Hello, everyone! Things were flowing nicely with "Refuge," but I've encountered a bit of writer's block with it. However, this little one shot seemed to come out while I've been trying to figure it out. It's an alternate universe where Diego and Victoria are already married, and Luis Ramone is still the alcalde. Not sure how that all blends together, but hopefully you can still go with it! There's not much plot here, and it's semi-angsty, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.
When he'd left her, the sun had just started to set. Diego leaned low over Toronado's neck, his body moving with the rhythm of the stallion's strides. His gaze flicked up to the moon and stars now high in the inky black sky above him. He'd first promised to hurry, but she'd made him swear he'd take his time and watch his back, telling him that coming back home to her in one piece was more important than him rushing. She'd put on a brave face, forcing a smile and telling him as he'd donned Zorro's disguise that they would have plenty of time when he came back, and that she knew he would be all right. She'd said the words, but Diego knew better. More correctly, he knew her better. She'd been scared for his safety, and for the first time tonight, Diego had been scared for his own safety. He'd usually held little fear with his exploits, had barely allowed the feeling to enter his consciousness before, but now, things were... different. His life was different. Victoria was finally his wife, and they were finally beginning to build the life together they'd both wanted for so long. Diego's expression grew suddenly grim at the thought. She was why he now held a small sliver of fear tonight, a fear that had slowly grown each time he'd put on Zorro's mask. Her beautiful face, the sound of her voice, the feel of her in his arms vividly filled his senses, and he inhaled deep, the night air seeming to hang heavy with the scent of her. He and Victoria had gained so much in such a short time. A discomforted, vague knot slowly grew in his stomach. And the more they gained together, the more they had to lose.
Diego tried to shake away his thoughts as his mind returned to the bandits he'd fought outside Jose Macias' barn. They'd proved to be more difficult to round up than he'd first expected, even after he'd quickly foiled their attempts at trying to burn the barn to the ground. The men had been claiming Jose was late on yet another tax had implemented for those not properly tending to their houses and lands. He shook his head. The Macias farm had been very well looked after, but the alcalde seemed hell bent on collecting his tax if even one single strand of straw was out of place. Diego had managed to finally get all of the men and tie them up outside the barn. The usual patrol of lancers running maneuvers on the north ridge not far from the Macias farmstead had seemed to take their time in reaching the farmstead, even after the sound of gunshots that had so easily caught his own attention. Though he'd longed to leave and return home to Victoria, he had not felt secure enough to leave the banditos unattended and risk the safety of Jose and his family.
He'd only ended up waiting a short time, but it had afforded him the opportunity to talk briefly with Jose and his wife, and to meet their children. He'd been briefly surprised when he'd found himself tamping down a flicker of envy as they'd tended to each other and their family. He sighed deeply. The Macias' lives were so simple, so complete with their modest home and their four small children, and he couldn't help but wish in some ways that he and Victoria were in their place. Aside from the occasional threats from the alcalde and the banditos he sent their way, there were no interruptions, no complications that drew Jose away from his family in the middle of the night. Though seeing the happiness of those he helped normally would have given Diego self-assurance in his role as Zorro, today it had only seemed to make him impatient, and had brought a single thought to his mind. His eyes flicked back to the jet black sky, making the impatience return afresh in him, the feeling hitching higher in his chest the closer he drew to the hacienda. He needed to get home, to Victoria. His Victoria.
Toronado crested the final hill towards the hacienda, then veered past it towards the cave entrance. Diego glanced towards their bedroom window, his expression brightening slightly at the dim light from a single candle warming the room. She was still awake and waiting for him as she'd promised. His eyes narrowed on a lone, small and slender silhouette stood before the window looking out into the night, and Diego felt a small smile come to his lips. Victoria. His relief at the sight of her suddenly halted at an unmistakable glint of steel poised at her side. His concern flickered to a low flame of fear. Victoria was standing there, waiting for him at the window - and someone had a sword on her. Or had she barricaded herself in their room because someone was in the house, and had gotten his other sword to protect herself? His shoulders tensed as he rounded the final turn into the cave entrance. Whatever the reason for the sword he'd seen beside her, there was only one thought now in Diego's mind. He needed to get inside the house - now.
He ducked as they entered the cave and reined in Toronado, barely letting the animal come to a stop before quickly swinging himself down from the saddle and swiftly unsheathing his saber as he ran across the room the entry passage. He turned the candelabra, giving a quick cautionary look around the library before stepping out onto the fireplace hearth and making his way down the hall to their room.
