READ THIS FIRST: okay updates are going to be a little slower now because I'm going back to school soon where I'll be busy with work, and back to the boarding house where I'll be busy unpacking, greeting people, saying hi to new girls etc.

Special thanks to my reviewers! HumanGuineapig, TailFur, and C. You guys are awesome! I made banana and chocolate chip muffins the other day and I'd love to give you some.

Ps Quaxo cracks an extremely bad joke in here, free imaginary banana & chocolate chip muffin goes to the first person who spots it.

luv Felix

A week passed, and Tugger had not yet stormed out of the flat. Quaxo was more that pleased with this phenomenon, he was amazed. He seemed to take all of Quaxo's oddities in his stride. As if it was perfectly normal to wake up on a Sunday morning to a deafening explosion, which would turn out to be your flatmate accidently blowing up the toaster. Nor was he bothered at all with the lamps that cluttered up the place, merely inquiring as to why Quaxo collected them.

"I inherited them from my Grandmother" he had answered.

He positively adored Oswald and would visit him on a daily basis armed with some carrot or lettuce or once even, a bunch of grapes to feed him. Oswald in return always allowed Tugger to scratch his shell and never stole Tugger's lunch.

The only thing that seemed to trouble him was that Quaxo never told him about his Magical Mr Mistoffelees outings.

"Why can't I know where you've been?" he whined one day when Quaxo returned home from an assignment that had taken him nearly the entire day to complete.

"Because it's confidential" Quaxo had replied before collapsing onto the couch. The task had been long and fruitless with two toms saying they'd been assaulted, but had not been able to describe what their attacker was like. It had left Quaxo feeling exhausted and faintly creeped by its familiarity.

"Why can't I come?" His flatmate persisted.

"Because it's too dangerous" said Quaxo. Tugger pouted. He would have continued but the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it, it's probably Bombalurina" Tugger sang bounding to the door. "Youwhoooo! What can I do for youuuu…?" he trailed off as he saw a stern faced silver tabby standing in the doorway "umm?"

"Hello Munk" said Quaxo rising up from the couch "meet my promiscuous flat mate Rum Tum Tugger. Tugger, meet my intellectually challenged friend Munkustrap."

"Delighted to meet you Monk-whose-map" said Tugger shaking the detective's paw

"It's Munkustrap" replied Munkustrap weakly.

"Mouse trap?"

"Munkustrap"

"What's happened Munk?" asked Quaxo. Munkustrap gratefully turned his attention to the magician.

"There's been another robbery" explained the tabby "a witness says it was a magician" Quaxo pricked up his ears at the mention of 'magician'.

"Any leads?" he asked.

"None so far, investigators are keeping an eye out for anything helpful." Quaxo knew that this was police talk for we've got nuffin!

"I'll come and check the site out" he told the detective who was preparing to leave.

"Can I come to?" asked Tugger hopefully.

"No way"

"Pleeeease! I won't be a bother, will I Mouse trap?"

"Erm" said Munkustrap

"Come on Quaxo, I promise I won't get in the way" Tugger looked at Quaxo, pleading with big gorgeous puppy dog eyes. Quaxo gulped, his resistance slithering away.

The Maine coon's grin spanned the entire length of his face when he heard the words which Quaxo knew he would come to regret. "Umm okay Tugger."

Munkustrap drove them to the robbed jewellery shop. Stepping out of the car they saw that the first floor windows were smashed to smithereens but the second floor was pretty much intact. Walking through the marbled entrance Quaxo suddenly felt the world whirl around him and he swayed dangerously. 'Of course this is a jewellery shop, I should have thought of that before' he thought as he grabbed the door for support

They were halfway across the room before Tugger noticed that the magician was leaning heavily against the door, sweat running down his face. "Quaxo are you okay? What happen?" he asked hurrying towards his friend's side.

"Nothing" mumbled Quaxo "I'll be fine, I just need a few minutes" Inwardly he was thinking 'How did the magician who robbed this joint stand it?' Tugger gave him a 'look'. Unaware of what was happening Munkustrap walked back into the room looking thoroughly puzzled.

"I don't understand it, if this guy was a magician why did he have to rob the place himself? He could have possessed a worker like the guy who robbed the theatre or…"

"Because magician's magic drains away near gold" said Quaxo who was still leaning weakly against the door. Both Munkustrap and Tugger gave him a questioning look.

"Why?" they asked simultaneously.

"We're allergic to carrots"

Tugger rolled his eyes and groaned loudly, Munkustrap looked blank.

"I don't get it" he said. Quaxo's grinned then straightened up, his initial dizziness from magic withdrawal was over and he could move around as long as he was careful. It was time for business.

