*I don't own CATS or any of the characters!

Hey, everyone! So, here's the next chapter of Finding What Was Lost. As I was writing this, an idea for a new CATS fanfic popped into my head and I hope to start writing it and posting it this summer! At any rate, the first chapter for that one will be up as soon as Finding What Was Lost wraps up (which I anticipate happening quite soon)! Anyways, I'll keep you all posted on how that's coming along!

(Demeter's POV)

"About that… I really am sorry. If I'd known you'd have been so worried, I really wouldn't have run off like that-."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. It was evident that Munkustrap was trying to avoid telling me something. Lying wasn't in his nature but it wasn't unlike him to try and find clever ways around revealing the full truth. He meant well, of course—only did it when he was worried about something—but there simply wasn't time for worrying about me. Not anymore.

"Where were you?" I asked him directly and Munkustrap sighed.

"It's nothing bad—nothing like you're thinking, at least." He replied slowly, clearly cautious of every word he said.

"You're not answering the question." I pointed out. "Where on earth could you have 'run off' to? This place-."

"Isn't as inescapable as Macavity wants us to think." Munkustrap blurted out all at once. "This whole time you've been told that it's impossible to get out without making some sort of sacrifice but really, that's all just a hum-."

I felt a sick feeling well over me as I looked up at Munkustrap. "Y-you mean that-?"

"Well, I'm not saying that it's easy if that's what you're wondering." He murmured, shaking his head.

"So it's my fault that we're stuck here?" I croaked, horrified. If it was my fault-.

"No!" Munkustrap exclaimed, hurrying over to me and staring into my eyes. "It's not… it's not like that. Yes, your condition is well… hindering but even with your full strength, it'd be a difficult task. Listen to me, Demie. The best thing that you can do right now is let your leg heal. I'll figure out the rest-."

"Munkustrap," I said, my eyes filling with tears a little, looking up at him. "Do you think… do you think that you'd be able to make it out of here if it weren't for me?"

"Demie-."

"You have to answer me honestly." I added. "Do you think that-?"

"No." he said simply. "Because… because as horrible as it is, I don't think that I'd survive here for more than two days without you here with me." He admitted. "Demie, you're the reason that I keep fighting to get out of here. So stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault that I'm stuck here. No, it's thanks to you that I haven't given up. And as long as you're around, I don't plan on giving up. Deal?"

I nodded—it was all I could do. All of the things I wanted to say caught in my throat, jumbled and unable to be understood even to me. So I kept my silence and just nodded. Munkustrap smiled lightly at me, pulling me close, nuzzling my cheek gently.

"Just get better, Demie. We'll figure out the rest from there. And we'll get out of here. I promise."

(Munkustrap's POV)

With every passing day, Demie seems to get stronger. The leg doesn't heal all at once and regaining her mobility takes a while and her strength returns to her in stages. As her strength returned and she was, with time, able to run about again, she also became restless. Begging at the end of almost every day if the next day could be the day in which we would make our grand escape. But time after time, I shook my head. This plan… it took precise timing. One minute off and Macavity could catch onto us and drag us right back to the room which had become our prison cell. And that was not something I was going to risk. Much as I hated to admit it, Macavity wasn't a foolish cat and every morning when he came to taunt us, I couldn't help but feel as if he knew. As if he knew that we were planning something.

"I don't see what we're waiting for, Munkustrap." Demie sighed, shaking her head one night. "It seems ridiculous to stay when you know a way out-."

"If we mess up, we lose our chance to leave forever. It has to be done just right or else… or else we get stuck here forever."

I could see the disappointment plain and clear on Demie's face. Could I blame her? At this point, she'd already been Macavity's captive for nearly a year.

"I… I'll try to figure it out as soon as I can, Demie. But we… we have to get this right. Just give me a few more days-."

"If you'd just tell me what this plan of yours is, maybe I could help you." She suggested and I looked over at her sadly.

"Perhaps. And yet… perhaps not." I said, knowing full well that I couldn't tell her the contents of the plan. It was a risky plan and she would try to convince me to abandon it if she knew what it was. She'd try to convince me that we could find a different way of getting out of Macavity's steel mill.

Demeter frowned a little and I was worried, for a moment, that she might have guessed that my little plan had a catch or two. But she shook her head and changed the subject.

"You do know what going back means, don't you?" she asked, nuzzling close to me.

"What?" I asked, bewildered.

"You'll have to continue bearing the weight of the responsibility of taking care of the tribe… you'll have to become the Jellicle leader when your father dies." She said softly.

I sighed, my breathing shaky. "I figure… I figure that we all have to make sacrifices in life. And becoming the Jellicle leader one day will have to be mine. If anything good—anything at all—came out of what Macavity did, it would be that he will never be the Jellicle leader. And if I have to pay the price of that, then I suppose that it's not so bad."

Demie bowed her head and sighed. "Then I suppose that my sacrifice will have to be letting you go…"

I pulled away from her with a jolt, surprised. "Wh-what do you m-mean?" I stammered.

"Like Bomba said… it's just not right for a Queen like me to be with a Tom like you. No one would approve of it and it would be easy to understand why. After all, it's due to me that-."

I pulled her close and buried my face into her neck, not daring to look into her eyes as she spoke. "I don't care what anyone else says. And I told you before: if it weren't for you, I'd not have survived this long. I love you. That's what matters."

"But-!"

"Demie, do you love me?" I asked, pulling away from her a little so that I could look into her eyes.

"Well, of course-." She said unfalteringly.

"Then that's all that matters. And that's got to be enough. We'll figure it out, Demie. We'll do what we have to. But… but don't give up on us already. Not when there's still so much that we can do."

Demeter took one shaky, weak breath and nuzzled me softly. "Okay. But promise me something?"

I didn't say anything, not sure if I could keep whatever promise she wanted me to keep. "Promise me that you'll live."

I found myself unable to breathe and I looked away. I had to.