Background:

One of Macavity's henchqueens, Jokaste, was formerly a Jellicle and Skimbleshanks's mate, but abandoned him (and their daughter Jellylorum) and went with Macavity.

Underneath his jolly exterior, Skimbleshanks is broken inside. He wants to be reborn in order to forget Jokaste. It's a selfish wish, of course; it would essentially leave Jelly an orphan. Old D in her wisdom knew all of this and never for a moment planned to choose him; the Jellicle Choice is not meant to be an escape from difficulty. Skimble must work through the heartbreak rather than run from it, and let his fellow Jellicles and his daughter help him heal.

"Daddy!" The ginger-furred queenkit bounded up to her father, who stopped just short of reaching the rest of the group. Skimbleshanks heaved a sigh of exhaustion and relief. It had felt like the longest walk of his life, but he had made it. And there was no sight that could have been more pleasing to him at this moment than the sight of his little daughter running to greet him.

"Daddy," Jellylorum repeated, skidding to a stop just shy of bumping into him, "you're back! Where did you go?" Her lip quivered slightly. Had she thought he'd abandoned her? The way her mother had abandoned the both of them? The thought filled Skimble with remorse.

"Oh, you know," he chuckled, "just had to settle a few…matters…with a certain scary pirate."

Jelly giggled at that. "You tell the funniest stories, Dad."

"Thank you, darling, it's one of my many talents," Skimble grinned, chucking the queenkit under the chin. Then his face sobered. "Has the choice been made?"

"Yes," Jelly gasped, as if she'd only just remembered. "Look up, quick!"

Skimbleshanks raised his gaze to the sky, squinting in the early-morning sunlight.

"There, see?" said Jelly, pointing. "She's still there, going up-up-up to the Heaviside Layer!" She frowned. "Daddy. Will she be back?"

Skimble returned his gaze to his daughter, somewhat startled by the question. He supposed the Jellicle Choice was a bit of a complicated matter for kitten-minds to grasp. "She will…someday," he answered. But as a new cat…no one will even recognize or remember her, he thought. And that's what would have happened to me, had I been chosen…where would that have left this dear little tyke? Another orphan to be raised by Munkustrap and the others...

Jelly seemed to consider this for a moment. Then, "I'm glad you weren't chosen, Daddy," she went on. "I didn't know being chosen meant you had to go away in a balloon and not come back for a long time. I don't want you to go away in a balloon, daddy." For a long moment, Skimble only gazed thoughtfully at her, and Jelly began to worry that she'd said something wrong. "Daddy, are you sad you didn't get chosen?"

On a sudden impulse, Skimbleshanks scooped the little queenkit up into his arms and hugged her protectively to him. How could he have ever for a moment considered leaving her? Just to escape his own pain and grief? Such things needed to be faced, not escaped. He would go the long route - the difficult way, but the right way. He would allow his daughter and the rest of his Jellicle family to help him heal. And perhaps, someday, they could persuade Jokaste and Bombalurina and the other henchqueens to return to their true home... "Thank you, Deuteronomy," he murmured.

"What, Daddy?" asked Jelly, her tiny arms wrapped around his neck.

"I said, no, love, I'm not sad. I'm glad. I'm not going away in any balloon. I'm going to stay right here with you."

"Always?"

"Always."