A/N: Hey Guys! So this is the first Fanfiction I've written in over two years! Last time I was on fan fiction, I noticed my writing improved a lot. I began to work on my own stuff and I got pretty good at writing. Then... then I kind of lost track of writing and began to focus on other stuff. I want to become a good writer again, writing is my passion and always has been so I decided I'd start from the my origins and go back to Fanfiction. I recently saw Coco, expecting to hate it because I'm a devout Book of Life fan, but I was converted! Book of Life still has my heart, but Coco's in there too now! I mean, did you see the movie?! Obviously you did and were moved by it because you're here! Anyways, on with the story! Hope you guys like it :)

Chapter 1

The night was chilly, so all the windows were shut tight in the Rivera household. On the second floor, above the workshop where the family made their famous Rivera Shoes, Socorro Rivera tucked her elderly mother in for the night.

Coco gently helped her mother onto the bed, and then layered over her the thickest, softest, warmest blankets the Riveras owned. Imelda smiled sadly as her daughter tenderly tucked the blankets around her legs to keep them especially warm.

"I am going to die soon," Imelda sighed, her voice a croaky whisper.

Coco stopped and straightened. "No, Mamá, don't say that please."

Imelda reached over and grabbed the tea that her Granddaughter, Elena, had prepared for her. "I can feel it, mi amor," Imelda said before taking a sip.

"You are fine, Mamá," Coco said sternly, sitting on the bed next to her mother. Then she added more gently, "I'll call in the doctor to see you tomorrow if you're not feeling well."

"I'm tired, Coco," Imelda murmured, reaching out to gently stroke one of Coco's long, luscious black braids.

"Then sleep," Coco smiled, taking her mother's hand.

"I will soon," Imelda nodded in reply.

Imelda closed her eyes to sleep and Coco smiled at her now worn mother. The strong woman who had raised her had gotten softer this past year as age and the struggles she'd endured in life finally caught up to her. Imelda had just begun to softly snore when the door flew open and Elena, beaming in the doorway, announced, "Papá is home!"

At this Imelda's eyes flew open and she looked through her daughter to see Elena, Coco's own spitting image down to the beauty mark just above her lip on the right side of her face.

"Your Papá is home?" Imelda croaked. Elena nodded and tears welled in Imelda's eye. With all the strength she could muster, Imelda forced the blankets off herself and cried out her lost love's name, "Héctor?"

Both Coco and Elena rushed to put Imelda back into bed. Coco hushed her mother, gently stroking her hair to calm her, "No, Mamá, Elena's Papá is home. My husband, Julio, remember?"

Defeated, Imelda ceased her struggling and let her daughter and granddaughter tuck her back in. "Of course, Julio…"

Once Imelda was tucked in warmly again, Coco stood and brushed off her skirt. "Elena, go serve your father a plate to eat, he must be hungry, eh?"

Elena nodded, kissed her Abuelita Imelda good night, and rushed out of the room to greet her father. The second that Elena was gone from the room, Imelda began to cry.

Coco frowned and wiped the tears from her mother's eyes. "Don't cry, Mamá."

"He's gone," Imelda whispered. "Mi amor, he's gone… I just… I just wanted to see him one more time before I died… I thought he would come back to us, I really did… I thought he'd come home begging to be back in the family… I thought… I thought I'd see him-"

Coco bit her lip, contemplating something as she held her weeping mother. Finally, despite everything that her head was telling her, Coco whispered, "Wait here," before rushing out of the room.

Alone, Imelda looked around the room, imagining her charming young husband smiling at her from the doorway. "Oh you fool," Imelda spat, "How could you leave us?! You were my Gran Amor-"

The door opened and Imelda wiped her eyes. Coco held a photo of her hands and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears nervously. "I have something for you, Mamá… I kept it after all these years…"

Imelda reached out and accepted the photo from Coco. The second her eyes registered who it was, she clutched the photo to her heart and let a single tear roll down. As she clutched the photo, she finally let herself remember.

Remember me… though I have to say goodbye, remember me… don't let it make you cry.. Imelda stood at the doorway watching her husband sing and play the guitar to their daughter. Angry tears welled in her eyes at the thought of him leaving but she knew it was his dream. Héctor tucked in his almost four year-old daughter and gave her a kiss on the forehead. His eyes met his wife's as he kissed the young Coco good night. He rose, and smiled at Imelda, making his way across the room and closing the door behind him.

He put his arms around her and pulled her into a close embrace.

"I'm still mad at you," Imelda murmured into his shoulder.

"I know, mi amor," Héctor whispered into her ear in the way that made it tickle.

Imelda leaned back to look him in the eyes. His hands slid down to her waist to keep her close.

"Good luck, Héctor," Imelda said earnestly. "I hope all goes well with you and Ernesto, but at the same time I don't, because I don't want you to forget us…"

"Tu eres mi gran amor, Imelda," Héctor replied gently. "You are in my heart and so is Coco so we will never truly be apart. You both are the most important things in my life."

"Next to music," Imelda added bitterly.

Héctor sighed, "Let's not fight right now, Imelda. Let's make the most of the time we have left together…"

Héctor leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She rose on her toes to reach his lips, and he wrapped his arms around her waist to lift her up off the ground and deepen their kiss. Her right hand snaked its way up to the back of his head so that she could run her fingers through his soft, dark hair. With her other hand, draped around his shoulder to keep herself up, she squeezed his shoulder gently as they kissed.

There was a knock on the door, which they ignored. After only a matter of seconds, the knock was repeated so Héctor slowly put his wife down. He made a step towards the door, but she held his face in her hands to stop him. She stared into his deep brown eyes, memorizing his face. The way that his soft brown hair framed his face… the dimple on his left cheek… the shape of his lips…

"HÉCTOR! VAMONOS!" Ernesto shouted from outside home.

Imelda frowned, but Héctor grinned sheepishly, his golden tooth peeping out through his smile. Imelda couldn't ignore the overwhelming feeling of love that washed over her the moment she saw his grin. He made his way to the door and opened it. When she laid eyes on Ernesto, the feeling was spoiled and began to decompose into a sense of dread and urgency, even anger…

After several minutes of silence and watching her resting mother, Coco summoned the courage to ask, "D-do you think you could ever forgive my Papá?"

Imelda hardened and shook her head, allowing the feeling of anger to take control once again. "I cannot. He left me, he left us, Coco. I'm dying here, alone because of him. He should be here with me… holding my hand… kissing my forehead… instead… he's gone."

"M-maybe he's dead," Coco suggested, squeezing her mother's hand. "Maybe you'll see him in the land of the dead-"

"Even then I could never forgive him."

"I see," Coco said quietly, her eyes downcast. She bit her lip then glanced up at her her mother, tears in her eyes. She kissed her mother on the forhead and whispered, "Good night Mamá. I'll see you in the morning."

Imelda turned to her daughter and smiled. "Good night Mi Amor."

Coco closed the door behind her softly, and Imelda settled back into the pillows, clutching the photo of Hector as close to her chest as she could.

"I haven't forgiven you, you hopeless fool" Imelda sighed. As her eyes fluttered shut, she whispered to her husband, "But I want to hold you in my arms as I sleep one last time, mí gran amor…"

A/N: Please Review! More Chapters are to come, but reviews fill me with determination so I can write and update faster! :D