“You really did that,” Olav asked, looking down at Mungojerrie who was on the step below her. He gave a feeble nod; she rolled on to her back and began laughing. “I can’t believe that you tried posing as a queen.”
“Neither could Rumpelteazer,” he said sheepishly, “she was none too happy that I took her pearls when I did.”
She rolled back on to her stomach and looking down at him lovingly, “You really like her don’t you?”
“Teazer,” she nodded, “Oh, I’ve known her for as long as I can remember. We always did stuff together – she does mean a lot to me. Nothing,” he purred as he pressed his nose to her pink one, “compared to what you mean to me though.” She smiled and licked his cheek, obviously flattered. The queen stood up and fixed her sleek sandy colored fur before looking back at him.
“How is she by the way,” she asked, correcting her red collar so that the tag was in front.
“She’s doing good,” Mungojerrie nodded, “Trying to hide the evidence of tonight from your humans?”
“A queen should always look her best,” she stated, jumping on to her porch. “It’s nearing midnight, I best go back in.”
Mungo grinned crookedly as she made her way back towards the door, “Goodnight.” She gave him a smile as she slipped back through her small door. He went down the walkway and proceeded to get back home from St. James’s Street. Bustopher Jones lived down the road from Olav and was how Mungojerrie was introduced to her. He contemplated sending the fat cat a piece of Argentine Joint as thanks but his stomach told him otherwise. He looked both ways before crossing the road, taking his usual cross-country route. It wasn’t until he made it to his yard that he realized what Olav meant by asking how Teazer was. She still thought that she was sick. “Damn... next time.” He walked through the kitchen and past the den where Rumpelteazer was sitting in front of the fire, with some of the humans. “Look who journeyed up and into the world.”
“It was quite the travel, those stairs have gotten higher up and there are more of them,” Rumpel huffed. “There’s no way I’m walking back down them.”
“How are you getting back to bed then,” he asked, sitting next to her as the maid and the cook sipped on their tea.
She nodded in the direction of their pets, “I’ll just get myself an escort.”
“Oh, here’s the proud Poppa,” the cook cooed, seeing that her cat had returned, “Enjoying the last fleeting moments of carefree life, are you?”
“Are you bringing Peach to the vet tomorrow, Nikki,” the maid asked, picking up their mugs.
“Yeah, Barb, I am. I got an appointment after lunch.”
“The vet,” Mungojerrie whispered in a panicky voice, “Tea – we go to hide.”
She swatted at him playfully as Nicole put out the fire, “Relax would you? They’re just bringing ‘Peach’; ‘Mario’ gets to stay home. She’s bringing me in for a check up – make sure that the kids are good. We...” she paused for a moment, “We should get a date for when the kittens are due; a general idea at the very least.”
“Really,” he asked as she got picked up, ordering Nicole to ‘watched the belly’. He followed the feet down the stairs, bounding down the while she took her time. She placed the queen on the ground and scurried back upstairs. “We’re getting a date?”
“A week; if we’re lucky a date,” she explained, easing herself into the basket.
“Makes it seem all the more real,” Mungojerrie commented, lying down beside her.
“It doesn’t feel real to you? If you want a reality check I’ll gladly let you carry around this load for a day,” she smirked jokingly, although he had the feeling that she was being serious.
“I know that they’re in there, Tea,” he said gently, “It’s just a little hard to grasp.”
She nodded understandingly, “I know it is, but the truth is that we’re going to have babies, and they’re coming soon.”
He placed his paw on top of her and nudged her cheek gently, “I’m going to help you with them, Tea. I swear to Everlasting Cat, I will.”
“You’re going to help?”
He looked at her, staring into her eyes so she’d know that he was telling the truth, “Yeah. I helped make them; I’m going to help raise them.”
“Thanks.”