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Chapter Text

Our story begins 14 years ago. Five year old twins, Aaron and Luisa Madrigal, sat on the former's bed with Abuela between them, the candle in her hands, burning bright and flames flickering in the slightest breeze. The twins both had their eyes closed, warm smiles on their faces.

"Abre los ojos, open your eyes."

Upon their grandmother's request, Aaron and Luisa opened their eyes and gazed into the candles flame. Aaron then looked up at Abuela. "This where our magic comes from?" He asked as his sister followed his gaze.

Alma hummed. "Mhm. This candle holds the miracle given to our family." She told them.

Sharing a glance with her brother, Luisa asked, "How did we get a miracle?"

Gazing longingly into the candle, Alma began her tale. "Long ago, when my three babies had just been born, your Abuelo Pedro and I were forced to flee our home. And though many joined us, hoping to find a new home, we could not escape the dangers. And your Abuelo was lost. But, in our darkest moment, we were given a miracle. The candle became a magical flame that could never go out. And it blessed us with a refuge in which to live. A place of wonder."

The twins smiled. "An Encanto!"  

Nodding, Alma continued. "An Encanto. The miracle grew, and our house, our Casita itself came alive to shelter us. When my children came of age the miracle blessed each with a magical gift to help us. And when their children came of age…"

"They got magic, too!" Aaron beamed.

His grandmother chuckled. "That’s right. And together, our family’s gifts made a new home, a paradise. Tonight, this candle will give you your gifts, mi corazón. Strengthen our community. Strengthen our home. Make your family proud."

The twins shared another glance. "Make our family proud." Something clattered to the ground, startling Aaron for a moment, who yelped. The trio glanced down to find Aaron's alarm clock, bouncing up and down with the help of Casita, warning them that it was almost time for their ceremonies.

Stiffling a laugh, Alma stood up. "Yes, yes Casita, we’re going."

Standing up, the twins giggled. "Hehe." Aaron dusted off his waistcoat, beaming at the Stark white colouring of the suit.

Luisa turned to Alma while dusting off her dress. "What do you think our gifts will be?"

Alma knelt down and flicked a speck of dirt away from Luisa's sleeve before adjusting Aaron's bowtie. "You both are wonders, Aaron and Luisa Madrigal. Whatever gifts you get will be just as special as each of you."

Aaron Madrigal woke up to the familar banging of Mirabel's fist on his door. "Dios mio, I'm up!" He grumbled, rolling over and falling on his face, comforter settling over him as he laid, sprawled out, on the wooden flooring.

He barely registered the sound of someone walking into his room until the feeling of ice cold water on his face immediately made him shoot up. "Luisa!" He whined, turning around to face his sister.

"It's breakfast, Aaron. Abuela's not going to be happy if you're late... Again."

"Gimme a sec to change, and dry my hair, then I'll be down." He told her. Looking past his sister, he huffed. "I was just about to get up now, Abuelo! Dios."

"If you fall asleep again, I am going to possess you until you learn to get up early." Pedro frowned.

"Don't fall back asleep." She warned, turning to leave.

"I won't now you woke me up with ice cold water!" Aaron called as his sister disappeared downstairs. "And that I'll be getting another lecture off Abuelo for sleeping in... Again." He muttered, glaring over at the older man.

"A Madrigal has to be presentable and capable of helping the town at their best." Pedro told him. " Just look at your sister, Luisa is already up, dressed, and ready to start her day. The rest of the family should be as well, Mijo."

"I know, Abuelo." Aaron sighed.

A few moments later, he emerged from his room in a white waistcoat, blue shirt and green bowtie, turquoise flower, and black pants with grey shoes. He slid down the bannister, barely managing to remain on his feet as he slid off. He glanced at the portrait as Abuelo stood in front of it, raising an eyebrow while stroking his beard in thought.

Aaron rolled his eyes and joined the rest of his family outside for breakfast, smiling as he took his seat between Isabela and Dolores once he'd grabbed a plate of Arepas. He saw Abuelo walking over to Abuela and wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"Buenas dias, familia!" Alma greeted with a casual smile, taking her seat a the table.

"Buenas dias, Abuela." Everyone, apart from Pepa and Julieta, exclaimed happily.

"Buenas dias, mi amor." Pedro smiled warmly, looking over at his wife.

"Tonight is a very special night, as you all already know." Alma gestured to Antonio, who was sandwiched between Pepa and Mirabel, the latter giving him a playful nudge and smile while the former kissed his cheek affectionately. "Tonight, I expect each and every one of you to help prepare for Tonito's ceremony. As soon as your chores are done, everyone is to help set up. No excuses."

Aaron nodded. "I'll start after breakfast, Abuela. I don't think anyone needs my help today, plus I know Abuelo's willing to help, right, Abuelo?"

"Me? Aaron, you know I'm dead, right?" Abuelo scoffed half-heartedly. "But yes, I'll try and help."

"Very well, Aaron." Alma nodded. "Everyone else, you have your duties, once Breakfast is over, you may begin."

Breakfast continued as usual, with Camilo standing up and retrieving extra Arepas every once in a while. Casita kindly refilled cups of coffee and glasses of fresh fruit juice for everyone. Aaron shared a knowing glance with Luisa before turning his gaze to Tío Bruno's tower.

"Is everything okay, Mijo?"

Aaron shook his head before turning to his Tía. "Sí, I was just thinking of something." He answered.

"By staring over at "his" tower?" Pepa raised an eyebrow.

"Sí." Aaron nodded. Pedro looked at him.

"You're thinking of Bruno, aren't you, Mijo?"

"Even if I was, no one's seen him since he left ten years ago, Abuelo." Aaron took a bite of his Arepa. "After Mirabel's ceremony, as you know, didn't quite go as planned. Abuela made him have a vision of her future. My guess is that Bruno had the vision, and decided it was best if no one saw it, or him, and left."

"That doesn't sound like Brunito." Pedro frowned. " I'll have a look for him. Stay here and eat, Aaron." He started to walk off.

"But Abuelo-" Aaron called after him.

"Stay and eat, Aaron Percival Madrigal." Pedro sternly scolded. "I'm sorry, but one of us needs to keep his strength up." He left, walking into the wall and phasing through.

Aaron shook his head and pushed his plate away. "I'm ready to start working, Abuela."

"Good." Alma clapped. "I need you go head to Señor Osvaldo's store and pick up decorations. Take Luisa with you."

At the call of her name, Luisa looked up. "Why me? I promised Señorita Rodriguez I'd rebuilt the bridge."

"To be fair, Lu, we haven't had much time to bond since we got our gifts." Aaron shrugged. "Plus, I miss your anxious ramblings."

"Shut up and keep eating, Aaron."

"I will if you promise you'll come with me to Osvaldo's." Her brother smirked.

Luisa huffed. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

Aaron smirked. "No chance."

Later on, the Madrigal Family, plus a few townsfolk, were getting Casita set up for Antonio's Ceremony. Aaron was helping his father and Tío Félix outside chopping wood while his sisters, Mamá, primos, Tía and Abuela were getting everything set up for tonight.

"It's a big night tonight." Papá smiled. "We'll find out of Tonio gets a gift."

"Yeah." Aaron nodded with a frown. "Someone's got to make sure Mirabel's okay during this, she's the only grandkid without a gift, afterall. Finding out her younger primo will get one and she never did... I can imagine what's going to open happen."

"He's right, Agustín." Félix nodded, patting his nephew's shoulder. "First gift ceremony since mi sobrina's."

"Ay." Agustín agreed.

Aaron heard Señor Ortiz call his sister's name, and turned his head towards the front of Casita, where Mirabel, accompanied by a few of the villagers children, stood nervously. He'd heard Dolores tell the kids Mira didn't get her gift, and frowned.

"I gave you the special since you're the only Madrigal kid with no gift. I call it the not special-special since, well, you have no gift."

Aaron growled under his breath as he watched his sister take the delivery of party supplies. "Thanks." He heard her say through gritted teeth.

"If I was you, I'd be really sad." Cecilia stated.

"Well, my little friend, gift or no gift, I'm just as special as the rest of my family." Mirabel smiled, gesturing to Casita. Aaron heard Luisa pick up a large wagon filled with barrels of alcohol.

"Alright guys, where do I put the wagon?"

Aaron was about to call out, when he looked back as he heard his father scream. He rolled his eyes as he saw Agustín being trailed by a swarm of bees, axe long-forgotten as he ran in circles.

"Ay, Papá."

After helping his father inside Casita and straight to his mother for an Arepa, Aaron walked around Casita, wondering if anyone needed help with preparations.

"Camilo, we need another Josè." He heard Alma call from upstairs as Camilo leaned against the railing.

"Josè!" His primo chanted as he shape-shifted into the man holding a banner above Antonio's new door.

Sudden, a gust of wind hit him, pushing him back and making his waistcoat flap in the air. He knew the primary cause of the high winds, his Tía Pepa.

"My baby's night has to be perfect, and it's not perfect and people are going to be coming...."

Tío Félix chased after his wife, attempting to calm her down. "You're tornado-ing the flowers, the flowers!" He called.

"Did someone say "flowers"?" Oh great, here comes Señorita Perfecta Isabela. Isabela flew down to the courtyard on a vine swing, hitting Mirabel in the face as she dropped.

"Our angel, our angel!" Félix chanted proudly.

Aaron briefly passed his sisters on his way upstairs to his room, when he heard Mirabel and Isabela playfully bickering. "Hey, Mamá said no fighting. That includes petty arguments." He called over his shoulder.

"At least one person's on my side!" Mirabel stated with an exasperated huff. "Gracias, Aaron."

"I'm not on anyone's side, hermana. I'm simply the mediator." Aaron called back, walking backwards upstairs. He tripped and fell on his behind, slamming his head on the upstairs landing. "Ow!"

"Careful, Aaron!" Abuela scolded him as Aaron righted himself, dusting his suit off.

"Lo siento, Abuela." The 19 year old apologized.

"Don't let it happen again, nieto." Abuela told him. "And do something about your room, would you? It's a mess."

"A me-" Aaron cut himself off, grumbling. Of course, Camilo went in his room again, didn't he?

"Pepa, you have a cloud!" He turned around as Alma scolded Pepa.

"I know Mamá, but now I can't find Antonio! What do you want from me?!"

Aaron looked over his shoulder as Pedro stood by the nursery door, gesturing with his head towards the room. Aaron nodded and made his way over. He took a quick glance downstairs as he watched his sister carry three whole barrels of alcohol over her shoulder, only for Alma to demand the piano needed moving.

