A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this published...it kept refusing to save the doc, and between life being busy and then me getting frustrated with this chapter constantly disappearing on me, I took a break for a week or so lol. But it appears to be working now so...hopefully this posts!
Chapter 42
Just as the sun's first rays were peeking through Casita's windows, Josefina sandwiched herself comfortably between Bruno and her Abuelo at the kitchen table drinking chocolate santafereño.
Josefina's leaving had woken José, and he'd followed Josefina downstairs. When he walked in to the conversation she and Bruno were having in the kitchen, he'd offered to make them all something to drink – something to 'help with the worries and the bad dreams'.
Juan had come down in the midst of the making of the chocolate and lurked in the doorway until Bruno noticed him and invited him in.
Bruno thought he was probably the last person Juan would want to spend time with, considering the opinion the boy's mother held of him. So far he hadn't said anything but a mumbled 'thank you' for the chocolate.
He was currently sitting at the end of the table, slowly sipping on his drink and looking away whenever Bruno caught him staring.
Bruno didn't blame him. He was avoiding eye contact himself, namely with José. He hadn't had much of a chance to talk to him yesterday and was afraid of what he would see in the man's expression.
But when he handed Bruno his mug and Bruno's eyes flicked from the cup to his face, he saw nothing but gentle concern and a soft, subdued pain. Bruno winced and had to bite his tongue to keep himself from blurting out a stream of awkward apologies for putting it there.
And while he wasn't sure about the chocolate, comforting Josefina had helped him in a way nothing else had. In a way, it was easier to be strong when someone small was depending on him; to be steady when a child was using him as her anchor.
Now he just had to live up to that promise he'd made.
They all looked up when Mirabel suddenly careened around the doorway, breathless.
"I think I know what I have to do!" Mirabel announced. Either she'd changed in a hurry or had never changed out of her clothes from yesterday, because her shirt was half-untucked from her skirt and she was still barefoot.
Bruno stood. "What?"
She swallowed and looked at them, and then tugged sheepishly at her skirt, adjusting her shirt and tucking her hair into place behind her ear. "So I was having trouble sleeping because I was thinking about what happened yesterday when I saw - " Mirabel's eyes darted to Josefina and back to Bruno – "…what I saw."
"And I realized that before the light and the - '' she wiggled her fingers from her face outward and made a psssshhhh sound effect, and then she continued to gesture and wave her hands for effect as she spoke - " – everything - I was thinking - no. Don't let that happen. Don't let them in. So I guess I sort of asked for help, to keep them out – to keep everyone out – and I think the Miracle listened. Maybe I just – have to ask the Miracle to let them back in?"
"Worth a shot," Dolores said as she padded into the kitchen. The rest of the family was stirring and the sounds of people waking and moving around upstairs indicated they'd be joining the rest of them shortly.
Mirabel nodded. "Okay. Okay." She closed her eyes and stood up straight and took a deep breath. "Right. Okay. Here it goes."
She stood there silently for a moment and then peeked one eye at them. "Did anything happen?"
Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Okay," Mirabel frowned. "Let me…try again. Maybe out loud this time?" She laughed nervously and then blew out her nerves and shook out her hands and nodded.
"Hey, Miracle? It's…me, Mirabel. Just wanted to say I'm a big fan, and thanks for – you know – saving everyone yesterday. And for giving us a better future, or helping us figure out what to do to make one, and just, generally – you know. Being amazing and helping with all…that. But we're missing someone – two someones – and – I was hoping – you could let them back in? Please?"
Still nothing.
Casita tapped her tiles around Mirabel in what appeared to be a reassuring manner.
Mirabel bit her lip and then nodded. "Okay. Um – oh! Casita! Maybe - " She turned around and dashed out into the courtyard, and everyone in the kitchen looked at each other before standing to follow her.
Mirabel went straight to the front door, where the family was emblazoned in gold swirls. She smiled to herself as she pressed her hand, and then her forehead, to the door.
"Casita? Can you help me?"
The house clacked gently in response.
"You're the biggest thing I can think of that's connected to the magic of the Encanto and to the Miracle. I need you to help me talk to it, because I don't know how I got it to listen yesterday. Can you help me? Please? We keep getting all turned around in the woods and I - I don't know what else to do."
The house ruffled its tiles once in affirmation, and then stilled around them.
The rest of the family and guests gathered in the courtyard behind her, coming down from their rooms or in from the kitchen, and everyone held their breath.
"Abuelo, look!" Josefina whispered, and pointed to the floor. The mortar between the stones and tiles of the house was glowing, saturated with gold. It ebbed and flowed, like a heartbeat, with Mirabel at the door in its center – like the house around them was breathing.
"Please," pleaded Mirabel. "We're okay. We'll be okay. I was so afraid, yesterday, but I'm not anymore. Well, I mean – I'm still a little – a little afraid. Because I love my family – so much – and I just – I wanted us to be…together. To keep growing and getting better and just being together. I was afraid of losing that. But we figured out how to do that. We found another way. We can protect ourselves, now. But we're missing someone very important to us. And she's kinda with this other person who hurt us, but we've found a way to fix what she's done, and to keep her from doing more. So please – let Señora Moreno and Señora Valencia go. Please - let Lucía and Tatiana come home."
Like a soft exhale, like the gentle release of a breath, the concentrated mass of golden magic beneath their feet flared out, rushing past Mirabel, past the boundaries of the house and out into the Encanto around them.
Everyone stared in awe, and in the silence afterward, everyone looked to Mirabel or to Bruno in question.
But it was Dolores who knew the answer.
"I can hear them!" She squeaked. "I can hear where they are!"
Lucía woke to a mouthful of hair and a crick in her neck. At some point in the night, she and Tatiana had both nodded off, sliding down to use the log as a sort of pillow to prop themselves up, still sharing Tatiana's shawl.
Said shawl was now wrapped entirely around Tatiana. She must've pulled it all to herself in her sleep, and it was her hair that had gotten in Lucía's mouth, as somehow she'd also managed to use Lucía's shoulder as a pillow.
Lucía hated hair in her face.
Lucía wiggled and scooted away from Tatiana and made a face as she brushed the hair away. Tatiana rolled off of her shoulder and onto the log and frowned in her sleep. Apparently she wasn't very comfortable.
Well, that made two of them.
Lucía stretched and groaned and attempted to work the crick out of her neck by slowly moving her head side to side and up and down. It didn't really work.
