After weeks spent in Mike's guest house, waiting to finally get clearance to fly to Egypt, Ricardo nor Alicia have been receiving many phone calls. They've been keeping things simple, only accepting a couple short term offers to do things here and there, still trying to simplify their schedules so they can just drop everything and go as soon as it's all cleared up for them to go.

Then early one morning, they're both awakened when Alicia's phone goes off and Ricardo sleepily watches as her eyes widen, she drops a hand over her mouth and all but squeals into the phone. There is only one call the week leading up to the Royal Rumble that would make Alicia react like that and Ricardo is suddenly deeply glad things have shaken out like this.

He, Sofia and little Andre go to the main house Saturday afternoon. An ecstatic Alicia is lone gone, having spent a lot of Friday afternoon kissing Andre and tickling him, rewatching some of her old WWE matches and narrating them for the wide eyed boy in her arms. Ricardo had had to interrupt to kiss her when she began telling the story of how they'd slowly fallen in love, keeping out the worst parts of it, thankfully.

"I'm so excited for her," AJ says to him, juggling a plate of snacks and George until Ricardo leaps up to help her, taking the food and putting it down on the coffee table where Sara Lou and Andre, who have been oddly inseparable since he'd arrived, begins stuffing the little slices of meat and crackers into their mouths. Ricardo leans down quickly and scoops Andre up, tickling him when he begins to fuss. "You're a little too young for that," Ricardo tells him quietly, kissing the side of his head with an exaggerated smacking sound.

George and Andre seem shy around each other, barely interacting whenever Sara begins pushing them to play. By the time supper comes around, both boys had fallen asleep side by side and AJ and Ricardo had beamed at each other, overwhelmed by the cuteness.

The Rumble starts and the womens match is second on the card. Ricardo watches, nails digging into his palm, as Alicia makes her entrance. She looks good in a way he hadn't really thought about in a long time- the white gear always accentuates her skin tone so well, and now it even shows off the tattoos she'd gotten before pregnancy, before the pandemic. He smiles as she lasts for awhile, even reunites with her former friends and partners, the Bellas... just to get eliminated by them. "Aw," he says, feeling oddly disappointed for her.

"Damn Bellas," AJ says calmly, rocking Sara back and forth as she watches the women on the screen do their thing. "No one should ever trust them." As if to prove her point, Brie eliminates Nikki a minute later, and AJ laughs. "See, what'd I just say."

Ricardo and Andre spend the rest of the night in the main house, even crashing together in a guest room next to where AJ puts Sofia. "Thank you again," he tells her, smiling. "It's meant a lot not being alone. Having a nice place to let my son see his mother compete for the first time."

"Hey, my pleasure," AJ says, reaching out to tickle Andre and causing him to fuss sleepily. "Sometimes I regret that Sara won't get to see me compete, you know, live... but I assume she'd rather a healthy mother than one risking her entire neck's stability for a quick spot in some multi-person match. You know?"

Ricardo does. He nods. "The work you do for mental health is invaluable anyway. I'm sure that'll mean more to her in the long run."

AJ stares at him, her eyes looking suspiciously bright in the faintly lit hallway. "Thank you, Ricardo."

"Any time." He smiles at her and adjusts his hold on a dozing Andre. "I should go get this little guy settled. Thank you again, AJ. Good night."

"Good night," she murmurs after him.

The next day, when they're all back in the guest house, and Alicia has returned, Ricardo cradles her face and examines her. "I love you so much," he tells her. "And I'm so proud of you."

She beams at him, throwing her arms around him. "I love you too," she responds joyfully. "Thank you."

He wishes she could always be this happy, and lighthearted. Maybe once we get to Egypt, I can make that happen...