Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Alejandro sat on the edge of the bed, watching his wife and daughter sleep.  He’d stayed at Casita for a long time, and eventually transported himself back to his own home to check in on Lucía and Josefina.  They’d fallen asleep together in Lucía’s bed and slept surprisingly soundly all night long. Now dawn was breaking, the first slivers of light illuminating the window opposite the bed. Lucía slept on her side on one half of the bed, her hair in a messy braid, draped across the pillow behind her.  One hand was tucked under her cheek, the other was curled toward Josefina.  Josefina had shifted a lot during the night and was sprawled across the other half of the bed like a starfish, her mouth open and her breaths deep and even.  

He smiled as Josefina was the first to stir in her sleep, slowly blinking awake.  

“Buenos días, mi fresita,” he whispered.  Her brow furrowed and she looked confused for a moment, as though she didn’t remember where she was.  Then she rolled over and scooted closer to Lucía, snuggling right up against her.  Lucía put her arm around her and pulled her closer, and she fell back asleep.

Josefina, however, only woke up more and soon she wriggled free from her mother’s grasp, sitting cross-legged on the bed.  She stretched and blinked and yawned, looking around the room with complete contentment.  After a moment, she poked her madre in an attempt to wake her up.  

Lucía didn’t budge.  

Josefina poked her again.

Lucía sighed in her sleep and continued right on sleeping.

Josefina bent down and scooted closer and closer to her mother’s face until her own face was bent down right in front of it.

“Mamá,” she whispered.

Lucía didn’t stir.

“Mamá,” she said again, a little louder.  “Mamá!”

Lucía jolted awake with a sleepy snort and jerked backward, almost falling out of the bed.  “‘mwake!”  She mumbled sleepily, shaking her head and rubbing her hand over her face.  “I’m…awake.”

“Buenos días Mamá!”  Josefina adjusted her volume and smiled. 

“Buenos días, mi fresita,” Lucía echoed as she stretched and sat up, pulling Josefina in for a hug.  “Did you sleep well?”  

Josefina nodded.  “Yep, gracias.  It was nice.  Thank you for letting me sleep with you, Mamá.”

“Of course, querida.  I was just - so happy you were home safe.”  

Silence hung between them, and Alejandro reached over to caress a wayward curl of Josefina’s. Ever since his talk with Mercy and Casita last night, something in his soul bobbed and buoyed; it was as though a balloon was full to bursting inside him, gently pulling him away - but he was still tethered here, to them.   

He struggled against it.  He was solemn at the reason Josefina had run away in the first place; he was grateful she was home safe; he was wistful, wishing he could physically be with them, right at that moment.  All those conflicting emotions churned within him, and yet - they were vaguely muted.  He no longer felt like a hurricane was raging inside him.  It was as though he was experiencing them at a distance; he saw them on the horizon, he could identify them, but was slightly detached from them.  

Josefina played with the quilt on the bed, tracing her fingers over the bumpy stitches.  “Lo siento, Mamá,” she whispered.  “I - didn’t mean to make you scared.”

Lucía sighed.  “I know, bebé.  I know.  But what you did was very dangerous, and very foolish.  You can never, ever, go off into the jungle alone. You can never go to San Cristobál alone.  You won’t be going anywhere, alone, for a long time.”

“But I wasn’t even lost!  I knew the way back to the road.  All I had to do was follow the stream!”

“It was still dangerous.”

“I wasn’t lost.”

“Josefina, even most adults don’t go into the jungle alone!”

“Papá went into the jungle alone all the time!”

“And he died! ”  

Alejandro looked between them, feeling helpless.  Josefina had her arms crossed with a hard scowl on her face, her chin trembling, realizing she’d messed up - and Lucía was looking like she was trying very hard not to yell or cry, probably both.

“I - I wasn’t going to die.”  Josefina’s voice was stiff and she had tears in her eyes.  

Lucía opened her arms.  Josefina crawled into them and sniffed.  “I wasn’t .”

Lucía kissed her head and held her close, rocking her slightly.  “I know.  You wouldn’t have. You wouldn’t have. Oh, bebé. I’m - I - I know you’re a smart, strong girl, Josefina.  But the jungle is dangerous; you can’t guarantee you’ll be safe, even if you’re careful.  Accidents happen. And this time - if we hadn’t found you in time, you would have gotten sick.  Very sick.  Bruno had a vision, you know.”

Josefina rubbed her tears away with the back of her hand and tilted back from her mother with a suspicious look on her face.  “Really?  He had a vision to help find me ?”  

“Yes,” Lucía said quietly, reaching for her mochila, which she’d hung on the post of the bed last night when they’d gotten home.  “He did.  He helped me find you, Josefina.  He cares a lot about you.”

“He doesn’t care about me!”  Josefina declared, clearly offended at her mother’s poor assessment.  “He loves me! And I love Don Bruno too.”

Lucía smiled to herself - a small, sad, smile - and there was a little tug on the tether that held Alejandro to them.  After Bruno and Lucía had taken turns carrying Josefina home, alerting the town that she’d been found, Josefina had latched onto Bruno and had given him a kiss on the cheek good-bye.  She’d whispered ‘te quiero’ to him, and he had blinked away tears and cleared his throat and whispered it back.

Alejandro settled on the bed beside his girls, willing himself not to slide right through it.  “He does love you,” he said softly in agreement.   

Lucía continued her task, fishing through the bag until her hand hit smooth glass.  “You’re right, Sefinita.  He does.  We are lucky to have him as a friend.  Look.”

Josefina snuggled into her madre’s lap, and Lucía cradled the vision in her palms, allowing them both to see it.  Josefina ran her hands over the glass reverently, frowning at the vision before her. The first image showed Lucía pressing her forehead to Josefina’s, both of them crying but happy.  When Lucía tilted the glass, another image showed - Josefina sick in bed, both Lucía and Julieta pressing food and drink to her lips in an effort to help her heal.

Josefina stared at it for a long moment, her hazel eyes blinking slowly and thoughtfully.  She pressed her hands over the vision, tilting it first one way, then the other.  “I would’ve got sick,” she whispered.  

“Yes, you would have.  But even if that wasn’t a possibility, Josefina - ” Lucía’s voice caught.  “Josefina, I was so scared.  I was so worried about you.  You didn’t tell anyone where you’d gone, bebé.  You can never do that again.  I - ” Lucía  cut herself off.  

Josefina turned slightly and pressed her head to her mother’s shoulder, her mouth pulled down at the corners.  “Lo siento, Mamá.  I just - I - ”  her voice cracked, and tears began to trickle down her face again.  “I - I was so sad, and - scared - that - I- !  I wanted to fix it, I - I - ”

“I know, Josefina, and I’m so sorry you felt like you had to.”

“But we can’t - it’s gone, now!  Nothing can replace Papá’s artwork.”

“Nothing can replace you ,” Alejandro and Lucía said at the same time.  He laughed sadly, mouth pulling up at the corner as he watched his wife.  Even after his death, they were so in sync sometimes. 

“Nothing can replace him either,” said Josefina, her words hot and sudden and her expression sad.

Alejandro stopped smiling.

“You’re right,” Lucía agreed.  “Nothing can replace him.  And I’m so, so sorry he’s not here with you, Josefina.  He loved you so much.”

