The leather saddle creaked and moaned as Maddie swung it up and over her horse's back; it settled upon the blanket and Gypsy before she adjusted it and moved it to its proper position. The rocky mountain filly flicked her ears back and glanced over her wither at her rider. The young females met gazes before looking away as Maddie reached underneath her mount's belly and grabbed the front cinch. Her fingers fumbled with the latigo as she began tightening it in haste, looping it through the front rigging dee twice before slipping her fingers between the latigo and her horse's side and tugging it tighter. Her hands trembled with anticipation as she finished up with the front cinch and moved on to the back cinch. A determined scowl had set upon her teenage face ever since she awoke at four that morning—she had beaten the old man in being the first to wake, and as she finished saddling her horse, she glanced over her shoulder through the open doors of the livery, suddenly realizing that she was the only one in Chuparosa that was awake. The town was eerily quiet—not even the roosters were crowing yet at this hour.

"Looks like we're the only ones awake, darlin'," Maddie whispered to the filly as she walked back toward the front of her steed. Gypsy looked at her with wide, brown eyes, eager to be on the road towards whatever destination her rider had in mind. It had only been a few years since she'd had this horse, but to her, she was her best friend and trusted travelling companion. Maddie smiled to her horse and slid her hand up her muzzle and underneath her forelock. Her fingers wove themselves through the long silvery mane, and Gypsy lowered her bridled head to allow her rider to further pet between her ears. With one last scratch and an affectionate pat on her mount's neck, the young lady withdrew her hand and set about checking over her arsenal of weapons she'd strapped to herself earlier. Her Schofield revolver was hung at her right hip while her Henry repeater was slung over her back. Both firearms were loaded and ready: she'd cleaned them and loaded them the night before while Landon was asleep in his room off of the cantina. She looked through the saddlebags one last time to make sure she'd packed plenty of ammunition. She reached her hand inside the left saddlebag and withdrew the wanted poster. She briefly looked over it, memorizing the sketch and the name of her target: Alejandro Velázquez looked grisly and imposing with his dark handlebar mustache and unkempt hair flowing out from underneath a large sombrero. His face was marred with several long, thick scars that stretched across his face, adding to his off-putting countenance. Maddie chewed on her bottom lip as she glanced over the poster one last time before stuffing it back into the saddlebag and tying it closed. With a determined smirk, she criss-crossed the reins atop the saddle horn and mounted up.

"Come on, girl," she said bravely down to her horse. "Let's go prove that old coot what he thinks we can't do." Gently, she nudged the filly's sides with her spurs.

She loped her black beauty out of Chuparosa and down the winding large road. The morning air held a dreadful, biting chill to it, stinging her face and hands. With a shiver, she tucked her chin into the collar of her duster and shirt, hoping her hat would deter the wind from her face. Nevertheless, the cold morning wasn't enough to stop her from achieving her goal, and with a burning determination and an insatiable sense of trigger twitch, she kicked her horse into a gallop as she passed Ojo del Diablo. Gypsy followed the winding road freely, unaffected by the cold air and excited to be out of her stall. Up until that point, neither horse nor rider had ridden out alone without Rickett's permission and protective presence—Maddie knew she was breaking a cardinal rule, and the realization of doing so was both exhilarating and frightening at the same time. Ever since she'd arrived in Chuparosa, she'd been under Landon's constant paternal vigilance and guidance.

Well, it's about damn time I got out from underneath his possessive claws, Maddie thought with a roll of her eyes. She scoffed as she recalled all the times he reminded her not to leave town without him. "Don't even think you're ready for the world out there, mi niña," he'd warn. "You're too hot-headed and brash. You let your gun do the thinking. You're not ready at all. Not until you control that temper of yours." And every time he'd admonish her, she'd roll her eyes, huff irritably, and think otherwise.

Not this time, old man, she thought with a tenacious frown and a furrowed brow. I'll prove to you I can handle myself. I'll bring in that criminale and show you just how grown up I am.