With a nod, he turned to the nursery and walked over. He knocked on the door and stepped in. "Antonio? You in here, hombrecito?"

A small whine came from inside the room. Aaron closed the door behind himself, suddenly being startled as Mirabel walked in. "Tonio, everyone's looking for you, y'know?"

"Have you found him yet?" Mirabel asked her brother, who shook his head with a frown.

"No luck, you?"

"Nope. Tía Pepa's causing another flood outside with the face she and Tío Félix can't find him." Mirabel shook her head. "Let me know if you do find him, okay?"

"Sure, hermana." Aaron nodded. He watched as Mirabel left, and gently reached out to grab her hand. The younger girl looked back at him. "Hey, you okay?" He asked.

"Of course I am, Aaron. Why?"

"It's just... Tonight's the first ceremony since yours, and Papá knows how you feel, probably being the only Madrigal kid without a gift. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask, alright? I'm right here if you need to talk."

"I know, Aaron..." Mirabel sighed. "Maybe later. We have to get ready for Antonio's big night."

"Sure. And if you want, I'll walk him down the aisle. I understand how overwhelming it can be to have a spotlight shining right on you."

"But you didn't have to walk alone. You had Luisa with you the whole time."

"Yeah, but we each had to take it in turns to hold the candle and open our doors, and since she's the oldest, Luisa went first."

"Right."

Aaron took a deep breath. "Mira, I heard what Abuela said earlier about you staying out of the way while everyone prepared for tonight." He stated.

"What about it?" Mirabel asked. "Wait- I didn't see you at all when I was putting the candles out around Abuela's door."

Aaron smirked and looked over his shoulder. Abuelo stood by the window with his arms crossed, a warm smile on his face. "Let's just say, for a gift as grand as seeing and talking with the dead, there is one person I see all day who knows his way aro Casita on his own. He was actually the one who told me."

"You're looking at Abuelo, aren't you?"

"Yep." Aaron nodded, turning back to his sister. "Anyway, where's that gift you planned on giving Antonio? I'll give it to him when I find him."

"Top drawer." Mirabel told him, pointing to the table beside her bed. Aaron nodded and smiled.

"Great." He chuckled. He checked his watch. "It's almost time. Why don't you take a look downstairs for him, I'll scout around up here. Abuelo can help me."

"I've already found him, nieto. Under Mirabel's bed." Pedro told him. Aaron nodded to the ghost.

"Cheers Abuelo." He turned back to Mirabel. "Remember, gift or no gift, you're still a Madrigal. You're still worth it. Sometimes family wierdos just get a bad rep."

Mirabel smiled and nodded,d moving in to hug her older brother. Aaron chuckled and hugged her back. "Te quiero, hermano mayor."

"Yo tambien the quiero, hermanita." Aaron whispered. The two siblings let go and Mirabel walked towards the door.

"See you downstairs?" She asked.

"See you downstairs." Aaron nodded. Mirabel turned around and left, closing the door on her way out. Aaron chuckled and walked towards the bed, sitting on top of it and reaching for to open the drawer. He pulled out a medium-sized box, and set it on his lap. "I know you're around here, primo." He heard a shuffle beneath the bed. "I understand how scary it is. I was absolutely terrified the day Luisa and I got our gifts, and it still am sometimes."

"Y-You are?"

Aaron smirked. "Of course. Everyone gets scared, it's part of being human. Well, unless you're Isabela. Señorita Perfecta."

Aaron looked down as Antonio squirmed his way out from under the bed. He set the gift beside him on the bed and gently picked his cousin up, sitting the five year old on his lap.

"Look, Tonito, tonight's a big night for you, and all of us. You'll get your gift, and it will be the best yet, I promise."

"I wish Mirabel can have a gift, and a door." The young boy frowned.

"We all do, Antonio." Aaron sighed. He suddenly perked up. "But hey, she probably does have a gift, but we just can't see it."

"Like your gift?" Antonio looked up at his older primo. Aaron shrugged.

"Maybe, who knows. It could be hidden deep down, just waiting to emerge."

Antonio giggled as Aaron tickled his ribs. "Stop! It tickles!"

Aaron stopped and grabbed the box beside him. He held it in front of Antonio. "Mirabel wanted to give you this. I pitched the idea." Antonio looked up at him as if asking for permission. "Go ahead."

Carefully, Antonio pulled away the string and opened the lid. Inside, sat a plush jaguar with golden fur, button eyes, and blue and black spots.

"We both know you're an animal guy, so I pitched the idea to make him, so whenever you get scared when one of us isn't around after you move into your new room, you'll have someone to snuggle with and protect you." Aaron explained. "So, hombrecito, whatcha gonna name him?"

Antonio thought for a moment. "Parce." He stated, holding the plush in front of his face.

"It suits him." Aaron chuckled. The pair looked down as Mirabel's alarm clock bounced off the table and onto the floor. "Alright Casita, we're going." Aaron chuckled. He sat Antonio beside him and nudged the younger boy. "Alright hombrecito, you ready?" He asked.

Antonio held Parce to his chest, nodding. Aaron grinned and picked him up.

"Let's go."

---------------------------

Downstairs, Pepa, Félix, Camilo and Dolores were waiting for Antonio to arrive. "Dolores, cariño, can you check on your brother?" Félix asked his daughter. Dolores nodded and tilted her head to one side.

"Aaron's with him. They're in the nursery talking." Dolores reported. "Wait- they're on their way. Aaron's offered to walk him down the aisle to his door."

Pepa exchanged a glance with Félix. "I think I know why Aaron offered instead of Mirabel." The red-head stated.

"Sí." Her husband nodded. "Tonight is the first gift ceremony since hers, Aaron probably wants to save her from Abuela's disappointed glare."

"Exactly." Pepa nodded.

Everyone turned around as Aaron and Antonio walked over. "I found him, Tía." The 19 year old chuckled lightly, letting go of Antonio's hand as the five year old's family swarmed in. Pepa's created a raincloud over her head, making Félix pull her away while trying to make the cloud disappear.

"Pepi, amor. You're gonna get him all wet." He chuckled.

Camilo shape-shifted into his father and grabbed Antonio's face. "Make your Papá proud." He stared, much to Félix's annoyance.

"I don't sound like that." He rolled his eyes.

"I don't sound like that." Camilo imitated.

The group all turned to Dolores as she squeaked. "Abuela says, it's time."

The curtains opened and Camilo, Dolores, Pepa and Félix walked out into the crowd gathered in Casita's courtyard. Aaron walked over and held a hand out to his cousin.

"Shall we, Antonio?" He whispered, gesturing with his head for the pair of them to move. Antonio nodded and stuck as close to his primo as he could. Aaron smiled and they started their walk.

He turned his head as he walked past his sister. "You know Abuela's going to be mad, right?"

"I know, but me doing this instead of our hermanita will save Mira the embarrassment and disappointed looks." Aaron told her. Luisa crossed her arms and shook her head with a smile as she watched her brother and cousin walk upstairs. Aaron let go of Antonio's hand and walked back downstairs to join the rest of his family.

"Would you rather it be me, Mirabel, or the Abuelo's ghost taking him?" Aaron raised an eyebrow, nudging Luisa gently.

"Only you can see the dead, hermanito." Luisa shook her head.

"Six minutes!" Aaron whisper-shouted. "I'm only six minutes younger than you."

He felt a vine hit the back of his head and turned around to glare at Isabela. Suddenly, he heard the sounds of birds chirping and looked up to see a flock of different winged animals flying into the courtyard, and the doors blowing open harshly to reveal three capybaras, squirrels, boars and a snake.

"Okay, I think his gift had to do with animals." Aaron smiled as the animals ran upstairs and over to Antonio as the young boy held his arms out.

"We have a new gift!" Abuela shouted over the cacophony.

Fireworks exploded loudly, greens and reds, purples and blues lighting up the sky. Aaron awed at the vibrant colours lighting up the night sky, and cheered happily as Antonio giggled, petting each animal around him. He turned his head to see Dolores holding her hands against her ears, grimacing at the sound while trying to smile proudly at her little brother.

Aaron stepped away and gently held his prima. "Your room?" He whispered, knowing Dolores would already be able to hear him, regardless of the loud noises around them both. His prima nodded. Aaron nodded and guided her away from the noises and up to her room. Once they were both inside, Aaron closed the door and walked over to grab a pair of earplugs and noise cancelling headphones from Dolores' desk. He sat beside her on the bed.

"Lola, it's okay. You can take your hands off your ears." He whispered. Dolores shakily brought her hands away from her ears, bringing them to her skirt instead and gripping the red, silky material. Aaron took the time to carefully put the headphones over her head before he noticed her ears were bleeding.

Quickly he stood up. "I'll be back in a minute, Lola, alright?" He asked, moving towards the door. He looked over his shoulder and frowned as Dolores nodded, shoulders trembling. He took a deep breath and ran downstairs to the kitchen, where he found his mother cooking two Arepas.

"Mamá." He stated, walking into the room.

Julieta startled for a moment before glancing towards her son. "Ay, Mijo. Did you need something?"

"Have you got any spare Arepas left over?" Aaron asked.

"Sí, you're not hurt are you?"

"Not me." The young man shook his head. "Dolores' ears are bleeding. I've taken her to her room to get away from the fireworks. I've given her her headphones and earplugs already."

Julieta handed him two Arepas. "It's a great thing you're looking our for your cousins and your sisters, Mijo." She smiled happily.

"I know, being the oldest male grandkid has that effect on me." Aaron joked. "Thanks for the Arepa's, Mamá. Could you let me know whenever Abuela's doing the photo?"

"Sí, Mijo." Julieta nodded, patting his shoulder. "Now, go." She tried to shove him a it for the kitchen, but he wouldn't move so easily. Aaron stumbled a little, giggling.

"I'm going, I'm going." He teased, walking back towards the stairs. He walked up and into Dolores' room and let himself in. "I'm back, Lola." He whispered gently. His prima nodded as he walked over and sat beside her on the bed. Aaron handed Dolores an Arepa, to which the older of the two took in shaky hands and took a bite of, sighing with relief. Aaron checked her ears again, smiling as the blood disappeared. He gently moved the headphones over her ears.

"Mamá said she'll let us know whenever Abuela wants to take the family photograph." He told her. Dolores nodded. Aaron stood up. "Do you want me to stay? If you don't need me to, I'll just take my leave and walk around to make sure everything's alright outside." Dolored squeaked and nodded.

"I'll be okay. Just give me a few minutes." She whispered softly. Aaron nodded.

