Disclaimer: I am merely playing with the characters. I certainly have no claim on anything but my own ideas, and obviously anything you recognize from the episode is not mine. "Rush to Judgement" was written by Philip John Taylor.
Summary: Even the best laid plans can hit a few snags.
Author's Notes: Yes, I know in the episode the calendar says January 10, however that ends up making a mess of quite a few things even in the series proper, so for my purposes I'm ignoring that date entirely. I know I've been very vague about dates up until this point (and I'm going to continue to be vague about precise dates), but I am working from a timeline of sorts and for my convenience this story is set in mid-October.
And once again I need to thank Ghetto Outlaw for his invaluable assistance with the ending to this story. He always seems to know the right way to take a thread of what I've been writing and find the perfect way to tie it off in the end.
Snap Decision
(Rush to Judgement)
Diego finished washing the blood from his hands, relieved that it hadn't been too difficult to remove the bullet from Señora Valverde, who was now lying unconscious in one of the guest rooms. There wasn't anything more that he could do for her, and so he left her to the watching of Luisa, an older servant who had sat by many a sickbed.
He should have known that the peace couldn't last, and it had been a peaceful three weeks since he and Victoria had gotten engaged. It had been a relief, since Diego had been reluctant to don the mask after he'd robbed the pueblo under the influence of a mesmerist. Even now he had mixed feelings, one part still wanted to avoid the mask, but another part wanted to redeem himself in his own eyes, if not others, as the rest of the town seemed convinced that they'd been the victims of an imposter.
Sighing as he entered the cave, Diego looked at the crying gas bombs he'd constructed more as an interesting experiment than with any idea of needing them. Perhaps, he'd never need them except for bandits. Why must De Soto always be so impetuous? He seemed to think hasty decisions were a sign of strong leadership, rather than an inability to look beyond the obvious.
Yes, there was circumstantial evidence against José, but that didn't mean he was guilty. A wise leader would be certain of all the facts, and from what Mendoza had indicated De Soto couldn't even be bothered to check to see if either of the Valverdes were actually dead rather than wounded. If it hadn't been for Mendoza, Doña Maria would have died. And knowing De Soto, he would right now be planning to hang José for the crime without even waiting to see if Doña Maria awoke. He would have to do something to try to slow De Soto down.
~Z~Z~Z~
It was early evening when Zorro returned to the cave. Diego pulled off the mask in frustration. He wondered why he ever bothered. He seemed as incapable of learning from his mistakes as De Soto. Why would he think that De Soto would listen to a reasoned argument from Zorro? Force, yes. Reason never worked. In fact, all he seemed to do besides get into a fight in De Soto's office was convince De Soto that he was right. He felt a little sick at the thought that it was his appearance as Zorro that had made De Soto determine on a Friday execution.
Maybe it was time to try something else, though at the moment he wasn't sure what. He made his way upstairs and went to check on Doña Maria. She was still unconscious but otherwise stable. Diego wished that Dr. Hernandez would get back from the Indian settlement, as he hoped that the older man would have a better idea of what else to do. Luisa said she hadn't stirred but that the moment that she did, she or Maria would make sure to get a message to him or Don Alejandro.
He was glad that his father had gone to town this afternoon, since he wanted to talk with him about what happened but since Diego hadn't gone to town, he would be hard pressed to explain how he'd found out about Zorro's visit. Also, he hoped his father would have better news about De Soto's behavior.
Unfortunately, Alejandro had nothing good to tell him when he returned to the hacienda. Diego had been right. His appearance as Zorro had made De Soto more rather than less stubborn.
"I'm afraid De Soto is determined to hang José on Friday, regardless of his guilt or innocence, Diego."
"There must be some way to stop him or at least delay him until Doña Maria has recovered enough to say what happened," Diego said, almost to himself. Well, Zorro could ride in as usual, but it was an unsatisfactory solution.
"I don't know, son. I'm trying to get the caballeros to protest, but you know how difficult it is to get any unified action."
