Disclaimer: I do not own CATS the musical or any of the characters found within this story, except for those you don't recognize.

Chapter One

A spark neglected makes a mighty fire.

-Robert Herrick

The Jellicle Ball was going strong. The moon was high in the sky and the Jellicle Cats danced as if hypnotized, spinning and darting around each other in perfect chaos. Families started the night dancing together, but those groups dissolved quickly. Friends and mates found each other as the music slowed gradually, the moon still shining brightly. Two only remained standing.

A pure white cat found herself alone in the clearing, standing hesitantly in the middle of the Tribe as they lowered themselves to the ground. This was her year, and this was her Ball; the Ball where she would come of age. Turning nineteen would mean she was an adult. An adult who could take a Mate.

Slowly, the other Cat standing approached her. The white and brown tom was eager for this dance. He, too, was turning nineteen this year, and he had waited for this moment for far too long. He had known he loved the white queen for years, and had been ecstatic when she had agreed to dance the Mating Dance with him. The Dance did not bind them together as Mates, but it was a promise.

It was said that a Jellicle who had found their true Mate would know instinctively who it was; so to promise yourself to another was rare. And each dance showed the individuality of the couple.

Munkustrap had waited three years after coming of age to dance it with Demeter four years ago. The silver and black tabby, second in command of the Tribe, was strong and bold where the gold and black queen was shy and timid. She had danced in tiny, sudden movements, skipping lightly over the ground, while he followed after her and eventually caught her. In his arms it wasn't a trap, but rather safety; she had held onto him as if he were a lifeline, and he had lifted her gently, keeping her close to him for the rest of the night.

Cassandra and Alonzo had danced it five years ago, as soon as Alonzo came of age, although it was four years after Cassandra's own Ball. Both the sleek Burmese and the patched black-and-white tom had danced sensually, moving and twisting around each other, always touching in some way.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer came of age during the same Ball, six years ago. The two were a blur of orange, black, and white tiger stripes during their dance; they whirled around each other like a hurricane, never quite letting the others see what, exactly, they were doing. Their dance was pure chaos, completely uncontrolled, although both knew exactly which steps to take to keep it on the edge of disaster.

Bombalurina and the Rum Tum Tugger had danced it seven years ago, although no one had expected the two to last the four years after the Tugger came of age. Their moves made the young queens sigh with longing for the vested toms, and the young toms drool over the scarlet queen. Time and time again they darted together, only to separate briefly to dance on their own; but always they returned to each other as if magnetized.

The Mystic Cats Tantomile and Coricopat had danced together eight years ago, a year after Tantomile's Ball. Their every move was synchronized and graceful, but something about the steps seemed very unlike the usual Mating Dance. It was impossible to mistake it for anything else, though, with the passion that seemed both hidden just below the surface and bursting from every inch of them at the same time.

A long while before that, Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks had danced it. Most of the Cats in the Tribe today had not witnessed their Dance; but those who had, the older adults, remembered it as tender and loving, perhaps the sweetest dance they had seen to date.

Gus the Theater Cat and Jellylorum were the odd couple out; they had become Mates late in life, only nineteen years ago, when Jellylorum was 32 and Gus was 43.

The white queen was more nervous than the tom, but they danced beautifully together. Cats would remember it in many different ways. Some saw only the joy of young love. Some saw the tom's eagerness, approaching the queen first and dancing with all the bliss of a tom who had found his true Mate. Some saw the slight hesitation of the white queen, the tremble of her leg as he ran his paw down it; she was scared, but who could blame her? She became an adult today.

None noticed the black and white tuxedo tom watching with saddened eyes. The time of wishing and hoping was over, and had ended long ago. He had lost his chance to the white queen the moment they began the Dance.

Plato slowly lowered Victoria to the ground, laying the white queen gently across the pile of Cats that shifted and writhed its way towards them, gathering in a drowsy pile. He dropped to the ground beside his Promised Mate, laying next to her and wrapping an arm around her Mate. No words were spoken among the Cats, but paws reached out to gently touch the shoulders, backs, and arms of the new adults before dropping once more.

Families and friends sought each other out in the pile, forming a complex weave of relationships. Etcetera moved to lie next to her friend Victoria, smiling at the thought of her own Ball in two years, and was joined by her sister Rumpleteazer and their parents, Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots. Electra crawled and dropped next to Etcetera, a friend she had known since the year they both were born, and felt the presence of her brother Asparagus at her back, with her parents Jellylorum and Gus close behind. Tumblebrutus and Pouncival, brothers separated by a year but drawn together as the only blood relatives either one had, came to gather around Plato, who had been a close friend to both despite being three years older than Tumblebrutus. Jemima rolled over Etcetera to cuddle in closer to Victoria; the two had always been very close in spite of the five-year age difference.

