Chapter 4 - Monday

In the evening it happened. Diego had stayed close to Victoria to keep an eye on her, now that Zorro was officially gone. Diego was on his way from The Guardian office where he had spent most of the day to prepare everything for the time of his absence. It was already late and Victoria was about to close the tavern when the two men burst into the tavern. Before she could react, one of the men grabbed her arms and fixed them at her back. When Victoria started to scream, the other man slapped her in the face. Then he ripped her shirt open to her waist with both hands.

"Now we are going to have some fun with Zorro's woman. Or have you been telling lies to the alcalde about Zorro being gone?" He laughed.

At that moment Diego who had heard the comments rushed in through the curtains from the kitchen. The very moment he grasped the situation he changed before her eyes. In his left hand he held a pan he had snatched from the kitchen wall and his right hand was clenched to a fist. "How dare you touch her, take your hands off her immediately," he growled.

One of the men fired a pistol at him, but in a floating movement he held the pan in front of him and deflected the bullet. A move she wouldn't have thought possible if she hadn't seen Zorro do it before and Zorro's unmistakable voice made it perfectly clear for Victoria who he really was.

Before any of the men could do anything else, he knocked down the man behind Victoria with the pan and punched the other senseless with his right fist. The fight was over in seconds.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked, looking shocked at her open front and her cheek that was burning from the hit. Victoria was shaking visibly from shock, tears running down her face. The attack and the sudden discovery of Zorro's identity were too much for her. She would have collapsed had Diego not supported her with his arm around her shoulders.

At that moment Sergeant Mendoza and the alcalde came into the tavern alarmed by Victoria's earlier cry.

"What has happened here?" the alcalde demanded to know.

"Victoria was attacked by these men," Diego said, angrily.

"With the help of the señorita," he pointed at the pan, lying at the floor beside the still unconscious men, "I was able to defeat them," he lied, sticking to his reputation as useless Diego.

By the look in the in Victoria's eyes he could see that she knew he was Zorro. He held her in firm embrace close to his chest thus shielding her torn blouse from the view of the alcalde and Mendoza. Victoria felt him tremble slightly from barely controlled anger. Not even as Zorro had she seen him that angrily.

"The señorita can be a formidable opponent," Mendoza grinned. "But she was still lucky you were around, Don Diego. Are you alright, Senorita?"

"Sometimes even you can be useful in a fight," smirked the alcalde. "Mendoza, take these men and put them in jail."

"I really hope you had nothing to do with it and it wasn't any plan of yours, trying to capture Zorro again."

"Ah, the docile de la Vega showing some teeth," the alcalde said. "Zorro is gone for good as we all know by now. Otherwise he would have come for the rescue of the señorita."

"I wouldn't be so sure that Zorro is gone forever. He may still return, unpredictable as he is."

"That is true, alcalde," Mendoza agreed. "Zorro is really unpredictable. With him you'll never know."

"I'm sure, Zorro would come back, if something serious happened to the señorita or my father," Diego said. "Zorro has a way of knowing things. Zorro has never killed anybody before but in that case I'm sure he would make an exception for you."

"Well, I don't envy your position alcalde," Diego continued. "With Zorro gone, you have no chance to get promoted for capturing Zorro. You may never get the chance to return to your beloved Madrid. After shooting emissary Risendo your standing with the king isn't good anyway and with the new emissary.."

"What new emissary?" the alcalde interrupted him.

"Didn't my father tell you?" Diego feigned surprise. "After several letters from my father, the king has finally decided to send another emissary to inquire about the situation here in Los Angeles. He may already be on his way here. If he finds out that you are abusing your position to suppress your people or using your citizen as a bait for an outlaw who is no longer around, your chances to be brought back in chains to Madrid are quite high. It seems you are really stuck. On the one hand you have to face the wrath of Zorro and on the other hand trial and execution from the king's emissary."

The alcalde looked appalled by Diego's statements.

"If you want my advice, alcalde, I recommend you change your way of treating the people. Only if you can persuade the emissary what a good alcalde you are, you may be able to clean up your file and keep Zorro from returning. It might get you back in the king's good graces."

"Thank you, Don Diego for pointing out my situation, I hadn't realized that," the alcalde was still stunned. "I'll think about it."

Without further comment he turned around and headed for the door after the Mendoza.

"I'd start right away," Diego called after him. "You'll never know when the new emissary will arrive."

Finally alone Diego had time to take care of Victoria. He took the still shaking Victoria up in his arms and carried her to her room. He sat her on the bed and changed her shirt with the nightshirt from her bed. He knew it wasn't proper, but her helpers were already gone. It shocked him to see her so hurt. The men hadn't inflicted much real pain, but the shock from the assault ran deep. Victoria hadn't uttered a single word since he had entered the tavern and only looked at him with wide eyes.

"Diego," she said in a low voice, the tears streaming down her face, "please make love to me tonight, before someone else..."

"Victoria, it is over. Nobody will hurt you. I promise I will do everything to keep you safe. This is not the right time when you are hurt like that. I want it to be a happy time for you with a husband and a bed of roses. It is only a few more days until we are married," he said, for the first time acknowledging his hidden identity.

"It's the time for love, not for passion," he said, taking her in his arms, kissing her tears away. Under his kisses and his tender care she started to relax and fell asleep in his arms. He slipped from her arms and went downstairs to look for the tavern. He locked all the doors and finished the chores Victoria normally did every night. Then he returned to Victoria, laying down beside her, keeping the covers between them. Twice during the night she woke up from a nightmare and he comforted her in his embrace.

Z Z Z

When Victoria awoke next, it was still before dawn. It took her a moment to grasp the situation when she felt an arm lying heavily across her waist. Then she remembered what had happened the night before. Diego was Zorro! He had saved her from the bandits and now he was lying next to her in her bed, guarding her in his sleep.

"Victoria, is everything alright?" Diego woke up when he felt her move.

She realized that he must be a man who was instantly awake in the morning.

"Diego, I just remembered, are you.., are you really Zorro?" she asked.

"Yes, I am. Are you disappointed it is only me?"

"No. I am relieved it is you. "

"Relieved?" he asked, incredulously.

"I have had nightmares of some unknown stranger with an empty face, telling me I could never love him. And now it is you. Someone I trust and love. I think I have loved you all the time without ever admitting it to myself." She smiled. "Show me that you are Zorro."

She leaned over him and kissed him. He did by returning her kisses until he had to stop her.

"Victoria, I should go now. We agreed to wait until Friday and if I don't go now, I won't be able to leave at all."

"You decided to wait. I didn't."

"Victoria. Please, don't make it any harder for me to leave."

He gave her a quick kiss before jumping from the bed.

"It is still early enough to return to the hacienda unnoticed. Do you want to join me for breakfast at the hacienda? If we hurry you could slip into one of the guest rooms before someone wakes up."

"What is in for me?"

"Breakfast, kisses, talk - in any order you like."

"Oh, you will do a lot of talking and explaining, Diego, be sure of that," she said in dedicated voice. "I like the prospect of kissing and talking, but I don't want to rush now. My helpers will arrive soon and I want to be here to open the tavern for them. I will come later to the hacienda if you don't mind."

"I do mind because I'd rather have you by my side. But I should be gone before your helpers arrive. I'll take the window so you can keep the doors closed. I'll wait for you at the hacienda."

He had already put on his boots and with a quick wave of goodbye he was gone.