"Alright. Te quiero, prima."

"Yo tambien te quiero, primo."

Aaron smiled and left the room, making sure to close the door as quietly as he could before Abuelo tapped his shoulder.

"You may want to see this." He stated, turning to walk away. Aaron quickly followed him.

"Abuelo, wha-" The pair stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Aaron felt the ground shake and looked around as cracks scaled the walls, almost reaching the candle in Abuela's window. "The candle!"

A shattering sound brought his attention to a broken tile in front of him. Aaron furrowed a brow and knelt down.

"Abuelo, is Casita-"

"I don't know." Pedro sighed. "You need to warn everyone. Casita could be in danger."

"No one will believe us." Aaron argued. "You've seen how Abuela reacts if we're trying to tell her something serious. She just acts like we're making it up for attention."

"We have to try, nieto." Pedro told him. "We have to make them see. Like Alma always says, "abre tus ojos.". Ábreles los ojos, hazles ver la destrucción antes de que sea demasiado tarde."

Aaron took a deep breath and stood up. "Okay. Vamos!" He and Pedro ran off upstairs to Antonio's room, and bursted inside.

Chapter Text

"Casita's in danger!" Aaron bellowed over the music. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and glanced at him. "The cracks scaled the walls, tiles fell, and the candle almost fell."

Alma stepped forward, frowning. She pulled her shawl over her shoulders and scowled. "Show me."

Aaron turned around, sharing a glance with Abuelo as he and Abuela left. Walking downstairs, Aaron slack-jawed. The cracks.... The broken tile.... Gone.

"But- I could have sworn..." He muttered, turning to Abuelo. "There were definitely cracks in the walls, right?"

"I saw the same thing you did, Mijo." Pedro nodded.

Aaron heard someone clear their throat and turned around to see Alma staring at him. "Abuela, you have to-"

The older woman raised her hand. "That's enough." She turned around to the gathering of villagers and the rest of the Madrigal family. "There is nothing wrong with la casa Madrigal." She raised her arms and clapped. "The magic is strong, and so are the drinks." She smiled and looked over to her family. "Music!"

Aaron frowned as he watched Luisa and Agustín with the piano. There were strained smiles of their faces. He's have to talk to them both later. Right now, all he had his eyes set on was trying to make Alma realise the danger the familia was in.

"How do we convice everyone now?" Pedro asked with a frown.

"I don't know, but we need to try. If I can talk to Papá and Luisa tomorrow, maybe they know something about the cracks."

"You think they know something you don't?"

"Did you see the strained smiles on their faces? It's obvious they're both hiding something. Plus, Luisa's my twin sister. I can still feel what she does."

"Good luck, nieto." Pedro patted his shoulder as he turned to leave.

Aaron turned to him. "Wait- where are you off to?"

"Back to the etherial plane. I'll still be here whenever you need me." Pedro told him.

Aaron hummed. "Alright. Hasta luego, Abuelo Pedro."

"Hasta luego, Aaron Madrigal. " And just like that, Pedro was gone. Aaron took a deep breath and walked back into Antonio's room and continued to party.

"What was that all about?" Aaron turned his head towards Mirabel.

"Abuela doesn't believe me." He sighed. "Abuelo Pedro and I saw the cracks, saw the candle about to fall... The doors, Mirabel.... The doors were flickering, almost going out." He took a shallow breath. "Dios... We're going to lose the miracle, aren't we?"

"Hey." He looked up as Mirabel put a hand on his shoulder. "We don't know for certain that we're losing the magic."

"When Casita falls, who's fault will it be?" Aaron argued. "Abuelo died sacrificing his life to protect Abuela, he gave us the miracle which Abuela's been abusing ever since Mamá, Tía Pepa and Tío Bruno got their gifts. She's the reason Tío Bruno left. She's the reason Isabela's the way she is. She's calling me out for "faking" my gift, and all because I saw the cracks and destruction she could be causing and she didn't see anything."

"Aaron, just calm-"

"No, I won't calm down!" Aaron growled. "Not when I'm being thrown on the back burner while our family steps into the spotlight." He stood up and turned to leave. "I'd suggest you forget this entire conversation, Mirabel. Until I figure out what is happening." He left the room and stormed back to his own.

He slammed the door shut and collapsed on his bed with a growl. He heard the familar click of the doorknob and saw the familar shadow of his twin. "What? Come to tell me how badly I screwed up?" He hissed.

"Actually, no." Luisa shook her head. "What's been going on with you? Mirabel said you stormed out in the middle of the celebration?"

"I'm fine." Aaron growled, rolling over to face away from his sister.

"If you're fine, you'd look at me."

Aaron looked over at her out of his peripheral vision. "I'm fine." He snarled. "Go back to the celebration without me."

"Not gonna happen, hermanito."

Without a warning, Aaron suddenly felt himself being picked up and thrown over a muscular shoulder. "C'mon, Lu! Why?!"

Luisa didn't answer him. Instead, she left the room and walked back into Antonio's, dropping Aaron on the ground on his backside. "Look, whatever's going on, you can figure it out tomorrow. You are not ruining our primo's gift ceremony."

Aaron huffed and stood up. "I'm not trying to ruin it!" He barked as Luisa walked off. "I know what I saw downstairs! Abuelo and I saw the cracks! Saw the candle about to fall, our doors flickering! One way or another, we're losing our miracle! If Tío Bruno was here, he'd know why! He would be able to look into the future and find out he cause of the magic fading and the way to stop it!" He froze as his sister stopped and glanced over her shoulder at him.

"We don't talk about Bruno." She growled.

"He's our Tío, sis!" Aaron howled. "I don't care if no one else dares speak about him, but Abuela only saw the worst in him. That's why he ran away the night of our hermanita's ceremony. He left because of Abuela."

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and Aaron gulped as his sister walked dangerously close to him. "Abuela has nothing to do with why Tío Bruno left. He left because of a vision. If you're really that concerned about the magic, find his vision."

Aaron snarled. "Fine. If you really think that will help me find out what is going on with our magic, and you're really going to take Abuela's side over your own brother's...." He teared up and turned away to leave. "Don't come crying to me when your gift fades."

He abruptly left and headed back to his room. The celebration continued until late into the night. The villagers left and the Madrigals all took their leave back to their rooms. Mirabel stayed behind to help Antonio into bed.

"Aaron sounded really upset." The young boy frowned.

"He'll get over it, I'm sure." Mirabel assured. "Buenas noches, Primo bebé." Antonio yawned and nodded snuggling with Parce in his hammock.

Aaron Madrigal, in fact, did not get over it. He lied awake on his bed, glaring up at the ceiling with his arms crossed. How dare they?! Dismiss his warning the house being in danger? All because of Antonio's big night. It wasn't that he hated his primo pequeña, far from it, rather it was the fact everyone believed he was trying to make it all up for attention. His twin even brushed him off!

With a scoff, Aaron stood up from his bed and marched towards his dresser. "I know what I saw." He mumbled. "I'm not a liar. I'd never lie. Why does no one believe me?"

He grabbed his satchel and threw it over his shoulder. "I'm going to save the miracle." He stomped towards the door, only to turn back in realisation. "How exactly to I save our miracle?"

Casita simply shrugged in reply, moving tiles around. Aaron shrugged and left the room. He made his way into the roof and walked towards Alma's window where the candle stood in all it's glory.

"Ay, Pedro. I need you."

Aaron stuck himself to the wall as he heard Alma walk towards the window with a locket in her hands.

"She knows I'm right here, right?"

Aaron yelped and turned his head towards Pedro as the ghost made his appearance. "I really don't need a heart attack before I turn 20, Abuelo." He scowled, keeping his voice low.

"My apologies, cariño." Pedro apologised. The pair looked back to the window as Alma started off into the distance.

".....We cannot lose our home again. Why is this happening? Open my eyes. If the answer is here, help me find it. Help me protect our family. Help me save our miracle."

Aaron frowned as he watched Alma walk away from the window. Pounding his fist into his palm, he stated, "I will save the miracle." He pulled a photo from his satchel, which showed a picture of the entire family. "There is one person in this family who hears everything about everything. So if there is anyone who knows what's wrong with the magic, it’s her."

The next morning, Aaron walked out into the patio with a scowl. He was still upset about everything that happened the night before. With a huff, he grabbed his plate and piled a few Arepas and other things into it, passing Luisa as she carried the table over, and patted his thigh to call a chair over as his other hand held his plate.

"Family." Alma stated with a smile. Aaron rolled his eyes and pulled his chair in, glaring daggers at his twin and Alma. Mirabel was sitting between Luisa and Tía Pepa, trying to make a conversation with Luisa as Alma was talking. "Mirabel. If you can’t pay attention I will help you."

"Oh, actually…" Mirabel tried to talk, only for Alma to silence her.

"Casita." Alma stated firmly. Casita's tiles rumbled and pulled Mirabel away from the table and towards Abuela.

"Oh, uh, woah!" Mirabel cried out as she was thrusted towards the table.

"As I was saying." Alma stood up. "We must never take our miracle for granted so today we will work twice as hard."

"Mhm, I will help Aaron and Luisa." Mirabel tried to stand up, only for Casita to push her against the table, trapping her there. Aaron giggled under his breath.

"Stop. First, an announcement." Alma scolded, moving to stand between Dolores and Isabela. "I have spoken to the Guzmán’s about Mariano’s proposal to Isabela." She turned to Dolores. "Dolores, do we have a date?"  

The second oldest grandkid tilted her head. "Tonight. He wants five babies." She smirked deviously as Isabela slack-jawed.

Alma clapped. "Wonderful. Such a fine young man with our perfect Isabela, who will bring a new generation of magical blessings and make both of our families stronger." She continued walking, now standing behind Aaron, much to his displeasure. "Okay, our community is counting on us. La familia Madrigal.”

Everyone besides Aaron chanted, "La familia Madrigal!" Aaron stood up and walked off towards the town. Unbeknownst to him, his sisters followed.

"Aaron, wait up!" Luisa called. "C'mon, just stop for a second!"

Aaron picked up his pace, glancing over his shoulder in annoyance. "What if I don't want to talk? Anyway, you've got your chores, I've got mine. By the way, sis, the donkeys got out again." He disappeared soon after.

Luisa sighed and stopped walking, deciding it was best to just let her brother calm down. She turned around and walked away to round up the donkeys- again- and take them back to the barn again.

"Luisa, woah! Wait a second! Ugh." Mirabel called after her, trying to catch up with her sister. "You gotta tell me about the magic. What’s going on? What are you hiding?" She asked.

