Disclaimer: I dont own CATS, but I do own this story. If you have any problems to do with ownership of the ploline/words, please email me.

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The moon rose slowly and lazily over the horizon, casting slivers of dusty monlight over the broken down wrecks and jagged skyline of the junkyard. She walked as silently as any cat could, and padded softly across the dirt, her destination temporarily unknown. She'd know when she got there.
It was exactly three weeks since she'd come of age, but the feeling of being different than before never came. She never felt smarter, or faster, or more mature, or even any prettier, as Victoria had claimed she would. In fact, if anything she felt a darn sight stupider.

Etcetera felt her face heat up, and her eyes brim with tears as she remembered the humiliation she'd managed to live through just earlier that day. It hurt to think that she'd succeeded in getting herself stereotyped by the other Jellicles, and all because of a silly crush. She couldn't help it if giggling madly was all she could ever manage to do whenever Tugger was around (which was more often than not, said cat being something of an attention seeker).
But there was a feeling she got, like butterflies were tumbling around in her stomach, and her heart suddenly seemed to leap up into her throat... it was quite disorientating! Oh and it ached sometimes, and felt as though she wasn't going to survive another night of crying softly to herself every time she was rejected, or all those times she heard the older queens gossiping about her. Gossip, she had long ago decided, was mean, hurtful, the passtime best suited to causing pain to others.

Granted, she'd grown up a little over the past few months, she seemed to have grown into her form, and no longer looked as ridiculously kittenish as she used to. But it was a fact that few recognised, and a fact that even less chose to comment on, which did nothing much to inspire self confidence. Etcetera sighed and brought her arms up to hug herself tightly as she walked, eyes facing the ground.
She gave no thought to what her friends might think of her suddenly disappearing from their den and coming back late at night, she just wanted to be on her own for a while. She found herself climing up the side of a pile of junk, to what purpose she didn't know, and most likely would have kept going down the other side had she not bumped into something very solid that snarled viciously on impact.

Etcetera grasped vainly at the air as she fell backwards, landing on her hindquarters with a bump and an involunatry squeak of surprise. After several moments of being embarrased she realised that whatever she'd walked into had spoken and as now looking down at her with disdain.

"I'm so s..." She began but trailed off immediately as she saw exactly who it was she'd hit.

He stood arrogantly, glaring down at her with eyes that gleamed in the darkness, his sinewy outline illuminated by the light of the moon. Etcetera gasped. She scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping over.

The other cat, distinctly male, grinned widely to show pointed fangs and a nasty glint lit up his eyes with some malevolent thought.
"What's a precious kitten like yourself doing out so late," the tom drawled, his voice gravelly and deep with a rumbling quality that reminded her incongruously of landslides down a mountain, "don't you know it's not safe to be out and about at night?"

"I can take care of myelf," Etcetera gasped out, her voice quavering slightly.

The other cat, who she recognised quite well (even half covered in darkness) as Macavity--- the Napoleon of Crime---leered down at her condescendingly. His expression alone was enough to make her feel small, insignificant, and very afraid.

"Are you scared?" He asked her menacingly, eyes gleaming in the darkness.

"N-no." Silently she cursed herself for stuttering, knowing she didn't sound even halfway convincing.

"You're lying," he replied with a smirk, and then chuckled, "pathetic."

"What does it matter if I'm lying?" Etcetera said, almost unaware that she was speakng aloud, "I might as well try and sound heroic if I'm going to die a terrible death."

"I'd make it good for you." Macavity circled her as she stood stock still, afraid to move, "you'd be begging me by the end, kitten. But... you didn't answer me."

"A-answer you?" Etcetera blinked.

"Why are you here?" He paraphrased, obviously humouring her, "in the dark. All alone."

"I..." Etcetera paused, but saw no reason to lie, especially if her fate had already been decided for her by the master criminal that now stood in front of her, "I was feeling sorry for myself and didn't want anybody else around to see me cry. I-I guess I just... walked a little too far is all."

"You. Were feeling sorry for yourself?" Macavity smiled condescendingly, crossing his arms, "What possible reason could a Jellicle brat like yourelf have to feel sorry about? Do tell."

Etcetera looked down towards the ground and scuffed her toe lightly aginst the scratched metal beneath her, "everybody thinks I'm nothing but a silly little kit."

"You are a silly little kit."

"Am not!" Etcetera found herself glaring up at him hotly as Macavity smirked back down at her.

"Are too."

"I am not."

"And this isn't childish either, hm?" He sneered, "I bet you're a brat as well."

"What!" The young queen clenched her fists angrily, unaware of exactly how livid she appeared.

"A conceited snotty little hairball," he told her, quite politely, "a brat that gets whatever she wants and lacks for nothing but for some reason still has the time to feel sorry for herself."

"One more word and I'll---" Etcetera, unware of what she was doing took a swipe at him, claws out. He caught her paw easily at the wrist, and held it just firmly enough to remind her that he could break it if he wanted. She gasped, suddenly having realised what she'd done as he spoke.

"Claw my eyes out? That is really not a good idea." Macavity glanced pointedly at her wrist and squeezed slightly, "as you can see." The tom paused to grin at her, "now what was it you wanted to say?"

