No matter how hard you protect you secrets, they will always affect people around you. Starts after the episode "A fair trial", when Don Alejandro is acquitted from Monastario's accusations and finishes after "The fall of Monastario", when we farewell our favorite villain.
Once again special thanks to IcyWaters, who not only read and corrected the story but also inspired it :)
All the characters belong to Disney.
Just in the middle
Disappointment
Don Alejandro de la Vega got up as early as he used to, just after the first beams of the sun lit up the patio in his hacienda. The pistol wound he got during the ill-fated escapade toward the cuartel a few days ago, though healing nicely, still made him a little frail, so he was determined to prove his ability to overcome any weakness.
He ate his breakfast alone – just as he was used to as well – but with each bite his irritation grew. His young, perfectly healthy son was of course still sleeping, and probably not going to get up till midday. What an idler!
Don Alejandro didn't want to admit that the true reason for his anger was not his son's laziness. The old Don would surely deny it, but deep in his heart he just felt... lonely. Lonely and forlorn. During the last days he survived a lot of difficult moments: he was wounded, chased, imprisoned and accused of treason. And the most bitter part of it was that he had to cope with all this without the slightest support from his son.
"He wasn't there," he whispered to himself, pushing away the tray with the food.
His son wasn't riding by his side when Don Alejandro and the other haciendados decided to free Senora and Senorita Torres, accused by the corrupted commandante. He wasn't trying to help his wounded father when he was escaping from lancers.
"He was drinking! Drinking and singing bibulous songs with stupid soldiers!" Don Alejandro hissed through clenched teeth, throwing on the floor his rumpled napkin.
And he was late for his trial.
That was the most bitter experience. Attending the trial didn't require any special skills, wasn't connected with any danger. It was so simple – just get up on time and come. Yet, Diego didn't manage to do even this, he only came when the whole hearing was over. And Elena Torres and her mother waited since dawn in front of the cuartel…
True, at first Don Alejandro was so exhilarated with the unexpectedly positive verdict, declaring him innocent, that he didn't comment on Diego's strange absence. They celebrated his release together.
Nevertheless, later the disappointment came, changing into persistent rancor.
"I am not going to wake him," mumbled Don Alejandro to himself. "Let him sleep as long as he wishes, there is no use of him anyway, when he is awaken."
The old Don moved his thoughts away as energetically as the remains of his breakfast and was just about to leave the house, when the servant announced the visit of Doctor Hernandez.
"Welcome, Doctor! What a surprise!" exclaimed Don Alejandro a little baffled, leading his guest into the sala.
"What a surprise indeed!" repeated the doctor a bit mockingly, though with friendly smile. "Have you forgotten, my friend, about this nasty bullet that chose to take up residence in your breast only few days ago? Well, I didn't."
"But I assure you, I am perfectly healthy. Thanks to your care and skills, of course."
In spite of the compliments, Don Alejandro looked around impatiently, searching for the excuse to get rid of the doctor as soon as possible. The last, however, pretended not to notice the anxiety of his patient, only sat calmly in the sala and opened his old, leather bag, taking out different tools and medicaments.
"I wasn't convinced about paying you visit so early, Alejandro. I said to myself: I am sure that he will be still sleeping. Resting. Letting his body to heal and regain its strength, as any wise man would. No, I shouldn't disturb him. But then," the doctor waved for Don Alejandro to sit in front of him and unbutton his shirt, "I reconsidered it and decided that if I come just ten minutes later, I may not find my friend at home."
The doctor leant himself over the wound, examined it carefully, nodded with satisfaction and started to put the new dressing on it.
"So, how is our patient today?" a merry voice sounded just above them, so suddenly, that Doctor Hernandez jumped, almost dropping the bandage. As for such a tall man, Alejandro's son has the ability to move extremely quiet.
"Absolutely fine," he answered with the smile. "Your father is strong and healthy, as if he were a man of your age, Diego."
"I told you, I am all right, Doctor. You shouldn't bother yourself with riding here," nagged Don Alejandro, yet let the doctor to finish his job, knowing that it is the quickest way to get rid of his care. He didn't raise his head to look at Diego, as if he was reluctant to acknowledge his presence in the room.
Doctor Hernandez, however, looked at Diego and even with the quick glance noticed the uncommon affliction of the usually cheerful and serene caballero. This time the merry voice was a fake. Diego looked tired and weary.
"Slept well, young man?" he asked.
"As the matter of fact, no," answered Diego shaking his head. "I just couldn't sleep. I had to take some sleeping potion, but it seems that it didn't have good effect on me."
"You should be careful with this, Diego. At your age sleeping potion is not necessary. More movement on the fresh air and all your problems would be over."
