A/N: See! I don't neglect my stories! ... much ... The last part down there I did solely for fun, and because I love little tiny kittens!. It's not really going to have any bearing on the plot. I just wanted a longer chapter, and that's all I could think of. Anyways, as always, enjoy!

Sarah smiled sleepily as Brandon slid into the seat next to her. It was lunch the next day, and the cafeteria had been reopened. It was still a little dusty from the repairs the janitors had been doing, so the majority of students still chose to rough it out on the grass, which meant that Brandon and Sarah would be able to talk without being overheard.

"How're you feeling?" Brandon asked as he readjusted his tray of slightly mushy cafeteria food.

Sarah poked at her own lunch with a fork. "Kinda sleepy," she muttered. But then she smiled up at him. "Really good though," she mumbled.

He smiled back, his mind still on the events of the previous evening. They hadn't done anything naughty per se, but it was still more fun (not to mention more exciting and risqué) to be together in their true forms. "That's good," he said through a yawn. Taking a bite of macaroni and cheese, he asked, "You didn't have any problems with your family, did you?"

Sarah shook her head. "Nope. Almost everybody was gone when I got back, and I just went home with Mark. And ya' know, I think he really believed me when I told him I was playing hide'n'seek with Jemi all night!"

Brandon was curious as to who exactly "Jemi" was, but decided to keep quiet. "So I guess the lying lessons paid off, eh?" he asked. She nodded proudly, beaming. Brandon continued: "That's good. Maybe we should keep that up?"

She winced. "I dunno. Maybe." She sat for a moment in silence, poking at a cold-ish bowl of chicken-flavored ramen, seemingly in rapt contemplation over something or another. Finally, she looked around, then whispered hesitantly, "Brandon, I don't want to keep it a secret!"

"You don't want to keep what a secret?"

"What you are."

"Bunches!" he cried out, almost leaping out of his chair. "Are you crazy!" He then peered around the cafeteria, disturbed to see that some were staring at him and his sudden outburst. He grimaced, settled down in his chair again, and said a little more quietly this time, "Bunches! You can't be serious! You can't tell people what I am – or what you are, for that matter!"

She rolled her eyes, frowning. "No, not like, people!" she whispered. "Just, like, my friends! The tribe! Other Jellicles!"

"You seriously want to let others know what I am?"

"Hey, we're a little different, too, in case you haven't noticed! And it's not like we never keep secrets from the humans!"

"Bunches! You can't!"

"Well, why not? You could tell Pollicles about me, if you wanted!"

Suddenly, Brandon's expression changed from outrage to cold sadness. He turned away and said, "It's not that simple."

Sarah, now concerned, poked his shoulder and queried, "Well, why not!"

He turned back to her, pleading with her eyes. "Sarah, think about this," he said very quietly. "You're a cat. I'm a dog. Think about it. It would be like the Capulets and the Montagues, or the Hatfields and the McCoys, or the Sharks and the Jets, or the Klingons and the Romulans. Think about it. Would any Jellicles you know really approve of you being with me?" She looked at the floor, seeming to think, but Brandon pressed on: "They wouldn't. They can't even know about us Pollicles for just that reason. If they knew about us, Bunches, there would probably be war."

She looked up at him sharply. "War!" she cried, incredulously.

"Well, maybe not war," he hedged, "but there would at least be fights. Maybe enough that the humans would notice. And then we'd have last summer all over again, only this time, we would be involved, too."

Sarah looked at the floor again, thinking over his words. Finally, she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and put her head on his shoulder. "I don't want that to happen," she whispered.

Brandon (who could have sworn he felt wetness where she was resting on his shirt), held her close to him, comforting her. "Me neither," he whispered, "Me neither." But most of what he'd said was true. If Jellicles were to find out that Pollicles still existed, who knew what those crazy cats might do! They were cats, for crying out loud! Not to mention that if the Pollicles found out that the Jellicles knew about them, they might just decide to do something about it themselves, like maybe taking out the dumb Pollicle that had told on them. And Brandon definitely didn't want that!

