Author's Note: Warning for what could possibly be considered depictions of graphic childbirth. I was honestly going to go further, but I squicked myself out.

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By the time the eleventh of August came around Florencia felt like she was the size of a house. And it was hot, so hot and that just made everything that much more uncomfortable. She waddled after her niños as she tried to pick up a few things. Unfortunately, Dante and Val seemed to be distracted by every shop or stall they passed and a trip that should have only lasted forty-five minutes, was now reaching its second hour mark. She just wanted to go home at that point. Her back hurt, her arms ached from carrying the bags and the heat was giving her a headache.

She was just about to call them back and head home when she heard someone calling her name. She squinted at the sun as she turned, sweeping over the market square to spot who had shouted for her. There wasn't any animosity or maliciousness in the tone, so she didn't think it was someone who was looking to spit on her, metaphorically or literally. It turned out to be Julieta, who was waving her over to the stall she usually tended in the market square. Her youngest, Mirabel, was standing with her, smiling as she handed an arepa to Señor Muñoz that healed whatever had caused his limp.

She hesitated to go over there for a moment but ultimately called her children to her and made her way to the centre of the market square. She knew people were watching her, knew there had been talk about her pregnancy. She had even heard two old biddies speculating over what 'this one' would look like, 'given that you can't really tell the older two are brother and sister'. Which was a lie. Dante may take after her hermanos and Bruno, while Valeria looked more like a mini-her with her Padre's green eyes; there were similarities if you really looked at the pair of them.

"Hola, Señora Madrigal, Señorita Madrigal." She greeted them, feeling Dante taking ahold of her skirts as he lent into her legs.

Valeria, on the other hand, had no compunction about shouting her own greeting. Florencia was quick to put down one of her bags so she could stop her hija from attempting to climb on to the stall housing Julieta's miracle cooking.

"Por favor, call me Julieta." She laughed. "I'm sure I've asked you to before."

"You have." She agreed with a huff of amusement. "And you'll probably have to ask me again. How are you? How's everyone up at the big house?"

Valeria had already shifted out from the light hold she had had on her daughter. She wandered around the table and sidled up to Mirabel, asking about the embroidery on her skirts. She wasn't surprised when the girl told her daughter she had done it herself. The stitches were wonky in places and loose in others, but it was very good for her age. She tried not to think how the two girls were primas and they didn't even know it.

"Everyone is doing very well. It's mi hermana's oldest, Delores's decimoséptima cumpleaños at the end of the month, so there's lots of preparations going on. You're welcome to attend of course. Bring the niños. There'll be plenty others running around." Julieta offered with an easy smile.

"Oh. Lo siento, I can't." She rubbed one hand over her stomach to emphasize it's size. "I'm sure it'll be a lovely party though."

She'd had been dodging the Healer's invitations for almost five whole years now, but it never seemed to dissuade her from asking again the next time she had the opportunity. Bernadino had been there the last time she had been invited to the Casita and had spent the next hour after she had left trying to persuade her to go with him as company. He had been so sure that her reticence came from what people might say to her there and she hadn't done anything to correct him. She couldn't tell him the truth after all. That she worried what would happen to her children if they entered the magical house. That she could hardly imagine herself acting normally while knowing her amante was literally within the walls, possibly watching her interact with his familia.

"You must be close to your due date by now." Julieta nodded, politely alluding to how very big she was.

"I still have almost month to go." She explained, allowing her feelings about the matter bleed into her voice. "They're not due until September. I'm about ready for it to be over though."

She made a noise of understanding. "My Isa was born on the seventh. The heat makes everything worse, doesn't it? I remember having such an awful time trying to get comfortable."

"Awful's one word for it." She felt Dante wiggle against her, so she reached round to run a soothing hand over his head.

"Have you picked any names?" She asked.

"A few." She answered vaguely, starting to feel like it was time to make a more.

She was about to say as much when Valeria skipped back over to them, giving her input. "Papi wants to call the new bebe Bee-tiz."

Florencia felt her face flush and her heart pick up as a few of the people around them seemed to stop their conversations just to look at her. She felt Dante tense and shuffle even further into her skirts.

"Yes, well. I should be going." She stooped as quickly as she could to pick up her bag. "It was nice to see you as always. Come on, Valeria. Say adiós."

She turned towards home, quite done with day as it was. Dante stuck to her side after that, probably sensing her distress. She had had to tell him about his Padre's 'mission' and had stressed the importance of not bringing him up while others were about, but her hija had only just turned three in July and couldn't grasp the seriousness of the situation just yet. It wasn't her fault. She didn't even seem to notice how her words had effected Florencia just then. She just skipped slightly ahead, as if nothing had happened.