"I'm afraid so," Diego muttered.
It was frustrating. Zorro's anonymity allowed him to operate without fear of consequence, and with rare exceptions, the people seemed content to let Zorro carry the burden of action rather than draw attention to themselves. He felt trapped. If only there were some way to get the people to band together more often. This might do it, as the only person who seemed to believe José was guilty was De Soto, but he wasn't sure how or if he could motivate anyone to take a stand. He hoped the next day would look brighter than this one.
~Z~Z~Z~
Diego awoke in the morning feeling more than ever that his visit to De Soto as Zorro was a mistake. Maybe if he talked to the alcalde as himself, encouraging him to have a proper trial, that would slow things down enough that the truth would come out. He was angry that he hadn't thought of this before he'd gone as Zorro. How was he ever going to manage to find a way to retire Zorro, if even he defaulted to letting Zorro try to handle things?
He rode into town, trying to figure out the best way to approach the alcalde. Polite and deferential seemed to be the way to go. Taking a deep breath and praying for patience, Diego entered the alcalde's office.
Two minutes later, he was hard-pressed to keep calm, and patience was hanging by a thread.
"What do you mean there's not going to be a trial?"
"The man is guilty. I know it, but all the soft-hearted fools in the pueblo seem convinced he's innocent. I don't intend to see a murderer go free or give that villain Zorro another chance to thwart justice. I have the authority, and I intend to let the world see that justice is swift in Los Angeles."
"But, alcalde, surely it would be wise to wait until Doña Maria is able to say what happened. You wouldn't want to make a mistake."
"I am not mistaken, and all Señora Valverde will do is confirm what I already know. I will not wait. Rivas will hang tomorrow."
"But..."
"Diego, you don't understand how the world works. Go back to your books or Señorita Escalante. That's about the most you can be expected to handle at once."
It took all Diego could manage to not snap at De Soto. Concentrating on being mild, he managed to say, "I hope you don't find reason to regret your hasty decision."
"I assure you, I won't."
Knowing it was futile, Diego made a polite bow and turned and headed out the door crossing the plaza. When Diego entered the tavern, he immediately met Mendoza who told him all about Zorro's visit to De Soto, and De Soto's consequential determination to hang José, even though De Soto had made it clear enough. However, it was Victoria who told him that Mendoza was supposed to personally perform the hanging.
Mendoza was miserable about it. "I would give a week's pay if I could make Friday disappear— if the good Lord would just take it right out of the calendar."
"Maybe he will, Sergeant," Diego said, knowing even as he said it how ridiculous it sounded, yet even as he finished speaking a truly insane idea seemed to blossom in his mind. "Maybe we will." It was mad— crazier than anything else he'd carried out as himself— especially since he'd need a lot of cooperation from the citizens of Los Angeles in general and Mendoza in particular because if Mendoza went along the rest of the lancers would at least keep quiet. However, if it worked, it could be a step towards the elimination of the need for Zorro.
"What do you mean, Diego?" Victoria asked.
"Well, we know the alcalde isn't going to back down in time for us to prove José's innocence, so what if we make him think everything has already happened?"
"I don't understand, Don Diego," Mendoza said.
"Well, if we could somehow convince him that a week has passed and José has already been hanged, then we'd have the time we'd need to find the evidence to clear him."
Victoria was staring at him as if she thought he was crazy. Maybe he was. It sounded madder as he spoke, but somehow the compulsion had grown stronger.
"But how would we do that?" Mendoza asked.
"I have a drug that should make the alcalde sleep for twenty-four hours. We could set the stage to make it look like he's been unconscious for a week with a fever. With enough cooperation we could hopefully keep him convinced long enough for us to prove José innocence."
"But what happens afterwards?" Victoria asked. "Won't he be furious once he knows he's been tricked? Wouldn't it better to just keep him unconscious until we've got our evidence?"