It was all those dumb Hunters' fault, he decided. If it weren't for them, then maybe his Pack wouldn't have to be so careful, and maybe humans wouldn't be so afraid. Still, those were only maybes, and pretty big maybes at that. But maybe, just maybe he wouldn't have to enjoy his glorious caninity only in a locked room, and maybe he wouldn't be forced to wear that stupid medallion all the time, being captive to it, controlling how and when he changed. They were really more trouble than they were worth nowadays, he decided also. Considering that they didn't really need them when they were under the moon, why use them anymore? If one was to be lost accidentally, or stolen, its Pollicle possessor would be at the mercy of it, and unable to change back without it!

Although, he thought as he held his Jellicle girlfriend in his arms ... Sarah had been able to change without one. All the Jellicles must have been able to. She'd said back on that fateful night three days before the moon that it had something to do with names, but he still really had no idea what that would mean.

That gave him an idea.

"Bunches?" he asked softly. Sarah looked up at him wide-eyed. "Bunches, do you think you could ... teach me to ... change?"

She looked at him really weird now, completely confused as to what he was talking about. "Teach you to change?" she questioned. "But you can already change! What do you want me to –"

"No," he interrupted her. "I mean, like, you know, teach me to change without the medallion. You do it, don't you?"

"Well, duh," she looked at him like it was obvious.

"Well, can you teach me?"

She looked down yet once more, thinking it over. Finally, she said, "Well, I guess I could try!"

"Martha Joy!"

"No!"

"Come on, Martha Joy!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Martha Joy Lisa Anderson-Buren!"

"Nooooo!"

Peder hung his head in frustration. It was 10:30, the night after the full moon, and Peder was exhausted. He kneeled at the edge of the futon-bed his little girl was now sitting proudly on. He had her for the week while Tracy was on a business trip, and he'd had explicit instructions that she was to be in bed by eight every night.

Well, so much for that. He might have been able to get Martha Joy to go to sleep, but Jyestha was a whole different story.

"Please?" he found himself begging to the kitten reigning over the futon. "Change back! Go to sleep!"

"No!" she called, smiling proudly. She was the one in control here, and she knew it. "No change! Jaysa!"

"Jyestha..." he moaned, correcting her. If she was to say her Jellicle name, she should at least learn eventually how to say it correctly. Straightening his shoulders, he sat up, looked her square in the eye, and commanded, "Martha Joy! Change now and go to sleep!"

But the kit only shook her head, grinning a huge grin. There was no way she'd change if she had anything to say about it!

Peder hung his head again. "Martha Joy ... change back," he mumbled feebily.

"No! Daddy change!"

He was about to protest, but two important points then struck his head which made him sit up abruptly. One, that he was trying to argue with a three and a half year old kitten who just wanted to get her way, and two, that she had an interesting point.

He looked at her curiously. "You want Daddy to change?" he questioned.

Jyestha nodded happily.

"And if Daddy changes, will Jyestha go to bed?"

Again, the little kit nodded. "But Daddy sleep here!" she said, slapping her paws on the futon.

Peder considered it a moment, then shrugged. If it would make her go to sleep finally, he'd be willing to spend the night a little furrier than usual. Quickly, he got up and ran around the house, closing all the blinds and double-checking all the locks on the doors and windows (he kept them locked all the time anyway, but it never hurt to make sure it was secure). Coming back to Martha Joy's room, he stopped just outside the doorway, making sure she couldn't see him. He took off his shirt, and was about to remove his pants too, when he recalled that that might not be such a great idea. After a little debate, he left them on. They were baggy pajama pants anyway, and wouldn't be as uncomfortable as how it would be if he changed back without anything on. That decided, he willed the change, beaming as he felt his bones rearranging and mane growing. Now in full feline form, the Rum Tum Tugger slowly stepped into his daughter's room.

"Daddy!" she squealed as he entered. He smiled; it was worth it now, to see his Jyestha happy like this. Delighted, she wriggled under the covers. Tugger went around the bed to lie down on top of the blankets on the other side. "Daddy..." she murmured as he settled down and put his arms around her.

"Will you go to sleep now?" Tugger asked.

Jyestha nodded, but said, "Tell story first! Kitty story!"

Tugger opened his mouth, about to protest, but then decided against it. He was too tired and exhausted to argue with her any more. And besides, it was good for her to hear the Jellicle stories.

Grinning, he began telling a tale: "The Pekes and the Pollicles, everyone knows..."

A/N: Lookattheauthorprofile: bows Thank you! I don't think I've ever received such high praise (at least for this story!).