WARNING: Misto/human pairing. You have been warned, so don't blame me if you decide to keep on reading anyway. I wasn't going to post this at first because, well.. it's a Misto/human pairing and I'm not sure how many people like that. But… meh. I figured, one of you has got to like it, right? … Right? (Hears crickets chirp.) Sigh…

Other pairings: Munk/Jemima in later chapters (Before you cringe, I'd like to point out that this story is based mostly on the DVD version. Since I didn't notice any evidence of Munk/Deme pairing in the DVD, or even any hint that Jemima is Munk's daughter, I'm going to assume that Jemima is not Munk's daughter and that Munk & Deme are not mated).

And possible Bomba/Tugger (maybe one-sided. I haven't decided yet, though.)

Note: In order to avoid confusion, I decided that Mr. Mistoffelees is the name his human gave him. That way, I don't have to keep switching between Mistoffelees and 'Fluffy' everytime I change scenes. Besides, he's not the only cat using his 'normal' name among the Jellicles. If you listen carefully to "The Naming of Cats", you'll notice that there are several cats who go around using their non-Jellicle names— like Electra, Demeter, Plato and Pouncival. So, maybe Mistoffelees is also one of those 'sensible, everyday names'?

Oh and Quaxo & Mistoffelees are two separate characters in this fic.

I'm also taking some creative license in this fic, especially on things like Jellicles having two forms: a normal, cat one and the 'Jellicle' form, a.k.a., the human-sized form we see in the musical.

Also, I don't know much about England, much less London and the surrounding areas. I did as much research as I could, but since I've never actually been to England, I'm bound to make mistakes. If you spot any, please let me know!

Disclaimer: I don't own Cats… or dogs, hamsters, or any other furry creatures at home. Oh, wait… you mean Cats the musical? Yeah, I don't own that, either. I don't make any money out of this. I don't take donations, either— although Mistoffelees probably wouldn't mind getting a yummy rice pudding. Oh, and Cats belong to T. S. Elliot and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Honest reviews are appreciated. Even if you don't like it, at least tell me why. Although, I'd like to point out that if you give me nice reviews, I might be persuaded to give Bomba & Tugger a happy ending, heh heh heh…

Chapter 1

Elizabeth came home tired and grumpy after a stressful day at work. All she wanted to do was curl up on the sofa, watch TV while cuddling with her cat— speaking of which, where was that darned cat, anyway? The little black tuxedo cat of hers always disappeared whenever she looked for him, only to turn up later when she wasn't looking— like when she was about to take a shower or when she had a pile of paper on the desk and didn't want to be disturbed. Sometimes, she wondered if that cat had some psychic ability because he certainly seems to know when to show up and when to disappear.

"Mistoffelees? Mistoooffeeleeees!!" Elizabeth called out.

No answer. There was not even a hint of his tiny black tail anywhere.

She sighed, then placed her bag down by the door and went into the kitchen.

"Ice cream. I could really use some ice cream right about now," Elizabeth said. She took out a bowl and a spoon from the cupboard and set them on the counter. Then, she went to the fridge to get her favorite mint chocolate ice cream. Once she got it, she went back to the kitchen counter, then paused and stared in confusion.

"Hey, where'd my spoon go?" Elizabeth frowned. She looked on the floor, behind the counter, heck, even in the drawer under the counter, but found no traces of the said spoon.

"I could've sworn I put that sp—" Elizabeth trailed off when a thought popped in her mind. She opened the cupboards and searched for that fish paste she was saving up for a pasta dish she wanted to cook tonight.

Naturally, the fish paste was gone.

"MISTOFFELEES!!" Elizabeth yelled out. When the said cat still hadn't turned up, Elizabeth sighed and looked in the drawer for another spoon.

