Disclaimer:

This chapter contains implied non-con between two characters. Nothing is explicitly described or shown (this is a rated T fic, after all), but if the implication alone is enough to make certain readers uncomfortable, I would recommend bypassing this chapter.

Selene didn't realize how keen Macavity was on having kits of his own. She had told him the news almost immediately after finding out herself. It would be futile to try and hide it, especially from a magical cat.

In retrospect, his reaction shouldn't have been surprising. They had talked frequently about the importance of bloodlines and establishing your territorial claim through familial connection.

Selene didn't find herself nearly as enthused about the situation as her mate. While she acknowledged that the pregnancy had brought them closer together, this did not stop Macavity's wandering eye, nor his brutality.

She knew he hoped that the kits would inherit his magical abilities, for what reason she wasn't sure. It couldn't be for benevolent purposes. The milky white queen unconsciously found herself touching the swell of her belly feeling for any movement. She wasn't too far along yet, early enough in the process to where she could still pass as not pregnant.

Macavity, in the interest of his future offspring, now wanted to be updated on her daily whereabouts. She found herself constantly under the watchful eye of her mate's henchcats, most of whom she found a heavy dislike for.

She had asked him what would happen if her kits did not develop their father's powers, to which he was elusive with his reply. From what she gathered, they would simply be adopted as other members of his gang. Perhaps this was the best outcome. She dared asking him the opposite - what their fate would be if they did indeed have his abilities.

He told her that these were things that she didn't need to bother herself with.

Selene felt strangely isolated, not because she was unused to it, but because it actually bothered her. She had spent many years with just her thoughts as company, but she still had her freedom, something sorely lacking in her current situation. Her stomach continued to grow, as did her dissatisfaction.

Macavity paid more attention to her than he ever had, but this did not translate physically or emotionally. He satisfied his needs with an ever growing list of lovers, while Selene sulked over the restrictions enforced by his henchcats. She was not to leave the house they inhabited without permission or an escort.

She was…imprisoned. But perhaps she was not alone in her suffering.

It was a day like any other when a new queen found a home in Macavity's hideout. That in itself wasn't unusual, especially of late, but what Selene did find interest in was the fact that she didn't leave. No, she very well couldn't leave because she was guarded. She was a pretty young thing, covered in black, white, and gold markings. It was quite obvious why Macavity would find an interest in her. But that was all it was with his consorts.

An interest.

A distraction.

So why was he not letting her leave?

She couldn't be a prisoner. She was treated rather well, with plentiful amounts of food and enough blankets to keep her warm.

Was he looking for a new mate?

That….seemed more likely.

It took a week before Selene visited this strange queen. Her door was guarded and there were no windows, but she was not chained down. There was no need as escape was impossible. Food lay uneaten in the corner, currently being ravished by ants and flies.

It was her eyes that Selene first took note of. It was the look of defeat. Of submission. Of a resounding lack of willpower. She had seen many queens on the street with the same look, those who had fallen prey to males with less than admirable intentions. Males who looked at them as prey to be caught. To be conquered.

So that was why she was here.

It made her shudder. Selene knew Macavity wasn't a good cat. Not even close. She had seen him maim, she had seen him murder. He had performed horrendous acts to cement his position as leader and maintain his ever expanding group of followers. But this was different. No queen deserved to have their body taken from their control and used to satisfy his desires.

She wondered perhaps if this queen was the first that Macavity used in this way. Selene couldn't think of anyone else, which gave her if only a small amount of comfort.

The room was eerily silent as the white queen dropped a mouse at the hostage's paws. A peace offering of sorts. She had so much she wanted to ask her.

Who are you?

How does Macavity know you?

Does he….love you?

But she found she couldn't say a word. The gold queen looked up at her from the floor, pawing at the mouse but not eating it. Her eyes landed on her stomach and remained there for some time before dropping back to the floor.

On that trip, no words were said at all.

But Selene was not sated.

She came again, and again. And a third time. Nothing.

She heard her mate's henchcats snickering in the basement, for the hostage was a Jellicle, and Jellicle cats deserved whatever punishment Macavity inflicted upon them.

Ah. Was she an old flame of his? Back in the days when he was still a member of the tribe?

Had she rejected him before? He never did well with that. With not getting what he wanted.

It was her fifth day and another mouse was dropped at the Jellicle queen's paws. It was no different than any of her other trips, except for one thing. The sound of a voice.

"Are they his?"

