AN: Here is where we receive answers to a few questions that may have arisen from the previous few chapters. What promise did Clara give to her father? Are Mitzi and her beau, Wick, through? What's going to happen now that Clara and Mordecai have slept together? Read on to find out.

Ch 9: A Bargain and Impossible Things

A fully dressed Mordecai's sitting on the suite's couch right in the very center, waiting for Clara to finish packing. He's staring straight ahead. 'What have I done?! How could I ever even consider debasing myself in such a manner?! I…I have…mated!' The tuxedo cat looks down at his hands. 'These have touched her. They have felt her entire body. These dirty hands belong to a despicable savage!' Mordecai pulls out his handkerchief and wipes both his hands. For added peace of mind, he wipes at multiple other parts of himself as well. 'I am able to remember every physical sensation, every movement of our bodies, and every breathy utterance.' The tuxedo cat puts his handkerchief away and closes his eyes. 'The worst part of all, I have risked my very life by allowing myself to succumb to such primal urges. If Mr Henry should ever discover what his daughter and I committed last night, my corpse shall never be found. Why, despite such risk and danger, has my treacherous body craved and desired more of Clara?!'

"Mordecai?"

The tuxedo cat opens his eyes to find his charge with her bags in hand.

"I'm ready to go."

"Very well." Mordecai stands up and takes a bag. "I will carry this to the lobby for you."

"Thank you. So…about last night."

The tuxedo cat freezes. 'Must she talk about it?!'

"It's obvious this has to remain a secret."

"Very much so."

"While we're still all alone though, I'd just wanted to tell you…" Clara looks away with a nervous smile. "…you were amazing."

Mordecai has never felt such a combination of embarrassment and pride at the same time. "I…well…I am relieved that you had a…pleasurable experience."

That wording worries the young blonde. "Oh. Was I…not any good?"

"No! That is not what I meant!" The tuxedo cat forces himself to be calm. "I have been concerning myself all of this morning with the possible repercussions of our…action. The actual experience itself…with you…was honestly…quite wonderful."

"Thank you. You don't have to worry. We simply say nothing."

"What if they ask? I am not always successful at lying."

"Use exact words to get around the question. I'll show you if it comes up." Clara laughs out of nowhere. "You've once again given me a great memory."

"How so?"

"I can think of you last night when…I one day have to do the same with Maxwell."

Mordecai suddenly feels as if his stomach has been twisted into painful knots that makes him almost want to vomit. The thought of Clara having to let the man who almost raped her last night have his way with her makes the tuxedo cat wish he could destroy something (the preferred option being Maxwell Mason himself).

Soon after…

Mordecai and Clara reach the lobby to find Mr Henry's there waiting for them along with his two guards (Will and Doug) and Maxwell.

Clara has to hide her amusement at seeing Maxwell with his arm in a sling.

Mr Henry crosses his arms as his daughter and her bodyguard approach, scrutinizing both of them. "Maxwell here tells me he broke his arm falling down the stairs. Is this account he has given the truth?"

Mordecai feels panic grip him at already being called out.

Clara looks her father right in the eyes. "I witnessed his arm breaking. It was a shock."

The tuxedo cat now understands what the young woman beside him meant earlier. So, he follows her example. "As did I. I recommended Mr Mason see a doctor about his broken arm."

"It's true," Maxwell quickly agrees. "Mr Heller did tell me to have a doctor take a look." He certainly doesn't want the truth to come out. It'd possibly mean his life if Mr Henry knew of what he tried to do to Clara.

The oldest man in the room accepts the given information as fact. "Clara, why didn't you decide to stay in Maxwell's room?"

The young woman doesn't even hesitate. "I assumed you'd think it inappropriate for me to stay with him. Besides, I didn't know if he'd be kept all night by the doctor and I didn't want to be alone since you weren't here at the hotel."

Mordecai follows his charge and secret lover's lead. "It seemed pointless for us to utilize an unfamiliar room when your daughter had a perfectly serviceable suite with all her belongings still there."

