Julieta sighed as Mirabel snuggled deeper into her side, part of her loved this, loved having one of her bebes snuggled up next to her again, it reminded her of when they were little and would snuggle her as they fell asleep. Another part of her hated it, because it was just a reminder of what had happened the other day. A reminder that Mirabel no longer felt safe inside her own house and was literally clinging to her for safety.

Outside of the room she could hear the sound of wind and rain beating on the roof and tugging at the shutters. Pepa must have been told about what had happened. The room lit up with a sudden burst of lightning followed immediately by a sudden crash of thunder that shook the whole magical room.

Mirabel sat up, glancing around frantically, "What?" she asked nervously, trying to squint her eyes to get them to focus in the dim light without her glasses on.

"That's just your tia," Julieta insisted, brushing a strand of Mirabel's hair off her forehead, frowning when she noticed how warm she felt, "How are you feeling?"

"Achy," Mirabel said, slowly, "My head hurts a little, and I feel…" she trailed off, shifting slightly on the bed, "A little discomfortable," she admitted, her cheeks turning even redder, and this time it wasn't from the fever.

"I understand," Julieta insisted, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and giving her a quick squeeze, "I'm so sorry that you have to go through this. I wish that I can just take the pain away, but there are just some things that my gift can't heal, as much as I wish otherwise."

Mirabel nodded weakly, allowing herself to lean up against her mother, "I should have just let Hugo have his way, it would have been better in the long run."

"Hugo?" Julieta prompted.

"Hugo Velez, he's in my class, or he was until he dropped out, he tried to grab me a couple of times, but he never got far."

"Was Hugo the one who attacked you?"

Mirabel shook her head, "It was Matteo, Juan helped break in and hold me down… I didn't see Hugo, but they mentioned him," she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, "He was supposed to date me apparently, but I'm not into guys that see a person in a skirt as a personal plaything. He learned that from his brothers apparently. They want into the family, Mama, and well, I'm the best option," she snorted, "They joked about how Abuela would thank them for dealing with me, and how I'd have to live with them and they'll be able to do whatever they want with me whenever they want and no one would believe me… that no one would care, that you'd thank them for doing it…" Mirabel was trembling like a leaf as she finally trailed off, allowing herself to focus on her mother's hand rubbing up and down on her forearm.

"Those boys are in for a rude awakening," Julieta announced, "They'll have death warrants, the both of them, as soon as your Abuela can get them issued, because despite what they said, we believed you."

"You wouldn't have if they hadn't beaten me up so badly," Mirabel muttered, swiping angrily at her eyes.

Julieta's heart dropped as she thought that statement over, it was true after all, if Mirabel had came into her room with allegations of being attacked without any physical injuries, would she have believed her. She wasn't sure. "That doesn't matter," she insisted, mostly to tell herself that, "What matters is that we do believe you, and the Velez brothers will pay for their crimes. Now let's change the subject shall we? How's your stomach? Are you up for some food?"

"Chocolate santafereno and bunuelos sound good," Mirabel admitted, "But whatever's for breakfast is fine. You don't need to make me anything special."

"Well, I just happen to think that chocolate santafereno and bunuelos sounds wonderful," Julieta insisted, moving to stand up, "Do you want to come downstairs with me, or would you rather stay here?"

Mirabel glanced at her mother, surprised at the question, and then thought it over, did she really want to go downstairs and face her family, all who probably knew what had happened to her, all of them looking at her, pitying her, "I think I'll just stay here," she insisted.

Her mama nodded, getting up from the bed, pressing her lips against her still too warm forehead, "I'll be right back," she promised, before disappearing into her bathroom. The door clicked shut, and Mirabel could hear the water turn on.

The room seemed unbearably big without her mother in it. She was alone, just like she had been when they had broke into the nursery. There was a creak somewhere, she couldn't tell where. Was Casita cracking? Was someone trying to break into her mother's room? The bed she was on started to rumble and shake. Either Casita was about to collapse or someone was breaking down the door. She needed to get out, now, before Casita collapses, before they got into the room.

She had no idea where the windows where in her mother's room, did it even have a window, was there no alternate exit? The room started to constrict as she was sure the door started to shake and open. She couldn't let them find her, she couldn't handle it happening a second time. What to do, what to do?

