SPRING TIME

Disclaimer – I don't own the rights, Zorro Productions Inc does - I just like to play with the characters.

Will Toronado bring Victoria and Diego together at long last?

One shot.

Victoria stood waiting anxiously on the front porch of her tavern, hoping that Don Alejandro and Diego would come into the pueblo today; she needed their help and guidance.

"Buenas dias Senorita," Sergeant Mendoza said as he walked up the steps of the tavern, "It's a lovely day today, not a cloud in the sky."

She nodded absently, "Yes, it's a lovely morning." she replied as she fidgeted with the edge of her apron. Were they ever going to come, she mused to herself as stood on her toes and she craned her neck to look further down the road.

"Are you alright senorita, you seem a little distracted." Mendoza said a little worriedly.

She brought her full attention back to the lancer and smiled warmly, "No, I'm fine Sergeant. I believe that Pilar has almost finished cooking some chicken tamales and if you want to go inside and order them, she'll bring out a plate of them out in no time."

He beamed with pleasure, "Gracias Senorita, I just feel like some tamales - "

"Mendoza!" de Soto's voice called out from his office.

Mendoza sighed as he gazed wistfully into the tavern; he was terribly hungry but he couldn't ignore his commanding officer.

"I'll make sure that Pilar has enough tamales for you, after you have seen what the alcalde wants." she said understandingly.

He smiled again, "Gracias -"

"Mendoza!" de Soto's voice came once more, this time with obvious impatience and growing anger in his tone.

"Madre de dios." Mendoza muttered as he hurried across the dusty plaza and entered the Alcalde's office.

Victoria shook her head; hoping that the kind soldier wasn't in any serious trouble with his commanding officer. She glanced down the road once more and was relieved to see both Don Alejandro and Diego riding their horses under the wooden sign and waited impatiently while they rode up to the tavern and dismounted.

"Buenos dias Victoria." Don Alejandro called out cheerfully as both he and his son tied their reins loosely over the railing.

"Hola Victoria." Diego said pleasantly.

"I need your help Don Alejandro, Diego." she said worriedly. She knew that she was being rude by not greeting them but she was too worried to care about the niceties

Don Alejandro frowned, "What is it Victoria? Is anything wrong with the tavern?" he asked as he exchanged a worried glance with his son. The young woman rarely asked for help and for her to do so, it must be something terrible.

She shook her head, "No, it's about Fidela."

"Your mare? What's wrong with her?" Diego asked.

"I'm not sure but you two know a lot more about horses than I do...Oh please come with me." she said as she walked quickly around the side of the tavern and to her small barn, leaving Don Alejandro and Diego with no choice but to follow her.

The de la Vega men entered the small barn and crossed over to where Victoria was stroking her mare's neck in a slow soothing motion.

"Ahh," Don Alejandro muttered as he exchanged a knowing glance at this son, "I think she is going to have a foal." he said as he carefully approached Fidela.

Victoria's eyes widened, "What? You think she is...pregnant!" she was stunned beyond words, "Are you sure?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Let me examine her and we'll see." Don Alejandro said as he gently placed his hand on Fidela's neck, letting her get used to his presence before he ran his hand down over her shoulders and along her side, causing the mare to snicker and shied away from him. "Easy girl, easy. Has she been eating alright?"

Victoria nodded as she held onto Fidela's halter, "Yes, she seems to be eating more than normal and putting on weight. I've also noticed that she's become a little skittish lately and she doesn't like to be saddled too tightly and she simply won't take the harness for the wagon at all. She's always been a placid horse and I had wondered if there was something wrong with her but I never thought that she could be with foal."

Don Alejandro nodded as he gently moved his hand under her belly, "Easy Fidela, it's alright. Do you know how many foals she's had before?"

"She had two before I bought her and from memory, she delivered them fine."

Don Alejandro continued with his gentle but firm examination and after a couple of moments he straightened up and smiled at Victoria, "She's definitely with foal Victoria, I say she is about four or five months, probably closer to five. Do you have any idea of who the sire could be?" he asked curiously.

