To get rid of confusion: Anglina is me in feline form. Yes, my character is a cat.

Mungojerrie looked around unhappily. The Valentine Ball was only a day away and already most of the cats had a date. He sighed. The cat that he wanted to go with was one of those who already had a date. At least that’s what he thought. Mungojerrie had first noticed them going out hunting together. Then they’d go for walks. He wished he was the one who would go with her, but he was too scared to ask her. But he *hated* the other tom. The other tom was moving in on *his* territory.

Jerrie had liked her for quite a while, but was never able to tell her. It shouldn’t have been that hard for he lived with her. He’d first realized he loved her one night when they were star gazing…

Flashback…

They had just returned from a very successful burglary and decided to relax. This time it was only the two of them seeing as Anglina was sick. They’d gotten several paintings, a bottle of perfume and Teazer had found a pearl necklace.

“Hey Jerrie,” Rumpleteazer called, “what’s that star called?”

He looked over at her and drew in a sharp breath. She was sitting down with her head tilted towards the sky. Her tail slowly swished from side to side and her whiskers shook a bit. She was beautiful. The white parts of her coat seemed to soak up the moonlight, giving her an almost glowing aura. The string of pearls around her neck looked like they were miniature versions of the moon and as her eyes met his; he could see the stars mirrored in her blue eyes. He struggled not to lose himself in them as he tried in vain to comprehend what she asked him. “Bluh?” he blurted out when he could speak again.

Teazer giggled. “I asked, what star is that?” she pointed upwards. She loved to look at the stars.

He felt faint when she giggled. He moved a bit closer to her and tore his eyes away from her beauty. “That’s not a star, that’s Mercury. It’s one of the closest planets to earth.” He said as he rubbed her head in an affectionate gesture. An intense feeling flooded him as he made contact. It took all he had to draw away.

She looked back at the sky. She suddenly yawned and stretched slowly. Her muscles moved underneath her fur. She lay down and rolled over slightly. Her lithe body was curled into a horseshoe shape and her tail twitched. She began to wash herself. She had fallen into a small puddle on the way back from the job and her paws were still dirty. “Mungo, what do you think of the stars?”

As she rolled over, exposing her white belly, he shivered. He just watched her instead of the stars as she washed herself. Her little pink tongue flicked over paw and then her paw roamed over her face. He wished he had the courage to sit beside her. But he didn’t and so he just contented himself to watch her. He yawned, his silver teeth glinting faintly in the moonlight. He was so tired, but he didn’t want to go to bed before her. He wanted to watch her for as long as he could. “I think the stars are great.” He replied, green eyes still on her.

Currently…

His ears perked up when he heard a very familiar giggle pierce the night air. He looked up to see Rumpleteazer race in followed by Alonzo, Tumblebrutus, Anglina, and Pouncival. All three toms looked pissed-off at the calico queen and the red and pink queen just laughed.

As the toms stopped for breath, Anglina ran into Pouncival and cried, “Tag! You’re it!” The three toms chased her around the junkyard while Teazer ran over to Mungojerrie.

“What’s the matter, darling?” he asked.

She flopped down next to him, panting heavily. “Oh, nothing.” A coy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Anglina and I were taking a walk when suddenly Pouncival, Tumblebrutus, and Alonzo jump out of the bushes and pinned us to the ground.” She stopped talking for a minute to breath. She continued on as she rolled over onto her side, facing Jerrie. “After we were able to get away, we off and found ourselves at that fish storage place. I came back and knocked Alonzo over. Anglina meanwhile was waiting for them to come near her. He,” she gave a little giggle. “nuzzled me, but started to chase me. Pouncival and Tumble joined him. I ran until I returned to the storage space. Then I took a sharp left turn and they ran right under where Anglina was waiting with a crate of fish. They won’t be clean anytime soon.” She giggled again.

He half listened to her prattle as she sunk down beside him. He looked up to see her roll over right beside him. His breath started to become irregular when he realized how easy it would be for him to roll over and on top of her. They were practically spooning right there on top of the car. He felt his face grow warm and hoped that she didn’t notice it. He could feel the heat from her body next to his. It was almost like an electric shock passed between him and he shifted slightly and his arm touched her belly. The same intense feeling he had felt the other night stole over his body as he lay next to her. She’d been hanging out with Alonzo recently. Everybody had thought that he’d be with Cassandra, but when her pets moved, she went with them. Now he seemed to be taking up with Teazer. Jerrie had missed his chance to ask her. He wanted her to be his mate. Whenever he looked at her these days, all he saw was the most perfect creature in the world. He looked at her again and asked hesitantly, “Hey, Teazer?”

She rolled over and coincidently rolled right up next to him. She was half on him and half off. She felt him shudder a bit and wondered about it. It was actually pretty comfortable up against him. She wouldn’t mind staying like this for a while. “What?”

