"VICTORIA!" Alonzo screamed as he ran through the junkyard carrying the unconscious Lex in his arms. He was desperate and panicked and did not care if he destroyed the peace and quiet of the yard. He had something a little more important on his mind.

"Victoria!" he called as he crashed to a halt outside their den. Victoria came running out, startled and alarmed by his screams. When she saw the condition of her kitten, she looked as though she might have fainted herself, but Alonzo quickly took charge of the situation. "He's fainted," he told his mate (who had assumed the worst). "Help me carry him inside!"

Victoria helped, and pretty soon, they had him lying on the back seat of their old VW Bug. "What happened!" Victoria screamed once they had him situated.

Alonzo hesitated. "You may wish to sit down," he tried to tell her. He knew how what he was going to say would affect his mate, already against it as she was.

"Just tell me what happened!" she screamed again as she knelt over her son, trying to ascertain whether he was still breathing.

"Victoria, listen to me," Alonzo said as he took her in his arms. She reluctantly took her eyes from Lex and looked up into his. "Lexuther will be all right." For now, he mentally added. Out loud, he continued "Just, come sit down."

When they were sitting together in the front seat, Alonzo told her the story of how he and Lex were hunting, and of how he couldn't help scaring off all the mice, and of how he'd scared off the last one. But he paused when he got to the part where he'd gotten so frustrated. "I'm ... I'm not sure how to say this," he stalled.

"Just tell me!" Victoria howled. "What happened to Lex!"

"Lexuther," Alonzo whispered hesitantly, "...Killed the mouse."

This confused Victoria. "How did he kill it?"

"He ... well ... Lex killed the mouse the same way ... Mistoffelees might have done it."

Victoria's eyes started to well up. "Magic?" she breathed, not able to believe it. Alonzo nodded solemnly, avoiding her gaze. She turned to the back seat of the car to look at her kitten. "Lexuther can't use magic. He's not a magical cat."

"Victoria, I don't think - "

"He's not a magical cat! He can't be! Neither of us are magical cats. Lex can't be magical!"

"I'm not sure it works that way," Alonzo replied softly.

Presented with the compelling evidence of an unconscious kitten, rather than contradict her mate, Victoria began to cry softly. Alonzo put his arms around her and held her crying form for a long time, holding vigil over their child and worrying about what was to come.

"Did you feel that?" Mistoffelees asked as he stepped into his father's chambers and leaned on the door frame.

"Yes," Macavity muttered, his mind clearly elsewhere. He was at work, raking through a small pile of jewels with an expert's eye. Mistoffelees waited. Finally, Macavity looked at the tuxedo in his doorway. "Yes, I felt it," he said with more conviction as he sat up and smirked. "Do you recognize who it is?" he asked.

"Only that it was a very young tom," he announced. "Perhaps too young for me to have known him. Of course," he added with a sneer, "I could go find out."

With a matching sneer, Macavity ordered, "Go do that. It's been far too long since you visited the junkyard."

Mistoffelees smiled, crossed his arm over his chest, and bowed before Macavity in the formal style that all his henchcats were required to use. As the boss's own son, he wasn't necessarily required to use it, but it never hurt to be in Macavity's good graces.

With that, he left to return to his own chambers to prepare for this visit which had the potential to be ever so interesting.

"What are we going to do?" Victoria asked weepily once her sobs had subsided somewhat.

"I don't know, I don't know!" Alonzo stammered. While Victoria's mind was blank with shock, Alonzo's was overflowing with thoughts and confusion about what this was going to mean. "Maybe we should tell Munkustrap?" he asked hastily.

"No! You remember what happened to Mistoffelees!" Victoria cried, temporarily remembering what he'd been like. "Everyone liked him until he revealed himself!"

Alonzo got up and began to pace. "Well, yeah," he agreed. "But he had just killed someone!"

"Don't remind me," she retorted, pulling her knees to her chest.

Alonzo stopped in his tracks and looked at his mate. "Vicks, I'm sorry, but – I mean - ... - oh, you're right. We can't tell anyone. At least not right away." He began to pace again. "But we have to do something!" he stammered. "Like, okay, um ... what are we going to do when he wakes up?"

Victoria cast a despairing glance at her son, and muttered, "Do you think he'll remember?"

