Bomba shook the dust from her paws before entering the little den. The Red Queen was shaking from the cold of the forest, her tail tucked in close to her body.

Inside the den, it was dank and cold, yet the further she went, the more she sensed that she wasn't alone. Her whiskers twitched and the fur along her spine prickled as she got closer and closer to the island above the stream. She paused at the stream itself, lapping up the cool, crystalline water.

She heard a chuckle nearby and her ears twitched. "You know, I wondered who I'd find here. For a moment, I thought it would be Munkustrap or Misto, but I hardly expected The Red Queen herself."

Bomba's brow furrowed. She leaped over the stream, nearly crashing into the chocolate-maned Tom. "What are you doing here!?" she demanded, her muzzle bumping into his awkwardly.

"Well, I thought this would be a nice place for a nap, only I wasn't expecting a Queen to show up." The Tugger grinned flirtatiously.

"Nice try, Tug. You rejected me at the Jellicle Ball, remember?"

The Tugger's brown eyes were tinged with regret. "C'mon now, I thought I made up for that. We still danced, didn't we?"

Bomba rolled her eyes at him. Her chin quivered. "You're no good, you know that? All you're here for is to terrorize the Queens and prance around with the kittens."

The golden-brown Tom backed off. "Hey now, calm down. I'm not looking for a fight. Like I said, I didn't even know this place was yours," he insisted, walking past her with a glare in his eye and a spiked mane.

Bomba watched the spotted tom as he prepared to leap over the stream. He stared at it for a moment, lined himself up, then jumped. The puffy-maned Tom tripped, narrowly missing the other side, landing in the stream with a yowl of fury. Bomba's whiskers twitched in amusement. The Red Queen watched as he pulled himself out of the stream, his paws twitching and his tail shaking. "It's not funny," he growled. It was then that the fox-red female realized that it wasn't just his paws shaking, but his whole body.

"You're afraid of water, aren't you?"

The Tugger shook his head. "I'm not afraid," he replied, his tail lashing. "I just- don't know how to swim," he admitted, his ears flattening back against his head. He turned away from her, "There, you've had your fun. Now let me leave in peace."

"You know, that stream isn't deep enough for you to drown in. It's not even deep enough for you to swim in. You could've just walked right over it."

"Yeah, well...I didn't see you walking right through it."

"And you just had to outdo me, huh?"

He was already disappearing into the darkness.

"You know, I could teach you how to swim, if you're up for it."

The Tom turned. "What? Wait- I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with me. Now you're looking for an excuse to hang out with me," the chocolate-maned Tom chuckled.

Bomba scowled. "No," You're lying and you know it, she thought. "I just don't think it's a good idea for a cat not to know how to swim. What if the Junkyard flooded?"

Tugger's coat spiked. "That wouldn't happen." His mew was filled with uncertainty.

"It could. I'd bet your mane on it. You'd be pretty useless then, wouldn't you?"

He nodded.

She shrugged. "Well- c'mon then, I think I know exactly where we need to go." The Red Queen leapt over the stream again, Her tail swishing as she walked. She could feel him behind her as they crawled from the dark cave back out into the crispt, afternoon air. The female turned, indicating to Tugger where the stream exited the cave and branched out into a larger, more expansive area.

"This river is full of trout. If you can catch one, I'll go on a date with you."

The Tugger looked down at the stream, seeming intimidated. "That's it? That's how you want me to get over my fear?"

Her ears twitched. "I don't see what the problem is. If you really want to go on a date with the Red Queen, then you'd at least try it."

His fur spiked up again. "But- but I don't know how."

Bomba rolled her eyes. "It's easy. You just...jump in and paddle away."

"You sure?" he said, poking the surface of the water with his paw and jerking it away, shaking the water from it.

"You'll be fine. I'll be standing right over here if anything happens to you."

The Tugger rolled his eyes. "That's reassuring." The golden-brown Tom swept his tail behind him, observing a log and intending to jump from the water's edge to the dry, solid surface. Bomba huffed. Always looking for loopholes.

He landed on the log, his tail fluffing up as he dug his claws into it. He grinned back at Bomba, laughing almost haughtily. "You happen to be dealing with an expert hunter, M'lady," he said, still hanging onto the log. His gaze drifted to the other side. Bomba knew what he was thinking, and she feared what would happen if he tried it.

"Tugger, be careful."

He padded carefully to the log's end. It was already tipping over. He stared down at the water, waiting for a fish. The Tugger must have seen something, because moments later he was batting at the water frantically, paying no attention to the state of the log he was sitting on. As he leaned further and further in, the log followed him, filling with water. Bomba watched with shock as the log tipped over in an instant, throwing the spotted cat in.

"Tugger!" She stood on the edge of the bank, looking for him, realizing with horror that she didn't see him. How stupid could she be? This wasn't just some game he was playing! Tugger really didn't know how to swim, and she had put him in danger by daring him to go, knowing that the curious cat couldn't say no to a dare. That water's deep enough for him to drown!

The Red Queen leapt into the water. His body resurfaced a tails-length away from her, and she swam to him, observing his soaked fur. For a moment it looked like he was trying to paddle, then all the motion of his body stopped.

She swam towards him, managing to grab his scruff before he went under again. She tried pulling him but he was too heavy, his thick fur weighted by the water.