Moving the donkeys to get a better grip, Luisa replied. "Nothing, just got a lot of chores so maybe you should just go home."

One of the townspeople nervously rubbed his arm as Luisa and Mirabel passed him. "Luisa, my house is leaning to the- Oh." Luisa kicked his house back to it's normal angle without dropping a single donkey, and quickly continued on her way.

"Dolores said your eye was twitching and it never twitches. Something’s making you nervous." Mirabel got in front of her sister, frowning. "Plus, she heard you and Aaron arguing last night."

"Hey, move. You’re gonna make me drop a donkey." Luisa replied with a low growl. It wasn't threatening, but Mirabel moved to one side so her sister could pass and grab two more donkeys.

Continuing onwards, Luisa tried her best to ignore her hermanita, much to Mirabel's annoyance. "Luisa will you just… just tell me what it is!"

"There’s nothing to tell."

"You’re obviously worried about something, and I know it has to do with Aaron. Luisa, if you and Aaron know what’s hurting the magic and it's getting worse ‘cause you won’t tell me what’s wrong-"

Suddenly, she snapped. "Nothing’s wrong!" Luisa thundered. Mirabel yelped and stumbled back. "Look, I'm sorry. Aaron's all upset because no one believes him about the cracks. We got into a big argument about it and he stormed off. If you want to ask about it, ask him. I've got my chores to do." She turned around and continued walking. Mirabel huffed and walked off on the opposite direction.

She soon found her brother sitting by the fountain, talking with someone. It looked like he was talking to himself, but when it came to his gift, he was actually talking with a ghost.

"Señor, I tried that. Please, if you know anything about my Tío, I'd happily tell your family you're happy and keeping an eye over them like you promised."

"We don't talk about Bruno, Aaron." Señor Guzman frowned. "But I do know he disappeared the night of your hermanita's ceremony. Have you tried his room?"

"It's boarded up tight. There's no way I'd be able to get in, even with Luisa's super Strength. Not that she's even bother to help after last night."

"You're siblings, it's natural to have a scuffle or two." Señor Guzman nudged him gently. "I'm sure you'll make up eventually."

Aaron nodded and turned his head. "Oh, Mirabel." He straightened his suit. "Did you need something, hermanita?"

"You." Mirabel smiled.

"Me? What for?"

"Don't act like you don't know." Mirabel crossed her arms. "You know full well what I'm talking about."

Aaron scoffed. "Look, it was a misunderstanding. Nothing major. I have to get back to my chores, so go and find something else to do or someone to bother."

"You're just saying you're fine to dodge the question!"

Aaron stood up abruptly. "I'm heading home. And don't bother following me." He walked off, clenching his fists tightly. Mirabel watched him leave with a roll of her eyes.

"Dios mio....."

Thwack!!

Kick!!!!

Punch!!!!

Slam!!!!!

Aaron pounded his fists on Luisa's punch bag- which he'd definitely not taken from her room- trying to let out any and all his pent up anger. "No one understands! No one knows how it feels to live in someone's shadow all the time! No one understands how much I suffer because my gift "isn't real"! No one believed me when I said about the cracks! No one took my side! All they cared about was Antonio's Ceremony, and not the fact our home was close to breaking, or that we were seconds away from losing our miracle!" With each sentence, his fists landed on the bag, making it swing higher and higher with each blow.

"Aaron, have you seen-"

Aaron snarled. "What?!"

He turned around to see his Tío Félix in the doorway. Félix had his hands in the air in surrender, a somber look on his face. "Why don't you take a break and tell your Tío Félix what's been bothering you."

"I don't need to talk, I'm fine." Aaron growled. "Look, I'm handling this my own way, I'm going to find the cause of the cracks, save our miracle, and for once in 14 years, Abuela's going to be proud of me. Instead of being known as "Luisa's brother who can see the dead", I'll be known as "Aaron Madrigal, the guy who saved the miracle"." He paced around the room, throwing his boxing gloves to one side.

"Aaron...."

"No one believed me, Tío. No one believed me when I said Casita was in danger. That our miracle was dying!" Aaron barked furiously, hands threading grouch his hair. "Why did no one believe me? I've never lied before! I've spent 14 years being able to communicate with the dead, including Abuelo Pedro, who is stood right by the window watching us both."

"Aaron, just calm-"

Aaron's breathing was slowly getting harsher as he paced, fingers threading and tugging at his hair. "Calm down?! Funny, that's the same thing Mira told me last night after I told her about what I saw."

Felix frowned, moving to stand up. "Aaron, I'm serious." He frowned. "You're not thinking straight, just look at me and try and get your breathing back under control."

"I'm thinking straight alright, Tío. It's everyone else who isn't. I know what I saw! Cracks in the walls, the candle almost falling and broken tiles...."

Félix grabbed his shoulders and gently sat him on the bed. "Take a deep breath, Aaron. Just breathe with me, okay?" He urged his nephew to follow, to which Aaron anxiously did, gripping fistfuls of his pants and closing his eyes.

It took, theoretically, fifteen minutes for Aaron to control his breathing again. He groaned and lifted his head.

"Lo siento, Tío. I didn't mean to make you worry." He whispered. Félix softly chuckled and handed him a glass of water.

"Ay, de nada, sobrino." He replied. "I believe you, about what you saw. The door was open when they all flickered. Your Tía's cloud disappeared momentarily as well. Isabela couldn't control her vines and almost hit your Papá, Luisa struggled to keep a boulder in the air, and everyone was complaining about your Mamá's cooking not working."

"It's all real. We're really going to lose the miracle." Aaron breathed, holding his head in his hands. "Dios....."

Félix patted his shoulder. "Look, it's almost dinner, you can worry about the miracle after you've eaten." Aaron nodded.

But before he left for dinner to eat with the Guzman's, and the rest of his family, Aaron took a detour right to Tío Bruno's room.

He entered, knowing Casita couldn't help him, and jumped straight into the pile of sand by the entrance. He slid down, landing on his feet, and stared at the plethora of stairs leading to his uncle's "Vision Cave".

"Ay, Tío. Your room is the worst, and I've been in Isa's during allergy season...."

It was true. Out of all the grandkids, Aaron was the most likely to be found in his room with a humidifier while the others were surrounding Isabela like moths to a flame. It wasn't his fault! His Papá's Abuelo had hayfever, and Papá had the gene. It was just his luck that he, out of his sisters, was the one with hayfever. Even worse, was the fact his oldest sister was a living, breathing, flower girl.

Taking a deep breath, Aaron began climbing the stairs until he reached the top. He grumbled about "no way we'll get over there", when he turned his head to find Abuelo looking at a wooden stake attached to a piece of rope.

"Huh, great thinking, Abuelo." He smirked, walking over to grab the wood and haul it up to a spiky pair of rocks which he could use a a swinging post. He took another breath and ran, jumped and held onto the rope, and landed on the other side. "Aaron Madrigal lives another day, ladies and gentlemen!"

He heard Abuelo clap and chuckle as he turned to walk into the cave. "Onward! We have a tablet to find!"

Aaron left Bruno's room with his satchel on his shoulder, holding it tightly closed as he raced back to his room, only to almost knock into Abuela as she was coming around the corner.

"What are you doing in such a hurry?" She asked, reaching towards his hair. "And what is that in your hair?"

Aaron dodged. "Lo siento, Abuela. I-" He was suddenly shut off as the hulking build of his sister ran upstairs, tears streaming down her face and mirabe racing after her.

"My gift!!" Luisa exclaimed in a panic. Aaron rolled his eyes. She was probably getting all worked up over nothing, as usual. His twin's next sentence caught him off guard. "I'm losing my gift!"

"What?!" Abuela yelped.

"Mirabel and I were having this little talk about me carrying too much so I tried not to carry so much, but I realized it was putting me behind." Aaron could see the tears threatening to fall down her face as his sister spoke in a rapidfire tone, voice cracking as she spoke. "And I was going to let everyone down, and I felt really bad so I was grabbing all the donkeys but when I went to throw the donkeys in the barn...." She hiccupped, tears cascading down her cheeks. "They were....." She paused to wipe her eyes before bursting into tears. "Heavy!!" Aaron watched in confusion as Luisa ran off to her room, shortly followed by Mirabel before the younger girl was stopped by Abuela.

"What did you say to her?" She demanded. Mirabel tried to answer, but Abuela continued. "I don't want to hear it. Just stay away from Luisa until I can talk to her. I need to go and collect the Guzman's for Isabela's engagement dinner." She flicked a spec of sand from Aaron's hair that landed on her sleeve before turning to him. "And whatever you're doing, stop."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "I'm not doing anything, Abuela." He muttered as she left. He turned around and walked off to his room. Mirabel felt conflicted. On one hand, she wanted to see what her brother was up to, but on the other hand, she wanted to comfort Luisa. Instead, she sighed and decided to leave the twins be for now.

In his room, Aaron poured the shards out of his satchel and tried scrambling the shards around to find which piece fit where. He finally managed to piece everything together and gasped at the image he was seeing.

"It's.... Me...."

He heard a crackle of thunder and yelped as he turned to find Pepa in the doorway with a box in her hands.

"T-Tía...." He whimpered. Pepa took a deep breath and calmed down before walking over to him.

"Lo siento mucho, sobrino. I didn't mean to scare you." She cooed gently. Out of all the grandkids, Aaron was the most skittish when it came to unexpected noises and flinched at a person's touch. So far, the family had noticed he'd never flinch when it was either Pepa, Dolores and Agustín touching him. It was strange, he'd used to love physical affection, but now he loathed it. Whatever happened between the twins so long ago must have affected him deeper than he let on.

Aaron flinched, and Pepa stepped back a little. "I-I....." He stammered nervously.

Pepa cautiously held a hand up. "It's okay, Aaron. It's only Tía Pepa and her silly clouds."

Aaron lightly chuckled. "S-Sorry, Tía.... I-I don't know...."

Pepa frowned. "May I see what you were doing?" She asked.

Aaron immediately froze. "No!" He shouted insistently. Pepa jumped back. "Sorry, it's just...." He took a deep breath. "Please don't be mad, Tía..."

Pepa watched as her nephew tried to make himself smaller, gripping his arms close to his body. "I won't, I promise."

Aaron's gaze flickered between his aunt and the tablet on dresser. He breathed a shaky sigh. "I may have gone into Tío Bruno's room to find his vision and I think it's all my fault Casita's breaking?"

