Several months went by, Mistoffelees spending most of it clandestinely in town with Coricopat or else campaigning for a seat in the House of Commons to please his uncle. Even when he was traveling though, he was able to keep up a correspondence with Coricopat in the guise of business letters. Occasionally he heard from Victoria, who was starting to settle into becoming the woman of a household, and sometimes he would even hear from Tumblebrutus from his own campaign trail. It seemed the patched tom was glad to be away from London if only to get some breathing room away from a certain newspaper editor.

Finally, Spring came back around, and the fashionable moved back into their townhouses for the season as Mistoffelees slipped away to the country. He timed his visit so it would be just after Jones left, but the house was still mostly open and the servants were all still in full attendance.

Coricopat arrived, as per Mistoffelees' request, some two days after the heir to the estate had returned to the country house and settled in. He had told his employer that he had been requested to travel out and assess some difficulties that the younger man was encountering. Bailey had permitted his absence and, as far as the mottle tom knew, believed the story.

The last several months had given the two lovers more time together than they had managed to find prior to it, but it still never felt like enough. It was nigh on impossible to ever feel fully alone, at his flat there was always the concern of a neighbor while Jones' townhouse had servants. Shaking his head, he knocked on the door to the country house. After a moment, it was opened by a rather severe looking butler. Letting the man know that he was expected, the solicitor soon found himself in the library where Mistoffelees was.

For a moment the black tom didn't respond to Coricopat, acknowledging his entrance and exchanging a few words with the butler without looking up from the letter he was finishing. As soon as the butler closed the door, Mistoffelees' head snapped up and a smile spread across his face. "You came," he said, even though it had been planned and a letter had arrived the day before.

Offering the other a bright, gentle smile, Coricopat moved over to where he was seated, "Of course I came. How could I possibly consider doing otherwise?"

"Well, there are plenty of reasons not to, complications," Mistoffelees said, eyes tracking the other and standing when Coricopat reached him, pulling the taller into a quick but deep kiss.

The mottled tom made a soft sound at that kiss, his arm slipping around Mistoffelees' waist as he drew back, "Neither hell nor high water could have kept me from coming when I told you I would. A few days away from the city with you before the season starts, I could hardly say no to that no matter what complications arose."

That got a small chuckle from the smaller tom. "I'm glad," he murmured, leaning against Coricopat for a moment before drawing back. "Come on, while the weather's still with us."

Coricopat blinked in confusion at that, "While the…Where are we going?"

"Somewhere outside," Mistoffelees said with a grin before leaving the library at a rapid walk, shouldering a hamper waiting already by the door as he found a coat and hat.

"You're enjoying being cryptic perhaps a tad too much," the mottled tom remarked, picking up his coat and hat as he passed them and following the other.

The smaller tom laughed, shaking his head slightly. "I am doing no such thing," he said, barely managing not to skip down the front stairs, walking through the rose garden out front and skidding around the fountain before heading for the top of a nearby hill.

"If you are doing nothing of the kind, then why am I still completely in the dark about where we are going?" The solicitor hurried to keep pace with the smaller tom, surprised at the other's chipper behavior.

"Well, the question is being cryptic the same as keeping the surprise," Mistoffelees returned, glancing at him over his shoulder and stopping at the top of the hill, pointing at the bottom. "There," he said, waving a paw over what had once been an old abbey, from the thirteenth century or so, long abandoned to the wind and elements.

Coricopat came to a stop next to him, his gaze sweeping over the ruins in the valley below, "There's something tragically exquisite in that scene." He glanced at the other, offering a smile, "Shall we go down then?"

"Into the tragedy?" Mistoffelees couldn't help but tease lightly, already moving down the slope. "This place was the one thing I enjoyed about breaks when I actually came home, or whenever I was forced out to the country house. I spent all my time here rather than getting to know my mother or cousin."

"When did you first come out to this old ruin?" Coricopat asked as he kept pace, finally reaching the base of the hill and nearly at what had once been the back wall of the abbey.

