A/N: I'M ALIIIIIIIIVE!

*cough* Hiya! EC I just typed up a huge A/N and then I accidentally pressed the backspace button and it went back a page and everything got wiped out. Sadness :'(

But AH I missed you ALL! *hugs* Hehe. Did anybody do a double take when they saw this was updated? xD haha. I'm SO REALLY VERY SORRY for the late update! :( And to be honest, I'm kind of...not very happy with this chapter :/ There's just so much going on that it may be hard to keep up with things x( Sorry if there's any confusion. Mostly because there are a lot of italics in this chapter, and each time it shows up, it isn't always just Vicky's thoughts (hehe foreshadowing...kind of o_0)

And a note about my profile...One of the two laptops at my house is like...jetlagged xD Since August, my country of location has been switching from USA to Iran (on account of my going there over the summer) o_O I tried using the new feature that allows me to change countries, but it changes back after switching computers -_- haha. But, um, I'm from USA...so if anyone was confused about that...that's why ;) haha.

Thank you SO much to Valiya, Pink Schmetterling, CrazyIndigoChild, missMisto01, Bombastrap, Anony mouse101, Guest. 1, and sarbear2255 for recently reviewing! :) Oh, and Guest. 1 pointed something very important out: Plato is Mistoffelees's step-uncle, not step-brother ;D I have corrected that. Thanks ;) haha.

Plus thank you very very much to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! :) Your support means a whole lot to me! :D

We left off with Victoria receiving a note telling her to meet NoC under the junkyard piano. Let us see what happens next ;) I really hope you all enjoy this chapter! :) :) :)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own CATS the musical ;)

Napoleon of Crime, I think, repeating the name in my head over and over again as my eyes scan over the letter once, twice, three more times. Napoleon of Crime. Macavity. Macavity wants to see me. He wants…to see me! Tonight! I quickly scramble up and accidentally trip over my hind paws in excitement. By the piano, by the piano, I remind myself, my legs automatically jolting in the direction of the exit and carrying my body out of the pipe. Outside, the pouring rain hammers down brutally, attempting to coax me into going back inside. In an act of defiance against nature, I slither up the great tire and hop down at the end. My hind paws devour the sparse weeds on the ground and leave burning tracks behind. But as I near the piano—the same one Tugger used to teach me to play—my pace slows a bit, and my mind is suddenly clouded with feelings of anxiety, as if I am about to meet someone for the first time. I am no longer going to see my kidnapper I fell in love with, but rather my new mate.

I halt to a stop just as the sight of the piano hits the corner of my eye.

His ginger paw stifles my endless shrieking, but by now I am at the point where my voice is completely lost.

"You will come back with me to my warehouse, and you will not attempt escape. I am sure a smart kitten like you would understand."

Knitting my eyebrows together, my eyes wander aimlessly around the perimeter of the mini-clearing, then stop at my hind paws.

I gently pry his paw off of my mouth. "The Jellicles will know that I'm missing."

I nearly force my paw up and place it on one of the diamond studs on my collar. "I forgive him," I whisper through the torrential rain. With a small chuckle, I take a few more strides towards the piano. I can almost feel his presence; an unexpected shudder zips up my spine.

I take two steps back.

"Not if they forget you—they won't."

There is a tug on the back of my collar, followed by a chilly exhale into my ear. My breath gets caught in my throat. And then…

"Macavity!" I squeal, spinning on my heel and latching my arms around his neck. His typical faint scent of copper and iron is slightly intoxicating, and as much as it makes me dizzy, a sudden frisson of giddiness overwhelms me. I press my cheek into his shoulder, searching for warmth yet forgetting how freezing Macavity can be. His paw travels up and down my back, lathering a layer of ice around my body. He breaks away too soon, and I immediately hug him again.

"You danced so beautifully, my little angel," he whispers into my ear.

I inhale sharply as my ears dance upon hearing the wonderful compliment. "Plato, you were amazing! I don't think I—Did…I…I—"

The ginger pulls me away and holds me out at arm's length. The way his yellow eyes dig deep into my skin frighten me to the point where I have an urge to nibble away at my fingernail.

"What did you say?" the Napoleon of Crime hisses at me.

I find it difficult to lock my eyes with his. "'Plato'—I-I'm sorry—"

He yanks be back towards him and bares his fangs. "Who am I?" he questions me.

"Y-you're Macavity, I know tha—"

His claws dig into my arms. "Who am I?!"

His bellowing blows into my face like a strong gust of wind, so fierce that it lets loose a couple of teardrops. "M-my mate, Macavity! I know you are," I mumble, flinching as a raindrop plops into my eye. Macavity sighs in exasperation and cranes his neck upwards to glare at the sky. The Jellicle Moon is no longer guarding over us, and instead has hibernated to the corners of the earth until nighttime arrives. The deep grey clouds, however, are not planning to disperse anytime soon.

