The family meet the new bebés
A knock sounded at the door as Mirabel shushed their new hijo, while resting against Julio.
"I'll let them in." Julio said. He propped pillows behind her and then went to the door.
"¡Papí!"
"¡Mis niños!" He said happily as he pulled all three into his arms, kneeling on the floor. "I've missed you all so much!" He placed kisses all over each of their faces, causing the three to giggle. He pulled back and grinned down at them. "Now, Mamí and I have a surprise for you, but you need to be quiet and careful, okay?"
"Sí Papí." Aleta whispered, and Luna nodded eagerly.
He stood, lifting Aarón with him. He smiled up at Mirabel's family that was eagerly waiting on the other side of the door as well. "Give us just a few minutes, and then you all can come in."
Dolores nodded and smiled. "Just call out, no need to get up."
He nodded back and ushered his hija's inside, before closing the door.
"Hola niños." Mirabel said as she smiled tiredly at her older niños. "Come here, we want you to meet your nuevo hermano y hermana."
"¿Hermano y hermana?" Luna asked with wide eyes.
"I thought you said it was only going to be one bebé?" Aleta questioned, as she climbed onto the bed.
Mirabel cracked a small, amused smile. "Your hermanito was hiding your hermanita on us. She was a surprise."
Luna climbed up beside her melizza and they both perched on their knees beside Mirabel and peered down at their nuevo hermanitos.
"Awe, look at their narices pequeñas!" Luna gushed.
"And his round cheeks! Can I poke them, Mamí?" Aleta asked very seriously.
"No, mija, you cannot poke your hermanito. We don't want to hurt him do we?" Julio responded, but Mirabel could see the way he pursed his lips that he was struggling not to laugh.
"What are their names?" Luna asked, her eyes transfixed on her hermanita, she had always wanted one.
Aleta bounced on her knees in excitement. "Oooh! Can we name them?"
"Well, we already have names for them." Julio replied.
"Dolores, don't tell the others yet please." Mirabel whispered, before smiling at her niños. Her heart warmed at the sight of all five of them finally here, all together at last - even if there had been one more than expected. "This is your hermanito, Mateo Agustín, y tu hermanita, Miriam Rosa."
"Los amo mucho." Luna said sweetly.
Tears sprung to Mirabel's eyes. "That makes me so happy, mija." She sniffled. "Should we let the rest of la familia in to see them? Then you will be able to hold them if you want."
"¡Sí!" Their hijas both cried out happily.
Soon enough, the door to the guest room opened and the first one through the door was Julieta, who was pulling her esposo in. The look on Agustín's face at the sight of his hija holding a swaddled bebé, had Mirabel start crying again.
"Oh mija." He walked over and kissed her head. "I'm so proud of you."
"Gracias Pa." Mirabel responded, a crack in her voice only briefly noted. She noticed that the rest of the familia had squished into the room. So she smiled and looked back up at her papá. She held her newborn hijo up, and he cradled him in his own arms. "Pa, I would like to introduce you to Mateo Agustín."
"I… You named him after me?" He asked, voice filled with emotion, unabashedly letting tears fall down his cheeks. Julieta wrapped an arm around him, resting her cheek on his arm, as her other hand rested over his that was holding their nieto.
Mirabel smiled as Aarón climbed into her lap carefully, he was a little clingy at the moment as his spot as the youngest had been usurped. She wrapped her arms around him and . "Sí, Papí. Aarón's middle name is Miguel after Julio's papá, and the niñas are after our mamás, Aleta Carmen y Luna Julieta, so it was your turn."
Julieta gasped at hearing that. Mirabel had not shared that Luna had her name. But she quickly smiled brightly at her hija, tears freely falling down her own cheeks now.
"Oh that is so sweet, sobrina!" Pepa said, a rainbow over her head, despite the tears in her eyes.
Mirabel watched her familia fawn over her newborn, then looked up to catch Julio's eye. She nodded at him. Time for the surprise.
"Could everyone close their eyes for just a moment?" Julio asked. "The niños have a surprise for you all."
"¡Sí, cierra tus ojos!" Aleta urged, a large smile of excitement on her face.
Only once all the eyes were closed, well everyone except the ones who already knew, did Julio turn around to the bassinet he had blocked with his body. He gently picked up Miriam, and walked over to Pepa when Mirabel pointed to her. "Pepa, hold out your arms."