Victoria shook her head, "Five months. I'm not sure." she muttered. Dios, wasn't that around the time when she and Zorro had gone on a picnic, away from everyone and didn't they unsaddled both their horses and let them roam, knowing that they were safe from prying eyes. Did that mean that Toronado was the sire of Fidela's foal? It must be for she always closed the barn door at night and she didn't allow any horses around the rear of the tavern, not even any overnight guests. The only horse that did, was Toronado when his master came for a visit. There could be no other explanation; Zorro's magnificent stallion and her faithful mare had mated and now she was carrying his foal.

Diego was coming to the same conclusion as he thought back to that wonderful afternoon he had spent with the woman he loved; they had talked and laughed and kissed and talked and kissed some more. He knew the time was approaching to tell her the truth but amazingly she hadn't pushed him to remove the mask. She seemed to understand his need to keep the secret a little longer, to give him time to tell her in his own way and he loved her even more for allowing him that time. He also remembered that they had unsaddled their horses to give them some freedom, to run and play. He shook his head in disbelief; Toronado was set to become a father before himself.

"How should I look after Fidela? I've never had to deal with a pregnant mare before. Should I be riding her or not?" Victoria asked as she broke into Diego's thoughts.

Don Alejandro smiled re-assuringly as they walked out of the barn, "You can still ride her for several more months but I'm sure she will let you know when she doesn't want to be ridden and since she won't pull the wagon then don't force her. Just do want you normally do with her; go riding when you can, it's good for both of you. Don't over feed her and make sure she has plenty of water available. If you have any trouble at all, just come to Diego or myself and we'll help you. And when the time comes for her to foal, we'll be there too, in case of complications."

Diego smiled warmly, "And if you need to go and get supplies, just come to me...to us and we'll loan a horse to you."

Victoria smiled back, "Thank you Diego, I would really appreciate it. Whatever supplies I can't get from our local farmers, I get from San Pedro every two or three weeks. It saves money instead of paying for it to be delivered and I always enjoyed the driving the wagon; it gives me a break from the tavern."

Don Alejandro hid his smile at his son's slip of the tongue; he had known for some time that Diego had a soft spot for the beautiful young woman and he could understand why he had not pressed his suit; not many men would be willing to take on such a formidable rival as Zorro. Perhaps he could help in some way, he mused to himself, as much as he respected Zorro, he just didn't believe that he was the right man for Victoria, "Perhaps Diego could take you himself in one of our wagons, it would get him away from the hacienda and his books."

Diego flickered a glance to his father and wondered what he was up to; it wasn't the first time he had given a veiled hint about Victoria and it seemed to him that his father wanted him to spend time with her but that must mean that his father knew of his feelings for her or at least suspected it. And what about Zorro, did his father think it was alright to chase after another man's lady? Or did he suspect that too?

However, he wasn't going to let an opportunity to spend time with Victoria, go by, "I would be honoured to take escort you whenever and wherever you need to go." he offered gallantly.

She smiled warmly even a slight flush rose over her cheeks, "I might just take you up on that offer Diego." she replied.

The time had come for Fidela to foal and of course it had to be the middle of the night when she did.

Diego and Felipe, at Victoria's request, had been spending the last four nights at the tavern as the signs that Fidela was about to foal became more and more obvious. Diego, because she wanted her friend there with her and Felipe as a kind of chaperone for them, to satisfy propriety.

But right now, Victoria and Diego were sitting on some hay bales, in the corner of her small barn, watching and waiting for the arrival of the newborn foal; they were far enough away from Fidela that she wouldn't feel threatened by their presence but close enough in case anything went wrong. Victoria herself was both excited and worried at the same time, as though she was the one having a baby and not her faithful mare.

Diego couldn't help but feel Victoria's excitement as he sat beside her; she could barely sit still, "Relax, Victoria, it might be a long night and no amount of wriggling is going to make it happen faster." he said teased her gently.

