Rumpleteazer wrinkled her brow in consternation. "Sooo...let me get me head around this, yeah," she said pensively. "You see ghosts? And no one else can?"
Munkustrap nodded. "That's right," he confirmed. "Apart from Old Deuteronomy, Mistoffelees and the Witches Twins that is. I'm pretty sure no one else can, but don't quote me on that, for there may well be others who just haven't mentioned it. I only started seeing them after that...you know...incident."
"And this is the Cat you saw just now?" Rumpleteazer continued, pointing to a small oil painting that was hanging on the wall in Munkustrap's den, next to fourteen others.
They were all portraits of past protectors and Rumpleteazer had to admit they all a beefy, severe looking bunch, including the only one that so happened to be a queen in amongst the toms. "That's Andrimelda," Munkustrap explained to her. "Also known as Fat Andimelda, although she wasn't really fat. Just big! She gave birth twenty six kittens you know. Or so they say."
The pictures were hung in order from oldest to most recent, with the older ones having been depicted on canvas by an unknown artist, whereas the more recent ones were photographs. Munkustrap and Rumpleteazer gazed at the first, which portrayed a handsomely fierce looking silver tabby Maine Coon with blazing amber eyes. "That is correct," Munkustrap replied. "Yes, it was Siren alright."
"Ere, I can't find you anywhere!" Rumpleteazer said suddenly, scanning the wall.
"That is because I am not there," he replied.
"Why not?" She asked.
"Because, I am neither dead nor retired," he chuckled. "Yet."
Rumpleteazer smiled, all of a sudden feeling uncharacteristically self conscious. She glanced sideways and caught him looking at her so she quickly turned her head away again, her tail curling with shyness. "You're looking at me," she informed him as though he didn't know.
"So it would seem," he stated.
"You never look at me, though," she said, sounding puzzled.
He raised his eyebrows. "Oh?" He replied, feigning surprise. "So I have never looked at you? Then how do I know who you are?"
"Don't get cocky!" She said, tersely. "You know what I mean!"
"Do I?" He chuckled. "I love how you women over exaggerate. I have looked at you many times, so I am confused as to where you are plucking the 'never' from."
She shrugged. "You just, never looked at me...you know...like that, before."
"Like what?" He pressed. "Admiring you?"
She nodded, still looking the other way. "Yeah."
"Has no one ever admired you?" He asked, moving towards her.
She looked down at the floor and shrugged again. "Dunno. Why would they?" She said.
"Why would they indeed! I find that hard to believe!" He scoffed and reached out to gently lift her chin so that he could look into her eyes; and was instantly lost for words. She was gorgeous. How could she not see it? He especially loved the spritely little polka dot freckles that peppered her ginger striped face, coupled with the defiant pout of her lips. And as for her figure? Well! Where it had once been rather boyish, it had now filled out; with strong curves that were pleasing to the eye. Here was not one of your weak, wimpy queens who were scared of their own shadows. She was brave, spirited, strong. He liked that. Ok, so she didn't have an ounce of common sense, had the capacity to drive him round the bend with her incessant chatter and was completely unreliable. But nobody was perfect!
"No," he said. "I suppose, no one has looked at you like this before. Does it make you feel uncomfortable?"
She shrugged. "Nah, not really," she replied. "It's all a bit...weird, I guess. I'm more used to having you glarin at me. I think I must have fallen in love with that frown of yours!"
Her copper eyes gazed intently at him; wide and inquisitive. "They always seem to be laughing," he thought. "Though, usually at someone else's expense!"
They were the complete opposite of his. Indeed, they always seemed to be frowning a little, even when he was smiling. He shook his head. "I am still perplexed as to what on Earth a gorgeous queen like you sees in me," he said.
Her eyes were laughing at him again. "Silly!" She giggled, raising her eyebrows as she looked him up and down.
"What DON'T I see!" She breathed and started to lean in.
