Hey everyone, sorry about the delay in the update; I was without internet for a couple days, but now I'm back on track! For all my reviewers, and especially those dedicated few who review each chapter, thanks so much! I really appreciate the enthusiasm in the reviews. Newswise, there is another Cats fic in the works, this one starring Etcetera, so be sure not to miss it. It should start appearing within a week after this story is finished. Other than that, again, I appreciate all the positive feeback, and as a result, I will enthusiastically continue to write for you guys. :)



Strained with exhaustion as I was, I don't remember much of what happened after that. Victoria says that she started to help me back to the Junkyard, and apparently, Tugger and Munkustrap met her halfway and helped her get me back to my trunk. There, they all stood vigil over me one at a time, Victoria voluntarily taking more shifts than either of the other two, until I awoke, two days later.

Victoria was in fact the first cat I saw when I woke up that day, but to my despair, the second cat was Old Deuteronomy, and I knew exactly what he was there for. I sat up and started sputtering, trying to explain myself to him, but to my surprise, he simply waved a paw and shook his head, a small smile on his face. "I've already heard all about what you did out there. I am disappointed that you disregarded one of the most important guidelines I laid down for you. I specifically made you promise never to use your magic to kill or destroy." He frowned slightly.

I nodded quickly and started to explain. "But father, I-"

He cut me off. "I know. I know why you did it. And how. And while I am disappointed in you, I am also very proud of you." He smiled broadly. "Regardless of how much evil you think you did, the good you accomplished far outweighs the bad." He glanced for a second at Victoria, who was smiling down at me and clutching my paw tightly. "More than either of you knows…thank you, Quaxo. You have saved the Jellicles. But don't worry about that now. Just know that you're safe, and that we are all very proud of you for what you've done. Now, I'll just leave you two alone…since I'm sure you want to be…"


A short time later, I heard that the Jellicle Ball was to take place in a couple of weeks. Everyone was preparing fervently for it, since it was the occasion on which Old Deuteronomy was going to choose a cat who would be the next Jellicle to go to the Heaviside Layer, and come back to a different Jellicle life. It was a tantalizing prospect for almost all the Jellicles.

I, of course, could not honestly have cared less. I spent my days walking around the city with Victoria, sometimes walking down the busy streets and talking and laughing, sometimes taking a few days to walk all the way to the city's edge so that we could spend a day or so in the wilderness, doing…well, doing what very close friends do. We never mated, although we discussed the possibility multiple times, and we always came to the conclusion that though we wanted to, we were both still waiting for something. Something intangible.

About a week before the Ball, Munkustrap came up to Victoria and me and told us that we had been chosen to open the Ball. Naturally, we were surprised; both of us were more or less outcasts among the Jellicles. But when I asked Munkustrap about it, he just shrugged and replied, "We don't choose. Old Deuteronomy does."

So we spent the next few days practicing for our opening dance. Munkustrap would occasionally poke a head in to check on us, and more than once, he found us not practicing, and he would sigh exasperatedly, trudge over, separate us and get us back on track. Even with our voluntary intermissions, though, we were ready in a couple of days, and we both decided to add a little something of each of our own design to the show.

Victoria's eyes flashed excitedly as she rubbed her paws together in anticipation of the coming festivities. "Ooh…do you think Munkustrap would let me do a little solo dancing? I love to dance!"

I nodded, a grin on my face, as I wiggled my fingers eagerly, tiny lightning bolts jumping from fingertip to fingertip. "Yeah! And I could put on a magic show…" I trailed off as Victoria started shaking her head. "What? Why not?"

"They don't know you're magical, Quaxo. You can't just come out with something like that, especially after you lied to them."

She was right, of course, but I'd gotten the idea so solidly into my head that now I was devastated to realize I couldn't do it. Victoria seemed to sense my despair, and she sat down on a nearby dresser to think about a possible solution. I did likewise, sitting on a discarded couch cushion across from her.

We sat like that for a few minutes, each of us coming up with a few unlikely solutions and immediately discarding them. Suddenly, Victoria sat up straight and looked at me with a smile. "I've got it!"

I stood up, excited. "What?"

She grinned evilly, which was an expression I'd never seen on her before. "Quaxo isn't magical…but Mr. Mistoffelees is!" She laughed softly and clapped her paws together.

I raised an eyebrow at her. Perhaps she'd gotten into some catnip… "Who's Mr. Mistoffelees?"

She came over to me and put a finger in the center of my chest. "You are."

I raised the other eyebrow this time, still not really understanding. "I am?" She nodded, still smiling. I thought for a minute, and then it suddenly dawned on me. "I am, aren't I?" I grinned and took her paws. "You're a genius! An alter ego! That's just crazy enough to work! Thanks, Vicky…" We hugged, and I got to working on my magic as she practiced a few simple dancing moves and watched.

I thought about the plan as I worked. The more I thought, the more I liked it, and the more eager I was for the Ball. Mr. Mistoffelees…yeah, Mr. Mistoffelees, the original conjuring cat…



Of course, before I could really use the alter ego, I had to make sure that it worked, which meant I had to go see if someone who knew me better than anyone could tell that Mr. Mistoffelees was actually Quaxo. And I knew just the cat.

Luckily, although he wasn't in his pipe, I still knew exactly where to find him. I slid up next to him and immediately initiated the loose conversation that we always used to ease ourselves into more serious or important subjects. Naturally, with Tugger, most of the time, he and his adventures with various queens was that subject. And today was no exception.

Eventually, during a tense pause, I stood up and said, "I've got a surprise for the Jellicle Ball - it's my first one after all…and I wanted you to be the first to see it." Not waiting for his response, I closed my eyes, turned around once and said, "Presto!"

I didn't see anything special, save for a flash of light, but reading Tugger's surprised expression was enough to prove that I'd done it. He also muttered 'Oh,' or something like that. I grinned at him. "I call it Mr. Mistoffelees. It'll be my alter ego for the ball. I can't do my magic tricks as Quaxo, obviously. But I really wanted to show the other cats something spectacular, so Vicky suggested I use an alter ego, so they won't know it's me. Pretty cool, huh?"

He sat silent for a moment or so, and then shook himself awake and nodded. "Uh, oh, yeah! Very cool. What did you say you called him?"

"Mr. Mistoffelees."

Tugger raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Mistoffelees? Where'd you come up with a name like that?"

I laughed softly. "Vicky's idea. She came up with the plan to use an alter ego, so naturally, I had to let her name him." I shrugged. "Besides, it's not that bad…is it?"

He laughed, but didn't actually answer. "So, are you going to be performing anything special?"

Originally, I'd only planned on coming in to show him my look-alike, but since he'd asked… "Actually, I could use your help there. See, I've got a lot of tricks, but I don't want to overwhelm them on my first show, you know? I was kinda hoping you'd help me decide which ones I should use."

He smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, Quax, let's see what you've got. Or should I say Mr. Mistoffelees?" He laughed.

I grinned and began.