Her mijo, because he was gift sent from God, ran ahead to open the door for her when they arrived. She sent him off with his hermana to wash their hands as she set about putting everything away. Once that was done, Valeria begged for a story and since she didn't have anything she had to do, the three of them ended spending most of the afternoon on the sofa reading. After dinner, her hija was more interested in her dolls house and Dante was busy drawing at the kitchen table, so she was able to get started on some embroidery earlier than she had thought she would. She had planned to continue once the chiquitos were in bed, but by the time she had tucked them in her back ache had gotten worse and she just wanted to lay down. Deciding not to fight it, she got herself ready for bed and collapsed on to the mattress with a sigh.

The next thing she knew she was being forcefully woken by a sharp pain radiating down her back. She hissed, clutching her pillow at the startling suddenness of it all. She was panting and sweating by the time it eased off. What the hell was that? She managed to sit up and get her feet to the floor, before it came back, making her cry out and curl over.

No. It was too soon, this couldn't be what she thought it was.

It must be just practise-contractions, she told herself. She had had them with Dante, and it had been nothing to worry about. She had nothing to worry about. Between the last cramp and the next one, she pushed herself to her feet and slowly made her way across her room. Sometimes having a nice warm shower had helped with Dante.

Florencia made it all the way out to the landing, only having to pause twice on her way, when she felt a sudden pressure and then a gush of liquid running down her thighs. It was quickly followed by another contraction that had her doubling over and leaning on the wall in the hopes of staying upright. Meirda. She was in labour. Actual labour. She wasn't ready. Her baby wasn't ready. It was too soon.

Her knees felt weak, and she made great pains to carefully slip down the wall instead of letting herself fall. She must have made some sort of noise, because the door across from her opened to reveal her hijo, rubbing his eyes with one hand and peering down at her.

"Mamá?" He was at her side almost instantly, his tone showing his worry.

"Dante," She reached up to run her fingers through his hair. "I'm okay. It's j-"

But a contraction cut her off, forcing her a pant through the pain. Meirda. She needed help. Her labour had never come on so suddenly before. She'd always had plenty of time to alert the midwife. She hadn't even finalized plans with Señora Gacia about looking after Dante and Valeria. She hadn't asked Bruno to pull the crib out of the back of the cupboard. It was probably dusty back there and would need a clean before she even thought about putting a newborn into it. There was so much she still had to do. And while she clearly didn't have time to dawdle, it was obviously not a good idea to try to do all those things now. She wasn't even sure if she could get off the floor by herself.

She just had to get to Señora Gacia's. The elder lady would send for the midwife and probably some of Julieta's food. She would look after her bebés and make sure neither of them saw anything she would rather they didn't. It wasn't even too far. Only two streets over. Not far. She could do it.

"Just give me a second mijo. Give me a second and we'll wake up your hermana and, ah, we'll make our way over to Señora Gacia's, okay?" She grunted through another contraction, trying to concentrate on assuring Dante that all was well. "I'm okay. I know it's a bit scary, but I'm okay. It's just the bebe coming."

"There's blood."

She looked down. The candle she had lit but left on her bedside table threw just enough light on the landing that she could see the darker liquid mixing in with the amniotic fluid puddle she was almost sitting in. Meirda. Okay, okay, okay. New plan. What was the new plan? She tried to push aside the panic that was beginning to clench around her chest like an iron bar. Her hijo's little fist was grasping a chunk of her nightgown at the shoulder, tightening the collar around her neck without meaning to.

"Dante," She reached up, taking his shoulders between her hands and forcing eye contact in a way she usually didn't. "Listen. Are you listening? This is important."

His hazel eyes went wide, and he gave a little nod of his head.

"I need you to go to Señora Gacia's casa and bang really loud on the door until someone answers, okay? When they do, you tell them that Mamá has gone into labour and that I'm bleeding." She fought back tears in her eyes, wondering if she was putting too much on his tiny shoulders. "Can you do that for me?"

He nodded again.

"What are you going to say when someone answers the door?" She asked, needing him to repeat it back to her.

" Mamá's bleeding 'cause the bebe is coming."

"Good, good." She sighed, not releasing his shoulder quite yet. "Well done. Remember to bang on the door as loud as you can, okay. Now I need you to run there, and once you've told Señora Gacia I'm bleeding, I need you to stay there."

"What about Val?" He asked, looking back into their shared room.

"Don't worry. Someone will come get her and bring her to you. I need you to go now." She began panting again as she felt another contraction beginning to build. "Remember what you're going to say, mijo. Te amo. Go, go."

She curled forward, releasing him and failing to hold back a pained grunt. She heard Dante little bare feet patter away from her and towards the stairs.

"Put on your sandals." She called after him.

Putting a hand between her legs, she swiped at the liquid still coating her thighs and stared at it as it stained her fingertips red. This was not good. Not good at all.

The front door slammed shut below her and she wondered if she had done the wrong thing. Should she have tried to make the journey herself? Should she have maybe not told him to run? What if he fell over and hit his head? She wouldn't know sitting here. He'd be left out in the street, hurt, until morning and someone found him.

