Chapter 2

"José!" Malinda wailed. The baby continued to cry loudly, nearly drowning out the sound of falling rock.

"Diego!" Victoria called for her friend.

When the dust settled, Victoria hurried toward the mine, uncaring of the danger Diego had warned her about. She squinted into the darkness of the shaft, unable to see more than a few feet in front of her. Without heed for her own safety, she stepped tentatively into the darkness, using the wall for support as she walked slowly.

"Diego!"

"Victoria?" came the soft reply. It was very close and Victoria squinted in the dust-filled darkness.

"Diego, where are you? Keep talking to me so I can find you!"

"What are you doing in here?" His voice was getting stronger the further into the cave she moved. "Get out. Now! Before the mine completely collapses!"

"I'm not leaving you!" she called, wincing as rock and dirt from the ceiling spilled onto her head. She gasped when she found herself pulled tightly against Diego's solid chest. "Diego! Oh, gracias a Dios!" She embraced him with all the strength she could muster.

He buried his face in her sweet hair and murmured unintelligible words of thanks before turning toward the entrance. "You need to get out of here. I never saw José. He must be trapped. There is a wall of rock barring the path a bit further in. I need to go back for him."

"No!" Victoria's embrace tightened and she simply refused to move.

Had he been able to see her face, he would have been taken aback by the vehement determination radiating in her dark eyes.

"I am not leaving you in here, it's too dangerous." She tugged on his arm, leading him reluctantly toward the mine entrance.

"Victoria, I can't leave him in there to die, please –"

They could hear Malinda calling over the screaming of her babe and it twisted at Diego's heart to realize that she might have just lost her husband.

"I won't leave you to die in there, not before –"

He bent and quickly brushed his mouth against hers, sending a familiar tingling rushing through her blood.

The protest died on her lips as she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head to hers, deepening the kiss.

The shock was evident as his body tensed at her bold move. Of their own volition, his arms encircled her waist and he pulled her against his chest, uncaring of the repercussions that were sure to follow.

Victoria's hands slid into his hair, tugging at the soft, dark strands. There was no doubt in her mind now that he was Zorro. Not after his passionate response to her kiss, after being held against him so tightly, so protectively. Her mouth clung to his, her hands desperately encircling him. She couldn't let him go. Not now. Not before she had the chance to tell him that she loved him.

"Please . . . Victoria, Querida, I can't let him die. I have to try to save him." His plea nearly broke her selfish resolve. If she let him go back, she was sure the mine would collapse completely and trap him. But she knew his heart. She knew his passion to help those who could not help themselves was as strong, maybe even stronger, than his love for her.

He pulled her out of the cave and down the small slope toward where Malinda waited, her eyes wide with fear. "Stay here," he instructed, his eyes boring into Victoria's.

Victoria opened her mouth to protest once more but was silenced when Diego pressed a long finger against her lips. They shared a look that spoke volumes before he bent to pick up the extra lantern José had brought, and disappeared into the darkness of the mine once more.

Time passed painfully slowly. The women watched the mine entrance with the eyes of a hawk, praying that the men they loved would come out safely. Dirt and stone continued to fall steadily, further worrying Victoria that the mine would collapse with Diego and José still inside.

When Diego reappeared, covered in dust, his shirt torn and bloodied, Victoria launched herself into his arms, wetting his dirty shirt with tears of relief. He clung to her, taking momentary comfort in her embrace, before extricating himself and stopping before Malinda.

"I couldn't find him. There are large rocks and stones blocking the path a few yards inside the mine and I can't get past them." His fingers were bloodied and dirtied, evidence that he had tried to claw at the rocks to dislodge them. "I tried, but it is going to take far more manpower to get through that collapse."

Malinda trembled beside them, holding the babe tightly, forcing herself not to cry. Not yet.

Victoria left Diego's arms only to pour some water into a glass and push it into his hands.

He drank deeply, draining the glass instantly. "Thank you," he breathed, giving back the glass so she could refill it once more.

Instead, she tore at her skirt, causing a loud ripping to echo around their ears. She poured water over the long strip and took his hand, binding it as securely as she was able before taking the other and repeating the action. "Those are deep cuts," Victoria said as she worked. "It would do no good to have them infected." When she raised her eyes to his, he was taken back by the intense concern radiating from them. The unspoken words that hung between them were strikingly clear.

She knew. There was no other explanation for her reaction in the cave and her behavior now. They would talk about it later. But right now he needed to ride back to the pueblo and get help. José's life depended on how quickly he could return with more men.