Pepa frowned in confusion, but did as asked. Julio held his hija with one steady arm, while he adjusted her arms she held out. Once done, he carefully transferred Miriam to her arms.
"Hola pequeño." Pepa said with a smile, eyes still closed, as she quickly adjusted her hold of the bebé. "If it was just to hold Mateo, I don't understand why our eyes had to stay closed."
Agustín was quick to respond. "Ugh, Pepa, cuñada, I am still holding Mateo."
Everyone's eyes flew open.
"¡Mellizos!" Pepa exclaimed, echoed by her sobrinas and hijos. "Oh look at you, tu cosa preciosa."
"Tía, you are holding nuestra pequeña sorpresa. We have called her Miriam Rosa."
The rainbow that had been above her head since she had heard the cry from the courtyard earlier, grew extremely bright, which caused a second rainbow to appear. The whole family stared in awe at the sight before them, as Pepa had never produced a double rainbow. But Pepa herself was so focused on the little bundle of happiness in her arms.
"¿No eres tan linda, mi preciosa sobrina nieta?" Pepa cooed, ducking her head to kiss the little fuzz of hair on the top of the bebés head, taking in that new baby smell. "Ay, what a beautiful surprise! Did you really not know?" She asked looking up at her sobrina.
"Sí, we had no idea. Though it does make sense that I felt like it was similar to when I had Aleta y Luna."
Pepa turned to her own daughter, who was leaning into Mariano's side with Pedro on her hip. "You didn't hear the second heartbeat, mi campanita?"
Mariano nudged his esposo when he realized she hadn't heard her madre, as Dolores was gazing lovingly at her mamá holding the infante in her arms. "Hmm?" She hummed in question, not turning her eyes away from the sight.
Pepa repeated her question to her daughter.
"Hm, I suppose I just thought the other heartbeat was just coming from me. I wasn't paying attention to an extra one."
The room froze, as they all took in what Dolores just announced by accident.
Mariano quietly whispered in her ear, which brought her out of her small daydream of her mamá holding her own soon to be bebé. "Uh… Sorpresa?" Her face flushed and she gave a sheepish smile to Mirabel. "Lo siento for stealing your moment, prima. We had been meaning to share, but then your arrival interrupted, and well…" She shrugged, shifting Pedro closer to her in her arms. "We decided to wait a little longer."
Mirabel smiled back, her own hijo still cuddled into her own chest. "It's okay, Lolo. It's a happy day, and I am glad we can celebrate together."
Pepa had to hand Miriam off to Luisa next to her as she started crying happy tears, and a sprinkling of rain appeared from the clouds below the rainbows, which shone even brighter. Pepa pulled Dolores and Mariano into her arms, squeezing them close.
"Ay, everyone out of the room, we'll bring los bebés out to the living room." Abuela said, insistently, as the room was far too small for Pepa's little shower and the amount of people in the room.
MIrabel and Julio were left alone for a moment, their new bebés were tucked beside each other in the bassinet, napping peacefully.
"I still can't believe this is all real." Mirabel said, as she started to change into a soft day dress that Julio brought over for her.
"I know." Julio said as he stood there peering down in awe at their newest family members.
"I'm so glad you made it back in time, corazón." She added, as she slowly made her way to day beside him. Despite her mamás healing food, she still felt achy, and stiff from labour. But she would hands down take this again over her last two postpartum recoveries.
Julio wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his side. He kissed her head. "Lo siento, mi amor, I didn't mean to be so long away."
She reached up and placed a hand on his face, turning his head to meet her eyes. "Hey, the most important part is that you came back safely, and we are all happy and healthy." He turned his head to kiss her palm and it made her giggle slightly as his stubble tickled her palm; he hadn't had a chance to shave that morning, having been eager to leave and get back. "Why were you gone so long? Was everything okay?"
Julio closed his eyes for a moment to ready himself, before opening his eyes and met hers with an ashamed look in his eyes. "I… I lost my job. I'm so sorry, mi amor. I- They wanted me to stay there and not come back to be with you during this time. So… so I quit. Nothing, and no one will keep me away from mi familia, except Dios himself. Please forgive me." He shut his eyes as a lone tear escaped down his cheek.
"Julio," Mirabel replied softly, using her thumb to brush away the tear, "ay, corazon. I'm sorry they made you choose. I know you loved your job. But, thank you for putting us first. We love you so much, mi amor."
