The Final Capture of Zorro

Summary: The dreadful has happened. Zorro has been captured, and his identity revealed. How does his father react? What does Victoria think? Will Diego escape the hangman's noose? Read on and discover the answers.

Disclaimer: Not owned by me. Owned by NPZ.

AN; Okay, I will post this, even though it probably is a very simple story. Or the themes have been overdone. And let's not even discuss the possible inconsistencies. But it is a story that has been percolating in my mind for some years.

Also, I want to use Luis Ramone as the Alcalde, because I always felt he was the truly evil one, versus Ignacio de Soto, who I think was just mainly misguided. But an event I refer to in the story happens near the end of the series. I absolutely love the line, so did not want to cut it or change the Alcalde. So let's pretend for this story that Ramone was the only Alcalde for the run of the series. So of course the two shows that took place at the Devil's Fortress never happened. Just because this is my story. Otherwise canon remains unchanged.

So let's review….this story takes place sometime after season 4, but before Gilberto visited, and Ramone has been Alcalde all the time. And thanks for overlooking the beginner mistakes, clichés, inconsistencies, and lack of polish. Thanks.

It was early afternoon. A time when Zorro usually did not ride, but Diego had heard that the Alcalde was going to arrest poor Juan Hernandez for failing to pay taxes. It seemed a little odd to Diego, this change in time, but he could not take the chance that it was not actually true. It went against all of the Alcalde's usual patterns of behavior to do the act while there was still sunshine for the family to have time for possible action against him. It was just more cruel to do it at night.

Diego approached the small farm with caution, as he always did. An unusual quiet surrounded the farm. All of his senses were frantically warning him of danger. As he got closer, he suddenly realized that none of the Hernandez family was around. No one was around at all. For it being daytime, that was not usual.

Suddenly, soldiers appeared from behind the barn, the house, and up the road as well. Diego found himself surrounded without warning. He took a second to marvel that the Alcalde had finally stepped up his traps. It appeared that Ramone had called the entire garrison out for this one.

Diego turned Toronado around, and commanded the horse to leap over the hay bales and wagons that had suddenly been pulled out of the barn in order to assist in his capture. Toronado easily jumped the obstacles, and galloped away. However, more soldiers approached from the surrounding woods, from both directions. Bullets were flying from the soldiers' guns.

As Toronado galloped across the hills, Diego kept an eye on the soldiers behind him. He could not believe that he had fallen into the Alcalde's trap. Suddenly, more soldiers galloped out from the trees in front of Diego and surrounded him, surprising him. It was an unusual place for an ambush, which for some reason distracted him. Shots rang out from all sides. A lucky shot hit Toronado, who reared, throwing Diego off.

Diego, being caught unawares, fell and hit his head on a rock. Momentarily dazed, he was unable to take out his whip. Before he could jump up, he found himself with three swords at his throat, and five other rifles aimed at him. It seemed as if the entire garrison surrounded him.

"Well, well, well. This day has finally arrived, Zorro, " came the dreaded glee of the Alcalde's voice. "Get him up!"

Diego was grabbed by a soldier on either side and was roughly brought to his feet. The Alcalde approached Diego with the well-known sneer on his face. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Zorro. Having a bad day, are we? I knew your luck had to run out one of these days. I am just happy I stuck around here long enough to see it."

Diego could not resist, "Yes, who would have thought it?"

The Alcalde looked at Zorro, and with a smug look, pulled back his arm and punched Diego square on the jaw. "I have been wanting to do that for quite some time, and with that smart remark I couldn't resist."

Diego shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. The Alcalde grabbed Diego by the chin and raised his head to look him in the eye. "And now, I get to do something else I have been waiting to do for four very long years!" Before Diego knew it, the Alcalde grabbed his hat off his head with one hand, and his mask off with the other. "Diego de la Vega!" The Alcalde's face paled a little from the shock. He blinked his eyes, and shook his head in disbelief.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Diego asked. "Actually, Alcalde, Zorro asked me to distract you and lead you away out here. So, I am sorry, but I am not Zorro." Diego thought he had little chance with such a flimsy story, but that was all he could come up with, and he knew he had to at least try.

The Alcalde laughed, turned away from Diego and took a few steps shaking his head. He walked back to Diego, suddenly pulled his fist back and punched Diego again in the face. "Boy, that feels better a second time!" as he noted Diego's stunned expression "I just had to punch you again for daring to tell me such a ridiculous story." He gave Diego a self-satisfied smirk.