“I still do,” Alejandro whispered.

“I’m - I’m mad he left,” Josefina admitted.  “I’m sad and mad and  - and - and - ”

Lucía gave her arm an encouraging squeeze.  “Me too, querida.  Me too.  I’ve - only just realized how sad and angry I’d still been, but you know what?”

Josefina looked up at her.

“I’ve been learning that talking about it helps, a lot.  I’ve talked to your Tía Sofia, and your abuelo, and - and Bruno about it, more these past few months than ever before.  And it helps to let out your feelings.  They’re normal, Josefina, all of them are normal.  I’m here to listen anytime you need to talk through them, anytime you have questions.”

Alejandro put his arms around the two of them as best he could manage and listened as Josefina confessed that she was angry he left, that she was a little jealous of the people she knew who did have fathers, but that mostly - she was just sad. 

Lucía listened, and shared her own feelings, and also assured Josefina that she was forgiven for running off and that she loved her and nothing Josefina did would ever change that – but that even with forgiveness, there were still consequences for her actions, to make sure she did not forget this lesson and make the same mistake again.

Alejandro winced at Josefina’s loud protestations at her madre’s sentence:  Grounded for a week - no attending La Feria de Las Flores, except with Lucía, for her performances of the little rat play she’d signed up for with Bruno - and then afterward, she was not allowed to go anywhere by herself.  She had to be accompanied by an adult if she wanted to go anywhere or visit anyone until Lucía knew she could trust her on her own again.

A knock at the door startled both Lucía and Josefina, and Alejandro floated off the bed as his father-in-law entered.  “Buenos días, sleepyheads!  How are my girls this morning?  Luci, mi querida, your sister is here and I was wondering if I could show her that vision.”

As they began their day, Alejandro decided to pay the man who gave the vision a visit to see how he was doing.

"You've been spending a lot of time with her. And I know it's for the play, but – you're so happy when you're working together, and I can tell it's not just about the play." Luisa said as Alejandro arrived.  

Bruno was standing frozen beside the kitchen table, his shoulders tense and rising steadily toward his ears, an expression of pure denial on his face, and Alejandro quickly pieced together what was happening.

"And speaking of the play, you were this close to kissing at that one dress rehearsal," Isabela said next, pinching her fingers together.

Alejandro could swear he saw beads of sweat breaking out on Bruno’s forehead.  

"You followed her all over town yesterday helping her look for Josefina. Even though you were already tired." Pepa added.

"Didn't you give her a vision without a contract?" Félix said.

“Miercoles,” murmured Alejandro under his breath in sympathy.  “They noticed.”  

Casita made a swipe at him with a tile that he took to mean ‘ of course they noticed, dummy.’

"And, you kiiiiiinda yelled at Abuela yesterday for letting you sleep when Josefina was in trouble. Just saying." Mirabel smiled sheepishly.

"I heard Lareina and Señora Rata talking the other day when we were rehearsing. They said that from what they've seen, you would make good mates," Antonio piped up innocently, and Pepa gasped in horror.

So did Alejandro.  As much as he’d admitted to himself last night that he was willing to help Lucía open herself to love again, t hat was… not an image he wanted anywhere near him.

"You look like this whenever she comes into the room." Camilo shifted into his tío and his face lit up, before he sighed and his expression settled into something dreamy and lovesick.

"Okay, I do not -" Bruno held up a hand and his tone was defensive.

Alejandro wrinkled his nose.  “No, no…” he murmured, rubbing his chin and nodding at Casita.  “I mean, I may not be all that enthusiastic about it, but - kid’s got a point.  That’s pretty accurate.”

Casita clacked some tiles in agreement. 

"Your heart rate increases whenever someone mentions her, and when you see her it increases even more. After she kissed your cheek, your breathing was irregular for around five minutes." Dolores' voice was quiet but matter-of-fact.

Everyone turned to look at her, mouths agape, and she shrugged and made a little squeaking sound.

"Yeah, sis! Can't argue with that!" Camilo recovered first and leaned around Félix to give her a high-five. She gently tapped his palm with her fingers. "Él está mas tragado que calzoncillo de torero!" (1) 

"Camilo!" Pepa scolded and he ducked his head and laughed.

"Okay, fine!" Bruno exclaimed, bright red. "I love her! I love her! I love Lucía Moreno-Hernandez! Okay? Is everyone happy now? You've all got that - " he motioned dismissively – "out of your system?"

The words hit him like arrows to the heart, but it took a moment for it to sink in - for Alejandro to realize what Bruno had just admitted.  

"Oh come on!" Alejandro cried, throwing his arms out dramatically at Bruno’s confession. "When I said give me one last night, I didn't mean literally one last night!  I thought it would take him a while to admit it!"

Casita swiped at him again, and once again, there was a little tug on the tether that held him to earth and to his loved ones.  He wasn’t angry anymore.  The jealousy he felt wasn’t sharp and bitter, like a warning - it was resigned and in the process of washing away like writing on the sand on the shore.  He was just sad and a little incredulous at the timing of it all.

Bruno’s family teased him mercilessly, offering to help give him a makeover and practice confessing - 

"Hold on!" Bruno cried as he held up his hands in protest and backed away slowly. "Wha – I said I loved her, I didn't say I was doing anything about it! I'm not making any moves! No one is making any moves! There are no moves being made over here!" He gestured to himself frantically.

Alejandro stopped and stared at the man.  “You love her but you’re not making any moves?”  The idea did not make sense to him. 

Maybe he still had some time.

Alejandro hovered and listened with interest as the adults shooed their children out the door to school or out of the room to their chores for the day, and then gathered around Bruno.

"Now then," Julieta said gently. "What's going on in that head of yours, Bruno? We want to understand."

"Are you afraid she won't return your feelings? Because - " Pepa began, but Julieta gave her a look and shook her head, and Pepa sighed and rolled her eyes and trailed off.

Alejandro waited and listened for Bruno to speak, so much tension radiating off of him that Casita clamped down the tiles around him, not wanting to mirror any of his nervousness by trembling herself.  

Bruno sighed and stared at his hands. "Part of it – part of it is that – I don't know if she will. She might. But – she might not. She lost her husband three years ago. She might not be ready for anything else. Mamá's never found anyone else - "

Ah.  There it was.  Him. Alejandro.  The one who brought them together and the one who was also currently keeping them apart - whether he meant to or not. 

Alma covered Bruno’s fidgeting hands with her own, rubbing the backs of his hands with her thumbs. "Just because I never found love again doesn't mean Lucía has given up on romance, mijo. We are different people."

"…I know Josefina is still grieving…" Bruno’s voice trailed off for a moment. "And – I love the way things are right now. I love the way Lucía looks at me and the way she talks to me and – if I – try to push things further than she's willing to go right now, I might lose that."

He groaned and bent forward, rubbing his eyes with his palms and resting his face in his hands, staring at the floor. 

Alejandro understood the feeling.

When Bruno spoke again, his voice was quiet and hesitant. "I love her so much I'm okay with things staying as they are. She doesn't have to do or be anything else for me than what she already is and I'd - I'd still keep on loving her."

