(A/N: Ok, so, this is one I didn't see coming. Now, I make it a rule not to do requests unless they're from family or friends. Well, my grandmother asked me to write this one, and I can't say no to granny. And she surprisingly wanted me to do a Lady And The Tramp story, only featuring them as humans instead of dogs. An interesting request, and an interesting challenge, having to adapt the story in this way. So, yeah, I accepted the request and, here we are. This one's for you, Grandma, hope you like it. Oh, and you all too. Speaking of which, I don't know how many of you saw the live-action remake of the movie, or even knew there was one, but I took certain elements from the remake and incorporated them into this story. It seemed to flow better that way. I'll explain more at the end of the chapter, but if you haven't seen the remake, this is why you might find some changes to characters that are different from the original. Like I said, I'll explain in my Author's Note at the end.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"LADY & THE TRAMP: AS HUMANS"

Chapter 1: The Lady

The neighborhood was beautiful, and a single glance at this section of New Orleans, Louisiana was all it took to determine that this was where the upper-class people lived. And for those who could afford it, it made for the perfect place to raise a family.

But despite the area clearly being meant for those with money, not all felt the need to show off or spend their fortune frivolously. One example was the home of the Brown family. While still clearly of the upper-class, in terms of money, the Brown home gave off a far humbler vibe. This was the home of Lulu Brown.

Having moved to the neighborhood some twenty years ago, Lulu's parents had worked hard to obtain their wealth. And considering they were an interracial couple, with Lulu's mother being African and her father being Caucasian, something that was typically frowned upon during the beginning of the nineteenth century, they had needed to work extra hard. But that didn't stop Jim and Elizabeth Brown from building a happy, loving life together.

Unfortunately, there was one small problem. While both of them wanted children, they were having difficulty in that area. They didn't let that stop them though. When it seemed like having children would be out of the question for them, they simply decided to adopt. And so they welcomed into their lives a newborn baby girl whose biological mother had not survived her birthing that they named Lulu.

Growing up, Lulu wanted for nothing. Despite this, she wasn't spoiled or conceded. With the hardships her parents had faced, they had raised their daughter to be a kind and loving person, affectionately referring to her as their little Lady, a nickname that had eventually stuck, and she was even called by some of her friends.

Now in the year of 1912, at 16 years old, Lady had grown into a fine young woman. She had bushy auburn hair that hung around her shoulders and large brown eyes. While raised to be a proper lady, she was not stuck-up like so many in her parents' social class. However, she was a little naïve to the ways the world worked, a result of her parents being a little too protective of her. She had rarely, if ever, been to the lower-class parts of town, areas where those less fortunate wandered the streets, just trying to get by, some of them ever since they were children.

But while Lady was not indifferent towards such individuals, she was ignorant to their plights and ways of life, spending her days working on her studies, spending time with her parents and friends, or interacting with other children of the upper-class level. And so Lady had spent the first 16 years of her life growing up happy and healthy.

That was 16 years to the day in fact. Yes, today was Lady's 16th birthday. And while this usually called for a party involving her friends and family, that would instead be taking place tomorrow this year. And since Lady had no lessons today, she spent her morning outside, enjoying the nice weather as her mother cooked breakfast.

As Lady stood over the flower garden, she hummed happily to herself as she watered the flowers. She and her mother had grown this garden together, and it grew all along the fence that surrounded the property, up to the side of the house. But as she took care of and admired the flowers, a shadow fell over her from the other side of the fence.

Despite this being the "rich" side of town, there was the occasional, "street urchin", as some of the snootier neighbors referred to them, that came walking through. It seemed one of them was here now. It was a tall middle-aged man, who looked like he hadn't bathed for several days, his long hair messy and matted, and his face scruffy and in need of a shave. Lady's nose confirmed his lack of bathing, and she tried not to recoil from the stench so as not to be rude.

The man had a mousy appearance, almost making him look like a rat, particularly with his big ears that stuck out and pointy nose. He also had large front teeth that became more visible when he grinned at her, exposing the rest of his yellow, cavity-filled teeth.

"Hello, girl," he said to her. "Nice morning, isn't it?"

A feeling of unease went through Lady. While her parents had taught her to be wary of strangers, Lady tried not to judge others before she got to know them. However, this man was given her an eerie vibe that was sending up red flags. Mostly, it was his eyes. Not only did she not like how he was looking at her, there was something dark in his eyes that set her nerves on edge and made her feel very uncomfortable.

But her parents had taught her to not to judge others by their appearance. And while the man may have startled her a bit, all he had actually done was greet her. Besides, there was a fence that separated the two of them, and she could always run inside if he tried anything. So, not wanting to be rude, she gave the man a nod in greeting.

