A/N: This is the last chapter of The Tabby at the Train Station. I'm sad that this story is ending, but unfortunately stories have to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this and I hope you have had a likewise experience reading it! I thank all my readers and reviewers, and I think some honourable mentions are in order. Cocobutterrox and thatHORRIBLEcat, you two were my most loyal reviewers! Thanks so much for your comments! Also, a few cats won't be making appearances in this chapter. Alonzo and Mistoffelees have their own story, as I'm sure you all know. Jemima isn't born yet. Please enjoy this last chapter of The Tabby at the Train Station. :')
Jennyanydots never told anyone about the manifestation of Macavity in the flames. She herself didn't know whether it was real or not. After the fire, there was no hope of rebuilding Skimble's den and all the others were taken, so Jenny offered him a place at the junkyard. Annasta and Remgail were skeptical at first, but they allowed it. The orange tabby tom quickly settled in and got to know the other tribe members. He also got into dance, like all the other Jellicles did, and added his own Scottish twist into the ballet routines.
Macavity seemed to calm down after the incident at the train station, and no one found out who the real culprit was. However, he became more and more withdrawn as the months passed by. He still tried to see Demeter even after her real motives were discovered, as if he wanted to try and salvage the relationship he thought had been there, but really wasn't. This only seemed to make him more depressed. Half a year of this had gone by before he finally snapped. One morning, both he and Demeter disappeared. Shortly after the disappearance there were reports of a slew of crimes that had been committed, but nobody, not even Scotland Yard, could find out who the perpetrator was. Search parties were sent out for a few weeks after that, but nothing came up. Bombalurina was devastated at the loss of her sister and Macavity's family was hit hard by the disappearance of the Jellicle Protector. By tradition, Munkustrap took over his brother's role. Another two weeks went by and the tribe was forced to face the worst: Macavity and Demeter were never going to be found.
By that time, the Jellicle Ball had long since passed and a couple of newly mated pairs were announced. Jenny and Skimbleshanks were officially mated and so were Jellylorum and Asparagus. Nine weeks later, Jelly gave birth to her first son, Asparagus Jr., who was the pride and joy of his parents.
A week later Jenny found out she was pregnant. About two months later she delivered a calico queen that she and Skimble named Rumpleteazer. She proved to be quite a pawful right off the bat. A serendipitous event also happened a few weeks after 'Teazer was born. Munk found an orphaned kitten at the junkyard gate one night while making his usual midnight rounds. The kit was a pure white female, and had a note claiming her name was Victoria on the box she was found in. Victoria was barely two weeks old. She was no replacement for Demeter, but Old Deuteronomy allowed Munk to raise the kitten as his own daughter.
Some weeks later, a squalid, black and gray-patched tom was seen repeatedly pacing outside the junkyard fence. Skimble was the first to approach the stranger, and explained to him that he was on Jellicle territory. The black and gray tom said he knew, and also that he had been recently dumped by his careless owners. It was obvious the tom needed a place to stay, and he was welcomed into the tribe. The unknown tom introduced himself as Admetus, and proved to be a very shy tom, but kind and caring nonetheless. He found himself a den, and that was that.
Cassandra, a bronze Abyssinian queen and her older sister Exotica arrived at the junkyard a month and a half later. They had owners, but much preferred to stay with other cats. Exotica was no older than Bombalurina, and Cassandra was around the same age as Tantomile. They were very secretive queens and kept to themselves, but quickly made friends with the psychic twins. That was no surprise, seeing as they shared similar personalities. Exotica was seen much less than her sister, and even Cassandra didn't know where she went most of the time.
Rumpleteazer and Victoria became fast friends and the latter was a skilled dancer, though she was only about eleven weeks old. 'Teazer was the boisterous one of the pair and she loved to play tricks on the other tribe members. They got used to her creative, fun pranks that made everyone laugh, even the victim. It was when she and Victoria found another pair of queens that the tribe was actually astonished. They were malnourished, shabby, and scared, but 'Teazer's talking skills and Victoria's kind nature convinced them that they weren't enemies.
One queen was about a year younger than Rumpleteazer and the other was about half a year younger than the first queen. Once they got cleaned up, the older one was discovered to be a tortoise-shell and the other a brown and yellow tabby. As the pair got more accustomed to their new home, they revealed that their names were Electra and Etcetera. Electra was older and more serious, being the caretaker of her younger sister, and Etcy proved to more hyper than 'Teazer. She took a liking to the Rum Tum Tugger and almost never left his side. Tugger didn't mind the attention, but Etcy's squealing got on his nerves sometimes. It wasn't seen as proper that kittens as young as Electra and Etcetera should be without parents, so Jenny and Skimble took care of them. Electra insisted that she and her sister have their own den, and she couldn't be swayed on that decision. The pair joined Jenny and Skimble for meals and whenever they weren't playing with Victoria and Rumpleteazer.
