Héctor felt so… overexposed. Like all his senses were stripped and left raw out in the open. One touch seemed to be all it would take to set him off. He really didn't know how much more he could take after tonight. Getting cursed to the Land of the Dead, his skin slowly dissolving, reuniting with his beloved daughter and finding his mother after wondering what she was like for years. Héctor didn't know how he was still functioning.

But here he was, back on Frangipani's massive form while pressing his new straw hat down on his head lest it fly off. It was best to keep moving forward and focus on the now or he would just be overwhelmed again. So right now he was concentrating on the solid weight of the guitar case on his back, the warmth of Dante's skin as the dog lay against him, and Leti's animated chatter.

She told him about all the children she had befriended in the hospital that had tragically died too young, just like she did soon after. But now they were able to reconnect as friends and Héctor was so glad that those sweet kids now had a somewhat normal existence free from pain and misery.

"…Martha's in the baking business with her grandparents. She's always super busy but she always makes time on Saturday to have coffee with me and play cards. Let's see… Arturo works in the Department of Alebrije Registration, so he gets to see lots of different alebrijes. And Gerardo…" Leti trailed off, and she coyly looked over her shoulder to Héctor. "Gerardo's special."

That got Héctor's attention, and he smirked at her. "What, is he your boyfriend or something?"

If Leti had skin she'd be blushing, but she still placed her hands on her cheekbones as if they actually were burning red. "Ahh! I don't know! I know that look he's always giving me means he likes me, but he just won't say anything." Leti sighed dramatically and laid back onto Héctor's chest. "Boys are so immature. Do you think I should make the first move?"

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't make the first move." Héctor said warmly. "But I'd wait a few more decades if I was you. I'm not quite ready for you to be dating just yet."

"Papá!"

"Okay, okay, how about just one decade-"

"No Papá, look!" Leti said pointing in the distance. "There's Tio Nesto's tower! We're here!"

Looking to where Leti was pointing, Héctor let out disgusted sigh. "Of course that's where he lives."

Ernesto had always been… grandiose in life, to put it mildly. But it seemed that death had released those Earthly restraints and let him go full out to express just how much he loved to announce his presence to the world. Ernesto's tower shimmered like a golden beacon shooting up tall into the sky, with what looked like moving trams circling it on its sides. On top of this humongous pillar sat an equally impressive mansion with tall palm trees and dozens of party guests scattered around the expansive lawn dressed in their finest garb.

All in all a typical party at Ernesto de la Cruz's, with the theme of the party being 'me'.

But Héctor was startled to feel Frangipani begin to descend instead of head towards the top. "Wait, we're not going to the mansion?"

"Oh…" Leti giggled nervously. "No, we are. We just have to go in through the front entrance. Tio Nesto is still kind of… sore that Frangipani left in the middle of their movie shoot to become my alebrije. So he's forbidden Frangipani from coming anywhere near his tower."

"Ah."

Héctor did remember Ernesto having to scramble around just to finish his big circus movie, and the unfinished scenes with the elephant were replaced with a mixture of Claymation and a huge papier mache head with a hose for the trunk. They were decent effects at the time, but they had upped the cost of production and severely hurt the profit margin. Ernesto had never stopped complaining about it until the day he died, and it seemed he still was after death.

As they settled into a nearby alley, Frangipani once again shrunk to a smaller size to let those on top of her get off with ease and once again left Héctor wincing from sore leg muscles. "Ow, ow… Hopefully this is the last stop, mija."

"Yep! All we need to do is to get you to Tío Nesto, give him his guitar and he'll send you home with his blessing. No hay bronca!" Turning to her alebrije, who had shrunk all the way down to her cute little mouse size, she petted her with a coo. "And you get to rest your ears now, Frangipani. Thank you for all you've done tonight. Aw, you're such a good girl."

As Leti kissed and heaped more praise on her little elephant, Héctor smiled taking in the scene. He had enjoyed his time immensely with his little girl, so grateful for the chance to see and hold her again. To talk to her. Before tonight he never thought he would ever have the chance again.

He had to soak in every last second of it, because it was about to come to an end.

"Hey, woah!" Leti squeaked out as Héctor pulled her into a big bear hug, her shock quickly disappearing as she returned it gladly. Frangipani fluttered over to land on Héctor's shoulder and wrap her trunk gently around his ear, effectively joining in on the hug. Dante rested his head on Héctor's knee with a soft whine. Squeezing her father just as hard as he was, it seemed as if she was reading his mind. "You'll be home in no time."