She stood and gingerly rubbed her neck as she took in their surroundings. Nothing had changed from last night. Same mangostino tree, same little stream, same fallen log.
Her heart clenched at the sight of that log.
Yesterday she'd been so relieved to find it, because she knew Bruno would find them there. But in the muted, misty morning of a too-quiet jungle, now that she wasn't busy dodging verbal bullets from Tatiana, she worried.
In the vision she'd seen with Bruno yesterday, he'd clearly found Tatiana alone in the woods - and that piece of the future precluded the men in town, the fighting, the violence…the dark stain slowly spreading across Bruno's chest…
She attempted to keep her mind from wandering too far down that path. She made her way to the stream and knelt before it, drinking deeply of the cold water and splashing some on her face.
The icy water made her shiver, but it couldn't wash the fear away, and a terrifying thought struck her:
She'd stopped Tatiana from meeting the men at the river, but did that mean she'd changed the future, if they'd also seen that particular piece of it - the two women on the log - before? Had she changed anything, or -
Or had confirming one piece of a wavering vision set the entire thing in motion?
….had she inadvertently…?
No.
Her eyes widened in horror.
No.
She couldn't think like that.
She could not - she had to have hope.
She inhaled deeply and forced herself to remember all the pieces of the vision she'd seen yesterday. It had been pretty clear that Bruno was supposed to have found Tatiana alone, after she met the men by the river.
That hadn't happened.
Something else had happened instead:
Lucía got stuck out here with Tatiana.
Two women, huddled together on a fallen log.
Maybe that had been enough. Maybe she'd changed enough?
They hadn't had the chance to look for butterflies.
The uncertainty - the not knowing - was horrible. She felt sick to her stomach.
She'd only wanted to give Tatiana a chance to change that terrible future - and to give herself and Bruno a chance at a future where they got to grow old together.
She wanted a chance at a future where she didn't lose the man she loved…again.
She'd only wanted to save him. She'd only wanted to save them all.
And yet, she couldn't help but think that she'd made a huge mistake.
She frowned as a small tremor shifted her balance. Immediately after, like dandelion seeds on a gentle breeze, golden magic rolled by. This one was gentler than the first wave. Less like waves from the sound from a gong and more like tiny ripples in a pond.
Lucía watched the golden light move past like a puff of pollen from Isabela, and she drew in a sharp breath.
Something had happened.
Something was happening, right now.
And there was nothing she could do about it. She was trapped out here with a woman who hated her and there was nothing she could do to protect Bruno or her daughter.
Josefina.
She had been gone overnight - lost in the woods overnight, just as Alejandro had been.
What must Josefina be thinking?
What must she be feeling?
Her resolve crumbled to pieces and she sat back, unsteady. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees, attempting to take slow, even breaths.
Her breath hitched and a sob escaped instead.
"Oh God," she breathed. "Válgame Dios. God help me. God help us all. Help me get home to her, Lord. Please, please help me get home. And don't take him from me. Please God," she gasped into her hands, "please don't take him from me, too."
"How is she?"
"Are they okay?"
"Are they awake?"
"Where are they?"
Dolores shushed everyone and all the questions from all the people surrounding her fell away. She tilted her head and frowned in concentration.
Her eyes widened and darted to Bruno and then deliberately away from him and she swallowed.
"Dolores?" Alma whispered.
"...they're okay." Dolores squeaked. "They're okay! They're…awake."
It didn't take long for everyone in the house to scramble into action, dressing and preparing some of Julieta's food and canteens of water to take with them.
When Bruno and the group that planned to go with him were ready roughly twenty minutes later, Casita threw open the doors, and to his surprise - they found a sizable group already waiting outside, similarly clad in boots and hats and bearing canteens and even the occasional machete.
Sofia and Lorenzo and their older sons; Lorenzo's brothers and their sons (and a few daughters, too); several council members - including Señor and Señora Ruiz; Ana and Raquel and Mariano and Osvaldo; one of the schoolteachers and Padre Tomás and a few others whose names escaped him.
Bruno stopped short in the doorway and blinked at them, everyone else behind him running into each other in an effort to avoid colliding into him.
He hadn't expected anyone to be here so early.
"Wha - what? You're – here."
Their hushed murmurs died away and everyone looked at him.
"You didn't think we were going to let you hunt Tatiana down on your own, now did you?" Raquel said, looking him dead in the eye while running her finger casually along the flat of her machete.
There was an awkward silence for a moment before Ana cleared her throat and stepped forward. "She means we're all here to help you look for Lucía. And Tatiana." She narrowed her eyes at Raquel, who shrugged.
"Well actually, I'm mostly here for Lucía." Osvaldo announced. "And, of course, my good friend Bruno, who has saved my life twice!" He gave him a thumbs-up and a smile.
Bruno laughed nervously and aborted a thumbs-up halfway through the motion, resorting to rubbing his arm instead. He was glad that Roberto and Juan were still in the kitchen with Julieta. Roberto was saying good-bye to his son before joining them to search for his wife. Juan, especially, did not need to hear that.
"Ah - I - I - "
"You didn't think you had to do this on your own, did you?" Sofia stepped forward and acknowledged all the Madrigals that crowded the door before her eyes rested on Bruno.
"Well, I - "
Would it be rude to tell them he already knew he'd be the one to find them?
Yeah. Yeah, it would.
Sofia reached forward and hugged him tightly. He tensed and she stepped back and put her hands on his shoulders instead. "We want to help."
Bruno swallowed the sudden lump in his throat as she released him and stepped back to Lorenzo.
"Right," he whispered. He looked around at all of them and the tight, worried knots in his stomach loosened somewhat. "Thanks for - for coming to help Lucía. And - Tatiana."
Lorenzo shook his head and clapped his hand on Bruno's shoulder. "I'd be a wreck if Sofia was lost out there somewhere. Bruno - we're here to help find the women, but - we're also here for you."
Huh.
He blinked rapidly and didn't know where to look, suddenly overwhelmed with the knowledge that there were people in town who actually cared about helping him.
He knew he'd be the one to find Tatiana and Lucía…but maybe they were right. Maybe his family had been right, last night.
Maybe he'd be the one to find them, but it didn't mean he had to go off on his own and do it all alone.
"Are you okay?"
Lucía froze and kept her head in her hands for another moment or two. She took a deep breath and scrubbed her tears away with her palms before looking up at Tatiana, who was now awake and frowning in distaste as she stood to brush leaves and dirt off of her skirts. Her tone was more annoyed than concerned.
