Tristram's big blue eyes were filled with curiosity. His mother had told him stories of his father all throughout his short life, but seeing him in person was quite a different situation. The young kitten approached slowly and looked bashfully up at the larger cat.

Bombalurina's heart seemed to skip and beat and stop. The fact that she was back in the junkyard with all the cats she had grown up with was already seeming downright unbelievable to her, but the fact that her son was staring at his father was absolutely terrifying. Tristram was actually a few feet away from his father for the first time in his life! Should she chase him away? What would Tugger do to him? Would he even care about the small buddle of fur that was already so attached to him? She cringed as she watched the encounter take place.

Tugger eyed his son up and down quite perturbed. It had been so long and Tristram had grown so much. It wasn't fair. Had they really been apart that long? As his eyes shifted from the kitten to Bombalurina (who quickly looked away and at Tristram again) a little voice in his head kept telling him, "this is your second chance buddy, so don't blow it." Sucking in a cool burst of air, he gently approached the kitten and knelt down in front of him as the entirety of the junkyard watched on.

"Um, hey… Tristram. You… Uh… You probably don't remember me but I definitely remember you. You've gotten bigger. I mean older! Not like you're fat or anything," Tugger cursed under his breath. Great going. Insult your kit the first time you meet him.

Tristram shifted over a bit closer, looking Tugger in the eyes, before letting out a sheepish smile. Demeter, feeling the tension in the air between Bombalurina and Tugger build, felt that it was best for everyone to interrupt the family reunion, despite how much she wanted to run up and tackle her sister in a hug.

"Tugger, Munkustrap and I were gathering food for the banquet that we are hosting tonight. Care to join us?" she asked, trying to hint to the surrounding cats that it was time to go.

"Banquet? Oh the Banquet! Yeah, I'll um, come," the Maine Coon said, as he reluctantly got up and headed toward his brother and the golden queen.

"Bombalurina, it's been so long since we've last seen you, how about you stay for the dinner? I'm sure that the both of you must be exhausted; you've had quite the long journey," Jennyanydots asked as she glanced over at Jellylorum, who nodded in approval.

"I really don't know if that's necessary, I don't want to impose on anyone," Bombalurina said awkwardly. In all honesty she didn't want to stay around here any longer than she needed to. There were just too many memories that might make her attached to this ancient place more than she needed to be… But if she was invited and Tristram wanted to stay, what else could she do? She wouldn't deny her son his family after he had grown up without one.

"Oh please, mom! Can we stay?" Tristram asked, grinning from ear to ear. Bombalurina eyed her little son up and down and hastily agreed. "Well, I suppose. If you really want to…"

"I do!" Tristram said, looking out across the junkyard. Mistoffelees and Pouncival were making their ways over, smiling eerily. The Red Queen looked down uncomfortably.

"Um, Bombalurina, if you don't mind I'd love to show Tristram around and take him off of your hands for a bit. Just so you can figure out what you're going to do next, or catch up with some of the other cats?" Mistoffelees asked, seeming to know what her answer would be before she even decided.

"Can I?" Tristram asked pleadingly. She was protective over her son, but she knew that he was in no real danger here, and he just looked so hopeful. She couldn't refuse.

"Yes, um- thanks? Mistoffelees. Let me know if you need anything," Bombalurina said as she watched the three cats walk away. It had been so long since she was last here; everything still looked the same as it did all those years ago, but it was still all so different... She started to walk away slowly, not wanting to stick around and be the center of everyone's attention longer than she had to.

As she headed around the never ending corners of trash, she came to an all too familiar place. Stunned, she crouched down and entered the small den silently. She couldn't believe that it was still here after all this time! It was run down and dusty now, and wouldn't provide enough shelter for a cat to sleep in, but it was still here. Bombalurina ran her paws over the small wouldn't box that provided a small desk in front of a shattered mirror, and found a piece of paper lying on it. As she lifted it up, a small smile cross her lips. It was a picture of her and Demeter when they were 'teenagers'. Rumpleteazer had snapped the picture with a camera she had 'found' on a street. As Bombalurina continued to go through her old things, she tucked the picture away in her collar for safekeeping, doing her best to ignore the pang of guilt that had hit her like a freight train.


