Summary:

With a heavy heart, Bruno visits La Casa Álvarez to warn Señora Elena about an unwanted vision he had concerning her fate.

-o-o-

Written in Bruno's POV.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I'm torn. It can't be real.

"Bruno, is everything alright?" Julieta asks me as I leave the house in a hurry, mumbling to myself about something.

"Hm?" In my haste, I almost bump into my sister. I turn to look at her. Worry creases her brow into a furrow, and her hands are on her belly, cradling it. She's been home much more lately given she's heavily pregnant and it's difficult for her to move around. "Nothing, Julieta. Just…have a lot of appointments today."

She shakes her head at me. "Bruno, I know when you're lying." I frown. I feel slightly guilty for trying to deceive her, but I just can't tell anyone in my family. I don't want them to think how I always mess up, even when I don't mean to. All I've got recently are terrible visions, prompted or not. The one I had earlier put me in so much distress that it took me a full hour to get myself to move. I honestly don't know how to feel about it, because I know somewhere along the line, it would hurt someone I really care about.

Julieta puts a hand on my shoulder. "I know something's bothering you. Please don't make it any harder for everyone."

I flinch against her touch and force myself to swallow the hurt. My family can think whatever they want to think of me right now. There's something much more important at the moment. I sigh, my eyes pleading with her to let me go. I don't know if what I'm about to do is the right thing, but I can't just sit idly by if there is a chance that I can change it. "Julieta, lo siento, but I really have to go." I gently remove my sister's hand from my shoulder and turn back towards the door.

"Wait! Bruno! I didn't mean-" I hear Julieta call out, but I'm already too far away to hear the rest of her apology.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I make my way across town, trying to avoid being seen, either by the townsfolk or the rest of my family. My mind races a mile a minute as I pull the hood of my ruana a little closer to my face. I think of ways to break the news, and find none.

I just hope no one else is around...most especially her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I knock on the door, trying hard to control myself from rapping on it six times. I hear a chair move, and I immediately feel like fleeing. This is a terrible idea, but I force myself to stay there until the door opens.

"Bruno? What brings you here?" Señora Elena greets me, surprise coloring her face.

"Buenas tardes, Señora Elena." I try to look behind her to see if the rest of the Álvarezes are home. She notices me peeking in. "Are you looking for Gabriela or Julián? They're not here yet."

I shake my head. "Uh, no, Señora, I…actually came by to talk to you. I'm hoping in private? Are you home alone today?"

She nods. "I haven't been feeling well enough to help Mauricio and my children out at the store these days."

It's as I feared. I feel the dread that's forming in the pit of my stomach.

"Would you like to come in?" She offers. I nod as I enter La Casa Álvarez. "Gracias, Señora." I hope you won't turn me away or keep me from seeing your children for the news I'm about to break.

Señora Elena leads me to their dining room. Their house is a little smaller than Casa Madrigal, but it's charming all the same. Pictures line up one side of their wall, each of the Álvarez couple, their children, and the whole family. I know Gabriela didn't grow up here, but it's nice to see her life before moving to Encanto on full display.

My eye catches a portrait of Gabriela and Julián as young children.

"Oh, that's during a recital," Señora Elena tells me. I almost jump out of my skin when she calls me, not realizing I've been staring at their portrait for far too long. "Is everything alright, Bruno?"

She's eyeing me. I straighten myself up, remembering that I'm here on business. "Si, sorry, just got lost in my thoughts again."

My heart breaks when I hear her laughter, the pain gnawing on my insides. "Ay, Bruno. I can tell you more stories about them as children if you just follow me." I manage a shaky laugh. "Uh, it's fine, Señora. I won't take up much of your time."

She gives me a sly look. "Hm, okay." Her next words made me blush to high heaven. "I'm pretty sure when you and mi mija finally decide to get together, you'd have adorable children, just like them."

Not the time, Señora. I mentally scream. I doubt your daughter would want to do anything with me after this.

"I doubt that, Señora." She stops in her tracks and turns to look at me. "I'm so very sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but…"

I pull out shards of glass from my pocket and begin to assemble them on a nearby table. Piece by piece, the image on it forms until it shows the fate of the Señora. She gasps, her hands immediately covering her mouth in shock as the gravity of the news sinks in.

"Lo siento, lo siento mucho, Señora," I look at her with remorse in my eyes, and she falls to the ground. I try to reach out to catch her, but she shakes her head at me.

"How long?"

I shift on my heels, hand hovering above my collar, forcing myself to say the words. "I don't know, Señora. Maybe in a few weeks. A month at most. I can't…I can't tell the time in my visions." My lip trembles and I pull the hood of my ruana up to cover my face, so she can't see me cry. "I…I have to go."

"Wait." I turn to look back at the Señora, her eyes teary. "Please, stay. I'm…I'll…" She pulls herself up and hands the broken vision back to me. "This must be such a heavy decision to make, for you to show up here to tell me in person." Señora Elena grabs my hand and sits me down on a chair while she goes into the kitchen. A few moments later she comes out with two teacups, setting one down in front of me. I can barely look at her, but she urges me firmly. "I'm…I'm not angry, Bruno. Please, drink up. I think having something warm would make you feel a little bit better."