"… Without you."

Leti sighed sadly and closed her eyes. "I wish I could go with you, too. But I can't. My time is over."

"It's not fair, I just got you back!" Héctor whispered harshly, fighting hard against the tears behind his eyes. "My baby…"

Sniffling Leti nodded in agreement before pulling back. "But now you know for sure, right? That I've been with you every year for the holiday, and I'll keep seeing you as long as you put my foto up. And now you know what awaits you when it's your time to join me again. I'll be waiting for you Papá."

Héctor smiled warmly, cupping her cheekbone and brushing a thumb over her golden streaks. "Thank you, Leti. For everything you've done tonight. Especially with my m… Nieve."

Leti shrugged shyly. "Well, she always wondered about you. Sorry if I made you waste too much time, I just wanted to help her while I had the chance."

"… I think it helped both of us."

Beaming at the praise she broke from the hug and helped Héctor back up to his feet. Brushing her dress down she also brushed down Héctor's jacket too. "Gotta look nice when we go to Tío Nesto's party. It's black tie, you know."

Héctor laughed. "When was it never black tie?"

Satisfied by their appearance, Leti gave a short nod. "All right, let's go to the-."

"Héctor Rivera!"

A deep voice travelled from down the depths of the alleyway, putting Héctor and Leti on high alert. The tumbling of trashcans and the screeching of teeny alebrijes skittering away showed a dark shadow emerging from behind. The figure held its hands forward in a welcoming manner, and as it drew closer the stench of cheap cigars became apparent. With hoarse, unhinged laughter a skeleton came in full view, staring at Héctor like its life depended on it. Dante was immediately on the offensive, growling deep in his throat and hunching slightly at the new intruder. He had not acted like this to anyone yet.

"Héctor, my dear boy!" the skeleton, a short man dressed in rags and devoid of any markings on his skull, limped closer to them with a sleazy grin. "It has been too long! Oh, but I have heard of your accomplishments, yes. Your movie and music studios, philanthropy, entrepreneurism. Why, you've expanded your named far greater than Ernesto could ever dream of. That's because you've always had the bigger heart, the need to care for others."

Despite the sweet talk Héctor was exceedingly unnerved by this skeleton compared to all the others he had met, and he warily placed himself in front of Leti to shield her. She was dead, yes, but he still felt that he needed to protect her from this stranger. "I'm sorry… Do I know you?"

There seemed to be a crack in the skeleton's mask of friendliness, a flash of desperation and anger, before that eerie giggling bubbled up again. "Know me?! Wh-why, yes you do! Oh, my apologies, I guess it has been too long, and my good looks have faded away. But Héctor, dear boy, it's me Fredo! Your manager, remember?!"

Fredo.

Fredo Barrerra.

The name was a slap to the face in the worst possible way. With a strangled gasp Héctor's wariness turned to twisted panic as he fully blocked Fredo away from his daughter. He remembered this man-this monster- from so long ago. He had practically put he and Ernesto on the rise to stardom, yes, but he was also an unapologetic pervert who preyed on the little girls under his contract and countless others. The last he had heard of him he was rotting away in a cell never to see the outside world again. He had so put him out of his life that Héctor hadn't even received word about his apparent death. But he must have, with him being here.

Glaring viciously at the little man, Héctor gritted out. "What do you want?"

"Oh please, don't look at me like that!" Fredo cried out in desperation, holding his hands out pleading. "I just want a moment of your time! After all, it was I who made you a star! I haven't even gotten close to Ernesto in all my years here! The guards won't let me! If you could just put a word in, get him to give me just a small portion of his offerings so I wouldn't be forced to scrounge for a living! I'm owed that much!"

Héctor sneered. "I don't owe you anything."

Barely stifling his panicked breaths, Fredo made an attempt to peak around Héctor. "You're his daughter, yes?! You can convince your papá to help out a poor soul in need! Sweet girl. Pretty little girl!"

A roll of nausea clenched Héctor's stomach and his teeth ground painfully, his rage stoked to a burning flame. "Don't you dare talk to her, you disgusting-"

"All right, I've heard enough. Frangipani? Puerco."