Alonzo thought a moment, then answered, "I don't know. I really don't know. I don't know much about magic. Mistoffelees –" he was suddenly cut off by a glare from Victoria. She didn't want to hear about him ever again. Still, he went on: "I know. But he never spoke about the intricacies and things like that." He paused. His eyes glazed over, and he mumbled, "He did say how hard it was to keep it a secret. How much it hurt to know that if his friends knew what he really was, they would hate him." He paused in grief, but collected himself and said determinedly, "We can't let that happen to Lex."

"But what can we do?" she whispered softly.

"I don't know," he replied just as softly. Then he glanced out the window. "Gah!"

"What is it?" she cried; he'd startled her, as emotionally charged as she already was.

"It's past noon," he moaned. "I'm late for junkyard watch."

"Oh." Victoria looked out the window to confirm what he'd said. "Do you really have to go?" she asked.

"Yes," he muttered as he tried to get himself presentable. "Munkustrap's out with Old Deuteronomy somewhere, Tugger is tied up with his kits, and Admetus and Tumblebrutus just finished their shifts. I really do have to go." He peeked in the Bug's rearview mirror, then glanced at his mate. Her face was torn with grief and worry. He took her into his arms and held her there for a long time; both of them held on dearly, simply needing something to hold onto for strength for what they knew was going to be a difficult ordeal, both for them and for their kitten.

"What should I do if he wakes up?" she whispered into his shoulder.

Alonzo hesitated again. "I don't know," he finally stammered. He released her so he could look in her eyes. "If he wakes up, just ... don't tell him if he asks. Try to keep him quiet, or get him to go back to sleep.

She nodded, and he slipped out the open window to fulfill his duty.

Alonzo sighed as he trudged to the outer fence. He didn't know what to do! What was possibly the worst possible thing to a parent had happened: his kitten had shown beyond all doubt that he possessed magic. There was no question about it; the the rest of the junkyard Jellicles found out, they wouldn't stand for it. Lex would not be allowed to live in the junkyard anymore. Even though the Jellicles were usually surprisingly tolerant, Alonzo knew they wouldn't put up with his magical kitten. Considering the precedent, cats old enough to remember what Mistoffelees had done would not make exceptions. He didn't know if the kittens born in the last year or so would feel the same way. Not that it mattered whether they did or not. But Alonzo couldn't help hoping that if he could somehow make the Jellicles see, prepare them somehow, they might let Lex stay! Not all magicals were bad! He just knew it!

Of course, it was hard to argue with precedent.

Suddenly, Alonzo stopped dead in his tracks. Something on the path just ahead of him had startled him. Behind a pile of tires, underneath a recliner, poking out of a cupboard, lied a black tail, tipped with white, twitching contemplatively.

Speak of the devil!

Alonzo acted without realizing he'd reverted to his kittenish behavior; instinctively, he lowered into a crouch, and sprang forward to pounce on the twitching tail as he used to do when they were kits. From inside the cupboard, the tail's owner yreowled, surprised by the unexpected attack. Alonzo was nothing but thrilled that his friend was back in the junkyard. He ripped open the cupboard door and was surprised to be pelted with a whirlwind of glitter and sparkles. He sat for a moment, sputtering and trying to get the glitter out of his eyes. Only then did the occupant of the cupboard glare out to see who his assailant was.

"Alonzo!" he cried. Then he noticed the sparkly bits adorning his old friend. "Sorry, it was a reflex," he said in apology. With a wave of his paw, the glitter disappeared just as quickly as it came. "You would have had quite a time getting that out of your fur," he snickered.

Alonzo just stared at him for a long moment (for that was not the first time he'd been pelted by magical glitter, not by far). When he finally found his voice, he cried, "Mistoffelees! What are you doing here?"

Mistoffelees smiled evilly and leaned back in the cupboard comfortably. "I told you I'd come visit, didn't I?" he said. "Well, here I am!"

Alonzo stammered gibberish for a moment, but managed to make out, "B-but, you! You! You're here! Why are you here?"

Mistoffelees smirked. "Do I really need a reason to come visit?"

An embarrassed smile spread over Alonzo's face, and he muttered, "Well, no, I guess ... it's just ... Mistoffelees! I can't believe you're really here! It's been so ..." but he trailed off suddenly. Tumblebrutus was rapidly approaching him with a very angry look on his face. Alonzo turned to the tuxedo in the cupboard and whispered frantically, "Quick, close it!" and shut the door in his face, putting himself between it and Tumble.