"No soy más que mala suerte, Señora . I…break everything I touch."

I'm surprised when Señora Elena reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. "Mijo, you're not bad luck. You're…" I stare at my reflection in the tea in front of me, still unmoving. "...you're such a brave young man, having to endure all that pain and suffering no one ever wants to hear." She sighs. "I know you won't believe me, but I've known that something like this would happen, sooner or later."

That caught my attention. "What?" The Señora gives me a rueful smile. "I've always had problems with my heart ever since I was younger, even before I even met Mauricio." I blink at her. "Does…your family know?"

She nods. "I didn't stop singing just because I was pregnant with Julián. I stopped because I was getting too exhausted that it put me and my baby in danger. It didn't help that I had a few complications…but Gabriela, she was so young, she didn't understand everything that was happening."

"Señora …I'm..sorry."

Señora Elena shakes her head at me. "What do you have to be sorry for, Bruno?"

"Maybe…maybe…" I start talking fast, trying to quell the thoughts in my head, forcing the tears threatening to fall back into myself. "We can still do something about it. I can ask Julieta to heal you, anything! You can't…" I choke.

"Oh no, no, Bruno. No…" She immediately stands from her seat and cradles me into a hug, and I break down, sobbing. "No mereces este destino, Señora." I feel so helpless. I wonder what I look like to her, a grown man whimpering against the arms of a woman who I never got to know very well. I think about my friends, how it would affect them once they know the truth. Would they hate me? Señora Elena soothes me, and for a moment I wish she's my mother. Maybe, if she's a Madrigal, this fate of hers could be avoided.

"I wish you're my mother."

She looks surprised for a moment, then her face softens. "What do you mean by that, Bruno?"

I rub my face with the edge of my ruana, trying to stop the tears. "I wish you're my mother, Señora …you…you're always so nice to me, even now, when I…" I sigh. "Gabriela and Julián are blessed to have you. This…fate of yours…isn't fair."

"Ay, Bruno." She gives both of my hands a squeeze. "I don't know what's going on with you at home, but I'm sure that your Mamá loves you."

"It's hard to feel loved if all I ever do is mess things up for the family."

She shakes her head. "You may not see it now, and they may not understand, but it will make sense one day." Señora Elena gestures to the vision I left on the table when she handed it back to me. "I assume you got this when you least expected it, and when you saw it, you threw it out in anger?"

I nod. "It was…unwanted. It came so suddenly…and so clearly…I didn't know what to do after it was all over, but I knew I had to let you know. Not for my sake…but for…"

"My children?"

"Señora, please," I beg. "Please reconsider. We can still save you. Gabriela and Julián don't need to lose their mother."

"Bruno," She looks at me with sad eyes. "It won't buy us a lot of time either way. It's an inevitable part of life."

"But what about Julián? Isn't he getting married soon? And…and Señor Mauricio? He'll be heartbroken." I try not to think about Gabriela or how she'll react to all of this. I still don't know how to confess my feelings for her, and now I'll never have the chance to. "I don't…want them to blame me for not being able to do anything, to blame my family for just…letting you die."

Señora Elena places a hand on my cheek. "Mijo, my family will not know that you came by to warn me. I will make sure that you and your family will be free from blame. La muerte viene para todos nosotros. All that matters are the memories we make along the way before it comes."

I close my eyes and try to burn the Señora's face into my memory.

"Bruno, can I ask you to do one thing for me?"

I open my eyes to see Señora Elena smile at me through tears. "When the time comes, please, take care of Gabriela."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I leave La Casa Álvarez with a less heavy heart, though the conversation with Señora Elena still eats at me.

Please take care of Gabriela.

I sigh. Do I even deserve to be by Gabriela's side, knowing what's going to come very soon?

All my self-doubt and loathing dissipate when I reach home and find Dolores waiting for me. She runs up and hugs me.

"What's gotten into you?" I whisper to her so as not to hurt her sensitive ears. She just looks up at me, her lip trembling.

"Tío, is it true?"

My eyes widened at her question. I forgot that she can hear everyone in town. No point in hiding the truth from my niece. "...will you tell?"

She shakes her head. "No, I know it's a secret between you and the Señora, but…" Dolores trembles, trying very hard not to cry. "I feel bad, Tío. Can't we ask Tía Julieta to make something for them, at least?"

I nod. "Maybe we can, then we'll give it to Gabriela for her family. What do you say?"

Dolores sniffs. I let her lead me into the kitchen. "Anything for Tía Gabriela, Tío Bruno."

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Glossary of terms (in order of appearance in-text):

Buenas tardes - Good afternoon
Lo siento mucho - I am so sorry
No soy más que mala suerte - I'm nothing but bad luck
No mereces este destino - You don't deserve this fate
La muerte viene para todos nosotros - Death comes for us all