Author's Notes: 61 reviews. When I started I didn't think I'd even get close to 30 reviews. It's now my second most viewed story as well as being my longest. Thank you all. I'm still grateful for all reviews or comments, now as much as in the beginning.

Nearly there, and I hope you like this one. Also there's a slight time overlap between the end of the last chapter and the beginning of this one.

Chapter 19

Fire and Ice

Dracula had flown to the site of the explosion and fireworks. No one was there. De la Vega must have used some long fuses to delay the explosion long enough to get to the hacienda. He immediately reversed course to head back as quickly as possible. Everything seemed quiet, but he couldn't see Boris, until he was over the courtyard.

Transforming as he landed, Dracula dropped next to Boris's body. He could feel the presence of silver as he knelt next to him. "You were right, old friend," he said softly. "I should have listened this time." He turned to stare at the unconscious body of Solomon. For a moment he was torn between simply killing him and turning him so that he could kill him again. Regardless, this was one who would not long outlive his victim.

Grabbing Solomon's shirt, Dracula prepared to sink his fangs into him, when something wrapped around his throat and yanked him back hard. As he pulled at the leather cord around his throat, he twisted his head around to see Diego holding a whip. Rising to his feet, Dracula yanked back at the length of the whip which Diego released in order to not be knocked over himself. Standing, Dracula glared at Diego, eyes glowing red.

"So you do have a little bite after all," Dracula said. "But don't think you or your taverness are getting away so easily."

Diego made sure to keep himself between Dracula and Victoria. He felt an icy calm, despite the fact that he was at a distinct disadvantage. The secret is to make your opponent angry. The words echoed in his head, though this might prove more dangerous than wise with Dracula, who already seemed quite angry. If the female vampires were any indication, Dracula was much stronger and faster than him. On open ground, it would be difficult to keep away, especially from his lightning, but if everything worked correctly, that shouldn't be a problem, and if it didn't work perfectly, Victoria would still have an opportunity to escape. He was not going to let Dracula harm her.

Knowing that he had to act sooner rather than later, Diego pulled the heavy bag off his back, eyes never leaving Dracula. He could feel the solid shape of the box inside.

"Victoria," Diego whispered quickly, not sure whether Dracula could hear or not, "Get away. Out of sight. I need you safe. I love you." He moved towards Dracula purposefully, hoping to keep all the attention on him. He was relieved to see Victoria was for once doing what he told her. "I don't know. I've made a habit of escaping. I'm not sure I can break that now." He cautiously pulled the box from the bag.

"I knew a desperate man could find it. Well done," Dracula said, eyes on the box.

"It was more luck than desperation," Diego replied. He took a deep breath. A lot counted on his being convincing. He would have only one chance. "But I won't deny the desperation. I've fought evil men for a long time, but none of them have been anything like you. I'm tired, and I don't know how to fight you. I don't know why whatever is in the book is important to you, and I don't really care why. But since I'm sure it's nowhere to be found in California, I'd rather give you this and have you leave than risk more damage to the people here."

"That seems out of character for the Fox," Dracula said.

"I'm sure you're used to men not living up to their reputations where you're concerned," Diego replied. "Especially when you've threatened the ones they love. So, this is yours if you promise to leave." He'd been playing a weakling so long, it wasn't that hard to project weakness, but this was more of a challenge since Dracula also knew he was Zorro.

"Very well," Dracula lied, without blinking an eye. "But I'm sure you'll understand that I want to be sure the book is in there."

"Of course." Diego put the box on the ground and took several steps back. His hand was itching to draw his sword, but that would be a mistake. Keep a cool head and look weak, he thought.

Dracula didn't bother to keep his eyes on Diego as he knelt in front of the box, but Diego felt sure that any sudden move would be anticipated. He stood still, trying not to draw any attention to himself, as he waited for Dracula to open the box. It seemed that he was familiar with how it opened and, in a half minute that seemed an eternity, was lifting the lid.

The explosion came almost instantly, knocking Dracula back, the ground garlic Diego had placed next to the charge burning his skin far more than Diego had anticipated. Drawing his sword, Diego wished he hadn't dropped the spear inside. Right now his option was beheading, and that would prove to be a greater challenge.

Steeling himself to act, Diego approached Dracula, whose hands were covering his face. That's when he made his mistake. Dracula had stopped moving, and Diego leaned too close. The moment he did, moving faster than he'd expected, Dracula was up, pushing his sword aside and throwing him directly through the nearest window.

Diego landed on the floor with a thud; he'd lost his grip on his saber as he'd gone through the window. Luckily his back had gone through the window first, and his coat had protected him from most of the glass. He rolled over onto his stomach and started to push himself to his feet when a hand grabbed him by the back of the neck and pinned him down hard. Above him, out of sight, Dracula hissed, "Now, that is more like what I expected from the Fox." Dracula yanked him up and hurled him across the room and into the central hallway.

