A/N: I was taught not to point out my own mistakes with creative works - it will be all that people see after wards. ....but I can't resist. I'm not particularly fond of this chapter - one of those "leading up to really important stuff" chapters. The only thing I dislike more than this chapter is the rough draft for the next chapter, which needs major work. MAJOR work. That having been said, thank you for your reviews! They keep me going! And enjoy!

-=-=-=-=-=-

Chapter 2:

Munkustrap walked to the junkyard, feeling bruised and beaten. He could feel his top lip was broken, the right side puffing up around the wound. Fortunately, that was the only bloody cut he had on him. Everything else was just sore. No part hurt more than the left side where he took a blow from one of the cats when he was pinned down, unable to defend himself.

However, while they may have outnumbered him three to one, they were no match for him when he was freed from their grip. He would have smiled to himself if his lips had allowed it. The cats at the junkyard didn't know it, but he could be a ruthless fighter when he wanted to be. Growing up with Macavity as a brother, he learned how to fight back hard, even if he never won.

He saw the entrance to the junkyard, where a few cats were gathered. They were waiting for him, apparently, as Mistoffelees pointed him out when he was walking up. All heads turned, shifting on their paws as though wanting to run up to him. Munkustrap did his best to walk with dignity, despite the pain in his side. He could do nothing about his lip, though.

The young tuxedoed tom raced up to him, stopping short when he saw Munkustrap's face. "What happened to you!?" Mistoffelees asked.

"I don't have time to talk about that now."

"Does this have to do with the cats that invaded the junkyard?"

"Don't want to talk about this at the moment…"

"Are you limping? Why are you limping?"

Munkustrap sighed. "I…fell."

"From where? How could you fall and hit your face just on your lip? And to have a limp? Are you okay?" Mistoffelees put a paw on the other tom's shoulder, but Munkustrap shrugged it off.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it at the moment. Let's just say I tried to find help to get Gus back, and it didn't go so well."

"From who?" Mistoffelees said. "Do you know who took Gus?"

"Mistoffelees," Munkustrap said, sighing. "I am begging you. Stop. Talking."

"But…why?" Mistoffelees asked in a soft voice as Munkustrap walked past him. The tom ignored the tuxedoed cat. Rather, he walked up to everyone else, Mistoffelees following close to his heels.

"Everlasting Cat!" Skimbleshanks said as he saw the tom. "What in the name of catnip happened to you?"

"Let's not talk about that right now," Munkustrap said. "What are you all gathered here for?"

"Well," Jellylorum said, "We were just talking with Mistoffelees to see if he could bring back Gus like he did Old Deuteronomy."

"And I was telling them," Mistoffelees interjected, "That if I don't know who has him, I won't be able to bring him back!"

"I see," Munkustrap said. Hearing the others suggestion for Mistoffelees was good to know, at least, in case they ever find out what has happened here. But for now, they could only speculate. As he walked towards the middle of the junkyard, he realized that speculation was, in fact, flourishing! From ransom (as though the Jellicles had anything to give) to forced improvisation (as acting was Gus' well known skill) to pure hatred of old cats (which was the most plausible suggestion). Finally, at the middle of the junkyard, Munkustrap received a break from the speculation as no one wanted the younger kittens to be worried. They seemed upset enough as it were.

"Daddy!" Electra came bounding up to him, and before Munkustrap could do anything to stop her, she had pummeled into him. Munkustrap groaned in pain. Electra immediately backed off and sat back, eyes wide in confusion and fear as her father held his side in pain. "Did I hurt you?"

"Ah…" he said, looking at the other concerned cats. "I was already hurting, Electra. You didn't know," he added quickly as she looked like she was going to cry. "I didn't want you to know. It's not your fault, sweetie."

Jemima walked up and sat next to her sister, looking confused as well. "What happened?" she asked.

"Isn't that the question of the day," Mistoffelees muttered, walking off with his tail high in the air.

"I'll tell you later," he said, as Jennyanydots helped him up.

"Well," said a voice from within a broken down bureau. "Look whose bothered showing up." The Rum Tum Tugger got up, arched his back, stretched his back legs, then hopped down to the ground, where Etcetera flew to his side. Electra raced over to join her friend. "Munkustrap, will you tell everyone to stop worrying about the theatre cat. Where the hell did they get this idea that, 'Oh, no…Gus is in danger,' anyway?"

"From me," Munkustrap said. "Listen, we can't do anything right now. All we can do is sit and wait. Let's not worry." He gave his best smile with his lip in it's current condition and shrugged. "Gus once played Growltiger - the terror of the Thames. He could do it again."

Demeter had come to Munkustrap's side by this point. "Oh, my…what happened to your face?" Munkustrap sighed. This was going to be a long day.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Cassandra was grooming her fur on the couch. Lazarus, the German Shepard, was sitting on the floor, staring intently at Cassandra. "No, Lazarus," she said. "I just took a bath."

