Disclaimer: Zorro belongs to ZPI Productions, and I am merely playing with the characters. I certainly have no claim on anything but my own ideas. This story is an AU based on the episode "A Woman Scorned" written by Philip John Taylor, and anything you recognize is more than likely from there.

Author's Notes: This plot bunny came to me while I was posting the "Love Potion Number 9" story for Love Has No Rhyme and No Reason, but the writing was more fits and spurts. However, I hope it ends up being entertaining, especially since De Soto is not my preferred alcalde to write for. And thanks to Ghetto Outlaw who while he couldn't do much, did manage to make the ending just a tad stronger than my original draft had it. All mistakes are my own.

A Woman Not Exactly Scorned

Ignacio De Soto was in a foul mood that morning. Everything had gone wrong yesterday. A simple execution thwarted by that pest Zorro, an afternoon and evening spent fruitlessly searching for either Zorro or the missing prisoner, Jacinto Santana, a man who'd killed his own father, the alcalde of San Diego. He knew the man was guilty, no matter what Zorro tried to insinuate just because he wasn't willing to waste time on a trial that would only confirm what Ignacio already knew. But then Zorro was a bandit himself; of course, he would advocate for other criminals. Anyway, all that left him no time to investigate the rather intriguing Señora Sinestra, who had arrived just in time to see the botched execution. Still, she had shown a certain amount of deference... and interest, and it had been far too long since he'd been with a woman who hadn't expected him to pay for the privilege. If she also had as good a fortune as he suspected, well, this would definitely call for a more personal study.

It was market day and the plaza was quite busy, but he soon spotted Señora Sinestra and headed in her direction. Unfortunately, Sergeant Mendoza was on his heels for some reason, when he really should be off looking for Santana

"Sergeant," Ignacio said impatiently.

"Si, Alcalde," Mendoza said.

"Do you see yourself as a demented bloodhound?" Ignacio demanded.

"Oh, no, mi Alcalde," Mendoza said, clearly confused.

"Then stop trailing me like one!" Ignacio said before continuing towards his target across the plaza.

"Buenos días, Señora," Ignacio said, as he reached her side. She really was a very attractive woman, though rather taller than his usual tastes, but still he was taller than she. Now, it was a matter of making a few proper inquiries and then perhaps... Well, he wasn't quite sure what to do next as there wasn't a lot to do in this dust bowl of a pueblo. However, he was sure he could come up with something.

"Buenos días, Alcalde," she almost purred.

"No, Ignacio, por favor," he said, determined to be charming while he had the chance.

"Your pueblo is absolutely charming. I may stay here for quite some time," she said.

That had to be flattering him rather than the pueblo itself. Someone like her could hardly seriously enjoy such a place.

"Well, Señora, your beauty and refinement are welcome additions to our pueblo," he said, before starting to fish for the information he wanted. "Now, let me see. Sinestra... Your late husband's uncle is the owner of the Bank of Cadiz, yes? And um, your own family... Forgive me, what was your maiden name again?"

"I was raised in an orphanage. I didn't have a family name until I married," she said bluntly, then added. "You're shocked. But I always believe in being candid with a gentleman."

"Uh... Yes... No... Forgive me," he said, trying to hide his disappointment. Connections could do so much for him. But still...

"You see, the man that I shall marry won't care about my parentage or how much money my husband left me," she said. "He would be a man who knows what it is to struggle for position, what it means to succeed against the odds." She looked Ignacio up and down appraisingly. "You have the look of a man who understands all of that... Ignacio."

He was indeed, and he was also not immune to the look Señora Sinestra was giving him. He considered that connections weren't everything, and she certainly implied that her husband had left her well off. Money could make up for a host of other ills, and regardless of her origins, she did have the Sinestra name, which did mean something, besides being a beautiful woman, which often garnered acceptance especially when paired with wealth. Perhaps, he could find out a little more which would allow him to make more inquiries as to the state of her fortune. After all, it was unusual for a wealthy woman to be traveling alone.

