Music of the After Chapter 8, a coco fanfic

So, I kind of added a cameo character in this chapter. He's not exactly how he appears in his original medium, but Kudos to anyone who can figure out where he's from!

As they reentered the floating neighborhood, they were greeted with more of a welcome than Becca had been expecting. People were watching and smiling at her as she passed.

"Well, the Lloronita returns!" One lady said.

"We heard about you showing up the Domínguez kid. Good for you! That mocoso always got on my nerves!" Another man commented.

"Wow. Word sure travels fast around here," Becca said.

"Yeah, too fast!" Héctor lamented, putting a hand to his head and looking a bit concerned at all the remarks.

When they got to the table with his usual friends, Becca found that more guests had joined for the evening's activities.

"Hey, Chuy! What's with the 'Lloronita'?" Héctor asked him, joining the group. He motioned for Becca to take the empty seat next him. She looked around a little nervously at everyone, but then eventually complied, scooting closer to Héctor.

"Oh – Chicharrón came up with that after he'd heard her singing," Chuy motioned to an older, squatty looking gentleman who'd joined them at the table. The old man grinned over at Héctor. "Thinks he's hilarious," he added, looking a bit disgruntled. Becca guessed Chuy didn't like him stealing his joking thunder.

"Heh, heh, heh! So Lloronita, care to grace us with another song?" Chicharrón teased.

Becca shook her head so hard, she could hear her vertebrae rattle. He just laughed at her again.

"I'm more concerned about Becca's safety. How could you let her get mixed up with the Domínguez'?" Perla lectured Héctor.

"I didn't know! Plus it all happened so fast – I tried to stop her," Héctor defended.

"It's true, he did. It's just when that kid was insulting us like that – I lost my temper," Becca admitted. "Are they, important people?" she guessed.

"Not quite as much as they think. Raúl Domínguez is a singer. In life, he claimed to be the next De La Cruz," Chuy explained, rolling his eyes. "The kid you punched is his son. The whole family died while on some kind of skiing trip." It helped explain why the kid was so defensive of his singing skills, Becca realized.

"'Greatest musician of all time'," he continued, quoting in a snotty tone. "Yeah right. We all know who the real greatest musician of all time is," Chuy said with a knowing smile.

"Elvis?" Becca offered as a guess.

"What's a Elvis?" Héctor asked.

Becca just gawked at him with a dumbfounded expression before looking around at the others for help. "He's kidding, right?" But she didn't wait for an answer. "You're kidding, right?" she asked Héctor directly. He just shrugged.

"Okay, maybe I can overlook the other things, but this is going too far. Is there something you're not telling me?" she asked suspiciously.

"What? You mean like the fact that he died in the 20s?" Chuy offered. Becca didn't think it was possible, but she found herself feeling even more surprised at this news.

"Wait – the 20s? As in the 1920s?!" she asked.

"Well, yeah," Héctor acknowledged awkwardly.

"Whoa, dude! You're like – ancient!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, gracias," he said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm sorry," Becca quickly told him. "It's just – it's no wonder you don't get any of my references!" she reasoned.

"Yeah, he hasn't been real good about keeping up with that," Chuy said.

"At least now I know," Becca mumbled. She looked up at Héctor in a new light. He had really been here, living in this place for that long? It was no wonder his clothes looked as raggedy as they did! Becca felt a whole new kind of sadness for him. His daughter – she must be getting old, and he hadn't been able to see her in all this time? That just seemed so unfair. . .

"Well, I'd just be careful from now on if I were you," Perla warned her. "I've heard they have people watching the arcade to see if you'll turn up again."

"Looks like you're going to have to hide out for a while, chiquita. No telling how long they'll be keeping an eye out for you," Héctor told her.

While Becca didn't like the idea of hiding, she liked the idea of being stuck here with nothing to do even less! This was not going to be fun.

