Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder ... Or Sometimes It Just Becomes More Curious

Disclaimer – I don't own the rights, Zorro Production Inc does – I just like to play with the characters.

Plot – What did Victoria discover while Diego was off on his French holiday? Season 2 - episodes "All For One"

We've discussed this several times in our FB group, about how long Diego would have been away. But for this story, I'm staying with the show, which assumes Diego was away for three months, even though it would not have been enough time for Diego to sail from California, around Cape Horn, up into the Atlantic to France. Then to travel to Paris, and further south to have his little adventure and then go all the way back again. In reality, he would have been away between seven to nine months, or even longer.

This is another one of those half started stories, that I've managed to get finished in the last week :)

Chapter 1

It had been two months since Diego de la Vega had left for his holiday to France; two months where nothing of great importance happened in or around the pueblo of Los Angeles. With the Alcalde away in Mexico City and with Sergeant Mendoza in temporary command, the people were enjoying a rare reprieve from the harsh and at times, brutal treatment of their leader, in his pursuit of personal wealth and glory. No new taxes had been raised, no floggings had been ordered and even the bandits, normally a curse to all settlements along El Camino Real, seemed to have bypassed Los Angeles and had not stirred up any trouble.

For Victoria, it meant a strange sense of loneliness. She had found she missed Diego's frequent appearance in the tavern, she missed his friendly face, his smiles, his gentle humour and his reassuring presence in her life. She never realised it before but he had become a part of her life, a large part it seemed and now that he was gone, she was missing him a great deal.

Apparently she wasn't the only one missing Diego. Felipe had come into the tavern soon after Diego had left with Don Alejandro, looking like he had lost his best friend, which considering how close the two were, was probably true. Victoria had taken pity on the youth and offended him a job at the tavern, to keep him occupied and in the company of people. Don Alejandro had agreed immediately, knowing it would do Felipe a world of good, to be amongst people instead of moping around the hacienda.

She couldn't offer Felipe much in the way of work. With his deafness, he couldn't serve the patrons and he didn't know how to cook but he could help with cleaning the tavern, both inside and out on the porch, several days a week. Felipe beamed as he accepted the offer; not only would he be paid for the work but he could also keep his ears open for any gossip regarding Zorro's lack of appearance, while Diego was away.

Victoria soon began to notice something strange; Zorro hadn't been seen for some time. At first, she hadn't noticed it, for he didn't appear every day or even every second day, so it hadn't occurred to her, that something was different. She also wasn't worried for she knew it was risky for him to come just for a visit but as time went on and there was still no sign of him, she began to be more concerned. Had he been wounded by a lancer or bandit or worse? Was he lying dead somewhere, with no one to prepare a proper burial and say prayers for him. Her imagination took over as she began to have dreadful nightmares of Zorro's body being torn apart by wild animals.

But then word came from Mendoza and the lancers; they had seen Zorro riding Toronado in the distance, while they had been on patrol. They gave chase but lost him in the maze of gullies and ravines in the hills east of Los Angeles. The news of Zorro was indeed alive, was heart-warming to Victoria but at the same time she wondered why he hadn't paid her a visit in so long. Why had he stayed away from her? Was all his promises just empty words? Had he been toying with her feelings all this time?

Before she was worried but now she was getting angry and upset. Why hadn't he come to her?

She wished Diego was there to speak to. While she knew he didn't liked talking about Zorro, he would at least give her some advice or some kind of reassurance. Even just talking about her fears would help. She realised now that she had no one else in her life she could talk with and not be judged. She knew she could go to Don Alejandro if she was in trouble but she didn't feel comfortable enough with the older man to discuss her fears of Zorro. There was Padre Benitez but she felt she needed a friend, more than a confessional. She didn't have any real close female friends, even with her workers, Pilar and Alicia, she wasn't all that close with.

She came to realise just how much she relied on her friend, more than anyone else. Even more that Zorro, himself.

That realisation made her reflect on the two men in her life; Diego de la Vega and Zorro. One, a good and generous man, a man who she was only beginning to realise how much he meant to her. The other, the dashing hero, the mysterious man who professed his feelings without revealing his name.

What did she really know about Zorro? Nothing beyond what she had seen and heard. Yes, he was a skilled swordsman and horseman, he disliked injustice and he behaved like the dashing hero; flirting and stealing kisses. But who was he? What kind of man was he under the mask? Where did he come from? What did he do when he wasn't Zorro?

Now, Diego she knew, or at least she thought she knew. They have known each other since they were children and he had been childhood friends with her brothers. He was a good and an honest man, generous to those in need. He always there when she needed help, and even when she didn't, he was there to lift her spirits. And even if he didn't fight with a sword, she now realised that he fought in his own way, with the newspaper. Had he not been thrown in the cells a number of times, just for speaking his mind?

She truly wished Diego was around to talk with.

Then a startling thought entered her mind, a thought that she had once or twice before but she never really considered it, until now. Was Diego, Zorro?

The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't deny the coincidences. Diego was away at the same that Zorro was away. Granted, Mendoza did say they saw him but it was in the distance. It could have been anyone wearing black, riding a black horse. So she didn't give much credence to that sighting because she knew he would visit her, even if there was no other reason to come into the pueblo. Unless he had sent a message to her, which she never received.

Regardless of whether there had been a message or not, it was all starting to make sense to her now, as her mind began to pull all the little pieces of the puzzle together and came up with the only answer she could. Diego de la Vega was indeed Zorro. There could be no other explanation.

She was both excited, upset and even a little disappointed because he kept it from her, made her believe he was someone else but even with her mixed emotions, she understood the need for secrecy. It meant his life and those around him, if his identity had become known. She wanted to speak with Don Alejandro or even Felipe about her discovery but she didn't want to say anything unless she was right.

And to do that, she needed to confront Diego when he returned from his travels.