(A/N: Well as you can tell from the chapter title, we're at the most iconic part of the whole movie. Unfortunately, due to FFN's rules, I can't post song lyrics, so I had to cut them here, but it works just as well without them. Obviously, since neither Lady nor Tramp are dogs here, the famous spaghetti scene won't be exactly the same, but I worked with what I had.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 5: Bella Notte

"Well, here we are," Tramp told her.

Lady's eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw where they were. "The zoo?"

He smiled at her. "You don't like animals?"

She did, she just hadn't been expecting for him to take her to such a place. But now that she thought about it, she hadn't been sure where he was going to take her, but she trusted him. That may have sounded incredibly naïve of her, but it was true.

"I love the zoo," she replied. "I haven't been here since I was a little kid." She frowned then. "But I don't have any money for a ticket."

He winked at her. "Not to worry, I have my own way in."

He gave her hand a light tug, and she followed him, wondering what he meant by his own way in. But she found out a few minutes later when they came to a stop beside a tree near the wall surrounding the zoo.

"I'll go first, then help you," he told her, and suddenly began climbing the tree.

As Lady's eyes scanned the tree, she noticed that one of its branches nearly reached the top of the wall, and it suddenly clicked as to what he was doing.

"We can't sneak in!" she whispered loudly, as if she were afraid of being overheard.

Tramp glanced down at her. "Why not?"

"It's illegal!"

He laughed at that. "It's illegal to look at animals?"

Lady opened and closed her mouth a few times. "I… well… that is… Yes! It's stealing!"

Laughing some more, he shook his head. "Stealing? From who? No one is losing any money or having anything taken away. Literally nothing will change whether we go see the animals or not."

Biting her lower lip, Lady considered this. She supposed he had a point in that sense, but she still knew it was wrong. "But it's trespassing."

This time he rolled his eyes. "You're adorable, you know that? They let people in here by the hundreds every day. It's not like it's private property or anything. Come on, Pidge, no one is getting hurt or losing anything. So we're doing something we're not supposed to do, so what? It's really not that bad, and as long as no one sees us sneak in, it won't even matter."

Lady thought on this further. Technically, he was right, but there were still rules and laws in place for a reason; it didn't matter if no one got hurt or if there was no financial loss. Should she really go along with this?

"Come on," Tramp urged, leaning down and holding his hand down to her. "I promise it'll be worth it."

Oh, he was definitely a bad influence on her. But the truth was, she kind of liked it. She had been prime and proper her whole life. The thought of being a little bad sent a bit of an excited thrill through her. Who would have thought that she had such a rebellious streak in her? Maybe it was even her way of rebelling against her aunt's strictness.

Deciding that sneaking into the zoo wasn't the worst sin ever committed, she reached for his hand. He helped her climb the tree, telling her where to step as he pulled her up. Her dress got caught on a few branches and ended up tearing, but she found she didn't really care; it was already dirty and messed up anyway.

Once she had reached the branch Tramp was on, he guided her across it until they reached the wall. Tramp hoisted himself up and then pulled her up as well. But as they turned around, Lady froze. If they dropped down from here, they would land right into the alligator exhibit!

"Ready?" Tramp asked.

"Are you crazy!?" she exclaimed in horror. "Those are alligators!"

He just laughed at her obvious fear. "Relax, it'll be fine. Just don't go near the water. I've done this dozens of times. Look." He pointed to the solid ground beneath them that led up to the wall of the alligator exhibit. "We'll just walk right along there and climb right out, no problem. It'll take ten seconds. Here, watch me."

He hopped down. The alligators that were in the water remained there, and the three sunbathing on the ground a dozen or so feet away stayed where they were. Tramp calmly walked across the ground and up to the wall. He jumped up, grabbing the top, and hoisted himself up. He sat on top of it and waved Lady over.

"See, no problem," he called to her.

Lady hesitated and glanced down at the alligators. They hadn't so much as moved from their spots when Tramp walked through, and he had made it look so easy…

Heart pounding, Lady dropped down. Unlike Tramp though, she made a run for the wall, reaching it in just a few seconds. She tried to jump up to grab the top of the wall, but couldn't reach it. She was a head shorter than Tramp and couldn't quite reach as high.

