Chapter 9

Two days later, Felipe was still waiting for his miracle. He'd given Diego a steady flow of cactus tea. He'd mostly slept and had been muttering incoherently in the throes of his dreams the rest of the time.

Until today, Felipe thought unhappily as he recalled Diego's mood when he'd woken up. Felipe couldn't be sure, but he thought Diego had been having a nightmare. He'd become restless in bed, and Felipe had been afraid Diego would strain his ribs further if he didn't wake him up. It had taken Diego less than a minute to realize just how long Felipe had been drugging him with that infernal tea. With one glare in Felipe's direction, Diego made his displeasure known and before he even said good morning, he demanded a bowl of shaving water.

Victoria had ridden back to town only long enough to tell Pilar to watch over the tavern in her absence before returning to the hacienda. Felipe was just glad that she was still asleep after sitting up late to watch over Diego. At least he was used to dealing with Diego when he was in what the young man had affectionately dubbed 'Frustration Mode.' Quite often that mood led his future brother to solve a number of problems, scientific or otherwise. However, the mood had never been tested on Victoria, and Felipe was certainly content that morning to see that it stayed that way. The last thing they needed in the De la Vega hacienda was another argument between its occupants. The outstanding one between father and son was a big enough strain on everybody as it was.

Felipe set the bowl down on a tray in front of his brother, who was still forbidden to get out of bed, and watched as Diego carefully finished shaving with his left hand. A minute later, Felipe held back a wince when Alejandro entered the room and stood at the foot of the bed. This was, quite unmistakably, the worst possible moment for the two men to hash out their differences. Felipe glanced uncertainly at Diego.

"Dr. Hernandez still doesn't think you're ready to be up and about. So you'll stay in that bed or I'll turn you over my knee. Comprendes?" Alejandro threatened half-seriously.

"I think I've been beaten quite enough for the foreseeable future don't you?" Diego retorted hotly.

Alejandro immediately looked contrite. This was not at all how he wanted this conversation to start out. "Oh, Diego. No. I…I didn't really mean…"

"You're Alejandro de la Vega. You say exactly what you mean."

Alejandro didn't have any trouble reading between the lines of this particular conversation. He was just surprised Diego was willing to voice his opinion on the matter. "You're upset about our conversation in the tavern." It wasn't really a question, but Diego's silence was enough confirmation for him. "Diego, I want you to stand up for yourself," He started to explain, "I want you to be…" Alejandro stopped himself before he completed the sentence, but it was too late.

"Say it. You want me to be a De la Vega."

"I didn't say that."

"You were about to!" Diego shouted.

Unnoticed by the two arguing men, Felipe wisely snuck out the door. Maybe the rest of the household wouldn't notice if he pretended it wasn't happening. Then again, he seriously doubted they'd all be that lucky. He could only pray his brother wouldn't shout at the top of his lungs that he was Zorro just to win the argument, because surely that would create more problems than it would solve. Felipe closed the door quietly behind him as the argument continued.

"That's hardly the point!" Alejandro shouted back.

"That's exactly the point! You can't stand the man I've become!"

"I can't stand your indifference!" Alejandro corrected angrily. "You couldn't even find the courage to act when Felipe was being chased by murderers!"

"Of course I did!"

"Sitting at home and waiting for him to return is hardly- - "

"I was not sitting at home, and the reason we're having this argument in the first place is because you thought I wasn't being indifferent enough in the tavern the other day!" Diego coughed lightly and ignored the pain growing in his chest.

"Because you wouldn't have been able to defend yourself, and do not change the subject, young man! Felipe was absolutely beside himself with worry that something had happened to you while you were missing. Why, I'm not exactly sure, since you didn't show him the same courtesy when his life was in jeopardy! Not to mention you showed remarkably poor judgment by camping late at night, unarmed I might add, in the country! What were you thinking?!"

"That I couldn't possibly face you at the hacienda!"

"Was our disagreement over your ability to help defend this family worth risking your life?!"

"It was hardly a risk!" Diego coughed again.

"Oh, how could I possibly forget?! It was another useless science lesson in the middle of the night! What was it this month? The seventh or eighth time you would have stayed up past dawn and ignored your duties on the ranch?!" Alejandro roared angrily.

Felipe cringed on the other side of the door. Here it comes.

"I'm so sorry if capturing bandits, tracking thieves, and fighting the Alcalde are more important to me than getting up at a decent hour! And for your information, I like science! I wanted a night off for a change! I was actually looking forward to going to sleep before dawn!" Diego took a deep breath at the end of his tirade and lapsed into an uncontrollable, incredibly painful coughing fit. Finally reaching his limit, Diego thrust the tray in front of him aside with incredible force, causing the dish on top of it to shatter against the wall. The water from the bowl dripped unceremoniously down the wall to form a small puddle amongst the shards of glass on the floor.

