A/N: Hey everyone. Forgive me for my lack of updates. I actually have been VERY busy. SO thanks for being so patient with my immovable writer's block!

"Zelaphelia's back."

A shocking realization came back to Tugger at the remembrance of the name. His head popped up and stared at the entry way of his den to question Bombalurina, but the scarlet queen was already gone. Without thinking, Tugger jumped to his feet and dashed out of his den…

~^..^~

The slowly rising sun touched the Junkyard as morning began to enter into the day. Demeter and Zelaphelia walked along the dirt trail together in harmonious cheer. A ray of light hit the golden queen's face passing each silhouette of junk heaps. Her mother started jabbering on of the on-goings in the Junkyard, explaining all that had happened after she left. Zela soon realized that she missed an awful lot.

The first thing she learned was of Old Deuteronomy leaving the Junkyard yet again. That was a surprise. According to Demeter, he left during the middle of winter with less than a few words of farewell to the tribe, and absolutely no explanation for his parting. In Zela's mind, everyone was starting to think the Jellicle Leader was having a ponderous breakdown. Through out all of his insanities, she thought Deuteronomy was the sanest cat she knew. The golden-red female wished she could have been there to say good bye, but the dust-grey tom always had ways of coming back at the most horrendous times of need, even if it meant facing the worst.

Other than this, life in the Junkyard hadn't been so different from when she left. Of course, the kittens had changed. They were no longer considered kittens, but right in between kittenhood and a newly adulthood; adolescence. It was interesting to hear this. Zela had been so used to seeing the faces of her young friends, and it was hard to think of them now grown up after such a time. She couldn't even picture their faces. "Oh yes," Demeter interjected on the golden-red queen's thoughts, "Munkustrap said if…if you were to come back he would officially make you a junkyard queen. Zela, you've grown into such a beautiful young feline. You've gotten bigger from when last I saw you, and your face…you look like your aunt Bomba."

Zela blushed under her fur at the compliment, "Thank you mum. How is Bombalurina anyway?"

The golden queen shrugged and tossed her head from side to side, "She's alright, I guess. I haven't checked-up on her lately though… I haven't been the same without my full family here."

The young Jellicle female smiled at Demeter. The golden queen seemed completely overjoyed at the mere sight of her daughter. Zela liked that it made her happy. If only she could do that everyday. The golden-red female wished she could just stay with the tribe and ease her mother's worry, but Macavity became an obstacle for any security of that dream. Her father was the reason she feared staying in the city. He was everywhere, watching her every move, toying with her mind like a victimized mouse about to die, wanting one thing: more. He would never be happy with anything. Macavity would want more of everything he had. More power, more wealth, more pleasures, more revenge … more of her. This didn't sit well in Zela's stomach. She couldn't even think of her father's name and stay serene.

Zela shook off these dreadful pessimistic thoughts. Macavity was the last thing she wanted to worry about whilst she was back at the Junkyard. She then listened to Demeter rambles on the most current news that she knew of. The golden-red queen found it completely engrossing. Apparently the tribe was doing well, as Demeter had said. Zela thought by her expression that she was lying, but let go of the suspicion. Life seemed to be good in the Junkyard, until she heard something that tugged on her curiosity and part of her anxiety. Plato had gone missing.

This was probably the most mysterious disappearance she had heard. One day in late spring, Plato had left the Junkyard less than an hour after sunset, and then didn't come back. They had been searching for him all season, but with no success. One name immediately came to Zela's mind: Macavity. There was no question of it.

"It must have been Macavity." The young queen declared to her mother.

Demeter shook her head, "That was our first suspicion. But three days into the search we got as far as we could into the west Warehouse property, and found absolutely no traces, and Munkustrap, Mungojerrie, and Skimbleshanks are skilled trackers."

"Well, did you actually get inside the Warehouse?" Zela inquired.

Her mother didn't answer. She just stopped with her paws sunk in the dirt. Her face was made of complete stone as the space between her eyes formed a crinkle and her mouth dropped to a dead-serious frown. "We never got in, but from everywhere else, we couldn't find anything worth looking at. That doesn't mean Macavity's still not a feline of interest."

