2. Chapter 2

Upon returning to the village, they headed straight for the Silva's home, returning Augusto into the relieved arms of his parents.

Mirabel was pulled into a tight hug in thanks from Augusto's parents, as was Delores, before their attention was back on making sure their youngest was alright.

Mirabel and Dolores made their leave, and Isabella, who had been keeping the family company until they returned, followed them outside.

"I'm going home to make sure everything is prepared for my proposal tonight," Isabela told them both, throwing her perfect hair over her shoulder. "Mirabel, why don't you leave Dolores alone? You've bothered her enough. Let's get you back home and out of the way so that you don't mess anything up for tonight."

Mirabel gripped the strap of her bag, shifting uncomfortably, eyes on the ground. "O-okay." She stuttered.

"No, I still need Mirabel's help today." Dolores said, shooting her older prima a glare. "You go back and worry about your proposal yourself, Isa. Mirabel is fine with me."

Mirabel shot her a surprised look, but didn't protest.

"What else could she possibly help you with?" Isabela asked, looking at Dolores like she was crazy.

"That's not your business," Dolores rolled her eyes. "Come on, Mira. Good-bye Isabela."

Mira looked between the two nervously before following Dolores, who had already started down the path.

"You really stood up to Isabella for me?" She asked, her voice in awe. "What else are we doing?"

Dolores raised an eyebrow. "What, you thought that conversation would cease to exist once we left the forest? Of course not, prima. Let's go find your other hermana and see what she knows."

They found Luisa moving the bridge so that it was more convenient for the people crossing there. "You talk to her. I don't think she'll talk to me the same way." Dolores hung back.

Mirabel froze. "Are you sure?" She asked, suddenly hesitant.

"Vamos," Dolores said, waving her forwards.

Dolores listened as Mirabel talked with Luisa, staying out of sight but able to hear every word as Luisa opened up about her fear and how she felt weak when Mirabel had saw the cracks the night before.

Luisa quickly hurried off to do other things, and Mirabel returned to Dolores, her eyes wide and bright with adventure.

"You don't seriously want to go into Bruno's tower." Dolores hissed. "Are you mad?"

"We need answers! And that's the best lead we've got so far." Mirabel was excited. Dolores had absolutely no desire to go into Bruno's room and find his vision cave, but she hadn't seen that light in Mirabel's eyes in a while.

"Fine. But we won't have time today, not with the - not with the dinner and the proposal. I can already hear everyone starting to panic getting everything into place."

Mirabel tilted her head. "Okay." She said, studying Dolores. "Tomorrow. It's a plan."

They started heading back to Casita, and Mirabel startled Dolores with a question.

"Why are you sad about the proposal?"

"Sad? I'm not sad." Dolores said quickly. Too quickly. Mirabel's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, and that denial really tells me that you're thrilled. Is it because you're growing up and you know you're next? Or are you going to miss Isa?"

"I'm not sad." She snapped again, and sighed when Mirabel flinched back, training her eyes to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Mira." She muttered. "I-I - you can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, understand?"

"Sí." Mirabel nodded, looking back up at her with guarded eyes. "What is it?"

"I… I've had a crush on Mariano for… forever." She murmured. "It's just hard to see him being set up with my cousin."

"Oh Dolores." Mirabel reached over and took Dolores' hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I'm so sorry."

Dolores shrugged. "Nothing to be done about it now."

Back at Casita, they were pulled in different directions. Tía Julieta asked for Mira's help in the kitchen, and Dolores' mother pulled her into the nursery for her help with gathering Antonio's things.

At least, that's what she told her they were doing.

"What's going on with Mirabel?" She asked immediately once the door was closed.

"What?" Dolores asked, actually confused. Nobody else had ever seemed to notice Mirabel. And they certainly had never asked Dolores about her before.

"Your Tía and I were discussing her earlier - yesterday was difficult for your prima. And then you decided today of all days to take her with you? Did you hear something?"

"Am I not allowed to spend time with my prima? Is it that strange?" Dolores asked, and her heart sank at the look her mama was giving her. It was that strange.

They had to do better.

"She had a rough night last night, Mama." Dolores admitted. "We've talked about it, she's okay now. And she's going to be spending more time with me. I don't want to break her tenuous trust in me by discussing specifics."

Pepa regarded her daughter thoughtfully. "Alright, mija. I am happy to see you taking your cousin under your wing." She patted Dolores on the cheek before they actually started working on moving the rest of Antonio's things to his new room.

When they finally had everything ready for the evening, Dolores was distracted by a conversation between Isabela and Mirabel.

"I don't want you there tonight, Mirabel. I need tonight to go perfectly. So why don't you go up to the nursery and stay out of my way."

Dolores came out of the nursery to the balcony, and could literally see Mirabel curling in onto herself.

"But-" Mirabel whispered back.

"You heard your sister, Mirabel." Dolores hadn't seen their Abuela, but she definitely could hear her. "She's asked that you give her space for the evening. Please respect that and go up to your room. We don't need another incident like last night."

Dolores slipped to the side, out of sight, while Mirabel made her way dejectedly to the nursery.

Could Mirabel be right? Would it be better for Mirabel if she wasn't surrounded by their toxic family?

But no, Tía Julieta and Tío Agustín and both of Dolores' parents love Mirabel. Luisa loves Mirabel. Antonio adores her, and while Camilo and her were not as close as they used to be, she had never heard him speak negatively towards her. It was just Abuela and Isabela that could be so cold and vicious to her.

