Dear all,
May not update for a while, as I will be in Aus with family. Promise to update lots in about a month.
~TheFirstAider
Mistoffelees was stunned. He'd just turned to go back into the warmth of his den when a whirlwind of white fur had barrelled him over. He was currently sprawled rather uncomfortably on the floor.
"Victoria?" he repeated.
"Misto?" She sounded shocked.
"The one and only, what are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you, and then it started raining and I just ran for cover." Victoria looked faintly embarrassed.
"Why were you looking for me?" Mistoffelees was now thoroughly confused.
"Because I haven't seen you in weeks."
"Haven't you been hanging around with your new friend Plato?" Mistoffelees tone was unmistakably bitter and Victoria recoiled at his words.
"Plato? Why do you care about Plato?"
"I don't." replied Misto, a little too defensively for Victoria's liking. She sighed, this was not going as well as she had hoped.
A heavy silence hung over the room. Every so often, Misto would raise his gaze from the floor to look at Victoria, who seemed to be lost in thought over what to do next.
"Misto." Mistoffelees started, and looked up. Victoria was looking at him. "Why have you been hiding from me?" She sounded unbearably sad.
For the first time in his life, Mistoffelees was at a loss for words.
"I haven't been hiding." He replied, still not making eye contact.
"I don't want to be Plato's mate. I want my best friend back." Her tone was almost pleading.
"Then why did you dance with him!" Misto looked her straight in the eyes.
"Why do you care?"
'Because I love you.' The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he stopped himself.
"I don't" he repeated instead. Outside the storm was still raging, and Misto could see that Victoria was still wet and shaking from the cold. He crossed the room, pulled out a towel and handed it to her.
"You're going to catch a cold." He said softly. "Why don't you want to be Plato's mate? I thought that you really liked him."
"Not really. He's just rude and I can't stand him." Replied Victoria, wrinkling her nose. Mistoffelees laughed at her expression, and the atmosphere of the room lightened instantaneously.
"But I can't formally decline the offer until a month after the Jellicle Ball, unless someone else asks to be my mate. Anyway, where have you been the last few weeks? I couldn't find you anywhere."
Mistoffelees blanched, how could he tell her that he had been hiding from her?
"Uh, well, I've just been training a lot." This wasn't necessarily a lie, he had been working on controlling his powers. Only because it distracted him from her. In the weeks they had been apart, he had been battling with himself over whether to challenge Plato for the right to be Victoria's mate, or to let her be happy with him.
'What if she isn't happy with him?' his selfish inner voice would say.
'Do what is best for her.' Another voice would reply.
Mistoffelees was at war with himself over what to do about her. And with Victoria being here, telling him that she didn't love Plato, it would bring matters rapidly to a head.