Chapter 1

Victoria's Tavern

Victoria woke up and looked worriedly at the fuse as do Mendoza and Don Alejandro. Diego glanced at the opened bottle of wine and the rapidly approaching fuse. He stretched his legs toward the table nearest to him, hooked his toes around the table leg, moving the table closer to him. Drawing back his legs, he thrust them powerfully at the table leg. The first table fell into the second table, knocking over the bottle of wine which poured out onto the burning fuse mere inches from the powder keg and put it out. Don Alejandro nodded his head and laughed through his gag.

At the tavern's front door, Felipe stepped back as the two men pushed hard against the doors which came open. All three of them rushed into the tavern. Felipe went over to Diego and untied his gag.

"Well done, Felipe," Diego hugged him gratefully.

"Well done? The boy was five minutes too late! Bah," Ramón snorted.

"The Alcalde is right," Mendoza agreed, "If it wasn't for Don Diego, we would all be meeting our maker."

"You were magnificent, Don Diego!" Victoria smiled.

"Yes, magnificent," Don Alejandro agreed, "Even Zorro couldn't have done it better."

Minutes Later…

Victoria, Don Alejandro, and Mendoza sat at a table, with a pitcher and cups in front of them. All three were relieved that their ordeal was finally over even the alcalde himself was relieved...Ramón stood behind them, his foot up on a bench as he listened to their conservation.

"I don't mind telling you," Victoria admitted, "I've never been so terrified in all my life."

"Oh, so was I, Señorita," Mendoza agreed, "Were you scared, mi Alcalde?"

"A coward dies a thousand times, the valiant taste of death but once," Ramone quoted.

"You do have a way with words, Alcalde," Don Alejandro smirked, "Yes, especially someone else's."

"Ricardo Quintana has returned, " Diego stated as he joined them, "One of your men found him in your office, Alcalde, tied up courtesy of Zorro, it seems."

"Zorro? Maybe he's still in town," the alcalde rushed out of the tavern.

"Apparently the Alcalde's brush with death hasn't changed his views on life," the tall caballero smirked, "Still after Zorro."

"I wonder why Zorro didn't come to our rescue?"

"Well, he can't be everywhere, I suppose, Victoria. Here, Sergeant…From Felipe, myself, and my father."

"Well, thank you all very much. But Don Diego, it's not really my birthday."

"It was all part of Ricardo's scheme but take it anyway, Sergeant."

"Thank you. I don't know what to say," Mendoza pulled off the ribbon off the lid of the box with Victoria's help, "Beans! Imported beans! My favorite. You want some? How did you know, Don Diego?"

"A lucky guess," Diego shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

The Next Morning…

The assembled crowd watched as Ricardo Quintana was loaded into the wagon for the final time. Diego, Victoria, Don Alejandro as well as Mendoza breathed a sigh of relief as the prison wagon drove off. "He will probably be put away for life," the alcalde smirked, "Good riddance to bad rubbish...He should never have returned to this pueblo...revenge is a dish best served cold...all because of a woman..."

"Gracias a Dios," Mendoza made the sign of the cross, "It's over."

"Sergeant! Report to me in my office. We have much work to do," the alcalde glared as Mendoza saluted and clicked his heels together.

"Si, mi Alcalde," the sergeant turned and put on his hat as he walked past Don Alejandro.

"Ricardo cheated the people of this pueblo out of thousands of pesos. His sentence will be just," Diego surmised.

"We are safe thanks to you, son," Don Alejandro smiled, "let's have some breakfast before you go to The Guardian."

"That's a good idea, Father. Shall we," Diego stated.

"Breakfast is on me, gentlemen. Just a way to say thank you," Victoria smiled, "right this way."

Hopefully, Victoria will see me in a better light. Some good may come out of this after all, Diego smiled.

Later that day….

Felipe and Diego set the type as they completed the last article in the newspaper. The older man wiped the sweat from his brow content with the work that they had done. "Gracias, Felipe. I couldn't have done it without you…as Diego…or as Zorro," he stated.

We make a great team, Felipe signed as he smiled at his mentor's praise.

"This edition turned out well if I do say so myself. Quintana is gone. I am glad that no one was injured."

Your father was very proud of you and so was Victoria, Felipe signed, I know that meant a lot to you.

"It did despite the danger we were in…they were expecting Zorro to save the day, but this time intelligence and a little bit of luck rescued them," Diego admitted, "it feels good to be respected by the people that I love as Diego and not the illusion that I created."

All you can do is your best, Felipe encouraged, Los Angeles needs Zorro and it needs Diego…

"Thank you, Felipe," the older man hugged his young charge, "for putting things into the proper perspective…"

The days settled into a predictable pattern…appearances by Zorro…rescues and battles with the alcalde. Even though Victoria and his father were impressed with Diego's role in saving them from Quintana, it didn't change their overall opinion of him…His father's remarks were less cutting and so were Victoria's but they still saw him as the bookish caballero that he portrayed himself to be…Diego didn't question his father's love but he wanted his respect. For the time being, Diego would be content with the situation as it stood but one day the people he loved would see the real man behind the mask…One day, things would change...