Author's Note: The idea for this fic came from my friend ellenvictoria22. Read her fic "The Diet" to see where my inspiration came from.
"Come on, Little Ricky," Lucy sighed as she tried to put her two and a half year old son on the floor with his blocks. He had been extremely clingy to her since Ricky had left very early that morning to have a breakfast meeting with Dore Schary and had only napped for an hour after lunch.
"No, Mami! Up!" the little boy insisted.
"Alright, would you like me to read to you?" she asked, hoping that a quiet activity might lull her son back to sleep, even if it was in her arms.
"Yay!" he replied excitedly as he clapped his hands.
Picking up "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," Lucy couldn't help but smirk. It wasn't surprising, given his love for anything with fur, that Little Ricky's favorite book would be one about a rabbit, but it was quite ironic that said rabbit would be mischievous, just as Little Ricky was.
As she began to read, Little Ricky curled against her chest and began to suck his thumb, and for a few brief minutes, Lucy thought he might actually drift off to sleep. Near the end of the story; however, Little Ricky raised his head and looked toward the closed door of their hotel suite.
"Papi!" he screamed as the door opened, both interrupting and startling his mother.
"Hi, ol' man. Hi, honey," Ricky greeted his family, kissing them both.
"Boy are we glad to see you!" Lucy chuckled softly.
"Yeah?" he asked, raising an eye brow.
"Your son," she emphasized. "Has barely let me put him down all day. He insisted on eating lunch on my lap and would only nap for an hour. I think he missed his father."
"Did you miss Papi, amigo?" Ricky asked his son, taking him from Lucy.
In reply, Little Ricky immediately flung his arms around his father's neck and buried his head in the space between his neck and shoulder.
"I think that's a yes," Lucy laughed.
"I'm sorry I haven't been around much this week for either of you," he said as he rubbed Little Ricky's back. "But I have the rest of the day off."
"That'll make one little boy very happy," Lucy said coyly.
"An' wha' about his mami?" Ricky whispered in her ear.
"Her, too," she whispered in return before kissing him. When the kiss broke, she settled herself next to Ricky with a section of the newspaper, happy to enjoy the quiet and closeness of her family.
Putting the arm that wasn't supporting his son around his wife, Ricky sighed with contentment as well.
"Honey, have you heard anyone down at the studio say anything about the new animated movie that just came out?" Lucy asked, directing Ricky's attention to a review of the movie.
"Lady an' the Tramp... Look at that honey! They made a movie 'bout us!" Ricky joked.
"Oh you!" she sighed, swatting her husband with the paper, but careful not to disturb their son, who still seemed to be awake, but had his eyes closed.
"Actually I have," Ricky laughed before becoming serious. "Some of the guys at the studio have taken their kids. It's 'pposed to be a really good movie."
"We should take Little Ricky," Lucy voiced her idea.
"Lucy, he's not even three years ol'. Dun't ya think he's a bit young for a movie?"
"Oh, come on, honey," she pleaded. "You know how much he loves animals. This would be the perfect movie for him."
"Oh, alright." Ricky chuckled.
"Great! There's a matinee in an hour and a half. You get Little Ricky's diaper bag ready and I'll go change," Lucy said excitedly as she made her way to the bedroom.
Once they were at the theater, Ricky went to buy the tickets. "You want anythin'?" he asked upon his return.
"No. It'll be too dark for me to supervise Little Ricky eating popcorn so he doesn't choke and he certainly doesn't need any c-a-n-d-y," Lucy explained.
"Alright," he chuckled. "Let's go."
For the first time, Ricky and Lucy chose a seat toward the front and center of the theater to make sure that Little Ricky could see clearly. "This is a bit different than the other movies we've seen," Ricky observed, whispering into Lucy's ear.
She said nothing, but gave him an impish smile. Settling Little Ricky in her lap, Lucy laced her fingers through Ricky's.
As the movie began, Little Ricky excitedly screamed, "Puppy"!
"Shhh!" Lucy blushed furiously, in spite of the amused chuckles of their fellow movie goers. "You need to be quiet and be a good boy."
"Sorry, Mami," Little Ricky pouted.
Lucy comforted him by rubbing his back and kissing his cheek. Once Little Ricky was quietly captivated by the plot on the screen, both parents divided their attention between the movie, their son, and each other. Both were watching the movie when the dinner scene between Lady and Tramp began to play. As the dogs began eating the same strand of spaghetti, Lucy and Ricky simultaneously choked on the air that had been in their throats and turned, wide eyed, to look at each other.
"They stole my idea!" Ricky whispered in Lucy's ear when the shock had passed enough for him to speak.
At his comment, she could only cover her mouth to muffle the laughter that was threatening to erupt from her stomach.
"I jus' hope they din't steal my other idea from that night," he whispered again, this time his tone was much more seductive. "I dun't want my son learnin' about the birds an' the bees from a movie... or dogs..."
At Ricky's words, Lucy shivered as she remembered the night of romance and the emotional night of making love a few years prior. The movie forgotten, the pair locked eyes for the remainder of the film, silently conveying feelings of loving and devotion to the other.