Her voice sounded creaky. Broken. As if she hadn't used it in a while, or…. perhaps she had used it too much. Selene wanted to ask her what she meant but she could see her eyes lay once again on her growing belly.

Oh. She saw no benefit in hiding that bit of information.

"Yes."

The Jellicle Queen once again averted her gaze, and Selene wondered how she could find so much interest in the ground.

"You have magic, then?" she asked softly.

What?

"I'm not a magician."

That caught her attention. She looked back up, frowning.

"You must be," she said, eyeing her belly.

"Why must I be?"

The Jellicle queen narrowed her eyes.

"He hasn't told you?"

Selene felt herself growing frustrated.

"Told me what?"

"Why he hasn't had any other kittens?"

Selene's silence stood as a clear indication to keep explaining.

"It is dangerous for normal cats to carry the offspring of magicians. Their bodies can't handle the differences in physiology. Most pregnancies end in miscarriage."

"But…"

"Those that don't," she continued, "end in death. Of the mother, and most times of the kittens."

Selene wanted to say that this Jellicle queen was out of her mind. But….she couldn't. Macavity clearly wanted kittens, so why was she the first to be able to give him any?

Did she have magic?

Selene wasn't a young cat, surely she would have noticed something abnormal about herself by now. Or…or maybe she just wasn't trying hard enough.

Was that why Macavity kept her around? Did he ever love her? Or was she just an incubator for him?

"I'm not a magician," she repeated, though less confident than the time before.

And that was the end of that.

She came back the next day, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Does it worry you?" she asked.

"What?"

"About the possibility that he may get you pregnant?"

"No," she said, eyes fixated at some point on the wall.

It was the only word she gave her, and Selene didn't dare push it farther.

Another day passed. And yet another.

"What does he want with kittens?"

The gold queen didn't even try to make eye contact with her this time.

"I said…"

"I heard you," she muttered, drawing circle on the sandy floor with her paw.

"Well, what does he…"

"I don't know," she cut in icily. "To teach them to kill? To torture? To abuse queens?"

She sniffled, and it was then that she could see the tears forming in the hostage's eyes.

Selene found herself rubbing her stomach again. The kits were plenty large now, she could feel two of them in there. She came to the realization that if her kits were born with magic, if they ended up in their father's clutches, it was more than possible they would turn out just like him. She didn't want to be responsible for more misery in the world.

Selene wasn't sure how long she had been with Macavity for. The beginning of their relationship felt like an entirely different chapter in her life. She spent a while believing that he had slowly changed for the worse over the months, but had now come to terms with the fact that he was always this way. He was always cruel, and she doubted he had any genuine concern for her. In fact, she didn't think he was capable of love at all.

And it angered her. The hold that the ginger tom held over her, a hold so strong that she was willing to gloss over his sadistic tendencies, his many affairs, his vile treatment of her. He didn't deserve to have kits, especially magical ones. It turned her stomach to know that she was the one who had gave him what he most wanted in the world. That he was going to find joy in taking pieces of her and manipulating them to serve his nefarious purposes.

She left the Jellicle queen's den, enraged with…. well, with everything. Her life wasn't supposed to be this way. She was beautiful once, she could dance like no other queen, and had toms lining up at her paws.

What was she now?

She shook her head, a new sense of purpose building within her. It was late now, she realized. And there was only one guard between her and the Jellicle queen's quarters. It didn't take long for her to nick some medication for Macavity's supply, nor did it take her long to drug his henchcat's drinking water. The effect wasn't immediate, and Selene waited with bated breath as his eyes slowly closed and he sunk to the floor.

She padded up cautiously, sniffing around to see if he was still breathing. It was human medication that she stole – well, that Mac stole to use for…reasons – and she wasn't quite sure of the effect it would have on cats. The henchcat - who's name she couldn't quite remember - was, in fact, still alive, though deeply unconscious.

Good. She was in the clear.

She opened the door quickly and grabbed for the golden queen's paw.

"What…"

"Be quiet," she hissed softly, almost dragging her across the hallway.

She whipped her head around the corner, making sure that nobody else was awake and watching them.

"Come on."

She wouldn't leave through the front door. That was guarded. But the ventilation shaft? That was fair game.

The two queens made their way through with surprisingly little effort, and eventually ended up in the outside, where the cold winter air welcomed them.

The Jelllicle queen turned to look at her.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked. There was no venom in her voice. Exhaustion, perhaps, but very little anger.

Selene shrugged, bunching the snow together with her paw.

"It was the right thing to do." She refrained from adding on the fact that it would surely piss Macavity off, losing his dear prize.

