And Then I Knew
2-Alejandro's POV
Alejandro rode out to the tavern, shaking his head at his son's carelessness. Diego had forgotten to take the carved picture frame and painting of the tavern he had painted for Victoria's birthday when he rode to the tavern that afternoon. Diego had originally wanted to give Victoria his mother's emerald earrings as well but he had staunchly nixed that idea. Those earrings matched his mother's ring and belonged with a future Donna de la Vega, not just a good family friend. Even if Diego was determined to be a bachelor than Felipe would have them instead for his bride.
But Diego asking for those earrings combined with the fact he had gone in the middle of siesta gave Alejandro a strange feeling about things. It was not proper for Diego to give Victoria any gift at all now, not in the middle of the day when no one else was around. He should have stopped him before he headed out but his indolent son could be surprisingly headstrong at times.
Alejandro entered the tavern feeling slightly guilty to be disregarding the closed sign and walking in anyway. But it hadn't deterred his son so he figured it would be okay. He expected to hear Victoria and Diego talking but the tavern was suspiciously quiet. Worried for her a second he impatiently pulled open the curtains to her kitchen.
"Madre de dios," he exclaimed as he revealed Victoria and his son in a rather intimate embrace.
"Father," groaned Diego, the first of the three to recover spontaneous speech. Victoria merely flushed scarlet as she quickly disentangled herself from Diego's embrace.
Alejandro could only look from his son to Victoria, trying to make sense of what he saw, but there was only one obvious conclusion. One that he should have reached when he saw Gilberto and Diego fighting all those months ago.
"You're Zorro?" he demanded, before his son had a chance to come up with some lame excuse for why he was mauling Victoria in her kitchen.
"Yes father," he admitted.
Alejandro sighed and placed the present he had brought for Victoria down on her kitchen counter.
"I should have known," he mumbled to himself, a troubled look in his eyes.
Diego took a step away from Victoria and towards his father.
"Father I wanted to tell you so many times…" he began.
"I should have known," interrupted Alejandro as he starred into his son's eyes. "You shouldn't have had to tell me Diego, I should have known."
Quietness pervaded over the three occupants of the tavern as the guilt in Alejandro's words and thoughts on how to make things right evaded them. Finally Alejandro spoke, his tone dripping with reminiscence of times long past.
"You were the naughtiest child when you were little Diego. Always getting into mischief and trying my patience, though your poor mother had infinite patience for you. She would merely smile and say that you were my son after all. Then after your mother got sick, and passed away, suddenly you were the model child. You were her son then. You didn't do anything bad that could upset me for years afterward."
Alejandro paused as the memories of the shell both he and Diego became after Felicidad's death tore at his heart.
"Then one day Senora Escalante brought you home and reported that you and Francisco had snuck my prize stallion out and were attempting to jump Devil's Moutain."
Alejandro smiled at the memory.
"I remember that you gave me a good tongue lashing after that," added Diego.
"Yes, but Diego after you were sent to your room I was nothing but relieved. That you were you again. Albeit you were far from perfect, you were a de la Vega. Someone who sometimes tends to do stupid and only half thought out things because they are following their heart and their sense of adventure."
Alejandro smiled as he thought of it. How Zorro was the very embodiment of that little boy.
"Today I feel like I did then my son, like I've gotten my son back."
Diego moved toward his father and Alejandro embraced his son.
"But Diego, that doesn't mean you don't deserve a good tongue lashing now just like you did then."
Alejandro laughed at the contrite look on his son's face. He found it amusing when he thought that he was lecturing Zorro. But heroes were only men to the ones who knew them best.
"Oh I wouldn't dare lecture you about Zorro. You did what you thought was best and I couldn't be prouder of you my son. But Diego de la Vega, this is not how a gentleman conducts himself with a lady."
Alejandro may have lectured his son and the lovely young woman who didn't leave his side throughout the whole ordeal for a good half of an hour. But as he watched them make their way towards Padres Benitez he couldn't be happier.
End Chapter 2
Thanks everyone for your reviews! I was so excited when I saw them all. I hope you enoyed this part at well, I found Alejandro a lot more difficult to work with then Victoria.