"I'm…fine," Lucía said.
"You don't look fine to me. You look the opposite of 'fine'."
"...we spent the night outside using a log for a pillow. Neither one of us looks 'fine'." Lucía said, attempting to deflect Tatiana's attention.
Considering the fact that they were alone in the jungle, it didn't work.
Tatiana rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I was talking about the fact that you're sitting over there crying your eyes out and mumbling unintelligible nonsense." She paused and her frown deepened into one of fear. "Did you remember something else about the vision? Did you miss something? Did something happen?"
Lucía took a deep breath. "No. No…I mean…there was a little…another wave of magic? Like the one before…and I…" she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm just…worried. About what's going on in the Encanto right now. About Bruno. And about my daughter."
Tatiana stared at her.
"I miss them and I want to go home," Lucía said softly.
"Makes two of us," Tatiana mumbled.
When Lucía didn't answer, Tatiana sighed. "Well, if I never met the men and they never made it through that forest of trees in the road, then you probably fixed everything, right? It will be fine. If you're right, all we have to do is sit here by this stupid stream on this stupid log and wait for your stupid novio to come to our rescue. And then everyone in town will somehow laud you all as heroes, as though you didn't help create the problem in the first place by trying to hide it, and I'll be the scapegoat yet again simply for pointing out that the Madrigals are not the saints everyone sees them as."
Lucía sniffed and stared at Tatiana, perplexed. Was she actually trying to comfort her?
Tatiana ignored her and performed her own morning ablutions, washing her face and drinking some water from the stream before standing and stretching and arranging her hair into place. "What would you like for breakfast? We have mangostino, mangostino, and oh! Look! Mangostino!"
Lucía snorted. "I think I'll have the mangostino."
"Great. Help yourself." Tatiana muttered.
Lucía shook her head, washed her face again, and then did as Tatiana suggested, plucking the fruit off the tree and resettling herself on the log.
Lucía rolled the dark purple fruit in her hands, trying very hard not to worry and failing miserably.
Dolores led the group away from the road out of town, Mariano close by her side.
"...where are we going?" Roberto asked, confused. "I thought…Tatiana was going toward San Cristobál? That way? When she…got lost?" He gestured over his shoulder.
Dolores shook her head. "They ended up on the opposite side of the Encanto. They're nowhere near the road. They're this way."
"Huh." Osvlado said. "You know, that's weird. Never would've thought to look there."
Mariano turned and nodded solemnly over his shoulder. "Magic," he said, "works in mysterious ways." He paused. "You know, that reminds me of a sonnet I -"
"Mariano," Dolores said softly, giving him a look that managed to be both fond and exasperated. "Mmm-mmm. Not the time, mi amor."
He shrugged good-naturedly and nodded and continued on, whispering with Osvaldo about all the amazing and strange things they'd experienced in their lives (which, of course, revolved almost entirely around the Madrigals).
Bruno was too distracted to join in any small talk along the way. He was just anxious to get to Lucía.
Ma, Julieta, Pepa, Agustin, and José had stayed at the house to update the rest of the town on what was going on. Camilo stayed with them too, because he preferred keeping Antonio, Josefina, and Juan occupied to trekking through the jungle.
Bruno thought Mirabel might have worn a hole in the floor of Casita if she hadn't been allowed to come with them and find out if her plea had actually worked. And so, their surprisingly large group made their way slowly and steadily through the thick foliage surrounding the Encanto.
Isabela and Luisa worked together to clear anything that blocked their path - the things they moved stayed moved, this time - as Dolores kept going, shushing everyone as needed to focus on where Lucía and Tatiana were. They would fan out once they got closer.
Mirabel stayed close to Bruno's side.
Having her so close was both a boon and a bane. He was so grateful for her, for her hope, for her faith and determination and stubborn, optimistic spirit. She'd given him - she'd given them all another miracle yesterday, and he'd never forget it.
But knowing what she'd had to witness to get that miracle? It was too much. Everything he'd seen, everything she'd seen, the fact that he'd just walked out in a daze after all that – he'd messed up. Again.
"So I was having trouble sleeping because I was thinking about what happened when I saw…what I saw."
His heart felt so heavy in his chest it was almost hard to breathe.
"Hey, uh - Mirabel?" he finally whispered, about half an hour into their rescue mission. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry?" Mirabel said. "For what?"
"For…everything! Everything – you shouldn't have seen that. You shouldn't have seen that. No one should have had to see that, and I - I'm sorry. I'm here, you know. For you. If you need to - talk. About any of it. But I'm sorry. Because - " he rubbed his hand over his face and stopped in his tracks. " - if I'd just – if I could just – be – a little braver, a little more – a little different – maybe I could've just - told her right away and you wouldn't have had to – maybe none of this - "
"Tío Bruno?"
He froze and slowly lowered his hands from his face.
"It'll be okay, now, remember?" Her eyes were tired but so full of love, and Mirabel's smile never wavered as she took his hands in hers. "There was a lot of…hard stuff. But maybe it worked out the way it was supposed to, somehow. Maybe…I don't know. I didn't know I could do that. Did you?"
He shook his head slowly.
"Which is…kind of terrifying but also - kind of…incredible?"
"Well, you are a pretty incredible kid, you know?"
She smiled. "And - and hey, if you were different, who'd be the vice president of the family weirdo club?"
He stared at her for a long moment, until his mouth pulled up at the corner. "I thought I was the president. I have seniority."
She snorted. "It was time for a change in leadership."
He gave her a weak smile in return. "Well, you've got a lifetime member in me."
Her smile faded and she worried her lip for a moment. "Yeah. And now that lifetime will be - a lot longer. Really long. Right?"
"...no one ever really knows, not even me," Bruno said with a heavy sort of gentleness. He gave her hands a light squeeze and sighed. "And I prefer to keep it that way. But…it looks like it will be…longer, yeah."
Mirabel let out the breath she'd been holding.
"...heh." He shook his head and this time, when he smiled at her, it reached his eyes. "This is the second time you've given me a future when I thought I had none. Thank you, Mirabel."
"Tío - "
He pulled her into a tight embrace. "Like you said. It'll be okay. I'll be okay. It'll be fine. Knock knock knock knock knock, knock on wood. I've just gotta - "
" - find Lucía," Mirabel finished for him. "I know. We will."
"Did you hear that?" Tatiana said suddenly.
Lucía sat straight up. She tilted her head and listened, and she thought she heard someone calling her name.
