Sorry for the mix-up. Apparently, I posted chapter 7 twice. Here's the chapter that I forgot to psot. Enjoy! Critique is more than welcome. Everything should kame some more sense, now.

-Serendipity Kat

Chapter 6: Weekly Dinner and Tears

Mungo pulled on a nice shirt, clean jeans, and ran some gel through his hair as he checked his watch. 6:50. He had 5 minutes to get over the Jenny's house before his mum would start getting impatient. He put a bit of cologne on, grabbed his keys, and headed out the door. He pulled out of his driveway and drove the 15 houses to Jennyanydots' home. As he pulled up, he noticed his mum's car already there. "Shit." He murmured unhappily. His watch said 6:56. According to his mum, he would be late. He rang the doorbell.

"Rumpleteazer, dear, would you get that? My paws are full at the moment." Jenny called from the kitchen. Jellylorum had shown up at 6:40 and insisted on helping. She had also brought Jemima along with her.

Rumpleteazer heard her aunt yelling. She was still upstairs with Goldith fixing her make-up. She tugged a bit on the low neckline of her dress. It was different shades of blue and was similar to Marilyn Monroe's white dress. Alonzo was downstairs entertaining Jemima. Teazer liked Jemima. She was warm and friendly. She also had a fantastic figure and Teazer was hoping that she'd be able to use her for some models. "Hey Goldith, are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm coming. These hairpins are extremely troublesome. I think I'll just leave my hair the way it is." She replied from the guestroom.

"Ok. I'm gonna answer the door. Hurry up!" Teazer called up to Goldith as she descended the stairs. The doorbell continued to chime. "Hold on! I'm coming!" she dashed down the stairs and opened the door. "Can't you wait one-" she started to say, but stopped when she saw the handsome tom at the door. He was tall and muscular. He had dreamy green eyes and black hair. "Hi." It came out as a breathy whisper.

Mungojerrie stared at the queen in front of him. It was like something from a dream. Or a memory; a memory of a white dress… the air hummed faintly. He snapped back to the present. She was much shorter then he and she had pulled back the front part of her short blonde hair and lively blue eyes. She had on a lovely blue dress with a 'V' neck that showed part of her white bib and white heels. The neckline also showed a gentle curve on her chest. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. She looked liken angel in blue. She stared back at him. "Hello. I'm sorry I'm late. I'm Mungojerrie, Jellylorum's son and Jemima's older brother. And who might you be?" he introduced himself when he was able to speak again.

His voice was low and rich. It was dreamy. He looked like something out of a dream. Mungojerrie, she liked it. "I'm Jenny's niece, Rumpleteazer. I'm visiting from NYC." She held out her hand as if to shake, but was surprised when he brought it to his lips. She almost jumped back at the tiny shock that resulted from the contact.

Rumpleteazer, it fit her. She extended her hand and he took it. But what he didn't realize was that he took it and brought it to his mouth. He also wasn't prepared for the tingling sensation that shot up his arm. He felt the air sizzle lightly as he continued to hold on to her paw. He placed a kiss gently on her paw and then released it. The action surprised even him.

She drew her paw away and stepped aside, her eyes were still locked on his. There was something captivating in them that caught her and wouldn't let her go. "Please come in. Jenny'll have my head if you catch a cold because you're standing here staring at me." She turned around and walked towards the dining room.

He watched her walk away, hips and tail swinging and her dress swaying. He stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him. He stuck his keys in the pocket of his leather jacket and shrugged out of it. He didn't see a hook so he took it with him into the dining room. There he saw his sister laughing with a black and white tom, his mum chatting up a storm with Jenny as the two of them bustled in and out of the kitchen and there was Rumpleteazer, corking a bottle of red wine. "Hey Rumpleteazer," she looked up. Her eyes were lovely. "Where can I put my coat?"

She sashayed over. "Oh, silly me. Here." She took his coat and glided over to the closet. She came back and motioned him into the room. "Your sister is old enough to drink, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she's 22 and I'm 25. What about you?" he crossed his arms and leaned against the counter about a foot from her.