Casita waved a single tile beneath Alejandro’s feet. “I heard,” he said softly, waving her away with his hand. “I heard.”

He should be happy about that - and he was happy that Bruno loved Lucía and Josefina.  He was happy they had someone who cared about them so deeply.  But knowing Bruno loved Lucía that much and yet was afraid to tell her didn’t fill him with the triumphant relief it once would have.  

"But – don't you want - " Julieta asked softly, looking to Agustín.

Bruno sat up, still avoiding eye contact. "I've always wanted what you have," he admitted quietly. "But it wasn't even a remote possibility, before."

"It's a possibility now," Julieta insisted.

And there it was - spoken aloud.  Alejandro was completely still, hovering within Casita.  Bruno loved Lucía and Josefina.  Bruno admitted he had always wanted marriage and a family.  Bruno saw the possibility of being a family with Lucía and Josefina.  

"We're not saying you have to propose," Félix said warmly. "You don't even have to confess your feelings. Just – encourage her a little, eh?"

"After all - she might be feeling the same way – unwilling to risk the relationship you have now for something more. What have you got to lose?" Agustín added.

"Lucía - and Josefina." Bruno said flatly. "That's the whole point. Not losing them."

True to the character he’d observed in the man for years now, Bruno was willing to suffer in silence for the sake of the people he loved.  

And he really loved them.

Alejandro couldn’t begrudge the man that.  

He loved them too.

"Don't be stupid, hermanito." Pepa was talking now. "Lots of people dance at festivals; it's not exclusively for romantic partners. Honestly, she'd probably be more surprised if you didn't ask her to dance."

Bruno froze for a moment, as though he hadn't thought of that before. His mouth twitched up into a bashful half-smile and he sat back and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well – I -"

"You know you want to dance with her," Pepa said in a sing-song voice, swaying her shoulders side-to-side. "Just one, at least."

Bruno's smile grew. "I do," he admitted. "I – I will. I'll ask her to dance. But – as for the rest – you'll all let me – ah - do things my way?"

"As long as your way isn't completely excluding the possibility of your happiness just because your relationship with Lucía is a little more complex than most," Alma said firmly.

"Just – stay open to the possibility that she loves you back?" Julieta smiled at him.

Bruno smiled back. "Okay."

And Alejandro felt another tug, another little pull on his soul. 

“Bruno!” Lucía’s bright voice filled the courtyard, and when she laughed, it carried on the wind.  “Bruno!”  

Alejandro turned to see Casita pull Lucía in on her tiles. Lucía’s arms windmilled as she struggled to keep her balance.  She held a ragged bunch of papers in one hand.  Shortly after Bruno’s talk with his siblings and mother had ended,  Bruno had begun setting up the stage for a last run-through of the play for the festival.  The festival began in just a few days and they had one last dress rehearsal that day.  Lucía was due to come around lunchtime to practice with Bruno, José, Luisa, and Mariano.  Camilo was part of it, too, but needed to be at school more than he needed to practice his acting skills.  The kid had talent, and it wasn’t just because of his gift.

Bruno looked up from where he’d been adjusting a background prop.  Camilo had been right, earlier.  Bruno saw her enter, saw her visible excitement, and his eyes softened and his mouth curved into a smile that could only be described as wistful.  

He then froze as he realized what his face was doing and rearranged it into something decidedly less love-struck.

Alejandro was wistful, too - but less so than he had been even a week ago.  Yesterday had forced him to accept that he was not going back.  He could never return to them.  He could never help them, even with his Influence, the way a living breathing person could.  The way Bruno could.  Alejandro had been wistful for something that was out of his reach, but that yearning was fading, as the pull he felt to let them go and move on grew stronger.  

Bruno, on the other hand, was wistful for something that was well within his grasp, if only he was patient enough to wait for Lucía to realize her growing feelings for him, too.

Bruno straightened from where he’d been bent over, working, and brushed his hands on his ruana.  He held his hand up in a small, shy wave of greeting.  “Lucía,” he breathed, his smile growing.  

Oh, he had it bad.  

Lucía took his hand, the one that had waved, and pulled him to the nearest chair - Luisa had set several up in front of the stage for any audience members who wanted to see the rehearsal they were planning on doing soon. 

“Look!”  She exclaimed happily, plunking him down in the chair, sitting down beside him, and scooting so close their knees touched.  

Alejandro saw the shiver run up Bruno’s spine at the contact, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Been there, amigo.” 

He didn’t know if he was amused or sad at the situation. 

Both.  It was definitely both.

“The kids - Josefina’s classmates - they fixed it!”  She held up the ragged pile of papers and Bruno’s eyes widened, his mouth pulled back in an uneasy smile.  

“Ah - come again?”  His eyes darted from the pile of scrap in her hands back to her eager face and shining eyes.  His expression remained unconvinced. 

Lucía laughed.  “The manuscript!  The one they accidentally used for their project - they fixed it.”

Bruno blinked at the pages that had been painstakingly taped back together and cleaned, so that the sketches and words were…somewhat legible.  “That’s…very sweet.”

It was obviously a labor of love.  Objectively, it also looked terrible.  Like a donkey had chewed it up  and spit it out again. Alejandro chuckled a little at the sight of it.

“They fixed it!”  Lucía repeated and beamed at Bruno, obviously touched that Josefina’s classmates had worked so hard to repair something that had meant so much to her and Josefina.  

Bruno couldn’t help but smile back.  “That’s - really great. I - I’m so happy for you, Lucía.” 

“Thank you.” She sighed as she set the questionable, threadbare text between them, half on her lap and half on his.  She opened the pages and carefully flipped through them, showing him the kids’ handiwork and being careful not to tear anything. She leaned toward him, and her face was almost pressed against his shoulder.  

Bruno was frozen, his breaths slow and even. Alejandro could see the flush creeping down his neck from where he hovered behind them.  

Lucía was completely oblivious to what she was doing to the poor man.

“See this one? Cecilia was so proud of the way she got the paint off most of Awilda.”  A large golden-brown blob still covered her lower half, in an unfortunate drip down her legs.  “They said she looks like she had an accident,” she giggled.  “That’s kids for you!  But - they worked so hard!”

As she continued flipping through the tattered collection of words and sketches, Bruno relaxed.  He looked sideways at Lucía and licked his lips nervously, and then - slowly - carefully - leaned toward her, just a bit.  Her head was almost on his shoulder.  His cheek was almost resting on her head.

Soap and coffee and ink. That’s what Lucía almost always smelled like, when Alejandro was as close to her as Bruno was at the moment.

She didn’t even notice.  Or if she did - it didn’t faze her in the slightest.    She kept talking and smiling, radiating delight. 

It was strange to see Lucía so happy and comfortable with another man.  It was even stranger that it didn’t bother Alejandro the way it did before.  

She wasn’t his wife any longer.  

She was a widow, and he was no longer living and never would be again.

If she needed and wanted someone to sit with - someone to share her joys and sorrows with; someone to parent and love Josefina with, someone who loved her deeply - then he would accept that.

If she needed and wanted it.  He wasn’t going to Influence anyone into pursuing a relationship or encourage whatever was growing between them unless Lucía clearly wanted it.  

Until Lucía clearly wanted it.

Alejandro knew it was ‘until’.  It was only a matter of time, now.

