Thanks KlingonKitten and Mary Jo for pre reading this. I always struggle with the endings...as if no one could tell. Thanks to KlingonKitten I have a last line. Thank you so much for putting up with the writers block and being patient, and editing when necessary. You are both amazing.

Epilogue

Diego sat in the tavern patio with Victoria, and ordered a bottle of wine with his meal. Drinking the occasional glass was a normal practice with him now. Scanning the pueblo was a habit he had not been able to break even after fifteen years of relative peace.

Victoria smiled at his distraction, but she was used to it, and his attention would return to her in a few moments of patience. She sighed a little, and touched his hand, bringing him back to her a little quicker. He smiled at her, and put his hand over hers.

"Querida, what to have, is a question I always ask myself at these times," he murmured. "Pilar is a wonderful cook, although a pale reflection of your outstanding skills."

"Oh, there's Felipe and Annabelle," Victoria said, surprising her husband.

"Father," Felipe said, as they clasped hands. Diego was always thrilled to hear his son speak, and had even gone to some court cases just to hear his lawyer son's speech making. With his acute sense of hearing, and his persistence at training himself to speak, Felipe made a brilliant lawyer. Diego never ceased to ensure his son of how proud he was of him.

"Annabelle, baby Sebastian is looking so healthy," Victoria murmured, as she went to examine the infant.

"Sleepless nights are a nightmare," Felipe said softly. Diego smiled.

"All those years you were at University with your law books, we had our own little nightmares. You only got to see them as reasonably civilised people."

"Your children are delightful," Felipe said, with a raised eyebrow and a little hand movement – an old hand sign of warning. Victoria had turned her attention to their conversation.

"I know a conspiracy when I see one. What was that about our children, Diego?"

"They're delightful, querida." Diego received a little kick under the table from his wife.

Felipe laughed a little, and helped Annabelle sit down at the table Diego had acquired.

"Three little boys, as mischievous as their father," Victoria murmured. "Two little princesses, who get everything their little heart's desire."

"Within reason," Diego protested. "I am a man of reason…"

"Those girls are almost as ruthless as our old alcaldes, Felipe. Only there is no Zorro to stop them."

"I stop them…"

"Then they cry and their papa surrenders, immediately."

Felipe sighed. "My father is very naïve around women. He always has been. Do you remember?"

"No stories today, young de la Vega."

"How is Grandfather?"

"Well, and spoiling his granddaughters, and ruling the roost as usual. Francisco is becoming quite the rider, and he rivals you with the rifle already."

"Raquel recently married, moving to Santa Paula, and we are promised regular visits. Her sisters grow lovelier by the day. I think Elena is planning to be a school teacher, and Catrina is an expert painter. They are beginning to take after their older brother."

"They do have a natural talent. It's intriguing to see," Diego acknowledged. He admired his young sisters for their intelligence and respected their growing stubbornness as well. They would not be the average dizzy headed fools that most of the women in his peer group grew into.

Alejandro rode up with Francisco, who was seated on one of Dulcinea's offspring. The colt was bad tempered and surly. Diego raised an eyebrow, and his father chuckled.

"Well, the boy was boasting of his skills. I had to put them to the test."

"Are you alright Francisco?" Diego said. "Father, he is only fifteen."

The teenager huffed a little, reminding Diego of his real father for a moment. He had the Azarola looks, and their gentle temper, but he was a teenager.

"Stop teasing your brother, Diego. He is becoming a man, leave him be."

"He's fallen at least once today already. I know evidence when I see it," Felipe said with a chuckle.

He walked over and embraced his relative, and his grandfather.

"It's always good to hear your voice, Felipe." Alejandro smiled.

"Where are my sons? They were with you, weren't they?" Diego said, a little disgruntled. "They are even younger than Francisco," he added. "How many scrapes do we have to bandage?"

"They are fine, Diego. You have always been overly cautious," Alejandro said with an exasperated smile. "Really, Victoria. How do you put up with him?"

"He'd wrap Jaime up in silk, and keep him indoors, if I didn't watch him, Alejandro."

"Felipe!" A teenager raced up on a colt, and dismounted. "I thought you were due from Monterey next week."

"Several cases were postponed, Tomas. Where are your brothers?" Felipe said, casting a look at his father with a smile. Diego was worried about them for good reasons. As far as he could tell, his younger brothers were growing up exactly like their father.

"I was racing. They'll be here in a minute or two."

"I hope so, young man," Diego said, rising to his feet. "You know Jaime needs more practice. If he's fallen…"

"Father, I am sure he won't have fallen," Felipe said softly.

"Felipe!" Another younger teenager yelled for joy as well.

"Second, Enrique?" His mother queried. "For shame!"

Diego chuckled a little. She loved to encourage their natural competitiveness, and their fiery natures did fly off the handles a little too often for his liking. Tomas and Enrique were two years apart, and reminded him of the Escalante brothers, and his own father too much for his comfort. Jaime was a little different. He'd had a difficult birth, and a sickly childhood, but he was getting stronger all the time, and just as stubborn as his brothers, but in a quieter way.

Bianca and Alejandra were his princesses, who in some ways were worse than their brothers, as far as mischief went. Diego was a lot harder on the boys than he was on the girls, because the girls reminded him always of their mother. Jaime was the youngest of the family, and he worried over him constantly.

