Fitting her glowing eyes on, Tommy gave Antoine the thumbs up. It was the first night for all the changeover cast and the usual, first-night nerves had kicked in half an hour before, as they were getting into costume.
A blur of white, black and brown sped passed, closely followed by another darker one. Both Skimbleshanks and Bombalurina exchanged lop-sided grins, easily recognising the two tiny runners who had clearly been up to something on the opposite side of the set.
"Do we even want to know?" Jordan murmured, adjusting his glowing eyes on his Coricopat wig with a chuckle.
"Probably safer not to." Antoine admitted with a grin. Gesturing Tommy forward as the orchestra started up and the conductor flashed a wide grin in the direction of one of the cameras, Antoine moved behind her and gave her a pat on the back. "Have fun." "Try and stop me!"
***
"There's a man over there..."
In the full assembly of cats, each of the new cast members shot a grin at another. They'd managed the first dance number. With that out of the way, things could really only get better.
Spreading through the audience for the naming, Malcolm gradually edged backwards, sliding swiftly into the wide pipe behind him as soon as 'the most boring song in the world' was finished, his knees balanced on the ledge carefully.
Or, at least they were until he felt a large hand tickling at the soles of his feet from below. Unable to see behind, he kicked out as best he could, trying to smother a fit of demented giggles, which would ruin the delicacy of Victoria's dance.
On cue, he scooted out of the pipe, practically falling onto his feet to skip across the smooth surface of the stage. Glancing back, he spotted a familiar, grinning black and white visage peeping out of the pipe, a white hand waving naughtily.
Shaking his head, he turned to the waiting Victoria and scratched his way up her raised leg with a flourish. "Jellicle cats, come out tonight, Jellicle cats come one come all..."
Immediately the stage filled with people from all directions, emerging from pipes, traps and the concealed opening behind the junk. Moving into the triangle next to Georgina and whichever of the twins were playing Carbucketty, he received a wink from them.
He had just missed being put in the back ranks. As a taller than average Mistoffelees, at five foot eight, he was the tallest of the group who were identified as "The Kitts" by most of the cast and crew. A close second was Jonny, as Mungojerrie at five foot six.
Raymond and Andy were the tallest on the stage. Andy had been pulled in at the last minute when Tony, who played Admetus, had efficiently wrapped his clapped-out Renault around a lamp post near his flat.
Suffering from shock, he'd been kept in hospital, horrified by the fact that he'd had barely missed flattening his neighbour's ageing cat. Jokes about Grizabella the Glamour Splat were already in circulation. Naturally, Andy was the source.
Glancing over her shoulder, Georgina caught Blue's eye and the two girls grinned at one another. The first songs had been survived and they were still standing, panting for breath and sweating more than they dreamed possible, but alive.
Taking their cue from Robbie, they scattered, kittens piling in a heap in front of the car as the Eastender did the introduction of the Gumbie Cat, with much face-pulling from Mistoffelees.
Maintaining a proud expression proved difficult for Tommy. Seeing her small, severe goth friend grinning and sticking his tongue out was just far too disturbing. Turning to Kashka as if in conversation, she couldn't help giggling.
Kashka half-rolled her eyes, then pulled on her 'I'm nice' face as Robbie swung around to hear them sing.
Tossing her mouse head to one of the twins, Blue scooted through the over to hunt down the beetle costumes. Determined to be the first beetle on, she pulled on her gear quickly and took her position, grinning at the startled twin.
"Early cat catches the bug." She winked, blew a kiss and tapped wildly out onto the stage. 'Munkustrap' and 'Jenny' looked as bewildered as the rest of the crew, as Blue went into her frenzied Columbia routine. 'Jenny' caught her tail and pulled her to a spinning halt, gesturing the small dancer off the stage. Blue pouted and stomped off with impressively noisy steps.
Receiving a fork from the smirking Andy, she shrugged helplessly and ducked back into the hiding place, ready to attack the Gumbie with her new and oh-so-deadly weapon.
Stalking along behind 'Jenny', gesturing for the audience to be quiet, she raised the fork for the blow, only for 'Jenny' to whip around a moment earlier than she was meant to. Snatching the fork, the older women grinned devilishly and steered the small dancer back into her place.
Joining in the group routine alongside Jonny, Raymond and Joely, Blue caught the reprimanding look shot in her direction by her flatmate. She flashed a devilish grin, her feet starting to tap of their own accord.
Forming the tap line, the tiny dancer knew she looked ridiculous stuck between the massive Raymond and tall and lean Joely, both of whom were at least a full head taller than she was.
Grinning widely, she tried to look indignant when 'Alonzo' bopped her on the head with his knife.
Steered to the back, she was the first to run off and deposit her beetle costume, in time for the familiar "Heyeyeyey!" from the back of the stage. Norma - in full Tugger regalia - erupted through his trap and spotted Etcetera faint at the front of the stage.
Blue was entirely in her element, fawning all over the grinning actor. However, she had one serious rival in the show-stealing stakes. That rival came in a stunning, six foot, voluptuous red form.
Playing to the crowd for all she was worth, Tommy strutted up to Norman. Her body rubbed to his, she huskily sang her lines. He blinked, then fanned himself with a hand, mouthing "Whoa momma!" in the direction of the audience.
Instead of snatching her hand as he was meant to, he caught her leg as she kicked up and sniffed his way down, before dropping her into the splits with a cry of "No!" but his expression said 'I'll see you later.'
Even though she was meant to have lost his attention, she made sure he couldn't ignore her in the least, despite all of Etcetera's best attempts to scream him senseless.
One black and white gloved hand slid sleekly over his hip, getting a little too close to a certain area for his liking. To the audiences' glee, his high note went that little bit higher as the furtive hand slid lower and he swung around to face Bombalurina, only to feel Etcetera latch onto his leg, squealing for all she was worth.
With a jaunty thrust of his hips, Etcetera somersaulted away backwards across the stage and he grinned, with a cocky "Huh!", before finishing with an equally jaunty toss of his mane and smirking "About it."
On her feet and chasing Norman around the stage, Blue received a teasing grin from Andy, who shook his head. Unfortunately, he was paying too close attention to her and ran squarely into the back of Raymond. The Alonzo-bedecked actor's eyes widened in surprise, then he grinned coyly at Andy, who blinked twice, then stepped back VERY quickly.