Zela didn't say anything back. She just kept walking forward, frustrated by the tribes' lack of investigative persistency. She knew it wasn't right to judge any of them, especially Munkustrap, but her anger for Macavity and sympathy for Plato kept her emotions reeled to every part of her mind. The golden-red female turned back to Demeter, who sensitively walked behind her daughter. Zela sighed once, knowing the attitude she was exposing to her mother was less than acceptable of an adult queen. The young female grimaced, "I just want to know that everyone is going to be safe. I feel like I'm putting the tribe in danger by even coming back… I know he'll come after me, and…I don't want to do anything to hurt-"

"Nonsense," Demeter abruptly disclaimed, "First thing, you're not putting anyone in danger by staying where you belong. You need to realize that. Secondly, your father is-"

"Don't say that!" Zela cried sharply.

The golden-red queen's mother was taken aback by her outburst. Zela felt immediate remorse for the upheaval. "I'm sorry mother…" she whimpered, "It's just…Macavity stopped being my father after I found out what a monster he truly is…"

The golden queen sighed. Zela presumed it was an acceptation of her apology and explanation. "It's okay alright. I understand what you're talking about. I felt the exact same way when…"

Demeter's words wandered away in mid-sentence. Zelaphelia knew perfectly well what her mother was referring to: when the gold-red female was conceived.

The young queen instantly forced the thought of it out of her mind. "Please, mother I don't want you to remind yourself of that. It doesn't matter anymore." Demeter gratefully nodded to her daughter, and said nothing. Zela looked down at her paws for the rest of the way. She felt like their relationship was in reverse, and she was the one giving the child advice. Her mother was just confused and obviously scared too. It wasn't any help to know that Zela had to be the one to comfort her. Who was she supposed to go to when she needed a shoulder to lean on?

After a long silence, the two queens finally came upon the opening entrance into the central Junkyard. It looked just as Zela remembered it. The sunrise peaked over a half-shadowed junk pile consisting of a rusted bed frame, some scrap metal, and hundreds of packaged recycled newspapers and glass bottles. The red TSE 1 car sat stuck in the middle of aging junk and large tractor tires. The whole scenery was made up of large furniture and garbage bags. Though it seemed like a filthy place for any inhabitance to reside in, it actually looked quite clean in her eyes. Zela could still feel the warmness and rustic charm of the Junkyard. She could still smell freshness and earth divulged in the air, and heard the peaceful silence circling the Junkyard like a graceful wind rounding a grassy plain. The mourning seemed brighter of the very sight of her true home; the one place where she felt closest to her heart. The Jellicles' dwelling was almost like a divine spirit surrounding the young female. She breathed in the Junkyard air heavily, grasping only one thought: I am home.

Suddenly, a shrill cry of happiness inverted her peaceful serenity. Zela opened her eyes and glanced towards the entrance. A jubilant looking adolescent was beaming at the sight of the golden-red queen. Zela recognized the chestnut-orange patches and crosshatched black lines covering the young female's chest. A fuzzy orange and brown face started running towards her with excitement palpitating off of her paws in each step. It was her half-sister, Electra. The golden-red queen caught the youngling in an embrace, and started crying at the same volume as her.

Electra started screaming in her ear as she jumped into her arms. "Zeli!!!!!! ZELI! YOU'RE BACK!"

The golden-queen felt an internal smile warming her heart. It felt good just to hear her half-sister's voice. Though, she didn't exactly know when the orange-black female began to call her Zeli. It was odd, but she liked the ring to it. The nickname was child-like, playful, and just all-around silly. It was something about its characteristics that she always wanted apart of her, but never really got the chance to have as a kit. She hoped the name might stick; at least with Electra. Zela then started to spontaneously cry on her sister's shoulder. She rarely ever cried tears of happiness. She looked over the young queen's shoulder a few heads were popping up behind the Junkyard entrance curiously to see what the commotion was about. A few bright smiles glimmered on their faces at recognition of the golden-red queen that had entered upon their home. Electra finally released her grip on her half-sister and backed away, still holding her shoulder.

Demeter sauntered over to her daughters' sides and smiled. Suddenly, a few excited voices started to arouse. "What's going on?" "Who's that?" "Who's here?" "Is…that Zelaphelia?" "Zela's back?" "Zelaphelia's here?"

Sooner or later, a huge crowd of Jellicles met at the end of the central pathway. A few faces stuck out. Jellyorum, the tribe's medical cat walked up to her. She stood with her adoptive brother, Asparagus at her side. Behind them, Jennyanydots, Jemima, Skimbleshanks, and Tumblebrutus came up and surrounded her. The notorious cat burglar couple, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer suddenly popped out of the shadows of a high Junk pile, and leaped by her side. They looked baffled by her presence. Coming around the small crowd in front of her, Mistoffelees and Pouncival came up from behind. Zela looked back at them. They smiled warmly, glad to see she had finally returned. Soon, Munkustrap and Alonzo followed up the trail and went in front of the two toms.

