Rating: R for violence & torture
Disclaimer: Do I wish I owned CATS? Yes. Do I actually own CATS? sigh Nope.
Warning/s: SLASH, torture, lots of violence in upcoming chapters
Beta: My amazing betas are Roman de la Croix and Mystitat! Thanks so much! You rock!
Author's Notes: First of all, thanks a lot to those who have read Chapters 1-3, and stuck around to read Chapter Four. Please read carefully in this chapter, since there are mentions of torture here, and you may not be the type of person who tolerates that. You have been warned!
I worked really hard on this chapter... it was so hard to write! slumps over keyboard Hope you like!
Okay, enough rambling... here goes!

OOOOOOOOOO

Chapter Four: The Ties That Bind

The first thing he saw was black. Nothingness. The dark started to spin around him, then color and shape crept in. And pain as well, unfortunately. Wincing in pain, the Rum Tum Tugger cracked open his eyes. He saw that he was in a sort of dungeon. Very little sunlight filtered through the single barred window. His weary feet stood on cold stone, since the chains shackled around his wrists and attached to an old wooden post prevented him from sitting down. He struggled to remember what happened that brought him here.

His mind rushed as he recalled the attack on him. The five cats had attacked him with such ferocity that he was unable to resist. The last thing he remembered was the five cats tying and gagging him with thick rope. He had attempted to get away, but the largest cat had struck him at the nape of his neck. He could remember a strong heat rush through his body, followed by the piercing pain, then the nothingness. And now here he was.

The door to his cell opened suddenly. Tugger looked up quickly, and found himself staring at a tall thin ginger cat. There was a wicked look on the cat's face, and an evil glimmer to his eyes.

Macavity.

Seeing the ginger tom standing before him set fire a rage within Tugger. He hissed angrily at Macavity, and strained against his chains. "What the hell is going on here, Macavity?" he demanded.

Macavity simply laughed, a bone-chilling laugh that seemed to freeze the air around the dungeon. He stepped towards Tugger, and sharply slapped the Maine Coon across the face. His claws left scratches on Tugger's cheek, and the impact of the slap left a bruise. Tugger shuddered in shock and pain.

"Oh, look at this, now," Macavity sneered. "The famous Tugger, bowing down before the Napoleon of Crime. So weak. STOP MOVING!" he suddenly shouted, as Tugger struggled against his chains. "You want to know what's going on here, Rum Tum Tugger?" Macavity asked, his voice laced with evil. "Well, let me tell you. This is all a ploy to get my revenge on that conjurer of yours." Here Tugger's head snapped up, shocked. "Yes, Tugger, I know, just how much that magician cares for you. After all, I do have a lot of reliable spies. So, with you missing, and he not knowing why, he will surely look for you. But not only that," Macavity added. "I have sent someone to weaken him. He will be weak, physically, and emotionally. He is walking into my trap. And when he arrives here to rescue you, weak and despairing... I will have my revenge." Macavity smiled at the outraged look on Tugger's face.

Macavity felt a pleasure within him as he saw the expression of rage on the Maine Coon's face. It was good that he had told him what was going on. Tugger knew what was going on, and yet he could do nothing. The power of helplessness has really been underestimated, but now it was doing a very good part in his plan.

"I won't let you do that!" Tugger shouted. "If you hurt Misto, in any way, I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!" He struggled to get back to his feet, but doubled over when Macavity gave him a painful kick to his gut. "I won't let you hurt him..." Tugger whispered. The pain in his gut was intensifying, but he refused to show his pain, refused to let the tears come. He would not be weak in front of this cat. He would protect Misto with everything he had.

"My, my," Macavity said. "You do make a lot of threats, for one who is in no position to make them." He pulled Tugger to his feet by his mane, and pushed him against the wall. "I think I have to make sure you won't be able to return to warn your little friends. And I promise, you won't be able to if you don't cooperate." Macavity hissed. Tugger's eyes widened in fear as he noticed what Macavity was holding in his hands.

Nails. Wire. Whips. Torture devices.

"Now, you will cooperate with me, Tugger. Help me pull through this plan, and I will not hurt you," Macavity whispered evilly into Tugger's ear. "And if you won't, I will make you."

"I will never hurt Misto! I won't help you hurt him, and I won't let you hurt him." Tugger angrily responded. Macavity tutted.

"So stubborn," He commented. "And I was willing to actually let you go free unscathed after all this is over. But I suppose I must do what I promised. After all," he said, "I always keep my promises." Macavity smiled. Of course it was a lie that he would let Tugger go. Why should he? There were many opportunities that he could do using this cat. He could then capture more cats, once again using Tugger as bait.

A strong gust of wind blew through the window, slamming the door shut. And perhaps it is good that it did, for the evil torture that Tugger received from the Hidden Paw is too terrible to be seen by unsuspecting eyes. The only things the other henchcats standing guard outside could hear were the screams of pain and the sounds of impact as razor-sharp claws brutally broke through skin.

Just as evening set in and the moon began to rise, the falling of a body echoed through the dungeon, and finally the sounds stopped. It might have seemed a relief, but 'twas not, because the next day, the sounds began again. And again.

OOOOOOOOOO

Mr. Mistoffelees paced nervously in his den the next morning. Where was Tugger? He didn't arrive last night, and now Misto was getting very worried.

He left his den and went to seek Munkustrap. He guessed that Munkustrap would know; after all, he was Tugger's brother and would have noticed his disappearance. He found the silver tabby seated on the tire, surveying the Junkyard with a serious expression on his face.

"Munkustrap?" Misto called out. Munkustrap turned to find the conjurer coming towards him, a worried expression on his face.

"What is it, Misto?" Munkustrap asked.

"Where is Tugger?" Misto asked worriedly. "He didn't arrive last night and I haven't seen him at all this morning. I was thinking you might know where he is..."