Such was the life of a cat owner.

oOo

Mistoffelees grinned when he looked at his latest creation. It was a simple trick, really. All it took was a bit of fish paste and a spoon (which he had stolen from his human when she wasn't looking). He wanted to make a moving, toy mouse for the newest kitten in the family, Rosiefiddle. She was tiny, young kitten— barely three months old —whom Munkustrap had found abandoned last week in an alley near the Jellicles' junkyard. She was so small, dirty and malnourished when they found her. She was young; too young to have a Jellicle form yet— and certainly too young to be out on her own. No one knew how the kitten got there or who her parents were. They suspected her parents might've been someone from Macavity's tribe. That gang did have a tendency to abandon the weakest of their brood.

With a pleased look on his face, Mistoffelees carried the newly made toy mouse in his hand and bounded off towards the junk yard. When he got there, there were a few Jellicles out and about. He scanned the junkyard for the raggedy little kitten, Rosiefiddle, then grinned when he spotted her pouncing on Munkustrap's tail— and missed. But the young kitten wasn't deterred. She crouched low behind Munkustrap, who was observing all this with an amused grin, then pounced again on the said tail— and promptly missed again when Munk moved his tail just in the nick of time.

Mistoffelees dropped the toy mouse in front of the excitable young kitten and sat down in front of her and Munkustrap.

"Look what I brought you, Rosie," Misto said with a grin.

"Mew? What is it?" Rosiefiddle sniffed the toy mouse, looked at it from side to side, then prodded it suspiciously. When she prodded it, the toy mouse jumped! Startled, Rosiefiddle leapt back and flattened her ears. But the mouse kept running in circles, taunting her. Soon, curiosity won out. Rosie's tail began to swish to and fro as she reared back, shook her tiny butt in the air, then pounced on the mice.

"I thought she'd never let go of my tail," Munkustrap said with an amused sparkle in his eyes as the tiny kitten continued to play with the toy mouse.

"I thought you could use a break from our little huntress," Mistoffelees grinned, then padded over to sit next to Munkustrap.

"The queens seem to think Rosiefiddle is Grizabella— or was Grizabella, anyway," Munkustrap said.

"She might be. Who knows? Old Deuteronomy did send her onto the Heavyside Layer. She was supposed to be reborn into a new Jellicle life. Maybe this is it," Mistoffelees said, then added, "Do they look alike?"

"Who? Grizabella and Rosie?" Munk asked.

"Yes. You know I'm not old enough to remember what Grizabella was like before she left," Misto said.

Munkustrap's eyes widened. "That's right. I'm not even sure if you were here yet at the time— either that, or you were too young to remember. She looks almost nothing like she did when she returned. Her brown coat was much better looking back then. Pale brown, smooth, well-groomed— and a jet black coat on her underside. Almost like…" Munk frowned as he tried to find the right word to say.

"Like Rosie here?" Mistoffelees said, then corrected himself and said, "Or, well… they would look alike once Rosie regrows all her fur."

Munkustrap's eyes widened. He looked at the kitten, who was still playing with the toy mouse, then said, "You're right. They probably wouldlook alike."

"Maybe she is Grizabella," Mistoffelees said while looking at Rosiefiddle. The said kitten, however, couldn't care less what the adults were talking about and was much more content chasing after the magical toy mouse Mistoffelees had given her.

"If she is, she don't think she remembers anything about her life as Grizabella," Munkustrap said.

Mistoffelees looked at the kitten, who looked like the picture of perfect happiness as she pounced on the toy mouse he'd brought her. He recalled how sad Grizabella had been, then sighed.

"Maybe it's just as well that she doesn't. It would give her a fresh new start," Mistoffelees finally said.

"Yes… speaking of new starts… you should be old enough to find a mate by next Jellicle Ball, right?" Munkustrap said.

"Ahh… well… uh… heheh…" Mistoffelees shuffled nervously, then hastily said, "Mrreow! Would you look at the time? I think I'd better head back! My human would be serving dinner anytime soon. In fact, I think I hear her calling now! Bye!"

"I don't hear anythi—" Munkustrap was about to point out.

But Mistoffelees was already gone.

Munkustrap sighed, then shook his head with a smile.

