Epilogue: The Youngest de la Vega

Couldn't keep this one down to 100 words…it would never have finished…lol

Diego looked at his still beautiful wife, as she cradled their newborn grandson. Tomas de la Vega beamed as only a first time father could, and his pretty wife, Deborah smiled at her proud husband.

Looking down at the tiny baby, he could see similarities as she pointed them out. There was the tiny chin that all their boys had seemed to be born with. The thick black hair curled just the way that Tomas's had when he was the same ago. His eyes were the only thing he shared with his mother, and seemed to make him an entity in his own right. A reminder that the baby was not his father or anyone else. The baby was an individual. Diego sighed a little. How he hated thinking of the baby as "the baby"! A name was important. He stared at his wife's eyes. She read the frustration in the blue depths.

"Any closer to a name, Tomas?" She asked gently.

"It's hard to christen a baby without a name," Diego said softly, glancing down. Every time he had mentioned it, Tomas had ended up in an argument with him.

"What about Deborah's family? Does it have to be a Spanish name? Why can't it be a Scottish name?" Victoria tried to ease into the conversation, without causing offence.

"What about Russell, or Todd?" Diego murmured. They both meant fox, and he was sure Victoria knew it.

"Don't listen to your father, he's been irritating on purpose, Tomas," Victoria said firmly.

"Russell de la Vega….Todd de la Vega….mmm," Diego added, much to Victoria's annoyance.

Deborah giggled under the pressure. Diego shot her a smile.

"Your choices sound very suitable, Tomas," Victoria said with a frown. "How are you to make a mistake with any of them?"

"What if someone is offended?"

"Offended?"

"Since when has anyone ever been offended by a baby's name?" Diego said.

"He means, if someone thinks the baby should be named after someone in particular, Diego," Victoria said with a sigh.

"Oh," Diego said, sipping his lemonade carefully.

"What about Ferdinand? Or George?" He said after a moment to think.

"Neither King does well enough to share a name with a de la Vega," Tomas said with annoyance.

"Ignacio, or Louis?" Diego suggested, glancing at Victoria. She was holding a baby, she was unlikely to hit him as she seemed tempted to do.

"They are all horrible choices," Tomas said, aware of the pueblo's history.

"I am not stopping until you name the boy," Diego said sternly. His eyes twinkled. "He can have more than one name, you know."

"You won't let up," Tomas said. "I know you." He laughed a little. The baby did need a name after all.

"Alright….Alejandro Diego Felipe…oldest to youngest, how's that?"

"Not going to tag Tomas in there as well? Now I'm offended!"

Victoria handed the baby back to his mother, just so that she could hit her husband in the arm.

"It's a lovely name," Victoria said. "Everyone will be delighted, don't mind your father, Tomas. It's beautiful, just as he is."

"Alejandro de la Vega," Tomas said softly. "It suits him."

There was the sound of gunfire in the plaza. Tomas looked alarmed, and stood to protect his wife and child almost instinctively.

"Don't worry, Tomas. They never come in here. They're on their way to the other tavern."

Both men were of the other tavern. It was called a 'tavern' extremely loosely, because it was not really a tavern. It was a gambling den and a brothel, but the ladies at the table were to be protected.

Diego stared into his son's eyes. They were both well skilled in the art of swordplay but the guns were too common these days, and besides neither was wearing a weapon.

"They won't come in here. I don't advise leaving the tavern in a hurry though," Diego said. "Looks like we need to see Pilar for a few rooms."

"You just sit tight and wait for them to leave?"

"I'm an old man, Tomas. We have a baby and ladies with us. What would you have me do?"

"What are the authorities doing about this? Do we need to write letters to the Governor?"

Diego sighed. "Come to the door. They're just cowboys, blowing off a bit of steam."

"If Zorro was around, they wouldn't dare…" Victoria said angrily. "I know, I know…."

Diego led his son to the doorway, and they stood just inside the door, peering out into the night.

"Believe me, if I could do anything, I would, Tomas. It is getting a little out of hand," Diego murmured. "Gold does wicked things to men's souls. Americano bandits are a handful for the authorities."

"It's Zorro!" Someone shouted. Diego peered into the darkness, wondering at the shout.

"Father, what is it?" Tomas said concerned.

"Just a legend reborn," Diego said thoughtfully, as he saw the figure in the darkness. Diego pointed the shadowy figure out to his son.

The man in black was a perfect replica of the Zorro who had appeared thirty years ago, even down to the magnificent Andalusian stallion. The scales of justice would soon be evening back up. The sabre was gone, replaced by a Colt pistol. The Zorro out in the plaza soon subdued the cowboys, and with a salute to a particular young senorita, disappeared into the night.

"He's so handsome." Pilar's daughter sighed, well aware that the new Zorro's eyes were only for her older sister.

"Not bad for a 50 or 60 year old," another aging Don said, nudging Diego gently.

"Yes, yes….not bad at all." Diego stared out into the night. He glanced back at his wife, who had leapt to her feet at the mention of Zorro. She did not look happy.

Zzz

"You need to speak to your son!" She shouted, once they were safely at home.

"He can probably hear you. Why don't you talk to him? You seem to always know what to say," Diego said tiredly.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"He won't listen to me. The thrill of adventure is too great. You remember, I know this first hand. He's only just begun this, he won't want to stop."

"Make him stop," Victoria said crossly.

"How to you suggest going about that, mi querida?"

"I don't know, do something," Victoria said, melting a little at the change in her husband's tone. "I hate to think of him in danger out there in the dark. He has all the overconfidence of the original."

"Nothing much happened to me," Diego said. "Remember?"

"No…Only falling to your 'death' and rising from the 'dead' dizzy with concussion! The alcalde could have killed you so easily."

"I came to prove to you I was alright, querida. You were too important to me."

"You could have just told me, sent me a note," Victoria responded.

"It was for the whole town as well. If you lost hope, so would the rest of the people. That wouldn't do."

"I suppose not," Victoria said. "Poor Maria…if she has lost her heart to him, she's due to wait several years, if he's anything like you."

"He'll make it up to her…wait and see."

Zzz

Diego watched Jaime the next morning. "Stiff muscles?"

"No, why would I have stiff muscles?"

"Lightning does belong to me," Diego said softly. "Permission wasn't really granted."

"What are you talking about?"

Diego took his son's arm and guided him to the cavern.

"What's going on in here?" Diego said glancing around.

"What do you mean?"

"This, has your signature," Diego said softly, picking up a document from the desk. "I never had things with my signature on them lying around."

"You're telling me to stop. I won't."

"I'm telling you to be wise. Talk to me. I have experience. You are the only son I shared this with, Jaime. It was easy to work out who Zorro was. Who do you think has access to the clothes? The suitable horse? The innate skills? Remember I was in close communication with your tutors at University."

"Mother sent you to tell me to stop," Jaime said with annoyance. "I'm a man, Father."

"Did you hear me tell you to stop?"

Jaime glanced at his father with dawning understanding. "The newest Zorro is to work in a team, I'm afraid," Diego said softly. "Or else…things can be arranged that will not work out so well for you."

"Such as?"

"Don't push me too far, son. You won't like the outcome."

"You approve?"

"Of course, I approve. I'll tell her you refused to listen. She'll believe that," Diego said. "Just be a good Zorro, Jaime. Los Angeles needs their protector."

"I like the pistol skills, by the way. Very clever," he added, as he left his son in the cavern with a smile.