"Will you stop laughing," MacVitie hissed.

"Sorry, er, now it's 'cause I'm nervous," Mungojerrie snickered. "I laughs when I'm nervous, Mac…Mac-a…Ma-ca-vi-ty."

"I hate that name. It's not even a real name."

"Sorry, but I gotta practice sayin' it. Y'know wot Quax' said…"

"Yeah…listen. How do we know Quaxo's plan will work? And if it's so perfect, like you two kept saying, why are you so nervous?"

"I'm allus nervous aroun' the Lady Mothah! Who wouldn't be? An' I don' expec' to exac'ly be in 'er good graces after…" He gulped. "Runnin' away."

"But this plan," MacVitie prodded, "tell me why you're so confident it will work."

"Well…it's simple, really. Quax's yet t'be wrong about somefin'. Y'know 'e's…diff'rent…"

"Yeah, I knew that the moment I met him. But what do you mean, 'never been wrong'? What else has he been right about?"

"Well, not just 'im, it's the three of'em, really, them three clevah ones, Quax' an' Cori an' Tanto-thing… They'll sit whisperin' t'gethah an' next thing y'know they're tellin' somefin' that'll 'appen an' it does."

"They've always been that way, too—for all the good it does any of us," growled MacVitie in frustration. "It never changes anything. They couldn't—or didn't—stop me from…from having to…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. "And you're saying they knew?"

"Ay, they knew, but think on't, Mackey! If you 'adn't done as Lady Mothah commanded, Teazer'n Adme've been killed! There wos no gettin' 'round that. An' if'n they tried to interfere, sommat worse might've 'appened! Knowin' fings an stoppin' 'em is two diff'rent mattahs. Just 'cause they knew wot the Mothah intended don' mean they could've changed'er min' er stopped 'er doin' it."

"And how about all those months Bomba and Demeter and I were stuck in the warehouse and all that happened…Couldn't they have used their super mental powers to find us a way out of there? Couldn't they have found out Growltiger and Griddlebone's plans before any of us ever rushed off to the warehouse, before any of this ever happened?"

"But they couldn' very well 'elp that yer mum got caught up in it, could they? That's the fing…every'un's makin' choices, everythin's changin' all the time, yew may fix one fing but cause a bigger problem. Quax' wos tryin' to explain it all t'me, it's still got me all baffledybuzzed." Mungojerrie's ears drooped. "I'm sorry fer you'uns, Mac-a-thing… But I'm grateful, too. Wifout yew… me'n Teazah'd still be there." He paused. "Y'know, Teazah'n' me, we us'd t'play this game…'Ow Did Lady Mothah—"

"Teazer told me all about that one," MacVitie interrupted quickly, before Jerrie could launch into yet another (perhaps even more detailed) description of the twins' morbid game.

"Oh—er, righ', well, then…"

"And now you've finally escaped that life, we're going back there willingly! Why? If knowing doesn't change anything, what are we expected to accomplish?"

"Oi didn't say knowin' changes nothin'," Jerrie protested. "Didn't yew listen t' Quax'? Knowin' gives yew the advantage! It 'elps yew decide 'ow to act in the moment! Specially when th'enemy don't know wot yew know er 'ow yew know it…y'know?"

"Fine. I'll buy that. But listen." MacVitie stopped and seated himself on a deserted front stoop. Mungojerrie stared questioningly at him, and Mack patted the space beside him. "Sit. I'm not stirring another step until I know everything."

Reluctantly, Mungojerrie sat down beside him. "Wot d'yew mean, everythin'? Quax' explained…an' we gotta keep movin'…" The tiger tom glanced around anxiously, wondering if they were being spied on.

"Quaxo didn't explain what he meant," Mack persisted, beyond caring if anyone heard, "when he said that Griddle's plan was not the same as Growltiger's."

"Well…" Mungojerrie lowered his voice. "The…the Tigah's vendetta wos against 'umans. Well, against Ole D too, but mainly 'cause 'e interfered… But the Lady couldn' care two straws fer 'umans. She on'y wants to 'urt the Jellicles."

"But why? What does she know of us? Our connection was with the Tiger, he's the one who was banished and clearly she didn't care a thing about him or she wouldn't have let him be killed…"

"She did care. That's why she let'im be killed." Jerrie put a paw over his mouth as if he'd said too much.

"That makes no sense."

"Truf' is…" Jerrie sighed. "I don' quite understand it meself, but it…" He shifted uncomfortably and looked apprehensively at MacVitie, as if frightened of the effect his next words might have. "The…the Tiger at one time preferred…the Lady Grizabella…yer mum." He cringed away as if expecting MacVitie to strike him. To his surprise, Mack looked pained but not shocked. He did recoil slightly at the name Grizabella. Her Glamour Cat name, he guessed.

"She told me," MacVitie sighed. "About her former life…Not all about the rivalry and such…but it makes sense. Now I see why Quaxo didn't like to explain. Though he must have known I already knew something."

Jerrie hung his head. "'m awful sorry abou'…abou' all this, Mac-a…"

"Never mind. Better to know. It was bound to come out sooner or later, and…and it solves the mystery of Plato and Admetus. They're Growltiger and my mum's kits, you know."

Mungojerrie's eyes widened. "Bu' then…assumin' the Tiger wos me an' Teaz's dad… That makes 'em our brothahs! Fancy that, me 'avin' two brothahs!" His face changed expressions multiple times, as if uncertain whether he should be happy at the discovery.

"They're my brothers, too."

"By 'eck, so they are!" Jerrie gasped, then frowned. "Does that make you'n me some sorta brothahs? An' Teazah yer sistah? I 'ope not, 'cause she—that is, nevahmin'…No, no it don't make us brothahs…no shared parent…Er…this…this is awkward."

"Let's move on," said MacVitie abruptly, standing to his feet. "But," he added quickly, as something else occurred to him, "say nothing to Griddlebone about Plato and Admetus. I don't think she knows who their parents are, or she'd not have released Admetus so easily… But if she found out, there could be trouble."

Jerrie mimed zipping his mouth shut. "We'd best be gettin' on," he agreed, happy enough to leave that strange conversation behind. "But yew…yew un'erstan' wot needs doin'?"

"I think so. I just hope it works."