Dios, she wished Bruno was here. She knew, practically, that he wouldn't be of much use, but that didn't matter. She wished he was there to tell her everything was going to be fine.

She didn't know how long she sat there, fighting back sounds that would wake up Valeria, trying not to worry about the fresh trickle of blood that seemed to run down her leg with every painful cramp, when the front door opened again, and she heard Señora Gacia call her name.

"Here!" She called back.

Relief swept through her and she felt like crying. She was a little surprised to see that Señora Gacia had brought two of her daughters with her, but she didn't have the energy to question it. Instead, she just clung to the older woman as she helped her to her feet and aided her in getting back to her bed.

"Now, don't worry about a thing, dear. I've sent Carlo to get the midwife and Benny has gone to find some of Julieta Madrigal's cooking for you." She cooed, hauling her up.

"Dante?" She asked through her teeth as she grimaced, needing to hear her say he was fine despite knowing he must be if she was here.

"Having a little sleepover with Lando." She assured. "Loretta will pick up little Valeria and bring her over to my place. You're niños are being well looked after. You don't have to worry about them. Concentrate on yourself and giving birth to this pequeño."

"It's too early. There was blood when my water broke." She whimpered. "I think I'm still bleeding."

Señora Gacia's other daughter, Celeste, had already gone ahead of them and was speedily stripping her bed, balling the used sheets in a corner on the floor. Then Florencia could hear her rustling out newspapers, that she knew would protect her bedding somewhat. She managed to point her to the draw that had clean sheets and one was quickly thrown over the mattress.

"I know, dear. I saw. There's not too much. Here up you get." She helped her get on the bed. "Just breath now. Wait and see what the midwife says."

She was vaguely aware that Señora Gacia's other daughter hadn't followed them into the master bedroom. She was probably in the nursery, gathering her hija. She should have woken her earlier and tried to explain. She wasn't going to like someone waking her up in the middle of the night and carting off elsewhere. Almost on cue, Valeria's screaming sounded. The only reason she held herself back from trying to go to her was that she could tell it wasn't a pained scream nor a fearful one. It was the standard 'I'm not getting my own way' sort of scream. She wished Loretta luck in calming her down as she heard them begin to fade and the front door open and close once more.

Three contractions later, they were joined by the midwife. She could hear Señora Gacia filling her in, and the midwife telling her to go and get some towels and water, but since she was awash with pain, she was hardly able to concentrate on what was being said exactly.

As her contraction faded, the same no-nonsense voice that had brought her first two bebés into the world appeared next to her. "Hola, Señorita Velasco. It's always nice to see you again, but you're abit early this time. Not too early mind, so that's something. Now, I need to stay still while I have a little listen."

She managed to help the midwife pull her sullied nightgown up and out of the way as she pressed an ear trumpet to her bare stomach. Her breathed through the minutes that seemed to stretch as she waited. Then she moved to a new position. Then again and she could wait no longer.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" She interrogated.

Thoughts were spinning around her head at a thousand miles an hour. What would happen to her niños if something happened to her? Where would they go? Would her Padre take them in? Did she even want that, after he had kicked her out and still refused to talk to her? But if not him then who? Her hermanos mayores? While Bernardino still lived at home, the twins had each moved out and begun familia's of their own. Would either of them take in her niños if she was gone? She had made Señora Gacia their godmother and Señor Flores their godfather, but neither the elderly lady nor the village priest were really in a position to look after Dante and Val for an extended period of time.

"Nothing to worry about. Now, let me have a feel." Then her fingers were pushing into her stomach. "Well, we've definitely got one head where it's supposed to be."

"¿Qué? There's two heads?" Her bebe had two heads?

"Sí, Señorita Velasco. I can hear two distinct heartbeats. You're having twins and they seem to be in a bit of a hurry." Then she was moving, opening the case she had brought with her. "You tell me when you start needing to push."

But Florencia's mind was still stuck. Twins. She was having twins? As in two bebés? Another contraction distracted her from her thoughts, and it wasn't long before the familiar urge to push began to add to the increasingly rapid cramps.

"That's it, chica. Just breath with me. You know what to do." The midwife encouraged, rubbing a hand down her back while feeling her stomach for the next contraction. "And push, push, push."

She knew she was grunting loudly as she bore down, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was sweating too. She could feel it trickling down the back of her neck and leaving her hair damp as it stuck to her naked skin. Celeste and Carla Gacia were still there, in the room. At least she thought so. But it didn't matter, none of it mattered. The only thing she cared about now was getting her bebés out of her and into the world.

She was screaming as she birthed the eldest of her twins. It took a bare moment, one that seemed to stretch on for an eternity, for the bebe to let out a cry in answer.

"A girl." Someone told her but she wasn't sure who.

She reached out shaking arms for her bebe, but had to wait as the midwife gave her a once over and wrapped a towel around her.

"Straight on the nipple, if you would." She told Florencia when she finally handed her over.