And it wasn't! For the next several days, Becca thought she was going to die of boredom! Héctor tried to help alleviate this by giving her several little jobs to do, but none of them were very interesting, nor did they last for very long. When she wasn't doing that, Becca would just wander around aimlessly, listening in on the adult conversations. Unfortunately, most of those conversations were in Spanish, so not much room for entertainment there.

Eventually she did confront Héctor about it.

"Can we please go do something?" she moaned. "I'm wasting away here!"

"Eh, better not. I've heard that they're still talking about you in the shopping district," Héctor explained. Becca gave him a very irritable pouty face. "Lo siento, chiquita, but you should have thought about that before attacking that Domínguez kid," he reasoned.

"I didn't know!" she growled out in frustration, but it didn't matter now.

Becca wasn't sure what he'd meant by a 'fate worse than death', but she'd pretty much decided that nothing could be worse than this! Maybe if there was someone who was closer to her age, but children who passed away at her age were a rarity. And of course, they all had families to hang out with, therefore – you never saw any of them around here! So, later that day when she thought that no one was paying attention, she snuck away from the neighborhood.

Several minutes later, Becca found herself back in the land of the – more lively. She managed to find her way back to the trolley that lead to the entertainment area Héctor had shown her before. This time, instead of just walking by the stores, Becca took the opportunity to explore inside of them. She began poking around clothes racks, studying the interesting shirt designs and shoe styles, before eventually leaving once she got too many suspicious looks.

Like she had figured before, her favorite stores were the ones with the strange odds and ends. She loved looking at sculptures of mythical creatures and smelling the different fragrances of burning oils. Not to mention all the cool dew-dads she could mess around with. However, it seemed that no matter where she went, mariachi music was following her. It was playing in all of the stores and by all of the street performers, didn't they know any other kind of music?

As the day worn on closer to evening, she started to wonder how long it would take for someone to notice she was missing. Probably Héctor would realize it first. She started to feel kinda bad about running off. Would he be worried? Would he try to come and look for her? She wasn't sure, but she was thinking she should probably start heading back before she got into any kind of real trouble.

All of a sudden, a very familiar looking cat hopped in front of her path. Becca cocked her head at it, studying the creature. It looked just like the one that had lead her here in the first place. It gave her a single 'meow' before trotting over and rubbing on Becca's legs. She bent down to give it several pets.

"What is it kitty? You here to tell me to go home?" she questioned flatly.

The cat then sprinted over towards a random alley. It looked back at Becca, indicating she should follow. Becca just shrugged and ambled after it, wondering if it knew a quick way back to 'nearly-forgotten' land. After several feet, she began to hear something, something that sounded out of place in a world like this. And once she'd moved a little closer, that was when it hit her.

It was the sound of electric guitars, drums, and a heavy bass. And following that, the unmistakable words:

Uh!
Oh Yeah!
Uh huh!

Jump back, what's that sound?
Here she comes, full blast and top down!

Hot shoe, burnin' down the avenue
Model citizen – zero discipline

Don't you know she's coming home with me?
You'll lose her in the turn

I'll get her!

Panama!

Becca wanted to run around the corner to see who was playing, but was almost immediately halted by a surprising yank on the hood of her sweatshirt. She was flipped around to find a very angry looking Héctor glaring down at her.

"What do you think you're doing here!? You have any idea how long I've been looking for you? I've been muy preocupado and – what is that noise?!" he stopped his ranting long enough to ask once he noticed it.

Becca took the opportunity of his momentary distraction to try and lighten the situation a bit. "It's rock music. You wanna check it out?" she offered carefully, gesturing towards the end of the alley.

Meanwhile, this was playing in the background:

Ain't nothin' like it, her shiny machine
Got the feel for the wheel, keep the moving parts clean

Hot shoe, burnin' down the avenue
Got an on-ramp comin' through my bedroom

"No, I do not! We're going home, now!" he ordered.