Having the shortest legs, Blue was left at the back of the crowd adulating Tugger on the pipe, but it also meant she and Georgina were the first to reach Helen Marsden in her Grizabella regalia, looking far too aloof and proud. The minute she was noticed, however, she seemed completely startled by the fact someone was looking at her and staggered closer.
Together, Blue and Georgina edged forward, exchanging puzzled looks with one another, only to be halted by Robbie, his ominous expression combined with his severe Munkustrap make-up making Grizabella stop short and flinch.
Creeping towards the back of the stage, the two stopped beside Tommy, one kneeling on either side of her. She ran a hand over each of their wigs, a look of disdain on her face. Kashka moved forward, singing her lines hauntingly.
While she may have been the worst person in the world to work with, none of the crew could complain about Kashka's ability. Her voice rose and fell, convincingly emotional as she reached out to the aging cat. Tommy's throaty voice rose to join that of the older actress, the red-garbed dancer moving to join the gold and black one.
Helen disappeared down one of the ramps, heading back towards her dressing room to chat online, much to Blue's envy. As Kashka skidded to the edge of the stage on her knees, the majority of the kittens followed.
On her hands and knees, Georgina lifted one hand to shield her eyes as she scanned the audience. Blue knelt up and propped herself on her friend's back with her forearm, imitating the hand gesture, peering blankly at the front row and cocking her head cutely. Both girls received a few laughs and a distinctly bitter glare from Kashka.
Scrambling head over heels at the introduction of Bustopher, the girls hurried towards the car boot. Gathering around Jellylorum, Bombalurina and Jennyanydots, Blue positioned herself between Jellylorum's knees and received a firm rub between the ears for her effort, almost falling over with pleasure, her leg waggling in the air.
Georgina clawed at her leg playfully, earning a dark look from Jennyanydots, who seemed determined to keep the attention on her, or at least on Bustopher. Exchanging faint grins, they settled down to bob along in time to the music, taking it as a chance to get their breath back.
While the 'queens' were seated for most of the song, the so-called 'big boys' had the duty of singing around Bustopher. However, Mistoffelees was so distracted by Alonzo playing with his tail that he almost dropped the larger cat when he leaned back. Glaring daggers at the big, brash dancer, Malcolm couldn't help grinning as Raymond pouted at him.
Crawling forwards, the two youngest girls exchanged relieved glances, knowing it was almost time for a break. "I need to pee." Georgina mouthed in Blue's direction. Andy, above them, heard her and tried to direct her behind Bustopher, nodding that he was a perfect spot for it.
However, a Macavity scare occurred.
Kashka fled from Tommy's side, darting this way and that, bending over Blue and Georgina fearfully, before throwing her arm upwards and screaming "Macavity!". Robbie moved to her side, but all of the cast were scattering off into the wings.
"Stop!" Blue and Georgina were skidding down a ramp. "Wait!" They ducked out of the sight of the audience, scrambling for the stairs. Tommy caught up with them on the stairs and grinned at them. "Maybe it isn't Macavity!"
Somehow, they had been beaten up the stairs, though. Andy was already lolling on one of the sofas, sipping from a can of cola. "Newbies!" He threw his arms wide in mock-celebration, then swore under his breath as his drink splashed his warmers. Rubbing at it, he put the can down and grinned as Blue and Georgina both snagged a tumbler of juice from the counter and sat down for a moments break, before racing down the stairs again. "How are you enjoying it?"
"If we could remove whatever it is that's unfortunate enough to be stuck up Kashka's arse, I know I'd be having a ball." Swallowing a mouthful of watered-down juice, Georgina pulled a face. "Maybe that's asking for a miracle, though."
Blue chuckled. "Wishful thinking, man." She remarked, finishing her drink, then darting over to check her make-up was intact at the nearest mirror. She returned to the couch. "Its the big, boring song now...nap time on stage..."
"Speaking of which, time for us to go."
They joined the flood of cats pouring down the stairs, the two kittens ascending to another level of the stage. Just in their line of sight, they would see Tommy behind the set. Catching their eyes, she mimed holding a cigarette to her lips and mouthed. "I'm gagging for one!" "I bet!" Blue mouthed back. Bombalurina made a very rude gesture at the two kittens, who giggled and ducked down, ready to slide down over the car. The older cats had the job of scaring Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser, so as soon as the chase music began, both Georgina and Blue shot down the car and spun to halt on the stage as both of the catburglars raced up ramp and onto the bonnet.
Jonny puckered his lips and blew a kiss in Blue and Georgina's direction, until the haunting music started and all of them started to turn towards the audience, staring beyond them. The lean form of Malcolm was silhouetted as he rose on his knees and asked. "Old Deuteronomy?"
Leaving Robbie and Norman to cover the singing side of things, Malcolm glided off the stage, while the rest of them cast spread around, lying in all kinds of strange positions. On her stomach, one foot bent over her so far it was almost touching the back of her head, Blue saw Andy glance at her and wince. Her serene expression turned into a cocky grin and she tapped her toe against her wig.
Stretched on her side beside Blue, Tommy muttered "Show off." in the middle of a roll, that left her on her knees. Blue shrugged, on her side, one leg held at ninety degrees to her body, one hand reaching out to Robbie, who smiled and pawed her as Norman sang.
She was one in the lead group of kittens when Benjamin and Malcolm finally did appear in the stairway, walking towards the stage. Blue went scooting forward, stopping short when Robbie caught her tail, pouting until he released her the moment Bejamin stepped onto the stage.
Enthusiastically throwing her arms around the huge shaggy-coated form of Bejamin, she heard a yelp and peeked round to see Malcolm painfully rubbing his nose, his eyes suddenly unusually bright. "Oh!"
Malcolm grined faintly at her, touching his tender nose, then gingerly followed Deuteronomy, careful to stay out of reach of Blue's arms. Somehow, Raymond managed to get alongside him and gave him a nudge and nodded to his face. Malcolm smiled faintly and nodded that he was all right.