She expected the gold queen to run off now, find her home again, but she still stood there, eyeing her.

"What?"

"Come with me."

Selene definitely wasn't expecting that offer.

"Are you serious?"

"I am."

Her eyes were so terribly earnest, and for a second, Selene was tempted to take her offer. But…she would never last in a tribe like them. She had spent her whole life alone. And she would spend the rest of her life alone. It was how it was meant to be.

She shook her head, taking a step backwards.

"I have to go back."

"To him?"

"He is my mate. I am carrying his kittens."

"They are your kittens too."

Were they? Ever since she had gotten pregnant, it always felt as though she was just a vessel for his children. They were never hers.

"Take them away," the Jellicle queen said, still looking intently at her. "Take them far away. Don't ever let him touch them. If you were to do anything, at least do that."

"They are his kittens," she snapped, louder than she intended. "I can't…"

She blinked, feeling the tears now in her eyes.

She whipped around quickly, not wanting the Jellicle queen to see her face.

"I'm just trying…"

"Go," she interrupted angrily. "Go before I change my mind."

Selene leapt back into the vent, wiping away her tears. She waited a minute before turning back around, and all she could see was the black sky and a thick blanket of snow on the ground.

The Jellicle queen was gone.

Selene realized, perhaps much too late, that she never even knew her name.

#

Macavity was mad. More than mad. The guard on watch was questioned which much ferocity, though nothing came of it. He recalled nothing. It took almost two weeks for his anger to die down, and it was at that time that she could feel the pains of labor approaching.

It was as though the atmosphere of the hideout changed immediately. Macavity had every queen under his command attend to her needs, helping her as she pushed, giving her water to quench her thirst. She wasn't sure how quick her labor was, she had never had a litter before, but she didn't think it took terribly long before she felt the first kitten beneath her. A second one soon followed, and with that, she was done.

She bent down to see two kittens, each with tuxedo markings, as they breathed the air for the first time.

Perhaps it was her ignorance, but her second kit – her son – he was so…small. Much smaller than his brother. It was the only noticeable difference aside from his paws, of which he only had one black while his brother had four. He was struggling to latch as well, pawing at her soft belly fur as he tried in vain to feed.

It didn't take Macavity long to become informed about the birth, and strode into the room with great intent in his eyes. He glared at the kittens for what seemed like an eternity, and Selene couldn't quite make out what he was thinking underneath his hardened gaze.

"This one's a runt," he finally snarled, pawing the smaller kit before turning his attention over to his brother.

"Let's hope this one's powers manifest quickly. I'd like to start training him as soon as possible."

"For what?" she dared to ask.

He told her again it was none of her concern, that she shouldn't pry into his personal matters. Her work was done, and once the kit was weaned, she had little reason to see him. Macavity didn't bother naming the runt, claiming he wouldn't last the night. The larger tom was named Mephistopheles, and it was within him that all his father's hopes lied.

The only thing she could think about after that moment was the fact that he was going to take the kittens from her. From their mother.

The runt let out a pitiful mew of hunger as he tried to feed, and Selene gently shifted Mephistopheles over to allow his brother some room.

He was lagging behind, she knew. At a week old now, the runt wasn't gaining the weight he needed, but surprisingly had still managed to survive the last seven days. His father had found little interest in him, still solely focused on his much healthier brother.

He had finished his feed for now, but was still rather restless, poking at her stomach with his tiny little paws.

She sighed.

"Why won't you sleep?" she asked.

The kitten paused, looking up at her.

Wait…

He was looking at her.

With his eyes.

His eyes were open!

It was utterly surreal, for all of his infirmities that came with being the runt of the litter, he had still managed to open his eyes before his brother.

Selene was strangely proud.

Another week had passed, the kittens were walking now.

Sort of.

Crawling would be the better word. Mephistopheles was much better at it, his legs were much stronger. He now lay across her chest in a milk-induced coma while the runt was next to her, very much not asleep. He half walked, half dragged himself across the floor, only to be stopped by a large ginger tom who had just entered the room.

Macavity glared at the kitten, the tiny two-week old scrap of fur, who was sprawled on the dirt covered ground.

"He isn't dead?" he asked, eyes red.

His eyes were very red today, a side effect of his magic. He must have been mad about something.

But the runt….he didn't seem frightened. Perplexed maybe, but he didn't scamper away or try to hide. He struggled to his paws and looked curiously upon the cat who sired him.

Even Macavity looked rather impressed as the kitten bumped his nose into his leg.

