Full Summary:

Grizabella wakes up from a nightmare, Old Deuteronomy is there to comfort her.

Deutabella - Old Deuteronomy x Grizabella

Happy Tribe AU - Where Grizabella never left and Macavity never became evil


Old Deuteronomy opened his eyes slowly, feeling the cushions move beside him and the much smaller, but warm body beside him, move. He sluggishly turned to the side, finding his mate sitting up, her paws on her face. He could hardly hear her, but could see the unmistakable shake of her shoulders, as she silently gasped and cried.

"Grizabella?" He called and the queen turned around to face him, clearly not expecting him to be awake. Seeing her blue eyes wide while tears traveled down her face made his heart hurt. "What's wrong, my love?"

Grizabella hesitated before answering, as if she was unsure of what to say, or if she should say something at all. Old Deuteronomy reached a paw to her, resting it on her lower back in a reassuring gesture. The queen sighed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I had a nightmare…" She eventually said.

Old Deuteronomy nodded, stroking her fur with gentle fingers, until Grizabella laid beside him once more, resting her head on his shoulder and nuzzling his furry form. Old Deut embraced her, keeping her close, his arm a reassuring weight over her shoulders.

"Would you like to talk about it?" He asked.

Grizabella sighed, burying her face deeper on his shaggy fur.

"I dreamed… I've left…" She said, voice muffled and soft. "And that all of you hated me for it. Especially…" She hesitated, as if saying such things hurt. Tears started shining in her eyes again. "Especially Tugger…"

Old Deuteronomy nodded solemnly, carefully playing with Grizabella's now curly head fur.

"No one here would ever hate you." He assured her.

"You all did…" The queen shook her head and wiped the tears away. "And you wouldn't accept me back… Even when I regretted what I've done…"

Grizabella let out a broken sigh and was silent for a moment. Old Deuteronomy wanted to say calming words to her once more, but he knew his mate, he recognized her different silences and what they meant, so he waited.

"I almost left." She said eventually, voice barely above a whisper. "I could've left and all of this would've happened… All the hate, the betrayal, the tears…"

She was crying again. Old Deuteronomy wrapped his arms around Grizabella, pulling her closer, gently cradling her against his side as if she was a young kitten.

"You haven't left, you're here." He said, voice low and soft, while running his finger through her head fur. "And you are loved." He held her cheek with his large paw, and Grizabella raised her almost-gray colored eyes to him. "Don't ever forget that, my love."

The queen sighed and nodded after a few moments of stillness. The two nuzzled softly and slowly. Old Deuteronomy purred, a deep, and loud rumbling coming from his chest, that almost sounded like thunder, which so easily calmed anyone who was close enough to hear it, or feel it. Grizabella relaxed, bit by bit, answering with her own purring, a much softer sound, barely audible.

The two stayed like this for a while.

"I…" Grizabella broke the silence at some point, playing with her mate's fur. "I sometimes feel the urge to leave… I don't know where to, I don't know why…" She admitted, looking up and finding Old Deuteronomy's shinny amber eyes focused on her. They were sweet and kind, as they always were. "But at the same time I don't wish to go..."

"You're afraid of all outcomes…" The old Jellicle leader said as a fact.

Grizabella nodded.

"I don't know what I'll find out there. But I don't want to lose what I have here." She continued talking. "I love you, I love our family, I love this tribe. Why would I want to leave?"

Old Deuteronomy nodded along as she spoke, running his fingers calmly through her fur.

"You're curious about what could be. It's understandable. It's who you are." He said. "You're allowed, my love, to experience such things. If you want." Grizabella looked up at him as if she didn't fully understand what he was saying. "If you wish to go see what is out there, you can, Grizabella…"

The queen was silent for a moment, processing those words, maybe thinking how to respond to them. Old Deuteronomy patiently waited, purring just as kindly as before.

"No, I…" Grizabella sighed, shaking her head. "I don't want to go forever…"

"You don't need to." Old Deuteronomy said, lifting his mate's face with a finger under her chin. "You can explore the world out there and still return to us."

"But…" She hesitated, her cheeks warming up ever so slightly, and she averted her eyes, suddenly shy. Her voice came out soft: "What if I want to stay out there…?"

Old Deuteronomy was silent for a moment, but neither his smile nor his soft eyes changed.

"That doesn't mean you need to lose what you have here." He said. "So many of us live outside of the junkyard, to the point we rarely see them, but they still belong to the tribe, they're still family." He leaned his head to the side, offering her a crooked smile. "Or would you say Noilly Prat is less of a niece to you than, say, George, who lives amongst us?"

"Of course not." Grizabella said, shaking her head.

"Sometimes some of us need to go their own way, my beloved." Old Deuteronomy continued saying. "That doesn't mean we must cut ties with those who we love and have had around for years."

"But…" The queen spoke up, and hesitated, shy once more. "What if I am forgotten…?"

"Those who love never forget." Old Deuteronomy said, wise as always. "You'll always have a place with us."

Grizabella was silent, her eyes vague as she tangled her claws with parts of her mate's fur, until she sighed, shaking her head and resting it over his shoulder.

"I don't know what to think…"

"You don't need to think about this now, Griz." Old Deuteronomy patted her head fur, pulling her closer. "It is late, and we should both sleep. Just remember, my dear…" Grizabella looked up. "You are loved. No one would ever shun you for deciding to do that which makes you happy."

Grizabella sighed and nodded, offering Old Deuteronomy a tiny smile. She moved higher, pressing her lips against his, the soft kiss being retributed.

"Rest now, my dear." The old cat said, still keeping her close. "Rest and don't fret about these things."