Lazarus whined, scooting closer, licking his lips.

"No," she said, flicking her tail in annoyance. "We can play later." The dog nudged her with his wet nose, leaving a damp spot on her back. "Ooooh!" Cassandra cried, sitting up and looking at her back. "Do you know how hard that spot is to clean?!" Lazareth made a little playful growling noise as he nudged her with his muzzle, knocking her over. Cassandra responded by batting him with her paw. "I said NO! Bad dog! Bad dog!"

"Cassandra!" The Abyssinian bolted upright. She looked out the window to see Alonzo standing outside, panting.

"Oh, come in!" she said, then started grooming her fur as fast as possible. By the time Alonzo was at the foot of the couch, she had managed to make her fur almost as sleek as she would have liked it to be.

"Cassie, I have to—No, Lazarus!" But it was too late. The dog had completely knocked Alonzo over, and with the cat on his back, Lazarus started licking the cat on his belly. Alonzo responded by digging his nails into the dog's muzzle and biting his lip. Lazarus yelped and pulled back. He then lunged at the cat again. Now the dog had Alonzo's entire head in his mouth.

"Lazarus, NO!" Cassandra said, jumping down from the couch and smacking him with her paw. "Bad dog! Bad!" Lazarus whined and backed away, leaving Alonzo's head coated with slobber. The tom's eyes were wide with shock and fear.

"He was going to kill me…"

"He was not going to kill you," Cassandra said. "He never chomps down. That's how he plays."

"My head was in his mouth!" Alonzo screamed, pointing accusingly at the dog, arching his back and hissing.

"I know," Cassandra said. "He does that to me, too." Alonzo stared at Cassandra in disbelief. "And if you tell this to any of the other cats, I will chomp down on your head!"

Alonzo sighed, putting his paw to his head. "The other cats. Cassie, I just came from Old Deuteronomy. The junkyard – it's chaos. Gus is missing. Cats have taken him. Old Deuteronomy thinks we're next. And it's not just us, it's--"

Cassandra's ears folded back over her head. "What? Wait, Alonzo, take a breath, calm down. What are you talking about?"

"It's…it's too long of a story. I have to get back to the junkyard. But I wanted to tell you – don't leave this house no matter what. Lazarus can protect you," he said, eying the dog. Lazarus wagged his tail at the attention. "But I have to get back. I told Pouncival to stay with Old Deuteronomy, and I've hidden him at another location, but I have to go tell Munkustrap. That's why he wanted him to go see Macavity! He's related to him!"

"Alonzo…you're not making much sense," Cassandra said.

Alonzo sighed and put a paw on her shoulder. "Just stay here where it's safe…alright?"

"Alright," she said, sitting down, trying to ingest everything. Alonzo turned to leave. He stopped at the cat door, then looked back at Cassandra.

"Cassie?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

He didn't wait for an answer back. He just raced out the door. Cassandra stared; the only sound she could hear now was the soft whine of the German Shepard behind her.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Munkustrap looked up at the sky. A dark rain cloud loomed overhead. It seemed like it was going to pour any second. Things were beginning to look bleak for any hope of getting old Gus back that night.

Demeter pulled his head towards him, "I said hold still," she said as she licked his wound.

"Sorry." His eyes wandered as far as he could while Demeter cleaned his wound. He could see Electra sitting stiffly in a corner, staring at her parents, looking quite angry. "What's the matter with Electra?"

"She's probably upset because she unintentionally hurt you," Demeter said. Munkustrap didn't ask any more. Demeter hasn't asked him to elaborate on his wound, and he needed more time to think of an explanation that wouldn't get the junkyard up in arms. He had managed to lick the scent off him rather quickly, but he still didn't like that Demeter was so close. Still, she hadn't reacted to a scent of Macavity, so he had time to think about that.

"Look up," Demeter said. The tom tilted his head up, and she sat in front of him, looking closely at the wound. "I think it will be fine. Looks like it hurts, though."

Munkustrap tried to smile, but forgot his lip hurt and stopped before it would hurt anymore. For a moment, he had forgotten why he got into the fight to begin with. Then the memory of Macavity taunting him sent his stomach churning. He looked away, let out a sigh, remembered where he was, then looked at his beautiful mate. He nudged the queen playfully. "You're wonderful, you know that?"

Demeter smiled. "Where is this coming from?"

"You just are," he said, nuzzling her.

Demeter backed up suddenly. "Macavity!" Munkustrap bristled, smoothing his fur down.

"I can explain!" But Demeter had already shot into a nearby crevice, many of the kittens following her lead. Munkustrap looked around, dazed, when he realized all the cats were staring at one spot, before taking off into hiding. Then he turned to see the tom strolling down the junkyard as though he belonged there.

Munkustrap hoped he was there to help. He really did. But the older desire to beat the tom to a bloody pulp still coursed through his veins.

With the cats having scattered, Munkustrap appeared to be the only one left. Appeared to be. He knew the others were perfectly in ear shot.

