A/N: The updates should be more frequent now that musical theater is done. I originally had this planned to be done by Wednesday or so of this week, but alas school kept me from working on this. Enjoy!
Rumpleteazer's eyes blinked open and the first thing she noticed was an uncomfortable soreness all over her body. She winced as she lifted her neck, and glanced at the ruffled spot on 'Jerrie's side where her head had just been. Had her neck been in that twisted position to the side all night long? The pain in it provided more than enough proof. 'Teazer arched her back, which had been slouched in Jenny's wooden chair the whole night, and leaned back in it to relax her spine. She rubbed her legs against each other and rotated her ankles to get her circulation flowing again. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and glancing at her tomfriend, the calico queen discovered to her disappointment that he was still out cold. 'Jerrie hadn't moved an inch the entire night, it seemed.
A draft of cold air suddenly enveloped her body and 'Teazer shivered. She whipped her head around to search for the sudden cause for loss of heat. A blanket lay in a crumpled heap behind her chair. Sighing quietly to herself, she stood up and retrieved it, wrapping the thick material around herself again. After dancing on the spot for a few seconds to warm her cold body up again, the calico queen finally took notice that everything around her was silent and still. She scanned the den for movement, but only found her parents comfortably curled around each other in their nest at the opposite end of the dwelling. Observing them for a few minutes, she couldn't help but smile. 'Teazer felt like she was the parent, watching her offspring and their mate sleep together without them being aware of it.
The calico queen turned her head to look at 'Jerrie again and her smile faded. She missed and pined for the sensation of her tomfriend's muscular arms around her, and his warm, slightly smoky-smelling breath making her whiskers twitch. That smoky aroma was diminishing now that 'Jerrie had no choice but to quit smoking, so she guessed that was a good thing. She would miss the smell, though. 'Teazer sat down again on her chair as she pondered her tomfriend's less attractive habits. Quitting smoking protected him from a whole host of health problems, as she had learned from the numerous discarded cigarette packs thrown out on the street, which advertised quite nicely on the dangers of their contents. The calico queen understood what "lung disease" was and that smoking could shorten a cat's life span, but she had no idea what "lung cancer" and "diabetes" were. She assumed they were both bad things.
From what she had gathered at the hideout, Mungojerrie definitely drank alcohol and possibly did drugs. He had hinted that he had been a druggie, but 'Teazer had no idea if he was completely sober or not. She didn't know what he did those nights when he was out late with his buddies. As for alcohol, 'Jerrie didn't show signs of being an alcoholic, but she knew he liked beer. That didn't concern her, as long as he didn't get drunk and hurt someone, whether it be himself or another cat, or didn't drink on a regular basis. 'Teazer also had all too much evidence regarding her tomfriend's criminal habits. He had killed cats, stolen things, maybe even raped a queen or two. Any other queen would have ran for her life had she known these things about 'Jerrie, but for some reason common sense eluded 'Teazer when she had started this relationship with the calico tom. She smiled at all the progress she had made with 'Jerrie by sticking with him and refusing to give up and flee.
Mungojerrie was now leaving his criminal record behind. He was a much different tom now than he was a month and a half ago. 'Teazer had dissolved 'Jerrie's veneer of being a dangerous, heartless criminal simply by showing that someone did care about him; that someone was willing to love him, even if he didn't want that in the first place. Love had destroyed the lie 'Jerrie had been living all these years and left nothing but his true self: a courageous, faithful, loving, redeemed tom.
A rustling sound behind the calico queen startled her from her musings. She turned around in her chair to see her mother standing up and stretching with a yawn. Jenny smiled a tacit good morning because Skimble was still asleep. 'Jerrie was in a state of deep unconsciousness, so it didn't matter if anyone talked or not; he most likely wouldn't be able to hear them at this point. The older queen stepped out of the den to catch some breakfast. 'Teazer was left to her own devices for a few minutes again. Having nothing else to do, she let her eyes roam over what wasn't covered on 'Jerrie's body. His handsome facial features were rendered less so by three healing gashes running down his right cheek and numerous yellowing bruises around his jaw. 'Teazer also managed to catch sight of a larger purple bruise on the left side of 'Jerrie's head, around his temple. She shuddered at the thought of how terrible a headache he would develop when he woke up.
Jenny came in with four mice and set them in a pot on the stove that she filled with water. She turned the stove on, and the aroma of mouse soon filled the den, making 'Teazer's mouth water. "When's breakfast goin' ta be readeh?"'Teazer whispered quietly.
