See the end for author's notes.

"I just need one more to get through to you
I can't take back what I've done wrong…"

Part VI

"So…are you dead? Or…what?"

"Uh…mostly, sí."

"And you're…our…grandfather."

"Add a few 'greats' in there, but…also sí."

"And you really wrote all those songs? And played that guitar?"

"Its name is Camilla." Miguel added loftily from where he was perched on his bed. He smirked proudly when his cousín shot him a look. She was never a fan of the know-it-all tone being used at her, she much preferred usíng it herself.

Héctor snorted in amusement at Miguel, but nodded back at Prima Rosa. "Sí. I did." He repeated, giving her his best 100 watt smile. See! He wasn't so scary!

"And…why did you come back here?" She finally asked the question the boys knew was coming, but both their expressíon shifted toward embarrassment and sheepishness.

"Search me." Héctor shrugged theatrically, his guitar bobbing behind him. "One minute I was in the Land of the Dead, next, bam! Graveyard."

"You see, Prima Rosa? He's not going to do anything bad…he's just lost." Miguel interrupted, causíng his cousín to round on him.

"Lost!? Lost doesn't being to describe what is going on here—and you aren't the last bit worried Miguel?" Rosa lectured.

"Well, I'm home, amigos. I wouldn't exactly call that lost—" Héctor grumbled over the children's heads as they argued back and forth.

"What is someone finds him? They'd freak!"

"That was sort of what I was trying to avoid until you came home early!" Miguel accused.

"Don't make this out to be my fault, Miguel, you always do that—"

"What? Nuh-uh!"

"Yah-huh! Remember the time when we were six and you broke—"

"Wait, wait wait," Héctor stopped in, bony hands waving the two fighting cousins apart so they could get some air. "Hold up everyone for un minuto! Dios mio, you two fight like siblings!"

He rubbed his bony forehead, trying to massage the ache that was forming in the center of his skull. Phantom pain from phantom headaches when stressed? Not the best feature the Dead had, but he supposed it could be worse.

"Alright. Miguel." Héctor dragged his hands down his skull. "Here's what we do. Right now, it's just you and Rosa who know, sí?"

"Sí, Papa Héctor." Thankfully Sorcorro couldn't talk.

"As much as I don't wanna admit it…you had a point earlier." Héctor nodded at his grandson. "Staying hidden miiight be in everyone's best interest. Especially in mine." Rosa nearly decapitating him with her violin case? Yeah, maybe Miguel was on to something! Next time, it might not be so easy to dodge! And Héctor felt awful he had scared her so bad.

"For now, anyway. I'll lie low."

Miguel looked relieved, but it soon faded when Héctor turned to his cousin.

"And you're going to have to help us, Rosa. Please?"

Rosa spared a glance at her cousin, who looked like he had been sucking on sour candy, before nodding firmly to the skeleton of her grandfather.

"You can count on me, Papa Héctor." She promised, in her best adult tone. Héctor chuckled at her spirit and shook his head fondly. Imelda would be proud.

Still…he glanced swiftly at the violin case she had dropped and kicked into a corner when they entered. Miguel hadn't seen her do it, but Héctor had.

"Ay, chamaco, give us a minute or ten, hm?"

Miguel shot his grandfather a look, and he almost started to protect before he thought better of it. Héctor made a mental note to thank the kid later.

"Fine." Miguel grumbled, shutting the door as he left. Héctor watched the kid leave, and realized what the attitude was about. Was Miguel that unwilling to share his relative? He had never struck the kid as the jealous type, but there seemed a certain air of grumpiness over giving time with him over to his cousin. Héctor made another mental note to tease the boy about it, but for now…his eyes fell on the violin case.

"So…" He started, then realized the look she was giving him. "How are the lessons coming?"

Prima Rosa gave him a confused look, but he pointed to the violin case lying on the floor. She'd dropped it when they'd come into her room, Héctor noticed. And he also noticed she was giving it a very dirty look. Hmm.

"Fine." Rosa said briskly, then paused. When Héctor remained silent and waiting, her shoulders slumped.

"…less fine."

"Not enjoying it, hija?" Héctor asked with a worried frown.

"No!" And she rushed to answer so swiftly, he knew it was nothing but honesty now. "No, I love it! It's my favorite instrument I've ever touched! It's just…" she searched her ceiling room with her eyes, hands moving uselessly.

"It just sounds awful when I play!" Her little cry of frustration caught even Héctor off guard.

"Awful? Ay, kid, awful is pretty harsh—"

"But it does." She promised. "My hermano says so—the twins say so. My parents say I'm okay, but they're just being nice. Sorcorro cries when I play for her but when Miguel plays her a song—" She scrunched her nose, like Imelda used to do and Héctor realized it, suddenly.

"Ah…and, I bet Miguel, when he plays my Camilla…" Héctor strolled over to her window casually, and leaned on the sill. "I bet he sounds…pretty good, hmm?"

"More like perfect." Rosa muttered under her breath. Héctor smiled.

