A/N: Thank you all SO much for all of the support for this story, I really appreciate it! Enjoy this chapter!

The three of them were just making their way down to the village from the forest when he heard it. The harsh clap of thunder. It was sunny moments before...

Julieta and Bruno caught each other's eyes. Pepa. It had to be.

Cassidy frowned as she looked in the sky, pointing to the dark, ominous clouds that rolled above them.

"This doesn't seem natural..."

Julieta sighed. "It's Pepa. But, why is she so upset?"

"She wasn't very happy when she learned that you two were going to get engaged." Bruno commented, and Agustín frowned.

"She's jealous?"

"Yeah. She wants Félix to do more, you know?"

"Wait." Julieta gripped Bruno's ruana and pulled him back to her. "You knew about it?"

Agustín rubbed his back shyly. "I asked your mother if it was okay, she must've told them."

"It's fine, Agustín, I'm just scared...for Pepa."

"I told her to go talk to him." Bruno muttered, brushing some dirt off of his clothes. "I guess it didn't go so well."

Cassidy brightened. "Wait...I think I know how to fix this."

"How?"

She smiled and began to run down to the village, everyone following her, but Bruno caught up to her more than the others.

"Cass! What...?"

"Félix bought her a gift, I don't think he gave it to her yet! If I can get it, we might be able to stop the storm!"

Rain began to pour on them, and Bruno could hear his sister yelling at her boyfriend in town square.

"Too late."

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to give me something?" Pepa exclaimed as the winds picked up. "We've been together for months!"

Félix wasn't even phased by her outburst, instead held out his hands and gave a small smile.

"Mi vida, I know. I've just been waiting for the perfect moment. And, life isn't about gifts, it's about experiences. And being with you has been the best experience in the world!"

Pepa frowned, the wind ceasing but the rain pouring down harder. "I...but I...I just want...something. Julieta gets stuff all of the time but I never do. She gets all of the attention, all the praise, the boy, and I'm just the girl that makes the whole town flood!"

Bruno felt Julieta's and Agustín's presence behind him as Cassidy ran for Félix's house. Julieta put her hands to her mouth in shock, tears undoubtedly mixing with rainwater, and Bruno tried to stay strong. Never had they heard her admit her feelings...she really felt like she was the outcast? That Julieta was seen as better than her?

Bruno felt that it was true. Pepa always had to keep her emotions in, always had to be perfect...but surely Juli felt stuff like that too, right? How many problems did the Madrigal family have?

"Pepa...I love you." Félix said, "I will give you all of the attention in the world, I promise. I just...I can't give you as good a gift as Agustín may be able to give Julieta, but I will do what I can to make you happy."

Cassidy ran up to him, face flushed, and quickly handed him the small box. Pepa watched him take it, eyes wide, and Cassidy made her way to Bruno, holding his hand earnestly.

Félix gave her a grateful smile, and turned back to Pepa. In her shock the rain had begun to slow down. Félix, with a graceful bow, gave her the container and she took it hesitantly.

"For you, mi vida."

"But...Cassidy..."

"Broke into his house and stole it from him to give to him, and then he gave it to you." Cassidy added breathlessly, and Bruno smiled. Pepa opened it hesitantly, her breath hitching as she picked it up, the sun shaped earrings glittering as the sun began shining again.

"For...me?"

"Yes. I saw them and thought it was perfect for you."

Instead of a huge storm raging with her emotions like before, a small rain cloud appeared over her head as she sobbed, beaming. Félix gave her a big hug, and she melted into it.

"Thank you, Félix...I love them."

Pepa then turned to her friends and family that surrounded them, all soaking wet, and she frowned.

"I'm sorry, I should've stopped the rain..."

Julieta gave her a hug. "No. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't see..."

"Did you and Agustin...have fun today?" Pepa asked quietly, and Julieta nodded.

"Yeah, we're getting married."

Félix's mouth dropped. "Are you serious? Congrats! Wait, is that why..."

Pepa nodded. "Sorry, I got ahead of myself, and was very jealous."

"Well, I can't say I'm ready for that step, but maybe one day."

Pepa shined brighter than the sun, and Julieta got out of the way so the two of them could embrace, Agustín taking her hand and kissing in gracefully. Bruno smiled shyly and picked up a rat that had scampered over to him.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Cassidy whispered to him, smiling awkwardly. "I feel like I'm intruding, and we're standing right in the middle of town. Watching people kiss."

Bruno chuckled, taking her hand gently. "The stream?"

"Sure."