During the time that Electra and Etcy had been settling in as Jellicles, Jelly and Gus were expecting another kitten. Only it turned out they had fraternal twins. One was a brown and white-patched tom they named Tumblebrutus and the other was a brown, white, and black-striped tom named Pouncival. They grew quickly and loved to play fight with each other.
A few months later, Munkustrap's family suffered another blow. Grizabella had been deeply saddened by the loss of her first-born son, as had the whole family. She spontaneously decided she couldn't take living in this depressed state any longer, and hit the road. The elegant, ebony queen had a plan to make a living. She wanted to get into show business and become a Glamour Cat. Glamour Cats were mostly looked down upon and seen as greedy, desperate felines who had no other choice but to get into the sleazy industry, but Grizabella was determined to make the most of it. Old Deuteronomy wasn't one to force his opinion, but he outright denied his mate's decision. His family couldn't take another loss, but Grizabella promised she would come back soon, and that she would also look for Macavity along the way. Reluctantly, The Jellicle Leader let his mate go.
Years passed, Grizabella never returned as she had promised, and the kittens grew into healthy, rambunctious adolescents. The crime rate in London was still high, and appeared to stay that way. Rumors of a crime lord known under such names as 'The Hidden Paw' and 'Macavity the Mystery Cat' reached the junkyard and Old Deuteronomy was on high alert for the menace. It wasn't the crime lord himself that put him on edge, but the fact that this criminal was recruiting strays as henchcats. He knew this because the cats had a trademark black collar with spikes, and they did the dirty work for their boss. The Jellicle Leader forbade anyone to go outside the junkyard at night and to be extra careful when walking around the city in the day. If anyone saw a cat with the tell-tale collar, they should run as fast as possible in the other direction.
As usual, Rumpleteazer was one to bend the rules a bit. She had turned from an adorable prankster into a little more than one. She had gotten into taking things from tribe members without permission, which is stealing. 'Teazer gave the items back once the person found out, only to steal another item of theirs a few days later. Victoria refused to take part in the actual theft, but she always tagged along just for the fun of it.
One year, on New Year's Eve, the calico queen-kit wanted to see the fireworks on the roof of the train station. Skimbleshanks, her father, always talked about how you could see the Thames perfectly well from that vantage point, and the humans always launched the fireworks from various barges on the river. Some boats also fired their own, but it wasn't as spectacular as the professionals'.
"Dad, Dad!" Rumpleteazer, now sixteen, bounded up to her father as he was getting his waistcoat on to leave for work. He still had his job at the train station, and after Coilin passed away the year before, he had taken over as Head Night Watchman. He now worked only at night on the Midnight Mail, since he had a family to care for. "Can Victo'ia an' Oi go down ta tha train station ta watch tha foireworks?" 'Teazer had a mixture of her parents' accents and took on the district accent, which happened to be Cockney.
Skimble scratched his head and sighed. 'Teazer always did this when she wanted something. She would run up to him the moment he was leaving for work, and he had no chance of discussing it with her because he didn't want to be late. "Ask your mother. See you in the morning, sweetheart." The orange tabby tom stated and slipped away before his daughter could object.
The calico queen-kit turned to Jennyanydots, who was sitting at the kitchen table. "Mom, can Oi-"
"I heard you the first time 'Teazer," her mother smiled, "and yes, I allow you and Victoria to go. But, I have two conditions."
Rumpleteazer frowned and waited for her mother to continue.
"You don't talk to strangers and you come straight home after the fireworks are over. Deal?" Jenny said firmly.
The calico queen nodded fervently, in a hurry to leave. "Deal! Thanks Mom!" She chirped happily and ran off to go find Victoria. The pair of queens hopped the fence and started on their way to the train station. In the time it took to find the white queen-kit, Skimble was already well on his way and was too far away to be followed. Neither queen had ever really been to the station, as nobody could really watch them. Skimble made the nightly circuit on the Midnight Mail and the other toms were too busy doing their jobs to kitten-sit. Still, 'Teazer vaguely knew the way and was confident that she wouldn't get lost.
Twenty minutes into the walk Victoria whined, "Are you sure you know where you're going? We've got a half hour until midnight and I don't want to miss the fireworks!"