"I can't get up!" she cried fearfully. "Help me!"

"My bad," Tramp told her apologetically. "I didn't account for the fact that I'm taller than you. Here, grab my hand, I'll pull you up."

He leaned over the side and reached for her. Lady leapt up and grabbed his hand. She was nervous though and her hand was sweaty, so as she tried to climb up the wall, her muddy shoes slid against it and she slipped out of his grip, dropping to the ground.

Tramp winced. "Ooh, you ok?"

Lady grumbled as she sat up. "I'm fine. Sorry."

He shook his head. "No, I'm sorry I dropped you. Want me to come down and give you a boost? It might be easier that– Whoa! WHOA!"

Lady looked up and saw that his gaze wasn't on her. She followed his line of vision and spotted a rather large alligator exiting the water and start stalking towards her. Letting out a cry, she climbed to her feet and began hopping up against the wall. "Get me out! Get me out!"

Tramp lunged for her, grabbing her wrist. She grasped his arm as well and he yanked her up the wall and out of the exhibit. Down below, the alligator reached the wall and looked up, letting out a low growl.

Tramp held Lady as she clung to him, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. He began gently shushing her as he stroked her back soothingly. "It's ok, it's ok," he told her quietly. "They never did that before."

Lady was hyperventilating as she held him tightly. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! That was so scary!"

Now that the danger had passed, Tramp couldn't help but to smile. And as much as he enjoyed having Lady cling to him like this, he pulled back and gave her a proud look. "But you did it! Look, you made it. You ran through an alligator exhibit and escaped the jaws of death. I don't imagine any of your friends can say they did anything like that."

No, they most definitely couldn't. Except perhaps for Trusty's time in the army, none of her friends could say they had done anything so dangerous and reckless… or exciting.

Slowly, she pried herself off him and looked down into the alligator exhibit. "I can't believe I did that."

"But you did," Tramp told her again, grinning proudly. "How's it feel?"

"I…" Lady muttered, at a loss for words. "I don't know."

Tramp laughed again. "Well, you should feel proud. I'm proud of you. And now we can enjoy the zoo together. Look, the beavers are right over there." He held his arm out for her to take like a real gentleman. "Shall we?"

Lady glanced at his arm, then at him. Her heart was still pounding, and she still wasn't sure about having snuck in like this. But when he looked at her like that, she felt her insides melt. He'd said he had been proud of her. She like that she had made him proud.

And also, she was proud of herself as well. She was finding that she wasn't just some dainty rich girl who couldn't handle anything tough. And now that the dangerous part was over, she had to admit, she had found it exciting.

As she looped her arm through his, she wondered what other things she would learn about herself today.

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They spent the whole day at the zoo, seeing all the animals from A through Z. Once Lady had gotten over worrying that they would be caught, she began to relax and really have fun. She began to feel like a little kid again as she excitedly ran from one exhibit to the other, pointing out the animals that Tramp could clearly see for himself.

Tramp found himself smiling a lot as he watched Lady take delight in the different exhibits. As he got to know her more, he found that she was very different from the other rich girls he had come across in his life. She wasn't stuck-up or snobby, and she didn't look down on him for living on the streets.

He also found that he was liking her more and more. He may have been a player, but he was beginning to think he could have something real with her. It may have been crazy to think about, but he found himself hoping.

It was late in the evening by the time they finished. The sun was just beginning to set as they headed for the exit. Lady started to worry that they would get caught while leaving, but Tramp assured her that no one would even notice. After all, they didn't need to hand in a ticket to leave the zoo.

"They're looking for people sneaking in, not going out," he told her.

And he was right. They walked right through the exit gate without drawing a single suspicious eye their way.

Hand-in-hand, they walked through town, and just as it was getting dark, Lady's stomach grumbled. She turned red in embarrassment as she recalled that she hadn't eaten since breakfast, having been having too much fun to realize just how hungry she was.

She glanced embarrassingly at Tramp, but he just flashed her a smile. "Sounds like my girl is hungry."

Her heart skipped a beat when he called her his girl. She knew he probably didn't mean it the way it sounded, but still, she liked it.

Just then, Tramp's stomach growled as well, even louder than hers. She glanced down at it, then looked at him, and Tramp threw his head back and laughed.