"Bruno?!" She whispered.
"Lucía…"
"Bruno!" She said, but it was still too quiet. "Bruno!" She shouted.
There was a pause.
"...Lucía?!"
There was a rustling of branches, and a large fern on the opposite side of the clearing moved. Bruno stumbled into the little clearing.
"Bruno!" She stood, and the mangostino that had been in her hands dropped to the ground and rolled into the brush.
"Lucía." He choked on her name, and he blinked as though he wasn't sure he could believe what he was seeing. He looked like he might fall over - from relief or exhaustion, she couldn't tell.
She tripped across the little clearing in a daze and stood before him for the span of a breath before wrapping her arms around him, her eyes wide and her chin resting on his shoulder. His arms snaked around her and held her close and she could feel him shaking.
He was here, and she was here, and they were both safe.
At least for now.
"You're okay," she breathed, and she pulled away and ran her trembling hands over his shoulders and across his chest, touching his face, his neck - and then laying her hand over his heart. "You're okay. You're okay and you came and I knew you would come and - did you - ?"
She was afraid to ask.
"Did you look for butterflies yet?" She whispered, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. "How is Josefina? What happened? Have the men come yet? What - did I do something - ?"
- Something wrong?
She thought it but she didn't say it aloud.
She searched his face desperately for an answer, but she didn't find one there. He was staring at her, his eyes glassy with tears.
"Lucía," He said, and his voice wavered. He pulled her close again and just held her, his face buried in the crook of her neck. His voice was muffled when he spoke and his breath was warm on her skin. "You're okay. We found you. It'll - everything - it will be okay now."
"Bruno - "
Lucía startled when Mirabel crashed into the clearing, her eyes wide and her mouth parted in surprise. "We found them!" She shouted over her shoulder.
She cupped her hands to her mouth and Lucía heard the relief in her voice. "WE FOUND THEM! WE FOUND THEM, OVER HERE! Guys - we found them!"
And then person after person slashed and crashed and pushed their way into the clearing, and Lucía was hugged and scolded and thanked and praised and questioned and lectured by her sister and brother in law and friends and neighbors.
She remembered Tatiana after about three such encounters, saw that Roberto was talking earnestly with her, and then promptly looked to Bruno again, who'd been separated from her in the flow of people surrounding her.
She murmured apologies as she pushed through the group and called his name. She slipped her hand into his and his fingers closed reflexively around hers. He looked at her and attempted a smile.
His mouth kept twitching at the corner.
Keeping her fingers threaded through his, she turned and pressed her forehead to his. They both closed their eyes. She wished she could just sink into him, but he looked like he needed more help to stay standing than she did.
They just stood there leaning on each other, surrounded by the celebratory disorder of the rest of the search party.
All Lucía managed to get out of Bruno was that 'it would be okay - I'll be okay - Mirabel found a way' and that Josefina was so upset but was otherwise fine.
They didn't have much of a chance to talk in the clearing, and they didn't have much of a chance to talk on the way home, either.
Privacy was not a thing to be had in a large group of rescuers, and no one really wanted to stop and wait for Bruno and Lucía to have a long, emotional conversation. Especially because about twenty minutes from home, it started raining, and then the temperature dropped and it began hailing and nearly sleeting.
"Dolores?" Bruno asked, the worry plain in his voice.
Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she squinted against the rain and Mariano tried in vain to shelter his prometida. He held tightly to her hand and guided her along the increasingly slippery path.
"Mama found out about what happened to you in the vision. The first one."
When they finally reached Casita everyone was cold and wet and hungry.
Apparently several of Antonio's animal friends warned him that the group was nearly home, because Julieta and Agustín were prepared with tea and coffee and warm bowls of soup and platters of arepas con queso.
The homecoming was pure chaos.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, Bruno was swept up by Pepa and Julieta, and Alma was not far behind. It was his turn to be scolded and questioned and fawned over by his siblings.
Lucía ended up on her knees just inside the doorway, nearly bowled over by a bawling Josefina. She held her daughter closely as she cried, pressing soft kisses to her hair and apologizing for scaring her.
When Josefina calmed down enough to pull away, she looked at her madre with a brave, heartbroken expression, and told Lucía that she was grounded for a week.
(She didn't say it in so many words, but her main point was that if it was a fitting punishment for her when she got lost in the jungle, it was a fitting punishment for Lucía too.)
"Okay, mija," Lucía whispered. "I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon."
José waited until Josefina had time to speak with her madre, and then he helped Lucía up and pulled her in for a hug so tight Lucía could scarcely breathe. When he finally let her go, he pressed his forehead to hers and muttered a quiet prayer of thanks.
"Mija," he whispered. "I have never been happier to see you home safe." He kissed her forehead and there were tears on his cheeks.
Lucía's heart grew heavier and heavier. First Bruno's reaction, then her sister's and Josefina's and her father's - how many people had she worried and hurt by rushing after Tatiana?
Casita didn't want to let Tatiana in, but Alma convinced the house to let her enter, promising that she and Tatiana needed to have a talk.
Everyone was offered towels and served a hot beverage and soup and a warm snack, and then one by one everyone packed up and went home.
And then, so suddenly it seemed to happen all at once - everyone else was gone, and there were three families remaining - the Madrigals, the Moreno-Hernandez family, and the Valencias.
"I suppose," Tatiana said stiffly, as she smoothed out her damp skirt and set her teacup daintily on the saucer on the table, "I should thank you for bringing me home. My letter inviting Señor Pendroza to trade was clearly intercepted by nefarious individuals, and if what Lucía told me is true, we were all very nearly victims of their violence. So…thank you for saving me and bringing me home."
Lucía felt Bruno tense beside her, and she wasn't sure if it was because of Tatiana's tone, her careful arranging of the facts, or the fact that she had told Tatiana about his vision. Without him. That had been the least of her worries yesterday, but now the slow realization that she'd broken her promise to him and scarred everyone she loved in the process was weighing heavily on her.
"Though - " Tatiana continued, "I believe that there is plenty of blame to go around - " her eyes flicked from Bruno back to his mother -
Pepa frowned and moved to stand but Félix squeezed her hand. She let out a little burst of thunder instead.
"Tatiana - " Roberto said, his voice low in warning. He darted a nervous glance at the other adults in the room. José had taken the children elsewhere so that the much-needed discussion wouldn't be overheard by little ears that belonged to already overburdened little hearts.
"I know, Roberto," Tatiana gritted her teeth. "But there is something I need to say."
