AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is probably one of the shortest stories I've done, but it was something that needed to be shared.

If you haven't read the story 'After the House Fell' by Secretive Chi X, this is a tie-in ficlet for her story which covers the reconstruction of the Madrigal house and how the family rebuilds each other as well as their home. (It's under my Favorite Stories, if you want to read it.)

Now, if you ARE familiar with the above-mentioned fan fiction, then you might recall that Bruno is a recovering alcoholic. This drabble delves into that a bit more and covers his addiction before the house fell, during the reconstruction, and after the house is restored.

ENCANTO: To Stand on the Edge of Surrender

CHAPTER 1

The urge never stopped gnawing at him.

Sometimes it was a comforting nibble, like what his rats would do to his fingers as he fed them.

Other times, it was like some great beast out of Greek mythology, staring him down and threatening him to get him to submit.

And then there were the days that Bruno Madrigal's alcoholism was a seductive temptress, trying to convince him that just one drink wouldn't hurt.

'Just slip into the kitchen tonight,' the voice in his head cajoled. 'No one will ever suspect a thing. One drink and I promise to never bother you again.'

"You're lying," Bruno muttered, trying to shut the voice out. "I-I won't do it. I'm stronger than you. Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. Knock on wood," he added, hitting his own head on the last part.

'Doesn't giving in to all those habits and compulsions get tiresome after a while?' the voice spoke again. 'I can make those nasty, busy thoughts go away. I can bring you peace and rest.'

Oh, but Temptation was good at what she did, Bruno thought, bitterly, as he moved about his 'den' in the walls, trying to find something to occupy his mind other than the siren song of the Madrigal family liquor cabinet.

When Bruno drank, he didn't feel the pull of his OCD habits and compulsions. The knocking on wood or throwing salt became unnecessary and he no longer cared about the cracks in the walls or what his family said about him.

Life was good when alcohol was in his system. He slept soundly, and the headaches and migraines that haunted him became distant memories. And the hangovers weren't nearly as bad as what he felt after a bad vision.

Just one drink... just so he could have one good night. It wouldn't do any harm...

Hearing voices coming from the other side of the wall, Bruno crept closer, looking through the crack as he watched Julieta healing Mirabel's hand with one of her arepas before trying to cheer the teenager up.

As Mirabel pulled away, looking hurt about something, Bruno got a clear view of his sister's face and the fearful expression she wore as she said, "Mira, my brother, Bruno, lost his way in this family. I don't want the same for you."

Pulling away from the wall, Bruno leaned on the table he'd set up, looking at the plate he'd painted there for a moment before squeezing his eyes shut against the tears that wouldn't stop coming.

As he slowly sat down, crying, he shook his head, sharply. "I'm stronger than you," he told his addiction. "I'm not going to surrender to you. Not now. Not ever. Never again."

'Never is a very long time,' the Temptation pointed out, her gentle tone clawing at his resolve. 'You really think you can resist me for that long?'

"No..." Bruno admitted, looking at the wall and thinking of Julieta. "But I can resist you tonight. And that'll do for now."