Pepa inhaled deeply. "Okay. I'm not going to say something like "we don't talk about Bruno" because I know you had good intentions, Mijo." She took a tentative step towards him, and Aaron didn't flinch. "We should have believed you when you said Casita was breaking apart."

Aaron furrowed a brow. "Abuela didn't."

"Because she doesn't believe your gift is something real. Your Tío Félix saw it for himself when you saw your Abuelo Pedro appeared in your room earlier."

Aaron leaned towards his aunt as another headache reared its head. "You're not mad?"

Pepa chuckled. "Of course not, Aaron." She smiled proudly. "Now, why don't you take a rest and we'll get sorted for when the Guzman's come over. You need one."

Aaron smiled. "Thank you, Tía Pepa."

"Anytime, mi corazón."

The dinner was a disaster. Aaron looked around at the chaos, frowning. It was raining and thundering. Antonio's animals ran rampant, and Abuela was trying to calmly talk to the Guzman's as they ran out the door. He heard the loud wailings of his twin as Papá tried- and failed- to calm her down. Aaron felt another headache emerge, making him stumble and tighten his grip on a chair.

"You okay, cariño?"

Aaron looked up as his Tía eyed him, concerned.

"I'm fine. It's just another headache." He nodded slowly. "I just need to sit down and drink." Casita pulled up a chair behind him, and Aaron sat down in it as Pepa handed him a glass of cold water. Aaron thanked her and took a sip. "Mamá, Tía?" He asked, looking up. Julieta hummed.

"Sí, corazón?" She asked.

"Have either of you noticed anything strange with your gifts?" Aaron asked, frowning.

Pepa shared a glance with her sister. "Why do you ask?" She asked.

"I'm trying to figure out the cause of the cracks, and if we can fix them." Aaron stated. "When Abuelo and I saw them during Antonio's Ceremony, the cracks were inching towards the candle. I don't know why, but something is hurting the magic."

"It's true." Aaron turned this head to the side as Abuelo appeared in the doorway. Pepa and Julieta gasped in surprise. "Juli, Pepi. You're all grown up." He gaped, and slowly moved forward to hug his daughters.

"Papá." The two sisters awed, hugging him tightly. Pedro smiled.

"Where's your brother?" He asked, and suddenly, Aaron felt the atmosphere grow tense.

"He left, the night of Mirabel's gift Ceremony." Pepa sighed.

Chapter Text

A few days later, Aaron walked over to a random painting he'd found a few days ago while playing with Antonio. The painting moved in the slight breeze, and Aaron opened it to reveal a tunnel. Curious, he stepped in and grumbled as he walked straight into a spider web. "Stupid spiders...." He mumbled.

Lightning suddenly clashed, lighting up the end of the tunnel. The young Madrigal looked ahead as a mysterious, cloaked figure, appeared. They turned their head, a scowl on their face as anther bolt of lightning flashed. Suddenly, they took off running.

"Wait!!" Aaron yelped as he chased after the figure through a maze of wooden walls. They jumped over a large hole in the ground, disappearing from view.

Aaron skidded to a stop just before the hole and stared, slack-jawed, as the figure, if he guessed correctly by the torn and dirtied, faded-green ruana, was one "Bad Luck" Bruno Madrigal. Bruno stopped at the end of the tunnel and looked back. He looked him up and down, shrugged, and turned away. "Bye."

Aaron stammered as he chased him. "Wait, hold up. Tío, why did you take the vision?" He asked as he dodged spider webs and loose floorboards. At some point, Aaron hit his shoulder and tripped over a wall. Meanwhile, Bruno performed his "knock on wood" rituals, and held his breath through one of the tunnels.

"You weren't supposed to see that vision." He stated firmly. "No one was." He threw a handful of salt over his shoulder, then a handful of sugar as he walked. Aaron grimaced as he received facefuls of each.

"C'mon, Tío. There has to be a reason."

"There's no reason to tell. You we're supposed to see that vision, end of."

Aaron looked around at the patched cracks in the walls. "Have you been in here patching the cracks?" He asked.

Bruno looked around before shaking his head. "Oh, that? No, no, no. I’m too scared to go near those things. All the patching’s done by Hernando."

His nephew tilted his head. "Who is Hernando?"

Bruno had his hood over his face and put on a strange accent "I’m Hernando and I’m scared of nothing." He took his hood off and awkwardly chuckled. "It’s actually me. I say my real gift was 'acting'." In the blink of an eye, Bruno had a bucket on his head. "I’m Jorge, I make the spackle."  

Aaron nervously wrung his hands together. "How long have you been back here?"

"You never left." He stated as the two of them walked into Bruno's "room".

Bruno shrugged. "Well, I left my tower which was, you know, a lot of stairs. And here, eh, kitchen adjacent." He perked up and grabbed two of his rats from the shelf. "Ooh, ooh, plus, free entertainment. So what do you like? You like sports? Game show? Telenovelas?" He sat back in a faded red chair, sighing. "Their love could never be."

Aaron looked around. "I don’t understand."

Bruno smiled. "Well because she’s his aunt and she has amnesia so she can’t remember that she’s his aunt. It’s like a very forbidden kinda…"

"I don’t understand why you left, but didn’t leave." Aaron interrupted.

Ducking his head, Bruno sighed. "Oh, well, because, huh, you know the mountains around the Encanto are pretty tall. And uh, like I said, free food and everything."

He stood up and picked up an Arepa from the small table before walking over to his rat friends.

"Yeah, you guys love free food don't ya. Always hungry. Never satisfied."

The young teen noticed a small crack in the wall letting a beam of light into the room. He moved closer to find out where the light source led and saw the dining room table. Upon the realisation, he pulled back and looked at the small table that was next to him. He looked down to see a carving of a plate with Bruno’s name on the bottom. 

The teen felt his heart break all over again at watching what had happened. How he- and Abuelo too of you counted the fact the ghost had access all areas- had discovered Bruno lived alone for years and how he so desperately did all he could to still feel connected to his family.  

He heard a sigh behind him and looked over his shoulder as Bruno returned to his seat. "Yeah, my gift wasn’t helping the family. But, uh, I love my family. You know? I just don’t know how to… I just don’t know how to…" Aaron could see tears in his eyes, but Bruno closed his eyes and turned away before he could ask. "Well anyway I think you both should go because… well I don’t really have a good reason but if I did you’d be like ‘I should go cause that’s a good reason’.”  

Instead of pressing his uncle to talk, Aaron knelt beside his Tío. "Why am I in your vision? Tío Bruno. I just wanted to make the family proud of me. Just once. But if I'm hurting my family. Just tell me."

When his uncle didn't respond, Aaron added. "Since getting my gift, I've wanted to prove my worth to Abuela. I mean- what good is the gift to communicate with the dead?"

Bruno took a deep breath and put the pieces of the vision back together on a tray. "I can’t tell you… because I don’t know. I had this vision, and another, the night that your sister didn't get her gift. Abuela worried about the magic so she begged me to look into the future, see what it meant. In the first vision, I saw your sister trying to make the family proud. Trying to help as best she can. Realising her gift was always with her. The second vision, I saw the magic, in danger. Our house, breaking. And then, then, I saw you. But the vision was different. It would change. And there, there, was no one answer. No clear fate. Like your future was undecided." He looked up. "And I knew how it was going to look. I knew what everyone would think. Because I’m Bruno and everyone always assumes the worst so… So…"

Aaron asked. "You left, to protect me?"

The older man nodded. "I don’t know which way it’ll go, but my guess. The family. The Encanto. The fate of the miracle itself. It’s all going to come down to you." He shrugged and grabbed the vision, standing up to slowly push the younger Madrigal out the door. "Or maybe I’m wrong. You know, it’s a mystery. That’s why this vision is pbbt. Look if I could help any more, I would, but, um, that’s all I know. Good luck. I wish I could have seen more."

Aaron nodded. "Yeah… yeah!" He stormed back into the room. "You wished you could have seen more so see more! Have another vision!"  

Bruno jumped. "Oh, no, no. See, I don’t do visions anymore."

Aaron chased him around the room. "But you could."

Bruno dodged. "But I won’t."

Aaron crossed his arms, leaning closer to his Tío. "You can’t say the weight of the world is on your shoulders, the end. If our fate’s up to Mira, me says have another vision. Maybe it’ll show us what she has to do."

Bruno sighed. "Look, even if I wanted to, which I don’t, you wrecked my vision cave which is a problem because I need a wide-open space."  

"We’ll find one!" The 19 year old stated cheerily.

Bruno asked, "Where?"

Before Aaron could speak, the duo heard a familiar voice from the doorway, and several sets of claws. They turned around to find Antonio in the doorway with a toucan on his arm. "Use my room.” Aaron raised an eyebrow. Antonio rolled his eyes. "The rats told me everything. Don’t eat those.”  

Turning back to their Tío, Aaron stated. "Our family needs help, and you need to get outta here." He gestured to a shelf, where three rats were using Bruno’s toothbrushes to clean themselves.  

The 50 year old shrugged. "Meh."

Chapter Text

Three children from the beginning stood outside in the town looking up at Casita. A few thunder strikes had them running back home to their parents. Back in Casita, Alma and Aaron's parents all standing inside of the cracking Casita. 

Alma scolded Pepa, having heard about her talk with Aaron. "You should have told me the second you saw the vision. Think of the family.”

Pepa, with a snow cloud over her head, growled, fire in his eyes. "I was thinking of mi sobrino."  

Alma looked past her and over to Julieta, who was cooking as much food as she could. "Julieta, calm down."

The oldest triplet slammed a hand on the counter in frustration as she flipped an arepa with her other, her back to her mother. "I’m doing my best."

Agustín nodded, trying to calm his wife. "Yes."

"You’re lucky I’m facing away from you right now!"

Fèlix came to Pepa’s side and looped an arm through hers. "Alms, you’ve always been too hard on Aaron."

Alma sneered. "Look around. We must protect our family, our Encanto. We cannot lose our home."  

A small knock on the door captured their attention.

A middle-aged man opened the door and poked his head in. "Señora, perdón. People in town are becoming anxious about the magic. They want to see you."

Sighing, Alma turned to her children and their husbands as she left. "Aaron was in that vision for a reason. Find him."

Aaron, Antonio and Bruno were sitting in Antonio's room. Bruno got up and grabbed a vase of sand, marched around them while pouring it, and sat down.

Aaron looked around as the trees groaned. "We might wanna hurry."

"You can’t hurry the future. Um…" Bruno paused as a capybara sat in the way. He managed to walk around the capybara, who followed him with this eyes. "What if I show you something worse? If I see something that you don’t like, you’re gonna be all, ‘Bruno makes bad things happen. Oh, he’s creepy and his vision killed my goldfish’."