He found himself staring longingly at her lips, the sudden desire he felt for her almost overwhelming, feeling like a caged bull that was trying to smash its way out of its confinement in order to get to her...but he couldn't! Not yet! And kissing her now be a bad idea, because he knew that he wouldn't want to stop there. So instead he held her paws, nervously rubbing her fingers with his thumbs. Then he looked down at the floor and took a deep, shuddering breath before letting it out slowly. "Let's just say," he began. "That I was to say yes. I would like you to do something for me."
Her lips pouted even more. "Like what?" She huffed, disgruntled.
"You must put an end to your thieving ways," he told her.
"But thieving is what I am!" she protested. "It's my life! What else would I do?"
"Well here's a suggestion," he countered. "You could get this thing called a job, like the rest of us!"
"But thieving is all I'm good at though!" She whined. "A girl's got to eat ya know!"
"Do you want to be a mother?" He asked her sternly.
"Yes!" She insisted.
"Then prove it," he said bluntly.
"But how?" She wailed.
"Well you can stop whinging, for a start!" He chided.
"Humph!" She frowned and indignantly crossed her arms.
Munkustrap softened his tone. "Look. Let me show you something."
He guided her over to the old trunk and sat her down next to it while he unlocked it and lifted the lid. After a bit of rummaging, he eventually pulled out the thick scrapbook and opened it up, allowing the pages to fall onto her lap so that she could see. "I'm going to tell you something that I haven't really told anyone," he explained.
He pointed to the model. "See him?"
"Yeah. That's you ain't it?" She gathered.
He nodded. "Yes. A very young me. I can't be more than about six months old."
"Crikey! You're skinny!" She exclaimed.
"I am also as high as a kite," he confessed.
She looked at sharply. "Really?" She said in disbelief.
"Yes, you can tell." There was a regretful tone to his admission as he pointed out a detail in the photograph. "Look at the size of my pupils! That's not just the lights!"
She stared at him and practically squeaked, "Wait. You done DRUGS? What kind of stuff did you take?"
Munkustrap laughed uncomfortably. "Whatever I could get my paws on," he told her truthfully. "They got progressively harder as time went on in order to get the same effect. So yeah, I wasn't always as straight laced, shall we say, as cats like to think. I would to lie, beg, cheat, murder, steal...Whatever I had to do, I did in order to get the next fix and that's just the stuff I can tell you about. It was pretty much all I lived for."
"But why would you do that to yourself?" She couldn't fathom it.
"I am afraid I cannot answer that," he sighed and thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "No, sorry. I really can't."
Rumpleteazer shook her head in disbelief for the fifth time. "I can't believe that's you, I honestly can't. I just don't see it," she insisted.
"It took something very drastic, very tragic and very dramatic to convince me to change," he explained. "I can't really go into detail, simply because it is so...I hit rock bottom...basically." His voice started to falter. Just mentioning the vague details was proving harder than he thought, bringing unwanted memories trickling back into his mind as though being kept at bay behind a flimsy wooden flood gate that was already under great strain. He decided that it was time to round off this conversation.
"What happened?" She asked, absolutely intrigued.
He swallowed and slowly shook his head. "I-I can't really talk about it...sorry-" he stuttered.
"Nah it's fine," she reassured him, placing a comforting paw on his shoulder. "You just told me sommink real personal. I didn't mean to pry!"
He smiled and gazed sadly at the photograph as though suddenly remembering something. "The one thing I will say," he said. "Is that the only good thing about hitting rock bottom is that there's really only one way you can go."
"Where's that then?" She asked.
"Well...up, of course!" He said in a slightly patronizing tone whilst pointed a finger upwards, just to make his point clearer.
But she still looked confused, so he patiently explained, "Being down gave me the opportunity to access my life and where it was going. I realised I had a choice. I also realised that I needed a purpose, some sort of direction to head in in order to get myself out of my...predicament, for want of a better word. And I also badly needed something else."
"What was that then?" She reiterated.
"The same thing that everyone needs," he said wisely. "Love."
Rumpleteazer looked sceptical. "Yeah, but, what about food an that?"
