"Oh, so 'I'm' the player? You're the one who always flaunts yourself in public!" Tugger yelled, frustrated. Bombalurina looked at him, disgusted. What was he screeching about? He was the one that had dropped her a few nights ago at the Ball!

"Excuse me? I'm not the one who's into cats HALF of my age! Especially little ditzy kittens!" she spat. Bombalurina had been cornered by the Maine Coon in an alleyway just outside of the junkyard. She had been successfully ignoring him for the last few nights, after he had dropped her at the Jellicle Ball and avoided her the following day.

His tail twitched furiously. He hadn't meant to hurt her; it was just a spare of the moment type of thing! Besides, she knew that they weren't allowed to show their affection towards each other in public! Why was she so mad at him? She was being completely unreasonable!

"For crying out loud, Bomba! You know that we have to keep our relationship a secret! And Etcetera likes me- not the other way around!"

"Sure she does," she replied by baring her teeth to the tom. "You promised me that for the Jellicle Ball you wouldn't do anything stupid or embarrass me! For one night you said you wouldn't care about what the other cats thought! You said that you'd let them know how you felt, even though they'd think it wasn't real!"

"For Heavysides sake, Bombalurina, it was funny!" That had been the wrong thing to say, but he ignored her as she pouted. The maned tom continued," I mean, I wasn't the only one doing the flirting that night! I mean you prance round the place acting like a stupid alley cat in heat!"

That forced her to stop in her tracks. Tugger froze, realizing he had overstepped a boundary.

"Well I'm glad to finally know what you actually think of me!" she hissed as she ran away from the spot.

"Bomba, wait a second! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!" Tugger shouted as he chased after her, cursing his lack of control and less than reformed way of words.

Bombalurina let out a sigh of aggravation. She had so many memories with the maned tom and for some reason they lately all kept creeping up on her. For the first time in awhile she had actually felt safe and understood by someone, and it scared her. All of a sudden she was feeling like a kitten again whenever she was around Tugger and she didn't like it. That night when he had dropped her at the ball, although it had been years ago, had really hurt her feelings, and it still hadn't been resolved. Yet, despite all of his transgressions, Tugger hadn't always been that bad toward her when they were younger. She could recall the time when she was just a kitten and had just met the little tom; he was so full of life and energy and was very aggravating. He had called her ugly and made her cry, then offered to give her his fish that he had gotten for lunch in order to make up for it. They had become best friends after that. Never had she pictured having a kitten with him. The very idea would have been laughable years ago! As the red queen leisurely made her way out of the den she spotted the Maine Coon sunning himself on a rock, and found herself smiling. Realizing what she was doing she immediately shook the feeling off and headed in the opposite direction, puzzled. What was going on with her lately?


"Deck the halls with boughs of holly! Fa la la la la la la la la! 'Tis the season to be jolly! Fa la la la la la la la laaaaaaa!" Mungojerrie sang as he rounded the corner with his mate who continued the song. "Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la la la la la la LAAAAAAA!"

Rumpleteazer yelled more then sang the song as she followed the tiger tom over to the group of cats, but her spirits were high.

"Well it looks like someone's in the Christmas mood," Munkustrap commented as he greeted them.

"Well ya know wat they say. 'Tis the season to be jolly!" Rumpleteazer giggled as she put a string of gold tinsel around the tabby's neck.

"I can't believe that Christmas is here already!" Demeter sighed longingly, adjusting the tinsel around Munkustrap's neck, receiving an annoyed glance in response. "Well keep your collar on dear, there's still one more day until Christmas Eve."

Demeter stuck her tongue out at him. "Well there's still a lot to be done before tomorrow's Christmas Eve party, don't be such a scrooge. Jellylorum and Bombalurina are meeting me at the tire and then we're going to go look for more decorations for the Christmas tree that was dumped in the yard a few days ago. Mungo, Rumple, you two can handle the food right?"

They responded by giving her a: 'Are you kidding? Of course we can!' look and took off.

"And you, Mr. Jellicle leader, are getting together with the toms to prepare the events for the evening." She gave Munkustrap a quick peck on the cheek and scampered away; calling behind her, "Don't let me down!"

