Learning to trust: a Rugrats fan fiction (alternative universe)

Disclaimer: I do not own Rugrats.

"Good morning Angelica, rise and shine!"

The cheerful voice of her aunt disturbed six year old Angelica Pickles. She was used to being pulled roughly out of bed by her parents and getting her first morning beating as they swore words at her. It had been that way for three years.

She had been used to the smells of her father's alcohol mixed with her mother's cocaine and various other drugs in her old house before Child Protective services had taken her away a month before. They allowed her aunt and uncle to take her in their loving care, realizing that Didi and Stu Pickles would never harm Angelica or their two sons Tommy and Dil no matter what they did. Angelica loved being loved. It made her feel warm inside her bruised but healing body.

She got out of bed as her aunt took her by the hand and led her downstairs to the kitchen where her cousins were eating breakfast. She greeted them with a smile as she sat down in a chair while Didi poured cereal and milk into her bowl since she was afraid of doing it herself due to her parents beating her the last time she tried to make breakfast for herself.

"Aunt Didi, who's that girl across the street with black hair? I sometimes see her play with her toys when Tommy and me go outside." Angelica shyly asked, carefully lifting her spoon towards her mouth so she wouldn't spill anything.

"That's Susie Carmichael. She's around your age Angelica," Didi explained as she went to clean up some milk that Dil had spilled on the floor.

"Is she friendly?"

"Very friendly. Susie and Tommy are such good friends."

Angelica smiled a little, thinking that if this Susie girl was friends with her cousin then maybe she could be friends with her too.

If only she could trust Susie not to do anything that scared her like belts and fire then maybe she would give Susie Carmichael a chance.

And maybe gain a friend in the process as her parents had never let her have friends of any kind. Sighing happily at the thought, Angelica quietly finished her cereal.

...

"Tommy, what is Susie like?"

Angelica played with one of her pigtails as she colored a picture of herself with Tommy and Dil that she had drawn. Making pictures made her happy, only pictures of her past were drawn during her therapy sessions with her therapist, Dr. Sandra Thomas, to avoid giving her cousins nightmares.

"Well, she likes to sing and has lots of toys!" Tommy looked up from his drawing of Reptar the dinosaur, noticing that his cousin looked scared. "What's wrong?"

"What if Susie doesn't like me? What she stares at me like that boy at the playground did last week?" Angelica asked as she was sensitive when it came to people staring at her and her body.

"Susie would never do that! And she'll like you for who you are or at least that's what Mommy says."

"Thank you Tommy."

The doorbell rang loudly, scaring Angelica who had a disliking to loud noises as Tommy held her hand. She watched as her aunt greeted Lucy Carmichael politely, asking how things were going at her job as Angelica heard pounding feet on the ground and flinched.

"Hi! My name's Susie, what's yours?" she heard the voice of Susie Carmichael say politely, holding out her hand for Angelica to shake.

"An-angelica," Angelica stuttered nervously like she always did whenever meeting someone new.

"Nice to meet you Angelica." Susie shook hands with Angelica awkwardly, not understanding why the girl had flinched when she came towards her. "How do you know Tommy?"

"Angelica's my cousin," the three year old boy explained, letting go of his cousin's hand. "Mommy and Daddy got her away from my Auntie Charlotte and Uncle Drew because they did bad things."

Susie didn't understand what the bad things were but knew that Angelica was whimpering at the mention of her mother and father. To calm her down, Susie pulled out a doll from her backpack that also had coloring books inside

Angelica took the doll away from Susie's hand and looked at it, touching its hair gently. She played with the doll for a few minutes, moving its arms and legs before giving it back to Susie. Susie gave it back.

"But it's your doll Susie." Angelica tried giving the doll back but Susie refused. Realizing why, she smiled. "I really get to keep it?"

Susie giggled. "Of course! you seem to like her." Angelica looked confused that the doll was a girl. "You never had a doll before?"

"No. Mommy and Daddy never let me have one or any other toys."

"I guess Cynthia is your first one."

"Her name's pretty."

The two girls giggled as they went outside to play in the backyard. Tommy had fallen asleep, bored of Angelica and Susie talking to even notice them going outside without him.

...

Angelica smiled, hugging Cynthia close to her as she recalled the day she had with Susie. They had the most fun that she hadn't had in four years before her mother and father's abuse towards her. She knew that Susie was going to be a good friend, one that would never hurt her in any way.

Now she had to convince her aunt and uncle to let her go to first grade with Susie when school started up again.

But for now, Angelica was happy that she made a friend and she hoped to make more in the future.