Sheepishly grinning at Malcolm, as they spread around the stage, Blue scrambled up to sit beside Bejamin, lying along the edge of the tyre, her head resting on his fuzzy thigh. She felt him stroke her wig and lifted her head with a grin, rubbing her head against his gloved 'paw'. Robbie was moving around the stage with his usual boundless enthusiasm, seeming totally excited about this wonderful story that he was telling about the "Pekes and the Pollicles", as if it was the first time, not the hundred-plus time he was telling it.
Apparently, though, Victoria and Etcetera up on the tyre go a bit excited during the first bout of barking. The more colourful of the two was spinning on her knees, dangerously close to the edge and was only prevented from falling by Deuteronomy's arm looping around her waist. She grinned and snuggled down beside him.
It was only when she noticed that Andy was nowhere in the Pollicle line that she realised that he wasn't anywhere on the stage. Normally, it would have been Alonzo who played Rumpus, but Raymond was apparently too wide in the shoulders to risk it, which meant that a swing would be doing it instead, which meant - she now realised - Andy!
He was going to be shot through a hole, using his head to open a trapdoor, hoping that it wouldn't jam and break his neck, or that he wouldn't be off the mark and have one or both of his arms ripped off.
Benjamin seemed to realise that she had suddenly tensed up and touched her shoulder soothingly, nodding for her to go down and join the pugs and the poms. Grabbing her yoghurt-pot-head, she nodded, slipping off the tyre, but still fretting for the tall dancer.
"Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!"
Facing off to Raymond, who still managed to look incredibly goofy with the giant shoe box propped jauntily on his head. "Bark?" He cocked his head at her, making her crack into a wide grin and bark back at him.
"Noooooooooooooooooooooooow!"
Blue found herself biting her lip beneath her Pom disguise and physically jumped when a hand squeezed hers. She couldn't see beyond the Peke mask in front of her, but she knew Tommy was there and Tommy knew she was nervous about something. She returned the squeeze, moving across the stage, her eyes fixed on the startrap.
"The Great Rumpus Cat!"
The black form erupted out of the trapdoor and did the splits in the air, before landing neatly on his feet and flexing. Blue felt a surge of relief. It was more than clear that the big dancer had done the trap before. He flashed red eyes in their direction and she squeaked, ducking behind the nearest person. Andy was clearly loving his role, ignoring the tabby form of Robbie, who was clearly frustrated with the show-off of a super hero. After some serious flexing and preening on the part of Rumpus, Munkustrap got the cat's attention, gesturing in annoyance at the spiked-up hair.
One paw self-consciously smoothed down the Rumpus wig, his other pressed to his mouth in a gesture of acute embarrassment. Robbie apparently couldn't conceal a tight grin, bowing slightly as they continued their routine.
All those in Peke and Poll disguise hurriedly moved off to remove their props while Robbie and Andy finished the number. Ignoring Norman and his pipes and racing in front of Deuteronomy, they all stretched out their hands to him, when there was the familiar, deafening smash and flash of lights.
Kashka - as usual - was the first on her feet, darting this way and that. Spinning to Robbie, she gasped in fear and desperately screamed. "Macavity!"
Everyone scattered, racing off the stage to get to their places for their entrance for the prologue to the Jellicle Ball. Blue passed Raymond behind the stage and managed a furtive slap to his firm rear as he strutted past, receiving a mischievous wink for her efforts.
Ducking under the stage, she wove past a couple of technicians and one of the Jonson twins to climb up to the opening beneath the car's mudguard. Leaning out of the hole as far as she dared, she watched Raymond slink onstage, swiveling his pelvis seductively.
Rhiannon Harvey and Cassie Maynard - as Jemima and Victoria respectively - both eyed him as if he were the juiciest piece of meat they had ever seen. It might have been the truth, but they weren't about to admit it to the biggest queen in the Cast.
One of the Jonson twins flipped onto the stage passed her for his line and wiggled his rear rudely in Blue's direction. She made a mental note to swat him for it, later on, but settled for watching the rest of the crew making their way on, before her cue.
As one of the few gymnasts in the cast, her entry was made by a quick handspring into a somersault that landed her on her toes in front of Jellylorum and Jennyanydots a moment before the second Jonson twin went tumbling on his face beside her.
He stuck his tongue out at her, then bounced away to get picked on by the bigger 'toms', while Blue made her way over to swoon over Tugger. She managed to catch Tommy's eye and received a bright smile, as they moved to their positions for the first part of the ball. In one of the front ranks, Jonny and Georgina were to her left with Rhiannon and Cassie to her right. Every muscle in their bodies were tight as they bent their legs at the knee until their thighs were almost parallel with the stage, their arms extended and tense, their voices growing silent in anticipation of the coming routine.
The slowest steps of the Ball began, the slow turns and dips almost as painful as the fastest parts, every single one of them trying to hold the calm, steady rhythm, before the shrill discord that signified the introduction of the Ball.
Following the small group routines, they paired off for the minuet section. Blue was paired up with Robbie and she could see the determination in his face. It wasn't hard to see that the Ball was the most exhausting, but most exhilirating part of the show.
They all spread out once again, various little solo routines taking place. From the sidelines, Blue wanted to cheer as Tommy did her infamous bump-n-grind routine, stealing Mistoffelees thunder in the process.
However, when it was Mistoffelees' dance with Carbucketty, Malcolm was incredible, the smile never leaving his face. He was a good six inches taller than whichever Jonson twin was on, but when they finished, he made sure to stretch out a hand to touch Carbucketty, to show it had been a joint effort.
Almost the full cast was joining in the duck-n-spin routine, which Andy maintained should be called the 'murder by tail-whap' routine, in the lead up to the seemingly notorious group snuggle on the stage.
Raymond had the role of lifting Cassie - Victoria - during the "new way of looking at a pick-up line" scene, which had been cursed with another of Andy's captions. She was almost a foot shorter than him and, considering he had proved his strength by running up a flight of stairs with the shrieking Tommy flung over his shoulder the previous week, she was as light as a feather to him.
Moving forward to sink into the 'snuggle heap', Blue met Tommy's eyes and the older woman nodded reassuringly at her. Twirled around by Admetus, she froze, then nodded, sliding into the side splits, twisting and rolling into the middle of the kitty-pile. Andy slid in beside her and they exchanged faint grins as they raised their hands in unison.
