"I promise! I won't let Coco forget-" The sentence was left unfinished as Miguel disappeared, only a few flower petals left in his place.
Both Imelda and Héctor stared at the empty place for a while. It was done. They got Miguel home in time, the boy now knew his great-great grandpa, and maybe, just maybe, he will be able to complete the Rivera family again.
When Imelda let go of Héctor hand it fell lifelessly to the ground. He wasn't able to hold it up any longer. Another golden flicker made him tremble and he let out a grunt. People usually went quietly and without a fight, but Héctor just could not. He wanted to enjoy the fact that he finally had his wife beside him again, even if only for a little while. And he got to meet his grandson! Miguel was proud to call him family! His heart swelled with love for the boy. Maybe it wasn't such a bad way to end it all. It was certainly the best end he could have hoped for. Another flicker. Díos, he felt more exhausted than ever in his life. Or death. He gave a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. It's fine.
"Héctor! No!"
That voice… Imelda? He cracked an eye open, and although his eyes couldn't seem to focus, he was sure it was her. She was there. With him. He would have smiled, had he not been too tired to even attempt the act.
"Mi amor..." Héctor breathed. Oh, how beautiful she was. No matter that she was a skeleton, she was as magnificent as the last time he saw her. "I'm sorry. I..." Another golden shiver terminated his words. This time the shivering lasted longer and he was left breathless for several seconds afterward. Yet again, Imelda took a hold of his hand, this time the one over his heart - or at least where it would be – while she ran her other hand through his hair, caressing his head.
"Shh, Héctor. It's alright." Imelda gave him a soft smile, trying to calm him. All that pain and anger and heartache she held onto over the years were pushed to the back of her mind after one glance at the fading skeleton. He looked so broken. Broken, sad, and so very scared. Like a small child. "You did well." , Finally.' Héctor thought. "We got Miguel home. And he is going to get Coco to remember you. Okay? But for that, you have to hang on. So for the love of everything, don't…" Imelda's voice cracked, and Héctor could have sworn he felt something wet hit his face. Is..Is Imelda crying? For him? Imelda took a deep breath and steeled herself. "Don't leave me again."
Héctor's heart broke. Here he was, finally getting a second chance and he was facing the Final Death. That's just his luck, isn't it? Fate just wouldn't let him have the family he always wanted, would it?
"I'm...I'm sorry, mi amor. I don't...I don't think it's up to me...this time." Héctor's breathing was ragged, the golden light barely leaving him for few minute breaks now and then. He knows he won't make it, not at this rate. If Coco doesn't remember him soon...Coco. The realization just dawned on him. He'll never see Coco again. He can never apologize. He can never tell her just how much he loved her, how much he wanted to come home, how he literally died trying to get home to her. He wanted to hug her again and give her kisses 'til she giggled, and sing her the songs only meant for her. The sheer thought made tears well up in his eyes. He failed.
He barely registered Imelda's hand wipe away his tears. He could barely feel anymore. The light didn't leave him this time. He felt cold. He felt...disconnected.
"Héctor! No! Por favor, mi amor, don't do this to me!" He heard Imelda cry, but it just seemed so far away. This was a good way to go. Exhaustion and pain overtook him and he closed his eyes. It was fine.
Imelda felt her heart shatter as she stared at her fading husband. He was leaving again, and no one could do anything to help him. She glanced at her familia. They too watched wide-eyed, their expression sad and slightly confused. Of course. They didn't really know the man, well, except her brothers. The two of them looked devastated. After learning how Héctor wanted to come home, the guilt of all those years of hatred weighed heavily on their shoulders. But for Imelda, the weight was crushing.
How could she have misjudged him so? She was his wife, she was supposed to know him better than to think he would just up and leave them. She should have realized something was wrong. His letters didn't stop gradually, the stopped in an instant and without warning. After that Ernesto cut any contact with them. It should have been suspicious. But it only took a few rumors about him leaving for some girl and abandoning them and she decided that he was guilty. She did everything to erase him from the family. Ripped him from the family photo, forbid anyone from speaking about him, made sure he was forgotten. And forgotten he was. The proof of that was laying in front of her. She made this happen. She made him suffer for almost a century.
She remembered when she arrived to the Land of the Dead. She felt confused at first, but there was an agent to explain everything. She felt so sad about leaving her family so early but tried not to dwell on it. It took her a few minutes to get used to things, such as being a skeleton without muscles, even though she could still almost feel them. Them the agent told her that there was someone waiting to see her. She remembered being curious. As far as she knows everyone she knew was still alive at that point. She really should have guessed. Of course, it would be him. She didn't remember much after seeing him, staring at her with a sad but loving smile. She knew he tried to apologize. She knew he tried to explain. But she was having none of it. She took off her boot and hit him with all her might while screaming at him thing like, how could he have left them' and, he was no longer a part of her life OR death'. She remembers him being shocked. He didn't defend himself though, and that was probably the most painful part. Thinking back on it, he might have been too shocked by her outburst. Or maybe he thought he deserved it. Either way, that was the last time they spoke. She would catch a glimpse of him now and then, but whenever he tried to talk she would give him hell. She put him through hell for no reason.