"Tugger? Tugger. Tugger! Are you even listening?" Munkustrap asked as he waved a paw in front of the toms face, aggravated. "Honestly, I do not understand why you even attend these meetings. You never pay attention!"

"Sorry! Sorry, yes, I'm listening!" Tugger said as he noticed that Demeter, Munkustrap, Jellylorum and Jennyanydots were all staring at him.

"So what are we going to do?" Jennyanydots asked, apprehensively. "It has been so long since we've last seen her, but I don't want her to go back to that dreadful place. It's no place to raise a kit."

"I'm sure that we can all agree on that, Jenny, but it is Bombalurina's choice to make, not ours," Munkustrap said, laying a hand on the old Gumbie cat's shoulder. "It is not right to throw her out into the streets again either, no matter what she might say, but the choice is still up to her."

Demeter looked over at Tugger who was staring into space again, and waved a paw in front of his eyes. "You do realize that you won't get anywhere with her if you act like that, right?" Tugger ruffled his mane and gave the queen a glare. Folding her arms she motioned for him to follow her out onto an old tabletop that made for a good cat sized patio.

Demeter raised an eyebrow at him. "Tugger, I know what you're thinking and planning on doing, and I won't let you. You can't abandon her again. You have to be the strong one, this time."

Tugger looked at the queen, questioningly. How could she ever know what was going on inside of him right now? "How could you of all cats possibly know that?" Demeter folded her arms and turned his face to look at hers.

"I saw it, Tugger. Everyone saw it. I knew what you were thinking, and so did they," she gestured to the junkyard, "It was written all over your face."

"It was that obvious, huh?" Tugger smirked as he scratched his head. He couldn't get over the fact that Bombalurina was actually back in the junkyard and back in his life. She still looked the same as she had years ago; the same fiery blazing red coat and shimmering hazel eyes that always stopped him dead in his tracks. He had wanted to run away instantly as soon as he'd laid eyes on her, because the fear of facing her again had been too overwhelming.

"Tugger, have you ever thought that it's about time that you put the past behind you and moved on with your life? Bombalurina isn't going to wait forever, you know. If she'll even wait at all... She's going to need a little convincing at first… okay a lot of convincing…and it's going to take time- a lot of time in your case... I mean, she's been hurt every night and raising a son all on her own, for Basts sake! She needs time to heal," Demeter said as she watched the toms' facial expression turn into a frown. "She needs help and you have to understand that. But she won't be around forever, so you can't expect her to wait around for you and put up with your antics. She's been through a lot in her life and needs all the support that she can get. So, I want you to toughen up and be the adult we all know that you can be. You can't run away this time."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Tugger asked the golden queen, who smirked in response. "I know things. I want you to be happy, but I don't want you to get hurt in the process. I love you."

Tugger smiled at the tribe's queen leader as she turned to leave. They had gone from enemies, to rivals, to enemies again when Bombalurina had left, and in the red queen's absence, they had grown quite close; she was his closet female friend. She would make a great mother someday, no matter what was thought about her mental state; she was far too maternal for her own good. Tugger's attention soon shifted to the rustle in a trash can, below. Mistoffelees was showing Tristram a magic trick and the kitten seemed highly impressed.

"And PRESTO!" Mistoffelees yelled as he pulled a toy mouse out from behind Tristram's ear, making the kitten gasp in amazement. Tugger hopped down off the tabletop and walked toward the two cats, who smiled sheepishly at him. Mistoffelees was happy to see that Tugger was taking an interest in Tristram and not shying away like so many had thought he would, but he was wary. Were things happening too fast and destined to spiral downward? Was Tugger really ready to be a father? Tristram smiled at Tugger as he sat down beside him.

"So I see Misto's been showing you some magic. He's horrible, isn't he?" Tugger said facing his son trying to start a conversation, only partly joking.