The two of them walked away from the people that started crowding them, their clothes quickly drying off with the radiant heat of the sun. Pepa must have been really happy. Their hands swung between them, and it didn't take long for the stream to come into view, the very same stream that made them see each other for who they were.

Cassidy sat down and took off her shoes, dipping her feet into the water, while Bruno crossed his legs and plopped down beside her.

"You knew that he was going to propose?" She asked, and Bruno nodded.

"Yeah. My mother told us this morning."

"Are you excited for the wedding? It'll probably be fun."

Bruno shrugged. "I'm not big on crowds."

She nodded. "I get it. Being around people that don't really like you...who think you're a curse...who would like that?"

"And, well, I get overwhelmed easily. I'm sure you've noticed."

"Maybe with your visions, sure. I think, though, that when you get used to someone, or something, I think you get less overwhelmed. Take you and me, for example. You used to be so shy around me."

Bruno blushed. "Could I maybe say...that I was madly in love with you?"

She laughed. "Maybe it was a bit of both. But, if you really want to make a girl feel good, you said the right thing."

Bruno petted the white rat that was in the village, humming in acknowledgement. He couldn't help but think, once again, that he never deserved Cassidy. His family was full of trouble, of issues. Pepa didn't think that she was getting enough attention, and, though Julieta never said it, Bruno could tell that all of the cooking she did was making her tired. And then he himself didn't even deserve to have a name like Madrigal. He messed everything up.

"What are you thinking about?"

"We're all a big mess. The Madrigals." Bruno muttered, and Cassidy shrugged.

"Maybe so, but sometimes the biggest messes make the prettiest art, in my mural, for example. We fixed it, right?"

"Barely."

She playfully shoved him to the side. "Lighten up, Bruno! It'll be fine. All messes can be fixed, it might just take a lot of time. And effort."

He nodded hesitantly. "I guess..."

"And, I'm a mess too, you know that, right?"

"If you are, I...I guess you're a beautiful mess. So, so beautiful." Bruno's eyes widened when he said that, and it was Cassidy's turn to blush.

"Thanks. So, could we be messes together? You and me? I know we're already dating, but...maybe... officially messes in love?"

"Sure. I'd like that."

Cassidy leaned over the water and cupped some in her hand, splashing it on his face, and Bruno laughed, taking some water and doing the same to her. She squealed as the cool liquid hit her, gripping his arm and dragging him into the stream. The bottom of her dress got soaked, but she didn't care, kicking the water up at Bruno.

Bruno tripped on a stone and fell headfirst into the water, sitting up as soon as he could, sputtering as Cassidy chuckled.

"You dragged me in here, Cass, don't laugh!"

She beamed, her body shaking with suppressed laughter. "I'm sorry, but I can't because your hair is so...wet. It looks horrible. I mean, I've seen your hair wet before, even earlier today, but this is hilarious! It's not bouncy anymore, it's just...flat. And I think you have a twig in your hair, too!"

Bruno smirked and dragged her down into the water with him.

"Bruno!"

It was a couple days later, and Cassidy couldn't shake the feeling she experienced with Bruno that day in the creek. She felt so happy, so...free. She had never felt like that before. They were just two young adults, having fun, acting like kids again. It was nice. Really nice.

She was happy that her family never asked, when she got home, why she was soaked to the bone, smelling like dirty water and covered in dirt and twigs. She was thankful for it, and she wouldn't tell them about how she played in the stream, and most definitely wouldn't tell them about Bruno being there too.

Her parents would freak out if they knew. Bruno and Cassidy hadn't even kissed yet, but Cassidy knew that as soon as her parents heard that she was dating Bruno Madrigal, that she loved him, they would hate her. Abigail was supposed to marry before her, and they wouldn't want Cassidy to marry anyways. They had made that quite clear.

She couldn't forget the day her parents told her that she couldn't even be a good mother, that she was that bad of a failure. She wanted to prove them wrong, but how? How could she become a mother if her parents didn't even want her to marry?

No matter what, her dating anyone would be bad. And Bruno Madrigal? At the dinner with the Madrigals all that time ago it may have seemed that they wanted one of their daughters to marry into the Madrigal family, but they didn't. Bruno wasn't respected. No one in reality wanted to have any connections to him.

No one but Cassidy.

That was why she was standing here, in front of the Casita. She had to start making sure that their relationship worked out. So, she had to talk to either her parents or Alma Madrigal, and one felt easier than the other, even though both were very difficult. How could she convince her parents to let her date? How could she tell the woman who hated her that she loved her son?

She knew what she had to do. She was going to talk to Bruno's mother. Cassidy really hoped that she wouldn't regret it.

Cassidy straightened her dress, took a deep breath, and knocked.