"Seems like our stomachs are in sync," he told her. He motioned with his head. "Come on, I know a few places."

With their conjoined hands swinging between them, he led her through town until they reached the chain of restaurants he frequented at. Here he came to a stop as he looked at the different places, his gaze eventually landing on one in particular.

"Hey, Tony's!" he exclaimed. He glanced at Lady and gave her hand a squeeze. "You ever been here before?" When she shook her head, he smiled broadly. "You're gonna love it. Best Italian food I've ever had."

Lady's gaze went to the restaurant, then she glanced down at herself. In her torn, dirty dress that was showing off far too much skin than what her aunt would deem acceptable, and she suddenly felt immodest. And that didn't even take the state of her clothes into consideration.

"But I look horrible right now," she commented.

He gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. "Nonsense, you look beautiful. Besides, we're not dining with the commoners. I have my own special V.I.P. spot."

Lady wasn't sure what he meant by that, but let him lead her behind the restaurant. Here he let go of her hand and told her to wait where she was as he walked up to the backdoor.

"Oh, by the way," he said just before he knocked, "they know me as Butch here, so just go with that, ok?"

At her nod, he knocked on the door. A few moments later, the top part of the back door opened, and Tramp quickly ducked out of sight as the owner himself appeared.

A frown crossed Tony's face as he looked around. "What's a-matter?" he asked in a heavy Italian accent. "Someone a-makin' da April Fool with–"

Smirking, Tramp suddenly popped out. "Surprise!"

A startled look crossed over Tony's face, but then he smiled. "Oh, hello, Butch! Where you been so long?"

Tramp shrugged. "Ah, you know me. Constantly going from here to there."

Tony laughed as he reached out and ruffled Tramp's head. "You need-a to learn to settle, kid." Then he called over his shoulder. "Hey, Joe, looks who's here!"

From around the corner inside, the head chef popped his head out and beamed. "Well, what do you know, Butch is back! I knew you couldn't keep away from my cooking for too long."

Tony laughed as he opened the bottom part of the door to step outside and wrap an arm around Tramp's shoulder. "He's a growin' boy. He need-a to eat. Don' worry, Butchy, I'll have Joe fix-a you up somethin'."

Tramp gave him an appreciative smile. "You guys are the best. But before that…"

He turned to Lady and waved her over. She hesitated for a moment, thinking of how she must look again, but then stepped out of the shadows. Tramp held his hand out to her and she took it, allowing him to pull her to his side.

Tony's eyes lit up as he removed his arm from around Tramp and gave her a friendly smile. "Ah, what's this? A special-a friend o' yours?"

Lady felt her cheeks warm. "Hello, I'm Lulu. Lulu Brown."

Beaming, Tony bowed to her dramatically. "A pleasure to meet-a you, my dear." Then he called back over his shoulder. "Hey, Joe, Butch he's got a new girlfriend!"

Lady blushed harder as the head chef actually stepped outside this time. "Well, a son of a gun. Butch, you sly dog, you really know how to pick 'em."

"Of course," Tony declared, clamping Tramp on the shoulder. "Our boy here's got-a good taste."

Lady didn't think her face could get any reader as Tony winked at her. Tramp just laughed as he addressed the restaurant owner. "Do you think you could give us something a little fancy? I'll be happy to work a job for you to pay you back."

Tony almost looked insulted as he waved this off. "Nonsense, my boy! Tonight, you gets the best in the house, no charge."

"No, Tony, I couldn't."

"I insist. Now, you twos sit tight, I'll be right-a back."

He headed back inside, leaving the two of them behind. A feeling of giddiness bubbled up inside Lady. Tony had called her Tramp's girlfriend. And Tramp hadn't corrected him. Did that mean that they were official? The thought made Lady feel as if she were going to burst with happiness.

"Your friend seems nice," she commented, trying to hide just how giddy she felt.

Tramp smiled. "Yeah, Tony's a great guy. I've done a few jobs for him over the years. His English may not be the best, so it can be a little hard to understand him at times, but I can proudly say that he's the closest thing to a father that I've got."