"Stay here," Diego instructed the women. "I am going to ride back to the pueblo and get help. I can't move those rocks by myself and we need to make a stronger framework to keep the mine from collapsing completely."

Victoria noticed the blood on his shirt and reached for his arm, concerned about injuries she could not see, and that she knew he would not complain about.

"It's just a cut. It will be fine." His voice was soft, his eyes tender. "Stay a safe distance away but listen carefully for any signs that he may still be alive."

The women nodded as Diego quickly mounted Esperanza and galloped toward the pueblo.

When Diego returned with several lancers as well as his father, the women breathed collective sighs of relief. A wagon accompanied them, filled with tools and wood necessary for the task at hand. Diego and Alejandro immediately began issuing instructions to the men as the women gathered water and bandages, should they be needed. There was nothing much else for them to do. Diego wouldn't let them anywhere near the mine.

The baby was finally asleep in her bassinet but as the men started to work and shout and hammer away at the stone, the little one woke and began crying.

Diego approached Malinda, his eyes tender. "Why don't you take the baby home? I will come get you the moment we find him." He turned to Victoria, who was standing on the other side of Malinda, seemingly wanting to keep her distance. Had she regretted shamelessly throwing herself into his arms earlier? "Victoria, will you take Malinda and the baby home?"

She hesitated, causing Diego to wonder if it had been perhaps the dangerous situation they'd found themselves in earlier that prompted her reaction to his kiss, and not a realization that she'd figured out his secret. Her behavior since he'd returned with his father and the soldiers had been very peculiar. She'd made no effort to stand close to him and she'd barely met his eyes when he looked at her. A curious role reversal, he noted sadly.

Victoria agreed, barely glancing at him. "I will come back with more water and some food."

"Gracias," Diego nodded and resisted the urge to kiss her cheek. She didn't appear very amenable to such an intimate gesture. He turned and walked back toward the mine, forcing thoughts of her out of his mind. If he had turned around at that moment, there would have been no mistaking the loving look in her eyes.

An hour later, Victoria was on her way back toward the mine, her wagon carrying food and more water for the men working tirelessly to find José Perez. Her heart ached as she thought about the confused look in Diego's eyes when he'd returned with the soldiers. It was clear he wondered at her mood change but didn't have time to question her about it.

She'd decided while he rode to the pueblo for aid that she would need to appear disinterested in him when he returned. The pretense that they were just friends would have to end eventually, but it would be best to take tiny steps in the direction of courtship versus suddenly, after this one event, appearing to be deeply in love. She wouldn't endanger his identity, although it would probably take a lot of hard work to make the people believe that indolent Diego de la Vega was Zorro.

When she returned, the men surrounded the wagon eager for some water. Mendoza, of course, made straight for whatever food she'd brought and she had to kindly remind him that the food was for everyone, not just for him.

Diego did not come out for water or food and Victoria glanced expectantly toward the mineshaft.

"Have you found him yet?" Victoria asked as Mendoza happily munched on a tamale.

Mendoza nodded, swallowing quickly. "We just broke through the rocks and Don Diego and Don Alejandro went through immediately. They told us to stay here. Too many men going through the tunnel might collapse it."

Victoria gasped, her eyes shifting passed the sergeant and toward the mine entrance. "Isn't it dangerous?"

"Oh, sí, but Don Diego was worried about José running out of air."

A commotion drew their attention and Victoria noticed Alejandro's grim face first as he exited the mine. His face and clothing were covered in dirt and dust. Diego was right behind him, carrying José.

Victoria swept a corked bottle of water and some rags off the back of her wagon and instantly rushed passed Mendoza and up to the mine. The sad look on her beloved's face caused her heart to sink but she pushed the thoughts back as she dropped to her knees beside where Diego had knelt, lying José carefully on the ground.

"Is he –" Mendoza followed but stopped when he noticed the look on Diego's face. Mendoza crossed himself at Alejandro's affirmative nod but Victoria poured water over the rag and began to clean the man's face anyway.

"Victoria –" Diego began, his eyes sad.

But she refused to listen, instead continued to work until José's face was cleaner than it had probably been in days.

Only when Diego's large hands covered hers, arresting any further movement, did she look up at him, tears glistening in her eyes.

"He was killed instantly by the falling rock and debris." Diego sought to confirm that their delay in reaching him was not the cause of his death.

"Oh Malinda," Victoria whispered, her shoulders shaking as the tears began to flow down her cheeks.

Diego opened his arms and she fell into them, sobbing unashamedly. He held her tightly, caressing her dark hair with one hand, rubbing small circles on her back with the other. He didn't dare murmur the endearments that rested on the tip of his tongue for fear she would further reject him later.