The door started to ease it's way open, and Mirabel bolted,throwing herself off the bed and thankfully was able to roll underneath before footsteps entered the room.

Agustin left the family arguing about what to do with the Velez brothers. Alma wanted to deal with this through the law, having a trial and proper execution. Isabela was with Antonio in just dealing with the situation themselves. Pepa and Felix were trying to talk Antonio out of tracking down the Velez's. Dolores was giving Camilo an earful for revealing her crush on Mariano.

He headed upstairs, planning on getting the camera that Julieta and Alma had used to take pictures of Mirabel's injuries. The film needed developed, and he still needed to document the nursery crime scene. He was just going to sneak into the bedroom, grab the camera and film, and sneak back out.

Only it didn't go that way.

He wasn't even through the door when he caught sight of a leg disappearing underneath the bed. He quickly walked in, somehow knowing, despite only a quick glimpse of a leg that could have belonged to anyone, that it was Mirabel hiding under there. Julieta was the one in the shower.

He dropped down onto his knees in front of the bed, and peered underneath the bed, "Miraboo," he called out softly, "You under here?"

"Pa?" the voice was small, scared, and made Agustin want to take his axe and make kindling out of the Velez boys.

"Miraboo," he said again, just as softly, "What's wrong, why are you under the bed."

"What if they come back?" Mirabel whispered, "I can't… I can't go through that again, I just can't."

"Casita won't let them near you."

"They got past her once," she muttered, "They'll do it again."

Agustin adjusted his position, he was probably going to be on the floor for a while talking to Mirabel, so he better get into a comfortable position with his head down on the floor facing Mirabel, "I know that they managed to get pass Casita once, and I'm so sorry that that happened, but it won't happen again, I promise."

Mirabel shook her head, "Too many broken promises," she insisted.

"Okay," he said, silently cursing this whole situation, "I understand that at the moment your ability to trust isn't really there, however, I will promise you that you are completely safe from Hugo. He won't be able to get back into Casita. If he tries to he'll end up either impaled by something your sister grows, struck dead by your Tia, or eaten by your primito's pet jaguar, and if that doesn't stop him, I'll get my axe."

There was a sound that could almost be described as a snort from underneath the bed. Agustin took that as a good sign. He could make out some movement under the bed, good, the water had just shut off in the bathroom, Julieta would be coming out soon, hopefully he could have Mirabel out from underneath the bed by the time she was out.

"You really promise?" Mirabel asked.

"Of course, Hugo won't get near you."

"What about Matteo and Juan?" Mirabel asked, "I'm not really worried about Hugo… I think…"

"Matteo and Juan Velez?"

"Uh, huh."

"Are they the ones who…?"

'Yes… mostly Matteo, but Juan helped him break through Casita's barricade, and held me down so that Matteo could… He's the one who tied me up so that I couldn't fight, I don't know who untied me though. I was still really out of it… my head still hurts."

"I'm sure it does," Agustin agreed, shifting to sit up and move away from the bed so that Mirabel could crawl out from underneath. Isabela and Mariano had spotted Hugo leaving the nursery, they had assumed that that meant that he was the attacker. Perhaps he was innocent in this. Perhaps he had found Mirabel tied up and injured and freed her and got her some food? Agustin quickly banished that thought, if he was innocent, he would have told Isabela and Mariano that someone had attacked Mirabel. No Hugo might not have touched Mirabel, but he was still guilty of hurting her.

The bathroom door opened at the same time Mirabel slipped out from underneath the bed, climbing instead into Agustin's lap like she used to when she was little.

"Everything okay?" Julieta asked as she gave her husband and daughter a concerned look.

"I think I threatened Mirabel a little when I came into the room," Agustin explained, "She dove under the bed when I walked in."

Julieta nodded, "You just checking on us, or…?"

"I was going to grab the camera and document the nursery," Agustin admitted, "If Abuela wins the argument happening downstairs we're going to need all the evidence we can get, I don't think Mirabel's testimony is going to be enough. Not with this accusation right after how your Madre dismissed her last night."

"Mama's beating herself up already for that," Julieta insisted.

"None of this would have happened if your mama…" Agustin snapped back, only to stop when Mirabel began to shake in his lap.

"Please don't fight about it, it was my fault, I'm the one who interrupted the party. I was the one that was in the way."

