Author's Note: Thank you to everyone that has stuck by this story and has recently reviewed. It's soo nice to see that people are still reading! I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a year, I have not forgotten about this story but school has prevented me from spending time and this chapter has taken me about five months on and off to write so….I hope you like it and I will continue with this story trust me!!!


Chapter Four: Guaranteed to blow your mind

"Who's the father?" Jellylorum repeated.

Bombalurina closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Bombalurina." Jelly pressed

"I can't tell you." Bombalurina said.

"Why not!" Jelly exclaimed.

"Because the father doesn't know. He should be the first to know, and I would thank you very much if you don't go around telling everyone about this. All of you." Bombalurina sat up, thought better of it, and then lay back down.

Jelly huffed but said nothing; she knew exactly how stubborn Bombalurina could be. She glanced at Jenny who shrugged and took the wet cloth away from the scarlet queen.

"Well alright but you stay here alright Bombalurina. No ifs buts or maybes, you're staying here." Jelly said, rather sternly.

"Fine." Bombalurina sighed and closed her eyes.


Demeter sighed as she logically tried to do maths in her head.

"9 weeks, 6 weeks ago and then…" She trailed off, she was most definitely confused.

"Give up while you're ahead." Cassandra groaned. She's been listening to Demeter attempt to do maths for the last half an hour and she couldn't make heads or tails of what she was talking about or why she was attempting maths in the first place.

"Perhaps." Demeter sighed.

"Where's Bomba been then Deme?" Cassandra asked casually. "It's been forever since I saw her!"

"She's around." Demeter replied.

"Mhmm, sure."

Demeter rolled onto her back. "Oh Cass, you just love gossip."

"Don't you know it!" Cassandra grinned. "So dish."

"I would love to really Cass, but there's nothing to say."

"Mhmm. Demeter you're crap at lying."

"Am not!"

"Are too. I can see it in your face."

"Cass, you are a good friend but believe me you can't keep secrets." Demeter sat up and stretched. "I've got to go."

"You'll tell me! Eventually!" Cassandra called after Demeter's retreating form.

Demeter slipped into Jellylorum's den where Bombalurina, who was now heavily pregnant, was curled up on a pile of comfortable looking blankets. She grinned at her sister and sat down next to her.

"Cass wants to know where you are." Demeter said.

"What's new?" Bombalurina replied.

"Everyone is wondering where you are."

"Yeah well, that's great for them." Bombalurina grumbled and shifted herself slightly.

"You're going to get bed sores lying around all day." Jellylorum sighed, exasperated. She loved having her niece around but Bombalurina was moodier and more of a nuisance than usual.

"You're not five hundred pounds." Bombalurina snapped.

"And neither are you. You should be getting fresh air and exercise. That's what's best for pregnancies. Trust me, I've had one already."

Bombalurina rolled her eyes and got up, her distended belly clearer now than ever before. She stretched out then sat back down.

"There. Happy?"

Jelly groaned and left the den muttering under her breath something about only a few days left of hell.

"Are you ever going to tell me who the father is? It's not as if you've gotten off your butt to go and tell him." Demeter whispered to Bombalurina as Jellylorum left.

"Nope."

"I could go and find him."

"Nope."

"Bomba!!" Demeter whined.

"I'm tired Deme."

Demeter nodded to herself and padded out of the den. Bombalurina watched her go with regret. She didn't like not sharing things with her sister but she couldn't think about it right now. Not with that gnawing feeling in her stomach.

"Must be something I ate." Bombalurina growled to herself as the gnawing grew and grew.

"Or something you ate." She said to her stomach.

She took deep breaths and got up, padding around the den, perhaps moving it would make her feel better, but it only seemed to make the gnawing worse.

"Oh crap."


Munkustrap sighed as he watched the sun set. He could hear voices in the den behind him but as soon as he had attempted to go inside, he'd been shooed out.

"Queens." He muttered to himself.

He turned his attention to the centre of the Junkyard where the kittens were playing, watched over by Skimbleshanks and Carbucketty. The Railway Cat looked rather out of sorts as he bounced his new son Victor on his knee and listened to the prattle of the other few kittens that his mate usually looked after.

"Care to join us?" Carbucketty called over.

Munkustrap took another glance back at the door of the den before nodding in the direction of the two older toms. The kittens greeted him with excited squeals and he collapsed in their midst.

