We're Family

"I'm a pretty sorry excuse for a great-great-grandpa."

Héctor Rivera looked down at himself. His long bones, yellowed and fragile, were barely covered by torn and worn out clothing that hardly resembled proper pants and a jacket anymore. He half-heartedly motioned at his ragged appearance with his thumb. "Eh, look at me, Miguel. Falling apart before our very eyes. I haven't got a proper legacy to pass down to you- I couldn't even properly provide for Coco."

"Are you crazy?" Miguel stomped around so he could face the skeleton sitting on the ground better. "A moment ago you were saying how you didn't write Remember Me for the world but for Coco. I don't care about that rich and famous stuff either!"

Héctor raised his eyes and shot a knowing frown at the boy.

Miguel flinched and his voice softened. "Okay, yeah." One of his skeletal-turning hands grabbed at the sleeve of his red hoodie as he shifted and looked off to the side, avoiding Héctor's flat gaze. "I mean … I used to, kind of. I thought that de la Cruz was everything I wanted to be. He played his guitar and everyone loved him! I wanted that … too."

The living boy shrugged. "No one back home will listen to me. I guess I thought … if not my own family, then maybe the world?"

Héctor's frown lessened as understanding jabbed inside him. He was reminded of a time long ago and nearly forgotten when he'd been a struggling, poor musician down on his luck. And then he met Imelda. Yes, he knew the feeling of finding someone, even if just one person, who supported your dreams. Or in Miguel's case, thinking you had found them.

Miguel was just a boy, still learning and growing. And Héctor had seen first hand just how passionate and talented the boy was when it came to his music. To be raised around people who refused music must have been difficult for the young musician.

"But that's not right either." Miguel shook his head. "What Ernesto de la Cruz did was wrong. He didn't care about just sharing his music, he was after the fame. What he did to you was wrong."

"Sí, chamaco. But what use is a musician who has no audience to share his music with?" Héctor raised an eye ridge before lowering his skull, weakly waving out one bony arm. "I was once like that, too. I wanted … wanted more. I wanted the world to hear my music. I learned too late to be content with what I already had. If I hadn't left Santa Cecilia then music would have stayed in our family." He pointed at Miguel. "You wouldn't have come here looking for de la Cruz's blessing, and I …"

Now the words were tougher to speak even without a throat to choke on, because it was a truth he'd known for forever and a day. He might as well voice it out loud.

"I would have been there. For Coco."

Only a few quiet moments went by before Miguel's young voice stated simply, "You made a mistake, Papa Héctor."

Héctor's head whipped up at the title he'd never had the privilege of hearing before.

Miguel was watching him, warm light in his big brown eyes. The kind that made the youngster seem far more maturer than the scared child Héctor had only been comforting minutes ago after falling into a sinkhole, betrayed and abandoned by his musical idol. He stared as the boy continued, shrugging his lanky shoulders gently. "I've made mistakes too. A real big one. I should have listened to my family."

For a moment there was the heaviness from earlier in the boy's demeanor and Héctor's bones inwardly chafed. Poor kid, he knew exactly what it felt like and he would never wish the despair on someone so young.

The boy began to smile. "But I'm going to make things right the best I can. And you know something?"

Miguel took a step forward, suddenly becoming animated and causing Héctor to straighten his spine back in response. Ay, kids and their energy. "A minute ago I thought I was related to a murderer. And all this time I was looking to de la Cruz when you were the one who actually helped me!"

The boy spun around, half dancing, half strumming an imaginary guitar and somehow still talking. "At the battle of the bands I did well because of you. You believed in me! For real! All this time it's been you, Héctor."

Héctor's jaw opened slightly. Back during the battle of the bands he hadn't realized how important his support for Miguel had truly been. The musical setting, the warm ups, the advice had all been second nature to Héctor. Looking back he was still pretty amazed he himself had actually been on stage, singing and dancing like old times. For Miguel, it was his first time.

"All my life I've been different," Miguel placed a hand over his heart. "And I never knew where that came from, but now I do. I got it from you! We're family."

The boy paused and smiled like a sunbeam. He lunged forward and threw his arms around Héctor's spindly frame. Héctor stiffened in surprise before Miguel exclaimed, "We're family, Héctor."

Héctor glanced at the boy's dark head before wrapping his own, bony arms around him and hugged right back. Miguel and him, family. Coco's great-grandson had found him. He had yearned to see her for so long that it almost felt like a piece of her had returned to him.

He smiled. "That's Papa Héctor to you, mijo."

Miguel shook with laughter. "I'm proud we're family." He threw his head back and hollered joyfully up at the gap of their underground prison. "I'm proud to be his family!"

The words ignited something in Héctor, bringing strength back to his bones.

He felt like fire burned in his chest, like the same kind of pride he'd felt all those years ago when he saw Coco for the first time. The skeleton let out a powerful cheer and jumped up, hugging his grandson close. "And I'm proud to be his family!" He let out a grito and spun around in a dance with his grandson. And even if the whole world had turned its back on Héctor and Miguel Rivera, there was no mistaking the joy flooding the sinkhole.

Ernesto de la Cruz had taken almost everything from them. And sure, they were literally at rock bottom … but they were dancing. They were cheering.

They were family.

Author's Note: I finally saw Coco and that movie has stolen my heart and now holds it hostage unless I write. Not simply because it's a wonder-filled, beautiful story about family, which I adore already, but I'm partially Mexican – seriously, my grandmother could be a long lost sister to Miguel's grandmother – so the movie is very special to me.

The message of family has got to be one of the biggest things I'm passionate about, so I hope this little oneshot carries the same depth as the movie. I wanted to extend the scene where they've discovered they are related and Miguel and Héctor encourage each other. They're proud to be family and they both know it's genuine.

Okay, I'm done rambling.