CHAPTER FIVE

Diego spent a little more time with Anita, learning more about her past, about her mother. The two newly-minted siblings had laughed, and cried, getting to know each other. Diego of course, said nothing about his alter ego. Then, he had excused himself, to see about their father. Anita was now sitting alone in her room, hugging her knees through her full skirt, thinking. While she did not approve of the way Alejandro had badgered her, she did understand why he had reacted the way he had. It must have been a surprise…to see this brooch again. She ran her fingers over the carved flowers, feeling the ridges of the petals. No wonder Mama had seemed so insistent on giving it to me. And now I know why she never sold it, if it is truly worth what Diego says…she must have known someday…

There was a flutter of paper and a crunch of gravel, and Anita looked up at the window quickly to see a shadow fading from view…and a piece of paper lying on the sill. For a moment, she debated going to find Diego. Then, hesitantly, she crawled off the bed and snatched the note from the windowsill, retreating back to the bed to read it.

Senorita-

If you wish to see your father alive again-

Anita's blood ran cold. They know Alejandro is my father. "But the only way they could have known…" Had the window been open when she and Diego were speaking? "They were listening!" she gasped. Hands shaking, she continued reading.

You will bring the brooch to us. Ride north. A rider will be waiting. Come alone.

"Don Alejandro," she whispered. "Something has happened to him." Not even changing into a riding dress, Anita cautiously opened the door to her bedroom and looked out. There was no sign of Diego or Bernardo. She ran to the back door through the kitchen, and toward the stables.

Princesa stood in the yard. She was saddled, but there was no sign of Don Alejandro. Princesa is his favorite, she remembered Diego saying. But if she is here, and he is not…

I have just discovered who my father is. And he may not have been pleased to discover I am his daughter, but I will not let anything happen to him. She thought of Diego. None of this is his fault, and I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to Don Alejandro and Diego was left alone. I know a little of what that is like.

Anita rode out alone on Princesa, heart pounding. The moon was just starting to rise and she was thankful it was full tonight. Princesa was surefooted, but Anita did not know the area well at all. The brooch, the stupid brooch that had started all of this, thudded against her chest as Princesa took her away from the de la Vega hacienda and out into the hills. The note had simply said ride north, and so she turned Princesa in that direction.

_/_

Bernardo made his way down the back stairs and headed toward across the patio with a handful of fresh linen. Cresencia was busy with the clearing away of supper so Bernardo had volunteered to bring the clean sheets to Anita's room. He tapped on the door and waited for a reply. There was no answer from inside, and no one came to the door. Frowning, Bernardo tried the handle and the door opened easily.

The room was empty. Perhaps out for a walk? Or…Bernardo's mind raced, thinking of possibilities. He set the linens on the bed, and something caught his eye, sticking out from under the pillow.

Senorita–

If you wish to see your father alive again, you will bring the brooch to us. Ride north. A rider will be waiting. Come alone.

Bernardo gasped. Clutching the note, he ran from the room, finding Diego down in the sala, the lid of the piano up as he worked to tune the wires. Bernardo grabbed his arm, and Diego bumped his head on the lid of the piano. "Ow! Bernardo, what-"

Bernardo thrust the note in his face. Diego read it quickly, his face paling. "We thought the men who were chasing us that day were after us. I never considered they might be after Anita. She is not in her room?" he clarified. Bernardo nodded. "And my father, he did not come back from his ride?"

Bernardo shrugged. That one he didn't know. He looked at Diego and made a 'Z' with his index finger in the air.

"Si, Bernardo," Diego nodded, leaving the piano as it was and opening the secret cabinet. "Zorro to the rescue." His heart pounded. He hoped his family would be all right until he could find them. My father and Anita missed out on so much time together. I will not let that time be cut short. She has already lost her mother. I will not let her lose her father too.

_/_

A shadowy figure, backlit against the moonlight, appeared at the top of the rise of the hill. Anita slowed Princesa. "That must be our rider," she whispered. Nervously, she urged Princesa forward. The horse twitched her ears, sensing her rider's apprehension.

"Buenos noches, Senorita Cabrillo. Or should I say…Senorita de la Vega?"

Anita squinted. In the dim light, she could make out a familiar face. It was one of the men she had shared the coach ride from San Pedro to Los Angeles. "You sent that note?" she said.

He nodded, his eyes trailing down to her chest. "I see you brought the brooch. Good. It makes it much easier than trying to chase you down for it."

"You were the men chasing us on the road!" Anita realized. The man nodded.

Anita pulled her shawl closer, cutting off his view. "I wish to see Don Alejandro. I'm not giving you the brooch until I see that he is all right."

He gave her a smile. "Oh of course," he said, bowing in mock politeness. "I am a thief, but I am also a gentleman. Right this way, please."

Anita dismounted, and led Princesa up over the hill. They stepped off the road and into the brush. Near a large pile of rocks, Anita could see a fire burning. Two men were seated there. One, she recognized as the other man she'd shared the coach with, and the other-

"Don Alejandro!" Anita cried, dropping Princesa's reins and running over to him. Princesa reared, and took off into the night. Anita fell to her knees in the dirt near Alejandro and threw her arms around him.