"Love is all you need," he insisted. "I didn't believe it either until I experienced its power first paw. It is a seed that must be grown from within. So it's no good trying to find it in shiny objects, narcotics or other individuals. You could have all the riches in the world, but if you have no love, you have no life."
"So, is that why you wanted to be a Protector?" She enquired.
He nodded. "Partly."
Then he chuckled. "But it wasn't exactly the easiest life decision one could ever make, I can tell you. I sort of felt like I was called to do it by something...higher up as it were."
"But you can't do it forever, right?" She was finally cottoning on. Maybe she wasn't so dim after all!
"Right!" He said encouragingly and gave her a commending salute.
She gave him a satisfactory grin as he continued, "So, being a Protector gives me great satisfaction. Just as stealing does with you, right? But it is not the be all and end all."
The grin faded and she looked puzzled again. "What do you mean?"
"There must be something else in place," he explained. "Otherwise, like you say, I shall retire and...quite possibly go mad! In fact I heard recently that sixth protector Dionnus, who was the only Protector apart from Andrimelda to reach retirement age as far as I know, did so retire and promptly committed suicide. So there we are!"
Rumpleteazer gulped. "Blimey!"
Munkustrap placed a kind paw onto her shoulder. "Change can be hard," he said. "But things don't necessarily have to get as desperate as they did for me. You won't be alone. You will have a friend to help you, which makes all the difference in my opinion. The key is not to be afraid to ask for that help."
"Oh yeah, which friend?" She asked dubiously.
He gave her a quizzical look. "Well me, obviously!"
"Y-You're my friend?" She stammered.
Munkustrap continued to look at her strangely. "Well...yes," he replied in consternation. "That is quite an important part of having a lasting and meaningful relationship with someone."
Rumpleteazer's mouth dropped open. "Y-you want to have a lasting and meaningful relationship...with me?"
"Errr...isn't that what this is all about?" He asked, his brow furrowing.
"Unless of course, you're just after one thing...?" He added jokingly, gestured to himself.
"Well yeah. And that!" She laughed. "It's just that no one's ever wanted to be my friend- apart from Jerry that is. But he don't really count cos he's me sock an blister..."
"Really?" He immediately took pity on her.
She shrugged. "Yeah well, it don't bovver me none cos I don't give a stuff what ovver people fink."
She smirked, "Then you had to come along and ruin things dincha!"
He snorted. "It's not like I forced you to fall in love with me!" He joked.
"It's not like we get to choose, is it!" she countered.
He dipped his head. "Too true. I'm sorry."
"S'alright," she shrugged.
"I will think about it," she said quietly. "Y'know, the whole burglin thing. I knows its not good to steal. Besides, I was thinking about stopping anyways, cos like ya say, what will I do when I'm old? I can't be stealing then. I mean, Jerry always says, "Oh come on sis, just one more raid," but it never is. I guess I was scared of losing him."
"Unfortunately my dear, sometimes in this life we have to make tough decisions," Munkustrap said wisely. "If Jerry truly loves you, then he will accept any decision that you make. After all, it is your life not his."
Rumpleteazer chuckled. "Ere! You sounded just like your dad then!"
He laughed, "Yeah, go figure!"
She distractedly flipped the pages of the book to look at the other pictures until she came across one depicting a tiny silver tabby kitten and one showing the beautiful charcoal Bengal with her four kittens. "Wow! Is that you as a kitten?" She asked with intrigue.
"Yes," said Munkustrap, pointing. "And that's me with my brothers and sister. Look! There's Tugger!"
"Aw! Don't he look cute with his little mane?" Rumpleteazer gushed. "And ere! Is that Grizabella?"
"Gorgeous wasn't she?" He replied.
Rumpleteazer giggled. "I see where you gets your good looks from now. They're clearly not from your dad are they?"
Munkustrap laughed again and argued, "Old Deuteronomy was very handsome once upon a time. But it's true that Tugger and I take after our mother looks wise. We all end up looking like the back end of a bus eventually though, so enjoy them while they last I say. Protectors in particular seem to get a rough ride. You should see the state of some of them!"
"What are they like," Rumpleteazer asked, clearly enthralled. "Disfigured and that?"