Dolores slipped into the nursery after Mirabel, climbing onto the bed with her. Dolores wrapped her arms around her prima, and Mirabel tried to push her away, but Dolores was insistent, holding her close. Mirabel finally broke down and cried in Dolores' arms until she fell asleep, her head on her lap.

"Dolores, I have been calling you-" Her Mama appeared in the doorway, a cloud thundering over her head. "What's wrong?" She asked, changing her attitude as she took in her sobrina's tear stained face.

Dolores shook her head, fighting her own tears. "Isa told her that she didn't want her at the engagement." She whispered, not wanting to wake her prima. "And I don't want her to be alone."

"Does Julieta know that she said that? Because she wouldn't stand for that-"

"Abuela agreed with Isabela." Dolores looked at her mama with wide eyes. "How did it get this bad? Mirabel isn't some… some curse on our family, Mama. Mirabel loves this family."

The look in Pepa's eyes were unreadable, but the storm made clear the inner turmoil her mother was feeling.

"I will take care of this. You two stay up here." She pecked Dolores on the top of her head. "I'm proud of you, mija."

Dolores listened as her mother went downstairs and made excuses for Mirabel and Dolores - stating that both must have been exhausted from their trip that morning and had fallen asleep and she couldn't wake them. It was a weak excuse, especially considering she still had a storm cloud over her head - made worse by Abuela commenting on it - indicating her distress.

Dolores and Mirabel were quickly dismissed and forgotten about as the evening went on, resulting in Isabela getting engaged to Mariano.

While Dolores felt for her prima - she should have absolutely been allowed at her hermana's engagement - Dolores was also relieved that she didn't have to be present. Hearing it all was bad enough.

After a while, Dolores and laid down with her cousin in her bed, getting comfortable. That was how her mama and Tía Julieta found them, hours later, after everyone else had gone to bed.

"Mija, wake up." Julieta said gently to Mirabel. Mirabel squirmed and her eyes opened a fraction.

"Mama? What's wrong?" She asked, sitting up and reaching for her glasses that Dolores had set to the side when she fell asleep.

"Why did you miss Isabela's engagement?" Julieta's voice was gentle and soft.

Mirabel glanced at Dolores, panic written across her face, but Dolores nodded encouragingly.

"Isa and Abuela didn't want me there. They didn't want me to be able to mess it up like I messed up Antonio's night."

Pepa's storm thundered at that, and Mirabel flinched backwards. "You didn't mess Antonio's night up, sobrina. Antonio loves you. You helped him more than you could have ever messed his night up."

Julieta looked furious. "I will deal with your sister and your Abuela. It is unacceptable that they spoke to you that way, mija." She cupped her daughter's face, but Mirabel was shaking her head.

"That will just make Isa more angry with me. I don't want her to be angry with me."

"You let me handle Isabela." Julieta's voice was firm and angry, something that was rare coming from the gentle healer. "You haven't done anything wrong, Mira. Don't let them make you think you have."

Dolores squeezed her prima's hand in support, relaxing at the grin that she shot her.

Dolores couldn't believe how much their relationship had changed just over the course of one day - how willing Mirabel was to talk to her, to forgive her.

It reflected Mirabel's character, and how much stronger she was than any other person in this house.

"Gracias, Mama," Mirabel murmured.

"Do you want to have a sleepover in my room tonight?" Dolores asked without thinking, barely paying attention to the looks of pride and approval from her mama and her tía.

Mirabel's eyes widened. "Only if I wouldn't be a bother…" She trailed off, but Dolores just raised an eyebrow, pulling her prima up off the bed.

"Perfecto." She grinned. "You get changed and ready for bed and then come on over."

Mirabel still looked kind of shocked, but Dolores figured it was decided, and left to give her some privacy.

Pepa followed her outside, leaving the other mother and daughter duo alone.

"I am so proud of you." She repeated her words from earlier. "We will take care of this, I promise."

Later that night, Dolores opened her door a crack and did her normal hearing test for her family members, relaxing when she determined that all the heartbeats were accounted for.

"What are you doing?" Mirabel asked her from where she was getting comfortable in bed.

Dolores blushed. Nobody knew about her nightly routine. But she figured that this was how you built relationship - she couldn't expect her prima to be the only one being vulnerable.

"I uh- I listen each night before I go to sleep to make sure that everyone is here." She murmured quietly. "Thats what I was doing when I heard you last night."

"Oh." Mirabel seemed to be processing this information. "That's so sweet, Dolores."

Dolores climbed into bed. "That actually makes me feel very…"

"Stalked?" Dolores interrupted, laughing a little at herself.

"Loved." Mirabel corrected. "It makes me feel loved."

"You are loved, Mira. Even if you don't always see it, you are loved."

And both fell asleep, comfortable in each other's presence.

AN: Okay, a couple things:

1. Thank you for the amazing response I got to this story so far! It blew my mind! I'm so glad so many people have enjoyed it!

2. I suck at knowing where to end chapters. Just thought I'd share because I feel like all my chapters end with characters falling asleep. Idk.

3. I don't know where to end this story. I'm almost done writing chapter 4. The main purpose was to write Mirabel and Dolores bonding. If anyone has suggestions on how far to take the story, please feel free to review or message me, because I could really use some suggestions. No guarantees that I'll use it, but it could help give me an idea so that I have some direction. I would of course give credit to any ideas I do use! I don't know if that makes sense, but thanks to everyone who has read this far anyway! You guys are awesome!