She leant back into the cushions that had been shoved behind her at some point as she brought her bebita to her breast. She had her father's hair, whispy dark curls sprouting from the top of her head. Tan bella. Tan perfecta. And so small. Smaller than Dante or Valeria had ever been. But she was breathing and suckling and everything seemed to be fine, Gracias al Señor.

Florencia would have liked to bask in her and her hija's first meeting a little longer, but a fresh contraction washed through her body. She curled forwards, interrupting her hija's meal, yet careful not to harm her in any way. Señora Gacia was at her side by the time the pain had passed, holding her hands out so she could take her daughter from her arms. As reluctant as she was to do so, she knew she had to.

"See you in a moment, mjia." She whispered, planting a kiss to her still bloody forehead.

Then she was bearing down again, panting between each contraction until it all crescendoed in a second ring of fire and the cries of a second bebe. Except there was something distinctly and unusually wet about the sensation and she felt all together woozy. Voices picked up around her. She felt a tiny body put into her arms and a tiny mouth closing around her breast, but she felt strangely distant from it. Then there was water in her mouth, and she swallowed more on instinct than anything else. Soft bread soon followed and she ate that too. She was vaguely aware that the birth of a child should be shortly followed by the passing of the afterbirth. Had she done that already or were they waiting? She was sort of tired.

"No time to sleep now." Someone gently slapped her face, forcing her eyes to spring open and her arms to tense around the bebe she was cradling within them. "Here, eat more of this."

There was more bread in front of her face, practically touching her lips. She took a bite as directed, feeling more and more awake with each mouthful she was fed.

"Wha's 'appening?" She slurred, trying to blink away the fuzziness in her vision and noticing that she had been covered with a blanket.

"You had a haemorrhage, but thanks to the Madrigal Miracle it seems to be stopping." The midwife informed her brusquely but not unkindly. "Keep eating and I'm sure you'll be right as rain in no time."

Señora Gacia was at her side, holding out what she now recognized as one of Julieta's miraculously healing arepas. She shifted the bebe so she could free one hand to take. As she chewed, careful not the cover her bebe with crumbs, she took them in. This was not the bebe she had been holding earlier. This was the younger of the two. She was sure, even if they had almost identical scrunched up faces and dark black hair. Once she had eaten and her hand was free, she untucked the towel they were wrapped in so she could have a little look, before wrapping him back up. A boy. A boy and a girl.

"Mi hija?" She asked as she drew her gaze away from her hijo mas joven.

It was Celeste who brought her over, a little cleaner than the last time she saw her, arranging her so Florencia could hold them both. The girl made a chuffing noise as she settled into her arms, nosing at her, obviously trying to find her nipple. She smiled as she adjusted her angle, letting her latch on.

"Here." Señora Gacia held a cup of water to her mouth, making her take a sip.

She sat there for maybe twenty minutes feeding her niños and recovering her strength before she was shuffled from the bed to the rocking chair so her sheets could be changed. She sighed through the indignity of a sponge bath, before being dressed and moved back, her mellizos placed back in her arms. It was then that she became aware of the midwife packing away her things.

"Are we done?" She queried, still feeling a little out of it.

"Sí, that's me done. Now you just rest. Carla has agreed to stay with you, and she'll call me back if there's any change. And you will tell her immediately if you feel anything you shouldn't." She shut her case with a clap. "Well, all's well that ends well. I'll be off."

And she was gone, Celeste leaving too once everything had been cleaned up. Señora Gacia sat in the rocking chair, now bare of the padded cushion she had stained. They sat in comfortable silence as the morning light began to stream through her bedroom shutters, watching as her mellizos slept.

"What time were they born?" She found herself asking after they had been alone for ten or so minutes.

"Oh, about six, half-six." It seemed the silence would encapsulate them once more when all Florencia did was nod, but the elderly lady spoke once more. "I was worried we were going to lose you there for a while."

She was sure she would have worried too if she had had the ability. At the time she'd barely known where she was. Without the Miracle, the Miracle she knew to be fading, she probably would have died. She knew how dangerous childbirth could be. There was a reason Julieta handed out baskets of food to women when they were expected to go into labour.

"Thank you for being here." She said softly, reaching to take the other woman's hand.

"Of course, dear." She held her hand in one of her own while patting it with the other. "It gave me such a fright when I heard all that banging and found little Dante on my doorstep. He's a good boy, you're eldest. I'm sure he ran the whole way."

"Was he okay?" She frowned.

She hated to think that she had scared him. Her mijo was only little, not even quite five yet, and she had asked such a big thing of him. But she had needed help and it had become clear she hadn't been able to get it herself.

"Well, he was obviously very upset. He understood that you were in labour and that something was wrong. He told me you were bleeding three times as I was trying to get him to stay with Angelo and the children. But he did tell me that you had promised that his hermana would be joining him, so I'm sure once Loretta brought her over, he calmed down somewhat. Celeste would've told him that you're well if he's still awake when she got there."

