Disclaimer: No copyright infringement meant with story. Characters owned by ZPI, not by me. Even though I wish they did. I just love to borrow the characters and play with them for a while, especially since they weren't able to stay with us as long as we would've liked them to.

AN: I do apologize for the length it took me to get this baby out this time. Sigh. I wanted to get to showing you what was happening with Diego and the bandits, but then I realized I had a whole bunch of story to tell first. So…you have to wait a while to see what is happening. And I have to say this story is definitely taking a different turn, but I blame it on an intelligent crook like Max. He realized something that Ramon never did. Ha.

Previously:

Felipe jumped a little upon her question. Victoria knew he was taken aback by her including herself in the process. Before he could say something, she said quickly, "Felipe, don't you need my help with getting him out of there?"

Felipe considered her words. He knew Diego wouldn't like Victoria being involved, but he also knew Diego would understand. There often was no way to prevent Victoria from doing something she had her heart set upon. So Felipe reluctantly nodded, then signed, "Do you have any idea what we should do?"

Victoria considered her thoughts, then asked, "What do you think about this?"

Felipe braced himself for her idea. Victoria began, after fiddling with her skirt. "I assume you know where all the caves and hideouts are, right? So you would know as much as Diego, right? So you have an idea where they might have taken Diego?"

Felipe nodded, and Victoria forced herself to continue. "I think we should take off and go looking for him ourselves. The Alcalde will be going to the hacienda and tracking them from there. We should head toward Santa Paula. I would think that would be the direction they would head, so they could hook up with the main trail to the rest of the territory."

Victoria had at first been confident in this idea, but uncertainty suddenly overcame her. Felipe had been the one assisting the mighty Zorro all these years, after all. Who was she to presume to make a suggestion? "Or do you think differently, Felipe?"

Felipe suddenly felt unsure as well, with this change in roles. Victoria asking him for advice? Giving her suggestion some consideration, Felipe thought she had indeed picked the most likely path the bandits would've taken. He signed his agreement with her assessment.

Victoria rose and went to the window. Looking out, she saw the Alcalde and the soldiers mount their horses. "They are getting ready to leave. We should leave as well, if we're indeed going to do this."

Felipe gave her an encouraging smile, hiding the doubt he had inside him. He was not at all sure about this idea, but he knew he needed to be doing something to help Diego. He followed Victoria to her stables, determined to not let either Diego or Victoria down.

~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~

It took all of the de la Vega persuasion, but Don Alejandro convinced the Alcalde the necessity of including him in the posse going after the bandits holding his son. As he rode along with the soldiers, Don Alejandro couldn't help but consider the uncharacteristic behavior of his son. Twice, Diego had stepped out of his mild-mannered personae in order to help Victoria. What could such behavior mean? His first reaction was to rejoice in the fact that there was indeed a man worthy of the de la Vega name within his son.

However, he wondered why it appeared so suddenly. A smile crossed his face. Perhaps he would be getting those grandbabies soon after all. Because, would his son step so far beyond his comfort zone to save someone he only considered to be a friend, a sister? No, Don Alejandro told himself. Risking his life for a friend? Not something that his son would do. Given the numerous times when Diego hadn't acted out for him, for Felipe, over the past two years, being friends with Victoria wouldn't spur him into such life-risking behavior.

Thinking along those lines, Don Alejandro flashed to memories of a young Diego with a determined little Victoria chasing after him. Diego indeed had done his father proud with his protective attitude toward the young Victoria. His wife thought it endearing, choosing to believe a budding romance was in their future. He reveled in the memory for a moment of his beloved wife, then sobered when he realized she would be dead within a year of those memories. After a moment of reflection, he allowed himself to return to happier thoughts when he remembered what had begun this journey down memory lane.

Diego is indeed in love with Victoria.

Victoria had never stopped being in love with Diego. She attempted to deny it, many times, throughout the years, but Don Alejandro could tell she was lying. Lying to others, lying to herself. The young Victoria was heartbroken when Diego left for Spain. Don Alejandro had even overheard the young Victoria confiding in a friend regarding her fear that Diego would fall in love while he was gone. There was indeed lots of tears and adolescent dramatics involved.

Don Alexandro had to admit he had thought nothing of it at the time. Victoria was a charming girl, the daughter of a military comrade, but that was all. Over the years, though, Don Alejandro had grown to love Victoria as a daughter. The daughter he often liked to think his Felicidad and he would have had if they would've been blessed with a daughter. When Diego returned from Spain, and he began to think it was time for him to settle down, Don Alejandro couldn't help but wish he would choose Victoria as his wife. However, Don Alejandro was realistic enough to realize he wasn't able to choose a wife for his son. When Zorro had captured her heart, Don Alejandro ended that particular dream of being united to the Escalante family.