Lucía paused near the end of the collection, her smile becoming a little more distant but still affectionate. “Alejandro would have been so upset about the manuscript, but he’d have loved their attempts to fix it.”  She turned to look at Bruno, and he jerked his head away from her so quickly she gave him a funny look.

“Ah - ” Bruno rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the book between them, searching for a distraction.  “You know - ‘fix.’ You keep using that word.  And - I don’t think it means what you think it means.”

Lucía’s mouth dropped open and at his smirk, she realized he was teasing and smacked his arm with the stack of papers.  A taped corner came apart and fluttered down to the ground between them.

Lucía stared down at it in horror, and then looked to Bruno.  They both burst out laughing at the same time, and they both reached down to pick it up at the same time. 

They smacked their heads together and - at the expression on each other’s faces as they rubbed their foreheads -  started laughing again. Lucía allowed Bruno to pick it up and hand it to her, and she tucked it safely back inside the rest of the pages.  

Alejandro laughed uneasily.

He was touched that the kids had wanted to repair his work, but watching Bruno and Lucía together, now, he realized - he didn’t really care all that much about whether or not his work was saved.  It wasn’t about the drawings themselves as much as it was about the time he spent with Lucía, doing something they loved.  Time and interests that she now shared with Bruno.

It was the memories they made that were important.  But the memories were in the past, and so was Alejandro.  

“Well,” Alejandro mumbled, leaning up against Casita. She was obviously enjoying watching Bruno and Lucía together.  “That’s another point in Bruno’s favor, I suppose.”

Casita clacked a tile in sympathy.

They’d hired an artist to replace the murales - the murales that had been damaged in the earthquake when Casita fell, and then painted over because of a manipulative Tatiana Valencia.

Alma and Isabela brought the proposed murales home the night before La Feria de Las Flores, and Alejandro hovered over the table, floating over the handheld rough draft as it was passed around the table.  

The murales was a beautiful impressionist portrait of the Encanto; the blurred shapes of people filled the streets of the vibrant, colorful city – including la familia Madrigal. A rough image of what could only be Isabela stood near the fields surrounded by flowers; a label indicated Bruno walked through the streets with a rat on his shoulder; Pepa stood on a balcony, radiating light, Félix beside her. Julieta offered food at a stall in town beside Agustín, Luisa lifted a large stack of sacks of grain, and Antonio rode a jaguar through the streets, trailed by monkeys and birds. Camilo spread his arms dramatically before a crowd of children, Dolores sat holding the hand of an older woman, listening to her talk. Alma and Mirabel stood side by side near Casita, overlooking the village. The colors of the top of the villagescape – the vegetation and mountains - blended into the shoulders of Pedro Madrigal, who was surrounded by a brilliant sky, golden butterflies, and the words To Love At All Is to Love Entirely.

The majority of the murales would be made by the overlapping hand-prints of everyone in the village, overseen and directed by the artist, a young woman by the name of Selena de León .

It was beautiful.

Alejandro was happy for the young artist. 

If his work had to be replaced, he was glad it was with hers.

“How can she not see it?!”  Alejandro muttered, aghast at how blind  Lucía was - both to Bruno’s feelings and to her own.  Mercy perched on his shoulder as they watched the opening parade of the festival of flowers.  The spirit in butterfly form had been spending an increasing amount of time with him.  Alejandro knew his time was running out, but he tried not to dwell on it.  He tried to focus on finding a good opportunity to use his last Influence.  “I don’t know how they don’t see it.  I see it.  It’s written aaallllll over his face and in his body language.”

“What do you see?”  Mercy asked curiously.

Alejandro gave the butterfly a look.  “The man has goosebumps in this heat and humidity?  Just from her shoulder brushing against his in this crowd? He’s smitten.”   

Alejandro had decided that the best way to approach the situation between Bruno and Lucía was to treat their developing relationship as though it was the plot of one of the telenovelas Bruno had written for so long. 

“Look at him.  He has to pretend to focus on the parade when he’s really watching Lucía and Josefina.  There he goes again!  He keeps looking away whenever Lucía looks at him.”

Later that evening, Pepa, Felix, Dolores, and Mariano attempted to refresh Bruno’s memory of the dances Pepa had apparently forced him to learn with her as teens.  She made him practice again and again.

He still needed more practice.

"Ooof."

"Ouch."

"Bruno!"

"Your foot, bro – no…your other foot."

Alejandro watched from the second floor, shaking his head at the man below him as Pepa, Felix, Dolores, and Mariano all gave him a refresher on dancing technique before the festival began in earnest.  Casita shook the small potted plant near his feet, and the leaves rustling sounded a little like laughter.  

“He’s actually not bad, once he gets out of his head and just relaxes,” Alejandro muttered.  He smiled as Camilo entered the picture and shifted into Lucía, teasing his tío and making the man even more flustered.  

“I’m slightly concerned at the shade of red on his face right now,” Mercy said, hovering nearby.  “That can’t be natural.”

“He’ll be fine,” Alejandro said.  And with a slight pang of sadness, he realized - “Lucía will think he’s sweet.”  

Alejandro watched as Bruno and Lucía reassured each other before their first performance together as Ramón and Imelda.  

He watched as Lucía and Josefina congratulated him and the rest of the cast after the play.  Josefina gave Bruno a hug and kiss and told him “Te quiero, Bruno…you were a fantastic Ramón!"

Lucía gave everyone in the play a hug as well, congratulating everyone for their hard work. She lingered in Bruno's arms for just a moment, her chin on his shoulder, her brows puckering slightly, as though she was confused.  It passed quickly and she whispered a happy “Buenas noches, Bruno,” as she left.

“Buenas noches, Lucía,” Bruno whispered back as he watched her walk away.

And for the first time, Alejandro wished not that he could be the one holding her - but that she would allow herself to be held and loved by someone who clearly made her happy and loved her just as much as he did. 

Alejandro sat with Josefina backstage the next day.  They both watched with wide eyes as Bruno and Lucía shouted and argued and pleaded and teased and confessed and proposed and lived happily ever after as Ramón and Imelda, with dizzying emotion and increasing passion. Their performance received cheers and a robust round of applause when it was over.

“They work well together,” Mercy mused from his shoulder.

“Yes,” Alejandro agreed, his voice small and his gaze distant.  “They do.”

Alejandor watched as Lucía left the festival before Bruno could work up the courage to ask her to dance, for the second night in a row.

And Alejandro watched as Sofia, Pepa, Dolores, and Isabela plotted with each other to make sure Bruno would have that opportunity the next day. 

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Mercy said, his voice carefully neutral from Alejandro’s shoulder, “But isn’t this what humans call a ‘date’?”

“You’re not wrong.”  Alejandro said, his voice just as carefully neutral as Mercy’s.

Bruno and Lucía were on a date. 

They were on a date and they didn't even realize it.

Bruno had shown up at her house that morning, all dressed up in the new ruana Mirabel had made him, with his hair carefully pulled back and fresh tamales in hand as an offering for breakfast.  

Lucía had frozen at the sight of him, mid-brush of her hair, and blinked and flushed as though she were seeing him for the first time.

