Chapter 2

Victoria leapt off the top of the steps, concern for her sprained ankle momentarily forgotten, and wrapped her arms around Zorro's waist, helping him slide to the floor.

"Go, get...Felipe." Zorro whispered through gritted teeth, pressing his hand tightly against his wound to slow the bleeding.

"But..." Victoria shook her head, eyes searching his face.

"Quickly!" He implored. His voice cracked with pain and his breathing hitched. "Need to get them out..." He indicated the unconscious banditos.

"I'm more worried about you at the moment." She tried to search for the source of his wound but he grunted and pushed her trembling hands away.

She stood, tears beginning to form in her eyes again, and launched herself toward where she thought the secret entrance was. As she pulled the lever, she was startled to see a small door open. She stepped through it quickly and began calling for Felipe and Alejandro.

As Felipe rounded the corner, and Alejandro came in from the outside, Victoria noticed that she was covered in blood.

Felipe's eyes widened and Alejandro rushed over to her and tried to push her into a seat, concern for the young señorita etched across his face.

"Victoria? What happened?" Alejandro couldn't remember Victoria being at the hacienda. Maybe she had come with Diego.

"Zorro!" She breathed and pointed toward the fireplace she had just come from.

Felipe's eyes widened.

"He's hurt! Please!" She breathed, trying to push Alejandro's hands away from her. "Banditos."

"Where!" Alejandro looked around. He had just come from outside and there was no one out of the ordinary there.

She shot a look at Felipe. "You know, don't you? Please, you have to help him!" She got to her feet, grimacing in pain as she quickly shifted her weight to her uninjured ankle. Once she reached the fireplace, she turned to send a pleading look at Felipe. She didn't know how to open the secret door from this side.

Alejandro could not help but think the woman had gone mad. If she was not hurt from all that blood loss, then maybe some invisible injury was making her delusional.

As if sensing Alejandro's question, she shouted." It's not my blood! It's D-Zorro's!"

Felipe silently gasped and trusted that the woman who held Diego's heart would not lie about something so important. He quickly reached past her and pressed the hidden lever. The door opened and Victoria rushed through, Felipe following immediately.

Alejandro stood staring at the old fireplace for a moment blinking before following them. How could he have not known about a secret passageway in his own home?

Felipe's eyes quickly scanned the cave until they came to rest on his friend as he lay against a far wall.

"Felipe." Zorro grunted weakly, pushing his friend away with what little strength he had left. " You have to get them out of here."

Felipe looked around at the banditos lying around the floor and his breath caught in his throat. Victoria limped over to where Zorro lay and slid down, her ankle unable to support her weight any longer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his head to rest against her chest.

Zorro took a deep, labored breath. His strength and consciousness were rapidly failing but he needed to make sure his family was safe. He needed to give a few final instructions.

Felipe nodded and implored Alejandro to help with the banditos. The older de la Vega's eyes widened when he noticed Zorro lying in Victoria's arms but he rushed to help Felipe with the men the masked man had rendered unconscious. He'd think about the implications of Zorro's lair being hidden within a secret room in his very own hacienda later.

They all turned at the sound of a snort as Tornado, sensing the danger, pulled at his halter.

"This man is dead." Alejandro commented as he turned the man, who had wounded Zorro, over onto his back.

Felipe signed that the man whom he tried to move was dead as well. He had a large gash to his head. He had apparently struck it hard when he fell.

"Felipe." Alejandro called, glancing at the black stallion that snorted angrily in their direction. "Lets lift these banditos onto his back and see if we can get him to carry them away."

Felipe nodded and blindfolded two of the banditos as the two men lifted them onto the stallions back. Tornado snorted angrily but allowed two unconscious men to be laid across his back anyway. He knew his master needed his help. He could sense it. The stallion carried the unconscious men a good distance away and when he returned, Alejandro watched in silent awe as Felipe carefully masked any tracks leading back to the area. The old Don stared as Felipe pressed a hidden board buried in the ground and the cave entrance swung open.

He stumbled after his young servant, emotions and disconcerting facts beginning to congeal in his mind. So wrapped up in his own confusion, Alejandro almost ran over Victoria, who was returning from the kitchen with towels and a basin of water.

