Protect Me

by Waiting for my Munkustrap

It happened in the blink of an eye. Macavity grabbed Demeter. Munkustrap wrapped his arms protectively around his young daughter, Jemima. It was the middle of the day. All of the other Jellicles were asleep. None of them would be able to get there, faster than that ginger fiend could kill the trembling queen in his arms.

"What do you want from us?" Munkustrap begged, garnering only a satanic grin in response. "This is between you and me, Macavity!" he cried. "Leave my family alone!"

Macavity chuckled darkly, caressing Demeter's stomach as he held her against his chest. She closed her eyes and tried to keep her breath steady. Jemima and Electra were watching. She had to be strong for her daughters.

"Of course. Your family," Macavity mused.

Munkustrap eyed him suspiciously.

"Did you know that cats can have multiple paternity, Munkustrap?" he asked. "Cats from the same litter may have different fathers."

Munkustrap hissed, "What are you talking about?"

"Come on. Do you not suspect that there's a reason – some deep, unconscious pull – that you chose to protect that one?"

Munkustrap glanced down at the kitten in his arms, then over at Electra, who stood to the side.

Macavity's sinister laughter filled the den, once more. Munkustrap wished someone would hear it. It was so loud, one would think...but he knew. He knew no one would hear, and by the time anyone came to his family's aid, Macavity wouldn't be there.

"Well, this has been fun," Macavity said, almost casually. He roughly pushed Demeter forward, out of his grip, and she ran to protect Electra. "I suppose I should let you all get some sleep. I'd hate for my nieces to miss out on their beauty sleep, eh, Munkustrap?"

He flashed one more wicked grin, and, in the blink of an eye, he wasn't there.

As soon as Munkustrap was sure his criminal brother was really gone, he let go of Jemima and rushed to Electra's side, practically pushing Demeter out of the way, and fell to his knees in front of her. "Don't listen to a word he says, Electra," he begged. "You are my daughter. No matter what, no matter whose blood you have in you." He pulled her in to a hug. She was so tiny, so young, and so innocent.

"Okay, Daddy," she said.

Munkustrap sighed. She wasn't even afraid. He should have known that about her. Even at the tender age of three months, she was fearless. She was unshakeable.

He kissed her cheek and buried his face in her shoulder. "My kitten," he murmured, much like a kitten himself.

They never spoke of that night, again.

"Guess what tonight is?" Jemima shrieked, pouncing on Electra.

Electra groaned and rolled over, such that her sister fell off her. "Yeah, yeah. It's the Jellicle Ball. Five more minutes."

"It isn't just the Jellicle Ball, Ellie!" Jemima insisted, continuing to shake her sister. "It's our official coming of age, and Dad's gonna announce who he's chosen to be the next protector!"

Electra snorted, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She yawned, enjoying the orange glow that filtered into the den from the last rays of sunlight. She wasn't particularly anxious for her coming of age ceremony. Sure, it was a big deal. Technically, she and Jemima became young queens months before, but they had to wait for the Jellicle Ball to come back around before it could be made official. Until then, they were still considered kittens, lived in their parents' den, and were off-limits to any toms who might have their eye on them. Jemima had always dreamed of having kittens of her own, and even though she was still much too young to think about kittens, she was excited at the prospect of being courted and choosing who would be the father of hers. Electra on the other hand, well...toms and kittens weren't her style.

"We all know it's gonna be Uncle Al," she yawned, referring to whom their father was announce as the next protector. Everyone knew it was going to be Alonzo, the protector's littermate and second-in-command.

"What if it's you?" Jemima said softly.

Electra forced a bitter laugh. "Yeah, right."

"Oh, come on," her sister continued. "You always wanted to be the protector."

"And then I grew up," Electra said, trying to focus on making her nest instead of her dream that would never be. "Queens don't become protectors, Jem. Our bodies just aren't built for it. We're not strong enough."

Jemima argued, "There's no rule against queens being protectors."

"It's just...practical, Jemima," Electra sighed.

Jemima frowned. Electra wasn't know for being practical. Rather, she was known for being a goofball. She had been a bit down, ever since her only crush, Mistoffelees, started seeing the girls' friend, Victoria. There were no hard feelings, but Jemima knew it had been quite the blow to Electra.

"Come on," she said, placing her paws on her sister's shoulders. "Let's make you look beautiful, for the Ball, tonight."

Plato returned the yard after spending a few days with his human family, getting over a cold. He needed to find his dad, and he figured he would be sitting on the tyre next to the clearing, like always.

Plato was the youngest of Old Deuteronomy's six sons, and, although he hated to admit it, he often felt overlooked. He wasn't goofy and good-natured like Admetus, an overachiever like Munkustrap, popular like Alonzo, the Napoleon of Crime like Macavity, or a royal pain in the ass like Tugger. He was just ordinary Plato. It certainly didn't do wonders for his self esteem when Victoria chose the magical, marvelous Mr. Mistoffelees over him, either. For a second, he wondered if his dad would even notice him.

She shook the thought away. He was not one to pity himself.

Sure enough, just like he had expected, Old Deuteronomy was sitting on the tyre, overseeing the preparations for the Jellicle Ball. He sauntered over, past all the Jellicles that were bustling about, putting up decorations and making sure props were in place. "Dad?" he asked, when he reached the tyre.

Old Deuteronomy smiled down at him. "Good evening, my son."

He had noticed him. Plato mentally checked off that box.