With a pink flash Frangipani zipped over to hover above Fredo's skull and, in the blink of an eye, changed to the size of a robust sow. Fredo barely had time to realize what was happening before the elephant flopped down on top of him, crushing his body and popping off his skull at the same time. With a strangled scream and barely decipherable swears, Fredo's skull came to rest at Héctor's feet.

Héctor was stunned as Leti stepped out from behind him, humming a little ditty and wiping her hands together after a job well done. As she bent down to pick up the skull, Héctor panicked once again. "Leti, don't go near him! He's dangerous."

"Was." Leti corrected, examining the still swearing skull from every angle. "Sí I know all about him Papá. Fredo Barrera, your manager who was dirty little old man that Tío Nesto had locked away for good. It's a really good story, Tío Nesto tells it all the time at his parties. He's also been trying to sneak into every party or concert for the last nine years, to no avail. This is my first time actually seeing him though. Gotta say, I'm a little disappointed."

Catching his breath, Fredo gritted out painfully, "Please… let me talk to Ernesto. I deserve that much. He left me to die in that prison. And now I live this pitiful existence… No ofrenda, no loved ones."

Leti harrumphed at that. "You should have been forgotten long ago, but unfortunately you've burned your way into the memories of your victims. Every bit of suffering is from your own doing. And I've heard enough of you. Frangipani? Take him to the cenote to cool off until the police come and get him."

"No no NO!" Fredo's head zipped back to connect with his body, now coiled in Frangipani's trunk as she had grown full sized. As the mighty elephant took off in flight the last pitiful screams of Fredo Barrera echoed into the night until all was silent.

Héctor stared at Leti in awe as she kept looking until her alebrije was out of sight, her faced hardened, and for the first time tonight Héctor felt like he was looking at his adult daughter instead of a little girl. She had held her own against a man who could have been a nightmare for her and had trashed him body and soul. With a low calming breath Leti paused to compose herself, and then gave an adorable pout. "Well that spoiled the mood, huh?"

Héctor couldn't help it. With a laugh he swung his daughter up into another hug, twirling her in a couple of circles as she screamed and giggled with glee. Dante jumped happily and barked alongside them, one of Fredo's broken off rib bones sticking out of his muzzle as he chewed on it. "I love you, Letica Rivera! You are just so amazing!"

"Of course I am!" Leti said proudly. "I am your daughter, after all!"

Getting to the mansion was relatively easy after that. At the first sight of the Héctor Rivera in the flesh he was quickly escorted to the front of the line past enamored and astonished guests. The security guards clumsily tripped over themselves, some even losing a few bones in the process, to make sure that he and Leti were given good seats in the cable car that would take them to the top. Time being of the essence they had even sent the car up despite only being a quarter full and Héctor was sure that it was going at max speed. When they reached to the top they were greeted by waiting personnel.

"Bienvenidos, Señor Rivera. It is an honor to have you here with us tonight! And you too, Leticia, you're always a delight at el Señor de la Cruz's parties!" The tall skeleton bowed deeply with a grand hand gesture. "I am the head of the concierge this evening and I was just informed of your arrival by security. We will try to find el Señor de la Cruz immediately so you may receive your blessing, but it might take a little time. I'm afraid he tends to bop to and fro while entertaining his guests."

"Right." Héctor agreed.

"In the meantime please help yourselves to some of our appetizers and refreshments. We will be on the lookout for Señor de la Cruz. Vamos!" With a snap of his fingers the staff behind him quickly dispersed and headed off in different directions, leaving Héctor and Leti to wander the grounds alone.

Now that he was able to properly see the lawn up close he could tell that the tall palm trees were actually just statues lit up with golden light bulbs, and what little grass and bushes he could see were also made of plastic fibers. The stonework, once again, had the same skull and bone motif that seemed to make itself known wherever he went. Leaning down he asked, "Hey, does anyone ever count how many skulls there are in the architecture?"

"Uh huh!" Leti nodded. "There are actually books and fan clubs who go around finding hidden skulls. I wouldn't want to join them though; those guys are a little odd."

The inside of the mansion was just as glamourous, with high ceilings and archways, stone staircases and beautiful paintings of Ernesto displayed proudly. Lights of pink, green and gold sent a wash of color throughout ballroom area. A string quartet played soft, beautiful music as guests mingled with each other sipping champaign and eating tiny snacks brought to them by servants and, bizarrely, alebrijes. With a short yip Dante set his sights on the lavish buffet table and hopped over before Héctor could restrain him.