"When I first came here, when my father died, and the month before I got shipped off to board school," Mistoffelees said, leaving the hamper in the shade of one of the walls and taking Coricopat's paw. "Come on, the chapel ceiling is mostly still intact."

Coricopat squeezed the smaller tom's paw lightly, "Lead on. I've no idea where to even begin when looking at this place and I am entirely at your disposal."

For a while Mistoffelees basked in showing Coricopat around, pointing out all the features he had researched over the years, as well as comparing the ruin to others he'd seen in Ireland, France, and some in Italy. A few nooks got a more personal touch, of a particular village child he'd known or some other incident that had taken place there. He was clearly more attached to the ruins than his uncle's large country house.

Following the black tom through the abbey, Coricopat couldn't help but marvel at the way the ruins seemed to gain a new life with the passion Mistoffelees evidenced about them. He listened avidly, though much of his attention was on the way the other grew more animated in this setting than he had seen him before. After finishing a particular lecture about nave windows, Mistoffelees glanced back at Coricopat and paused, laughing. "Are you actually processing a word I'm saying?"

The taller tom offered him a bit of a grin, "Of course I am. You were explaining the logic behind the positioning and shape of the windows here just now. At the same time though, I can't help but appreciate the beauty this place seems to bring to those entering it."

For a moment Mistoffelees blinked at him before smiling faintly, stepping forward to kiss him again. He knew, in some ways, that was foolish as the ruins were as close to the village as Jones' estate, and that they were hardly safe or secure, but under the large expanse of sky with no doors between them and the rest of the world.

But frankly at the moment he couldn't care less, wanting to feel what it might be like to be free, as well as pouring his love of Coricopat and the ruin together for a moment.

Coricopat nearly pulled back at the kiss. He hadn't been expecting it, but found himself melting down into it. The thought of the open air and the distance to the nearest house didn't cross his mind, rather what sent his mind skittering away from the embrace for a moment was the sheer sacrilege he was pretty sure they were committing. It was one thing to kiss the other, to love the other, it was another to do it within the walls of a venerable abbey, and yet another to do it within the nave of said abbey.

Even as his mind flickered over those thoughts he pushed them aside and drew the other closer. There was something about the ruins that surpassed religion and felt almost ethereal, it was that quality of the place that Coricopat caught onto: the sense that everything here went deeper than history, deeper than location, deeper even than the two of them.

Finally, Mistoffelees drew back with a huff of breath and a faint smile. "I hadn't meant to do that," he murmured.

That earned a crooked smile, "Well I do rather hope you didn't plan to kiss me in the nave, all things considered."

The smaller tom blinked at him a moment before he laughed, stifling the sound when he realized they were rather still in the nave. "No, that wasn't part of the plan at all," he assured, before taking Coricopat's paw again. "Come on, I brought lunch. We'll eat it outside, alright?"

"I think that in the interests of not repeating our clandestine actions in the nave that may be the most intelligent course of action," he responded with a grin. Laughing again, though trying to keep the sound quiet, Mistoffelees led him back outside, scaring a couple songbirds away from the hamper before spreading out lunch.

v.v.v.v.

The new season started in London, which meant the houses were sitting once again. This year found Mistoffelees looking around the House of Commons with something akin to despair at actually being there, and a sheaf of notes on how he was supposed to behave and what to do. Looking around in the mess of people, he spotted Tumblebrutus and slid into a seat next to him. "Are you actually happy to be here?"

The patched tom glanced at his friend, offering him a ghost of a smile before his expression slipped back into the calculatedly blank one he'd been wearing, "The only thing I believe I am happy about at the moment is the fact that I'm not campaigning any longer at the moment. So, no, not especially. Yourself?"

"Can I go home yet?" Mistoffelees said, under his breath.

Tumble chuckled softly at that, "No. If I must suffer through this, so must you. Besides, your uncle's waiting at home."