"Good morning, sir," she said, trying not to show her discomfort. "How are you today?"

His smile widened and he draped himself over the fence a bit. "Better than I've been in a long time." His eyes briefly went from her down to the flowers, then back to her. "You have a very lovely garden. Did you grow all these flowers by yourself?"

He leaned forward, letting an arm hang over the fence. Lady's eyes went to the hand hanging down as his dirty, broken fingernails drummed against the side of the fence. He still hadn't actually done anything wrong, but her discomfort increased. "No, my mother and I planted them together."

The man cocked his head to the side. "Aww, now isn't that sweet. Some mother-daughter bonding. Tell me, where is your mother now? And how about your dad? Are they home right now?"

Lady took a step back. "They're in the house. Do you need something? Should I call for them?"

A laugh escaped the man. "Oh, no, that's not necessary. I was just passing through and I picked up this."

He pulled back the arm hanging over the fence and produced a rolled-up newspaper. Lady eyed it suspiciously as he held it out to her.

"I believe this is for your house," he told her. "It was lying in your driveway. Since you were right out here, I figured I could just give it to you." He gave it a little shake. "Go on, take it."

Lady didn't move. Something about this whole situation wasn't sitting well with her. She eyed the newspaper in his hand, but didn't go for it, not wanting to get within arm's reach of the man. She made a point of glancing down at the garden in front of her before looking back at the man.

"Thank you," she said. "Could you toss it? I don't want to step on any flowers."

The man's grin just widened and he stretched his arm out further. "Just reach for it. Come on, you're a big girl, you can get it."

Yes, she probably could, but she still didn't want to get any closer to the man. Before she could say anything more though, she heard her mother call to her. "Lulu, breakfast is ready!"

Lady almost let out a sigh of relief as she turned to the house and waved. "Ok, Mom, I'm coming." She turned back to the man. "I have to go now."

A dark look fell over the man's face as he scowled. "Yeah, yeah. Here's your rotten paper."

He tossed it into her yard, throwing it much further away from her so she would need to walk for it. As he did so, she caught a glimpse of the shirt he wore beneath his overcoat. It had thick, vertical black and white stripes, and her mind immediately went to prison uniforms. She didn't get a good look at it though before he pulled his arms back.

"See you around, girly," he growled, and walked off.

Lady watched him go, her heart pounding in her chest. With every step he took away from her, she breathed a little easier. And as he disappeared around the corner, a frown made its way across her face.

That had been… frightening. But why? The man hadn't actually done anything to her. He just exchanged a few pleasantries and tried to give her this morning's paper. She recalled what her parents had said about being wary of strangers, but not judging them. She hadn't been judging him, had she? She didn't think so. But then why did the man scare her?

She shook her head. He was gone now, that's all that mattered. He was just some bum passing through the neighborhood. And odds were, she would never see him again. There was nothing to worry about.

Walking across the yard, she retrieved the newspaper he had thrown before heading inside. This had been an unusual start to the morning, but it was still her birthday, and she wasn't going to let this encounter ruin it.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

About twenty minutes later, Lady had practically forgotten about the man. Her mother had cooked a big breakfast in light of her birthday, and the family of three were seated at the table together, enjoying the meal.

As was the norm, her father had his nose buried in the newspaper. Lady hadn't mentioned the encounter with the man, seeing as nothing had happened. Besides, her father was likely worried about the things he was reading. There had been a lot of talk about rising tensions and conflict between the different nations of the world, and some people felt it could lead to a war the likes of which the world had never seen before. Lady certainly hoped not.

But as her father turned a page, folding the paper so as to better read it, a picture on the paper caught Lady's attention. It was a picture of a man who looked an awful lot like the one she had seen in the backyard earlier. That wasn't what concerned her though. No, what really bothered her were the words for the headline the picture went with that read PRISONER ESCAPE.

Her mind began jumping to conclusions, but she tried to push those thoughts aside as she asked, "Dad, who's that?"

Her father poked his head out from behind the paper and glanced at the picture she was pointing at. "Oh, Herman Ratcliff. He's a convict who escaped from prison a few days ago. The police are on the lookout for him."

A feeling of unease coiled in Lady's stomach. "Why? What'd he do?"

Her fathered folded the paper and took a closer look at the article. "Let's see. Crimes include theft, assault, breaking and entering, mur–"

"Jim Dear," his wife interrupted, using the pet-name Lady often heard her mother call him, despite the sharpness of her tone, "there's no need to talk about such things with her."

He chuckled at that. "Yes, you're right, Darling," he replied, using his own pet-name for her. "You're always right."

Lady frowned, not happy that they weren't willing to discuss the subject with her. "Do you think they'll catch him?"

