Small disclaimer: A little piece of language in this chapter. Nothing horrible, some might be offended, some might not. This is just so you know that there's a potty-mouthed word in here.


Mungojerrie walked into the Junkyard, Rumpelteazer's pearls wrapped around one of his front paws. Not many cats were awake, it was still early morning and he had trouble sleeping; his fight with Rumpel was still ringing in his ears. He peeked in his hollowed out TV but she wasn't curled up in there, and she wasn't with her parents or even in the toy box that the kittens tended to play within.

"Where could she be," he wondered out loud.

"She? Having queen troubles?"

Mungojerrie turned around, full circle, before he found the speaker; who turned out to be the Rum Tum Tugger. "Yeah, but it's nothing you need to worry about. Me and Rumpel had a fight and I'm just looking for her now."

"A fight, was it bad," he asked, perched upon the tire munch like a lion on a rock.

"It was bad; kind of a muddle," he said honestly.

"A muddle," he perked up, ears twitching, "Why, there's nothing I enjoy like a horrible muddle. Do go on."

"I rather find Rumpel right now," he said turning around. He hadn't taken two steps when the Tugger jumped in front of him.

"Oh, you do not tease the Tugger with a muddle and leave without explanation," he said, using his height to loom over the calico tom, "And it's best to let queens cool down after a fight. Now, tell me about the fight; and I know that it must have been more then just bad."

"How," Mungo sighed, sitting down in defeat.

Tugger pawed the pearls around Mungo's ankle, "The Rum Tum Tugger is artful and knowing."

"Are you going to keep referring to yourself in the third person?"

"Don't try to get off the subject at paw," Tugger scolded, "Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"I just don't," he said, his voice breaking. He looked away from Tugger and ended up seeing the jewelry around his paw instead, "Why does it hurt so much?"

"To have fought with her," Tugger asked rhetorically, "It could be because you didn't only loose your lover but your sister as well." Mungojerrie's head snapped up, eyes with disbelief, "I mean, when you first met her you thought that she was Majellina, right?"

"How... how did you know that," he whispered, shaking his head.

"I was in the back parlor of The Fox and French Horn, having a saucer of cream, when you were talking to Old Deuteronomy about it; I heard everything. He made me promise not to tell anyone about it, and I didn't," he added reassuringly. "But you lost your sister before and you got her back, but she and Rumpel are both gone now. You love her but she's gone."

"And that's why it hurts," Mungo asked.

"Yep; take it from me," Tugger said, sitting next to him, giving him a head rub, "A tom who had more then his share of heartaches. It is not the love that we loose that hurts the most, but the one that we loose but still love that does."

"Where did that come from," Jerrie asked, mildly amused.

"My owner watches a lot of Soaps and talk shows," he said, shaking out his mane, "it tends to rub off on you. Give her time though, she'll come around when she's ready, I promise."


Rumpelteazer stirred slowly, beginning to wake up. She opened her eyes and found herself at Macavity's, on his bed of pillows. She carefully sat up, bringing a paw to her head.

"Ah, you're awake," Macavity said, picking at the remains of a mouse, "I was wondering how long you were going to sleep."

"What happened," she asked, trying to think back.

"You came here last night; apparently you had a fight with Jerrie," he said, the memories flooding back to her, "Never before have I seen someone cry themselves into exhaustion. Not so much until they just... conked out."

"I fell asleep from crying," she asked, removing her paw from her head.

"Scout's honor," he said, tossing the small skeleton aside. "You came in here all weepy and distraught, I was planning on cheering you up and you just fell asleep; right in my arms."

"Oh," that's all that she could manage.

"So what did you fight about," Macavity asked. Rumpelteazer mentally slapped herself, what was she to say 'He and the rest of my family think that you're a master criminal. And here's the crazy part – you employed my brother to do your dirty deeds.' That would just be rude to say. Macavity sat next to her, placing an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him, so that her head rested on his shoulder.

"It was stupid;" she said quietly, "What we fought about was just stupid."

"Now," he scoffed gently, "Anything that brings you, or any other queen, running halfway across town, crying a river, is not something stupid." He cupped her chin and moved her head so that she was now looking up to him with her tear filled eyes, "Tell me... please."

"He said," she paused, feeling an odd fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach. His brown eyes were staring down at her, full of false comfort – just as his smile. "He said," her mouth went dry; Macavity was leaning in towards her. "He said that..."

"What did he say," he asked him a smug smile, his face was closer to hers then was necessary for them to talk.