Munkustrap sighed in defeat. Queens.


Bombalurina smiled when she spied her sister approaching. Tristram ran to greet her and was welcomed with a warm hug.

"Hey, aunt Demeter! Guess what?" the kitten asked as he was lifted into the air by the golden queen.

"What?"

"Dad, Misto and Pouncival have been teaching me how to dance the steps of the Jellicle ball!"

"Lets just hope you don't dance like your father," Jellylorum clucked bemusedly as they began to walk away. "That would be a tragedy."


"Munkus, my main man! How's life been treating ya?" Tugger shouted as he spotted his brother in the distance. Approaching, Tugger thumped him on the back in good humor. Mistoffelees handed Munkustrap a garland and smiled mischievously. Both looked at Tugger and then back to each other.

"Come on you two, it looks like Demeter and Bombalurina have their paws full. We should go help," Munkustrap said, spotting the struggling queen's in the distance, dragging a few tree branches behind them. Mistoffelees just continued to stare at his maned companion, an odd gleam in his eyes.

"Um Misto, my main magical cat, I think you better ease up on the eggnog," Tugger replied, uncomfortable with the look he was receiving.

Mistoffelees just smiled knowingly and winked at Munkustrap.


"Mom, do you think that I'll get anything for Christmas?" Tristram asked as Bombalurina struggled to haul a large tree branch across the junkyard. She responded with a grunt. "Hmm, you'll just have to wait and see now, wont you? Christmas is tomorrow, after all."

Tristram smiled eagerly. It was, after all, his first real Christmas with family around.

"Remind me to shoot Munkustrap after this," Demeter said as she collapsed beside the two, exhausted. Bombalurina chuckled to herself; her brother-in-law defiantly wasn't going to get away from this one. As the two queens continued struggling heavy tree branches, a sudden shuffle from behind caused their fur to stand on end.

"Who's there!" Demeter demanded as Bombalurina put a protective arm around her son. It wasn't unusual for pollicles to attack in the winter when the food supply was low. The crimson queen hissed menacingly as the noise suddenly stopped and everything went silent… Then…

"Gotcha!" The Rum Tum Tugger yelled as he hit Bombalurina on the shoulder with a snowball. Munkustrap, Mistoffelees, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer jumped out of their hiding spots and surrounded the two frazzled queens and overly excited kitten.

"Argh! Tugger! You little- Get back here!" Bombalurina yelled as she leaped at the tom who quickly began to retreat.

"Ahh!" he laughed as he was pinned to the ground by the fuming red queen.

"Oh now you've had it!" Bombalurina said as she held up a handful of snow and threatened to smack it into Tugger's neatly groomed face.

"I give! I give!" he yelled, trying to disguise his muffled laughs to no avail. He cringed as cold snow was pressed to his face. With a sudden burst of energy, Tugger leaped up and pinned the fuming queen on her back. Taken by surprise, Bombalurina struggled to get free and pleaded with the others to help get the heavy cat off of her.

"Nah," Mistoffelees said as he began to walk away with Munkustrap and Demeter, leaving Bombalurina wriggling in a huff.

"Don't worry Bomba, I'm on top of the situation," Tugger teased, smirking at Tristram.

"I can see that," she answered as she gave his head tuff a swat.

"Hey, hey, hey. No one, I repeat: no one, touches the hair!" Tugger said as he jumped off the queen who grinned haughtily, having accomplished her goal and broken free. She gave a flirty smile and brushed her tail under his chin. "Christmas is a good time of year. I get to go to a party and annoy Tugger all in one day!"

Bombalurina smirked and took off after her sister, Tristram trailing behind her. Mungojerrie nudged Rumpleteazer, and both turned to look at Tugger, who was gaping after the retreating cats with his mouth open.

"Uh huh," Mungojerrie said, grinning at Tugger and then Rumpleteazer, who cheekily returned the grin.

"What?" Tugger asked, confused by all the odd glances everyone seemed to keep sending his way.