"Alonzo!" Tumble called when he wasn't too far away. "Where have you been? You were supposed to be at the gate half an hour ago!"

Alonzo straightened up and took a dignified stance. Underneath his normally friendly demeanor, he actually outranked most of the other toms in the yard, as second to Munkustrap. "It was a family issue," he said with authority. "It's nothing you need to be concerned with."

"Fine," Tumble said, still annoyed. "But you owe me one, man! You're lucky Munku-stick-up-his-arse-Strap didn't come by and see that you weren't there!"

Alonzo broke the holier-than-thou pose and resumed the laid-back posture he usually had with friends. "Yeah, I do," he said sheepishly. "I'll get over there, then."

As soon as Tumble was gone, Alonzo looked around furtively to make sure no one was around, and reopened the cupboard. To his puzzlement and suprise, it was completely empty. He poked his head inside to try to find the missing tuxedo.

"You really didn't have to do that, you know," a voice said suddenly, causing poor Alonzo to bump his head. He withdrew his noggin, and found Mistoffelees sitting comfortably on the recliner that rested atop the cupboard. "Do you really think I have to hide in a cupboard to keep someone from seeing me?"

Alonzo, dazed and confused, stared at Mistoffelees, who only glared back. It had been such a worrisome morning; Alonzo was already exhausted and not thinking straight. "Oh, yeah, huh," he drawled. How could he have forgotten the dozens of times when he was the only one of the two of them who got in trouble, because Mistoffelees had been able to get away somehow or another?

"Yeah," the tux responded to this witticism. He continued: "So what was Tumblebrutus saying about you being late for something?" He cocked an eyebrow at the patched tom.

Alonzo moaned. "I'm late for junkyard watch. I have to get over to the gate. Hey, why don't you come with me?" he asked.

Mistoffelees looked around for a moment, then said, "Better yet, I'll meet you there." And in a puff of smoke, he simply disappeared.

A few minutes later when Alonzo finally climbed to the high platform which overlooked the junkyard gate, he found his magical friend already sitting comfortably atop it. The day was quite hot, and there was no shade on the ledge, but for some reason, Mistoffelees was sitting in a conspicous shadow of ... something. Alonzo looked up, and could see the sun clearly, but was still somehow in shade. More magic.

"Have a seat," Mistoffelees offered, without even opening his eyes.

Alonzo obediantly took a seat and began his watch of the gate. Looking on, he said, "So come on, you have to have some reason for coming now. Tell me."

Mistoffelees said nothing, but the tiny knowing smirk on his face spoke volumes. Alonzo continued, "All right then, so tell me what you've been up to."

Mistoffelees coughed, taken aback by the question. "Oh, I really don't think you'd want to hear about that sort of thing..." He changed the subject: "So what's happened here while I was away?"

Alonzo smiled. "Well, most of us have grown up. All of us you knew as kittens have had the coming-of-age. Even Jemima's a full-fledged queen. Tugger finally settled down – "

"No way!"

"Way! With Etcetera, no less. Actually, he broke his leg and an arm one day, so he was sort of forced to settle down. He was lucky curiosity didn't do him in. Etcetera was the only one who would care for him while he was laid up, and they just sort of hit it off. They've even got kittens. Actually, it seems like there's a ton of new kittens lately."

"New kittens, eh?" Mistoffelees muttered. "Hmm ... I think I'd like to meet some of them."

This surprised Alonzo. "Meet them?" he questioned. Mistoffelees nodded, his expression unreadable. "I ... I'm not sure you can do that," Alonzo stammered. "You ... I mean, weren't you banished? You shouldn't even really be here now."

"Well," he started, grinning an innocent smirk, "You did say that I could come back, didn't you? I believe three cats did vouch for me, that was the deal..."

Alonzo wasn't so sure that was still true, but he didn't say anything. Mistoffelees went on: "So, you told me about new kittens, but has there been anything, you know, unusual, of interest?"

Alonzo thought. The giant episode that morning came to mind, but he couldn't let himself dwell on that; besides, he didn't exactly want to tell Mistoffelees about that just yet. "No, nothing important," he said.

Mistoffelees sat up and stared at him, then said coldly, "You're lying."

Startled, Alonzo looked away from the gate for the first time since they'd gotten up there and and stared back at Mistoffelees. An eerie smile spread over the conjurer's face. "Yes, I can tell," he said. "Don't even try to trick me. Something has gone on recently. And I think ..." he said, probing further, "That it is something I could help with..."