Her father reached out and patted her hand. "Don't you worry about it, my Lady. The law always comes through in the end."

Her mother glanced at her curiously. "Why are you so interested?"

Lady hesitated. "Well, when I was outside earlier, I thought I saw someone who looked like him."

Her parents stared at her for several moments, but then her father gave her a reassuring smile. "I wouldn't worry about it. I highly doubt it was him. He's on the run, so he wouldn't come to a place like this; someone like him would stand out far too much, and he wouldn't want to draw attention to himself. No, he would likely go to the other part of town where he can blend in."

"But," her mother told her, "just to be safe, don't go anywhere alone for now."

Lady nodded. "I won't. I'll make sure to stay with Jacque at all times."

Jacqueline, or Jacque, as everyone called her, was Lady's best friend, and one of the few people who didn't call her Lady. The two of them had been friends since they were small girls. She was a little stuck-up and had no problem saying exactly what was on her mind, but she was a kind and loyal friend who always had Lady's best interest at heart.

Her father smiled and gave her an approving nod. "That's my girl. I'll walk you over there in a little bit. Which reminds me."

He set the newspaper down and got up, walking to the other side of the room. He opened a drawer and took out a small wrapped present, then returned to the table.

"Happy birthday, Lulu," he said, handing the present to her.

Lady's face lit up as she took the present. "Thank you! But I thought we weren't going to do presents until my party tomorrow."

Her mother smiled as she sat down next to her husband. "We couldn't have our little Lady have her actual birthday go by without giving her something."

Lady beamed happily and eagerly tore off the wrapping paper. She opened the box and let out a gasp at the sight of the golden chain necklace with a small jewel hanging at the end.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, taking the necklace from the box.

She hurried over to a mirror and quickly put it on, admiring the necklace as it rested against her chest. Her parents came up behind her, smiling as they watched their daughter fawn over her present.

"My, it does look nice," her mother told her. "So grown up."

Her father nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're not a little girl anymore."

Beaming, Lady turned around. "Nope, I'm your big girl." She hugged them both. "Thank you so much, I love it! I can't wait to show Jacque."

Her father patted her back. "Then go get ready, I'll take you over now."

Lady nodded and hurried off. Her parents watched her go, smiling with pride over their daughter. They were glad she liked her gift, but it wasn't the only one she would be getting. Her second present, however, wouldn't be ready for several more months. They planned to tell her about it after her party tomorrow.

"Jim Dear, do you really think she'll be happy?" Elizabeth asked, her hand going to her currently still flat stomach.

Jim rubbed his wife's arm encouragingly. "Of course, she'll be ecstatic. Our Lady will make a wonderful big sister."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

A few minutes later, Lady and her father were making their way across the street to Jacque's house. Normally, Lady would make the walk alone, but in light of the prisoner escape, they were being cautious, just in case. So her father was escorting her there before heading off to work.

He carried a suitcase full of overnight essentials for his daughter since Lady would be spending the night, allowing her mother to set up for the party tomorrow without Lady seeing the decorations and stuff ahead of time.

After being greeted and wished a happy birthday by Jacque's mother, Lady bid her father goodbye. She was informed that Jacque was having tea in the backyard, and Lady made her way through the house. She took note of the different kind of party decorations that filled her friend's house, and her smile widened, knowing what they were for. She didn't mind her own party taking place the day after her birthday in light of this event.

Upon entering the backyard, she found Jacque sitting at a table, sipping tea, just as the girl's mother said she was. Jacque was a few months younger than Lady with frizzy black hair. Her favorite color was purple, the color of royalty, as she liked to so elegantly put it, and so often wore purple dresses, much like the frilly one she was wearing now. She sat straight and proud at the table, taking small sips of tea with her eyes closed and her pinkie finger extended; always so proper.

"Hello, Jacque," Lady greeted.

Jacque's eyes opened and she smiled in delight at the sight of her friend. "Lulu, so good to see you!" She set down her tea and got up to give Lady a hug. "And Happy Birthday to you as well."

"Thanks," Lady replied and took a step back, sticking her chest out a bit to show off her new necklace. "Notice anything different?"

Jacque raised an eyebrow and looked Lady up and down. Truth be told she wasn't a very observant person, and so ended up overlooking Lady's new jewelry. Lady made an attempt to get her to notice by brushing her hair back, but even that didn't seem to work.

"You had your hair stylized?" Jacque randomly guessed due to the movement.

Lady resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had worn her hair the same way for years, parted at the center by two hairclips so it hung on either side of her head. "No, not that."

Jacque frowned, her eyes going from Lady's hair to her hands. "You got a manicure?"

Lady almost laughed at that. "Mm-mm. Guess again."

A resigned sigh escaped the younger girl. "I have no idea."

