Disclaimer: I do not own CATS the musical.

Chapter Ten

"Vicky!" Victoria started when a voice sounded directly behind her, dropping her leg and almost toppling over. But strong arms caught her and held her up, and she craned her neck to see the brown and white tom-kitten behind her.

"Plato! You scared me!" she scolded gently, regaining her balance and standing up. She smoothed down some of her fur, turning to grin at her friend. "I was practicing. Did you know Munkustrap asked me to do the Invitation Dance this year? At my first Ball!"

Plato frowned. "But I thought Cassandra did the Invitation Dance."

"She gave it up," Victoria said, still a little puzzled by the Burmese's act. "She said she'd rather have me do it."

"Oh." Plato didn't seem surprised at all by this; he smiled, linking arms with the white queen-kitten and starting to walk. They were aimless, as they always were when they took these walks. "Well, you are the best dancer in the Tribe. You'll be wonderful."

"I still don't know why she did that," Victoria frowned, not bothering to argue the point. She leaned against Plato, sighing. He was so endlessly layering compliments on her, it was a shock she hadn't gotten a big head yet.

Plato sighed, smiling in amusement. "I'm sure you don't, but even Etcetera would be able to get this one," he teased, dodging the white paw that swiped at him but not letting go of Victoria's arm.

"But you'll be wonderful, Vicky. And Mistoffelees is dancing it with you, isn't he? Lucky tom," he mock-complained.

"What, would you rather be dancing it with me?" Victoria asked. "In front of the entire Tribe? I'm terrified. And Mistoffelees…well, he's used to this by now, I'm sure I'll humiliate myself—and him, by association. Consider yourself lucky you're not doing it!"

"Victoria, Victoria, Victoria…" Plato moaned, shaking his head slowly from side to side. "How many times do I have to tell you? You'll be wonderful as always. Mistoffelees is lucky to be dancing with you; you'll make him look better just by standing next to him. I envy him, and I think I always will, if he gets to dance with you."

"Victoria!"

The white queen-kitten smiled as she saw her two favorite toms coming towards her: Plato and Misto. Plato, of course, had always been her closest friend; they had both been left in the Junkyard as kittens, just weeks apart, and had been raised together by the Tribe. Misto, though, was a new friend; he'd danced the Invitation with her at last week's Ball, and since then they'd been spending much of their time together. It mystified her, why this seventeen-year-old tom was hanging around her, four years younger, but she couldn't deny that she loved spending time with him. And he always liked to show off with his magic.

The sight of the two was a little funny, and Victoria had to stifle a few giggles. Though so much younger, Plato was already slightly taller than Misto, and had a much larger build. Even Victoria herself was coming up to the tuxedo tom's height.

"What's so funny?" Plato asked as they came up; Victoria was still giggling a little, despite her best efforts not to.

"It's just…Misto! Even I'm almost as tall as you!"

Mistoffelees scowled, but there was a playfulness in the expression, and something else that Victoria didn't quite understand. It was always there when he looked at her, and she saw it sometimes in the other Cats—when Munkustrap watched Demeter kitten-sitting, when Tantomile and Coricopat shared some unspoken thought, when the Rum Tum Tugger showed off for the kittens but kept his eyes on Bombalurina.

"It must be hard for you, being the shortest tom in the Tribe," Plato joked, smirking. Misto threw a look in his direction.

"It is," he said gravely, and the serious look on his face only made Victoria's giggles multiply. "But then, even the tallest toms in the Tribe can't do this!" And before either one of them could react, he'd whirled around and thrown a lightning bolt in Plato's direction—missing the tom purposely by just centimeters. Plato jumped away a little too late, and both of the other Cats were already laughing when he composed himself.

"Mistoffelees, you'll pay for that," he threatened, but he was grinning too. Victoria skipped forward to link arms with him, as they had always done, then held her other arm out to Misto.

"Coming?" she asked, and he smiled as he came forward to hook his arm around hers.

"Victoria?"

Victoria didn't bother to look up at the sound of the voice. She knew who it was already; she hadn't allowed anyone else into the den she'd shared with Plato since that day.

A black paw covered her own white one, grasping it and squeezing gently. Victoria pulled away. That was too much for her, too much like Plato's last moments, when he had tried to comfort her even as he died.

Mistoffelees didn't say anything. He understood.

They sat in silence for a while, both tearless. They had cried themselves dry, and there was nothing left after a week of tears. Victoria had sobbed for her best friend, for her Mate; Mistoffelees had cried for Victoria's grief, for the tom he had once been friends with, and for the tom that had longed only for Victoria's happiness, to the last moment of his life.

"Dance with him, Vicky," he had whispered to the white queen. "Dance with Misto…it's how your Ball should have gone."