Florencia nodded with a sigh. Dante would probably still worry about her until he had seen her with his own eyes. He took after his Padre that way. Speaking of eyes, hers were getting heavy and the fatigue was beginning to take over.

"You should get some sleep while you can, dear. It's been a while since I had a newborn but I seem to remember that there was a lot of crying and sleepless nights. For the both of us." Señora Gacia joked, making her giggle weakly.

"I haven't even gotten the crib out yet." She told her, looking down at her bebés. "They weren't supposed to come for another three weeks at least."

"You just lay them down on the bed for now. I'll make sure no one rolls anywhere they shouldn't."

She did as she was told and soon fell asleep, only to be woken four hours later by two whining newborns. Once they were fed, Señora Gacia brought over everything she needed to clean and dress them, refusing to allow her out of the bed just yet, unless it was to go to the bathroom. The elder lady even struggled through getting the crib out of storage and giving it a proper clean. She asked about names, but Florencia told her she had decided yet. In truth, she did have an idea already, but she had to run it by Bruno first, as neither name was on the list they had agreed on.

Just after lunch time, Dante and Valeria were brought home by Celeste and her esposo, Carlo. While Val was eager to climb on the bed with her and have a proper look at her hermanito y hermanita, her hijo hung back until she beckoned him over. She wrapped an arm around him the moment he was within range, pulling him close and burying her nose in his hair.

"I'm okay, mijo." She whispered and kissed his head. "Come on."

With a little help, he sat down next to her, curled into her side with a fistful of her fresh nightgown clenched in his hand. They spent the rest of the day like that, reading and talking, huddled together on her bed, with Señora Gacia getting anything they needed. When night began to fall, she started to politely suggest that she probably wanted to head home now, having been there all day and she was sure she could manage now.

"You expecting company then?" The elderly woman asked slyly.

Florencia felt her face flush and worried her lip for a moment as she wondered what to say to such a direct inquiry from someone she actually liked and respected.

"He will have heard about the birth." She settled. "He'll want to come meet them."

"He will, will he?" Señora Gacia raised an eyebrow, but her tone wasn't scornful, it was more like teasing.

This woman had taken her in when she had had nowhere else to go. She had been a pregnant and unwed stranger, but Señor Flores had asked her to, so she had agreed to put her up for nothing until her casa had been built. And she'd never been anything but welcoming. She'd been the one to put her in contact with Señora Rivera so she could get a job that she could do from home. She didn't know where she would be without her.

She did make a graceful exit without saying anything else about Florencia's illicit guest. She did so just in time, as well, since Bruno appeared not half an hour later, his presence announced by the sound of him falling through one of the downstairs windows, making their hija menor jump and begin to cry. Her wailing woke her hermano and she flailed for a minute, unsure how to comfort the both of them. Dante covered his ears and look at her with a worried frown, while Valeria had decided to slide off the bed and made for the door, obviously having heard her Padre.

He poked his head round the doorway before she had time to escape. At her shrieked greeting, he bent down and swept her into his arms and carried her back to the bed. She watched as his gaze fixed on the twins and awe filled his eyes.

"Mi Familia." He breathed, turning to share a short but passionate kiss with her.

Then he shifted Val so he could pick up his newborn hija with one free arm. He settled in his Padre's arms, and it allowed her to bring her hijo to her own chest. The bebés quietened now they were being held.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his worried stare fixing on her.

She only nodded, not willing to talk about her ordeal in front of little ears. He seemed to understand as he didn't persist, only bringing his daughters closer and leaning in to press a kiss to her hair. Bruno then went on to ask the older two about their day, filling the time with idle chatter until it was time for them to go to bed. Her amante handled it, taking her niños to brush their teeth and reading them a short story before tucking them in. While he was in the nursery, Florencia settled the mellizos in the crib that it seemed they would have to share for the moment. She was still there when he came back, wrapping his arms around her middle and tucking his chin over her shoulder.

"Twins, can you believe it?" He quietly chuckled in her ear.

"I had no idea until I was already in labour."

He laughed again, carefully squeezing her a tad tighter. She felt him turn his face towards her, his beard tickling her cheek as he planted a chaste kiss on the edge of her lips.

"So, are we still agreed on names?" He asked as he gently pulled her away from the crib and towards the bed.

"I changed my mind actually." She hesitantly said, biting her lip as he pressed her to lay down and brought the covers up and over her.

"Oh?" He looked a little surprised but not upset, before turning away and pulling night clothes for himself out of one of the drawers.

"I... It wasn't an easy birth, Bruno. Without your hermanas cooking, I don't know..."A sudden sob burst from her lips, and she felt her face crumble.

"Reni?" He was at her side in a moment, his shirt unbuttoned and hanging off one of his arms.

But she shook her head, swallowing down her tears and pushing it to the side, to be dealt with another time. "I've been thinking all day and, our mellizos are a gift from God and I want their names to reflect that."

"Oh...kay."