Diego could see the room's door standing open as he approached, and he paused briefly, making himself take a deep breath as he drew closer to calm his rapid heartbeat. He'd seen no traces of disturbance in the house as of yet, but he was not about to let his guard down until he could see that Victoria was out of danger. He halted at the doorway's threshold, his body tensed as his gaze stopped on Victoria standing alone at the window. His gentleman's sword, the one he'd used on the rare occasions he'd needed a weapon as Diego, hung at her side, her movements not seeming to show any indication that she'd heard him approach. Curious, Diego did a quick scan of the room before turning his gaze back to Victoria. The room and the house were quiet. No one else appeared to be lurking here, or waiting in the shadows to overtake either of them. However, Diego's sword remained drawn as he stepped cautiously through the doorway, his eyes doing another cursory sweep of the room as he moved towards her. Her small shoulders were squared and her stance rigid, as if she were poised and ready to do battle with some unforeseen force. He reached out to touch her shoulder, working to keep his voice low and quiet.
"Victoria?"
She pivoted backward at his touch, the sword in her hand rising up as she did. Diego's hand darted out, managing to catch her wrist before she could lift it any further, her startled dark eyes flew to his face, and he felt his earlier worry rise anew as they focused on his. The moonlight showed a nearly haunted look gleaming in her eyes, as if the familiar black clad man standing before her were an unknown phantom she had never before seen. She blinked once, then twice as if to bring herself back to reality, the breath that had caught in her throat a moment ago now rushing out of her. "Diego..."
Diego glanced quickly around the room again when she used his name, but finding no one, turned back again to her. He glanced down at the sword in her hand, a sudden thought coming to him. He'd never taught her how to fight, how to use such a weapon. He'd never even thought of it, had never thought beyond being there himself to protect her. A thin coil of fear unwound in his gut. What if an actual intruder had come into the house tonight with her alone like this? His father was away at a cattle auction in Santa Paula, leaving only Felipe with her in the house. They could have overtaken the young man, then disarmed Victoria as easily as he had... then done God only knew what to her. His jaw clenched briefly at the thought as he stepped closer to her, his grip tightening reflexively on her wrist. "Are you all right?"
She let out another shallow and unsteady breath, seeming to swallow back some unseen, fearful pull tugging at her. She squeezed her eyes shut and answered his question with a quick nod. She stood immobilized, continuing to stare up at him as he released her to sheath his own saber, then took the sword from her own hand, watching numbly as he propped the weapon against the side table at her hip. She swallowed hard before finally speaking again. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to...It's just I..." She shook her head before taking a deep breath. "I know it sounds childish, but..." Threatening tears gleamed in her eyes, and she looked away, biting her lip against them, clutching her arms as if to ward off an unforeseen chill. "I fell asleep in the chair waiting for you, and I had this terrible...this terrible dream... and I couldn't..." She looked up into his eyes again, finally focusing on his concerned gaze. Her hand went to his chest, her eyes briefly following the contact before moving back to his. "I just couldn't go back to sleep until I knew you were home safe."
Diego felt a sharp pang of guilt in his chest at her words. Victoria had been tossing and turning beside him nearly every night for the last week, and had seemed more distracted during the day. When he'd questioned her about it, she'd insisted that it had been matters regarding the tavern that were disturbing her sleep. Though he'd known it was more than just business matters keeping her awake, he'd wanted to believe that nothing outside these walls could interfere with their life, with them or with the exquisite beauty they'd created together in their little and treasured corner of the world. He'd wanted to believe that the alcalde and all the injustice Zorro had to fight because of him couldn't harm them, or bring new fears into their life. Diego glanced to the sword he'd taken from her. But his hopes that their marriage would erase her fears and worries, or his own, had not only been wrong, but also had the potential to have dangerous consequences.
His gaze traveled down the weapon's blade, the pull to protect her and to teach her to protect herself rising again in him full force. He'd teach Victoria how to use a sword, how to defend herself. His eyes shifted back to her fear filled gaze, and felt a flicker of fear come to life in his chest. But teaching her self defense wouldn't be enough, and he knew it. The only way to protect her and their future family was to rid them of the alcalde and his schemes once and for all. Diego stepped closer to her. Fighting all of these smaller battles as they'd come to light was gaining him little ground towards his goal of getting Luis Ramone thrown out of office for good. His eyes gleamed with determination. He didn't care if it meant going all the way to Spain and demanding to see the king himself. He'd find a way to finally bring peace to this territory - but most of all, to bring peace to the woman he loved more than life itself.
