AN: If anyone's a die-hard Bustopher Jones fan (I'm sure there's at least one somewhere out there, and with my luck they'll read this), they may not want to read this chapter… Let's just say that the Cat About Town has a few screws loose… This also gets reasonably violent and contains some language, so note the PG-13 warning.
As for Juana's pregnancy, I thought that it was made so bluntly obvious that only a tom couldn't figure it out… .
"Jellicle cats, come out tonight!
Jellicle cats, come one, come all!
The Heaviside moon is shining bright!
Jellicles come to the Spirit's Ball!"
With his last line, Mistoffelees sent a fountain of golden sparks into the air, the exact colour of the round harvest moon, or as the Jellicles called it, the Heaviside moon. His fellow tribe members applauded, and the tuxedo blushed through his white face fur and took a bow.
Munkustrap had to grin at how wide Deuteronomy's eyes were when he say the sparks, but he inwardly sighed when he saw Admetus and Savon approach with a grim expressions. He shooed the kitten off, and he bounded away to wrestle with Gus. The tabby then turned his attention to the two toms.
"We've got trouble," Admetus hissed. "With a capital T, and that rhymes with B, and that stands for Bustopher Jones."
"Jellylorum made you take Gus to the theatre again, huh? Was The Music Man good?"
"Harold Hill was okay, but Marian's voice was too flat and the Mayor's Wife's singing reminded me of bagpipes going through a wood chipper. You should have heard what Grandfather had to say about it."
"I can only imagine. What about Bustopher Jones?"
"He just came through the west entrance. We can't very well tell him he can't come to the Ball, he is a Jellicle, after all."
"He means no good," added Savon, his ears flat and his eyes narrowed. If he had a tail, it probably would have been twitching and jerking like a dying mouse.
"No doubt about that," Munkustrap muttered. "I should go see the twins. Maybe they know something."
The Manx shook his head. "Already have, and all they said is 'What is to pass will come to pass'. Some psychics, a fortune cookie could tell you more than that."
"Everlasting Cat," muttered the tabby. "I guess I'll just have to keep Deuteronomy close so that he doesn't…"
There was a loud crash of metal.
"… get into any trouble," he finished wearily, spinning to face the noise. "What now?"
Gus scrambled out of the heap of scrap metal that had collapsed. "We didn't mean to do it! Either me or Deuteronomy must have rolled into a loose piece, and…"
Jellylorum grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and carried him away from the junk. She set him down and inspected his cuts. "Nothing major, luckily. Now, that cut will need some cleaning, and…"
"Um, guys?" the Rum Tum Tugger interrupted. "Deuteronomy didn't come out."
Munkustrap's eyes widened. "Oh Everlasting Cat. We've got to get him out of there!"
"Could he have…" Plato started, not wanting to finished. "I mean, even with his magic…"
"I'm going under there," the silver tabby said, diving for the pile but being yanked back as Skimbleshanks grabbed his tail in his teeth.
"Don't be an idiot!" Asparagus Jr. barked. "You'll get yourself killed! We need to remove all the metal first, and…"
"There's no time!" he cried, exasperated. "He'll be crushed!"
"Who'll be crushed?" asked a voice from behind the tire throne.
Every Jellicle present looked towards the sound. Munkustrap didn't dare believe his ears.
The small kitten scrambled up onto the tire. His tail was sparkling with green light. "Who'll be crushed? Gus wasn't trapped, was he?"
"You… You're…" Munkustrap stammered. "Where were you?"
"Behind the tire. There's a fair bit of space back there. When all that metal collapsed, I ran behind there to get out of the way. Something hit me in the tail, but…" He nodded at the light, then shook his coat out. The sparks flew off as easily as water. "Gus is okay, right?"
"Just fine," the brown and white kitten replied from under the paw of his mother (and daughter-in-law). "Glad you're alright."
"And exactly what happened here?"
"An accident," Munkustrap said calmly, facing Bustopher Jones. "Old Deuteronomy and Asparagus knocked over some unstable scrap metal. Thankfully, no one was hurt."
"How careless of them," he said, a cross between a smile and a sneer on his face as he slowly walked towards the tabby. "One would think that the Jellicle leader and a famed thespian would know better."
Gus gave a hiss and tried to jump forward, but Jellylorum held him back. Bustopher barely spared him a glance. Deuteronomy moved closer to Munkustrap, his eyes not exactly fearful, but wide and wary.
The tabby broke eye contact with Bustopher Jones to looked at the Rum Tum Tugger. "You said you had a good story for this year. So let's hear it."
The tom grinned evilly. "I never thought you'd ask, Munkus. The faint of spirit and those at risk of a heart attack and/or stroke…" He gave a meaningful glace towards the fat tuxedo. "…may want to leave now."
The cats settled in different spots, the younger queens, Jemima among them despite Mistoffelees's disappointment, were crowded around the Tugger on the tire. Skimbleshanks was curled up with Jennyanydots and Rumpelteazer on the hood of the old Ford. Mungojerrie and Juana were perched above them, on the ledge.