Munkustrap watched as Macavity stood in the middle of the junkyard, not bothering to look around or even look at Munkustrap. Of course. He would expect Munkustrap to come up to him.

The silver tom sighed, begrudgingly coming up to the other tom. "You have some nerve," he growled.

"There's no time for that," Macavity said. He looked serious, so Munkustrap would take it that way. Munkustrap sighed and waved a paw for the tom to continue. "Griddlebone is missing…No one has seen her for five days now."

"Five days?" Munkustrap asked. "And you're only now deciding to tell me this?"

"It's not abnormal for that queen to disappear from the clan for weeks on end. But when I ask for others to find her, she's usually found within the hour. They've found not hide nor fur. Have you seen Mungojerrie?"

Munkustrap jerked his head at the sudden change of inquiry. He hadn't thought about him being missing. Or Rumpelteazer, for that matter. They weren't at the meeting the night before. No one seemed to miss them. As they flitter around between the two places, no one thought to ask about them, either. Munkustrap shook his head in answer.

"I hadn't realized it until you left that they were missing, too."

A voice came from behind, "Wait a minute!" Mistoffelees popped his head out. He crept down low, crawling towards Munkustrap, then hiding behind him. He stared at Macavity - a cat who had it out for him ever since he foiled his plan on taking Old Deuteronomy - before looking to Munkustrap. "You went to see him? Is that why you're injured?"

Munkustrap opened his mouth to respond, but he knew it was too late. Other cats had popped out of their hiding spots, exchanging frantic whispers.

"It's complicated," Munkustrap said, talking to Mistoffelees, yet addressing the crowd.

"Complicated?!" screeched another voice. This one female and mad as hell. The other cats came out as Demeter stormed up to Munkustrap. She gave Macavity a deathly stare (which he responded to with a sinister smile) and then looked at Munkustrap. The silver tom had seen his queen angry before. He'd seen her frightened. He'd seen her hurt and confused. Somehow, the combination of all those traits made for a queen whose fur stuck out in every which way possible, and would even make Macavity take a step back (albeit subtle) from the queen. "An elder is missing, there is chaos in the junkyard, we don't know what's going to happen, and you went to HIM!?"

"Are you happy to see me?" Macavity asked.

Demeter shot backwards, "You stay away from me, you horrible bastard!"

The Rum Tum Tugger, who had been sent around the junkyard on patrol duty while Alonzo was gone, rounded the corner muttering to himself in annoyance. He stopped dead when he saw Macavity. Then his face lit up. "Hey!! Macky! How have you been?"

Macavity just glanced at the fluffy cat, then looked back at Munkustrap. "If Rumpelteazer and Mungojerrie haven't been here, that means they are missing. They're terribly enthusiastic thieves, but thieves none the less. They do some of my best work. I would hate for them to die before I had a chance to give them another assignment."

Munkustrap sighed. "You're genuine concern is touching." He then looked at Demeter. "I had no choice. Old Deuteronomy wanted me to."

"Why would Old Deuteronomy want you to go to him?" Demeter asked, glaring between both toms.

Tugger, who had strolled up to the three cats and was now listening with mild interest, shrugged at Demeter's question. "Family reunion?"

It took a moment for Demeter to understand what Tugger meant. Then horror replaced whatever name for emotion she felt before. "You're related!?" A few of the cats in the junkyard gasped. Munkustrap turned to Tugger, giving him a look to kill.

"I didn't know you were keeping it secret," Tugger responded, putting his hands up in defense. "I thought everyone knew."

"About US," Munkustrap said, pointing between Tugger and himself. "They didn't need to know about Macavity!"

Macavity looked at Demeter, a devious smile on his face. "So it doesn't make me a bastard if we have the same father." Demeter looked at though she wanted to say something, then like she was going to be sick.

Munkustrap stepped in between them. "Don't talk to her. Ow!"

Demeter had smacked Munkustrap on his sore side. "Don't you dare defend me, you wretched liar! Ow!"

Demeter turned around to see Electra had bitten her tail. "Don't hit my dad!"

"Whoa," Tugger said, stepping between Munkustrap and Macavity. "Look, we have bigger issues here than that the tribe is a little more related than some of us thought." Bombalurina had crept forward to take Demeter away as she was now on the verge of crying. Munkustrap wanted to go and comfort Demeter, but Tugger pulled him back. "From what I understand, anyway. Obviously, I missed something! Care to fill me in?"

Two voices, belonging to Tantomile and Coricopat, said in unison, "Intruders!" Munkustrap saw the two looking around for some perceived threat. Then their eyes focused on something above and behind Munkustrap. Everyone turned to see what they had seen.

At the top of a heap of junk, looking down on them all, was a dark tom cat, almost as dark as the rain clouds that framed his body. Munkustrap hissed at the tom. He wanted to tell the others to run, but it was too late. Cats were coming out from every conceivable nook and cranny.

They were surrounded.