Author's Notes: Meesa is sorry for the delay in this chapter. I can about sum it up in four words: school and writer's block. Deadly combination, don't you think?

By the way, the title for this chapter is half of a quote from 'Lord of the Rings' (more specifically, The Return of the King.) So don't feel stupid if it doesn't make sense to you. The full quote is "As we have begun, so must we go on." So… from that, I bet you can figure out what the title of Chapter Nine will be. ;)

So, without further ado…

Chapter Eight: As We Have Begun

"You did WHAT?" cried an infuriated voice from inside the old car.

"Now, Tugger, please be reasonable, you must understand-" pleaded Old Deuteronomy to his youngest son, but it was no use.

"How could you?" cried the Rum Tum Tugger. "How could you? And you!" He rounded on Munkustrap. "How could you let him? After everything he did?"

"Don't look at me, I tried to stop him," said Munkustrap, putting his paws up and backing away from his angry brother. "He said he had no choice."

"And I didn't," said Old Deuteronomy. "Please, just listen to me-"

"Listen to you? Listen to you? How can I? We're supposed to be a tribe, we're supposed to trust one another, not go around kicking each other out-"

"Tugger, just shut up!" said Munkustrap. He would have laughed, had this been a less serious time. Here was the Rum Tum Tugger, his irresponsible, lazy, always-goofing-off little brother, lecturing their father, Old Deuteronomy, about trust and unity. It was rather funny.


"Thank you, Munkustrap," said Old Deuteronomy as Tugger fell silent. "Now, listen, Tugger, I can imagine that you are upset, but I had to, you must understand… and I assure you, if his name is cleared, he will be welcomed back into the tribe with a full apology."

"He won't live that long if you don't bring him back right now!" cried Tugger. "Are you too thick to see that this was Cassandra's plan? For you to kick him out so she could kill him, when he was alone and forsaken by his former tribe?"

"Tugger, it's my duty to protect the Jellicle Tribe-"

"He's a part of the Jellicle Tribe, too!"

"Tugger, listen to me!" said Old Deuteronomy, his voice no longer sounding caring and kind but rough and angry. "Forcing Mistoffelees to leave was not a decision I wanted to make! But letting him stay puts everyone else in danger, and Jellylorum wouldn't lie about something so important-"

"Forget Jellylorum!" cried Tugger. "He wouldn't betray us, I know it! And it would not put everyone else in danger – can't you see? He's the only one that she wants, at least at first, and when he stays with the tribe we at least have some chance of defeating her when she comes to look for him. Now she'll just kill him, and with him will go our last hope, and then she will come and she will take over! And without Mistoffelees, there will be no one left to stop her!"

Munkustrap looked at his brother. He had never seen him like this before: actually caring for a living creature other than himself. "Why do you feel so strongly about this, Tug?" asked the silver tom quietly.

The Rum Tum Tugger turned towards his brother. "Because, Munk, he once put his entire trust in me, and I blew it. Now that his trust has come to me again, I'm not going to blow it. Not this time."

"What do you mean?" asked Munkustrap, scrunching his eyebrows together in a confused sort of way.

Tugger shook his head. "I knew that he was a magical cat. I found out just a couple weeks or so after he and Cassandra joined. He made me swear not to tell anyone. I told."

"But it was for the best, right?" said Munkustrap, now even more puzzled. "I mean, if you hadn't told the tribe that he was magical, we never would have gotten Father back."

The Rum Tum Tugger shook his head. "That's not the point, Munk, the point is that I told. He wasn't angry about it, no, he thought it was for the best too. But when he joined the Jellicle tribe, we all swore that we would protect him and that he would protect us."

"We also swore that we would protect Cassandra," argued Munkustrap.

"She's an exception."

"What if Mistoffelees is too?"

Tugger fell silent for a few minutes, then got up and shook his head. "Listen, if you two are going to be like this-"

"Like what?" shot Munkustrap.

Tugger rolled his eyes. "You know, all 'it's for the best, Tugger,' and 'he was only endangering our lazy asses anyway.'"

"Tugger," warned Old Deuteronomy.

The Rum Tum Tugger rolled his eyes again. "If you two are going to be like that, fine. It doesn't matter to me. I'll go find someone else who will help me."

"Help you do what?" said Munkustrap, standing up and glaring at his brother.

"Rescue him," said Tugger simply. "Defeat Cassandra. Save the day."

"This isn't a game, Tugger!" cried Old Deuteronomy suddenly. "This is a matter of life and death! It is no time to joke around!"

"Who's joking?" said Tugger seriously. He then turned around and started to head out of the car. Munkustrap started to follow him, but was stopped by a sudden hand on his shoulder.

"Let him go, Munkustrap," said Old Deuteronomy solemnly. "There's no way you can stop him. He'll only get angrier. And besides, maybe he needs to do this…?"

Munkustrap did not question his father's words. Instead, he only nodded grimly and turned to go back to the car. The only thing left to do was pray to the Everlasting Cat that everything would turn out for the best.

*~*

"Jenny!" cried Tugger frantically, scampering into the Gumbie Cat's house. "Jennyanydots! Where are you?"

