A Third Chance

A/N: Ha. Hola?

Yeah, I got Encanto brainrot really bad and here is this side project that is taking me away from my comic so I hope y'all enjoy it! XD

~Star

Disclaimer: I don't own Encanto!

"Lo…siento, Mamá. I wanted more…time…contigo."

~o.8.o~

It was the familiar tone of children crying that pulled her from the dizzying darkness of unconsciousness, though they were ones she hadn't heard in four decades. Blinking her eyes, her blurry vision cleared as she began to make sense of what was hovering over her

Or rather, whom.

Three little faces were crowded around her line of sight, eyes red and cheeks wet with their tears. The most distraught was a little girl with wild flame-colored curls pulled back into a braid, fair skin, and terrified green eyes. She shared the same eye color as the little boy, but that was all. He had tan skin and short black curly hair had been slicked back. The final child was another little girl, a shade darker than the boy, with warm brown eyes and short curly dark brown hair.

Two girls and one boy. All the same age. Triplets.

"What—!" She startled at the sound of her own voice, the cadence of it unfamiliar in its youth, eyes widening. '¡Esa no es mi voz! What's going on?!' Then her breath left her as their words finally registered in her shocked mind.

"—á! Don't leave! ¡Por favor!"

"—siento, lo siento, don't go!"

"—n't want it if it hurt you! ¡Lo odio!"

She wasn't sure what was going on—if this was a dream or if she had finally lost her mind—those thoughts took a backseat to motherly instincts crashing into her like a galloping horse. Slowly trying to push herself up into a sitting position, she found her arms lacking strength. Just as she was about to collapse, Casita moved the back of a chair against her own, supporting her as it slowly pushed her into a sitting position.

"Gracias, Casita." She whispered, patting the tiles beneath her before reaching out towards the children. Despite the weakness in her limbs, the children came easily to her as they clung desperately onto her, their small hands digging into her almost uncomfortably, but she ignored it. Her discomfort meant nothing next to their distress.

"Shh, mis hijos." She cooed, hugging them as tightly as she could. "Todo está bien."

"M-Mamá," the little redhead sobbed, "w-what happened?"

With her arms still around them, she managed to gently stroke the young girl's head, gazing at her—at all of them, in wonder. "I'm not sure, pero…," her brow furrowed as her mind cleared completely, and a new feeling began to build up within her—familiar, yet so much bigger than she was used to. She had always had magic in her, though her Gift wasn't as flashy as the rest of her family. It had connected her to the Miracle, their candle, and to Casita. Now, however, Alma Madrigal felt connected to the entire Encanto.

Looking at her door, she took in the changes that had appeared. Her stylized self was still holding the candle, but the candle was surrounded by what looked like a very tiny depiction of the town. Her eyes were slightly widened as the implications briefly sifted through her mind. She swallowed thickly.

"…I think my Gift…changed?"

~o.8.o~

After calming down her children with further reassurance, Alma decided to put off their Candle Ceremony just a little longer in favor of something she hadn't done as much as she should have.

Wage a tickle war.

It happened when she was in the middle of making Julieta squeal like a pig, the five-year-old flailing her limbs in a futile attempt to escape her madre, when Alma caught a glimpse of her reflection. She froze, the child in her arms calming down as the seconds ticked by,

"Mamá?" Came Julieta's breathless question, snapping her back to the present.

Blinking rapidly, she smiled at her daughter. 'Keep it together, mantente fuerte por ellos. They will only be scared if you break now.' "Nada querida. I think that's enough for today. I still need to make dinner. Why don't you go get your hermano y hermana and play for a bit, hm? The food will be ready soon." She then leaned in and blew a raspberry into Julieta's cheek, causing her to giggle and squeal before squirming out of her arms.

"Okay, Mamá!" Julieta chirped, before running off to find her siblings that had hid from Monstruo de cosquillas. "Brunito! Pepita!" She screamed gleefully as she went.

Alma could not stop the content smile that stretched her lips even if she wanted to. Taking a moment to bask in it all, she dusted off her skirt before heading to the kitchen. She paused near the mirror, looking at it briefly from her peripheral, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Luego." She whispered to herself before heading to the kitchen.

Dinner was made to the sweet cacophony of children playing, squabbling, and just generally having a good time. It was music to her ears, and she let them be for the most part unless their bickering got too heated—usually between Pepa and Bruno. Those two could go from being a house on fire to oil and water at the drop of a hat!

