Author's Note: This was supposed to be someone's b-day present, but I mixed the months up (I'm a great friend, right? -sarcasm)

But I like this fic anyway, so...it got posted.

(The song in this chapter is "crazy girl" by multiple artists. Obviously, I changed the lyrics to "crazy tom" instead. And then I cut out a word at the end. It fits better.)

It'll be a bit before I update this anymore, seeing as I have two other fics I'm working on. Also, I should have Black as Night, Red as Blood wrapped up in a few more chapters.

Chapter One: Crazy Tom

Victoria sighed, thinking of a certain tuxedo tomcat. She thought of Mistoffelees' better days, when he heard no voices and actually remembered her name. A song came to mind.

"Crazy tom, don't you know that I love you? You know that I wouldn't dream of goin' nowhere.

Crazy tom, you know that I need you -"

Victoria stopped singing. It was pointless – Mistoffelees probably couldn't even recognize her anymore. His good days were few and far between, now.

Ever since he'd almost killed Etcetera in a performance-gone-wrong, the little tuxedo had been hearing voices in his head. Mistoffelees had told Victoria how they mocked him, how they made him feel even more guilty for what he'd done.

The white queen stood up slowly and walked to the medical den. She knocked lightly on the worn door and it swung gently inward, revealing a tired-looking Jellylorum.

"Is he here?" Victoria asked.

"As always." Jellylorum replied, ushering the white queen inside. "But it isn't one of his better days, I'm afraid. He's not a bad as he could be...but..."

"It doesn't matter. I really need to see him." Jellylorum nodded.

Victoria was guided to Mistoffelees' room in the medical den. As usual, there the tuxedo sat, muttering quietly to himself.

"Mistoffelees?" Jellylorum called hesitantly. He seemed not to hear her and continued talking to someone no one else could see.

"Why don't you try, Victoria? He seems to respond best to you."

"All right" The white queen said softly. "Mistoffelees?"

The magician's head snapped up and he stopped muttering. Jellylorum smiled faintly.

"Usually nothing gets his attention on days like this. Now, Victoria, I have some work to do. I'll be in the main part of the den if you need me." The elderly queen left the tuxedo's room.

~~~short pause~~~

"Victoria!" Mistoffelees exclaimed incredulously, as if he'd just realized that there were cats in his room. "It's been forever since I've seen you! I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"Never, Mistoffelees." Victoria replied, even though she'd gone to see him just the day before. "How are the voices?"

"I think they're going away, but I can't really tell."

"It's going to be all right." The white queen nuzzled his forehead. He purred softly.

"How's Etcetera?"

"She's been fine, Mistoffelees, for three months now. All she wants is for you to stop blaming yourself and get healthy again." Victoria left out how much she wanted it to happen, herself.

"I can't. They keep telling me that she's gonna die young and that it'll be my fault."

"The voices are lying, Mistoffelees." Victoria gave him a quick hug, hiding her worry for him. "It was only a little burn." The white queen grimaced at the lie as she thought of the image of Etcetera crying out in pain, half her body burnt.

"I guess." He sighed and ran a claw along his bedspread, not noticing the long scratch he left in it.

~~~A bit later~~~

"I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, I promise." Victoria stood up and made as if to leave. Instead, she felt something catch hold of her arm. It was the little tuxedo's paw on her wrist.

"Don't go yet." Mistoffelees whispered, his eyes wide and pleading. "The voices go away whenever you come. And...I..I...love you. Please stay for a little while longer, at least." Victoria simply stood there, in shock. The tom she'd loved from a distance for so long, the tom no one could get to stop talking to the voices in his head now, actually loved her back.

"Of course. I love you too." She said simply, sitting down beside him. She leaned on his shoulder and he wrapped his tail around her waist. It was perfect. She loved Mistoffelees, voices or no.

~~~Later (again)~~~

"I need to talk to Jellylorum." Victoria said quietly. "I'll be back in a few moments." The tuxedo stared at her sadly, but let her leave. The white queen walked into the main area of the medical den and saw Jellylorum bandaging a cut on Pouncival's paw.

"Hey!" The brown and white tom said. "How's Mistoffelees? Is he coming home yet? Is he?"

"N-" Jellylorum began.

"That's what I'm going to find out." Victoria cut her off.

"You're good to go, Pouncival." Jellylorum shooed the tomkit out of her den. "Now, what do you mean by that, Victoria?"

"Well, um, I love Mistoffelees – as you know – and he told me he loved me just now, and I wanted to see if he could come stay with me?"

"Honey, he's not well. I wouldn't listen to anything he says. And that's why he can't leave here."

"Are you saying I should brush off what he says as the ravings of a lunatic?"

"Not exactly, Victoria, but I don't know how good for him it'd be if he left. He's been in here for three months and he's not improved a bit, in fact, he's worse off than he was."

"Just my point!" The white queen almost shouted. "He needs to get out. I'm not surprised the voices he hears aren't gone yet, with the amount of isolation he has!"

"Victoria..." Jellylorum said quietly. "You're going to scare him."

"Just...please let him leave for a few nights. If it doesn't work out, then he can come back. Please?"

"Three nights only. Then we'll see about a long-term arrangement."

"Thank you! He's going to be so happy! Thank you thank you thank you!" Victoria hugged the elderly queen and ran back into Mistoffelees' room.

~~In Misto's room~~~

Victoria ran into the room, halting when she saw Mistoffelees arguing with himself. He looked up at her, but continued talking to the voice.

"See?" He said smugly. "I told you she was coming back... Yes, she did, she's right there."

"Mistoffelees, I have to tell you something." Victoria said quietly, hoping he would be responsive.

"Okay, just don't interrupt them again. It...annoys them."

"I'll try not to. But, you won't have to be in here much more, baby, I convinced Jellylorum to let you stay at my place for three nights. And if that works out, then you can stay longer." Victoria tried to hold her joy in, but she realized she didn't have to. Mistoffelees leap off the bed and hugged her as tightly as he could.

"I can't wait to get out of this place." He purred. "Can't wait to be with you."

"I feel the same. Let's go see Jellylorum about getting your stuff packed up."

Jellylorum reluctantly gave the young couple – the ballet kitten and the magician whose guilty conscience had driven him slightly insane – a small duffel bag to put Mistoffelees' effects in. She did warn them that she'd come in to check on him every day at noon.

"There!" Victoria smiled as she packed the last of Mistoffelees' spell books – now fallen into disuse – into the duffel bag.

"Thanks...No, not you. I was thanking Victoria." Mistoffelees muttered quietly.

"I thought you said the voices went away when I was here?"

"Not exactly. They're quieter when you're around."

"Come on then, time to see the tribe again."

~~~Outside the Medical den~~~

Victoria smiled as Mistoffelees looked around at the Junkyard in wonder. He hadn't been out for three months, and a lot had changed.

"Is that...Cassandra...with my brother?" He asked Victoria in an undertone as the couple in question stared at him in shock. Then Alonzo grinned widely and ran up to his brother, hugging him.

"You're out!" He exclaimed. The black and white tom mouthed "Are his voices gone yet?" at Victoria over the tuxedo's shoulder. The white queen shook her head. Alonzo's grin faded.

"So, where are you staying?" Mistoffelees was scratching strange symbols in the dirt with his claw and took a few moments before responding.

"I'm staying...at Victoria's place." He spoke slowly, as if unsure how to act around other cats, even his own family.

"Well, good luck. To both of you." The black and white tom said, chuckling weakly. "That crazy tom is a bit of a pawful." Victoria smiled, thinking of the song again. She whispered the words under her breath.

"Crazy tom, you know that I love you..."