"We should go now," Mistoffelees finally whispered, his voice hoarse. Victoria nodded mutely, standing and waiting for him to rise before walking towards the entrance to the den. She blinked in the light, hesitating, but he took her paw again. And this time, she let him. And he led her out to the clearing, where the Tribe waited, much as they had the day after the Jellicle Ball.

There were tears in the eyes of every Cat, but there was happiness too. The Rum Tum Tugger was, for once, without his fan club, but you wouldn't be able to tell it by the look on his face. Instead of being surrounded by squealing queen-kittens, he was sitting with Bombalurina at his side, his arms around her, and little Satis lying across both of their outstretched legs. The maned tom and the scarlet queen didn't kiss, and his paw didn't stray across her body as it usually did, but there was something so intimate about the trio that Victoria had to look away.

The older kitten group wasn't even concerned with the Tugger. They all sat in a huddled mass together, clinging to each other and comforting each other. Even Veles was in the group, leaning against Jemima. For once, none of the others protested his presence, and often reached out to touch his arms and shoulders, just as they did with their other friends.

The Tribe was completely silent. The only noise at all was a gentle sobbing, desperately muffled by paws over a face. Victoria looked around, confused. Her eyes finally fell on Exotica, tears streaming down her face. She was nearly invisible in the arms of Cassandra and Alonzo, who seemed at a loss to help her.

Without a word, Victoria freed her paw from Mistoffelees's, walking towards the slender queen. Cassandra and Alonzo parted, and Exotica looked up at Victoria, barely able to control herself long enough to say what needed to be said.

"I didn't even know him well, but I think he was meant to be mine," she gasped out. "My heart is breaking for a tom I didn't even know…"

Wordlessly Victoria dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around the queen. There was nothing else to say now, and she only hoped she could pass on her thoughts this way.

After a while Exotica pulled back, forcing a weak smile onto her face. "But I'll be fine," she said, her voice a pale imitation of the cultured tones she usually had. "And so will you, I think…"

"Yes," Victoria whispered, willing herself to believe it, and finding, to her shock, that she did. "We will all be all right…"

And she drifted slowly back to Mistoffelees, stopping a few feet away in a graceful pose, much like the one she had done for Plato. It seemed like years ago that she had waited for him to join her in the Mating Dance, and now, here she was doing it again, when no Cat ever performed it more than once…but the others were willing to make an exception of this, when they found out what Plato had said to Victoria that day.

She felt his paws on her back after not too long, and shuddered at the familiarity of it. But at the same time, she felt a profound happiness rising up in her; this was what she had expected the Dance to be like. This was her true Mate, Mistoffelees. She would never forget Plato, but Misto was here, with her now, and she would be happy. For Misto. For Plato. For herself.

All around the clearing, the Tribe watched in dead silence. Emotions conflicted in all of the Cats; no one knew quite what to feel. Tears flowed freely, but were they for joy or for grief? Watery smiles appeared on faces, but were they for the memories of a Cat passed on and a Mate left behind? Or for the two that danced now in front of them, so there, so alive and together? Or, perhaps, for all these reasons?

Demeter knew what she cried for. For a tom that had only gotten the love he desired in the final moments of his life. For a queen that gained one love but lost another, both leaving their mark on her heart. For a queen that felt scorned, and a tom who couldn't stop flirting, and Mates that just couldn't stay apart.

But most of all, for a queen who had given up a comfortable life to save two kittens, and was exiled in return.

Demeter cuddled in closer to Munkustrap, her arms wrapped tightly around Arion and Meret. Grizabella was nothing but a memory now, but one she would cherish forever. She would never forget the Glamour Cat, but she would stop mourning for her eventually, and move on.

She thought of Victoria's whispered words to Exotica, not meant to be heard by any but the slender queen. And she smiled.

We will all be all right…

Fourteen Years Ago

"Demeter, my dear, what are you doing?" Grizabella laughed upon spying a bright patch of gold fur underneath a blanket. Demeter squeaked, and darted out from under it, looking around frantically before diving towards a cardboard box on the side of the alley. It had only been days since the trio had escaped from Macavity, and already the kittens were restless and energetic.

"Demeter?" Grizabella asked, still chuckling a little. Now there was no part of the little queen-kitten visible, so Grizabella started to walk towards the box.

"Shh!" came the panicked reply, and Grizabella stopped in her tracks. "She'll hear you!"

"Who will, dear?" the brown queen asked patiently. She had taken care of the kittens for too long to get impatient with them, and even before that, she had cared for the little kittens in the Junkyard Tribe.