She wanted to curl up and sob. She should have listened. If just once she could have let go of her pride to listen they wouldn't be in this mess. If only-…
"I...mel..." The sound caught her off guard. Héctor hadn't opened his eyes, but his mouth was moving as he forced the words out, using every last ounce of strength left in his body. "Te...Te amo mucho. R..." He stopped to take a deep breath before saying the last word. "Recuérdame." Imelda felt like she has been stabbed through the heart. That was it. He let out a sigh, the glow intensifying as he slowly but surely became more and more transparent. Imelda let out a cry. She rarely cried. She didn't cry when Héctor left for the tour, and she didn't cry when she realized he wasn't coming home. But this was different. This was her fault. She can't make it right. And yet, after everything, Héctor still loves her, no matter how much she has hurt him.
She closed her eyes and let the tears flow. She was losing him again. She can't watch this. She took her hand that has been caressing his head and put it over the other above Héctor's heart. And she prayed. She has never been too religious, but if anything, this was the time to start to believe. She asked whatever God was up there to help. To keep him there a little longer. To let Miguel rum a little faster. To get Coco to remember. To work some miracles. She kept repeating it like a mantra, chanting it under her breath. But in all honesty, she didn't know if she believed the would work. She didn't expect them to work.
When Héctor squeezed her hand she was sure she was dreaming. Maybe she has gone loco. Then she heard the gasps of her familia, along with a ,Gracias, Díos' from Felipe. That's when she dared to open her eyes. And there he was. Tired, a little dazed, but alive. His bones lose their yellowish color, returning to pure white. He was being remembered.
Héctor groaned. He was sore and had a massive headache. Hell, it even hurt to breathe. Wait...If he was breathing that could only mean… Gathering some strength and taking a few deep breaths he opened his eyes. The sight that greeted him, however, was unexpected. Imelda stared at him, her eyes wide and glistening, tears running down her cheeks. It made Héctor's heartache. That expression didn't suit her at all. He reached up to wipe her tears and gave her a gentle smile.
"Ay, mi amor. Why so sad?" He asked softly, his voice still a little raspy. Instead of an answer, he felt her hand hit his face. And it connected well. Surprised and confused and holding his cheekbone, he looked at her in utter shock. "Wha-…? Imelda…" Whatever he wanted to say was lost when she all but threw herself at him, the arms around his neck so tight, he feared his neck would break.
"Idiota! Completas idiota! Don't you dare scare me like that again!" Imelda cried, holding onto him for a few more seconds before slightly pulling away, looking him up and down. "Are you alright? You aren't fading anymore, right? Oh Díos, I didn't hit too hard, did I?" She was almost frantic. It made Héctor smile.
"I'm fine, Imelda. Miguel did it. Coco..." His voice wavered. "She remembers me." The smile with which he said this made Imelda's heart swell.
"And she is telling your stories." His bones were too white for it not to be true. "You won't be disappearing anytime soon, Héctor." Imelda happily pointed out. He gave her another bright smile, and she went in for another hug. He tensed for a moment but when he finally put his arms around her, he held onto her for dear life.
It would have been such a sweet moment, had they not forgotten that they had an audience. The Rivera family cheered and cooed at the pair, Rosita wiping her tears, and even the usually stoic Victoria had a smile on her face. Héctor and Imelda looked at each other, almost jumping apart in embarrassment. The others just laughed. Felipe and Óscar Went forward to where the pair kneeled. Each of them extended a hand out for Héctor. The man looked at their hand bewildered and disbelieving but took them nevertheless. They pulled him up, slowly, since he was a little bit unsteady. It took Héctor a minute or so, but he was standing on his own. Imelda gave her brothers a grateful look. She hooked her arm with his, ignoring his surprise.
"Come on. Let's go home."

The next few months were the hardest. After all, such a long grudge isn't completely forgotten overnight. It took time and hard work. Nothing this family wasn't familiar with. After Imelda and her brothers, the first one to accept Héctor back into the family was Julio. As it turns out, Coco has told him about Héctor before. And the way Coco talks about him, you simply cannot hate the man. Next was Rosita. She was wary at first, but after a week and some long talks during gardening and cooking, they got along great. The last one was Victoria. To her, Héctor was a complete stranger that she had been raised to hate. But once they got through the brick wall between them, you could find them on the couch, talking or reading together.
When Coco arrived, yet again, the atmosphere was tense. They spared the girl from the more...gruesome details. Out of all of them, Héctor was the most scared. Just before they went to the station to pick up Coco, he spiraled into some sort of panic attack, mumbling about how Coco is going to hate him. It took a half an hour to convince him that it will be fine, she loves him, she loved him during all those years too. Of course, when he laid eyes on his daughter, all his fears went out the window. The two of them run and embraced each other so hard, the others were sure they heard some bones cracking. After a few, I'm so sorry, mija, I love you so much' and, I know, papá, it's okay, I love you too' the pair was finally able to break apart.
The Rivera home has never been more joyful. With the family finally back together and the music back in their life, Imelda decided that their life, or, well, afterlife, was finally complete. All was well.