A/N: Please excuse the lateness of this update. Between the website refusing to work when I tried to upload the chapter and the hazards of everyday life, this was a very hard chapter to finish and have ready to post. So enjoy, and remember, the naming of cats is a difficult matter for a reason.
Chapter 12 – One Cat's Grand Finale
Cats were buzzing around, putting up decorations, preparing for their little party. Some cats practiced dance numbers just to impress others. Who needed to wait for the next ball to dance?
Each cat was in their own little world, preparing in their own way for the party that night. Victoria worked out a beautiful solo, as Plato watched at the side, smiling to himself and giving her rave reviews. Munkustrap was busy overlooking preparations; especially after Bombalurina gave the hint that the 'surprise' would go off well with Demeter. Very well.
"You told her, didn't you?" he asked.
"Of course," she said, smiling. He shook his head, but couldn't help but smile.
Jennyanydots was busy rounding up the youngest of kittens, to tell them to behave, while her mice were busy crocheting a little blanket for Demeter. (Blue, for the color of a newborn kitten's eyes after they've opened.) But when some of the mice had accidentally crotched themselves into the blanket, she told the kittens that she was going to send Skimbleshanks to keep them in line, before rushing to the aid of her pupils.
Jellylorum was busy rehearsing a little play with the theatre cat, who's eyes glimmered with the magic of past shows, and the chance to once again shine. Old Deuteronomy wasn't assured to come that night; as one of the people that visited him often at the vicarage wall was sick, and seeing as he had no owner, was keeping the person company.
There were beautiful trinkets scattered throughout the junkyard for decoration purposes, making Munkustrap frown, seeing as how everything was most likely stolen. Alonzo found it very funny, but pretended he was coughing instead of laughing when the silver tabby gave him a look.
Cassandra was sitting with the Rum Tum Tugger as he watched the festivities taking place. She made sure to keep any glomping kittens away from the injured tom, but also enjoyed the extra attention from the sweet talking tom. He looked her over with a sly smile on his face.
"You've been hanging out with Misto a lot lately," he commented, as he sat back on his uninjured arm. He winced slightly in pain, then tried to readjust himself, but found that near impossible with his injuries. Cassandra finally had to put a paw on his back and help him out, since his own abs were too pained at the moment to hoist him up. "Uh…thanks, babe," he said, blushing under his fur.
"It must be hard on you," she commented. "You probably hate being helped out."
"Nah, I'm fine," he said, offhandedly.
"I think what you did for Demeter was great," Cassandra said, with a mysterious smile on her face.
"Yeah, well," he said, smiling back. "I do what I can."
"You care a lot about your tribe," Cassandra remarked. "It's very…"
"Sexy?" Tugger raised an eyebrow.
"I was going for commendable. But any chance to hear the Rum Tum Tugger say sexy to me, I'll take." They continued their conversation, Cassandra stopping only to escort Etcetera over to Skimbleshanks when she tried to sneak over to the Maine Coon.
Bombalurina and Demeter sat in the den, the gold queen listening to the festivities outside. "Do you think they would hate it if I went for a walk?" Demeter asked. "It…kind of hurts to have been sitting around for so long."
"Mmm," Bombalurina considered. "Well, I think they'd be ecstatic that you're on your feet." Demeter smiled softly. Then she slowly walked - or at this point, waddled – outside. As she looked at all the decorations, she caught the eyes of some of the other cats. They stopped what they were doing to wave, smile, or point her out to someone else. Demeter tried to cover her face. Did they have to make such a big fuss? She didn't want to know what they thought of her, or what they were saying about her. For today, she would just have to endure a party for her kittens' sake. And her mate would protect her against the gossip, surely.
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The day hadn't even ended yet, and the decorations were far from being finished. But the cats didn't care anymore. The call to dance was far too strong for them to ignore. And it began with a black and white tom and a queen all in white dancing together. The others quickly joined in, and the celebration began.
"It's not even five o' clock yet!" Munkustrap yelled to the other cats. Their joyful voices rang through the air. The other cats quickly brought Demeter up to the tire and sat her down. Munkustrap followed, sitting next to her, giving her something to lean on.
