(Hello, everyone. I apologise for the long wait, only I've been very busy and it's exam season as you know. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Thanks! Xx)

May

"La laaa, lalalalaa laaaa la la laa la..."

Freddie was humming the same little bouncy, enigmatic jingle all morning as he ran around the flat, gathering up travel essentials like his aviators and his wallet. Tomorrow he was leaving for the south of France, where Queen had booked a studio to work on their next album. He would've liked to have worked in England again, only there were issues with taxation, so the four of them decided it made more sense to record away from home.

"Shooting star... sky..." he murmured in time with the new tune he made up as he washed his cup. Those were the only potential lyrics he had thought up so far.

Something caught his eye outside. He lifted his head and looked out the window. It was Tiger playing with a little cabbage butterfly in the sunshine. She crept up on it as it fluttered around the cherry blossom and when she was close enough to catch it she leapt off the wall and landed on her feet. Unfortunately she was unsuccessful.

He giggled, "oh Tiger...", and resumed with his search.

Life since Jerry disappeared (well, died) was a bit more free, even if Tiger did miss him a little; she wailed sadly for him to return the first week after he died but eventually stopped. He didn't appear around the corner of a doorway anymore, nor could she hear the padding of his paws on the floor in another room. But there was still enough company from the humans, namely Freddie, since David wasn't living here anymore either. A new human that Freddie called Liza, even though his real name was Joe, had moved in, and slept in David's side of the bed and was much more quieter than David was. It confused Tiger a little but the two got on well very quickly. Liza was there to give her pettings and food a lot more than David bothered to provide.

"Shooting star...sky...tiger... like a Tiger...." Freddie continued to muse as he made his way around the kitchen.

And then he had a eureka moment, and grabbed a piece of paper off the coffee table to scribble those words down.

He watched Tiger some more and giggled as she continued chasing the little butterfly. He was trying find the right word to describe her movement...

"Leaping!" He said before jotting it down.

He rushed to his piano and took a moment to scribble the key chords of the imaginary jingle down. Then, with his lyrics and tune, he played a verse.

"I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky like a tiger..."

At that moment Freddie felt like he had something. Not only was it unlike anything he'd ever written before or heard, but suddenly he could hear the jingle rapidly develop into a song. He shot off his piano stool and ran out to the back garden.

"Oh Tiger you are simply wonderful!" He ran across the grass and out to her. "You just helped me write a lyric!

"Who is that I hear... oh! It's him!" She purred as she turned around as Freddie made his way towards her, and she crawled over and instinctively rubbed her head against his leg.

He giggled and bent down to scratch her under the ears the way she liked it.

"Babe?" Joe, standing at the door in his dressing gown called. "You want tea?"

"Oh please darling that would be marvellous..." Freddie stood back up, Tiger scurrying ahead of him and into the house.

She could hear the whistle of a kettle inside, and that meant tea, and tea meant milk. Little did she know that she wasn't going to see her favourite human for the next few months, starting tomorrow.

"Oh how I'm going to miss you both." Freddie sighed as he stood with his new boyfriend in the kitchen, Tiger up in Joe's arms.

"You know that I'm coming to join you on the 31st June, right?" Joe stroked Tiger gently.

"I know but that date can't come soon enough!" Freddie whined before smirking. "And anyway, dear, I meant the cat, not you."

Joe rolled his eyes as Freddie giggled, "there's no way of keeping you appeased, is there? Except with cats."

"I'm going to miss my warm, fluffy little lady..." Freddie cooed as he petted Tiger affectionately, her head in his hands. "Oh yes I am! Yes I am!"

"Goof." Joe teased.

"Excuse me?" Freddie turned to him.

"Sexy goof." Joe repeated with a smug grin.

"Rawrrrr..." Freddie leaned in and kissed him.

Joe quickly set Tiger down, and she made her way over to her saucer.

But it was empty.

"Hello?" Tiger crawled back over to the humans who didn't look over to her once. They appeared to be kissing passionately, way too much for Tiger's liking.

"Looks like I'll have to get it myself." Tiger thought as she crawled back over to the counter and hopped up onto it. She eyed the bottle of milk sitting on the edge, and then she make her way over.

At first she tried removing the foil tab with her paw, but it got stuck. She rapidly tried to pull off until her paw slipped and pushed the bottle over the side-

SMASH!

Freddie immediately broke from Joe's lips and looked over, "Tiger!"

But she didn't care. She hopped off the counter and started lapping up the mess on the tiled floor, avoiding shards of glass.