Diego landed hard, tumbling and rolling a couple of times before coming to a stop on his back. Smoothly and easily, as if in no particular hurry, Dracula walked after him. His eyes blazed crimson, and the burns on his face were already very nearly gone. He grabbed Diego by the shirt and dragged him into the dining room where he unceremoniously dumped him into the same chair from which Victoria had escaped only minutes before.

Slowly, Dracula circled him. "I must commend you, de la Vega. The ruse with the box was most clever. In fact, I like to play with fire too." He raised a hand and a spark shot to life and started running against the base of the wall out in the hallway, obviously a fuse of some kind. Diego watched it run the length of the hallway and disappear around the corner into the darkness. "In a matter of minutes, the barrels of gunpowder below this house will reduce this place to rubble and I'll be on my way out of California." Dracula leaned in close and smiled. "And I don't intend to be going alone."

Up until now, Diego had been content to bide his time and let Dracula talk so he could get back his wind. But he knew full well it was Victoria he meant. "You won't touch her!" Diego roared and drove his heel into Dracula's knee with as much force as he could summon, sending him reeling back several steps.

It gave Diego just enough time to snatch up the spear he'd dropped earlier. He lunged with the spear, but Dracula grabbed it before it could reach its target. Diego tried to leverage it away, but the stick snapped in half, and Diego fell back holding one end, while Dracula dropped the other to the ground.

Dracula grabbed for him again, and Diego struck this time with the pointed end. It pierced Dracula's shoulder causing him to back away in pain. Diego grabbed up the other half of the spear and hit him on the head with it as he made a break for the fuse. He rounded the corner just in time to see the fuse snake its way through a dimly lit doorway. Diego sprinted for it but a black mist swirled up around him and from it materialized Dracula.

For Diego, it was like running into a wall. He fell backwards and had no sooner hit the floor when Dracula was on him, a knee on his chest and a hand on his throat. "You know," Dracula fairly purred, "Victoria's blood is truly tantalizing. I think she'll make a fine vampire. She might even be one I would be willing to keep. As for you, I was going to just kill you, but now... now I have a far better notion. After I've turned your precious taverness, I'll let her turn you. I might even let her keep you as a pet."

Dracula was heavy, and the weight on Diego's chest was agonizing. Still, his thinking was strangely clear. He thought of Victoria, his father, Felipe, even Solomon, but mostly Padre Benites and what he'd told him. The padre was right. This was the time. Diego knew what to do.

"But for now," Dracula growled, "you've pained me enough!"

"No," Diego spat as he reached for the dagger in his coat, "Not yet!" He drove the blade into Dracula's neck, all the way to the hilt. Dracula stood up and staggered back, shrieking in pain. Diego grabbed the broken spear and rammed it into the center of Dracula's chest. He charged ahead, both hands firmly on the shaft, driving Dracula through the door.

Dracula was still snarling as he fell backwards down the stairs into the darkness. Diego felt sick, but mindful of the fuse and unsure how long he had, turned and ran for the front of the house. He'd just made it outside when he heard a deafening explosion, and then everything went black.

~TBC~

Wednesday: Chapter 20 - A New Day & Epilogue

End Notes: I'm glad that Victoria's getting angry and determined came across well. She was never going to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but she's gone after bandits armed only with a pistol and saved Zorro's life, so I thought it was about time she did something to help herself escape and have her temper come to her aid rather than get her in trouble.

I was never entirely happy with my version of Diego and Dracula's fight. I spent half of October worrying over it, as the original version stank of mechanical conflict, and it took a moment of inspiration to realize what was wrong and even then my revised versions still didn't feel quite right, though they were closer.

Once again Ghetto Outlaw has come to my rescue and improved my all-too-short fight into something a bit more epic, while still keeping most of its original elements.

I hope no one thinks Diego is out of character, but he's been pushed and pushed for this whole story, and Dracula is not someone who can either be reasoned with or imprisoned by ordinary means, and he was threatening Victoria.

And I was always going to have Diego fight Dracula without the mask. Strangely that's what inspired the idea of having Dracula impersonate Zorro earlier on. I wanted Diego to have a very good excuse not to be Zorro near the end, and I took (a little) inspiration from my favorite Disney Zorro episode "Zorro, Luckiest Swordsman Alive" where Zorro is framed by a double and Diego doesn't dare don the mask until he clears Zorro's name. The idea also had some roots in the realization that in Los Angeles no one was really going to notice the resemblance of Diego and Dracula, but Zorro would be a different story.