And yet, as her horse flew across the white desert sand, she couldn't help but feel a creeping sense of dread crawl up her gut and seize her throat. Her breath caught in the lump that had developed around the choking hand of rising fear, and she struggled to breathe as she neared her destination, Tesoro Azul. She couldn't steady her shaking hands, even as they gripped the reins so hard her knuckles turned white. She shook her head and swallowed her terror down, forcing it to disappear.

No, goddamn it, she chastised herself. No, you can do this. Landon doesn't know what you're capable of. He underestimates you. Now go and fuckin' show him what you can do.

Tesoro Azul unexpectedly loomed before her, and she stopped her panting filly a hundred yards away from the east gate in the middle of the road. She gawked at the old run-down Catholic mission, noting how dilapidated and infested it looked. The place looked sickly, and she knew why: Alejandro and his gang had made it their home nearly two days ago, and with all the stories she'd heard in the cantina from the locals she'd come to know and love, she reached the conclusion that he was like every other criminale. On the wanted poster she'd ripped off the side of the alcalde last night after Landon went to sleep, it stated Alejandro was wanted for theft, murder, and arson.

He'll be busted up and thrown in a jail cell after I'm through with him, Maddie thought confidently as she walked her horse forward. Her left hand held the reins while her right rested on the butt of her revolver. To reassert herself, she lifted her chin bravely, inhaled deeply through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth. As she breathed, her focus began to sharpen, just as she had been taught by her tutor and father figure, the man whom she ironically was disobeying at that very moment as Gypsy timidly approached the gate. When she was fifty feet away, the horse halted and tried to turn back around, but Maddie reined her back around before spurring her sides.

"Enough of that," she whispered harshly to her mount. "We're not turning back now, not when we're already here. Walk on, Gypsy."

Reluctantly, the rocky mountain filly took a step forward. She glanced back at her rider and flicked her ears back, trying to tell her that something was amiss. Stubbornly, Maddie urged her forward with another nudge of her spurs.

"Walk. On."

The spooked filly tossed her head and half-reared, making her point all the clearer that she wasn't going to follow through with her rider's demands.

"Goddamn it," Maddie spat as her mount landed back down on all fours. She dismounted and led her horse off the road and ground-tied her behind a large boulder out of sight from the gang hide-out. After the slip knot was pulled tight around the base of a thick brush, she pointed to her mount and growled, "We're gonna work on that bad behavior when we get back, little missy." The horse responded with another toss of her head and a nervous nicker.

With a huff, she turned and faced the gang hideout, suddenly feeling incredibly insignificant now that she wasn't on horseback. Before her, Tesoro Azul towered despite its decayed state. Swallowing thickly, Maddie walked forward and drew her revolver. The loud click of the hammer cracked through the morning silence as her thumb drew it back in preparation. Her breath clouded before her, and she suddenly remembered being cold. She took a brief moment to glance up at the sky and marvel at the glorious sunrise, and with it, the world was splashed with beautiful pastels as a new day began. The pinks, reds, yellows, and oranges cast themselves upon the white walls and sand and reflected them back out onto the world, lighting it up in a dazzling brilliance that gave the young girl pause in her mission for blood. She allowed herself a second to appreciate the beauty around her with a soft smirk before she resumed her toughened composure. She held her gun at the ready as she approached the gates of Tesoro Azul.

Her frightened, heavy breathing was the only sound as she came to stand before the thick wooden doors. She took a moment to look around and access the situation.Hmm, she thought to herself,I wonder why there are no guards. She frowned with suspicion. Something's not right…...Butmaybe they're all asleep inside and haven't gotten around to guard duty yet. That's probably what's goin' on.

She flinched and looked back over her shoulder when Gypsy pawed the ground and whickered anxiously. Horse and rider exchanged frightened gazes before Maddie turned her attention back to the task at hand. She furrowed her brow as she looked over the gates. With her gun still at the ready, she turned and walked around to the east side of the hideout, sneaking alongside the wall as she searched for a way in.