Everyone seemed to be crowding over, shouting greetings, and trying to say some casual and somewhat ecstatic words to her, which she couldn't hear anyway. She just started smiling at them all. The tribe was in a bustle because of the golden-red female. It surprised her and made her glow in embarrassment at the same time. Some were grinning, others were hugging her excitedly, and some were just waiting to see her. It was amazing to see all of these felines again. However, there was one cat that was missing from the crowd; the one she wanted to see again since the day she left the Junkyard. Where was Tugger?

…

^~*~^

Bombalurina had been strutting around the Junkyard, torturing Tugger. The red queen always knew the handsome Curious Cat and an interest for Zelaphelia, which both did and didn't surprise her. Tugger was-of course, something of the same nature to Zela, or at least that was what Bomba had assumed. As odd as she thought it was, the red queen started to have an interest in the leopard-spotted tom. After all, if he liked her niece, than it was more than smart to see how loyal he actually was. Perhaps it was being unnecessarily crafty but the scarlet queen liked to think of this as wanting to work out a complicated relationship. Probably not one of her smartest ideas, but then again, she wasn't a normal queen. Bomba had an image- a reputation- to uphold, and if she wanted to deal with Tugger, she had to do it the way she would expect herself to. She grinned slyly as he rounded about the corner into her den.

She spotted his glimmering gold chest shining in the morning light of her den. His amber eyes twinkled as the sun touched them. It was as if she was looking into a star. Tugger looked around but didn't bother to care where he was. Bomba sat down with her scarlet ruffled tail curled around her legs. He rushed over to her wearing a frown. "Bomba, please," he begged, "Just tell me where she is."

The red queen grinned sweetly, but at the same time looking sly, "I don't know Tugsy. I don't see why I should do something like that for you. After all, you were being so mean to me when I came to say good morning." Maybe she was being arrogant, but she could sense the charm and allure in her own voice.

The Curious Cat grunted in frustration and rolled his eyes, but then turned to look at her trying to show a sincere face, "Fine, I'm sorry Bomba."

Bomba pursed her lips. "For what?" she asked him innocently.

Tugger glared at her maliciously while mumbling a few curse words under his breath. He then looked her straight in the eye and gritted his teeth, "……For being mean to you."

A satisfactory grin appeared on Bombalurina's face. She leaned over nuzzling the leopard-spotted tom's shoulder, "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

He nudged her away and peered into Bomba's eyes. Tugger looked absolutely like Munkustrap at that moment. He was utterly serious. This was a side of the Curious Cat she had never seen before. It worried her. What was happening to him? There was just something too strange about his recent behavior.

Suddenly, Tugger threw a death-glare at her, "Bomba…" he growled warningly. The red queen could detect the frustration in his tone, but also caught a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. That was what she had been searching for; an easily manipulated weakness in his wall of pure strength.

Bomba beamed happily, having something that she needed from the Curious Cat: a soft spot. She looked away from Tugger's amber eyes. "Alright Tug, here's what I know" –Bomba's feet slyly wandered over by the exit, brushing against the leopard-spotted tom's side. She felt his coat quivering in temptation- "While you were following me around…
she came back up to him, staring into his impatient face

"…trying to get information…

She leaned up against him. He was completely silent,

"…you failed to notice that everyone else was heading for…"

"Yes?" the Curious Cat inquired quietly. His hand slid down her back. Bombalurina shut her eyes, filthy fantasies stirring in her crafty mind. Three words finally escaped her trembling lips as she leaned in feeling Tugger's warm breath on her face, "…the pathway entrance-"

Suddenly, the support of the leopard-spotted tom's paws dropped from her sides as she tumbled to the ground. Her lips kissed the dirt. She looked up and saw Tugger running through the exit. "Thanks Bomba!" he shouted behind his shoulder.

The scarlet queen wiped her mouth and stared after the Curious Cat. Her paw rested on her cheek as she watched Tugger sprint out of her view. At that moment, Bombalurina decided that she needed to keep an eye on him as long as he was involved with Zelaphelia. She knew from experience on how he manipulated young queen-kits so easily, just for his own heinous purposes. Who knew if he was actually being truthful about his feelings towards her niece? He didn't have her complete trust…yet.

