A/N: You really don't have to read this, I just want to take a moment to say... I make you feel "fuzzy inside"? "Cute as always"! Its like, I'm getting into a not so cute part of my story, and now you chose to say it, lol! Anyways, I have been told many times that my writing is very ME, so when I heard those two, i was all "Damn...does that mean I'm cute and fuzzy?" But if I make people feel good, I'm happy. Just don't hate me if it's not quite cute and fuzzy anymore, lol! Anyways, carry on!

Chapter 16 – life changes

Demeter was sitting with her sister in an (otherwise) peaceful place in the junkyard. (There was a Pollicle barking in the background that got on their nerves.) It had been a while since the two could just sit randomly together and do nothing in particular. The black and gold queen had told her sister about what had happened between her and Munkustrap during her stay at his house, and Bombalurina took the news very well. Or at least, the smile on the queen's face seemed to indicate so.

"I knew all along you two were made for each other," Bombalurina said with a knowing smile. She rolled on her back so the sun's rays could hit her underside.

"Wait a minute," Demeter said, looking to her sister. "You knew, and you willingly put me in that house locked away with him? Weren't you nervous something was going to happen?"

"Uh," Bombalurina seemed caught off guard by being caught in her lie. "What does it matter? Just think of the beautiful kittens you two will have."

Demeter blushed furiously at this, getting up and looking around to see if anyone heard this. Her new license jingled against her collar as her head turned from side to side. Then she turned her flustered face to her sister. "First the kids, then you!" she said in a barely audible tone. "Would everyone stop acting like we're mates? It's so…embarrassing."

"Munkustrap embarrasses you?" the red queen asked, getting up and staring at her sister.

"What? No, it's not that. I mean, being shoved together!"

"Do you like him?" Bombalurina stared at her sister, who was looking around nervously. "Should I take that as a yes?" she smirked.

"I don't know what I feel," Demeter said, finally. "Can we just…let this be?" It was fine when they were alone, but to have her relationship, or lack thereof, being the main gossip about the junkyard was something she couldn't deal with at the moment. (Especially not while she was the only one to confirm said relationship.) Couldn't things just take their course without an in depth discussion about feelings with her sister as the main prodder for information?

"Okay, I won't ask anymore," Bombalurina said.

Two seconds passed…

"What if he asked you to be his mate?" asked the queen excitedly.

"I thought you weren't going to ask anymore!" Demeter barely had time to recover from her last change of color before she turned red again.

"But think about it, Deme," the red queen smiled. "Being mates with your kitten hood sweetheart! You always used to follow him around, trying to play with him."

"I know, I reminded him of that," Demeter said off paw.

"Then you two would do the mating dance at the next Jellicle Ball…Cause, you know, as Tribe Protector, he won't get to do much dancing in general…"

"Can we drop this?" The thought of dancing with Munkustrap in front of everyone made her feel like hiding in a hole. More attention than she could take!

"It would be so weird…he would be my brother in law…and he would be family!" Bombalurina shuddered at the thought. She then smiled at the expression of torture on her sister's face. "Okay, I'll stop," said the cat lovingly, as she patted her sister on the head. "But you two were made for each other," she added in sing song before her sister took a playful swipe at her.

The two then lay out in the sun, enjoying its warm rays. Neither of them noticed that the dog that had finally stopped barking.

Later that afternoon, Tugger and Alonzo were sitting near the kitten area, where the little toms and queens seemed to have fun with their kitten games. Tugger was just out of reach of little Etcetera trying to jump up to him. "Look, if you're going to be tribe protector, at least do a good job of it," Tugger told the insulted black and white.

"I AM doing a good job," Alonzo said. "I look after the kittens, I patrol the area at night, I can fight off a lot of things…if that's not defending the junkyard, I don't know what is!"

"It's all show," Tugger said, fluffing his mane. "Trust me, I know."

"Because you're so fake, you can spot a fake when you see it?" Alonzo asked.

"Hey!" Tugger said, pointing his digit at Alonzo. After a tense moment, he said, "This is REAL fur, not fake." Alonzo stood baffled as the Maine Coon absentmindedly fixed his mane when there was a sudden flash of grey and black fur. "Ooof!" And Tugger went flying head over heals off his spot and crashing to the ground, where Etcetera quickly threw her arms around him, squealing with delight.

"Hey, Munk," Alonzo said, smiling to the Second in Command. "I see your back." The silver tabby was rubbing his head from where he head butted his brother.