But then California seemed filled with independent women who did as they pleased, so that it might merely be yet another sign of that particular characteristic, especially in a woman who had not been gently bred. Not that he minded that much. While there was a part of him that craved deference and submissiveness in a woman, there was another part, perhaps his baser part, that enjoyed a woman with a bit of bite to her. Not as much as Señorita Escalante, as she was all stubborn independence and anger as well as too much of a rebel for his tastes, but a beautiful independent widow who seemed to appreciate a man in charge, now that was something to appeal to him.

And something he should take advantage of while he was able. He could easily enough send some inquiries to discover the state of her fortune, but as a widow, she did not require the caution that a previously unmarried woman would. If nothing else, perhaps they could indulge in a brief private relationship before she went on her way.

With that in mind, Ignacio said, "It is truly refreshing to meet a woman who can appreciate a man in my position."

"I am surprised that the women of this pueblo are so blind," she said.

"Too many romanticize a common bandit without understanding the difficulties of keeping order on the fringes of the Spanish empire. If it were up to them, we'd descend to chaos ruled by masked bandits too cowardly to show their faces."

"I suppose there is safety behind a mask," she said. "But true courage is in taking control without one." She looked him up and down in an assessing manner. "Ignacio, I know you are a busy man, but I had thought to explore the country around this pueblo. However, with such a bandit as Zorro about..." She trailed off significantly.

Ignacio saw his opportunity and took it. "Señora, my men are capable of performing their duties for an afternoon. It would be a pleasure if you would allow me to show you some of the... beauties of the area."

"I would enjoy that," she said. "And it would please me more if you would call me Alberta."

"Con mucho gusto, Alberta," Ignacio said, bowing over her hand.

~Z~Z~Z~

So it was that the late afternoon found the two of them beneath the shade of a tree near a river, a picnic basket next to the blanket they were sitting on. He spent some time regaling her with a perhaps slightly exaggerated tale of his exploits and accomplishments, including how he had truly gotten the post of alcalde of Los Angeles. She seemed suitably impressed, far more eager to talk of him than herself, though he got the impression that her husband had been much older, generous but rather dull and uninspired in more intimate matters. Not that she ever said so directly; she was quite good at implication, and even better with kissing, not that she let it get too heated. Perhaps her true mastery was at teasing a man.

Well, as long as she intended to follow through with the teases, he would not mind. However, he did feel he needed to make a grand gesture to impress her a bit. Not too extravagant but still impressive. For the first time since his arrival in this benighted pueblo he regretted living solely in the alcalde's quarters in the cuartel. He had deemed his predecessor ridiculously extravagant to go to the trouble of purchasing his own rancho, though perhaps not so extravagant as he believed it had been bought for less than market price after some finagling with taxes and fines. However, that still seemed useless to him as unlike Ramone who had come from Mexico and seemed to like this benighted continent, all he wished was to leave as soon as possible. However, that did mean that he had no place to entertain a lady privately. That was not something that he had considered as lacking up to this moment.

It seemed that his best option was to rent the tavern for a private dinner, and hope he could manage to escape the critical eye of Señorita Escalante long enough to entertain Alberta in the privacy of her room. For a woman apparently carrying on with a notorious bandit, Señorita Escalante was an awful prude. Nevertheless this was his best option for impressing Alberta, so that is what he would do.

~Z~Z~Z~

The next day, everything seemed to be going his way. Though Señorita Escalante extracted every peso she could from him, she did agree to host his private dinner, even up to leaving the food covered on a side table and withdrawing to the kitchen. Not that that was entirely satisfying, but it was a point. Perhaps he could find an excuse to send her over with some food for Mendoza, long enough to make it appear that he too had left for the evening. Oh, well, that he would have to improvise as he was not entirely sure how things would progress with Alberta. He was confident, but not overwhelming sure, as she seemed to delight in keeping him guessing with her air of mystery.