"What do you mean? It is the truth. I do not know who Zorro is, or why he wanted me to distract you, but that is the truth. I mean, you know me, Alcalde. I am the laughingstock of the pueblo. You know how inept I am with a sword, I get lost trying to go to Santa Paula, my own father thinks poorly of me. How could I be Zorro?"

The Alcalde laughed again. "Oh Diego, for such an intelligent man, do you really think that story could have a chance of changing my mind?" A pained look passed over the Alcalde's face. "I very much hate to admit it, but you have successfully fooled me and everyone else for four years, and I am rather ashamed of it. I mean, we have never seen you and Zorro together. You both have blue eyes. You both are quite tall." The Alcalde made an exaggerated shrug. "Everything else you talked about, can be so easily faked. And so you did. I guess, you were quite successful in pulling it off. Until now."

Diego closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to recollect his thoughts. He decided, impulsively, to attempt to escape and tried to struggle against the two soldiers holding him securely. He knew he had only a slim chance of catching them unawares, but he had to try. However, the soldiers were being overly vigilant in their task of holding onto their long-desired prey and kept a secure hold onto Diego.

"Ah, Diego, that is foolish. You do not stand a chance. Especially not without your sword and your whip," he stated, as he took each of them off of Diego and handed them to Mendoza, who was also holding Zorro's hat and mask.

Asking for long rope, the Alcalde bound Diego's wrists in front of him. He then indicated the soldiers to lead Diego over to the Alcalde's horse, where the Alcalde tied the other end to his saddle horn.

"Alcalde, what are you doing? You cannot make Diego walk all the way into town," Mendoza protested.

The Alcalde turned to Mendoza and asked, "Why not, Mendoza? His horse ran off. I cannot spare one of my men's horses for him." The Alcalde gave a nonchalant shrug. "Also, for a man who can withstand three Indian challenges, a little walk to town probably won't faze him at all."

Diego schooled his features into a bland expression, tamping down his fear. The level of the Alcalde's viciousness would only be surpassed by his need for revenge. And this time, there would not be Zorro riding to the rescue. Especially since there was no way he could get word to Felipe, or to confer with him on a possible escape plan.

The Alcalde gave the command for his soldiers to mount their horses. He mounted his horse with one last look of slimy triumph at Diego. He commanded half of his soldiers to proceed to the pueblo at the usual speed, with a stern warning not to speak to anyone about their capture. "When you get there, start building the gallows. We shall need that at dawn."

Diego then got another chill down his spine when the Alcalde turned and smiled at him as another idea came to him. "Oh, but first, make sure you replace the whipping post in the middle of the courtyard. I have decided to reinstate whippings." The Alcalde would finally have the long-awaited opportunity to mete out his favorite punishment on his worst enemy.

The Alcalde then led the group of remaining soldiers at a trot. Faster than walking, but not as fast as a gallop. Diego thought wryly at least he could be thankful that the Alcalde was not totally inhumane. Gracias a dios for small favors, I suppose.

Diego was able to keep up a slow jog for most of the journey. However, as he saw the pueblo in the distance, Diego finally could not watch his footing anymore. His throat absolutely dry, sweat rolling into his eyes blinding him, he stumbled over a hole in the ground, and found himself falling. His throat too dry to call out, Diego was not able to get the Alcalde to stop so that he could regain his footing.

Meanwhile, Victoria was in her tavern serving her customers, and Alejandro was out on the porch enjoying a cold drink with several of his friends. He had spoken of his disgust with his son to his friends. "I don't know where that son of mine took off to. He was supposed to come to town with me today, but all of a sudden, he ran off with nary an excuse. I just don't know what to do with him."

His friends murmured words of understanding, shaking their heads. Diego was often a conundrum for many of the caballeros, but he was a kind and generous young man. Out of respect for Alejandro, they often made allowances for Diego's often odd behaviors. However, over the years, they had also come to respect the young man on his own terms, such as his vast knowledge on a multitude of subjects, and his diplomacy.

As Victoria came outside to check on Alejandro and his friends, she looked up and saw the dust of approaching riders. Recognizing the Alcalde in the lead, she interrupted the men's conversations, exclaiming in disgust, "Oh, no! What is the Alcalde up to now?"

Alejandro squinted into the distance. "It appears he is bringing another prisoner into town." He then saw the dust being kicked up by a man being dragged behind one of the horses. "How inhumane! The Alcalde is dragging him into town. He has not done that for years, not since Zorro has appeared. I wonder who it could be, since he has almost all of the pueblo's soldiers with him."