"Sometimes shockingly," he told her. "I've already told you about Siren- Poseidon's face looked like a jigsaw puzzle with some of the pieces missing and as for one poor fellow; he had his face completely ripped off!"
Rumpleteazer's eyes bulged. "What? Ripped? Right off?" Just to clarify it, she mimed ripping her own face off.
Munkustrap nodded grimly. "I mean, I don't really get phased by things, but seeing that for the first time…"
He shuddered and then looked up and spoke, as if to something high above. "Dear EC. Don't let me go like that!"
Meanwhile, Rumpleteazer had already turned the page and was gushing at the one month old Munkustrap, dressed in his little chorister's outfit and clutching his prize. "Oh yeah!" said Munkustrap. "That's me winning the Young Chorister Of The Year Competition, back when I could hit a treble. I managed to beat Tugger and several girls if I remember rightly. Don't I look smug?"
"What did you sing?" She asked.
"Um...I think it was Pie Jesu? I forget now."
"So cute!" she cooed. "I honestly dunno how anyone could just abandon their babies like that. If I ever have kits of my own, I'll love them to the moon and back, cross my heart!" She crossed her heart, fully believing that this action would seal her pledge (whilst at the same time scoring her brownie points!)
"Well, with a promise like that, maybe you won't have to wait for much longer," he said, with a smile.
She grinned excitedly and then turned to the last page, revealing the photograph of a youth sitting with the beautiful fawn and white Balinese. "Who's she?" She breathed.
But no sooner had she asked this then the book snapped shut and was whipped out of her paws. "Why don't I make us some tea, eh?" he asked quickly, putting the book back inside the trunk and closing the lid.
"Oh. Ok…" She was confused.
She noticed the slight catch in his voice and desperately wanted to pry him for the reason for it. But something told her that she had already pushed it too far. "Sorry," she said humbly. "I'm such a nosey cow ain't I?"
He gave her a half smile. "It's fine," he replied a little abruptly, indicating that the conversation was finished so Rumpleazer shrugged and yawned.
"Mind if I lie down?" She asked him.
"Knock yourself out." He showed her the bed.
"Cheers," she said, making her way over. "I'm still feeling a bit peaky if I'm honest. Got me a stinking headache!"
"I'll fetch you some water," he replied and went to fill up a cup with spring water from the basin which he then carried over to her. "Here. Drink this. Probably best you sleep off the rest of that alcohol."
"Ta."
She drained the cup, then lay her head down and as closed her eyes he threw a blanket over her. She snuggled into it and chuckled sleepily, "Look at you, being all caring. No one's ever done that…for little old me..."
"That's because they don't see what I see," he whispered. "And perhaps it's time that someone did."
He sat down about a foot away from her and gently picked at the strings of his new ukulele. He was still getting a feel for it.
"Well alright, okay, you win.
I'm in love with you.
Well alright, okay, you win.
Baby, what can I do?
I'll do anything you say.
It's just got to be that way.
Well alright, okay, you win.
I'm in love with you.
Well alright, okay, you win.
Baby, what can I do?
Anything you say, I'll do.
As long as it's me and you.
All that I am asking,
All I want from you,
Just love me like I love you
And it won't be hard to do.
Well alright, okay, you win.
I'm in love with you.
Well alright, okay, you win.
Baby, what can I do?
I'll do anything you say.
It's just got to be that way.
All that I am asking,
All I want from you,
Just love me like I love you
And it won't be hard to do.
Well alright, okay, you win.
I'm in love with you.
Well alright, okay, you win.
Baby, one thing more:
If you're gonna be my girl,
Sweet baby, take me by the hand."
(Alright, Okay, You Win by Peggy Lee)
She woke in small hours, about an hour before dawn, wracked by a contrasting combination of raging thirst and an urge to pee. So with a silent stealth that she was infamous for, she crept outside into the cool inky glow that comes in summertime just before the sun peeps its head over the horizon.