But then as it grew close to time for his dinner, his day took a definite downward turn when the afternoon patrol came in bringing with them an unconscious, wounded man. He'd been taken straight to Dr. Hernandez's office, and then Mendoza had come to him with the man's papers. One showed him to be a deputy provost marshal from Santa Fe by the name of Jorge Ventura. The other was a warrant, but it had obviously been in a different pocket than his credentials, as it was torn, bloody, and basically unreadable. Not that it probably would have helped much, not unless he was after Big Jim Jarrett who was by now long gone from Los Angeles, and as Zorro seemed to confine himself to the immediately area of Los Angeles with the exception of one visit as far south as Devil's Fortress, he was unlikely to be Ventura's quarry.

No, all things considered, Ventura was in all likelihood heading either to San Pedro or the presidio of Santa Barbara when he had been set upon by bandits or such and left for dead. They'd simply have to wait until or if the man regained consciousness to discover who he was after and for what purpose, and until then Ignacio had no intention of letting it disturb his plans for the evening.

Actually, as he saw Mendoza talking with Señorita Escalante in front of the tavern, he had a sudden and brilliant notion of how to divert her from hovering around and spoiling the romantic atmosphere of his dinner.

He approached them with a bluff and hearty manner that he was delighted to see made Mendoza cower slightly, probably because the sergeant knew that he shouldn't be talking about military business with civilians. Not that this technically was military business, but that never mattered.

"Ah, Señorita, I suppose that our good sergeant has been telling you about the injured man the patrol found."

"Mi alcalde..." Mendoza started to stammer out.

"Never mind that, Sergeant. Save your energy for your vigil at Dr. Hernandez's office this evening. I expect you to see that the man is protected and if and when he recovers consciousness to discover what happened to him and who that warrant was for."

"Si, mi alcalde," Mendoza said forlornly.

"Also, Señorita Escalante," Ignacio said, "I wonder if I could prevail upon you to take over some food to see that Mendoza here doesn't let an empty belly get in the way of his duties."

She looked at him skeptically. Well, he never thought that she'd simply acquiesce without suspicion.

"If you please," he said in what he believed was an appeasing manner. "After all, we have a wounded stranger here. It would not do for anything to endanger his recovery."

"That is true," she said not looking any less skeptical, but he could see those traces of compassion that he often found so damned irritating, but now would serve a useful purpose for him. "Your dinner is all prepared, and I do have some leftovers and some broth that might be good as well."

"Excellent, excellent," Ignacio said, now eager to meet with Alberta and get on with what he hoped to be quite a romantic evening.

~Z~Z~Z~

Unfortunately, it wasn't easy to entirely put it out of his mind, even as Señorita Escalante left the tavern with a basket of food. Though he had already been full of compliments for Alberta, she had obviously noted the bustle as well as his abstraction.

"What is it that troubles you, Ignacio?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing of importance," he said. "Just a man my lancers found, apparently a law man from Sante Fe of all places. Unfortunately, he's unconscious, and his papers damaged, so we have no idea who he was after or how he came to be injured. However, that is not important. I would far prefer to forget such unpleasantness in the pleasure of your company." He took her hand and kissed it lingeringly.

"Yes, of course," Alberta said, suddenly crossing over to the table where Victoria had left the covered dish courses.

How like a woman to be so sensitive to the injuries of others, even a woman as otherwise collected as this one. Ignacio crossed behind her, before he could touch her, she twisted around, hands held behind her.

"Forgive me for disturbing you, my love," he said.

"No need," she said in a strangely breathless voice. "I understand completely." She smiled at him then. It was an odd, predatory smile, not exactly lustful but hungry.

He turned back towards the dinner table, considering their options. He had no idea how long Señorita Escalante would be in her food delivery to Mendoza and the doctor's office. Then he caught sight of a flash of metal out of the corner of his eye. He started to turn but not enough to prevent him being stabbed by a knife, though it hit his shoulder rather than his back, sliding over his shoulder blade into his arm.

