A/N: since you guys did such a good job reviewing so quickly, you get a new chapter quickly! And one thing I don't like about posting here: all the formatting and different font sizes I did on the internal conversations gets lost. ::sigh:: Oh well, enjoy! (and please, there is absolutely no slash intended in this chapter! Really!)

Mistoffelees internally sighed as his mind made the trip back into his body. He was still haunted by the images and ideas that had been made known to him in the Heavyside Layer. It was unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. What he had done...and the way he behaved...he hated himself for it. No, he loathed himself. And he was sorry. Sorry he had been mad with his father, sorry he had associated with Macavity, sorry he had tried to kill the only cats he cared for in the world, and sorry he would never be able to do it again. For as much as he knew how close he had become to being a truly despicable cat, he remembered how good it felt. He couldn't help thinking of the thrill of flying high over the city, or holding white-hot lightning in his paws, or sitting on the roof with Victoria gazing at his tricks. But then he was forced to remember how it felt to threaten to kill his best friend, and what he had come deadly close to becoming. No. He would never let himself go that far again. Never.

Still....

He was interrupted in his thoughts by the sensation of the joining of his mind and body again. Phew. It was quite a relief to finally be back –

THWHUMP!

Without warning, Power slammed back into Mistoffelees, shocking the poor tom. He had almost forgotten what it felt like, now that he had experienced life without it. It surged through him, filling him with the sensation of white-hot fire running through his veins. All at once he felt heavier, more weighed-down. Moreover, it surged through his mind and consciousness, imbuing them with itself, and penetrating his innermost consciousness.

It had not forgotten its intention.

Now! Now's your chance!

What?!

Munkustrap and Alonzo are standing right over you! You can kill them now! It'll be so easy! You won't even have to open your eyes!

No...I can't...

Of course you can! You are the great Magical Mr. Mistoffelees! Nothing stands in your way! No one has control over you!!

No...I...

YES! Power is limitless! There is nothing stopping you! There is no reason why you shouldn't! You will have whatever you want! Nothing else matters!

No...

Yes!

No!

What?!

I won't!

There is no reason not to! They took your life! What's to stop you from having your revenge!

Me!

No!

Yes!

What?!

They never took my life! They only tried to protect me!

Hah! They never tried to protect you! They tried to hold you back! They only –

No! They tried to protect me from you!

Me?!

Yes, you! You...this is all your fault!

Me?!

Yes! You...you're evil! You're trying to turn me against my friends...my family...everyone! I don't need you!

Don't be ridiculous. You do need me. You're nothing without me!

No!

Yes. What are you without me? You're not the Magical Mr. Mistoffelees! You're not even Mistoffelees! You're nothing without me!

No! I HAVE everything I need! I have friends and family who love me. And you will never take that away. I don't need YOU for anything! Now leave!!

Nice try.

What?!

I cannot leave. I will never leave you, boy. I'm part of you. I will always be with you. You cannot get rid of me!

...Well,.....

You see? I'm always right.

... I may not be able to get rid of you, but you will never take over! I will never let you rule my life!!

We'll just see about that...

And with that, the Power that inhabited the tuxedo tom withdrew from the foremost front of his being. It did not disappear, but it did subside. It relinquished control over his mind and retreated to a distant part of himself. Distant, but there nonetheless. The Power was right: it would never leave.

But it would never rule.

Munkustrap shivered.

This was what he was afraid of. What he had been afraid of for three long years had come to pass: Mistoffelees had given into Power, and he let it control him. He disregarded all thought of friendship or love and focused only what mattered for him. He had used his gift...no, his curse...to eradicate all the cats he held dear. He had thoughtlessly thrown sanity to the wind and let himself be guided by a force that had no sense of right or wrong.

Just like Macavity...

Munkustrap snarled.

Alonzo still sat next to him, wordlessly worrying over his cousin and closest friend. Munkustrap knew Alonzo would be crushed if he was forced to banish Mistoffelees. Still, he knew what precedents had been set down by his predecessors, and what he would be expected to do.

But he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Call it weakness, call it love, but Munkustrap couldn't bring himself to banish Mistoffelees. Something, something deep down, yelled at him not to.

"I can't do it."

"What?" Alonzo had been sitting in silence for so long that he was a little startled when Munkustrap finally spoke.

"I can't banish him."

"Of course you can't!" Alonzo practically yelled. "He's not like Macavity, he's not!" He got up and started pacing, sort of talking to himself. "Misto isn't like that! He's really good! You know it! You do! If we can just get him to stay, if he can just...oh, I don't know...listen to us...or something! He's not evil!" He sat down abruptly and muttered to himself, as if trying to convince himself of what he was trying to say to Munkustrap. "He's not...he's not...."