It was almost too easy: a stack of barrels was nestled up against the wall, giving her laughably easy access into the hideout. Her heart thundered in her chest and her breath sped up to a heavy pant as she landed on the other side. Immediately, she rushed over to the nearest source of cover. A small building before her served as her temporary refuge from assumed threats, and she crouched down beside several barrels that were placed right alongside the back of the building. With her revolver held at the ready, she took the time to slow her breathing and get a sense of her surroundings. She scanned the area around her and saw no one. When she felt confident to move, she snuck over to the edge of the building and peered around the corner with her gun raised in preparation for what she knew could very well be the start of a shoot-out.

Her blood thundered through her veins, drowning out most of the silence in the hide-out as she strained to listen for anyone stirring about. She searched the short alley between the building she hid behind and the one next to it before looking forward at the opposite end of the courtyard. As far as she could tell, no one was awake. If she didn't know any better, she would've taken this place as deserted.

No, she thought with a slight shake of her head. No, they're definitely around here…somewhere. I just gotta find 'em before they find me.

She scrambled forward and hid behind several stacked crates alongside the other building, where she stayed for two long minutes listening and observing. Her heart still raced, and her breathing rushed to catch up. Her gun shook in the air beside her shoulder as she held it at the ready. She shook her head at her unsteady hand and her cowardly nerves.

Goddamn it, she thought to herself, what's wrong with you? You've prepared yourself for this for God knows how long. You know how to shoot. Just breathe and think!

She took her time breathing deeply and clearing her head before she opened wide her senses. Immediately, she found that she could hear so much more than when she'd first dropped over the wall and entered the hideout. Somewhere nearby, men lay snoring. Further on, a horse blew and pawed the ground. A fire popped and crackled—a large building on the other side of where she knelt glowed with firelight. There, she thought. There's where they're probably at. She glanced around, making sure she was clear, before she rose to her feet.

She abandoned her cover and kept low and attentive as she jogged across the courtyard and hid behind a small building similar to the one she'd left. Kneeling down once more, her gun held at the ready still, she kept her shoulder close to the wall as she snuck around to the back and around the corner.

She stopped dead in her tracks as she met an adversary. His back was turned to her, and from the looks of it, he had awoken some time ago to urinate. Maddie froze, both disgusted and embarrassed to catch him in the middle of such a private moment. Shit! What do I do here? Do I shoot him? She pointed her gun and stood up, her index finger hugging the trigger. Wait…the gunshot would wake everyone else. Fuck.

Before she could make a decision, the man finished up, tucked in, and turned around. Caught off-guard, he flinched, threw his hands up, and stared wide-eyed at her. He looked just as surprised to see her as she did him.

Maddie then made her decision as she stepped closer to him, her gun still pointed at his chest. As much as she tried to come off threatening, she stuttered, "N-N-No se m-mueven. Si usted habla, u-u-usted muere. ¿C-Comprende?"

The man did exactly as she ordered: he froze in his spot, clamped his mouth shut, and nodded in affirmation.

"¿Dónde está Alejandro Velázquez?"

He jerked his head backwards, gesturing that he was in the large building behind him. Maddie glanced over his shoulder and flicked her gaze over the building, looking at it long enough to realize it was once a mission building—the leaning cross that perched atop it gave her all the more reason to believe it was so. Directing her attention back at the man, she motioned with her gun to move forward. Without a word, the man led her slowly to the front of the building and around the corner.

The second they rounded the corner and walked towards the front entrance, the man did the unexpected. Almost faster than she could see and react to, he turned around while simultaneously drawing his gun. In the split second she had to react, Maddie shot first, ruining all chances of stealth and condemning herself to the mercy of the rest of the men she'd woken. As the man fell dead on the steps before her, the rest of the gang within the mission building jerked awake and sprang to their feet, hastily grabbing their firearms.