"You're right," the black tom said, making a face. "That may be worse. I'll probably change my mind again in an hour, but there you have it." As the other members of the house greeted each other and either paid attention to the speaker or not as they felt, he glanced at Tumble. "How has your off season been, then?"

"Filled with campaigning. Trying to gain a seat from someone who has been here for a good deal of time is not the easiest thing in the world." The other tom shrugged, "Beyond that, it's been rather uneventful. I spent some of it in town, but much of it was spent out in the country honestly."

The smaller tom nodded, eyes still scanning the assembly as they talked. "I suppose there are benefits to a country life style."

"There can be, yes. It gets one away from the bustle of city life at the least, which I have to admit I appreciate. How was your off season?"

Mistoffelees wasn't sure for a moment whether to smile or wince. "It had its moments," he admitted, remembering Coricopat at the ruins. But there were also rallies and campaigning, and a constant stream of warnings and all but threats from his uncle to go along with the happier memories of an almost socially empty London.

"Perhaps we should meet for drinks later this week at one of the clubs and actually hear about one another's off seasons?" Tumble offered.

"Yes," Mistoffelees agreed with a nod. "By then I'm certain both of us will need both the escape from our households and most likely the alcohol as well." He paused a moment, looking around the room again. "Have you heard from that newspaper editor who was giving you such trouble?"

Tumble's ears flickered a bit at that, "N-no. Not really. As I said, I spent much of the last several months in the country and decidedly away from the city." He paused, his voice dropping, "How is your legal situation?"

"I am still receiving plenty of help in that arena," Mistoffelees replied, carefully keeping his expression neutral, as if he was just talking about a legal issue or lawyer, not informing his friend he was still with his illegal lover.

"That is good to hear. Your lawyer seems a tom of good character and discretion if I may say so," the other murmured, his brown eyes sweeping around the chambers.

"You may say so," Mistoffelees agreed, expression unguardedly happy for a moment. "I quite approve of him myself."

Tumble offered the other a smile at that, "I should certainly hope so, as you seem to have formed rather a mutually beneficial partnership. I wish you luck in your further endeavors."

"I'll need that in all of them," Mistoffelees said, scanning the room again as somecat finally rose to make what appeared to be an actually important speech. His friend nodded once, finally turning most of his attention to the cat who was attempting to make himself heard over the din.

Later that afternoon, Mistoffelees and Tumblebrutus exited the House of Commons. Tumble hesitated right outside of the building, considering the weather for a moment, "I think I might see about a bit of a walk before I hail a cab, it's rather a nice day after all. If you'll pardon my departing here?"

Mistoffelees waved him off, not unkindly but his mind was already bracing for dealing with his uncle and the family servants that evening. "I'm certain I shall see you again soon."

"I am certain you shall. Good day, Misto," Tumble tipped his hat to his friend and started in the direction of St. Paul's cathedral. He wasn't sure how much of a walk he felt like at the moment, and it would probably have been wiser to start toward Hyde Park, but he preferred the walk between Westminster Bridge and St. Paul's lacking in parks though it may be.

Several storefronts in front of his path, Tugger strode out into the spring air, arms loaded down with supplies, some food so Bombalurina wouldn't have his head, but much more paper and ink and things for the press. He'd been shopping all day. Tumblebrutus' gaze swept around the street, he'd almost missed the bustle of the city at different points over the off season, though the noise was more of a nuisance than he remembered. The patched tom paused when he spotted the taller cat coming out of the storefront ahead of him. Hesitating, he considered turning into the milliner's shop he was passing rather than meet Tugger at that moment.

Except Tugger had already clearly spotted him, stopping in the middle of the street and ignoring the shoppers walking past him, expression both wary and expectant. Drawing a deep breath, Tumble continued on his original path, tipping his hat when he finally reached the other, "Mister Hollister."

"Tumble," Tugger greeted. "Been several months since I last laid my eyes on you."

"I've been in the country. Kept myself busy. And how have you been?" If he could just keep the conversation to simple pleasantries he might make it through it without incident.