Thinking about the younger Diego, Don Alejandro realized the pain of an unresolved issue. Indeed, why was Diego so different when he returned from Spain? Raising Diego had often been quite a handful, worrying about whether Diego would indeed survive to grow into an adult due to the numerous scrapes the young boy had gotten into. Sending him off to Spain, Don Alejandro worried he would end up dying in a duel, or shot by an angry father or rival suitor. Instead, Diego returned as a studious, literary soul who ran away from conflict of any sort.

Because of the rocky circumstances making up the political landscape of their pueblo, Don Alejandro had pushed those questions about Diego aside. The past two years, with all that had happened, had brought so much upheaval. With the appearance of Zorro, the changes in Diego were even more apparent in comparison.

Seeing the outline of his hacienda in the distance, Alejandro brushed aside his reflections. Hopefully, his son would survive this current situation, and would be able to sit down for a long discussion with his father. Alejandro vowed that by the end of the week, his son would be betrothed to the Senorita Escalante, if he had anything to do with it. But first they would have to find him.

As the group approached the de la Vega hacienda, the Alcalde warned the group about being observant for any sign of the bandits. They were startled by one of the servants running from the hacienda, waving his hands and shouting.

"Don Alejandro! I'm so glad you are here!"

"What is it, Joseph?"

"Don Diego was brought here by bandits, who made him open the safe and they took all the money. They then were on their way out when Don Diego got loose of his bonds and almost got away before the head guy knocked him out." Looking at his employer, eyes widened by fear, Joseph hurriedly added, "We would've helped him, but Don Diego told us not to." Shaking, Joseph wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "The bandits also showed us their guns. We were afraid they would shoot Don Diego."

The Alcalde was taken aback momentarily by the fact that Diego once again acted out of character. "What? Don Diego attacked the bandits himself? Despite their guns?"

"Yes, my son Paulo and I hid so we could keep an eye on Don Diego. The bandits didn't see us. We watched Don Diego snap the rope around his wrists and jump two of the bandits. He then tried to get the main guy, but he knocked Don Diego out with his gun."

Ramon scratched his head, thinking about what he had been told. How interesting. I never thought Don Diego would do something like that. Shaking himself to bring his attention back to the present, Ramon vowed to think about the interesting facts later. "So, how long has it been since they left?"

"Oh, a good thirty minutes, sir. And they went towards Santa Paula." Pointing to the northwest. "After they loaded Don Diego onto the horse."

"Loaded?"

"Well, Don Diego was still knocked out when they left."

Ramon's eyebrow rose as he considered this last piece of information. Before he could ask another question, Don Alejandro interrupted.

"Was my son still alive?"

Joseph again feared his employer's anger. "I am sure he was, Don Alejandro. Even from a distance, I could see his chest rising and falling. He also had no blood showing. He was just knocked out." Worrying his lower lip, the servant said, "I'm sorry, Don Alejandro. I know we should have tried something."

"No, Joseph, you did the right thing. They could've indeed hurt Diego worse if you had interfered. Or one of you could have gotten killed as well. I just…I just needed to make sure he was still alive."

"Don Alejandro, if he were dead, the bandits would've left Diego behind."

Don Alejandro glared at the incompetent Alcalde. "How do you even think a statement like that would bring me comfort?"

Ramon shrugged. You arrogant old man. You should be so lucky your son has survived as long as he has.

Ramon looked between Don Alejandro and his servant. Suddenly frustrated with the melodrama, Ramon said, "Men, let's get going. We need to track those bandits down. Don Alejandro, I would recommend you stay here. We will let you know the moment we hear anything."

A look of determination crossed the older man's face. "Again, I insist I accompany you and your men. We need to find my son."

"You can trust us to do the best we can to do such a thing. It is our only goal as well, I assure you."

"That I don't doubt, but I need to do all I can for my son. Perhaps as a man without a child, you may not understand…"

"No need to attempt a pull at my heartstrings. Just know I will not be held responsible for your safety." Turning to his soldiers, the Alcalde said, "Men, let's go. We only have a few hours before darkness hits and we wouldn't be able to see anything useful."

Don Alejandro was about to suggest they bring torches along for searching in the darkness, but he realized it would only be a fruitless attempt. With the lowered skill level of the soldiers, Don Alejandro had to accept that it wouldn't be worthwhile attempting a night search.

~~Z~~Z~~Z~~Z~~Z~~

After several unsuccessful attempts Felipe was able to pick up the bandits' trail. Felipe recognized the prints of Don Augusto's horse, which was one of the horses the bandits had 'borrowed', and they followed them to a particular cave. Finger to his lips, Felipe asked for silence from Victoria and dismounted. Victoria followed his lead, and tied their horses to a tree. They made their way to the edge of the cave. Hearing voices, Felipe grabbed Victoria's wrist and motioned them to stop. They leaned against the outer wall of the cave as they listened to the bandits.

As they heard the lead bandit Max explain his plan, Felipe could only despair at the strange situation they now found themselves in.