"Shit!" Maddie shrieked and sprinted away back across the courtyard. She took cover behind the stack of crates she'd hidden behind earlier. The second she slid behind them, the crates were pelted with a storm of bullets and buckshot. She screamed in terror, not anticipating the sheer amount of gunfire, nor her absolute terrible luck. How she managed to get into such a deadly situation was beyond her comprehension in that moment—it all happened so fast, and she wasn't quick enough to turn the tides back to her favor. As she balled up into the fetal position, she flinched and yelped with each gunshot. Angry shouts and taunts were shot her way as well, jeers so nasty that she almost teared up from them. Though she wasn't fluent in Spanish just yet, what she could pick out made her cringe and shiver.

A blaze of searing pain erupted in her shoulder suddenly, and with a shriek of surprise and agony, she looked down and saw blood trickling down her arm. Panicking, she scrambled to her feet and darted for the far side of the building she'd first hid behind, but her right leg buckled underneath her as a bullet dug itself into her calf. She fell to the ground with a scream of excruciation.

A strong hand suddenly grabbed her by the back of her duster and drug her across the ground towards the corner of the building. Maddie screamed in terror and tried to flail about in an effort to free herself from her captor's grasp, but as she came to settle behind the building, she gasped instead when she stared up at her savior. The old man glared down at her with a cold countenance, his mouth pulled down into a disappointed frown underneath his grey mustache. His steel-grey eyes pierced through her painfully—the look he gave her made quite evident how much trouble she was in than she already was.

"L-Landon!" she stuttered through her pain. She shook her head, not comprehending. "How did you—"

"I don't want to hear another word out of that lyin' mouth of yours, Madeline Ross," he growled back in his gritty voice. He pressed his shoulder against the wall and held his revolver at the ready as he glanced around the corner, quickly accessing the situation and doing a headcount of all the men he had to take down. When he turned back to her, he said, "When this is over, you and I are gonna have one serious talk. Until then, you stay right the hell there."

Maddie nodded curtly and grimaced as her bullet wounds seared. She'd never felt the blazing excruciation of a gunshot wound before, and at that moment, she felt on the edge of unconsciousness. Nausea seeped into her stomach and crept up her throat; her head swirled and her vision blurred. On the ground beneath her, droplets of her blood trickled out of her wounds and collected into two slowly-growing pools.

All the while, Landon and the gang members exchanged gunfire. Each time Landon stepped around the corner, and fired, a scream of pain followed. Somewhere nearby, an explosion sounded, followed by the crackling of fire—one of the oil lamps had been struck by a bullet. Another round of bullets cracked in the morning; several screams accompanied.

Sometime during the shoot-out, Maddie lost consciousness.

When she'd awoken, everything was a blur of color. Her body was drained of all energy, and as she struggled to lift her head and look about, a soft hand touched her shoulder.

"Don't. You'll only tire yourself more. Just relax. You're safe back in Chuparosa."

"Where…? What…happened?" she groggily asked. She tried to sit up, but a wave of exhaustion and vertigo caused her to fall back onto the soft bed which she lay on.

Again, the hand touched her shoulder, now more forcibly this time. "Don't move, I said," the scruffy voice commanded, sounding perturbed but still overflowing with concern. His tone was calm as always but firmer more so than usual; Maddie knew her disobedience had to do with that.

"What the hell were you thinking, Maddie?"

Maddie sighed and closed her eyes, knowing he was about to start chastising her. Here we go, she thought begrudgingly.

"Do you have ANY idea what you were doing? Did you not think of what almost happened? It's a damn good thing I showed up when I did; otherwise, you'd be dead right now. What did I tell you about leaving town without me? Did I not specify that you were to NEVER leave Chuparosa without me, much less go out on your own like you so stupidly did and go after a bounty that you were so clearly not ready to pursue? ¡Dios mio, mi niña! ¿Por qué me desobedecen?"