All around them, she could see people panting, staring at the ceiling, clearly psyching themselves up for the routine that was to come. She fixed her eyes on Malcolm, almost directly opposite, knowing his movement was the signal and felt her heart start to thump against her ribs in anticipation.
As soon as he jerked upright, immediately followed by Jordan Pryce and Rachel Majors - in sync as Coricopat and Tantomile - the rest of the group started to move, the lights flickering as they wove around one another to their starting positions.
Along with the shortest members of the cast, Blue was placed at the front for the opening of the Ball sequence. However, it passed into a blur, everything and everyone moving so rapidly that it still amazed her that the dance steps were still recognizable.
Whizzing down one of the ramps, she took up her position at the edge of the aisle and saw Andy and Tommy give her the excited thumbs up from downstage, knowing all audience focus was on the dancing kittens at the front of the stage.
Inhaling a deep breath, she flexed her arms, then threw herself forward into a front flip. A gasp from behind her let her know at least some of the audience were watching her, but she ignored it and continued to flip her way around the length of the aisle. Landing neatly on her feet at the bottom of the other ramp, she shook herself with a grin and raced up onto the stage, trying to ignore the jelly feeling in her legs.
It was only when she was about to join in the rest of the routine that she heard the applause and grinned a little wider. Jenni - Rumpleteaser - shot her an impressed look as they started to closing routine of the Ball.
The music rose to a crescendo and the stage was shaking with the force of fifteen people dancing the same energetic steps in synchronisity. Racing back downstage towards Old Deuteronomy, all of them spun and darted upstage, as the music reaxched its climax, sliding to the front of the stage and freezing.
Panting heavily, Malcolm found himself crouched beside Tommy, who gave him a look that simply screamed 'we are SO having a fag break!' and was gasping for breath as he was, the applause deafening, and yet barely auudible over the poudning of the blood in their ears.
Slowly turning, some of them shaking, most of them still catching their breath, they crawled back towards Benjamin. He nodded down at them and looked like he was going to attempt moving when Rachel and Jordan reminded them that Grizabella was on the move.
Blue and Georgina were lucky enough to be able to sidle off the nearest ramp, not needed in this scene, getting to their feet as soon as they were out of the line of sight of the audience.
Unfastening the top of her unitard, Blue peeled it down off her arms and tied the arms around her chest, as they climbed the stairs, neither of them having the breath or moisture in their mouths that they needed to talk.
Stumbling into the social area, Andy had somehow beaten them up again and was sprawled on a couch again, a hefty ice pack pressed to his shoulder, his unitard pulled down to his waist. Georgina eyed his muscled chest with clear interest.
"You okay, Andy?" Sitting down on the arm of the chair opposite him, Blue peered down at him. He opened his mismatched eyes and exhaled a breath. He lifted the ice pack away, revealing a fresh, almost-black bruise spread over his shoulder. "Ow! When did that happen?"
He sat up and replaced the pack again. "When I had to hoist our Kashka." He grimaced. "I don't care what she says. She is NOT eight stone." He looked at the bruise again. "She lifted herself the wrong way and I slipped. Managed to make it look like I was kneeling to put her down, but smacked my shoulder on the bumper of the car."
"Don't blame me if you don't know how to do a lift." Kashka stalked passed, shooting a glare at him. Disappearing away down the long hallway and into her dressing room, the door slammed sharply.
Andy pulled a face at the door. "Don't blame me if you don't know how to jump into a lift, you stupid cow." He minced in an almost-perfect mimic of the actress' voice. Standing, he crossed to the shelves and grabbed a tube of some kind of salve, spreading it over the bruise. He looked at the sniggering kittens. "What?"
"You sounded just like her." Georgina chuckled. "Be back...need a piddle..." She wandered away, leaving Blue and Andy by the couch.
Sitting down on one of the chairs next to Blue, Andy snagged his drink and glanced at the smaller dancer. "I hung around long enough to see you doing your flip thing...looking good." She ducked her head over her drink with a shy grin. "Oh not again, shorty. You're not shy, so why do you act it around me."
"To confuse you?" She suggested, looking over at the door as Tommy, Raymond and Malcolm entered, all talking loudly and enthusiastically. Apparently both Misto and Bomba had had their nicotine fixes and were feeling better for it. Joining the pair at the chairs, they took the sofa across the table. Raymond gave Andy a sympathetic look. "So you got stuck with the Super bitch, huh?" He shook his head with a grimace. "I'm amazed you didn't break somethin', hon." He patted the thigh of Tommy who was seated next to him. "I had Gorgeous here, the perfect partner."
"Thanks, sweetie." Tommy leaned over and kissed him fondly on the lips, her hand moving absently on Malcolm's chest. He was lying in the last space on the couch, his legs dangling over the end, his head in Tommy's lap. "Lemme guess..." She cleared her throat. "'It's not my fault you can't do lifts'...anywhere close?"
Andy chuckled, fingering the bruise. "Almost exactly." He replied bitterly. He flexed his arm, moving it gingerly. "I should be able to manage the fight, as long as the bitch doesn't get in my way again."
"Me-ow! Do I sense an impending cat fight?" Malcolm opened one eye and grinned.
"If she didn't stomp off to her dresing room every time, I would take her on, but I thing her tongue's a bit to sharp for my liking." He glared in the direction of the actress' door, rolling his shoulder slowly. "She hates me. I hate her. Its as fun as that."
Blue tentatively asked. "Why?"
Andy's eyes danced with mischief. "You really wanna know?" Tommy looked like she had a suspicion, but said nothing. Blue nodded. "Kashka has this delusion of being Grizabella. She manages Dem cos she's such a schitzo anyway, but when she asked to be the understudy, the casting guys said no...basically," He grinned, his head lolling back against the back of the chair. "They said I made a better Griz than she would."
"God help us if you even had to be Munk to her Dem." A pained look crossed Malcolm's face, his eyes closing again. "You'd probably let Mac take her and settle down with...I dunno...not Bomba, that's for sure...she's be snuggling with Griz..."
"Even a drag Queen Grizzie?" Andy batted his eyes.
Raymond chuckled. "Whatcha think, hon?" He murmured to Tommy conspiratorially. "Looks good as a guy...probably looks just as good as a gal..."