And then, when Bruno offered to stay with Josefina to give Lucía a chance to enjoy the festival on her own, Lucía’s father had casually offered to stay with Josefina instead so they could go together. 

They were on a date.

They walked through the streets, shoulder to shoulder, Bruno’s fingers twitching every time Lucía’s hand brushed his. Lucía exclaimed over the produce and flower displays and admired the vendors who’d come from San Cristobál. Bruno’s eyes only left her face to look at what she was pointing out, and the affectionate smile never left his lips.

Lucía was so happy.

And then they stopped to try some churros and fresh-squeezed jugos. Bruno got a limonada de coco and Lucía ordered a lulo cholado; hers was so thick and icy the vendor gave her a spoon to eat it with. They sat against a small stone wall along a storefront and enjoyed their treats. 

Alejandro watched as Lucía held her cup out to Bruno.  "It's good," she said enthusiastically. "I haven't had cholado in a long time. Do you want to try it?"

Bruno stared at the cup, looking from it back to her face.  He hesitantly took it from her hand and stirred the cholada with the spoon. "You don't mind?" He asked shyly, eyes on the mixture in front of him.

"No, why would – oh.”  Alejandro saw the moment Lucía realized she’d just asked him to try something she’d already eaten off. “You don't have to, if it makes you uncomfortable. But…I don't mind." 

Bruno looked back up at her, suddenly looking worried.  Lucía bit her lip and looked deliberately into the crowd, avoiding his gaze.

She was starting to see.

"No, it's fine!" In his haste to reassure her, Bruno took a big scoop and put it in his mouth, but his eyes widened as he swallowed and coughed at the sudden spike of cold in his mouth.

Lucía covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes laughing. "Lo siento, you're not supposed to take such a big bite! Here, take a bite of churro, it will warm your mouth up."

She held out the churro to him and he did as she said, and sighed in relief as the sharp frozen sensation on the roof of his mouth ebbed away. "Yeah…think I'll stick with this, thanks." He held up his drink.

He paused for a moment. "Do…you want to try it?"

"…okay." She leaned forward and sipped from the straw, and the tartness made her tongue tck on her teeth when she was done. She shivered and grinned. "Ooh! It's sour!"

He laughed. "It only tastes sour because yours is full of sugar. If you'd had this first, it wouldn't taste so sour."

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Mercy said, clearly amused but hesitant to express it with Alejandro beside him, “but isn’t this what - ”

“This is what we humans call ‘flirting’,” Alejandro confirmed flatly.  

“But they don’t even realize they’re - ”

“You can flirt without knowing you’re flirting.”

Lucía raised an eyebrow and was about to respond to Bruno, when some old friends called out to her from nearby.

And when Lucía introduced Bruno to them (though they already knew who he was; who in the Encanto didn’t know who Bruno Madrigal was?), and she stumbled over the word ‘friend’ - her expression was once again confused and she blinked, as though searching for the reasoning behind it.

“You’re almost there, Luci” Alejandro said, brushing his fingers through the wisps of hair that had escaped her braid. His smile was pensive and affectionate.  “You’re almost there.”

They’d been through so much together, in life and in death.

Courtship.  Marriage. The death of Alejandro’s parents.  Sofia and Lorenzo’s courtship and marriage.  Watching Sofia have child after child as Alejandor and Lucía struggled to conceive.  Alejandro’s art career flourishing. The death of Lucía’s mother.   Having Josefina. His death.  Her grief and depression.  The fall of Casita.  Healing.  The return of the Miracle.  Bruno.

Bruno.

Josefina and Lucía were currently paused before the near-completed murales, a beautiful piece of artwork.  Josefina had been the one most opposed to replacing the murales when it had disappeared, but now, she appraised it quietly, almost in awe of it.

Lucía  crouched down before their daughter. "Josefina, mi amorita. How are you feeling about the murales? About – everything?"

Josefina shrugged.

Lucía rocked back on her heels and thought. "I feel…lots of things," she said. "Mostly happy things. I'm happy because you're here with me. I'm happy because the festival has been so wonderful. I'm happy that our play about Imelda and Ramón did so well, but I am a little sad it's over – just like you. I really loved working on it. But there's always more plays we could do next year."

She paused, and her next words were slow and measured. "I am very impressed with the murales Señorita de León is working on. I think it's beautiful, and I think she's working very hard on it, and I think it was so special to use everyone's handprints in it. But I do miss your Papá's murales, still. I think a part of me will always miss it – will always miss him. There was so much work that went into painting it; so many memories there. But just because the murales is gone doesn't mean my memories are. It's okay to like the new one and miss the old one, too."

“She’s talking about Bruno,” Alejandro said quietly to Mercy, resigned.  “She doesn’t even realize it yet, but even though she thinks she’s talking about the murales - she’s talking about me. And Bruno.”

Mercy hummed in agreement.

And even though Mercy hadn’t said anything, Alejandro knew that it was almost time to go.

That same evening, Bruno finally worked up the courage to ask Lucía to dance, and she was glowing the entire time.  Now, she sat at a table off to the side of the festivities. Her face was flushed and her eyes never left Bruno, following him all evening.  

Alejandro knew that look.

He and Lucía had shared that look across many a room in his lifetime. 

He stood beside his wife, watching her as she watched Bruno dance with Josefina.

Señora Ruiz, a friend of the Madrigal family and the wife of a respected council member, leaned forward from her seat beside Lucía. "You don't find a man like that every day," she said quietly.

Lucía blinked and turned to stare at her. "Sorry – what?"

Alejandro listened, but didn’t take his eyes off the way Josefina beamed at Bruno as he picked her up and spun her around.  Josefina put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, mimicking her cousin and tío dancing across the town square, and Bruno froze temporarily. It was as though he was still surprised someone outside of his family could be that affectionate with him, but after a moment he relaxed and smiled and continued dancing.

Señora Ruiz nodded toward Bruno and Josefina. "You don't find a man like that every day," she repeated. "He's a once in a lifetime kind of man. A good one. And at your age, if I may be so blunt, all the good ones are usually taken."

Lucía was speechless.

Alejandro was resigned.  As Bruno led Josefina back to the table and asked Lucía for another dance - as Lucía looked up at him with wide eyes and parted lips, as though amazed at what she saw in him - Alejandro smiled sadly.

Although he began tense and nervous, Bruno’s movements gradually became just as controlled and graceful as hers. Bruno and Lucía's eyes never left each other. Although they were in a secluded area, away from the main dancers, away from prying eyes and gossiping mouths - for Alejandro, it was as if there was a spotlight only on them. 

They were unaware of anything but each other. 

Alejandro was unaware of anything but them.

At that moment, everything was still and silent around him. He could not hear the music, he could not hear family members and friends calling out to each other from across the room, he could not hear the children laughing. He heard nothing, but he saw everything.

He knew, vaguely, that if he'd had a heart, it would be pounding in his ears. His muscles would be tense and trembling. But although he knew how his body would react had he been alive, it was at a distance, a fading memory, as though seeing it through a foggy glass.

Alejandro watched, his soul burning with some powerful emotion he didn't have a name for. It wasn't yearning, it wasn't jealousy, it wasn't happiness or resentment or resignation or joy. It was none of those, and yet - it was all of those, all at once.

He knew he had to let her go, let them all go. His time was over.