"In about a half-hour, honey. Mouse takes a while to cook. We're having porridge this morning, your father's favourite."The calico queen's mother replied. She strode over to 'Jerrie and sat down in a chair opposite 'Teazer, where she had been last night. Jenny gingerly folded back the blanket covering 'Jerrie's left arm to reveal a blood-stained bandage around his upper arm. "Want to help me change 'Jerrie's dressings, 'Teazer?"She asked absentmindedly, more focused on unwrapping the gauze. Her daughter nodded and fetched more gauze from a basket on the bookshelf. She came back and began working on a particularly sensitive area on the tiger-striped tom's right shoulder. 'Teazer paid careful attention to her tomfriend's winces and tensing, and eased the pressure created by the tight gauze on the wound accordingly.
About half-an-hour later the mouse porridge was ready and all of 'Jerrie's bandages had been changed. Jenny had woken Skimble up and the family was sitting in the dinner area with bowls containing their breakfast in their paws.
There was mostly comfortable silence until 'Teazer asked a question directed at Jenny, "When do ya think 'Jerrie'll wake up?"Her tone was laced with hope, but also longing.
'Teazer's mother hesitated and exchanged glances with her mate. She averted her gaze for a moment to think, and then replied curtly, "It could be another day, maybe more, perhaps less. His injuries were mostly minor, but there were a lot of them."
The calico queen nodded and then asked again, "Were there aneh major ones?"'Teazer sounded detached and distant as she swirled her porridge with particular disinterest.
Jenny bit her lip to bide her time again. She shifted in her seat a little, clearly reluctant to cause any unnecessary anxiety for her daughter. The older queen was debating with herself as to whether or not she should tell. The tense silence wore on for a few minutes, and finally Jenny decided that she shouldn't keep the truth from 'Teazer. "Yes...'Jerrie has two broken ribs on his left side, a concussion, and second-degree burns on his left leg, hip, and shoulder. They should all heal nicely by the time the Jellicle Ball rolls around, though. He'll be able to dance in it, no doubt about that."She smiled confidently.
A new light came into 'Teazer's eyes at the mention of the Jellicle Ball. Victoria had told her about it, but there she hadn't put too much detail into it. "So do 'Jerrie an' Oi 'ave ta learn awll these songs an' dances fo' tha Bawll in three months? Do we ge' ta do ah' own thing?"She queried, her voice taking on a hint of uncertainty.
The yellow and orange queen nodded in reply, and 'Teazer grew even more worried. "Realleh? We 'ave ta sing a duet? Oi'm a terrible dancah, le' alone singah. Is it mandatory ta pahticipate?"She whined slightly. 'Teazer wasn't self-conscious when singing by herself, but she was when she had to sing in front of other cats. Dancing was something she had never really gotten a chance to do, since she was too busy "surviving" and not "living" as 'Jerrie had put it.
"You'll have a blast, don't worry! We'll all be more than happy to help you with your dancing! You don't have to sing a duet if you don't want to or a solo either. It's just a bit of a tradition for every new member of the tribe to sing either a duet or solo. We'll all be helping each other out with learning the songs and dances, but most of it is impulse. You'll feel it, and if you're a Jellicle, you'll have no problem with that."Skimbleshanks explained for his mate, grinning encouragement. This seemed to lighten 'Teazer's mood a bit and she returned the smile.
The calico queen became more curious after her doubts about the Ball had been eased. "Do ya 'ave ya own song, Dad? Mum?"She inquired, now immensely interested in the subject.
Both her parents nodded and 'Teazer's face brightened. "I have a song called the Gumbie Cat and your father has a song called Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat. They're both sung by the whole tribe, but their focus is me and Skimble, respectively. I'm working on a tap number for everyone and Skimble...well you have a hefty amount of props to gather up, don't you?"Jenny giggled, turning the attention to the orange tabby.
Jenny's mate was silent for a minute as he seemed to contemplate something. Finally he spoke in a lower tone, "'Teazer, your biological mother made that song up for me when we were still together and long before we discovered we were going to have you. I wouldn't be surprised if she taught it to you as well. I'd just thought you'd like to know the original composer, is all. Would either of you fine lassies like to help with the props? I've got a whole list in my head."Skimble offered on a cheerier note after the melancholy moment. 'Teazer nodded once, smiling with pride at the new fact she had just learned, while Jenny waved a paw and shook her head no. Her mate and daughter shot questioning glances at her.