Savon was slinking through a pile to get to the place where Demeter was sitting alone, when he felt like someone watching him. He turned to see a face he never wanted to see again.
"So, you're a Manx," smirked Bustopher Jones.
He felt his face flush under his light fur. "What's it to you?"
"You know what they say, a cat's soul is in his tail. No tail, no soul."
"I don't believe in that."
"You should. Deuteronomy didn't, and nearly his entire family was killed. Soulless cats shouldn't live."
"You're a monster. You know that, don't you?"
"Fine talk from a soulless demon cat."
"Listen, and listen good," he hissed, lowering his shoulders and tensing his muscles. "If you so much talk threateningly to Old Deuteronomy tonight, I will personally rip out your throat."
"Fierce kitty, aren't we?"
"Go away."
To Savon's surprise and relief, he did. Bustopher Jones went to go sit on a semi-clean mat Jellylorum had set out for him, a safe distance away from where Munkustrap and Deuteronomy were sitting beside the tire.
Although his mind was far less than settled, the Manx jumped up to where Demeter was, and settled in for the story.
"A long while ago, right here in the British Isles," the Rum Tum Tugger began, one of the red light behind him giving his mane and face a demonic appearance. "There was a handsome, but very miserly man."
"What does miserly mean?" interrupted Etcetera.
"It means he was cheap. And keep quiet, you're ruining the atmosphere."
"Sorry."
"He traveled all over, looking for a bride. It didn't matter to him what she looked like, or how she acted. As long as she was very, very rich. He finally found what might have been the most beautiful, kind female in the world…"
"Couldn't have been," Mungojerrie whispered to Juana. "Cause she's sitting right here next to me."
The queen purred, nuzzling her mate. "Jerrie… I've got something to tell you…"
"She had long, raven hair and clear, blue eyes. She was kind to animals and people alike, and she never raised her voice in anger. Bu the man didn't care about all of this. He didn't even care that she had been born without her left arm. He only cared that her father was very rich, so rich that he had had a golden arm made for his daughter to replace her missing one."
"Think she's told him?" Jennyanydots asked softly to Skimbleshanks.
"Told him what?" he replied, confused.
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed."
"Haven't noticed what?"
"He seduced the woman and finally married her. But once they were wed, he became the selfish, greedy man he was. He made his wife live in a little rundown shack on the outskirts of town, denied her proper food, and made her do gruelling, meaningless chores.
"She grew weaker and weaker by the day. One day she grew so sick that she just…"
"Jerrie," Juana whispered into his ear. "I'm pregnant."
"… dropped dead."
There was a thump as Mungojerrie fell from the ledge to the pile of cushions the cats had arranged there to sit on, thankfully not landing on anyone.
"She told him," smiled Jenny.
"Told him what?"
"She's with kittens."
"What!?"
The Rum Tum Tugger blinked. "Um, someone want to check to see if he's still alive?"
Rumpelteazer sighed, jumping down off of the Ford and dragging her twin out of the way and behind a junk pile where his mate was waiting.
"Thanks. Anyway, the wife died. But before she did, she told her husband that she wanted to be buried in her wedding dress with her golden arm beside her.
"So she was buried, and her husband went to her funeral and cried and comforted her parents. But at midnight, he snuck back to the graveyard. He dug up her coffin, stole the arm, buried her again, and ran home. He put the arm under the pillow, and fell asleep to dream of all the things he could buy with the money he'd earn from selling the arm."
Munkustrap felt Deuteronomy huddle closer to him and felt his shake as a shiver passed through his small body.
"He awoke in not even an hour to footsteps in the hall. He heard a weak, ghostly voice moan …Where is my golden arm…? The man was frightened, and pulled his covers up further. But he convinced himself that his mind was playing tricks on him, and went back to sleep.
"Several minutes later, he heard it again. Where is my golden arm? This time the voice was stronger, and sounded like it was right outside his bedroom door. He pulled the covers up over his head and told himself it was nothing, but couldn't get back to sleep. Then the voice came from right beside his bed, demanding Where is my golden arm?!." The tom lowered his voice to a whisper and dropped his head. "And the man slowly peeled the covers away from his face, and heard…"
All of the queens leaned closer to hear him.
The Tugger's head shot up. "YOU'VE GOT IT!!"
Everyone jumped. Etcetera screamed as well as jumped, and landed on the Rum Tum Tugger, causing the entire tribe to laugh.
Suddenly there was a huge smash.
"Macavity!" screamed Demeter.
"Don't be so…" started Bombalurina.
"Paranoid?" finished a chilling voice. The Hidden Paw was perched on a high ledge, above all of the other cats. "Greetings, Jellicles. Enjoying your Spirit's Ball?"
Munkustrap gave a hiss, and nodded at the other toms. They began to advance on him, but the ginger cat held up a paw.
"No need for that, now. I thought we were good friends."
The younger queens had scrambled away from the tire to hide, but Deuteronomy climbed up on it. It gave him comfort, although he couldn't explain why. Bustopher Jones was edging closer to the kitten, though no one noticed.