The music changed and the soft, romantic strains of a vallenato began. Bruno's hands fell nervously to his sides. "Would - you like to keep dancing?" He asked quietly.

Lucía nodded, still breathing heavily from their last dance. 

This dance was slower and much more intimate. Bruno swallowed and his hands hovered over Lucía's waste. Lucía stepped into them, initiating that contact herself. She wrapped one arm around his neck and shoulder and the other around his waist, and ducked her head to avoid his eyes, her own eyes wide. 

As she adjusted her position slightly and tilted her head to look at Bruno, he swallowed, his eyes darting down to her head on his shoulder. He then stared straight ahead and tightened his hold on her, a flush spreading down his cheeks to his neck and chest. 

And they danced.  

Alejandro frowned.  

Something was wrong.

Lucía lifted her head from Bruno's shoulder and her smile slowly faded away. She stopped dancing and was left staring through him, breathing heavily.

“Luci?”  Alejandro murmured.

"Lucía?" Bruno echoed softly, concern drawing his brows together. "Are you – what's wrong?"

Her hands dropped from his shoulders and she looked away, fidgeting with the skirt of her dress.

"Forgive me," she whispered. 

And then she was gone.

Alejandro hovered helplessly between them as Lucía walked away.  Bruno stood alone in their little corner of the town square, clutching one arm in the other, looking lost and confused.

Lucía took Josefina and left, and Bruno returned to the table they’d shared, smiling feebly at Mirabel and Antonio, who’d also sat down to take a rest. 

“Alejandro,” Mercy said softly, appearing at his shoulder.  

“I know,” he said.  “I know.”

Alejandro followed Lucía and Josefina home.

“I'm sorry we had to leave,”  Lucía said as she smoothed the covers over Josefina, tucking her in.  “It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anything you did. But I – just needed to come home."

"It’s okay. I'm tired too." Josefina paused to yawn. "Mamá - are you and Don Bruno in love?"

Alejandro laughed softly.  

“Alejandro?”  Mercy asked quietly.

“Out of the mouths of babes,” he murmured in reply, watching Lucía intently to see her response.

Lucía studied her daughter, but Josefina had only a sleepy and slightly curious look on her face in return. "I…I do love Don Bruno, Josefina, but...but..."

"...but you're not in love with him?"

"...I - we – we were acting. Telling a story. For the play."

Alejandro shook his head.  “Oh, Luci.  Stop lying to yourself.  It’s okay to admit it.”

"So you were acting with your faces and with your voices?"

"Sí." Lucía laughed, but the sound was strained.

"So were you acting when you and Don Bruno were dancing?"

Lucía stopped laughing. "Ah – what?"

"You were looking at each other the same way you were in the play when you were acting."

"Oh – ah - " Lucía faltered. "I - "

"I love Don Bruno too but my face doesn't get all dark or splotchy when I talk to him. Unless maybe I'm really hot, then my face would. But I guess that could happen when I'm talking to anybody."

"Ah - "

"But I guess dancing is exercise and it can make your face do that, too, right?"

"…Right…"

Josefina sighed and her eyes were heavy. "But you're not in love with Don Bruno?"

She paused, but didn't wait long enough for her mother to answer. She mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "That's too bad."

Lucía sat for a long moment, attempting to find the words to respond.  By the time she had, Josefina had fallen asleep.

She sighed and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

After she left the room, Alejandro floated next to Josefina’s bed, settling himself at her side.  He waved his fingers through her hair and pressed his ghostly lips to her forehead as well.  “Sleep well, mi fresita.  Mi Josefina.  And don’t worry, mi amorita.  Your madre will come around.  Mija - you are so, so loved.”

By the time Alejandro rejoined Lucía in the courtyard of their home, she was weeping.  Great silent sobs wracked her body and tears streamed down her cheeks. 

“Oh, Luci,” Alejandro murmured, his fingers uselessly attempting to brush them away.  “Luci, mi amor, mi vida, mi luz - it’s all right.  You will be all right.”

 "Lucía." Alejandro looked up at her papá's gentle, quiet voice as he let himself into the courtyard. She did not even bother to dry her tears before turning her gaze from the stars to his face.

"Papá." She croaked. "What is wrong with me?"

He held out his arms, and Lucía stepped into them, crying into his shoulder.  Alejandro hovered beside them, waiting patiently for her father to comfort her, eager to hear what was on her heart; why she’d left Bruno at the festival and what was causing her to weep like her heart had been broken all over again - though he already had a fairly good idea.

Lucía’s father led them to the bench and he sat them down on it, and he held her hands and listened as she worked out the crux of the problem her heart was facing.

"I'm a terrible person."

"I think not." Her padre answered.

"I'm in love with a man who is not my husband! I love – I love two men!"

Alejandro pressed his hand to his mouth.  

She’d realized it.

Her padre took her hands gently in his. "Lucía." He said softly. "Look at me, mija."

It took her a moment, but she looked up at him. "Alejandro has been dead for three years. You have forgiven him for his mistakes. You do not hold him up as an impossible standard that no other man can ever meet. You see him for who he was – a good but flawed man. He will always be your first love, and he will always be Josefina's padre – but he does not have to be your only love, and Lorenzo and I do not need to be the only father figures in Josefina's life. Between you and I, I think she's already adopted him. You honor Alejandro's memory by speaking well of him, but you must be truthful as well. He is not some specter that hovers over you, demanding your whole heart for the rest of eternity."

Alejandro - the specter that was literally hovering over them right at that moment - couldn’t help but let out a short laugh at the irony.  

“Maybe at first, that’s what I wanted,” Alejandro admitted.  “Or - more like - what I expected.”  Mercy appeared at his shoulder.  

“And now?”  Mercy asked.

“Her heart doesn’t belong to me.  I just want her to be happy.”  

Lucía, however, was still uncertain. "Is it – I feel I am wrong for not – for not - keeping him in my heart. And – if I – if I do keep him – it's just - I can't give Bruno half my heart. He – he deserves – he deserves all of it. He deserves – so much - " her voice caught and she cut herself off.

“Oh, Luci,” Alejandro whispered, brushing his fingers through her hair. 

She shivered closer to her father. 

Her father continued. "My beautiful, lovely, wise, faithful daughter. You are not removing Alejandro from your heart and replacing him with Bruno. That would be unfair to all three of you. But Lucía – mi amor – you have always had a big heart. You keep the memory of Alejandro in your heart – but now that heart has grown large enough to hold Bruno as well. And he deserves to know just how much of it he holds. Alejandro can have your past, but he cannot have your future. Bruno, on the other hand..."

Alejandro saw that was struggling to accept it.  He saw that she wanted to believe her father’s words, but doubted.  

“Mercy,” Alejandro said softly.

“I’m here.”

“Stay with me.”

“Of course, dear one.”

Alejandro channeled all the love he felt for Lucía, all the love he felt for Josefina, all the love he felt for the Madrigals - all the pride at how far they’d come and the hope for what their futures would hold - and he allowed his hand to glow golden with the last of his Influence.