~~Z~~Z~~Z~~Z~~Z~~

"Men, I believe we have the great hero Zorro in our midst." Max said, bestowing a look of great satisfaction upon Diego.

Diego forced a hearty laugh to come out of him. It was difficult to do, with having a headache. "You got to be kidding, Max. No one would ever believe I'm Zorro. That is just ridiculous."

"Then you have nothing to fear with being brought to the Alcalde."

Diego decided to change his tactic. "How are you going to collect the reward? If you return to the pueblo you and your men will be arrested."

"We'll send Juan and Pedro. They stayed outside the pueblo while we 'visited' the tavern. No one will connect them to us. So they can bring you in and no one would be the wiser."

"How can you present your 'evidence' without revealing your criminal activities?"

Considering Diego's words, Max stroked his chin while he paced a few times. As he waited, Diego attempted to loosen his bonds but it was difficult to do with the added rope around his upper arms. "You do bring up a good point. But it only adds more evidence to the argument you're Zorro."

Diego could only wonder how this would all play out. He had spent much of his life the past two years in perfecting his masquerade, in order to protect his identity. He occasionally had worried, over the years, whether the Alcalde ever suspected him, even for a moment. However, Luis Ramone was anything but subtle. If he even suspected for one moment Diego was indeed Zorro, Diego was certain Ramon would've revealed that right away. So perhaps his masquerade would indeed hold up to carry him through this incident. At least Diego could only hope so.

Max continued to study Diego while Diego had been thinking. "Well, not much more we can do tonight. I think we should hit the hay. I do apologize, Don de la Vega, for the accommodations, but you'll have to sleep on the ground with us ordinary folk."

Max approached Diego and roughly pushed Diego forward, to look at his bonds. "So, unable to undo these bonds this time, huh? Good." Max pushed Diego back into sitting upright and searched out one of his men. "Pedro, you will take first watch. Keep an eye on de la Vega. Make sure he doesn't try to skip out on us."

Pedro got up and walked to the other side of the cave across from Diego. He leaned casually against the cave wall, his rifle resting lightly against his leg and fixed a solemn gaze upon Diego.

"You might as well lie down and get some sleep, de la Vega. No way are you going to get away from us. I think you'll need all the rest you can get, for the Alcalde will not be happy with you tomorrow." Max gave Diego a particularly evil grin as he settled down on the ground.

Diego sighed internally, resigning himself to the inevitable. Max was correct in that Diego definitely needed as much rest as possible so he could be sharp tomorrow. Even though he still thought this was the most ridiculous thing ever, Diego couldn't help but have a twinge of worry within himself. Because of the pomposity of the Alcalde, depending upon how the case was presented to him, Ramon might just decide to go through with prosecuting him just because. Whether or not there was any evidence to be had. Which Diego prayed Ramon would not actually have. Despite the circumstantial evidence which Max would be presenting him, as well as any he had arrived at himself over the years. Diego's only hope was that Ramon's arrogance would trip him up and cloud his judgement.

As the bandits settled themselves for the night on the ground, within their bedrolls, Diego resigned himself to not having any of his own. Stretching his long legs out, he cleared his mind of all thought in order to center himself. His head continued to ache from his two strikes he'd endured, as well as the uncomfortable ride from the hacienda. As he struggled to find a comfortable position despite his aching head and muscles.

~~Z~~Z~~Z~~Z~~Z~~

As they heard the exchange, Felipe and Victoria turned to each other, both their faces showing the shock. Victoria looked at Felipe with widened eyes and wondered what they should do.

She then watched the young man shake himself and attempt to give her a reassuring smile. Index finger unnecessarily to his lips, Felipe gestured they return to their horses. They led their horses away from the clearing, walking carefully back up the trail. When he determined they were a safe distance away, Felipe indicated to Victoria that they should mount their horses. They led their horses away a short distance, when Felipe pulled his horse to a stop.

"Felipe, what are we doing? Are you going to tell me we are leaving Diego there with those bandits?"

Felipe signed slowly, "They are bringing Diego into the pueblo tomorrow for a reward. They will not kill him, so he is safe tonight. If we, by some miracle, were to rescue him, they would only go to the Alcalde anyway with their story."

Victoria couldn't argue with that logic. She was about to say something when Felipe continued. "As for attempting to rescue Diego tonight, there are three more bandits than we expected. It is only you and me. We don't have a chance against so many bandits."

Victoria was about to protest when Felipe said, "No, Victoria. There's nothing we can do tonight. Except make a plan to provide Diego with an alibi for not being Zorro."

"What can we do?"

"Let's go back to the hacienda, and I will show you."

Victoria sighed in resignation. She had to trust Felipe in knowing what he was doing. For now. She followed him as he led his horse towards the de la Vega hacienda.

AN: Well, there it is. Let me know what you think. I'd appreciate it!