"Te quiero tanto, mi reina. You and our niños, all five of them, are my world. I could not survive without you." He said, voice tight as he pulled her fully into his arms, just needing to hold her.
"Te quiero más." She replied with a smile into his chest, as she burrowed into his arms a little. She relaxed into the smell of him and the warmth of his embrace.
"I'm not sure that is possible, mi amor." He teased lightly.
They were silent for a moment, just holding each other close.
"What…" Mirabel bit her lip as she leant back to peer up at him. "What do we do now? Are we still going to go back to the city? Or should we stay? Even if not in Casita, we could have a house built in Encanto."
Julio could hear the slight hopeful tone of her voice. "If you would like to be close to la familia Madrigal, mi amor, then that is what we shall do. I will follow you wherever you wish."
A smile lit across her face and she pulled him down to meet her lips.
When they broke apart, Mirabel sighed happily. "We should probably go back out, before someone comes barging in cause they haven't had a chance to hold them yet."
So the two picked up their bundles of joy, Mirabel holding Miriam and Julio holding Mateo. They made their way out of the guest room they had been using and headed to the living room, where they could hear the family. But Casita had other plans.
Casita moved the tiles under Mirabel and Julio gently, guiding them to the main staircase in the courtyard instead of the living room.
"Casita? What are you doing? We are trying to go to the family." Mirabel questioned as she attempted to turn back to the living room. The tiles moved under her once again. "Casita!"
Dolores must have heard the commotion and alerted the family as they all made their way into the courtyard.
A gasp was heard. "Look! A new door!" Antonio cried out, pointing to a new door that shimmered in the spot where Mirabel's original door had once stood before her fateful birthday.
Mirabel hadn't even noticed that Casita had even moved the stairs to line up with the door in her haste to try to get to the living room. Now she stood frozen, staring up at the glowing door that had haunted her dreams for 18 years; despite being happy with her own little family, sometimes her dreams had refreshed the aching in her heart at the reminder of her status in her family.
Yet there it was, once more shimmering away, right between her hermana's doors.
"Mija?" Julieta asked after coming to stand beside her. She was shocked herself, but her concern for her daughter won out.
"Why now?" Mirabel's voice cracked as she voiced her question.
"I don't know, mi vida, but the magic must have a reason."
"Why not when we got here though?" Julio questioned, wrapping his free hand around his esposa.
"The magic was probably waiting until it was sure you were going to stay, hm." Dolores answered, a knowing look in her eyes.
Julieta's eyes widened and she turned once more to her youngest daughter. "Mira… mija is that true?"
Mirabel nodded. "We… we'd like to stay close to la familia… if that's okay?" She asked, shyly.
Julieta pulled Mirabel, and Miriam, into her arms. "Oh mija, mi mariposita, I would want nothing more than to have you home again." She said, as she pulled back to cup Mirabel's face in her hands. "Gracias, muchas gracias mi amor." She said, tears pooling in her eyes.
"Well? Are you gonna go open it?" Camilo asked impatiently, as he interrupted their moment.
"Camilo!" Pepa exclaimed, pinching his ear between her fingers. "Don't be insensitive."
"Sorry, sorry. Ow, Mamá, that hurts." He said, rubbing his ear after she released him. But one glare at him from her, shut him up.
"Despite his lack of tact, Camilo has a point mija. It's just us right now, no one but family." Julieta said, giving Mirabel an encouraging look.
"It's okay to be nervous." Antonio said, as he came to stand beside them at the base of the stairs.
Mirabel gave her Toñito a wobbly smile.
"Do you want me to go with you?" He offered sweetly.
"I would love that, Toñito." She responded softly.
Julieta gently took Miriam into her arms, and stepped beside Julio and Mateo, as Antonio took Mirabel's hand in his. Together the two walked up the steps, slowly mind you, as Mirabel was still recovering. The rest of the family joined Julio and Julieta at the base of the stairwell. The children were all excited, most having just gone through this recently with Adoria's gift ceremony; while the adults all held their breath, hoping that the magic wasn't playing a cruel joke on them.
No one had realised that Abuela had made her way up the back steps and was waiting for the two by the glowing door. Casita had brought her the candle, so she held it securely in her hands.
Once the two got to the top, and were in front of Abuela, she spoke. "Mirabel, nieta, are you ready to accept whatever the magic has in store for you?"