"I fully agree and I will do my best to follow your advice," Diego bowed politely his head.
Doctor Hernandez couldn't miss the angry snicker of Don Alejandro and he was sure that Diego acknowledged it too, as the young man turned slowly to the window.
Alejandro is too harsh with his son. The boy is probably in love... or just drank too hard last night and now is too ashamed to admit it, thought the doctor. He decided to change the subject:
"Have you heard what happened yesterday at the Mission San Gabriel?"
Diego didn't move, but Don Alejandro raised his head with the sudden interest.
"No. What was it?"
'"As you know, the whole share from the taxes that goes to the mission was deposited in the church. The safest place, before Padre Benitez properly allocates them. And someone robbed it!"
"From the church?" asked incredulously Don Alejandro.
"Just feet from the altar!" confirmed the doctor, shaking his head with indignation.
Diego didn't seem neither too scandalized, nor too interested, but he left the window and sat in the armchair near two old friends.
"Any news who did it?" he asked, hiding his face in his hands. The doctor thought that he must have really taken some potion that was still affecting him.
"No," replied the doctor. "Well, of course, Monastario arrested some poor natives, but..."
"Natives? But these poor souls would die for Padre Benitez! And they would never rob the church!" Don Alejandro's face was full of indignation, he looked around searching for support or explanation, but his eyesight didn't cross with Diego's, as the young man's face was still hidden in his palms.
"I agree," nodded sadly the doctor, "but we all know what kind of man Monastario is. Ruthless. He would do anything to cover his incompetence. And he treats natives like animals."
"They must be scared to death," suddenly whispered Diego. "Poor Innocence has already been kept in cuartel once, flogged and tortured. Did Monastario already command to flog them?" he raised his brown eyes on the doctor. They were glittering so strangely, that the doctor thought the young man must be feverish.
"I do not know anything about it. But, anyway," he smiled bitterly, "Monastario wouldn't bother himself with calling for the doctor to see to the wounded native."
Gloomy silence fell in the sala. Neither of the de la Vegas spoke anything, each of them drawn in their own thoughts. To break the heavy moment the doctor asked:
"So, you heard about it already, Diego?"
"Me? Why?" asked the young man a bit unconsciously.
"Well, one of the arrested was Innocence."
For a moment the young Don looked a bit absently around, and the doctor already thought he didn't understand his question, when Diego replied a bit unsurely:
"Innocence always does the church service... It was obvious that he will be among the accused..."
"Obvious!" Don Alejandro hissed with such irritation, that both the doctor and Diego jumped on their seats. "If everything is suddenly so obvious for you, my son, why don't you finally start doing something with it!"
Finally the sight of son and father crossed. Doctor Hernandez thought that he was going to witness the family quarrel and felt very uncomfortable. Trying to make as little noise as possible, he started quickly to gather his tools. Yet, the storm was not to come. Diego broke the eye contact first, lowering his head and leaning back in the armchair, as if moving back out of the range of his father's anger.
"If I only could," he whispered after the long moment.
"If you only tried," accented Don Alejandro, now gazing at him steadily.
Doctor Hernandez felt sorry for the young man.
"Even Zorro wasn't able to do anything, Alejandro," he said peaceably.
"Zorro was there?" asked the old Don, suddenly excited. His son didn't seem to care for the masked revenger, he only rubbed his temple again.
"Of course he was!" Doctor Hernandez smiled for a moment. People in Los Angeles used to speak about their fox with smile and excitement. However, the smile soon faded and the doctor finished with the heavy sigh: "But it was too late. There were already plenty of lancers, natives were already under guard... Yet, Zorro gave a good show! He climbed somehow to the campanile, and, while the soldiers were trying to get him, demonstrated – again – that Monastario is an idiot, trying to arrest these poor Indians. That was great, Alejandro, Diego, you should have seen him! He mocked our commandande as usual – or even more than usual – and in the same breath proved that the natives are innocent, so skillfully as a lawyer... All with bullets hissing around him and lancers trying to climb the tower!"
"But he didn't manage to make Monastario free the natives," suddenly interrupted Diego with strange to him irritation. The doctor looked at him surprised. Was that boy jealous of Zorro? The same thought was ridiculous. They had nothing in common.
Yet, Diego was right.
"No. He didn't. And Monastario was so humiliated, that he promised to hang all his prisoners if Zorro wouldn't give himself up before the next dawn."
Alejandro's eyes went wide with shock.
"Hang? But he knows they are innocent! Is he really going to do it?"
"Knowing Monastario, he is," concluded unexpectedly loudly Diego, who rose and went to the window again.
After the doctor had left, Don Alejandro started to pace nervously up and down through the sala.