"Nuh-uh! He's great! I never saw anything like it before! Mom used to tell me stories about how Misto saved Old D- I mean grandpa, at the ball one year and how he would always put on little shows for the cats, but seeing him in real life is really cool and way better!" Tristram exclaimed happily. Tugger and Mistoffelees exchanged glances; this kitten defiantly wasn't shy around strange cats; he seemed to be quite comfortable and at home here in the junkyard.

"What else does your mother tell you?" Tugger asked cautiously. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to know.

"Lots of stuff. Depends what mood she's in or if she comes home when I'm still awake."

Sensing the conversation taking a turn for the worse and headed down a road he knew Tugger was not willing to travel down at the moment, Mistoffelees changed the topic. "Hey I've got a great idea! How about Tugger and I show you our hide out that we found when we were kittens, about your age?" If they were going to get Bombalurina and Tristram to stick around, Tugger would have to develop some sort of bond with his son. As the three cats headed off in the direction of the hide out, Tugger whispered something into Mistoffelees ear that caused the black magician to chuckle.

"I feel so old."


The starlight gave a peaceful glow to the piles of junk that Bombalurina was walking through. She had spent all afternoon looking through her den; finding old treasures that she had forgotten about or misplaced, and had lost track of the time. As she arrived at the place where the banquet was being held, she heard three familiar voices just ahead of her.

"Did you see the size of that fish? It was huge!" Tristram said amazed.

"It was, wasn't it? Heavyside Misto, I still can't believe you managed to grab it!" Tugger said, laughing as he ruffled the conjurer's head fur, earning an annoyed look back from the black cat. The three cats headed into the dinning area where most of the cats were gathered around talking and eating, unknowingly leaving an edgy Bombalurina outside.

All of a sudden she didn't think that this was such a good idea; being in a room full of familiar cats that she hadn't seen in ages and didn't really want to see, made her stomach turn. As she entered the room, she felt almost everyone's eyes go directly to her. The cats that passed her gave muffled smiles and odd glances to each other before laughing and running away. Bombalurina sat down awkwardly in a corner, hoping that she wouldn't be noticed, but a new presence beside her caused her to shift her head. As she turned, her hazel eyes met the light green ones of her sisters.

"You've got quite a kitten there, very lively and smart. He's been going over the names of all the Jellicle's that he's met so far. He has a very good head on his shoulders," Demeter chuckled to the red queen, who smiled in response.

"It's true, he does talk a lot. What can I say? He's related to Tugger and I, after all," Bombalurina smiled. Demeter looked at her sister ineptly; as happy as she was that Bombalurina was back, it still hurt to see her after the way everything had gone down years ago. She didn't know how she was ever going to re-close the gap that had opened in their relationship. She had been so lost without her… What if Bombalurina didn't want to fix things between them? Surely she was still bitter? Demeter didn't want to think about it.

"Bomba, I... It's nice to have you back!" taking a breath, Demeter continued. "I don't want you thinking that we don't care- that I don't - I have really missed you! Things just weren't the same without you... It's just, it's all happened so fast... we 're all still in shock… We looked for you for months after you left and we couldn't find a trace! I never meant for something like that to happen to you-" Demeter rambled, panicked as she received an odd look from the red queen. Why was Bombalurina looking at her like she had suddenly grown two heads? Like nothing bad had ever happened to her?

"I've missed you too, Dem..." Bombalurina really didn't want to discuss this. Not now. Not here. "Don't worry, I understand. I can take care of myself."

As the two queens began to idly chat, both not willing to touch on personal topics just yet, Rumpleteazer entered the room with Mungojerrie slung over her shoulder. The two cats almost keeled over when they finally spotted the red queen at the back of the room.

"Is'at you, Bomba?" Rumpleteazer said, running over to the queens. Throwing her arms around Bombalurina's shoulders, she inhaled the familiar scent; clearly thrilled to see her again. Mungojerrie sauntered up to the three queens, grinning like he had just won a million dollars.

"Oh, don' mind 'im. He's already 'ad a few too much, if ya know what I mean," Rumpleteazer said as the calico tom walked over to Jemima and Electra, only to trip in front of them.

