"Singing in spanish."

"(English translation of singing in spanish)"

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Chapter Eight

Song Included; Colapso by Kevin Kaarl

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The birth of their little girl was like a breath of fresh air for Katerina and Bruno. In their eyes, she was perfect. She was their child — small, precious, innocent. Everyone fell in love with the firstborn daughter of Bad Luck Bruno and the Wicked Witch of the Forest.

After the incident with Martín, there was a lot of worrying done over the baby's health. Thanks to Julieta, the bruise left by Kat's father healed quickly and no permanent damage was done.

Even though everything seemed fine, the couple still hit plenty of bumps. Even before their daughter was born, they argued about what name they'd pick. Bruno suggested Veronica, to which Kat flatly replied that she was not naming her firstborn after a rat. Fortunately, when the time came for them to choose, there was one name they managed to agree on.

Mirabel Lupita Madrigal.

"Look at her, Bruno," Kat whispered, tearful eyes watching her daughter sleep soundly in her arms. "Our sweet Mirabel."

"She has my nose," Bruno chuckled softly. His emerald eyes shone with pride as he took in the image of his two beautiful girls. Mirabel hadn't inherited either of their eye colours, which somewhat relieved Kat. Her baby blue orbs reminded her too much of her father. On the other hand, getting to see her mother's brown eyes every time she looked at her daughter made her happier than anyone would ever know.

"If she looks like you, that means she'll act like me," Kat quipped with a cheeky smile. Bruno faked a shocked gasp and let his jaw hang open dramatically.

"May God help us all," he pretended to faint, drawing out Kat's contagious laughter. She gave him a playful nudge with her hip which threw him into a similar laughing fit.

Pepa's son Camilo was born a few months before Mirabel and Kat was ecstatic that she got to experience raising a child at the same time as her sister. As an added bonus, she got to learn how to care for a baby since Bruno was…less than helpful. He wanted to help and he really tried, but he wasn't the best at changing diapers or quieting Mirabel.

Despite the stress of raising their little bean and the constant exhaustion, Bruno appreciated the happy times his new family shared. There was one moment that he had burned into his brain that he never wanted to get rid of…

It was late in the evening and he was returning from a quick trip to the kitchen. Mirabel had been crying for half an hour, so he decided to try and get her a bottle from the fridge. She was a picky eater on occasion, which annoyed Kat to no end.

When he stepped into his room, all the air left his lungs. Sitting on the edge of the bed was a singing Katerina with a bundle of sweetness in her arms. Mirabel held a blue stuffed dragon closely to her small body, chocolate-coloured eyes closed. Bruno waited by the door and listened to the last few lines of his wife's song.

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"Ya no pienses tanto.
Claro que ella te amó.
Solo fue un colapso."

"Al rato volverá a brillar.
Aunque tal vez ya no para ti,
Lo importante es que sea feliz."

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"(Don't think too much anymore.
Of course, she loved you.
It was only a collapse."

"After a while, she will shine again.
Although maybe not for you anymore,
The important part is that she is happy.)"

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"¿Y qué hay de mí?
Yo sigo aquí.
Yo también quiero ser feliz."

"Mira, mi amor,
Yo sigo aquí.
Yo sigo estando para ti."

"Hoy sigo estando para ti.
Hoy sigo estando para ti."

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"(And, what about me?
I'm still here.
I also want to be happy."

"Look my love,
I'm still here.
I'm still there for you."

"I'm still there for you today.
I'm still there for you today.)"

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Mirabel was fast asleep by now but Kat didn't want to let her go. Thoughts of her own mother filled her head and caused her heart to ache longingly. What she wouldn't give to hug her just once more. When she finally looked up at Bruno, he had walked up to the bed and taken a seat beside her.

"You're thinking of Lupita, aren't you?" he whispered in hopes that Mirabel would stay asleep. By some miracle, she did.

"My mother was looking forward to seeing her grandkids. God, when we first got together, she told me that she wanted to see them for at least three hours every day," the brunette laughed quietly to herself, pain hidden behind her soft voice.

Bruno smiled knowingly, "We probably wouldn't have gotten Mirabel back." He put his arm around her shoulders, trying to keep them from shaking so much.