Roberto frowned and sighed.
Alma's face darkened and it looked like she had something to say as well.
Tatiana turned back to Alma and lifted her chin and pressed forward. "I believe that there is plenty of blame to go around. Those men - if they even deserve to be called such a thing - of course bear the brunt of it. But you knew! You knew something dangerous was coming and deliberately misled the town! Trees in the road my sweet little - "
"Tatiana," Roberto hissed.
"I'm getting there!" Tatiana hissed back.
"I also…admit I unintentionally contributed to a potentially dangerous situation. I was fooled and I …" she sighed and looked anywhere that was not a Madrigal. "...apologize."
Even the rain stopped for a moment at Pepa's shock.
Tatiana pursed her lips and continued. "I would never knowingly do anything to put my son - my family - or my home in danger. Going forward, I will be much more careful with my dealings in San Cristobál. My husband and I will more carefully vet our trading partners and I will no longer ask anyone to come to the Encanto to trade. In the future - "
Bruno cringed.
"Your future," Alma interrupted, "is something that we desperately need to discuss, Tatiana Valencia. Your actions endangered not only you and your family but the entire Encanto."
She stood and passed a vision tablet to Tatiana.
Tatiana stared in shock at the green tablet in her hands, and Lucía wished she could see it. She still hadn't had the opportunity to ask Bruno exactly what had happened - if the future had changed - how his future had changed.
And that was a question she desperately wanted the answer to.
"Señora Valencia - ideally I would have summoned you before the council and waited to have this discussion with you before them, but it is imperative that you understand as soon as possible exactly where the paths before you lead. I am sorry I must deliver such grave news in such plain words, but the only future in which the Encanto stands and you and your family live in peace is one in which you never leave the Encanto again."
Tatiana, who had been staring at the tablet with a mix of horror and confusion on her face, looked up at Alma and her face immediately shuttered. "...what?"
Lucía stared at Alma in shock as well.
"We've searched the future, Tatiana Valencia. Any version in which you leave the Encanto will eventually lead to our ruin and your death, as well as the loss of the lives of many others who live here."
Tatiana's mouth moved for a moment and she looked down at the vision slab in her lap and then back up at Alma. "...that's ridiculous! I expected to have to wait to return to the city until those men moved on, but to never leave the Encanto again?! That's…ridiculous!" She shook her head. "No, you - you must have made a mistake - "
"We must have made a mistake?!" Alma raised her eyebrows.
"I don't believe you!" Tatiana cried. "I don't believe this! This - this piece of cheap glass doesn't prove anything!" She tossed it onto the table in disgust, and the mugs and bowls rattled in protest.
"...then I'll show you," Bruno said quietly.
Everyone stared at him.
"...no." Tatiana said stubbornly. "No, I don't want you to show me, because - because - "
"Tatiana," Roberto said. "We need to see this."
She looked desperately at her husband. "But -"
"I almost lost you, Tatiana!" He barked. "Juan almost lost his mother! We almost lost you and we nearly lost everything! You need to see this, and you need to listen to them, because I'm not risking our lives just so you can sell some pastries in town!"
Tatiana recoiled. "You know how much that means to me! Going into town and opening my own shop - that's been my dream for as long as I can remember!"
"No shop is worth one life, let alone the lives of everyone in the Encanto! This is our home, Tatiana! I told you insulting the Madrigals and antagonizing their friend was a bad idea. I told you that you were making our lives harder by insisting you were right all the time and scheming to 'get ahead'. I told you trading with Pendroza was risky, but you insisted, and Tatiana - I wanted you to have that shop, I really did. But now it's time to reap what we've sown."
Tatiana's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"If Bruno Madrigal can show us a way to protect our son and our home, then I say we see what it is and listen to what he has to say."
Bruno felt nothing but a resigned numbness as he called the vision to the present for what he hoped would be the final time.
Tatiana was adamant that only she and Roberto needed to see it, but Alma insisted that she be present with Bruno, and Mirabel said the same.
He hated leaving Lucía's side so soon after finding her, but it needed to be done. The sooner he got this vision over with, the better.
It didn't take long to show Tatiana exactly what her future held.
If Tatiana left the Encanto, she would lose her family, her home, and quite possibly her own life - and many others would as well.
If she stayed, the Encanto would remain in peace and she would one day hold an unnamed, unknown little girl in her arms.
There were no more butterflies for her.
When the vision condensed into the same tablet that Alma had shown her earlier, Tatiana stared at it with an unreadable expression on her face.
"This can't be real," she whispered, and her voice wavered.
"It is." Alma said.
"I'm sorry -" Mirabel whispered.
"So my choices are to stay here forever or lose everything? What kind of choice is that? This is what my future held all along, isn't it," she said bitterly, and she looked at Bruno. "Cursed to never leave the Encanto. You cursed me. This time – you really, truly cursed me."
He didn't answer.
"Tío didn't curse anyone," Mirabel said, her voice cracking. Alma put a steadying hand on Mirabel's arm.
"Lest you blame my son for your own mistakes yet again, Tatiana, let me remind you of this: You brought danger to our home, and you were only saved from permanent separation from your family and from death by the…reckless mercy of someone you consider an enemy."
Bruno closed his eyes. He wasn't sure if he was grateful Lucía wasn't here to hear this or if he desperately wanted her there with him instead of downstairs with his sisters.
Maybe a little bit of both.
Tatiana shook her head and stared at the tablet with a hard, calculating look. "Surely when the council - "
"The council was present; they saw every outcome with us. You will find no succor in them."
"People - "
" - will know the truth."
Tatiana glared at her, but there was panic in her eyes. "Futures are a private affair! You can't just - "
"We will not announce your future in the town square, Tatiana. But neither will we protect you from this. If you attempt to stir up the town in your favor, claiming injustice or unfair treatment or that we've cursed you, we - including the council - will not hesitate to set the record straight. We did everything in our power to bring you home safely and protect the Encanto."
"You should have told me! You should have told me the second you knew!"
"Technically," Bruno said quietly, "Lucía did chase you down and tell you as soon as we knew what the vision actually meant."
Alma put her hand on her son's shoulder. "You are only here and reunited with your family because of Lucía Moreno…and Bruno, and Mirabel, and the collective support of all those who helped search for you today. The only person you have to blame for your situation is yourself. It took the exhaustive efforts of everyone in our family to find you, and if you somehow trigger another wave of protective magic that keeps you wandering in the wilderness…we will not find you again."
