A/N: I'm back! After a time of literary drought, I've managed to write down one more chapter and the basic outline of the rest of the fic. Sorry for the long absence. Chapters will be shorter from now on, so I'll update more frequently.

To Roman: My beloved friend from the Antipodes, I give you infinite thanks for the 'mellowing alert'! You were completely right - but don't worry, it was just a little moment of peace and sanity. Her old psycho-bitchy self will be back soon.

Alex: Thanks for your encouraging review! I swear someday, somehow, I'll stop rambling about all the subplots I've managed to create (argh!) and finish this fic.

Krissy4: I can't imagine Demeter tearing down a house... but it could be a good idea for another fic (Catzilla!!!).

Dear Chimalmaht: Sorry again for the cliffie, and thanks for your review. Sincerely yours, DemiGold. (mmm, maybe I've read too many of those letters of yours...).

Lyra: Muchas gracias, guapa! Buena suerte con tu fic, ya sabes que te sigo de cerca.

Etcies: /cringes and runs away very fast/ Roman! Save me!

DISCLAIMER: If I owned Cats this fic would be the sequel to it (and ALW would die of a heart attack after burning me in a pyre... anyway, nobody would go to the theatre to see this).


RAY OF GOLD 8 - GAMBIT

There is a well-known park in London where a particular statue is placed. A bronze sculpture of a human boy standing on the stump of a tree, playing a set of flutes, with fairies and mice and squirrels all around. When Pandora was a little kitten, Demeter would bring her here sometimes. 'Can you see the mice, my little one? And the fairies?' The golden tabby kitten used to stare at the human boy's eyes, trying to decipher his expression.

It wasn't a surprise that her footsteps led her to this park again. It was her place to reflect (not that she reflected very often though), and no matter how many times she had changed her shelter place, the tabby queen always returned to the shadow of the statue... with a confused mind in this occasion, because of the time spent in the junkyard.

She paced nervously around the sculpture, trying to remove the images from her mind... The loving gaze of the cat burglar. The sisterly manners of Rumpleteazer. The casual talk about her future kittens. Kittens. Mates. Family...

'No!' Pandora stopped abruptly and stomped her foot on the grass, her teeth clenched. 'I'm getting weak, because of that tom. The situation is overcoming me.' she thought. ' And it should be easy to handle; he's falling for me, that's clear. And I could make him do anything I want... Anything?' She leaned on the bronze trunk, feeling a little scared of her power over him, and at the same time dizzy from the remembered sensations. It had been so easy keeping him in thrall... A whispered word, a blink, a pout, a gentle stroke of his fur in the right moment, and he was kneeling at her feet. That easy. So easy... Pandora frowned suddenly, remembering the upset, almost disgusted, expression in her mother's face when she had told her.

The young queen shook her head, sending remorse away. No. Demeter was too sensitive, too kind, and her being that way had allowed Macavity and her former mate to hurt her in the past. Yes, she had manipulated Mungojerrie, but she hadn't forced him to do anything, right? He had looked for her in the first place. And even if she was taking advantage of the calico tom, was it that bad? Wasn't it the normal thing to do? Wasn't he pretending, like all the rest of toms?

Knowing nothing more of life than Demeter's experience, her own distorted image of relationships included ill-treating, distrust, lies. The one who loves and the one who uses the other. The victim and the executioner. . 'And I'll never, never, let myself be the victim', she thought, reassuring herself in her opinion. 'Love is for stupid kittens, and for weak queens. And if thinking like that makes me a heartless bitch... so be it! This heartless bitch won't be abused and abandoned. Besides, he's a tom, and toms don't care. "Luv"? A pretty word... nothing more.'

The queen shook her head again, gave a last look at the statue and began to walk away.

"Pan!" A copper calico queen was partially hidden behind a group of trees, making signs for Pandora to go near her.

"Syren? What are you doing here?"

"I followed you when you left the junkyard", she whispered in a secretive tone.

"You shouldn't be here, Syren... I'm sure you're still forbidden to go out alone at night, and it's already getting dark.

The younger queen smiled. "Nobody knows I'm here. I'm supposed to be with Merrick and the twins, and I'll be back before they notice. But I need to talk to you. It's important."

"About what?"

"Teach me how to fight!"

"What!?" Pandora's face was a poem.

"I've been practising a little for a few days, when nobody was in sight... but I still need to learn the movements and gain some strength. Come on, it can't be so hard..."

