Epilogue

Just over four months later Victoria was sitting in The Guardian Office watching her husband put the final touches to their weekly newspaper which was to be printed the following day. He wasn't getting much work done because he kept being distracted by the urge to touch her, to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. Normally he would have done that already but he needed to get the articles finished and that wouldn't happen while his wife was distracting him and since Felipe had left for Spain with Estrella a week after the wedding, he had no-one that he could trust with the typesetting so he had to do the time consuming work himself.

He missed Felipe terribly, he never knew just how large a part of his life his son had been. He still could see the look of excitement on Felipe's face when he had told him that he could go to Spain with his aunt and he knew then that he would never stop him from doing what he wanted. There had been a rush to get everything ready for their journey and they left six days after the wedding and with promises to look after each other and to write once they reached Spain. With tears in their eyes Diego and Victoria watched as the ship carrying Felipe and Estrella sailed away on their journey to Spain.

Victoria smiled to herself, she knew that her presence was distracting him from his work and she wanted to see how long it would take for him to say something. Either to stop what he was doing and close the office for some time alone together or whether he would tell her go away, in a polite way of course. She did have something to use against the second option, something that she knew for certain that would make him stop work.

Diego caught at the small, secretive smile on his wife's lips and finally gave into the temptation that he had been trying to ignore all morning. He knelt beside her chair and planted a hungry kiss to those sweet, delicious lips of hers. He couldn't help but moan softly as she kissed him back, matching his hunger with her own but he had to remember where they were and not to give in to what they both wanted. He couldn't believe that after four months of marriage, he still felt this way. He hoped that his desire for her would never fade.

With great reluctance, he pulled back. "Querida, as much as I would like to spend the whole day kissing you, I need to get the paper finished for tomorrow." his voice deep with his longing.

She smiled as she smoothed his moustache. "How much longer do you think you'll be?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Perhaps another hour or so and then I'm all yours." he promised with a gleam in his blue eyes.

Victoria felt a flush creep over her face, she couldn't believe that he still affected her like that and hoped that he always would. "Would you like me to go over to the tavern and see how the girls are going?" she asked sweetly.

Diego had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed. "Well...The faster I can get this done, the sooner I can take you home."

She felt her face burn even more at his obvious desire to be alone with her. "That's true and the sooner I can tell you my news." she replied mysteriously as she stood up and walked to the door.

He frowned slightly. "Your news? What news do you have that...could...Querida?" his voice caught as a thought crossed his mind. "Querida...are you... I mean..." he dare not say the words in case it wasn't true. They had been married for four and half months now and both had been longing to complete their family with a child of their own.

Victoria smiled at him and decided to put him out of his misery. She moved to him and placed her hand on his chest. "Diego, I'm going to have a baby." she smiled lovingly up at him.

Diego stared down at her, speechless. "A...baby...we...you're...a baby." he stuttered.

She nodded. "Si, we are going to be parents."

He finally recovered from the shock. "I'm going to be a father." he said with beaming smile on his face as he picked her up and twirled her around. "Madre de dios, father will be most pleased about this."

She half-playfully slapped at his chest. "Well, I hope 'you' are pleased about this yourself." she scolded him.

He picked up her slight annoyance of his words and planted a tender kiss to her lips. "Of course, I'm pleased, more than pleased. I thrilled. Oh Victoria, it's wonderful, just marvellous." he pulled her into his arms for a tight embrace and for a long moment they just held each other before Victoria pulled away.

"Don't take too long with the paper Diego." she whispered as she kissed him lovingly.

He chuckled as he ran his fingers through her soft hair. "Do you really think that I could work on the paper now, I've just found out that I'm going to be a father! Madre de dios, the paper can wait a day or so. Lets go and tell father shall we?" he grinned as he took her hand and led her out of the door.

As they stepped out of the office together, they saw the dusty stagecoach from San Diego come rumbling into the plaza and stopped outside the tavern. They waited to see if there were any parcels to take back to the hacienda but Victoria saw two familiar faces emerge from inside the stage and grabbed tight to her husband's arm.

"Diego look, its Felipe and Estrella, they're back." she cried out in happiness as the young man came rushing up to her, while Estrella walked more sedately behind him.

Diego gaped as he saw his son hugging Victoria tightly. "Felipe." he whispered, his voice reflected his surprise, they weren't expecting them back for several more weeks but he didn't care, his son was home, where he belonged.

"Felipe." he said more louder as pulled his son into a fierce embrace. "Welcome back son, I've missed you."

"Father, I've missed you too." Felipe said with a large smile on his face.

Diego gaped at his voice. "Madre de dios, your speech has improved so much." he pulled him back into his arms for another fierce hug.

Estrella was hugging Victoria. "Oh I've missed this place Victoria, it feels good to be back." she said warmly.

Victoria nodded with smile. "How was your trip? and your aunt how is she?" she asked kindly.

Estrella sighed as she shook her head sadly. "She has gone from us now but I'm glad that I saw her one last time before she died."

Victoria squeezed her arm. "I'm sorry Estrella." she replied compassionately.