"It's just not fair. I needed her here. I know she's been gone for a while now, but it still hurts, you know?" she whimpered, bottom lip quivering as she leaned into his touch. It had been a few years since her mother was taken from her and the wound felt as fresh as ever. Bruno analyzed her for a moment before speaking.

"How about I take Mirabel and you get some rest. It's been a long day," he offered. Kat hummed and whipped her tears on his shirt. He didn't mind.

"In a minute," she glanced down at Mirabel once more, "She's comfortable." It was not, in fact, one minute, but the rest of the night that she spent clinging to her child. Even as Bruno got ready for bed he couldn't help but smile. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up.

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"BRUNO, GET IN HERE!"

"Wha — What happened?! Is everything okay?!" Bruno rushed into the foyer, eyes wide and breathing heavily from running down the stairs. On the first floor sat Kat, Julieta, and Pepa, who all had big grins on their faces.

"She's doing it!" Kat covered her agape mouth with her hands. Bruno stared at her confusedly for a moment before following her line of sight. Mirabel managed to push herself up onto her feet after watching Camilo do the same. Her primo had only started walking two months before her, but she seemed eager to catch up.

"Come on, mija. Come to Mamá," Kat called with her arms outstretched to her daughter. The toddler giggled happily and flapped her arms for a minute but didn't move forward.

"You can do it, Mirabel," Bruno got down on his knees and beckoned her closer. Kat frowned in disbelief.

"If she doesn't come to me what makes you — Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Mirabel stumbled her way towards her father, blithely rambling in her little baby language. Pepa and Julieta laughed at the way Kat glared daggers at their brother.

"Mirabel, tell Mamá that she shouldn't be so grumpy all the time," Bruno joked as he scooped Mirabel up in his arms and danced around the foyer.

"You're in for it now, hermanito," Pepa giggled, dusting her dress off as she stood. She gave him an apologetic look before picking up Camilo and heading toward the kitchen. Bruno watched her leave, face scrunched up in confusion.

"What was that about?" he turned to Julieta, who shook her head and smiled.

"Mirabel's a daddy's girl," the healer explained simply. Bruno stared at her for a second then looked at Kat, who was still trying to blow him up with sheer willpower.

"Oh," he chuckled, a bead of nervous sweat rolling off his brow, "Don't worry about it, Sweetheart, she loves both of us."

"Speak for yourself," Kat replied snappily. The curly-haired woman spun around on her heels and stormed off towards the kitchen to help with Camilo. Bruno gaped helplessly. A tired sigh escaped his throat as he hung his head.

"You're going to be a little troublemaker, aren't you?" he raised a dark eyebrow when Mirabel gently slapped his face with her palm. She squealed with laughter when he pretended to eat her fingers.

"Good luck, Brunito," Julieta laughed before leaving her brother to his own devices. Kat returned a few minutes later with a jar of applesauce and a less murder–y look on her face. Bruno gave her a small smile that was returned with a scowl.

"Mirabel needs to eat," she grumbled sourly, taking the little girl into her arms before her husband could speak. Bruno lifted a brow as he let his hands rest on the curve of her waist.

"You know I love you, right?" he whined with his sad puppy-dog eyes.

"Of course. Now, come on you suck up. I'm making you take her if she starts to cry," Kat elbowed him in the ribs and smiled to herself for reasons that were unknown the poor man.

"Yes, Ma'am," he chuckled sheepishly and scurried after her.

As time passed, the two learned how to adjust their lifestyles to accommodate Mirabel's sleep cycle. When she eventually grew out of the crib and was moved into the nursery, Kat was filled with so much separation anxiety that she never slept anyway. Luckily, their smart little bean would sneak up to their room in the early hours of the morning.

"Papá, wake up," she tapped her father's face with her palms. He laughed tiredly and took her hands in his own.

"What is it, Mija?" he quirked a brow. The little girl tugged on his sleeve as hard as she could in an attempt at getting him out of bed.

"Breakfast. We've been trying to get you up for an hour," Kat called from across the room, untamed curls bouncing as she waltzed over. Bruno let out a long sigh and dropped his head back onto the pillow, allowing her to lean over him.