^~*~^

Tugger rushed along the main floor of the Junkyard, his heart pumping rapidly. He had waited too long to see Zela again. He thought of all those months of wondering when she'd be back, or where she was going, or if she was okay. He had waited at what seemed like an eternity, just to hear her name aloud again…Zelaphelia… No matter what anyone else thought, he did miss her.

After a short search around the Junkyard, the Curious Cat's eyes finally found a large crowd drawn at the gate of the entrance. Mistoffelees and Victoria were trying to peer over Coricopat and Tantomile. He would've rushed over to their sides, but before he could even move, a beautiful and overjoyed queen stepped out of the crowd and into the morning sun. As the light touched her face, Tugger caught a glimmer passing through a pair of violet and gold eyes. He would've recognized them anywhere. Bomba hadn't lied to him. Zelaphelia was back in the Junkyard.

She didn't notice him staring at her from afar. She was being led out of the tribe's crowd by Munkustrap and Demeter. Tugger couldn't help but gaze at her. Just by looking at her, he knew Zela had grown. She was no longer the quick, young adolescent from when he last saw her from autumn. The gold-red female was taller, slimmer and more gorgeous than ever. The leopard-spotted tom could make out her whispering something to Demeter. Tugger didn't know what either of them had said, given the fact that their words were performed in whispers. With what looked like hesitation, Zela padded into Munkustrap and Demeter's den with the mates trailing not far behind her. The last thing he saw was her smiling mouth, but unusually sad eyes.

The Curious Cat sighed easily. Seeing Zela's glowing face had made him glad for the first time in months; but even this defined joy didn't feel like enough. He couldn't settle with just watching her. That was the exact opposite of what the real Rum Tum Tugger would do. He had to get closer. He had to hear her eloquent, cheerful voice again. He had to talk to her. Confirming this in his head, Tugger dashed out of sight with crowd of Jellicles reappearing. He had a meeting with Zela.

^~*~^

Zela looked around at Munkustrap and Demeter's den. It hadn't even changed. There was still a large rustic pipe buried under furniture, which was usually a resting place for the golden queen and her mate; it was still a larger area in the Junkyard. No real change in size. The only light that came in was from the sky light peaked high above the caved –shaped Junk cavern. Zela took in a deep breath. It smelled like home.

Munkustrap came up next to her, "I know it's not the type of accommodation you're used to, but you only have to be here for a few days…weeks…" he had murmured weeks very softly as if she wasn't supposed to hear it. It made the gold-red queen smile.

Demeter sat next to her mate. Her green eyes stared at Zela comfortingly, "You'll just room with us for little awhile until we can find a more suitable den for you. We would have earlier if we knew you were coming."

Zela furrowed her eyebrow, "I could just stay in the queens' den like I did before I left." She offered.

"We know," answered Munkustrap, "But we just figured you would be a little more comfortable with something less…crowded. We thought it would be good to give you some privacy, which is why we're trying to sort out a new den."

"You really don't have to do that." The gold-red female professed.

Demeter smiled, "But we wanted to." She insisted. Obviously, the golden queen couldn't tell Zela's reaction to this was a little less than positive. Being honest, Zelaphelia didn't know how she felt about a private den. She didn't even know how long she was going to stay in the Junkyard. The gold-red female was almost scared of staying alone. She didn't know where Munkustrap and Demeter had gotten the thought that she wanted privacy. If anything, she wanted to be in the middle of the crowd, like everyone else. Sadly, that wasn't the case. She couldn't be in the place where normalcy was. Zela was meant to be in the front of the crowds, even if she didn't want to be. Both her mental and physical powers became a great power of protection and guidance. She was meant to be a defender, not the one who hid in the group huddle. The question remained if she was really comfortable in a private den. Probably not, but Zela knew she couldn't tell her mother. The gold queen was just acknowledging that her daughter was truly and physically present in the Junkyard. She couldn't bring up leaving now. It would have to come up later.

"Okay," Munkustrap abruptly said, interrupting her thoughts, "Well, I think your mother needs a little air, so we'll just let you get comfortable."

Demeter's eyes darted at him and widened, "Munk, I'm sure there is plenty of air… here."

The silver tabby met her challenging gaze, "Well, then outside there is even more air."

"But I don't need more air." She countered.

"Well, then do it for me."

"Then you can just go outside."