"Hmm, so much for a friendly greeting," Macavity grinned. "I just thought that I'd let you know that there's a traitor in your midst."
The fat tuxedo looked up, shocked. What was he doing?!
"A betrayer," he continued. "A turncoat in your junkyard. A Judas among your disciples. A villain who asked me to come here tonight, disrupt your ball, and murder the kitten he believes is imposing Old Deuteronomy. And this villain is none other than Bustopher Jones." Macavity gave a pause for effect. "Well, having said that, I wish you a pleasant evening." There was a small explosion, and he was gone.
The toms turned to face the tuxedo, who was backing up towards the tire.
"Now, now," he said, a fake grin spreading across his face. "Surely you don't take Macavity's word over my own! Me, a respected Jellicle!"
"No, we believe our eyes and our ears," the Rum Tum Tugger growled. "You've had it in for Deuteronomy since he was reborn!"
Bustopher's eyes darkened. "He was never reborn! He is a fake!"
Munkustrap gave a long and low hiss, advancing forward. And it was then that the tuxedo made his move.
Before anyone knew what was happening, Bustopher Jones's paw flew out, catching Deuteronomy in the throat. He dragged it down, spilling blood onto both of them. He withdrew, and the tiny kitten slumped onto the tire. Bustopher struck again, this time cutting the motionless kit in the side. He prepared himself for another blow, but only managed to sink a single claw into his hind right leg before Munkustrap threw himself at the older tom, pinning him to the ground.
"You bastard," the tabby hissed, pressing his paw against the tuxedo's throat. "You bastard! He was the Jellicle leader! He was a kitten!"
"What are you going to do?" Bustopher Jones croaked, his eyes widening in selfish fear.
The Protector looked back towards the tire. The tiny blood-stained body lay there, perfectly still. His stomach churned with disgust as he turned back to his hostage. "I'm going to kill you. And I'm going to enjoy it. Old Deuteronomy told me never to enjoy violence, but in this case I think he'll forgive me."
He became frantic for his life. "Please, Munkustrap, let's not be hasty. Excuse me, Old Munkustrap. That title is now yours, I suppose."
The silver tabby had had enough. He raised his paw, intending to kill the murderer, but a voice stopped him.
"Munkustrap!" shouted Jennyanydots. "He's alive!"
He quickly spun around, not trusting his ears. "What?"
"He's hurt very badly, but he's not dead," the Gumbie Cat said, gently placing a paw under her father's head and raising it slightly. "He needs a vet, I can't do anything about wounds like this. And his healing powers… They're not working. They're unreliable. He needs help."
The tabby stepped off of Bustopher Jones, and slowly approached the tire as Jenny backed away. As he came closer, Deuteronomy's deep brown eyes opened a bit.
"Munk?" he asked slowly, the signal syllable obviously an effort for him.
He swallowed hard and gently laid his paw on the kitten's forehead. "I'm right here, Deuteronomy."
"It hurts… It's getting dark, Munk," he whimpered, fear thick in his voice. "Everything's going dark. I'm scared, Munk."
"Please hold on, Deuteronomy," Munkustrap begged. "Please!"
"Everything's going dark," he repeated, his eyes closing so that they were nearly shut.
"I'm going to do everything I can to bring you back to the light," he whispered into his ear. "I promise."
"Munk…" was all Deuteronomy could manage before closing his eyes completely.
The tabby checked his breathing. He was still alive, but barely. His chest moved in small, slow bursts, and blood still poured form his throat and side. He was hanging on by a thread.
It was at that point Bustopher Jones decided to take advantage of the fact that he was no longer in the spotlight and sneak away. Rumpelteazer, Mungojerrie, and Savon tackled him, easily holding him down.
"We really should kill him, Munkustrap," growled the leader's grandson. "Scum like this doesn't deserve to live."
"Hold him here, we'll figure out what to do with him once Old Deuteronomy is stable," the Protector said, scowling at the tuxedo.
"There's a clinic pretty close to here," said Rumpelteazer, who was nearly in tears, a way Munkustrap had never seen her before. "Down the street, take a right, five lots down on the left. The vet lives in a flat above it, so she'll probably wake up if you howl loud enough."
The tabby nodded his thanks quickly. "I can't carry him in my mouth, somebody get a sheet or something."
Someone, in his distress Munkustrap couldn't tell just who, quickly returned with a somewhat clean white sheet. Jennyanydots and Jellylorum quickly folded it up, and Munkustrap picked Deuteronomy up as carefully as he could and put him in the middle of it before bundling him up. Without a word, he grabbed the sheet in his teeth and took off.
Mistoffelees placed a single claw on Bustopher Jones's forehead, and with an apologetic look to his uncle, sent a blue spark shooting down it. It knocked him out instantly. The thieving twins and Savon, with the help of Admetus and Alonzo, dragged him off to lock him somewhere where he couldn't escape.
The Rum Tum Tugger felt a pull on his tail and looked behind his shoulder.
It was Etcetera. "Is Old Deuteronomy going to die?" she asked quietly.
The large tom shook his head. "I don't know, kit, but I sure hope not."