"No chance, Andy." She shrugged. "Sorry, mate. You just have to many attachments. I like my partners like I like my hoovers - no nozzles." She laid her head on Raymond's shoulder and smirked at him. "But I see a kitten who was worrying about you something awful." Her eyes drifted to Blue, who was staring at the tumbler in her hands. "Weren't ya, kid?"
"Shut up, Tommy."
"C'mon, kid, you were freaking out."
Blue lifted her head and stared at Tommy. "I said shut it." She repeated coldly, getting to her feet and swinging over the back of the chair.
"Whoa, check out the Mini-Ice Queen." Malcolm sat up to follow the smaller dancer's rapid walk across the room. She disappeared out through the door and he turned to Tommy. "Are you going to tell us what's going on, Tom?"
Tommy, too, was staring in the direction that Blue had gone. "Well, I'll be..." She whispered, shaking her head. Lifting Malcolm's head off her lap, she stood and gestured for Raymond to scoot along and take her place. "Scuse me."
She hurried away after Blue and left Malcolm lying with his head in Raymond's lap. "What the hell just happened?" Andy inquired, leaning forward to watch Tommy's retreating back with clear confusion.
"Dunno, but I'm going to enjoy the rest of my break." Malcolm smiled lazily up at the black and white face of Raymond, who returned the smile.
Andy groaned. "Oh gimme a break..."
***
"Sulking, are you?"
"Leave me alone."
Sitting down on the top step next to Blue, Tommy looked down at the smaller dancer. "I didn't think I was right, kid." She said quietly, looking at the dirty white of the walls. "I was just trying to tease you...guess I messed that up, didn't I?"
Blue edged a bit closer and laid her head against Tommy's shoulder. "Sorry." The older woman put her arm around the younger's shoulders and gave her a fond squeeze. "I must have looked stupid."
"No more than usual, kiddo." Turning Blue's face towards her, she dropped a kiss on the freckle-spotted nose. "Have I mentioned how adorable you look in that kinky kitten get-up?"
Blue cocked a brow. "No." Tommy looked confused. "No threesomes."
"Drat! You remembered."
"Ahem." Both of them looked up in unison to see Kashka standing over them. "If you don't mind, I would actually like to get back to the stage at some point today, if you don't mind taking your make-out session elsewhere." She pushed passed them and Tommy reached out to nip her buttock. Blue caught the red-garbed actress' wrist and shook her head. Tommy looked disppointed, glaring after the older woman.
She got to her feet just as the door opened again. Jordan and Antoine both emerged and peered down the stairs beyond them. "Is the Wicked Witch of the West End gone yet?" Antoine asked hopefully.
"Just." Tommy replied sourly. Her dark eyes narrowed to slits. "I'm so going to have to show that bitch that she shouldn't piss me off."
Blue's eyes lit up. "I have an idea, Tommy." She murmured, the smirk that crossed her lips almost as devious as that which Tommy, herself, sometimes used. "It would probably freak her out enough to make her want to avoid you..."
"You know, kid, I taught you well." Tommy chuckled. "You gonna tell us what this wonderful idea is?"
"Well..."Blue glanced down the stairs again. "How far are you willing to go to really – and I mean REALLY – freak out and piss off our beloved Snow Queen?"
Tommy eyed the dancer. "Why am I not liking the sound of this so much?"
"Cos you know me." Rising on her toes, Blue whispered the idea she had to Tommy. The exotic-looking dancer's eyes widened and a broad grin rapidly spread onto her face. They started down the stairs together and Blue grinned. "So, what do you think?"
Tommy laughed. "I love the way you think, kid. That's what I think."
"So whats the idea?" Antoine asked from behind them.
"You're just going to have to wait and see, straight after the show, Tony." Tommy smirked, stepping aside to let Jordan pass. He grinned at her, then ducked behind the props to try and find Rachel, having misplaced her during the intermission.
Antoine shot a mock-dirty look at her, but couldn't help grinning. "I'll be right there waiting, Tommy-lady. It better be good." He promised, patting her arm, before darting away through another door to head for the upper ledges.
"Think he'll be disappointed?" Tommy inquired, grinning.
Blue chuckled. "Nah."
***
As the cast made their way on to the stage for the Moments of Happiness, both Jordan and Rachel were timing how long it took for this night's audience to become aware of them. Since they were the first on, it was up to them to time it, to let the crew upstairs who had won the bets that were frequently placed.
The Jonson twins crept to the right side of the car, lying along the junk there, but at a good angle to pull faces at the three female kittens across the stage. Rhiannon was sitting in the middle of the stage with Jordan and Rachel.
Blue was sitting on the tyre with Jenni and Georgina, while Gil Howard – Victor – and Malcolm settled on the mattress beneath them, leaving themselves as open targets to the three girls sitting on the tyre.
Benjamin was making the most of the one song he had and was singing with great gusto, trying to ignore the three girls sitting next to him. Despite the instructions that they had to behave for this song, if no other, Jenni's mischievous Rumpleteaser was gnawing enthusiastically on Mistoffelees' tail.
It was with great relief that Benjamin finished the song, as John Marquez tottered forward in his Gus regalia. The thirty-one year old's dancing career had been cut short by injury, but he relished the multi-role of Gus, Bustopher and Growltiger.
The triad of kittens started listening to the song, but rapidly got bored. Mistoffelees and Victor provided two very interesting tails to play with despite Old Deuteronomy's adamant looks that told them to behave properly and listen.
John played up into the role, fawning over Jellylorum, played by Miranda Clyde-Dunlop. She soothingly patted him, helping to his feet and helping him sit when needed. Their voices were perfect foils for each other and as she carried the bucket off the stage, she glanced back at him with a fond look.
He returned the look with a little wave and blew a kiss at her. Jellylorum chuckled, feigning a swoon, before continuing on her way down the ramp. Gus, however, went on to clear the stage with a miserable attempt at a caterwaul before the 'magical' transformation into Growltiger.
"Bloody zips stuck!" Andy was spinning in circles, trying to get the zip of his Siamese costume up. He tried to peer over his shoulder and almost slammed into Miranda, who was hurrying to get up to the higher levels for her appearance as Griddlebone. "Sorry Randa!"
"No worry, sweets." She called back with a toss of her tail.