She looked up and was a bit startled when she realized just how close his gorgeous face was. "Oh, I'm 26. I work at Kiara Feline Clothing Company. I'm a fashion designer. You?" she skillfully poured the wine into the eight glasses and balanced them all on a tray. She then picked up the tray and went over the large table and began to set the down. "Hey, Alonzo, don't guzzle the whole thing in one sitting. Also, careful how much you flirt. I don't you to be sleeping on the couch because Goldith doesn't want a drunk and cheating tom in her bed." She flashed a naughty smile at him and in return he flipped her off and continued talking to Jemima.

Mungo laughed and replied. "I work at the car garage. Who's Alonzo and Goldith?"

"Oh, Goldith is my best friend and that," she jerked her head towards the table, "is Alonzo. He's her tomfriend of 9 months. 10, end of December." She set the tray back on the bar and looked at him.

"Oh, he seems like a nice guy. Maybe I'd better tell Jemima that he's taken before she falls for him." He chuckled and went over to them. "Hello, Alonzo, Goldith's tomfriend."

Alonzo glared at Rumple and put on a smile. "Hi. I would say your name, but I don't know it. Your sister is charming."

"I seriously hope you're not hitting on another queen and drunk… or else you get to sleep on the couch." Came a voice full of amusement.

Mungojerrie looked up to see another striking creature enter the room. She was wearing a crème colored dress. It had skinny straps and a fitted waist. It flared out in the skirt and showed off her dark fur.

"Ha! Told ya so!" cried Teazer.

Everybody turned to look at her.

"Well, I told him to stop flirting and drinking or you'd make him sleep on the couch." Teazer said very matter-of-factly. She then saw Alonzo come forward and squeaked as he caught her around the waist. "No! Alonzo stop it! Hehehe…. Stop it! Not funny! Help me somebody!" she squealed as he tickled her. But he was stronger and so her struggles were of no use. She looked pleadingly at Jemima who sat wide-eyed and then at Mungojerrie who was laughing very hard. "Mungojerrie! Help me!" seeing as Alonzo wouldn't stop.

Mungo watched the scene unfold in front of him. It was obvious that the 3 friends engaged in this sort of banter frequently. He was content to just watch, but then Alonzo didn't stop and she looked at him with wide blue eyes. He felt his heart jump a bit and decided to come to her rescue. He made eye contact with Alonzo and then grabbed for her. Alonzo let go of her waist as Mungo caught her. He had no problem catching her. She was very lightweight and he was used to lifting heavy car parts. It ended up so that she was resting her head on his chest with her paws on his shoulders and his paws around her waist. Her tail was swishing slightly. "That better?" he asked trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice as he held her petite frame. When his fur touched hers, it hurt. He thought he heard a voice say '…too much… too soon…' but he couldn't be sure.

Teazer just stood there, trying to catch her breath as she leaned against Mungojerrie's chest. As he caught her, she could feel both power and gentleness in his paws. Never since Reaper had a tom affected her like Mungo had. It had taken Reaper several dates to make her heart flutter like Mungojerrie had in a few chaste touches. But there was something else about him that commanded power. She knew without a doubt that she'd felt it before, but she couldn't place it. It was as if it was in a different lifetime… She looked up at him. "Yes." She breathed. "Much better."

Suddenly, "Ah-hem." Came Jellylorum's voice and the two sprang apart, flushed. "Well, I see everybody is getting along. Rumple, dear, could you please come and help me?" Jellylorum asked stiffly before returning into the kitchen.

She rolled her eyes at Mungojerrie who tried to keep from laughing and followed the older queen into the kitchen. "What did you need Jellylorum?" she asked politely, even though she had a feeling that this wasn't about helping, it was about Mungojerrie. And she didn't want to have this conversation, yet. There was still something about this queen that rubbed her the wrong way. Not only that, Teazer had a feeling that it was mutual. But she was would be charm itself. Just like when she'd deal with an upset colleague.

She didn't answer, but just turned around and began to chop up lettuce into a medium size bowl. She was chopping them a little too violently due to nerves that she didn't realize she had. But there was something about this young queen that she hated. And she didn't know why. The only thing she figured might have anything to do with it was the little bit of memory about a lightning flash and a church. She tried to block these thoughts and focus on her task.

"What do you think of my son?" she finally asked, as calm as she could possibly muster.