After a few moments of silence, Alejandro touched his son's arm, unfortunately having to break the tender moment between his son and the woman he had always thought of as a daughter. "We need to get him home. I will ride ahead to the pueblo and speak with the padre."

Diego nodded to his father and helped Victoria to her feet. He kept his arm around her shoulders as he led her to her wagon. "I'll drive." Diego said softly as he moved to tie Esperanza to the side rail and hopped into the seat beside her.

The soldiers lifted José's body and carefully placed it in the back of Victoria's wagon before gathering their tools and various other items into the other wagon.

As Mendoza turned to follow the other soldiers, he bent to pick up a strange looking stone that glinted metallic when struck with the light. He placed it in his pocket to give to Don Diego later.

Malinda heard the wagon before she could clearly see the faces sitting within it. She waited expectantly at the doorway, the baby asleep inside her bassinet. Her shoulders slumped when she noticed it was only Diego and Victoria approaching.

She rushed to greet them, muttering, "You've got hours of light left. Why aren't you still –" Then she noticed the sad looks on their faces and backed away. "No." She shook her head and backed toward the house. "Oh, Dios please no."

Victoria moved to comfort her, but Malinda shook her head and backed toward the house.

"Malinda," Diego jumped from the wagon box and glanced down at her sadly. "I'm sorry. The cave in - The rocks came down on top of him killing him instantly. He didn't suffer."

Malinda covered her face with her hands; Diego hesitantly reached out to her, then embraced her tightly.He carefully took her inside as Victoria followed, picking up the baby's bassinet.

"My father has gone ahead of us to speak with the padre. There will be a service tonight."

"What will we do?" Malinda cried, tears wetting Diego's dirty shirt. "We have nothing. I –"

"Don't think about that right now." Diego's soft voice soothed her and she gazed up at him through tear-filled eyes. "My father and I will help you. Right now, you need to rest and prepare for tonight." He turned to Victoria. "Will you stay with Malinda while I go home and change? I'll take the body to the church as well and return as soon as I can to escort you to the church."

Victoria nodded but Malinda pulled herself out of Diego's arms and stood. "I want to see him."

Diego hesitated only a split second before nodding. It wasn't his place to deny her.

Victoria slid her hand into Diego's as Malinda walked outside and out to the wagon where her husband lay. Unspoken words hung between them but Diego recovered first, and led Victoria outside. They stood silently, watching as the young widow broke down and cried, crawling into the wagon and resting her head on her husband's chest.

Tears slid down Victoria's cheeks and Diego gathered her into his arms, hugging her close.

"That could have been you," she whispered, her voice cracking.

He lifted her chin with his finger and gazed into her moist eyes. He had no reassuring words for her. He knew it could have been him killed today as well. Instead of denying her words, he simply lowered his head and brushed his mouth against hers. The kiss was quick, gentle, but with it came a rush of long denied emotion and stringently restrained desire.

When she moved to deepen the kiss, Diego pulled away. He pressed his fingers to her lips and whispered, "Later. I will explain everything."

Victoria nodded, understanding that it would not be a good idea to let Malinda see their closeness. Not only would it be tactless, since her husband had just died, but they couldn't let anyone see their feelings for one another yet. It would need to remain a carefully guarded secret for a little while longer.

"I will return as soon as I can," Diego moved toward the wagon and carefully lifted Malinda from the back.

Victoria moved to the distraught woman's side and watched with a heavy heart as Diego drove away.

The funeral service was a subdued affair. But it was intensely personal for Diego. The guilt that flooded his entire being at the mere thought of José nearly caused him to scream. He was there. He could have, should have prevented the farmer from going back into that mine. But he had been distracted, for a split second, by Victoria and that, he felt, had cost a man his life.

Diego and Victoria had had no time to speak privately before the service, or even on the ride to the pueblo. He had used the de la Vega carriage and driver to go fetch Victoria, Malinda and the baby. And Victoria had kept her arm around Malinda and the baby as Diego sat in guilty silence across from them.

Victoria sat next to Diego now, holding his hand tightly as the padre spoke. Malinda and the baby, sat to her right, staring blankly, a disbelieving look on her face. Victoria wiped at her own tears, which trailed salty paths down her cheeks.

When the service ended, Alejandro escorted Malinda to the de la Vega carriage, stating in no uncertain terms that she would be staying at the hacienda for the night. He had turned to Victoria as well, and informed her that she would be staying the night with them as well. Diego followed shortly with Victoria, his arm wrapped gently around her waist.

