He moved as silently as he could. A step over an old film reel; a stretch to the side of a broken wine rack that still smelled slightly of the wines it had held, reds and whites and pinks and every other type of wine all mixed together and all settling softly under the still, calm air of Alonzo and Cassandra's den.

Cocking an ear forward, he placed a careful paw one step ahead into the blackness of the den. It came down on a soft cloth—linen texture, a little worn, with a plump new pillow underneath. The bed. He hesitated. This part took a little more care—

"Lonz?"

Cassandra's sultry, sleep-thickened voice made him stiffen, but her exploratory paw running down his chest paralyzed him completely. Her nails, sharp enough to slice, skimmed lightly over his skin, taking their time to trace the outlines of his shoulders.

He heard the smile in her tone. "You're back."

Lips parted, he took in a shallow breath, and suddenly felt warm, soft, but insistent lips pressing against his own. His eyes widened, and his blood temperature dropped by at least ten degrees.

Her freely-roaming nails alternately caressed and dug into his back and shoulders, pulling and coaxing him down beside her on the bed.

He let out a sound that might have been a groan, but it was effectively muffled by the Abyssinian queen's firm kiss.

Cassandra's finger trailed lazily up towards his face, passing over his throat to do so, and catching unexpectedly on the leather collar in place there. The paw froze, fingering the collar as if to ask if it really, truly, was a collar, and then Cassandra gasped and dropped out of the embrace.

"You're—you're not Alonzo!" Her voice was raised in alarm. She scrambled back, panic audible.

He stuttered, "I—I-"

A low, feral growl came from the opening of the den, and a large tomcat flew through the air, tackling the intruder roughly, slamming him into the hard floor. Cassandra screamed at the sudden attack.

Triumphantly, "Gotcha, you mangy, rotten, no-good furball! I'll teach you to make time with my—" Alonzo paused, blinking very hard. Delicately he sniffed the cat beneath him. In astonishment, "Munkustrap?"

Munkustrap winced, rolling his head. "Yeah."

Alonzo scrambled back, giving the Jellicle Protector full autonomy. "Munk! I'm sorry! But…" he sounded slightly suspicious, "what in Heavyside are you doing in my den? In the middle of the night? With my Cassandra?" He definitely sounded suspicious, as though newly realizing that Munkustrap and the Rum Tum Tugger were, in fact, related.

"Looking for you." Munk pushed himself up, leaning heavily on his elbows. In the pregnant silence, he could hear Cassandra's sharp intake of breath and practically feel the waves of heated embarrassment (and indignation) radiating off of her. He fought a flush and explained for both of them:

"I saw that Plato was out on watch—thought you were in here—didn't want to wake your Cassandra—"

Alonzo cut him off, tersely: "Yes. But why are you even out and about?" The question hung heavy in the air.

Munk sighed loudly. "I was with Dem. But Bomba showed up, and it's another night of 'Dem-help-me-my-mate-is-impossible' so I just left them to chew that over."

Alonzo raised both eyebrows and looked at Cassandra, who seemed to be burning with embarrassment. She shrugged weakly.

"So." Alonzo fought a smile. "You thought you'd come and wake me up?"

"Actually, I was hoping you'd help me hogtie Tugger and dump him in that old refrigerator until he promises to behave."

Alonzo examined his claws. "Tempting. But I'd rather not. Just cleaned my nails, you see."

In light of the fact that Alonzo seemed perfectly willing to tackle an unknown assailant with glee, Munk felt as if this was a rather poor excuse.

"I see." Munk's tone was wry. "Well, in that case, I'll go enlist someone else. Plato, maybe."

"You do that."

When Munkustrap's gray striped tail disappeared outside, Cassandra let out a sigh. Alonzo waited, and she said:

"I'm sorry, Lonz. I thought he was you."

"I know. I heard."

"You heard?" She sat up indignantly. "Then why did you let me kiss him?" They both knew "kiss" was an understatement. Her normally sleek fur was bristled with outrage.

Alonzo stepped smartly onto the bed, letting his paws sink into the plush on either side of Cassandra's slender hips. He laid a somewhat forceful kiss on her lips, as if claiming back something that had been taken from him.

Cassandra relaxed, sliding her arms around his collar-less neck as his arms came to wrap around her sides, lengthening the kiss into something deeper and sweeter. Finally, they broke apart with a mutual sigh.

"I was trying to catch him in the act," Alonzo admitted, sounding slightly ashamed of himself.

Cassandra gave him a firm swat to the rear. "Leave it alone. You're my mate, and I would never cheat on you." Her tone was sharp. "Never."

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against her collarbone, gently nuzzling her slim neck. "I know," he sighed. Then, abruptly, before she could speak again, he kissed her.

This one was soft and gentle. Cassandra sighed.

"Sorry. Sorry for not stepping in sooner. Sorry for waking you up." Alonzo knew how much Cassandra loved her beauty sleep. And he was glad she was choosing to take it in their den in the junkyard, instead of her owner's fancy digs in the upper city.

"It's fine." She kissed him again, and wriggled to her side. Cassandra always slept on her side. She picked up his paw and draped it neatly over her waist to the effect of tucking in a blanket. "Glad you're back. But all that excitement has worn off now. I'm beat." She settled back into the pillow, facing away from him. She was clearly still embarrassed.

Alonzo's tone was wry. "Oh?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"And what exactly were you doing to Munkustrap when I came in?"

Cassandra jerked upright. Her blue eyes flashed with anger. "Why-? You—you know well—you were listening—don't push it, Alonzo!" The last part was a snarl.

"Easy, Cassie. It's just," he shrugged, a naughty smile playing about his lips, "now I'm actually here. Me. Your loving mate."

Cassandra flopped down into his side. "And you make a lovely pillow. Thanks. Goodnight."

"Cass?"

"Lonz."

"Cass…"

"Oh, Lonz…"