Teazer stared. Her mind raced. "Well… he seems nice. I haven't really gotten a chance to get to know him…" she broke off, confused. "I mean… that is, um, not that I want to get to know… I mean I can't… not ready… too soon… but…oh, help." She stammered and the last part came out as a whisper. Her head sunk ashamedly into the comfort of her paws and she tried not to cry. 'What do you think of my son?' It was an innocent enough question, but it left her mind reeling. Yeah he was handsome and strong and kind and he was the kind of tom who queens dream about… but even seemingly perfect cats must have faults. She knew Reaper sure had. Yes, she was definitely attracted to him and thought that the feeling was mutual, but she couldn't make assumptions like that. Stuff like that got her into trouble. She wasn't ready to get involved with another tom yet.

Both queens had stopped what they were doing and stared at the hunched-over calico. Gone was the happy, laughing queen and in her place was an obviously scared and frightened queen. They hadn't expected this kind of reaction. Jenny came over to her and enveloped her into a loving hug.

"What's wrong sweetie? She didn't mean to make you cry. It was just that you two were staring at each other so intently that she thought you might burn holes in each other. You find him attractive, don't you?" she asked gently, rocking Rumple back and forth.

She leaned back against her aunt and nodded slowly. "Yes, I do, but I can't. I just can't. Not now, it's too soon."

The two queens exchanged knowing looks. "Why? Why is it too soon? What happened, Rumple, dear?" Jenny asked again.

Teazer just shook her head. She couldn't tell them! She didn't want their sympathy. Goldith had been bad enough, but at least her sympathy was easier to deal with. She didn't want her aunt and another queen who she just met, whose son she found attractive, fussing over her. She shook her head again and raced out of the kitchen, past the startled cats and up the stairs to her room. She couldn't deal with this right now.

Goldith was sitting on Alonzo's lap, laughing at something that Mungojerrie was saying when suddenly Teazer came bursting out of the kitchen and dashed up the stairs. Goldith saw a few tears on her cheeks as she passed. She sighed and leaned down to Alonzo. "I'll be back." She got up and looked towards the kitchen. She glared at an open-mouthed Jellylorum and followed her friend.

Jemima and Mungojerrie were stunned, Jenny was concerned, Jellylorum was shocked, and Alonzo sighed.

"She'll be back." Everybody looked at him. He started to fidget. "I mean Goldith will take care of everything. The two of them will be down later."

Jelly stared, pursed her lips together, and retreated back into the kitchen, a blank look on her face.

Jenny went over to Mungojerrie and leaned down. "She's hurting badly. Be careful, very careful." With that she returned to the kitchen and let the swinging door rock behind her.

Mungojerrie just stared straight ahead fists clenched in front of him. Yes, he was attracted to her, but there was something holding him back. And he wasn't sure if it came from him or her. He didn't know what his mother had said to her, but it made him mad, dammit! He suddenly became very angry with this queen who he used to call mum.

"Alonzo?" called a soft voice.

Alonzo got up and went over to the stairs and saw Goldith at the top. "Yeah?"

"Could bring a pitcher of ice water and two glasses? And some chocolate?" she asked pleadingly.

Alonzo cocked his head in confusion. Whenever one of the girls was having a crying session, the other would bring in ice water. But what confused him was the chocolate. They never had that unless it was very, very serious. He'd only known two other times when there had been chocolate involved: when Reaper had broken up with her and when Goldith had thought that she wasn't going to get an important case. He only knew the first one as having been warned not to bring up the bastard tom's name unless Teazer did. But now, if Goldith was requesting chocolate, then something must seriously be wrong. But then he nodded and like a good tomfriend, headed off to do her bidding without comment. (Everybody now: AWWWWW!) When he entered the kitchen, the conversation stopped. He looked at Jenny and Jelly and headed to the cupboard. "Hey, Jenny, do you have any chocolate?" he asked as he looked for a pitcher. He found one and set it under the water dispenser and the punched the buttons for water and ice.

"Yeah, there's some chocolate hearts above your head and to the right on the second shelf. But why?" she asked as she poured dressing on the nearly finished salad.

"It's just something the girls do when one is upset. But if they need the chocolate, then it's really bad." He grabbed the goods and walked out. Jellylorum didn't meet his eye. He passed the other two guests who looked a bit uncomfortable and headed to the top of the stairs where he was met by Goldith who reached for the goodies. "Here you go. Is there anything else I can do?" Alonzo asked.