"Dante, stop! Heal!" Héctor shouted but to no avail as Dante quickly helped himself to bite-sized portions of cooked meat.

Grabbing the dog by the hind quarters he tried to drag him off the table, but Dante kept a firm grip on the tablecloth trying to get just a few more bites. As Héctor pulled so did Dante, and with a loud ripping sound the cloth was pulled back carrying everything with it. Pans and plates clattered and smashed to the ground, and with a startled gasp the crowd backed away from the mess.

There sat Héctor, hat askew with a dog in his lap, and the crowd suddenly realized who they were looking at. A living man, and a famous one to boot, was a de la Cruz's party. People whispered amongst each other and there were a few blinding flashes from cameras. Dante hopped off of Héctor and continued to eat the spilled food, while Leti came over to shield her father from the cameras.

"No pictures! Please, we need to get him to Ernesto de la Cruz!" she pleaded.

"It's him! Héctor Rivera!" One of the musicians from the string quartet shouted out with glee. "Maestro, you're our hero! Okay amigos, lets show him what he got! With gusto!"

And with just two taps of their feet, barely enough time to react, the band started to play again.

Playing that song.

Just like last time, like any other time, Héctor's blood immediately turned to ice and fire all at once. His insides clenched, heart raced, breath stilled until it came back in short, hoarse pants. Being already on the floor he curled in on himself and pressed his hands painfully hard against his ears to block out that retched song.

But it wasn't enough, he could still hear it, if not from his memories.

Memories of blood and gore. Of heart-wrenching loss and grief. It still hurt so much he couldn't stand it.

Couldn't stop it.

I should have stopped it.

Remember me….

I don't want to remember!

"No no, damn it!" Leti cursed out. "Does nobody here keep up with the times! Don't play that song! Stop it, all right?! He doesn't like it!" With a few slaps and shoves Leti managed to knock the instruments out of the musicians' hands and put a stop to the music. But the damage was done, and as the musicians grumbled about their fallen instruments Leti was quickly back at her father's side. "It's okay, Papá. I made them stop. It's all right."

"Ernesto…" Héctor ground out, his eyes squeezed shut and his hands still on his ears. "I need Ernesto!"

"He'll be here soon!" Leti assured, but Héctor was lost to her.

"Por favor… Ernesto." Héctor whimpered out, trembling, not caring that people were still staring at him, still whispering and pointing. He didn't care about anything. Just that smear on the ground that used to be his brother, the one constant in his life. Torn from him without warning and left him gaping and bleeding out. No one understanding that his loss was just too great for him to bear.

Ernesto de la Cruz's biggest shunner was also his biggest mourner.

"Ernesto!" Héctor whispered hoarsely. "I need Ernesto! ERNESTO!"

"Yes?"

The smooth, deep voice broke through every painful memory that was overwhelming Héctor and with a gasp his eyes flew open. The first thing he saw were chihuahuas. Three bright green chihuahuas that were also eating all the spilled food that littered the ground with Dante, one even snatching away a morsel that Dante was about to eat. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Large and heavy, but still comforting and strong.

Just like it had always been.

"Are you all right, señor?" the voice behind him asked sincerely.

Nine years. It had been exactly nine years to the day since he had heard that voice so clearly. Not from the old scratchy recordings that he honestly avoided like the plague. But here. Right here in person. Not realizing he was holding his breath he slowly turned around and glanced up.

And there he was.

Holding another green chihuahua in his arm, Ernesto was dressed relatively modestly for the evening. No tuxedo, no fancy charro suit. Just a pair of comfortable slacks, shirt and tie with suspenders. And Héctor was begrudging to admit that even as a skeleton that Ernesto was still dashingly handsome. His skull markings looked like that had been painted with actual gold that shimmered in the lights. But it was the same thin mustache, same perfectly coifed hair, same chiseled jawline.

And those same golden-brown eyes, staring at Héctor in shock as if he was the ghost.

"Héc-… Héctor?"

Finally releasing his breath Héctor slowly got up from his position on the floor, swaying a little bit still in shock. Ernesto backed away a little to give him some space, and after staring at Héctor for a few more seconds he broke out into a shaky grin.

