(Author's Note: Here we go again, my friends.

Hope you guys enjoy:)

Chapter Two: Survival

Concept: In another world, Pedro Madrigal selflessly laid down his life to save his wife and newborn children. But…how could the flow of events change if this one man was given the chance to live?

Alma Madrigal sat in the middle of the house that had appeared out of thin air, staring straight ahead at the floor with a near impassive look on her face.

Her Pedro. Her best friend and the light of her life. He…he was…

Alma then heard grumbling from beneath her, the noise preventing the chance of any more tears falling. Her gaze fell onto the three babies, her daughters, and her son.

Julieta. Pepa. Bruno.

They would have to grow up without their father. Pedro had been so excited when she told him that she was pregnant, and now he wouldn't get to see them grow up. He wouldn't get to hold them at night and sing them to sleep. He wouldn't get to introduce them to his favorite childhood meals like he always talked about. He wouldn't get to dress them up and take them on the walks that the two of them would ever since they started dating.

Puberty, marriage, and even parenthood…there was so much that Pedro would now never get to see.

Now, it would fall to her to raise their niños all by herself. How would she do it? Could she do it?

Just then, the door of the house suddenly burst open and a woman came running inside. Alma knew her: Valerie Rojas. She and her husband had been neighbors with her and Pedro…before.

Valerie knelt and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, "Alma," she opened her mouth, but closed it. Alma noticed how she had a…conflicted look on her face, almost like she know what she wanted to say but didn't know how to say it.

"What is it, Valerie?" Even Alma's voice was quiet, its usual energy and confidence completely gone.

"You…you just need to come with me."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Hell, you'd probably be furious if I just said it. I understand it-," she stopped, "-no. No, I don't understand what you're feeling and it's insulting for me to claim otherwise. But I NEED you to trust me. You need to see this and you need to see it NOW." Alma didn't want to do anything right now and the fact that Valerie was one of her closest friends was the only reason that she didn't snap at her.

With a small sigh, Alma stood up with her niños (who she had refused to put down the whole night) in her arms. Valerie held a hand on her friend's shoulder to keep her "stable". As the two women walked through the house's doors, Alma opened her mouth to question her friend…

"ALMA!" Alma suddenly froze at the sudden voice. Was that…it couldn't be. "ALMA! WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE IS MY FAMILY?!" A man suddenly ran up the hill that the house stood on, his head swirling around frantically. A tall, muscular man with pitch black hair and glorious tan skin.

It was…b-but, it couldn't be…

Valerie quickly moved to take hold of the triplets, looking toward Alma with a smile. "Go on honey," she whispered, motioning her head towards her…husband.

"Pedro?" As if he could hear Alma's whisper, Pedro's head suddenly spun…and their gazes locked. Pedro raced forward and took Alma in his arms, while his wife was still left wide-eyed and stiff.

"Thank God. Thank God," Pedro took Alma's face in his hands and pressed a firm kiss onto his wife's forehead, tears falling down his cheeks (despite his best efforts to keep them back). Pedro looked around for a moment, "Where are-?"

"Right here, neighbor," Valerie called out from the side, making sure that Pedro could see the triplets in her arms.

He let out a breath of relief, the tension leaving his body, "Gracias a Dios."

"H-How?" Alma whispered, "I saw…I-I saw you-."

"Pure luck, to be honest," Pedro replied with a smile, pulling down his shirt collar and revealed a bandaged wound in-between his neck and chest, "Or, maybe God just likes me more than I realized."

"You," Alma whispered, getting Pedro's gaze onto her, "Y-You…you IDIOT!" She began hitting his chest, tears that she didn't think her body could still produce coming down her cheeks, "How could you do that to me?! To our children?! I thought that you were-!" It was as if her body was fighting against her mind to keep from saying the words.

Pedro immediately took Alma in his arms and hugged her against his chest, "I'm sorry, mi vida," Pedro spoke in a low and sad tone, "But, you have to know that I was only trying to protect you and our babies."

"Do you think that means you can just…throw your life away like that?! What do you think it would have meant for our niños to grow up without their father?!" In an instant, the anger left her face and was instantly replaced with an unbelievable sense of sadness, "What do you think it would do to me for having to continue without my husband? My best friend? The love of my life?" Pedro's expression dropped even further at his wife's words.

The simple fact was that he DIDN'T regret what he did. He would do anything to protect his wife and his children, and he would give up his own life if it meant keeping them safe. But…he also knew how much he had (inadvertently) hurt his wife with his decision. And, to be fair, he knew how hurt he'd be if their roles were reversed.

"You-," Alma harshly poked Pedro in his chest, "-don't ever leave us again." Despite the glare in her eyes and the anger on her face, Pedro could hear the desperation and fear in her voice. As if she was afraid of even the possibility of him not being with her again.

Which, to be fair, was expected.

Pedro held Alma by her cheeks and pressed their foreheads together, "I won't. I swear that I won't. Not ever again." All remnants of anger vanished from her body, and she began crying as she threw her arms around Pedro's neck and began crying into his chest.

For the third time that day, reality came crashing down onto her. But, unlike the first two, this one was positive. Pedro wasn't dead. He was alive, and he was here.

"As much as I hate to interrupt," Valerie spoke from behind them, "I think your niños would like their parents now." Valerie knelt and handed the grumbling babies over to their parents. Alma took hold of Julieta and Pepa while Pedro held onto Bruno. "Told you that you wouldn't believe me if I told you," Valerie teased Alma.

The woman giggled, "You're right about that. Thank you, Valerie," her friend gave a single nod before she walked away (likely to rejoin her husband). Hearing a noise beside him, Alma looked over to see Pedro looking over their children with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes. He then turned to her and Alma couldn't help the tears of joy that slipped out of her own eyes. Pedro leaned over and placed a kiss on Alma's lips, causing a feeling of pure joy to shoot through her body.

When they pulled away, they leaned their foreheads against one another as they held their niños as close to them as possible.

They were going to be alright. Life wasn't be easy, but their family was going to be alright.

(Author's Note: Annnnnnnnd scene! I'm hoping that this chapter turned out well.

Surprisingly, I've NEVER seen a story where Pedro and Alma survived that night. Oh, I've seen nearly a dozen stories that had Pedro surviving instead of Alma…but never one that had both of them. It's surprising. If you happen to know one, feel free to let me know.

Review, Favorite, Follow, and I'll see you guys next time:)