A/N: It is looking like the day after Resendo 's death isn't going well, either. A little hungover, a lot in pain, we still have two stubborn and passionate people with many, many details to sort. . .

Diego raked his hands through his hair and leaned against the cool stone wall. He closed his eyes and allowed the fear wash over him in that moment. She left. After her last cold words to him, he'd had no reply. He had stood for a moment regarding her quietly, then leaned to look through the spy hole into the library and reached above her to turn the candelabra, opening the door. She had swept through it without looking back.

Victoria's words haunted him. It is time for you to feel what it is like to be the one who wonders. What did she mean by that? Had he really gained and lost everything in just a few short hours? It did not seem possible that in the moonlight she had been in his arms-his, not his black-clad alter ego's-and now she was gone.

The damnation continues, thought Diego. My fate is to suffer endlessly.

His body ached, his head throbbed, the wound in his arm pinched and burned whenever he moved it, but all of his physical ailments together were nothing compared to the gaping hole in his heart. This, thought Diego. This is what it is to really fear. He had tasted it before when his father and Victoria were seriously injured and he had nearly lost them, but this time it was different: To know that he could lose Victoria and she would live on was in many ways so much worse than the time she'd lain near death. Death, inevitable and cruel, that he could maybe eventually have accepted. But this kind of rejection? It was so much worse. It was personal.

And what had she said? That she'd never once been safe. She had only been alone. That makes two of us, sighed Diego miserably.

How was it that his father's anger with him was reduced by seeing the cave, while Victoria became angry? He should have known that taking Victoria to the cave would stir up frustration. If only we had stayed in the library and read poetry all day! He groaned softly. Gone was the optimism he felt upon waking, the hope that it would all work out so much more beautifully than he had ever dreamed.

Nothing was going to be simple for him after all.

-Z-

Diego's return to the cave was met with curious looks from both his father and Felipe. How much did they hear? he wondered. The probability that they had heard every word was very high; on this side of the wall, sound traveled well. Wonderful, thought Diego. Simply wonderful. If things couldn't go well with Victoria, couldn't he at least have the dignity of some privacy?

Felipe spoke first, signing rapidly. 'What did you do?' he asked, his eyes concerned. 'She was mad,' He signed 'mad' twice, to make sure that Diego understood it, or perhaps to emphasize how mad she was.

Diego shook his head. "I don't know, Felipe." Felipe frowned at this and leaned back against the wall of the cave. It was apparent that he was also feeling the effects of last night's wine, and perhaps had been wrested from his bed by Don Alejandro sooner than he would have preferred.

Don Alejandro had re-folded his arms and was in full lecture stance. "Son, whatever you did, you need to tell her you are sorry. Now. And if it has something to with what happened after I went to bed last night, I don't want to know about it. Just marry her and be done with it."

This is what passes for your advice, Father? thought Diego incredulously. He forced a laugh that sounded weak and strained. "Marry her, father? Do you really think that she is likely to agree to that now? That seems like a rather poor solution."

The older don shook his head. "Talk to her. Tell her you are sorry, even if you are not the one at fault. Women want to hear that. She's had a shock, Diego, and she'll want you to be sorry about not being truthful with her." He raised an eyebrow and nodded to himself, approving of his own insight.

If only it was that simple, Diego thought. He sighed and sank onto the wooden stool by the table. He was so tired, though not from lack of sleep; he was tired of facing one difficulty after the next with no reprieve. Just when things were looking up, some awful thing would happen and send him scrambling again. His head and arm were throbbing alternately. He wanted to climb into bed and start the day over again, or sleep to forget.

Felipe stood, slowly, as the wine from the night before had made him feel sluggish as well. He stretched his arms and rubbed the back of his neck, taking a moment to consider what to do next. He seemed to remember something and moved decisively to a cabinet to gather objects into a bowl: A knife, a jar, a roll of clean bandages and cloths, and a small bottle of clear liquid. He approached Diego with the bowl and signed "This, now."

Diego nodded and began to unbutton his shirt. Don Alejandro watched the silent interaction and frowned when he saw what they were about. He apparently seemed to take a small personal affront to the fact Felipe was the one who would care for the wound on his son's arm. Please, Father, just let us do this. Don't make everything about you today.

The older don watched as his son gingerly raised his arm to pull it from the sleeve of his shirt and narrowed his eyes. But what his father said next had nothing to do with the physical wound. "Diego, you know that women think first with their hearts. You need to be more sensitive when you talk to her. She is a smart woman. You'll not be able put anything over on her." He seemed unwilling to let the topic drop.

Felipe used the tip of the small knife to slice away the bandage from the day before, his nimble fingers working quickly to unwind it. Don Alejandro watched with great interest but no comment. Diego winced as Felipe slowly pulled away the last layer of bandage to reveal the wound. It was clean but sore. Felipe regarded it for a moment before he uncorked the bottle of clear liquid and soaked a clean cloth. He watched Diego's face as he pressed it to the wound. Diego closed his eyes but made no further outward sign that it caused him pain.

Diego drew in a deep breath and spoke without opening his eyes. "Father, if it was that simple, trust me, things would be better between us. I am well aware that she has a mind of her own." A mind that is fully capable of making things more complicated than they need to be, he thought ruefully. Her last words to him had been. . . threatening? Was it possible?

Felipe pulled the cloth from the wound, dropped it into the bowl, and tipped the bottle onto another cloth, pressing it again to the wound. Diego opened his eyes and craned his neck to watch. "How is it, Felipe?" he asked. Felipe shrugged and tipped his head to one side as if to say 'no better, no worse.'