Diego had considered both those possibilities. "It would be too difficult and dangerous to keep him unconscious indefinitely. Much better to try to keep him off balance long enough for the truth to come out. And as for him becoming angry at the deception, he might well be, but I think his finding out he was wrong about José would be enough of a blow that he'd be more interested in redeeming that failure."
"And if he's not?" Victoria asked.
Diego hoped it wouldn't come to that, but there was a contingency, perhaps more desperate than the current plan. "We drug him again and hope we can convince him that everything he thought happened was a fever-induced hallucination and that Mendoza held off the execution until he had recovered, which would of course prove fortunate for him since he wouldn't be responsible for the death of an innocent man," Diego said, with a confidence he didn't entirely feel. However, he had to convince Mendoza that this was workable because without Mendoza's cooperation none of this could be carried out.
Mendoza still looked doubtful. "This sounds loco."
"Do you have a better idea, Sergeant?" Diego asked. He'd love for someone— anyone— to come up with a better idea. "Some way to save José that has a better chance than this?"
Shaking his head, Mendoza said, "No, the alcalde's too determined. But, Don Diego, how are we supposed to drug him?"
Diego knew this was going to be the tough bit. "I'm afraid we're going to have to count on you to do that."
Mendoza gulped. "Madre de Dios. If he catches me at it, he'll kill me."
"It's either that or hang an innocent man," Diego said. "It's all up to you."
After a long moment, Mendoza finally said, "All right, I'll do it."
"Good," Diego replied. "Now, I'm going home to check on Doña Maria and get the drug. I'll be back before lunch time."
"We're doing it so soon?" Mendoza asked.
"It's better not to wait," Diego said. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He turned to Victoria and pulled her to one side in order to talk with her privately a moment. "I'm going to hurry, but do your best to keep the good Sergeant from worrying too much. The beginning's going to be the tricky part, especially since I have no idea how many people will be willing to help."
"Don't worry. I'll do my part, my love. But definitely hurry," she said with an encouraging smile.
Kissing her hand, Diego hurried out the door to ride back to the hacienda. He hoped that Doña Maria might have regained consciousness so that there would be no reason to go through with his mad idea which was starting to worry him in its complexity. Unfortunately, she was still unconscious. Diego slipped down to the cave to retrieve the drug he needed. He'd just returned to the library, when his father walked in. Diego lost no time explaining the plan.
"That seems awfully complicated, Diego," Alejandro said. "And you're going to need a lot of cooperation. Have you considered what will happen if it doesn't work?"
"Well, I'm hoping the very fact that it is so crazy will protect us. De Soto wouldn't be able to report what happened without sounding mad himself, nor would he do himself much good by saying that the entire pueblo under his charge rebelled against him."
"You have a point, but how many will help us?"
"I don't know, but aside from the help setting the scene and getting the lancers' cooperation which will be more Mendoza's doing, all that we'll really be asking from others is that they either say nothing or stay out of the way..."
"Which is what they mostly do anyway," Alejandro finished. "All right. I'll make sure to send some of the vaqueros to help you with whatever you need. I'll also makes sure I have someone ready to deliver any message the moment that Doña Maria is conscious and able to talk."
"Thank you, Father," Diego said. "I've got to get back now. Everything is going to hinge on Mendoza having enough courage to go through with this."
"Then heaven help us all, son," Alejandro said, shaking his head, then smiling slightly to soften his words. "No, never mind. Go tilt at your windmill and hope it doesn't actually turn into a giant."
Diego sighed as he rode back to town. He could understand his father's doubt; this was going to be more challenging than his convincing the Emissary he was turning into an Indian. But he had managed to convince De Soto he was shrinking, surely this was more believable than that. It just required more accomplices than before. And that's where the doubts lay. Would the people get behind this plan? Or at least agree to stay out of the way?
~Z~Z~Z~
The next day Diego was standing in the tavern nervously awaiting the return of Mendoza from the alcalde's office, hoping that De Soto would believe the ruse. He had been absolutely astounded by how many people had agreed to help. They never could have gotten everything done in time without the large number of volunteers. But now it all relied on one man— one frightened man.