Around the group in the center, the other Cats slowly drew together. Munkustrap and Demeter lay next to Bombalurina and the Rum Tum Tugger; the two brothers and the two sisters almost formed a small pile of their own on the outskirts. Cassandra and Alonzo lay twined together, with Cassandra's back pressed against that of her sister, Exotica. She had come of age four years ago, but still had no Mate, yet felt too old to join the kittens in their pile.

Mistoffelees slowly moved to lie near Tantomile and Coricopat. The two mystics acknowledged him briefly, but were too wrapped up in each other to really notice him. The two were always alone; Jemima, Tantomile's younger sister, rarely joined them, preferring the company of the kittens to that of her sister. Old Deuteronomy sat alone, on a junk-pile above the rest. Mistoffelees looked up at him and caught his eye; the elderly Leader gave him a warm smile, then his gaze fell on his two grown kittens. The Rum Tum Tugger and Munkustrap; as different as they could be, and as far in personality from his other son as possible. Macavity had once lain in the sleep-pile at the Ball, but now he was banned from the Tribe for his heinous crimes. He was no longer welcomed here.

Mistoffelees lay on the ground as the others did, letting his eyes drift shut as the music gradually faded from his ears, replaced by the sounds of contented Cats sleeping. He let his sorrow overwhelm him, all of his thoughts focused on the two Cats at the center of the Ball, fiercely desiring one and envying the other.

In the largest den of the Junkyard, another sleep-pile had formed.

This was Old Deuteronomy's den. All around it were piles of junk, and a gap in this was the entrance to the area. The walls and ceiling were held up by sturdy pieces of wood, and it had stood for many years already. The den was simple; a few blankets covered the dirt floor completely, with several more piled in the center to make a more comfortable sleeping area. It was on this that ten Cats lay.

The most noticeable was, of course, Bustopher Jones. The enormously fat tuxedo tom was snoring loudly, much to the amusement of the other nine of the den's occupants. He had once had a mate, a plump and cheerful black queen, but she had died shortly after giving birth to a son about five years ago. He hadn't been the same since, and the Jellicle Ball no longer held any appeal to him. So he volunteered to kitten-sit while the others danced.

This son was laying next to Bustopher now, tiny compared to the bulk of his father, but still tall and chubby compared to the others around his age. Jarilo had nearly the exact same coloring as Bustopher Jones, a black and white tuxedo cat, and his snoring was only slightly quieter. The other eight were piled on the blankets, but they hadn't fallen asleep yet.

The oldest was Veles, the youngest kitten of Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks. His coloring was mostly that of his father's, an orange tabby, but he did have some of the red and gold coloring of his mother. He was twelve years now; next year he would be allowed to participate in the Jellicle Ball, and the kitten-pile would be one member less.

Next to Veles, the cousins Meret and Satis lay together. Meret was the oldest kitten of Demeter and Munkustrap; Satis was the only kitten of Bombalurina and the Rum Tum Tugger. Both showed a blend of their parents' colors; Satis was scarlet like her mother, with a black "vest," boots, and gloves. Meret was mostly her father's colors, a silver and black tabby, but with her mother's dark gold coloring her ears and her paws. Satis was older by two years, so she took it upon herself to watch over her three-year-old cousin, even though the little queen-kitten often annoyed her. On Meret's other side was Arion, her one-year-old brother. His coloring was almost identical to hers, although his ears didn't have the gold coloring. He was the youngest of the group, and was already sleeping soundly.

On Veles's other side were Clorinda and Laodice. Clorinda was the four-year-old kitten of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. Unsurprisingly, given that both her parents had nearly identical tiger stripes, Clorinda had the same orange, black, and white stripes of the tiger thieves. Also unsurprisingly, she had the same mischievous personality as the two; there was no doubt she would grow up to burglarize and terrorize the houses around the area. Laodice was a two-year-old, sleek brown with white gloves and a white patch on her right ear. Her parents were Cassandra and Alonzo.

Apart from the rest lay Hypnos and Thanatos, the three-year-old and seven-year-old sons of Tantomile and Coricopat. Both had the black and white calico colors, as well as the aloof and mysterious, distant personality, which was especially startling on two young tom-kittens.

