female version of his own. He had to admit that it was harder to talk to her now, it was hard when someone who you were once close to simply ran off the second you were left vulnerable. He had been waiting for her to visit but never spoke to her outside that one occaision when Bustopher had come to take him away; speaking of which, he hadn't heard from in a while. Apparently he had popped in a few times but he guessed that no one wanted to risk him being taken again... or he was sleeping when he came about: that was more likely.

She suddenly surged forth to wrap the small tom in a tight hug. "That's good," came her reply, muffled slightly by the fur on his shoulder. After a moment she released him, a wide smile plastered on her face. Quaxo's eyes narrowed. She giggled giddily as she took his paw and led him to the northern path behind the tire. "C'mon, I have something I want to show you." Feeling his kittenish tendencies creeping up on him, he immediately matched her pace as they stealthily trotted out of sight.

She took them to their old hideout, his smile faded. It had been forever since they had been there, now they had grown up and were living lives far too busy and had friends that always kept them going; there was little or no time for them to get together anymore. The entrance to the hideout, a backless microwave that had a broken locking mechanism, was dusty and rusted from the years of facing the elements.

The snow white queen began climbing the pile and soon he found that he was following after her. The door was sticky from being left for so long but they managed to open it between them. They slid inside to find the secret room just as they had left it. There were stuffed animals she had collected and strange human artifacts that he had gathered, all stored and preserved for their return.

They both took their regular places at their favourite spots, Victoria sitting on a slightly deflated beanbag chair and Quaxo on the replication of a window sill that had a tiny plastic window to overlook a small area of junk.

"So, what's up with Tugger?" she asked after a few minutes of heavy silence. Quaxo shrugged slightly, unsure of whether he wanted to tell her what had happened or not. "...Nothing," he finally answered. The queen's delicate, dark eyebrows furrowed.

"Is it really nothing or do you just not want to tell me?" she inquired. Quaxo hated their relationship sometimes, there were no secrets and whenever there was; they were impossible to keep. "I don't want to tell you," he replied flatly. In hindsight, he was acting like a tyrant. His impostor father had whatever treatment he had to dish out. Deep down inside, he was terrified; it wasn't until now, in the safety of their secret oasis, he truly felt scared for his life. He began to think about Tugger- why hadn't he stopped him from returning to the mystery cat?

Tears welled in his eyes at the memory of Tugger storming off to his den. He was going to die and it was all his fault! He was so scared and angry that he didn't think to stop him. Now Macavity was loose in the junkyard disguised as Munkustrap and there was nothing he could do to stop him! He was so weak...

"Quaxo? What's wrong?" Victoria asked when the heaving silhouette began to softly cry. She jumped up and ran to his side, softly rubbing his back in comfort. "...Please speak to me." Quaxo took in a raggedy breath. "I did something really bad, Vicky," he croaked. Her head tilted in curiosity. "Dad's here! He's here and I did nothing to stop him! I didn't warn anyone, I didn't- Everyone's going to die!" he shrieked, dragging his paws down his face in utter misery.

Victoria stiffened, her comforting paw dropped from his back in her shock of his revelation. "You didn't tell anyone?... No one knows?" her voice rested just above a whisper. Her brother just shook his head. "Who am I going to tell, Vick? No one here'll believe me! You're the only one who understands- you're the only one left who doesn't think I'm crazy!" His eyes grew wild, no words to describe his terror and anxiety. He clamped down on his paw, gnawing it softly in a vain attempt to relieve some stress. He looked back to the window, he could see Macavity stalking the junkyard now.

Victoria again began to rub his back in soft circles. Quaxo perked up, her paw felt cold and rough: the scent behind him changed from the sweet aroma of fall to the nostril burning scent of smoke and tar. He snapped around to meet the evil grin of the infamous Napoleon of Crime himself. "Miss me?" His voice was distorted, higher in pitch but more menacing than before; if it were possible.

Quaxo froze in fear, this is just an illusion, this is just an illusion! Unfortunately for him, it wasn't. Large, scraggly hands swooped up the dark fur of his back, over his sodden bandages, and slowly made its way to his chin, cupping it roughly. The tux froze, there was no possible way for him to react or move at any rate. Macavity laughed; the same demonic laugh that he heard echo in the pit of his very nightmare.

"M... Mistoffelees?" Quaxo gaped; the voice, the glowing sheen in his eyes... it was all the same features he saw in himself when the demon was set off. The other tom grinned evilly. It was his grin... It was Mistoffelees's.

Before he could regain his thoughts he was lifted by the hold on his chin and tossed across the room. He quickly propped himself up on his elbows and watched in unadulterated terror as his father approached with terror evoking speed; slow enough that the tux's terror would have time to build to an incredible level but fast enough to avoid giving him the opportunity to fight back or run away... Not that he could.

Flipping onto his back, Quaxo tried to push himself as far from the ginger tom as possible, using his elbows and heels to propel him backwards. He screamed frantically for help; but he knew that, this time, there would be no help. Munkustrap wouldn't come for him. The thought of the silver tabby struck his heart for a fleeting second at the realization that he was wrong. The twinge in his heart lasted only a moment when his upper back collided with the den's wall.

Macavity reached down and, clutching his chest fur, lifted him until he hovered face-to-face. The tiny tom cried out sharply when the wounds on his chest reopened and burned madly at the brute tension used on them to hold the figure up. Macavity's lips slid back to reveal his unattended, sharp fangs. Quaxo looked away from the terrifying cavity, only able to avert his eyes when his head was held still. Macavity leaned forward hungrily to lock his lips with the small tux, inhaling deeply while he began to pull away.

As he moved back, Quaxo could feel the breath continuously being drawn from his lungs. He opened his eyes to see a misty, white smoke draw from his mouth into the mystery cat's. It took him a few moments and the incredible shift inside his body to realize what he was doing to him: Macavity was not only absorbing his magic, but he was absorbing him entirely!

The tux tried to cut off the flow, feeling his lungs begin to collapse in upon themselves and his body shut down as the life was being sucked from his very core. He writhed with the remaining seconds of his life, fighting as hard as he could to save himself from the hell that would be coexisting inside of his father.

Suddenly, Macavity released him and began to hack and wheeze loudly. Quaxo, numb, fell to the ground limply. His eyes flickered throughout the den; he wasn't dead... yet. After a few minutes, Macavity regained his composure and returned to the small tuxedo tom, leaning down so that his face was mere centimeters from his face. "Let's go show the others," he growled monstrously. Quaxo finally inhaled before the world around him turned black; his mind screaming as it sat in limbo between his own body and Macavity's

Oh noes! What's going to happen to poor Mistykins!

Okay, I must admit that this time I really felt bad for Munkie :( Poor guy tried his best and now all this is going down! :(

***I'm still looking for OC volunteers for the next fic! Hurry because this offer will not last forever! I am writing the story as we speak (evenly though we aren't speaking as much as you are reading :P)**

Reviews are AWESOME! Please, my social life isn't accommodating enough -puppy eyes-