That was when Victoria noted that two soldiers were in the process of placing a whipping post in the middle of the square.

"Oh, no, Don Alejandro, look." Pointing to the whipping post, she continued. "I thought the Alcalde had given that up as well. I hope Zorro arrives soon. He is going to be so angry about these indignities!" She took a minute picturing her love coming to the rescue, and the indignities he would perform on the Alcalde.

Both Victoria and Alejandro approached the edge of the porch, to get a better view of the spectacle. A gasp escaped from Victoria when the group had approached close enough for her to see the black-clothed man. She grabbed Don Alejandro's sleeve. "Oh, no! Don Alejandro, it is Zorro!"

Alejandro shook his head, "Oh, Victoria, it could not be!" As he looked at the man, he observed the familiar black slacks and shirt, the dark hair, and his heart sank. At least it explained the Alcalde's treatment of this particular prisoner.

Victoria pushed Alejandro's hand from her arm and rushed across the road over to the jail, with most of the group on her heels. Alejandro attempted to catch up with her and pushed through the group of villagers as they gathered around the jail waiting to see the identity of the prisoner.

The caravan of soldiers stopped in front of the whipping post. Two soldiers went to the prisoner and yanked him into a standing position. Gasps were heard as the prisoner was revealed to be Don Diego de la Vega.

Victoria grabbed Alejandro's sleeve. "What is going on, Don Alejandro? Diego cannot be Zorro, he just cannot be!" Alejandro noted the rising panic in her voice.

Alejandro rushed forward and grabbed the Alcalde by the arm before he could follow the soldiers leading Diego to the whipping post. "Alcalde, I demand to know why my son is being treated in such a way?"

"Well, Don Alejandro, I would think that would be obvious. He is being charged with being the infamous outlaw Zorro. You and the tavern owner are only steps away from sharing a cell with him, if you are not careful. So be careful what you say next, sir."

Don Alejandro stood taller and stated, in a bitingly calm voice, "Alcalde, before you start throwing accusations around, I demand I speak to my son right now."

The Alcalde coolly looked at Alejandro. "That will have to wait until we process our prisoner and formally charge him. I shall let you know when you can visit him." Giving Don Alejandro a smile, he stated, "Oh, yes, but before we do that, we have to dole out some punishment fitting his crimes." Turning around, he headed towards the whipping post followed by Diego being dragged by the two soldiers. Another soldier brought a whip from the Alcalde's office and handed it to the Alcalde. The Alcalde unrolled it and cracked it several times.

Realizing the Alcalde's intent, Alejandro rushed to catch up to the man again. "How dare you, Alcalde! You are not going to whip my son!"

The Alcalde looked coldly at the influential man. "I can do whatever I want. I am still the Alcalde. Your son, I remind you, is a criminal. As such, I am in the position to warrant whatever punishment I feel is necessary."

Two lancers approached Don Alejandro. As one of them was about to grab him about the arm, Alejandro glared at him as he yanked it out of the lancer's reach. The other lancer motioned towards Victoria, silently asking him to join her at the sidelines. Alejandro slapped his gloves in his hand and joined Victoria.

They, along with the rest of the pueblo, watched as Diego was stripped of his shirt and his wrists were tied to the top of the whipping post. Victoria buried her face into Don Alejandro's chest. "I cannot bear to watch this!"

Soldiers were busy keeping the crowd of villagers from rushing toward Diego. The uproar from the crowd increased as the crowd grew. News of Zorro's capture had spread, and more villagers gathered. Alejandro and Victoria were held back by a soldier aiming a rifle towards them, upon command from the Alcalde. They watched in horror as the Alcalde took great pleasure in whipping Diego. After twenty lashes, Diego was losing the battle to remain on his feet. The Alcalde decided to stop at this point. Victoria could not believe how bloody his back was.

"I will stop now, Don't want to make too much of a mess in the jail. Take him to his cell."

The Alcalde approached Don Alejandro and Victoria. "I suppose you will want to see him. After thinking about it I guess I will allow it. However, if I hear the slightest hint of planning an escape, I will put you both in the next cell."

Two soldiers dragged Diego to a cell, and threw him unceremoniously onto the floor. Diego barely registered that the whipping had stopped, and that he was lying on the cold cement floor of the very jail from which he had often rescued other prisoners.

The next thing he registered were two sets of comforting arms gently pulling him up and guiding him to the only cot in the cell.