Veles was scowling as he stared at the ceiling of the den. Just one year until he, too, could join in at the Jellicle Ball. But every year since he had turned ten went by so slowly, and each day was turning more tortuous. He no longer wanted to play with the younger kittens—he was too old for that! He was almost ready to go to the Ball!

It wasn't normally so bad; Jemima was the youngest of the group of older kittens, but also the kindest, and she would let him tag along. Or better, come play with him on her own! Even Pouncival, who was a year older than Jemima, still didn't mind his company sometimes. But the others, the older kittens—especially Etcetera, his older sister—didn't often enjoy his company. Asparagus wasn't mean to him most of the time, and neither were Plato or Victoria (although they would no longer be with that group, now that they were both nineteen this Ball); they were all too nice for that. But Electra and Tumblebrutus would tease him mercilessly if he tried to hang around with them. He wanted to join in the Jellicle Ball, so he could finally be in their group! But it always seemed so far away.

Satis shifted, and Veles realized that she had fallen asleep—as had the rest of the pile. He smiled, turning over to rearrange himself more comfortably on the pile of blankets, and let himself drift off.

As he fell asleep, he imagined a beautiful black and white queen who smiled at him and accepted him even though he was younger, coming forward to dance with him at his coming of age Ball.

The next morning, the Cats awoke and drifted out of their dens in pairs. Any Cat who had a Mate was with that Mate. Those who didn't congregated in groups, with family or with friends. The kittens were retrieved from Old Deuteronomy's den, and for a while all sat in silence. Not even Tugger flirted with his Mate or with his fan club. Not even Etcetera was giggling or squealing at anything. None of the Cats spoke at all.

Only one pair seemed even remotely close to the normal, happy chattering of the morning after the Jellicle Ball: Victoria and Plato. The new Promised Mates were sitting as close to one another as they could, Victoria in front of Plato, with his arms wrapped around her. Both were smiling despite the grim mood of most of the Tribe, and Plato leaned down every now and then to kiss the white queen gently on the lips. It made several members of the Tribe smile after simply looking at them, and many pairs of Mates drew closer together at the sight.

If any Cat noticed the slight sorrow and regret in her eyes, they said nothing. If any Cat noticed the faint hint of hurt in Plato's when she did not respond to his kisses, they remained silent. And if any Cat noticed the way Mistoffelees could not look at them, they held their tongue.

Veles was with the older kittens today, leaning against Jemima's shoulder and trying to control his expression—she looked distraught at something, and he thought it best that he didn't look blissful next to her. None of the others were protesting at his intrusion on their group. Etcetera, for once, didn't have a grin on her face, and Electra had her arms wrapped around her best friend, looking solemn. Tumblebrutus and Pouncival sat side-by-side, silent and grim. Asparagus sat with them, not looking at anything or anyone. The group had filled the gaps left by Victoria and Plato easily, but it was obvious they were missing their friends by the way they all kept looking over towards the couple.

But the most affected by last night's Ball was obviously Demeter. The gold and black queen was barely visible, buried by the fur of her family as she was. She held Arion tightly in her arms, with Meret clinging to her side stubbornly, sensing her mother's distress. Munkustrap was in the same pose as Plato with Victoria; behind his Mate, with his arms around her and his head resting on her shoulder. A bright splash of scarlet fur indicated Bombalurina, who was sitting as close as she could to her younger sister, leaning against her side with her paw on Demeter's shoulder. Even the Rum Tum Tugger, whom Demeter had a civil but hardly friendly relationship with, was there, next to his mate but with a comforting paw on the gold queen's leg. The petite Cat had her head down, but any time she looked up, tears were streaking down her face.

No one spoke for the longest time. The kittens were confused; the adults were contemplating Grizabella, wondering over the sad life that had returned to their lives, only to be taken away. They only hoped her new, different Jellicle Life was a better one than they had given her when she had come to their Tribe so many years ago.

Fourteen Years Ago

Three queens entered the Junkyard cautiously and silently. Two of them could hardly be called queens, though: a tall scarlet kitten and a smaller golden one, who were enough alike to be sisters. They were led by a young, adult queen, with a sleek and beautiful brown coat. The brown queen looked about herself with the air of one who is familiar with an area, but has no reason to be welcomed there.

And it became clear just how unwelcome there she was when the hisses and growls began, coming from all around her. The sisters huddled together; the younger one, the gold one, looked terrified, while the scarlet returned the hisses fiercely and kept a protective arm around the younger. The brown queen glared around at the noises.