Crying out he turned as she stabbed at him again. "What?" he exclaimed as he quickly backed away from the waving knife.

"You think I didn't realize what you were really saying," she said, continuing towards him. "Obviously, you know."

"Know what?" Ignacio asked confused as he looked around for a weapon, though his right arm felt almost useless. He was cursing himself for leaving his sword in his office, but grabbed up a stool as she thrust the knife again.

"About my husband," she said, "about Santana, about the marshal... He should have been dead like the others. As you are about to be."

"Madam, please!" Ignacio said, continuing to move about the room, keeping the stool in front of him. If his arm wasn't in such pain, he would have tried grabbing for the knife, but it was a carving knife and she slashed the air with it too quickly for him to even try to risk it. "I never suspected you of anything!"

"Then that is too bad because you still have to die, Ignacio!" she cried.

Ignacio continued moving back, looking for an opening. Unfortunately, he tripped backwards, landing on the floor. He tried scrambling back up, but he couldn't get purchase while still holding the stool. It looked hopeless, but then out of nowhere Zorro appeared twisting the knife out of her hand.

"Much as I hate to interfere in a lover's spat," he said, as he pinioned her arms behind her, "I hardly think that a knife is the proper way to resolve a quarrel."

"It's the only way you men understand," she spat out.

"I pity you if that is what you truly believe," Zorro said, as he took the thin shawl he saw on a bench and used it to bind her hands behind her.

"You saved my life," Ignacio finally said.

"More importantly, I save Jacinto Santana's, now that you have the true murderer here," Zorro said.

Alberta futilely tried twisting in his grip. Ignacio cursed his bad luck with women and bandits for that matter.

"Then I won't try arresting you this evening. Consider it my thanks," he finally said.

"You are too gracious, alcalde," Zorro said with a mocking grin.

God, how Ignacio hated the man.

"However, I am about to call for the lancers, as I'm afraid I'll need help and medical attention. Do keep that in mind," he said, before bellowing, "Lancers!"

Oddly Zorro remained long enough for the first lancers to enter the room before quickly escaping through the tavern's kitchen, and Ignacio could not bring himself to care, as he directed the men to take away Señora Sinestra and get him to Dr. Hernandez once he managed to get a temporary binding over his wounds.

Mendoza was in Dr. Hernandez's outer office sitting at a table and eating while chatting with Señorita Escalante. At the sight of him being helped through the door, Mendoza practically leaped up.

"Mi alcalde, what happened? I thought you were just going to have dinner," he exclaimed anxiously. Probably because he felt that he was about to be blamed somehow.

If Ignacio hadn't been feeling more annoyed by the sudden suspicious expression on Señorita Escalante's face, he probably would have been. Oh, yes, señorita, just automatically assume that I'm somehow to blame for being stabbed in the back. I am no ravisher of unwilling women.

He decided to be blunt and direct and ignore how much of a fool he felt. "It seemed that my dinner companion was a murderess. She'd killed her husband and the alcalde of San Diego as well as trying to kill the man the lancers found and me." He hissed a little at the pain. "Now could one of you be bothered to fetch the good doctor if he isn't too busy with the unconscious man?"

"At once, mi alcalde," Mendoza said, practically knocking over the table to leave the room.

Ignacio grabbed Mendoza's abandoned chair and sat down leaning forward over the table, pushing Mendoza's plate out of his way. Señorita Escalante said nothing, though she looked at the hodge podge of improvised bandaging over his shoulder. Probably calculating what to charge him for the use of her towels and linen. Though perhaps not, as he certainly would not bother paying and could always add another tax to deal with the issue.

After a long moment, Señorita Escalante said, "So Jacinto Santana is innocent."

"So it would seem," Ignacio said resignedly.

"And the mysterious widow is guilty," she said almost musingly. "That explains so much."

Of course, she believes I couldn't attract a woman unless there was something wrong with her. However, he was in too much pain and too tired to argue. It was with relief that Dr. Hernandez entered the room. Now perhaps the señorita would go away and leave him in peace.

