Alejandro watched his son carefully on the way home. Pablo hung back with his men to give the two men some space and some privacy. The older man had grown thoughtful, and quiet.

"Pablo is smarting over his mistake, Diego. Have you ever known him to be so quiet?"

"I suppose not. The day might be taking its toil on all of us. I don't remember being quite so tired before," Diego said, noticing a familiar ache in his thighs. He was a little out of practice with his long distance riding, he realised. Zorro did a lot of racing from place to place, but all day in the saddle? Zorro couldn't do that, Diego's absence would be commented on if it happened too regularly.

His legs and his back would ache a little the next day. He needed to keep up some more practice with these things, he reminded himself. It would be good for him to slow down to a more Diego like speed, but it wouldn't do to have a liability.

"Father, what do you know about the new vaqueros in the area?"

"The new family that moved in? They brought their own men with them. What have you heard?"

"They seem to be a little hotblooded. They mildly threatened the Alcalde yesterday."

"I wonder what Zorro would say about that," Alejandro said, thinking out loud.

"One day something could happen to Zorro," Diego said bluntly. "And where would we be? The man can't do everything himself."

"No, he can't," Alejandro said with a frown. "I am considering forming an alliance with other like-minded people, to form a band that could support Zorro when needed. Or replace him if the unthinkable happens."

Diego frowned. This was not a great idea. His father could be putting himself in harm's way, and besides the area wasn't known for its love of Zorro. The reward for Zorro's capture would be more tempting to people than fighting oppression. He could not see any benefits in this plan, only risks. His father's excitement was palpable, and to bring him back to earth was problematic. Diego knew he needed to try.

"You would have to keep it private and be very secretive," Diego said, moving his horse closer to his father. "If any word gets back to the Alcalde, our estates would be forfeit, as well as our lives."

"You are against this, Diego?" Alejandro said.

"I am against my father being killed," Diego said, his voice rising a little.

"Will you support me in this?" Alejandro's question hung in the air.

"I will always support you in everything you choose to do. If I can't convince you about this plan's stupidity…"

Alejandro snorted, and urged his mare into a fiery gallop, leaving Diego in the dust. He frowned, and considered his words. No, he didn't regret them. If he could stop his father actually doing what he planned he would. If he couldn't, which was rather more likely, he'd have to act. Which way he didn't know.

"Patron," Pablo said, catching up with Diego at last. "What is wrong?"

"I told my father something he didn't want to hear," Diego said. Something he did often these days. He didn't need others risking their lives to do what Zorro did. Or did he? His thoughts were so mixed he didn't know anymore. He didn't want his father swinging beside him on a scaffold, their estate the property of a corrupt government. How to stop him? No ideas were forthcoming.

Zzz

Diego ate dinner with his father and Felipe. No one spoke, and when Felipe queried the silence in his signs, Diego shrugged and left the table, his dinner half finished.

Alejandro lifted his eyebrows in mild surprise, but continued his eating. His eyes cautioned Felipe not to leave the table as abruptly as Diego, and the boy obeyed. The teenager's eyes followed the direction Diego took, towards his bedroom rather than the library, and he relaxed a little.

"Diego overdid his riding today. He's in a bad temper," Alejandro said quietly. "He'll be more himself tomorrow or the next day. Give him space."

Felipe concentrated on his dinner, or rather tried to. What had happened out there on the estate? He had been told to focus on his studies, and had resented the textbooks in the absence of his mentor. Now Diego was troubled, and he had no idea how or why.

Zzz

Diego sank into the bath water with a sense of relief. He was aching, and it would likely carry over to the next day. Strange how different muscles were used in different styles of riding, but he had learnt that over time. Why had he forgotten that?

The hot water cast steam into the air, and he watched the tendrils curl and drift for a while. He had built up the fire to warm the room for when he dried off. He closed his eyes, and tried to block out the building tension that seemed to come with every thought. Don't think about it, he told himself. Think about nothing. Don't think at all.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. Diego opened his eyes, and a flood of thoughts bombarded him. There was no hope for him not to think. All he could do was choose to act, but how and where?

He sighed, and climbed out of the bath, wrapping a towel around him quickly. The room was still a little cool, and he didn't want to catch a cold on top of everything else that was happening around him.

He prepared himself for bed. It was early, and he shouldn't have been tired, but he was. Bone tired, strangely. Zorro would normally be out the door in a flash, but not tonight. He hoped all was right with the world. He knew it probably wasn't but for once he didn't care enough to venture out.

Zzzz

Diego woke with sunlight pouring through open curtains. The servants had been through to ready the room for the day, and he had slept through it. A cooling cup of coffee sat on his night stand, so they had been in and out a while ago.

He drank the coffee in one long swallow and hurried to get up. He could at least apologise to his father and try to talk him out of his plan for uniting a band under Zorro's command. First they would have to find Zorro to ask him about the plan, and until he was sure, that was never going to be an option. There must be a way to discourage his father from such foolhardy choices.

Victoria wanted to begin the courtship lessons today, he remembered. Everything was happening in a rush, he thought. An ordinary day wouldn't be so troublesome. The thought about Victoria made his heart beat faster, and his fingers fumble on his clothing as he dressed. He had to rebutton his shirt after skipping a buttonhole in his haste to get ready.