He tossed his hat on the table next to the sword and quickly shucked off his gloves, tossing them to the rug at his feet before taking her face in his hands. He gently tipped her chin up to meet his eyes, hating the desperation reflecting back at him from their dark depths. "Victoria, it's all right. Whatever you saw in your dream..." His thumbs caressed lightly over her cheeks, and her gaze leveled on his, the fear seeming to dissipate from her eyes at his touch. "The danger is over for tonight. We're both safe." His eyes, then his fingers trailed over her mouth, his voice a gentle, soothing whisper. "I'm here."
The cloud of fear that had filled her gaze rolled away at his words, but in its place was a new desperation, the likes of which he'd never seen before in her. Her fingers clutched the front of his shirt, and he dropped one hand to cover her white knuckled fist against his chest. He moved to speak more words of comfort to her, but his words were lost as Victoria suddenly reached up and pulled his mouth down to hers.
Diego's eyebrows rose momentarily in surprise, but he quickly recovered, moving one arm to encircle her waist and pull her to him, his other hand moving back up her neck to cradle her head. Their bodies connected, drawing a long sigh from Victoria as her arms closed tightly around his neck. She fitted her body against his, drawing as close as she could until Diego could feel her heartbeat thudding strong and fast against his. She slipped one hand back to his chest, clutching onto his shirt to pull him even closer, drawing a small sound from low in Diego's throat, his arm tightening low around her waist.
Victoria's other hand moved up and over the forgotten material still covering his face, and she suddenly pulled back and tore her mouth from his. "Wait..."
Diego reluctantly opened his eyes, staring down at her, his breathing uneven as she reached both hands to the nape of his neck. She tugged at the knot of the mask, her small fingers quickly loosening the knot behind his head before she tossed the swath of material away, barely pausing to watch as it fluttered beside them to the floor. She turned back, the rest of her still as her gaze moved over his face, a sudden peace slowly growing in her eyes. A faint smile touched her lips as she reached up again, carefully smoothing his tousled dark hair back from his forehead. Her fingertips continued to move in a tender, light caress over his temples and cheeks before trailing down to the corners of his mouth, her voice breaking just above a whisper. "There you are..."
A sharp tug of overwhelmed love reverberated through his chest at her actions, her words. He leaned in, cradling in her arms and pressing a loving, lingering kiss to her forehead. Victoria leaned against him, seeming to soak in his strength even as he pulled back to meet her eyes again. The small glimmer of fear had returned to her gaze, and Diego felt his breath hitch in his chest with concern. "Victoria..."
She reached up, silencing him with her fingertips against his lips before shaking her head. "Please, Diego. Just... let me be in your arms..." She leaned up on her toes, her mouth a breath away from his. "Make love to me... please..."
A low, deep seated groan moved up from Diego's throat as her lips touched his again, and he pulled her tight against him, her own arms twining around his neck as he lifted off her feet, then swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.
Diego stared at the ceiling, watching the shadows from outside move and collide with one another before turning his attention back to his wife, who was snugly fit against his side, her arms around him and her cheek pressed against his heart. He reached up to sweep her dark curls back from her forehead, his touch drawing her gaze up to his and curving her lips into a contented smile. She moved up his chest, pressing a lingering kiss against his lips. Diego gently pulled back before meeting her eyes again. "Now," he began, tucking a tousled curl behind her ear, letting his hand trail down her neck to her shoulder, "will you tell me what you saw in this dream of yours that frightened you so?"
Her smile dimmed slightly at the question, but Diego was not about to be deterred. "Victoria, I sleep in this bed too, remember? I know this dream or some version of it has been disturbing your sleep for at least the past week, if not longer." When she averted her gaze, he moved his hand to cup her cheek and turn her gaze back to his. "Such dreams only hold power if we do not share them and let the fear they create overtake us." His index finger crooked under her chin when her eyes dropped to his chest, his voice was gentle but insistent. "Please, Victoria. Talk to me."