"Yeah, yeah, Oi know tha way! Moiy Dad takes moi there awll tha toime! Quit complainin' an' keep on walkin'!" 'Teazer hissed and strode on confidently. On the inside, she knew none of these streets looked familiar. She was too proud to admit she was lost.
Both queens suddenly got the feeling like someone was watching them, but Rumpleteazer shrugged it off and kept moving. Five minutes later she declared, "Awlroight, Oi admit it. We're lost. Le's backtrack an' see if we can come ta a street we know."
Before she could execute her plan, the pair of queens heard a voice from the shadowy alley beside them. "Ya two queens lose ya' way?" A tom's Cockney tone seemed like it emitted from the alley itself.
"Who's there?" Victoria squeaked fearfully. She hid behind 'Teazer for safety.
The voice chuckled and a tom emerged from the alley. He was a lean orange calico, and if he didn't look a year older, he could be mistaken for 'Teazer's long lost twin. The tom also wore a henchcat's spiked collar. "Moiy name's not impo'tant. So, Oi'll ask again. Ah ya lost?" The calico tom repeated, running a paw through his already unkempt headfur.
Victoria and Rumpleteazer stiffened. Their parents had warned them about cats like this one. They worked for The Hidden Paw and were extremely dangerous criminals. "No! Leave us alone an' ya won' 'ave aneh trouble!" 'Teazer threatened unconvincingly.
The mystery tom laughed again and smirked, "C'mon, pretteh queens loike ya can't foight strong toms loike moi. Tha's unfair. Oi know this area well, so Oi can take ya ta wherevah ya need ta go."
"Vickey, le's go. We can watch tha foireworks from tha talles' junkpoile instead." The calico queen murmured to her snowy-white friend and turned to leave.
The henchcat's voice made her halt for a second. "Ya live in a junkyard?" He assumed casually.
"Yeah. Whot's it ta ya?" 'Teazer spat.
"T'wouldn' 'appen ta be tha Jellicle Junkyard, would it?" The tom continued more slowly.
Victoria cocked her head. "How did you know?" She asked, but 'Teazer immediately clapped a paw over her mouth. It was too late, though. The henchcat had already heard them.
The calico tom shrugged, "Jus' a guess. Moiy boss is from there, tha's awll. Yeah, 'e doesn' realleh loike Jellicles, so tha' means Oi don' eithah. But Oi'll le' ya go 'cause ya're so darn pretteh, t'would be a shame ta kill ya. 'Appey New Year, Jellicles." He disappeared into the shadows once more.
'Teazer and Victoria exchanged frightened glances and sprinted back to the junkyard, just in case the tom decided to change his mind or if he had buddies with him. They soon arrived back home and climbed to the top of the tallest pile, in time for the beginning of the fireworks. The pair of queens silently promised never to say a word about the incident. Still, 'Teazer couldn't get the image of the tom out of her mind. He was a very handsome tom, but what struck her the most was that he wasn't the bloodthirsty henchcat the tribe always told her to stay away from. Perhaps not all of The Hidden Paw's minions were evil to the core? The tom also said that his boss was a Jellicle once. 'Teazer had heard of only two Jellicles that have ever left the tribe, and one of them surely wasn't a criminal. The other was a more probable candidate. She decided to ask her parents in the morning.
The next day, Rumpleteazer and her family were eating breakfast when 'Teazer brought up the subject. Her grandparents had also joined them today. "Mom, Dad, who is tha 'Idden Paw?" She queried innocently as she used a fork to push her mousecake around her plate.
Jenny visibly tensed while Skimble set his jaw. Only Annasta and Remgail appeared to be willing to answer the question. The former smiled at her granddaughter and replied, "The Hidden Paw used to be a member of this tribe, in fact he was supposed to be the next Jellicle Protector. His name was Macavity and he was never the friendliest of toms. Something went wrong in his mind and he took another tribe member, Demeter, and just…disappeared into the night. We never saw either since, but we have reason to believe that the increased number of crimes in the city is because of Macavity. That's why you have to be so careful when venturing outside the junkyard. I'm sure you've heard of his henchcats, right?"
'Teazer nodded fervently and added in her mind, "Oi also me' one, too."
Annasta smiled and continued to eat her breakfast. After a few minutes Remgail inquired, "Why do you ask, 'Teazer?"
"No reason…Oi'm jus' wonderin' 'cause nobodey's evah told moi tha full storey before." The calico queen-kit shrugged non-chalantly.