"Oh, Don Alejandro, look at his back!"

Diego startled at the voice of his beloved. He drew up as much of his remaining strength and rolled onto his side to look up at the voices. He met the concerned glances of his father and Victoria.

"Oh, no, you are not under arrest, too?" Diego was afraid that his absolute worst fears were coming true. That he could not bear, the thought of his loved ones sharing in his punishment.

Victoria hurried to reassure him. "No, Diego, the Alcalde has 'graciously' allowed us to visit you to treat your wounds. I am not sure how long we have, so we better get started."

Diego rolled back onto his stomach. Victoria began to gently wash the torn skin of Diego's back, steeling herself against his involuntary jerks of his body as Diego attempted to not cry out in pain.

"Diego, like Victoria has said, we are not sure how long the Alcalde's generosity will last." Leaning down to speak in his son's ear, Alejandro continued. "Did you ever come up with a plan if you were ever arrested?"

Diego sighed heavily. "No, not really. I just have been too cocky I guess in thinking that I would never be caught." Diego hoped his father would forgive him, when he hopefully discovered his deceit about possible escape plans. Diego could not risk the Alcalde overhearing anything. In truth, Diego and Felipe had indeed developed some contingency plans over the years. "Have someone ride to the hacienda and tell Felipe I am here."

"I understand how you feel about him, Diego, but perhaps we should not tell him about this until we know for sure what we should do."

Bracing for his father's reaction, Diego said, "Well, Father, you see, Felipe has been helping me all along. He even has come up with some of Zorro's ideas."

"What?" both Alejandro and Victoria exclaimed.

"You mean, you told a young boy your secret, and not your own father?"

"Why didn't you tell us, if you told him? Why couldn't we help you as well?" Victoria added her hurt and disappointment.

"We may not have time for this, but Felipe was there when I first came up with the idea of Zorro. It was only natural for him to continue helping me." Turning on his side, Diego looked at both his love and his father. "I hope I can answer all your other questions some other time, but I need to tell you a few things."

"What is that, Diego?" Victoria said softly.

Looking into her eyes, Diego said, "You and Father must not try anything. You both need to keep your distance from me. It is the only chance we have to prevent you both from joining me on the gallows."

Before Victoria could respond, Alejandro exploded. "What are you talking about? I will not stand by and watch my only son be executed for standing up for the underprivileged. We need to get you out of here!"

The Alcalde chose this moment to enter the cell area. "I hope you are finished caring for your fallen hero, Senorita Victoria. It is time for you both to leave. You will have the opportunity to say your final goodbyes tomorrow morning, before he is hung at dawn."

Victoria turned on the Alcalde. "You cannot be serious, Alcalde? You just cannot hang Diego. What is your proof that he is Zorro? I mean, he is a wonderful man, but he cannot be Zorro."

The Alcalde gave a hearty laugh. "Oh, Victoria, really. This play-acting from all of you is getting rather tedious. You see, I caught Diego red-handed. Riding that black horse of Zorro, wearing his outfit. Even riding like him. Unfortunately, and I am not quite sure why, he did not exactly fight like him. I guess anyone can have a bad night, and luckily I was there, finally, when Zorro had his."

Don Alejandro leaped upon what the Alcalde said. "See, there you are. If it were truly Zorro, there would have been no way you and your soldiers would have captured him. You say he was not truly fighting like Zorro…..so there you are!"

Alcalde Ramone just shook his head and then called for some of the guards. When they entered, he informed them to 'kindly' show Victoria and Alejandro out of the jail.

Despite both of their protests, Victoria and Alejandro were led out of the jail. As the door slammed behind them, Victoria looked at the man she considered to be like a father with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Don Alejandro, whatever are we going to do?"

Looking around, and observing no one watching them, Alejandro stated, "Lets go back to your tavern. We have to think of something."

Suddenly Felipe appeared and almost knocked Alejandro down in his agitation. His hands flew as he signed more than what either of them could catch.

"Wait, Felipe, wait. I cannot catch anything you are saying. We are on the way back to the tavern. We will discuss it there."

AN2: So did you catch which line I had to change the Alcalde/timeline for? The reference to the Indian challenges. Anyway, hope the story is somewhat entertaining and not too inconsistent. If you can, please let me know what you think, of this first chapter. Now I just have to figure out how to get Diego out of this mess…..all for now. And a huge thank you for reading and reviewing!

AN3: Oh, and huge thanks to the Zorro fan fiction group for your answer to my questions and support! But any mistakes are totally mine.