"For the moment I'm much too busy with my own number, my nursing, and don't forget kitten-sitting. Jelly can't do all of it, or it will drive her nuts. She's getting on in years and it's becoming harder for her to keep up, you know? Then she's got Gus, Pounce, and Tumble on top of that. I'd love to help, but I'm a bit bogged down right now."Jenny elucidated with a sad smile, and Skimble put a paw on her shoulder, indicating he understood. The older tom got up and collected the bowls and spoons, then proceeded to wash them in the wash basin with a clean rag and some soap remnants.
Having nothing else to do, 'Teazer walked back over to her rightful place beside 'Jerrie and put her head in the crook of his right arm again, looking up at his face, which twitched and winced with what she knew was pain every now and again. She didn't know what she gained from watching 'Jerrie like this, hoping for everything but at the same time expecting nothing, but the calico queen just felt like she couldn't leave his side. She felt a paw at her back, and reluctantly averted her eyes from her tomfriend to see her mother bending down to her level beside her.
"Would you like to go outside and play with the kits or find Victoria? There's not much we can do for 'Jerrie except wait. I'm sure Jelly would be glad to get a bit of help, don't you think?"Jenny suggested as she gently took 'Teazer's paw in hers. Her daughter's brown eyes flickered uncertainly from 'Jerrie to her mother a few times, and then she sighed quietly and let Jenny help her up.
'Teazer walked outside and breathed in the refreshing air as she smiled at the fact that it was sunny and pleasant, not rainy and miserable. The only evidence that it had ever rained was the multitude of tiny puddles around her along the path, and the drip-dripping of little waterfalls high up on some of the trash piles. She felt bad that 'Jerrie was missing all of this fresh, cleansed earth and sky. There was also no one to splash water at...'Teazer shrugged to herself and set off to find Victoria.
Demeter roused herself at noon, feeling restored and rested from a good night's sleep. Her slumber was plagued less and less with nightmares of Macavity now, and she didn't wake up screaming in the dead of night as much now. It happened occasionally, but not nearly as often as when she first got back. The black and gold queen stretched and made her way over to the main room, where Bomba was sitting at the table sipping a mug of tea while reading a worn-out book with one half of its pages missing. Demeter also took notice of a pair of grilled mice on a plate with a small note beside them. Steam was still rising from the dish, which meant it had been made very recently.
"Who made this, Bomba? It looks delicious, and I know you're hopeless as a gourmet cook."Dem smiled as she sat down and grabbed a bent fork from the bouquet of them in a mug in the middle of the table. She stared at the dish for a moment. Grilled mouse was her absolute favourite. It looked almost too good to eat. Almost. She began delicately picking apart the meat from the bones and eating it. Just like Demeter hated fish bones, she hated rodent bones, too. A pollicle she was not.
The scarlet queen smirked as she observed her sister surgically remove the mouse meat from its skeletal attachments and commented a bit aloofly, "Dunno. What's that piece of paper say?"She appeared to have brushed off the remark about her cooking. She may not have been the equivalent of a human chef, but she could cook decently.
Demeter's attention got diverted from teasing her sister to the small note where her free paw was resting on the table. It was written with black ink, in elegant cursive. Picking it up, she read out loud, "Don't touch this, Bomba. I was in the area and thought I'd cook up breakfast for two, hope you enjoy it. –Munk. P.S. I meant Dem and her kitten. I'd also like the plate back, its mine."
There was a moment of silence as a wide grin crept across the black and gold queen's face. She set the note down carefully and continued eating her breakfast. A single tear slid down her cheek as she put her fork down, with nothing but a pile of tiny bones on her plate.
"Why are you sad? The tom made you breakfast, for Bast's sake! If I were you, I'd go find Munk right now, say thank you, and kiss him! Actually yeah, go do that, I'll clean the plate so you can return it."Bomba exclaimed with utmost confidence. She reached across the table, picked up the empty plate, and proceeded to the small tub of water in the corner.
Dem tensed at the sound of Munk's name and the word "kiss" in the same phrase. Anymore tears that would have fallen after the first one didn't dare. "I'm not sad, I'm really happy. No tom has ever shown that they cared about me enough to go to the trouble of hunting and preparing food for me. I thought all of them just wanted to cause harm to me...This is just so new and it's a bit overwhelming, that's all."She mumbled quietly as she watched Bomba dump the bones in a bin with all their other garbage and scrub the plate, along with her finished cup of tea.