Mr Henry focuses his gaze purely on the tuxedo cat. "Mr Heller, final question. Did you take advantage of my daughter?"

Though able to hide it, Mordecai feels utter terror at this question.

Clara tries shifting attention back to her. "Father—"

"No!" Mr Henry instantly shuts down the attempt. "I want the answer to come from your bodyguard. I want him to inform me through an attempt at lying or a lack of an answer if he did more than what was asked of him." The older grey tom returns his focus back on the tuxedo cat. "Well, Mr Heller?"

Mordecai is certainly feeling the pressure. 'Settle down. Simply use exact words to avoid revealing the truth, as Clara suggested.' "Mr Henry, let me assure you with one hundred percent accuracy that I have not, nor have I ever intended to, force physical relations with your daughter at any time." 'If he asks about consensual relations, my death is a certainty.'

Mr Henry stares at the tuxedo cat for a few moments. "Excuse me." The grey tom walks away out of sight.

Everyone else stands around waiting.

Doug adjusts his hat and chuckles. "Reckon I feel tension here thick enough to get cut by a knife. Don't you think, Will?"

Mr Henry's other bodyguard just nods, not wanting to speak since using his voice during tense situations has led to laughter in the past.

Mordecai doesn't relax considering the older man's departure left it quite ambiguous if he succeeded in hiding his affair with Clara.

Mr Henry eventually returns. "Well, Clara, I've kept my end of the bargain. I'm hoping you'll be keeping yours."

That greatly confuses Mordecai. "Bargain?"

"After I sent you to secure that party, Clara informed me that you have family living back in New York you are unable to safely be around."

The tuxedo cat glances over at the white cat, slight betrayal felt at her revealing that bit of personal information.

"She asked for me to, and I quote, 'Take care of that situation through whatever methods necessary'."

In Mordecai's mind, that could mean a multitude of things. "And that would entail?"

"I have already called in a few favors. I have arranged that a large sum of money be sent to the New York Police in order to erase any crimes you might be arrested for there. Not just that either. There should soon be a nationwide headline saying 'New York Gang Massacred'. I'd say the ones after you will be completely wiped out, leaving you free to visit your family at any time on a nice little vacation."

The tuxedo cat's feeling unsteady on his feet. 'All of the obstacles that have kept me from seeing my family are…no more' He's just about to express gratitude when he remembers another detail. "What of the other end of this bargain?"

"Nothing concerning you." Mr Henry smiles to himself. "Just Clara promising that she's going to quickly give me as many grandchildren as possible once she marries Maxwell."

The floor suddenly feels like it drops out beneath Mordecai and he experiences a sense of falling into a deep, dark abyss.

The formerly terrified Maxwell is now sporting a wicked grin. "Really?"

The memory of the other man attempting to rape Clara fills the tuxedo cat's head. 'Damn the consequences! He must die!'

"Really!" Clara shouts as a response to Maxwell's question, getting everybody's attention on her. She stands beside her father and faces Mordecai. "That's my choice."

The tuxedo cat instantly realizes what this is. 'Clara knew I was about to attempt ending that monster's life and she is ordering me not to. Why am I obeying her?!'

Mr Henry smiles at his daughter. "And a wonderful choice it is. Well, we have a train to catch back to Chicago. Farewell."

A suddenly appearing Asa Sweet grins at the departing group. "Have a great trip!"

Clara stares at Mordecai. "Goodbye, Mr Heller." She turns to follow the others outside.

Once the door closes behind the group, the tuxedo cat feels like something inside him has shattered.

Asa Sweet lets out a groan. "Finally, they're gone." He pats Mordecai on the back. "We can go back to normal now."

"I…forgot my trunk in the suite."

"You've still got the key. Go ahead and get it."

Mordecai heads up to the suite. Once he's locked in, the tuxedo cat proceeds to tear apart the room to vent his anger and frustration. After finishing with all that, he collapses on top of his trunk. "Clara…why?"