Her heart ached when she thought of them, especially of little Munkustrap. She knew that most of the young tom-kittens in the Tribe had thought themselves in love with her, and she knew that they felt betrayed when she had been discovered. Even the little Rum Tum Tugger, who had flirted shamelessly with her though he was so young, had hissed and snarled at her, even more fiercely than the rest. But Munkustrap had just looked at her sadly, flattening his ears. The anger would come to him, and she was sure it had come to him already, but she would forever remember that sad look of his…

Because, no matter what she had done, she had truly cared for the silver tabby tom-kitten.

"Bombie!" Demeter answered her question, whisper-shouting as quietly as she could.

"Why don't you want Bombalurina to find you?" Grizabella asked, smiling at the nickname Demeter had used. The scarlet kitten only let Demeter use that nickname, refusing to answer if Grizabella tried to call her anything but her full name, or perhaps Bomba. Demeter, though, often let the brown queen call her Demie.

"We're playing a game," Demeter said urgently, "and she can't find me or I'll lose."

"Ah, I see," Grizabella said, laughing again. It was good to see the kittens playing; they hadn't been able to often in Macavity's domains. Even this little game of hide-and-seek, in an alleyway with few hiding places, was likely to be one of the greatest games the two had ever played. "So shall I leave you here? And what should I say if Bomba asks if I've seen you?"

"Tell her I'm not here!" Demeter commanded, still invisible in her box.

"Of course, Demie," Grizabella said, shaking her head a little and going to the entrance of the alleyway, looking around for a flash of scarlet fur. They may have escaped, but Macavity was still a danger. The brown queen knew she needed to get to the Junkyard, and she should have done so days ago, but she could not bring herself to go there yet. She knew that she would not be allowed to stay, and she knew that she must leave the kittens there, but she could not bring herself to face that reality yet.

Finally, Bombalurina appeared, a look of concentration on her young face. She spotted Grizabella at the entrance to the alley and trotted towards her, her expression turning defiant and obviously expecting a lecture.

"Bomba," Grizabella said, smiling faintly. "You shouldn't wander off so far. It's not safe…"

Bomba looked surprised. "You're not mad?" she asked cautiously. Grizabella shook her head.

"No, dear, I'm not angry," she said, still smiling. "Just worried. You won't go so far again?"

"No!" Bombalurina said, cheerful now that she was sure she wasn't in trouble. "Have you seen Demeter? I'm looking for her."

Grizabella pretended to think, putting a paw up to her chin. "Hmm…well, no, I'm afraid I haven't seen Demie anywhere," she said teasingly. "You might want to look around in here, though, it seems like this would be a good hiding place…"

Bombalurina grinned at her and darted into the alley. A moment later there was a loud squeal, followed by giggles. Grizabella smiled. It was just too good to have the kittens playing like this…

Hours later, the three were curled up in the same box that Demeter had hidden in, sheltering from a storm. Grizabella was at the bottom of the pile, a pillow for the two sisters, with her arms around both of them. Bombalurina was sleeping already, but Demeter was too skittish to sleep with the rain pattering on the box, and thunder rumbling in the distance. With every boom she flinched, her claws digging into Grizabella's arm.

"Demie, dear, don't worry. You're safe here…"

"I know," Demeter whispered. "But I keep thinking about him…"

Grizabella almost snarled. Macavity. The stupid Pollicle had taken great pleasure in terrifying Demeter, to the point that the giggling golden kitten had turned jumpy and wary.

"Don't think about him. He won't hurt you anymore. I'll protect you."

"Promise?" Demeter asked, and her voice almost broke Grizabella's heart. "Do you promise you'll protect us? Always?"

"As long as I can, my dear," she said, though she knew it was a lie. She would protect them for a day more at most, and then she had to leave them in the Junkyard. They would be safer with the Tribe, they would be raised properly with the Tribe, but she would not be able to see them anymore.

Demeter nodded, yawning tiredly. She began to drift off when another sudden boom of thunder startled her, her fur standing on end and a hiss escaping before she could help it. Bomba stirred but didn't wake up, and Grizabella began petting the gold fur down, soothing the kitten until she laid her head down again.

"I promise, my dear, I'll protect you…we'll be fine. I promise you, we'll all be all right…"

A/N: Wow! This is the first multi-chapter story I've ever finished!

I hope the bit with Exotica wasn't too random, but that, like most other things, has been planned for a long time and I couldn't bear to leave it out (and here is where I drop a hint as to a possible sequel in the future, featuring Exotica, although I'm not sure when, if ever, it will get up here).

I have confession to make...the first memory in this chapter? It was supposed to be at the end of the last chapter. I forgot to write it, though. Oops. Ah, well, I like it where it is a little bit better anyway.

And finally, I just want to say an ENORMOUS thanks to everyone that reviewed! Thank you all so much for your feedback, I can't even say how much I appreciated it! And another thanks to everyone that read the story at all. I hope it was enjoyable to read!
-Penguin