Alejandro's eyes widened in shock. "Anita! What...how did you-?" He wished his hands were not bound so he could hug her back.

She sat back, her eyes welling with tears. "I was so afraid I'd lost you again!"

"Oh, Anita," Alejandro said. "Fate has brought us together tonight. I don't think she means for us to be parted so soon after." He glanced over the top of her shoulder. "But you should not have brought the brooch. They do not intend to let either of us go."

"But I thought…" She looked at the two men. "I did what you asked."

"And we are grateful, little senorita," one said. "But you have seen our faces, and well, we cannot have you telling the stupid sergeant who we are."

_/_

Diego pushed Tornado as fast as he could riding north of the rancho. They had no idea how much of a head start Anita had on them, and 'north' could encompass a lot of places. "Faster, boy," he yelled in the horse's ear. "We've got to find them."

A blur came streaking past them in the darkness, and Diego yanked Tornado to a stop. He looked back. "That is Princesa," he realized. He nodded firmly. "Then we are going the right way," he told Tornado. "Andale, Tornado!" He dug his heels in and Tornado took off like the wind.

_/_

Alejandro did his best to nudge Anita behind him, putting himself between her and the two thieves. "You got what you came for," he said. "There's no need to add murder to your list of wrongdoing!"

"You have no idea what our 'list of wrongdoing' is full of," the one who had kidnapped him countered with a malicious grin. He pulled a knife from his belt. Anita buried her head in Alejandro's shoulder as he got to his feet. If he was going to die, it would be standing. He dug the toe of his boot into the dirt.

As his partner watched, the man took a menacing step forward. Alejandro reacted, kicking up a sweep of dirt. The man swore as some got into his eyes, and he staggered back. Alejandro was knocked off balance, but Anita righted him, and the two of them took off into the desert.

"You all right?" the other man asked, unable to believe what had just happened.

"After them!" his partner yelled, trying desperately to clear his vision.

_/_

Diego could hear yelling and swearing from somewhere up ahead. "Vamos, Tornado, faster!" They rounded the top of the hill and Diego turned Tornado off the road at the sight of the flickering campfire. As Tornado roared into the camp, Diego leapt off his back and tackled the man with the knife to the ground. He came up in a roll, facing one of the thieves-one of the men who had been with Anita on the coach her first day in Los Angeles. Ah, it becomes clear, he thought. He saw no sign of Anita or his father, however, and that worried him. "Where are Don Alejandro and-his daughter?" he demanded, hesitating for only a split second on the word 'daughter.'

"Do not worry, Senor Zorro," came the reply. "You'll join them soon enough!"

Diego looked at the logs burning a few feet away. "If they are dead, senor, you will regret it," he promised. He ducked down as the man took a swing at him with the knife. Diego launched himself in the direction of the fire and took hold of one of the burning logs. "Two can play that game," he said with a deadly smile.

_/_

Anita helped Alejandro duck behind a large rock and began tearing at the rope that bound his hands with her fingernails. "We cannot run forever," she cried. "What are we going to do?"

Alejandro felt the rope give way and he put his arms around her, hugging her close. "We will be all right, m'ija," he whispered into her hair. She closed her eyes, sobbing at the term of endearment she might never hear again.

"How is your aim?" Alejandro questioned. He nodded to the smaller rocks around them. "Perhaps we can fend him off for a little while." Long enough to get back to their camp perhaps, and take their horses.

Or, Santa Maria willing, for Zorro to find us. If Diego even realizes we're gone…

Anita picked up a rock, and tossed it up and down a few times. She looked at him with a determined nod. He ran a finger down her chin. "Good. You're a fighter. And so we shall fight''

_/_

Diego connected with the flaming log, cracking the thief in the back. The man screamed as the flames seared his back. In a panic, he threw himself to the ground, trying to put out the flames at his back, eventually passing out. Diego stepped over him and looked at the ground. In the light of the fire, he saw two sets of footprints, heading into the desert. And a third, just off to the side. Father, and Anita! He took off after them.

_/_

Anita poked her head around the side of the boulder they were hiding behind and threw the rock in her hand. It pinged harmlessly off the rock the thief was hiding behind, but it gave Alejandro an opening for his own. His aim was truer, and it hit the man in the shoulder. He yelped in surprise and squeezed off a shot with a double-barrel shotgun in their direction. It clipped their hiding place, and Alejandro threw himself down as bits of rock rained down around them. "He has one more shot, Anita," he told his daughter. "If we can get him to waste it, we may have a chance."

"I am sorry, Don Alejandro," Anita said. "I did not mean to cause all this trouble."

"My dear," he replied. "The fault is mine. Trouble always seems to find the de la Vegas. Lord knows that Diego and I have found our fair share." He smiled at her. "And, I think it's high time you called me something other than Don Alejandro, eh?"

_/_

Diego took a high path, crouching just above the man's hiding place. He was taking aim. Let's not give him that chance. Diego jumped, landing on the back of the man, bringing them both to the ground. The gun skidded away through the dirt. Diego grabbed the man by the collar, silencing him with one punch. "Don Alejandro? Senorita Cabrillo?" he called, careful to use Anita's real last name to not give himself away.