Once she'd carried out the latter task, she headed back inside again and filled up her cup with several helpings of water from the sink, gratefully gulping each of them down. Her sore throat felt a little less like it was made of sandpaper, although swallowing was still a little uncomfortable. Then a sudden movement caught her attention and she looked over at the bed. There he lay, sprawled on his back as only a tom could be. And Bast! He really was handsome. His silvery fur shimmered in the cool streetlight filtering through the window and coupled with his near perfect face, he looked like a sleeping Adonis. She smirked. Now that he was unaware, she could stare at him as much as she liked. Which was just as well, because her eyes seemed to have developed minds of their own as they took him in as a whole; his athletic physique, the firm muscles that her fingers just longed to run themselves over. This was met by a now familiar hunger that burned inside her, but it wasn't for food. And suddenly his words made perfect sense as she felt her stomach tighten painfully and her paws immediately went to it, gripping it to try to sooth the fire breathing monster that seemed to be having a tantrum inside of it. But to no avail.
"To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
Just to see him smile, makes my life worthwhile
To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
And I do
I'll be good to him, I'll bring love to him
Everyone says there'll come a day when I'll walk alongside of him
Yes, just to know him is to love, love, love him
And I do
Why can't he see, how blind can he be
Someday he'll see that he was meant for me
To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
Just to see him smile, makes my life worthwhile
To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
And I do
Why can't he see, how blind can he be
Someday he'll see that he was meant for me
To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
Just to see him smile, makes my life worthwhile
To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
And I do
To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
Just to see him smile, makes my life worthwhile
To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
And I do."
(To Know Him by The Teddybears)
Then, she suddenly realised what the movement had been. His tail! She watched, as once again it curled up and fell back onto the bed with a muffled thud. He may have been asleep, but he wasn't exactly sleeping peacefully. Swallowing a ball of apprehension, she began to move towards him using slow, deliberate movements as though she was approaching a beautiful, but deadly, sleeping dragon, feeling herself being inexplicably drawn to him like a moth to a bonfire while almost tasting the danger! She knelt down beside him as quietly as she could and he stirred a little. Her heart leapt into her mouth. But to her relief, he didn't wake up. "Now what?" She thought.
She knew what she wanted to do, but how to initiate it? She recalled what Bombalurina had told her: "Touch him in just the right spot, and he will do the rest."
She took a deep breath. "Ok. So where's that spot she was on about, again?" She tried to remember, but her mind had gone blank.
His paws suddenly twitched. Then he began working his jaw, almost as though he was biting down on something. He was obviously having some sort of bad dream because his body grew tense and his claws began to punch holes into the blanket upon which he lay, while the grinding of his teeth set hers on edge.
"It's ok..." She gulped stretching out a trembling paw to touch the silky soft fur, feeling his heat radiating into her blood drained fingertips. There was no warning for what happened next...
She shrieked as she was slammed onto her back and pinned down with her paw held in a vice like grip against her throat. She stared up in shock at the set of snarling teeth that were millimetres from her face and her breaths came in short gasps as she struggled to breathe while simultaneously fighting to hold onto her rising panic. "P-please, d-don't k-kill me!" she pleaded.
The cyan and gold eyes that blazed into hers instantly switched from fury to cold realisation to horror. "Fuck!" he swore and tried to help her up, but she barely heard his sputtered explanations, "Teaze...I'm so, so sorry...I thought you were-"
He reached out to her but she scrambled backwards to get away from him, jumped to her feet and part stumbled part ran, sobbing, for the door. "Teazer wait…!" He cried.
But it was too late. She had already high tailed it. Munkustrap swore again and cursed himself for the clumsy brute that he was. "Maybe she'd be better off with the skanky alleycat?" He thought, bitterly.
Then without warning, something hit him in the back of the head. "Aaaargh! What the-?"
Rubbing his now sore head, he bent down to pick up the object that had struck him and immediately recognised it. He unwrapped the cloth and the blue velvet collar with its dazzling Swarovski crystals tumbled out onto his open palm, shooting another painful jolt of electricity up his arm almost as though it was telling him off. He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Alright! I'll follow her!" he growled, and, clutching the collar, ran on out of the door.