"Look, Dad, um, I know this is really short notice, but my human family just got a new cat, and I was wondering if I could invite her, tonight."

Old Deuteronomy frowned, contemplating it for a moment before answering, "Son, you know we have rules about outsiders attending the ball. I would like to meet her, first. Maybe, she can come next year."

Plato nodded politely. "I understand," he said. "Thank you."

He walked away, heading towards his den so he could freshen up before the ball. He wasn't upset with his father. In fact, he understood. The previous year's Ball had been quite the shit show, when Grizabella showed up.

He was so lost in his thoughts as he walked just in front of his brother Munkustrap's den, he wasn't able to react in time when Electra came darting out, and the two collided, sending the small queen tumbling to the ground.

"Oh shit, Ellie, I'm sorry," Plato said, helping her up. "You look nice."

She really did look nice. Her tortoiseshell coat had been brushed, and her headfur had been swept out of her face, revealing her big, green eyes. Her fur was clean and shiny, a shockingly vibrant array of dark but fiery colors, like an ember.

Electra was Plato's niece, but she wasn't much younger than him. They grew up with the same group of friends, but they weren't particularly close. He had certainly not noticed when she turned into a such a pretty, young queen.

Electra blushed. "Thanks, Plato," she said quietly.

"Um..." Plato coughed. He wouldn't consider himself socially awkward, necessarily, but he wasn't the best at conversation. "You excited for your coming of age ceremony?"

He tried to sound upbeat, but Electra easily caught the bitterness in his voice. Last year had been his coming of age, along with Victoria, Mistoffelees, and Tumblebrutus. He had danced with Victoria. Everyone thought they were going to be mates. Plato certainly did.

"Honestly?" Electra said. "No."

"Good," Plato laughed, "because it's bullshit."

"What's bullshit?"

Jemima pranced up behind her sister and put her arm around her shoulders.

"It's poop," Plato explained, now with a cheeky grin upon his face, "that came from a male cow."

Jemima laughed and playfully punched her young uncle's shoulder. "Come on," she urged her sister, pulling her along. "Let's go get in place for the Ball!"

"Jellicle cats meet once a year,

On the night we make the Jellicle Choice,

And now that the Jellicle leader is here,

Jellicle cats can all rejoice!"

Any other year, Munkustrap's speech would have ended there. This time, he continued, "I also have a very important choice to make tonight."

The anxious Jellicles spread out, forming a circle around the perimeter of the clearing, with Old Deuteronomy at his place on the Tyre, leaving Munkustrap and Alonzo in the center.

"Most of you came here tonight with an idea of how this would go," Munkustrap said. "I would announce Alonzo, my brother and second-in-command, as the next protector of the Jellicle tribe. I'll admit, he seems like the obvious choice. He and I talked about it, however, and decided it didn't make much sense for me to choose a successor who is, in fact, a solid two minutes older than me."

A quiet murmur of laughter sounded from the Jellicles.

Munkustrap and Alonzo smiled at each other. "Would you like to do the honors?" Munkustrap asked. Alonzo nodded. He turned to face the crowd.

"Munkustrap and I come from a long line of Jellicle protectors: Our father, before us-" He smiled at Old Deuteronomy. "-and his father, before him. It only seems appropriate to keep it in the family."

There was a deadly silence (that you feel you could cut with a knife – A/N: I'M SO SORRY. IT HAD TO HAPPEN), as the Jellicles waited to hear the name of their next protector.

"Plato."

The young tom snapped to attention. He had hardly even been paying attention. Of all the names that could have come out of his older brother's mouth, he was not expecting it to be his. For a moment, he thought he heard wrong, and yet, he looked up to find his older brothers and the rest of the tribe looking at him expectantly.

"Step up, little brother," Alonzo added.

Slowly, Plato put one foot in front of the other, looking around at all the familiar faces that surrounded him. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Victoria smiling at him from Mistoffelees' embrace. He faced forward for the rest of the short walk to the center of the clearing. It felt like ages. When he was finally within reach, Munkustrap pulled him in to stand between him and Alonzo.

"Plato has everything we look for in a protector. He's brave, strong, caring, mature, responsible, and patient. I have one hundred percent confidence in him, and I'm sure you all do, as well."

The Jellicles gave a round of applause.

Plato was stunned. Was this really happening?

"Just one thing left," Munkustrap told him. "You have to choose your second-in-command."

The new protector-in-training froze. He hadn't prepared for this. He hadn't even the slightest suspicion that he would be chosen. How was he supposed to choose a second-in-command on the spot?

"E- Electra. I choose Electra."

He found her in the crowd. Her already oversized, green eyes now looked like she had two small watermelons stuck in her face.

Electra's experience was much the same as Plato's, except she had Jemima clapping and cheering in the background. Her brain quickly tuned out all noise, anyway. She slowly and nervously walked into the center of the clearing, where her father pulled her into a tight hug. Munkustrap and Alonzo then walked the two younger cats up to the tyre, to be officially sworn in by the Jellicle leader.

Old Deuteronomy beamed at them with pride as they stood before him, like two humans getting married in front of a priest. "Plato and Electra," he thundered. "Do you hereby accept the great honor and responsibility of your new roles as Jellicle protectors, in the name of the Everlasting Cat?"

"We do."

"Jellicle cats, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to your newest protectors!"

Plato and Electra turned around the face the crowd of cats. The Jellicles were merrily making an uncatly amount of noise in honor of their new – shocked, nervous, and completely unprepared – protectors.