"I hate you!" Etcetera gasped out amidst tears that streamed down her cheeks, she tried to pull her wrist free of his grasp, but failed dismally.

"As if that isn't typical," Macavity rolled his eyes, "I'm hurt, really."

"I'm sorry, please, let me go."

"And let you just run off into the night?"

Etcetera paused uncertainly, "y-yes?" She blinked as his grip loosened slightly, "no?... why are you smiling?"

At her words his smile widened into another grin, "if I didn't know better I'd almost say you wanted to stay..."

Etcetera froze in shock for a total of three seconds before any reply came to mind, "no! I want to leave, let go of me!"

"Alright." Macavity released his hold on her wrist and crossed his arms. He gave her an appraising look and tapped his foot lightly. Etcetera blinked stupidly for a moment or so, her mind seemed to be somewhat in conflict with her body, which was telling her to throw herself off the pile of junk and run away as fast as possible. Her moment of hesitation appeared to amuse the tom, who took the opportunity to voice a slight taunt, "I thought you were planning to run? Have you changed your mind? Would you rather stay and brave conversation with the master of depravity himself?"

"Yes," Etcetera nodded sharply, and then shook her head immediately afterwards, "I mean no. I mean... damnit! Is this some sort of mind game?"

"And it's amusing me to no end."

The young queen found herself dropping down onto her hindquarters in exasperation, "why?"

The ginger tom sank down to sit in front of her, eyes gleaming in amusement, "because I'm an evil bastard who enjoys that sort of thing."

"I mean why me," Etcetera lamented mournfully and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Lack of anything better to do at this point in time. Nothing personal."

---

Etcetera sat in silence for some time before realising he was still in front of her, waiting patiently for something, though she wasn't sure what. As it seemed she would definately survive the encounter she took a deep breath and chanced to speak, "what do you want to talk about?"

Etcetera looked up to see Macavity's smile. "Tell me about yourself."

"What?" She blinked, somewhat startled, then her eyes narrowed in suspicion, "why?"

He shrugged, taking the opportunity to sprawl out comfortably on the junkpile, "there's nothing for me to gain if that's what you're worried about. What benefit could I possibly glean from the affairs of a childish little kitten? If I wanted information on the Jellicles I'd simply torture it out of somebody in power."

"You're being honest," Etcetera stated, just a little confused that he wasn't trying to trick her into thinking he was some sort of misunderstood hero.

"What would be the point of lying?" Macavity countered with a smirk.

Etcetera pouted, "I'm not a kitten."

"Of course not." He didn't sound at all convincing.

"I'm not," she muttered to herself before beginning to tell the tale of her recent humiliation...

---

"Since that rejection I've been trying to keep mostly to myself but it hasn't been working. Everywhere I go another cat is there just waiting to remind me that I could never match up to Bomba, being the giggling silly little kitten that I am," Etcetera sighed heavily, "I don't know why I can never have a real conversation with any of them. It's ridiculous... I guess I'm doomed to forever be labeled as 'Tugger's fangirl', and it's not even true... for the most part." She shifted slightly to look up at the sky and the stars that twinkled gently in the high above, "that's why I'm feeling sorry for myself. I suppose you think that's silly."

"Not at all," the rumbling vioice surprised her. Etcetera had gotten so deep into her telling that she'd forgotten who she was speaking to, and it was an unusual feeling to suddenly realise Macavity was attempting sympathy towards her. "Although," beside her the ginger tom shifted slightly, "it makes my tales of theivery and murder seem somewhat redundant."

"Don't make fun of me," Etcetera turned her head to glare at the theif, who grinned back up at her from his spot on the junkpile they were situated on.

"I'm sorry," Macavity snickered, half sneering, "but it doesn't seem like you have any trouble speaking. Considering you've done nothing but spout on and on for the past half hour."

"Well you asked for it," the young queen crosed her arms, "if it annoyed you so much why didn't you tell me to stop? Or even better, why didn't you leave?"

"I always finish what I start," Macavity replied flippantly, and then looked her over with one eyebrow raised, the tip of his tail twitching in a manner vaguely reminiscent of mirth, "no matter how much I regret it."

Etcetera smiled, "you're a very mean cat."

"I'm thrilled that you noticed."

"But I don't think you're as nasty as you make yourself out to be."

Macavity paused, "they're right," he deadpanned finally, "on both accounts."

"What?"

"I'm evil... and you're silly."

Etcetera giggled, and then clamped her hand firmly over her mouth. "I am not," she managed after a while, "and you're not evil, just sinister and of bad intentions."

---

Silence reigned for a full five minutes before anything else was said. "You should leave, kitten," the ginger tom announced finally, "I have things that need to be done."

"Etcetera."

"Hn?"

"My name," Etcetera explained as she stood and began to wander gracefully off back in the direction of her den. "And I'm not a kitten!"
She didn't stop to look at his expression, instead just walking, for some reason feeling better about herself for having gotten so many issues off her chest at once.
Besides, it wasn't every day a queen would find herself face to face with Macavity only to end up discussing her problems with him rather than facing death and danger. All in all... it felt like something to be proud of.

Etcetera didn't often feel as though she had much to be proud of.