"Come," Macavity says, although I can barely hear him over the sound of rain pounding against my eardrums. His paw tangles up with mine as he leads me to the half-broken piano so we can take shelter under it. The showers instantly mute once we huddle together under the piano, watching the blur of the raindrops crashing down from the inky sky. In the east, the faintest tinges of pale blue and pink can be seen, signaling that dawn will arrive in just over an hour. And then the new Jellicle year will begin.

"Will we always have to be like this?" I murmur, tightly wrapping my arms around my knees.

"Hiding out?" Macavity says, holding me close with a carroty arm.

I nod, leaning closer to his side. "Are we going to tell them one day? I want the Jellicles to know, and at the same time…I don't."

Macavity only rubs my shoulder comfortingly in response.

I look up at him. "They are trying to separate us, Macavity."

"We won't let that happen."

"Then…then we have to tell them! We need to show them that…we really do care about each other." I pound my forehead against my knees and stare down at my lap. "But I'm afraid they will get mad." I lift my head up and face Macavity, who hasn't uttered a reply yet. "Can I tell my brother? Misto and I don't keep secrets from each other." The Hidden Paw still remains silent. "I can tell him that I really do love you, Macavity. Will that be alright?"

Macavity finally turns his head and kisses my temple softly. "No, my angel. The consequences are too great."

I press myself closer to his body and rest my head on his shoulder. Even with the harsh torrent surrounding us, tranquility somehow manages to twist its way into the setting and settle upon us. A small smile plays on my lips as my head falls to his chest, and our breathing becomes one soothing rhythm. Macavity strokes my cheek gently and heaves a sigh. The touch of his fingers on my face instantly brings back memories; the uneven beat of the rain's music helps me relive them…

Drip, drip…drip. Drip…drip drip drip…

I sit huddled in the corner of my cell as drops of water leak from the floor above. I attempt to swallow my tears and focus on the rhythm of the drips.

Drip, drip…drip…drip…

I begin to sputter helplessly to no one but myself. The sputtering turns into a cough, then ultimately into tears. Each teardrop adds to the incessant dripping noise.

Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip…

Something brushes against my cheek. I squeeze my eyes shut as the paw strokes my face gently, mopping up tears and running through my eyelashes.

"You'll be all right, Victoria, okay?" the henchcat says, pressing his fingers against my right cheek.

"No, Plato, I won't be. I'm not going to survive here. I know I won't," I cry, . "I-I wanna go home. I-I can't d-do this anymore."

"Victoria." Plato takes hold of my wrists and pulls them away from my face. "You're going to get out, okay? I'll help you, I promise."

We tried. We tried so hard to live out in the alleys.

But we were caught a week later.

The whirling wind collects tin cans from a pile of junk and deposits them elsewhere, letting them clatter against one another. My shivering intensifies, making me cuddle even closer to the ginger tom. But I only get colder. I wish Plato were here, I think to myself. He would keep me warm. He always does.

Eventually the raining begins to slacken, and an orange light now peers over the edge of the junkyard fence. With one last look at my new mate, my eyelids flutter shut, and I give in to a world of peaceful slumber.

"Everlasting Cat! Victoria? Why are you under the piano? And you're so…wet."

I mumble something incomprehensive before opening my eyes a sliver. I rotate my body around to settle in a more comfortable position, but I am only met with damp, gross dirt.

"Ew!" I cry, scrambling up from under the piano and wiping the mucky dirt off my mouth and face. After rapidly scrubbing my mouth, I twist my head from side to side and notice a certain tom is no longer there with me.

"Where is Mac—" I stop myself just as my eyes make contact with Misto's. I can't let him know I was with Macavity last night. "…maaaah collar. Where is my collar?" I quickly cover up my mistake, earning a mental slap from myself.

Mistoffelees chuckles, his shoulders bouncing up and down heartily. "It's around your neck, Vicky. Where it always is. Now tell me why you are under the piano! I woke up and didn't see you in our den!"

Hurry, think of an excuse! But I can't lie to Mistoffelees…HURRY! SAY SOMETHING! "Fresh air!" I nearly shout. Mistoffelees raises an eyebrow at the volume of my voice. I clear my throat and continue, "The air looked…very fresh after it rained last night, so I came here…and it was cold, so I went under the piano." I gesture towards the musical instrument with my paw and force myself to look him in the eye. He knits his eyebrows together in doubt.