"Mew? Where'd Uncle Misto go?" Rosie looked up from the toy mouse she was playing with.

"Home. For dinner— which is what you should be doing too, young lady. Come on, let's go hunt some real mice!" Munkustrap smiled at the young kitten.

"Mew!" Rosie mewled excitedly and promptly forgot about the toy mouse as she followed her Uncle Munk out the junkyard.

oOo

"Mew!" Something soft rubbed against her leg. Elizabeth looked down and saw her missing tuxedo cat purring as he wound his way between her feet, purring as he went.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you, mister!" Elizabeth bent down and picked up Mistoffelees. She held the cat up to face her and said, "Now what did you do with my spoon and fish paste?"

"Mew?" Mistoffelees blinked and looked at her with innocent-looking eyes.

Elizabeth looked at him, then sighed. "No fair! How come I can never get angry at you, Mistoffelees? Why do you always have to look at me with such adorable, lost-kitten eyes when I know perfectly well how guilty you are?"

Mistoffelees purred.

"Nuh-uh. You are so guilty, Mister. Now I expect my spoon back or I'm changing your name to… to Lassie!" Elizabeth said jokingly.

Mistoffelees stopped purring. In fact, the said cat had flattened his ears and was looking at her with something akin to horror.

"Meeew?" Mistoffelees mewled pitifully.

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with mischief. "In fact… I think the name Lassie suits you. Now how about that? A cat named Lassie. How'd you like that, huh Lassie?" Elizabeth grinned at the horrified-looking cat.

Then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, Elizabeth cocked her head and pretended to be listening for something. Then, she looked at Mistoffelees and said with a grin, "What's that boy? Timmy's in the well?"

"Meeoowwrrr…" Mistoffelees yowled, which Elizabeth had always interpreted as the cat's equivalent to a groan. His tail started swishing to and fro.

Elizabeth chuckled, then brought the cat to her chest and cradled him while she patted his head comfortingly.

"I'm just kidding. You really are too easy to scare, you know that?" Elizabeth said in amusement.

"Meowrr," Mistoffelees let out an indignant yowl. His tail, however, finally stopped twitching, which meant he was finally beginning to relax.

"Come on, I bet you're hungry. How about… let's see… how does liver sound to you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Mew!" Appeased for now, Mistoffelees mewled happily.

"Liver it is, then!" Elizabeth chuckled, then added, "You know, sometimes I wonder if you really do understand me. Maybe I'm imagining things, but you certainly act like you do."

"Mew?" Mistoffelees mewed in response.

Elizabeth smiled and shook her head. Conversing with cats now? Good thing I live alone, or people would think I'm crazy.

oOo

Mistoffelees stretched out lazily as he laid in front of the fireplace. It had been a good dinner. Liver was one of his favorites, though he wouldn't say no to a bowl of rice pudding. His human's attentions were fixed on the computer on the desk. In fact, she was so wrapped up in that computer-thing that she had become completely oblivious to him for the past hour or two. It was starting to annoy him, actually. Oh sure, humans often call cats aloof creatures, but that didn't mean they could ignore their cats. One simply does not ignore a cat. It's the cat who should be the one to ignore humans, not the other way around.

An idea formed in his mind. I could jump up there and sit on her keyboard, he thought. Then, thinking back to her earlier, Lassie comment, he promptly changed his mind.

Maybe I should wait until she forgets about the spoon incident, Mistoffelees thought with a cringe. He rather liked his current name and had absolutely no desire to be named after a dog, thank you very much.

Suddenly, he felt something in the back of his mind. It was an uncomfortable feeling, like a sudden thought that something was terribly wrong. His heart began to beat rapidly out of some unidentifiable fear.

Mistoffelees jumped to his feet. He sniffed the air, but couldn't smell anything amiss.

Never one to ignore his instincts, he decided to investigate. He padded over to the window and jumped onto the windowsill. He looked out, trying to spot any unusual movements out there. It was dark outside, but not dark enough to keep him from being able to see clearly. He was, after all, a Jellicle cat.

