CHAPTER 8: Problems

"Misto, what is it? What's wrong?" Victoria asked, frowning worriedly as Mistoffelees appeared to be staring off into space.

"Huh?" Mistoffelees quickly snapped out of his trance and focussed on his lover. "Oh, sorry, I was…uh, sorry."

"Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah, sure, I'm fine," Mistoffelees replied unconvincingly.

Victoria raised an eyebrow at him sceptically. "Sure?"

"Yeah…"

"If you insist." Victoria shifted closer to him and began to nuzzle his cheek, then dropped several feather-light kisses onto his neck.

Mistoffelees didn't react in the slightest.

Victoria sighed and sat back on her heels. "Misto, there's something wrong. I can sense it." She put her paw on top of his. "Please tell me."

Mistoffelees finally sighed and turned to look at her. "We have a problem."

"He knows," Victoria stated.

"I don't know. But someone else does."

Victoria bowed her head. "It was bound to happen."

"It's worse. Vicki, it's Cassandra. She…Vicki, she's blackmailing me."

Victoria gasped. "She what?"

Mistoffelees nodded grimly and grimaced. "Yeah."

"What does she want?"

Mistoffelees remained silent, turning away from her again.

"Misto? What does she want?"

Finally, Mistoffelees whispered, "She wants me…to sleep with her."

"What's that?" Demeter asked, peering over Plato's shoulder.

"Nothing," Plato said quickly, crumpling up the piece of paper in his fist.

"Plato, tell me. No secrets. If that's a note from Cassandra…I need to know, no matter how sordid this entire business is." Demeter sighed when she got no response from Plato "I want to know." She darted to his other side and grabbed his paw, attempting to open it and extricate the piece of paper.

Plato attempted to keep it out of her reach. "Demeter, it's nothing," he protested, raising his arm above his head.

Demeter pouted and crossed her arms. "No fair. Just because you're so much taller than me."

Plato smirked. "You love it."

"Not at times like these," Demeter fired back, jumping up to grab Plato's arm and pulling it down with her.

"Ah, well, the price I pay in being loved," he teased.

"I'm being serious here, Plato," Demeter said, twisting to try to get the paper out of his grasp.

"You don't look it," Plato replied, watching on amusedly as Demeter twisted and turned, trying to open his paw.

"Watch it, I just might bite you. That'll open up your paw quick-smart," Demeter threatened.

Plato merely chuckled.

"You don't think I would, do you?" Demeter asked, affronted. "Well, I would. Just because I love you, it doesn't mean I wouldn't hurt you."

Plato frowned and turned away slightly. "What kind of love is that?" he muttered.

Demeter suddenly realized what she said and how it must have sounded to Plato. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that. I…sorry," she whispered.

Plato's mouth twitched. "Yeah, I know…"

Demeter stood on tiptoe to plant a light kiss on the corner of Plato's mouth. "I really am."

Plato turned his head slightly to catch Demeter's lips with his own. "Of course you wouldn't hurt me," he said when they broke apart. "You wouldn't want my blood on you, would you? I bleed easily. It goes everywhere." He grinned devilishly.

Demeter laughed. "We can't have that happen, then, can we?"

"Nup."

"Then hand me the note." Demeter swiftly became serious.

Plato was taken aback by Demeter's sudden change in attitude. "What?" Having unintentionally loosened his grasp on the note, Demeter took the opportunity to take the piece of the paper. "Demeter!" Plato attempted to snatch the note back, but Demeter held it away from him, grinning victoriously.

She unfolded the note and began to read, and suddenly her face dropped. "Oh."

"I told you not to read it." Plato took the note back and tore it up, throwing it into the river.

"What happens if you get caught?" Demeter asked worriedly.

"Then Alonzo tears me to shreds." And everyone knows about us, and Munkustrap tears me to shreds as well, if there's anything of me left after Alonzo's through, Plato added silently.

Demeter sighed. "I wish it weren't this complicated."

"Me, too, honey. Me, too." Plato put a comforting arm around Demeter's smaller frame.