Life became pretty easy for the two brothers, now Jellicle cats. During the day they were Quaxo and Lenny, the first one a conjurer in the making the other one a splendid acrobat and a powerful fighter. They were absolutely loved by everyone and made quick friends with the rest of the tribe in no time. Especially Quaxo seemed to have the worship and adoration of all the kittens and all the young toms and queens often stealing the spotlight from the Rum Tum Tugger who grumbled under his breath against useless magician who had better use their magic to disappear from his view. Even Lenny, who really tried to shy away from the spotlight his brother so loved, was often assaulted by the kittens queens who loved nothing more than to hear another story with their black hero a the main character. Because of his sheer size the black cat was certainly an imposing figure, with only the Tugger higher than him. For this reason Munkunstrap gave him the important job of patrolling the outskirts of the Yard, looking for Pollicles, humans or even Macavity.

The young tux didn't appreciated the role that the Protector had assigned to his sister. Yes because even though his twin was twice his size and a young tom, Quaxo couldn't help but having a panic attack every time she was out his sensory range. More than once he had complained to her about this but every time she had soothed him telling him that there was no other choice than this in order to keep up the appearances. He knew she was right but he couldn't help but worry.

During the first hours of the night they were again Quaxo and Lenny, but this time one a simple tux cat with a witty tongue he used to cast caustic remarks and the other a young black tom who understood the pain hidden in the heart better than everyone else. In short they were Tugger's best friends and they hung out the three of them together every night from sunset till the moon shone brightly in the sky. Together they talked just about everything and the coon knew that he was lucky to have them by his side. He felt a growing friendship with Quaxo while with Lenny he knew so much more was developing but he never gave it too much thought. When the moon was high in the sky the three friends would bid them goodnight and retire to their dens where Quaxo and Lenny would become Mistoffelees and Helena. In those few precious hours of sleep the twins would cuddle together, trying to strategize their reactions the following day so not to draw suspicions over them. Every morning just before dawn when they were sure that nobody was awake, not even their friend Tugger coming home from somebody else's den, they would come out still as Mistoffelees and Helena and they would practice their magic together so that it didn't feel neglected and they didn't risk exposure over the silliest thing.

This routine kept going for quite some time and the two young newcomers had so blended in with the tribe that nobody even remembered they weren't born Jellicles at all. Quaxo was absolutely loved by all the queen-kittens and even Lenny had his fair share of troubles trying to keep both Etcetera and Electra from falling for him. The problem was that he couldn't tell anybody that he definitely wasn't into queens so he had to endure their screams every time he walked in the main square. His brother wasn't even supportive about this and most of the time Lenny found out that Quaxo enjoyed a bit too much the spotlight that was casted on the black cat.

Both of them didn't complain too much about the attention because it meant that the deception was still operative, but as days went by the two twins in disguise found that deceiving the Jellicles, which proved to be the perfect escape plan for them, wasn't what they wanted to do anymore. Every day they would find more and more difficult not to tell everybody who they really were, but every morning during their magic practice they kept postponing the day of the truth afraid that their powers would not be enough in case of a run in with Macavity.

Things kept going smooth for sometime but less than six weeks before the Jellicle Ball the first wave of bad luck hit the Tribe.

It had been a rainy week during which all the Jellicles had either been at home with their human owners of holed up in their dens as to avoid wet fur. The two tuxedos had stayed at the Yard, in their wardrobe enjoying, especially Helena the freedom of being themselves. For a full week they imagined being with their families without subterfuges and fear of not seeing another day. Given that almost everyone was somewhere inside and that Tugger was at his human house, they kept roaming the Yard in the rain carelessly ignoring every one who might have seen them.

During the eight day the rain broke down and the sun started to peek from the clouds and, in about two hours the Junkyard was as busy as ever given that every member of the Tribe had come back. Mourning the loss of freedom Helena shifted herself into Lenny's body once more and the brothers got ready to meet everybody again.

While everybody was getting acquainted with each other again a terrified screech resonated into the main square, followed by the worst sound a Jellicle cat could ever hear: the howling of the Pollicles.

Everyone stood frozen on the spot for just about a minute until Mungojerrie came tumbling from a pile of junk and landed at Munkunstrap's feet: "Hurry please! Teazer is there! With the Pollicles!"

That simple plea was everything anyone needed to jump into action. In the flurry of activity that followed Jerrie's entrance nobody actually noticed that Quaxo and Lenny were missing. The said cats were stealthily crawling their way on top of the junk piles to get a better view of the situation. Once there they saw the small figure of a cat, which they assumed was Teazer, completely surrounded by not less than four different sized Pollicles. From the position the cat was in the brothers assumed she was badly injured.

Without further ado Quaxo glanced at his brother who nodded in agreement and then he teleported himself just on top of the biggest, and probably meanest of the dogs. Not waiting for them to adjust themselves to his presence the small tuxedo started his power of lighting and electrocuted a couple of strays under the space of ten seconds. After that all able male of the tribe, under Munkus' guidance came bursting down like the cavalry and the fight between the cats and the dogs ensued.