But the moment didn't last long. He nudged the runt out of the way, focusing once again on Mephistopheles who was angrily mewing from being woken up from his nap. The runt's cries could be heard in the background as he curled himself into a ball and shook violently from the cold.

"Have you seen anything unusual about him yet?"

"No," she replied stonily, the screeches from both of the kittens ringing in her ears.

Macavity scoffed, flexing his paw, unflexing his paw, flexing it again…he was agitated. And terribly impatient.

He left the room without another word, as Selene tried to quiet down the children.

She hated how little he cared for her. For their runt. She hated how he left her here to deal with the kittens while he went off to do who knows what. She….hated him. She hated everything.

It took another week, another week of questions, of anger, of feeding and crying. The whole process was horrendous. They would be weaned soon, and as Macavity said, she would have little reason to see them after that.

The white queen laid her head down to sleep, but was soon awoken by the sound of mews.

She sighed, opening her eyes. The runt was awake, rolled on his back and having the time of his life as he pawed at nothing particular in the air above him. She reached over to swipe at the little tux again, to tell him to shut up, she needed to sleep…but then he looked over at her.

His eyes….

Were they red?

She gasped, jumping up and coming in closer to him.

His eyes…those were….it couldn't be.

Did the runt have magic?

Selene had hoped that perhaps neither kitten did. She didn't want them to. Because that was what Macavity wanted.

She thought back to what the Jellicle queen said, about keeping them away from him.

What did Macavity want with them?

And as fast as she was surprised, she was then angry, as well. She didn't want them with Macavity. She didn't want them at all. She never wanted kittens. She wanted….she wanted to be wanted. To be loved. And all she got was pain. Why should Macavity get everything and her nothing?

She shook her head.

No.

She knew now what she wanted.

She wanted to hurt him.

Selene bided her time, building up the strength to complete what she had tasked herself to do. She would soon hit Macavity were it hurt the most, his legacy. The demolition of his family line. She would not let him twist the kits into the same evil that he possessed. Keeping them alive was a danger to all, especially in the paws of their father. She would not give him the satisfaction of her offspring's mere existence.

It had to be done, she kept telling herself.

It had to be.

She waited until the middle of the night to make her escape. With only one guard on her now, slitting his throat with her sharpened claws was easy, especially with his back turned. The runt was asleep for once, and she placed him on her back while Mephistopheles hung from her jaws like a pendulum. She made her way once again through the hideout, and almost made it outside before she was caught.

"Where do you think you are going?"

She turned around to see one of Macavity's henchcat's – Peter? – staring her down with a gleam in his eyes.

Shit.

She placed the kittens on the floor as he unsheathed his claws. She wasn't going to make it. She wasn't going…she wasn't a fighter. Not really. She would be killed in an instant.

"I'm taking them out for some night air," she said coolly, trying to give nothing away.

It didn't work. The henchcat leaped at her and she squeezed her eyes shut and…

And?

She felt…strange. Like something was building within her. Like something that had been lying dormant for quite a while. Something that she still couldn't quite comprehend. Selene whipped her paw out in an attempt to defend herself but the blow never came.

She opened her eyes to see Peter thrown into a wall with a large crash and immediately knocked unconscious.

What? Was that…magic? Did she do that?

Selene didn't have time to dwell on that thought, however. The crash was loud and surely would have woken up other cats by now. She grabbed the kittens again and left as quickly as she could.

The night was cold as snow assaulted them from all angles. Mephistopheles whined constantly, yet the runt remained eerily silent. It still amazed her how he had to clung to life for this long, but it was a futile task in the end. If they weren't attacked by beasts tonight, then they would surely die from exposure. She supposed it didn't matter how they went out in the end, just as long as her task was completed.

She traveled far, or at least it felt far. The snow was making it hard to walk, and her calves burned. Selene placed both kittens in the snow with greater sorrow than she would have thought. The runt hadn't moved the whole trip. She supposed he must already be dead, there were very few signs of life left in him. Mephistopheles continued to whine, especially as there was no heat source to warm him. They kittens were still too young to articulate, but she imagined that he was asking for food, for warm, for…well, anything but this.

She turned around, not daring to look back in case her nerves got the best of her. She wasn't sure what to do now, but she knew that she needed to get as far away from here as possible to avoid Macavity or his henchcats imminent retribution.

Even from a distance, she swore she could hear Mephistopheles' wails.

Shaking her head, she continued on.

They were a sacrifice she was willing to make.