For the first time in a long time, Tatiana Valencia was speechless.
"But I -" Tatiana stammered, after a moment. "I didn't mean – I was only trying to - "
"I cannot make this any more clear," Alma said, her voice both sharp and heavy. "It does not matter what your intentions were. It does not matter how sorry you are now. You have made your choices and you will live with the consequences. The council will most likely meet to make your…sentence official, but - Tatiana Valencia: you are no longer permitted to leave the Encanto."
Tatiana covered her mouth with her hand and dropped to her knees. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and the look on her face was one of deep, intense, soul-crushing grief.
Roberto blinked at them in shock and then knelt down beside his wife. She let her head fall to his shoulder and gasped.
And then she started crying, alternating moans of grief intermingled with unintelligible shrieks of anger.
Bruno swallowed and looked away.
It didn't feel like a victory.
It didn't feel good at all.
Lucía sat at the long table in Casita's dining room with Josefina in her lap.
Pepa and Julieta and their husbands sat with her for a long time before Papá returned Josefina to her. They'd told her everything they knew about the past twenty-four hours, but there were still a lot of gaps to fill in. They told her what they'd seen and what they knew and then - to her surprise - Pepa and Julieta cried as they thanked her for stopping Tatiana and giving Mirabel time to search for a way to save their brother and their home.
She was still so confused and tired and anxious. She really wasn't sure she deserved to be thanked for anything - it sounded like Mirabel deserved the thanks. But she appreciated their hugs.
Lucía also learned that while she and Tatiana were being rescued, some of the villagers had gone to the road to San Cristobál. Apparently, the trees were still there. Mirabel's request hadn't cleared the road, but based on Isabela and Luisa's ability to clear a path to find her and Tatiana, they would hopefully be able to do the same to the road. Everyone, in theory, should stop getting turned around in the trees. No one had wanted to try, though - not after their multiple failed attempts the night before. And based on the advice of Alma, they'd agreed to wait until they knew it was safe to do so.
Now, after returning Josefina to her, Papá had gone home to prepare dinner and warm baths for them both. He'd wanted to take Josefina home, too - probably because he sensed her desire to talk with Bruno and wanted to give them a chance to talk. But so far, that still hadn't happened, and Josefina was unwilling to be parted from her mother for any true length of time.
Josefina would probably be stuck to her like glue for days, and Lucía didn't blame her. She'd apologized profusely, again, to her daughter and dried her tears and held her tightly. Now they sat together, wrapped in one of Mirabel's embroidered blankets with chocolate santafereño warming their hands. Pepa's cool, steady rain continued to fall outside, and it felt cozy and warm there, inside of Casita.
But Lucía's heart was still numb with worry, and it made her feel cold.
Bruno was still in his vision room. He'd shown Tatiana her future. From the look on her face and how Roberto had to physically support her as they collected Juan and left, it hadn't been good.
She still couldn't believe Tatiana could never leave the Encanto again. She wanted justice and for Tatiana to be held accountable for her actions - but a life sentence? It was…a lot to take in.
But Bruno and Alma and Mirabel hadn't come down, afterward. Félix had gone up to check on them and Dolores was apparently still listening to them, but Lucía didn't know what they were doing up there.
Pepa and Félix had retreated to their bedroom, Agustín was helping Julieta clean up in the kitchen, and Lucía didn't know where the rest of the kids were. She hoped they were all resting.
Julieta placed a plate of galletas in front of them with a small, tired smile, and Josefina was making quick work of her second cookie when Lucía noticed something gently tapping her foot.
She followed the small run of moving tiles until it reached the doorway and noticed Alma standing there, observing them with a tired, unreadable expression.
Lucía swallowed and looked for Bruno.
"He and Mirabel are still looking," Alma said. "And I will return to them soon. Would you come with me for a moment, please? I would like to discuss something with you."
Lucía nodded reluctantly.
"Josefina," she said softly. "I need to go talk with Señora Madrigal. Will you be alright here, eating cookies?"
Josefina frowned.
"I promise," Lucía said, "that I will not leave Casita without you and you can come find me if I'm not back in twenty minutes."
"I'll keep an eye on her," Agustín said with a wink from the opposite doorway. "What do you say, Josefina? Willing to share some of that plate with me?"
Josefina nodded to them both and slid the plate a little toward him. Agustín sat in the chair beside her and gave Lucía what she assumed was meant to be an encouraging smile.
She followed Alma through the back door of Casita onto the back patio, where Alma sat beneath the awning and looked out on the remainder of the gray, dreary day.
"Please, mija, have a seat."
'Mija' was new.
Lucía sat uncertainly beside her on the bench.
They watched the rain together for a few moments, and Lucía was just about to begin apologizing for lack of anything else to say when Alma spoke.
"You must have so many questions."
Lucía nodded.
"I will do my best to answer them. But first - I must thank you."
Lucía turned her head sharply to take in Alma's profile, but the older woman only gave her a sad, grateful smile before directing her gaze at the tiny rivers of water running from the leaves in the trees.
"Your actions have helped protect the Encanto from those who would use our blessings for their own gain and allowed Mirabel time to search for a way to save my son's life - and to save the entire Encanto. How could we ever repay you for such a thing?" Her voice was thick with emotion and she reached out and gently touched Lucía's arm. "You have restored to me my son and my home - how can I ever repay you?"
Lucía swallowed. She still didn't fully understand what had happened – how the Encanto managed to protect itself, why she and Tatiana got lost, how the men were no longer a threat, or how Bruno and Mirabel eventually found her and Tatiana. She waited, but Alma was silent for the moment. "…how did I - "
"Mirabel saw what would happen, if Tatiana had been able to lead the men here. She was – afraid." Alma blinked rapidly. "Her fear affected the magic and temporarily sealed the Encanto once again."
"The road," Lucía breathed. "The road disappeared."
"It should still be there," Alma corrected. "It is just…overgrown with trees, shrubs, and vines."
Lucía was confused. "In Bruno's original vision, we saw Tatiana meet with the men, and she was trapped on the other side of the river with them. But – she never made it to the other side of the river."
Alma nodded. "In preventing Tatiana from meeting with the men from San Cristobál, you altered the course of the vision. Without Tatiana, the men – they had no one to lead them, no one to reassure them the Encanto was a real city with real valuables, no one to keep them waiting in the middle of a jungle for something half of them didn't believe was worth it."