"I need to see you in private, Tugger," the silver cat said. The Maine Coon was holding his injured stomach and trying to get the little tri-colored calico off his neck.

"Give me a minute," the cat said to the silver tabby…

Later on…

Tugger led his brother into his den. Munkustrap took a moment to take in the place. It was…littered with pictures on the wall, ranging from quaint little crayon drawings made by Etcetera of a stick figure Tugger and Etcetera who had very exaggerated eye-lashes, to pictures of cats he could only imagine came from his owner's subscription of Cat Fancy. He took a moment to take in a picture of a Havana Brown that had the name "Exotica" written on her collar before looking over to the cat with some disgust.

"You like my collection?" Tugger asked. When he saw the other frowning at him, he sighed. "It's not like they're doing anything bad! It's a cat magazine, for Everlasting Cat's sake."

"Let me ignore your den and get straight to the point," Munkustrap said, sitting down in a soft pile of old rags. "Why did you shove poor Demeter into my house? What if she got in trouble? She's never been around humans before! She was so terrified!"

"Until she saw you, I bet," Tugger said, a knowing smile on his face. The other cat stared angrily at the cat, but Munkustrap's disapproving looks hardly ever fazed the older Jellicle. "Look, Bombalurina told me she needed her sister to be with her at her house. She didn't want her to get caught by those humans that put you in the pound, so she needed a collar for her. But Demeter didn't want to go to Bomba's place, so I suggested she try out your humans first. They're nice."

"Nice?" Munkustrap asked. "You mean because they didn't throw you out on the street when you ate Jamie's goldfish? Or how about Katie's hamster? Good thing she was in that little hamster ball or we would have both been kicked out."

"Calm down, Edgar von Kittymits," The Rum Tum Tugger said with a smile on his face.

Munkustrap shot up and stared at his brother as though ready for combat. (Perhaps a different kind of combat than what he was used to, but combat no less.) "Never….NEVER…use my full name again," said the cat quite seriously.

Tugger had to repress a laugh and try not to take too much joy in his brother's violent hatred of his own everyday name. "How's the kid?"

"Jamie? He's fine. Going back to school today. He has a French test today, but I don't think he's too confident about it." Then the cat shook his head. "WHY did you do it?" he bellowed.

"Because, we needed to have her adopted! Anyways, what does it matter? She was with you," Tugger said, smiling wryly. "I'm sure everything was okay after that."

"What are you talking about!" he asked, throwing his paws in the air.

"Look, she was lonely and she missed you. That on top of everything is a damn good reason, I think. I know what your family is like, and so any fears she had about humans would be snuffed out when she would be accepted in your human tribe. And she got to spend time with you and get to know you…" Tugger trailed off, giving his brother a sly smile.

Munkustrap looked off, not sure whether he should smile or blush. "It didn't go as smoothly as you would hope, then," he said.

"What are you talking about? Demeter came home beaming the next day. She even let go of punishing me and Bomby! And from what I understand, things went great!" But he could see his brother didn't quite think the same thing.

"I don't know," Munkustrap admitted, sitting down and looking off into space. "We were having fun, chasing each other around."

"Always nice," smirked the other.

"I felt like a kitten again."

"Queens can do that."

"Then, when we ended up under the couch,"

"Oooh, the couch! You Pollicle, you."

"No, that's not what I mean," he stared at his brother for silence. "We hit a beam under the couch and she started licking where I hit my head. And suddenly I remembered Macavity. Then all I could think about was her and THAT CAT. They had spent a lot of time together before he was banished."

Munkustrap looked at Tugger for an interpretation. The Maine Coon stared at his brother before sitting back giving his diagnosis. "So let me get this straight…you were playing with the queen you grew up with, obviously have a thing for, rolling around with her, chasing her around, end up under a couch with her, she's licking you on the head, and you start thinking about Macavity?"

"Tugger!" Munkustrap rolled his eyes and threw his paws in the air. But after the older cat had a laugh at his brother's expense, he got a little more serious and looked his brother over with a more serious air about him. "He's gone, Munkustrap. Anyways, do you really think Demeter would see anything in him? He tormented her, too. Maybe not as much as the rest of us, but he did make her cry quite a few times."

"Perhaps," Munkustrap said sadly. "But Demeter doesn't hate. And memory is a fickle thing." For a moment Munkustrap reminded Tugger of their grandfather. He seemed wise beyond his years, yet at the same time, he was so insecure in himself. Tugger was seeing his brother for the first time, just another cat that was once a kitten; who had fears and insecurities as well.