She flushed as she forced herself to stop moving, "I can't help it, Diego," she whispered back, "I know it sounds funny but it feels like that it's my baby too."

He reached out and gently touched her arm, "One day you will have your own children." he said seriously. Over the last several months of escorting Victoria to San Pedro, they were becoming closer, much closer than Zorro and Victoria had ever been. He had been more open with her, more willing to share parts of him that he hadn't dared before and it felt wonderful to spend time with the woman he loved. And it seemed to him, that she responding to him.

She felt her face burn hotter at his gentle touch and his words; words that held more meaning in them now, than if he had spoken them months ago. During the times he escorted her in the wagon to San Pedro for supplies, she slowly came to realise that her closest friend had feelings for her, strong feelings. At first she didn't know what to do or say but as each trip approached, she began to look forward to spending time with him; she wanted to spend time with him. This then created conflict within her; over her love for Zorro and her growing attraction to Diego.

"And perhaps one day, you too will have children of your own." she said quietly as she rested her hand on his.

"I would like that very much." he whispered as he gazed into her eyes. In the dim light cast by a single lantern in the barn, he found that he could not longer deny his love for her and he leant closer to her until their faces were only inches apart before he moved the rest of the way and gently pressed his lips against hers in a feather light caress. He pulled back enough to gauge her reaction and when he saw no sign of rejection, he kissed her once more, this time more firmly but still tender against her soft lips.

Victoria knew that she should stop him because of her feelings for Zorro but the moment Diego's lips first touched hers, it felt right somehow. It was as though all these last couple of months had been leading to this moment and when it did happened, she was ready for it and in fact she wanted it. She wanted Diego to kiss her. And he must have wanted the same for he kissed her again.

He pulled back a second time, part of him wanted to go on kissing her but the other half had to apologise for his actions, "Victoria, I'm sorry -"

"Shh," she whispered as she placed a trembling finger against his lips, "Don't apologise for kissing me, Diego."

He frowned slightly, not understanding her, "But I shouldn't have -" Whatever else he was going to say was lost as Victoria kissed him.

It took a second or two before his brain connected to what her actions meant; she was kissing HIM, not Zorro but him, Diego de la Vega. The realisation that Victoria was kissing him, released all his longings, all his needs that he had been suppressing for years into a wave of love for the woman beside him. He reached up with his hand and cupped her face before he deepened their kiss. Her soft, sweet lips under his were driving him crazy as he began an assault on them, trying to elicit a response from her. And respond she did.

Victoria moaned softly at the way his warm lips teased her; first tender, then a little more demanding, then back to tender. She was overwhelmed by the amazing sensations that his kiss was provoking within her and she all but melted against him as she wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him closer just as he teased her upper lip between his and darted his tongue over her flesh before doing the same to her lower lip.

Diego was lost as he held her tight against him, lost in the feel of her, lost in the smell of her. Never before had he dropped his guard so completely, never before had he kissed her with such passion, that all he wanted to do was to give into his needs, to his longings and make her his, in all ways. His mind refused to think; thinking wasn't what he wanted at the moment, he only wanted to explore her, to taste her as he deepened their kiss even further.

A scraping sound made them jump guiltily apart and they saw Felipe, who was in the process of backing out of the barn, had knocked over a small wooden bucket. He held up his hands and smiled apologetically at interrupting them.

As he started to turn to leave when Diego called out, "Felipe," he paused to clear his throat, "Felipe, it's alright, you don't have to leave." he said quietly, so not to disturb Fidela, who was laying down in her stall after being restless for the last three hours.

The younger man signed but Diego shook his head, "You want to see the foal being born too."

Felipe nodded as he made his way over to the stack of hay and sat near them.

Victoria's face burned in embarrassment, not only at being caught but of her own reaction to Diego's passionate kiss. She couldn't believe that she had responded as strongly as she had; that she had returned his heated kisses with her own and found that she wanted more. Never before had she been so thoroughly kissed that it stirred something deep inside her, something she had previously ignored because she didn't want to see it and that something was love.