"Thank you Victoria" she replied a little sadly.

Victoria wanted to cheer her friend up. "I know someone who has missed you a great deal and he will be very pleased to see you back with us and I'm not talking about Diego." she added with a wink and she was surprised to see a blush creep over the older lady's face.

Estrella knew her face was burning, she couldn't believe that she was behaving like a schoolgirl with her first crush. "I've missed Antonio too Victoria." she replied softly.

"Estrella, it's wonderful to have you back. How was your journey?" Diego asked with a large grin on his face as he pulled the older lady into a warm embrace.

"Gracias Diego, it's great to be back and the journey was long as always but uneventful." she replied as she returned his embrace.

He nodded as he pulled back. "Si, it is a long trip from Spain to here. Shall we take you home?" he asked as he noticed that Felipe had retrieved their luggage.

Estrella frowned slightly. "Isn't today you get the paper ready?" she asked.

Diego shook his head and gave her with a warm smile. "The paper can wait a couple of days, our family is back together again and we should celebrate it."

Estrella felt tears well in her eyes, she had never felt so wanted, so loved than she did now. As much as she loved her mother and sisters, it never felt like this, so warm and loving, so accepting of others. 'Having family and friends is what life is really about' she thought to herself as she watched Diego and Felipe carry their luggage to the wagon behind The Guardian office before they hitched the horses and they all climbed aboard for the journey to the de la Vega hacienda.

When they reached home and entered through the front door, Diego called out. "Father, father."

Don Alejandro came around the corner. "Diego, what's wrong? I wasn't expecting you for hours..." whatever else he was going to say, was caught in his throat when he saw his grandson standing beside Diego with a large grin on his face. "Felipe! Madre de dios, you're back. I've missed you." he said as he strode over and pulled his grandson into a fierce hug that Felipe returned with equal strength.

"I've missed you too grandfather." Felipe said as they pulled apart.

Don Alejandro's eyes widened in surprise at hearing the younger man speak. "Dios, you are speaking so much better, I'm proud of you." he replied as he tussled Felipe's hair before he turned his attention to Estrella and pulled her into a loving embrace as well. "Welcome home Estrella." he said warmly.

Estrella smiled. "Gracias Alejandro, I feel as though this is my home now, part of the family."

Don Alejandro smiled re-assuringly. "You are part of our family Estrella, always."

Diego exchanged a look with Victoria and placed his arm around her waist. "Well our family is about to become larger, father." he said mysteriously.

Don Alejandro frowned slightly "What are you talking about son, have you found another lost soul?" again he was a loss for words as he saw Diego's hand resting lightly on his wife's stomach. He quickly glanced up at their happy faces and realised what it meant. "Madre de dios. NO! Are you?" and he began to smile.

Victoria smiled lovingly at her husband before she turned back to her father-in-law. "We're going to have a baby." she confirmed.

"Oh Victoria, Diego that's wonderful..Oh I'm so thrilled for you both." Estrella hugged them.

"Gracias Estrella." Victoria replied with tears in her eyes.

"Dios, I'm going to have a brother or sister." Felipe said in shocked amazement as he hugged his father.

Diego laughed as he held his son tight. "Si you will." he replied as they pulled apart and he finally turned to his father.

Don Alejandro had the largest grin on his face that Diego had even seen and felt hot tears burn his eyes at the absolute happiness that shone from the older man's eyes. It was a sight that he would never forget as his father pulled him into a fierce embrace. "My son, my son." he whispered as he tried to hold back his emotions, least he should be seen crying in public.

A year later, the de la Vegas were once again in the mission chapel for a wedding. Diego sat beside Victoria, their hands clasped together while Don Alejandro sat on beside them holding onto their five month old daughter Magdalena. Victoria smiled to herself as she saw the tender love that her father-in-law was showing to her daughter as he quietened her down. She was amused that she often had to fight for her daughter's attention from not only her father, but also from her grandfather and brother. It seemed that the de la Vega men had all fallen under her baby daughter's spell, something which she knew all too well. She too had lost her heart from the very first moment she held her in her arms.

Victoria brought her attention back to the present as Felipe escorted his aunt down the aisle and into the waiting arms of Don Antonio. They watched with happiness in their hearts and tears in their eyes as Estrella and Antonio repeated their vows. They all saw the love between the couple and were pleased that they had finally found happiness after being alone for so long.

As Estrella walked down the aisle with Antonio as her husband, she reflected on how she came to be here. If she had never left Cadiz to search for answers about her sister, she would never have met Herberto's brother, would never have travelled north to Guadalajara and then further north to San Diego and to find that article in the San Diego paper, would never have realised that her nephew had survived and never to have discovered love with a wonderful man. It was as though it had been fate for her to sail to the new world, to discover love and happiness that she never had.

Estrella stepped out into the clear, bright day on the arm of her husband and knew that she had finally found her place in life.

The End

A/N - Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews for my story, I hoped everyone enjoyed it. I'm working on different story but it won't be ready until sometime in the new year.