However, no sooner than that thought came when the door opened and in popped Don Diego.

"Dr. Hernandez," he said without preamble. "I was told you needed some more willow bark, and..." he suddenly stopped speaking as Ignacio caught his eye. "What has happened to you?" he asked. "I was told there was an unconscious man..."

Before either he or Dr. Hernandez could say anything, Señorita Escalante spoke up. How like a woman.

"He was stabbed in the back by Señora Sinestra, the true murderer of the alcalde of San Diego."

"More my shoulder and arm," Ignacio grunted as Dr. Hernandez was now by his side, examining the bandaging with a critical eye.

"I believe we'll need to cut your shirt off to properly examine your wounds," he said.

Of course. He wouldn't have expected anything else. It wasn't as if the shirt wasn't already ruined, as well as the coat and waistcoat. At least Señorita Escalante took the hint that it was time for her to depart. Unfortunately, she didn't take the pusillanimous Don Diego with her. No, that do-gooder volunteered to assist the doctor. Oh well, he supposed it was better than the useless Mendoza, who seemed to be eying his abandoned plate of food and just waiting for them to leave the room so he could get back to stuffing his face. Ignacio couldn't be bothered, as he was feeling lightheaded.

As he ended up face down on a table in the doctor's surgery, gritting his teeth in pain, Ignacio thought this was just the perfect ending to a miserable day. Stabbed by the woman he'd wanted to bed, finding out that he'd almost shot an innocent man, rescued by that sanctimonious bandit Zorro, and now having his best shirt cut from him by the coward of the pueblo while the pueblo's only doctor tutted over him. Sadly, this all seemed par for the course.

Ignacio gritted his teeth as the doctor made another stitch, each one of which he counted as another reason he wanted desperately to find a way to get back home to Madrid.

The End

End Notes:

Well, this was a weird little story that planted itself in my mind, and I just had to get it out, despite the fact that I really don't like writing De Soto; he's just not as fun as Luis Ramone. But I just had this image of Señora Sinestra chasing De Soto around with a knife, and hence a plot bunny took hold. But the fact is I wasn't really happy being in De Soto's head; it just was an unpleasant place and I tended to cut down on a lot of the thoughts that passed through my head as I was writing (which is probably a good thing as a few of those thoughts did not belong in a teen rated story). But anyway, since I was writing from De Soto's POV, I thought it best to refer to him by his first name rather than my usual practice of referring to him by his last, hence all those Ignacios.

Also to be more specific about the inspiration for this story, it actually comes from a part of DiegMJ's review to the first part of the "Love Potion Number 9" inspired story in Love Has No Rhyme and No Reason: "aw, I always liked a little romance for our poor alcalde ha ha!"

To which I responded: "I wouldn't be adverse to a little romance for De Soto, just not with Victoria. I'm a die hard Diego/Victoria shipper and hate seeing them paired even temporarily with anyone else. Actually, I think 'A Woman Scorned' would have been more interesting if Señora Sinestra had gotten obsessed with De Soto. Let him have to fend off a crazy woman instead of Zorro (who except for that weird moment in the plaza didn't seem particular interested in her as anything other than a potential victim of injustice). I'd loved to have seen her chasing De Soto around with a knife."

I hadn't planned to let it go further, but it did keep niggling at me, and I was and still am having a lot of problems writing the next Love Has No Rhyme story, so I started chipping away at it. First the ending then the beginning and then the middle and then more of the end (I do tend to skip around a bit while writing). But now that I've got this out of my system, I don't think I'll be writing from De Soto's perspective again. Or at least not exclusively as I suppose I might need to write a little from his POV, if I ever get to writing the werewolf inspired sequel to The Fox and the Son of the Dragon, as I plan to do bad things to him there.

Anyway, as always all feedback is welcome, encouraged, and practically begged for, especially for a story written about the alcalde I have the most trouble with