The rest of breakfast went quietly and afterwards 'Teazer left to go find Victoria. The white queen-kit was practicing jetés with Electra and Etcetera. 'Teazer felt like dancing, since she had nothing else to do. It was too beautiful of a day not to. Sure it was the middle of winter, but it wasn't really cold. The calico queen-kit spent most of her day dancing and watching other cats dance, and soon she forgot all about the mysterious tom and Macavity. Needless to say, she didn't go out of the junkyard at night anymore.
This went on for another month or so before the opportunity to go outside during the night presented itself. Rumpleteazer, Etcetera and Victoria were going to celebrate Electra's fifteenth birthday, so they got permission from their parents to take the tortoise-shell queen-kit out to dinner. They couldn't afford much, but they chose the best diner they could get that served cats. They had a wonderful time, and soon it was getting late. The four queen-kits paid for their food and left the restaurant.
On their way home, 'Teazer noticed a few distressed cats in an alley. She convinced her friends to stop and see if they could help. Being the oldest in the group, Etcy, Vicky, and Electra couldn't really say no to her. They approached the three cats cautiously.
"Are you guys alright? You look like you're having some trouble." Electra called to the three cats. One turned around; the cat was obviously a tom. The group of queens quickly realized they were all toms. Now that they were closer, they also observed that they all had spiked collars. Henchcats.
"No, we're okay. Leave us be." The tom who turned around spoke. He was a calico, and 'Teazer couldn't help but feel she had seen this tom somewhere before.
"Are you sure?" Etcetera cocked her head, "Your friends don't look so good…" It was true. One tom, clearly younger than the calico, was slumped against the wall. He was shivering uncontrollably and his lips were a bit blue. Etcy didn't know whether his fur was naturally copper or if it was stained that way because of the number of bleeding gashes on his body. The third tom, a black and cream-patched cat, wasn't moving at all. His face was pale and lifeless.
The calico tom snarled and stood up, startling the four queen-kits. "We're foine. Leave us alone, unless ya wont a beatin'." He threatened seriously. 'Teazer was the only one who didn't cower at the venom in his tone.
"'Ey, we're jus' troiyin' ta 'elp! There's no reason ta be so rude! Do ya wont us ta 'elp o' not?" Rumpleteazer shot back, paws on her hips. The two calicos stared each other down for a minute before the tom growled in defeat. He wrapped his muscled forelegs around himself since he was shivering almost as much as the younger tom.
The calico tom crouched down beside his unconscious comrade and shook his shoulder gently. "Plato, we've got 'elp. Ya're goin' ta be awlroight." He crooned to the freezing tom and hoisted him over his shoulder. The injured feline whimpered and hissed in pain, but quieted down as his comrade kept moving.
"Whot 'bout tha othah one?" 'Teazer queried, pointing to the last tom. The calico henchcat just shook his head and frowned. 'Teazer understood what that meant: it was too late for that cat.
As the group was walking, Rumpleteazer kept stealing glances at the calico tom. She knew she had seen him before…"'Ey, wha's ya name?" She questioned the henchcat casually.
"Moiy name's not impo'tant." The calico tom answered curtly, shifting his burden ever so slightly.
Now 'Teazer was sure she had met this tom before. Only one cat had said that to her. "Oi've seen ya before, Oi know it. Darn, bu' where?" She pondered aloud, trying to recall the memories that wouldn't come.
The calico tom turned his head towards 'Teazer this time instead of looking ahead. He furrowed his brow. "Come ta think o' it, ya do look familiah." The henchcat stated and then snapped his fingers with his free paw. "Oi know! Ya're tha' Jellicle queen Oi me' on New Year's Eve! An' ya whoite friend ovah there, too." He pointed at Victoria and she hesitantly waved back. The calico tom frowned and continued, "Damn, Boss won't loike moi stayin' with Jellicles. Bu' tha's okay, it'll onleh be 'til moiy lil' buddey 'ere is 'ealed enough ta walk."
"Ya look loike ya've been 'avin' some trouble, too. Whot's wrong with ya leg?" Rumpleteazer commented, pointed to the henchcat's left hind leg. It was bleeding and he was clearly trying to put as little weight on it as possible.
"Nothin'; it's jus' a scratch. Oi' don' need aneh special treatment." The calico tom muttered tersely. It was almost like he was embarrassed by his injury and didn't want to admit he had one.
