Plan Execution

being the second part of It's a Given'

still by jemi gr.

Author's Note: Again, sorry about the lack of update-y-ness going on with this fic. Apologies all around.

This chapter is significantly less fluffy than other chapters, but don't worry folks: the fluffy nonsense will be back in the third and final part.

All relevant disclaimers apply.

"My Dearest, Darlingest Misto-poo:

Why, oh why did thee ever leave me, my sweetheart, my muffinkins? Don't thee know how I pine for thee? Seeing thee with that Queen-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named breaks mine heart more than I can possibly say. Doesn't thou see it, honeybunch? Doesn't thou see my heart tearing in two before thou's own eyes? Yes, thou do, but thou turneth away. Thou ignores my agony. Alas! I suppose thou and I were just not meant to be.

I beg that thou follows thou heart, and I pray that thou's heart leads to me.

Your Ever-Loving,

Victoria."

Electra snorted with glee as she re-folded the letter in her paws and placed it back in its pink envelope. "What a sap! Honestly! Does she really think Misto will go for that?"

"I thought it was poetic," said Etcetera, crossing her arms with a defiant hmph.' "She must really miss him."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," said Electra. "We're not trying to get Vic her mate back, we're trying to save the world as we know it! You've got to get your priorities straight, Etcetera. Now, where's the letter from Mungojerrie?"

"Right here," said Etcetera. "Want me to read it to you?"

"Yes, please do."

"Alright." Etcetera carefully unfolded the piece of paper, cleared her throat, and read aloud:

"Dear Rumpelteazer,

I don't know how to say this, but I miss you. All I want is for you to be happy, but I don't know. I think I'm still in love with you, Teaz we need to talk. Soon.

Mungojerrie."

"Now that's a letter," Electra exclaimed proudly. "Only a heartless idiot wouldn't be moved by that."

Etcetera shrugged. "I don't know, it doesn't do much for me." She stopped, and her eyes widened. "Does that make me a heartless idiot?"

Electra rolled her eyes. "Yes. Now let's go."

"Go? Go where?" whined the other queen.

"To deliver the letter, doofus, now let's go."

"But you just called me a heartless idiot. I think I need to mope for awhile longer."

Electra sighed impatiently. "You're not a heartless idiot, Etcy. Better?"

A grin spread across Etcetera's face. "Better."

"Good. Let's go."

-----------------

"Urgh Misto?"

The black and white tom turned his head to see his beloved mate, Rumpelteazer, standing behind him with her paws behind her back and a puzzled expression on her face. "Yes?" he asked.

"Umm Oi don' know how ta say this" began Rumpelteazer nervously, flicking her tail around behind her, "but um Oi got a letta' today that Oi think belongs ta 'oo"

"What?" asked Mistoffeless, wrinkling his eyebrows in confusion. "Let me see it."

Rumpelteazer slowly extended one paw that was clutching a pink envelope out towards the magician. He cautiously took it, as if it was some kind of bomb that might explode in his face, and studied the broken seal with interest. "You read it?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah Oi'm sorry, Misto, but Oi couldn't help it. It's from oh, Everlastin' Cat, it's from Vic"

"Victoria?" said Mistoffelees. Rumpelteazer nodded. "What does she want?"

"Find ou' fo' yourself," responded the striped queen bitterly.

"Al alright," Mistoffelees replied tentatively before reaching one white paw into the envelope. Rumpelteazer watched him carefully, but not one hint of emotion crept onto her mate's face; not relief, not disgust. Inwardly, she sighed.

"Well, that's quite a letter," he said when he was finished. "Coincidentally, I have a very similar one here from Mungojerrie to you. It's remarkably similar, in fact only he uses less thou's."

"Really? A letta' from Mungo? Ta me?" exclaimed Rumpelteazer, and Mistoffelees's heart dropped as he noticed her eyes light up. "Lemme see it!"

He handed her the letter, and she impatiently ripped it from its envelope and scanned it. When she had finished, she looked up with shocked eyes at the tom in front of her.

"Oi need ta go talk ta im," she whispered as she studied Mistoffelees with widened eyes. "Oi'm sorry, Misto." She dropped the letter in the dust at his feet and raced off.

Mistoffelees sighed. "Yeah. Me too."

From behind a pile of nearby junk, Electra and Etcetera exchanged high fives as Mistoffelees sauntered off gloomily. "Switching the letters! Inducing confrontation! Brilliant touch!" cried Etcetera.

"Yes, I thought so myself," said Electra with a smug grin.

Their celebration didn't last much longer than that, however. "I hope you're happy!" screeched a voice from the top of the junkpile they were hiding behind.

"Jemima?" cried Etcetera.

"What are you doing up there?" Electra yelled to her.

Jemima huffed, and leaped down from the pile to the clearing where the other two queens sat. "They were really happy, you know. They really liked each other. But you two just had to go and ruin it for them!"

Electra rolled her eyes. "Look, Jemima, they may be a little sad now, but they'll get over it, and two sad and despairing cats is better than an entire Junkyard full of them. They don't belong together."

"How do you know?" countered Jemima fiercely.

Etcetera peered at Electra thoughtfully. "Yeah, Leccy, how do you know?"

"Because because that's the way it's always been! Misto and Vicki, Vicki and Misto! Mungo and Teazer, Teazer and Mungo! It's a given!"

"Look, Electra, love isn't predictable," said Jemima. "That's what makes it so exciting! Maybe you're right, maybe Rumpelteazer and Mistoffelees aren't meant to be together, but what if they are? You don't know with love, Electra, and you just have to let them find out on their own. You can't just find your soulmate right away, in a split second, you have to try different things, take some chances! And most importantly, you have to do it without the aid of two meddling kittens who know nothing about real love!" She stopped her ranting for a moment, and looked at the two of them with a mixture of anger and disappointment. "I can't believe you two," she muttered, looking Electra squarely in the eyes. "I'm leaving."

"Fine," whispered Electra. She wanted to shout it, but her throat wasn't cooperating. She wanted to be angry, not hurt, but the tears welling up at the corners of her eyes didn't listen.

"Well?" said Etcetera quietly once Jemima was gone.

"I think we made a big mistake," responded Electra. She looked over at her friend, and a silent decision was made. "Let's go."