Knowing how close Diego and Victoria had become with the Perez family, no one thought it unusual for the two friends to be comforting one another in their grief.

Mendoza approached Diego as he was leading Victoria toward the de la Vega carriage. "Excuse me, Don Diego?"

"Yes?"

Mendoza nervously fingered something in his hand before holding it up. "I found this near the mine. I thought you might like to have it." The kind sergeant indicated the distraught woman sitting in the carriage. "For Señora Perez."

Diego took the golden rock and nodded slowly. "Thank you. I will make sure she gets it."

Mendoza nodded and stepped away as Diego assisted Victoria into the carriage beside Malinda and then pulled himself into the seat beside his father.

Malinda was given a sleeping draught once they reached the hacienda and she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Victoria was once again sitting in the library, the babe happily cooing in her arms as she played with a little toy.

This time, Diego stood in the entryway and unashamedly stared at her, his heart twisting with love mixed with guilt.

Sensing that she was being watched, Victoria looked up and smiled at Diego. She held out a hand and he came to her immediately. He sat down beside her on the settee and brushed long fingers over the baby's cheek. With a small smile, he wrapped one arm around Victoria's shoulders and pulled her against his side.

She leaned heavily against him, relaxing into his strong arms.

"I've dreamt of watching you like this holding our own babe," Diego admitted quietly, his eyes flitting from the baby to Victoria trying to gauge her reaction without looking like he was staring.

"I want children so badly." Victoria snuggled closer but arched her neck so she could meet his eyes. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Diego. I have so many questions, I'm not sure where to start."

Diego grinned wryly. "Would it help to know that I lied to you because I was truly afraid of retribution against those I love?"

"It might help." Victoria nodded thinking that she would delight in making Diego squirm for a bit before informing him that she forgave him – for everything. "But –"

Diego stood and pulled her to her feet. "Come with me."

Victoria glanced down at the slumbering babe. "Let me put her back in her bassinet."

Diego nodded while Victoria left to return the babe to the bassinet lying beside the sleeping Malinda. When Victoria returned, she immediately went to Diego and slid her hand into his.

"I thought I would begin my explanation with this," Diego swept his free hand beneath the fireplace mantle, depressing the lever that opened the secret passageway.

Victoria blinked and glanced open-mouthed at Diego, who merely smiled.

"After you, Querida."

Victoria stepped into the stone hallway and was joined immediately by Diego, who smiled warmly down at her before taking her hand once again.

He led her to the top of the stone steps she had stared at for so long the last time she had been inside this cave. Her eyes scanned the contents she had long ago committed to memory. She wandered around the room as if in a daze, reverently touching the black silk that hung from the rack before moving to other articles and similarly touching them.

When she stopped before the laboratory table and glanced down at the small bag of partially spilled golden stones, her heart constricted.

Diego stepped behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her waist, glancing over her shoulder to see what had halted her steps. He frowned when he noticed her brush slim fingers across the stones.

"Jose died for these," Victoria shook her head, lifting one into her hand and scowling harshly at it. She turned in the circle of Diego's arms. "When you told him you were going to test those other pieces, you came here to do it, didn't you?"

"Yes. It's a very simple test."

An unexplainable feeling prompted her to ask, "Show me?"

Diego hesitated for a moment before stepping around her and uncorking a small vial. "This is nitric acid. Among other things, it is used to distinguish real gold from fool's gold." He took the stone out of her hand and dropped it into a round container then poured the contents of the vial over the stone.

"How does it do that?" She took a step back as the contents of the container began to sizzle.

"Well, the properties of the acid dissolve most metals. Gold is unable to be dissolved by it and –" Diego trailed off, staring at the stone sitting in the center of the sizzling liquid. "Madre de Dios," he whispered as he leaned forward and watched the acid eat away at the impurities of the stone, leaving the pure golden nugget behind.

"What is it?" Victoria asked.

"This is not iron pyrite." Diego answered, staring at the stone. "This is real gold."

TBC

Smithcrafter – Glad you like it. This chapter isn't a happy one, though, I'm afraid.

Trollie – You have smithcrafter to call evil now too! She's got bad things in store for Diego in her story! Yes, you'll notice I killed yet someone else in this chapter . . . It was necessary, though. Zorro isn't perfect and he cannot solve every problem, and rescue every person.

WolfDaughter – Well, you find out in this chapter what happened, but there is a little more to go . . . I won't be dragging this one out as is customary with some of my stories.

ClassicCowboy – Glad you liked the first story and are liking this one. This site has a lot of great Zorro stories, be sure to read them all :) Have you seen this series? If not, its worth looking for a set on ebay. It's really well done.