Lenny blended in the shadows, thanks to his pitch black fur, and made his way to where Teazer still stood, possibly too shocked to react or even acknowledge the situation. Having reached his target he quietly picked the smaller queen up, without so much as a twitch from her which completely panicked him, and quickly made his way back to the Healer's Den where he deposited the striped queen in the knowing care of Jenny and Jelly. After that he quickly ran back to the fight, not wanting to leave his brother alone too much but when he glanced down his eyes met one of the most frightening sights he had ever had to endure.

The big Pollicle, probably a Doberman judging from the fur and the attitude, had separated himself from the rest of the pack and had selected a target: the Rum Tum Tugger. Who, unfortunately was now pinned underneath the massive dog and judging by his unmoving stance probably badly injured.

Lenny knew he shouldn't do what he was about to do: his brain kept screaming reason at him. The need of the many outweighs the need of the few, or the one. By saving Tugger he was about to risk everything his brother and him had been working on. By saving the Maine coon he was going to put their cover in jeopardy of even blow it. One dead cat and everybody else saved when it came the time of the big battle with Macavity.

That was what his brain kept screaming at him. But his heart, not Lenny's but Helena's heart said something very different: she could not let Tugger die because, foolishly, in the past months she had done the very thing she had tried not to do. She had fallen for him, hard. Nobody knew that, not even sweet Mistoffelees. He wouldn't have said anything but Helena couldn't stand to put any more pressure on his already full shoulders. She had denied that attraction, that sentiment, right from the beginning, knowing fully well that it was something impossible to pursue but as her previous owner said: Al cuor non si comanda.

And now the object of that unrequited yet splendid love was about to get mangled by a stupid Pollicle and she wasn't having that. So throwing in the wind every shred of caution and fervently hoping that Macavity wasn't near and that her brother wasn't going to kill her for the stunt she was about to pull, Helena shifted into her body and run, faster that ever, towards her only love. Protected by her magic and by the sheer speed she was using the tuxedo queen-kit knew nobody could even see her except her brother. Praying the Everlasting Cat she wasn't too late she slammed herself right into the Pollicle.

Mistoffelees wasn't fairing very well against three Pollicles. When he had charged against them he had thought Lenny would have his back but the black cat hadn't been anywhere in site. He had caught a glimpse of him when Teazer had vanished behind him and he knew she was safe back at the Healer's Den, but after that he had expected the black tom-kit to come back to his aid. Help had come, in the form of a charging Munkus followed by every able bodied cat in the Tribe, but again he didn't see his brother. He started to grow worried and tired at the same time. He could have easily dispatched all of the Pollicles with a wave of his hands, the Everlasting Cat only knew he had more than enough power to do that, but he had told the Jellicles only about his lightning power and his Conjuring Turn, so a full magic show was definitely out of the question. The problem was that blocking half of his essence was totally taxing on his small body and the fact that a stray had managed to slash him good wasn't helping any. Barely missing another attack he started to scan the area in order to ensure everybody was safe and trying to find his missing sibling. A powerful roar had him looking to a more secluded corner of the clearing and what he saw there had his blood running cold in his veins. What was, probably, the leader of the Pollicles, a big mean black Doberman, had separated himself from the rest of the pack and was now intent in battling alone one too familiar cat: the Rum Tum Tugger.

Said coon had managed to land some powerful hits with his claws, but it was obvious to the small tux that the luck of the bigger Tom had definitely run out. Breath hitched in his throat Quaxo launched himself in aid of his friend only to be stopped by what looked like the second in command, who engaged him in battle. He thought about unleashing his full power but he decided against it: too many Jellicles were too close to him and the backlash of his power would have damaged more his friends than his enemies. At the same time he couldn't let his best friend die so he unsheathed his claws and tried to get rid of the dog as quickly as he could.

Quaxo knew he shouldn't have been so attached to the Maine coon; the Everlasting Cat knew what he had thought about that cocky arrogant the first time he had seen him. But then Helena had prophesized a long and deep friendship and something in the small magician had cracked inside him. He had decided to give that thought a chance so he befriended the bigger Tom. At first he had been thoroughly disappointed by the Rum Tum Tugger persona. He had thought him shallow and a whore, but his sister had insisted he gave him a second possibility and he, unable to deny her anything, had complied. She had been right - of course when was she ever wrong?- and Quaxo has suddenly found himself getting more and more attached to the coon, not the cocky stage persona he exhibited during the day, but the soulful and deep cat he really was in those precious hours of the night when all three of them met. So he and Tugger started to go hunting together and exploring together and Tugger also told him that he didn't mind if Quaxo practiced magic in front of him. For the first time in his life the tuxedo cat had found someone, beside his sister, who could understand him better than himself and on whom Quaxo knew he could rely.