"That my brother," she took a breath, her whiskers twitching nervously. She began to lean back, giving some space between her and the older tom. He simply leaned in, closing the gap. She felt her back hit something soft, she was now laying on the pillows – no where else to back up and was trapped underneath him. Macavity shifted himself so that he was now over her.

"What about your brother," he purred, pressing his nose against hers, his body coming ever closer.

"That he was a crim-" she stopped when he kissed her - deeply, something that only Mungo did and in the sanctity of their bed. She stared up at him in disbelief; was this supposed to cheer her up? Macavity smiled down at her and nuzzled her neck, she tried to push him off but his paws were currently pinning hers down. There was a knock at the door – an oh-so blessed knock – that stopped Macavity.

"Go away," he growled at the door.

"Macavity this is important," a queen yelled from outside the door.

"I'm in the middle of something important," he shot back, Rumpel squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that he would leave. She could hear the door open and she peeked out, looking around his arm; a splendid white queen was in the entrance, a paw on her hip.

"Aryl and Tocoph are fighting – to the death. We need you to break them up."

Macavity got up with a growl and walked out, the white queen watching him go. Rumpelteazer breathed a sigh of relief; not wanting to wonder what would have happened if the fight wasn't going on. The queen turned and stared at her in shock, before looking back outside and at her once more. She closed the door and approached her, quickly and silently – like a master thief. Rumpelteazer recognized her from the last time she was over – Griddlebone.

"What are you doing here," she asked in a hurried, hushed voice. Rumpelteazer then remembered the toms saying that she was worried that some other queen would take Macavity from her.

"Let me explain, I came here crying last night and I fell asleep. Macavity was the one who just pinned me; I didn't pressure him into doing that. Not that I think that he's not happy with you, I'm sure that you-"

"What are you doing here? It's not safe," she hissed.

"What do you mean," Rumpel asked. Griddlebone sighed and sat down next to her.

"It's not safe here – not for you at least. Even if it was safe you shouldn't be here. I promised Roquefort that I wouldn't let you."

"Roque- my brother? You knew him too," she asked.

"I knew him better then those two-timing toms out there. Your brother barely said 'boo' to them. I talked with your brother whenever I saw him. He was doing all of this for you-"

"All of what," she asked, cutting her off.

"You don't know," she sighed, "Your brother used to work for Macavity; he'd steal, deliver catnip, he once even kit-napped a queen."

"No, he didn't," Rumpelteazer smiled politely, feeling as if she was back with the Jellicles, "My brother wouldn't do something like that."

"Maybe not normally, but in order to keep you safe-"

"What's with the whole keeping me safe thing?" Griddlebone looked away, "Why am I in danger."

"Not only do you know squat about your brother you know squat about Macavity too," Griddlebone said in a deadly still voice, "Macavity isn't a nice tom."

"But he helped my brother take care of me when I was little," Rumpel pointed out kindly, trying to see how he could be bad.

"So he could get Roquefort to do a favor for him," she said quietly, "Once you do something for Macavity, you're in his employ for life. The way that he saw it, help your brother; get your brother to help him. And you my little kitten," she cupped Rumpel's chin, "was his source of power; a simple promise that not a strand of fur on your pretty little face will go out of place and he had your brother under his complete control."

"No..."

"Yes," Griddlebone yelled, tightening her grip, "Macavity threatened many of a time to go back on his word if Roquefort didn't start doing more work. He was also thinking to doing the same to your little tom friend."

"Mungojerrie," she asked, Griddlebone releasing her.

"Yes, Mungojerrie," she nodded, "He was planning to get him ever since he came across the two of you. Thought that you were such a handsome couple; knew that he could use that against you. And look what has happened, you're here alone; who knows what could have happened if it was still just you and Macavity in here. Macavity's not the kind of tom that's easily fought off. He would have sent you back home as a terrible wreck if you resisted."

"Why though," Rumpel shook her head, "Why would he do all that? And why would he want Mungojerrie?"

"He grew up in the Jellicle area did he not? He would be able to tell Macavity every nook and cranny and how to get in and out of the north end un-detected."

"But-"

"For the love of Bast child, is the only way you can understand me is if I yell it at you?" She stood up, full of rage and began to pace the den, "Macavity is a sniveling, spineless, criminal, mastermind who finds pleasure in torturing others, manipulating them, and having his way with them – being consented or not. He tricks cats into working for him and doesn't give a damn if they live or die. He has no morals. He'll play mind games with you and will make you throw your love into his blood stained paws and watch as he kills them. He likes to murder them slowly, taking pleasure in hearing their screams, seeing them wither in pain and wish for a final blow that never comes; he leaves them near dead and watches them die – all the while standing over them with a superior smile on his face. He enjoys the turmoil that they go through, saying how they'll get revenge; he carves his name in them as they die, hearing their last breaths come out in high pitches squeals of pain," she collapsed on the floor, face in her paws, "Like with Roquefort... Like when he made me watch... as he killed him."