Aaron smiled fondly. "I don’t think you make bad things happen. Sometimes family weirdos just get a bad rep. You can do this."

Antonio handed Bruno his stuffed jaguar that Mirabel made him, and sat on his real-life one.

"For the nerves." He smiled sweetly before leaving.

Talking to himself, Bruno muttered, "I can do this. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this." He closed his eyes and reopened them, the irises now glowing a neon green. "You might wanna hang on." He held his hands out. Aaron breathed in as he grabbed his Tío's.

From there Bruno began performing the steps it took to complete a vision. The wind picked up and sand surrounded the trio as images began to appear. Aaron stared at the flickering images around them, eyes wide with amazement.

Bruno frowned as the images in the sand presented the same thing he saw the night he had the first vision. "It’s just the same thing. I gotta stop!"  

Aaron turned to him. "No. We need to see which way it goes. There’s gotta be an answer. Something we’re not seeing!"

Bruno shook his head. "You’re looking at the same thing that I am. If there was something else…"  

Aaron kept looking around. He saw something. A yellow butterfly. "There! Over there!” 

Bruno stood up with Aaron and let his hand go as he pointed to a golden mariposa flittering around. "Butterfly! Follow the butterfly!"

The vision showed the butterfly gently landing on a piece of grass. Where is that? Aaron thought.

Bruno frowned. "It’s all out of order."

The images in the sand changed again.

Bruno furrowed a brow. "It’s the candle. The candle’s getting brighter! I think you’re gonna help the candle, Aaron!”

The teen tilted his head. "How?"

Bruno squinted as a barely incomprehensible image of Aaron standing by someone appeared. "Uh, There’s someone with you. And you… you fight her!"

Aaron turned to him. "What!"

The older man shook his head. "Wait, no, no, no, no. Is that a hug?" He gestured to the vision as Aaron and the mysterious person hugged.

Aaron growled. "Am I fighting or hugging?"  

The two embraced. Bruno laughed. "An embrace. An embrace! To make the candle bright you have to embrace her!"

"Embrace who?" Aaron asked.

Bruno glared harder at the image. "Oh, almost ther e..."

Aaron centred in on the image. "Who is it?"

"Almost there. Oh, oh. I got it!" Bruno cheered. Aaron gawked as the person he'd hugged lifted a large boulder with one hand.

"Luisa!" He cried in frustration.

The sand fell and a green tablet fell into Bruno's hands. "Oh, your sister. That’s great!"

He showed Aaron the image of the two hugging, only to find his angry nephew on the receiving end. "Every time." He threw his vision tablet over his shoulder. The sound of it shattering could be heard.  

Chapter Text

"Why would embracing Luisa do anything?" Aaron asked. The two of them were kneeling by the railing across the courtyard from Luisa's door.
 
Bruno shrugged. "I don’t know. Our family got a miracle. How do you help a family miracle? You hug a sister."
 
The two of them looked down to see Camilo walking around, calling for his cousin.
 
"Aaron? Aaron?" With the magic on the fritz, Camilo’s powers were affected, causing his top half to turn into a baby. Aaron resisted a chuckle as his cousin screeched each of his name as he walked around.
 
Bruno gulped. "Well, I think we’re running out of time here."
 
Aaron looked over at his sister's door. "It’s not gonna work. She won’t hug me, ever, okay? She hates me! Also, I don’t know if you heard, I ruined our gift ceremony by simply not getting a gift like hers. Plus, P.S."
 
"Aaron." Bruno whispered.
 
"She's always been the better twin. She's the one people go to for help. Ugh. Of course, it’s Luisa!"
 
"Aaron.”
 
"What’s her problem with me anyway? She’s the one who can't say no to someone on her d-"
 
Bruno sighed and shouted, "AARON!" He ducked his head as Aaron turned to him. "Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. You see, you’re missing the point. The fate of the family, it’s not up to her. It’s up to you. You’re exactly what this family needs. You just have to see it." He suddenly grabbed the plant behind him and dragged it scores the hall to the painting. "By yourself, after I leave."
 
Aaron stared, wide-eyed. "What? You’re not coming?" He asked.
 
Bruno put on an accent as he waved his fingers. "It was your vision, Aaron. Not mine."
 
The boy deadpanned. "You’re afraid that Abuela will see you?"
 
Bruno nodded. "Yep. I mean, yes, that too. Hey, after you save the miracle, come visit?" He opened the tunnel. 
 
Aaron grinned. "After I save the miracle, I'm bringing you home."
 
Their Tío smiled softly as he sat on the ledge and performed his good luck rituals. "Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock on wood." He leaned back and disappeared. 
 
Aaron stood up and stared worriedly over to Luisa's door. "You got this. Just gonna save the miracle. With a hug.”

"Save the miracle, Mijo. Bring our family back together." He heard Pedro tell him.

Aaron took a deep breath and stepped towards Luisa's room. He knocked slowly and cautiously opened the door, hoping there weren't any rocks or boulders obstructing the door. Finding none, he stepped further inside and found his sister on her bed with her stuffed unicorn, which Luisa had affectionately named "Uni", gripped tightly to her chest.

"Hey, Lulu." Aaron whispered.

Luisa looked up at him. "Hey yourself, dork."

Aaron chuckled. "I'm sorry for everything I said. I was out of line. I-I.... I guess I was just jealous that you got an amazing gift, and everyone just calls me a freak of nature because of mine." He looked down, disappointed.

"What makes you think that, hermano?"

Aaron looked up. "It's true, isn't it? The great Luisa Madrigal can lift churches and mountains with her bare hands, while twin brother Aaron stands to one side talking to himself."

Luisa shook her head. "Aaron, your gift is just as special as everyone else's."

"Try telling that to Abuela after you and the ghost of her dead husband saw the cracks in the walls with your own eyes." Aaron rolled his eyes. 

Luisa frowned. "Aaron, you can't mean that. Abuela's always telling us we can't take a break, we have to be perfect, alert, ready for the next assignment! I never get a break, you call yourself an outcast, Lola can't go a day without getting overwhelmed, Isabela sacrificed her perfectly good relationship with Mirabel all because of Abuela's desire for her to be "Señorita Perfecta", Camilo doesn't recognize himself, Mamá is overworked making food for the town, Tía Pepa can't control her emotions, and Tío Bruno left because Abuela saw the absolute worst in him." 

Aaron huffed. He looked to one side and took a deep breath. "I spoke with Tío Bruno earlier." He stated.

"And?"

"He said, in order to save the magic, we need to hug. Preferably in front of the candle."

Luisa raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"

Aaron grabbed her hand and dragged her outside. Music began to play in the background, and the twins looked down to see their father playing the piano with their mother, Tía Pepa and Tío Félix nearby. Félix and Pepa were dancing as Julieta sat beside Agustín, head on his shoulder.

"Late one night, I awoke from a dream
I kept to myself, until now
And I saw our gifts, somehow it seems
We all lost them somewhere in the crowd
Where will we go...
What will we do...
Who would we be... If we didn't have them"

Luisa chuckled and pulled Aaron into a hug, much to her brother's discomfort when he heard his back pop. 

"In her eyes, see what the magic can be
In her frown, her disappointment sings... To me
Without this. We're lost, like sailors at sea
And with the miracle is where we, are meant to be
I wake every morning, rise into shine
Ohh..."

Aaron and Luisa sung together. Meanwhile, Alma stood in the town, watching as Aaron and Luisa sang while walking across the roof to the candle. 

"Take on the day, with a hand in mine
We're not alone but it seems, you're dreaming of holders, I'm living the dream
In her eyes, see what the magic can be
In her frown, her disappointment sings.... To me
Without this. We're lost, like sailors at sea
And with the miracle is where we, are meant to be"

Luisa finished singing and the pair stood on the roof near the candle, hugging. Then the pair jumped down and Aaron landed in Luisa's arms in the courtyard. "You’re a bad influence." The older of the two grinned. 
 
Aaron playfully punched her in the shoulder as the two laughed and Aaron jumped out of Luisa's arms.
 
"What is going on?"
 
The twins froze as they heard their Abuela. Luisa more than Aaron.
 
Aaron stepped forward as Luisa stepped to the side. "Abuela, it’s okay! Everything’s… I'm gonna save the miracle! The magic…"
 
"What are you talking about? Look at our home! Look at your sister!" Alma was furious, and Aaron resisted the urge to clench his fists.

"Please, just... Luisa wasn’t happy! And she didn’t-"
 
"Of course she isn’t happy. The night of your Gift Ceremonies, you ruined everything! And you continued to do so with Antonio's! Not to mention the fact you "saw" cracks in our home and you still act like you have a real gift!"
 
Aaron gritted his teeth. "No, no, no. I didn't ruin our Ceremony. I really did see the cracks! All it took was for the two of us to make up! And the candle burned brighter and the cracks…"
 
"Aaron."
 
"That’s why I’m in the vision. I’m saving the miracle!" Aaron turned to Mirabel. "I'm going to save our home and-"
 
Alma suddenly cut him off. "You have to stop, Aaron!" Everyone was silent. "The cracks started with you. Bruno left, because of you."

Chapter Text

"Luisa’s losing her powers. Isabela’s out of control. Because of you. I don’t know why you weren’t given a real gift, but it is not an excuse for you to hurt this family!"
 
Aaron suddenly felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He stepped back, hand clenching his waistcoat. He couldn't believe his Abuela could be this cold-hearted. "I will never be good enough for you. Will I?" He spoke with tears in his eyes at the revelation. With his other hand, he gestured to his family as they gathered around them. "No matter how hard I try, or how hard Mira has to try." He turned to his sisters, briefly sharing eye contact with Mirabel before turning back to Abuela. "No matter how hard any of us tries." He snarled, pointing to Luisa. "Luisa will never be strong enough. Isabela won’t be perfect enough. Bruno left our family because you only saw the worst in him." 
 
Alma thundered. "Bruno didn’t care about this family!"
 
Aaron saw red. "He loves this family! I love this family! We all love this family! You're the one who doesn’t care! You’re the one breaking our home!"
 
Alma stepped closer to him, almost face-to-face. "Don’t you ever!"
 
Aaron stomped his foot in anger. "The miracle is dying, because of you!"
 
Large cracks formed underneath Aaron and Alma, causing the two to look down.
 
Aaron suddenly heard Pepa yelp, "Oh, no, no, no!” He looked up to see the cracks climbing up the walls towards the candle.
 