When Mendoza came hurrying up to the bar, Victoria was the first to speak. "Well, Sergeant?"
Trying to catch his breath, Mendoza looked around. "I think..." he said excitedly, "I think... he believed it."
The entire tavern cheered the news. Diego let out his own breath, relieved that their mad gamble seemed to have paid off.
Unfortunately, that relief was short lived. Only a few minutes after Mendoza's welcome news, De Soto came in, and it was clear he'd tumbled to it. All because of a carafe of wine— that Zorro had knocked over in the fight— the still damp stain of which Diego had passed a number of times as they'd set up the office. He should have noticed, even as he was shocked at De Soto's perception.
As a frightened Mendoza followed the alcalde out of the tavern, Diego tried to get past his frustration and think. Slipping into the kitchen followed by Victoria and Felipe, he told them, "I'm going back to the hacienda to check on Doña Maria. I have a bad feeling that it won't be too long before De Soto is going to insist on hanging someone. Since it was my plan, I want to make it harder for him to find me, but Mendoza is the most visible accomplice in the plan, and I can't let anything happen to him."
Victoria made a small Z between them.
"Yes, I'm afraid he's going to have to intervene," Diego said. "Both of you please keep an eye out, but be careful."
"We will," Victoria said, "but..." She stopped and simply leaned forward to embrace him before returning to the main room of the tavern.
Diego looked after her for a moment before turning to Felipe. "You know what to look for. If Doña Maria still can't speak, I don't think I'll be at the hacienda for long."
Felipe nodded his head, and Diego slipped out the back door of the tavern. He had at least thought to leave Esperanza behind the tavern. He hurried home with all speed. Luisa was still sitting by Doña Maria's bedside.
"Oh, Don Diego," she said. "Doña Maria's been stirring, muttering in her sleep, but nothing I can understand."
"That's all right, Luisa," Diego said. "Why don't you take a break for a little bit? I can't stay long, but a few minutes at least."
"Gracias," she said. "I could use a few minutes." She hurried from the room.
Diego checked Doña Maria's bandages. They seemed fine though they would need changing soon. She stirred restlessly, muttering words under her breath. Diego leaned forward to try to hear her.
"No... Tomás... don't..." her voice was barely understandable.
"Tomás?" Diego asked. "Tomás who?"
She shook her head, eyes still closed, but eventually Diego heard one word murmured, "Porras."
Tomás Porras. Diego knew he was another of Don Sebastian's tenants. This one with a reputation for gambling and a nasty temper. Someone far more likely to resort to violence than José Rivas. But there was no way he could take this to De Soto at the moment; he wouldn't believe in the words of a woman still mostly unaware. He also couldn't afford to wait here for her to fully regain consciousness. He knew De Soto was bound to want to make an example of somebody, and he was afraid Mendoza was the one who was going to suffer.
He told Luisa that he was going to go look more closely at the site where the Valverdes had been attacked, before slipping down to the cave. That site would bear closer examination but not now. Changing swiftly, he tacked Toronado before loading several of his crying gas bombs. This wasn't the best time to subject them to a full test, but he did know they worked.
Riding for Los Angeles, Zorro could see the crowd and recognized Mendoza standing on the scaffold. He apparently was in the nick of time, though with the special design of the scaffold he had some small leeway.
He could hear voices shouting his name as he approached, and De Soto shouted for Sepulveda to pull the lever. To his credit, the corporal was very slow to respond, not that it would do much good to pull it as Zorro knew very well, as he tossed one of his crying gas bombs at the largest group of lancers.
Realizing that Sepulveda was not going to pull the lever, De Soto grabbed it himself but found it wouldn't budge. Zorro threw a blade to cut through the rope above Mendoza's head, not willing to risk the sergeant's life on the trap door holding out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Victoria, Felipe, and his father turn over a produce cart to knock down a pair of lancers.