"You said there was a witness" he looked at Munkustrap who nodded.

"She's upstairs, still a little shaken" he said leading them up the staircase to where a young light coloured tabby queen sat, nervously chewing her nails. Quaxo hurried towards her, paused as the room swam again, shook his head and sat down in front of the queen. She eyed him off warily.

"The Tom that robbed this place acted like you" she piped up. "When he first walked in he could like, barely stand, and his fur was all damp with sweat." She wrinkled her nose at the memory. Quaxo was about to ask what this tom's fur looked like but she hadn't finished her ranting yet

"And he acted like you as well, eyes darting round all over, looking weird, freaky." Quaxo sighed, he was never good with teenaged queens and this one was already proving to be more difficult than the rest put together.

"Miss, would you be able to tell me what…"

"Come on now Mistoffelees, that's no way to speak to a lady" said Tugger butting in. Turning to the queen he continued "I apologise, this is Magical Mr Mistoffelees, that's Detective Mouse trap and I am the Rum Tum Tugger, what would your name be sweetheart?"

"Etcetera" she giggled, turning red as Tugger sat down next to her.

"What a pretty name Etcetera. Would you be able to tell me about the ghastly tom that robbed this shop?"

"Well" giggled Etcetera "his fur was all red and messy and his eyes we're a horrible blacky colour. And the way he moved, it was almost, snakelike?" Now she was getting into the swing of thinks and told her tale with great gusto "Yeah and he was like sooo mean, he pointed a gun at me and told me to open all the cases. And I said no because my boss would fire me, and he growled back saying 'just do as the hidden paw commands!"

Etcetera looked at Tugger, imploring that this was a dreadful experience and that he should say so. However Tugger only managed to stare at her, shocked. Quaxo thought at first it was from the tale, but then he saw that Tugger's paws were trembling

'he's realised something, what is it?' Quaxo was determined to find out.

"Thank you for your time Etcetera, Munkustrap will look after you now" said Quaxo in his Mistoffelees voice. Grabbing Tugger's arm he pulled him past the jewel rifled cases to the back of the shop and pressed him against the wall, Tugger slumped forward resting on Quaxo's arm. "Tugger what happened back then?" he whispered "You went all shaky while Etcetera was talking."

"It's nothing Quaxo" Tugger muttered looking down at the floor. Quaxo knew he was lying; the heartbeat he could feel beneath Tugger's chest was way too fast to suggest otherwise. With his other paw he raised Tugger's head till he could meet his eyes.

"Tugger what's troubling you? It's alright, you can tell me." Tugger said nothing for a few seconds but looked round for some sort of escape, there wasn't one, the tux had him cornered.

"The hidden paw, was what my brother called himself" said Tugger, his voice barely above a whisper

"Your brother?"

"Macavity"

Munkustrap dropped them both off at their flat later that evening. Before he left Quaxo gave him instructions to look into the police records concerning Macavity, and any infamous unsolved crimes that had happened since the said Tom's banishment. The detective promised to do so, but didn't have much confidence in what he would find.

Both Tugger and Quaxo were exhausted but neither could summon the willpower to go to their rooms, so instead they flopped down on the couch and sat there, brooding.

"Quaxo"

"Mmh?"

"I'm sorry"

"For what"

"For my brother, for what he's done."

"Tugger, why on Earth are you sorry for what your brother's done" Tugger didn't reply at once, but simply stared at the wall.

"I guess because I should have noticed" he said "I should have realised something was wrong. Ever since I was born we were together, day in day out we were hardly ever apart. I was probably the one who knew him best, I should have noticed something. Then none of this would be happening."

Quaxo shook his head 'how completely wrong he is' he thought. The magician was no expert on reassurance, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try, for Tugger's sake.

Slowly, almost hesitantly the tux pushed his own insecurities aside and put an arm around his companion's shoulders. He was rewarded for his efforts when he felt his friend's muscles relax a little. 'Maybe giving comfort isn't so hard after all'

"Tugger you are in no way responsible for your brother. And even if you had fifty psychopaths in the family neither I, nor anyone else will hold that against you." After a few seconds of silence Quaxo felt rather than saw Tugger smile slightly.

"Come on we're both knackered" said Quaxo "let's go to bed" they both rose and started heading upstairs, Quaxo leading the way. Halfway up the stairs to his room Tugger paused.

"Quaxo?"

"hmm?" Quaxo paused at the doorway into his room and looked at Tugger

"Thank you."

"Anytime Tug" replied Quaxo and for once his words were genuine.

isn't promiscuous a terriffic word? I got it from one of HGP's stories. If nothing else FF really allows you to expand your vocabulary.