Feliz día de los Muertos to my fellow Mexicans readers and writers! As for the rest of my loyal readers, here's a glimpse into the traditions of my country to when it comes to the day of the dead, do read and enjoy!

Jade West was sitting on the bed she shared with her wife, all alone in the dark, the only light came from cell phone as she viewed the last photo she had with her father.

… Which was taken the day before he passed away, two years ago, the two of them never saw eye to eye and it wasn't until much later in life that their relationship finally improved.

Jade swiped her phone, a picture of her mother replaced the previous one, the former Goth never had the chance to grow up with a mother as she died when she was just a little girl and yet, not a day goes by where she pops up into her mind.

"Grandma?"

The thespian looks up from her phone; she didn't notice that her bedroom door was opened, or that her grandson came to see her.

"Hey Matt." She greeted gently, patting an empty spot on her bed to let him know that he was welcome to sit beside her "How are you?"

The six years old ran towards his grandma, trying to get up on the bed, but because a little too short, it was proving to be a bit of a challenge, so Jade gently lifted him and set him down right in front of her.

"Grandma… Are you ok?"

"Why would you ask that?" She frowned. "Of course I am!"

"Abuelita Tori said you been here all day." Matt said innocently. "Si I just wanted to see if you're ok."

"Let me guess." Jade said. "She and your parents send you here, didn't day?"

It wouldn't surprise her if her spouse or daughter had sent Matt in an attempt to get her out of the bedroom, they knew she was basically powerless when it came to her grandson and would do just about anything he asked, a power he had over her that she was pretty sure he was unaware of as he just wanted to spend time with his favorite grandma.

The latter may be a bit of an exaggeration but damn it Jade loved her grandson to death and she was pretty sure she was his favorite grandparent.

"Nu-uh." He shook his head. "I just wanted to see that you're not sad, grandma!"

That melted Jade's heart, is it any mystery as to why she adored her grandson so much?

"I'm not sad Matt." She reassured him, lovingly caressing his cheek. "I just have been… Thinking."

"About what?"

"Just… Stuff." Jade says with a small smile. "Don't worry about it."

"But I want to know!" Matt whined. "Come on! Tell me!"

"It's something you're a bit too young to understand."

"Is it because your dad is sleeping?"

That surprised her plenty to say the least. "How… What do you mean?"

"I overheard mommy and daddy that your dad took a big sleep." Matt said obliviously. "When is he going to wake up? I don't like seeing you sad grandma!"

Jade held her grandson hugged her grandson, she didn't know exactly what to say, death was not something someone so young should hear about but at the same time, she couldn't exactly lie to him, so she took a deep breath.

"Matt… The thing is… your great-grandpa isn't waking up."

"But why?"

"See… The thing is, when you reach a certain age… like real old, it comes a time when you need to sleep but it's a sleep in which you don't wake up from."

"Ever?" The young boy asked with wide eyes. "Why?"

"It's something we all go through." Jade said uneasily. "Everything comes to an end and eventually the big sleep as some call it comes and well.. When it happens it means lights out… It's called death."

"Will it happen to you?"

"Yes… Someday."

"But I don't want you to go to sleep grandma!" Matt said with teary eyes, hugging her, as if that was enough to get her to stay.

"Shh… Shh." Jade said hugging her grandson with everything she had, feeling like an idiot but unintentionally making him cry. "That's not going to happen for a very loooong time!"

The little boy looked at his grandmother with those big teary blue-green eyes. "Promise?"

"I promise you that I'm going to be here for a long as you need me." Jade said. "And you know I never break a promise."

"Grandma… What happens when you die?"

"I honestly don't know." She answered. "But as long as you remember them, they're not really gone."

"Really?"

"Your Abuelita Tori told me that." Jade nodded "And you know she never lies! Plus she told me that when you die, there's a place called La Tierra de los Muertos."

"Huh?"

"That's the land of the dead." She translated. "Once you go there, you can see all the people you knew in life, friends, family, everyone… See Matt, you're part Mexican and there's a holiday that Mexico celebrates called the day of the dead where you remember all the people that passed away and if you give them Ofrendas… Offerings… They'll come back to the land of the living to see their loved ones they left behind."

"Really?"

"Really."

"When does that happen grandma?"

"Actually on the first two days of November."

"And what do you put on these ofrendas?"

Jade smirked proudly that her grandson was interested in learning part of his heritage and even used some Spanish as it was a big part of not only her wife's upbringing but their family as a whole.

"Ah, well you may have to ask your abuelita Tori for the whole list but the gist of it is that you can put pictures of the people who passed away." She started." As well as some flowers, usually yellow ones called Mexican marigold and food like pan de muertos, pan dulce and even chocolate in the form of Calaveras or skulls.

"Sounds just like what Abuelita and mommy are doing in the living room, grandma."

"Say what now?"

"Come see grandma!" Matt said, grabbing Jade's hand, pulling her towards the door, she reluctantly followed him and once they both reached the living room, she noticed the big ofrendas that covered a big chunk of the wall, it was of the color black and orange as well as with the aforementioned flowers, photos of family members and the food.