"I am not going to leave this like that. I won't let this crooked scoundrel terrorize the whole land. I suspect that he is even madder at the Fox because he helped me, so it is my responsibility now to pay that debt."
"Why do you think that all debts must be paid, Father?" asked Diego with strange, half sad, half amused smile.
The older Don stopped and looked at his son for a moment, trying to understand the meaning of his words. Finally, he gave up and waved his hand.
"I must do something."
"Hardly had you got out from the troubles, and yet you are already searching for the new ones?" stated Diego, raising his eyebrows. His smile was so warm and caring, that Don Alejandro must have smiled back. The soft tenderness in his son's voice washed away his anger.
"Don't worry, Son," he replied patting his shoulders. "I will be more careful this time. But we must help the Fox. I will call other haciendados. Together..."
"Again, Father?" Diego interrupted him with kind of amusement. "It will do nothing, only infuriate him, if you try to put the pressure on him. Why don't you rather... talk to him? Try to reason? Maybe you will manage to persuade some relief for his poor prisoners. Maybe he will even release some of them."
"Well, I can talk to him at first," agreed Don Alejandro reluctantly. "I will go right now." He stood up, but Diego grabbed his arm.
"Today Monastario makes the drill exercises for the lancers... He would not be happy to be disturbed. Go to him at the evening, after the supper. You will probably find him in the tavern, it might be easier to talk with him over some good wine."
Don Alejandro couldn't remember hearing about any drill exercises, however, his son spent so much time with Sergeant Garcia that he probably knew the best, what and where the lancers were doing.
"All right then. But if that doesn't help and he captures Zorro, I will, I repeat, I will gather my friends and demand at least fair trial for him."
"I guess I will not be able then to stop you from doing this," Diego agreed with one of his warm, friendly smiles. "But at least give the Fox the chance to try to solve the problem in his own way first."
That was wise, thought Don Alejandro. Surprisingly, the masked outlaw has much more ways to solve the problem than dozens of wealthy haciendados, bounded by law, by their duties, by their families.
"What do you think he may do?" he asked a bit absently.
"Well, I suppose that he will try to free the natives, and if this attempt fails, he will turn himself in," said Diego slowly. Alejandro had the feeling that his son wanted to add something else, but resigned.
None of them spoke for a moment. Alejandro thought about the young, brave man in black, who fought with such devotion for what he believed in. Oh, he was not the first noble bandito in California! There were many before him, whose desperation, usually born in protection of their homes and families, put them behind the law. They were brave and determined. People cheered them, told legends about their adventures, sang songs about them. And they all had similar end, either in battle or on the gallows their lives ended and bodies turned into dust under nameless crosses. The song lasted longer, but sooner or later they were all forgotten...
The same fate will meet el Zorro, thought Don Alejandro, suddenly scared. No matter how dashing, how full of life, how graceful in his movements or witty in his words he is, he will die and turn into dust.
I will do my best to help him, he promised silently, taken by bad premonitions and fear about the masked hero.
Then he looked at Diego, who was still smiling a little wryly, his eyes warm and caring. It reminded him about the same warm expression in the eyes of the Fox, when he was trying to treat Don Alejandro's wounds. Yes, he did think then, that it was Diego. That it was his son who was wearing the black disguise. For a moment, he was sure – until he learnt that Diego spent all that time in the companion of three lancers who guarded him all the time. How disappointed he was then!
Now he suddenly felt something absolutely different: relief.
Relief, that his son is safe here, in the hacienda, that he will not be shot, stabbed, led to gallows. That all these heavy thoughts, dark premonitions did not refer to him. That the father will not have to see the dust falling on his son's grave.
I won't be a foolish old man again, who wants his son to be his mirror. Diego is different than me and I will learn to appreciate him just as he is. True, his son was too passive and lazy, but he was also warm-hearted and usually wise in his judgments. Let him live his own way, thought Don Alejandro, I just want him by my side again.
"Diego," he started with a cordial smile, stretching hand to him, to underline that his words mean something more than simple proposition, that it is an invitation to reconciliation, "I will go to Monastario at the evening, as you advise. I want just talk to him, maybe I will manage to persuade him to some reason. Will you come with me? You are far better when it comes to negotiations."
The older man looked at his son with expectation, slowly realizing that his warm words are going to be left without proper response. Diego's smile faded, his face closed.
"I am sorry, Father, I have other obligations," he said flatly.
"Then call them off," there was a kind of threat in Don Alejandro's voice. De la Vega's temper was always easy to wake.
"I cannot, Father," answered simply his son and without further explanations turned back and headed for his room. Just before exiting the sala, however, he suddenly stopped and said quietly without looking at Don Alejandro:
"Father, I always had the best intentions, even if the result might not be as I wished... Please, remember that, whatever happens."