Dinner was a quick but chaotic affair, and Alma had to remind them of their manners quite a few times, though she wasn't as harsh as she remembered being. It didn't annoy her like it used to. Not right now. The kids seemed to notice the change, if their secret smiles and repeated "bad manners" were anything to go by. It almost became a competition of who could get in trouble the most.

"Okay, enough of that." Alma said as she stood from the table. Before she collected the dishes, she teasingly pinched their noses. "No creas que no sabía lo que estabas haciendo." She gave them a mock stern expression at their giggles, before smiling. "Ven, help me do dishes." Like ducklings, they followed her into the kitchen. With their help, and a little help from Casita, dishes were done in no time and La Familia Madrigal found themselves once more on the second floor in front of the glowing doors.

"Mamá," Pepa asked nervously, picking at the end of her braid, "you sure it's okay?"

"Sí, mi vida." She caressed the child's cheek, giving her a reassuring smile as she gazed into her big green eyes. "I'm sorry I worried you earlier, but I promise, the Miracle would never hurt you."

'No, the one to hurt you is one who never should have.' Came the bitter, loathsome voice in the back of her mind. Smothering it until it barely flickered, she leaned down and kissed Pepa's forehead. "Now, ven aquí and place your hands onto the candle. Vamos, todos ustedes. Both hands."

Oh so slowly, the triplets hesitantly placed their little hands on the candle, their faces filled with awe, curiosity, and trepidation. Taking a silent breath, Alma spoke.

"Do you promise to love and protect your family, yourself, and your community?" Smiling shyly, the three nodded. Returning their smile, Alma nods to their doors. "Go ahead, niños."

There was a moment of hesitation, before Julieta took a deep breath. "I can do this, soy la mayor." She muttered to herself. Stepping forward, she paused with indecision before picking the door in the middle. Slowly she reached out her hand, only to falter. Looking to her madre, her expression became determined at Alma's encouraging nod. Turning back to the door, she wrapped her tiny fingers around the knob.

With startled gasps, the triplets watched in astonishment as a glowing carving of what must be an older version of Julieta appeared, eyes closed with a soft smile. She was surrounded by herbs and held a mortar and pestle in both hands.

"Whoa…!" Julieta muttered in awe, eyes wide.

"What do you feel?" Alma asked kindly, though she already knew. She watched as her eldest scrunched her face in thought, looking at her hands.

"I feel…I make good food?" She thought aloud. Julieta bit her lip in concentration. "No, my food…heals?"

Alma pretended to ponder over this. "Why don't we test that out tomorrow? You can help me make breakfast." She smiled at Julieta's eager nod.

Pepa and Bruno looked at their hermana y madre, then locked eyes. They squinted at each other before turning to their doors.

"Me next—"

"—No, I'm next!"

They reached for their doors at the same time, an older version of themselves carving into their doors simultaneously. Pepa's image was also smiling with closed eyes, almost looking serene. Behind her head, the sun shone brilliantly, with clouds and lightning further down.

At the sight of it, a rainbow appeared above her head and the moon shined a bit brightly as the clouds in the night sky disappeared. Noticing this, Pepa faced upwards and closed her eyes.

"What do you feel?" Alma asked her second child.

"Everything." She said softly. "The sky is…like me? Um, ¿indomable?" She frowned and opened her eyes, tears starting to form as a cloud appeared over her head. "But what if I hurt someone?" Even at her age, she knew how dangerous the weather could be.

"Oh, mi vida." Alma quickly pulled her daughter into a one-armed hug. "You could never hurt anyone. You are such a free child, as are your emotions. Never push down what you feel. In time, I know you will learn to feel what you feel and not be afraid of it hurting anyone. Lo sé."

Gazing at her mom with glassy eyes, Pepa quickly wiped her tears away before beaming at her mama, the rainbow once more over her head. She giggled as she hugged Alma again.

"Brunito?"

Julieta's quiet voice brought Alma's attention to her youngest, and she was immediately alarmed. Kissing Pepa's crown, she quickly released the little redhead before heading to her son. He was just staring at his door, eyes wide and tears streaming down his face. His eyes were glowing a dull emerald green—not the usual neon green they shine when he had visions.