He froze when she rolled on top of him. He involuntarily shivered at being so close to her. He could feel her heart beat. He stayed facing the middle of the junkyard instead of turning towards her. He knew that if he did, then it would be disaster. “Do, do you have a date for the ball yet?” he asked quietly. He then closed his eyes in dread.

She laughed quietly. “No, I don’t. I thought Alonzo was gonna ask me, but he seems quite taken with Electra. I don’t care. He can go with her if he wants to. I just might not go myself. What’s the point of going if you don’t have a date?”

“Hey Rumpleteazer!” called Jemima. “Come play!”

“Yeah. Tumble found this great sand pit.” Etcetera piped up.

“Coming guys!” she pushed herself off Mungojerrie and shook her coat out. “See ya later Mungo!” she scampered down the car and ran towards the small group of kittens waiting for her near the back of the junkyard.

Mungo was overjoyed by the fact that she didn’t have a date. It made his whole world lighter. Later that night he slumped home after going on a run by himself. He’d decided to get her a diamond necklace. He made it through the cat flap and up the stairs when he heard a noise. He stopped and waited until he finally heard something. It sounded like Teazer, but there was also another voice. It was another tom. His heart dropped. Then he heard Anglina’s voice. She was the other cat who lived with them.

Rumpleteazer was playing with her friends when they ran into another cat. It was a tom.

“Well, hello darlings. How are you this fine morning?” he asked smoothly as he tried to sidle up to a cute calico. He stopped when a white and brown tom hissed and pushed the maroon calico behind him. “All right, all right, I get the message. Who might I have the pleasure of addressing?”

Rumpleteazer looked at the black and red tom. He looked like someone she used to know. Someone from the streets. He almost looked a bit like Tugger, but he didn’t have spots or quite so large a mane. “I’m Rumpleteazer. This is Jemima, Etcetera, Pouncival, and Tumblebrutus. Who are you?”

He stared at her. “Rumpleteazer? Is it you? The last time I saw you, you were in trouble with a pack of Pollicles. I’m Firewind.”

Rumpleteazer smiled widely. “Yes, I remember now. Thank you again. What are you up to?”

The other four cats noticed how her face lit up. Knowing looks were exchanged among them, unnoticed by Teazer.

‘Uh-oh.’ Thought Tumblebrutus. ‘Mungojerrie isn’t gonna like this one bit.’ Of all the cats there, he was the only one who knew of the crush Mungojerrie had on Rumpleteazer. “Umm, Teazer?”

“Yeah, Tumble?” she replied, eyes still on Firewind. He was quite a handsome tom. Not as good looking as Mungojerrie, but that was beside the point.

“We should get back. You know Munkustrap will be getting worried.”

Her pretty face fell. She wanted to talk to Fire some more. She hadn’t seen him for a year. She got an idea. “Hey Firewind, wanna come with us? Maybe you could stay for a while. We’re having a Valentine Ball in a couple days. I’m sure Deuteronomy wouldn’t mind.”

The red tom looked at her in surprise, but nodded just the same. He knew she was a Jellicle and he wouldn’t mind being one himself. He’d left his other tribe because they didn’t want anything to do with him. He had bedded a queen that was already mated. The queen’s mate just happened to be the leader. It wasn’t his fault; he’d tried to explain. She told him that she wasn’t attached. But when he faced the other leader, the queen didn’t even look at him. Turned out that their mating wasn’t official yet. He soon realized that the others were getting ahead of him. As he hurried to catch up, he noticed how pretty Rumpleteazer had become. When they had first met, she was nothing but skin and bones. Now, however, she was curvy in all the right places. It would be fun to go out with her. Hopefully she wasn’t attached.

When they came to the junkyard, Teazer looked around. She didn’t see Munkustrap but Alonzo was sitting on the tire. She looked around for her partner. She wanted him to meet Firewind. She didn’t see him or hear him. As she entered the yard, she half expected him to jump on her. She shrugged. He’d been acting really weird lately. Maybe it was just her. He had seemed pleased when she told him that she didn’t have a date to the ball. Why would he be glad? There wasn’t really anyone she wanted to go with. She wouldn’t *mind* going with Mungo or even Alonzo, but neither had asked her. She understood why Alonzo wouldn’t ask, he liked Electra, but she couldn’t understand Jerrie. At the moment there was nothing for her to do. Jerrie wouldn’t say anything until he wanted to. She could never fathom what was going on in his mind. He was an excellent cat-burglar and he was nice to snuggle with at night, but sometimes he was just too daft. She would have to talk to Anglina about it later. She looked again at Firewind. Maybe she could go with him. If she didn’t have a date, she probably wouldn’t go. A flash of grey caught her eye and she saw Munkustrap go over to the tire. She raced up to him, motioning Firewind to follow. “Hey, Munku!”