"Here!" he heard Anita say in relief. She came running from their hiding place, nearly knocking him over as she hugged him. "Gracias, Senor Zorro!" she exclaimed. Diego looked over the top of her head to see his father coming toward them. He looked no worse for the wear.

"Little one," Diego told Anita, clipping his syllables to change his voice. "You have gotten into much trouble since arriving here," he said. He looked at Don Alejandro. "Is she related to you and that son of yours?" he teased.

Alejandro looked at him. "No more secrets," he said.

Anita saw Zorro's eyes widen behind his mask. "Don Alejandro-" Zorro began, but Alejandro shook his head.

He looked at Anita. "My dear…there is one other family secret we need to tell you about."

Anita frowned. "Another secret? What do you mean?"

Alejandro nodded to Zorro, who tugged off his hat…then untied his mask.

Anita was a bit shocked for a moment, looking at her half brother, who was also her hero. "You… you are Zorro… I can't believe it…" She started to giggle. "Diego, you look so funny in this outfit!"

Diego and Alejandro exchanged a look of surprise. "'Funny'?" Diego repeated. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I can honestly say no one has ever said that about Zorro before!"

Anita grinned. "And you're going to hear it a lot more!" She looked between the two of them. "Wait, I have one more question." She pointed back in the direction of the hacienda. "Bernardo. He can hear, can't he?"

The two men's jaws dropped, confirming her suspicion. She clapped her hands together. "I knew it!"

Diego looked at his-at their-father. "Is it too late to send her back to Spain?"

''Let's go home you two,'' the older de la Vega laughed, placing a hand on both of his children's shoulders as they made the way together back to the hacienda.

_/_

A few weeks later…

It wasn't often that Sergeant Demetrio Lopez Garcia wore his civilian clothes; they were tight, old, threadbare, and above all, exposed his belly. However, the kind sergeant didn't care. Don Diego had promised wine free of charge, if not only he but everyone from the cuartel were present at the party that the de la Vegas were preparing.

"Seargent, you look dashing!" smiled Senorita Victoria Escalante, the tavern owner.

"'Gracias, Senorita, you look pretty too,'' he smiled back, making her blush. "Do you know why Don Diego gathered half the pueblo to his hacienda?"

"Well, all I know is that he's preparing a surprise. " she replied, looking at the light in the bedroom window. She had seen Alejandro de la Vega go that direction a few minutes ago, but no one had come out since.

"Oh…what kind of surprise?" he asked and Victoria gave him a hard look.

"What kind of surprise Seargent? A surprise kind of surprise!" she scolded him, and left. Neither of them saw Bernardo stifle a laugh at the exchange.

Feeling disappointed, Garcia decided to ignore Victoria and pour another glass of wine, while waiting for the big surprise.

The minutes passed more and more, and the guests were anxious to see the , just after the snacks stopped being served, Don Alejandro stepped out of Diego's bedroom, making his way to the top of the stairs. "If I could have your atencion, por favor," he called out.

Everyone paused in their conversations and turned to look at him. "Buenas noches my guests and dear friends. I gathered all of you here today to announce something that changed mine and my son's life during these couple of days. You see, seventeen years ago, I fathered a child while traveling to Spain."

Several people in the crowd started to whisper and murmur, and Alejandro held up a hand. "Even before I knew the woman I was involved with was bearing my child, I heard the news that my family back in California… my wife Paula…" His voice trembled a little, and he took a moment to compose himself. "My wife, and my son Diego were sick and I had to come back as fast as possible." he said. "The affair I had in Spain was completely forgotten, until last week, when the child I fathered came here, to California, looking for her father." He paused. "For me."

With a soft smile, he turned back toward the door. "Dieguito, will you and Anita come here please?" A moment later, Diego came out hand-in-hand with Anita, who was dressed in a beautiful pink dress, worthy of a princess of Spain. "Dear guests, dear friends." He nodded to Diego. "And my beloved son. I would like to present to you my daughter, Anita de la Vega."

"But that's the lady who came from San Pedro!" exclaimed Corporal Reyes. Sergeant Garcia elbowed him in the side.

"Yes! She's Don Alejandro's daughter?" asked Victoria.

Diego clapped his hands, trying to regain the crowd's attention. "I know you have questions and they will be answered in due time." He knew that for as many questions as their friends had, he and Anita had even more for Alejandro, and she plenty for the two of them...and him especially for his father. It would take some time for the three of them to come together as familia. They had spent the last few weeks getting to know each other, learning how to be brother and sister, father and daughter. Diego was getting used to having another person worry for him at nights when Zorro needed to work. And he and his father were patching up the tension between them after Alejandro's revelation. Anita was learning to fit in with the two of them, who had been by themselves for so long. It was a bit of an adjustment. With all that in mind…Diego gave his sister's hand a squeeze, a respectful nod to his father. "But for now, enjoy the party. My father, my sister, and I are most glad you came to join us," he said. He smiled and hugged her. "Welcome to the family mi hermana, we are most glad to have you here." The crowd broke into polite applause as the three de la Vegas came down to join their guests.

END