A/N: I only own my OCs, everyone else belongs to Disney, also according to Disney wiki, Lady's owners are named Elizabeth Brown and James Brown, and of course according to Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, the baby is Junior.
Cherry's parents were looking through the mail while Cherry was on the floor, sketching in her sketch pad. Cherry had a short-sleeved black hooded shirt in place of her black jacket with blue capris and her sneakers. Since it was spring now, Cherry had to do without her heavy black jacket.
"Cherry, you've been lying around most of your spring break," Michelle observed. "Don't you wanna do anything before you go back to school?"
"Not really, I'm good." Cherry replied.
Michelle frowned a bit. "I know, you can visit my cousin Elizabeth."
"Cousin Elizabeth?" Cherry turned to her, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, why don't you dog and babysit for your spring break?" Michelle smiled. "It would be good for you."
"Mom, I don't like going out during spring and summer." Cherry moaned.
"Elizabeth and her husband Jim live in London, you can be cold and dreary, just be responsible."
"Oh, I guess..."
"Then it's settled." Michelle smiled.
Cherry then went through with it and got back into her black jacket and blue sweat pants once she was taking a train to see her distant cousin Elizabeth and her husband, Jim. Since Cherry was a little younger than Elizabeth and Jim expected, they decided to give her a little extra help before they would leave the next day.
Cherry met and greeted Elizabeth, Jim and the new baby, they named Junior. Elizabeth and Jim also had a well-trained cocker spaniel dog named Lady who got along with Cherry just fine. Elizabeth and Jim went over things to get to know everything better.
"Now, you'll stay in the guest room, Junior has his own room, and Aunt Sarah will stay in our room, you got that, Cherry?" Jim asked, before he left.
"Yes, sir." Cherry responded, staying in the foyer with Lady and the couple before they were about to leave.
"It's so nice that you had gotten along with Lady very quickly, Cherry." Elizabeth smiled, warmly.
"Of course, miss." Cherry said, anxious to become a babysitter and dogsitter during her vacation.
"Now, why don't we get you a nice hot meal and we'll all get to know each other better?" Elizabeth offered, going straight to the kitchen.
"You need any help, ma'am?" Cherry asked.
"Sure, I'd like the company," Elizabeth replied. "Jim dear, Cherry's going to help me cook, okay?"
"Okay, darling, that sounds lovely." Jim replied, feeding Junior in his little high chair.
Cherry smiled as she put on her own apron. She had trouble tying a knot in the back. Elizabeth saw her struggling and tied it for her.
"Thank you, Elizabeth." Cherry smiled.
"Anytime, now, what would you like for dinner?"
"What do you have?"
"Let's see, we have chicken and rice, spaghetti, salads... Anything strike your fancy?"
"Chicken and rice sounds good, any mixed vegetables?" Cherry asked with a smile.
"Of course, I always make my chicken and rice with mixed vegetables," Elizabeth said, taking a rice box to read the cooking instructions. "Now, let's see, preheat oven to-"
"Darling, he needs you!" Jim called from the dining room with a baby wailing.
Elizabeth sighed with exhaustion. "I'll be right back, Cherry. Could you be a dear and start the oven, pour the rice and put water in?" she asked.
"Of course, I usually help Mom make dinner." Cherry replied, taking the box back to read.
Elizabeth smiled at her, then slipped off her apron to cater to her infant son. Cherry smiled back, then did everything Elizabeth told her to and all she could do now was wait for further instructions. While she did, she heard whimpering down. Cherry looked downward and saw Lady was giving her puppy dog eyes and whimpering.
"Oh, you must be hungry," Cherry cooed, then took a jar filled with dog biscuits shaped like bones. "You want one?"
Lady smiled and licked her lips, with her tail wagging. Lady then stood on her hind legs and barked softly.
"Oh, good dog!" Cherry marveled, then put a biscuit on Lady's nose tip.
Lady then licked the biscuit and gobbled it down, feeling relieved.
"I wonder what these taste like, every dog I know loves these." Cherry said, looking at the biscuits before putting them away.
"You should try one yourself, they're quite good, I guarantee." Lady spoke to Cherry.
"Thanks, but I think I should pass." Cherry replied.
"How do you know you don't like it if you don't try-" Lady stopped, feeling shocked, and looked at Cherry. "Wait, you can understand me?"
"It's a long story, I don't know how or why, I just do." Cherry replied, then pet Lady gently on her head.
"Jim Dear and Darling don't seem to understand me, but they're still nice people, even if they have that thing now." Lady said, looking into the kitchen as Elizabeth fed her son.
"That thing?" Cherry asked, looking with her.
"You know, that thing," Lady pointed with her paw to Junior. "The smelly, crying, human stealing thing."
"Oh, the baby!"
"Yeah, that! The Tramp says I'm gonna have to live in a doghouse and keep it down and they'll get rid of me!"
"Whoa, whoa," Cherry went back in the kitchen with Lady. "First of all, who's the Tramp?"
"He's this alley dog," Lady explained, looking miserable as she lied down on the kitchen floor. "He told me once they would have that baby I couldn't bark anymore and I'd have to live in the doghouse. I tried to get Jim Dear and Darling's attention, but they would always yell at me!"
"Oh, Lady," Cherry knelt next to the cocker spaniel and hugged her. "They won't forget about you, I promise. Look, I'm the youngest of four children, but my brothers and sister aren't forgotten. We kept a dog when I was a baby and my brother Mike was seven years old, then we moved and still lived together."
"What about your dog?" Lady whimpered.
"We did give him away, but that was because we moved," Cherry tried to explain. "I promise your owners won't forget you."
Lady sniffled, but then smiled. Lady then moved into Cherry's open arms, allowing the 10-year-old girl to hug her. That was when Elizabeth came inside, buttoning her top.
"Oh, I see you two are getting along." Elizabeth smiled.
"Lady's a great dog, Elizabeth." Cherry said with a smile.
Lady barked happily and smiled, looking up at Cherry, warmly.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she just thanked you." Elizabeth said.
Cherry laughed, then Elizabeth helped Cherry up so they could continue cooking dinner together. Dinner went very well, and Cherry couldn't help herself but sneak some chicken pieces to Lady from under the table. Junior babbled as everyone ate until it got pretty late.
"I'm gonna put him down, come on, Cherry, I'll show you your room." Elizabeth said, as she held Junior tightly.
Cherry smiled and followed Elizabeth upstairs. Junior yawned softly and fell asleep instantly in his mother's arms before they were upstairs in the baby's bedroom. Elizabeth carefully put her son into his room and gently shut the door behind her, showing Cherry to the guest room.
"Nice." Cherry remarked as she walked in and put her suitcase on the bed, it looked like a fancy hotel room with lace on the pillows, a quilted comforter, a chestnut wooden dresser and a window looking out from the top floor of the house.
"This is where you will sleep," Elizabeth explained. "I used to have a room like this when I was your age. Are you sleepy now?"
"Yes, actually," Cherry yawned in mid sentence. "Travel often makes me tired."
"Okay, Jim, Lady and I will see you before we leave tomorrow, good night, Cherry." Elizabeth said, closing the door behind her.
"Good night, Elizabeth." Cherry yawned and got ready for bed.
That night, Cherry was long asleep. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Lady pushed the door open with her nose and poked her head inside Cherry's new room. Lady looked up, then leapt onto the bed, curling up into a ball to sleep. Cherry stirred and saw Lady sleeping there. Cherry smiled, and then fell back asleep to leave Lady in peace.