The silver and cream tabby looked up to see Rumpleteazer running towards him with a larger red and black tom behind her. He wondered who the newcomer was. His coloring was wrong for Tugger and he was too large to be Mungojerrie. “Yes, Teazer? What have you done this time?” despite his attempts, he heard amusement creep into his deep voice.

“This is my friend, Firewind. We knew each other when we were little and I was wondering if he could stay with us a while. He doesn’t have a place to go.” She said all this quite fast as she struggled for breath. When she finished, she gasped slightly as she tried to catch her breath. She turned her head to him and smiled. He smiled back. ‘Gosh he has a nice smile.’ She thought.

Munkustrap looked at her. “Sure, I don’t see why not. Are you a Jellicle?”

Firewind shook his head as he said, “No. I used to belong to another tribe but they kicked me out.”

Munkustrap looked at him questioningly.

He continued on by saying, “I bedded another queen whose unofficial mate was the leader and she didn’t tell me. I never got to explain my side and so they kicked me out. I would like to be a Jellicle. That is, if you’ll let me.”

The tabby smiled. This tom sounded a bit like Tugger. It wouldn’t do to have another Tugger around, but Rumpleteazer seemed happy enough. “When Old Deuteronomy arrives, I’ll have him test you. But you should pass. He inclined his head towards Rumple. “Since you know Rumpleteazer, she can vouch for you and joining shouldn’t be too hard. Meanwhile, Teazer, why don’t you go and introduce him to the rest of the tribe.” He looked around. “Right now it looks like only the queens are in the immediate vicinity.” He stopped speaking, a thought had just occurred to him: Rumpleteazer was here, with a different tom. As an afterthought, he added, “Where’s Mungojerrie, by the way? Normally you two are inseparable.”

The calico queen shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I saw him early this morning and haven’t seen him since. Also, he’s been acting really weird lately. Maybe someone did something to him.”

At that time, she didn’t know just how true her words were; for indeed, someone had done something to him, to his heart.

The tabby tom smiled crookedly. “Maybe he wants to ask you to the ball and that’s what got him acting crazy. I still have to ask Demeter and I’m scared out of my mind.”

Teazer smiled. Munkustrap, nervous? It was unheard of. The leader was usually very confident and full of poise. “Nah, we’re just friends. He knows that. Why, did you want to talk to him?”

“No. I was just curious.” He said kindly.

She nodded and grabbed Fire’s arm and started to drag him over to where the queens were sitting. She saw her best friend, Anglina, sitting with the rest of them.

Bombalurina, Demeter, Victoria, Electra, Etcetera, Jemima, and Anglina were sitting near an old washing machine gossiping away.

“Hey guys!” she called.

All heads turned as Teazer ran up to them with a tom in tow that wasn’t Mungojerrie.

Anglina grinned at the calico queen. She could tell by her best friends’ eyes that she had something exciting to tell her. She wondered where Mungojerrie was. He was a handsome tom. It was then that she noticed the new tom behind her friend. She gasped quietly. He was better looking than Jerrie. Not that Jerrie would ever really notice her. He was too busy trying to get Rumpleteazer to look at anyone else. The red and light pink queen was the notorious duo’s best friend. She hadn’t been in the junkyard very long, but already the two troublemakers had befriended her. They’d taken a liking to her after rescuing her from a Pollicle. And they shared a common experience and expertise: Macavity and stealing.

As he hurriedly tried to keep up with Rumpleteazer, he looked ahead to the group of queens sitting and talking. As he neared the group, he let his green eyes rove around the circle. His eyes came to rest on a little red and light pink queen. She sported a diamond collar and had lively brown eyes. She was bit curvier and muscular than Teazer. Their eyes met and he felt his face grow warm. She smiled at him and her eyes sparkled. As he ripped his eyes away from hers, he looked around the circle. He recognized Jemima and Etcetera from earlier. He was impressed with the queens of this tribe. While the other queens were beautiful, they paled in comparison to these.

Teazer smiled at the group as “hello’s” were exchanged. “This is my friend Firewind. We know each other from when I was younger. Jemima, Etcetera, Pouncival, Tumblebrutus, and myself were playing around and he ran into us. Munkustrap said he could stay for a bit and he might become a Jellicle.

Anglina was impressed. Her friend sure had connections with some hot toms. First there was Mungojerrie and now Firewind. Not that Mungojerrie would ever look at her as more than a friend, but he was still dreamy. But now, after seeing Firewind, he was defiantly easier on the eyes. “Hello Firewind. I’m Anglina. I hope we’ll get to see a lot of each other.” She looked at Teazer who was trying not to laugh.