Bomba tried pulling him onto the log, yet she could barely get herself up on it. That's when she heard him gasp, and realized that the chocolate-maned cat had woken again. She dropped his scruff, using her paws to hold him above water now. "Tugger, listen to me! You have to stay awake. You have to swim."

He paddled his front paws a little, struggling, "My fur- too heavy," he managed to say.

"C'mon, Tugger, paddle your back paws, too...you have to hold yourself up."

The tired-looking Tom did as he was told, and started to swim, although weakly. Bomba now realized that there was a gash across the Tugger's head- the log must've injured him on his way down.

She turned to where the bank branched out the farthest. "This is the easiest way back," she explained, noting how he was holding his head above the water again. "Come on."

The Red Queen was the first to crawl onto the bank from the water. She watched as the Tugger followed behind her, reaching a paw out to the bank and managing to climb on dry land, his fur sopping wet from the river. She padded over to him, licking him behind his ears. "Let's go back to the cave."

His eyes widened. "I thought you didn't want me there," he mewed weakly. Bomba had never seen the Tugger so disheveled.

"Well...there's no sense in dragging you back to the Junkyard. You need to get warm and then we can take you back and let Misto look at that gash on your head. Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't want to feel any more embarrassment beyond what I've put you through."

"Thank you."

They carried themselves back to the cave, walking right through the stream leading up to the island. No sense in worrying about it now. Bomba slid to the very back of the cave, where the walls would keep them safe and hidden from any unsavory visitors. There were already soft nests here made of blankets Bomba had dragged from her Human place. She laid down, and the Tugger followed her, although he maintained some distance at first.

"C'mon over here, Tugger. You're not going to get warm standing so far away." He obeyed and laid down beside her. Bomba noticed how he tensed when she first started to lick between his ears, yet he calmed and she watched as his eyes slowly closed. His chest was rising and falling softly. He was asleep. The foxy-red female stopped, laying her head on the cave floor to rest.

When she woke, the Tugger was grooming her neck, purring.

She reached a paw out to him, signifying that she was comfortable with his gesture of affection. Her claws flexed. The Tom stopped. "You saved my life."

Bomba yawned. "Only after daring you to risk your life to go on a date with me."

The Tugger stood, stretching. "Well...I supposed I'd better go back to the Junkyard, and let Misto have a look at my head."

She stared at him longingly. "But you-"

"Didn't catch a trout. Therefore, I can't go on a date with you," he sighed. "That was the deal, wasn't it?"

"Yes, but-"

"I don't want you to date me because you feel sorry for me."

The Red Queen rose, her fur spiking. "I do not feel sorry for you, Tugger," her voice was deep and laced with anger. "I loved you, and you rejected me. And I'm an idiot, because I still love you."

His whiskers twitched. "You know, you don't have to have an excuse to date me. I care for you, too."

Bomba padded closer to him. "Then why did you reject me?"

The Tugger sighed. "I don't know. It was in the moment, really. I mean- I'm deeply attracted to you, Bomba. Have been since you came here. But...you're so...strongwilled. I didn't think we would be a good match, is all."

She blinked. "And now you do?"

The Tugger shook his head, flustered. "I don't know what I think. I just- want to be with you."

The female sat, considering this. "I'll go on a date with you, Tugger."

The Tom's eyes glowed with excitement. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yes. Now go. Get out of my cave," she growled, although she knew that the Tom could see her strongwilled, hard-headed persona fading.

The Rum Tum Tugger pranced into the Jellicle Junkyard, looking awkwardly untidy and yet strangely happy. His mane was partially flattened and sticking out in weird places, and his handsome dark fur was muddled with dirt, but the most notable thing about him was the pleased expression on his face- and, of course, the gash on his head.

"Tugger, are you alright?" Etcetera asked, bumbling up to him with a concerned expression.

Tugger grinned at the little groupie affectionately. "I'll be fine, Etcetera. That is, if you could kindly direct me to Mr. Mistoffelees."

The young female blushed, obviously excited at being the kitten chosen to help Tugger find the magical cat. "He's this way," she said, nodding towards a plastic tunnel where Misto usually sat.

The black-and-white tuxedo tom was pawing at his bowtie when Tugger and Etcetera padded up. He blushed, regarding the two sheepishly, then his attention was turned to the wound on his friend's head. "Why Tugger, what have you done to yourself?"

He shrugged. "It's no big deal, Misto. Just got myself in a bit of a scrap over a lady, is all?"

"Who's the lady?" Etcetera asked, seeming disappointed.

Tugger scratched an itch on the back of his neck. He glanced over at the Jellicle Junkyard entrance, watching as Bombalurina strode through, her tail held high. "Well..."

"You're going after Bomba again, aren't you?" Misto asked.

"Yeah. Or, more accurately, she's dogging after me."

"So I see..." the black-and-white cat mewed, seeming unsure. He shrugged. "Well, how about you let me get a better look at that wound of yours, ole' Tugs-a-Lot?"

The golden-brown Tom nodded. "Of course."

"This might hurt a little, I'm still getting the hang of the whole healing aspect of my powers," the Magical Cat explained patiently.

"No problem."

Tugger wasn't even paying attention to the soreness of his head, or to the way that Etcetera was holding his paw eagerly. His chocolate eyes had landed on Bomba again, watching as she went about the rest of her day, thankful that she was giving him another chance.