Her sister didn't turn around to look at her as she spoke, "That's great, Dem. You're finally learning that not all toms are out to get you. Here, the plate's done."She said with a hint of sarcasm and she handed the clean plate to Dem, who took it gingerly in her paws and went to search for Munk.
She found the silver tabby conversing with Alonzo and Mistofelees at the mouth to the center clearing. It was her first instinct to hide behind the pile of trash beside her and hope they didn't notice her, but Dem fought the urge to make herself disappear. Instead she took a few deep breaths and walked cautiously towards the trio of toms. "You can do this Demeter; they're just your friends, who happen to be toms. They won't hurt you, they won't hurt you..."The skittish queen kept repeating that to herself as she got closer. Now she was mere feet away from the three.
Misto was the first one to notice Demeter, as Munk had his back to her and Alonzo could only see her with his peripheral vision. The tuxedoed tom merely smiled politely, and 'Lonzy pointed her out to Munkustrap as he raised his arm to give her a friendly wave. Demeter stopped dead, froze for a millisecond, and then darted into a small gap between two trash piles, curling herself into a ball as best as she could, paws up to shield her face. Macavity had always began his beatings with raising his paw high to have it gather the most force to strike her wherever he pleased.
The black and gold queen heard an aggravated sigh, most likely Munkustrap's, and Alonzo exclaim in a confused voice, "What did I do?" She could imagine Misto rolling his eyes and vanishing in a puff of smoke to avoid being seen with a tom who had just made a huge mistake in front of Munk with a queen said tom liked.
"Alonzo?"Demeter heard the voice of the silver tabby. It had a hard edge to it, the closest she had ever heard him get to being angry with someone. She tensed even more in her tiny hiding spot.
"Yeah?"The patched tom replied slowly. He sounded like a guilty kitten.
"Dismissed."Munk commanded tersely. His no-nonsense voice wasn't unlike Macavity's right now. It appeared the black-striped tom had more in common with his lunatic brother than she had first thought. He had the same build as Macavity, possibly the same coat pattern, and now he had the same voice. It made Demeter's blood run cold.
"Yes, Sir."Alonzo replied submissively, his tone laden with regret as he at last understood what he had done. The black and gold queen heard footsteps fading away as well as some becoming louder. She spotted out of the corner of her eye a black-tipped silver foot and the point of a silver knee. Munk was near the entrance to her hiding spot. Demeter squeezed her eyes shut tighter and let out a soft whimper.
There was silence for a moment before a calming voice reached Dem's ears. This wasn't Macavity's, it was Munkustrap's. All traces of it resembling his brother's had vanished. "Sorry about that, Dem. Alonzo didn't know. He's gone, and so is Misto. Please come out, you'll always be safe here. There's no need to hide away."Munk's tone was as soothing as he could get it. As he was talking, he didn't notice Demeter steadily relax. He kept on crooning, but the black and gold queen wasn't listening to the words, she just liked the sound of his baritone voice.
Gradually, she emerged from the gap to find Munk in full view, a bit to the right crouching a respectable few feet away. "There we go, now was that so difficult? Alonzo's really sorry; he didn't mean to scare you. Do you forgive him?"The silver tabby smiled gently, without showing his teeth.
Demeter nodded and returned the smile. She suddenly noticed she was still clutching Munk's plate. She held it out to him saying in a rush, "Here. This is yours. Thanks. 'Bye."Dem placed the ceramic dish at Munk's feet and turned to leave.
"Hey, wait. Did you go to Cori and Tanto's yesterday?"The silver tabby asked casually, not seeming to take any notice of Dem's nervousness.
The black and gold queen froze and slowly turned around to face Munk again. He was standing up now. "Yes..."She squeaked, avoiding his gaze.
"Yes, and? What did they say?"Munkustrap continued with his smile widening.
His smile seemed to be contagious today. Demeter's expression mirrored the silver tabby's as she answered timidly, "I'm going to have a queen."
Munk stepped forward with his arms stretched out, then stopped himself. "Uhh...May I hug you?"He questioned awkwardly.
