A/N: Thanks all for reading! Thank you for all your reviews. My imagination was fueled in trying to put details to something the episode itself did not do. But that's why we're here – to fuel our imaginations and fill in the blanks – the way we think they should be filled in. I am of the sort that likes to stick to the original story as much as possible. After all, it was the story that sparked the imagination! I'm not as much into AU – but I do like to embellish – as I did here, and in Palomarez. Next up: Siege II – an original story based after the series is over, but sort of a sequel to the episode 'Siege.'
CHAPTER FOURTEEN – Suspicions
The next day, Diego's leg was sore and painful. He ran his hand down his leg where the break had been, and knew he hadn't re-broken it from his fall off Toronado, but it hurt. He decided to rest it as much as possible all day. He again sat in the Library with his leg extended out on the floor rather than on the couch. That helped him to work on mobility with his knee.
He was nearing the end of Ivanhoe, and he couldn't wait to see how father and son resolved their differences. When he finally got to that part, he was rather surprised – and a little disappointed, although he could see why the author wrote it that way. It took intervention from the king to 'force' the father to forgive the son – as a favor in return for something the Black Knight (who was indeed King Richard) had done for Cedric the Saxon. As he read, Diego thought he could see between the lines. Ah, it's a pride thing. The father's pride in not wanting to admit he might be wrong – not even for a moment. So the king 'forces' a reconciliation – something the father wanted but couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride and actually do. But Ivanhoe sought his father's forgiveness in humility. Diego had also humbled himself last week when he spoke to his father. The parallels of this story to his own life never ceased to amaze him.
It was three more days before Diego sat a horse again. During that time, he rested the leg as much as possible and worked the ankle and knee to regain mobility. It was slow going in the ankle – the knee went much faster. Felipe helped, but in order to make progress, he had to 'force' the knee and ankle to move a bit farther than it wanted to. That caused pain, and Felipe hated to cause Diego more pain.
Diego encouraged him. "It's all right Felipe. It's part of the healing process. If I'm ever to ride as Zorro, or even walk without a limp again, I've got to develop full mobility. It may take a week or so before I'm back to 'normal' but I'm determined." He grimaced as Felipe 'forced' the ankle a bit farther, then worked it back and forth, then stretching it farther again, moving it back and forth. Then Diego would move the ankle and the knee himself as far as he could. It seemed like backbreaking work, even though he was sitting down while he did it.
Each stretch gained a little more range of motion. After about ten minutes, Diego began to get tired, even though all he did was to move a couple of joints an inch or so – to try to keep to the stretch Felipe had brought them to. He was panting from the pain of the last stretch.
Felipe stopped when there was knock on the door. He rose to answer it, and showed Victoria into the Library, then left for another part of the house. He couldn't very well go through the fireplace – although that's what he would have like to have done.
Diego rose to greet her. "Ah, Victoria, come in. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Did you get your bail money back from the alcalde?"
"Diego, you look like you're really making progress. I brought you some of your favorite flan." She set the flan on the table near Diego, and spoke again.
"You're still walking without your cane, I see. How is your leg?"
Diego wiggled his ankle back and forth an inch or so, and bent his knee a couple of inches to show his progress. "I'm making progress. I still don't have full mobility yet, but we're working on it"
"Very good, Diego. And yes, the alcalde gave me my money back yesterday, finally."
Diego responded. "I'm so glad. I felt sorry for Sergeant Mendoza. He looked like he hadn't had anything to eat all day, and had been forced to march on foot."
"It's true. He did march all day in that hot sun, and he hadn't had very much to eat…so you can imagine how many enchiladas he ate for supper that night."
They both laughed at that, then Victoria looked at Diego with all sincerity. "Diego, there's something that's been bothering me."
Diego's expression turned serious. "What's that?"
"Well…this may seem a strange question to ask – but Diego – do you know who Zorro is?"
Diego's neck straightened and his head went back a couple inches in surprise. He gulped. "What makes you think I would know who he is?"
Victoria looked him straight in the eye. "Diego, no one knew I was going after Jose Macias. No one except you…because you said you saw me. Yet, Zorro came to help capture the horse thieves. And I saw him – uh – fall from Toronado. And I know you have 'found him' before when you needed to..." She stopped a moment, considering how exactly she should finish the sentence.
Alarm bells went off in Diego's head. He didn't think anyone saw him after he fell off Toronado. He was concerned Victoria had seen him, but she hadn't indicated she had – until now.
"You saw Zorro…fall? And – uh – just for the record – he – usually finds me." Diego had to be very careful how he answered. Watch what you say came back to him full force.
Victoria thought a moment, then said, "I thought I saw him grab his leg as if he had hurt it."