"You prevented them from entering the Encanto. The magic of Mirabel's miracle was able to protect those it loved by confusing the travelers on the road – including you and Tatiana."
She glanced at Lucía. She inhaled deeply before continuing. "We assume, based on what we've seen in Bruno's visions, that the men from San Cristobál gave up and went home. We assume the magic released them, because they were no longer trying to reach the Encanto. But you – you and Tatiana - " she gave Lucía a tired smile. "You would not give up trying to get home."
"We kept trying to get to the Encanto, so it wouldn't let us go," Lucía said, and it was half statement, half question.
"Sí," Alma nodded. "The magic still considered Tatiana a threat. Mirabel still considered Tatiana a threat."
Lucía pressed her lips into a thin line.
Alma straightened her shoulders. She smoothed her skirt and arranged her hands delicately in her lap, one over the other.
"Bruno - " her voice wavered, but she kept her eyes straight ahead and pressed on. "Mirabel kept asking, and Bruno kept searching – for a way to keep the Encanto safe, for a way to bring you home. I saw him - " her voice trailed off as she swallowed. "We lost him, time after time. If it wasn't him, it was another member of our family. Or - you."
Lucia put her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound of pain.
"It was only when Mirabel asked in desperation what would happen if Tatiana never left – if she never left the Encanto again – that we saw a future where both you and Tatiana returned and the Encanto was safe."
She allowed the words to sink in, and sink they did – the realization sliding down into Lucía's heart and weighing it down like stones in a sling
There had been a future - multiple futures - where she didn't come home.
"And then, Mirabel asked for help. She asked the Miracle to bring you home – you and Tatiana – and - " she inclined her head, as though it was a simple matter from there.
Lucía supposed it was – at least as simple as magic ever got.
"So, Lucía," Alma continued, and her voice was tight again. "As I said. As a leader of the Encanto and a member of its council, I must thank you. As a mother, I must thank you. To lose Bruno in such a way - it would have destroyed me."
Lucía wondered why she suddenly sounded so reluctant and resigned if she was so thankful.
"But," she continued, and Lucía braced herself –
Alma took a long moment to continue, and it looked as though she were wrestling with something internally.
Lucía tried to look Alma in the eye, but the woman's expression was full of a grief that confused her, and so Lucía concentrated on wringing her hands in her skirts instead.
"You helped all of us to protect our people, to avert a crisis, and to buy us more time. The men Tatiana were collaborating with will leave San Cristobál by the end of the month, according to Bruno. Bruno will search for them and make sure they do not return in the future. We are looking to be sure the Encanto is safe and that the men who would have exploited us have moved on. We are looking to see if and when we can safely begin removing the natural barriers on the road. That is what Bruno and Mirabel are doing, now."
Lucía's fingers froze in the fabric of her skirt and her heart felt even heavier.
Oh, no.
"I am incredibly grateful to you for saving my son - for saving us all. But Lucía – when you ran after Tatiana, you had no way of knowing how everything would work out."
Lucía turned to look at Alma.
She met her eyes, and instead of the fierce protector of the Encanto, Lucía saw the fierce love of a mother. "He has experienced so much pain, Lucía. So much heartbreak already. I know that I have caused much of it, and I regret it every day. I am not without blame, here, for his reaction to all of this. But - to lose you in such a way? If you hadn't come home, Lucía, I don't know what he would've done. I don't know if there would have been anything I could have done to help him. He was ready to walk into the trees alone in the middle of the night to bring you home, with no plan and no reinforcements."
"Oh." Lucía's eyes filled with tears. "I - "
"You know what it is like," Alma said, and her voice was rough and pleading. "As far as it is possible with you, please - don't ever make him live through what we already have."
Alma's words were as effective as if she'd loosed an arrow aimed straight for Lucía's heart. Lucía drew in a shaky breath and swallowed hard, attempting to stifle her soft cry of protest.
Alma drew in a shaky breath and stood, and Lucía looked up at her, so weighed down with guilt and grief she was unsure if she'd ever be able to move from her seat.
"I do understand," Alma whispered. "In your position, I'd have done the same thing. If I had a choice, I would have done everything in my power to save my Pedro. You two - " Alma gave her a brittle, heartbroken smile and shook her head. "It is a frightening thing, to love someone so much. I am grateful my son is able to experience such love with you, and you clearly love him as well. But…I already lost my son once, Lucía. I could not bear to lose him again. And he could not bear to lose you. Nothing is guaranteed in life - we both know that. I will tell you what I told him: Our family doesn't need another martyr. If you are to be a Madrigal one day - please - please – be more careful, Lucía."
Lucía sat on the bench until Agustín brought Josefina to her. It was getting late, and the shadows had grown long.
She accepted Josefina's hug and squeezed her tightly, until Josefina pulled away. And then Lucía looked up to Agustín, who gave her a sympathetic look. "She is better than she used to be," he said, "but her delivery still often leaves a lot to be desired. Are you alright?"
Lucía shrugged and then nodded numbly.
He gave her a tense smile. "You should've heard the lecture she gave me after the first time I 'messed up' courting Julieta."
Lucía didn't smile. "Is Bruno done? With the vision, I mean?"
His wry smile fell away and his expression softened as he took in Lucía's. "No," he said. "He and Mirabel are still upstairs. Dolores is listening to make sure they're all right." He paused. "They're doing alright."
Lucía nodded and slowly rose. She felt like she'd grown into the seat and was pulling up roots as she stood. It was painful.
"Hey," Agustín said, and he patted her shoulder. "It will be alright. You'll see."
Lucía hoped so.
Later that evening, after Josefina was tucked into bed and she'd soaked in the hot tub until the water grew tepid, Papá handed her yet another cup of chocolate santafereño. Lucía wrapped both hands around the steaming mug, appreciating its warmth.
Part of her wanted to collapse into bed and sleep for three days.
Another part of her kept playing everything that had happened the past two days over and over in her head, and that made it difficult to sleep.
"How are you holding up, mija?"
"I'm…" Lucía stared into the mug of chocolate. If only answers could be drawn from it as easily as warmth. "I…"
She swallowed.
Papá waited.
"Papá, you told me before that I didn't betray Alejandro by falling in love with Bruno," she began, and at the concerned expression on his face, she continued hastily. " - and I know I didn't. And you also told me to embrace my feelings and that I should tell him how I felt as soon as possible. And I don't - I don't regret doing that. I love him. I love him even more now than I did then. Josefina loves him. He loves us. I know he does."