"An hour, huh?" he asked after they shared a brief good morning kiss.

"Yep," she hummed as Mirabel hopped onto the bed. Her small arms wrapped around her father's neck, clinging to him lovingly.

"Come on, Papá, I know old people need to sleep but I'm hungry!" she whined while trying to pull him out of bed again.

"Thanks for reminding me, Bean," Bruno replied sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and then used his free hand to pull Kat into the bed. Her surprised yelp turned into laughter as he buried his nose in the crook of her neck and tickled her.

"Hey, I want food," she tried to swat his hands away but to no avail.

"Be careful!" Mirabel squealed when her mother finally got ahold of his arms. He flipped his poncho's hood over his head, drawing dark shadows across his eyes.

"I'm Hernando the Fearless and I'm scared of nothing! Not even an old — "

Before he knew what was going on, his wife had pinned his arms behind his back; "Gotcha." Kat's cherry lips twisted into a wicked smirk. "You should know better, Hernando. I don't mess around when it comes to breakfast," she taunted as she sat up.

"Sometimes you can be a bit much, you know?" Bruno furrowed his brows. Katerina rolled her sapphire eyes and pulled his face up to meet hers.

"I'm aware but you have to admit that it's why you're so enamoured with me," she answered slyly.

"Enamoured?" he hummed while his hands slid down to her waist, "I'd say it's more like...bewitched."

"I think I might just like that better," she mumbled quietly, closing the distance between them.

"Gross!" Mirabel pretended to be sick from the other side of the room. Katerina bit her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing even harder while Bruno's face turned bright red. They wouldn't admit it, but they had forgotten their daughter was still in the room.

"Exactly, my love. Gross is right," Kat laughed in agreement, "Papá needs to get up and get dressed." The brunette slid off the bed and took Mirabel's small hands in her own. As Bruno slowly got up, she took Mirabel downstairs for breakfast. In the ten minutes it took him to get dressed and descend from his tower, he found that his family had already started breakfast.

"Took you long enough," Pepa grumbled as Fèlix shooed away her rain cloud. Bruno chuckled nervously and took his seat between Kat and Baby Luisa.

"Now that you're here, I want to talk to you about Mirabel's gift ceremony," Alma spoke before her son could even lift his fork. He paused for a beat, forehead scrunching confusedly.

"What about it? You already have everything planned," he noted before stuffing his face with an omelette. From her spot at the end of the table, Alma smiled sweetly at Mirabel. The small girl was swinging her legs which didn't quite touch the floor, oblivious to the conversation.

"The day must be perfect," her grandmother explained. Everyone had yet to notice Kat's vice-like grip on her fork. "Of course, we'll need to find a good use for her. Whatever power she's blessed with can help us further our Encanto. Once we find out what that is, we can hold a meeting — "

"She's a child, Alma, not some worker for hire." The irritation in Kat's eyes was all too apparent. Bruno looked over at her with a sympathetic gaze and sighed when everyone else fell silent.

"She has a point, Mamá…" he agreed quietly. Alma furrowed her brows in annoyance.

"We must earn the miracle we are given, Brunito. Mirabel's a part of this family just like everyone else," she argued with an authoritative tone. The sound of clashing metal drew everyone's attention back to Kat as she threw her utensils down onto her plate. Her eyes snapped up to glare at her mother-in-law.

"You can exploit your family all you want but I will not let you manipulate mine," she hissed with more venom on her lips than a viper's fangs. Alma lifted her chin like she was a disappointed queen looking down on her unruly subjects.

"You can't speak to me that way. Not after everything I've done for you," the older woman narrowed her eyes dangerously. Kat hastily covered Mirabel's ears with her hands while Pepa and Julieta did the same with their kids. Dolores simply kept eating as colourful swears were thrown across the table.

Bruno helplessly looked from his mother to his wife, uncertain of what to do. When he turned to his other family members for help, all he got were a bunch of shaking heads.

"Not a word," Julieta mouthed.

"I can take care of myself. Not everyone needs your protection," Kat barked out as she scooped up Mirabel and walked down the hill towards town. When she was barely out of hearing range, Alma threw her napkin down and let out a disgruntled huff.