"You can say if you don't like them, I don't mind. I just..." But she interrupted herself. "What about Luciana Rosa Maria and Lorenzo Teodoro Matias?"

She peered up into her amor large green eyes, trying to determine his thoughts. His lips hitched up into a half smile and he was leaning in to kiss her again. Relief swept through her. She might have said she wouldn't have minded, but she had gotten quite attached in the hours she had had to wait to run the idea by him.

"They're perfecto, mi vida." He assured her, turning back to finish getting ready for bed. "Is Luciana the older one then? I mean, is it Luciana and Lorenzo or Lorenzo and Luciana?"

"No, you were right. Mi hija came first." She muttered closing her eyes and listened to him as he shuffled about.

The bed eventually dipped down behind her, and she felt his warm body press against her own, his arm coming to wrap around her soft and still somewhat distended abdomen. She snuggled back into him. She sighed as some of the tension she had been holding on to finally left.

"You did so well, mi amor." She heard him whisper into the back of her neck as she drifted off to sleep.

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The night before Dante's quinto cumpleaños he was shaken awake by a hand on his shoulder and a low voice calling his name.

"Come on, hombrecito. Up you get." The voice muttered, obviously trying not to wake his hermana on the other side of the room.

With a frown on his face, he turned towards the voice, confused about what was happening. It was too dark for it to be morning already. It was Papá who was shaking his arm, leaning over his bed. He blinked at him, taking in his wild looking hair and frazzled expression. His Mamá was standing in the doorway, a candle in one hand while the other held her shawl together around her shoulders. She looked worried too actually.

"What's happening?" He asked.

His thought spun as they tried to find a reason for his padres to look like that. Maybe the bebés were sick? Or maybe something had gone wrong with Papá's mission?

"We need you to get up, Dante. Come on." Papá insisted, pulling his blankets off him as he sat up and scooping him into his arms.

He wrapped his arm around his Papá's neck, holding on tight as he was carried out of his room and down the stairs. He looked over his shoulder to watch his Mamá follow them down. What was happening? His hermanito and hermanita must have both been fine, or they wouldn't be leaving them up in Mamá's room. Right? Still, as he was settled down on the sofa, with his Mamá and Papá perched on the coffee table across from him, he felt he had to check.

"Luci and Enzo are fine, right?"

"Oh, of course, Muñeco." Mamá reached for him, taking his hand in her own. "They're fine, they're sleeping."

"Th- There's just, erm, stuff we have to tell you. Important stuff."

Papá was acting so strangely. Usually, his voice was low and calm and soothing, but now it was jumpy, and it was like he couldn't get his words out. And he was wringing his hands in front of him, rubbing them together again and again and again, drawing his attention to the way his knuckles on one hand looked puffy and red. His Mamá' seemed to notice too, because she wedged her free hand between his Papá's palms and forcibly took ahold of one of his hands. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed to calm Papá down, since his shoulders sunk, and he let out a long sigh before shooting her a kind smile.

"Dante." Mamá called him, making him focus back on her. "You know how the Madrigal's call have a special gift?"

He nodded. Everyone knew that. He'd seen Julieta Madrigal give out her food to anyone who was hurt and he'd watched Pepa Madrigal help water his Tio Sebastian's fields with a giant rain cloud when it had been really dry last Summer. Camillo was often in the market when they went, changing into one person or another so he could reach really high things or just to make people laugh. Luisa was always lifting buildings or carrying piles of donkeys and he must have seen Isabela making flowers appear out of no where at least fifty times. He had heard that Delores could hear things from really far away and he knew that the new bebé wouldn't get his gift until his quinto cumpleaños. Everyone in town knew all that.

"Well, you're Papá's names is Bruno Madrigal and he has a gift too." Mamá continued.

He nodded, because he knew that too. He'd know the moment he recognized him from the mural in town. He hadn't told anyone, not even Lando, that the man in the middle had looked like his Papá, but he had asked who that was. Señora Gacia had been the one who told him that that was Bruno Madrigal, he could see the future and that no one talked about Bruno. He was bad luck, she'd told him. He hadn't argued but he knew that wasn't true through. His Papá was perfecto and not bad in any way.

"So, you see, if Papá is a Madrigal, then so are you." His Mamá bite her lip as she explained, squeezing his hand in hers. "And tonight, a door appeared for you..."

"That doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a gift, hombrecito. Your prima, Mirabel got a door but not a gift." Papá interrupted, sounding anxious and pulling at the bottom of his ruana.

"Right. Papá's right. But we're going to find out. So, Papá's going to take you with him up to the Casita, okay mijo. But remember, whatever happens you have to be very quiet. No one can know that you and Papá have been there." She was trying to smile at him but there was still a wrinkle in between her eyebrows like she was frowning.