"I'm right here child," said Jennyanydots, trying to sound cheerful but failing miserably. "What do you need?"

"Electra," said Tugger anxiously. "Where is she?"

"Over there," said Jennyanydots glumly, with a week smile.

"What's wrong, Jenny?" asked Tugger, tilting his head slightly and wrinkling his brow.

Jennyanydots sighed. "I'm just… disappointed, that's all. I never thought it would come to this. Kicking Mistoffelees out like that, the nerve of him! This is the time when the poor kit needs us the most! And after everything he did for us, too!"

"I know what you mean, and that's why I'm here," said the Rum Tum Tugger. "I'm going to go find him."

Jennyanydots sighed again. "Now Tugger, don't be rash-"

"I'm not being rash! We need to do something! The fate of the whole tribe rests in our paws! We know he's innocent; we have to prove it and get him back here! Fast! Where's Electra? If anyone knows where Mistoffelees is, it's her."

"She's right over there," said Jennyanydots, pointing to corner where Electra still sat. "She's terribly upset over something. I haven't told her about Mistoffelees yet. I don't want her to have a nervous breakdown."

Tugger looked at Jennyanydots. "Jenny, I have a plan to get Mistoffelees back. Now, either you're in, or you're not. So, what's it going to be? Remember: the fate of the whole tribe may rest in your paws."

Jennyanydots sighed. "Alright, Tugger, I'm in."

The Rum Tum Tugger smiled. "Good. Let Operation Get-Misto-Back Begin."

Jennyanydots rolled her eyes.

*~*

"Electra!" said a frantic voice. The brown queen looked up to see the Rum Tum Tugger racing frantically towards her. "Electra, I need your help," he whispered.

"With what?" she asked, confused. Tugger rarely needed help with anything, and when he did need help, it wasn't like him to just ask for it.

Tugger sighed. "To make a long story - about 68 pages long, in fact – really short, Mistoffelees has been wrongfully accused of helping Cassandra and kicked out of the Jellicle Tribe."

"Good," said Electra angrily.

"No, not good!" cried Tugger. "Not good at all! He'll die out there!"

"Serves him right," muttered Electra.

"Electra, what is the matter with you? Is he your mate or not?" cried an exasperated Tugger.

"Not anymore," said Electra. "He broke up with me. I hope he does die out there, all alone with no one to save him. Serves him right. I hate him."

Tugger sighed. "Electra, are you really going to let him die just because he broke up with you? Isn't that a little immature?"

"Rum Tum Tugger's giving speeches about maturity. What has the world come to?" muttered Electra.

Tugger rolled his eyes. "First of all, yeah, I know, I'm no Munkustrap when it comes to being mature. Please. I've heard it enough. But even I know that there's a time when you have to grow up, even if you don't want to. And second of all, it's the Rum Tum Tugger, please and thank you."

Electra sighed. "No, I'm sorry, I can't."

"So are you saying that you are going to let poor, innocent Mistoffelees, after being wrongfully kicked out of the Jellicle tribe, bleed to death out there, all alone, with no noise except for the fading sound of his sister's cold cruel laughter?" asked Tugger incredulously.

"Yes," said Electra stubbornly.

"But think of all the things he's done for us!" cried Tugger. "Saving Munku and all! And bringing back Old Deuteronomy! And just being an all-around nice tom."

Electra sighed. "No. I can't help him. Not after what he did to me."

Tugger sighed. "Look, Electra, I know you're really really mad right now, but you love him! It's obvious! And you and I both know you're not going to let him die. So let's go."

"How do you know I love him?" shot Electra. "I don't! And even if I did, it doesn't matter, because he obviously does not love me."

"How do you know?" asked Tugger with a smirk.

"Because he broke up with me!" cried Electra.

Tugger shook his head and muttered "Kittens." Then he sighed. "It's like me and Bomba. We get in fights a hundred times a day. I'll get angry and dump her. She'll get angry and dump me. But I know she loves me, and she'll always love me, no matter how many times I dump her. She understands that love isn't perfect. You need to understand that too. You need to learn that not every relationship is going to be smooth sailing."

"How do you know she will always love you?" asked Electra.

"Well, who wouldn't love me?" said Tugger, grinning.

Electra sighed. "But what if, one day, she's had enough? And what if this time, you've really pissed her off? What if she doesn't want to love you anymore?"

Tugger looked at the brown queen. "Do you want to love Misto?"

Electra looked up at him and sighed. "Yes, yes I do! And I want him to love me too! I thought he did! But obviously not!"

"He loves you, trust me," said Tugger. "It's obvious. And if you love him too, either as a friend or more, you'll come with me."

Electra closed her eyes briefly. "Alright, I'll come," she whispered.

"Good," said Tugger. He got up and motioned for Electra to follow him over to Jennyanydots. "Now, Jenny, Electra and I are going to go find Mistoffelees. Your job is to persuade anyone who can be persuaded of Mistoffelees' innocence. Old D, Munk, and obviously Jellylorum are lost causes. Go to everyone else. Once the whole tribe is rallying for Misto, Dad'll have no choice but to let him in."