Teazer’s small body shook with silent laughter because she knew that her friend had a huge crush on Firewind. And… from what she could see, he was looking at her almost the same way. ‘Good. She needs a tom to pay attention to her. Jerrie really only pays attention to me.’ The last thought popped up out of nowhere and into her head. ‘What the…? Where did *that* come from?’ but as she thought about it, and as weird as it was, he did pay more attention to her then Anglina. He slept with her at night. Anglina had her own box, saying she didn’t like sharing sleeping space.

“Teazer! Have you introduced him to Jerrie yet?” Etcetera’s overly perky voice broke through her thoughts.

“No I haven’t ‘cause that last time I saw Jerrie was early this morning before we went to play when Anglina and I pushed fish on top of Alonzo, Pouncival, and Tumblebrutus. And…” she broke off, not sure if she should tell them. “He’s been acting really weird lately. I’m just afraid that he’ll flip out when I introduce him to Fire. Why, I have no idea.” She shrugged her shoulders.

Demeter sat there during Teazer’s little speech and looked thoughtful. “Um, dear, what do you mean? I mean, why do you think that Jerrie has been acting weird?”

“Well earlier this morning, after Anglina and I made Alonzo, Pouncival, and Tumblebrutus smell like fish, he asked me if I had a date to the ball. I said no, because I don’t have one and he seemed unusually happy. Also, whenever I’m very near him or I touch him, even if it’s by accident, he shudders and becomes extremely quiet. I don’t understand it.”

Demeter smiled and said quietly, “Honey, I think he likes you. As in, a tom likes a queen.”

Bombalurina looked at her and then asked, “Do you ever see something in his eyes that you can’t understand?”

Teazer thought for a minute, then nodded her head, her pearls bobbing. “Yeah, I saw it today. It was… I don’t know, it was very intense. It was like he was staring into my soul or something.”

The red queen smiled. “There’s no doubt he likes you. Trust me, I should know.”

“Well, why not?” came Firewind's voice. All the females turned to look at him. He blushed a bit, but it was hard to tell because his head fur was red. “I mean, come on, how could he not? She’s beautiful. My guess is that he doesn’t know how to act around you or tell you.”

Teazer just stared at him. ‘This was unexpected.’

“Teaze, take it from me, when you’re near him, it probably makes him feel all giddy inside. I haven’t met him, but I do know the charms that queens have and how they affect toms. A queen had a similar effect on me, but it ended badly.” He said, shaking his mane.

Teazer smiled at what her friend was saying. “Fire, you’re almost becoming like a gal pal.” She giggled softly and the rest of the group grinned. Then she became quiet as the full meaning of Demeter’s statement sunk in. “Me? He likes me? I still can’t imagine why he’d like me. Nobody has ever really liked me, not even my parents.” She said incredulously as she looked around the circle. She was also a little shocked to see similar expressions on the other queen’s faces. ‘He likes me?’ her mind couldn’t grasp the fact that her friend since childhood might like her in a way other than friendship. Yeah he was handsome and fun to be around… And they had been through a lot together… but… She had never thought of him as a possible lover because it had never seemed an option. They wee so much alike that they could have been siblings, but apparently from Demeter’s comment, everybody else thought that they could be and were more. As she drifted back into reality, she noticed the queens and Firewind were still staring at her. Well, except for Anglina. She was staring at Firewind. “What? Why are you staring at me?”

The rest of the queens started to laugh.

“Hehe…honey,” Bombalurina tried saying through her laughter. “You look like a deer caught in headlights”

Teazer blushed harder. “Excuse me, but it never occurred to me that he would see me as more than a friend. As she looked up to the sky, she noticed that it was getting darker. “Anyhow, Anglina, we should head home. I want dinner. Firewind's gonna stay with us.” She passed a look to Anglina who blushed.

“Yeah me too.” She gave a laugh, low and throaty. “I can still smell the fish on the boys from earlier. See you later darlings.” She pushed herself up and headed towards her friend.

When the two queens and the tom were gone, Jemima suddenly broke the silence by giggling. “I wish I could see the look on Jerrie’s face when he gets a look at Firewind. I can’t believe Teazer doesn’t see how he looks at her.”

The rest of the queens nodded in agreement and then each left for their respective homes.

Just as the three of them reached their fancy home on the heart of Victoria Grove, their mistress, Kelsey, opened the door and looked around. No doubt looking for her precious babies. She smiled when she saw them come trotting up the walk, but then it faded when she saw that Strawberry and Trixi (Anglina and Rumpleteazer) weren’t alone. She thought for a moment that it might be Maverick (Mungojerrie) but as they came closer, she saw it wasn’t. By this time the three of them were right at her feet. Her eyebrow raised and she put her hands on her hips. “Well, Strawberry, Trixi, you know that you shouldn’t bring stray cats home.”

