Discussed starter for @jazzborn
Well... here she was again.
She didn’t... regret any of what had happened these last few days, not really. At times it may have been awkward, fearful... painful. But over all, Angel would firmly tell herself that the outcome had been the best possible. She’d done her ‘good deed’ by helping to return Scamp to his family; she’d got to meet her hero, at least briefly in passing; and she’d got out from beneath Buster’s thumb once and for all. She didn’t know where he was now - still trapped under that heap in the junkyard, maybe - and she didn’t rightly care. He had been knocked off his high horse, and she no longer bowed down to him.
Still, for a moment... just a moment...
She had almost hoped things would be different. Scamp had been inviting her back home with him, Angel knew, and she’d almost followed his lead... except she hadn’t, quite. She’d sworn off ever taking a family again, knowing far too well that they’d only end in tears, ultimately; and so she’d ignored Scamp calling after her, had ignored the ache in her heart, and had turned her back and left.
Somehow, it didn’t feel as bad as she’d anticipated. In standing up to Buster, in walking out on him rather than begging and pleading to remain in his gang, she’d won back a sliver of the self-respect that she’d abandoned months ago... so, even as she nosed around in the trash for scraps, just as she always had... she could at least do it while feeling good about herself for once.
It was only as she raised her head that Angel realised she wasn’t alone in the dark alleyway. A flicker of movement, a shadow on the wall... she paused in her motion; not afraid, but still wary. It could be a rat, or an unwelcoming human, or...
Her eyes widened as they found the form of the other, an actual smile touching her face. There were very few people who Angel would greet with a genuine expression, but...
“Peg? My goodness, it’s been so long.”
...An old friend definitely counted.