Without warning, the body of the magical cat started to shake. Violently. Startled, the two other black-and-whites in the clearing yelped and jumped back. They stared at him as he convulsed on the ground, writhing and twisting. His eyes were locked shut, and his face was set in a hard, tensed, determined expression. It seemed like he was trying his hardest to do something, or to avoid something. Something.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the shaking stopped. Mistoffelees went still. Cautiously, Munkustrap and Alonzo crept toward him, and bent over him to see if he was all right. All at once his eyes flew open. Fear spread to the faces of the protective cats, but it soon disappeared when they saw that Mistoffelees was actually...

Smiling.

Slowly, he sat up; his weird, serene, blissful smile growing wider and wider. He looked Munkustrap straight in the eye and uttered, "Ebenitat says to tell you she loves you."

Munkustrap's jaw dropped. Ebenitat?! Ebony?! Mistoffelees had met Ebony?! She was dead! How could Mistoffelees have –

His train of thought was joltingly interrupted by Mistoffelees' sweet embrace. Munkustrap squeezed back, and suddenly, nothing was more important right then than holding on to his tom, his boy, his kitten. Mistoffelees.

"Dad?" Mistoffelees choked without letting go. Munkustrap was surprised to feel wetness on his shoulder where his boy's face was.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Mistoffelees choked out. He still didn't let go. "I'm so sorry for everything! I promise I'll never –"

"Shh, shh, it's okay," Munkustrap murmured as they rocked back and forth. "I know."

Mistoffelees let go and stayed himself an arm's length away from his father, still holding onto his shoulders. He looked at him tearfully and whispered, "You do?"

Munkustrap nodded.

That same, blissful, ecstatic smile came back to Mistoffelees face, and he grabbed Munkustrap again, tears running down his cheeks. "Thank you," he breathed. Then, he seemed to remember who else was there. "Alonzo!" He whipped his head around to look at Alonzo.

Alonzo was just sitting there watching them with this little crooked smile on his face. Mistoffelees looked at him questioningly. Alonzo nodded, and gathered him up in a purely friendly/cousinly hug. (Normally, he would have never let anyone see him hug another tom, but in the heat of the moment, so imbued with emotion, he was willing to let it slide.) Tears formed in his eyes as he whispered "Don't ever do that again, man! You scared the bugeezes out of me!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Mistoffelees responded as tears of joy streamed down his face.

Alonzo let go and now held Mistoffelees shoulders, looking at him. There was one more thing he had to know... "Misto, you...you don't mind...if I...if I take over...?" He pointed to himself.

Mistoffelees understood, and immediately shook his head, almost laughing. "No, no, go right ahead!" he answered through tears. "You'll make a much better Protector than I ever could!" (Besides, he thought, I wouldn't trust myself...)

Relief flooded Alonzo, and out of joy he grabbed Misto in a headlock and gave him a good ol' fashioned friendly noogy. "You really had me going there, Misto!"

Misto laughed and sighed. But then, something stopped him. He released himself from Alonzo's hold, and a very solemn expression shadowed over his face. "But, Alonzo..." he started. "You...and Victoria...you didn't...?" He looked at him questioningly, fearfully.

Alonzo threw his head back and laughed, relieved that he could tell him without getting killed. "No! No! We weren't at all! She was crying over you! I was just trying to make her feel better! We never did anything like that!!" He regained that crooked smile. "Victoria loves you, man!"

Mistoffelees visibly sank with relief. Victoria hadn't cheated on him! She still loved him! She –

Victoria! Mistoffelees eyes suddenly grew wide in disbelief. She probably didn't love him anymore. He had been so mean to her! He had to go apologize to her! He –

"Chill out, man!" Alonzo said when he saw the sudden worried expression on his friend's face. "You can go see her!"

"Right now?"

"Yes, go!"

Relief spread over Mistoffelees. "Thanks, 'Lonzo. Thanks!" he cried, and stood up to immediately wisk himself off to Victoria's mansion. But as he felt himself reaching in that familiar way for his Power, he suddenly remembered. His eyes grew wide, and he mumbled, "You know, I think I'll walk."

Munkustrap sighed. "That's the best idea I've heard all day!"

"And, ya know?" Alonzo said cheerfully as he stood up, "I think I'll come with you."

"What?!" Misto's head spun around in an expression of raw horror.

Alonzo put his paws up in defense. "Hey, just as far as Jerrie and Teazer's place! They really owe me one." He smiled at him crookedly yet again. "Did you really think I'd come with you to see Victoria?"

"You had me going there for a –"

Out of nowhere, an ominous voice thundered through the junkyard. "WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!"

