The proposal - Part 1

A/N: This is the first part of the story that is complete as it contains the events in Los Angeles. The second part where they travel isn't written yet and I don't know when I will write it. I only have some ideas for it, so you have to be content with part 1 for the moment.

Disclaimer: This story was written solely for the enjoyment of other Zorro fans and is not intended to infringe on any copyrights held by Goodman/Rosen Productions, New World Television, Zorro Productions, the estate of Johnston McCulley or anyone else.

Chapter 1

It was nearly dinner time and Diego was having a drink at the table opposite the bar when the post was delivered to the tavern.

"A letter from Venezuela," Victoria exclaimed happily when she sorted through her mail.

Diego went over to the bar, leaning onto it. "Isn't that where your brother Ramon is living now? How is he?"

"Oh, I haven't heard from him for a while," Victoria smiled. "Did I tell you that his wife is expecting their first child soon? I might be an aunt already!"

"That is really good news. For how long is he married now? A year?"

Victoria opened the mail and started to read. "Oh no, Ramon," she turned pale.

"Something wrong, Victoria?" Diego asked concerned. "Has something happened to your brother?"

When Victoria looked at him, tears were standing in her eyes and he could see she was under shock. He reached for her to take her in his arms, but she ignored him. "Victoria, what happened?" he asked again, but she was oblivious to her surroundings. Slowly she went up the stairs to her room and closed the door behind her.

Diego followed her and knocked at the door. Victoria didn't react to his knocking and didn't open the door either.

"Where's Victoria?" her helper, Pilar, asked as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Victoria, just got some bad news about her brother," Diego explained. "I don't know what happened, but I think Victoria needs some quiet now. She went up to her room and won't open the door either."

"I'm so sorry for Victoria," Pilar said compassionately. "I'll close the tavern for the rest of the day so no one will disturb her."

"I think that's a good idea." Diego was concerned for Victoria and he wanted to help her. Not for the first time he cursed the fact that she wouldn't accept him as Diego and let him take her in his arms.

Though it wasn't dark yet and he would be easily spotted as Zorro, he knew what he had to do. Diego returned to the hacienda to dress up as Zorro and told Felipe to cover for him with his father..

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Some time later he knocked gently at Victoria's bedroom window. When she didn't react, he opened the shutters himself and climbed inside. Victoria was curled up on her bed, staring aimlessly at the wall with the letter still in her hand.

Zorro went over to the bed and sat down beside her. "Victoria," he removed the letter from her grip and put it aside. Zorro drew her in his arms and held her tight. "Tell me what has happened," he asked her softly. Victoria put her arms around his neck and clung to him. "I'm here, Querida, I'm here," he whispered, stroking her back and caressing her.

"He's dead! Ramon is dead!" Victoria cried out in grief. Then she started to cry at his chest and he held her shaking body in his arms, trying to comfort her while he had to cope with his own shock. He remembered Ramon when they had played together as children and the last time he had seen him at Devil's castle.

"Ramon is dead?" he asked incredulously. "How?" Victoria buried her head even deeper at his chest. "In the letter they said that the village was attacked by Indians who came out of the jungle."

Lying down on the bed they held each other tight, comforting each other. She started to talk about her brother, recounting childhood memories, sometimes smiling, sometimes crying in remembrance. Holding each other close they dozed off a little, until Victoria stirred in his arms again.

"Thank you for coming for me, Zorro," Victoria sniffed between tears. "How did you know?"

"I heard you had gotten bad news and I wanted to be there for you," he comforted her.

"Are you really there for me, Zorro?" Victoria questioned him.

"Of course, I am or I wouldn't be here now. I love you and you can count on me." Zorro assured her.

"I will really need your help now, Zorro," Victoria looked at him insecurely. "I don't know how to cope with it on my own." Victoria reached for the letter he had put on the nightstand.

"Read! Then you will understand!" Victoria requested of him.

Zorro took the letter and began to read. It was written by a woman and at first he thought that it was from Ramon's wife, but as he continued he found out that it was from one of the nuns of the mission in Venezuela.

When he had finished it, he looked at Victoria questioningly. "In the letter Sister Francesca says that during the attack Ramon's wife was injured as well and that she died after giving birth to her daughter who survived. That is really terrible."

Victoria nodded under tears. "A wet nurse is taking care of my niece now, but she is my responsibility as my brother and I are her closest relatives. My brother isn't suited to care for a child, so it falls back to me. If I don't come to get her, she will be put into the local orphanage."

"What are you going to do about it, Victoria?" he asked, gently removing a strand of hair from her cheek. From her face he could read that she had already made up her mind.

"I will go to Venezuela and pick up my niece. We all know that the nuns in the orphanages do their best, but the situation is often very bad. Many children die who would have survived if they had had a family to care for them. I can't leave my niece with them."

"It's very dangerous to go to Venezuela, Victoria," Zorro stated.

"I know, that's why I need you to come with me." Victoria looked at him pleadingly. "I will need to take the next ship that's going there, because the ships leave only once a month and I don't know if I can wait so long."

"Do you know what you are asking for?" Zorro said to her softly.

"I don't know what I'm asking for, I only know that I need your help now. I have to travel to my brother's grave and I can't go there alone. Please," she said, "you promised you'd be there for me."

"Victoria, I can't go with you dressed as Zorro. I can only go with you as myself and it wouldn't be proper if we travel together while we aren't married either. What you actually want me to do is to unmask and marry you in the next week!" he sighed.

"Would you do that? Even if I bring my niece into the marriage?"

Zorro hesitated. This proposal came too suddenly and he didn't know how to handle it. How could they get married in a week when they hadn't managed to figure it out in years?

"You don't want to marry me, do you?" Victoria interrupted his thoughts. "You have made me wait for years and now when I need you to fulfill your promise, you hesitate. Isn't that so?"

"Victoria, I do want to marry you, but I just don't know how."

"You don't know how? I'll tell you how! Go with me to the church, remove your mask and say 'I do'!"

"You know it isn't that easy."

"What I know is that I need you and that you're not up to it!" Out of her mind from despair and grief, she went to her nightstand and took out the ring from a box. "Here take it back. If you don't want to marry me, I'll find someone else."

Zorro looked shocked at the ring she had dropped in his hand. "Victoria, I know you don't really want to do this. The death of your brother was a great shock to you and once you're able to think clearly again, you'll see it differently. Just don't do anything hasty that you'll regret later."

"Just leave now, Zorro." Victoria cried.

Zorro wanted kiss her cheek, but she turned away from him. Hurt by her behavior he wordlessly climbed out of the window. From the corner of his eyes he saw her crying into her pillow, but staying wouldn't be of any help now.

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