She couldn't have gone far. He scanned the Junkyard from his high vantage point and breathed a sigh a relief when he picked up her scent. So he followed it through the junkyard and eventually spotted her dancing in the tyre clearing. He watched her from the shadows, marvelling at her graceful, balletic movements as she waved her arms and piroetted around the space with tears running down her face. He put the collar down and began to lightly step towards her, doing his best to mirror her movements until he was right up behind her. She sighed as he folded his arms around her waist and leaned against him before straightening up and lifting her leg high. Smiling, he twirled her around and then lifted her up onto his shoulders. "Alright," she said. "Let's see how strong you really are!"
"Brace yourself," he replied and raised her high above his head.
He was holding onto her with both paws. But then he let one of them go and straightened his arm out to the side while she steadied herself by holding onto his shoulders, suddenly raising her arms up and grasping the back of her calf so that he balanced her suspended on just one paw. He smiled up at her and then gently set her down, whereupon they broke apart and danced away from eachother for bit. He used the opportunity to go and grab the collar before she ran back to him and he lifted her up high once again, spinning her around and around. Then she tumbled slowly back down to the ground and they ended up in an embrace, holding eachother tightly while she stroked the back of his head and quietly sobbed. "I'm sorry!" He said again and pulled away slightly so that he could show her the collar.
She sniffed. "What's this?" She asked, reaching out to touch it.
"I once sold all of our drugs in order to buy this for a friend," he explained.
"Bet you was popular!" She remarked.
"I don't think a scale exists that quite covers the level of rage that was directed at me that day," he admitted. "But as the friend no longer has any need of this...I mean it's been sat in that trunk collecting dust for God knows how long, I think she would want you to have it."
He walked around the back of her and fastened the collar around her neck, just above her pearl necklace and then gently turned her around so that he could take a look at her. "Not sure it quite matches the pearls, but there we are!" He smiled, but she didn't return it.
She touched the delicate crystals with her paw, but her eyes were still filled with hurt and confusion. "It's lovely. Thank you," She said, her voice toneless.
It was his turn to look hurt and in a voice wracked with remorse he said, "You shouldn't have snuck up on me like that! I could have killed you! But I never meant to frighten you my dear, I swear. Please, will you forgive me?"
He waited and held his breath. "Please?" He repeated, giving her his best kicked puppy impression.
After what seemed like an eternity, her eyes finally lit up. Then unexpectedly, she broke into a fit of giggles! "Ha! Gotcha!"
"What-?"
"You should of seen your face!" she cried, hysterically. "I should of taken a picture!"
His mouth dropped open. He'd been well and truly had! "Why you little...! Come here you!"
He chased her around the clearing, eventually catching up with her and she shrieked like exciting schoolgirl as he grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. "What can I say?" She giggled. "The Rumpleator strikes again!"
"I'll Rumpleator you in a minute!" He shot back.
She nuzzled his nose. "So?" She teased. "Is that how you seduce all your queens, then?"
He chuckled, "Just you, it would seem. There's always one isn't there!"
She answered him with that delectable little pout of hers, "I'm an exception to the rules, me! Sometimes I have to be sneaky to get what I want!"
"And what does she want?" He enquired.
"You know darn well what I want!" She sniped, rolling her eyes.
"Well...alright then. Seeing as you asked so nicely!" He grinned.
"Is that your way of saying yes?" She looked longingly at him while he thought for a moment.
"Hmmm...yes," he said finally.
The words had barely escaped from his lips when she suddenly folded her arms around his neck and began to kiss him. He kissed her back and the kiss became more passionate as he ran his paws over her body, feeling a fire suddenly ignite within. He wanted her. Badly. And he could tell that she was just as desperate for him by the way she pressed her body against his-
"Wait!" He said suddenly, pulling back. He was a little out of breath.
"What nahow!" she practically howled.
"I want us to do this properly," he calmly explained and took a step back.
Then he bowed and held out his paw to her. "Shall we dance?" He asked.
She rolled her eyes and huffed, "Oh...alright then!"