"We can't have one nice day without that insufferable woman trying to ruin everything!" she grumbled under her breath.

"Mamá, please try to understand. She just doesn't want her daughter to grow up as she did," Fèlix tried to mediate but ended up fueling the flames.

"If she'd quit sneaking booze into Casita, then maybe she won't have to worry about being like her father." For Bruno, she had finally taken it too far.

"When will you stop acting like she's a burden to this family?! You don't treat Augustín or Fèlix like misbehaving children, so why Kat?" he blurted out, upsetting Camilo and Pepa in turn. Eventually, the siblings were storming away from the dinner table (Pepa in a more literal sense).

"Uh…" Augustín turned to the last remaining triplet at the table, "Good morning?"

"Aye, Augustín…" Julieta sighed and shook her head.

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Despite their argument, Kat and Alma managed to grit their teeth and bear each other's presence when the day of Mirabel's fifth birthday came. It was a happy day and Bruno reminded both of them.

The young girl was beaming all day, telling everyone she laid eyes upon that she was getting her gift today. Her parents were also delighted, although not nearly as much. Bruno worried she was going to excite herself to death.

"Do you think I'll be able to make pretty things like Isabela?" Mirabel asked, swinging her legs while her mother tried to tie her wild hair into a ponytail.

"Making pretty things is your mother's job," quipped her father from the other side of the room. Never one to mind appearance, he found he was of no help to his girls at the moment.

"Dios mío, Mirabel, sit still!" Kat grumbled out as yet another hair tie snapped from stress, much like she was about to do. She muffled her scream with closed lips before taking deep breaths like Pepa.

"You contributed to that head of hair." Bruno was not helping in the slightest. Kat glared daggers at him as he held his hands up apologetically then rested his chin on the top of her head. Mirabel couldn't help but giggle at her mother's flustered face.

"We can make a bow, instead!" she gasped abruptly, hopping off the vanity's stool and running to the closet. While she raided the wardrobe for a ribbon, Kat turned to face her husband.

"Are you ready for this?" she wrapped her hands around his neck and sighed in spite of herself.

"She's gonna be fine, cariño," he assured her as their foreheads relaxed against one another. They stood like that until Mirabel clamoured onto the stool again with a ribbon in hand. Kat took the pastel pink strip and gingerly wound it around a set of curls. Once it was finished, Mirabel admired herself in the mirror and gave her mother the tightest hug her small arms would allow.

"Are you ready, Princesa?" Bruno raised a brow expectantly. The young girl nodded excitedly, taking her Papá's hand before looking back at her mother. Kat joined her family and made their way downstairs.

The townspeople were gathered on the ground floor of Casita, although it was clear some had chosen to skip the event. Whether it was because they didn't like Bruno or Katerina was uncertain but it didn't bother the couple. This was Mirabel's day and if some idiot didn't want to witness their daughter receive her miracle, it was their loss.

"You look so cute!" Louisa squealed, gripping her prima in a hug that nearly crushed her.

"You two have done a good job," Pepa laughed as Camilo joined, the trip running off to play.

"We have, haven't we?" Kat beamed, one arm around Bruno's waist. He hummed in agreement. Because of their closeness, he could feel her tense up the moment Alma approached them. She nodded. It was time.

When Mirabel stood in the spotlight, nervously looking around at all the watchful eyes, her parents stood at the top of the staircase with Abuela. La vela sat in her hands, glowing brightly.

Slowly but surely, Mirabel made her way towards her new door. She was so nervous but a quick talk with her grandmother had calmed her fears beforehand. On her way to the stairs, she passed her cousins, aunts, and uncles, who urged her on with smiles. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"You're gonna do great, mi vida," Kat whispered, placing her hand on her daughter's shoulder encouragingly. Mirabel powered through her nerves with a grin. Bruno chuckled at her cheery disposition.

"Hey, I want one, too," he whined while joining the hug. Mirabel sat in her parent's arms for a moment then backed up and looked toward her grandmother. The older woman nodded her silent support.

All eyes were trained on her as she reached out and touched the doorknob. The wood glowed a bright yellow as the magic danced around the candle which burned brighter. The flame flickered for a moment —

Then the door vanished.