"Come out!" she yelled, baring her teeth. "I haven't come to hurt you! I only want to speak with your Leader. Come out, please!" The last plea was unlike the others; she was begging now, her voice desperate. She glanced anxiously at the two kittens in front of her. "Please!"

Finally, an orange tabby tom came out of a hidden den, glaring at the queen. When the brown queen peered into the opening of the den, she could see three more Cats in there; one a tabby queen who was glaring at her angrily, with a tiger-striped kitten queen holding one of her paws and looking out, almost frightened, and a white tabby kitten on her other paw, wide-eyed but smiling. She lifted a paw to wave to the unfamiliar queen and was promptly scolded by her mother. A snarl from the orange tabby made her look back at the tom.

"Don't like me looking at your family, Skimble?" she asked, noting the tense stance and the raised fur on the cat. He snarled again.

"Ye know why that is," he said, his Scottish accent thick. "Wha' do ye want here, Grizabella? And ye best make it quick, before we change our minds about havin' ye here."

"I have left Macavity," she announced, proud in her decision. The sudden silence that followed her remark showed the shock that it brought. "He is too cruel; I cannot work for him any longer. I come to ask for sanctuary, for myself and these two kittens. Their names are Demeter and Bombalurina."

Skimbleshanks's expression softened when he looked to the kittens, seemingly noticing them for the first time. "How old are ye, kits?" he questioned them, and the scarlet one answered for both.

"I'm twelve," she stated, "and Demeter is eight."

"What are two kittens so young doing with a queen like you, Grizabella?" Jennyanydots hissed suddenly, coming forward from the den. She had left Etcetera, the white tabby, and Rumpleteazer, the tiger-striped, in there, and now both were looking out with wide eyes.

"Better with me than with Macavity," Grizabella replied simply, drawing a surprised gasp from the watching Cats. She threw a scowl around the area, but saw none. She hadn't expected to; the Jellicles lived by hiding and staying hidden. One casual glance around would not reveal any that did not want to be seen.

"Macavity?" Skimbleshanks questioned, concerned now. The orange tabby took a step towards Grizabella. "Explain."

"Very well," the brown queen said, not bothering to protest over being ordered. "These two kittens were abandoned by their mother…I should not say 'abandoned,' because that suggests that she left them. She did not leave them, exactly, but abandonment is the best term for this, I think."

"Stop speaking in riddles, you Pollicle!" Jenny shouted suddenly, regretting this when Demeter flinched and Bombalurina growled at her threateningly. She lowered her voice, trying to control her temper. "Grizabella. Explain what you mean in simple terms. I don't believe any of the Tribe have the patience to hear you talk in circles."

"Very well," Grizabella said again, not at all phased. "Their mother brought them to Macavity's lair so she, herself, could join his tribe. She did not exactly abandon the kittens, as I said, because she remained there with them and lived in the same quarters; but she rarely saw them at all, and spoke to them never. I took them in to protect them. And now I bring them to you."

"Why?" Skimbleshanks asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "Why would you risk your life leaving Macavity, just to deliver two kittens to us? You know the punishment for betrayal of the Hidden Paw."

Grizabella chuckled at that. "Yes, I do know that; and that is why I've brought them. Life is cruel there. It is not the life for a kitten. That is the only explanation I give."

"We can't trust her," Jennyanydots said loudly, baring her teeth to the brown queen. "She's been given orders. The Hidden Paw would not flinch at using kittens to get his way. We can't trust her!"

This made more sense to the watching Cats than Grizabella's reasons; the hissing and snarling began again, but this time, glowing eyes began to appear all around. The Cats were emerging to chase the queen away from their home.

"Wait, wait!" Grizabella pleaded desperately, drawing the kittens to her in a panic. Little Demeter clung to her, whimpering, but Bombalurina whipped her head around, adding her own growls to the chorus. "Wait! Give these kittens a chance! That's all I ask of you! I will leave, but care for the kittens!"

"Then leave them, and go." This voice was new; Grizabella looked to the side, seeing for the first time Jellylorum standing there. The two Cats glared at each other for a moment, then Grizabella slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"Very well. But care for them, Jellylorum—I place this burden on you and you alone. Take care of them and raise them well."

"And don't return," Jellylorum hissed. "You won't be welcome here."

"That, I cannot promise," Grizabella said with a smirk. "You may not see me here for some time; but I will be back. I promise you that, my dear Jellicles."

A/N: So, this is a story I've been working on for a while. I've got everything planned out and about half of the story written already, so I feel it's safe to say that it'll be about ten chapters long.

Like it? Hate it? Feedback is just lovely, and constructive criticism would make me very happy!