For those of you who know NBC's show Heroes, Vail is pulling a Noah Bennett. For those of you who don't know what that means, it simply means that she's alternating between two sides, and I will not tell you what side she is really on.

Vail idly picked the dried blood off her claws, careful not to scrape off the wax. The white tom's screams of agony could be heard throughout the warehouse, and if the concentrated poison didn't kill him soon, the annoyed cats would. After Vail was satisfied that her claws were clean, she dipped each one into the little bottle, careful not to get it on her fur.

Macavity strode in just as she was tucking the bottle away inside her glove. "Alright," he said. "You've had enough playtime here; it's time for you to go back to the junkyard."

"The ball isn't until tomorrow," Vail complained. "Do I have to go now?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you do." Macavity turned his back on her, his paws alive with bright sparks. "There is a certain queen coming to visit who I think you'll be interested in."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Vail said as her blood ran cold; but then, why wouldn't Macavity know that Kroova was back?

Macavity whirled around. "Don't play the dumb card with me! I know you've been meeting with one of those Jellicles, and that you are friends with that pathetic tom." Vail flinched at the volume of his voice, but otherwise she kept still. "If you think I will let you continue having the status you have while you have friends in that tribe, you are sorely mistaken!"

"I'm only doing it to gain their trust," Vail said calmly. She glared at Macavity. "How dare you question my loyalty? I could sense that you would want someone to get rid of Deuteronomy and Munkustrap, so I placed myself in a position where I could get close to them. When the time is right, I will strike, and they won't be able to stop me."

=^..^=

Pike watched from a tall lookout position as the barn cats were introduced to the rest of the tribe. Kroova stayed close to a gold tom, and Pike guessed that he was Talon. He wanted badly to run down and hug his mother, to never let her go again, but a small part of his mind didn't ever want to forgive her for leaving. He bit his lip, watching the barn cats in the main clearing, determined to stay right where he was.

Until Liebe started calling his name.

=^..^=

I tried to keep my pulse down as Liebe called for Pike. I guessed that he was nearby; otherwise the black and white queen would have gone looking for him. She shrugged at me.

"He's probably off with Romeo and the other toms," she said lightly. "They've been keeping to themselves lately."

Suddenly a blur of grey and white crashed into Liebe, causing her to roll under the large oven on the edge of the clearing. I heard laughter, and Liebe crawled out, followed by a tall white and grey tom. My heart all but stopped as I saw how much Pike had grown; he was already taller than me. Liebe grinned at him.

"Pike, what were you doing up there?" she craned her neck to look at his face, as she was much shorter than him. She gestured to the top of the junk pile, and Pike glanced behind him at it.

"Waiting for you to stand next to it so I can fall off and land on you," Pike said, as though he'd really planned it. I glanced at the pile; there was a clear path where he'd slid from the top.

Liebe rolled her eyes. "Pike this is Kroova and Talon. The rest of the barn cats went off with dad to find places to stay while they're here."

Pike stared at me, and suddenly I felt like a young kitten. That's just silly, I thought. You're his mother; he shouldn't make you feel small. I realized my paws were trembling, because Talon gripped my shoulder tighter. I gazed up into Pike's eyes, noticing that they were the same blue-grey as mine. I couldn't help myself. A small sort of strangled gasp escaped my throat as I fell against him, wrapping my arms around his waist. Tears were already coursing down my face, and it was all I could do to control my breathing.

After a moments' hesitation, Pike pulled his arms around my shoulders and hugged me close. "I didn't want to believe that you were coming back," he whispered.

"I didn't think I would," my voice was shaky, and I swallowed against the lump in my throat. "I wish I didn't have to leave you."

Pike pulled back, smiling at me. I saw that his eyes were welling up with tears. "Knowing that has made me happier than I can ever remember, mom."

[A/N] Yes, this is short. I know. But I couldn't think of a way to continue it.

Kroova will get around to asking 'what the heck' to Misto, but next chapter.