Deciding to help her friend out a little more, Lady shimmied her shoulders, making the necklace flop against her chest. The movement caught Jacque's eye, finally drawing her attention to it.

"Oh, a new necklace!" she exclaimed.

Lady nodded. "My parents gave it to me for my birthday."

"They have good taste. That's quite the rock in it." She gave Lady a look. "I guess they gave it to you now instead of at your party tomorrow since today's your actual birthday."

Lady nodded again. "That's what they said. Now I can wear it to the party tomorrow."

A small frown fell across Jacque's face. "I'm sorry about the timing. Your party really should be today."

But Lady quickly shook her head at that. "Don't be ridiculous. It's not like the timing is anyone's fault. Besides, I have a birthday every year. It's not every day your brother comes back."

As if on cue, a cheerful voice came from the other side of the fence. "Did I hear someone talking about me?"

Both Lady and Jacque's heads turned to the fence to see the smiling face of a young man looking over it. Forgetting all about proper etiquette, Jacque let out a joyful squeal and ran to the fence, jumping up and throwing her arms around him. The man laughed as he pretended to almost get pulled over.

"Whoa there, little sister," he exclaimed. "I just got back, and you're already trying to kill me."

"I missed you!" Jacque cried. "Letters aren't enough!"

"Well then let me go so I can come and give you a proper hug."

Jacque reluctantly let him go, and the man hurried around to the other side of the house. This was the reason why Lady's party had been pushed back a day, because Jacque's brother was returning from the army. He was twelve years older than either of them, quite the age gap, and had reluctantly joined the army a few years ago at his father's insistence, wanting his son to serve their country. Jacque loved her brother dearly and had been heartbroken to have him leave. As far as Lady was concerned, celebrating his return took precipice over her birthday, so she had been fine with the delay.

Since Lady and Jacque had grown up together, Tristan had been like a big brother to her as well. The guy was honest to a tee and completely trustworthy. In fact, Lady couldn't recall a single time he had ever once told a lie in his entire life. It was because of this that everyone called him Trusty, including Jacque and their parents.

Not waiting for him to come to them, Lady and Jacque rushed inside. They beat him to the front door, and Jacque once again threw her arms around Trusty, nearly knocking him off his feet. Once he regained his balance though, he wrapped his arms around her and spun her around.

"Ok, ok, I missed you too, Jacque," he told her as he set her down. Placing his hand on the top of her head, he lined it up with his chest. "Look how big you got. You're all the way up to here on me now."

"And look at you," she replied, poking his shoulder. "You put on a lot of muscle."

He smiled at that. "All the better to protect my baby sister." His gaze then went to Lady. "And is that Miss Lady? You've gotten just as big as Jacque. No, actually, you're taller."

"Hey!" Jacque cried.

Lady giggled and went to hug him as well. "It's so good to see you again, Trusty. It's the best birthday present you could have given me."

Trusty snapped his fingers. "Of course, it's your birthday! How could I possibly have forgotten? Oh, wait," he reached into his bag and pulled out a rose, "I didn't."

He handed the rose to her, and Lady blushed as she accepted it. She didn't need to look at Jacque to know that her friend was positively beaming. She would often comment how Lady and her brother should get married when she grew up so the two of them would be sisters. However, that wasn't happening. Lady only thought of Trusty as a big brother figure, and she knew that he only saw her as a little sister figure, and that was just fine with both of them, despite Jacque's hopes.

Truth be told, Lady didn't know many boys her own age. Sure, there were some she interacted with, but there were none besides Trusty that she was really friendly with, and none that she had taken a romantic interest in.

She was sure there was someone out there for her though, and when she met him, she hoped she would find the kind of love that her parents had. The kind worth fighting for, no matter how different they were. And who knew, whoever they were, they could end up walking into her life any day now.

(A/N: So, like I said, interesting adapting the story using humans instead of dogs. Obviously to make this work I had to change a few things around, like making the rat an escaped convict, giving certain characters human names instead of animal names, but keeping them as as nicknames, making Jacque and Trusty siblings with the latter serving in the army. Things like that. And as I said at the beginning, if you saw the live-action Lady And The Tramp, then you'll notice that I took some changes from the original the remake did and applied them here, like having Jock be Jacque, as a felt a girl friend made more sense for Lady to have, and even making Lady's real name be Lulu, the name of the baby in the remake, and having Lady be her nickname, or having Jim and Elizabeth be an interracial couple since such a thing was frowned upon back then, as it would result in them and by extension Lady be more accepting of others, which will help Lady understand Tramp more later and not be conceited towards him or anything due to their different social classes. Just small details like that, I think it makes the story flow better with these things added in. But let me know what you think so far.)