A/N: Hi folks. I'm back, after two months. Things got a little crazy with exams and other boring real life stuff, so this chapter has been sitting around gathering dust for a while. Things are still crazy, but I have a bit of time, and this story is not going to be abandoned after the hours I put into it. So thank you again to the reviewers, and enjoy chapter fourteen.

By the way, I have changed my pen-name, I was formerly known as Eminems6. See my profile for more information and updates on upcoming projects. Just so there's no confusion.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cats. Never have, and probably never will.

Chapter 14- Family Matters

The journey back down to London was a long one for Mistoffelees and his newfound friends. A single cat or rabbit could get away with sneaking onto a train but a wolf setting foot on board a train would be impossible. It meant they would have to travel by foot, through the countryside to ensure they were not spotted by too many humans. That could cause problems, considering half of the group would have been expected to eat the other half. Humans were simple creatures, they would not understand.

Freki had estimated that it would take about four days to reach London, assuming nothing went wrong and accounting for rest stops to eat and sleep. It was too long for Mistoffelees, he wanted to get back there right away but he couldn't use his magic. Whatever it was that Macavity had done to him had not been removed when the ginger tom died. Mistoffelees had explained all of this to Diazi, who assured him that once they reached London they'd be able to solve that. The tux had been tempted to ask her how she could be so certain but he knew the rabbit would either ignore his question or bore him to death with a ridiculous and long winded explanation that wouldn't make any sense anyway. It was easier to just wait and see.

The strange group traveled onwards, feeling like they were making no progress whatsoever. They crossed through big open fields where flocks of sheep grazed quietly, until they spotted the wolf. It was rather amusing to watch the flock of white clouds-like animals running away as one. They did opt to be more careful though, when they were forced to run from an irate farmer firing off a shotgun after them. Despite this, the first day of the journey had been pretty uneventful and the animals as a group were beginning to relax somewhat.

The atmosphere around the Junkyard began to improve. Even Alonzo seemed to be feeling better, I don't know what happened with him but he appeared to be a lot happier. I stopped in to check on him on my way to visit Munkustrap and was surprised to get a genuine smile out of him. He hadn't had any luck in finding Mistoffelees, or finding out anything else but at least he hadn't gotten into any fights. Persistence would be the key with this one, we'd find him eventually. I was sure of it.

Munkustrap seemed a lot better as well. He was awake when I got to his den, sitting up and waiting for me. I dropped a rabbit in front of him, feeling quite pleased with it as it was a good sized meal. I'd dragged Skimble out with me to help me catch it, earlier that morning. Munkustrap was going to need to eat well if he was going to recover, he was still painfully thin. I almost laughed at his expression; he was staring at it like he wasn't sure if it was real.

"I brought you breakfast," I pointed out unnecessarily.

"But…"

"But nothing. You need to eat. It's yours."

"Wow. Uh… thanks Tugger."

"No problem. I'm just glad you're feeling better." He just nodded when I said that before starting to eat. I just watched in silence.

"How's the rest of the tribe?" he asked, once he was half-way through with the rabbit.

"They're doing better, especially now they know you're better. Even Alonzo seems to be doing better."

"Hmm…"

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just… are you sure you can trust him?" I think what he meant to say was, are you sure I can trust him but I let it go.

"I'm sure. He's been hurt as bad as the rest of us, just in a different way. I think. I dunno Munk, but he's on our side."

"He is?"

"Yes. He's scared, I think."

"Of what?"

"Of you. He's scared to face you, he thinks you'll think he's a coward. Whatever he's done, he was forced to do it and he's beating himself up about it. So's the rest of the tribe. He needs you. He needs us. It's time to start repairing the damage." I explained.

"Yeah. You're right. Maybe I should talk to him," he said thoughtfully, going silent for a moment. Something seemed to occur to him; he blinked and stared, as if remembering something. I have no idea what, he didn't seem to want to share, but I felt a need to warn him about Alonzo anyway.

"Munk, he's not the same Alonzo you used to know. I told you already what he's been like, I'm worried about him. I don't have enough worry to go around, but just remember that he's not... he's not Alonzo anymore." I could tell that it wouldn't be an easy conversation for either of them, but it was something they would have to do at some point and the sooner, the better.

"I'll remember. Everything will work out, Tugger. I'm sure of it," he replied, still sounding a little uncertain. It didn't matter, the point was that they'd work things out. I hoped he was right, that everything would work out in the end. I just wondered what we'd have to go through to get to that endpoint.

"I hope you're right Munk. It can't get much worse, can it?" I said after a moment, watching him finish off the food. At least he was finishing meals, and sleeping.

"Don't say that, because it will just to prove you wrong." He deadpanned, making it really difficult for me to work out whether he was joking or not, until a playful grin broke out on his face. I laughed and batted him with a paw.

"Don't do that! By the way, Demeter's been asking for you, and Jemima. They keep asking me when they can see you. How would you like to get a couple of pretty queens off my back for me?"

"I'd like to see them, but since when was that a problem for you?" I smiled at that, it was nice to be able to talk with Munkustrap like we used to. A bit of friendly teasing, the odd joke, just like old times.

"I've got too many queens on my back, I need to unload some of them."

"Yeah, right."

"I'll go and get the girls, you'd be surprised, my darling little niece has grown up quite a lot." I said, chuckling as I headed for the door. I quickly found Demeter and Jemima, both lounging in the sun and talking idly. Demeter looked up as I approached, giving her daughter a nudge. I shot them an easy smile, reassurance that I brought good news.

"Do you want to see him?" I asked the two queens. Mother and daughter both nodded enthusiastically. It was heartwarming, and I found myself wondering whether I ought to have a family of my own someday. "C'mon then, he's waiting for you." I led them to Munkustraps den, said my goodbyes, and left the small family alone. He might be my brother, but he still had a family of his own and they needed to be reacquainted.

In the meantime, I decided to track down Alonzo again, to let him know that Munkustrap wanted to talk with him, and see if I could work out why he was suddenly so much happier. It was also a good opportunity to check up on the others. Plato's leg was apparently healing very well, and Skimble was getting back to normal. Everyone else seemed to be happier, the kittens were more playful than ever before. They were growing up now, and perhaps a little too old to be jumping around in the junk playing tag, but then a whole year of their kittenhood had been brutally taken from them. They deserved to get that time back. We all did.