Chapter Fourteen

How much longer could he go on like this?

For the longest time, he'd had residual thoughts about maybe returning to the streets, an inner yearning for the wild excitement of his old life that he had denied feeling. And now, here he was, right back where he had always wanted to be - but he was miserable.

Perhaps it was because he had been a younger dog when he was "the greatest street dog there ever was." Admittedly, his back and legs now hurt more often than not, and he found himself taking longer and longer to catch his breath after running. But maybe it was more than just his body - maybe his heart just wasn't into it anymore.

But if his heart wasn't into life as a street dog, where was it now? He knew the answer, of course he knew. He just wished he were wrong, wished he didn't still love his Lady.

After all, as wonderful as it is to love someone, there's nothing worse than that person not loving you in return.

Well, no, that's not true, he corrected himself with a wrench of his heart. Knowing that you'll never see your son again is worse.

The Tramp had nothing left to care about now. Lady no longer loved him, Scamp had left on a train, and his return to life as a street dog was just a bad attempt to relive his glory days. He found himself missing the love the Darlings had given him, the bond he'd shared with Jim Dear, but he couldn't go back to them and his three lovely daughters while Lady was there.

He really had nothing now. So why do I even care? Why should I care anymore?

His stomach growled, but he'd already eaten the few edible scraps out of the garbage bins in the area. The Tramp looked up at the stores and buildings around him and recognized where he was in the town this night.

Tony's is just a short walk away… I outta' go there, get some bones… anything, he told himself as his stomach growled again. But Tony's is where Lady and I… I can't…

His stomach rumbled a third time, louder than before.

Well, why shouldn't I go to Tony's? I don't care if Lady and I spent our special night there. I don't care about that anymore - I'm hungry and I'm getting food.

And so, the Tramp took off down the sidewalk in the direction of the Tony's restaurant. To his surprise, however, he ran into a dog who, by the looks of it, was just leaving from Tony's himself… a dog he knew only too well.

"Buster," the Tramp huffed irritably, "What are you doing here?"

He expected the Doberman mutt to get angry and make some snide comment, but Buster just hung his head and muttered, "Nothin'."

Buster didn't even bother shoving past the Tramp as he walked away from him. Before he got too far, the Tramp caught up to him and asked, "Well, what's wrong with you, huh? And why aren't you with Lady if she loves you now?"

The Doberman whipped around and snarled at him, "Hey, what's it ta' you? So what if she don't- if she- "

His voice faltered, he turned his head away, and the Tramp could almost swear he heard him sniff back some tears, "B- Buster? What's going on?"

"I- I ain't gonna' talk ta' you about it, that's for sure! Ya' tha' whole reason Lady don't- " Buster growled, but again choked up and couldn't finish the accusation. He was quiet for a moment, save a few more sniffs, but when Buster spoke again, it was in a soft, strained voice.

" …What does it matter now, huh? Why do I even care anymore?"

"Y'know, I was actually just thinking that same thing to myself," the Tramp grinned in spite of himself, "Why do I care anymore? I've got nothing left now. Nothing."

"'Guess we're in tha' same boat then, ain't we?" Buster laughed, a genuine smile on his face, "Just two low-life street dogs with nothin' left."

"Kind of like how it used to be, Buster buddy," the Tramp smiled, shaking his head wearily, "But I don't get it. Don't you still have Lady?"

"I… Y'see… " he tried to explain, but gave up and just asked, " …Look, pal… can we just talk about it together? Just you an' me, talk like how we used to?"

"Sure, Buster. Sure we can."

"Thanks," he smiled, took a deep breath, and then began to talk, "Okay… I met Lady three days ago when I limped into ya' yard - I'd hurt my leg, y'see. When I saw her, I- I thought she was tha' most beautiful dog I'd ever seen in my life. I wanted her, an' when she let me stay with her, after we'd talked an' gotten closer, I… I thought she might want me, too."

"But… I thought Lady did want you… You told me she did, remember?" the Tramp asked, confused, "Yesterday evening, right before I ran out of the yard, you said that Lady loved you now, not me."

"I- I know I said that… but it was a lie," Buster admitted shamefully, "I lied 'cause I wanted Lady for myself, an' I lied ta' get at you… I even lied to Lady an' said that you really had ditched her for Peg."

"…You lied. You lied to both of us," the Tramp's eyes narrowed, but he did not sound angry, just tired and weary.

"I'm sorry. I thought I could get Lady ta' fall in love with me, 'cause she was already mad at you… but she don't love me," Buster sighed. He paused, then began to explain everything that had happened earlier that night between himself and Lady. Buster told how he had tried to have the same bella notte with Lady that she had had with the Tramp nearly a year ago. The Tramp's eyes widened as Buster recounted how he'd even gotten Tony and Joe to set up a candlelit dinner for him and Lady, but it had all come to nothing.

"Tha' reason that Lady couldn't love me is that… she still loves you. Even though she thinks ya' left her ta' be with Peg, Lady told me she still loves you," Buster finished. The Doberman spoke and looked at the Tramp not as though he were an enemy, but a friend that he hadn't seen in a very long time.

"She loves me… She still loves me! I- I can't believe it!" the Tramp cheered, beaming from ear to ear, "And you know what, buddy? I still love her, too! I love her!"

"I'm happy for ya', old buddy," Buster smiled sadly.

The disappointment on Buster's face did not go unnoticed. When he considered how Buster felt, the Tramp felt bad for cheering that Lady still loved him. He was quiet, and then, "…Buster? Buddy, I... I want to know… did you love her, too?"

"Did I love Lady?" Buster huffed, then shook his head sadly, "Maybe a little, yeah. Maybe not at all… but I finally understand why ya' ditched me ta' be with her. Pretty sure I woulda' done tha' same thing if it had been me."