"Well, it's just not the same when you're next to me-" he swiftly nudged Demeter out of the exit and quickly followed. Munkustrap looked behind his shoulder and smiled, "Just try to get settled in while I get your mother calmed down."

"I happen to be very calm!" Demeter shouted from outside.

The silver tabby sighed with annoyance and ran outside with one last passing glance. Zela was ironically pleased have the den to herself, considering she had made a complete internal rant about how she hated being alone. But the quiet was nice. She remembered how Demeter was fighting so much to stay in the den. She might be a bit of an impulsive mother, but truly, she was just a caring mother who wanted to spend time with her daughter. Zelaphelia didn't know how she couldn't smile at that more. The young queen sighed and watched her tail wander from side-to-side on the floor. The silence crept into her mind as she shut her eyes. Zela could feel the quiet day rushing through her core. It seemed far from peaceful now. It was almost scary to be alone. This was what she was afraid of. She had never heard a more disturbing quiescence.

"Well, look who grew up."

The voice suddenly disrupted Zela's few seconds of perplexed peace. Her body twisted to face the shadows as her eyes flew open and shifted around the den. A sudden figure sauntered out of the darkness. At first the voice was a bit sketchy and hard to make out, and she expected the worst, but suddenly a familiar face appeared into the light and Zela immediately recognized him. The one she had waited for; thinking she'd never see his face again, or the audacious thought that he would forget her; it was a waste to think such things.

"Tugger…" she whispered. A smile crept on her face, a smile of pure joy.

"Good to see you too Zel." He said with a grin. Tugger sauntered over to her and did nothing but stare. His deep amber eyes seemed to be gazing into her soul. Almost a year apart, and the Curious Cat hadn't lost his charm over Zela, and by the way he stared, he was still captivated by her.

"It's been too long." He finally said. It was as if Zela had said the exact same thing to herself.

^~*~^

The sun slowly rose over the city. Orange and red beamed in the sky and over the pier. However, there was one place where the sun didn't dare enter into. It was Macavity's grounds. No light beard from either ends of the horizon to meet the Warehouse. From there, darkness reigned supreme. Macavity liked it that way, how the darkness stained the one speck of earth so permanently. He and his home had a kindred spirit of the breathing shadows; the one place he felt the most powerful. It was magnificent.

Macavity watched as the outer breeze whistled through the dead tree branches and empty buildings. It hit his face softly, and a chill ran through him. It came so quickly that the ginger cat almost felt something disturbing him, as if an eerie shock had ran through his body. Something had happened in his city, and he didn't need his spies to tell him so.

"Sir?" A voice asked unannounced. Macavity's eyes shifted around the corners of his eyes. He didn't see which henchcat it was. He continued to look out the window.

"What is it?" he asked sordidly.

The henchcat's voice started to quiver, "Th-The spies have come back from the J-Junkyard area..."

Macavity's face was stone, "And?"

"They have a report."

The Mystery Cat didn't move. He didn't even hold his breath, "I hope that you wouldn't deliberately waste my time and say that you don't have the report…"

The cat started stuttering, "Uh…N-n-never Sir. Uhm…He said something about a queen that came into the Junkyard. Um…she was black…with a golden face and speckled coat…and there was…uhhh…something about red stripes."

That immediately caught Macavity's attention, "Send Barnabas in here now."

"Yes Sir." He heard the henchcat scamper out of the room to fetch his assistant. He hated how twitchy the younger henchcats were. It was a shame he didn't look at the face, just to find out who he should have had tortured.

With only seconds to spare, Barnabas's voice entered the room, "You summoned me sir…"

Again, Macavity's eye twitched at the emphasis on sir. His assistant always had an eerie way of saying things to his leader. Maybe that was why the ginger tom chose him to be his assistant in the first place.

"I need you and a few others to release that tom in the cells."

Barnabas's voice was confused, "uh…release?"

He ignored the puzzled statement, "The toxin, you injected it?"

"…Yes." The black tom answered after several moments of silence.

"Then you know what to do."

Barnabas sighed quietly, but then spoke quickly, "As you wish, Sir. We'll send him out now."

"Good. Gag him, and knock him out. You know where to put him."

"Yes Sir." With that, he quickly left the ginger tom's room.

Macavity grinned to himself. After all of these months of waiting, he had driven Zelaphelia straight to where he wanted her. He had spent so many months planning. Contacting his outer branches, and trying to find her was a hassle, but he knew it would be worth it soon enough. Zela was his now. There was no doubt of it. His long-termed plans were finally falling into place…