She knew without a doubt that Diego loved her, that he was in love with her and she was finally forced to admit that she felt the same; she was in love with Diego. But what about Zorro? She loved him too, didn't she? She felt a surge of guilt and shame rush over her, she was betraying Zorro with her closest friend but wasn't that what Zorro wanted her to do long ago, to marry Diego? Oh god, why couldn't they be the same man, she thought to herself, then that it would be perfect. It would combine her love for what Zorro did, with the man that Diego was.

Why couldn't they be the same man?

She swallowed hard as she gazed at his profile in the dim light, watching the shadows play across his face as though he was wearing a mask; a mask of light and dark. Madre de dios, could it be true? Was Diego and Zorro the SAME man? Once or twice over the years she had thought that he might be Zorro but it seem so silly that she dismissed the idea but now as she continued to study him, everything just fell into place and she could no longer deny the obvious. Diego was Zorro.

Now that he had regained some resemblance of control due to Felipe's appearance, Diego began to think. He knew that he should be angry at himself for giving in to his feelings in the way he had; that he should have not have jeopardised his secret in such a way but he found that he didn't care anymore. It was time to put Zorro behind him; at least in regards to the woman he loved. He needed to get on with his life, to marry and to have children and he couldn't do that unless he told Victoria the truth. And if her response to his kisses were anything to go by, then he felt confident that she would accept him as himself, well at least that was what he hoped.

Diego felt Victoria's hand slip into his and he turned to face her and in that moment all masks were dropped; both became aware that the other knew the secret. A secret that had kept them apart for too long.

Victoria felt a rush of happiness and love wash over her, "Diego." she whispered as tears of joy fell down her cheeks.

He reached out with his free hand and wiped away her tears, "Forgive me." he replied hoarsely before he planted a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Always." she replied as she leant against him as they watched the miracle of birth.

Felipe felt uncomfortable sitting near Diego and Victoria; he should have left them alone when he saw them kissing but at the same time he really wanted to see the foal being born, so he had stayed. He knew that they had become closer over the last couple of months and in fact, Diego had informed him that he was going to tell Victoria about the secret, believing that she would accept him as himself. And it was obvious to him that she had indeed accepted him.

His thoughts were interrupted when Diego touched his arm to gain his attention; Fidela was in the last stages of giving birth and in the low light from the single lantern, they all watched as the foal made its entrance into the world. First the forelegs appeared, then the head and shoulders and then finally the rest of the foal. After several minutes resting, Fidela severed the cord that connected them and then proceeded to clean her newborn.

Victoria had been holding tight to Diego's hand throughout the birth, "Oh my," she whispered in a reverent tone, as she gazed at the newborn moving slightly on the straw, "How long will it be before the foal will be able to stand?" she asked curiously, wanting to see this new addition to her family.

Diego shrugged, "Anytime in the next couple of hours," he replied quietly, "But I think we should leave them alone for now. They need to bond and she doesn't need anything or anyone disturbing them." he added as he stood up and nudged Felipe to rise as well. "We'll come back in a couple of hours to make sure she has expelled the afterbirth and by that time, the foal should be standing and possibly even feeding."

She nodded as the three of them walked quietly out of the barn, leaving mother and newborn to themselves.

After Victoria closed the barn doors, she turned to face Diego and Felipe in the early predawn light, "I never knew how wonderful it could be to witness such a miracle. Thank you both for being here with me."

Diego smiled, "We wouldn't have missed it for anything."

The younger man smiled broadly and nodded.

She gazed up at the man she loved, "But now, Diego de la Vega, you have some explaining to do." she said firmly.

Diego swallowed nervously as he glanced at Felipe but the younger man just held up his hands, not wanting to be a part of it, before he turned his attention back to his lady, "Yes, I seem to have a lot of explaining to do." he replied.

The End

Hope you like this short story :)