"¿Mijo?" Julieta was already in tears when Alma kneeled before Bruno, the sound of thunder and rain registering vaguely at the back of her mind. Taking his face into both her hands, she turned him to face her. "¿Que paso?" She asked worriedly as she gazed into his terrified eyes. 'This didn't happen before.' Bruno's first vision had been a happy one, of the first child born within the Encanto. She remembered it clearly. This…terror in her child's eyes foreign and unwelcomed.

"¿Mamá?" Bruno sobbed softly, the glow fading from his jade eyes as he finally focused on his madre. "Did I…did I die?"

It was a strange question from a five-year-old, but by this time, Alma had told the triplets their father's story, had made sure they understood his love and sacrifice. Still…

All at once, Alma felt the air leave her lungs as horror filled her. 'No.' She thought frantically. 'Nononononono NO!' Pulling Bruno into her arms, she felt the wall she had hastily erected upon her awakening crack as tears quickly filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "No pequeño," she choked, rocking them both back and forth, "no you didn't. You're right here, conmigo."

"B-but I saw it." He sobbed into her chest. "I was under big ro—"

"No!" She hissed, holding him tighter. Alma bit back a sob, letting out a gasping breath. "No." She said a tad bit calmer. Vaguely, she felt the tiny arms of her daughters trying to wrap around them, and they grounded her. "¡No dejaré que suceda!" 'Not again!' Looking up at her son's door, she almost wailed.

An older Bruno greeted her, his eyes open just as it had been before, but his expression was different. His brow was relaxed, almost somber, and his smile sad, as if he were apologizing for something.

Casita shook with her emotions, the walls quivering. Unbeknownst to her at that time, so did the entirety of the Encanto.

"Lo…siento, Mamá."

~o.8.o~

Later, in the dead of night, Alma found herself in the bathroom, staring at her reflection. Tonight had not gone as planned, the triplets too distressed to sleep in their own rooms or without her, so they were currently fast asleep on her bed. She needed to return soon, but she also needed this moment.

Where there had once been greying salt and pepper hair in a Gibson tuck, there was now rich, dark wavy hair released from their twin braids. Where skin had been thin and weighed down by age, it was now firm with youth. So much had changed, except her eyes. Her hazel eyes remained the same, bearing the wisdom she had gained as she took care of the Encanto and her family. 'As I failed my family.'

Reaching out a hand, she slowly pressed her fingers against the cool surface of the mirror, unable to look away. She watched as the stranger's eyes filled with tears and felt them wet her cheeks as they ran down her face. Bringing a hand to cover her mouth, she couldn't stop the sob that broke through as she fell to her knees a second time that day. Slowly rocking back and forth, the wall around her emotions crumbled to dust as she was swept away by a hurricane of grief, relief, and loneliness.

Her familia was gone. Her yernos Félix y Agustín, who brought new stars to her family. Her nietos, Isabela, Delores, Luisa, Camilo, Antonio, and her mariposita, sweet Mirabel. Mirabel, who had forced her eyes open to the pain and silent suffering she'd unknowingly caused her family. Mirabel, who made them a family again.

A terrible, terrible fear gripped her suddenly, filling her with ice that took her breath away. 'What if they aren't born again?' She shook her head. 'No, it will be okay. It must be. ¡Debe ser!'

Taking a shuddering breath, she tried to make a plan. 'I'll just make sure Julieta and Pepa meet their esposos again. Everything shou…will fall into place after that.' With her mind set, her fear was shoved into a box, replaced with fierce determination and grief. Looking at her hands, she thought of the last hand she'd held, covered in blood that would have belonged to another if…if not for—

"Lo…siento, Mamá. I wanted more…time…contigo."

Time.

Time.

"Oh, Brunito…" Alma breathed, eyes wide in awe and realization. Clasping her hands together and pressing them to her mouth, she cried. "Yo también quería más tiempo contigo, with all of you. Together. Como una familia."

Wiping her tears away, Alma stood and met her reflection headon, her determination staring back at her. "I will not let this third chance go to waste, mijo. I promise." It would be hard, but she was no stranger to a hard life.

This time, she would keep her family whole, and hopefully, when she finally reunites with Pedro, she would be able to look him in the eyes and not feel shame.

'Your sacrifices will not go to waste.'

Sooooo thoughts? I really like this have already written so much of it. I might post weekly idk XD

Until next time, adiós!

~Star