Two months later…

Mordecai Heller is sitting at a table outside a restaurant. On this cloudy day, he's rubbing his temples trying to relieve a major headache.

"You look like shit," says a new voice.

The tuxedo cat looks up to see a familiar brown tom with golden eyes, dressed in shabby red clothes, and with a cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth. "What brings you here, Dorian Zibowski?"

"You know I hate my first name, Heller. Just call me Zib like everybody else does." The Lackadaisy band's saxophonist sits across from Mordecai.

"I did not invite you to sit down, Mr Zibowski."

"You are not putting up that big of a fight against it." Zib takes a drag from his cigarette. "What made the great Mordecai Heller take to drinking?"

"I have not!" Attempting to shout just aggravates the tuxedo cat's headache.

"There's nobody around. Besides, you're talking to the king of dealing with the morning after drinking himself stupid." Zib smirks at Mordecai. "What's the issue? Girl problems?"

"What on Earth gave you that notion?"

"While I was locked up for being caught drinking, the biggest piece of gossip amongst all the inmates was Mordecai Heller getting himself a girlfriend. Then, he lost her to a rich guy."

"Gossip is merely gossip, Mr Zibowski."

"Also, Mitzi told me."

"Of course she would." Mordecai suddenly looks Zib right in the face. "Wait. Mitzi had the audacity to inform you of this while you were incarcerated? With law enforcement around to monitor you?"

"Relax, Heller. We know how to talk in code."

The tuxedo cat calms down. "To set the record straight, I was merely Miss Clara Henry's bodyguard. The relationship was nothing more than a facade to discourage possible hostiles."

"If that's true, why are you drinking?"

Mordecai sighs. "I find myself no longer capable of performing my usual duties sober. I was on my first assignment after Miss Henry left. Looking at the man I was ordered to kill, for a few brief moments, I hesitated. Once I forced myself to go through with it, the effort I had to put into not being physically ill was daunting. Consuming alcohol before a mission is a requirement for me now in order to avoid such issues."

"I have a theory," Zib says before taking another drag of his cigarette. "Killing off those guys during your whole bodyguard job had a higher purpose for you. It meant keeping that little woman safe. Now, going through with your usual killings feels meaningless and less justified by comparison. Am I right?"

Mordecai can't help but be impressed by the man sitting across from him. "It amazes me that someone who appears so scruffy was able to work that out."

Zib points at the tuxedo cat with his cigarette. "Don't judge a book by its cover, Heller." He takes yet another drag. "Any other reason?"

Despite his usual cageyness, Mordecai suddenly feels inclined to share with this jazz cat. So, he shares with him. He shares about his family who's living back in New York, about Clara's despicable fiancé, and even about the bargain she made with her father.

By the end, Zib's left in shock and his cigarette has long slipped from his fingers down to the ground. "Well…damn."

Mordecai covers his face with both of his hands. "Alcohol is the only thing that distracts my mind from a question that has plagued me from the moment Clara left. Without it, my sanity degrades from agonizing over that question."

"What's the question?"

The tuxedo uncovers his face, his eyes showing that he feels completely lost. "Why?"

Zib pulls out another cigarette and lights it. "I've got an answer for you. I think you will both like it and hate it."

Mordecai looks at the jazz cat like he's gone insane. "One person having such conflicting opinions at once is impossible."

"Get ready to be proven wrong. Your lady friend did all that because she loves you."

The tuxedo cat sits up ramrod straight and his eyes lose focus.

A waiter comes along with Mordecai's earlier order. "Sorry for the long wait, Sir." Once he places everything down, he finally notices the other man there. "Oh, apologies. I had no idea this gentleman was going to be joined by anyone." He shows the jazz cat a menu.

Zib mentally rolls his eyes at how ridiculously expensive everything listed is, but he finds something simple and cheap. He knows Mordecai needs time to make sense of the bombshell he dropped on him, so getting something to eat should make the wait bearable.