"Perfect, ey?" Héctor thought about the frightened kid on the stage, and his smile grew fondly.

"He's ten times better than me."

"Than any of you, I bet."

"Yes!" Rosa paused and turned to really look at her grandfather's skeleton, eyes widening as she realized what he was hinting at.

"Hey!"

Héctor held up his hands in apology, but he was grinning still.

"What you're going through is common, kid," Héctor assured her. "All musicians do it. I think, in fact, anyone does it at some point, no matter their passion. Such is human nature, no?"

"And what is that, Papa Héctor?" Rosa asked, hands on her hips as she tried to save face.

"Hija, listen. You're so busy comparing yourself to Miguel you're not letting yourself enjoy it!"

"Enjoy it…?"

"Sí! You said it yourself, you love the violin—tell me, what do you love about it? How it looks? How it sounds? The way the bow feels when it glides along the strings, the weird little marks you get under your chin after playing for too long?"

"Well—wait, how do you know all that? Do you—" Héctor couldn't keep the prideful smirk as Rosa's eyes widened. "Do you know how to play—?"

"Por supuesto," Héctor snapped his overall straps so that twanged against his rib cage cheerfully. "I love my guitar…but I must admit, I love most of the string familia. There's a certain…classicalness to it, sí?"

"So why didn't you have any others besides your gui—besides Camilla?"

"Ay, hija, you try dragging a bass on the road." He scoffed with a roll of his eyes, earning a little snort of laughter from her.

"Well, I guess that makes sense. I like taking my violin wherever I go. It's not too heavy, and the case is easy to hold. It feels…" She trailed off, lips pursing as she tried to find the words.

"Right?" Héctor supplied with a soft, knowing look.

Rosa's blink of surprise at him told him he had hit the nail on the head.

"You even took it to your amigo's house, huh?" Héctor went on conversationally. Rosa nodded, but her troubled look was flickering back across her eyes.

"I came home early because…" She frowned, her hands fisting at her sides. "Because she made fun of me for it. She said it sounded like a dying owl."

"Ouch," Héctor winced in sympathy. "Everyone's a critic, chamaco."

"No—it's not just that, Papa Héctor, my friend was right. Even when I'm playing how my teacher is telling me to, sometimes it does make a sound like—like a dying owl."

"…what does your teacher say?" Héctor asked, brow knitting in thought.

"Nothing." Rosa scoffed, then admitted with a wince. "He's teaching so many of us, and I guess I don't sound as bad as the kids he spends all his time on."

Héctor shrugged. "Perhaps. Why don't you play for me, and I'll see if I notice anything."

"Are…are you sure?" The little girl bit her lip, but she was already glancing at her violin case.

"Sure I'm sure!" Héctor laughed jovially, grabbing the case himself and handing it over to her with a playful bow. "You can come to your familia about anything! It doesn't exclude music, niñita. Go on." He urged, sitting on her bed and waiting with an eager, friendly smile.

So Rosa got out her violin. She began playing. Yes, it was stilted, and stuttering, and some notes weren't so much missed as completely avoided…but it wasn't half bad! For just starting out, Héctor was impressed. And he told her so, promising that he wouldn't lie to spare her feelings. On the last passage, he heard, or rather saw, the problem.

The scratchy sound was awful, and Héctor tried not to wince as Rosa showed it to him as she did it again.

"See?" She dropped her bow in frustration, shaking her head. "It always does that, and if I'm even the slightest bit nervous? Worse!"

"Sí, but look, hija." Héctor cast around for the mirror in her room, then motioned her to follow him over to it. "Now, do what you did again, but watch your reflection—there!" He extended his arm, showing her what was wrong.

"This is a common error kid! It's nothing to be worried about if you do it, just make sure you correct it. It means your little finger isn't applying enough pressure. So it can't counterbalance the weight of your bow—thus, scratchy sound!" Héctor used his bony pointer finger to show her how to shift the pressure of her hand.

"Like…like this?" Rosa asked, her face scrunched as she concentrated hard, trying to keep track of all her fingers and her arms at once. She soon realized that watching the mirror was a lot easier than hurting her chin by trying to look down at the violin.

"Sí! Good girl," Héctor praised. "Try again, hija."

He watched eagerly as she raised her violin, slide her bow towards the strings and—

Sighed, dropping the pose with a groan. Héctor frowned, stepping back as she turned and set the violin down with a frustrated noise.

"I can't." Rosa said.

"Why not?"

"Because I just can't!" Rosa noticed her tone and ducked her head, trying to keep her temper down. She wasn't frustrated at the skeleton, and he saw that instantly.

"Seems to me…you're a bit scared, ey?" He prompted at the risk of her shooting him a glare. She did, but it was followed by a frightened look, as she had been found out. And so easily!

"…it's just not fair."

Well, this wasn't what he was expecting.

"No? What's not fair, hija?" But she remained silent.

"Let me tell you a little something, Rosa." Héctor motioned her to sit beside him on her bed, and she did so.