Hoping that Mendoza would have the good sense to grab the one solid pole, Zorro used his whip to grab onto the weak point of the gallows and pulled hard. Mendoza grabbed the pole as the other men on the platform fell to the ground.
Calling out to Mendoza, Zorro helped him onto Toronado's back before riding over to where his father and Victoria were standing.
"Avoid the white smoke. It's a mild form of crying gas," he said. "And I hate to be the cause of tears in the innocent." He was rewarded by the barest hint of a smile from Victoria. The one thing he missed most was the ability to flirt with her as Zorro, but the other compensations more than made up for the loss.
He turned Toronado to ride where De Soto was still sitting on the ground. "The wheels of justice move slowly for a reason," he said, unsheathing his saber. "They're not meant to run over innocent people." He slashed a Z into De Soto's vest. "Call it a reminder to think twice before you rush to judgement." He sheathed his sword, and headed out of the plaza, Mendoza clinging to him, De Soto shouting after them.
Zorro rode straight until they were out of sight of the pueblo before veering off to take an indirect route to the place where Alejandro had sent José to hide, which by coincidence was the same barn that he'd taken the jewel thief Montez to hide two years earlier. Mendoza should be safe enough there until Doña Maria regained consciousness and could tell her story. In the mean time, once Mendoza was safely stowed, he could go track the genuine criminal.
As he rode along at an easy pace to make it easier on Toronado and Mendoza, he was surprised when Mendoza spoke to him. "Zorro, there's a question I've been wanting to ask you."
"A question, Sergeant?"he asked.
"Yes, well, it's something that's been bothering me for a while, and if I don't ask now I'll probably never get the chance."
Hoping that Mendoza wasn't going to do something as crazy as ask him who he was, Zorro said, "Ask your question, but I don't promise to answer."
"Fair enough," Mendoza said, but then he hesitated. "It's just up until... what happened at... Devil's Fortress... it seemed like you and Señorita Escalante... everyone thought you two were in love..." he went silent for a moment. "And then once she returned with Don Diego... suddenly you two weren't..."
Finally realizing what the sergeant was referring to, it took Zorro a moment to understand why Mendoza dated everything to the trip to Devil's Fortress— that trip had occurred barely a week after Victoria had figured out his secret. He wasn't sure, however, what exactly Mendoza wanted to know, but he would venture an explanation and hope for the best. "Are you asking if I mind that she's engaged to another man, Sergeant? I don't. Señorita Escalante is a beautiful woman, but a man with a price on his head isn't exactly in a position to marry. I knew that, but I hadn't thought too seriously about the subject," Zorro said, before taking a breath and hoping his next statement, a partial truth, would get by. "But then I met Don Diego on the road to Devil's Fortress and realized that he was in love with her too."
"Oh, sí, I knew that."
Zorro had to work not to show surprise at that statement. "You knew?" he asked, amazed that it came out evenly.
"Well, guessed," Mendoza said after a pause. "He's always been very protective of the señorita. One time he almost got killed in a duel defending her honor, and since he's such a peaceful man, I never thought he'd do something like that if he didn't love her."
"Oh," Zorro said, flatly. "Well, I'm afraid I didn't know until then, Sergeant, and then on the way back, I began to suspect that Señorita Escalante had strong feelings for Don Diego, and since he could offer her what I couldn't I decided to step aside. I wish them both the best, Sergeant."
"Good," Mendoza said. "I was afraid..."
"No, Sergeant. I'm happier being a free man," he said, hoping he sounded sincere and that it wasn't obvious that he simply referring to not being captured. "Now we're almost to where José is hiding. I'm going to leave you with him and see if I can't find the trail of the real killer."
~Z~Z~Z~
Tomás Porras was an easy man to track. So easy that Zorro couldn't help but think that he should have spent his time on this rather than the backfiring attempt to convince De Soto to be sensible. He had a hard time controlling the anger he was feeling at the entire situation.