Maddie opened her eyes and blinked stupidly up at Landon Ricketts, not comprehending. Her Spanish wasn't the greatest, and her gaze mirrored her confusion. Above her, Landon sighed and shook his head.

"Why did you disobey me?" he translated bitterly, eyes piercing through her.

Maddie shrunk into the mattress, feeling all the more foolish and small. Now, as her teacher and father-figure sat beside her staring her down demanding answers, her reasoning behind her foolish escapade wasn't nearly enough to justify what she'd done.

"Because I wanted to show you that I'm grown up, that I can take care of myself."

"Usted es un niño." You are only a child.

His words stung, and she bit down on her bottom lip and looked away, unable to bring herself to look into his eyes.

"¿Por qué no escuchar a mí?"

"Yo le escucho, pero estoy…." She trailed off when she couldn't think of a way to translate her argument, so instead, she answered in English, "I do listen to you, but I'm tired of following orders."

Landon's frown deepened, and his gaze sharpened with building anger. "Maddie," he growled, "I tell you to stay here because you could die outside these walls. There are men out there who would rape you and kill you if given the chance. Do you want to give them that chance? Do you want that to happen to you? If you keep up this foolish mission to prove yourself to me, then all you'll do is end up regretting it. You'll be killed in no time if you continue to let your emotions get the best of you." He shook his head with heavy disappointment. "You're too goddamn hot-headed."

She opened her mouth to shoot back a nasty retort, but his expression cut her to the quick and caused her to clamp her mouth shut and swallow her response.

"When you've regained your strength, I'm gonna put you to work," Landon concurred as he leaned back in his chair. He folded his arms curtly across his chest and looked pointedly down at her with all the authority of a father to a daughter. "You're gonna learn to not give in to your fear, and you're gonna harness that hot-headedness and use it to your benefit. You think you can go against an entire gang by yourself? You're nowhere near the skill you so desperately needed but didn't have today. I saw it all: you froze up today and cowered behind those crates. You would've been shot up to hell if I wouldn't have dragged you away from all that."

Maddie recalled in her last moments of consciousness that Landon relinquished the safety of their cover and shot all of the gang members down in a matter of seconds. She remembered staring up in awe at her rescuer and adopted father, and a pang of jealousy and bitter respect stabbed her pride just before she blacked out and fell hard on the ground.

She swallowed thickly as tears welled in her eyes. She inhaled deeply and did her best to not lose control and cry in front of Landon. Blinking the tears away, she looked up at him and said dejectedly, "Bien, mi maestro. Como quieras."

For the first time since she'd regained consciousness, Landon smirked down at her."Muy bien, mi niña."


As the flashback faded back into her well of memory, Maddie placed the marigolds she'd picked earlier at the base of the ofrenda. The memories of her adopted father caused her eyes to well with tears; how she missed him, especially during this time of the year.

"Para usted, mi maestro, mi padre," she uttered as she looked up at the altar that she, her husband, and the rest of the citizens of Mexico had created hours before. In light of its position (for they had built it amongst the blood of the betrayers of Mexico), the place within the cramped courtyard of El Presidio had now become a shrine for all to worship and honor the dead of past years, weeks, and days. A reverent silence had settled all throughout the fortress—even the soldiers banned themselves from uttering any conversations amongst their ranks. The days of honoring past loved ones had begun.

Maddie sniffed and wiped away the tears that succeeded in escaping down her cheeks. Without asking, Jack was right beside her in an instant, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead.

"You really do miss Landon, don't you, darlin'?" he murmured.

She nodded and swallowed down the lump in her throat. "I do indeed, especially around this time of year. It's a time of celebration, don't get me wrong, but it still…hurts…to know he's been gone."

Jack nodded. "I wish I could've met him. Pa did when he was down here findin' Javier Escuella." His embrace around her tightened as his thoughts drifted to his loved ones past. "Wish you could've met my pa and ma. And Uncle, too. He sure was somethin'."

A sad smile graced his wife's lips as she rested her head against his chest. "Yeah. I never get old of your stories. Tell me more."