"My friend!" Ernesto choked out finally. "I… I can't believe it! I mean there were rumors floating around about a living person in the Land of the Dead tonight, but no one told me it was you! Por Dios, I'm going to have a talk with some people responsible about this, I should have been the first one to know. Well, second I guess, after dear Leti. I see you're with her, that must have been a joy for you. Have you been visiting with her all this time. Well you should, as her father. But I mean… This is so surprising, I'm shocked! How the hell are you?"

As Ernesto rambled on and on Héctor was filled with mixed emotions at seeing his older brother, after trying not to think about him for nine years. Intense sadness and horror as he relived the last time he saw his dead body underneath that bell. Anger for how he recalled their last talk, how he wouldn't listen to him when he was only trying to help him. Helplessness. Hopelessness.

And as his confusion and turmoil brewed and bubbled up to unbearable levels, finally one emotion came to him like a soothing balm: Relief. Ernesto was not a crumbled, ruined body decaying in a cold mausoleum all alone. He was here, tall and proud as ever, hosting parties and singing in concerts like always. His older brother was back!

The chihuahua in Ernesto's arm squealed in surprise and then hopped away in disgruntlement as Héctor had slammed his body against Ernesto. Ernesto grunted and his slick white bones jostled for a bit until Héctor crushed them back into place with a tight, desperate hug. He stood alarmed for a moment until returned the hug in an equal amount of force, neither of them caring if bruises were formed or bones were dislocated.

"Ernesto." Héctor whispered. "I've missed you so much!"

Ernesto sighed and patted Héctor's back comfortingly. "I've missed you too, hermanito."

The crowd gathered closely as the two men hugged each other, some giving soft awws and some even sniffling a little bit at the display of affection. Leti stood quietly next to her father and godfather, smiling a little wobbly herself. Dante just continued eating.

Pulling back from the hug, Ernesto grinned good-naturedly at Héctor and placed a hand on his cheek. Thumb smoothing out a cheek wrinkle, Ernesto laughed. "You've gotten old, Héctor."

Héctor scoffed and batted Ernesto's hand away. "I knew you'd say something like that. First time you've seen me in nine years and you're still commenting on my looks!"

Ernesto squinted as he looked his indignant brother over. "I think your ears got bigger. Or more saggy, at least. I hear that's what happens when you age. Your nose looks bigger, too."

"You wanna experience your Final Death tonight, amigo?"

"I'm glad though." Ernesto said somberly, his smile faltering a little. "I'm glad you got to grow old…"

His ire abated at that, and once again Héctor felt glad that Ernesto was really here: Ribbing him just like he always did. He smiled a little at that. Some things never changed. Leaning forward he whispered softly. "I need your help, Ernesto. There's a lot I need to tell you."

"I'm sure you do." Ernesto acknowledged, then turned a bright smile towards his awaiting audience. "But this is a big deal! A living man comes to the Land of the Dead, and it's Héctor Rivera! It's actually not as surprising once you think about it, he was always getting himself into scraps like this!"

The crowd laughed at that, Ernesto soaking in all the attention with grace. "Let's make this little mishap a joyous occasion. Héctor Rivera and Ernesto de la Cruz together again! Let's get this party started!"

As the crowd cheered and the band started back up, Héctor pulled onto Ernesto sharply. "Ernesto, this is urgent! I need to get your blessing to go home, now!"

"Amigo, you just got here!" Ernesto implored. "I've missed you, Héctor! I want to spend some time with you before you leave!"

"Ernesto…"

"Thirty minutes." Ernesto pleaded. "Thirty minutes and then I'll do what ever you ask. Just please, let's talk for a bit, okay? Please."

Héctor glared hard at Ernesto for a moment, trying to stay strong and ignore the skeleton's sad puppy-dog eyes. But his will was always so weak when it came to Ernesto. With a groan and an eye roll he conceded. "Ugh, fine! Thirty minutes starting now. But I don't want to spend it out here cavorting with your party guests. I want to talk to you, alone and in private. Deal?"

Héctor couldn't help but notice the way Ernesto's smile twitched a little, or the bobbing of his spine where his throat would have been. But Ernesto, ever the gentleman, bowed his head in agreement.

"Deal. Let's carry on elsewhere, old friend."