Someone caught Andy's zip and tugged it up for him. A sultry voice murmured softly in his ear. "What I wouldn't give for a hottie like that." It didn't take a genius to work out who was standing at his side.
"Bomb fancying Griddlebone...there's an interesting pussy story." "Pussy being di opelative word." Jordan drawled in his Genghis accent, wandering past, trying to straighten his mask. His sword was tucked under his arm and he hopped onto the ladder to ascend the set. "Places, boys and girls."
The veritable Siamese army scattered throughout the backstage area, each heading for their positions. On stage, Griddlebone's entrance had just been announced by her terrifyingly high opening aria. Genghis peeped down at his two closest Siamese warriors, over the edge of the ledge he was standing on. Raymond and Joely - Cassandra - grinned back at him, both wielding pitchforks and eyeing his unprotected rear speculatively.
"Don't. Even. Think. About. It." He mouthed down at them, then peered over the edge of the set onto the stage with the first mention of the Siamese, before ducking down with a yelp as a prong of a fork poked him firmly on the rear. "Hey!"
Both Raymond and Joely stared back at him, expressions completely innocent. Jordan groaned and turned his attention back to that which was going on on stage. Below and behind them, the pirates were hurriedly getting out of their pirate costumes. Apparently Malcolm and his had had some kind of minor disagreement. He and Antoine were struggling with the bulky sleeves, Antoine's own costume down around his ankles.
Chuckling, Jordan launched himself over the set, followed by the fleet of Siamese. He and John loved the sword fight. During their first rehearsals, many months before, they had both discovered the other was a Star Wars buff. Needless to say, the dance captain was hard pressed to maintain a straight face when, in full dress rehearsal, Genghis and Growltiger both added lightsaber sound effects during their battle.
The highest point had to be when Genghis fell and Growltiger bellowed deafeningly. "Genghis! I am your father!" Both of them had cracked up completely, as well as the majority of the cast and orchestra. During the warm ups the next day, before their first show, the orchestra had tuned up and warmed up too...by playing the Star Wars theme, leaving the two clutching each other and laughing hysterically.
With practised ease they fell into the battle, so familiar that they could still managed to make it look improvised with every swipe of the sword and every yell and step. All too soon, it was over and John had swan-dived off the pipe at the back of the stage.
As – back in Gus form – the actor tottered back on, Jordan delicately dipped and spun, a shadowy form at the front of the stage. Halting in front of John, he bowed deeply, then turned and walked swiftly off-stage, ready to get into the Henchcat costume. He spotted Antoine scrambling hastily up onto his spot on the ledge beside the top of the car, straightening his waist coat and the little bell at his throat. Hurrying through to the green room to get out of the Genghis costume, he found Malcolm sitting in his Henchcat costume, bitterly cursing at the pirate costume.
Andy was close to the mirror, carefully changing his make-up into that of Macavity. He was half-in, half-out of his Admetus unitard, his wig sitting on a chair beside him. Whistling merrily, he glanced over at Jordan and grinned, before turning back to his make-up.
"Bad fastener?" Jordan asked Malcolm.
"Just a little." Malcolm scowled at the costume, where it lay. "Wardrobe had to cut me out of it. The catch snapped inside the fabric or something."
"Bad luck." Jordan clucked in sympathy, shrugging quickly out of the Siamese costume and quickly pulling the Henchcat costume on. Snatching up the black head, he cocked his head at the younger actor. "You enjoying yourself?"
Malcolm nodded. "Tiring, but fun."
"Boys, boys!" Andy spun around, batting his lashes. "Tell me...how do I look?" The red spread of his Admetus make-up had extended to obscure the white of his cheeks, several black and white stripes flecked in from his jawline. Two stupidly large fangs protruded from his lower lips, vividly white against the red and black of his chin.
Jordan gave a thumbs-up. "Looking scary, Andy."
"I thought that was his normal look." Malcolm muttered, sotto voce. Andy stuck his tongue out and started to pull the wig carefully into place. Fluffing it, he turned his attention to his Macavity unitard, bending to pull his feet into it, receiving a wolf-whistle from one of the two Henchcats behind him.
He eyed them over his shoulder. "Do you two mind!?!? Super-villain trying to get a bit of privacy here!" Pulling the damp Admetus unitard back up over his shoulder, he pulled the Macavity one on over it. "Ick! I forgot how much this thing itches." "That's what you get for being a smart arse multi-player." Andy made a polite, single-fingered gesture in Jordan's direction. The older actor carefully ignored it. "You coming?"
"S'pose so." Andy sighed, fluffing his wig once more for emphasis. "Got to go and snatch the big furball." He paused, to look at the other two. "You know, I bet Old D paid Mac to snatch him, so he could get his lardy rear off the tyre for once."
Malcolm chuckled, shaking his head, and Jordan smacked Andy across the head lightly, unable to hide a grin. "You think to much, Mac." He remarked. "Do the thinking thing after we've done our bit and got old fuzzy-bum." "Yessir, mister Henchcat, Sir. Just boss the boss around."
***
On stage, Antoine had been bouncing all over the stage as a totally crazy Skimbleshanks, until the ominous crash that predicted the imminent arrival of the over-decorated Andy and his two little minions.
Andy barelled onto the car, throwing his head back in his best appropriation of what was a maniac's laugh. Malcolm and Jordan scrambled over the tyre, Malcolm catching his foot and almost tripping over the front. Catching his balance, he was forced into a somersault, landing neatly on his feet on the stage, receiving a surprised look from Robbie.
As Benjamin was hauled away towards the font of the stage, Andy and the two henchcats disappeared back towards the green room, leaving only Kashka and Tommy on the stage, extolling the virtues of the Mystery Cat. Although the dance rountine had often been reputed to be sexy, Tommy took the word and gave it a whole new - and altogether more provocative - meaning, her expression smouldering as she made full use of her sensual body. Despite the edge of bitterness between she and Kashka, the two actresses put aside their differences, to all intents and purposes giving a seamless performance, Bombalurina and Demeter closer than ever.
Behind the scenes, though, things were a little different.
Beneath the fake Deuteronomy coat, Andy was pacing slowly back and forth across the floor of the green room, stretching his bruised shoulder in preparation for the coming fight. Robbie appeared from the wings, eyeing him with apparent concern. "You okay?"