She reluctantly curtsied and took his outstretched paw, giggling yet again as he twirled her around and bent her backwards over his arm before spinning her out again. And all the while she sang,
"What a waste of time
Precious little time
But I'll waste some of yours babe
If you waste some of mine
What a waste of time
Precious little time
But I'll waste some of yours babe
If you waste some of mine
Then he sang:
"There's a moment that feels like a-nothing
Until it's passed away
There's a glow and it won't last forever
Think about it every day
I don't know what you see in me
I don't know why you stay
Cause you don't owe me nothing
But you give it to me anyway."
And they both sang:
"What a waste of time
Precious little time
But I'll waste some of yours babe
If you waste some of mine
What a waste of time
Precious little time
But I'll waste some of yours babe
If you waste some of mine
Then it was Rumpleteazer's turn again:
"So you think that it's not really working
Well darling look again
It's imperfect and that's why it's perfect
Other colors are so plain
You don't always see the best in me
And I don't know what to say
Cause you don't owe me nothing
But you give it to me anyway
What a waste of time
Precious little time
But I'll waste some of yours babe
If you waste some of mine
What a waste of time
Precious little time
But I'll waste some of yours babe
If you waste some of mine
'Cause I know what I got and it's setting me free
Anything that you want then I'm happy to be
'Cause if I don't have your face then there's nothing to see
So baby please don't leave me
Baby please don't leave me
Baby never never never never leave me."
He held her and their voices harmonized once again:
"Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
What a waste of time
Precious little time
But I'll waste some of yours babe
If you waste some of mine
What a waste of time
Precious little time
But I'll waste some of yours babe
If you waste some of mine."
(Waste Of Time by Eliza Doolittle)
He gazed intensely into her eyes. "Sounds like a plan to me," he whispered and his lips were about to meet hers, when a sudden unexpected voice interrupted them.
"Nice dancing."
The voice was as smooth as silk and as sultry as a black widow spider, but it also contained within it a barely concealed shard of ice, and when the couple turned their heads, they saw that it belonged to a sleek sable Burmese who had slunk into the clearing as if from nowhere. Munkustrap smiled and nodded to her, but kept his arm around Rumpleteazer. "Good morning Cassandra," he greeted in slightly buttered tones, making it quite clear that she was interrupting something.
However, this greeting did not seem to be well received, nor was it returned. Maybe it was because she was as welcome as a swarm of wasps and she knew it. Rumpleteazer tried smiling nervously at her, but received a piercingly cold stare in return. Cassandra then directed this stare at the back of Munkustrap's head as she brushed against him (It was well rumoured that she and him had once had a 'thing', but no one really knew how far it had gone because, for whatever reason Munkustrap had spoken about it to anyone!)
Cassandra surveyed the scene before her and bared her teeth as though there were a bitter taste in her mouth; before slinking away into the shadows as silently as she had arrived. After she'd gone, Rumpleteazer visibly relaxed. "Blimey!" she exclaimed, "I thought she were gonna rip me face off! She seems like the sort what would do that an' all!"
"Sush! She'll hear you!" He hissed. "Let's not give her an excuse, shall we!"
"What the Hell is the old witch's problem anyway?" Rumpleteazer griped.
Munkustrap shrugged. "I don't know. She seemed normal to me. Anyway, don't worry about her. Where were we?"
"Ummm...oh yeah!" Rumpleteazer brightened. "You was gonna take me back to your den and have your wicked way wimme, werencha?"
"Is that what you want to do?" He asked seriously.
She clutched at her stomach, which felt as though it was tying itself in knots again. "How much longer you planning on keeping me dangling for?" She gasped. "Personally I think that six weeks is long enough for any insane person!"
"Would you like me to carry you?" He offered.
"What sort of a question is that?" She demanded and then went off on a tangent, "That's like asking if you want liquor, jellied eels and mushy peas with your pie n mash. It's a no brainer! Plus, I want it to be like they do it in the films!"
He smiled and followed her instructions by hoisting her into his arms, "Very well Miss Teazer," he replied, giving her a very convincing Rhett Butler impersonation. "I shall do my best."