"Sure!" laughed Pandora. "And your father will hang me from a tree in the very moment he finds out.... he almost kicked me out of the junkyard a while ago. I have enough enemies, cousin, I don't need another one. You'd better go home."

"But you're the only one who can teach me! Pan, listen... if I were like you, I could help you against Macavity."

"Believe me, Syren... you don't want to be like me." She narrowed her eyes and looked at the copper queen with concern. "Besides, I work alone. I won't let anyone fight my battles for me; you have nothing to do with this."

Syren was probing to be as stubborn as her cousin. "What if the junkyard is attacked? I don't want to be set aside while the toms fight. Last time I couldn't do anything... but if it happens again I'll be prepared. And I ..." suddenly her left ear twitched, as if she had heard something, and she looked back to see at a feline figure - a young gray tom - who was running towards them desperately.

"Danfred! What happens?" A frightened Syren ran to meet him.

"Belanor... Merrick... Danger!" the young tom panted, unable to articulate complete sentences.

"Very coherent", mocked Pandora. "You're scaring Syren to death. Now, breath deep, put yourself together, and tell us why you were running as if the devil was after you."


The Jellicle junkyard was full of worried whispers and concerned faces. Jellylorum was still tending Rumpleteazer and her newborn kittens, and Alonzo had been allowed to stay with them. Meanwhile, Jenny did her best to care for Belanor, who was recovering from a concussion, and for Jemima. Merrick's mother had had a nervous breakdown when she new that her baby had been kidnapped and her daughter was badly hurt.

Outside her parents' den, the other twin, Baline, cried loudly while Mistoffelees tried to console her.

"It's all my fault, dad! I shouldn't have left Belanor alone with Merrick. I should have been there!"

"Now, now, calm down. If you had been there maybe you'd be injured too." The black magician lifted her elder daughter's chin and wiped away the tears on her face. "You've always been the strongest of the two, Baline. Now I need your strength more than ever, we must take care of Belanor and help your mother to go through all this. It won't be long before Merrick is back with us. I promise", he said, embracing the sobbing queen.

Meanwhile, Mungojerrie paced up and down the junkyard near his sister's home. He stopped when he saw Alonzo slowly crawling out the den.

"Alonzo! How's Teazer doing? Can I see her now?"

The black and white tom seemed very tired. "I suppose you can. She's had a hard time, and we haven't told her about Merrick yet. Jelly recommends we should wait until she's recovered from labour. But the kittens are healthy, and your sister is strong. She'll be fine."

"What about the kidnapping? Are we organizing a party to rescue Misto's son?"

"It's already organized", answered Alonzo, somewhat embarrassed. "Munkustrap has summoned all of us, except for Mistoffelees who will stay here with Jemi and the twins… and for you, Mungo."

The calico tom was infuriated. "And when were you supposed to tell me? Am I going to be excluded just because I have personal troubles with Munkustrap? I know Macavity's place, I've been there before! And I can fight like any other tom."

"I don't consider myself a counsellor", said Alonzo sharply. "But it seems Munkus didn't like the sight of that scratch marks on your back. Maybe you should tell your queenfriend to be a little more discrete next time."

Mungojerrie frowned and entered the den. There, lying in a soft blanket, was Rumpleteazer, with Jellylorum sitting beside her. Although the calico queen looked exhausted, and dark circles could be seen under her eyes, she was smiling proudly. In her arms, the two newborn kittens slept peacefully.

"Aren't they beautiful?" whispered Jelly.

"They must be if such a beauty like Rumpleteazer is her mum. Have you thought of their names yet, Teazer?"

"Oh, yes, Alonzo and I have just decided them. The queen's name will be Lyra", she said pointing at the smallest of the two kittens, who had orange and white patched fur. The other one was mostly black, with an orange patch over his little face, and two orange paws. "And the tom will be Liam. It means 'protector'… he's going to be tall and strong like his daddy, aren't you Liam, my sweet?"

"Yes, he will", assured Mungojerrie. "I'm glad you and your kittens are alright. Now, if you excuse me… I have a thing to discuss with Munkustrap. I'll visit you again tomorrow, Teazer", he said, exiting the den.

Beside the tyre that symbolized the centre of the junkyard, the Jellicle protector was giving the last instructions to about a dozen toms; all the adult toms in the tribe were included, even Rothiger and Kant, a little nervous in view of a fight that would be the first for them. Pouncival had already parted to have a scout around; Skimble would stay in the junkyard standing guard, and the rest of them were forming two groups, led by the silver tabby and Tugger.