"But this is Van Halen!" she emphasized. "I have to see who's playing! Come on, it'll be quick!" she assured, this time grabbing a hold of him and pulling him towards the music.

Héctor didn't get a chance to protest, as the music began to drown out all other sounds. They came around the corner to see four guys rocking out on their instruments like they were at a concert filled with thousands of screaming fans. In reality, there were no spectators, so Becca guessed that this was just a practice session. It didn't diminish the talent they were displaying though!

Don't you know she's coming home with me?
You'll lose her in that turn

I'll get her!

Becca began excitedly jumping up and down when the main chorus hit!

Panama!

Oh oh oh oh – Woo!

The lead guitarist then went into a wicked solo that could have rivaled Eddie himself! Becca, was impressed, to say the least. Héctor still seemed a bit skeptical, which knowing what Becca now knew about him, made sense.

Yeah, we're runnin' a little bit hot tonight
I can barely see the road from the heat comin' off
You reach down, between my legs
N' ease the seat back

She's blinding! I'm flying!

Right behind the rear-view mirror now

Got the feeling, power steering
Pistons popping, ain't no stopping, Nooooow!

Panama!

Oh oh oh oh!

Panama!

Oh oh oh oh!

Panama!

When they finished, Becca broke out into wild clapping and whooping. The four guys, not knowing they were being watched, began glancing around in confusion at the sudden praise. To help eliminate this confusion, Becca than ran up to their make-shift stage, waving at them with a big, silly grin.

"That was Awesome! You guys are Amazing!" she cheered.

"Hey, look at this, chicos. We gotta fan," the guitarist said with a smile. He knelt down on one knee to get a better look at Becca. She, in turn, got a better look at him too. He had long, straight black hair that he had tied back in a low pony tail and was dressed from head to toe in black leather. Not the kind of guy you'd wanna take home to mom, but he had a kind enough looking face.

Apparently Héctor didn't see that in him. "Becca, wait!" he called, coming up from behind her. His voice was full of concern.

"Hey, hey, hey! Check it out. It's Chorizo!" the drummer said excitedly, pointing one of his sticks at Héctor. That caused all the guys in the band to laugh.

"Ha ha! Yeah, very funny. Not like I haven't heard that a million times already!" Héctor snapped irritability.

"Why does everyone call him that?" Becca asked with her own irritation. She was tired of being in the dark.

"What – you're hanging out with him and you don't know?" the guitarist asked.

"Oh man, this guy is famous, because he died from choking on some chorizo!" the drummer announced, and they all started laughing again.

"UGH!" Héctor groaned spitefully. "I didn't choke! I got food poisoning!" he corrected, in a way that sounded like he'd done this several times before.

"Well that doesn't seem very funny. Food poisoning sounds like a really bad way to go," Becca defended.

It didn't seem to matter, however, as the guys continued to look at each other with big grins.

"Time to go, chiquita. I don't want you associating with these bums," Héctor told her, taking her hand to lead her away.

"Hey, come on! We're not gonna hurt 'er. Not everyday we meet a fellow fan of rock music, or at least someone interested in something other than mariachi!" the guitarist lamented.

"I know, right? What's with that? It's like everywhere I go is like a giant Mexican restaurant," Becca agreed. Héctor gave her a sour look at that. "What? Back when I was alive, that was the only time I would ever hear mariachi, or if someone accidentally hit the radio one station too far. Makes me want chips and salsa," she mumbled.

"So what's your name, chulita?" the guitarist asked.

"Rebecca – but everyone calls me Becca," she told him with a big grin. What she didn't see was Héctor bristling behind her at the pet name.

"Name's Ricardo, but you can call me Ranger," he told her with a sly smile and a wink. "And these fools behind me are José, Luis, and Francisco," he motioned to each one in turn. Becca gave them a shy smile and a wave.

"So, how'd you get to be an American Rock fan? You must not be from around here," Ranger joked.

"Actually, I'm from America," Becca explained.

