The Quarrel

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

After a fight with the lancers Zorro had disarmed the alcalde and made him rescind the latest taxes, but after he had made some compliments to Victoria it had happened. The alcalde had sneaked behind Victoria and put a knife at her throat.

"Now Zorro, it is time to reveal your face," the alcalde sneered.

Helplessly Zorro looked in Victoria's face with her wide open eyes. The knife was very close to her skin and he didn't know what he could do. If he attacked the alcalde, he would kill or at least injure Victoria. Slowly he began to remove his hat desperately trying to find a solution. Just when he started to untie the mask behind his head, Victoria made her move. She pushed her elbow into the alcalde and tried to duck from his knife. But the grip was too tight and the knife slashed across her throat.

In horror he looked at the red blood that was running from her throat.

He knocked the alcalde senseless and caught Victoria in his arms before she fell to the ground."No, Victoria, please don't die. I can't bear to lose you," he pleaded, kneeling beside her in the sandy plaza. Relief flooded through him when he felt he pulse under his hand.

Don Alejandro approached him. "Is she alive?"

"Yes, but she needs a doctor."

"I'll make sure of that. You should better go before the alcalde regains consciousness and tries another trick. Then her sacrifice would have been in vain." Don Alejandro reminded him.

Carefully Zorro picked her up and carried her over to the tavern porch where he slowly lowered her to the floor. "I'll leave her in your care," he said gravely. On his whistle Toronado appeared who carried him quickly away. When he looked back, he saw Dr. Hernandez crossing the plaza and it gave him a little hope.

As always he made haste to change into his normal clothing after he had taken care of Toronado. Pretending to read a book he had to wait for his father's return from the pueblo, since as Diego he couldn't know what had happened that day. The dreadful fear that Victoria might be dying ate up his heart and the urge to rush back to the pueblo became overwhelming. Doing nothing and pretending to be ignorant just to keep his disguise had never been so hard. As the minutes dragged by he remembered the time when he had feared for life after she had been shot from Bishop. This was the second time she was close to death because of him and he knew he couldn't go through it again. Seeing her die in his stead was the worst thing he could imagine and he would do anything to prevent that from happening again. Just when he was about to ride into the pueblo he heard his father come back.

"Father, you are late. I thought you only wanted to have lunch in the tavern," he tried to sound calm.

"Diego, you can't know what happened today. Victoria was severely injured while she tried to save Zorro."

"Is Victoria dead?" he needn't feign shock when the picture of Victoria bleeding profusely in his arms was still heavily engraved on his mind.

"No, but she was very close bleeding to death. Fortunately Dr. Hernandez was able to stop it in time. I waited in the pueblo, until I was sure she would survive."

"Then she is out of danger now? What exactly happened?" Hearing the news let him exhale again after he had involuntarily held his breath.

His father was too shocked himself to be surprised at his son's reaction and recounted the events in the plaza. After Zorro had left, Dr. Hernandez had arrived who had been fetched by a servant. He had treated the wound while Victoria was still lying on the porch. Alejandro had carried the unconscious Victoria to her room and had waited at the tavern while the doctor was monitoring her. Only after Dr. Hernandez had assured him that she was out of danger had he returned to the hacienda.

Diego had ridden to the pueblo to look for Victoria's state of health, but she had been sleeping and he didn't want to disturb her.

After dinner he excused himself with a coming cold and returned to his room. Later he slipped into the cave and changed into his Zorro attire. He was ready to go, but he delayed his departure as much as possible since he didn't look forward to the task he had set himself.

It was already very late when Zorro returned to the pueblo. His first visit he paid to the alcalde who with his honorless behavior had nearly killed Victoria. The alcalde had already gone to bed, but had expected Zorro's visit. He tried to defend himself, but his fighting skills were no match against Zorro. With his whip Zorro marked a Z into the alcalde's throat close to the same area where the alcalde had injured Victoria today.

"If you ever try to harm Victoria again in order to catch me, I will do more than simply mark your throat. You can cover this mark with your tie, but it will be constant reminder what will happen if you don't heed my warning."

His next visit he paid to Victoria who was recovering in her bed. The tavern was already closed and from the roof he silently entered her room through the window.

"Zorro," she whispered with no surprise as if she had expected his visit.

"Sorry, my querida, but I couldn't come earlier." He sat down at her bedside and restrained her when she wanted to rise from her pillow.

"Lay back," he ordered. "You must rest after you lost so much blood. I heard that you will be alright again soon, but how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Zorro, only feeling a bit weak. You need not worry about me."

"What you did was the most stupid thing I ever saw. You were nearly killed today. If the injury had gone a little bit deeper, you would be dead now." He took her in his arms and held her tight. She could feel the shiver run through him when he remembered the events.

"But if I hadn't, the alcalde would have caught you and you would be facing the gallows now. I'd rather have died."

"Victoria, this can't go on. I want to protect you, but I have become a hazard to you. The alcalde will probably not repeat his action after I visited him tonight, but everyone who wants to capture me only needs to take you hostage. Now they know how easy it is. And with that bounty on my head the temptation is quite high. I can't go through this again, I thought you were dying in my arms today." He was shuddering again. "It was the most horrible thing to feel you bleeding to death. That's why I have made a decision."

Alarmed by his sincere tone she looked at him.

"We can no longer be together. I'd rather lose you than see you dead."

"Are you taking back your proposal?" Victoria was shocked.

"Yes." His voice sounded dry and hoarse. "I'm sorry, Victoria, but Zorro can never marry you as long this is not over and maybe it never will."

"Zorro, please, you can't do this. Not after all this time we have been waiting." Weakly she clung to him, sobbing at his chest. "I love you, Zorro."

" I love you too, Victoria, but it must be." He wanted to place a kiss on her cheek, but she turned her face and he kissed her mouth instead. Knowing that this was goodbye, it became the longest and most passionate kiss they ever shared. Tenderly he held her for some more time, before he let her sink back into the covers. He hated himself when he saw her silently weeping. Softly he wiped the tears from her face. "I love you," he whispered again, before he turned around to slip through the window again.

Only when he was back on Toronado did he let his own tears fall. Several times on his way back he was about to turn around and make up with Victoria again, but the image of her blood spilling under his hands always held him back.

Numbed he returned to the cave where he sat down at his desk and buried his face in his arms. Victoria would no longer be killed for Zorro, but he had lost her. What should he do now? Without her the fight wasn't worth fighting, but what else could he do?

Felipe found him at his desk in the morning when he wanted to start on his daily chores. Concerned by his bad look he asked him what had happened.

"Victoria, no she is not dead."

'What is wrong then?'

"I split up with Victoria." Slowly Diego explained what he had done and his motives.

With his swollen eyes his father was convinced that his son had indeed caught a bad cold and urged him to stay in bed. Alejandro couldn't know that it wasn't a cold, but a heartache his son was suffering from.

Two days later Diego returned to the tavern to lend Victoria his support, but she wanted to speak with nobody and stayed in her room.

The split between Victoria and Zorro became soon obvious to the pueblo. Zorro never made an appearance in the pueblo again and refrained his activities to catching bandits around Los Angeles. Instead of delivering them personally to the lancers he left Mendoza a note where he could pick up the tied up bandits somewhere outside the pueblo. This way he made sure that he was never seen in Victoria's presence any more.