"Sí, Abuela." Mirabel said, voice shaky.
"Will you use your Gift to honour our miracle? To strengthen the bond of this family and to always put our family first, while still helping our community?"
"Sí, I will." Mirabel then touched the candle like she had so many years ago.
With a shaky breath, she stepped up to the door. Hesitatingly, she reached her hand out to touch the handle. Her eyes were glued to the door, expecting it to fade away once more. Instead, however, it glowed brightly; brighter than any door before her. Soon her name appeared at the top of the door, and slowly an image of her appeared across the door. It soon became apparent by the candle held in her hands what exactly this meant.
She was the next candle holder.
She was the next candle holder.
Mirabel turned wide eyes towards her Abuela beside her.
"Oh nieta… I see now what the miracle was trying to tell me all along." Alma reached for Mirabel's hands. She carefully placed the candle in her hands. "You, you are the future of this family. I'm so sorry that I thought the worst. I hope that you lead this familia on a better path than I did. Learn from my mistakes."
Mirabel sniffed, trying to hold back her emotions and failing. "Te lo prometo. Te amo, Abuela"
The two shared a tight hug, Mirabel having finally forgiven her Abuela. The woman had been there for her in her time of need today, and their fractured bond had already been on the mend, but this healed it.
The family surged up the stairs, eager to celebrate the day of wonder. At everyone's urging, Mirabel finally opened up her door.
Just inside there were two doors on either side of a hallway, which at the end was an archway leading to her room beyond. The door to the right, revealed a nursery that already had 3 beds in it; while the room to the left was a washroom.
As Mirabel actually hadn't had a chance to enter any of her hermanas or her prima's rooms, she hadn't been aware that the rooms had shifted to hold the niños in nurseries inside their rooms. Though now that she thought of it, it made sense as to why the old nursery hadn't changed since she had left - except for the little shrine. And with so much family nowadays, it made more sense for Casita to give them ones in their room.
She felt a hand in hers, and she looked up to see Julio looking at her in wonder. Mirabel squeezed his hand and then the two, with Mateo still in the crook of his other arm and the candle in her other hand, stepped through the archway into the main part of her room.
The room was cozy, yet spacious; dark wood mixing with different shades of teal, cream, and pops of colour in decor pieces. There was a reading nook in the back right corner that had Julio gasping in delight. While in the back left was a large sewing area, filled with fabrics, dress forms, a sewing machine, and anything else she could possibly need.
The bed was in an alcove to the right, and there were two bassinets beside her preferred side of the bed. The bed itself was easily double the size they were used to, and Mirabel was tempted to ask Casita to make it smaller, but she supposed the space would come in handy if they had any late night little visitors.
The rest of the room boasted a little sitting area, as well as a dressing area with new wardrobes that matched their new furniture.
"Woah, this place is so nice." Luisa said, eyeing the small library.
Mirabel noticed that there was a pedestal at the window in the middle of the back wall. So she let go of Julio's hand and went and placed the candle in its new place. She stepped back, watching the flame flicker, and for once felt a sense of peace wash over her when looking at the miracle candle. She then turned back, and saw her whole family, fully reunited. Her heart filled with warmth knowing that they wouldn't be separated again, unless by Dios' plans.
She walked back over and they all moved to the new sitting area. She sat and accepted both Mateo from Julio, and Miriam from her madre. She cradled both of them in her arms, as the familia remarked over her room and cooed over the bebés, or spoke excitedly with Dolores about her pregnancy.
Mirabel couldn't help but smile. Her family was whole, the fractures had been healed. She couldn't wait for the next adventure the Encanto had in store for her.
A/N: I tried to have this done for March 6... unfortunately life got in the way.
Epilogue is next. I don't expect it to be as long as the other chapters, but there is always a chance. Unfortunately there is a lot going on in my personal life at the moment, so I am unsure when I will have a chance to write it and then post it. But thank you all for being so patient
Translations:
narices pequeñas - little noses
y tu hermanita - and your little sister
Cuñada - sister-in-law
tu cosa preciosa - you precious thing
nuestra pequeña sorpresa - our little surprise
¿No eres tan linda, mi preciosa sobrina nieta? - Aren't you so cute, my precious great niece?
campanita - little bell
Te quiero tanto - I love you so much
Te quiero más - I love you more
Te lo prometo - I promise