Demeter flinched and half-turned to dart off again, a look of fear replacing her joyful one. Munk lowered his arms as his smile vanished and his expression became downcast at what he perceived to be rejection. The black and gold queen caught sight of his disappointed look and immediately hated herself for making her best friend feel that way. Demeter turned towards Munk again and tentatively made her way towards him. Her scarred mind was screaming at her to run the opposite way, but she couldn't force herself to do that, not with Munkustrap. Just like the previous time, she reached up and placed a paw on each of his broad shoulders, nestling her head into his chest. The silver tabby stiffened, surprised for a moment, but that rapidly wore off as he gradually tightened his embrace so he was comfortably hugging the black and gold queen. Munk rested his chin on the top of her head and Demeter let a small smile play on her lips. She felt completely safe in this tom's strong arms, something she had never experienced during her imprisonment. Demeter had completely forgotten how it felt to be safe and secure in someone else's hold.
After a minute or so, Munk broke the peaceful silence between them. "Have you chosen a name yet?"He murmured softly. Although there was nobody around, he felt it inappropriate for the situation to use regular volume.
Demeter let out a long, slow breath before replying. Although she relished the feeling of someone's protective embrace, her mind's inner demons soon caught up with her pleasurable moment and she found it difficult to keep from running off again. "Yes. I've chosen...Jemima."She answered, her voice muffled by Munk's fur.
"Jemima's going to be a beautiful queen, just like her mother."The silver tabby stopped himself there once he felt Demeter tense. She relaxed, but it wasn't as fully as before. He knew that she was contemplating whether or not to flee again.
The black and gold queen glanced up at Munk with disbelief and uncertainty in her eyes. "You...You really mean that?"She questioned quietly.
Munkustrap chuckled almost inaudibly, but Demeter could feel the vibrations of his chest against her paws. "To be honest, a Jellicle Protector isn't allowed to lie. He would be considered untrustworthy and disrespectful to the tribe if he did. I mean every word I say."He smiled bemusedly.
Dem merely closed her eyes and rested her head on Munk's chest again, too stunned and unconfident to say anything. How could a ruined queen like her be considered beautiful by the tom with the highest status in the tribe, next to Old Deuteronomy? Was the silver tabby not feeling well today? "Munk, I'm a hopeless, paranoid, skittish-as-hell queen who jumps in fear at her own shadow. How could I ever be beautiful to anyone, especially a tom? I'm frightened to death of them and the only reason I'm still standing here talking to you is because you were already my friend before the catnapping! Why would you even think of giving me a compliment that I won't ever deserve?"The black and gold queen's voice had rose an octave and in volume, and broke during the end of her rant. She had already wrenched herself out of Munk's hold and was prepared to make a run for it. Tears welled up in her eyes and it was impossible to hold them back, try as she might. All this kindness from the silver tabby was getting to be too much for her. Her mind kept asking, "When was he going to lash out?"
However, Munkustrap had a feeling that he had just made a breakthrough with Demeter, besides the one he had previously made with the hug. This was his chance to show her how much he really cared for her. "I'm afraid you're mistaken there, Dem. If any other queen had to go through what you went through, I'm sure they wouldn't survive even a week. To come out alive from my brother's warehouse takes immense determination and courage. What he did to you was not your fault, and never think that it was. You're a beautiful, brave, sweet, amazing queen, and any tom here would be the luckiest one in the world to even come close to deserving you. Do you still think my compliment is unjustified?"The silver tabby finished his little speech with a smirk in an assuring, empowering tone.
Demeter stared at him with an incredulous look that could rival a deer in the headlights. She was dumbfounded. Her head whipped around as she heard a voice calling her name.
"Dem, your lunch is getting cold! Get back here before I eat it for you!"Bombalurina shouted from their den a ways down the path. The black and gold queen started and seemed to come out of her trance. She looked at Munk who was still smirking, waiting for an answer.
Not wanting to keep her sister waiting, Demeter quickly stepped towards the silver tabby, cupped his cheek with her paw and gratefully kissed the other twice before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much."She smiled sincerely and released her hold on his neck after a few seconds, pecked his jaw line once more, and then dashed off back to her den. Munk stood there in a daze for a few minutes after Demeter had disappeared and a slow grin spread across his face. He suddenly snapped out of his reverie as he heard a queen's scream from nearby and the tell-tale breaking of a dish of some sort. He recognized the scream to be Jenny's.
The silver tabby sprinted over to his older friend's home and burst through the entrance to find Skimble standing protectively over his mate while Rumpleteazer was trying with little success to disarm and restrain...Mungojerrie?