"Shoulders a bit sore." He admitted with a grimace.
"Think you can manage the lifts?"
Andy forced a grin. "Well, as long as you're not Kashka, I think I can manage just fine." He replied, glancing towards the door. "Just go a bit easier on the hits, okay? I'd hate to have to bitch about you as well."
"I'll try." The tabby grinned at him, then disappeared out of the door. Andy sighed, scratching at his aching shoulder once more, then made his way out into the passages for his grand entrance through the auditorium.
Picking his way up the stairs, he spotted Norman in disguise as Macavity up on the tyre and blew out a swift breath. As long as he got through this fight and had an ice pack waiting, he would be fine.
Approaching the stage, the kittens were the first to welcome him back. Patting Blue on the head, he received a broad grin, until Kashka swung away from Tommy and hissed. He almost smirked. It was quite appropriate, he mused, that she sounded demented.
The impact of her on his back made him stagger, her grip making him want to yell as her fingers dug into his bruised shoulder. Spinning, he was even more determined to throw her off than he would usually have been.
The coat torn away, he threw back his upper body, baring his teeth. If there was one thing he loved about this role, it was getting to be as insane as he liked. And, also on the plus side, he got to throw Kashka around. That was always fun.
Sliding to the front of the stage on his knees, he spun up to throw Munkustrap away from Demeter, his body weight shifting as he swung the startled Kashka up, over his shoulder. The fight she put up was most certainly more violent than it had to be.
Robbie caught her ankles and the actress became a tug-of-war rope between them, until Raymond ducked underneath her. Carrying her off, Raymond pulled a revolted face at Andy as he passed, his face masked from the audience by Kashka.
The fight proceeded with considerably more care than there usually was. Each lift was beginning to show its strain on Andy, but he forced hismelf to get through, even though he was getting visibly paler beneath his make-up, by the time he threw Robbie aside and ran up towards the car.
With his light show blinding the audience momentarily, he scrambled along the ledge beside him and disappeared down behind the set, slumping heavily against the wall. His shoulder was throbbing painfully, suggesting it was probably more than a simple bruise.
"You okay?" Norman hissed, halfway up the footholds to his ledge above the car. Andy nodded, making his way back towards the green room. Norman shrugged, stretching out on the car and awaiting his big moment.
He glanced ceiling-wards and saw the unmistakable white patch of the Mistoffelees costume, as Malcolm got himself wired up for the drop. "You oughta ask the magical Mister Mistoffelees..." He drawled, the spotlight swinging towards him. "The original conjuring cat."
***
Struggling out of the Macavity unitard, the wig already lying - like some kind of demonic toilet brush - on the desk, Andy managed to haul it off and threw it over the back of the nearest chair, reaching for the make-up.
Hastily wiping off some of the black and red, he reapplied a quick coat of white over the centre of his face, blurring it carefully in with the dark reddish colour around his jawline and up the edges of his cheeks.
In a matter of minutes, he was Admetus once again and replaced his wig carefully, sealing it back in place. Taking a quick drink of water from the table, he made his way out of the door - unseen - and edged up on the side of the stage in time to see the tail end of the Conjuring Turn.
Sprawling down on the mattress beside Coricopat and Tantomile, he laid his chin on his extended arms. Rachel reached over and touched his back gently receiving a faint smile from him for her efforts.
All three looked up as Malcolm pirouetted towards them and pointed directly at Cassandra, who was sitting on the tyre, trying to ignore the proceedings. As Joely leapt to her feet and tried to make a fleeting escape in as glamourous a way as possible, the three on the mattress cut her off with their arms.
Glaring at Mistoffelees, she allowed herself to be herded under the red blanket, receiving a dainty kick on the rear from one or both of the Jonson twins. Flicking the finger at them, she let Benjamin crawl out of the pipe as she slid down beneath the sheet of crimson.
She crept quickly into the pipe and she was sure she heard one of them giggle, shaking her head with a faint smile as she slid easily out the other end of the pipe and wove around various understage crew to head for the stairs into the auditorium, where Malcolm would retrieve her.
Slinking out, she watched unnoticed as Norman gestured to Malcolm and Benjamin suddenly found himself with an armful of skinny goth Mistoffelees. Nuzzling the top of Deuteronomy's head, Malcolm hopped down lightly and cartwheeled to the edge of the stage, curling his hand in a beckoning gesture.
Joely smiled, twirling into his arms, as they glided across the stage. He was the tallest Mistoffelees she had worked with, which was always a plus, when she had to twirl under his arms for this part of their routine.
As the Ensemble joined in the routine, Malcolm's showman streak came to the fore, a series of elaborate pirouettes and gymnastics leading up to he moment when he somersaulted off the tyre and was hoisted on the shoulders and hands of Andy, Raymond and Robbie.
His eyes widened in surprise and he glanced down to receive a grin from Raymond, the black dancer's large hand playfully squeezing his rear again. His grin widened a little and he blew the spotlight out a moment before Rhiannon started to sing.
Andy found himself beside Blue again. Leaning against the oven beside her, he gave her a light nudge and smiled. The tip of her nose went pink beneath the make-up and she ducked her head, suddenly shy once again.
Draping an arm around her, he couldn't hide a smile as she shuffled a little closer to him and rubbed her wig under his chin. Biting down on her furry ear, they both moved forward and stretched their arms out to Old Deuteronomy.
As Helen came on, they returned to their spot beside the oven, Admetus' arms wrapped protectively around Etcetera, to save her from the nasty, smelly, old queen. Crouched against the oven, neither of them noticed a certain red cat cast a speculative look in their direction.
Ignoring Grizabella, Andy felt the small dancer in his arms relax with a low sigh. Seated between his knees, his right leg upraised, she leaned forward and rested her chin on top of her hands on his knee to look out at the audience and Grizabella.
Tracing one hand down her back, he felt her eyes flick to him and smiled, letting his hand retrace its path several times. Blue sighed again, arching against his hand, her eyes settling on Helen as she sang.
When the older actress-cum-singer fell to her knees, every person on the stage jolted forward in the crescendo, reaching out to the fallen queen, until Rhiannon's piercing voice broke through and lifted Grizabella back up.
