A.N – I am sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter, but real life has been a pain in the backside for the last two weeks, and it interfered with my idea to finish this story in less than a month. I hope it was worth the wait.

Chapter 10

Victoria waited at the tavern, preparing herself for the scene she was about to play at the plaza. She was restless, pacing up and down behind the counter, and her helpers wondered why she was acting like that, especially as it was so odd she had disappeared the previous evening and now she had come back for lunch time without any explanations on her whereabouts. However, Pilar and Alicia didn't have much time to wonder, as the soldiers arrived at the plaza with a flat cart carrying something under a white sheet. Shortly after their arrival, someone came into the tavern and shouted:

"It's Zorro! I think he is dead!"

That man rushed out again, and everybody at the tavern followed him with a mixture of dread and curiosity. Victoria fought her way out through the crowd and approached the cart. A human body lay flat there, covered with a white sheet. A hand had slipped out under the edge and hanged at the side, stiff, with a characteristic black shirt on display.

"Sergeant, tell me: is that really Zorro?" she asked with a shaky voice. Mendoza nodded slowly, sad and sympathetic.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Victoria fell on her knees and cried desperately. To her own surprise, it wasn't too difficult for her to pretend. She only had to imagine Diego dead at the cave at the hacienda De la Vega, and a torrent of fresh tears spilled out of that bottomless well, the one located deep inside her eyes; the vast reservoir she didn't know she had until now.

Mendoza felt so moved by her desperation he wanted to comfort her, to let her know her lover, the real one, was still alive, but he couldn't. Not there at the plaza, surrounded by the entire pueblo; and not ever, if he wanted to help Zorro and keep the promise he had made to the doctor.

"I'm so sorry, señorita Victoria. Please… don't cry."

He didn't know what else to say, if he couldn't say the truth. People at the plaza felt sorry for Victoria as well, and a shocked rumour of pity spread all over. Pilar and Alicia helped her up, and supported and hugged her gently while she sobbed, murmuring kind and soothing words.

"People of Los Angeles, I have an announcement to make," De Soto said, clearing his throat. "The criminal known as Zorro has finally been captured… dead, I'm afraid. He died from the gunshot he received yesterday at Diablo Canyon in unclear circumstances, presumably shot down by one of the bandits in Joaquín Salvador's gang."

"Who is he? Let me see his face, please!" Victoria begged.

De Soto grabbed the white sheet gently and pulled it with flair, revealing Zorro's inert body. The black mask was covering his pale, livid face. The alcalde waited a few seconds, for effect, while everybody could register the fact that man really looked like Zorro, indeed. Then, De Soto took the mask off quickly, dramatically.

"This is Zorro: Santiago Ramírez!"

Everybody at the plaza gasped in shock. Nobody was expecting that. How could that be? That shy farmer was Zorro? Really?

Victoria gasped as well. Even if she already knew who was lying under that sheet, seeing that ghostly pale face with those lifeless, open, dry eyes was still shocking for her. She howled and buried her face in Pilar's bosom, distressed by a new, unsettling realization.

Now she understood why Diego was so afraid of her rejection. She didn't think she could have loved this Zorro if he had revealed himself as such. Santiago Ramírez wasn't as handsome and interesting as Diego, by far, and she didn't know him at all. It was a revelation. No matter how many times she had told herself she was in love with the real man under the mask, and not the legend, it wasn't true. Now she realized how foolish she had been falling in love with a mysterious man she didn't know anything about in real life; the real, boring life he lived when he wasn't hiding under a black mask and playing the daring, courting hero.

Under the dreadful circumstances she had been delighted to find out Diego was the one under the mask, because she also loved him. Admittedly, she had been in love with him since childhood, way before she had met Zorro. But, what would have happened if he wasn't the one? What if Zorro was really Santiago, or anybody else? She felt sick. Diego was really the clever one; that's why he was worried about her fleeting feelings for an unmasked hero that could not possibly fulfil her expectations, and why he was so reluctant to tell her his secret. She remembered his words at the tavern: "I don't think I could ever tell you who I really am, because I am afraid of your rejection. I prefer to have brief, stolen moments of solace with you as an outlaw, rather than losing you for ever if I remove the mask."

Victoria cried inconsolable in Pilar's arms, displaying a superb performance of grief, only because it was real.

ZZZ

After Zorro's funeral that afternoon Diego was finally out of danger from being arrested, so in the evening they moved him upstairs to his room where he would be more comfortable. Don Alejandro told the servants Diego had returned home sick with fever, and they all believed the fib except María the house keeper, who was suspicious but didn't say anything. Victoria had closed the tavern, and nobody had questioned her actions when she had left the pueblo seeking help and solace at the De la Vega's.