Julieta immediately dropped down next to her husband and daughter, "You're right," she admitted, "We shouldn't be fighting about this," she gave her daughter's shoulder a squeeze, "I'm sorry we upset you," she offered, "Is there anything else?" she asked Agustin.

Agustin shook his head slowly, "I was going to tell you that Isabela saw Hugo Velez leaving the nursery during the party, but considering what Mirabel just told us, I'm guessing that he knew about the attack, but wasn't directly involved with the attack."

Julieta nodded her face grim, "I'm headed downstairs," she announced, "Mirabel needs more food if she's going to fully heal, and she also needs some special tea so that we don't become abuelos in nine months," she turned back to Mirabel, "You still want to stay in here, or would you rather come with me."

"I think I should stay with you," Mirabel admitted meekly, "I don't want to be alone."

Mirabel wiggled her toes in the soft slippers that her madre had loaned to her, stuffing her hands into the deep pockets of the slightly oversized robe as well. Outside of the bedroom it was freezing, the cold wind tugging on their skirts and blowing droplets of rain onto the balcony.

"I should have checked with your father about the weather," Julieta muttered, grabbing an umbrella that was strategically placed nearby, "Seems like Tia Pepa is still upset about what happened last night. I bet the farmers are going to be knocking on the door soon, if any of them are willing to come out in this deluge," she shook her head and carefully opened the umbrella holding it up over Mirabel, "Stay close to me," she said, "I don't want you getting a soaking when you already have a fever."

They were half way across the courtyard when there was a loud knock on the front door.

Mirabel froze her chest squeezing painfully as she unconsciously slid closer to her mother, "They're going to break in again," she whispered.

Julieta glanced at the door, torn, at the moment her top priority was Mirabel, who she needed to get to the kitchen, but she also was the closest to the door and should answer it. Should she answer the door, and have to explain to whoever it is what was going on, or did she ignore the pounding on the door and head into the kitchen?

Her decision was made for her as her mother appeared from the dining room, a black umbrella over her head. The older woman shouted over the wind at her, "Take care of Mirabel, I'll get the door."

Julieta nodded her head, "Come on Mirabel."

"If it's them, Abuela won't stand a chance."

"If it's them someone else would have stepped out of the dining room," Julieta insisted, "Dolores is awake, she knows who is at the door, and would have insisted that someone else that can defend themselves physically answered the door if it was them. It's most likely a worried farmer concerned for his crops. Try not to worry about it, okay? I'll do whatever I can to protect you, and I'm sure that everyone else feels the same way."

Alma waited until Julieta had calmed Mirabel down from might have been the beginning of a panic attack and lead her into the dining room, before straightening her black shawl and opening the door right as Senor Castillo was about to knock again.

"Can I help you?" she asked shortly, Dolores had informed her that he had been sent from the village to figure out why it was storming and when it would stop, and even though they knew exactly who had done it thanks to Dolores overhearing Mirabel telling her parents, they still needed time to process what was going on, and they really didn't need the villagers telling Pepa how to handle her emotions right now. She was using all her will power not to hunt and strike the Velez brothers down.

"The villagers are concerned about the storm," he admitted, "They're wondering what has Pepa upset and if there's anything we can do to fix it so that the storm will stop."

"I'm afraid that there isn't anything you or anyone else can do to fix this," Alma confessed, "Last night we were insulted in the most atrocious way possible by a member of the comunidad. Pepa is completely distraught by this turn of events and I'm afraid any attempts to stop her storm will only make it worse. She'll calm down once she get's it out of her system."

"What exactly happened?" he demanded, "We can fix it for you, make them pay for what they did."

"Well you see…"

"It's none of your business," a new voice insisted, as Camilo, dripping wet from the rain, appeared, "We're dealing with a Madrigal Family Emergency, it doesn't involve you at all Tio. If you want to help, you can go tell those whining crybabies in the village that they can just suck it, we have more important things to do than take care of those over grown babies."

"There is one more thing that you can do for me, seeing as you're a member of the guard. I want all four Velez Brothers contained for questioning. Keep them in the holding cell until I am able to gather the council together to question them. I should be ready for them in about an hour."

A/N: Hi Everybody. If you want to read a full-length story based on this one, Lightsabers_and_Casita_13 on Ao3 is writing one. It's called Open Your Eyes, and the first chapter is already up.