Alejandro tisked and said, "Perhaps Doctor Hernandez-"

"-Should come and make note that Diego de la Vega was inexplicably wounded, several days ago, by a musket ball?" Diego shook his head. "No, I think not. That would be too hard to explain away. I don't think anyone in the pueblo saw Zorro get shot, but I that is a chance I can't afford."

The older don regarded his son with a look that could have been either sympathy or regret.

Felipe had opened a jar of salve and was now dabbing it on the wound with the corner of a cloth. It was a long moment before the older don spoke again. "So Felipe has always helped you, in this way, then?"

Diego winced as Felipe dabbed on more salve and the teen shrugged a 'sorry' at him. "Yes, always. He has been my closest ally." Diego gave Felipe a small but grateful smile and Felipe bowed his head shyly. Diego cleared his throat. "And he has been helpful in ways that you probably couldn't imagine, Father. You might as well know the secret to some of my success. You haven't known all there is to know about Felipe."

Felipe busied himself with rolling a bandage and didn't meet the older don's gaze. "Don't tell me that he is also a masked outlaw. I am not sure how much more my heart can take," said Don Alejandro.

Diego smiled. "No, nothing like that. Felipe is able to hear. He doesn't need to read your lips when you are speaking." And he can speak, thought Diego to himself. He stopped before saying it aloud. He would let Felipe have some secrets.

"Felipe, you can hear? You can hear me now?" said Don Alejandro. Felipe nodded without looking up. "That's wonderful!" exclaimed Don Alejandro, clearly pleased but by turns disappointed. "But why would you keep such a thing from me?"

Felipe began to wrap the bandage around the wound on Diego's arm, keeping his eyes down and not replying. "I think I can answer that, Father. I only learned of his ability to hear myself after returning from Madrid. It was right around the time that Zorro was born. Felipe was afraid of being treated differently if everyone knew he could hear, and so we decided together to keep it a secret. It turned out to be an invaluable resource. He hears us very well when we talk, and he has been able to save my life many times because of this. People say things in front of someone they assume to be deaf that they wouldn't say in front of anyone else."

"So many secrets in my own house," Don Alejandro muttered, shaking his head. "And here I thought we lived quite the provincial life, my son."

Felipe had finished wrapping the wound and had tied the ends neatly, patting the bandage gently to signal that he was done. "Gracias, Felipe. Very well done," said Diego, reaching for his shirt. "I told you I can take care of myself Father, but what I should have said was 'I have Felipe to take care of me.'" He smiled at his young charge as he gathered up the materials and busied himself with putting them away.

"You do very good work, Felipe. Doctor Hernandez himself would be impressed." Don Alejandro said as an aside to Diego, "And better than I, as well. You were right to trust him with this, Diego." Felipe looked pleased at this comment and smiled to himself.

Diego nodded as he finished buttoning his shirt. At least Felipe is a constant in my life. I would be lost without him, he thought.

Don Alejandro spoke again. "Felipe, I'll need to ride into town soon. Will you tell one of the grooms to saddle Dulcinea for me?" Felipe nodded and looked to Diego with a question in his eyes. Diego shook his head in reply.

"No, Felipe, don't worry about Esperanza. I have no plans to leave the hacienda today." He felt his bed calling him. I need to think of something I can say to convince Victoria to. . . to what? To trust me again? A long siesta might alleviate the pounding in his head, which might make thinking easier.

Don Alejandro regarded his son with great seriousness for a moment, and then turned to Felipe. "Go on ahead, I'll be there shortly. I have something to talk about with Diego." Felipe nodded and looked to Diego one last time.

Diego nodded. "Go," he said, simply. The teen turned and hurried up and steps and out of the cave.

Don Alejandro paced around the table before speaking. "Diego, I've been thinking quite a lot about what you said yesterday," he began.

Which part? thought Diego tiredly. "I am sure you have," he said in an emotionless voice.

His father folded his arms and assumed the lecture pose again before speaking. "Diego, I know that your intentions are nothing but honorable when you say you want to adopt that boy, and I know what he means to you. But I also want you to know that I intend for the de la Vega land and properties to go to your firstborn son. Yours and Victoria's," he added, as if he hadn't been clear enough.

"Father-" Diego began.

"No, hear me out. It was one thing yesterday afternoon for you to announce that you intend to adopt Felipe. For a confirmed bachelor, such an arrangement would make sense. But you have to think realistically, Diego. Why would you put him ahead of your own flesh and blood? And why would you want Victoria to have a son more than half her age? You'll be marrying her soon, of course," he finished, waving a hand dismissively.

Don't be quite so sure of that, despaired Diego. "Father, I'm not sure how much you heard of the last conversation between Victoria and me, but you might be rather putting the cart before the horse." He gave his sleeve a tug as he buttoned it. "I don't think marriage is on her mind at the moment."

Don Alejandro waved his hand again, as if to brush away any concern Diego had about their relationship. "Hear me out, Diego, I'm not finished. What I want to say is that it doesn't make sense for you to adopt Felipe. Let me do it, son. Let me give him the de la Vega name. He will have all the security he needs in life-a good education, a chance to travel, whatever he wants. And you and Victoria will start with a clean slate." He nodded as he finished, agreeing with his good sense.

Diego raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You would adopt Felipe?"

Don Alejandro reached out a hand and laid it on his son's shoulder, gently. "I have always had two sons, and I mean to once again." His voice broke and his eyes pooled with tears. "Let me do this for you, Diego."

Diego could only nod before his father drew him into an embrace. Diego rested his head on his father's shoulder and for the first time in living memory felt a measure of peace there.

-Z-