The three cats stared up at their mistress. One looked guiltily innocent, one looked uncomfortable and one looked sweet.

Kelsey sighed. Her cats were so cute when they did that. “I guess one more cat won’t hurt. But…that doesn’t excuse the broken planter you tried to hide behind the couch. Yes, Trixi. I found it and I know it was you and Maverick.” She smiled and scratched Anglina who purred behind her ears. “Strawberry is too good for that.”

“Little does she know…” muttered Rumpleteazer as she glared at Anglina.

“…That I was the one who knocked it over.” Anglina said smugly as she purred happily.

Kelsey picked up Firewind who hissed lightly. “Hey. Don’t you hiss at me. If you do, I won’t keep you. We need to name you and get you a collar. But come inside and have some cream.” Her high heels clacked on the wooden floor and her black skirt swished slightly as the other two felines followed their mistress.

“I’m glad he’s staying.” Anglina said.

Rumpleteazer turned and smiled. “Of course you are. You like him. And it seems to me that he likes you too.

Anglina blushed as their human set four bowls of cream down on the floor. To try to hide her embarrassment, she started to lap at the bowl.

They were almost finished when they heard the mistress’ voice. “There you are Maverick. Where have you been? Strawberry, Trixi, and another one are in the den. And what have you got in your mouth? It looks like-” they all heard the phone ring.

Jerrie was grateful that the phone rand when it did. If the other three, wait, three? were in the den, that’d mean that they could hear what Kelsey was saying. Since when did Kelsey get another cat? He wondered if it was a queen or tom and froze when he heard a low rumble that could only belong to a tom. He definitely didn’t want Teazer knowing about the present he got for her. He looked around hurriedly for a place to hide the jewels. He finally decided underneath the couch cushion in the living room. After he got rid of the jewels, he sauntered into the den and stopped still when he saw the tom with Anglina and Rumpleteazer. He watched them talking and laughing and felt a spurt of jealously when he saw Teazer’s face light up.

Anglina looked up from her cream and noticed Mungojerrie staring at Firewind and Teazer. She smiled to herself as his eyes met hers. ‘Poor Jerrie. Little does he know that I like Firewind.’ She called out, “Jerrie! Come here. You’re missing the good stuff.”

Jerrie caught Anglina’s eyes and seeing the look in them, blushed slightly. He walked over cautiously to the other felines. “Hey, Teazer.” He looked just at her. Then he realized that the others were staring at him. He continued, “Hi Anglina, and uh… I don’t know your name.”

Firewind looked at the tom that addressed him. ‘So this is the tom who likes Teazer.’ He thought. He inclined his head and spoke, “I’m Firewind. Nice to meet you, Mungojerrie. Kelsey took pity on me and so I guess this is my home now.”

Mungo couldn’t believe it! This new tom was gonna live with them and take his Teazer! He sensed something going on between them. How dare he move in on his turf!

Fire was a bit unnerved to see the look in the other male’s eyes. “Mungojerrie, if I may have a word with you?” he stood up and inclined his maned head towards the other side of the room.

Mungo followed warily. He couldn’t imagine what this new tom would want or even have to say to him.

Rumpleteazer and Anglina just exchanged mystified looks.

“What do you suppose is going on?” Rumpleteazer asked Anglina.

The strawberry colored queen shrugged her shoulders.

The two toms settled themselves a ways from the queens and it was then that Firewind spoke.

“Mungojerrie,” he shifted his weight slightly, “I… I realize that it may seem like I’m moving in on your territory. No, don’t interrupt. This is hard enough as it is, but I feel that this needs to be said.”

Mungo shut his previously open mouth.

“I can tell from your eyes that you love Rumpleteazer.” The red tom finished very matter-of-factly.

Mungo blushed slightly. ‘Was it really that obvious?’ he asked himself.

“I also know that… wait, never mind.”

“What?” Mungojerrie’s curiosity was piqued now.

“Nothing. I’m a gal pal.” He said that last bit almost to himself. He coughed and continued. “Anyways, I also know that I rather fancy Anglina. She’ hot! I mean, really, come on.” He looked a little embarrassed. “I’m just letting you know that I won’t be any competition for Teazer’s affection other than friendship. I’d like to be friends with you, but I can’t if you’re going to jump down my throat.” He blew out his breath in relief held out his paw. “Do we have an accord?” (Had to put that in there. J Go Pirates!)

Mungo’s mind was racing. If Firewind liked Anglina, and didn’t like Rumpleteazer, then, that meant that there was a clear path! His heart skipped a beat. He looked at the offered paw and then offered his own. He grinned, life was gonna be good.