She gave a small smile and kissed him. "Thank you and no. This is something just for queens." She turned back to Teazer's bedroom, but spun around again. "Actually, you can tell them that I don't think she'll eat tonight. If in an hour or so, and she's still bad, I'm taking her out." With that she turned back into the bedroom and shut the door.

Alonzo heard a small click and a thump. He knew it meant that the door was locked and barricaded. He went back down and sat down at the now silent table. "Hey, everything will be fine! My queen'll fix her up. The girls are safe and right now," he said as cheerfully as he could muster, "there is some wonderful looking food that needs to be devoured. Gotta have strength for unloading the drafting table tomorrow."

Jenny and Jelly both entered the room at that time and Jenny laughed. "Oh, come on Alonzo. You're not moving the table tonight. There'll always be breakfast."

There was a scattering of laughter.

"Hey, don't knock it. I gotta keep up my strength and my good looks." He said smugly as he flexed a muscle. By then everybody was laughing.

Meanwhile…

Goldith tried to hold the water, two glasses, and a bag of chocolate hearts in one paw as she locked and blocked the door. Now they wouldn't be disturbed. She still didn't fully know what was going on, but she had an idea. She'd had "the talk" with potential tomfriends' moms.

Teazer had pulled the pillows off her bed and was sobbing into them on the floor. She didn't know what was wrong with her. All Jellylorum did was ask one measly question! Why was she acting so stupid? The others probably thought she was a big baby. 'Stop it!' she tried to tell herself. Reaper used to make degrading comments to and about her and she had let them stay in her head but it was only when she was really depressed that her mind started them up again. She jerked a bit when she felt a touch on her shoulder. She looked up to see Goldith sitting beside her with two glasses of cold water and what looked to be chocolate. She perked up a bit at that. Whenever one of them was really messed up emotionally, the other would bring chocolate and water.

Wordlessly the brown queen handed her best friend a piece of the chocolate. "Did Jellylorum say something to you sweetie?" she asked gently and handed Teazer the glass of water.

Teazer felt the soft brown chocolate melt on her tongue and shakily accepted the glass of water. She couldn't find the words to talk so she just nodded her head. She took several nervous sips and set the glass down. Her paw reached for another chocolate. Even though the water made her feel a bit better, she still wasn't sure she could talk without crying. 'Thank Bast for Goldith.' Her friend helped her to keep her sanity… or at least enough for her to function with some sense of dignity. She reached for another piece of chocolate and she saw Goldith smile. She picked up the glass and took another sip.

"I swear! Chocolate should be a prescription." Goldith laughed.

Teazer looked at her quizzically.

Goldith gestured to her paws and said gently, "Look. After 3 pieces, your paws aren't shaking and you aren't crying anymore. Are you ready to talk?"

Rumpleteazer looked around her room and her eyes rested briefly on the barred door. She smiled a little and ate another piece of chocolate. "Yes." She whispered softly.

Goldith just nodded and pulled Teazer into a warm hug.

She took a deep breath. "Jellylorum asked me what I thought of Mungojerrie and started to say that he seemed nice, but that I didn't know him well enough and then memories started coming and I said that I didn't want to get to know him and something about 'not now' and 'too soon.' That's about all I can… wait!" she sat up. "Then I guess I started crying and I do remember Jenny hugging me. The next thing I remember was running out. And here I am." She helplessly shrugged. "And here you are too. I feel really stupid for putting up a fuss about that. Yes, I am attracted to him, but I can't get Reaper out of my system. And I can't do anything about Mungojerrie until I get him out of my system." she felt her eyes start to tear up. "I also," she dropped off, not sure if she should tell Goldith, but went ahead anyway. "I have this feeling that we've met before and… well… it wasn't in this lifetime." She looked at Goldith. "Is that even possible? And, and… oh! I can't explain it…" she blew a frustrated stream of air out of her lips as she tried to come to understandable terms with her thoughts and feelings. "But I somehow feel connected to him and I… I… hate his mother."

Goldith noticed her hesitation and quickly shoved a piece of chocolate in her paw. She then took Teazer's hand and gently guided it to her mouth.