"Miguel had no music teacher, he had only himself and, so I'm told, videos of De La Cruz."

Rosa nodded.

"What he has been doing his whole life is called 'playing by ear.' Did your teacher tell you about that?"

Rosa shook her head this time.

"Ay, I'm not surprised. It's a profesor's bane sometimes," Héctor chuckled. "That's a gift, si, but doesn't make you a great songwriter, or even a great musician. What makes Miguel a great musician is he tries, and when he fails, he tries again. It is hard, hija. It's terrifying sometimes!" Héctor nodded.

"And you will not be wonderful overnight. Miguel was not. I certainly wasn't. No one is. It's not that simple." He shook his head.

"No…I guess it's not." She had thought about this before, but to hear someone else say it was actually a comfort. Héctor watched the little girl for a moment, before he made up his mind.

"Now, let me see your violin this time, pequeña," Héctor stood. Still lost in thought, Rosa handed it over.

"Let's see…" He leaned on one hip, turning the instrument over a few times and adjusting his hold on it as it shifted a few strings.

"Hmm…the balance is good, bit different then I remember." He chuckled, "Though, I'm sure violins have at least changed a little bit since I was around, ey?"

"Probably…" Rosa answered with a shy smile. It was weird, thinking about how old the skeleton truly was. Though to be honest, having a skeleton in front of her at all was weird enough to keep her thoughts distracted from less…cheerful ones. Like how young this man had been when he had his family, his music, and his life ripped from him by a jealous amigo. As envious as she was of her cousin and his musical skill, she couldn't fathom harming him over it! How…how childish!

She realized he was playing the next instant, because all of a sudden her ears were being filled with the most wonderful violin music she had heard. When Rosa leaned around the tall skeleton to see in the mirror, she realized his eyes were closed. Not only was he not watching himself, but he was clearly playing from memory. It wasn't a song she had heard before, but then she reminded herself she had spent most of her young life not hearing any music at all.

The violin crooned under Héctor's control, sending ripples of emotion outward from the center, making her heart feel like it was flying in time with the violin's singing.

When he stopped, Rosa wished instantly he hadn't. But she caught his expression before he schooled it, and turned to give her a gentle smile.

"I was playing for many years, hija. It isn't easy, no, but all the good things never are."

Rosa nodded, realizing he hadn't been playing to show off, or even to teach her. She wondered, idly, if he had played to see if he even remembered. Well, he certainly did!

"Would you play again for me, querida?" Héctor asked her softly as he held out her violin. And then, the budding musician understood. He had played for her first, hoping to ease the pressure off her. Somehow, it worked.

Rosa nodded meekly, feeling a bit self-conscious but not as much as she expected.

All this time, lost in her thoughts, Rosa didn't realize she was just…standing there after Héctor had given her violin back. Bow raised but arm still and violin mute. Héctor did notice, and he tilted his skull softly down, searching her face with his sharp, inquisitive gaze. She looked back at him, looking like a lost little girl and swallowed nervously.

"Why do you hesitate?" Héctor asked quietly in the silent room. He tilted his head questioningly as Rosa set down the violin.

"It's just…what if I really am no good at playing this thing? That it wasn't what you said?" Rosa asked, turning her worried gaze up at the skeleton. "W-what if…what if I can't do anything with it and I never make—"

"Ay, Rosa," Héctor soothed, interrupting her before she could begin to panic. "You have your family here to guide you. You're a Rivera. And a Rivera is…?"

"…a shoemaker through and through?" Rosa filled in with a dull guess, but Héctor blinked and laughed. Her reply was so automatic, it must have been hammered into her at a young age! Unlike Miguel, it seemed to have gotten hold of her, though.

"Hah! A Rivera is whatever they want to be, if you ask me." Héctor grinned at her surprised and hopeful look.

"And if you are doing what makes you happy, then your familia will be happy too! Now," he coaxed, motioning with his hands for her to go on.

"Try again, hija." He ushered softly with an eager nod. "Play something. Anything! I know you can do it."

And somehow, Héctor's voice and expression were both so earnest and affectionate, that Rosa felt he was right. She really could do this.

She raised her bow to the strings, straightened her back, inhaled deeply…and began to play.

But at this same moment, something somewhere stirred. It was old.

The face turned to stare at the swollen moon, same as the one Héctor had gazed upon a day ago.

When the creature exhaled, he exhaled ash.

Sooo while we don't see Héctor play a violin in the movie, I just sort of…slipped a headcanon in there? (When I learned to play guitar, I learned piano too so I could keep my mom's guitar tuned.) So in this story, for those keeping track, Héctor can play his guitar, the piano, the violin and has basic knowledge of other string instruments but not enough to play them from muscle memory. It's clear already he's got excellent song-writing skills, whereas Miguel would have learned to play by ear and studying De La Cruz. I think I've got a set of rails for this story finally, solving the mystery of the Sudden Skeleton and addressing a few things I wished the movie had addressed. Stay tuned!