Every time Skimbleshanks turned his attention elsewhere, the kittens began to make mischief. None more than Jemima and Electra, as they were the youngest and most energetic. They annoyed Cassandra, played with decorations, pounced the unsuspecting kitten toms (who then joined in), and raced to and fro, always managing to look innocent the second Skimbleshanks turned his attentions back to them.
Pouncival had found an old feather-duster, stuck his head through it, and began to strut about, pretending he was Tugger. He managed to draw the attention of the kitten queens, and Etcetera was more than happy to squeal in fake excitement for him. That was, until the real Rum Tum Tugger came out of hiding. Etcetera squealed, but Alonzo picked her up and carried her away before she could do anything to him. She managed to get away and snuggle close to Tugger, who smiled kindly to her. Etcetera then smiled smugly at Alonzo, and the bi-colored tom stuck his tongue out at the queen. As they got into a "face-making contest," the Rum Tum Tugger pried himself from the calico, and sat in a corner, watching the festivities.
"He's not really himself lately, is he?" Demeter asked sadly.
Munkustrap hugged her close and whispered in her ear, "Don't think about it." Demeter sighed and watched as the usually joyful tom seemed very sad and lonely.
At one point, Bustober Jones decided to grace them with his presence. Demeter felt the muscles in Munkustrap's body stiffen up as he felt the scrutiny of "the cat about town" upon him, but when they made eye-contact, the tom bowed his head to the silver tabby, and he relaxed quite a bit, celebrating his acceptance from the fat cat by licking Demeter on the ear.
Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer raced up center stage and bowed, stealing the spotlight immediately. They then went on to perform a "magic" show, which consisted of making things "magically" appear in this paws, like Mistoffelees' bow-tie. Said tom stormed up to the two – quite literally – and took his bow tie back, putting it back on in a big, showy motion, then snapping his fingers, suddenly having Rumpleteazer's famous Woolworth pearls in his paws. The queen looked shocked, and Mistoffelees smiled kindly before giving it back to her.
Demeter looked over to see her sister was sitting with the Rum Tum Tugger, trying to get him to smile. After some time of watching, the tom got up and strutted to the center as best he could with so many bandages covering him. "Dem?" he called, though he hardly had reason to get her attention. "Munk. Have you two thought of names, yet?"
Munkustrap nudged Demeter, then gave her an 'I told you,' look. Demeter avoided eye-contact with either tom. "No, we haven't, actually."
"Oh!" Jellylorum exclaimed, as the other cats joined the conversation. "We'll have to think of some to help you!"
"Uh-oh," Munkustrap breathed.
"What's wrong with them picking the names?" Demeter asked.
"I vote for Strappy Junior!" Bombalurina called.
"Forget I asked."
"Well," Skimbleshanks offered, "How about…Scotch? Gin? Kahlua?"
"We don't drink," Munkustrap said lowly. "And no cat should!" He gave Skimbleshanks an accusing look.
"How about Dosseldorf?' Jellylorum suggested.
"Mm..no," Munkustrap said, looking to Demeter, who looked horrified.
"Slappapity!" Pouncival suggested. Munkustrap gave him a stern look, and he went quiet.
"Chip! Sulfatovy!" Etcetera yelled. Everyone looked at her. "Okay, so I made that last one up on the spot, but the first one is a good name!"
"Like 'Chip off the Old Block'," Tugger said. "How about naming it…Goldilocks, after the original over here." He indicated Demeter.
"Does anyone have a good suggestion?" Munkustrap asked, scowling at the bad ones. Everyone booed him and some of the kittens threw balled up pieces of paper at him, which they immediately raced after to play with in a kittenish manner. The other cats decided they had to put their insights in, too.
"Licorice? Tillman? Madeline? Jaguar?"
"Sasuke? Sakura? Kiba? Hinata?"
"Priscilla? Elvis? Sonny? Cher?"
"Twyla? Shimmimi? Isisina? OH! Or Meowzy?"