He saw nothing unusual outside.

Still, the nagging sense of something wrong would not leave him. Mistoffelees roamed around the house, checking every nook and cranny for something he could neither name nor identify. But there was nothing out of the ordinary in the house, though he did find his human's missing black socks stuck under the sofa.

Not deterred, Mistoffelees decided to check outside. He padded over to the door to the backyard and exited through the pet door that his human had installed for him.

oOo

He reappeared in the garden behind the house. He sniffed the air… and froze. His fur immediately stood on its ends as he arched his back in alarm. He knew that scent. He had smelled it before, but never here. Never so close to humans.

Macavity! Mistoffelees thought in alarm. But what was the Hidden Paw doing here? What could he possibly want?

Either way, Mistoffelees knew he had to get help. There was no way he could face Macavity alone. He needed to run to the junkyard and alert the rest of the Jellicles, especially Munkustrap.

Mistoffelees turned and was about to run towards the junkyard when shadowy, scraggly figures jumped out of the bushes.

Macavity's henchcats, Mistoffelees thought warily. Fear gripped his heart. He had never battled Macavity or his henchcats alone. It was always Munkustrap and the other, older toms who fought against Macavity and his henchcats whenever they attacked. Mistoffelees weren't even in that last battle between the Jellicles and Macavity. He had been at home with his human, completely unaware of what was going on.

Mistoffelees hissed at them. They were tall— as tall as Jellicles and humans. He knew he had to revert back to his Jellicle form if he would even have a slightest chance against Macavity's men. Mistoffelees transformed. His form grew tall as he changed into his Jellicle form. Tall and proud he stood, despite the fear gripping his heart.

Then, they all jumped at him. He sent a bolt of lightning on one, but two of them jumped on top of him. He clawed blindly, sending bolts of lightning left and right. Pained yowls surrounded him. For a brief moment, his attackers jumped back. But then, before Mistoffelees could run, they leapt at him again.

He threw his bolt of lightning blindly. He could've sworn he hit at least one of his attackers. But before he could strike again, he felt his arms and legs pinned to the ground. Unable to move, Mistoffelees growled and hissed. Then, an idea struck him.

Quickly, Mistoffelees reverted back to his normal cat form. His attackers lost their grip on him. Furious, they too, reverted to their cat form, then jumped at him. They hissed and clawed at him while Mistoffelees tried vainly to dodge their claws. But they were too many and too big compared to him.

Mistoffelees staggered. He was losing blood quickly. He held his ground as much as he was able, but the cats continued to claw at him and bite him.

And then, there he was, the image that had haunted his nightmares ever since he was a young kitten.

Macavity.

Macavity's fur was long and shaggy, with streaks of auburn here and there, giving the cat the appearance of having flames around his body due to his coloring. His claws were long and black and his fangs were sharp— sharper and longer than most cats.

Macavity grinned in malicious triumph. He was about to speak when another voice, clear, female, and human, called out.

"Hey!" Called out a female voice. Macavity and his henchcats paused. There was a human looking out from the window. Thankfully, most of them, including Mistoffelees, were in their cat forms— but Macavity was not.

"It's a human!! Run!" One of the henchcats hissed in alarm. Quickly, they began to scatter. Macavity wavered, as if he wasn't sure whether to stay and fight the human or to flee.

"Who's there?!?" Called the human.

Macavity hissed, then quickly fled the scene, leaving a bloodied, half-conscious Mistoffelees lying on the grass.

Mistoffelees drifted in and out of consciousness. He vaguely heard the sound of human footsteps and doors opening and closing, but he was too far gone to notice it.

oOo

Elizabeth had been trying to finish her work all night when she heard cats caterwauling outside her house. She grumbled and slammed her pen down in irritation.

"Honestly, what does a girl need to do to get some peace and quiet around here?" Elizabeth complained. Then, she sighed. "At least you're quiet, Mistoffelees." She turned towards the fire where she knew the cat was sleeping, but he wasn't there.