“ Lucía,” Alejandro spoke as he lay his hand over Lucía’s, emotion making it difficult for him to say the words out loud.  “ Luci - he’s right.  You know he’s right.  It’s okay.  Bruno loves you.  You know he loves you. He loves you and he loves Josefina.  Josefina loves him.  And yes - you’ve realized the truth.  You love him, too.  You’re in love with him, Luci. Luci - ” he faltered.  “ Luci - let me go.  It’s okay, Luci.  I’m all right.  Go and be happy, mi amor.”  

Her breathing slowly calmed, becoming peaceful and measured as she contemplated her father’s words, Alejandro’s Influence working to support them. She dried her face of her tears. Her papá leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently before sitting back and wiping his glasses on his shirt. He returned them to their perch on his nose and stood and faced her, holding out his hands. She took them, and he pulled her to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gestured to the dark shapes of the trees towering behind the house – to the sky – to the whole of the horizon before them.

"Mi querida, Alejandro saw the beauty and magic in everything. And he taught you to do the same. And now, he is gone, and you see the beauty and the magic in another man. That is a gift, it is nothing to be ashamed of. If you love Bruno, accept that gift. You have not betrayed Alejandro."

Alejandro still hadn’t let go of her, keeping his grip on her even as her father pulled her to her feet. 

“ It’s true, Luci.  You haven’t betrayed me.  Accept Bruno’s love.  Accept your feelings for him.  Love him.  He - he deserves it, Luci.  You deserve it.”  

She gave her father a shy, tremulous smile. "Gracias, Papá. I do love him. I love him so much!"

A few fresh tears fell, but her smile only grew. "I'm in love with Bruno Madrigal," she whispered, as though it were a sacred confession, and she smiled.

Alejandro lay beside her in bed that night.  He knew he was saying good-bye. Mercy settled on the headboard and Alejandro was grateful for the comforting presence.  

He felt nothing but warm affection for the woman beside him, as she lay awake and stared at the ceiling, alternately smiling and frowning, her brow furrowing at times and at others, her brows raising in amusement as she snorted softly at some memory. 

“Yeah, it took you awhile, eh?”  Alejandro smiled as he spoke to her, knowing his Influence was spent but also needing this last night with her.  “You always were a little slow on the uptake, there, Luci.  It took me three tries before you realized I was genuinely asking to court you.”

“He’s a good man, Luci.  Take care of him.  And let him take care of you.”

“I was afraid, once, that you’d forget me.  That you’d let Josefina forget me.  I’m not afraid anymore, Lucía.”

“Sweet dreams, mi amor.  I love you.”

Mercy stayed with him the entire night and all through the next morning as he watched his little family rise and prepare for church and Lucía prepare to seek Bruno out and apologize for leaving him the night before.

Mercy didn’t say anything, but Alejandro knew his time was almost done.  He wasn’t afraid to go, anymore.  He just wanted to see Bruno and Lucía happy together before he went, and Mercy didn’t seem to be inclined to rush him.

He followed them to church and felt nothing but peace as he entered.  He stared at the crucifix above the altar, at the Virgin Mother and the depictions of the saints, and he was unafraid.  He thought, perhaps, he may face purgatory, but he’d made it through the past four years.  He would be all right.  He had faith that one day, he would see his family again in heaven.

When Bruno wasn’t there, he followed Lucía as she sought him out. He followed her as she paused at the cemetery, brushing her fingers over his gravestone and brimming with love and tender affection as she spoke.

"Gracias, Alejandro," she whispered. "Gracias for giving me Josefina, and all of your love. Gracias for teaching me so much about life and beauty and how to search for it in others. I was so angry at you for leaving us, but I forgive you, now. I loved you so much. But it is time to let you go. I will keep your memory alive, lo prometo. But – Lord willing - I'm going to start adding new memories to my life as well. Goodbye, Alejandro."

“Goodbye, Lucía,” Alejandro murmured.  To his surprise, Mercy brushed his wings, feather light, against Alejandro’s cheek.  

“I have one thing to do before we go,” Mercy said quietly.  “I will meet you at Casita, dear one.”

Alejandro smiled and stood beside Lucía. He watched Mercy flutter away, surprised that for once - she seemed to be able to see the butterfly as well. 

Casita wouldn’t let her in.

Alejandro’s brow furrowed as he witnessed attempt after failed attempt of Lucía trying to get in.  She tried opening the door herself, pleading, cajoling, walking around the entirety of the perimeter, climbing in a window, and climbing up a tree.  All of that failed.

“Casita,” he scolded.  “This is Lucía we’re talking about.  Why won’t you let her in?”

Casita merely waved him away.

“She loves him, you know.  She’s going to apologize, if that’s what you’re upset about.”

Casita lifted a windowsill in a quick, dismissive shrug.

“Please, Casita?  Let her in?”

But it wasn’t until Lucía herself admitted, defeated, that she only wanted to tell Bruno she loved him, that Casita opened her doors to her.

Alejandro patted her stucco.  “Gracias, old friend.”

Alejandro laughed lightly, watching Lucía and Bruno stumble over their words to each other.  

Mercy returned and alighted on his shoulder. 

“And where were you?” Alejandro asked.

“I had to help Bruno,” Mercy explained. “He had - a rough night after Lucía left. He needed to be awake and in the courtyard in order to hear her out.  I - helped with that.”

Alejandro hummed, curious.  “Did Bruno ask for you?”

Mercy fluttered.  “On occasion, God does give Mercy without being asked.”

Alejandro smiled.  

Beside them, the conversation continued.

"I'm sorry about last night. I'm sorry I left. I was overwhelmed." Lucía said, flushing. "I – wanted to kiss you - and I realized I – I've been falling in love with you for over a month now. And I felt – I felt so conflicted, because – I feel so strongly for you, but I also – I felt guilty – about – Alejandro."

Bruno looked away and his shoulders slumped. "I'm…not Alejandro."

"I know," she continued. "And I don't want you to be. I loved him, but my time with him ended three years ago. I don't want you to be Alejandro…I want you to be you. I love you," she confessed softly.

Alejandro blinked and his smile grew.  She was radiant, hopeful, beautiful. She was going to have such a wonderful life.  He was so happy for her.  He was so happy for Bruno.

He felt something pluck at his sleeve, and he looked down to find a golden drop, like rain, spreading out from where it had fallen on his arm.  

He felt something warm and wet on his face, and he realized he was crying.

He was crying.

He only began to cry harder at that realization. Oh, how he had longed to cry, these past years!  How he’d longed to properly mourn for what he’d lost and what he’d left behind!  He allowed his tears to fall, unhindered and unashamed, and touched his fingers to his cheek, awed at the sweet release he was finally allowed again.  They came away golden, and the light spread out over him until he was radiant.

Unaware of the supernatural event unfolding beside them, Bruno stared at Lucía, his expression slowly shifting from wary confusion to disbelief and awe. "You…love me?" He breathed. "You're in love with me?"

"Sí." She laughed through her tears and gave a little shrug. "Estoy tragado." 

"You…love…me?" He whispered again, as though he couldn't believe it.

"Sí." She nodded. "Te - "

He tentatively reached up to caress her face, brushing his fingers along her cheek, along her jaw, stroking her hair. He blinked and gently pulled a stray leaf out of her hair, flicking it away, and his lips twitched in amusement.