"Oh, you know, stirring up trouble and all sorts of annoyances for your class," Tugger said with a shrug, charismatic grin plastered on his face and ignoring the dirty looks several queens shot him on their way past. "I hear the country's nice. It made me sad though, you never coming to visit."

Tumble's ears flickered back at that, "I…Had to keep my campaign t-together. I didn't have much t-time to myself."

"A noble without time to himself?" Tugger asked, arching a brow. "Now I think I've heard everything. Can I write an editorial about it do you think?"

"No, you most certainly may not," came the indignant reply, Tumble's gaze darting up to the taller tom's face and then away.

"A drink to catch up then?" the taller tom offered.

"I-I really ought t-to be going home," disregarding the fact that he lived in the opposite direction that was a viable excuse, he hoped.

"Well, it doesn't have to be today," Tugger protested, giving him a long look.

Tumble hesitated, if he set up a later date to meet the other he could claim he forgot, but he never backed out on an agreement to see someone. "I-I could l-leave it for another h-hour or so. S-so long as I can catch a cab home, I s-suppose."

"Do I have to pay for it?" Tugger asked, arching a brow and considering the amount of purchases he had with him. "Because I'm honestly not all that sure I could afford rates where you're like to get a cab."

Considering for another moment, Tumble shook his head, "N-no. I-I don't mind a b-bit of a walk."

The larger tom arched a brow and nodded. "Well, if you have the time," he said. "And if you don't mind takin' at least one of these here bags?" he asked, carrying more than any cat should.

"I-I can take t-two or three if you l-like," the politician replied. He bit his lip, "Wh-what brings you h-here for shopping?"

"Well, most of it is just usual supplies and such," Tugger shrugged, handing him a sheaf of paper and some food. "But up here? Something to pacify Bombs."

"B-Bombs? You mean th-the actress?" He took the supplies, glancing up at the other, "S-so y-you're here buying s-something to p-pacify her?" If that was the case then he had no right to even entertain several of the ideas he had had regarding the other over the past year. Not that he should have been having them to begin with, but if Tugger Hollister had someone else he certainly couldn't risk interjecting himself into that.

"Yeah, we live together," Tugger nodded and paused. "You ever, I don't know, accidently damage a queen's clothing? Cos I really wanna know if it's a queen thing to just about tear the house down over that or a Bombs thing."

"N-no, I-I can't s-say I have. P-perhaps it would b-be better if I-I sought a c-cab for you a-and we w-went our o-own ways?" They lived together. It was very much time to put an end to this.

Tugger shrugged, the motion a smooth roll of his shoulders despite how much he was carrying. "Naw. Even if I need to make anything up to her, she won't be home for hours."

Tumble's eyes widened at that, and he tried to find a coherent thought amidst the anger, shame and horror that was welling up in him, "O-oh. W-well I suppose I-I, I c-could help y-you get this home a-at least."

Considering him for a moment, Tugger tilted his head. "Is somethin' the matter there?" he asked.

Swallowing, the smaller tom shook his head, "N-No. Nothing's the m-matter. S-so you'll h-have to l-lead the way."

The taller tom nodded, heading down the street and pausing. "Erm, did you want to call a cab the way over there then?"

Tumble glanced at him, "Where w-will we be going?"

"Well, home, probably," Tugger said. "First at least. Drop all this stuff off. If you don't mind, there's a fairly respectable pub nearby or… something. Whatever time you feel like having left."

"I-I meant is th-the cab n-needed?"

"Well," Tugger said, looking him over once. "I'm sure you do lots of riding and such out in the country side, but it's over in the East End and you might prefer a cab."

Tumble considered that, "I-if we s-start in that d-direction, I-I'll see about h-hailing a c-cab."

"Great," Tugger chirped, the sound almost odd coming from such a large built tom. "Turn left up there then and we can walk along the road." The smaller tom nodded, following the direction and flagging down a cab a few blocks further along their route.

Piling into the cab, Tugger set his various burdens down and whistled, the sound almost mocking, but more teasing. "So is this what living in the lap of luxury is like?"