Victoria, Don Alejandro and Felipe kept vigil at Diego's bedside all night and the next day. He had been unconscious most of the time, waking up briefly for a few seconds only to black out again, hardly recognizing the worried faces of his loved ones when they fussed over him. At least, with his perseverance and patience, Felipe had managed to get a significant amount of fluids and herbal infusion into him, so he would not be dehydrated, and the fever had come down.

The following day Diego woke up again in the early morning, blinking slowly, focusing on his surroundings this time. His eyes wandered around, recognizing his room. They stopped at Felipe's face, who welcomed him back to life with a smile of relief.

"Felipe, I…" Diego started, with a feeble voice, but Felipe placed a finger on his lips asking him to be quiet. He pointed at Victoria and Don Alejandro, who had fallen asleep on their chairs at both sides of Diego's bed in rather uncomfortable positions, exhausted by all the intense woe, grief, and shame, and nearly dehydrated by the amount of tears they had shed over the last two days. Felipe had cried too, but at least he hadn't felt that kind of sorrow for mistreating Diego for years, as they had done.

When he saw them, Diego panicked. He wasn't ready to face them as Zorro. Despite the intense pain he felt in his torso, he signed to Felipe: "What happened? What did they say?"

Felipe signed they were shocked by the revelation, as they were not expecting it at all. They didn't suspect he was Zorro and they were in a state, ashamed of themselves and their behaviour towards him, specially his father. Diego smiled weakly. That will teach them not to judge a book by the cover, he thought.

He asked for a drink and Felipe served him a glass of bark infusion, helping him to hold it. Diego drank it all, and handed the glass back.

"I don't think I can face them, Felipe. I need time to think," he signed, with difficulty, wincing in pain every time he moved his arms. In the end, he resorted to articulate soundless words so Felipe could read his lips. "To be honest, I didn't think I would make it this far. I thought I was dying."

At that point Victoria stirred, and Diego looked at her, uneasy. Like the chicken he knew he was, at least with anything concerning the beautiful tavern owner, he closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious, making a great effort to slow down his agitated respiratory rate.

Victoria opened her eyes and pulled herself up to sat up straight on the chair. She stretched her arms and back, and then she realized her neck was quite sore.

"Ouch. My neck. I think I will need some of that bark infusion, Felipe. Has he woken up at all while I was sleep?"

Felipe looked at Diego, hiding a smile, and then at Victoria, with a sad face, and he shook his head.

"Did he drink something then?"

Felipe looked at the empty glass in his hand, and shook his head again. He tapped his chest, and then pointed at his head, with a painful grim.

"You got a headache? Go to your room to sleep then, Felipe. I'll watch him. There is no need for the three of us to be here all the time."

Felipe didn't want to leave the room as he knew Diego was pretending to be asleep, and that was something too good to miss it, but Victoria insisted so much he had to go in the end. At least, now that it looked like Diego was going to make it, he could relax and rest a little easier.

When Felipe left, Victoria sat down back on her chair with her gaze fixed on Diego's face. He was breathing faster now, taking deeper breaths. She grabbed his hand to hold it lovingly, and caressed his dark hair, combing it back with her fingers. Was that a twitch what she saw in his eyebrow? No, she was imagining things. His face looked relaxed and serene just as before.

"Diego, you have to wake up, please. I have so many things to tell you, so many things to apologize for. I think I know now why you were so scared to tell me. When I saw Zorro dead on the cart I understood. I would not have been able to love that Zorro." She thought she had seen a twitch again, at the corner of his mouth, and she was quite sure Diego's hand had pressed on hers for a moment, reacting to her words. "Diego, can you hear me? Wake up, please. Wake up!"

But Diego didn't wake up. Instead, his father did, alarmed by her urgency.

"What? What's happening? What's wrong? Is he all right?" he asked, sitting up, feeling even worse than Victoria due to the uncomfortable position he had fallen asleep on that chair. "Has he woken up?"

"I'm sorry, Don Alejandro. I didn't mean to disturb you. He's all right, I think, but he hasn't woken up yet."

"He should wake up soon. It's been three days already since he was injured. Doctor Hernández said his chest was clearing. He is breathing better, and the fever has come down. But he needs to be awake to be able to eat and drink to regain his strength."

Don Alejandro stretched his back, in the same manner Victoria had done, and complained about his neck and the wound in his shoulder.

"This chair is a killer!"

"Why don't you go to your room to rest properly, Don Alejandro? I'll stay here with him. I just sent Felipe to his room too; the poor boy had a headache. There is no need for the three of us to be here all the time."

