Disclaimer: I do not own Zorro, nor do I make any money from writing this story. Dialogue and situations used from the episode are property of ZPI, the rest of the story is my property and cannot be printed or used without my permission.

Author's Note: Here's another short story. One day I'll write one with some plot, but this is another simple look at a different reveal. I like playing with Diego and Victoria. Not all goes smoothly, but you know they live happily ever after. This one will be about 5000 words. Thanks to mjesd2 for the title, and to mjesd2, Mac, and Klingon for looking it over and telling me to post it.

zzz

"Don Diego! What are you doing here so early?"

Diego smiled at Victoria, happy to see the tavern was still empty as he followed her into the kitchen. "I already had business in town so I brought the candles you ordered."

Victoria glanced out the back door to the barely rising sun. "This early?"

Diego shrugged. "I like the quiet of the morning."

Victoria nearly dropped the tray of pastries she'd just pulled out of the oven at the thought of the forever-tired Diego happy to be awake at this hour. Diego rushed over to save the tray and dropped his box of candles. "Then again, maybe I should have stayed in bed if I'm this clumsy," Diego said as he watched the candles scatter.

Diego scolded himself. DeSoto had been on the boat back to Spain last night, he'd made sure of it personally. Los Angeles had a Mexican alcalde now. For the past two weeks he'd been watching and waiting as the revolution finally came to their pueblo. The transition had been peaceful and welcome to the people. With DeSoto gone, Diego had nothing holding him back. Except the fact that Victoria thought him a fool, and he just added more evidence instead of showing up and impressing her somehow.

Her foot reached out to stop a candle from rolling further from the box. "The candles survived, my breakfast would have been ruined," Victoria smiled up at him and Diego was captivated. He shook himself and knelt down to gather the candles back into the box. Maybe he'd just escape and try again later. His hand hurt and he forgot about his audience as he noticed his finger was pink from where he'd caught the hot tray. He stuck his finger in his mouth like a five year old as he tried to think of a way to make her forget his goof. He stood with his back to her to put the box on the counter, but she must have seen.

"Diego let me see your hand."

"It's fine, nothing to worry about." But Diego could refuse her nothing as she stepped close to him to reach behind his back to grab his hand. She pulled him over to the sink and poured cool water over it but Diego didn't feel pain anymore. She examined the pink spot. "See? Just a little pink. I'll live."

Victoria frowned as he skittered away from her. "If you say so. Thanks." She smiled as Diego blushed before she turned back to her hot pastries. "Give me one second and I'll get your receipt."

"Don't worry about it. You're busy and weren't expecting me."

"Diego De la Vega, you're the one who set up my accounting system, don't mess it up. Stand right there."

Thoroughly scolded, Diego leaned against the counter to wait. He glanced around the kitchen after she left. He'd spent a lot of time in here as Zorro waiting to catch a glimpse of her, to gallantly kiss her hand before escaping. So what was he supposed to do now? Tell her outright? Hint at things only Zorro would know? Tell her to go get his mother's ring and drag her to church? So many plans and ideas had come to him over the last several years—especially the last two weeks—but still he hesitated. Victoria was the single most important thing in his life—if he messed it up somehow, he wouldn't get a second chance.

He walked slowly around the kitchen, trying to come to some conclusion which might get him married today. That would be best. But he'd just reminded her of how clumsy Diego was. He had to show her Diego was a good man, a good potential husband. Doubtful he could do that in one day. He'd spent more time around her the past few weeks, coming into the tavern at least once a day. He talked to her instead of hiding from her as he'd always done before. He thought she was warming up to him, but he was still solidly in the friend category.

Absently touching things as he walked, he paused at an empty shelf. Odd. He looked around for real this time and noticed the surrounding shelf and counter was abnormally cluttered. He put a hand on the shelf and it came apart instantly. A broken shelf. Something a husband would fix. He could fix a shelf. Diego grinned as Victoria came back into the kitchen carrying a receipt.

"I think I have some tools in the cart…I could fix this for you. That way you can have your kitchen back in order before you get busy." He smiled at Victoria confidently. He knew she liked order. He would help her and she'd be impressed, just like she was impressed with the new accounting book he'd given her this month. He glanced down at the receipt, warm inside knowing she was using his book even if he'd had to lie about the merchant shipping him two instead of one so she would accept it.

Victoria stammered as she handed him the slip of paper. "I was going to fix it later, I just hadn't gotten to it yet."

"No trouble. I don't have anything else to do."

"You said you had business in the pueblo this morning."

Diego blushed and tried to think of some excuse. Caught lying to her. Maybe he shouldn't come clean today after all. Lord, but he was tired of lying to her. "It won't take long," Diego said sadly as he slunk out of the kitchen to his cart. Now he felt lazy, too. He didn't have any business today. He'd planned to spend the day at the tavern, escaping to The Guardian when he felt he'd overstayed his welcome. He'd started taking a more active role in managing the ranch since Zorro hadn't been needed recently, but most of his time had been spent watching the revolution. And Victoria.

He chose a piece of wood and some tools and went back to the shelf without looking at her. He was rich, but he had little to recommend him. Why would she marry him today? He'd have to spend time making Diego look like husband material before he came clean. It was the only way to make sure she accepted him. That meant spending more time at the ranch. Away from her. She wouldn't want a lazy man who spent all his time sitting around the local drinking hall, even if it was just to be around her.

