jelliclesoul635, thanks again for taking the time to review my story and, more importantly, for your words of praise and advice. It all means so much to me. I really look forward to your reviews. They make me so happy and encourage me to keep writing! I'm actually really nervous about this chapter, so I can't wait to hear what you have to say about it. Hope you enjoy!

Three

Munkustrap didn't sleep well. He was kept awake by thoughts of the Ball that would be taking place the next night and his argument with his brother. He was especially overwhelmed with thoughts of the mating ceremony. He had gotten to thinking about who he wanted to choose for his mate this year, since he had still yet found a lifelong mate. Last year, he and Rumpelteazer had attempted a relationship, but her mischievous ways had become too much for him to handle. Besides, he had always seen her more as a little sister than a mate.

With time, the tom's thoughts drifted to Demeter. He smiled thinking about how elegant and beautiful she would look dancing under the bright Jellicle Moon at the Ball. He jumped when a soft purr escaped his lips, surprised that he was thinking of her in such a manner. Demeter had been his closet friend for so long. How could he possibly think of her that way? And besides, she only thought as him as a friend, so he wasn't going to risk their friendship by acting on impulsive feelings.

Munkustrap couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart at the thought of not being able to attempt a relationship with Demeter. The two of them always got along so well and Munkustrap couldn't help but feel that they would be wonderful mates, although the thought of bringing the idea up to Demeter made him nervous. He sighed and shook his head, trying to shake the thoughts from his mind, but it was to no avail. The notion haunted his mind, tormenting him with ideas of what could happen if he were to act upon his feelings. He wasn't able to fall asleep until he decided that he was going to go for it. He was going to approach Demeter during the mating ritual and propose the idea of them being together.

He woke up, nervousness radiating off of his body. He stretched his tired muscles then padded out of his den. The moon was full and bright; it was perfect for the Ball. An excited shiver ran up his spine. He smiled with anticipation of what was to come. He had a feeling deep within him that this Ball was going to be one that never would forget. His tailed swished with happiness and he quickly made his way to the middle of the junkyard, where everyone was waiting for the Ball to begin.

After the welcoming of Old Deuteronomy, the reenactment of the awefull battle between the Pekes and the Pollicles, and a ton of dancing, the cats prepared themselves for the mating ceremony. As Munkustrap looked around, he could see a few cats grooming themselves real quick so that they would look their best. A couple of the cats, such as Tugger and Bombalurina were strutting around, trying to attract attention to themselves. Munkustrap didn't bother trying to fix himself up. He needed to find Demeter as soon as he possibly could. He needed to find her before someone else did.

A tap on the shoulder distracted Munkustrap from his mission. He turned around to see a small black and white tom smiling shyly up at him. "Oh, Mistoffelees… Is everything alright?" he asked. He knew that it was the young tom's first Ball, and Munkustrap could see the nervousness in his eyes.

"Hello Munk," Mistoffelees replied with an innocent smile. "Everything's alright… I guess. It's just, I don't know… I guess I'm just a little scared."

Munkustrap gave Mistoffelees a parental pat on the shoulder and an encouraging smile. "Misto, my friend, you will be fine. If only you could see the way you were dancing out there. You were truly astounding. One of the best, by far. And that is a lot, considering your young age. Be confident in yourself and everything will work out."

Mistoffelees' eyes glittered and he thanked Munkustrap in a small voice. Then he leapt away and began to mingle with the other cats that were looking for a suitable mate. Munkustrap returned his attention to the task on hand and began to search for Demeter again. He saw golden fur glitter in the moonlight and quickly pushed by socializing cats to catch up to her.

Just as Munkustrap was making his way to Demeter, he saw his brother approach the queen. He gingerly took one of her paws in his own and kissed it. Demeter's eyes widened and she stared at him with uncertainty. Munkustrap walked up to the pair and cleared his throat to announce his presence. Demeter looked at him apologetically and with hints of guilt in her eyes. Tugger grinned, clearly pleased with himself and the reactions of those around him.

"Tugger," Munkustrap spoke calmly, trying to hide his discomfort and annoyance, "what are you doing?"

"Nothing at all," Tugger said with a shrug. He wore such an innocent smile that it seemed almost impossible that he had anything devious planned. But Munkustrap knew his brother better than that. "I'm simply… picking my mate," Tugger continued.

Munkustrap's body stiffened and he felt his breath catch in his throat. Demeter let out a small gasp and every cat around them stopped moving and turned their attention to Munkustrap, Demeter, and Rum Tum Tugger. The air was thick with tension as everyone held their breath, waiting to see what he striped cat would do.

Munkustrap wanted to rush at Tugger with his claws out. He wanted to tear apart his brother's smug face. But he kept his composure, taking a deep breath to relax himself. "Are you referring to Demeter when you speak of your 'mate'?"

Tugger grinned. "I certainly am, dear brother. It figured it would be nice to switch up my taste in queens. And I think Demeter would be good for me, wouldn't you agree? She's so mature and I really think she'll be able to keep me in line. And I know you and Demeter are really close, but you know what they say: 'Sharing is caring', brother."

Munkustrap sighed. It was obvious that Tugger's actions were in response to their fight the previous night. Not wanting to makes the situation worse, Munkustrap surrendered. He nodded slowly. "You're right, Tug. I think Demeter would be a wonderful influence on you." Her glanced at Demeter and gave her a reassuring smile. "I wish you both the best and hope you are happy."

"What? You're going to agree with this?" Demeter cried out. Her dark eyes pleaded with Munkustrap to change his mind and make

Tugger choose a different mate.

"Yes, Demeter, I'm allowing this to happen and I think you should too. Perhaps you can influence the change we all want to see in him. Trust me, everything is going to be alright." He stroked Demeter's cheek and smiled. Then he pulled her into a hug. "It will be alright," he whispered into her ear. However, he wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself. "I need you to trust me and just play along with this game that my brother wants to play."

Demeter sighed sadly. It was obvious that she wanted nothing to do with Tugger, but because Munkustrap had asked her, she couldn't find it in herself to say no. She bit her bottom lip to prevent disappointed tears from falling. "I love you," she whispered back. Then she stepped away from him and trudged back to Tugger, who was grinning with pride.

Munkustrap did not allow his facial expressions to betray the way he was feeling. His heart felt as if it had broken into a million pieces when she said she loved him. He hadn't seen that coming. He never would have guessed that Demeter felt anything stronger than friendship.

My plan… It would have worked then? he thought. His mind was racing. We could have been mates… We would have been perfect…

He was boiling with anger at the thought of her being with Tugger instead of him. He was even more angry that his brother had ruined his perfect plan to be with Demeter. True, until the previous night, he had never really given much thought to the idea of him and Demeter being a couple. He was always so focused on keeping the tribe safe and taking care of anything that needed to be done around the junkyard. Munkustrap had always felt strongly for Demeter, but he had convinced himself that it was just their strong friendship. But since hearing her say those three simple words, since feeling the terrible rush of anger and jealousy, Munkustrap couldn't help but feel that maybe, just maybe, he had always been feeling something much stronger then friendship for Demeter.

I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!

Mew Painappuru