She glanced at him curiously at that. Now that she thought about it, despite all the talking they had done today, Tramp had never once mentioned his family. She figured he was an orphan since he lived on the street. While she had spoken of her family quite a bit, he hadn't said a word about his. She wondered why, but thought it might be too painful for him.

Both Tony and Joe returned a few minutes later. Much to Lady's surprise, they brought out a small table and chairs for them. They even completed it with a candle that Tony lit. It was a simple enough thing, but Lady couldn't help but think it was sweet, and it fell very romantic.

"So," said Tony as he provided them some breadsticks and handed them both a menu, "what can I gets for you? Pick anything-a you want."

Tramp sighed. "You're too good to me, Tony.

The restaurant owner smiled as he poured them both some water. "Anything-a for you, my boy. By the way," he leaned in to whisper in Tramp's ear, "you take-a Tony's advice and a-make sure you hang onto this-a one. I can tell-a that she's a keeper, eh?"

Tramp had to hold back a grin. "You're right, she's something special."

Lady looked up from the menu, catching them whispering to each other. "Is everything alright?"

Tony stood up. "Everything is a-fine, my dear. Now, what sounds a-good?"

Lady glanced down at the menu again. "It all sounds so delicious. I could honestly eat anything right now though."

Tramp laughed. "What would you suggest, Tony?"

The restaurant owner proudly puffed out his chest. "Tonight's special-a is the spaghetti."

Lady's mouth watered. "That sounds great!"

Her stomach growled following her response, making Tramp laugh again. "We'll take two of those, please."

Tony nodded in approval as he took back the menus. "A-ha, ok. Hey, Joe, Butch-a and his girl would like-a two spaghetti," he winked at them, "heavy on the meats-a-ball."

They heard Joe's response from inside. "Coming up, Tony. Just let me take care of Table 4."

An irritated look crossed Tony's face. "That can wait! Bring the kids their food! Tonight-a they get the best in the house!"

"Ok, Tony, I'll bring it now. You the boss."

A few moments later, he came out with a large pot of spaghetti. Tony took it from him, giving him a look that suggested that he should have known that this was more important. He then returned to Lady and Tramp's little table and set the pot down.

"Here you are," he declared loudly. "The best spaghetti in town!"

Tramp gave him a grateful look. "You're the best, Tony."

"Yes, thank you," Lady added.

Tony smiled happily. "Think a-nothin' of it. You kids-a enjoy."

He ducked back inside, leaving the two of them alone. Lady shifted in her seat, feeling somewhat awkward. She had never been on a date before, or even courted, and so was feeling nervous. Tramp seemed rather at ease though, but seemed to pick up on her nervousness. He gave her a heart-melting smile and filled her plate with a steaming helping of spaghetti.

Lady still felt nervous as they began eating. Regardless of the compliments that both Tramp and Tony had given her, she knew she must look a sight. She tried to make up for it though by being extra dainty, not getting so much as a drop of sauce on her mouth.

Picking up on her behavior, Tramp raised an eyebrow at her. When she looked at him, he smirked and forked a single string of spaghetti into his mouth. He then sucked it up, the end of the noodle flicking against his nose, leaving a red spot from the sauce.

It served to break the tension, making Lady laugh. Tramp laughed as well as she took her napkin and dabbed the sauce off his nose. After that, Lady was a lot more relaxed, and the two of them enjoyed their meal with no further discomfort.

Halfway through dinner, music from inside the restaurant was suddenly heard, and both Tony and Joe emerged, the former with an accordion and the latter with a banjo. They began playing for the two of them as Tony began singing in a surprisingly good singing voice.

Both Lady and Tramp shifted to sit closer together as they listened to Tony sing and watched them play. Tramp dished out the remainder of the spaghetti, dividing it between the two of them. However, when Tony and Joe had come out to sing and play for them, they had shifted to sit next to each other to watch, bring their plates right up against each other. And as they both twirled more spaghetti with their forks, they felt a little tug and looked down.

It seemed that with their plates right next to each other, when Tramp had divided the last of the spaghetti between them, one of the noodles had ended up on both of their plates, and they both ended up hooking it at the same time, the noodle connecting both of their forks. For some reason, this caused Lady to turn beet red. She could feel it in how hot her face was, and she covered it with her hands. She wasn't sure why, but for some reason, what had just happened had felt very intimate.