"Mission accomplished." Tiger thought as she continued to drink, Freddie and Joe trying to work their way around the mess.

"Oh, you can't drink that, darling," Freddie gently picked her up, much to her disappointment. "I don't want your paws to get cut up."

"Damn it!" She meowed as Joe began cleaning the spill up quickly.

But the foil was still stuck on her paw. She tried waving it off frantically, prancing and scampering about, but Freddie giggled and pulled it off her claws gently, feeling more nostalgic than ever.

"Oh she's doing the funny little dance that she did in the pet shop when she was a baby," He said as he put the foil in the bin. "That's one of the things that made me fall in love with her the moment I saw her."

Joe smiled as he continued clearing the mess, "oh yes? Tell me about when you got her."

"Well," he said hesitantly. "I was with David then..."

"Oh, well, tell me anyway." Joe wiped the spilled milk. "Ignore him."

"Right," Freddie sighed. "I used to have a cat called Jerry, whom I shared with Mary when we lived together. One day about two years ago David and I were out shopping and passed the small pet shop a few blocks away from here."

"I know the one." Joe sat down at the table opposite Freddie, now finished cleaning.

"Well, I wanted to get something for Jerry, treats and toys and that but David had no interest so he went home. So, I started picking things out for the cat but then there were kittens in the shop too.

"Let me guess, you behaved like a child in a toy shop?" Joe giggled.

"Oh yes! The lady let me look at the cat families... all fancy breeds. Persians, ragdolls... then I came to the pedigrees, which were mainly rescued."

"I don't have a clue what you're saying." Joe chuckled, and Freddie rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, Tiger was near the pedigrees, in a cage on her own, unlike the others." Freddie continued. "I was looking at another cat family when in the corner of my eye I could see something small and grey moving quickly in a cage a few more sets away from where I was standing, so I turned around and there she was."

"Tiger?"

"Yes. Just a little ball of silvery grey fluff jumping and skipping about on some bed of straw." Freddie smiled as he reminisced. "She was making funny little movements with her paw, trying to get a piece of hay off of it that must've gotten stuck. Cutest thing ever." He giggled a little. "But when she saw me she stopped moving and appeared a little scared, and she backed away when I reached in to pick her up. Her little grey blue eyes were filled with fright. I knew instantly that the poor thing must've been through something horrible, and I wanted to take care of her, because she seemed friendly enough once she was comfortable. I felt like I couldn't just leave her there. Before I took her home the shop lady told me her story."

"Oh yes?" Joe sipped his tea as Tiger hopped up onto Freddie's lap.

"Turns out that she was found alone in a bloody cardboard box- literally bloody, an alleyway not far from here. The man who rescued her and dropped her off said that the scene was so awful. Apparently there were-there were..." Freddie trailed off as he petted a purring, content Tiger.

"What..."

"There were others... her brothers and sisters presumably." Freddie at last said, looking down a little as he trailed off. "But Tiger was the only one alive out of all of them."

"Oh." Joe said quietly.

A moment's silence.

"Why are people so fucking cruel to cats?" Freddie finally sighed. "They just need attention and a home and a little tlc. Nothing much else but food and plenty of snoozing spots."

Joe laughed, "Oh Freddie... you and your cats. Anyway, what happened to Jerry?"

"Oh, Jerry died nearly a year ago... got hit by a car... same day David left actually."

Joe stood up and rushed over to Freddie's sulking figure.

"Oh babe I didn't mean to make you sad." Joe put an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders.

"I know darling... it's just, I guess I gave up so much for him." Freddie reached a hand up to hold Joe's as he looked up into his eyes.

"But look where you are now!"

"Yeah... I need someone, that's all... and I see something different in you Joe that I never saw in David. This love is more real."

And they kissed, and Tiger curled up on her favourite human's lap and closed her eyes.

September

"And here," Freddie reached down to pet Tiger as he and Brian May stood in his back sunny garden one mid morning. "Is the hit maker... the muse."

"Hit maker..." Brian scoffed. "I spent effort on that bloody song and you insist on taking the guitar off!"

"I told you before! Don't Stop Me Now is a piano based piece," Freddie sighed. "And little Tiger here helped me with the first verse."

"What about the rest of the lyrics, eh?" Brian asked.