"How about The Kittens Who Have No Names, and then number them, however many you have?"
Munkustrap groaned and left Demeter's side for a moment to stand up before the excited cats for a moment and yell, "STOP!" The other began laughing as they had upset the tabby.
Demeter laughed lightly until she noticed Mistoffelees slip off to the side. Confused, she looked back to see everyone was now teasing Munkustrap, as he was caught in the crowd of cats. She then slipped away as easily as she could and followed the tom. She saw him sit down and start pawing at something on the ground. Coming closer, she realized it was the music box, and he was, in fact, winding it. He then opened it up, where two cats, one white, one tuxedoed, twirled as though dancing together, without a care in the world. "What do you think?" he asked without looking back at the queen.
"How did you…" Demeter began to ask before realization dawned on her. "Oh…Mistoffelees…it's beautiful, but…"
"I know," he said sadly, turning to face her, his smile just as sad as his answer was.
"You're leaving..."
"Was it that obvious?"
"I thought you weren't going to use magic to make the music box work."
"I had no choice, in the end," he said. "I just needed to add one last touch." He slipped a paper into the device, which seemed impossible to get out unless the box was completely taken apart.
"Mistoffelees…please don't say you're doing this because of me." Demeter felt close to tears.
"It's my time to go, Dem," he said gently. "Yes, there were things about the past few days that made me finalize my decision, but I had been debating it for a while. Tonight…is the perfect chance."
"But everyone is celebrating."
"And they'll know that I mean to leave," Mistoffelees said. "At least I can give them that."
"Why now?" Demeter asked.
"Victoria…she spends more time with me than she does with her own mate. The problem, you know…is that I know I'm not going to stay here. Plato will. It was my mistake. I let myself get too bonded to her." Mistoffelees shrugged sadly and looked down to the music box. He picked up a little charm he must have found among the junk, freshly cleaned, and began rubbing it in his paws. "I used one of these charms in the music box, to transfer magic to it so it will last longer without me there. Kind of like a magical battery." He tried to laugh, but it reminded Demeter of a sob.
"You're leaving because you're too bonded?" Demeter asked, feeling her stomach tighten.
"Well…as you know, we're never here for long. It's like we're…"
"Ghosts," Demeter finished.
"I would say…dreams," Mistoffelees said, still rubbing the charm. Demeter thought a lot of heat must have been building in his paws. "They get lost in dreams, and mourn when they wake up. But eventually, they remember real life, and return to it. You can't live in a dream forever, after all. She needs to get back to Plato, to her friends, to her life. I can't do this to her anymore."
"I see," Demeter said sadly.
"I have a gift for you," Mistoffelees said, changing the subject. He then revealed the trinket to be a butterfly as he showed it to the queen. "I've always liked butterflies. They start off as caterpillars, but they always change into butterflies."
"I don't understand," Demeter said, shrugging. "It's just a bit of metal."
"And we're just cats, as far as any other cat can tell," Mistoffelees said with a smirk. "You know how you asked me why I was older than Cassandra, yet looked younger?"
"It has to do with butterflies?" Demeter asked, frowning.
"No," he laughed genuinely this time. "It's because I'm a full Jellicle. Half Jellicles, like Cassandra, age faster than me. And you two. Don't ask me how it works, probably has to do with genetics."
"That word again," Demeter said, putting a paw to her stomach.
"All it means is that I've had more experience in this than you guys have. Doesn't mean we're any more different."
"How do you find something like that out?"
"Years of questioning my existence, and the existence of others. It's why I would love to stay and know more about your kittens. But…I can't even kitten-sit them, it seems. Probably better." He looked down sadly. "You know, I bet somewhere out there, there is a tribe with real Jellicles, where no one has to hide what they are, and kittens grow up feeling normal in life, without the hate or fear of other cats. They suffer from heartbreak that other cats suffer from, and not the type we do."
"Ideally, there is one," Demeter said.