Andy's smile spread across his face as Blue sank back down and laid her head against his chest, clawing at the warmers on his arms, as they waited for the sign that Grizabella was accepted and that it was almost time for the flying tyre.
Finally - all white and glowing - Cassie rose from her spot beside Benjamin and gracefully crossed the distance between her and Helen, looking at her own hand for a long moment, before placing it softly in Helen's.
Side-by-side with Andy, Blue rose and they touched the grey form of Helen, then sang along with the rest as Deuteronomy and Grizabella ascended the tyre. Dry ice flooded out from the machine beneath the stage and Etcetera went into the raptures as the tyre started to rise.
On her knees, Blue skidded around on the stage, spinning in wild circles, trying to catch the dry ice with her hands. Finally, Andy caught her around the waist and swung her up onto her feet, exchanging a nuzzle, before she spun away for the Readdressing of Cats.
Someone clearing their throat caught Andy's attention from a little further across the stage and he glanced around to find Tommy grinning at him. She nodded in the bouncing Blue's direction and winked, before returning to her aloof pose.
Trying to keep his attention on the foods being mentioned, Andy couldn't help wondering what the red-garbed dancer's wink had meant. He looked over at Blue and she ducked her head with a shy smile. Surely Tommy wasn't trying to pair them...
As the finale's music boomed out through the speakers around the theatre, the cast scattered as the tyre started to descend, spreading through the audience to await each of their turns to take their bows.
It was no surprise that Robbie got one of the loudest cheers, as he ran on. Tommy came pretty close, running on and doing a Marilyn-Munroe-styled pout and blew a kiss. Norman moonwalked on, whirling his tail and grinning. He received an annoyed swat from Bombalurina for stealing her thunder.
The Jonson twins danced on from opposite sides of the stage, as if oblivious to each other until they collided in the centre of the stage. Both of them somersaulted backwards onto their feet, before looping their arms through each others and bowing.
Andy raced on after Kashka, receiving a dirty look from the actress, but ignoring it as he joined the growing number at the back of the stage. To his surprise, he noticed that Blue hadn't come on stage yet. He had no idea about the bowing order now, except for his places, having not been briefed on the female characters.
Old Deuteronomy and Grizabella were lining up at the middle, when he became aware of a small figure bobbing up and down on the mattress at the side of the stage. Blue's eyes were fixed straight ahead and she launched herself forward.
Rotating into a backflip, she flipped herself rapidly three times and went into a hand-spring, landing on her feet barely inches from the front of the stage. Even a few of the cast were applauding her, as she bowed and ran back to join them, throwing her arms around Benjamin.
***
"Where in the flipping heck did that come from?" Andy demanded as they ascended the stairs to the dressing rooms. He was accompanied by Blue, Tommy, Antoine, Malcolm and Raymond, but he was talking at the shortest of their number. "It was like boing-boing-boing-boing-wheeeeeeeeee-boing-tada!"
Blue shrugged with a faint grin. "Dunno."
"Oooh!" They had stopped at the top of the stairs. Straight ahead of them, Kashka was standing at the counter, waiting impatiently for a drink. Tommy looked down at Blue, who flashed an even wider grin up at her.
"Wait here boys and girls." She murmured, strutting away from them.
Antoine bent closer to Blue. "What's she up to?"
"Just watch."
Tommy stopped right next to Kashka, who had her wig clenched in one hand, her drink in the other. The older actress cast a sour look at Tommy, as if there were a million places she would rather be. "Tommy."
"Just wanted to thank you for making my first show back here so memorable." Tommy laid a hand on Kashka's shoulder. Kashka's face registered surprise and she turned to look at Tommy, only for the younger actress to grab her and firmly kiss her on the lips.
The four gathered beside Blue at the door gaped in astonishment. Kashka threw herself backwards with enough force to land on her rear, staring with disgust up at Tommy, who
grinned and licked her lips.
Muttering profanities under her breath, Kashka stumbled to her feet and backed away hurriedly, disappearing down towards her dressing room much faster than she usually did, still mumbling darkly.
"Whoa, girlfriend!" Raymond carefully approached. "What was that about?"
"Ask Shorty." Tommy nodded at Blue, who was leaning against Antoine, giggling insanely and nodding. "It was her suggestion and I'll be...I think it worked!" A wide, wicked grin curved her lips upwards. "I don't think Kashka's had the thrill of being snogged for a long time."
Andy and Antoine both looked nauseous. "You tongued her?" Andy pulled a face. "Yuck!"
"Is this because she's a woman?"
"No, its because she's...well...her." Antoine replied for his friend. He pulled a similar face. "I mean, you just snogged Kashka..."
Tommy grinned. "I snogged her, but she most definitely didn't snog me." Beckoning Raymond, she reached up and pressed her lips to his. His arms went around her waist and held her against him. Breaking the kiss, panting, she turned to the observers. "That, children, is how you can tell if someone is snogging me back."
"You old tart." Jonny chuckled, squeezing passed Blue and Antoine. "What would Sylvie say if she knew you were all over our boy here?"
Tommy chuckled. "She would have me checked into an asylum for people with multiple personality disorder." One arm around Raymond's waist, she squeezed his rear and got a wide grin from him. "C'mon, baby, let's go get changed."
As they separated to head to their seperate dressing rooms, Andy caught Blue and pulled her aside for a moment. "Blue, kiddo, are we okay?"
"Huh?"
"Well, all the other guys...you don't seem to have any problem with touching them and talking to them. You're always crazy around them, but with me, you're little Miss Shy and Quiet...is it me or something?"
Blue lowered her head. "Um...sort of..." She looked up at him guiltily. "Sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about, kiddo. I just needed to know for sure." Opening his arms, he felt a small surge of relief when she stepped into a hug, albeit a brief one. "You know something...you're all soggy."
Blue nodded. "You too."
He bent and brushed the front of his wig to hers. "You go and get changed, kiddo." He said softly, starting with surprise when her pale blue eyes met his for the first time. She nodded, then darted away into the room she shared with Tommy, Georgina and Helen.
Straightening up, he couldn't help laughing when he heard her voice shriek from the small dressing room.
"Eeh, Helen, man! Don't switch the computer off! I wanna check me e-mail!"