Porras hadn't managed to get far. When Zorro found him, he was lying near the front of a cave near the burnt out remains of a campfire, so drunk he could barely even find his gun much less aim it before Zorro had him by the collar.
"I've been looking for you," Zorro said, trying to get the man to focus. While he was sure the man was the culprit, he wanted to go on more than a murmured name and a clear trail. He was not De Soto. "You shouldn't have done what you did."
The drunken man shook his head and tried pulling away. "I didn't mean to..." he babbled, too drunk to control his tongue. "Don Sebastian... should have... given me... the money. Doña Maria... shouldn't have... gotten in the way."
Disgusted, Zorro knocked the man out and draped him over his own horse before slicing a Z into his trousers. Leading him away, Zorro headed back in the general direction of the cave but tied off the man's horse in a grove well out of sight of the entrance before hurrying to the cave, where he was relieved to see Felipe there waiting for him.
He changed as Felipe told him that Doña Maria was awake and wanting to go to the pueblo, that she knew who had killed her husband and tried to kill her.
Interrupting him, Diego said, "I know. Zorro's found him. I've got him tied up in that grove of trees. You know the one." Felipe nodded. "I'll try to get back and ride to town with my father. I'll need you to lead the horse towards the town. If any one sees you, tell them you found it, but otherwise only get close enough to send the horse to town on its own."
Nodding, Felipe headed out the back of the cave, while Diego went to look through the viewing hole. The library was clear, and he slipped into it quickly and quietly before heading for the front door and looking out. No one in the courtyard, though he saw the carriage waiting. Diego turned back when he saw his father turn the corner.
Apparently assuming that Diego had just come inside, Alejandro didn't waste a moment. "Oh, good, son. I'm glad you're here. Doña Maria is awake and remembers what happened. She's insisting on going to town to speak with the alcalde; Luisa's helping her get dressed. She shouldn't walk too much yet, so I'll need your help getting her to the carriage. I've also sent someone to get José. Best we get everything cleared up at once, so De Soto has no room to do anything but accept the truth; that should save both José and Mendoza, wherever Zorro took him."
"A good idea, Father," Diego said, relieved at the thought of everything getting tied up at once. The one consolation was that De Soto, unlike Ramone, was unlikely to persist in the face of Señora Valverde's direct testimony. Soon this whole mess should be over.
~Z~Z~Z~
There was a celebratory air in the tavern that evening. Tomás Porras was in jail, snoring off his drunkenness. José was free, and Mendoza reinstated. Doña Maria had insisted on returning to her home where she was being looked after by her own servants and Dr. Hernandez who had returned from the Indian settlement.
De Soto showing a rare wisdom or perhaps to avoid further humiliation was staying in his rooms, ostensibly to make sure nothing happened to his prisoner, so the people could celebrate with some relief. And the people did. Diego tried very hard to appear cheerful though an anger that he couldn't entirely explain simmered under the surface.
He spent some time watching Victoria as she bustled about the very busy tavern, apparently to his father's amusement, though Alejandro gently teased him about not paying attention to anything else. Diego had offered to help Victoria earlier, but she was adamant that he sit and relax as he'd had a very busy night and day. Mendoza and José were both focal points of attention, and Mendoza was getting a great deal of enjoyment moving from group to group telling the story of his daring escape with Zorro.
When Mendoza stopped at the table for a moment, Diego had to add his congratulations. "You really were the hero of the day," Diego said, sincerely. "Your bravery was remarkable."
"Well, it was your plan..." Mendoza said, apparently wanting to be fair.
"That almost got you hanged," Diego broke in. "No, Sergeant, it was your bravery and belief in José that made any of this possible. You deserve all the glory." Diego meant every word. He had been amazed and humbled by the bravery and loyalty Mendoza had shown not just to him but everyone by claiming to have masterminded the entire plot all by himself, taking all of the blame, facing all of the consequences. Diego wasn't sure he'd ever be able to repay the debt.