"Oh, well,"

"Exactly Freddie! The rest is about sex and drugs and partying, isn't it?" Brian said, his tone a little more irritated. "I don't think it's a good sign... what if a child listens to it? He or she is going to think it's the happiest song ever until they hear "sex machine". Kids look up to you, Fred! Do you want them getting the wrong ideas?"

"Oh how wonderful! A peacock butterfly!" Freddie smiled as he cut in, suddenly trying to change the subject. "A rare breed too if I'm not mistaken."

"Ahh yes!" Brian smiled. He just loved wildlife (as you all know *hehe*).

And Freddie and Brian weren't the only ones to spot it. Soon enough Tiger was chasing after it as it fluttered above the flower beds, and with a swipe of her paw she caught it and popped it into her mouth as it thrashed its wings violently.

"Tiger!" Freddie exclaimed and rushed over as she chomped the strange flying grey being into her mouth.

"Hmmm this tastes funny..." Tiger thought as she swallowed the thrashing butterfly.

"Bad girl!" Freddie scolded lightly has he picked her up, Brian just standing there laughing. "That was a savage thing to do!"

"Eughhh..." Tiger thought as the aftertaste of squished peacock butterfly lingered in her mouth.

"She's a cat, Freddie!" Brian was in stitches.

"I know, but I don't want my baby eating other beautiful living creatures!"

"Other beautiful living creatures?" Brian questioned.

"Yes. Like me, darling." Freddie smirked as he placed Tiger on his shoulder, and Brian just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Cats eh?" Joe chuckled as he strolled outside and joined them. "Just don't give a damn about anything or anyone."

"Sadly," Freddie muttered. "But somehow they still manage to win your heart over. Isn't that right, my little darling? Ohh yes..."

Joe and Brian sighed as Freddie clucked over Tiger and started making googoo faces at her.

"I shan't be eating this again." Tiger thought, perched on Freddie's shoulder. "Even the human gets loud and scary which means I can't anyway apparently..."

The three (well, four, if you count the cat) went inside, and the doorbell sounded.

"Oh boy! A visitor!" Tiger thought as she rushed to the door.

But she wasn't greeted with the best way.

"Outta my way, you scrappy little s... !" Paul Prenter kicked Tiger to the side, causing her to yowl, and the irishman strolled into Freddie's house before he even got to the door.

"Hey! What was that for?!" She hissed at him as he walked down the corridor.

"Paul! What a nice surprise!" Freddie smiled as he met him, but Tiger just rushed past the two and turned her back as she made her way into the kitchen.

Her favourite human didn't even take notice once.

"See you, Tiger!" Brian smiled and patted her head before leaving the kitchen. "I best be off."

As Brian walked down the corridor he threw a dirty look at Prenter as he talked to Freddie, whilst Joe saw him out.

Then, Tiger discovered that peacock butterfly wasn't very filling, and suddenly she felt hungry, so she meowed for food.

"Feeeeed meeee!" She yowled as Joe approached her, Prenter on his tail.

"Alright , you." Joe picked her up with a smile and carried into the kitchen. "I'll get it for you."

"Liza, darling? Whilst you're still in there can you please get me a coffee?" Freddie called from the lounge.

Then Paul had a menacing, ill-minded idea. He noticed a packet of headache tablets on the counter as Joe bent down to get a tin of cat food, Tiger meowing hungrily at his feet, and a plan formed in his head.

"Do you want me to feed the cat?" Paul asked casually.

"Oh, uh, sure," Joe replied, a little flustered. "Cat spoon is kept under the sink. Cans of food is in the utility room.

As soon as Joe ran out of the room with a mug, Prenter looked right and left until the coast was clear. And, without trying to make the foil rustle he quickly pushed the tablet out and swiftl left it on the counter for the meantime. When he scooped food into the bowl he dropped the tablet in before filling the bowl up a little more.

"Hope this helps get rid of your headache, kitty," Prenter sniggered as he placed the bowl back down on the floor. "Because I know you've certainly given me one."

"Oh yes? Finally food!" Tiger rushed over to the bowl as Prenter stood beside her, trying not to appear conspicuous of anything.

"You found your way around?" Joe asked as he walked back in.

"Ohh yes," Paul put on a fake smile and nodded. "Not a bother."

Joe reached down and scratched Tiger under the ears, "Great. She's a good cat."

"Oh yes." Prenter repetitively lied, not having much else to say.

Joe just nodded and continued to pet Tiger, then stood back up to get to work on Freddie's coffee.

Little did he know that this could be the last time he spent with her, and little did she know that what she was eating could've been her last meal...

TO BE CONTINUED...