Tumble's ears flickered back at that, "S-somewhat? D-did you t-tell the cabbie where he's to t-take us?"

The taller tom nodded. "Yeah, I think he knows the area well enough to get us there. So long as you don't mind being seen with me of course," he added, expression somewhat searching as he looked over the smaller tom.

Shaking his head quickly, Tumble answered, "N-no. I-if I did I-I hardly w-would have approached you on th-the street."

"Suppose that's true," Tugger said with an easy grin.

"S-so…you a-and Bombalurina l-live together?" this was none of his business and he well knew it.

"Yeah," Tugger shrugged. Part of him was aware that it was still shocking to tell other cats that he and an unattached queen lived together, but honestly he enjoyed the shock that he got, and Tumble's reactions were more than a little fascinating. "Have for some years now. I print, she acts, and we pay the rent."

Tumblebrutus' ears lay back at that even as he nodded, "I-I think I see. It s-seems a g-good arrangement. A-and the two o-of y-you get along c-closely th-then?"

Another shrug and Tugger nodded. "Yeah. We get along well. Not too many issues or clashes? I mean, so long as her clothing remains ink free, which means every few months I have to flee for the safety of elsewhere."

"Ah…" Tumble fell silent, turning his gaze to the window, watching the streets pass by.

For a moment Tugger just considered the other, before looking out the window as well, enjoying the view as it passed by, but soon enough the cab rolled to a stop and he started gathering up his bags and purchases, handling the one for Bomba with extra care. "Here we are then, my abode over the press."

Tumble hesitated for a long moment before gathering a couple of the packages, stepping out of the cab and paying the driver, sending him on his way. He looked toward the press and swallowed slightly, "S-shall w-we go up th-then?"

"If you don't mind," Tugger agreed, already heading for the door without waiting for an answer about whether Tumble really did want to go up or not. He thought if the other was going to have second thoughts, he already would have, but who really understood the minds of nobles?

The cabbie having left rapidly once he was dismissed, Tumble had little choice but to follow Tugger up the stairs to the flat above the press. He entered behind the taller cat, pausing inside the door, "R-rather c-cozy."

Tugger laughed. "Cozy? I suppose compared to your mansion or estate or something, sure."

Tumble set the packages he was carrying down, "Wh-what would y-you call it?"

"Cluttered, probably," the taller replied, looking back at him after setting everything down. Leaning against the table he crossed his ankles and his arms. "So why'd you come all the way out here anyway?"

"Y-you l-looked like y-you needed help c-carrying your p-parcels."

"Yeah, but," Tugger frowned at him slightly. "I don't know, you've never really acted like you like me all that much."

"H-haven't I?" He glanced away, "I-I don't d-dislike you…"

"Then what do you feel?" Tugger asked, tilting his head the other way. "Because I'm somewhat at a loss figuring out your head."

"F-feel? D-do I have t-to feel s-something to want t-to give you a p-paw?"

"No, but I think we've met enough to feel something or another for each other," Tugger said, pushing off the table and taking a step forward. "One way or another."

Swallowing at that motion, but not moving backward or forward, Tumble tried a half-shrug, "W-well, I-I might have s-some affinity f-for y-you?"

"Some affinity?" Tugger managed, confusion evident.

"Y-yes? I-I mean, I-I'm n-not averse t-to you."

That got a laugh out of Tugger. "Isn't that just the greatest compliment I've ever been given?"

Tumble's ears tilted back and he felt his cheeks flush, "I-I d-don't mean t-to be insulting."

Shaking his head, Tugger just grinned at him, taking another step forward, as if considering doing something very stupid, and something many had told him not to even consider, before stepping forward again, tilting his head down and paws coming up to take Tumble's chin. Before the other could register or protest, he swooped down, kissing the other tom lightly.

The smaller tom startled slightly at that, but leaned up into the kiss for a moment. It was at that point that his brain caught up with him and he took a full step back, away from the other tom, "W-we c-can't."