"Gracias, Don Diego," Mendoza said, as he moved on.
Alejandro looked at Diego and then spoke to him quietly. "You know, Mendoza's right. If you hadn't come up with a plan to delay José's hanging, he wouldn't be here tonight. You're the one who got everyone working together for a common goal. It may not have gone to plan, but what you accomplished was remarkable. I'm proud of you, son."
Pleased by his father's compliment but tired and still angry about all that had gone wrong, about almost getting Mendoza killed, Diego couldn't keep sitting still, so he smiled pleasantly and thanked his father while still disclaiming any real merit and then excused himself from the table, heading in the general direction of Victoria before slipping through the curtains to the kitchen and then out the back door. He sat on a bench near the tavern wall and stared up at the stars in the sky. The clear night sky. He couldn't help but think that rain would have helped their cause. Not that it mattered now. Why was he so angry when everything was fine?
He barely noticed when Victoria sat beside him until she took her hand in his. Then he glanced down at her, barely able to make out her features in the dim light.
"How did you know I was here?" he asked.
He could just make out her smile as she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I knew you wouldn't leave without saying good night, but you've been looking distinctly uncomfortable all evening, so when you disappeared, it was easy to guess where you'd gone."
Leaning forward to kiss her forehead, he said, "I'm engaged to a distressingly perceptive woman."
"Not perceptive enough to know what's bothering you unless you tell me," she replied. "Was it something your father said?"
"No," Diego said. "Well, not in an expected way. He was praising my contribution to José's survival."
"And that bothers you?" she asked.
He knew it shouldn't, yet it did. "I can't help but think of everything that went wrong."
"But more went right," Victoria said.
"I know, but for some reason I'm still angry," he said.
Victoria looked at him, leaning close to better see in the dim light. "About what?" she asked softly.
"I'm not sure entirely," Diego said, but decided to try to figure it out rather than bury it. "I know I'm angry that we have an alcalde who would rather hang an innocent man than serve justice; that Zorro hasn't learned it's pointless to try to reason with an unreasonable man; that I missed such an obvious clue as a wet wine stain; that the lancers and citizens who went along with Mendoza on the plan stood by as De Soto was going to hang him..." He paused for a moment then spoke more quietly. "I know he's got the authority of the government behind him, yet somehow I'm still angry that one man has the power to cow the people."
"Well, we have another man capable of rescuing the people," Victoria said.
"And how long is he going to have to do that?" Diego asked, rhetorically. He looked back up into the night sky. "How long before he makes a fatal mistake?"
Victoria wrapped her arms around him. "Don't think about that. Even with all that went wrong, today was a good day."
"Yes, but..."
"Everyone fought for justice," Victoria placed a finger against his lips, "and they did it because of you. Maybe they weren't all as brave or as strong as you would hope, but you inspire them, and it is a start."
Diego hung his head thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right. Maybe... maybe I need to have more faith."
"Si, as I do."
"You really believe in the people of this pueblo, don't you?"
Victoria smiled gently and took Diego's face in hands. "Almost as much as I believe in you."
The End
Next Up: "Test of Faith." Another post episode story.
End Notes: This story was an odd one for me. Since I wasn't really changing any of the events of the story, normally I'd have started at the end or near it, but Diego's crazy plan always bothered me. It seemed a bit extreme even for him, so I felt a compelling need to try to find an explanation for why he'd come up with such a strange plan. I'm not sure how well I succeeded.
I also know that Diego is generally more optimistic than this, but he does have a temper, and he has had times of doubt, uncertainty, and frustration, so I hope that he doesn't come off as out of character. In the series, it seemed that it was Felipe who got to see this side of Diego most often, but now Victoria gets to see it as well.
As always, I am very grateful for all the feedback I receive, especially all the nice comments on my "Wicked, Wicked Zorro" story. At the moment, Love has No Rhyme and No Reason is my most viewed and is tied for being my second most reviewed, which makes me quite happy. Thank you all.