"You look more worried than a turkey at Christmas." Carbucketty observed, extracting his son Pouncival from the gap between the tire and the stairs.

"And it's not even your kid." Skimbleshanks added.

Of course these two knew about Bombalurina, their mates wouldn't have kept it a secret long.

"At least I hope it's not." Skimbleshanks and Carbucketty laughed, Munkustrap joining in.

"No, but it is my niece or nephew." The silver tabby responded.

"There's not much you can do but wait. Trust me Munkustrap. When Jenny had the twins it took an age for them to, you know, come out, if you know what I mean." Skimbleshanks said in an attempt to reassure him.

"I guess." Munkustrap sighed.

"No news on the father front then?" Skimble asked.

"Nope."

"I have my guesses." Carbucketty half whispered.

"You two are almost as bad as your mates, with all this gossiping." Munkustrap teased.

The three toms laughed and then fell into silence. The Junkyard was relatively deserted, thankfully, except for the kittens and their keepers and one of the young queens, Exotica, relaxing on the car. Munkustrap thanked Vivat for this. Less fuss and less Jellicles knowing, though of course they would have to find out sooner or later.

He glanced over at the den and saw Demeter emerge, looking around for him. He tried to gage what her face was saying but she just looked tired.

"Better go Uncle Munky!" Skimbleshanks exclaimed.

Munkustrap hurried to his mate without a second glance and they wordlessly entered Jellylorum's den. Bombalurina was sitting up on a new bed as Jelly and Jenny fussed over cleaning the tiny premature kitten.

"It's a girl." Demeter whispered to Munkustrap.

He grinned. A niece!

"What do you want to name her?" Jenny asked Bombalurina, handing over the kitten.

"I don't." Bombalurina looked away, refusing to take the baby.

"Bomba!" Demeter gasped.

"You can have her. I don't want her." Bombalurina slumped against the wall.

"You are talking crazily." Jelly reprimanded.

"No, I've made up my mind. I can't handle a kitten. What would I do with it? Jelly you can look after her." Bombalurina said.

"I can look after her?" Jelly half cried. "I have two kittens of my own thank you very much. I'm not taking a third."

Demeter felt shock through her body. "How can you say that Bomba?"

"You know I can't deal with a kid. I couldn't before and I can't now." Bombalurina closed her eyes signaling the end of discussion but Jelly was not giving up.

"Before?! What do you mean before?" Jelly asked.

"Bomba? You didn't say anything?" Demeter whispered.

"It's none of anyone's business but my own and you would do well to keep your mouth shut Demeter." Bombalurina spat at her sister.

The kitten began to cry and Jenny held it closer, too shocked to speak.

"Bombalurina I demand an explanation this instant." Jelly demanded.

"You're not my mother." Bombalurina retorted.

"No, but you're ending up just like her." Demeter said quietly.

Bombalurina's eyes snapped open and she glared at her younger sister. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." Demeter said gaining more confidence, "You're just like our mother."

Bombalurina reeled. "I am not!"

"Yes you are! She "couldn't handle" us just as much as you supposedly can't handle your child. You promised me, you promised me when we were young that we would never become like her, that we would never abandon our children when we had them. That we would love them with all the love that we never got. And now look at you, doing the same thing our mother did to us, just like her, twice." Demeter's words were mixed with tears and she buried her face in Munkustrap's shoulder.

"Twice?" Was all Jelly could say.

"Yes twice." Demeter replied, ignoring Bombalurina's cry of protest. "There's another baby."

"She's not a baby any more." Bombalurina sighed.

"I'm confused." Jenny said suddenly as she attempted to soothe the now screaming kitten.

"That kitten needs to be with its mother. Are you going to abandon this one too?" Demeter asked staring her directly in the eyes.

Bombalurina bit her lip and looked at the writhing mass that Jenny held. She looked back at her defiant sister and horrified aunt and then sighed and held her arms out to Jenny. The Gumbie Cat placed the kitten in her arms and the screaming lessened as it began to nurse. Bombalurina winced, but smiled slightly. The kitten kind of looked like her, with red highlights through her black fur and a white bib. Maybe she could do this after all. She glanced back up at Jelly and Demeter who stared at her intently.

"I've always liked the name Jemima." She said to them.