Alejandro sat at his desk re reading the letter. His mind was made up, in true de la Vega fashion, and no one would be able to change his mind, his decision was final.

Final...it had come to this. He should have acted earlier of course. He should have been in training for this eventuality, but it had to be done now. The next few days were crucial. A thin smile came to his lips, but didn't reach his eyes. He thought of his son, lying in an exhausted sleep in his comfortable bed. How hard must it have been to act alone without support for so long? Five years with a boy of Felipe's age to tend a mighty stallion and to act as a spy. It was almost unbelievable.

Diego had done what he himself should have done. Talk and bluster was all very well, but action was king in this world. Writing letters did nothing much in the short term, maybe it would vindicate them all in the long run, but they were hardly worth the ink they were written with.

Alejandro sighed, and stretched. It was past one o'clock, and the hacienda was silent. A faint ticking of the clock in his room interrupted his thoughts. Reminding him of the short time he had to work this out. To leave his son a legacy, to enable his marriage, his future. If taking action meant the ultimate sacrifice, Diego would be alright. Even if their land was taken, even if he had to leave Los Angeles far behind. Diego would be fine - he would have his wits, his skills, Victoria, Felipe. Diego was a man of many talents, he could survive changes that were sure to come.

If it takes my life, it would be worth it, Alejandro thought. He felt so tired, the last few months had drained him. Worry and outright fear for his son had been overwhelming at times. The shock of discovering Diego was Zorro had rocked him. It had hurt his pride that he'd had no idea that Diego had been acting in such a way for over five years. He should have known immediately.

His mind buzzed with the plans that he had been working on for several weeks. Since the cave-in he had been running scenarios through his head, during the past week he had consulted the four men about the plan. Miguel was obviously not a candidate, but he had ridden out that afternoon to consult with the man's father, Adriano, who was much more interested. The older men had more in common, and more anger towards the alcalde - and much less to lose. They had lived their lives, raised their children, seen the good and bad of the world. The alcalde had to be stopped.

He scowled, remembering the visit earlier. The alcalde presented well, dressed in his best clothes, seeking to apologise for his earlier mistakes.

"In light of the unfortunate events, Zorro's death in particular, I suggest we all come to terms with the fact that law and order will once again be the standard of our lives. I am talking to all the prominent citizens of the pueblo and district. I will shortly be leaving for Madrid, and no doubt a replacement will arrive to enforce Spanish standards of behaviour."

"You see Zorro's death as a cause for celebration," Alejandro had said. "And some would argue that law and order can be achieved through many ways…"

"You are a great influence over the community Don Alejandro, and surely Diego will follow your footsteps. This is a troubled time, and many young people may, shall we say, get ideas that are not conducive to a just society."

"Yes, yes. I see," Alejandro had said, mindful that his son was asleep in the room just metres away. If an altercation arose, Diego would be up in an instant, and there were many swords on display in the library. His son would be injured further, or even killed by the stronger man. Alejandro had decided to stay as calm as possible.

When the lawyer had arrived, keeping calm was much easier. The alcalde had decided to stay away from the topic he had begun the visit with, and the presence of the lawyer had something to do with that. Alejandro felt more secure in himself, and let all the words wash over him. His mind worked more on the details of his plans as he nodded and presented the niceties expected of him as host.

Zzz

The next day Alejandro greeted his four friends early.

"Diego is resting. I don't want to disturb him too much."

"Of course," Don Adriano said soothingly. "Let's go out to the patio, while it's still cool."

"If everyone is sure that this plan is worth it, when do we act?" Don Sebastian said softly.

"I may still have concerns, but at its core it is a very promising plan of action," Don Roderigo said.

"Are we sure that Zorro is dead?" Don Marcos asked. "He would be a great asset to this."

"No one can ever be sure about the man," Sebastian said with a shrug. "Since we cannot contact him it is hardly a concern. If we could communicate with Zorro, I am sure he'd be in the room with us."

"The alcalde is reasonably sure he is dead," Alejandro said. "After he punished Francisco two days ago, with no reprisals at all, I suppose that may have cleared any doubts."

"I would have loved to meet that young man. We owe him a lot, and so does the whole district. Bandits have been very scarce in the last few years because of him. We lost a very valuable member of the community, but no one is actually missing," Adriano said thoughtfully.

"Have you any ideas who the man could have been, Alejandro? Perhaps it is not too late," Sebastian said gently.

Alejandro shrugged. He wasn't about to divulge any information about Diego to these men. They had all been friends for many years, but he would trust no one with the secret. The men could be hasty, reactionary and hot tempered. They had all been soldiers, highly ranked and gifted massive estates for their service to the Crown. It didn't make them saints or change their original characters. They were brave men with common interests and their friendships were based on their service in the military more than anything.

"It was a pity, but Zorro was a man like any other. People die. People survive. That is life," Alejandro said, a little more bluntly than he wanted to. "Is everyone sure what they need to do?"

"Father?" Alejandro turned to see Diego step outside towards them, resting a hand on a post for support, a little off balance. "What is going on?"

"Diego, you need to rest," Alejandro said firmly.

"Something is happening here, and I would like to know what it is," Diego said calmly, easing himself into the nearest chair as his legs gave out.

"It wouldn't do any harm to have him involved," Adriano said gently. "He is a young man, and maybe an asset. He is very intelligent, after all."

"My son was almost killed the other day, riding out to my rescue. We didn't find him until the next day, he suffered a broken shoulder and exposure. He is hardly fit for any undertaking," Alejandro said, feeling his temper rise.

"Undertaking?" Diego asked, raising his eyebrows. "I am hardly a man of action, as I keep hearing. What harm can it do to tell me about this meeting?"

Alejandro glared at him, and Diego met his eyes with a cool steady glare of his own. And yet his demeanour seemed very unruffled. His appearance of cool mild curiosity was a ruse for the other men, but Alejandro could feel the tension rise in the air, aware of his son's displeasure.

"You have been injured several times, and near death twice. I won't have you endanger your life," Alejandro said.

"He is hardly going to endanger his life, Alejandro. The boy can help with strategy or something," Marcos said. "He could even load the weapons."

"Weapons?"

"Excuse me, while I see my son to bed. I believe he may be running a fever," Alejandro said with a slight increase in volume. "Come along, Diego." He helped his son to his feet and guided him firmly towards the hallway.