"Because, you know," I explain further, "my fur—it-it is white, and it's hard to absorb heat—"

"Victoria," Mistoffelees says sternly, stepping towards me. "You need to tell me. You shouldn't go far from the clearing all by yourself! Macavity might hunt you down and kitnap you again." A breeze rolls by and gently tousles his headfur. "You promised you would never keep any secrets from me. Will you tell me the truth for once?"

I roll my lower lip inwards and bite down on it, unsure of what to say. "I am. I am telling the truth." Lying to my brother is beginning to eat away at me. I feel…disgusting. But if I tell him I was with Macavity, I will only be more rotten in Mistoffelees's eyes.

"Victoria, I really didn't want to do this," the tuxedo cat begins, "but I'm going to take you to see Coricopat and Tantomile."

My paliptating heart beats louder and faster as I struggle to defend myself. "Why don't you believe me, Mistoffelees?" I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing lightning would strike me right then and there. "I just came for fresh air! I don't need to be checked by Cori and Tanto!"

The constant throbbing of my heart echoes throughout my body and screams into my ears. A fresh layer of tears is slowly glazing over my grey eyes.

After slight hesitation, Mistoffelees grabs my arm and pleads, "Vicky, I'm worried about you. Please just see Cori and Tanto. For me."

I pull my lips into a tight, thin line to prevent any sobbing noises from slipping out. "Now?"

"Yes, they're at the TSE-1. It won't take long, I promise." The conjuring cat drags me behind him without my consent, weaving in-between mountains of junk while sprouts of weeds tickle my hind paws with dewdrops. Tears flee from the corners of my eyes as Mistoffelees and I sprint to the clearing, where Coricopat and Tantomile—to my astonishment—are in the public, sitting on the TSE-1 and mentally chatting with one another.

"Good morning, Coricopat, Tantomile," Mistoffelees greets them politely.

He nudges me with my elbow. "Hello. Happy Jellicle New Year," I manage to say with a semi-convincing smile.

They jump down from the car and nod to me in synch. "Good morning to you, too."

Mistoffelees gently shoves me towards the psychics. "My sis has been a little… mendacious lately." I shoot him a glare, then instantly regret it. "Since yesterday, I think we have all been concerned for her safety. Has Macavity been messing with her mind or threatening her in any way?"

The twins both place a single paw on my shoulder and sit me down on the bumper of the TSE-1. "We will find out. Close your eyes," they order me.

My ankles twist and wreathe around each other as I dread what may follow. "What are you going to do?" I ask.

"Victoria, don't be difficult," Mistoffelees scolds me. "Coricopat and Tantomile know what they're doing. You can trust them."

"But I just want to know what they—"

"We will first measure your Galvanic skin response and resistance to electricity."

"Next we will pinpoint principal areas in your mind where your thoughts are processed and generated."

"We will enter your mind and see if you have been threatened by Macavity telepathically."

"And also find why you have been acting so…"

"Mendacious," Mistoffelees fills in for Tantomile.

"Yes, mendacious."

I dart my eyes back and forth between the two mystic twins, incapable of processing over half of the words they used. "Will it hurt?"

They laugh simultaneously for a second or two, then abruptly stop and reply, "No." Tantomile places her paws on my head while Coricopat clasps his paws around mine.

I can't let them know I love Mac. I can't let them know. "Wait! Stop!" I tear away from them and begin scrambling up the TSE-1, but the psychics harshly pull me down yet again.

"You cannot leave in the middle of a procedure!" Tantomile chastises me with a light thwack to my ear.

"You absolutely cannot exit under any circumstances!" her brother clarifies.

"Victoria, it's okay," Mistoffelees attempts to calm me. "We're trying to help you. Just stay still."

I huff rudely and let the twins continue with the procedure. Only once I hear Tantomile murmur, "Can you get a clear visual?" I jump back with a shriek.

"Victoria!" all three cats yell at me.

Our racket has invited a few more Jellicles strolling by to come watch. Not wanting to be the center of attention any longer, I shush myself and hope that they will simply wander away with a shrug. I cautiously sit back down on the bumper, attempting to fight against the apprehensiveness gnawing at my heart—and mind.

"Remain—"

"—still."

I break a sweat and sink my teeth into my tongue, hoping—praying—my secrets will not be revealed. Coricopat and Tantomile reposition themselves and continue with the procedure, this time the former stating that he does in fact have a "clear visual" of my mind. I catch sight of Misto out of the corner of my eye, and he sends me a reassuring smile in return.

Moments later, Tantomile cries out, "I've found something!"

I freeze up and widen my eyes. "What did you—"

"Shh!"

My mouth thins to the point where it can no longer be seen, thus making my face look like a clean whiteboard if not for the copper accents over my eyelids.

"Oh my…"

"Oh my…"

Oh no. "Stop!" I shout, squirming around in an attempt to weaken their grip on me. "Wait!"