Rumpel stared at Griddlebone, who began to cry despite herself. Macavity... He did that? He killed... The large lid opened and Macavity looked between the two queens, if he was in a bad mood when he opened the door it was nothing when he saw both of them in there.

"What did you tell her," Macavity growled as Griddlebone stood up, "What?"

"She has a right to know Macavity," she said, biting her lip.

"And now how am I supposed to recruit her and that blasted tom?" He backhanded the white queen and began to approach the younger one, "Rumpelteazer-"

"You killed Roquefort-"

"-Either you and Mungojerrie-"

"-You killed my brother-"

"-Do as I say or I swear-"

"-You killed him-"

"-I shall hang all of those Jellicles-"

"-You-"

"-By their ears," he finished with a growl, clenching her shoulders rather tightly.

"Bastard," she said slowly, letting the word roll of her tongue. Macavity growled, throwing her aside. Her shoulder connected to the wall with a thud and she fell to the ground. Macavity roughly picked her back up, pressing her against the wall with one paw; the other one was a mere inch from her face. He flexed the paw, allowing his claws to come out.

"Macavity," Griddlebone grabbed that paw gently, and pulled it away, "You don't want to hurt her."

"Yes I do," he growled.

"No you don't," she pressed, "You don't want to hurt her."

"I do," he hissed, pressing the paw on her chest into her and his claws dug in. "I want her to hurt like her brother. He was a smart mouth too; liked to talk back. He didn't know his place until he was on the sidewalk, struggling to breathe; hanging by a thread. You," he dug his claws deeper, making her gasp in pain, "Aren't going to be as fortunate. I'm not going to let you lollygag like I did your brother. Oh no, I'm going to make you scream now."

"Macavity, don't kill her," Griddlebone yelled, Macavity roughly pushed her back to the ground with one of his paws.

"I'm not going to kill her. Where's the fun in that," he smirked, drawing the lower half of her close to him. He rested his head on hers, whispering in her ear. "Scream my name and I'll let you go." Rumpelteazer remained silent, too frightened to even speak. "Remaining quiet? How foolish of you. You know Demeter, the pretty little queen from the Jellicle side of the Junkyard?" She gave a feeble nod, "She refused to scream my name too. I gave her the chance, wouldn't do anything about it though. I eventually got her to scream though, mark my words. She still screams it at night, it haunts her," he ran a paw down the outer region of her thigh, "And I can do the same to you."

Griddlebone began to stand back up but stopped when Macavity raised a paw warningly. She sat down obediently and looked at Rumpelteazer. "Macavity," Rumpel breathed, closing her eyes in fear. How she wished that she could just disappear, wake up as if it was some horrible nightmare; she knew that she wouldn't be that lucky.

"What was that? I can't hear you," he said, as his paws stopped.

"Macavity," she said, stronger this time, but still far from loud.

"Scream it," he commanded. Rumpelteazer did so, yelling his name until she felt that her lungs would burst. Macavity laughed out loud, flinging her from him, "Go then," he cried, casting a look at Griddlebone, "I have another queen that can do my bidding."

Rumpelteazer looked past him at the white queen who nodded and mouthed 'go' to her. She turned around went out the door, once she was five feet away from the freezer, she began to run, and didn't stop until she was far away from the west side.


A/N: I promise you, my pretties, Macavity isn't through with them. Far from it.

March Break has started! Bahday! There were so few people here today, at school that is. We had the afternoon off to watch Ladder 49 and it was so good – I cried. The school was empty (save 10 people) five minutes after the movie was over. I stayed behind to make a copy of the sheet music for the play – many, many, sheets... And I have practice all week at 10.

Mima-Love – That he is, but he wasn't so much of a gentleman in this one I'm afraid. I hope that you do feel better mon Sistah. Hollah!

Chimmy-Lava – I'll try my best to keep true to my promise, and it might be entertaining to eat it. A challenge. And it shall turn out interesting et al.

lozzypop – It's okay that you did – I'm sure you had other things occupying your time; a life perhaps? And Griddlebone had her little shinning moment. Well, she had to take care of her 'babies'; who else would? Sorry for keeping you awake, I'm sure you have plenty of sleep to catch up on now. I best go feed me polar bear – Sprinkles – he's getting hungry. And drama is going goods

"Oh my gosh – everyone is getting so old..."
"Except us?"
"Hell yes, except us."