Bombalurina stopped at the sound of laughter coming from the direction of Tugger's car. What could possibly be going on? She caterwauled for him almost an hour ago. Annoyed, she came to an open spot, and was about to let Tugger have it, when she stopped and smiled. There, in front of the car, were eight innocent, carefree kittens, laughing and playing. Bombalurina couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the kittens….they were so free, so innocent, and she wished, for a moment, that she could be a kitten again.

"OWWWWWIEEEE!!!! Tumble, get off my arm!!!!"

"Quit biting, Cety'!!"

"Na-na-na!!! Ponce, I'm bigger than you!!!"

"I'm gonna tell my mama!!"

"Tattle-tale, tattle-tale, Vikie's a tattle-tale!"

"Yeah, you're a big tattle-tale!!"

"Plato, get off my tail!!!!"

It was too much. Bomba collapsed in a fit of uncontrollable laughter at the tangled bunch of kittens.

"What in the Heavyside is going on out here? And at this hour??", a sleepy Munkustrap asked, walking up to a hysterical Bombalurina.

"I…looking….HAHAHAHAHAHA…..Tugger….KITTENS!!!!", was all she could get out.

Munkustrap just blinked.

By now, all eight kittens were in a big heap, starting at Bombaluring and Munkustrap, and blinking at each other in confusion.

"Well! What a mess!!", said a laughing Munkustrap as he helped the kittens out of their tangled heap. He knew the kittens were out entirely too late, but he couldn't bring himself to be stern with them. He just scattered them off, in the direction of their homes. Chuckling to himself, he turned back to Bombalurina and helped her to sit.

"It doesn't seem like that long ago when we got ourselves into predicaments like that", he said, sitting next to her. She sighed and drew circles into the ground next to her.

"I know. Sometime, I still wish we were that young….", she trailed off, looking at the sky. She couldn't help but think of him, he who took her innocence when she was but a kitten. How she longed to turn back the hands of time, to go back to being a kitten, so she could do it all over again, and do it right. Bomba felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see the caring eyes of Munkustrap, who seemed to be reading her mind. He smiled a sad smile and wiped a tear from her cheek. They sat there in silence for a few more minutes, when they heard a giggle in the corner by the old oven.

"Well, I wonder which rebel THAT could be", Munkustrap wondered aloud. He crept over to the old oven, and pulled the door down to reveal not one, but TWO kittens….Victoria and Mistoffelees.

"I…what…", Munkustrap sputtered. Could it be time for this group of kittens to be finding mates? He looked back in wonder at Bombalurina, who had a knowing smile on her face.

"Vikie and are we just…talking", Misto said nervously, putting a protective arm around Victoria's shoulders.

"I…okay"

Munkustrap closed the oven door and walked, as if in a daze, back to where Bomba sat.

"They're growing up, Munkus. You know as well as I do, that it's time", Bomba said, standing. Mukustrap knew she was right...but he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want things to change….things were always changing….and sometimes, that meant sacrificing too.

~*~A/N: what will be sacrificed? Keep reading!!!!~*~