"Demeter acts a way with you that she acts with no one else. Not even when Macavity was here. She really likes you. And trust me; I know a thing or two about love."

"That scares me more," Munkustrap said, his eyes widening. Tugger took to throwing an old blanket at Munkustrap. The silver tabby laughed at his brother this time, before the two fell silent.

"So?" Tugger said. Munkustrap stared, waiting for elaboration, but none came.

"So…what?" asked the silver tabby.

"So…when are you going to ask her to be your mate?" Munkustrap stared blankly at the Maine Coon. "Tell me you haven't thought of it! And Old Deuteronomy would be so proud. You two would be the first mated among the kittens."

"We're not kittens anymore! And…she wouldn't accept," said the cat quite seriously, looking off, hoping his brother would drop the subject. But before either tom could continue, a queen entered their presence.

"Everlasting Cat, Tugger," said Bombalurina as she entered the cat's den. "You're collection multiplied. Oh! Soon-to-be-brother!" Bombalurina said this to the tribe protector after she caught his eye. "So, are you and my sister mates, yet?"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Munkustrap asked no one in particular, his face starting to flush. But as the other two reveled in his embarrassment, the thought replayed itself over and over in his head.

Him, taking her shy paw…by the moonlight, (because there had to be moonlight.) And not in the junkyard. No, he would take her out to the park he had visited on occasion on the way back from his house to the junkyard. No one would be around. Music would be playing from the near-by coffee shop. His eyes would stare into those glimmering blue eyes of hers. Then he would tell her how honored he would be to have her as his mate. And she would smile shyly and embrace him, telling him she would love to be his mate. Stars would fall. Angels would cry!

Maybe not so over-dramatic, but he liked the general idea. Maybe…in a few days…he would take the dear queen as his mate. If she would allow it, of course.

Bombalurina had gone quiet very suddenly and was sniffing the air. The two toms looked at her, but she shook her head. "It couldn't be…could it?" She sniffed the air again, this time, the toms following suit.

Panic raced through Munkustrap's veins before he shot out of the older cats den. He had to find Demeter…if what he smelled was what he thought it was…

After her sister had left her to go find Tugger, Demeter found herself wandering around in a sort of euphoria. Everything seemed to be going well lately, and she seemed to have every confidence they would continue to go that way. So she when she realized where her paws had somehow brought her, she was shocked. Why did she come back to this place again? The place the twins assured her wasn't safe.

A strange chill went up her spine, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, as she spun around, searching for what was causing her to act this way. Then she caught the smell of a familiar cat in the air. "Macavity!" she breathed before turning around and seeing the ginger cat, no longer looking clean and tidy as he did before he was first deemed too terrible a cat to stay with the Jellicles.

For some odd reason, Macavity had only to give an odd smile at her, and she felt a strange feeling coming over her. She suddenly forgot all the fears she had towards this cat as she tried to walk forward to him, all common sense lost. He needn't even speak a word to her, and she was mechanically walking to him, as though he was pulling her to him. She could feel herself being stolen away, by a hypnosis she seemed glad to give into. It seemed so familiar, so alluring…

"Demeter!" The voice seemed far away, but…there was something about that voice too. That voice was more alluring than whatever illusion she was falling into at the moment. "Demeter!" It took a few moments before the queen blinked herself out of her transfixed state and looked back to where the voice was calling her from.

"Munku?" she called back, but her voice came very weakly.

"Oh, damn it all to hell," yelled the cat behind her; the cat she almost forgot about. As she spun around, the cat lunged towards. There was a sharp pain, and everything went black.

Authors Note:

Beware of too much sugary cuteness, you might get cavities.

Demo: Lol, see why I have been worried about people saying my writing is cute. Things can't stay that way! Espcecially with THAT cat around, gyah! But he does make things interesting, doesn't he?
Satin-n-Crimson: When I originally planned this chapter, many moons ago, she was going to stay with Munku's family. But it made things too difficult for them later on. I know, I love the two as well, but stories run away with themselves, lol.
Lozzypop: WELCOME TO THE REVIEW BOARD! Lol! I agree, they are sweet, but they have always been that way, whether I messed with them or not ((smile)) Thank you for the review! Spread "Oh Catnip" around.
Enkeli-kitsu: Kitty! You're back! WB! Yeah, my cat did what Munku did, but I think he would not eat something he didn't like. I just thought the licking his lips when I asked if he liked it was too cute. But Munku aims to please, lol.