Félix gasped and everyone zoned in on the candle as the cracks approached the windowsill it stood on. "The candle!”
 
Aaron clenched his fists. "Casita! Get me up there!" He ordered. Casita threw him a piece of the railing and turned it into a makeshift ladder. The teen climbed up quickly as he could.
 
As Aaron began his climb, Camilo began to run towards the candle himself. He shapeshifted into one of the town's children, then into José to avoid falling rubble.
 
Isabela created a vine to try and swing towards the candle but as she got close her door stopped glowing and she lost her power. She began to fall as Casita did its best to ensure she was unscathed.

Luisa tried throwing large pieces of rock to help her brother towards the candle, but she lost her gift and struggled to lift a single stone.
 
Isa and Luisa knelt down and screamed. "No."
 
Then it was Camilo’s turn. Just as he was about to reach the edge of the roof, his powers disappeared and returned him to his natural self. Just like with Isabela, Casita did what it could to help Camilo down as gently as possible.
 
Landing on his hands and knees between each of his prima's, Camilo howled, "No!"
 
Aaron reached the rooftop as the mountains around the Encanto split in two. 
 
Antonio’s door faded and swung open, causing all of the animals to burst out as a tree from inside fell. Shocked, Antonio stood in the middle of the courtyard staring at the chaos around him, unaware of the dangers.

"Careful, Antonio!" Félix swooped in and grabbed his youngest before running out of the house with him still in his arms. "We gotta get outta here!"
 
"Aaron! Aaron!” Julieta cried out for her only son as she fought against the waves of Casita’s tiles desperately trying to push the family out of the house and to safety. Unfortunately, she lost that battle.
 
Agustín cried, "Aaron, we have to get out!”
 
The family was thrown out of the house, small amounts of debris with it.
 
The screen cut to the inside of the walls where Bruno was running from the collapsing hallways. He stopped momentarily to pick up one of his rat friends, shoving it safely into his ruana before picking up Jorge’s bucket, placing it on his head and charging out of the walls. He landed outside of Casita before lifting the bucket to see where he was.
 
"Woah!"
 
Once again the screen cut back to Aaron's family, stuck outside of Casita, watching helplessly as Aaron risked his life to save the candle. Alma's eyes widened as she saw the lengths her oldest grandson was going through to remove the candle from danger.
 
Agustín shouted. "Aaron!"
 
Julieta added, "Aaron! Aaron, leave it!"
 
His Mamá yelled desperately as Aaron strained to reach the candle, slipping before Casita boosted him up. The scene changed from him and focused on the cracks slowly scaling Bruno’s tower.
 
Agustín tried again to reach out for his son. "Aaron! the house is going to fall!"
 
Julieta shouted as she clung to her husband's arm. "Aaron, you have to get out!”
 
Luisa and Mirabel stood by their parents and looked up as their brother still struggled to grab the candle. "Aaron!”

Aaron finally managed to grab the candle, he dropped down from the window ledge he was just holding himself up on to find Bruno’s tower collapsing. Before he could react Casita quickly slid him off of the roof, away from danger. He fell down three stories and Casita formed the staircase, doing its best to ensure he remained as unscathed as possible.
 
Aaron looked up to see all of the house falling, falling right above where he was.
 
He took a deep breath in, using his body to cover the small candle. 
 
A few bits of furniture from Casita rushed over towards him, creating a small little shelter, protecting him from all of the falling debris. He slouched over the candle, eyes tightly closed as Casita's last attempt to shield him protected him from being hit by the debris falling.

The dust settled and the doors keeping Aaron from any further danger began to rock back and forth, waving the teen goodbye as Aaron looked up at the rubble around him.
 
"Aaron!" Julieta yelled helplessly as her son came into view. "Oh, Mijo! Are you alright?"

Aaron nodded as a shiver crawled up his spine. "I'm fine, Mamá." He looked down, finding the candle had fully burnt out. "The candle...."

Julieta heard Pepa yell out for her, and it sounded urgent. She reluctantly turned way from her son and stormed off. Dolores turned to her primo and frowned. He was still holding the candle, staring at the burnt back wax.

"Is he....?"

Dolores turned her head to find Mirabel standing beside her, facing her brother with a worried frown.

"I think he's in shock." Dolores told her. "Just leave him to cool off for a moment. Why don't you go and see of anyone else needs help?"

Mirabel reluctantly agreed and turned around. "I could start making plants for the new Casita."

Dolores hummed as she turned back to Aaron. "Ay primo....." Closing her eyes, she decided to walk around and help anyone find what could be salvsged from the ruins.

Aaron felt his breath hitch as he looked around at the rest of his family, guilt creeping into his veins. He closed his eyes and stood up, dropping what was left of the candle before he bolted. He couldn't stand watching everyone looking around Casita in abject horror. 

He barely heard his mother call out his name as he ran up the mountain and passed through the crack. He needed to get away. From Casita, from his family....

From the destruction he caused.

Chapter Text

"Where's Aaron?" Julieta nervously paced up and down the aisle in the centre of the church, worry creasing her brow. 

"We'll find him, hermana." Pepa assured her sister. "He can't have gone far."

"I shouldn't have left him." Julieta frowned. "I shouldn't have turned my back."

Dolores shook her head. "It isn't your fault, Tía. He clearly had his own reasons for leaving."

"He probably went to cool off somewhere." Isabela added. 

"He would have been back hours ago if he did that." Luisa stated, an arm cradling her injured one. "It's not like him to go missing this long."

"It's getting dark. Why don't we keep looking in the morning?" Agustín frowned. Everyone reluctantly agreed and turned in for the night. Julieta and Luisa remained the only ones awake, both longing for Aaron to return unharmed.

"Mamá?" Luisa croaked, voice hoarse from crying.

Julieta smiled softly. "Sí, Mija?" She whispered.

"Do you think we'll be able to find him?" 

Julieta sat up and carefully made her way towards where Luisa sat, wringing her hands on her skirt anxiously. "We will find him, I promise. First thing tomorrow, we'll all go out searching." She reached a hand up and gently took her daughter by the shoulder. "You need to rest, Luisa."

"I can't, Mamá." Luisa shakily sighed. "Everytime I close my eyes, all I can see is Aaron being crushed by Casita."

Julieta frowned. She suddenly remembered something her young twins had done as kids. "Remember what happened a few weeks after your hermanita's Gift Ceremony?" She asked with a find smile tugging at her lips. 

Luisa raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, why?"

"What did Aaron say to you both that night? When you two were trying to get Mirabel to relax and fall asleep?"

Luisa thought for a moment. "He said 'For what it's worth, I'll sacrifice myself to keep you both safe. If Casita falls because of something within the family, and I don't survive, I want you both you know I love you.'."

Julieta smiled. "And what did you say afterwards?"

With a teary smile, Luisa looked up. "'No one is going to end up dead, hermano. As long as we're a family, we can face the world. Together.'"

Julieta nodded. "Your brother made that promise and he intended to keep it. He sacrificed everything to get the candle." She took Luisa's uninjured hand in her own and squeezed it lightly. "First thing tomorrow, we're all going out searching. Like Isa said, he probably wanted some alone time to cool off and think things through." 

Luisa nodded. "First thing tomorrow."

Julieta nodded. "I know you two haven't gotten along that much since Mirabel's ceremony, but it's nice to see Aaron's overprotective hermana gemela worrying about him."

"I always worry about him. He took after Papá with his clumsiness."

Julieta chuckled. "I know, but you know what I mean."

Luisa smiled. "Yeah."

Her mother stood up. "Get some sleep, mi estrella brilliante." Luisa nodded and laid down. She heard her mother walk off back to where Papá was already asleep, and turned to stare at the ceiling. 

I hope you're safe, hermanito.

The next morning, the Madrigal Family all walked back to the ruins of their called Casita in hopes of finding Aaron amongst the rubble. Each of them split into teams to search the Encanto, with Pepa and Félix heading off to the meadow with Antonio, Dolores and Isabela heading towards the other side of the village with Camilo and Mirabel, and Agustín and Julieta asking around in town. This just left Alma and Luisa, who both headed for the mountains to see if Aaron had gone to the old river where Pedro was killed and the family was given their miracle.

"What if he actually left?" Luisa questioned, worry creasing her brow. "All these years, he believed no one was on his side about his gift."

Alma calmly shook her head as she turned to her granddaughter. "Where would he go? Your father's family live nowhere remotely close to the mountains."

"He could still leave the Encanto." Luisa argued. 

Alma shook his head as she looked ahead. "I don't think he did."

Luisa raised an eyebrow and looked over in the direction Abuela was looking, and found Aaron sitting in a tree, arms crossed and one leg hanging down. His shoulders shook occasionally as he ducked his head. 

"Aaron?"

The teen in question turned to look at them before promptly falling out the tree, landing backside first in the river. "The heck?!" He yelped.

"Told you he's as clumsy as Papá." Luisa rolled her eyes. Her and Alma walked over and helped him out of the river. Aaron grumbled as he wrung his shirt and pants out. 

"What do you want?" He asked.

Instead of answering, Alma turned back to the river. "I’ve never been able to come back here." She sighed, drawing the twins' attention to her. 

"Because this was where Abuelo was killed?" Aaron asked.

Alma nodded. "I thought we would have a different life. I thought I would be a different woman." She took a deep breath. 

"Abuela?" Luisa asked, noticing her grandmother's glassy gaze fixed on the water.

"I was given a miracle. A second chance. And I was so afraid to lose it, that I lost sight of who our miracle was for." Alma shook her head and turned to the twins. "And I am so sorry." Tears pricked at her eyes as she held her gaze, reaching a hand up to touch their faces. "You never hurt our family, Aaron, and I'm sorry I never believed you." Aaron smiled warmly. He wanted to step in for a hug, but stopped short as he knew Abuela wasn't finished talking. Alma released a shaky breath and turned to the lone reed in the centre of the water, where a golden butterfly had perched. She walked towards it, shortly followed by Luisa and Aaron. "We are broken, because of me."

"Abuela. I can finally see." Aaron had tears in his eyes as he knelt down in the water to let the butterfly perch on his finger. 

"You lost your home." Luisa added. 

Aaron stood up to his full height, now with the butterfly on his finger. ."Lost everything. You suffered so much, all alone, so it would never happen again. We were saved, because of you, Abuela. We were given a miracle, because of you. We are a family, because of you. And nothing could ever be broken that we can’t fix…" 

The twins looked at one another and smiled. Aaron reached for Luisa's hand. "Together." They said at once, turning to Abuela.