The two toms walked back over to the girls and Mungo started to lap at his cream while Firewind sidled over to Anglina.

Just then, Kelsey came back into the room with a black and silver collar. “Alright, handsome, here you go. Your very own collar.” She reached down and picked him up. She slipped the collar over his head then tightened it a bit so it wouldn’t come off. “Hmm, now a name. How about… Fishnchips?” (For you, CT. J)

Four pairs of slitted eyes stared at her as if she’d grown a second head. (For you again, CT. J)

“Ok, not Fishnchips. What about Sparkles or Sunset?” she tried again.

“‘Sparkles?’ What kind of name is *that*?” muttered Firewind as the two queens and Mungojerrie just laughed. “That’s a Pollicle’s name. it is *not* a name for a tom as distinguished as myself.”

Anglina just laughed harder at that and Firewind looked a bit hurt. Seeing this she went up o him and gave him a little lick.

He purred happily.

This was going nowhere. Kelsey sighed. “What about Flame? Yes, that’ll do nicely. The rest of you lot, be nice, or else… Just because I let Flame stay doesn’t mean that I’m going to overlook your misdeeds. Tomorrow I’ll get Flame his own bed. Meanwhile, you can figure out sleeping arrangements yourselves.” She turned and walked out of the room, high heels clicking smartly.

Later that night, they were sitting on the couch with Kelsey as she was watching a movie. It was one of those chick-flick romance films. Mungojerrie was sitting next to Rumpleteazer, trying not to stare at her. The soft crackle from the fireplace filled the room underneath the movie’s sound and gave off a soft glow that illuminated everything. Firewind was cuddled next to Anglina and was purring contentedly as she groomed his pointy ears. The only feline watching the movie was Rumpleteazer. She loved to watch movies.

She snuck a glance to her right and saw Mungojerrie immediately look away. She frowned a bit, but her frown was quickly replaced by a smile when she saw what Anglina and Firewind were doing. She knew it was only time before he asked her to be his mate. She was glad that her friend had found someone special. The conversation earlier with the queens popped into her mind. ‘Did Jerrie really like her?’ she wondered. She decided to try and find out. She scooted a bit closer to him and leaned against him. She felt him freeze, and then relax a bit. But he still seemed stiff. She rested her head on his shoulder. She felt him shiver. She began to lick his ears lightly. As she did this, she put a paw over his. She felt his tail intertwine with hers. She then heard him purr deeply and relax.

Anglina looked up from grooming Firewind's ears and smiled. She nudged the red tom.

He looked up into her brown eyes, shinning from the firelight and the followed her gaze. He chuckled. Rumpleteazer was grooming Mungo’s ears and it looked like the tom was loving it. His tail had wrapped itself around hers and he was purring quite loudly. He turned his head back to face her and found himself very close to her pink and red face. She just stared into his eyes as he did the same thing. He slowly leaned in and kissed her hesitantly.

Anglina started when he pressed his lips to hers, but kissed him back. ‘Man, he was handsome!’ she began to purr happily. She continued to kiss him back. As she did so, she ran her paws through his black mane. She broke the kiss and whispered, “That was unexpected.”

Fire felt his face grow warm as he stared at him. She was quite beautiful in the soft light emanating form the fire. His heart started pounding. He liked her and wanted her. He took a deep breath. “Anglina, will… will you go to the ball with me… as my mate?”

Her breath caught in her throat and her heart felt like it would burst. “Yes.” She kissed him again. They continued to nuzzle.

Mungojerrie couldn’t stop staring at his partner in crime as she watched the movie with Kelsey. The gentle firelight flickered across her colorful fur and the orange, red, and yellow parts seemed to soak up the light and reflect it back. She looked like an angel. Mungo was afraid to touch her for fear of marring her unparalleled beauty. He wanted so badly to touch her and to tell her how he felt, but he wasn’t sure if he should or, even how to do it. Suddenly he felt her lean against him. He involuntarily froze at the contact. He then felt a gentle weight on his shoulder. His heart fluttered a bit and suddenly he felt butterflies in his stomach. He shivered. Her body was so warm. ‘Oh, wow!’ He felt a soft touch on his ears. She was licking his ears. He began to purr loudly. ‘Oh, Bast, it felt good!’ She was half on top of him, licking his tufted ears. He let his tail take hers and play with it. He continued to purr happily while she did so. He was content to let her groom him.

