When Claudia was a little girl her mother told her a story. It went like this. Ever since the beginning the world has had little pockets of magic, some of them just existed while others were born. There were people who worked with the magic to make potions and spells. Those people were thought to be blessed, those who actually had magic even more so. Magic was beloved by the entire world and they believed nothing could stop it. That was until the emergence of antimagic.

Antimagic destroyed the beauty and grace of magic, so naturally people grew to hate it. The artifacts and creatures who produced it were eventually destroyed, but unfortunately another source was harder to destroy. Those who had the ability were referred to as Blanks. As soon as these people were discovered, they were considered a black spot on society. They were thought to destroy all goodness and bring only bad luck. The power they held was truly evil in the mind of society. Therefore, Blanks had been hunted and killed until very few remained. Those few hid away as much as they could, but it usually didn't work for long.

"You and I are Blanks dear, so is your father," her mother would smile at her,"and despite what the world thinks, we are not monsters. We are people just like them."

It was her father who taught her how to turn on and off her antimagic field. Her parents had been so supportive and when they had been murdered for their powers, Claudia had been devestated. The town hadn't cared for her after the incident, and she had been on the streets when the matron of the orphanage had passed through. The villagers had warned her of what Claudia was, but all the matron saw was a cold lonely child. So she had taken Claudia with her.

The matron never treated her differently from the other kids until she was given to the Rojas with a contract. Andres had apparently been searching for a Blank for a while. She didn't know why at the time, but as she grew, she saw the jealousy the Rojas had for the Madrigals. She realized the Rojas had gotten her as a weapon and she swore to herself she would never let them use her as such. She had never used her power on purpose, until today.

There was dead silence as the table stared at Claudia. Her eyes darted from face to face, specifically ignoring Andres smirk, until she landed on Alma's face. The older woman looked at Claudia like she was a monster. It made her feel sick and she kind of wanted to throw up. She quickly let down the field and everything went back to normal. The candle went back to being magical, Casita moved it's window confused, Pepa's cloud came back tinier, and Bruno went back into his vision. There was a moment of silence and then…

"You brought a Blank into our home!" Alma yelled at the Rojas. "Were you trying to destroy the Encanto? You know what she can do! She could ruin everything!"

"We needed a backup plan. Your children are dangerous. You know what they can do. We need to be protected," Andres argued back.

Pepa and Julieta just stood there stunned. They slowly looked at Claudia. They had never expected she had powers, but why was their mother so mad about it? They didn't understand. They were shocked at their mother's anger. She was usually so calm and put together, but now she was raging.

"Protected from my children? They needed protection from you and from that!" Alma gestured at Claudia.

At that Claudia rushed from the room. She couldn't stand to hear it. She should have known how this would go down. She was a freak. She knew what would happen and that she had to run.

"I don't want you anywhere near my children. Get out!" Alma pointed to the door after Claudia left, "You are not welcome here!"

Bruno snapped out of his vision only to see Claudia missing. His sisters gestured to the door and he quickly ran out.

"Senora Madrigal, I'm sure we can-" Valentina began.

"Get out!"

Claudia had rushed to the room and gotten out a bag. She had to get out of there. It wasn't safe for her and she had destroyed what she had. Her stomach was in knots and her mind was conflicted. She loved the family. She loved him, but if she had hurt them then she couldn't stay.

As she turned to grab more clothing, Bruno walked in. She walked past him and he grabbed her hand, but she immediately pulled it out of his grasp.

"What!? What do you want?" She turned to him. "Haven't you done enough?" She grabbed some clothing.

Bruno was quiet when he finally spoke. "What was that? What are you doing?"

"Isn't it clear? I'm leaving. You saw what I can do. I'm a threat and I can't… I can't hurt you and your family."

Bruno was terrified. She couldn't leave. He couldn't handle it. He hadn't even told her how he felt and now she was going to leave if he didn't do something quickly. His mind was blank though. The fear coursed through his veins and he regretted everything. He shouldn't have said what he said. He shouldn't have ruined everything.

"Please don't do this." Bruno got closer to her and she whipped around.

She was so tired. She had done what she had sworn to never do. What if it happened again? What if she ruined the small paradise they lived in?

"What do you care if I leave? You lied to me! Why do you want me to stay so badly?!"

"Because I love you," Bruno replied.

She paused, shocked.

"No, you don't. You can't. Why would you-" Claudia trailed off.

He stroud forward until he was standing in front of her.

"I love you little mouse. It's plain and simple. Please...please don't leave. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done it, but I couldn't let them keep lying. Just don't leave me." Bruno was begging now. He was beginning to tear up as well. "I love you and I don't want to be without you."

He began to cry. It was all his fault. He turned away. He didn't deserve her and now she was leaving him.

Meanwhile Claudia was just shocked. He loved her? How could he love her? She never thought she would ever deserve him, and yet he loved her. It kept repeating in her head and despite her anger at him she couldn't help but feel bad for making him cry. So she said the only thing she could. It took all her courage but-

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It'll take a while, but I will forgive you. I don't want to leave but-"

"Then don't," he turned around, tears still in his eyes,"We can figure this out."

"Figure out what? That I'm a freak?"

"So you have powers that may be slightly dangerous? So are mine and so are Pepa's. Please at least stay for tonight. We can figure this out in the morning, I promise you."

"How can I believe your promises?" she took his hand. "You already broke the most important one," he began to cry again.

Bruno just didn't want to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him. He had thought the arranged marriage was a curse at first, but it had brought him her. She was a light in the darkness. She had become his everything and the thought of losing her, well it broke him. He felt a hand on his cheek and he looked up.

"Maybe...maybe I can stay for tonight. We can talk to your family about it tomorrow." She gave him a small smile. "I...I don't want to leave you."

Claudia really didn't. She wanted to tell him why, but she was scared. She was trying to gather up her courage though. The anger she had felt had begun to die, and all she wanted now was to reassure him, to see him smile again. So she decided to say it.

"I...I love you too. I wish I could've told you at a better time," he looked at her shocked. "But I want you to know. You are the best man I know and I will always love you no matter what."

It was Bruno's turn to be shocked. He never imagined that it would go like this, but he was happy it had. He pulled her into an embrace and took a deep breath.

"I was so scared I was going to lose you." He whispered.

It made her smile that he cared so much.

"I could never truly leave you. Even if I'm gone, I am always with you." She rubbed his back as he cried it out. They stayed like that for what felt like forever.

That night as they lay in bed, she began to cry. She felt a tap on her shoulder and as she turned over she saw him smiling at her. She felt so scared and had no clue what to do. She had kept it in earlier, but now she couldn't anymore. As she cried he held his arms open.

"It's gonna be ok little mouse. Come here."

She barely hesitated before moving into his arms. As they wrapped around her, she felt warm. It felt like coming home. It just felt right. That's how they fell asleep, wrapped in one another's arms and content.