"You really understand, then?"

"Yep. I really do," the Doberman grinned, "I ain't even angry at ya' anymore. I think I got tired of being angry at ya' a long time ago."

Buster thought back to when he'd been in his junkyard and decided that he would find the Tramp to get even with him, to beat him up. Now, Buster knew that what he had really wanted to do was find his old buddy and apologize to him, to make it all okay between them. So yeah, Squeak had been right.

"How about it, Buster buddy? Are we friends again?" the Tramp asked him hopefully.

Just like that, Buster was a puppy once again, determined to climb to the top of the biggest mountain of trash in the town junkyard. He had always fallen before, but this time Buster was determined to be King of the Junkyard.

The Doberman puppy jumped up on a garbage bag, climbed on a broken chair, and crawled further and further up the trash pile. Just when he'd gotten farther than he'd ever gotten before - about six feet off the ground - his paw slipped yet again and he began to fall.

But the Tramp reached up and held out a paw, preventing Buster from falling. The puppy looked down at his friend, who smiled, "Whoa, kid! Don't want you falling down again, do we? Let's get you to the top."

Buster's face lit up with joy as he climbed further up the mountain of trash, the Tramp climbing under him to reach out a helpful paw or allow him to put a foot on his head. Together, they climbed higher and higher up the pile, and together, Buster reached the top.

"Yeah! Woo-hoo! I'm King of the Junkyard!" the Doberman puppy cheered triumphantly, then looked back down at his older friend with a big grin.

"I always knew you were, Buster buddy," the Tramp beamed.

Now, Buster stood facing the Tramp on the sidewalk in the middle of the night, and the Tramp was beaming at him once again.

"Of course we're friends, old buddy," Buster grinned at him, "Of course we are."

"I'm glad to hear that," the mutt laughed happily, but his expression suddenly became worried, "Buster… what am I supposed to do about Lady? Will she believe that I love her?"

"I don't know, pal," Buster shook his head, "Ya' gonna' have ta' ask her that yourself. All I know is that she does still love ya'. I promise she does."

The Tramp nodded, grinning once more, " …Thank you for telling me. It means a lot."

"Don't mention it," Buster smirked, "So what are ya' gonna' do now?"

"Now? Now I've got to go talk to Lady. I've got to clear up this big misunderstanding for good," he explained, then nodded again gratefully and took off down the sidewalk towards the Darlings' home in Snob Hill, all previous hunger gone.

"Good luck, old buddy," Buster smiled. He walked off in the opposite direction, thinking about going back to his junkyard to rest for a while.

As he walked away, the Tramp's question came to his mind… Did he really love Lady? She was certainly different from any girl he'd ever known before; her lovable naivety, her sweet-natured manner, her properness, and her beauty were all unparalleled.

"Okay… maybe I do love her," Buster sighed. Lady had been kinder to him than any other dog ever had aside from the Tramp, and he always felt his heart soar when he was near her. He did love Lady, he couldn't deny it.

But she loved the Tramp, and the Tramp loved her. As much as Buster wanted to be with Lady, he knew in his heart that it wasn't meant to be. Lady and the Tramp belonged together.

He loved her, but he had to let go of her if he wanted to be happy - and right now, having made up with the Tramp, he really was happy. Buster sighed, then looked up at the night sky above the town rooftops and smiled, "I guess sometimes… sometimes we have ta' let go of what we can't have."

And it was okay. Buster knew everything was going to be okay.

Heading towards Snob Hill where the Darlings lived, the Tramp couldn't have been happier. He had finally made up with his old friend Buster, and now he would make up with Lady. She still loved him, and he loved her.

He would have given anything to have Scamp back home with them, but maybe - just maybe - his son would come home to them. Maybe Peg would change her mind and she, Angel, and Scamp would take a train heading back to their town. He had to be optimistic, because everything was going to work out now. He knew it would.

The Tramp's legs were hurting him again, and he could feel himself going slower and slower, but it didn't matter. He had to get home and see Lady. The mutt did his best to pick up the pace, but when he turned the next corner, he had to take a moment to stop and catch his breath.

But a moment was all that it took for a dogcatcher to spot him.

When the Tramp first saw the dogcatcher, he wasn't worried because he knew he had a collar on - until he remembered that he had angrily thrown off his collar when he'd returned to his life on the streets.

The dogcatcher readied his net and quickly ran towards him, the Tramp tried to dart away, but he was still worn out. As fast as he could wasn't fast enough, and the dogcatcher caught up and grabbed him.

The Tramp struggled to break free, but the dogcatcher's grip was strong and his arms were muscular. He was caught, and in the blink of an eye he found himself defeated and locked up in the back of the dogcatcher's vehicle.

The man got into his vehicle and sped off down the street, heading for the pound with yet another collarless street dog. But while it was just another catch for him, this was something that had hardly ever happened to the Tramp.

I don't believe it… he tried to grasp what had just happened as the car drove down the bumpy road. I'm caught - going to the pound - this can't happen!

He couldn't be thrown in the pound like this, not when he was about to return to the Darlings and make up with Lady.

What if the Darlings think I ran away for good? What if they've given up checking the pound? In the dogcatcher's cage, his every fear seemed very real as his heart beat rapidly. Surely not - surely they'll come get me out - won't they?

One thing he knew for sure was that he truly wasn't the street dog he used to be. He wasn't THE Tramp anymore. No, the Tramp would never have gotten caught like this, never.

As the dogcatcher's car bumped away down the town road, Buster managed to catch a glimpse of the unfortunate dog on his way to the pound.

"That's tha' Tramp! But it can't be - he'd never- " Buster stared in shock, but his shock quickly turned to anger.

"You ain't gonna' lock my old buddy up in that pound! I won't let ya'!"