Diego thought a moment before responding. "What happened?"
"He was knocked off Toronado by the leader of the horse thieves."
Diego let his breath out very slowly, so as not to show how relieved he felt. "Well, if he was knocked off his horse, he probably did hurt his leg."
Victoria wasn't ready to let it go just yet. "It seems to me to be too much of a coincidence that you broke your leg, and Zorro fell off his horse and grabbed his leg."
Diego chuckled nervously. "Well Victoria, there are any number of explanations for that. Why don't you ask him?"
Victoria's irritation began to show through. "I would, if I ever got to spend more than a minute with him, alone or otherwise! And Diego, you never answered my question!"
Diego pretended he'd forgotten the question. "What question was that again?"
"Do you know who Zorro is?"
"Oh, that question. Let me ask you one. Do you know who Zorro is?"
"Now, Diego, don't answer a question with another question! It's rude!"
Diego smirked. "I'll answer your question, if you answer mine."
"Ohhh! Diego de la Vega you frustrate me more than any other man alive – except for Zorro!" She growled in anger.
Diego could see she was beginning to lose her temper, and sought for a way to cool her off.
"Victoria, why did you ask me that question? I – I – will answer you, but I'd like to know why you thought I'd know." He asked her with as soft and gentle a voice as he could muster.
"Because…I – I think you do know."
Z
Alejandro had just returned from the range when he heard Victoria and Diego talking in the Library. From the tone, he could tell the conversation was serious, so he stayed away, across the foyer in the drawing room, but what he accidently heard, surprised him. Why did Victoria think Diego knew who Zorro was? Interestingly, ever since Diego had come to him in the drawing room that night over a week ago, he'd been wondering some things himself. He decided to listen in on the conversation, but not get involved, so he remained where he was. He felt a little guilty, like he was spying on his son, but his curiosity got the better of him, so he listened in.
Z
"We're going around in circles. What do you think you know?" Diego asked.
"Well…I don't know, that's why I'm asking you! And there you go again – answering a question with another question!" Victoria was trying to keep a lid on her temper, but Diego wasn't making it easy.
"Answer my original question. Why are you asking me?" He looked at her intently.
Victoria decided to go with her suspicions. "I'm asking you, because I think you know who Zorro is. I think you know Zorro as well you know yourself, because you – are – him!"
Knowing that was probably what was coming, Diego smirked. "What evidence do you have that I might be Zorro?" Diego was inwardly enjoying this, although part of him was scared to death. After all, the padre knew, the doctor knew. Maybe it would be all right if Victoria knew. He'd almost told her that day in the cave. If I felt comfortable enough…but then his better judgment took over.
Z
Alejandro was listening intently. He'd snuck to the edge of the drawing room, behind the piano, with a stack of papers in hand in case one of the servants or Felipe came upon him unexpectedly. Since the bull fight, Alejandro had his own suspicions at one time or another. When Diego came to him that day to 'share' with him – without actually saying anything definite – although he was somewhat confused by it – Alejandro felt it confirmed his suspicions, at least partially.
Z
Victoria gathered her thoughts. Some were still jumbled, some were just beginning to crystalize. "Evidence? You want me to give you evidence that you're Zorro? Very well – it's the poetry recitations, the emissary at Santa Paula, similar physical characteristics, your unexplained absences during crucial moments, this broken leg and Zorro's fall a couple days ago, the way you so gracefully and agilely distracted the bull in the plaza while staging 'clumsy' incidents like when you fought Miles Thackery, and your 'fall' from the ladder last Christmas…and the strange way you denigrate yourself – to draw suspicion away from yourself…what more do you want?"
"It's all circumstantial, Victoria. Wouldn't hold up in a court of law." Diego was smiling.
"Who said I want it to?" Victoria was pouting.
"Well, no one, but if you're going to make a case, you'll need more proof than that." Diego smiled to himself. Her 'evidence' is compelling, but it's just suspicions. That's all she has, he thought. She's trying to get me to confess. I'm not going to. Not now. Not yet. Yet, he was amused.
Victoria deflated a bit. "If you're not Zorro yourself, I still think you know who he is. You know I'm in love with him and I want to marry him. Please, tell me who he is." This time there was a desperate pleading in her voice.
Diego's expression softened. He wanted to tell her all. He really did. But he was still afraid of two things: 1) her safety; 2) her rejection. He thought a moment, then asked one more question.
"Victoria, why do you think Zorro has not told you who he is?" Diego was scrutinizing Victoria's face – for any reaction, response, or emotion.
Victoria looked at the floor, then replied, her head bobbing left to right, reflecting the sing-song tone of her voice in placation. "Because he said he's worried about my safety. He's trying to protect me."