Alonzo considered. He did have a point. If anyone could help with magic, it would be Mistoffelees. Then again, he knew too well how his mate might react to his presence. Still he had no idea what to do with Lexuther! He could hurt himself if he didn't know what he was doing. Worse yet, he could hurt someone else, let the whole tribe find out what he could do and then ... well, it was unthinkable.

Still, there was no fooling Mistoffelees.

"Well," Alonzo started, "You see, this morning, something happened with my kit – "

"Your kit!" Mistoffelees interrupted suddenly. "You have a kitten! It's your kit I came here for?"

Alonzo blushed, uneasy. He couldn't really hide anything from his magical friend, could he? "So you already know what happened?" he asked sheepishly.

"Are you kidding? I felt what he did from a mile away! What did he hit, anyway?"

Alonzo frowned harder. "A tree ..."

"You're lucky then," Mistoffelees continued, taking a dignified air. "He certainly would have killed a cat if that had been what he was aiming for."

Thanks, Mistoffelees. You're so helpful, Alonzo thought to himself. Still, he didn't think Mistoffelees realized the gravity of the situation. "Mistoffelees, is he going to be all right?" he asked with a father's concern. "I don't think he's woken up since he fainted, right after doing that!"

Mistoffelees shrugged and blew it off. "Oh, don't worry! He'll be fine. The shock and energy it takes for a first working always leaves a kitten drained."

"So he'll be okay?"

"He'll be fine!"

Alonzo sighed, but then moaned. Even if Lex's body would fine, it wasn't going to stop the trouble that magic would cause! He certainly didn't want his kitten to go through the pain and suffering Mistoffelees had. Heck, Mistoffelees had been banished for magic!

"I know what you're thinking, and I can honestly tell you it's worth it."

Alonzo stared pointedly at him. "Worth it?" he asked.

Mistoffelees nodded slowly as he spoke. "Yes, it's very much worth it. All the pain, suffering, it's but a small price to pay for the glorious abilities that magic brings. I don't expect you to understand, but your kitten will, in time."

This left Alonzo mute for a long moment, thinking about what Mistoffelees had said. Finally, he asked (with the curiosity that is every cats' downfall), "So ... what exactly can he ... do?"

"With magic?"

"Yes."

Mistoffelees shrugged. "Actually, the question should be more like what can't he do." He leaned back and closed his eyes, in a relaxed position. "Magic is much more intuitive than learning individual spells. Of course, there are the basics that all magicals start out with, but with proper training, he'll be able to do about anything he wants."

Alonzo could only stare. How did Mistoffelees know so much? He'd been the lone magical cat in the junkyard. He barely knew enough about his own power to control it. Now he knew the traditional upbringing of magical cats?

As if by, well, magic, Mistoffelees interrupted Alonzo's thoughts: "You didn't think I was the only magical cat in Macavity's employ, did you? So what do you say you introduce me to the kit!"

Introduce him? "I ... not yet ..." Alonzo mumbled.

Mistoffelees but his paws on his hips in a mock pout. "And why not?" he asked indignantly.

Alonzo hesitated, then said pathetically, "I have to stay and guard the gate."

The tux rolled his eyes. "Guard it from what? Macavity?" he asked. Alonzo nodded slowly. "Trust me. You won't see him today." Mistoffelees explained. "Don't worry. He's not coming here any time soon." He then started to climb down off the platform.

Alonzo grimaced. It was just too soon. He and Victoria were still sick with worry. He didn't want Mistoffelees near that Bug without time to prepare his family. "What about Pollicles?" he tried, "They might come through the gate!"

Mistoffelees paused in his climbing and looked up at Alonzo. "Trust me: nothing will be coming through that gate."

"How do you know?"

Mistoffelees gave him a meaningful look. "I know. Just trust me. Now let's go." With that, a cloud of smoke appeared around him, and he started to dematerialize. Alonzo stared, until smoke started appearing around him, too. It seemed Mistoffelees wasn't leaving without him. Then he started to panic; Mistoffelees had never used this kind of magic on him before! He panicked and screamed, not caring if anyone heard. But the scream didn't last long. No sooner had the smoke cleared than he found himself in the small clearing that was his backyard of sorts. Ahead, he saw Mistoffelees calmly walking towards the car.

"Mistoffelees, don't!" he cried, but it was too late.