"And we'll meet there again, some day," Mistoffelees agreed. "And find a true meaning to our existence." Demeter nodded in agreement, looking back where the cats of the tribe were, as they had suddenly burst out in a unified laugh. "There is something I want to do for you." Demeter looked back to the black and white. "What do you want for your kittens, Demeter?"
"What do I want?" Demeter nearly laughed. "I want them to be healthy, and most of all, happy. If they're Jellicles, I know what they're going to face. If they're not, I can't imagine what they would think of me. If I was…just normal…"
Mistoffelees tilted his head to side, thinking. "Do you think they'll be happy here, no matter what?"
"I don't know anything, anymore, Misto." The tom looked the queen over quickly, with an unreadable look in his eyes. He then walked up to her and put his paws gingerly on her stomach. Demeter gasped slightly at the sensation of whatever he was doing. For a moment, she stood still, letting him work whatever magic he was. Finally, she let out a scared gasp, and backed away. Mistoffelees gave her a quick, apologetic smile. "What did you do?"
"Wear this charm on your collar," he said, stepping up to the queen. She backed away. "You don't trust me?"
"Tell me what you're doing," Demeter said. "And then I'll answer that."
"I'm giving the kittens their gift," he smiled. Demeter squirmed uneasily. "I promise I won't hurt them, Dem." She sighed and nodded. "Think of it as a protection charm," the black and white tom said as he put the charm on her collar of the queen. "And one last thing, Dem."
"What's that?"
"A hug goodbye?" Mistoffelees smiled warmly. Demeter smiled back, and the two Jellicles hugged each other, Demeter beginning to sniffle sadly. "Don't cry. You're gunna make me sad."
"You should already be sad," Demeter squeaked, before chocking back tears. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'm gunna miss you, too," he said softly. Demeter closed her eyes and laid her head against the tom's head, sniffling, not wanting to let go. She felt his paws patting her on the back, as though trying to calm her down. She didn't know how long they had embraced for. Then he whispered. "Your mate is watching us."
Demeter slowly let go of the embrace. Then loudly, she said, "Thank you for the charm, Mistoffelees." She hiccupped from crying.
"You're very emotionally today, Dem," he said, patting her on the arm.
"I know," she said, as she covered her face. He felt a paw on her arm and looked up to see Munkustrap.
"Where did you go?" he asked softly. Then he saw the charm on her collar where a license should be. "Did he give you this?" he asked. Demeter nodded, still sniffling. He hugged her, letting her wipe her tears in his fur. To the conjurer, he playfully admonished, "Mistoffelees, you made her cry."
"Can I help it if I'm really good at choosing gifts for a mother-to-be?" Demeter looked back at the tom as her mate led her back to her party, as soon as her tears had dried. He went over to pick up his music box, before turning and smiling to her.
How could he have possibly lived through a long, torturous life as he had, and still be able to muster a smile?
Maybe it was all he had…
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Demeter snuggled up next to Munkustrap, wrapped in a blue crocheted blanket that Jellylorum and Jennyanydots had made for her. There was also an adorable mouse made by Etcetera, who had managed to do something with a needle and a thread that Jennyanydots could never do. The day, turned night, was spent with lots of talk of kittens, and Jennyanydots spent a lot of time reminding everyone of how powerful a mother's instincts were. After all the attention, and considering the time of night, Demeter was very tired, and Munkustrap proved to be a very comfortable chair (though he was very uncomfortable by now.)
Cassandra sat down by herself to the side, a knowing smile on her face. Bombalurina stayed next to Tugger most of the night. Victoria was laying in Mistoffelees' lap after she had completely passed out from all the dancing. Plato looked furious, but said nothing. Mistoffelees showed Victoria the music box, but he didn't give it to her yet. He probably didn't want to enrage her mate any more than he already had.
Finally, Mistoffelees woke up the white queen, who seemed completely confused when she woke up outside. He eased her to the side, stood up and walked center stage. "Jellicle cats," he said, getting everyone's attention. Demeter looked to Bombalurina, who looked over to her as well. Cassandra simply watched, the smile faded from her face. "Tonight we celebrate the coming kittens of the queen, Demeter, and the tom, Munkustrap." There was applause and cheers and excited mewlings from the cats and kittens, as Demeter buried her face into Munkustrap's fur. She heard him chuckling at her reaction.