"I asked my Pedro for help, Aaron. He sent me you." Abuela turned to her grandson with a shaky smile. She then turned to Luisa. "Both of you."

The twins nodded. "We're going to work on our relationship." Aaron stated. "It will take a lot of time, and our family's sanity." He chuckled before continuing. "But if fixing everything that was once broken is what we're going to do, so be it."

"He didn't do this!!" A voice yelled as Bruno, riding on a brown horse, galloped over. He climbed off, falling halfway down, and came back up almost immediately knew o point fingers at his mother. "I gave him a vision! It was me! I was like, ‘go’ and he was like, ‘fshew’. He only wanted to prove his worth to you. I don’t care what you think of me! But if you’re too stubborn to…to…"

He was suddenly tackled to the ground by his mother and his neice. Alma hugged him tightly.

"I feel I'm missing something important here." Bruno raised an eyebrow.

Aaron laughed. "Okay you two. Let the man breathe." Luisa and Alma let him go. "We'll explain when we get home."

"Home?" Bruno asked. "You mean, the ruins?"

Aaron rolled his eyes. "We're going to rebuild our Casita, and I promised I'd bring you home when we fix the magic, that's what I'm doing. You can whine as much as you want, but your sisters missed you every day for ten years, Tío. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear you're back."

"But the Encanto..."

Luisa shook her head. "Leave the village to us. If they hate you for your visions again, we'll handle them."

Bruno took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. Home."

Alma clapped. "Brilliante! Vamos!" The four of them headed back home, with Aaron in front, then Luisa, Alma and Bruno clinging on for dear life.

Aaron chuckled as the horse trotted past Cecilia, Juancho and Gabriella, who all excitedly screamed "I found him!" Before Juancho and Cecilia started a push fight in the middle of the street.

"Y'know, it never gets old when ya hear the kids screaming your name." Aaron chuckled, reeling back when Luisa punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! Abuela, Luisa hit me!"

"Oh shut it, you dork." Luisa playfully chided. Abuela watched with a smile as her grandchildren bickered playfully again.

"Look." Bruno pointed ahead. The horse came to a stop at the path leading to what remained of Casita. Aaron and the others slid off it's back and looked around. 

"Aaron? Aaron!" 

Aaron turned his head as he heard his mother call his name. "Mamá!" He shouted. Soon enough, Julieta came running around the corner and crashed right into him, hugging him as tightly as she could. 

"Oh, mi vida!" She cooed. Aaron chuckled and hugged her back.

"Mamá...." He whispered. "I'm so sorry...." The mother and son pulled away. Aaron gripped his elbow in one hand, letting his arm go limp. "I should have just left the candle, I know, but then I remembered the story Abuela would tell us, about Abuelo Pedro and....." He choked on a sob. 

Julieta cupped his cheeks in her hands, a soft smile on her face. "It's okay, mi apuesto joven. I'm just glad you're safe."

Aaron nodded and hugged her again. Agustín chuckled as he hugged them both. Aaron looked up, grimacing as he noticed he was coated in bee stings again. "I'll be okay." Agustín assured.

"Yeah, but we don't exactly have a house." Aaron turned his head as Camilo spoke, only to watch as Félix elbowed him before promptly agreeing. "What exactly is that? Not a house. Why do you think Padrè Fernandez let us all sleep in the church? No one in the village had enough room for all of us." 

Aaron suddenly had an idea. He walked around and stood in the doorway. Mirabel walked over and stood beside him.

Aaron:
(Singing)
Look at this home, we need a new foundation
It may seem hopeless, but we'll get by just fine

 
He hopped down from Casita’s entrance, walking towards Luisa, he grabbed her hands and led her up, letting the family one by one enter the house. Mirabel did the same.

 
Mirabel:
(Singing)
Look at this family, a glowing constellation
So full of stars and everybody wants to shine
 
Both:
(Singing)
But the stars don't shine, they burn
And the constellations shift

 
Aaron then noticed his sister struggling to move a large piece of debris onto it's side, grimacing as she put weight in her injured arm. He quickly walked over and whistled for Félix to help. 

"You're hurt, hermana. It's best of you don't try and lift anything too heavy. Mamá can't heal with an Arepa just yet." He tried to joke. Luisa, fortunately, chuckled and nodded, stepping to the side to let her brother and Uncle lift the wall together.

 
Aaron:
I think it's time you learn
You're more than just your gift

Once the wall was out the way, Aaron and Félix nodded and split off to find any other pieces of debris in the way. Meanwhile, Alma walked through the ruined Casita. 

 
Alma:
And I'm sorry I held on too tight

 
Alma joining in on the song pulled everyone's attention. More specifically her daughters who walked over to their Mamá.

 
Alma:
Just so afraid I'd lose you too
The miracle is not some magic that you've got
The miracle is you

 
From behind Alma, Bruno popped out slightly. She walked over to her son and like Mirabel and Aaron did for everyone else, she led him back home. 

Both Pepa and Julieta gasped seeing their brother again. 

 
Alma:
Not some gift, just you, the miracle is you

 
Both of the girls rushed over to Bruno, who held his hand up in a small wave before Pepa picked her brother up in a tight hug. Julieta followed close behind and the three had finally reunited. Aaron watched his mother and her siblings hug before Luisa pulled him in for a hug of her own, which he simply accepted. 

 
All:
All of you, all of you
 
Camilo:
Okay, so we gonna talk about Bruno?
 
Antonio:
That's Bruno?
 
Bruno:
Yeah, there's a lot to sat about Bruno
I'll start, okay!
 
Pepa, I'm sorry 'bout your wedding, didn't mean to be upsettin'
That wasn't a Prophecy, I could just see you were sweatin'
And I wanted you to know that your bro loves you so
Let it in, let it out, let it rain, let it snow, let it go!
 
Félix:
(Speaking)
That's what I'm always saying, bro!
 
Bruno:
(Singing)
Got a lotta 'pologies I got to say
 
Julieta:
Hey! (Uh—) We're just happy that you're here, okay? (But—)
 
Pepa:
Come into the light

Agustín hugged them tightly before glancing towards the twins.

 
Agustín:
The triplets and twins all reunite

Aaron and Luisa looked up at their father with a grins on their faces.

 
Julieta & Pepa:
And no matter what happens we're gonna find our way
 
Dolores:
Yo, I knew he never left, I heard him every day
 
Townspeople:
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh 
 
Abuela:
What's that sound?
 
Townspeople:
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh 
 
Antonio:
I think it's everyone in town
 
Townspeople:
Hey!
Lay down your load (Lay down your load)
We're only down the road (We're only down the road)

 
People from everywhere in the town came to the Madrigals all ready to help out and lend a hand.

 
We have no gifts, but we are many
And we'll do anything for you

 
The scene shifted to Isabela, Aaron and Mirabel helping Luisa stand one of the supports upright.

 
Isabela:
It's a dream when we work as a team (All of you, all of you)
You're so strong
 
Luisa:
Yeah, but sometimes I cry ( All of you, all of you )
 
Isabela & Mirabel:
So do I
 
Luisa:
I may not be as strong, but I'm getting wiser

 
They were suddenly joined by Aaron. As they walked towards a flower trough.

 
Isabela:
Yeah, I need sunlight and fertilizer

 
Aaron chuckled and crossed his arms

 
Aaron:
Maybe a little sibling hug, huh?
 
Isabela:
Come on, let's plant somethin' new and watch it fly
 
Isabela, Aaron, Luisa & Mirabel:
Straight up to the sky, let's go!
 
Mirabel, Aaron & Julieta:
The stars don't shine, they burn
The constellations grow
The seasons change in turn

 
Julieta and Agustín watched from the kitchen as Aaron walked around with Luisa by his side.

Julieta:
Would you watch our little twins grow?
 
Agustín:
They take after you

 
Outside, Mirabel found Mariano sitting on the stairs with his head in his hands.

Mariano: 
Oh
 
Mirabel: 
Hey, Mariano, why so blue?
 
Mariano: 
I just have so much love inside
 
Mirabel: 
You know, I've got this cousin too
Have you met Dolores?

 
She was suddenly pushed to one side as Dolores appeared.

 
Dolores:
Okay, I'll take it from here, goodbye!
 
You talk so loud
You take care of your mother and you make her proud
You write your own poetry
Every night when you go to sleep
And I'm seizing the moment
So would you wake up and notice me?
 
Mariano:
(Speaking)
Dolores, I see you
 
Dolores:
And I hear you
 
Isabela & Mirabel:
Yes!

 
The two girls high-fived as they realised their plan was working.

 
Townspeople:
(Singing)
All of you, all of you 
 
Mariano:
(Speaking)
Let's get married!
 
Dolores:
Slow down!
 
Townspeople:
(Singing)
All of you, all of you

 
Finally Casita had been rebuilt. Sure, maybe there was no magic and it lacked the Madrigal flair that it had before. But it was nothing that they couldn’t fix, together.

 
Aaron:
Home sweet home, I like the new foundation
 
Abuela:
It isn't perfect
 
Mirabel:
Neither are we!
 
Abuela:
That's true!
Just one more thing, before the celebration
 
Mirabel:
(Speaking)
What?
 
Bruno:
(Singing)
We need a doorknob

 
Antonio gave his cousin a doorknob with the letters "M" and "A" engraved on it in cursive.

 
Antonio:
We made this one for you
 
Camilo, Dolores, Pepa and Félix:
We see how bright you burn
 
Luisa and Isabela:
We see how brave you've been
 
Julieta and Agustín:
Now, see yourself in turn
 
Bruno:
You're the real gift, kids, let us in
 
Abuela:
Open your eyes
Abre los ojos
What do you see?

Aaron handed the doorknob to Mirabel. "You've always wanted your own door to open. Go ahead, sis." Mirabel took the doorknob and turned to the door. With a deep breath, she looked down at the brass doorknob in her hands. 

 
Mirabel:
I see me
All of me

She stepped forward and clocked it into place. Casita lit up and glowed in a bath of shimmering golden light.

Aaron smirked and the entire family were given their gifts back. He smiled as he saw Abuelo Pedro leaning against the door. Casita waved. Aaron waved back. "Hola, Casita. Hola, Abuelo."

The doors opened and Aaron and Mirabel were carried in via Casita's tiles. The older of the two looked over his shoulder. "Come on!" He laughed. The rest of his family, plus the townspeople, were thrown into Casita after them. They all partied away into the night, the older townsfolk and the Madrigals giggling up a storm over bottles of aguardiente while the younger ones danced the night away with friends and family.