The sun was shining when Diego decided to grab his cane and greet the day properly on the patio. He struggled to walk, with his sore ankle aching the whole time, and at last collapsed into a sturdy cane chair.
Felipe had followed him out, and lifted an eyebrow at his father's stubbornness. Diego smiled a little, and shrugged.
"There comes a time, Felipe, when bed seems a cage…I needed some air before I went mad."
Felipe smiled a little, and gestured.
"Cactus tea? Yes, sounds like a wonderful idea. The pain is a little distracting this morning."
"Diego de la Vega, what on earth are you doing out here?"
"Victoria, you do look lovely this morning," Diego said gently. Victoria moved over to him, frowning slightly.
"Hernandez said to stay off the ankle for the rest of the week, Diego."
"Did he? I must have been sleeping at the time, I don't remember being informed."
"Diego… What will I do with you?"
Diego reached for her, and she grasped his hand. "I'm not entirely sure, Victoria."
"Diego!" The surprise in the man's voice distracted the pair and they glanced up at the newcomer.
"Destara. What brings you here?"
"I was going to talk with your father about the bank bandits."
"What ended up being the result of our abduction?"
"Well. Stefano Azarola shot and killed Paonessa. The teenager received the substantial reward."
"Killing a man will haunt him for the rest of his life. It shouldn't have come to that."
"Sometimes it does, Diego. We live in dangerous times. From what the boy said, it was either you or him. Any other man would be glad to see a murderer dead."
"I value human life… I find it hard to ignore the fact he was a human being."
"From what I've been hearing I would have thought you'd be in bed, Diego."
"That is exactly where he is returning, Capitan," Victoria said crossly. "I'll just inform Don Alejandro you are here."
The men watched her enter the hacienda, and then Destara sat on a nearby chair.
Diego watched him carefully.
"I am glad you're alive," Destara said softly. "I did have my doubts after the cave in."
"From what I heard, you were very unapproachable when asked to help."
"Not my area. I'm not to tread on toes. The alcalde is in charge of general administration and orders to the garrison.""
"Yes."
"The rumours…. Are they true? Are you to marry Victoria Escalante? Have you fallen in love with your nurse?"
"Officially?"
"Yes… I think I realise that some emotion on your part was assumed, especially after that tavern fight…. Or do you protect every bar maid in the territory?"
Diego sighed. "I will defend a lady in trouble…"
"They are not ladies, Diego. Victoria is an exception, I will give you that. The others were not…"
"They were innocent girls, barely old enough to reach the bar taps. You knew that, and you exploited them. You robbed them of something precious, and someone had to set you right."
"I was a foolish young man. I am ashamed of my youth. However, those girls were prey as soon as they entered their profession."
"No excuses, Destara."
"No – no excuses…" Destara said. "I was wrong. Azarola would have forgiven me…will you?"
"Forgive you? You tried the same with Victoria. You haven't learnt anything," Diego said crossly. He shifted his ankle a little.
"I understand, Diego. I have a weakness… I struggle with it and I am weaker than most."
"Yes, you are. My ankle is very painful, Destara. Forgive me for my abruptness," Diego said slowly. "Really it is not the best time to talk to me. Another day I may be more understanding."
"Do you need a hand getting back to bed?"
"I rather not, Destara," Diego said, a trace of stubbornness still in his voice.
Alejandro came to the side door, and glanced at the seated men. Destara saw him and stood.
"If you'd like to come inside, we can talk, Capitan Destara." Alejandro glanced at Diego with a frown, and ushered the soldier inside.
Felipe waited for the older man to go back inside with his guest, and went out to Diego. Felipe shook his head a little at the grimace on his father's face, and hurried to elevate Diego's injured ankle. Then he passed him the bowl of cactus tea.
"Such a disgusting mixture," Diego muttered, as he screwed up his face to take a sip. The mixture was surprisingly sweet. He gazed at Felipe with curiosity.
Felipe signed.
"Honey?" Diego said with a smile. "Why honey?"
Victoria came outside into the sunshine again.
"Because, Diego de la Vega," she began. "You wouldn't let us feed you any cactus tea in the heights of that fever the other night. Felipe was insistent that it would help. We had to get you to drink it. Felipe thought of the honey."
Diego gazed at Felipe with pride. "Felipe, I owe you my life, once again. Thank you."
"Felipe seems to think it works a lot better with the honey."
"I would love to study the effects properly. Maybe it is a breakthrough or something."
"That is for another day, Senor. Today is for reading and talking, in bed. You came horribly close to death the other day. I don't want you to risk your health so soon."
Diego reached for her hand, and raised it to his lips tenderly. She sighed a little.
"If you are trying to get around me with kisses, let me assure you Diego, I am very determined to see you well."
"I think a spring wedding would be nice, Victoria."
"Do you? So far, only Zorro has asked me – so someone is being presumptuous."
Diego smiled a little. "No objections to my courtship of you?"
"Why, what a surprise, Diego de la Vega!"
"Let's not get silly about this, Victoria."
"Silly? I was not riding around dressed in black, masked and waving a sword around. I was not pretending to be two people and tricking the ones that loved him the most. Really… I think I deserve a turn."
"At waving a sword around? I don't think that would be safe at all," Diego said softly, with a twinkle in his eyes.
"I shall have to ask my brothers for permission…" She said thoughtfully, ignoring his teasing for the moment.
Diego lifted an eyebrow, and she smiled. "I suppose they will forbid me to have anything to do with you."
"They will be delighted, as I am sure you know. They have always seen you as a brother."
"Then you are delighting in teasing me," Diego said with an exaggerated frown.
"You must have teased me in the past. Pretending to be curious about Zorro, just to discover what I truly felt. That was cruel on some levels."
"I never sought to be cruel."
She smiled a little awkwardly. "You stood by and watched me being courted by so many suitors. I almost married someone."
"I was going to say something. You wouldn't let me…. By the time you were ready to talk, I was being a coward again."
"You admit cowardice stopped you? The bravest man in the pueblo, in the territory, and still a coward. You are a mystery, Diego."
"Come and sit with me," Diego said softly. "Felipe can fetch some books, and we can read out here."
"A compromise?"
"I love compromises," Diego admitted. "They make the world go so much smoother."
She smiled and nodded. "You'll need a blanket, and a pillow."
"Of course," he murmured.