Teazer stuck the chocolate in her mouth and began to suck on it. The effect was almost immediate. She was feeling better. She smiled at Goldith. "Thank you, my friend. I don't know what I'd do without you. I just need some time… but for some reason I feel that I'm not going to get that time that I need. I need to face the fire. "

Goldith just shrugged like it was no big deal. "Hell, girl, don't worry about it. That's what best friends are for. Are you ready to go back downstairs?" she asked. But then her eyes took on a mischievous glint as the stood up. "But isn't he handsome? His ass looks fabulous in those jeans."

Teazer giggled girlishly.

"I mean it! His eyes are so dreamy." She sighed. "And his paws? They're strong. Strong paws are good." She winked at her friend who blushed.

Teazer finally couldn't hold it in any longer. She began laughing really hard. "Goldith! Stop it! That's mean." She tried to say it sternly, but her laughter was making it difficult. "You're taken! What are you doing going around looking at other toms' butts? But yes, he is something else… But enough." She stopped laughing and looked sternly at her friend. The look didn't last long until she burst into laughter. It was then that she caught a look at herself in the mirror. "Oh my god! I look awful!"

A face joined her and shook her head. "No you don't. But if it makes a difference, go wipe off your eyes and go natural. But… be sure to wear lip gloss or lipstick. I'll wait."

Teazer sighed and looked at her friend and then at the mirror. "You're right. I'll be right back." With that, she disappeared into the bathroom. 5 minutes later, she emerged looking much better. "There. How do I look?" she struck a sexy pose.

Goldith laughed and slung an arm around her friend. "Hon, you never looked better. Now… let's go dazzle those handsome toms down there with our beautiful presence."

Teazer laughed again and together they descended down the stairs. As they reached the bottom, Teazer hung onto Goldith's arm. When they entered the dining room, everybody looked at them. There were two empty chairs. One was between Skimbleshanks and Mungojerrie and the other was between Alonzo and Jellylorum. "Hi everyone." She said quietly as she slipped into the chair that Mungojerrie held for her. "I'm very sorry to have disturbed dinner, but I'm not feeling too well." she reached out and picked up her wine glass. She took a few sips and felt it course through her system. Goldith sat next to Alonzo and whispered in his ear. He nodded and kissed her. She blushed.

"So, Alonzo and Goldith, how long have ye been together?" asked Skimbleshanks cheerily as he tried to lighten the mood at the table.

Teazer was staring into her goblet, Jenny had a smile plastered on her face, Jellylorum looked like she'd eaten a lemon, and Mungojerrie kept stealing glances at Rumpleteazer. A concerned look flashed across his rugged features.

"Hey, are you ok?" he asked her quietly.

She looked at him and smiled slightly, "Maybe, maybe not. Only time will tell. But thank you for caring. It's appreciated." She took another sip of her wine to try and stop herself from being lost in his eyes. She took a deep breath.

"Would you like to go get a drink with me? I mean a real drink?" he asked a bit shyly. His paws started to fiddle with the napkin.

"Are you sure? I mean, do you still want to even though I probably insulted your mom?" she asked earnestly.

He saw fear, happiness, and apprehension fly across her face. "Yes. Mum is too caught up in herself anyway. Sometimes she just plows into something without thinking about who is involved and who could get hurt. Please?" he asked again, feeling braver.

A small giggle escaped her mouth as she nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that a lot."

He let a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. She said yes! His mind rejoiced. He got up and went over to where Goldith and Alonzo were sitting and whispered in their ears. "I'm taking her to get a drink. It's a bar called Slater's and it's in Quarry. Here's my cell in case you need us." He slipped them a slip of paper and went back to Teazer. "Ready?" she nodded. "Do you need a coat or anything?" he asked concernedly.

She thought for a moment and then nodded. She quickly ran upstairs and he left the table.

"Hey, where are you going?" Jellylorum stood up and called as she saw Jenny's niece leave the table and her son following. She didn't like the idea of her son being with Rumpleteazer for some reason.

Teazer flew down the stairs clutching her purse, and a wrap.

He opened the door, put a hand on the small of her back just above her tail and followed her out. He blatantly ignored his mum's protests. He quickly jumped to open the car door for her and watched as she came down the driveway. Her dress seemed to float around her and it took his breath away. But even as it did, he remembered Jennyanydots's warning. He knew that tonight, he couldn't have too much to drink or he might do something that would drive her away and back to NYC forever. He went to the driver's side and hopped in. Soon they were roaring out of the driveway and heading for Quarry.

Whatcha think?