Tugger just blinked. Honestly, he'd expected to be slapped, punched, or otherwise assaulted, not simply informed they couldn't. "Well, legally, no," he agreed.

"L-legally, s-socially, m-morally," Tumble shook his head firmly. "Th-this w-won't w-work." Damn his stutter to hell. He needed it to clear up so he could actually speak at the moment, and instead it was growing worse.

Tugger just considered him a moment, shrugging and stepping back. "Sure. Legally, socially, morally. If one gave a same about society or morality, then yeah."

The smaller tom's jaw tensed, "I-I c-can hardly continue this, c-considering..."

"Considerin'?" Tugger asked, the sound wary but he wasn't quite willing to push anything yet.

"W-well, B-Bombalurina t-to start w-with."

"There's what?" Tugger blinked at him for a confused and annoyed moment before realizing what the other meant and torn between laughing and swearing. "You know, I'm pretty sure Bomba's poised on the edge of engagement to my older brother."

Tumble gaped at him, trying to get his mind around the removal of that hindrance, "Sh-she? B-but I th-thought..."

"No," Tugger said, suddenly sounding tired. "We live together. In separate bedrooms. She and I, we aren't. Well, whatever anycat thinks we are."

Trying to decide whether he was relieved by the new information or not, Tumble nodded very slightly, "I-I see. Th-that's...good."

"Good?" Tugger asked, stepping forward again, not quite leaning toward the other but only through sheer force of will. "I make her laugh, she keeps me sane. We go together, but not like that. Does that really remove some of your objections?"

The young noble nodded slightly, his tail curling around his right leg, "Y-yes s-some of them..."

Tugger reached out, a large paw on Tumble's hip, a finger moving out to flick at his tail. "And the others?"

Tumble startled slightly at that, but found himself stepping slightly nearer, "W-well, I-I just st-started in p-parliament."

"Politics? That doesn't matter," Tugger said and if either of his brothers had heard him, they might have died on the spot. As it was, a shiver probably ran down both their spines for no reason they could place. "Not like this. So long as you avoid the police or somecat that doesn't like you that is."

The smaller tom half considered retreating again, but shook his head at that thought, "I-I s-suppose..." Hesitating for another long moment, he leaned up, a paw moving to wrap around Tugger's neck and pull him down so that he could kiss him tentatively.

Surprised by that, Tugger tensed for a second before his other paw joined the one already on Tumble's hip, pulling him a bare bit closer. Tumble did his best to push away the protests his mind was concocting, instead leaning up into the kiss, moving a hair closer to the other tom. His free paw moved to tangle in the taller cat's thick mane.

Finally Tugger threw caution out the window, pulling Tumble entirely against him and holding on. The motion elicited a squeak from the other cat, but he didn't protest more than that, his tail uncurling enough to wrap around both their legs rather than just his own.

That surprised Tugger enough to draw back for a moment, and then he grinned, diving back in for another kiss. Tumble's breath caught, the paw behind Tugger's head moving down the other's back and around to rest on his waist. The smaller tom pressed further into the kiss, a weak purr starting in his throat.

Still grinning, Tugger finally drew back again, leaning his forehead on Tumble's for a moment. "You know, in numerous ways, I had not expected this."

Eyes wide, Tumble attempted to catch his breath, "R-really?"

"You're sorta prickly," Tugger replied, an easy grin still on his face. "I thought you hated me."

"I-I d-didn't know wh-what to m-make of you."

"What do you make of me now?" Tugger rumbled.

"I-I'm still n-not quite sure. B-but it's g-good things."

"Good things huh?" Tugger asked, smoothing some of the shorter's headfur back.

Tumble swallowed, leaning into the touch slightly, "Y-yes. I-I'm still n-not sure wh-what to make of you. And I-I'm still f-fairly sure this is a-all sorts of a bad idea, but I-I don't think I much c-care right now."

"So what do you care about now?"