Diego smiled, seeing his youngest arrive a few minutes behind his brothers, his face set with stubborn distaste at his loss. He was safe, although a little disgruntled. Felipe took the reins and greeted the ten year old with a large hug, bringing a smile to his face.

"You know, I always say, Diego, Jaime is going to be the one to watch out for later." Victoria watched her youngest with curiosity.

"Why?" Diego said softly.

"You let him off too easily. Another Zorro in the making if you are not careful."

"What?"

"He tells you what you want to hear, and then does something completely the opposite. He's been practicing something you know nothing about."

"He's only a child. What could he be practicing?"

Victoria watched the way her husband's eyes were already discrediting her words. Jaime would always be his fragile baby, and she disliked it. Try as she might, she could not change her husband's view of his son. She knew what she was talking about. She had seen Jaime watch his brother's beginning lessons with interest, and she also knew where the 'lost' fencing textbook had ended up. With Jaime's mind sharper than his brothers, she was sure he was studying and mastering several theories of fencing in the solitary quiet of his many bird-watching trips, which Diego had heartily encouraged.

Felipe glanced towards the couple, and shrugged. He caught Diego's eye, and brought out the old sign for fencing. Diego raised an eyebrow, and considered his wife. What did she know that she was not saying? Felipe knew something or he was speculating. Jaime was only ten, he couldn't be.

Felipe wondered if Annabelle was content to rest with the baby in the shade and socialise with Diego. Felipe wanted to play with his brothers a little, and his wife nodded her approval. Felipe wandered off with Alejandro and the children discussing riding and local politics, as Diego and Victoria decided to linger in the tavern for lunch.

"The girls are busy with their lessons still," Diego said softly. "The boys have the school room for a while, and then they are let loose. The girls enjoy their books, and read for enjoyment, while these scoundrels prefer the horses at the moment."

"The boys like the books as well, just not as much," Victoria explained to Annabelle. "You'll like to visit them now, Annabelle, they are growing up so fast these days."

"Well, Victoria. I am going to have to leave you ladies in the shade with my delightful….grandson? How on earth did that happen?"

"Give Patrice my love, Diego. I hope Max is feeling more like himself soon."

"Poor Max, he's very despondent."

Diego paused for a moment, and remembered that day just over a month ago. It had been a particularly busy market day, and he was preoccupied by his conversation with a fellow caballero about the price of bulls, with half an eye out for his children. He was not greatly aware of what else was going on in the pueblo.

A bedraggled man had stood up against the tavern wall, and pointed a pistol towards him. Diego's life had flashed before his eyes, as he determined that Victoria was not going to step in front of him.

"I spent ten years in prison because of you, Zorro!" He had screamed maniacally.

Destara, the alcalde had surprised everyone by coming between Diego and his family and the bullet. The soldier had taken the shot in the centre of his back, the bullet narrowly missing his heart. His life had hung in the balance for weeks, and as he recovered, they had discovered that he was paralysed from the waist down. Diego was unsure if it was temporary or permanent, but he dreaded to think of that outcome. Permanent paralysis would be too much for such an active man to bear.

Diego sighed. They had been repairing their friendship before then, but he had hardly expected such a sacrifice. Max Destara had been unconscious when most of his well-wishers had visited him, unaware of his growing status of local hero. It seemed no one had believed the man's accusation, and he had been gunned down by Destara's lancers almost immediately.

Now Max was more like a wayward brother than any kind of enemy. It was hard to hate someone that saved your life in such a way, Diego thought. Patrice had accepted it calmly after realising he was going to live, and worked to encourage him and lift his spirits. Diego was hoping to get the man back on his feet in time, and walking, but it might take a lot of determination to attain that goal. He was lucky that Max was stubborn. Diego could turn it to persistence given enough encouragement.

"Remind me to tell Diego not to come to any more market days, Annabelle," Victoria said, as she allowed Diego to kiss her hand.

"Two accidents in the space of how many years?"

"Ah, Diego. We all know how clumsy you are," one of his father's friends came over to clap him on the shoulder.

Diego smiled a little forcefully, and shrugged. The man chuckled a little, and Diego stared after him. He glanced around at the tavern crowd, who had been watching him as they normally did these days, and almost all the men nodded, and went back to their meals.

"The pueblo is a little doddery these days, have you noticed Victoria?"

"Perhaps they realise finally, just who their hero is, Diego?"

Diego glanced around the tavern and out into the plaza. He shook his head with a smile. "How could they? Victoria you have fanciful ideas sometimes."

"What do you think Annabelle?"

"I hardly know, Senora," Annabelle whispered shyly.

"Quite right, Annabelle. Don't let Victoria browbeat you, my dear. Don't overwhelm the girl, Victoria."

"As if I would. Can I hold him?" Annabelle shyly handed the infant to his grandmother. "He has Felipe's eyes, Diego."

"I really must visit Max, ladies. Excuse me," Diego said softly, and strode off determinedly.

"He's always such a caballero," Victoria murmured. "It's amazing it took me so long to see him as Zorro. Or Zorro as Diego?"

As Victoria gazed fondly at the smallest de la Vega she daydreamed if the future. Just who would these little people become? Doctors, lawyers, teachers, soldiers? She knew they would all be heroes in their own way, just like their fathers.