Munkustrap cringed inside as he heard Misto's question. He had been wondering whether they should tell the others about Tugger's disappearance or not. After all, if he did tell them, the news might cause panic and more cats could get hurt. He didn't want to tell Misto what happened. Being Tugger's best friend, Misto would obviously be very worried and might do something reckless. He decided that for the safety of the entire tribe, he would just let a few cats know, so while there were some cats who could help him look for his brother, the rest of the tribe wouldn't panic.

Sometimes, it was easier, safer, not to know everything.

Munkustrap shook his head. "No, Misto, I don't really know where Tugger is," That wasn't really a lie; he really didn't know where Tugger was. But he didn't know either if he was safe. "I assume he must have gotten around with some of his friends and spent the night with them. He should be back soon."

Misto nodded and walked away. Munkustrap sighed. Oh, Tugger... where are you now?

OOOOOOOOOO

Mistoffelees sat gloomily on top of the car. He was bored and worried and unhappy. Despite Munkustrap's assurance that Tugger would be back, Misto felt uneasy. He missed his lover greatly and felt very nervous about having no idea where he was.

He turned around as he heard someone coming. A pure white kitten padded out towards him. Victoria.

Victoria climbed on top of the car and sat next to him. "Hi, Misto," she greeted, her little bell-like voice tinkling in his ears. "You look so unhappy. What's wrong?" she asked, seeing his worried expression.

Misto sighed. "Oh, Vicky..." he moaned. "Tugger's missing and I have no idea where he is. I have a funny feeling something's wrong." Upon hearing this, Victoria stifled a smile. This was perfect. Macavity's plan was well underway. Now it was her turn to do her part.

"Oh, Misto, you worry too much," she said, giggling. She then nuzzled him, which made Misto blink in surprise; he was not accustomed to this sudden show of affection. "And I thought you knew Tugger well. He obviously spent the night with some queen and decided to stay with her for a while," she continued, and felt a surge of pleasure as she saw the dismayed look on Misto's face.

Misto opened his mouth to say something, but Victoria interrupted him before he could say anything. "Don't worry about it, Misto. Forget about him first. You know, I really missed you. You seem to be so busy nowadays, I don't see you that often anymore." She smiled at him flirtatiously, and at this Misto looked really confused.

"Vicky..." Misto started. Victoria smiled and sat closer to him. She silenced him sweetly, placing her paw upon his lips. "Tell me more about yourself, Misto," she said. "Can you show me some magic?"

OOOOOOOOOO

The Rum Tum Tugger knew only pain. When Macavity finally left the dungeon, Tugger exhaled in relief, then winced as the action irritated one of his ribs, which had been broken.

He tried to ignore the pain. He thought of Misto. He wondered whether he knew what was happening to him. Tugger wasn't really sure what he wanted. He wanted to get out of here, but the only way he could was if Misto came. Then Macavity would let Tugger go, and torture Misto. But Tugger didn't want Misto to get hurt either.

Tugger cringed in pain as he remembered their conversation a few weeks ago. Misto had felt that there was going to be something wrong during December. And he was right. But Tugger also felt extremely guilty. He had promised Misto that he would be there to protect him. And now, he was too weak to keep his promise.

All of these mixed feelings of pain, fear, uncertainty, and guilt ultimately overwhelmed him. Finally, he allowed the tears to fall, shimmering like diamonds; the shattered pieces of his tortured soul.

OOOOOOOOOO

Mistoffelees sighed as he lay down in his den, Victoria asleep next to him. She requested to sleep in his den that night, with the excuse that hers was too far and it was too dark for her to go. She spoke with him and tried to make him smile. But before she fell asleep, she had kissed him tenderly and whispered shyly, "I think I love you, Misto."

It made Misto feel extremely confused. He loved Tugger, but he really really liked Victoria, ever since he met her. And he felt rather miserable at what Victoria said about Tugger, saying that he decided to stay with some queen. Misto knew that Tugger would never do that to him, but he couldn't shake away the nagging feeling.

Finally, Misto couldn't take it anymore. He sat up and decided to use his magic, to find out if Tugger was all right or not. It would not be easy. Telepathy was a very new brand of magic that he was just starting to learn. He would have to use every ounce of his magic to do it. And he would be able to feel the contacted person's emotions and see what he was seeing, so that was also rather dangerous. But he decided to try it, despite the risks. After all, there was a special bond between him and Tugger that he couldn't quite understand, but it was a bond that allowed him to feel if things were alright. Misto hoped that this would work.

He shut his eyes, and concentrated on his magic, allowing it to flow through him. He suddenly felt a rush of intense pain, and he could see a sort of stone dungeon. He could hear yelling and the clangs of metal chains. Then, as quickly as it came, the feeling, the vision, and the sounds disappeared.

Misto shuddered. Obviously Tugger was not okay. He might be in danger. Misto now felt very nervous, and the worry threatened to overwhelm him. Next to him, Victoria shifted, and suddenly her eyes fluttered open. "Misto?" she asked sleepily. "You're still awake? What's wrong now?"

"I had a kind of... vision. I can't be very sure, but I don't think Tugger is safe. He might be in trouble." Misto said worriedly. Victoria suddenly felt uneasy. She now realized that getting Misto to trust her fully and to weaken him secretly would be harder than she expected.

She laughed. "Misto, you were just nervous, I'm sure. I guarantee you, he's quite fine." Seeing that he was still tense, she gently hugged and kissed him. Finally he lay down to sleep, and soon his eyes closed and his breathing became steady.

But for Victoria, sleep would not come easily to her now. The wheels were now in motion. There was no turning back now.

OOOOOOOOOO

To be continued...

A/N: Oh noooo! Poor Tugger! Things are going to be very difficult now...

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