"Mistoffelees?" Elizabeth frowned. She sighed and shook her head. That darned cat had disappeared again.

The sound of caterwauling grew louder, accompanied by hissing and growling.

"Goodness! What the hell are these cats doing outside?" Elizabeth got up and walked towards the window. It sounds like a bunch of tomcats fighting— probably over a female or over territory. Still, couldn't they do it elsewhere?

She opened the drapes and peeked out the window. At first, she could barely see anything, since it was dark and she hadn't bothered to turn on the lamp in her backyard.

Then, she saw a tall silhouette of a man with long, shaggy hair. On the ground below him was a yowling, hissing, growling mass of… cats?

Elizabeth's heart leapt in fear. Somebody had broken into her backyard! She quickly opened the window and yelled, "Hey!!"

The man paused, he briefly turned towards her. Elizabeth yelped in shock. For a brief second, she thought she was looking at a demon. Was it her imagination, or did the man have fangs and claws?

She blinked, willing her heart to calm down. When she looked again, he had turned away from her and was looking at the mass of yowling and hissing cats on the ground.

Elizabeth took long, deep breaths. Okay, calm down. It's probably just a normal man with a long, shaggy hair. Besides, it's dark. My eyes are probably playing tricks on me. Yeah, that's it... just… tricks.

Still, tricks or not, there was still the fact that there was a strange man standing in her backyard. She summoned all her courage and yelled out, "Who's there?!?"

The man… hissed? Odd, Elizabeth thought. But before she could get another good look at him, he had fled, accompanied by a trail of cats.

Elizabeth stood frozen. Her heart was still hammering like crazy. Her mind kept replaying the scene over and over again. In her mind's eye, she recalled seeing him with fangs and claws. But the rational part of her mind insisted that there are no such thing as a fanged and clawed man.

He's just a man, maybe a prankster, wearing a… a scary mask of some kind. Yeah, that's it. A mask. It's not that hard to get a mask like that. Any ol' halloween store would sell one… right?

Regardless of what he was, Elizabeth knew she would never feel safe tonight, alone in her apartment with only a tiny cat for company. That strange man in her backyard could've been a robber, a murderer, or perhaps even an escaped convict.

At least he's gone now. I hope I scared him away, Elizabeth thought.

She looked outside to make sure that the man really was gone. It was then that she spotted a tiny black form crumpled on the grass. She frowned. It looked like… a cat?

Elizabeth quickly shut the window, then ran out the backyard. She cautiously approached the tiny lump on the ground… then gasped when she recognized what— or rather who it was.

"Mistoffelees!" Elizabeth cried out. Her adorable, tiny, black tuxedo cat had scratches and blood all over his once sleek fur.

She ran inside to get a towel, then ran back out, picked up Mistoffelees and wrapped him in the towel. Then, she went inside and laid him on the floor of the living room.

"Oh, please, please be alive!" Elizabeth cried as she checked the cat's injuries. The cat gave a tiny whimper— barely even a mewl. But when Elizabeth heard it, she sighed in relief. He was alive! Barely, but alive nonetheless.

She ran to get a bowl of water and some first aid kit. Then, she returned and set the bowl of water next to her cat and dipped a hand towel into it. She wrung it out, then gently cleaned the blood off Mistoffelees' fur.

The cat screeched and yowled in pain.

"Sssh.. there, there… I have to clean your wounds now," Elizabeth murmured soothingly. With slow, gentle movements, she wiped the blood off a long scratch mark across his side.

Mistoffelees hissed.

"I know, it hurts, but you'll feel better once I'm done," Elizabeth said softly. She tried to be as gentle as she could with the wounds. Inwardly, she was seething. What kind of a sick psycho would do this to a poor, innocent animal?

"If I ever catch that man outside, I swear I'll—" She stopped when Mistoffelees suddenly hissed and yowled. Loudly.