"I don't remember seeing this when we were having breakfast, Vega."

"We just set it up baby." Tori replied. "We're just about done actually."

"What's missing?"

"A picture of grandpa, mom." Tawny answered this time. "You wouldn't happen to have one, would you?"

"Gimme a minute." Jade said. "Be right back."

"How do I look?" Tony asked as he entered the living room.

Matt gasped. "You're a Calaca!"

"You're right little man." Tony said tousling his nephew's hair. "Took me a while to look like one thought."

"I wanna be one!" Matt said cheerfully. "I wanna be a calaca!"

"Sure thing." Tony chuckled. "Let me help you turn into a skull."

Minutes later, Jade came back with a framed photo of her dad, putting it besides a picture of her mother.

Tori meanwhile put a photo of her dad as well as some pan de muertos in front of it.

"You did a lovely job honey." Holly said, entering the living room in her wheelchair. "God, how I miss David."

"Thanks mom." Tori said. "Yeah, I miss dad too."

"You gotta remember that he died a hero baby." Jade said.

"That… He did."

Seconds later Matt came back running into the living room, his face painted like that of a skull.

"Look mommy!" He said cheerfully. "I'm a scary skull like one of those movie grandma makes!"

"You sure are Matt. "She chuckled affectionately. "The ofrendas are all set."

"Now what do we do mommy?"

"Now, we wait for our familia to come and visit us."

"Are those your parents, grandma?" Matt asked, pointing at the photos.

"Yes they are." Jade confirmed. "This was your great grandma Danielle and over here was your great grandpa Alex… You actually met him but I doubt you remember since you were really little the last time he came to visit."

"He's right there!"

"Yeah, in the picture."

"No, I mean he's right there!" Matt clarified pointing at the pan de muertos.

"Matt, there's nothing there Mijo." Tawny says. "It's just the ofrendas."

"I can see him!" Matt yells out. "He says, too bad there are not enough chocolate skulls."

"I think that's something you would want." Tori teased.

"I can also see your dad, Abuelita!" Matt says indignantly. "He's saying that he can't believe how much you changed! And that he remembers when you two first went fishing!"

That froze Tori as she never told her grandson she once went fishing.

"Ok young man, stop it!" Tawny admonished. "The day of the dead is not a pranking holiday, it's a time to show respect to the dead!"

"He says he remembers the time you broke Grandma's scissors and he had to help you fix them."

"You did what?!" Jade snarled. "When did this happen?"

"How… How did you know that Mijo?" Tawny asked a little freaked out as she never said a word about that to anyone.

"Great-Grandpa told me." Matt said innocently. "He says he's sorry for ratting you out but he didn't want me to get in trouble because you didn't believe I can see him."

"Ok, fine, I'll play along." Jade said. "Matt… Can you see my mom?"

Her grandson nodded. "She's right behind you grandma!"

"Ok, tell me something only I told her."

"She says that when you were five, you were afraid of the dark and that you slept with a hammer to keep the monsters at bay."

Jade's jaw dropped.

The adults looked at each other, then at Matt, who innocently walked towards the ofrendas.

"Is there anything you want me to tell them, great-grandpa?" He asked, when he apparently received a reply he nodded, "OK!"

He then turned to Jade. "Grandma… Your daddy says he's sorry he didn't believe in you when he should've."

The thespian continued to be speechless.

Matt then looked at his abuelita and great grandmamma." My great- grandpa says he wants me to give you hugs because he can't give them to you."

So the little boy gave both Holly and Tori hugs on part of their deceased husband and father.

"Honey." Tori said unsurely. "Where is he?"

"Right next to you Abuelta."

Tori turned to the right. "Um… Hi dad."

"He said hi back, Abuelita."

Jade then walked over to her grandson and lowered to his level.

"Matt… Can you ask you ask my mom, how long as she been around?"

"She says she's been watching since you were little."

Jade's lips trembled. "Where is she?"

"She's standing behind you." Matt said. "She wants you to stand up so she can see you."

Jade silently did so, not moving until Matt told her that she grew to be pretty."

The thespian started crying, until Matt hugged her.

"Please stop crying grandma."

"There are happy tears Matt." She said before hugging her grandson. "Thank you."

Meanwhile David, Alex and Danielle watched the scene smiling.

"Our great-grandson has quite a gift." Alex said.

"Yeah…" Danielle agreed. "He does."

This was quite an emotional chapter to write, if you remember there was an early chapter where Matt had the power to see the dead, I decided that since it's the day of the dead, it was the perfect moment to go back to that power.

Unlike adults, children wouldn't see ghosts s freaky but cool, which explains why Matt was not freaked out at seeing his dead relatives.

Holly and Tori patched things up and I will eventually write how that happened.

So, what did you guys thought of this chapter? Good? Bad? In between? Constructive criticism is always accepted.

Invader Johnny Signing Off.