"Munkustrap!" All the toms turned around to face an irritated Mungojerrie... except for the silver tabby, who turned his back on him. "Munkustrap, look at me! I know you don't want to see me, but you need all the help you can gather. This matter is beyond our personal opinions, and I'm not going to be left behind."

"Are you seriously thinking of an open attack to Macavity's lair? He'll see you coming from a mile away, Daddy beloved!"

"Pandora?"

The golden queen was sitting on a washing machine, with Syren and Danfred behind her.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know that your plan sucks. You're doing exactly what he's expecting… and he'll be prepared to welcome you with all his forces", she said jumping down from her parapet and landing in the middle of the group of toms. "Now, if I can have your attention for a moment, maybe we can think of a good tactic and prevent this day to be a complete disaster."

Munkustrap rolled his eyes.


Back in Macavity's lair, the crime lord was sitting on a battered couch, with his head lowered, lost in deep thoughts. In his paw he held a chinese lacquered box, one of the first things Mungojerrie had stolen for him three years before.

For a long moment he stared at it blankly, like hypnotized, and then he opened it carefully. Something glistened inside, and the ginger tom felt a lump in his throat as he looked at the petite spiked collar. Contrary to the normal ones, it was golden, a shiny metallic band surrounded by small black spikes.

The first present he had given her when they had been together. The one she took off when she left, to replace it by the one with silver spikes and golden stones that the Jellicle protector had given her when she became his mate. He grabbed the collar, clenching his fist so hard that the spikes dug into his palm, but his grimace of pain had nothing to do with the golden object.

"I'll have her back. I swear I'll have her back..."

The rumour of voices in the adjoining room made him come back from his meditations. He paced out of his office towards the source of the noises; a furious white queen was scolding a brown yellow-eyed kitten who had just been pulling her tail. Beside them, sitting on the floor, another kitten – a black one – looked at the scene and laughed.

"This is the last time you pull my fur, you damned brat!" hissed the queen.

"Language, Griddlebone", interrupted the crime lord softly. "I don't want Merrick to learn bad words when he can't even talk yet. And what's so terrible about Ollie's behaviour?"

"This little son of Satan…!" she began.

"Language… please." His voice was softer than ever, and the queen grinned nervously, trying to calm down.

"They have been playing some game of tail-tag for hours, and now Reg's brat wants me to play with them. Don't they realize I don't like kittens?" asked Griddlebone in a desperate tone.

"I know you're not the motherly type, my dear. But all the rest of my agents are on duty. Regard it as... a special favour I'm asking you", he added with a wink, gently brushing the tip of his tail against her leg. "Wouldn't you take care of them for me, Griddlebone?"

The persian queen nodded, half-smiling.

"Besides… I don't like being interrupted. I can't believe you're not able to look after these two adorable balls of fur", he said as he approached the kittens on the floor and gently poked Merrick to gain his attention. "Are you enjoying yourself, Merrick?"

The kitten just stared at him, smiling.

"Oh, well, I hope you'll soon learn to talk. Anyway", he said patting the black kitten's head, "if you need anything, I'll be right there. Don't forget to call your Uncle Mac." He stood up and headed for his office.

"Mac!"

"What?" The ginger tom virtually jumped in the air and faced Merrick again, who looked really satisfied about his achievement. "Mac", repeated the kitten, crawling towards him and rubbing his head on the master criminal's knee.

"Look at this, Griddlebone! His first word… me!" Macavity grinned openly and ducked beside Merrick, who showed a sudden interest in the object the tom was holding in his paw. "No, little kitten, this is not a toy. It's a collar, see? But you have one already, this is for another cat", he said as he entered his office again.

Griddlebone, having barely managed to repress her angry face at the sight of the collar, hurried out of the room. She closed the door behind her and leaned her head on the wall. "It's been almost three years since she left… but the golden doll is still here", she muttered to herself. "Still in his mind, poisoning him!" The persian queen took a long breath and re-entered the kittens' playground, feeling her fury slowly turning into a new determination. "I'm tired of waiting. Even if it's the last thing I do in my life, I'll drag Demeter away from his mind... and from the face of the earth!"


Well, this chapter was sort of a fill-in... but there will be some real action in the next one (I hope my readers are not afraid of blood).

Review, pwease?