And so he did. As other people came and went adorning the ofrenda with the trinkets of their deceased loved ones, as well as lit candles and bottles of tequila, he recalled a particular fond memory he had with his parents, the very night his father returned to the ranch after completing his job with Edgar Ross.

"Did I ever tell you about the night that Pa came home?"

"You have, sweetheart, but go on anyways. Tell it once more, to honor your father on this day."

After a deep breath, he began, "It was damn near dark. Uncle and I had just finished up with chores—well, I had. Uncle just stood there leanin' against a pitchfork tellin' me this and that. I'd just gotten done, when I swore I heard Pa's voice callin' out to us. When I ran out of the barn, I saw him and Ma hugging in front of the house. I didn't know what to do then—a part of me was pissed at him for not being there for me and Ma, but another part of me was just too damn happy to see him home finally.

"But I went and hugged him, though I felt mighty disappointed—all the livestock was dead and gone, and it didn't matter what I tried to do to keep 'em alive. Uncle didn't seem like much help. I was surprised Pa wasn't upset when I told him all that had happened and how I tried my damndest. Hell, he didn't even bat an eye, just said, "I know you did, son"." He paused to chuckle as he recalled Uncle's timely entrance to the conversation. "And then here comes Uncle, all hot and bothered, and he points at my pa and goes, "And don't you go blamin' me." So him and Pa got into it a little bit, and of course my pa won the argument. Uncle never did have much fight in him, much less any ambition or a work ethic to boot. But we all settled down after that and went in the house and had some of Ma's best cooking. It was just a good night."

Maddie wrapped her arms around Jack's waist and smiled up at him. "Sounds like a grand reunion for you all."

"It really was. Just wish things didn't go the way they went."

Her smile faded as she lowered her gaze and sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, Jack."

"Hey, you didn't do anything wrong. Don't go blamin' yourself for the things your uncle did."

She was quiet for a time. "So…what happened then? Were you able to spend time with your father before…?"

He nodded. "Yeah. We got cattle from Bonnie, he taught me how to shoot and hunt...and he saved me from a bear I tried to hunt myself. I almost didn't make it."

"He sounds like he was a wonderful father."

"He was. Rough around the edges a bit, but he did what he could with the time he had…or the time he thought he had."

"He was a better father than mine," Maddie confessed as she turned and looked back at the ofrenda.

The dozens of candles made the altar glow with ethereal, pious light, as if the souls of the dead had returned and brought with them their aura of a life since passed. Tears once again threatened to spill from her brown eyes as she took in the bittersweet view before her: the women, men, and children of Mexico either knelt, sat, or stood before the altar talking to it, as well as sharing stories with one another about their departed loved ones; hundreds of marigolds and other beautiful wildflowers adorned the altar and the ground surrounding it, as well as all the trinkets that the people placed there; the air was thick with bittersweet remembrance and a reverence for the deceased. Maddie looked down as she reached within her shirt and withdrew the locket she wore always. She opened it and stared fondly at her mother's faded wedding picture.

Once again, she felt her beloved's gentle, reassuring touch as she continued to gaze at the photo. The memories of her mother flooded her mind; the assailment was staggering, filled with so much adoration, sadness, and yearning. Though she was long gone, she heard her mother's voice clearly as she sang Irish lullabies and folk songs, remembered how her green eyes shown so fiercely and proudly as she shared gazes with her, felt her assuaging, motherly touch as she combed her gentle fingers through her growing locks in an effort to undo the tangles they'd received from running around wildly and care-free.

"You miss your ma, too, don't you?" Jack said as he wiped away his wife's tears.

Maddie sniffed and nodded. "Just as much as I miss Landon, if not more. They were both very important to me, and once again on this day, I am reminded that they're not around."

She was enveloped by his comforting embrace once more, with a gentle kiss on the forehead to punctuate his affection. "Tell me about her, Madeline; tell me about your mama again. I'm sure she'd appreciate bein' remembered."