Kelsey yawned sleepily. Tomorrow was Valentine’s Day. She turned the TV off and looked at her cats. She smiled. Strawberry and Flash were licking each other and looked content. She then heard a very loud purr and burst out laughing. Next to her on the couch was Trixi and Maverick. She was grooming him and he was purring as loud as a motorboat. It melted her heart to see her babies all lovey. “Ok, guys. Time to go to sleep.” Four pairs of eyes glared at her. She burst out laughing. It was obvious that they were upset at her. “Ok, darlings, I don’t know about you, but I have to go to work tomorrow and I don’t want any ruckus. That means sleep, not playtime.” She picked up Maverick and Trixi, ignoring their protesting meows. “Oh, for goodness’ sake! I’m just putting you in your beds. You’ll be more comfortable there.” she then proceeded to do the same thing with Strawberry and Flash. She put out the fire and turned out the lights. Four pairs of eyes were still glaring at her. She rolled her eyes and said, “Goodnight, kittens.” As she walked out, she murmured, “Soon there’ll be kittens.”

Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Anglina, and Firewind were all curled up in their respective baskets. That is, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were in one basket and Anglina and Firewind were in another. Each pair said goodnight to the other, then proceeded to retreat into their own world. Anglina and Firewind were spooning comfortably and Rumpleteazer was trying to get settled.

Rumpleteazer was trying not to look too much at Mungojerrie. She couldn’t believe that she had done that. Yeah, he seemed to like it, but still, she couldn’t believe that she actually did it. She loved him. She figured that out when he responded to her attentions. When the queens first brought it up, she wasn’t sure how she felt, but now she knew for certain that she loved him. But the question that everybody who has ever had a secret crush asks themselves: do they love me in return? She was finally able to curl up in a comfy position. Her last thought before falling into a restless sleep was, ‘What am I going to do…?’

Mungo watched his love shuffle around as he lay near the side of the basket. Tomorrow was the ball and he still hadn’t asked her. He was a bit confused at what she had done earlier. Yes, he had enjoyed it immensely, but what did it mean? Did it mean that she liked him? He waited until she closed her eyes and then softly got up. He padded out of the room and over to the couch where he had hidden the jewels. He pulled them out and walked over to the un-shaded window. He admired how they sparkled in the moonlight and thought about how nice they’d look around her neck. He was so absorbed in his thoughts, that he didn’t realize she had joined him. She couldn’t, however, see the jewels.

“Hey, whatcha doing?” she asked.

“Bast! What?” he jumped at her voice and turned around quickly. But luckily the paw that held the jewels didn’t go with him. They were still hidden behind his back. “I’m sorry Teazer. I didn’t see you.” he looked at his paw.

She giggled. “Obviously. I heard you get up and then you didn’t come back. So I went looking for you. Whatcha doing?” she asked again, cheekily.

He looked up and his breath caught in his throat. Her coat was bathed in moonlight and she looked as angelic as she did the night when he realized he loved her. Her pearls were still glowing with the moonlight. The white parts of her fur were smooth like delicate porcelain. “I, I, I was looking at the moon and thinking.” He stammered as he stared at her beauty.

She cocked her head and stared back at him. There it was again! An intensity that she couldn’t understand. Was this what Bombalurina meant? “What were you thinking about?” she scooted a bit closer to him, noticing that he was still staring at her. It was beginning to unnerve her a little.

“Oh, nothing really. Just the Valentine’s Day Ball and other things.” ‘Like how beautiful you look, how much I want you to be my mate…’ His mind continued silently.

Her face fell a little. Maybe he wasn’t thinking of her. “Oh, just curious. So… do you have a date for the ball?”

He froze. “N, no, not yet.” He took a deep breath. “There’s this queen I want to ask, but I don’t know if she’d go with me.”

Rumpleteazer tentatively put a paw on his shoulder as her heart fell. Now she’d done it. She’d lost her chance to tell him how she felt. “I’m sure she will. Why wouldn’t she? You’re one of the best toms out there.” She immediately blushed and pulled her paw away. ‘What had made her say that?’ she wondered. Here he was going to ask another queen and she had all but thrown herself at his feet. How humiliating! She turned away from her partner in crime.

‘She thinks I’m one of the best toms?’ He was shell-shocked. He had taken a chance when he spoke those last words. Her response wasn’t what he’d expected. He watched as something that looked like embarrassment flashed across her features and then she turned away. Was that a positive sign that she liked him? He had to find out and there was only one way: he was going to ask her. He put a paw on her shoulder and made her turn around. “Rumpleteazer, I have to tell you something.” He put his other paw behind his back and fingered the diamond bracelet. “I… that is… um,” he blew air out through his lips as she looked at him expectantly. He sighed and tried again. “What I mean, is that… the queen I was talking about is… well, it’s you, Teazer. You’re the most beautiful creature I know and… I love you.” he took another deep breath and didn’t meet her gaze. He knew that if he looked into her blue eyes, he’d get so lost that he’d forget what he was saying. “I… I would like, you to go with me to the Valentine’s Day Ball. As… as my mate.” He looked into her shinning eyes. “I love you.”

