A/N: I'm looking back on all my work, trying to figure out how much of these stalling chapters I should have before I get back to my original plot line. So, if you have time, answer a couple of these questions for me:

How many chapters should this story have? (AAL is planned to have four parts)

Should the Victoria issue be searched and resolved in this part or the next?

How quickly should the story advance from here? (i.e should the main part of my original plan span out over a large amount of chapters, or only two or three?)

IS SIL A MARY SUE?! (my poll question!)

Thank you lovies! Cookies for all!

"So how are we doing this again?"

"It's simple, Pounce," Victoria seethed, trying and failing to hide her growing irritation, "Just sneak in, try to find some incriminating evidence, and sneak out. Anything I could use against her."

"But --"

"No buts!" She screeched, before taking a deep breath, calming herself. She ran a paw along his cheek, faking a loving look in accordance with a pleading pout. "It would make me very happy, Pouncie…"

"Okay." He breathed, nodding up to her and scampering away. He would do anything for Victoria – she was the bombshell of their generation, the new Bombalurina – and to be by her side would no doubt make all the toms jealous, and by comparison, make him the new Tugger (a lifelong dream of his). And so, however pitiful it may seem, he would do her bidding for now.

The den was lit with the soft glow of the corner candle, the piles of books towering in a dark fashion, casting long shadows around the room. Pouncival studied the sleeping form of Dell near the corner, his sister not present. In a quick sweep of the room Pouncival saw Tantomile asleep across the room, and what looked like her brother's bed, also unoccupied. They weren't anywhere in the den – which left his imagination to soar. For all he knew, they could be simply hanging around outside… or doing something they don't want anyone else to know about. Victoria could easily fashion something up about dealings with Macavity, or a 'forbidden love', or some queen-like thing like that.

She was going to love this.

"Okay, hold up," Sil giggled quietly, "I get the first verse, but then it all sort of screws up."

Coricopat had, for the time being, decided that as they had progressed to far in Latin lessons to date he would need to find something else to entertain her. And that thing was the Jellicle Ball. Already completely fascinated by the subject, it was quite easy to convince her to learn the songs.

"After the chorus?" He asked, earning a vigorous nod. "That goes something like 'can you ride on you're broomstick to places far distant'. It's Tantomile's line." He grinned.

"Rather appropriate, the little witch." Sil joked. She looked up to the near-full moon, judging it's place in the sky to tell the time. "We'd better head back soon if we want Tantomile and Dell to think we were there." Coricopat nodded silently.

The walk was a peaceful silence, the sound of quiet padding the only break in the beautiful sound of night. Sil found herself lost in the atmosphere; the ethereal glow of the stars, the way the moons' rays slanted onto the ground, the cool night air ruffling her fur…

And suddenly she was ripped from her daydream with a loud crash, her eyes crossing the front of the den to find a guilty looking Pouncival. Half his body was outside the den, wrapped in knotted fishing wire, pots and pans of all shapes falling onto his body in rapid succession. With the final heavy clang Sil approached.

"Pouncival?" She asked, both of his intentions and his health. "Are you okay? What were you doing in the den?" His ears shot upwards, his eyes darting before he realized he had no escape. He sighed, ears drooping as he looked sadly at his tied up paws.

"Victoria sent me." He stated, "She wanted some 'incriminating evidence' on you." He spat the word like a poison. He obviously didn't want to do it, but… Victoria told him to.

"Please, Pounce," Sil begged, untying his paws, "don't tell Victoria. She's making it hard enough on me as it is, I don't need any more of this." Unshed tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She had good and bad moments here, but recently bad was heavily outweighing the good. Pouncival stared blankly at her, standing as she finished. They stared silently, waiting for the other to crack. Coricopat stood silently on the sidelines.

"You were asleep. Nothing interesting." Pouncival muttered, his tail swishing against the ground nervously. Sil jumped and hugged him, thanking him and grinning like an idiot. He quickly scampered off, mumbling incoherently.

"He's a good kit." Coricopat said. "He's just corrupted by the way the world works now. Nothing is sacred." Sil nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. She sat silently, blinking, before looking up at her friend.

"Cori…" she said quietly, until he looked down at her, a question in his eyes. "Yes?"

"What did they do with Shock and Mother?"

A/N: Finally got around to it! I have the next few chapters planned for a short ending, but I could easily add some for a long ending. I'm starting to despise how short my chapters are compared to how long it takes to update… so, yeah, review!