A/N: This chapter kind of sort of goes with chapter 10 of this fanfic. I couldn't resist doing this one after realizing that it tied to the movie as well.

Hope you like it!

She was working on another costume for the upcoming Sunrise Spectacular that night when she heard the knock on the window. Ceci rolls her eyes.

About time.

She turns around and walks toward the window, leaning out and peering down at him. "You better have my dress, Héctor!"

Héctor flashes a smile up at her. "Hola, Ceci!"

She doesn't see any evidence that he has the dress on him. Her annoyance at the front of her mind, she lowers the stairs, letting Héctor and the others climb up with him.

She then turns around to get back to work, almost predicting what Héctor will say to her.

Sure enough.

"Ceci, I lost the dress."

She whips around and glares at him. "Do you know how long it took me to finish it?!"

Héctor's gaze becomes nervous, like a child caught in a wrongdoing.

"I gotta dress forty dancers by sunrise!" she shouts, stepping closer to him. She should've known. Héctor lost it, just like he's done every year before this one.

"I know, Ceci. I know."

She talks over him, her voice tight. "And thanks to you, I'm one short of an opening number."

"I tried to get it back to you, okay?" Héctor's voice seems tired now. "I really did."

Ceci scoffs and rolls her eyes. "You say that every year, Héctor. Every year I tell you to bring back the costumes that you borrow. The ones you do return are always torn apart."

Héctor shrugs and that smile returns to his face. "You should know better than to lend me things, Ceci."

She kicks him hard, causing him to yell.

He draws in a sharp breathmoments later, regaining composure. "Security took it," he says, "after they found out what I was doing, they took it from me and didn't give it back."

Ceci gives him a hard stare. "I took me all day yesterday to get those dresses done," she tells him.

He hangs his head. "I know. Good job, by the way."

"Gracias. But now, because of you," she points at him. "Because of you, I won't have enough time to redo the one you lost."

"You could ask me for help," Héctor offers, shrugging.

Ceci snorts. "Ridiculous. Absolutely not."

He looks heartbroken by that statement. Ceci sighs and shakes her head.

"Look, amigo," she starts, not bothering to acknowledge what she'd just called him. "You have a good reason for doing this, but you can't keep borrowing from me. I can't keep remaking the costumes you lose. It takes too much time."

Héctor nods. "I get that, but--"

She silences him with a look. "Sorry, Héctor."

He leaves after that. Ceci watches him head in the other direction, rolling her eyes despite the twinge of empathy she feels.

The next time he comes to her, he isn't alone. And this time, it's for a different reason.

"Can you help us sneak into Ernesto's show?"

Ceci looks at him. "How do you expect me to help you?"

Héctor gives her a look. "This is important, Aggressive One."

Behind them, someone snickers. Ceci puts her hands on her hips. "Fine. But how are you going to do that? Sneak into Ernesto's Sunrise Spectacular unnoticed? It can't be done."

"Yes it can."

Ceci stares at him. "Go on."

Héctor's words come out in a nervous rush. "We need some of your dresses."

Ceci swears she almost takes a swing at him. "Are you loco? No way!"

All of a sudden, Imelda speaks up from behind them. "We'll give them back. We just need them for a moment."

Ceci throws up her hands. "No. That's it. I can't, alright? The dresses are needes for the opening act in Ernesto's show."

"A show he doesn't deserve," Héctor cuts in bitterly.

Imelda looks at him before speaking again. "It's important."

Ceci's about to say no again, but a voice from behind startles her.

"Of course you can." Frida interrupts, smiling.

Ceci glares at her. "What about Ernesto's--"

Frida cuts her off. "The show will proceed as planned." Then she smiles. "That's how they'll get in."

Héctor widens his eyes. "You want us to be part of your act?"

"You want to get in, don't you?"

Héctor looks at his family behind him and nods. "Sí, we do."

Frida grins. "Follow me."

Ceci steps up to her. "You're seriously doing this?"

"You don't want your amigo to be forgotten do you?"

Ceci looks behind her at Héctor, who's walking behind everyone else nervously.

Ceci turns back around. "He's not mi amigo, but... your right." Lowering her voice, she adds, "I guess it's better than Héctor using one of my costumes by himself."