"Sssh, alright, alright. I know it hurts. Just be patient, it'll be over in a minute," Elizabeth gently cleaned his wounds. Mistoffelees began to whimper, but Elizabeth continued to clean his wounds.

Then, Mistoffelees started to shiver. Unsure of what was going on or whether she did something wrong or not, Elizabeth paused.

Suddenly, his form began to waver, like an amoeba reshaping itself. His tiny paws began to grow bigger and longer. His head and torso grew as well. His face began to change shape.

Elizabeth shook in fear. She dropped the towel she was holding and crawled away from Mistoffelees— or whatever it was. What the hell was going on? What was this thing?

The cat's limbs grew until it barely resembled that of a cat's anymore. In fact, he looked almost… human. He still had a tail, though it was much longer now. His ears were still triangular and cat-like. He still had fur all over his body— black and white like a tuxedo… just like Mistoffelees. But his face… his face was… almost human, though it was still very much cat-like in appearance.

"M-Mistoffelees?" Elizabeth called out fearfully.

There was no response. He seemed to be in so much pain that he barely even registered her being there.

"M..Mistoffelees?" Elizabeth said. Hesitantly, she crept towards him. She prodded his arm with a finger.

He yowled like a cat. Startled, Elizabeth jumped back in fear. She stayed back, watching the strange cat-man with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Who is he? What is he? And what happened to Mistoffelees? Was he really Mistoffelees? Or was this some weird… alien… being… thing…whom she had mistaken as her cat?

He hissed in pain and laid on his back. Elizabeth saw the huge gashes that she had partially cleaned out. There were more on the other side. His once sleek coat was marred with blood— red blood, not green or some other weird, alien color.

He's in pain, Elizabeth thought. The cat-man was still grimacing and whimpering in pain. Sympathy rose within her. Hesitantly, she picked up the towel, dipped it in the bowl of water, then gently dabbed it over his wounds.

He hissed and squirmed away from her.

"S..Stop squirming... whoever… whatever you are. Please… let me clean your wounds," Elizabeth said, hoping he wouldn't find her words threatening.

He sighed and laid back down.

Elizabeth looked at him one last time. His eyes were barely open, as if he was barely conscious. She tentatively touched him with the tip of the wet towel.

He didn't squirm away.

Taking that as a sign, she began to clean his wounds. He continued to hiss and yowl in pain. He would squirm— but not as much as before. At least now, he was letting her clean his wounds.

Once the blood had been cleaned off, she set the towel back in the bowl, then dug in her first aid kit for bandages and antibiotic ointment. She dressed his wounds, for they were many. By the time she was done, parts of his chest, arms and legs were wrapped in bandages while his face had band-aids and square patches of bandages in various places.

"There, all done," Elizabeth sighed in relief. She hesitated a moment, unsure of what to do now that she had finished tending to his wounds. She had so many questions, but he didn't appear to be conscious enough to answer them.

She decided to let him be for the moment. She got up and picked up the bowl, the towel and her first aid kit. Before she left, she paused and turned back to look at him.

She couldn't just leave him on the floor like this, but… how was she going to get him to her bed? Or even the sofa?

Elizabeth sighed and decided to leave him where he was for now. Perhaps when he was more conscious, he could get up and move to the sofa or the bed.

After she set away the bowl and the first aid kit, she headed back to her desk to resume her work. But a fearful thought struck her. What if that strange man came back later?

With that thought in mind, Elizabeth went all around her house and locked every door and window. She checked to make sure the man wasn't hiding somewhere in her house. Thankfully, he wasn't.

Not quite relieved, but no longer fearful for her life, Elizabeth went back to work on her desk. As she passed by the cat-man, she couldn't help but pause and wonder. Who was he? Why did he look so much like Mistoffelees? And where was that darned cat of hers? Surely, this cat-man couldn't be him?

Elizabeth frowned, then shook her head and forced herself to focus on her work. But still, she couldn't help but glance back at the cat-man from time to time.

Was he really Mistoffelees?