"Ow' long ave' ya been in town for?" Rumpleteazer asked, sitting down.

"Only for a few hours. Tristram got lost and somehow found his way here," Bombalurina mused, spotting the tiny kitten talking with Plato, Munkustrap and Tugger. Rumpleteazer's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she spotted him at the back. "Well would ya look at 'im. Ee's so big now!"

Bombalurina smiled, she had missed hearing the queen's quirky voice. As they continued to talk, Tristram and Munkustrap walked over and joined them.

"So, what's the plan?" Mistoffelees asked Tugger, who just stared back, dumbfounded.

"What plan?"

"The plan where we get Bombalurina and Tristram to stay here at the junkyard, and with you," Mistoffelees added quietly, trying to avoid the toms eyes.

"Misto, I've already told you that you're not getting involved! We are not forcing them to do anything that they don't want to do!" Tugger said only half-heartedly. "But magic isn't necessarily forcing them, if it makes them want it…" Mistoffelees whined back. He wasn't about to believe that Tugger was honestly going to keep to himself out of Bombalurina's way. That just didn't happen; it wasn't his style. He was too much of an attention hog.

"So let me get this straight, Tristram was born of two mighty Jellicles? His father is the Rum Tum Tugger and his mother is a prostitute! Am I missing something?" a tom blurted out across the room half delirious; luckily Tristram was in another room with Jellylorum and hadn't heard the rude comment. Tugger just laughed it off hoping that no one would take it seriously, but he could see the offense it had taken on Bombalurina.

As the red queen noticeably made her way out of the crowded den, she felt tears well up in her eyes. Damn. She hated crying. She had 'angry' tears that would make an unfortunate appearance every time she got rattled up. The night air was cold and sent a chill up her spine as she leaned on the metal railing that enclosed the large dens territory. Didn't anyone understand that what she had done, wasn't her fault? What other choice had she had? Live on the streets and let her son die? She did what she had to do at the time and she didn't regret it.

"Bomba- lurina," a voice called from behind her. Turning around, she spotted the all too familiar Maine Coon walking up to her. As he sat silently down beside her, Bombalurina felt her face begin to burn. "He didn't mean it, it just slipped out. Don't take it to heart," Tugger insisted, breaking the silence, only to receive a small grunt from the queen.

"That's all it is to you, isn't it? Some stupid remark or joke to laugh at! Oh look- Bombalurina sleeps with toms for a living. Lets all go over and have a good cackle over it! That's what you all really think, isn't it?" Bombalurina hissed icily, as she got up to leave.

"I didn't mean it like that! And no, that's not what I think at all!" Tugger was growing impatient. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy to make her feel welcome again, but her attitude towards everything he did, was not helping.

"Oh, I'm so sure, Rum Tum Tugger. Do tell me what you do happen to think, when you get the time! It'll be quite interesting, I'm sure. How unusual using your brain to think with must be for you! I'll make sure that I take it to heart!" Bombalurina hollered. Tugger rolled his eyes. Didn't she see that he was trying to handle the situation to the best of his abilities?

"Why are you here, exactly?" she asked. "Or are you just going to throw me out like you did the last time?"

Tugger paled. So, she was still bitter about that... "All I'm saying is that I know that it's been hard for you. Everything that you've gone through has been difficult," Tugger said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "Life sucks at times and-"

"And how would you know that?" she wasn't about to listen to this from him of all cats! " You have no clue about what I have to go through each day; what I have gone through! You sit here on your throne while queens tend to you each day, not worrying about anyone but yourself!" Bombalurina hissed as she jumped off of the trash made steps, charging across the lawn made of old newspapers, quickly flanked by the frustrated tom.

"Oh and how would you possibly know about what I do each day? You can't just put words into my mouth because you've been insulted! You know what, princess? The world doesn't just revolve around you and your problems! It's not like Demeter's the only one that you ran out on! Life's been hard on all of us, not just you!" Tugger yelled, catching up with crimson queen. Bombalurina just glared at him.