Victoria held his gaze for a long moment before her eyes dropped again to his chest, her fingertips tracing idly over a small scar at his shoulder as she finally found her voice. "I see myself asleep, alone... you've had to ride out as Zorro... and some noise awakes me, more like a sense that I'm being watched by someone, or something..." Her fingers stilled over his shoulder, and she paused briefly before continuing with a soft sigh. "I rise out of bed and get your sword, and I'm standing alone at the window, just as you found me, and the night is clear and the moon is full, as it is tonight. I see you go by the window in a streak of black, and I feel safe, but then the feeling of another presence watching me overtakes me again, and I try to lift the sword to search the room, but my arms and legs feel so heavy and tired..."
Diego's hand moved up her shoulder as tears tightened her voice. He trailed his knuckles soothingly over her cheek, drawing Victoria's gaze back to his and silently urging her to continue. Her eyes locked onto his, the last part of her dream springing forth from her lips. "And then you're there in front of me, and I'm relieved, but suddenly, something feels very, very wrong again, and when I undo your mask, your face..." She swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut against the image. "Your face is covered in blood, and then you just collapse at my feet, and I just, I can't... I can't do anything..."
The pain and fear etched in her every feature tore at his heart, and Diego reached up, taking her face in his hands. "Victoria..." When she didn't open her eyes, he tried again. "Victoria, open your eyes and look at me." She finally opened her eyes, sending a single tear running down her cheek, and Diego felt a sharp pang of guilt and understanding in his chest as he gently wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. "So that's why you looked at me as you did when I first came in."
Victoria nodded, leaning her cheek against his palm, and he pulled her closer, brushing his lips over her forehead, her cheek, and then her lips, as if to soothe away each place the worry had touched her features. He lifted her face to look into her eyes again. "Hear me now. It's over. The power of that dream, the fears of tonight, and all the nights to come..." He shook his head determinedly. "They're over. They're over, and we're here together, and we're safe."
Victoria looked at him, his words bringing a mild confusion to light in her eyes. "What are you saying, Diego?"
"I'm saying I'm done, Victoria," He quickly answered. "I'm going to find a way to stop riding out as Zorro so you and I can finally live our life together in peace."
A brief flicker of relief passed through her eyes, but was quickly followed by one of worry. "But what about the alcalde? Won't he just increase his efforts if Zorro isn't there to fight him?"
He shook his head. "Not if the alcalde isn't there to be fought." The confusion grew in her eyes before he continued. "I'll go the territorial magistrate, the king's emissary... I'll go to Spain and the King himself if I must. I'll tell him of all the alcalde's underhanded, money hungry schemes, and somehow, I'll finally get him ousted once and for all."
A sudden light of determination filled Victoria's eyes as she watched his face, and she shook her head. "No. Not you, Diego - we. You and I, we're a team now, remember? You said so yourself the day of our wedding." Diego looked up at her, watching as the earlier fear slowly disappeared, replaced by the same, familiar fire that had so captivated him many years ago. Her eyebrows rose in challenge. "You know I won't just sit idly by and not help you. We will go to talk to these people, to anyone who will listen, and we will get him thrown out." She smiled lightly. "Whatever it takes to have you here with me and safe, Diego, it doesn't matter what it takes."
A slow smile curved his lips at his wife's returned determination, but a small hesitation filled his eyes. "This won't be a fast process, Victoria, no matter what we do. I'll have to keep riding out as Zorro for now, but if we keep searching, find the evidence we need to prove the alcalde's corruption..." He swept her hair back from her shoulder, his eyes searching hers when they did not waver from his. "But you need to promise me something before we do this."
Victoria's gentle smile returned. "Anything."
Diego reached up, cradling her face in his hands. "No more secrets or keeping things from me. I want to know when something scares you, angers or frustrates you. I want us to talk about them, and not have anything standing between us." He traced a finger over the curve of her face. "That was the other promise we made the day of our wedding, remember? No more secrets."
Victoria's smile grew, and she leaned in to give him a light kiss before answering his question with a single nod. "I promise, Diego. No more secrets."
His own smile grew as his hands moved down over her shoulders and back. "Very well then. We'll take the appropriate measures, write the appropriate letters, and then we'll start compiling the appropriate evidence. With Luis Ramone's track record, it hopefully shouldn't take us too long to build a compelling argument to get him out of office." He traced a finger over the line of her jaw, bringing her lips to his for a tender kiss. "So, how do you feel about our little plan?"
She pulled back slightly, her eyes moving over his face, her answering smile warming her every feature before she settled back against his side, pressing her cheek against his heart, her smile growing at its steady rhythm against her ear. "Safe, Diego. I feel safe."