In the time it takes for Zib's order to be cooked, brought to the table, and eaten, Mordecai doesn't move an inch. In fact, he doesn't touch his food or even act like he's aware that anything is going on around him.

Zib, starting to wonder if the tuxedo cat's capable of conversing with him anymore today, decides to try leaving. The jazz cat gets up and starts walking away.

"Zib?" Mordecai calls out to the departing man.

The jazz cat stops. 'He called me by my chosen name? He must be vulnerable.'

"How do I get over Clara? I am very much aware, as I assume many are, that you used to be romantically involved with Mitzi. What course of action did you take to heal from the end of your relationship?"

Zib darkly chuckles. "What gave you the idea that I ever got over her?" He returns to his chair. "When I met Mitzi for the first time, she was a poor girl who wanted to get away from her life. She drew me in and I couldn't say no. Her being a singer who was able play both the banjo and the ukulele was just a bonus. She got along with all the band members great, but me and her had something special. Wasn't long before we used beds, the backseats of cars, and pretty much anywhere we could get away with."

Mordecai's face scrunches with disgust. "Were you not concerned with being caught and arrested for public indecency?"

That last question actually draws a laugh from the jazz cat. "Just part of the thrill for us." Once he calms down, Zib suddenly frowns. "Wasn't long before another side of Mitzi started to show. Her ambition. She wanted to be a big name. Meant she wanted to play for the elite snobs and others like them. I always hated those kind of people, so I shot the idea down every time she brought it up. One night, we got in a huge fight over it. It all got to the point she accused me of holding her back. Hurt, I told her she was greedy for more than she deserved." Zib takes a long drag from his cigarette. "Regretted the words as soon as I said them, but it was too late to take it back. That was the end for us. We were still bandmates, but our relationship was over. Still, I'd hoped she'd get over it and we'd go back to things like the fight never happened at all." The jazz cat grabs his cigarette and glares at it. "Then we came to St Louis, played at Lackadaisy…where Mitzi met Atlas May."

"Who we all know she became married to," Mordecai fills in.

"He was everything she wanted in a man. Rich, powerful, well connected. Even if it was in the criminal underworld, being with Atlas made Mitzi the big name she always wanted to be." Zib throws his cigarette to the ground and stomps on it. "I know you felt lots of respect for Atlas for giving you a place to go, but I always hated him."

"I will not hold that opinion against you."

"I tried finding somebody else, but none of them were the same as Mitzi. The worst part of it, me and the band were being payed to stick around St Louis by the same guy who got her to marry him. Well, I felt a little hope when their marriage fell apart to the point they weren't living together anymore. Then, Atlas got taken out and she became obsessed with keeping Lackadaisy running."

"Which is when Sedgewick Sable, a regular and very loyal customer, became Mitzi's new beau."

Zib scoffs. "I never took them seriously. Wick's a really nice guy and Mitzi was fond of that, but he was just a tool with money to try keeping Lackadaisy afloat. Besides, they're done."

Mordecai remembers something. "I did happen to witness him at a party two months ago with a new woman beside him."

"Wick's still a loyal customer, but he and Mitzi are finished. She didn't like that he chose his reputation over helping what his crowd considered 'a dying ship' to stay afloat. Still, he kept Mitzi out of trouble when she stole a blank check from him and wrote his name on it." Zib looks over at Mordecai again. "On a different subject, how's your mission going?"

The tuxedo cat stiffens. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

The jazz cat rolls his eyes. "Oh, please. Nobody's watching. Besides, I figured it all out without even needing Mitzi to tell me, which she still hasn't, if you were curious about it. You're working for Asa Sweet as part of his Marigold Club to find out if he was behind Atlas's death on Mitzi's orders."

Mordecai's impressed, but he's not quite ready to admit anything yet. "What brought you to that conclusion?"