"That's all you think about, isn't it? How I'm all just so wrapped up in myself, that I don't see what's going on around me!" Bombalurina said as she sat down on an old wall, frustrated. "You don't think I see the haunted look in my son's eyes when the Jellicle Moon comes out every year? Or when he asks about his father- when he asks about you? I've had a far more difficult time these last few years, than any of you have ever had in your lifetimes! I've had to do terrible things and see terrible things done to creatures everyday! And it would be nice to have someone finally understand what the hell I've been going through, instead of instantly judging me-" Bombalurina cut herself off and turned away from the tom, feeling her 'angry tears' starting to come on again. She quickly began blinking them away, hoping that he hadn't seen. She got up to walk back toward the den, only to be forced back down again Tugger's powerful grip.

"I know that it's been hard for you and you're right; I don't know what you've been going through these past few years, but Bast Bombalurina, I wish I did! I'm not saying this to try hurt you- I just want the well being of Tristram. He shouldn't be living in a place like that; it's not suitable for a kitten to live in!" Tugger pleaded. "And it's not suitable for you to live in, either." B

Bombalurina looked at him, confused. "And where else would we stay, Tugger? We've got nowhere to go. The tavern is the only home that Tristam has ever known!" She looked up at the sky, knowing where this conversation was headed. Was she ready to come back to her old life? Could she? What the Maine Coon said next caused Bombalurina to jump up, startled and uneasy.

"You two could always stay with me for a while."

Bombalurina scoffed and eyed the tom suspiciously, but stopped when she realized that he meant it. "Tugger, I… what? Are you off your rocker?" he had chased her out! What had changed? "I don't want to impose," Bombalurina said, dazed. Part of her, if she was honest, wanted to say yes so Tristram could live with both parents; something she had spent many nights dreaming about. The other part of her, the more sensible part, was warning her that she would just end up getting hurt again.

"Maybe I'm a little bit crazy, I mean, it's me after all… but you wouldn't be imposing; I offered. Besides, I have the room. My den has room to spare, believe me." Oh, she remembered alright.

Bombalurina didn't know what to say to the tom. Should she say yes? Her son would have a normal place to live and a father, but how did she know that Tugger had actually meant what he said? How did she know that he wouldn't shove them out onto the street, when he got annoyed with having a kitten around? She just didn't think that he would stick to his word; it was too unlike him. "Tugger, I don't want to ruin your reputation. What would everyone think? Your fans especially, won't be pleased when you tell that that you're raising a kitten," she said dryly.

She wanted to see him flinch, or to at least see him get slightly insulted. She wanted him to hurt in the same way that she had been hurt, when he had yelled at her in front of everyone years ago. Tugger looked a bit taken back by her remark, but he clearly wasn't going to back down. "He's not just a kitten, he's my son, whom I intend to take care of," Tugger said defensively; if she was going to act like a pain, so could he. "So there."

"Oh, so now you want to be father of the year? Hah! What about three or five years ago? Where were you then? You didn't seem to be too keen on the idea back then! Now all of a sudden you're open to the idea?" Bombalurina snapped. She didn't believe that Tugger was going to take this seriously and she wasn't about to let him get away with it, either. Seeing him getting angry, she rose, preparing for a fight.

"Look Bombalurina, just because you think that I'm some jackass who doesn't give a da-" Tugger was suddenly cut off by a tiny voice that was coming from behind him. "Mom, guess what! Munkustrap and Mistoffelees said that they would take me down to the lake tomorrow! That is, they said they would if we stay," Tristram said, playing with his tail nervously.

Bombalurina looked at her son, forgetting about her current outrage, and then to her son's father, who was fiddling with his mane, and let out a smirk. If he wanted to act like the big cat on campus, she would let him! He wouldn't last one night in fatherhood. Two could play at this game. She smiled. "Sure you can go to the lake, tomorrow! Infact, you can go everyday for the next few weeks! We probably won't be going anywhere for a long time."

As she went inside, Tristram grinned happily, and Tugger stared after her with his mouth open.