"We must inform—"

"—Old Deuteronomy—"

"I can explain!" I shriek, at last tearing away from the psychics and scrabbling up the TSE-1. "I can explain!"

Only then do I notice a majority of the Jellicles have crowded around, drawn to the junkyard car after the numerous fits I threw.

"Vicky?" Jemima addresses me, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Munku!" Etcetera shouts over the crowd. "Munku, what's going on? What's wrong with Vicky?"

"Yeah, is Vicky okay?" Electra asks, clasping her paws together over her heart.

"Coricopat! Tantomile!" Munkustrap hollers. "You only use your powers for emergencies. What could possibly be the matter?"

"It is only the first day of the Jellicle New Year!" Demeter exclaims. "We should be celebrating!"

"Not hypnotizing cats!" Bombalurina adds.

A wave of questions at once swells up and crashes down onto the twins and I, drowning us in their multitude of demands and queries. As the wave recedes, it drags something along back with it—something I can't quite place my finger on. Something like…

Your insanity?

I curl myself up into a ball on the hood of the car, crushing my paws against my ears so tightly that my elbows press into each other in front of my face. No, no…not this again…

"Please, please!" Tantomile shouts over the Jellicles' bombardment of questions. "We have rather…"

"…interesting…" her brother fills in.

"…news for you. Regarding our very own Victoria."

"Please share with us," Munkustrap says as he steps forward and stands directly in front of the psychics.

"Yes, please do!"

"We are concerned for our Vicky!" someone weeps.

"The event that just took place," Coricopat announces, "was not hypnotization. We were searching through Victoria's mind, fearful that Macavity has been corrupting her."

"As most of you probably know," Tantomile continues for her brother, "Macavity recently tricked Victoria into becoming mates at yesterday's Ball." There is a collective nod from the crowd.

"Cori and Tanto, I don't mean to rush you," Mistoffelees interrupts, "but please, tell us why Victoria has been acting this way."

Don't let them reveal your secret, Victoria, that familiar voice commands me. If those pollicles tell them you enjoy being Macavity's mate, you'll look disgusting. Do whatever it takes to keep their mouths shut.

"The truth is…" Tantomile says.

Stop them, Victoria. Now.

"No!" I screech, lunging for the queen below me. But just as my hind paws disconnect from the ground, a powerful force yanks me back while a paw claps over my mouth.

"Tell them already," Plato orders, holding me back every time I propel myself forward.

How dare Plato enjoy seeing you hurt, watching you writhe in frustration and anger, the voice points out, gradually molding my mind back into the form it was when I first became schizophrenic. That sick pollicle. You ought to hate him.

At last, Coricopat and Tantomile shout together:

"Victoria is deeply in love with Macavity."

A lone tear dribbles down the short distance from my eye to Plato's paw still plastered onto my face.

Munkustrap mumbles, "Everlasting Cat…" Demeter begins bawling. Bombalurina tries to comfort her as she continuously shoots glares in my direction. The kittens are just…bewildered. Why must my ordeals and sufferings entwine with their innocent lives?

Plato releases me and steps back. I stare at the Jellicles before me with a pitiful expression, then I look at Plato. He gazes right into my eyes with no shame whatsoever, no guilt, and yet no pride. I choke out a sob, a noise that shatters Plato's heart to bits. I dart from the clearing, trying to get away from all the voices that surround and penetrate me. They roar my name into the sky but refuse to follow me nevertheless. And the only thing that is louder than the yelling is the sound of pawsteps from behind me, getting louder as each painful second ticks by.

...So...Whoa o_O

A thousand things just happened in this chapter at once...

To clear things up, there were two flashbacks in this chapter (one at the beginning where Vick was first being kidnapped, another later on while Victoria was in the warehouse and Plato was warming up to her).

And Vicky's schizophrenia is back :O Wuh-oh...

Oh, and when I write the "voice" in Victoria's head, it will be writing in, I guess, 2nd person, while Vicky's thoughts are usually in 1st. So that's one way to distinguish the two italicized stuff from one another ;) ;)

Reviews are really appreciated! They make me happy as a clam :{D haha. If you have any questions, comments, and/or critique, feel free to review! :)

Oh, and did anybody get the part where I wrote, "His typical faint scent of copper and iron..."? Well basically...that's the scent of blood o_O Kinda gruesome...but it also fits Macavity ^_^

Thank you very much to my readers! You guys ROCK! :D :D Stay tuned for more! :) There may actually be some fluff in the next chapter xD Shocking, I know.

Ooh, and I recently put up a poll to see who people would like Victoria to end up with! So if you'd like to take part in it, you can go to my profile! Thanks! :D

Until next time! Please review and tell me what you thought, and thanks for reading! :) :) :)