"Just as I thought, eh Teaza?" Mungojerrie said as he walked away with his mate, who nodded enthusiastically. "They just can't stay away from each other."

Tugger reddened before stalking away after the pair.


Bombalurina smiled to herself. The Junkyard defiantly knew how to throw a party. She shifted her gaze over to Cassandra and Alonzo, who were handing out presents. So far she had received a new stud for her collar from Demeter, and an old toy mouse she used to play with as a kitten, that Munkustrap had found. She smirked as she noticed Tumblebrutus and Jemima looking pretty cozy with each other in the corner. That was a pair she hadn't seen coming. Despite her best efforts not to, she had missed this place. She couldn't deny it although she hated to admit it. The warmth and reassurance that the Junkyard provided made her feel secure in a way she couldn't describe. She was happy here, and at times like this it felt like nothing had changed and that she hadn't left at all.

"Hey Bomba," Pouncival greeted as he touched her shoulder. "Why is a pretty lady such as yourself, all alone in a corner on a fine evening like this?" Bombalurina flushed. Pouncival had turned out to be quite the little gentleman and had a way with words now that he had lacked when he was young.

"Hey kitten," Bombalurina grinned, deciding to toy with his little act. "How would you like to accompany me this fine Christmas evening? There's really no telling what I'll get up to, if I'm left with my own devices for too long."

"Well I'd love to, pretty lady, but alas I have someone waiting for me," he pointed to the corner on the opposite side of the room. Bombalurina's eyes widened when she realized exactly whom he was pointing at.

"Etcetera, Pounce? Really?" Bombalurina gasped. How ironic was that? Both her and Tugger's ex-arranged mates were ending up together? Her life never ceased to amaze her. She nudged the tom with her elbow and smirked suggestively at him. "Pouncy and Ectcy sitting in a tree-"

"Bombalurina, don't you dare!" Pouncival hissed as he smacked a paw in front of her mouth. He was quickly turning the same shade of red that her coat was. "I know I used to torment you with that song when I was little, but let's not start to relieve old memories now, alright? The tribe doesn't even know that we're interested in each other yet!"

His eyes were pleading with her and she tried to hide her amusement.

"Relax kitten, I'm just teasing. Not that you don't deserve to hear it after what you put me through when you were young," Pouncival blanched and grinned apologetically. "You better get over to your date before she realizes that you've been gone."

She chuckled as he gave her a smile and sheepishly walked away. Soon there would be a new generation of kittens to look after, she reasoned.

"Whoa! Mom- mom look at me!" Tristram squealed as he was spun around and lifted into the air by Exotica. She smiled, glad that at least one of them was having a good time.

Noticing that Bombalurina seemed to be watching everyone but refused to join in, Demeter decided to keep her company and quietly sat down beside her.

"Hello," she greeted as she fixed a strand of her golden spiky hair that was sticking out. Things were still uncomfortable between the two sisters, and the constant pressure to ignore the events that had taken place made things awkward.

"Hello to you, too. Say, where's the knight in shining fur when you need him? Isn't he supposed to be dancing with you after what he put us through this afternoon?" Bombalurina winked at the gold queen.

"Look behind you," a male voice purred as Demeter was suddenly yanked up and swept onto the dance floor by the silver tabby. Bombalurina smiled. She was glad to know that her sister was being well taken care of. She stood up and continued to watch the cats dance around her, her tail regrettably twitching to the beat.

"Well hello there, Bombalurina! How have ya been doing?" Skimbleshanks asked as he entered the room with Jennyanydots. Her aunt smiled at her before something from behind Bombalurina caught her attention. Ignoring whatever it was, Bombalurina walked over to the two, deciding to mingle for once.

"I've been doing well. You all still know how to throw a good party! However I'm not as graceful as I used to be and I-" she was cut off by a spotted arm that quickly spun her around and pulled her to the dance floor. "Tugger, what are you doing! You know that I can't dance anymore!"

Tugger smirked, pulling her in closer. "Well then, I think that it's about time that you had a new lesson!"

Bombalurina's eyes widened in horror. She couldn't do this. She hadn't danced in years! She would make a fool of herself for certain.