"Oh, an American eh? Well no wonder. You must feel pretty outta your element around here," he guessed.

"You can say that again," Becca agreed.

"Hey, but what about your hoodie?" Luis the drummer asked. "Flogging Molly is Celtic Rock band, isn't it?" He indicated the text across Becca's sweatshirt.

"Yeah, well, my dad is Irish. He likes all rock, but he's an even bigger fan of Irish rock bands. He loves Flogging Molly. I got this when he took me to one of their concerts," she explained.

"So, you must know all their songs, huh?" Luis guessed.

"Yeah, you could say that," she confessed.

Meanwhile, Héctor was watching the whole exchange with a curious eye. He had no idea that the symbol on her sweater meant that she was half Irish of all things. He'd assumed the clover was just a random design. And the text on the front of it read the name of the band, 'Flogging Molly'? Seemed a bit crude to him.

"So what about you chulita, do you play?" Ranger asked her.

"I – uh – well," she stammered, before eying Francisco's keyboard. "My mom was making me take piano lessons before – this," she motioned towards herself. "But I don't really know anything cool, just classical stuff mostly." she told them.

"Well, let's hear it!" Francisco said eagerly, stepping away from the keyboard stand.

"Um –" Becca looked over at Héctor with uncertainty in her eyes. She wasn't sure how he'd feel about this. Not to mention, she wasn't completely comfortable about the idea of preforming for everyone, but he just shrugged.

"It's okay, chiquita. I wouldn't mind hearing you play," he assured her. After all, it's not like he would ever be able to get her access to a piano.

"Okay. . ." she trailed, climbing up on the stage. Becca wasn't too sure about this. Would any of these guys even like what she knew how to play? It was just so detached from everything else here, she wasn't even sure how Héctor would feel about it. Plus the fact that he didn't like music anymore. . .

Becca then seated herself in the tall chair in front of the electric piano. She took a deep breath, and then began to play out the 'Moonlight Sonata'. It was her favorite classical piece, after all. She had to concentrate hard on remembering the notes. It had been a while since she'd practiced.

They all just watched her in silence for a minute while she doled out the melancholy piece. She had to pause a few times on the harder passages, until she finally got to the point where she couldn't take the staring anymore. She stopped with a hard press of the keys.

"You guys sure you're wanting to hear this? It's kind of depressing," she realized. Especially after what they had just been playing.

"Well, you know anything more – lively?" Ranger suggested.

"Ah, I guess, but pretty much all classical music is boring. . ." she thought hard for a moment. "I do know how to play this one Irish song that my dad taught me," she offered. "But, it's a little silly," she admitted.

"Oooo, yeah! Let's hear some of that Irish heritage!" José encouraged.

"Oh, uh, I don't know. . ." she trailed, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head.

"Why not? You were just playing beautifully," Héctor questioned.

"Yeah, but this song is both playing and singing," she explained.

"So – you didn't seem to have any problem singing at the arcade," he reminded her.

"Yeah, but – that was just a game. This is different."

Becca squirmed in her seat. What if she messed up? What if they thought the song was dumb? She wasn't sure she could do this.

"It's no different. You did great then, and I'm sure you can do great now," he reasoned. She had to wonder at why he was encouraging this. A few minutes ago he couldn't wait to drag her out of here, but she supposed as long as he wasn't mad anymore. . .

"Well, okay – if I can remember how to play it. You might actually like this one too, Héctor." Becca realized. She then interlocked her fingers and stretched out her arms to crack her knuckles. Then she put her fingers to the keys and started again.

I was walking in the city
When I heard a thumping noise
Outside the door a pretty girl
And some douche bag boys!

I took her by the hand
And I beg her walk with me
For a stroll down to the pub
Where my ladies all drink free!

I'm not much into Techno
Nor the Hip Hop, nor the Rap
And I can't dance to House music
I just can't stand that crap!