When she was still silent a full three minutes later, José put his cup down and turned to get a better look at her. "...so far, mija, I am not hearing anything to be concerned about, and yet you sound very worried."
Lucía bit her lip, but the weight of her worries pressed through her lips and the words came in a deluge.
"...but was I too hasty? Should I have waited longer? Longer to fall in love, longer to admit it, longer to act on it? Did I hurt Bruno by moving too quickly, promising something I wasn't fully ready to give? Did - did I fail to count the cost of what being with a Madrigal would be like? Did I fail Josefina and fail to protect her? Did I make a mistake that will cost my daughter more than it will cost me?"
Tears welled in her eyes and she set her mug down with a sharp tap. She pushed away from the table and stood, beginning to pace.
"If we get married, will I - I don't think I"ll ever stop mourning Alejandro. Will Bruno always have to reconcile the fact that I love him with the fact that I loved someone else first? And if we marry - will Josefina fit in, or will she always be an outsider - not really belonging to the Madrigals but not really belonging to the village anymore, either? Will they all consider her a part of the family? Will Josefina consider Bruno her family? Have I been unfair to Bruno? Have I been unfair to Josefina? Have I been selfish?"
"Mija - "
"I want him, Papá! I want to be with him and I just thought - I thought - " she pressed her lips into a thin line. "It's not that I thought it would be easier, because I knew this could happen. Well, not this exactly - " she waved her hands through the air, indicating the entirety of the past two days -
"Lucía - "
" - but now I - I don't know if that - if what I want - what I really, truly want - is best for all of us. I thought it was. It's still what I want. But maybe - "
"Lucía, what happened with Tatiana?" José asked. "What happened with the Madrigals, after I left? Where did all of this come from?"
"...Tatiana said a lot of things in the woods, and a lot of what she said wouldn't even be fit for the manure pile. But - "
She sighed. "But she was right about one thing. I'm - impulsive. I always thought I was so practical, and so - so steady – or that I was getting back to being that, after losing Alejandro. I thought I was working my way back to who I was before - but so many of the things I've done with Bruno or – or for him – they haven't been – I haven't exactly thought them through. Offering Bruno Itziar on a whim, offering the Madrigals a place to stay, confessing my feelings the day after I realized them and agreeing to a courtship the same day…"
She suddenly stood straight and still.
"Papá."
"Mmm?"
"Have I…changed?"
Papá leaned back in his chair, watching her intently.
"You have changed in many ways over the years, querida – most of them for the better, I think."
She frowned.
"And Alma…" her brow furrowed as she relived their conversation.
"She was not…unkind, but she was very honest. And I - I messed up, Papa. I hurt Bruno. Why did I do that? Why did I think I knew better than him, and his family, and the council? Why did I have to go running off and risk everything just so Tatiana would have a choice? I felt like I had to – and it did work out – but I didn't know it would. It was reckless, and unfair, and stupid! I hurt him! I hurt his family! I hurt you, and Josefina, and now I have these - doubts - about - about - everything and -"
"Lucía," Papá interrupted gently. "Are you doubting Bruno, are you doubting your relationship with him, or are you doubting yourself?"
Lucía froze where she stood. She blinked and frowned and returned to her seat at the table, dropping into the chair with a thunk. "It's…me," she admitted. "I'm doubting…me."
"Mija," José covered her hands with his and thought, his lips pressed into a thin line. When he spoke, his voice was slow and careful. "I will admit - loaning a horse to a man who had previously disappeared without a trace for years was risky. Opening your home to twelve people was kind, but it was impulsive - on both our parts. Confessing your feelings so soon after realizing them could be considered reckless. Taking Bruno's choice on how to navigate the situation from him in order to give Tatiana one - that was, perhaps, unfair - but in light of the situation at hand, understandable."
Lucía cringed.
"But mija," José said gently, "love is rarely 'fair' and never rational. Love so often defies logic and laughs in the face of caution. 'Love is patient, love is kind' – but love is also sacrifice, and messy, and confusing. An act of true love is, by definition, reckless - the willingness to do anything for the object of its focus."
Lucía stared at the mug on the table as if she could burn a hole through it as she contemplated his words.
"You're saying that I was being lovingly stupid?"
"...I'm saying that I think you are a very compassionate person and were trying to be loving, in all of the scenarios you just presented to me. Perhaps you were more successful in some than in others. That is for you to judge, not I. But in all things, mija - I believe you have acted with love. If you feel you've made a mistake, own it and do what you can to fix it. But do not regret or doubt yourself for giving love in all its forms to those around you. Just…be sure you are giving the best of your love to those who will cherish it most."
Lucía sat back in her chair and sighed, tears pricking her eyes once again.
"And mija?"
"Hmmm?"
"If ever a man has cherished a woman's love, so Bruno cherishes yours. I do not doubt that he loves you - and Josefina - with all he has and all he is."
She looked up and held her father's gaze for a long moment.
"If I may alleviate one of your concerns - that man would do anything for your daughter. He would do anything for you. You didn't see him with her, today. If you marry, Josefina may have a period of adjustment in getting used to a new family, as any child in any family would. But you are not being selfish in desiring to be a family with Bruno, Lucía. I think it would be more selfish to deny that bond out of fear than it would be to pursue what you really want."
Later that night, Lucía woke with a gasp. Her chest was heaving and she was completely tangled in her sheets and a thin sheen of sweat coated her face.
She'd had a round of nightmares in which Alejandro's broken body shifted suddenly to Bruno's, with a gaping wound in his chest.
"Bruno," she whispered. She rolled over and reached blindly for him, wanting nothing more in that moment to hold him and reassure herself that it was all a bad dream - only to realize, in the hazy confusion of interrupted sleep, that he wasn't there - that he'd never been in her bed and had no reason to be at the moment.
She lay staring into the darkness as her heart slowly calmed and she took big, deep, even breaths of air.
She wanted, so badly, to be able to simply roll over and talk to him right then about everything that had happened; to ease the uncertain ache in her heart that told her she'd hurt and worried Bruno; to apologize and make things right again.
Across the Encanto, Bruno was also awake, staring into the darkness, wishing he could do the same thing.
His sleep, however, had been plagued with flashes of a bird, a snake, and a rearing horse.
A/N:
Thanks so much for reading!
I probably won't be able to update again until April, and I wish I could have ended on a fluffier note for you all, but I hope you all still enjoyed it. :)
Bruno and Lucia will have a looooot to talk about in the next chapter.
God bless you and have a great week!