Alejandro immediately jumped to his son's side, but Diego waved him away as forcefully as he could manage with his arm in a sling. Felipe heard the crash and rushed back into the room. He immediately started signing.

You have to calm down. Breathe slowly.

"You calm down," Diego muttered sarcastically between coughs. Alejandro tried to move closer again.

"Diego…" the old don's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Just…go," Diego choked out. After gasping in another lungful of air, he was slowly able to draw deeper, calming breaths again in between coughs.

Felipe's cold stare spurred the older man into action. The last thing he wanted to do was further endanger his son's health. And, he admitted to himself regretfully, that was exactly what he'd been doing just now. Besides, he needed time to think. Diego hadn't said the exact words, but Alejandro understood exactly what his son had just told him.

His son, Diego, was Zorro.

The disheartened don left the room to find Victoria with tears streaming silently down her face in Diego's sitting room. She wiped at them futilely. "I'm sorry," she started, "I was awakened by the shouting. I just came to see if everything was all right. I…I didn't mean to intrude." She had wanted them to work out their differences, but Diego's sudden disclosure had obviously not helped matters.

Misunderstanding precisely what had caused her to become so upset, Alejandro tried to comfort her. "I'm sorry you had to hear all of that, and I'm even sorrier we woke you up. You certainly needed the rest this morning." Not exactly sure what she had heard, and unwilling to state what had transpired in the room until he spoke with Diego again, he didn't offer any more information.

"I had hoped you two would come to an understanding, but certainly not like this."

Alejandro just stared at her, unsure of how to respond to that. How much had Diego confided in her? He got his answer seconds later.

"However indirectly, your son just told you a secret he's been hiding, mostly alone, for the last seven years."

Alejandro's jaw dropped inelegantly to the floor. Had it really been that long? Did everyone know the truth about his son, except him?

"Felipe is with him now?"

The eldest De la Vega nodded dumbly.

"Then, future father of mine, I think we are overdue for a nice, long talk."

Alejandro couldn't agree more. He led the way to his office near the front of the house and closed the heavy wooden doors behind them. Lord knew they needed the privacy.

ZZZ

After several minutes, Felipe was finally able to calm Diego down. Once he'd stopped coughing, Felipe handed him the cup from the nightstand. Diego eyed it wearily.

It's just water, he signed.

Diego drank it obediently and relaxed further into the pillows. His chest was wracked with pain from the coughing fit. He sighed in frustration.

"Well that went well."

It could have been worse.

"How could it possibly have…" Diego trailed off and started to chuckle when he saw Felipe lose the serious look he'd been holding and break into a smile. He shook his head. Trust Felipe to find a joke in this mess. "I let my temper get the best of me…I didn't even want to tell him my secret let alone reveal it the way I did."

Perhaps it is for the best, you telling Father.

"Perhaps it is, but he didn't deserve my anger."

Yes, he did, Felipe argued back.

Diego raised his eyebrows in surprise. Felipe rarely contradicted him, so when he did Diego paid special attention because it was usually important.

You deserve his respect, whether you're Zorro or not.

"That may be true, but this is still his house. He raised us both to respect our elders. I haven't honored him by lying to him all these years. And I certainly didn't honor him by raising my voice to him just now."

What's done is done.

"I never should have created Zorro. It's brought nothing but heartache to the people I love, including you."

That's not true. You saved Father's life, and mine, on more than one occasion. Brother, everything will be all right. Victoria knows you are Zorro and loves YOU. Father will feel the same way once he has a chance to calm down.

Diego smiled at Felipe with heartfelt gratitude. "Thank you for listening."

Felipe didn't miss the irony in that statement. Any time.

ZZZ

Victoria gingerly took a seat in front of Don Alejandro's desk. She expected him to sit behind the beautiful piece of handcrafted furniture, but instead he grabbed a chair from the corner and sat down next to her.

Neither of them said a word.

Victoria wasn't quite sure how to start explaining what she knew. She wasn't sure she even should since Diego hadn't exactly been forthcoming with his father. Although, if that shouting match were any indication, Diego no longer cared who knew his secret. That display of anger had certainly frightened her. She'd never seen Diego with such a hot temper before. Zorro, yes. But it had always been directed at the Alcalde when he was being particularly evil or at banditos terrorizing Los Angeles. Victoria noted Alejandro was in a similar state of shock.

The Don finally spoke first.