Rumpleteazer stared at her partner as he spoke. So he did like her! And he wanted her as his mate. She smiled as his eyes met hers. She stepped forward, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him squarely on the mouth. She ran her tongue over his lips and they opened.

When she put her arms around his neck and kissed him, he felt as if he could fly. He dropped the bracelet behind him and wrapped his arms around her waist. He felt her tongue on his lips and he parted them. They continued to kiss passionately beneath the moonlight. He pressed his body against hers. They only stopped when Teazer groaned in pain and he realized that he’d backed her up against the windowsill. He pulled his face back, but kept his hands where they were. “Is that a yes, then?” he asked breathlessly. She nodded happily and kissed him again. This time, however, he had other ideas. He broke away and detached himself for a minute. “Close your eyes, love. I’ve got a present for you.” she complied and he turned around and gathered up the diamond bracelet. He turned back to her and then said softly, “Ok, you can open your eyes.” When she opened her eyes, she was greeted with a lovely sight. Mungojerrie was grinning idiotically and he was holding the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen. “Oh, Mungo!” she breathed.

“Here, let’s see what it looks like on you.” he approached her rather shyly and slipped the pearls off her neck and clasped the diamond bracelet in its place. “It really suits you.” he then kissed her again and they both began purring loudly. It was then that they heard a low throaty laugh. The two tigers blushed and turned towards their baskets. There, watching them, were Anglina and Firewind. He was on his back and she was on top of him. They had obviously been kissing, among other things.

“Bravo! I told you so, Rumpleteazer.” Firewind said smugly as Anglina gently cuffed him. He looked at her indignantly. “What?! I did!”

The red and pink queen just laughed and kissed him.

“How long have you guys been watching?” Rumple asked as she and Jerrie jumped down.

“Oh, not long. But that must have been one hell of a kiss, huh?” Firewind waggled his ears back and forth. (Equivalent of wagging eyebrows up and down.)

Anglina nodded from her position on his chest. “Mmm-hmm. I wish *someone* would take a hint and kiss me like *that*.” She gave the red and black tom a sideways glance. He just looked at her wide-eyed. “But, I’m glad to see that you’re together now. Now we can all go the Ball together. Your friend here has asked me to be his mate.”

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer climbed into their basket and curled up. “That’s wonderful. We’ll see you guys in the morning.” Teazer said as she turned towards her mate.

The tiger tom smiled and drew her in for a deep kiss and she returned it.

Soon the four of them fell asleep in the arms of their mates.

The next day, the four of them were the last ones to arrive at the junkyard. When they did arrive, it was near evening. They had been too *busy* earlier to come.

“Hey, Rumpleteazer! Anglina!” Demeter called happily. “Come here, we need your help.” Demeter, Bombalurina, and Jemima were trying to hang pink streamers and not having much luck with it.

The two queens kissed their toms and sauntered over to the other queens.

Bombalurina smiled knowingly. “So… I see someone had a good time last night.” She was looking mainly at Anglina, who was blushing, but then did a double take when she noticed Teazer’s necklace. “Everlasting Cat, Teazer! Where did you get that ice?”

Teazer looked down and smiled. “Mungojerrie asked me to be his mate last night and then he gave them to me.”

The other queen’s jaw dropped. “He did what? Wow! You are one lucky girl. Hey Demi! Jemima!” she called to the others. “Look what Jerrie gave Teazer!” They rushed over.

“Damn, girl!” Demeter exclaimed.

“So does that mean he asked you?” Jemima asked, her eyes glinting.

Rumple nodded happily. “Yep. He asked me last night. Are you guys going to the ball?”

All three of them nodded.

“Munkustrap asked me this morning.” Demeter blushed.

Jemima rolled her eyes. “Plato came to my house and brought me a rose.” She giggled. “It was from his pet’s garden.”

“Lucky. Tugger kind of asked me, but got interrupted when Jennyanydots started to accuse him of giving them moldy cheese. (Yes I know cheese is mold to begin with.) But that’s how he is. He’ll probably go with me.” Bombalurina said off-handedly. It was well-known around the junkyard about how the Bombalurina-Rum Tum Tugger relationship worked.

“Aww, you’ll be fine, Bomba. He’s just unsure of how to approach you.” Demeter said gently.

“Yeah, sure.” She didn’t seem convinced, but let it slide. “Ok. Enough yakking. We have to get these steamers up or Munkustrap will be upset.”

The queens finally got the streamers up. They looked around the junkyard. It was pretty. There were pink and red streamers all over. There was something that looked like a disco ball hanging from Pouncival’s chair and one could see little white lights all around.

That night, underneath the glittering disco ball and the Jellicle moon, the felines danced. They danced with their loved ones and everybody was blissfully happy.