"-amo," she finished, snorting lightly. "When Casita wouldn't let me in, I tried to climb in a window. And up a tree. Neither worked out -"

In that moment, Bruno pulled Lucía close, his arms encircling hers and pressing her body flush with his, his face buried in her neck. He trembled, gasping for breath as he struggled to get his emotions under control. His fingers curled into the fabric of her shirt.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling into the fabric of his ruana. She gave him a long moment to hold her, and then she spoke softly, mumbling into his shoulder.

"Bruno?"

He made a humming sound in response.

"Can you forgive me for leaving yesterday? I didn't mean to hurt you. I needed time to myself to sort through things but - "

He let out a little disbelieving huff of air. "Of course I forgive you." He murmured.

A pause, and then he added softly - "I love you."

Beside them, Alejandro wept.  

Fresh tears pricked Lucía’s eyes. "You love me," she repeated, and her whole countenance lifted.

Bruno pulled away and held her at arm's length, an incredulous expression on his face. "Sí," he breathed. "Sí, I love you." He cradled her face in his hand and his thumb brushed against her cheek. "Te amo. Te amo mucho."

His eyes were so soft and his expression was so tender as he looked at her. He went to pull her in again, but she placed a hand on his chest to stop him for a moment. He looked at her in question.

"Bruno, you can hold me as much as you want; I'm not going anywhere, lo prometo. But – if it's okay with you - " a playful smile spread across her lips – "do you mind if I kiss you now?"

Bruno froze again and pink dusted his cheeks. "Oh – ah - okay."

She bit her lip and leaned forward, only to have him tilt his head the same way. Her nose brushed against his and she laughed softly. She went to tilt her head the other way and so did he, and she reached up to frame his face with her hands.

Alejandro laughed through his weeping, not at them, but with them in their joy.

Bruno's shoulders hunched up a bit and he laughed nervously. "Lo siento. I – ah – I haven't – I've never - "

"It's okay," she whispered. "Just hold still a minute."

He obeyed and she brushed her thumbs along his cheeks, bringing her face closer and tilting it just so, until she closed her eyes and pressed her lips lightly against his.

He stood frozen, and she pulled away again, just a bit. She nuzzled her nose to his and pressed her lips to his again, and after a moment - he kissed her back.

One of his hands wound itself around her waist, and the other cradled her face, his fingers threading through the small tendrils of hair that had escaped her braid. 

The last chord binding him to his life on earth dissolved in the growing light, and Alejandro’s soul was free.

“Congratulations,” Alejandro whispered to Bruno, thoroughly golden now.  “If it had to be anyone - then I’m glad it was you.”

Beside him, Mercy transformed into Pedro Madrigal and took Alejandro by the hand, his smile gentle and encouraging. 

“It is time, amigo.”

Alejandro nodded.  “I know.”

Mercy led him through the corridors of Casita, to a glowing golden door that hadn’t been there before, and then stopped.  

“I’m going to transform, now, into my true form,” Mercy explained.  “Don’t be afraid.”

“I could never be afraid of you, amigo,” Alejandro said fondly.

Mercy stepped back and disappeared in a swirl of golden dust, reemerging as something angelic and indescribable.

Alejandro was speechless, but he was not afraid.  

“Are you ready?”  Mercy asked, towering over him.  

Alejandro nodded.  “I’m ready.”

“Then, dearly beloved one, let us go.”

Casita opened the shimmering door, and Mercy moved behind Alejandro, wrapping something he could only describe as wings around his torso and lifting him up, carrying him through.  Casita shut the door behind them, and Alejandro looked over his shoulder - the door dissolved into nothingness, disappearing completely.

He was flying.  

He was flying, suddenly, through colors and warmth and light that only got brighter and warmer and more pure.  It was brilliant and cleansing and entirely freeing.  Alejandro had never felt so light.

And then - whether suddenly or finally, Alejandro could not say, as time fell away and there was only freedom and relief and joy - Mercy set him gently on a sea of gold so pure it was transparent, and Alejandro righted himself.  

Mercy’s fearsome face smiled at him, and then he turned to bow to his Lord.

And Alejandro turned as well, and saw the One his soul had been yearning for all the days of his life and death.

“Well done, my good and faithful son.”

Alejandro trembled, the golden tears still falling from his eyes, unable and unwilling to stop them.  It was too much. He fell to his knees and hid his face in his hands.  Good and faithful?  That didn’t sound like an accurate description.

“Forgive me, Lord. I don’t – I don’t understand.”

“Dear One, you are already forgiven.”

Alejandro shuddered, filled with joy and awe at His Voice. “Have I – have I done enough, Father?” He whispered.  He felt a gentle touch to his shoulder, and he looked up. 

“My child,” God spoke gently, “Your ‘doing’ these past years was for you, not to earn favor with me. Your faith saved you the moment you died, but you were not ready.  You would have experienced regret had you not had the chance to learn from your earthly mistakes, and there is no regret in heaven.”

Alejandro trembled, unable to stand. “Father, I thought – surely – after all I’ve done – after all the ways I’ve messed up – purgatory, at least - ”

Another gentle weight on his shoulder; a hand laid there to comfort him. “My dearest child, what have you done these past four years?”

“I – I – it hardly feels like four years.”

A gentle laugh. “With me, and with all spirits, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day. You have spent these past four years watching your beloved wife and child grieve you, forgive you, love you, and let you go.  You have forgiven them their faults, you have grieved your loss of them, you have repented of your contribution to their pain.  You have learned to let go and to allow space in your soul for charity toward the man who has taken the role you left behind.  You have let go of your earthly connections for their own benefit. Who says that this was not your purgatory, dear one?”

Alejandro wept, his tears falling like golden pearls between his fingers.

His Father watched each one fall, and then wiped them away with great tenderness and affection. 

Alejandro dried his eyes and looked into the face of the One who loved him most. “Would – would things have been different, if I’d listened to her?  If I’d listened to you ?  If I hadn’t let my – my pride and desire for – for achievement get in the way?”  

His Father shook his head.  “It is not for you to know what would have been, Alejandro.  No one is allowed to know what might have been after they’ve made their choice.  But I can tell you what will be.  You will see them again.  Lucía and Josefina, and Bruno Madrigal.  You will see those you loved as a living man and those you have grown to love as a wandering soul.”

Alejandro grimaced, and temporarily forgot that his Heavenly Father knew his thoughts more intimately than he did, himself. 

His Father chuckled.  “It is not as you think, beloved son.  In Heaven, no one is given in marriage.  There is no need for such things.  There will be no competition between you and Bruno Madrigal.”

Alejandro contemplated.  “I don’t think I understand.”

“No, perhaps not yet.  But you will in time.  My ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.  You do not yet have words to begin to think about or understand what awaits.  It would be like trying to explain the vastness of the universe to an ant. But it will not always be so.  You will learn. You will have an eternity to understand.”

“Yes, Father.” Alejandro stood.

His Creator and Father held out his hand.  “My child, it is time to come home.  Your business on earth is finished. Well done, good and faithful one. I call you, now, my beloved son.  Come share in my happiness.  There are so many here who have been waiting to see you again.”

Alejandro took His hand and went forward, into the light, into a perfection so bright and purifying everything else dimmed in comparison.

And he did not look back.

The End