'Teazer shrugged and left the tom alone. Soon the junkyard fence was in view. Munkustrap was reluctant to let a pair of henchcats stay in the junkyard, but he got over his prejudice for the sake of another cat's well-being. The pair was set up in Jenny's den, which was also used as an infirmary. Plato was set down on a blanket and Jenny began her work as soon as possible. The calico tom settled himself against the wall and let his eyes droop shut. He hugged himself for warmth, since he was still very cold.
Rumpleteazer cocked her head at the older henchcat. "Ya know, we can se' a nest up fo' ya. Ya don' need ta sleep loike a 'obbo." She commented, and went to fetch some gauze for her mother.
"Oi loike it bettah when Oi can keep an eye on evreyone, so Oi can make sure none o' ya Jellicles will troiy anehthin' funney durin' tha noight." The calico tom opened his eyes and smirked, half serious.
Jenny's daughter took some gauze and a damp rag and brought them over to the henchcat by the wall. The calico tom's face darkened and he bared his teeth at the sight of the objects. 'Teazer rolled her eyes and sat down in front of the tom. "If we wonted ta troiy anehthin' funney, we would o' left ya in tha' alley. We jus' wont ta 'elp, so ya won't suffah a slow, painful death from infection. Will ya le' moi look at ya leg?" She said the last phrase in a gentler tone as she reached a paw out towards the tom's bloodied hind leg.
Reluctantly, the calico henchcat extended his limb and 'Teazer started to dab the gash on it with her damp rag. The tom hissed and retracted his leg immediately. "Whot tha 'ell is on tha' rag? It burns loike shit!" He spat, and didn't care that Jenny shot him a disapproving glare for his vulgarity.
"It's disinfectant. Ya've nevah 'ad this stuff put on ya before?" 'Teazer replied sarcastically, and the tom just shook his head. He let the calico queen-kit resume cleaning his wound. "Figures," she continued, "Oi can see so many othah scahs on ya leg, they're 'ard ta count. Ah ya gonna tell moi 'ow ya an' ya friend got in such a mess?"
The henchcat debated with himself on whether he should tell or not, and eventually decided that the information wouldn't come back to haunt him. "Pollicles. Moiy buddies an' Oi were attacked boiy those damn beasts outta nowhere. We ran a few blocks ta ge' away before ya arroived. Oi guess Oi should thank ya fo' savin' ah asses. Bu' Oi can't do tha' if Oi don' know ya name." He smirked, but gritted his teeth as 'Teazer applied another round of the disinfectant.
"Rumpleteazah. Now it's ya turn. Tell moi ya name." The calico queen-kit remarked as she moved on to wrapping the tom's leg with gauze. In the time it took her to finish the job, he hadn't uttered a word.
'Teazer sighed in slight frustration and left the tom alone to go help her mother with Plato. The younger tom's wounds were looking much better and the bleeding had almost stopped on the smaller gashes. She discovered that his fur was actually russet with white patches. When he was stable and her assistance wasn't needed anymore, 'Teazer busied herself with making a temporary nest for the calico henchcat. This drew the tom's attention.
"Is tha' bed fo' Plato?" The henchcat queried from his place by the wall.
"Well, Plato can't realleh move, now can 'e? This bed's fo' ya." The calico queen-kit stated, and frowned when she heard the tom scoff.
The henchcat didn't move from his spot when 'Teazer was finished with the make-shift bed. "Whot will it take ta make ya sleep loike a no'mal cat? Whoiy won't ya allow yaself some comfo't an' lie down?" She huffed in annoyance.
The calico tom shrugged and answered simply, "Moiy boss tells us tha' tha more discomfo'ts we deal with daily, tha toughah we'll become. It's worked so fah. Oi'm not dead ye'."
"Ugh, tha's nonsense," Rumpleteazer waved the comment off, "Ya boss won't care if ya sleep in a propah bed with a blanket fo' jus' a noight o' two."
This made the henchcat think twice before replying. He sat there for a minute, eyes shifting between the warm-looking bed and 'Teazer. Finally, his longing for a bit of luxury seemed to take over and he crawled to the nest. He curled up in it and let a sigh of contentment escape his lips. After stretching himself out to make full use of the bed, the tom looked expectantly up at 'Teazer like something was missing.
The calico queen-kit giggled and fetched a blanket from her nest. She took the liberty of tucking the fabric around the shivering henchcat's body, despite his growl of refusal. When she turned around to walk to her own nest, she heard the calico tom speak up from behind her.
"Moiy name's Mungojerrie. Thank ya fo' ya koindness, Rumpleteazah. Oi won't fo'get it."
The End.