"I can't rest until I know he is going to make it, Victoria. There are so many things I need to tell him…"

Please, don't start again with the crying. I can't take it anymore, Victoria thought.

"He has to wake up so I can apologize to him and take this load out of my chest."

Diego could hardly control himself and keep pretending he was unconscious. He hated hearing his father and Victoria so distressed and worried about him, but at the same time, he wasn't prepared to face them. He needed more time to think on a good approach to apologize for his actions and for lying to them all those years. Besides, what was all that about a dead Zorro on a cart?

"Yes, me too," Victoria agreed. "How could we have been so blind and callous? The amount of times we made fun of him because he wasn't as brave as Zorro… It's so embarrassing to think about it. How could he maintain a straight face back then? I know I would not have been able to do it."

"Neither would I. That reminds me I should be angry about the way he lied to us for so long. I should, but I can't now. I just want him to wake up, to be all right. He can't die. He has a life to look forward now that we've got rid of Zorro."

"Yes. About that… I'm worried he may be angry we killed him."

You killed him? Who? What did you do? Diego thought, unsettled. He could not believe the way they talked about killing someone so carelessly.

"At least I kept the sword for him, and Toronado. It's for the best. Otherwise, we would be still down there at the cave, fearing the alcalde would find out." Don Alejandro stood up and headed for the door. "I'll get some breakfast. Would you like something?"

"Yes, please. A cup of coffee would be nice."

"With magdalenas?"

"That would be great, thank you."

After he left, Victoria kept looking at Diego. Was that a hint of a smile? Was she imagining the corner of his mouth curving up a little? No, that was wishful thinking. She looked around, realizing she was alone with Diego for the first time since they were out of the cave. She could not resist the urge to stand up to plant a delicate kiss on his lips. Amazingly, as a princess on a fairy tale would do, he came back to life and responded to the kiss, embracing her. She was so surprised she couldn't move, shocked. When he let go of her she jumped back, covering a gasp with her hand on her mouth.

"I see you don't mind too much I am Zorro, querida."

"You are awake!"

"Yes. And I want magdalenas too," he said with a cheeky smile.

"Are you all right? Are you really awake, or I am dreaming?" she said leaning on, fussing over him, caressing his face. She started crying again, with her emotions overflowing.

"Please, don't cry, Victoria. I'm all right. I'm here."

"I thought you were going to die!" she sobbed. He reached for her, and she collapsed leaning on his shoulder. He winced in pain, but he thought any amount of discomfort was worth it. He embraced her again, trying to comfort her convulsing body by stroking her back gently.

"Ssshhh. I'm not dying. I'm here for you. Calm down, please."

They stayed like that for a while, content in each other's arms, until Don Alejandro came back into the room with the breakfast tray.

"Diego! You are awake!" Don Alejandro left the tray he was carrying on a side table, with his hands shaking so much with the emotion one of the magdalenas fell off the side and rolled a few meters over the floor. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm all right, Father." He let go of Victoria and extended his hand toward his father, who grabbed it quickly, anxiously. Victoria lifted her head, crying and laughing at the same time, nearly hysterical.

"Gracias a Dios! I thought I was going to lose you, Son."

"What about you? Are you all right?"

"You saved my life, Diego. You got on the way of that bullet meant for me."

"To be honest, that was a mistake. A miscalculation. I only wanted to push you out of the way." He laughed, trying to play down the importance of his heroic action, and they laughed with him. "I didn't plan to be shot down. It wasn't my intention to lie here at your mercy now. Please, be gentle with me." He was worried about their reactions once the joy to see him awake had settled, and he needed a distraction. "Can I have a magdalena, please? I'm starving. Preferably, one that has not been rolling on the floor, thanks."

ZZZ

Don Alejandro watched his son munching contentedly on his cupcake, amazed he could look so well all of a sudden. They had propped him up on the pillows, and he looked much better, breathing easier, with some colour returning to his pale cheeks.

They had been discussing some issues already, like the dramatic disappearance of the legend of Zorro, and Diego seemed quite happy about it too.

"What did you mean with that "be gentle with me"? What do you think we are going to do to you?"

"Father, you have to admit that, if I wasn't dying, you would have hit the roof at finding out I have been lying to you for so long. And the same goes for you, Victoria. Look, I have been trapped in this Zorro loop for a long time, treading water in the middle of the pond without swimming to the sore, not knowing how to tell you because I wanted to keep you both safe at the same time. That way, with my inertia, I made things worse as the time went by. I'm sorry. This should not have happened." His blue eyes looked so genuinely troubled and tortured his father had to shed any residual anger he may still harbour for the deception, the same as Victoria.