"Well, I think this was a great idea," continued the tuxedoed tom. "And I think it should be continued with every new litter."
"It was your idea, Misto," Etcetera said, crinkling her nose. The others laughed. Mistoffelees rubbed his head.
"Oh, yeah. Well, anyway, I was hoping to entertain you all with a few magic tricks." He gave a look to the cat burglars. "Real magic tricks." And so he began to entertain the toms and queens, all moonlit eyes on him.
Demeter heard Etcetera whisper to Electra, "And I thought he was supposed to be shy." The tom pulled a rose out of nothing and handed it to the queen, and she squealed much like she did for the Rum Tum Tugger.
He performed many tricks that night, amazing people with his talent they didn't know he had. He even replicated the fire Victoria for everyone, making the white queen stare in disbelief. He quickly said that he began that enchantment with a Cassandra replica, and everyone laughed at the sudden embarrassed look from the sleek queen. Some tricks were more fascinating than others, some more humbling when Mistoffelees fumbled it up, or purposefully did so. Was he an exceptional actor, or truly a shy tom who hadn't gotten all the kinks worked out of his magic. Demeter prayed it was the latter, as she thought she was looking at the genuine conjuring cat for once, and that gave her hope.
After he made a broken vase disappear, and the cats cheered for him, he smiled sadly. Demeter took a deep breath as she watched the cat look at all the friends he had made. She unconsciously squeezed Munkustrap's paw, to which he asked if anything was wrong, but she quickly shook her head and said 'no'.
"And now," he said, bowing his head slightly. "There are some times when you have a moment, and you have to grab it, and hold onto it for as long as you can. If you don't, the moment passes, and you never have a chance to do what you wanted to then. This is one of those moments." He turned to one of the many little twinkling lights that had been lighting up the junkyard that night, reached out a paw, formed his fingers as though he were going to grab it, and snuffed out the light like a flame on a candle. The cats were hardly as impressed as they were with his other tricks, but they kept all attention on him, transfixed.
"A good lesson to teach a kitten growing up," he continued, "Is to recognize these moments, and learn when to embrace them. And learn not to regret them." He snuffed out another light with his magic in the same manner as before. "And now, for my grand finale." Another light snuffed out. "And I'll say goodnight to you. And remind you to turn your face to the dawn." Another light. "For the sunrise…for another new day."
Everyone was in silent awe as some strange music started up from somewhere. The cats barely cared for the source of the music as they watched the tom carefully snuffing out each light in the junkyard with nothing more than a gentle movement, never moving from his spot, as he slowly sent them into darkness. As the lights were snuffed out one by one, it seemed to the others that the Magical Mr. Mistoffelees was fading away as well. His black fur was blending into the increasing darkness, little by little, until barely any light was left, and all that could be seen was his white mask and bib.
One light left, behind the tom, as the cats watched in awe. He turned his back from the cats, almost completely immersed in the darkness but for the highlights of the last fading light. The tom clapped his hands on the last light, quickly snuffing it out, and leaving the cats in the darkness, waiting for the tom to turn around, showing his bright white mask to the moonlight again, and bowing to his audience, who were in stunned silence.
But that moment never came. The strange music slowed to one last struggling, twinkling note, painfully coming to an end. As soon as the note ended, the lights came back on in a flash, causing many of the cats to scream in surprise. In the middle of the junkyard, there was no Mistoffelees. Everyone looked around, waiting for him to pop out of some corner or out of the top hat. The seconds ticked away, and the murmurs from the cats became louder and more frantic.
Tugger rose to his feet and went to the middle of the chaos, where the conjurer was last seen, and everyone turned their face to what the tom was looking at. Slowly, a white queen rose to her feet and made her way to Tugger, staring down at the item left in the middle.
The source of the mystical music, the strange object on the ground: A music box, with two cats, a white queen and a tuxedoed tom, dancing the night away, as though they hadn't a care in the world.