He nodded again, but slower this time as he tried to take everything in. It had never occurred to him that because his Papá was a Madrigal that Mirabel and Camillo and all the others were his primos. He thought he only had Sergio, Nicholas and Erika, his Tios' niños. But Pepa and Julieta Madrigal were his Tias, weren't they? And their maridos were his Tios. He had so much more familia than he realised. Except he couldn't tell them. His Papá's mission was very important, and no one could know that he was their Padre, nor that he came to see them. Those were the rules.

"All right. Come on then, hombrecito." Papá suddenly stood up, releasing Mamá's hand and holding out his own like he wanted to pick Dante up.

Oh, were they going right now? He supposed that made sense he supposed as his opened his arms and was lifted into the air. His coat was put on top of his pyjamas and his sandals were slipped on his feet. His Papá was so tall, he felt like he had to duck as he was carried put the front door. He turned to look over his Papá's shoulder as they left, watching as his Mamá stood in the doorway, getting smaller and smaller, until they turned a corner, and he couldn't see her anymore.

He felt his stomach give a nervous wiggle and he found himself clinging tighter to his Papá. He was sort of worried. Even though they had explained what they were doing, he still had a lot of questions. Like how did the Madrigals get their gifts? Did it hurt? And sus padres had mentioned a door, but he didn't understand what a door had to do with anything. How were they going to get into the Casita without anyone knowing?

It was also kind of strange being out so late. The only time he'd ever been out at nighttime before was when Mamá had been having Luci and Enzo and he had had to run all the way to Señora Gacia's casa to get help. He hadn't had time to notice how quiet it was when no one was around. Papá seemed to like walking in the dark too, because they avoided all of the lamps that were spotted throughout the village. That made it even weirder. It was like the village felt calm but scary at the same time. Not that he was scared. He was with Papá after all. He would protect him.

The hill they had to climb seemed to go on forever and at the top was a really, really big house. He'd never been to the top of the hill before, and he was surprised that the Casita looked just like the big house at the top of the picture Papá had drawn of the whole Encanto for Mamá's cumpleaños and now hung in her bedroom. He hadn't realised that anything other than their casa and the church had been really real in that picture. He was going to have to look when he got home and see if any of the other buildings were real too.

"Right, remember we have to be very, very quiet. Okay, mijo?" Papá whispered as they paused a little way away from the front door, running reassuring fingers through his hair.

He couldn't hold back his gasp as the tiles decorating the front of the Casita moved and waved at them when they got closer. His Papá shushed him, holding him a little tighter, but didn't seem to mind when Dante gave the house a tentative wave back. It was silent when he pushed open the door, revealing a large empty courtyard. He started to worry about what would happen if the Madrigal's woke up and found them there. Would they get in trouble? What would happen to his Papá's mission? Sus Padres had only ever told him how important it was no one saw him, not what would happen if someone ever did.

His Papá paused again when they reached the centre of the courtyard, and when Dante looks at him, he seemed to be staring up, up, up to a large lit candle that was sitting on a high window ledge. There was just something magic about it. The flame was too big to be natural and it seemed to give off tiny flecks of firefly-like light. Amazing.

But Papá begun muttering to himself under his breath and he could feel his hold growing even tighter.

"Papá?" He whispered.

He looked down at him, a worried frown between his eyebrows. "We need the candle. Just... Stay there a moment, okay."

Then his Papa was tucking him next to the staircase and pressing a kiss to his head. He put a finger to his lips, a reminder that he had to be quiet, then he was moving back, whispered to the Casita to give him a way up there. Shifting from his bum to his knees, he crawled forwards so he could watch as, after a moment of convincing, everything around him started moving, making steps so his Papá could climb up to stand on the roof tiles and reach the high up candle. He bit his lips when it looked for a moment like Papá might stumble, might fall, but he was fine and it wasn't long before he was making his way back down, candle in hand. Once his feet were back on the ground and the Casita had bent back the way it had been when they arrived, his Papá picked him back up and led him up on to the second-floor landing.

"It's up here." Papá told him. "I got the Casita to put your door up with mine."

He was gesturing the candle at a doorway that led off the landing, opening on to a steep staircase. It was dark up there, but he thought he could see a faint orange-y glow. Papá was about to take the first step when they both heard a squeak. Dante tensed all over. Someone had seen them!

Papá spun, bringing him with him, revealing Delores Madrigal standing right there, staring at them. Oh no. She must have heard them. She was the one with super hearing, after all. What was she going to do? What was going to happen?

"Tio, what are you doing?" She said in a high, quiet sort of tone.

"Uh, ah. I, erm..." Papá made funny noises like he was trying to say too many things at once. "A door appeared for Dante."

She squeaked again, before covering he mouth, looking round at the thankfully still empty house and coming closer. Dante took hr in properly as she did. She was taller and slim, and her skin was darker than Dante's. Strangest of all though was that she was his prima. But she was also a grown up. That was weird. Did other little kids like him have grown up primos?

"Where?" She asked, giving him a little smile, before looking back at his Papá.