As she tried to will the warmth out of her face, she felt Tramp nudge her side. She glanced at him and he smirked before rolling the last meatball onto her plate. It was a sweet gesture, and it seemed to dissipate the embarrassment.

He winked at her, and Lady felt her heart flutter. Seeing him like this, illuminated by the moonlight and candlelight with the stars twinkling behind him in the clear sky, she couldn't help but think of how stunning he looked, despite his somewhat scruffy appearance. The guy was a charmer for sure.

This was easily the most romantic moment of her life. A candlelit dinner under the stars with a handsome boy as the two of them were serenaded to. It truly was a beautiful night, just as Tony's song declared.

But the night wasn't over yet. After finishing dinner, they said their goodbyes and thanks to Tony and Joe, who quickly returned to the customers they had been neglecting. After that, they began strolling hand-in-hand through town. Lady had completely forgotten about the hardships she had faced today, along with the trouble that would be waiting for her when she got home. In fact, she had forgotten about home completely.

They eventually made their way to the park and began making their way through it. It seemed they weren't the only ones though, as they walked past several couples enjoying each other's company. At one point, they crossed paths with two stray dogs, and Tramp made a joke of how the Cocker Spaniel and the Schnauzer-Airedale Terrier reminded him of the two of them. Lady couldn't help but laugh at that.

Then they had done something a little daring. Upon coming across some still wet cement for what was meant to be a new path being made, Tramp gave her a mischievous smile before ducking beneath the roped off area. He then drew a heart in the wet cement and wrote their initials in it with a plus sign between them. Lady felt her heart flutter at the gesture, even though he had basically just defaced public property.

She then surprised herself by crouching down beside him and drawing an arrow through the heart. Tramp's eyebrows rose in surprise as well before he let out a chuckle and made a handprint in the cement just beneath his initials. Lady laughed and did the same beneath her own.

They made their way down to the nearby creek after that to clean off their hands, and then walked along the bank, this time with Tramp's arm draped around her shoulders. They eventually sat down on a bench at the top of the hill that overlooked the whole town. It was a beautiful sight, despite it being dark.

Lady snuggled into Tramp's side, feeling completely content. No, more than content. She wanted to stay right where she was forever. This had been the most romantic night of her life, and she didn't want it to end.

She rested her head on Tramp's shoulder as his thumb ran up and down hers, and she let out a sigh of happiness. Suddenly, she felt his lips press against her forehead. She looked up at him in surprise, and for the first time since they had met, he looked somewhat bashful.

Lady felt bashful as well at the display of affection. She could see herself falling for someone like him. This realization had her internally gasping as she realized that there was no could about it. She was falling in love with him. Her feelings had evolved to become so much more than a mere crush or attraction, and so quickly too.

Oh boy, she was in big trouble.

As they continued to stare at each other, Lady's eyes unconsciously shifted down to his lips. It was just for a second though, and then her gaze returned to his eyes. Then she watched as his own eyes went down to her own lips. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that he wanted to kiss her. Actually kiss her, not simply press his lips to her hair like he had a minute ago. And she realized that she wanted to kiss him as well. Very badly. In fact, she hadn't realized just how much she wanted him to kiss her until this moment.

His eyes locked with hers again, and they seemed to be asking for permission. She instinctively knew what he wanted without him saying so, and caught herself wetting her lips without meaning to. She somehow nonverbally conveyed what she wanted to him as well, silently granting him permission for what he was asking for without words.

One of his hands came up and cupped her cheek, and he began to lean in. Lady's heart pounded in her chest as she began to lean in as well. Closing her eyes, she met him halfway as their lips pressed together in her first kiss.

Yes, she was in very big trouble.

(A/N: Aww, such a sweet moment between them. And we've reached the most iconic part of them film. I wondered how I would incorporate the spaghetti accidental kiss between them, but found it didn't really work with them as humans, so I tweaked a few things here and there and had them actually kiss later, so it worked out. It's too bad I couldn't include the song, but FFN's rules don't allow it. I mean, it doesn't really take away anything, but it would have been nice to include it. Oh well, we work with what we got. Let me know what you think.)