And now that cat, his best friend, was about to get killed by a stray Pollicle and he wasn't going to be able to do anything about it. Tears started to well in his electric blue eyes and he narrowly missed his own death when, suddenly, a psychic surge in the back of his mind alerted him of the reappearance of his twin. Panic flooded his mind, definitely not his emotion, along with something else…love perhaps? Scanning the area he managed to find the bulky form of a black cat on top of a junk pile; what he saw next managed to freeze completely his already cold blood. The black cat surrounded himself in magic and suddenly changed in the petite form of his twin sister and bolted towards Tugger and the Pollicle. The last coherent emotion he managed to receive from his sister, before she blocked their bond again, was guilt and a request of forgiveness for any consequence she might unleash on them.

He managed to dispatch his own dog at last and was left to watch while the blur of speed that was his sister slammed herself in the huge body of the Pollicle, successfully diverting his attention from Tugger. He quickly looked around him and felt relieved when he saw that none of the Jellicles were paying attention to them and resumed watching just in time to see the small tuxedo queen-kit run toward the fallen coon to ensure his condition; then satisfied she hissed to the Doberman and started a death dance with him.

After slamming herself into the Pollicle she was thrown on a pile of junk conveniently put behind her. Without wasting time to check for injuries on herself she sprinted towards the fallen tom praying she hadn't been too late. Gingerly she turned the mangled body towards her and she breathed again when she saw the slow rising of his chest. But then she frowned again when she took in every scratched and gash on the cat in her arms, and she knew she had to be quick to dispatch the stray or the coon wasn't going to make it. She summoned some of her powers and managed to heal a bit some of his internal injuries when she felt him stir: "Am I dead and gone to Heavyside?" She didn't answer hoping he wouldn't remember her or that at least he thought he had seen her brother. She felt one of his paws cupping her cheek and a light moan escaped his lips. And amused chuckle had her looking down again only to drawn herself in the caramel eyes of the Tugger who, even on death door, sported his signature smirk on his lips. "You're one angelic queen, would you like to get together sometime? You know, I am dying so it's only fair I try to get the fairest queen in Heavyside!" she desperately wanted to tell him he wasn't dying but even she couldn't lie that much. She kept healing what she could and when she glanced back at him she saw that he was unconscious once again. Helena felt the bile rising in her throat but managed to keep it down when a low growl alerted her that the Pollicle wasn't dead yet. Jumping far enough from Tugger she hissed at the Pollicle and started what she knew was a death dance with him.

Unsheathing her claws she summoned part of her magic and lounged at the dog. Completely oblivious to the outside world she poured all her strength in the fight. The adrenaline was running so high she wasn't feeling a single thing from the multiple and deep gashes her body now sported. After a while both the contestants of the duel knew they weren't going to last much longer. The Pollicle bared his fangs and lounged for the small cat, who in turn jumped higher in the air and charging her claws with her full power she managed to slash the Pollicle's throat. When the large body fell with a loud thump all the world, muffled till that moment, roared to life along with the searing white hot pain that cursed her body. Before her world went black she managed to shift herself back into Lenny's body and the last thing she heard was the pained cry of Quaxo.

Quaxo's cry and his subsequent mad dash alerted Munkunstrap that something very bad had just happened. Quickly dispatching the remaining two Pollicles the Silver Protector scanned the area looking for the reason of Quaxo's desperate cry. When his eyes locked on the gory scene in front of them his breath hitched in his throat. His own brother laid in a huge pool of blood, unmoving and at that sight Munkus' heart stopped dead. Yelling to the others to build a stretcher he sprinted toward the fallen form hoping and praying he wasn't too late. He gathered his brother in his arms relieved that he was still breathing: granted his body was totally mangled and he was going to be bedridden for a long time but he was alive! Alonzo and Pouncival had joined him with a stretcher onto which they delicately put Tugger's body, ready to go back to the Healer's Den, when a series of broken sobs and pitiful whining had all of them looking to the most heartbreaking scene that had ever witnessed: in other pool of scarlet liquid Quaxo was kneeled, small and broken. In his arms, much like Tugger had been in his brother's arms, there was the mangled and broken body of a black tom-kit.

"No, Lenny!" Tumblebrutus realization hit them all, and all of the scene in front of their eyes now made perfect sense. The bulky black cat had managed to divert the attention of the Pollicle from Tugger and he had successfully battled and killed him thus saving the Maine coon's life. The cost of that selfish action, though, had been high, much too high.

Carefully Munkus approached the sobbing tuxedo and managed to hear the heartbreaking words he was uttering to the awfully still body of the cat in his arms: "Please Lenny don't die on me! I beg you don't leave me alone! You know I cannot survive without you! Please don't die! It should have been me, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MEEEEEE!"

More tears spilled on the black cat and than Munkus decided to reveal himself: "Quaxo please, we need to hurry back to the Healer's Den. There is still hope to save them both!"

His plea was met by hollow blue eyes: "Is Tugger still alive?"

The Protector could only nod, completely freaked out by the feeling of death in the magician's voice. With that answer the small tux gathered his brother's body in his arms and started to stand. When all the toms tried to offer him help to carry the big body of the black cat, Quaxo simply hissed at them and steadying himself he started his trek towards the Junkyard. Without uttering a word Munkus signaled everybody to follow the magician and they all went back to the Yard.