It was difficult for her to find her voice, and for a time, she stood there silently weeping as she cuddled against Jack's chest. When at last she could find the words, she began tenderly, "Mama was always so strong, so loving. She was fearless, even when she stood her ground against the men who tried to steal from our farm. Even in the face of certain death, she was fearless, and for that, I am honored to have been her daughter. She was fearless in a way I could never dream to emulate. I wish I was the woman she was."

"You are, Madeline. Hell, I'd say you're just as fearless as your mother, if not more. The things you've accomplished and the hardships you've endured have proven to me many times over that you're one hell of a woman. It doesn't take a blind man to see that you're just like your mother, if not more. I think she'd be proud of you. Hell, I certainly am." He kissed her lovingly on the lips before adding, "Just go on. Keep tellin' me more about her."

"She was an Irish woman sent over from the homeland overseas to America—she was a mail-order bride, you see, and she was sent over to my father. She was such a beautiful, fierce little thing. Of course, bein' new to America scared the hell out of her, but she quickly let it be known that she wasn't going to give in to fear and loathing, even when she married my pa. I suppose after a time, she fell in love with him…or at least, she pretended to be just so she could get on with life and do the best she could do with her situation. Pa had given her a nice farm and a good home, I suppose, but she didn't want to live the life she was living. And when I was born, things weren't the greatest, either. Pa was on and off the bottle throughout their marriage, and he didn't treat her as good as he should've. I noticed this especially whenever I saw a fresh bruise upon her fair white skin. But her green eyes still burned with determination, and as she covered her shame with more clothing, she did her best not to let it deter her. I guess the life that she yearned for was unobtainable; what she couldn't do, she taught me. My stubbornness and my wanderlust comes from her—what she couldn't do, she made sure I could."

"As well you've shown me many times over, Maddie," Jack chuckled. "You are your mother's daughter, alright."

"And damn proud of it, too."

"You should be."

The tears of sadness turned to tears of pride as she lifted her gaze up to him and smiled. "Indeed, I am."

"I think Landon and your mother would be very proud of you. I'm sure that if they were still around, they'd be praising you right now."

Her smile lessoned into a sad frown. "I know they would be." She looked to the ofrenda and sighed. "Even in this celebration, I feel their lack of presence—the holes they've left within me are vast and deep, raw and bleeding."

"I know what you mean," Jack sighed and turned his gaze to the altar as well. "I bet you everyone here has had their fair share of loss, especially since that demon of a woman has been out there ruining people's lives." His heart ached with sadness as he saw the many families strewn around the altar, most of them undoubtedly torn apart by La Phantasma's madness. His arms tightened around his wife as his mind conjured up horrible scenarios—what would he do if he lost the last thing he had left in his life? I wouldn't know what to do if she got hurt, he thought as he looked down at his wife. Without hesitation, he kissed her lovingly, doing his best to wipe his mind clean of all the horrendous possibilities. That's not gonna happen, he swore to himself. I won't let it happen. I've lost enough people in my life. I won't let it happen again, even if it kills me.

"I love you," he whispered to her as he pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers and cupped the side of her face with a gentle hand.

"And I love you," she answered lovingly. She lifted a hand to his face in return and caressed his cheek. "Forever and always."

Husband and wife stood silent and unmoving, their arms around the other and their faces merely inches away from each other. Amidst the utterances of loved ones past, among the crowd of the Mexican people remembering their dearly departed, the two stood savored each other's presence. The suffering and carnage that they'd witnessed, the tribulations they'd surpassed to get to their safe haven, and the impending threat of what was to come was farthest from their minds then as they held each other tightly. Right now, the only thing they cared for was each other. Whether their safety lasted minutes or days from now, they couldn't tell, but at that moment, it was all they could hold onto—it was all they were certain of.

Because in just a few days' time, everything would change. In a few days' time, they might not have the certainty they clung onto then.