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Rumpleteazer sat on top of the junk piles staring down. *I'm gonna kill her! He's mine!*
"Hey! Whatcha staring at?"
Rumple pulled her gaze away from the dancing figures, "Nothin I ain't starin' at anything!" Bomb watched her friend walk away sadly. Then when she was sure Rumple wasn't watching she peered over the edge. The couples were down there, all of them dancing or kissing. *Let's see Munkustrap and Demeter, Pouncival and Etcetera, that's new hmm, Misto and Jemima, Plato and Victoria, Alonzo and Cassy, but who could she be in love with? Aha! Mungojerrie and that new girl Yolanna! Rumple is in love with Mungo! I know it! Poor girl it must break her heart to see them dancing out there together.*
Rumple sighed. *Why did I fall in love with my best friend!?* She stretched out on the car hood. Yesterday she had heard a song on the radio that her teenaged mistress had been listening to it was called ‘How Do I Get There From Here?' It was about this girl who fell in love with her best friend and didn't know how to tell him. *That's me, the dork that's in love with an untouchable tom.* Yolanna came bounding up to Rumple. "Guess what!?" she squealed with excitement.
"What?" *Like I care...*
"Mungojerrie just asked me to go on a date with him!!!" she bounced around excitedly.
"WHAT!?" *I'll kill him!*
"What's wrong?" Yolanna looked unhappy. "Don't you want me to go out with Mungo?"
*No, not at all, you stupid queen.* "Oh no it's not that....we were uh, going to snatch something tonight."
"Can't you do it tomorrow?"
"Oh no! You see tonight two of the security guards have dates and they're going to leave work early. That's when we were supposed to go in, but we can wait a couple years for an equal opportunity."
"Oh." She looked confused. "I have to go talk to Mungo."
She called after the retreating figure, "Oh don't call your plans off on account to me!" *Score!!!!* Laying down she smiled. *This'll be fun fun.*
Later that night Mungo found her. "C'mon, I gotta tak to ya."
Quietly she walked next to him toward Victoria Grove. "What is it?" she smiled sweetly.
He turned to glare at her "We'll talk when we get to Victoria Grove."
Her smile faded. "OK." She walked meekly beside him the rest of the way. When they got there he stopped her.
"C'mon." He jumped on top of the porch roof. Quickly she followed, when she got up all the way he turned his back to her and looked at the moon. "May I ask what we were to snatch tonight?"
*Uh oh. I'm in trouble.* "Um well....I...uh....I mean....."
"Or how ‘bout why I couldn't go on a date with Yolanna? That seems to be more appropriate."
"Um..." *Tell him the truth! No, I can't, he'll laugh at me!* "Well I just think you could do better then her. Couldn't you?"
He whirled around madder than before, bad answer. "I'll date who I like Rumpleteazer!" With that he jumped off the roof and went inside.
*I think it would have been better if he had laughed at me.*
Quietly she followed tonight she slept in front of the fireplace, thinking that maybe Mungojerrie wouldn't want her in the little niche with him.
In the morning, she ate her breakfast and then attempted to tell him that she loved him.1 "Um Mungo?"
He turned to look at her. "What!?"
She almost broke down into tears at the look of hate on his face. "I just wanted to say I'm going to the junkyard now."
"Do ya think I care?"
She looked at him tears were already streaming down her face. "No, why would you? You don't care about anything but Yolanna anymore!"
Mungojerrie stared at the crying queen in front of him. *Why would Rumple cry? I've never seen her cry. Ever!* "There ain't no reason to cry....." he started but she just cried more and ran out through their ‘kitty door'. He chased her yelling at her "Rumple? Rumple stop! Please stop!"
Finally she did. *Thank the Everlasting Cat!*
"You....can....really....run," he said showing a little smile. "Now why do you think I only care about Yolanna?"
"You don't care about me....."
"Who told you that? Did I?"
"Yes."
"Oh, yeah, well, I didn't mean it, I was mad at you. I don't like to be told who to date."
"I noticed and I'm sorry."
"Is that what you wanted to tell me a few minutes ago?"
"Part of it."
"Well you can tell me now, I'm listening."
"It wasn't important."
"You were crying. I think it was very important. No matter I'll tell you what I've always wanted to since I met you." She looked up at him still crying, she looked into his eyes and gasped at the emotion in them. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, closer than she had ever been before. "I love you." he whispered "I always have and I always will." That was when he kissed her.
"I love you too," she whispered back. "That's what I wanted to tell you."
He smiled at her. "C'mon let's go to the junkyard."