Diego's mind came back to reality on a sharp jab of pain as he caught his finger. Great. Now he couldn't even fix a shelf, he thought as he heard Victoria's alarm. Did she have to bear witness to everything he did wrong? As Victoria dragged his bleeding hand back to the sink to pour more water on his second self-inflicted injury of the morning, Diego wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

But he could smell her hair standing this close. She was focused on his hand, and probably didn't realize their bodies were almost touching. He did. His mind emptied when she blew on his hand. Her fingers were gentle as she wrapped the towel around it, checking to see that it had stopped bleeding. He was captivated by the small inch of skin visible on her shoulder, but unsatisfied with the view. He wasn't even aware of his hand moving until he'd brushed her hair off her shoulder. Now he could see her neck, the pulse beneath her skin. His finger came up again to clear the few remaining strands obscuring his view, and this time stroked the smooth skin beneath.

Her fingers froze on his hand. She was aware of him now. Her skin turned pink under his fingers and she released his hand. Her body bumped up against his when she tried to step away, but he didn't move away to let her escape. "Diego?"

He liked it when she said his name like that. There was confusion there, but some of the breathlessness she had when she called out to Zorro was there, too. Maybe she could tell who he was standing this close? How nicely their bodies matched up, just like when she was standing next to Zorro? Did he have a scent that called to her even without the mask, just like hers called to him? He let his hand cup her neck because touching her with just one finger wasn't enough, and his other hand came up to cup her cheek.

Fate had stepped in as Diego saw her eyes flare. Destiny. As a man of science, he'd spent so much time trying to orchestrate the perfect way to reveal himself to her. But they were meant to be together, and deep down she knew it, too. Her lips parted as her breathing became shallow. He took the invitation. The padre would be there to marry them five minutes from now, there was no reason to rush.

His lips came down on hers gently, taking his time. He pulled at her bottom lip for just a second before his tongue dipped in to taste her. It had been so long since he'd kissed her, and his body heated as the familiar shock went straight through him. Her hands came up to his chest and for a moment he feared she'd push him away, but she felt it, too. His kiss and his taste would be familiar to her, too. Her hands climbed up to wrap around his neck, and her fingers buried themselves in his hair as he wrapped his arms around her.

Surrounded by her scent, her heat, he took the kiss deeper and encouraged her tongue to play with his. It felt different holding her in his stiff and ruffled caballero suit. Maybe they should take time later…go to the church now so he could take his time with her at his hacienda. Spend time with her as his wife. Without the suit.

He lifted his lips away from hers, instantly missing her taste but willing to wait till later. His hands came up to caress her shoulders and relax the tension he felt there. He had to remember it was probably a big realization for her, and he'd give her time. Now that he knew she knew, he could relax and give her time. Even an hour if she needed it. Women had particular ideas about their weddings after all. He didn't care. He'd move heaven and earth to give her what she wanted, and then she'd come home with him.

But…she didn't exactly look happy. "Victoria?" He moved to place a hand on her cheek again but she moved her face away. Then she stepped away from him. Now her face showed accusation and confusion, not the love he'd anticipated. "What's wrong?" She took another step back from him and put a hand up to her lips. "I know it's a shock but—"

"A shock?"

Diego rubbed at the nervous tingling at the back of his neck. What was happening? "Querida—" He took a step toward her, but she jumped back and wrapped her arms around herself.

Diego felt his heart shatter. He actually felt burning, bleeding pain and imagined if he looked down he'd see blood soaking through his shirt. Sure, their bodies called to each other. But when she realized the ordinary man she'd promised herself to, she wasn't even giving him the chance. Fate? So much for all the romantic poetry he wanted to read to her. Had composed for her. Surely she must realize… But that was it, wasn't it? She did realize. And Diego didn't measure up to the legend.

Diego was happy to encounter no one when he arrived home. The home he'd envisioned sharing with Victoria in the near future. He found himself in the library staring at the liquor he never touched. What was the strongest stuff? Felipe gave him scotch once when he'd been seriously injured. Horrible stuff. He grabbed the whiskey and escaped to the cave. He sat at his desk and stared at the bottle before taking the lid off and sniffing it. Didn't smell too bad. He took two large gulps before the burn made him cough as his body expressed its dislike, telling Diego he should know better.

He looked across the room at the coatrack holding Zorro's clothes. They should be dusty, but Felipe had kept everything clean. They had both missed Zorro, though they knew it was a good thing he hadn't been needed in almost a month. He didn't like alcohol. Drinking wasn't going to make him feel any better. Nothing would, but maybe he could escape for awhile.

He ripped at the confining caballero suit he'd made Diego wear for four years and felt a little calmer when he donned the black satin. Maybe Diego could disappear, since he obviously wasn't going to get married. Zorro could be happy catching bandits and riding Toronado into the sunset until one of the bad guys got lucky and killed him. Sounded much better than sitting in his house full of men and no children waiting around for nothing to happen.

Zzz

Author's Note: If you like it, I hope you review. Also, if you watch TV, tell me what's the raciest show you see on network television so I know what is okay in my teen story (not this one). Even if it's not current, I can look it up. I've gotten some great advice (THANKS!) but I thought I could see what's allowable on television before I gut the M version to post as a T version.

Of course, I'm sure the French probably have hotter stuff on television than the lame stuff the US produces. I can't begin to imagine what's on TV in Senegal and Latvia and Lithuania and… I think about you guys. This site tells us what countries read our stories (anonymous—don't freak). 29 countries read my story A Simple Conversation. Isn't it incredible that a character (Zorro) can be so loved around the world? Everyone's reading the stories in different languages, political quagmires, time zones, economic stations… Do you surf from home or in a café or at school? What's your keyboard look like?

Mostly I worry about the more violent aspects I hear on the news, but it is interesting to learn about other places. I'm so glad I started posting stories and you started reading, and I hope you keep reading. If you want to give a shout-out from your country in a review, all the better! Now when you read this story, you can imagine someone halfway around the world also reading/writing Zorro stories and thinking about you. Sorry to ramble, but I think it's pretty awesome. Also remember you can find me on Facebook!