All three heads spun around to find Macavity standing at the base of a large junkpile. He had an angry evil look on his face, and lightning flashed in his eyes. "What is the meaning of this!" he demanded. "What happened?! Munkustrap! You knew what you had to do, why didn't you banish him?!"

Munkustrap stood up to respond, but Mistoffelees stopped him. "I know what you were trying to do, Macavity!" he called.

"Oh really?!" Macavity snapped, incredulously. "And what, pray tell, was I trying to do?"

"You were trying to get me to join you!"

At this, Macavity raised his eyebrows and began walking toward the three other toms. Mistoffelees also started walking, and the two magical cats met each other dead center in the middle of the clearing. Mistoffelees glared at Macavity, with hatred in his face, while Macavity stayed calm, though seemingly annoyed. He started pacing around Misto in a circle. Misto followed him with his eyes, but did not move his body. Munkustrap and Alonzo stared, wide-eyed, wanting to help, but they were powerless to stop anything that might ensue between the two powerful toms.

"I was trying to get you to join me?" Misto nodded. "Really now. And how was I doing that?"

"You were trying to make Power take over me!"

"Oh? I did, did I? Well here's a little bit of news, Mistoffelees. I've told you nothing that you didn't know already."

I've been trying to tell you for the longest time.

"Even before I came to you, you were able to use your Power. You did not need me to show you. It was inside you already. You never needed me."

He's right, of course.

"What you are, what you've become, I could never control any of that! It was all you! You've done everything on your own!"

What did you need Macavity for?!

"This is who you are, Mistoffelees! I cannot control what you become! The hatred you feel, burning inside you, it is all yours! I am powerless to control it! Nothing can stop you! It is all yours! Nothing else matters!"

You are all that matters! Nothing can stop you from having what you want! Nothing else matters!!

Mistoffelees tried to retain the appearance of calmness, but deep down, Macavity's words ate away at him. He could not help but groan and wrap his arms around his middle. The Power, from the deep place it had been banished to, was growing. He could feel it. He could feel every tendril snaking its way up through the dark recesses of his body to spread to every limb and sinew, trying to take control. He writhed in agony as it slithered up to his mind, sinking tentacles into his brain like some kind of evil parasite. He felt every moment of it in distinct detail.

And he hated it.

"No...no..." he muttered, but Power would have none of it. It would not stop until it had taken control of every thread he had in him. Munkustrap and Alonzo watched from the side in horror, mouths agape, as they watched the cat they cared deeply for transform before their eyes into some kind of hideous demon. His ears became more wicked and pointed, and eyes his were bloodshot. His fur stood on end, and seemed to glow with some kind of reddish force that squirmed when the eye tried to pin it down, to the point where you could not possibly get a good look at it.

Macavity watched the effect his words were having on the poor tuxedo and smiled. "Feel it. Feel your Power. It's in you. It's part of you. You cannot escape it. It's who you are. Power is what makes you. You truly are Mistoffelees!!"

Finally, Mistoffelees could take it no more.

"That. Is. It."

With all his might and with every fiber of his being Mistoffelees rammed the Power down, forcing it to retreat back to wherever it came from. It put up a massive struggle: it had not intention of giving up. But it could not stand up to the determination of the little black and white cat enraged beyond the point of caring. Mistoffelees shoved with all his might. Eventually, the demonic features receded, and when he finally stood up straight, he appeared to be his normal tuxedo self.

He took one look at Macavity and snarled, "Leave."

Macavity stared. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it. He saw Mistoffelees give into his Power with his own eyes, yet, somehow, he had forced it back down. It was unheard of. For one cat to have so much force of will over Power was incredible, and he didn't want to stick around to see what he might do to him.

"Fine," Macavity muttered, keeping his cool. "But when you finally realize who you are –"

"I SAID LEAVE!!" Mistoffelees cried, and snapped his fingers. Macavity simply disappeared.

Mistoffelees turned toward the other two cats in the clearing and smiled that serene, blissful smile. He was himself again! Alonzo and Munkustrap rushed over to Mistoffelees, ready to congratulate him on how heroic and strong he was, but they were just in time to catch him, preventing him from falling on the ground as he went limp in a dead faint.

A/N: yay! Another chapter up. We're almost done! I'll post the next chapter as soon as I get five reviews for this one. (Ah-hah! Incentive...) Review block: Chi: I had to make Ebony have another appearance. Rumpleteazer: you don't kill Misto! You just don't! JL: Your reviews always make my day. Thanx! Lozzypop: practice makes perfect! R de la C: I don't like it either, but I'll address that later... Nabooro: You HAVE to put it on JM!