A/N: So, I had this idea on my last re-watch of the movie because we see Mariano looking downhearted near the end of the song and he seems happy at the beginning, so I thought it would be fun to explore what would have happened if Mariano had approached Isa to convince her to have another go at things. I also just wanted an excuse to write a Julieta x Isabela fic because we were robbed of scenes with her and her other daughters and I really wanted more! Hope you enjoy :)


"I thought we could grow the geraniums over here. Oh, and the rosemary would grow well over here."

"That sounds estupenda, mama."

Sitting beside her eldest daughter at the table while they went over the plans for the layout of Casita's new garden, Julieta set her pen down and looked over her shoulder at Isabela when she received the same response she had the last few times she made a suggestion. She was slumped in her chair, playing absentmindedly with the end of one of her braids while staring into space, and those things paired with the lack of enthusiasm she had been showing told her that something was wrong. Something was playing on her mind – it had been for a couple of days now, she was beginning to realise – and she knew that she needed to get her to open up if she hoped to get anything done today.

She leaned back in her chair so she was a little more level with her and laid a hand on her arm, brushing her thumb against it until she lifted her head and looked her in the eye. "Normally, you would have snatched this pen from me by now and taken full control of this, mi princesa," She sighed. "I know you miss Casita and feel out of place here, I do too, but I get the feeling that this has to do with something else and I want you to know that you can talk to me. I may be busy right now and I may have a lot on my mind, but I am never too busy to sit and listen to you when you need me to. Has this anything to do with Mariano? I only ask because he was looking around for you the other day."

"Mama, if…" Isabela took a breath. "If I be honest with you, will you promise not to be angry with me?"

"I could never be angry with you," Julieta shook her head, touching a hand to her cheek. "What's troubling you?"

Isabela stopped wringing her hands together in her lap and turned around in her chair to face her mother properly. "When I agreed to the arranged marriage, I agreed because I thought I was helping the family and the Encanto," She confessed. "I wanted to make Abuela proud of me, so I agreed without thinking about it when she brought it up and I wish I had thought it over a little more before giving her my answer. Mariano is such a wonderful person and I like him a lot, truly, but I have no love for him and I think love has quite an important part to play in a marriage. When I look at you and papi, I see how much love you have for each other and I want to love the person I marry that much."

"Ay, mija, you should have said something about this long before now." Julieta told her.

"I thought I would let Abuela down," Isabela blinked back the tears in her eyes. "I thought I would let you down."

Julieta tutted at that, moving closer to the edge of her chair, and when she cradled her face in her hands she wiped the tear that escaped her eye from her cheek with the pad of her thumb. "I have been let down by many people over the years, some of those being people I had great trust in, but one person that has never once let me down is you," She whispered, her heart swelling when the smallest smile graced her little girl's features. "I remember holding you in my arms on the night you were born and wondering what sort of person you would be. I had every hope that you would grow into this strong, courageous, intelligent young senorita and that is exactly who I see sitting before me."

"I hope you mean that." Isabela's voice trembled as she laid a hand over hers on her cheek, nuzzling into her palm.

"I do," Julieta assured her. "Just as much as I mean it when I say that you should let Mariano down gently."

Surprised, Isabela gasped as her eyes widened. "You mean, I…I have your permission?"

"My permission? No," Julieta shook her head. "You have no need for my permission because this is your life and you are the only person who has any say in what you do with it. I want you to marry for love and to be as happy as I and your papi are. I want you to find someone on your own, without your Abuela interfering, and I only want you to get married when you feel ready to take such a step. Marriage is a lifetime of commitment, corazón, so choose wisely."

Isabela nodded. "I will. I promise, I'm only going to get married if I am totally, absolutely in love."

"Good," Julieta leaned in to kiss her temple, lingering for a second longer than necessary to breathe her in. "Now, I promised Abuela that we would have this layout to her by the end of the day, so what do you say we get sketching?"

She had to laugh when her daughter all but snatched the pad and pen from her and began to section off little areas of the paper, an idea for their new garden clearly already starting to form in her mind. Unable to resist smoothing a hand over her hair, she smiled when she relaxed her shoulders at her touch and all the tension seemed to just drain from her body. Since infancy, her touch had always succeeded in settling her when she was feeling slightly irate and even though those days were long gone – she could no longer rock her in her arms when she was upset and sing to her to help calm her – she would always be there to help her get through a rough patch when she needed her to be.

No matter how old she got and no matter what roads her life took her down, she would always be her little girl.

And that was one thing she would never allow her to forget.


A/N: Thanks so much for taking the time to read this little one-shot! I had so much fun writing it and so I hope you liked reading it just as much. Please, take the time to leave a comment to let me know what you thought as the support means so much to me! See you all soon :)