So get back to your senses
And leave that awful club
And let's get pissed down at the pub!

She eyed them all watching her after the first chorus, and everyone seemed to be grinning and enjoying it. She had hoped they wouldn't get offended since it wasn't making fun of Rock, just everything else. In fact, Ranger seemed to be able to pick up on the melody pretty quickly, and then joined her with his guitar.

Well I've heard your Lady Gaga
And your Kesha – Kayne West
It's kind of like choosing
Which cancer is the best! (They seemed to think that was funny)

Well I can read your poker face
You know gold-digger it's true
So let's dance a merry jig
Like me granddad used to do!

Seeing as how they seemed to be liking the song, Becca felt more confident and began to really belt out the chorus in an obvious, Irish accent.

I'm not much into Techno
Nor the Hip Hop, nor the Rap
And I can't dance to House music
I just can't stand that crap!

So get back to your senses
And leave that awful club
And let's get pissed down at the pub!

I'm sure that your all thinking
That I'm far less than cool
But I'd rather be an Irish man
Than a big pop culture fool!

I sing and drink like we've done
For hundreds and hundreds of years
No Appletini's! No Vodka Crans!
Just barrels and barrels of beer!

I'm not much into Techno
Nor the Hip Hop, nor the Rap
And I can't dance to House music
I just can't stand that crap!

So get back to your senses
And leave that awful club
And let's get pissed down at the pub!

At least when we play a song
And when I try to croon
I can hit my notes
Without your bloody auto-tune! (Becca made a snarky face when she sang that part.)

They put it through a filter
So your ears, they can beguile
But you can't fool and Irish man
With true Celtic style!

Hey!
I'm not much into Techno
Nor the Hip Hop, nor the Rap
And I can't dance to House music
I just can't stand that crap!

So get back to your senses
And leave that awful club
And let's get pissed down at the pub!
Well let's get pissed at Patrick's Pub!

When she had finished, Ranger turned to her with a grin. "Hey, that was great chulita! You ever think of joining a band?" he asked her.

"No, not really," she confessed, to Héctor's relief. He wasn't sure about her being involved with these guys.

"With a talent like yours? Por qué, no?" he wondered.

"Well, I always thought of it as more of a hobby than a job. Besides, I really don't like the idea of performing," she explained.

"But you perform great!" he reasoned.

"Just because you can do something, doesn't necessarily mean you should," she told him.

"True words! Now, it's time to go. I think we've spent enough time with the holgazanes for one day." Héctor indicated that she should get down, so Becca complied.

"Hey chulita," Ranger called after her. She turned to face him. "If you ever decide to change your mind, we could always use another guitar player," he offered casually.

"But – I don't know how to play the guitar," she confessed.

"Really? Well, you should have Chorizo teach you! Heard that he was pretty good, back in the day," Ranger teased.

"Not happening! I don't play anymore," Héctor lectured, taking Becca by the hand and pulling her away. All she could do was shrug and wave a feeble goodbye.

On their way back to the tram station, a vendor with a cart of sweets happened to catch Becca's eye. Man! It felt like forever since she'd had sugar, or anything to eat for that matter. It ended up causing a powerful craving.

"Hey, can we stop for ice cream on the way?" she asked casually.

"What?! No!" he said forcefully.

"Awww, why not?" she pouted slightly.

"You ran away today, and then decided to hang out with some local riffraff! We are going straight home were I can keep an eye on you. It's gonna be a long time before you'll get to leave again!" he said with a rebuking tone.

"Wait a minute – are you, grounding me?" she asked in surprise. "What are you, my mother?"

"No, but by the time I'm done with you, I bet you'll wish I was!" he threatened.

Musical References:

Panama - by Van Halen

Club 2 Da Pub - The Stubby Shillelaghs

Not sure if anyone understood the significance of her hoodie before, but I guess everyone knows now! If you've never listened to Celtic Rock, I highly recommend it! It's like my most favorite kind of music.