He felt as his Papá gave a long sigh, muttering at her to follow before someone else saw them, the tenseness leaving his body as he loosened the hold he had had on Dante a little bit. He'd been worried, but it seemed like his prima was going to help them. That was good, he supposed. But...

"What about your mission, Papá?" He breathed into his ear, scared of waking anyone else up if he was too loud.

"It's okay. Lolo knows about my mission." He whispered back. "She can keep a secret if she needs to."

He nodded. He wanted to ask why his prima knew but kept quiet as they climbed the narrow stairs. He thought only Mamá and him knew about Papá's mission. Did anyone else know? And if Delores knew, how come she didn't come to see him or Val or the bebés?

The glow got brighter as they got closer to the top. The door right in front of the stairs looked like a normal door, except it had a carving of his Papá on it, looking kind of scary and holding a floating hourglass between his hands. He shied away from it as they passed, turning the corner.

He gasped. There was a plain, glowing door right there, with a shiny golden doorknob. Light that matched the candle's hazy, slow-moving sparks radiated from the wooden door. It was magic. Like really real magic.

"Are you excited?" Delores asked as his Papá bent and put him on his feet.

He bit his lips and shrugged. It was sort of exciting, but he was worried too. It turned out he didn't like sneaking around and hoping not to get in trouble. It made his stomach feel all wiggly and uncomfortable.

"Hey, Dante." His Papá knelt down, putting his free hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Look, it, um- It doesn't matter to me if you get a gift or not, okay? You'll still be mi hombrecito especial. I love you just the way you are, and I always will."

He felt all warm inside at his Papá's words and gave him a wide smile in return. Papá got back to his feet, looking between the candle still in his hand and Delores.

"Mamá always talks about strengthening the Familia and protecting the Encanto, but... Here, put your hand on the candle, mijo." He leant down, holding the candle out for Dante. "Do you promise to use your gift wisely and to try to do no harm?"

As his hands cupped the candle, he nodded. "Prometo, Papá."

"Alright. Good, good." Papá nodded towards the door. "Now go touch the door handle."

He took a hesitant step towards the glowing door, peering up at how very tall it looked. Holding his breath, he reached out and took the shiny round handle in his hand, A sort of fizzy feeling ran through him, and he heard his prima let out another squeak behind him. The tiny firefly lights sparkled and swished around the door as a carving of himself began to appear. He was smiling in the picture, standing up straight and holding a paintbrush in one hand and a pencil in the other.

"Well done, Dante." Papá said, picking him up in a hug. "It looks like your gift is something to do with your drawing. We'll figure it out when we get home."

"You're leaving already?" Delores interrupted, drawing their attention to her. "Aren't you going to look inside?"

"No." Papá replied, already turning away from the magic door and heading back down the stairs. "I think the light will go out once we leave. Mine did. No one ever goes up there, no one will notice the door and everything will be fine."

"Tio..."

"Everything will be fine." he repeated, his voice sounding harder than Dante had ever heard it.

"Have you seen it?" He didn't know what she meant, but it made his Papá pause suddenly halfway down the steps.

"No. I don't do that anymore. It never helped anyone before, it's not going to help any now." His Papá actually sounded angry, before he let out a long sigh. "Lo siento, sobrina. I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, Tio." She stepped down the three steps that separated them wrapped her arms around them both.

Papá couldn't hug her back because he was holding Dante in one arm and the candle in his other hand, but he did lean his head on her shoulder. Dante, feeling like he should make up for his Padre's lack of hug, he reached up and patted his prima's hair. It was sort of bouncy in a way his wasn't and her curls were much smaller than his own. It felt funny against his fingers. She gave a quiet little giggle when she felt him, sending a smile his way and pressing a kiss to his cheek. He supposed that was okay.

"We've got to go." Papá told her when he pulled back, before looking at the candle still in his hand. "Will you..?"

She took the candle from him and after a few whispered goodbyes, they crept back out of the Casita the way they had come. His Papá started walking quicker once they were back outside, his step bouncing Dante on his hip as they went down the hill.

"What do you think my gift is, Papá?" He asked when they were far enough away from the house that he didn't think he could be heard.

"I don't know. We'll figure it out. No need to worry. Just, try to only do whatever it is when you're in the Casa, sí? We can't let anyone know you're a Madrigal, remember."

Excitement started to fill him as he got closer and closer to home. He couldn't wait to tell Mamá about everything that had happened. Nor could he wait to grab a pencil or a paintbrush like on the door and see what happened. Maybe he could make his pictures move? Or maybe come to life! That would be so cool. He could draw cake for breakfast every day and all the toys he wanted.

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Author's note 2nd edition: I use the word Mellizos to mean twins, but it's possible this is a Mexican-Spanish specific word for fraternal (ie, non-identical) twins. I couldn't find confirmation on the internet.

Also, Delores (and Isabela) turned seventeen in August & it was December at the end of this chapter, but she's old enough for Dante to think of her as an adult.