"How long have you known?" He asked quietly.

"Almost a year," at his sharp, indignant look she added quickly, "But not because Diego told me. I figured it out on my own."

"All this time…"

"I know."

"He's been lying to me for years."

Victoria decided to delicately word her next statement. "There was…misdirection, yes."

"All the excuses, the illnesses, the…the infernal books!" Alejandro thundered indignantly as he got to his feet, no longer able to contain the rage boiling inside of him. "And for what?!"

"For the safety and protection of the people," Victoria said softly. "Including you, Don Alejandro."

"Me? I hardly think I need protection!"

"Do you remember the first time Zorro appeared?" It was rhetorical so she didn't wait for an answer. "You and I were mere hours away from hanging, Don Alejandro. What did you expect Diego, your son and a proud De la Vega, to do? Watch it happen? The Alcalde threatened him with retribution against the other caballeros, prison, and confiscating your land. Mendoza told me so. He was right to wear the mask Don Alejandro. I shudder to think what Luiz Ramon would have done to your family had he not."

Alejandro just stared at her in confusion. "You know, I can hardly believe that you, of all people, are completely at ease with this…this…deception!" He practically spat the last word.

"And I can hardly believe that you, a man who once said he would be lucky to have Zorro for a son, is not." She smiled. "Besides. I've had a lot longer to think about it."

Alejandro sank wearily into the chair. "He should have told me. Why didn't he tell me? I could have helped him!"

"I asked myself the same question when I first discovered his identity."

"I certainly hope you've come to a conclusion, my dear, because I don't have the slightest clue."

"After I knew, I lost count of how many times I almost shouted 'Diego' instead of 'Zorro' to warn him of danger in the plaza…But aside from that…It took me a long time to realize it wasn't a matter of trust, or even honesty. He cares about our safety more than anything in this world, even his own life. He cares so much that he would suffer our disapproval and humiliation everyday in order to ensure that safety."

"The only thing keeping him from the gallows or a coffin so far is pure luck!"

"I don't think he would disagree with that…He's Zorro, Don Alejandro. He knew what he was risking. Tell me you wouldn't have stayed up countless nights waiting for him to come home, too afraid and sick with worry to sleep."

"Of course I would have."

"I know…Because I spend many of my nights doing exactly that."

Suddenly, everything clicked in Don Alejandro's mind. He was being incredibly selfish, which was incredibly unfair considering the deep feeling of pride that was slowly but surely overtaking his anger, not to mention what Diego – and Victoria for that matter – had sacrificed over the years. He stood up and gestured Victoria into his arms. She immediately rose and accepted the hug.

"Oh, Victoria…what a fool I've been. You've been waiting for him for so long now. For Diego."

"I'll wait as long as I have to," Victoria mumbled against his chest.

"All this time. All the things I said to him when he was doing more for the pueblo than I could have ever hoped. Certainly more than I ever dreamed he could accomplish when he came home from Spain."

"We owe him so much. We all do."

"And he's never asked for anything but justice in return."

"Well," Victoria pulled out of his embrace with a mischievous, glowing smile that reached her eyes. "He did ask for one thing."

"Oh? What's that?"

"My hand in marriage."

"Diego proposed?" He looked at Victoria as if she'd grown a second head.

"Technically, it was Zorro who proposed, but we are engaged, yes."

Alejandro closed his eyes and shook his head. Victoria was afraid for a moment that he was going to disapprove of their betrothal, but the old man started chuckling and the first genuine smile she'd seen all day appeared on his face.

"This is wonderful news!" He hugged her again. "I will be honored to welcome you into this family."

"No, Don Alejandro. It is my extreme honor to be a part of it."

Alejandro placed a gentlemanly kiss on her hand. "Oh, my dear Victoria." He chuckled. "I'm afraid you'll have to get used to tempers flaring around here. It happens more often than I'd care to admit."

"I was just going to tell you the same thing."

They laughed.

"I should check on Diego," she said.

"I should come with you."

Victoria hesitated. Since technically she wasn't a member of the family yet, she was definitely out of place even making such a suggestion to her future father-in-law. Thankfully, he sensed her hesitation immediately.

"Please, Victoria. Say whatever is on your mind."

"I don't think he's ready…And I'm not saying this to make you feel guilty, but you didn't see how upset he was in the tavern yesterday after you left." Alejandro nodded sadly in understanding. "He was devastated. More than anything he just wants your approval, and he knows he doesn't have it." She gently placed a hand on his arm to ward off the retort forming on his lips. "Not for the right reasons anyway. Not yet."

"He deserved so much better from me."