"I'm n-not entirely sure, but I think I w-want to find out. I-I mean, I care about y-you. I just dont know wh-what to do about that."

"Not even right now?" Tugger asked, from where they were still standing close together.

"I-I..." Tumble swallowed, his gaze sweeping over Tugger's features, "I f-find myself out of m-my depth."

"Please tell me you aren't thinking that I have all that much experience here either," Tugger said.

"Th-that's not what I meant t-to imply."

Tugger chuckled, paw moving up to trace long Tumble's eye before dropping back down to his hip again. Tumble hesitated for another moment before leaning up to kiss the other again.

Just as Tugger leaned down for another kiss, the door slammed open. "I cannot believe-" Bomba was snarling and stopped dead in the middle of the room.

Tumblebrutus startled at that, taking a hasty step back, but stumbling and finding himself pulled up short when he forgot to uncoil his tail from around their legs first.

Tugger caught him, holding the shorter to him. "Hey, Bombs."

"Are you out of your damn mind?" she snapped.

The young noble's ears laced and he tensed in Tugger's embrace. Carefully detangling his tail from the other's leg he tried to step back, "P-perhaps I-I sh-should go?"

"Oh, feel free to stay," Bomba said, throwing her paws up. "I'm sure Tugger will find some other way to destroy his life even if you leave."

"I'm not-" Tugger started and stopped after her look.

Tumble drew back, wrapping his arms around himself and dropping his gaze, "I-I'll go. G-good d-day to y-you both."

Tugger made a sound of protest, paws reaching for him. "Wait a moment," he murmured. "Just hold on."

Tumble glanced between the two, his gaze lingering on Tugger; he didn't move toward the door any further, but he didn't shift toward the other tom either, "I-I..."

"Breath," Tugger said, finally stepping back and looking at Bomba. "Do you mind?"

"Mind what?" she asked, sweetly but with an edge. "Tugger, you should know better than this. Aren't you in enough trouble in general anyway? Not to mention the time you went to your brother about an editorial about laws on sodomy. Your brother who's a cop! We've been worried for months, and apparently with damn good reason!" by the end her voice had risen and Tugger winced.

"I'l be careful," he muttered.

"You wouldn't know how," she snapped in return.

The small politician drew a deep breath, trying to calm his startled mind, speaking clearly and carefully for the first time since he'd left the House of Commons earlier that day, "But I do."

Bomba stopped and turned abruptly to him. "Come again?"

"I know how to be careful," he enunciated, making sure each letter sounded only once. "I come from a class where caution and secrecy are the only way to survive, socially at least, past the age of seven."

Tugger and Bomba exchanged a look before Bomba turned back to the patched tom, nodding shortly. "Fine. But I will tell you this once," she said, taking a step forward and jabbing his chest. "If you throw him to the dogs, or otherwise hurt him? Hell will not know a fury like mine."

Tumble took an abrupt step backward at that contact, nodding briskly, "I-I understand."

"Good," she said, eyes doing to the dropped bags from earlier, sweeping several up on her way out the room.

Once she was gone, Tugger let out a shaky laugh. "And people think I'm sleeping with that whirlwind?"

"I-I th-think you m-might have k-killed each other b-before this if th-that was the case."

"To say the least," Tugger agreed, nodding his head somewhat shakily.

"W-we'll be able to m-make this work."

"You really want to?" Tugger asked, voice low.

Tumble nodded once, his gaze still not on the other, "I d-do."

"Alright," Tugger said softly, stepping forward and brushing a paw across Tumble's cheek. "Then we'll figure something out."

Your note, from Victoriousscarf: So, we time skipped a little to get this story back on track. Partly because we needed to move the plot along, but also because most of my knowledge of English political campaigns comes from Churchill biographies and with so much else to research... The scene with Misto and Cori in the ruins is one that frankly I've wanted to write since we started the entire story, and sans lunch and kissing in the nave, was a scene inspired by being in Ireland and exploring some of these old ruins myself. Misto pretty much got my adoration of old ruins and it suits his character.

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