"Tugger, I'm warning you! If you even think for one minute that I'll dance with you I'll-" Tugger put a paw across her mouth to silence her. Glancing around him, he grabbed her arm and led her out of the room, away from the dreaded dance floor.

As the two cats walked out of the den into the cool night air, Bombalurina noticed that her companion looked uneasy. Unsure of what to make of his recent behavior, she looked around her, avoiding his gaze. She smiled when she realized that it lightly snowing. There was something about snow that gave the atmosphere a peaceful glow. Soothed, she decided to get to the point. "Tugger, why are we out here?"

He looked at the ground, his feet shuffling the snow around. "I uh, wanted to give you something. Well, let's just call it an early Christmas gift." He looked up at her sheepishly.

Bombalurina looked at him, shocked. She hadn't been expecting this.

"You didn't have to do that, Tugger," her face began to grow warm. Oh no, it was happening again! What was the matter with her lately? Why couldn't she just act normal around him?

He smiled and awkwardly forced an object into her hand. She gasped. "Oh, it's beautiful! You really didn't have to do this." The diamond pendant that would no doubt make a wonderful addition to her collar, gleamed up at her. She felt her heart sink.

"I know," Tugger stated, looking away. "But I wanted to, and I know that you've always wanted something like this ever since you were a kitten. I saw it in some humans window and asked Rumple if she could help get it for me and- you know what? Never mind." Tugger gulped as he watched the queens ears perk up in curiosity and probably shock. He wasn't about to get on her bad side again by confessing that he committed a crime for her. "Here, I'll help you put it on."

He lifted the heart shaped diamond out of her hands and gently attached it to the front part of her collar. Bombalurina felt her heart begin to beat faster as she felt his hands around her neck. Why had he gotten her a gift? Why did he keep being so nice to her? Didn't he know that he should just leave everything as it currently was?

"There we go," Tugger said as he took a step away from her. "Just think of it as an I'm-sorry-I-was-such-a- ass –to-you- before, gift."

"Thanks," she muttered as she headed to go back inside. Tugger looked apprehensively at her, before deciding that it was okay for him to follow.

"Bomba, that's so pretty! Where'd you get it from?" Jemima asked as she noticed the sparkling pendant.

"Oh um," Bombalurina blubbered, unsure of how she should state her answer. "Tugger got it for me."

Jemima's eyes widened and a playful smile appeared on her lips. Bombalurina cringed. She had thought going over to the little wide-eyed queen would be the smart thing to do! Just as she was about to make a smart remark, Bombalurina was once again cut off by a loud voice.

"Look at who's standing under the mistletoe! Tugger, I believe that you owe that red queen a kiss," Munkustrap boasted as everyone turned around to look at the two. Bombalurina froze. She hadn't realized that Tugger was still following her! Mortified, she refused to make eye contact with him and glared at the floor.

Tugger was seething as he spotted the small plant hanging above his head. So this is what Mistoffelees and his brother had been planning! He glared at the tuxedo cat that was now standing a few feet away from him. The little brat even had the cheek to wear a proud smirk on his face!

"No, I really don't think that that's necessary," Bombalurina rasped, finally finding her voice. "That tradition is so old anyway and-"

"Oh come on, Bomba! It's all in the name of fun!" Demeter laughed. Tugger looked at his sister-in-law and then to the silver tabby who was perched at her side, grinning from ear to ear.

"No." Tugger said defensibly, ears flattening. His ego was already starting to get bruised by Bombalurina's obviously horrified reaction.

Munkustrap smirked. "Oh come on Tugger, where's your holiday spirit?"

"It's gone; lost in a blizzard somewhere," he replied dryly. Tugger sighed and looked around at the many expectant faces of the tribe. Knowing that there was no point in arguing, for it was already a lost battle, he just stood there, dumbfounded. A few catcalls sounded from the audience. He chanced a glace at the queen standing to his side, finding that her face was now the same colour as her coat.