Sunlight bleached the horizon as he carried her back to his den, making sure to lock the door. They were going to be there for some time! Practically shaking with a combination of nerves and excitement, Rumpleteazer skipped over to the bed and lay down. But as he moved over her, she couldn't quite contain a tremulous squeal. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" She jabbered. "Are we really gonna do this? Is this really happening?"
"It won't if you don't calm yourself!" he replied softly.
She put her paws over her mouth to try to squash some of her excitement back in. "Oh yeah! Sorry!" She said sheepishly. "I'm getting all carried away. It just feels like all me Jellicle Balls have come at once, that's all!"
"So, what do I do first?" She said eagerly.
He paused. "Wait. This is your first time?"
She rolled her eyes. "Well duh! Obviously. I was saving meself for you, weren't I!"
He sighed. "Oh Gordon Bennet! Ok. Right. Then all I want you to do for me and I cannot stress enough the importance of this, is relax."
"That's all I have to do?" She double checked.
"And listen," he added.
"Listen to what?"
"Your body. It will tell you what it wants to do," he said.
"How will it do that?" She asked, once again looking flummoxed.
He rolled his eyes. "Look, never mind. Just lie back...and enjoy…"
He began to kiss her neck..."But!" He told her. "If at any point you want me to stop, just say and I'll stop..."
She nodded. "Ok."
To Rumpleteazer's astonishment, it was almost like he described it. For indeed, her paws seemed to move of their own accord, feeling their way up his torso and neck, along his head and shoulders and pressing into the firm muscles along his back. He kissed her collarbone, sending chills radiating through her body and she let out a soft moan as she felt parts of her body begin to wake up. She imagined that they were glowing, like landing lights, calling out to his body in a secret coded language. He seemed to understand because, as though answering the call, he left her neck behind and moved further down. At first she tensed up, feeling a little apprehensive as he found her delicate area, but this feeling was quickly swept aside and replaced by wave upon wave of pleasure which covered her like a warm bath. Almost finding these new heights of enjoyment unbearable, she arched her back and dug her claws into the blankets. "I don't know how you're doing that," she whispered. "But I don't ever want you to stop! Got it?"
Just when she thought she would explode, he pulled away and moved on top of her, searching for her lips but she found his first. Her body screamed at her. She knew what she had to do, which she found quite remarkable seeing as she had never done it before. So she told him quite forcibly what she wanted him to do by pressing down upon his lower back, but he seemed a little hesitant. "Plehease!" she begged.
He swallowed. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" he whispered in her ear. "Because, if you aren't, you need to say now. There'll be no going back."
"Do you think I were born yesterday or sommink?" She griped. "I was aware, but cheers for the warning! Now just get on with it will ya?"
"Alright! Bossy Boots!" He said exasperatedly. "Just one more thing."
"What now?" She moaned.
With all the patience of Angel Gabriel he carefully replied, "I need to be sure that you are fully relaxed."
"I was born relaxed!" She yelled. "Now either you get a move on or I'm gonna bang on Tugger's door! Why this whole thing about me being relaxed anyway?"
"Because this next bit is going to hurt," he told her, keeping his voice level, even though at that moment he felt like strangling her.
She stopped complaining for a moment and looked up at him with a worried expression on her face. "Oh," she said in a small voice. "Like, really badly?"
"Fairly badly, yes," he told her regretfully. "We can stop here if you wish. We don't have to go any further…"
"No I want to!" she said quickly. "Please?"
He looked doubtful, so she gripped his shoulders tighter and wound her legs around his waist, fearing he'd change his mind. She sure as hell wasn't going to let him back out of it now! Then she suddenly recalled what Bombalurina had said about proving to him that she could be mature, so, feeling determined, she caressed his ears and purred in her best Bombalurina voice, "I've been waiting a long time for this Munkustrap. And now I'm ready. I know you won't hurt me."
"I'll try not to," he whispered.
She closed her eyes and set her jaw. "Do it!"
"Ok. On three. One, two…"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh...!"