Jennyanydots nodded. "And what's your plan? How are you two going to find Mistoffelees? I mean, he could be anywhere."

"Don't worry, I have an idea," said Tugger. "Come on, Electra. We've got no time to waste."

Electra nodded, and the two left.

*~*

"Coricopat!" cried the Rum Tum Tugger anxiously, running over towards the calico and his twin sister. "Tantomile! Come on, wake up!"

"They're not asleep," said Electra, folding her arms and looking at the twins. They were sitting up, and staring off into the distance at nothing in particular.

"Oh, really?" said Tugger sarcastically. "Yeah – you're right – I suppose they're dead."

"No, they're just in one of their physic-zone-out modes," said Electra stubbornly. "There's no use trying to get them out of it, once me and Etcetera even jumped on their backs and it didn't work."

"Yes, well, Electra, I'll have you know, that the Rum Tum Tugger has the power to put the ladies into trances-" he paused, and smirked, "-and bring them out of them." He cocked his head, slightly to the side and started to strut in front of the twins, who stared through him, not seeing him at all.

Electra rolled her eyes. "This is getting us no where. Come on, Tugger, we're wasting-"

"Hello, Tugger!" said Tantomile, suddenly leaving her trance.

Coricopat blinked a few times and then moaned. "Tant!" he cried, exasperated. "You broke my concentration!"

"Sorry, Cor," said Tantomile sheepishly.

"Listen, you guys, we have a problem," said Tugger, kneeling down next to Tantomile. He motioned for Electra to come and sit down next to him. "You see, Mistoffelees-"

"Mistoffelees is in trouble and you want to help him," said Tantomile.

"Yes," said Tugger and Electra.

"And you need us to tell you where he is," said Coricopat.

"Yes!" said Tugger, leaning back. "I wish everyone was physic, it would make life so much easier."

"Well, we're sorry, we can't help you," said Coricopat, his face showing no sign of emotion whatsoever.

"Why not?" cried Tugger.

"Because it's a trap," said Tantomile plainly. "That's all it is. Cassandra's strong, but not strong enough to take on the entire Jellicle tribe single-handedly. At this point, she'll do anything to make Mistoffelees help her. Even ransom."

"Think about it," said Coricopat. "Electra, you're his girlfriend. Tugger, you're his best friend. You two are the most logical choices to try and pressure Mistoffelees into joining her."

"And trust me," said Tantomile, her eyes growing wide. "Mistoffelees will give in to that pressure."

"And if he gives in…" muttered Coricopat. The calico didn't finish the sentence, but he didn't need to: everyone there knew what he was going to say. If he gives in, all hope will be lost.

There was silence among the four cats for a moment, each of them unsure what to say. Maybe Dad and Munkustrap knew what they were talking about… but if they knew, why did they let me go? They didn't even try to come after me…what's wrong? Do they want me dead? Do they-

"We can't just leave him out there! He'll die!" Electra's shrill voice interrupted the Maine Coon thoughts.

"Mistoffelees is a lot stronger than he lets on..." said Tantomile quietly. "He'll be able to take care of himself…"

"But what if he doesn't want to take care of himself?" cried Electra. "If we don't go, what if he thinks we've abandoned him? What if he joins Cassandra to get revenge on us for not helping him when he needs us?"

Neither Coricopat or Tantomile could come up with a good response to this statement immediately. Finally, Coricopat said, "He wouldn't do that… he's wise enough to know that… that…"

Tantomile glanced at her brother as his voice faltered. "It happened to Cassandra…" she whispered.

"But it's all part of her plan!" cried Coricopat desperately. "This is what she wants us to think! It's a trap!"

"We must walk open-eyes into that trap, with courage, but small hope for ourselves," said Tugger suddenly. Everyone looked at him, startled. "It may prove well that we ourselves shall perish utterly in a black battle far from the living lands, so that even though evil be thrown down, we shall not live to see a new age. But this, I deem, is our duty. And better so than to perish nonetheless – as we surely shall, if we sit here – and know as we die that no new age shall be."

Everyone blinked a few times. "Tugger's quoting literature," murmured Tantomile. "This must be serious."

"Tugger's right!" cried Electra. "Or, at least, I think he is." She titled her head to side a little bit and a puzzled expression came over her face.

"Trust me, I'm right," said Tugger. "Everyone in? Everyone ready to go get him back?" He placed one paw in the center of the circle.

"I'm in," said Electra, placing her paw on top of his.

Tantomile nodded solemnly, and added her paw into the center as well.

Coricopat sighed.

"Come on, Cor, do it for Mistoffelees," whispered Tugger.

The calico cat sighed again, and added his paw to the group as well. "For Mistoffelees," he repeated.

"For Mistoffelees," whispered Electra quietly, but her words were lost into the wind.

*~*

Author's Notes: Okay, Tugger's literary quote is from Lord of The Rings, Return of the King, Book Five, Chapter 9: The Last Debate, and it has been edited slightly to fit my purposes. (because throw down Sauron didn't really make that much sense with my story…)

--jemi gr, 2-september-2003