"That's funny, I was going to say the same thing to you," Diego's low voice floated softly across the room.

"Diego!" Alejandro and Victoria said in alarm.

Diego stood in the now open doorway his good arm draped over Felipe's shoulder. Felipe was clearly the only thing keeping Diego upright, but he was obviously a very unwilling and very unhappy accomplice in his brother's walking endeavor.

"Felipe! You shouldn't have let him!" Victoria rushed to Diego's other side as he started to sway.

Felipe signed indignantly, and although he was only using one hand since the other was wrapped securely around Diego's waist, his meaning was quite clear.

He's bigger than me. What did you expect me to do, hit him over the head?

"Hit him over the head, indeed! You may have knocked some sense into him," Alejandro told the boy. "Diego lay down before you fall down. I mean it, son. Come on now, back to bed."

"Father…"

"Diego…please. We'll talk. I promise."

Diego nodded, but only because he felt another wave of lightheadedness coming on. He gripped Felipe's shoulder a little tighter and let the younger man steer him back down the hall toward his room.

Diego sat down gingerly on his bed and before he could put up even a token of protest, Felipe had grabbed his legs and swung them onto the bed for him while Victoria fluffed the pillows behind him and set a few more under his right arm. He frowned down at the sling.

"Don't even think about it," Victoria told him, knowing he intended to remove it as soon as no one was looking. "And don't even think about trying to get up again, either. For heavens' sake, Diego, you could have really hurt yourself."

"Oh, nonsense. Felipe and I are getting quite good at maneuvering me through these halls when I'm barely able to stand, aren't we?"

Felipe only nodded grimly. As much as he tried to forget all the times Diego had come through the cave entrance bleeding profusely and practically falling off Tornado, it was true.

"Yes, well, medical advancements being made in the hacienda aside, perhaps we should talk, Diego."

Diego gave his father a smirk. One he'd only seen on his son's face when he was wearing a mask. "Despite previous evidence to the contrary, I've been looking forward to this for years."

Victoria leaned down to kiss Diego on the cheek before leaving.

"Thank you," he told her sincerely. When she narrowed her eyes at him he put up his hand in surrender, "I'll stay put, I promise…Really," he added when she cocked her eyebrow.

"We'll be in the library if either of you need anything." And with that, she grabbed Felipe's elbow and pulled him out of the room. Not that he needed that much encouragement.

Once they were in the hall, Felipe gently turned her around to face him. He started to gesture several times, but finally just let his hands fall to his sides and stared at Victoria hopefully. She pulled the young man into a hug.

"Oh, Felipe," she said even though she knew he couldn't hear her. "You've been helping him all along haven't you?" She jerked away when she felt him nod against her shoulder. "Felipe?"

I'm sorry. He signed immediately.

"You can hear?" she whispered.

He nodded.

Victoria put a hand to his cheek, which he took gratefully. This is such a relief.

"Indeed it is," she agreed. They walked into the library and sat down on the love seat. "Felipe, I can't tell you how grateful to you I am to you for taking care of him all these years."

Felipe smiled shyly. Diego was always appreciative of the help he provided, but he wasn't used to such open praise.

"Tell me the truth, Felipe. How badly did he hurt his arm? The first time," she clarified.

Felipe gulped. Badly. He barely made it home. He'd already lost so much blood by the time he got back to the cave. He paused, intending to stop, but Victoria nodded at him to continue. It took an hour for me to get the bullet out. He was…Felipe took a deep breath. He hated thinking about it, let alone trying to remember all the details. He was going to remember that night in vivid detail for a long time to come. He was conscious the entire time.

"Oh, Felipe."

There was nothing more I could do to for him. He wouldn't let me knock him out because we were expecting Father home any minute and he knew Father would want to go into town after hearing the news about the Emissary. I stitched it closed as best I could…but…but…

"He had to fight Gilberto as Zorro again."

Felipe nodded, miserable. He never should have let Diego leave the cave after that. He should have set another barrel trap like the time Diego had been unwittingly hypnotized and just tied him down. I may yet still have to do that, he thought ruefully.

"Felipe I want you to promise me something." Victoria waited until Felipe made eye contact with her again before continuing. "I want you to promise me that if you ever need my help, and I'm not here, you'll not hesitate to come and get me."

Felipe nodded. I promise. All of a sudden, Felipe looked the saddest Victoria had ever seen him. Diego loves you so much. It tears him apart that you can't be together.

Tears welled up again unbidden in Victoria's eyes. "I know."

It hurts you too.

"Yes," she sniffled.

Then promise me you two will find a way.

"I sincerely promise you that, Felipe."