Diego asked another question. "Could there be any other reason?" Victoria looked up and now she scrutinized his face…for any reaction, response or emotion.
"He once told me he was afraid I couldn't love the man behind the mask."
Diego nodded. "What is your answer?"
The way he said it totally unnerved her – like déjà vu. She shook her head a moment at the memory. She'd heard that question being asked her before in the very same way. She was sure of it. When Zorro had asked her to marry him…
"I told him the courage and passion of Zorro lives in his heart. That I loved the man behind the mask and not the legend."
"Do you – love him? Really? Even if he were – an ordinary man like me?" Diego's eyes bored into Victoria.
"I do love him. I don't care who he is, I love him and I want to marry him, whoever he is – even if he is – you! And he is not ordinary!" Her gaze began to wilt under his.
Diego gulped at that, but kept his resolve. "One more thing to think about, Victoria: the man behind the mask is an ordinary man, Victoria. He is not perfect. He has faults. He gets hurt. He feels pain, both physical and emotional. He is not a shadow, or a legend, or a ghost. He is a man. That's all I can tell you now. I've already said too much."
Victoria nodded. One last look at Diego showed her that she was right, but he was not going to admit it, and there was no way she could prove it or make him tell her if he didn't want to – not unless Zorro was standing before her and she could rip off the mask herself. And he obviously didn't want to tell her – at least not yet. But his gaze was like an arrow that shot right into her heart. All of a sudden, all the unkind things she had ever said aloud to his face, even the most recent – or behind his back – came back to haunt her. She felt embarrassed and ashamed. She needed to leave to sort out her thoughts. But she would talk about this with Diego again – and soon.
"Thank you for talking with me Diego. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I'm – sorry – about a lot of things I – I've said. Please excuse me now."
Diego saw her discomfort; it was almost as if he could read her thoughts. He stood up, limped over, smiled, and squeezed her arm in a friendly manner. It took all his resolve to not take her hand and kiss it. "It's all right, Victoria. I'll see you in the pueblo in a couple of days. And don't worry! I'm sure Zorro will clear things up for you in due time!"
Z
Alejandro waited a couple of minutes after Victoria left before he lumbered into the Library as if he had just returned from the range. He'd set the pile of papers in his hand back on the desk. Diego sat on the couch. Alejandro sat next to him.
"Hello son. Did I just see Victoria leaving?"
"Yes, Father. She wanted to talk with me about something."
Alejandro acted a little too enthusiastic, but he was nearly overcome with his own emotions as things came together in his mind. "Oh, that's wonderful. I hope you had a nice visit. I know I enjoyed our visit last week. Thank you for sharing your heart with me, son – really – I'm very glad you did. It means a lot."
Alejandro paused a moment, then continued, but much more subdued. He had something very serious he needed to talk with Diego about – but how do explain premonitions? How do explain nebulous feelings from dreams? Alejandro put his hand on Diego's arm a moment, then withdrew it.
"Diego, I have to talk with you about something very serious. Ever since the accident, I've felt it was extremely important that you and I come to complete understanding with each other. I – I just have this feeling…do you ever get those? It's like a foreboding…a premonition – like something is about to happen…I'm not sure I can explain it."
Diego shivered violently as a sudden chill enveloped him. He turned toward Alejandro and spoke slowly, as thoughts and feelings began to invade his consciousness. "You know Father, now that you say it – I – I – feel it too. It's a very strange feeling. I don't like it."
Alejandro felt goose bumps appear on his arm. "Son, I believe this is very important. I believe you and I need to make sure there will be no misunderstanding between us. It feels like the calm before a severe storm. It's eerie. I can't explain it any other way. I've felt it for several days now, but I was waiting for the right time to say something."
Diego's inner radar went up. A sense of foreboding came upon him too. "Father, you're right. We need to stay close. I'm in agreement with you. This is very important. I didn't feel it until just now when you said something, but now that you did – I feel it in a very strong way. We must remain close and work out any disagreements we might have immediately. And our trust for each other must remain firm and unshakable. It feels like an attack is coming, but it's so nebulous, I can't put my finger on it."
Alejandro stepped close to his son, and grasped him by the upper arms, then drew him into a hug. As they drew apart, with both sets of arms on the other's, Alejandro said, "We are together, my son. We stand united as de la Vegas. Nothing must divide us, Diego. Nothing must separate us. Nothing."
"Nothing, Father. Nothing."
Z
Two weeks later, the ship from Spain docked in San Pedro. Special Emissary Don Gilberto Risendo, his assistant, Lieutenant Julian Hidalgo and their company of soldiers disembarked, and began the last leg of their trip to Los Angeles.
THE END