"Marigold Club might be the only financially safe speakeasy left in St Louis, but you felt too much respect for Atlas to just go there. He and Asa may have acted friendly with each other, but they were still rivals in the trade. You would've felt like you were disrespecting Atlas May's memory if you went there just for the money. I can believe you'd leave Lackadaisy since staying was risky. I think your plan was to take what money you had, ride a train to some other big city, and start over there. At least, it was until Mitzi gave you that order."

Mordecai gives the other man a few quiet claps. "Once again, you surprise me with your wisdom. Now, if you had discussed this with me two months ago, my plan still would have been to leave St Louis after the mission was complete."

This surprises Zib. "Now?"

"While Clara was still here, she encountered three employees of Lackadaisy."

"Rocky, Ivy, and the new kid. Mitzi told me."

"Clara found all three to be enjoyable people to be around, despite one or two issues."

"What does that have to do with your choice?"

"She found them all to be worthwhile people to be in the company of, the same as she did with me. I cannot ignore that."

This change in Mordecai amazes Zib. "Wow. What about Asa if he's proven innocent?"

"It does not matter to me if he had a hand in Atlas May's death or not at this point. I have every intention of snuffing out Asa Sweet no matter what."

"Why?"

"My current associates frightened Clara to the point of near despair, Asa himself insulted and belittled her constantly, and he dared suggest that I kill her. If Clara's father had not listened at the door and put a stop to that line of thought, I would have either put an end to Asa Sweet and the Savoys then and there, or I would have died in the attempt."

Zib's almost dumbfounded by the revelation. Then, he stands up with a light smile on his face. "You just decided my plans for me."

"What plans?"

"When I first got let out, my original plan was to take the guys from the band and leave."

"Leaving Mitzi behind to fail in her obsession."

"Now, seeing one impossible thing happen, maybe me and Mitzi can get back together."

"Impossible thing? What impossible thing?"

Zib chuckles. "Mordecai Heller falling in love."

The tuxedo cat almost falls out of his chair. "What?!"

"Go ahead and deny it all you like, but ask yourself something honestly. Why else would you risk your life against your current boss and his best thugs for that girl?"

Mordecai stays silent.

"Sorry to run, but I need to get back to Lackadaisy."

"Do you truly believe simply returning will allow you and Mitzi to reconcile?"

"Of course not. I'm not an idiot. I'll have the new kid, Rocky's cousin, teach me to use a gun so I can keep her safe."

"Calvin McMurray? That little terror?"

"Saw that side of him? Scared me when I saw it. Haunted a few of my nightmares while I was behind bars too. Still, he knows how to use guns and that's what I need." Zib turns and he starts walking away. "There's a storm coming tonight."

"The formation of the clouds would suggest that to be true," Mordecai calls after the jazz cat.

"Your food's probably cold!"

"I am aware!" With the other man gone, the tuxedo cat contemplates whether to eat what is in front of him or dispose of it and reorder it fresh.

AN: So...a few subjects to talk about. To simplify things, Clara asked her father to make it so Mordecai can visit his family in exchange for giving Mr Henry a bunch of grandchildren as quickly as possible once she and Maxwell get married. Yeah...that sucks. Also, concerning Mitzi and Wick, they are definitely over in this fan fiction. The thing is...compared to many of the other characters in Lackadaisy, Wick just feels uninteresting to me. I don't hate him or anything, he's a pretty nice guy after all. Concerning my opinion on his relationship with Mitzi, I'm not anywhere near as invested in them as I am with Freckle and Ivy. Besides, hearing that Mitzi and Zib are confirmed to have once been in a relationship fascinated me and their interactions in the webcomic just felt electric to me. So, I've essentially written Wick out of the story in order to get Zib and Mitzi back together at some point. Also, many might be surprised at Zib wanting to take up a gun considering he's not a fan of some of the darker goings on with Lackadaisy. My take is that hearing someone like Mordecai is able to fall in love has lit a bit of a fire of purpose in Zib that makes him ignore his previous objections. Lastly, there is a storm coming in more ways than one. It'll come on Saturday.