Bombalurina felt herself cringe as she found that her feet refused to move from the spot she was standing in. Horrified, she chanced a glace at Tugger when she felt his eyes on her. They stared at each other, each unsure of what they should do. Tugger, annoyed at how long this was taking, decided to make the first move. "Look, this is the only way that they're going to shut up."

Tugger swiftly hopped to her side and grabbed her face before she could register what exactly was happening. Suddenly, he pressed his lips to hers, and neither noticed that the room had fallen silent. Bombalurina's heart seemed to stop for a minute. His lips were so soft. This was so familiar yet so unusually surreal. Warmth began to spread throughout her body. Without realizing what she was doing she pressed in closer, lost in the familiar feel of his fur. A shuffling sound from behind her soon jerked her back to reality and she remembered that everyone was watching them. Her face burned and she froze in mortification. What was she doing! The gasps and whispers coming from the surrounding cats made her heart beat in an unsettling rhythm. It was getting harder and harder for her to breath. Tugger was staring at her with a funny expression on his face… Shock and some other emotion she couldn't quite place was radiating out of him in waves. She hadn't meant to let the situation get so out of hand! A loud, "Ew, gross!" from Tristram snapped her out of her stunned stupor.

"Um, I uh, forgot something back at the den- I have to go!" Embarrassed Bombalurina raced from the group of Jellicles. When she decided that she was far enough away from the group, she slumped down into the snow. What had she just let herself get into?

The party had started up again a few seconds after Bombalurina's departure, and everyone had started enjoying themselves. All that the The Rum Tum Tugger could manage do to however, was pout in a corner and glare at the dancing cats. What had just happened? He still couldn't wrap his mind around it. As he spotted his two current enemies approaching, his tail bristled. "What did you two just get me into?"

Mistoffelees and Munkustrap just laughed nervously before they started to back away again.


"Stupid Demeter. Stupid Munkustrap. Stupid Mistletoe. Stupid Tugger!" Bombalurina slashed at another pillow senselessly. Why did everything awkward always have to happen to her? She should have known better! Not able to handle her raging emotions anymore, she slumped down onto her bed and buried her head under the pillow, trying to hide from the world and all of its cruel occurrences. She was never going to be able to live this one down! Oh why had she decided to attend the party?


"Mom. Mom! Wake up- I got presents!" Tristram forcefully shook the red queen. Startled, Bombalurina shot up and surveyed her surroundings. After mutilating all of the pillows in the den last night, she probably passed out and Tristram and Tugger must have found her and decided to let her sleep. Rubbing her eyes and pushing the memories of last out as far out of her mind as she possibly could, she made her way over to the direction that he kitten was pointing in.

"Wow, Tristram! Look at all these gifts! You are one lucky cat," she said as she sat down on the ground and watched him survey the objects on the ground.

"Well it looks like someone has found all of their presents," Tugger grinned as he sauntered into the den with a bowl of cream. He let out a whistle and gestured to the pile of gifts on the ground. "Wow kit, you must have been pretty good this past year. Look at all this stuff!"

Tristram bounded around the den excitedly before holding up a long silver object. "Sweet! I got a belt like dads!"

Tugger beamed and Bombalurina shook her head. Of course he would have gotten her son a belt! Tugger awkwardly handed a plate of cream to Bombalurina. He was still clearly feeling uneasy about last night and was unsure of how to handle the situation. He called Tristram over to the cream and the kitten responded with a loud grunt. Bombalurina sent him a warning glare and he slumped his shoulders and headed over to his parents, dejectedly.

Bombalurina and Tugger watched in amazement as Tristram quickly lapped up the cream in record time and immediately ran to play with the rest of his gifts. As he fiddled with a toy mouse on the ground, Tugger glanced at Bombalurina and gave her a shy smile. She looked back, unsure of what to say. Where exactly were they supposed to go from here?

Sensing her discomfort, Tugger sat down and looked out of the den entrance. When he felt her sit down beside him, he smiled. Taking a breath, he whispered shyly, "Merry Christmas, Bombalurina."

When he heard her quietly whisper back, "Merry Christmas, Tugger," he could swear that he felt something that resembled love, swell up inside of him.