"No, we must get him into bed." Alejandro implored. "We can better tend his wound there."

Victoria nodded wordlessly, and Alejandro's heart broke when he noticed the redness surrounding her eyes and the tear-stains that marred a path down her smooth cheeks.

Mercifully, Zorro was nearly unconscious as they struggled to move his large form through the small secret entrance. He gritted his teeth in pain but it was so excruciating that most of his body had become numb.

Once they reached Diego's bedroom, the masked man's form sunk deeply into the mattress and Victoria quickly arranged the pillows around him to support the weakening body.

Alejandro watched the young woman toss propriety out the window and begin to unfasten Zorro's blood soaked shirt. He stepped to the other side of the bed and waited for the young woman to give him instructions. Two chiefs in this situation would do more harm than good and Alejandro was not about the situate himself between the injured Fox and his lady love.

Victoria shivered when she noticed that the wound was still oozing blood. Zorro had lost a lot of blood already and she was worried as she gazed at the unconscious man's pale face.

"Felipe." The young woman turned to the frightened boy standing at the foot of the bed. " Please go get Dr. Hernandez. Quickly! I don't know what I can do for an injury like this."

Felipe hesitated for a minute but the frightened look in Victoria's eyes hastened his steps.

Victoria shot one quick look at Alejandro before she reached for the mask. She gave no explanation as she removed the sweat soaked silk from Zorro's face.

Alejandro's eyes widened at her bold act. He didn't believe Zorro would appreciate being unmasked while being so gravely injured. He didn't know what had happened or how Victoria had come to be involved in today's activities. Or, for that matter, how Zorro's hideout happened to be inside his very own hacienda! He had as of yet not had any time to think of applicable reasons. The thought never even crossed his mind that it would be his own son that lay beneath the mask until Victoria pulled it from his face.

"Díos." Alejandro sunk into a nearby chair, his mind reeling at the sight before him. He stared for what seemed like hours, at the pale face of his unconscious son before pulling the chair close to the bed and gripping the cold, clammy hand. Victoria moistened a cloth and gave it to Alejandro, indicating that he should keep Diego's forehead as cool as possible.

Victoria cleaned and covered the wound as best she could while Alejandro muttered words of comfort and love in his son's ear. When she tried to completely the blood stained shirt she found she did not have nearly enough strength to do so. She could not remove it on her own and Alejandro stood quickly and lifted his son 's shoulders so that she could pull the soaked shirt from beneath him.

Victoria dropped it onto the floor and pulled the blanket to up to Diego's neck. She felt his forehead and sighed deeply as the heat seeped into her skin.

Her task complete, she sunk into a nearby chair and pulled it to the bedside so that she could hold his hand. Her ankle was throbbing and she blinked back the tears as they threatened to spill down her cheeks. She had cleaned and bandaged the wound but she was unsure as to how deep it was. The doctor would know better what chance Diego had of surviving. The wound had bleed profusely and there were blood stains everywhere. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed and Alejandro rushed around the bed and pulled her tightly against him.

"I don't know how I couldn't have known." She sobbed into his chest, shaking her head.

Alejandro pulled a kerchief out of his jacket and held it out to the sobbing woman. "Dry your tears, my child."

Now that she had time to think back to what had happened just before he was injured, the young woman was immediately disgusted with herself. He carefully masked the pain her reaction to his revelation had caused. She swallowed deeply, suddenly sick to her stomach. How could she have treated him that way? Didn't she realize that while she was separated from him by his secret, he was also separated from her? He had to hide his feelings from her every day he did not wear that mask.

Everything came slamming into her mind with a clarity she could only wish she had had earlier in the cave. She pulled away from Alejandro and laid her head on the pillow next to Diego's. Her hand slowly brushed across his neck as she leaned in to brush a light kiss against a burning cheek.

"If he dies, I will never forgive myself." Victoria whispered.

She stared at Diego's closed eyes and brushed her hand against his hair, forehead, the dark eyelashes, nose, mustache and finally turned her head to press a kiss to his parted lips. Her tears dripped onto his face, the salty drops cooling his fevered skin.

Alejandro had never felt so helpless.