"Don't worry, Diego. You are right: I could have been angry, but I'm not. Being so close to lose you has been an eye opener. I am so proud of you, Son. I don't feel anger, what I feel is regret and embarrassment because I doubted you and let myself be fooled so easily by the circumstances. I should have questioned why you had changed so much when you returned from Spain. It was too wide a swing to be true; I realize of that now. And I should have never, ever, scolded you the way I did for your apparent lack of courage. I am the one who has to apologize, not you. Please, forgive me."

"I feel exactly the same way, Diego," Victoria said. "I should have known. It is not your fault. You did what you had to do. It was our fault we couldn't see through the smoke screen you had created so efficiently. It seems obvious to me now Zorro could not be anybody else but you. But I couldn't see it before. I am so sorry and embarrassed for that, and for the way I treated you. Will you forgive me?"

"I have nothing to forgive, dear. If anything, you should forgive me for the years we lost."

There was a moment of silence, when the understanding settled, and all anxieties and grief were released. Then, Diego said in a light tone:

"Look, Father, just promise me this: you won't play Don Quixote ever again. I can't keep up with you."

"I won't, Diego, don't worry. No more adventures from now on. I'll leave that to you," the old don said, smiling, tapping Diego's arm.

"No, I don't want to, either. And now that you killed Zorro off, there will be no need for more stunts. Time to settle, and to give you the grandchildren you always wanted." He extended his hand to Victoria, who grabbed it lovingly, smiling back at him.

"That would be nice, Son. That would be very nice, indeed. Another magdalena?"

ZZZZZ

Epilogue

"Señorita Victoria… I mean, señora de la Vega… You look so beautiful today. Congratulations!" Mendoza said at her wedding four months later. He was delighted to see Don Diego and Victoria married, especially after the rough time she had when Zorro died, and the hard time Diego had as well when he returned home, when everybody branded him a coward. The couple were sailing to Spain on a long honeymoon trip the next day, and he didn't want to miss the chance to say goodbye.

"I hope you enjoy your honeymoon in Spain. I'll miss you at the tavern. Your cooking is so delicious it won't be the same without you."

"Thank you, Sergeant. For many things," she said, mysteriously.

"For what?" he said, puzzled. What have I done now?

She waved to her husband, who approached them with a broad smile on his face.

"For everything. Especially for your discretion." She planted a kiss on Mendoza's cheek, and whispered to his ear: "I married my hero today."

"What? What do you mean? Do you mean… him?"

She nodded, laughing. "He is the one you have been wondering about for the last four months. He made it."

"Him? Madre de Dios!"

"What's wrong Sergeant Mendoza? It looks like you have seen a ghost," Diego said when he joined them.

"I have! You. You are dead! I mean, the other you. The other one," he bubbled.

"You don't make any sense, Sergeant," Diego said while passing his arm around Mendoza's shoulders, walking him away from the others.

"Is it really you? Are you Zorro?" Mendoza asked when nobody else could hear them.

Diego stopped and let go of Mendoza's shoulders to face him.

"Zorro is dead," he said, smiling, raising an eyebrow. "But I used to be him," he whispered, winking. "Doctor Hernández told me what you did and how you helped him at the hacienda, risking your career and even your life to help me, and then you surprised us all by keeping the secret to yourself. I am eternally in debt with you. Thank you, Jaime."

Mendoza started crying when he called him using his first name.

"Don Diego, I… I…" He couldn't find the words.

"Call me Diego. You are my friend, aren't you, Jaime?" Mendoza nodded, smiling through his tears. This was the best day of his life.

"Thank you, Zorro. I mean, Diego. You saved my life many times. And, I never thought you were a coward. I'm so sorry I spread that rumour. Forgive me."

"Don't worry. I am going to Spain, and I'll return a new brave man. You'll see what I can do with a sword with a little bit of training." He winked again, and they both laughed.

"I'm looking forward to see that!"

They shook hands enthusiastically and then came back to the party. Mendoza had a smug smile on his face for the rest of the afternoon. He could keep a secret, indeed. Zorro was alive, and he was his friend.

ZZZZZZZZZ

Fin

A.N – happy with the "happy ending"? I was very tempted to go the other way, but hey, if I kill Diego, then I can't keep maiming him ;)

I hope you enjoyed this story. Please review, and let me know what you think of it overall. Review even if your read this years after it was first posted, because I will appreciate your comments all the same, or even more. What's the worst that can happen? That I reply to you to say "thank you"? Don't be shy ;)

Thanks.