Chapter 25

Desperate Measures

"After all that, we didn't even get married, Father!"

The exclamation was understandable. Diego had woken from another nightmare related to the drama of his wedding day. This time he had been tied at the wrists, blindfolded and gagged, and he had woken up angry. The rest of the day didn't look great either.

"We need to be thankful that Xyla is alive."

"Of course, I am incredibly thankful…But I want to be married," Diego thundered.

"Do you know what you sound like?"

"A spoilt child?" Diego paused and thought.

"Like me, last year. Before I knew who my son was. Anger starts to hurt everyone around us, Diego, when we succumb to it. Are you happy to fuel the feeling? Ranting and raving always helped me feel worse, not better," Alejandro said gently. "And yes, a spoilt child. A de la Vega male of any age, actually. We are a foolish family really."

Diego blushed.

"I can't organise another wedding, not until Xyla survives this. Or I have to wait until after her funeral. In any case, waiting is inevitable." Alejandro strode off down the hall. "If you will excuse me, I have duties to attend to."

Diego was left to fume on his own. The conversation was at an end. Diego felt that he had waited long enough. They had gone through more than enough for any couple to cope with. He strode out to the stables and chose Esperanza as his mount for the day.

Riding out to the pueblo, Diego waved to his friends along the way. Many more people had heard about his wedding day, and the experiences he went through and survived, and they respected the young man all the more for his resilience. Everyone knew he was a man of peace, of science, of poetry. Not of the sword and violence. Some people had said it was a wonder the young man hadn't succumbed to madness. After all, Catherine Martinez had suffered a nervous collapse, and only the reappearance of Ricardo, her beloved, had stopped her sliding into a fatal decline. So the gossips would have everyone believe. It was probably all true too.

Diego was glad that Ricardo had only been concussed and had recovered quickly. Catherine had a long recovery ahead of her, but the man loved her intensely and could be relied upon to support her. Ricardo had married Catherine immediately after recovering from his injuries, so that he could always be close to her.

Diego paused in the tavern doorway. Victoria was serving food just as she had always done since she was a young teenager. She looked up at him, suddenly aware of his presence and gestured for him to come to his proper table.

He kissed her hand as he had many times before, but something in his eyes made her wonder what he was thinking. His gaze was direct and hungry, with a longing that was unmistakable.

"Please querida. I need to talk to you." The whisper over her hand barely carried to her ears, and she nodded silently.

She led him into the kitchen, aware that all eyes were on them.

Diego swung her into his arms. They felt so right, so perfect around her that she sighed and truly relaxed for the first time that day. She rested her head on his hard chest and heard the gentle beat of his heart. To think that at any stage on their wedding day, they may have lost each other. She had held on to anger, the shock of her experiences coming much later. Diego had experienced the shock during and immediately after. His mind preferred thinking over action, even if he was Zorro, and that had caused the trouble for him.

She felt her face being covered with sweet tiny gentle busy kisses, but they flustered her. She laughed and moved away slightly. Reaching up to his face, she managed to get a proper deep wonderful kiss in, shocking the man into seriousness. The kiss deepened as he joined in, his hands began to caress her back and he reached for her cheek to stroke it softly. He gasped suddenly and moved a little away.

"Why did we stop?"

"I still need to marry you," Diego whispered.

"Never prevented Zorro's attentions," Victoria countered with a hungry whisper of her own, moving closer for another stolen kiss. He joined in on that one as well.

"Pack a bag, Victoria."

"Am I moving back into the hacienda? Your father needs us chaperoned again?"

"I need me chaperoned again," Diego breathed. A light came on in his eyes, and she wasn't sure why. He seemed more like Zorro than he ever had before.

"Actually, pack a couple of bags," Diego added. "Come with me. I have some business with Padre Benitez and maybe you can come for the ride."

She glanced around her, and blushed to see Pilar still working diligently where she had been a few moments ago. Her friend grinned at her, and nodded.

"I'm fine here. Have some fun with your fiancé. You both could use some time together."

Diego led them down a strange road, Victoria thought. This may not be the right road to the mission. It seemed vaguely familiar but not, at the same time.

"This path here," Diego said. "This path leads somewhere special, querida. Come with me."

She followed him. Watching Diego on horseback was wonderful, and she had never realised the graceful, easy way he actually sat on a horse. The horses had always been quick to obey his tender use of the reins. Esperanza seemed to genuinely love the man.

He was pointing something out. Concentrate, Victoria told herself. Visually he was so distracting today.

"Over there is where we are going, Victoria."

She nodded, trying to look at where he was gesturing. She suddenly worked out where he was taking her.

"This is your cave. Your cave is near here?"

"I have been trying to explain that as we go," Diego said, with just a hint of frustration.

"You have been distracting me," Victoria said, suddenly being completely honest. "You are so handsome, so close and so kissable…"

"Is that so? Oh dear. We really must do something about that," Diego said, dismounting and lifting her from her mare. She was in his arms again, and they were both wildly kissing each other. Diego had started to shift the blouse from her shoulder, when he leapt back as if he had been burned.

"My shoulder loves your kisses, my love. Why did you stop?"

He rushed her back on her horse and they urged the horses into a quick canter. They rode in silence, and Victoria realised she had said something wrong again. She'd done a lot of that these days.

The horses weren't reined in until they reached the mission. He lifted her off the horse, and raced her into the Padre's office.

"I need to marry her."

"We'd like to get married, please," Victoria said as if to explain away Diego's rudeness. She stared at him with confusion. Diego had never spoken like that before. Maybe Zorro had, to the Alcalde. What was he doing?

Padre Benitez glanced at the couple. Victoria was tussled in appearance and Diego's clothes weren't so ammaculent today. He remembered the incident at the chapel, and sighed.

"Can we do it today?"

"Today?" Victoria's voice came out in a little squeak. Diego normally followed the rules so closely. Normally he was patient and tolerant. His patience was as legendary as Zorro's sword.

"Yes, querida today. Tomorrow may never come, and I want to be your husband. Now."

"We can try the chapel when your father wishes to have the ceremony," Padre Benitez responded gently. Reasoning normally worked with Diego. Today, maybe not. "There is another option," he added. "An option your father may disapprove of."

Diego almost said something he would have regretted. "My father is not getting married. I am."

"Victoria, if you want a rushed ceremony there may be social consequences, my dear."

"We can have a rushed ceremony?" Victoria was thinking a bit more. It sounded like a wonderful thing. Who cared about social consequences when she could marry her beloved? Today sounded lovely.

"Please, Padre. We may do something unwise if this continues. Very unwise."

The padre caught the meaning, and Victoria blushed a little. She wasn't completely sure what Diego meant but she thought it sounded embarrassing. The padre frowned at Diego, and then grabbed a book from the shelf. Against his better judgement, he was going to do as Diego demanded.

"The Marriage Act is a sacred thing. Something nice to share with family and friends. Diego, you need to think, not just react. Think of what people will say; think about what your father will think. You are being incredibly selfish, Diego." The padre had played all his cards, tried his hardest, and appealed to Diego's reason. Apparently his passionate nature had other ideas.

"Please, padre. I will go elsewhere if you cannot help us."

"Stand here then," Padre Benitez said grudgingly.

He quickly performed the quickest marriage ceremony he had ever done, and invited the couple to stay over in the mission for their wedding night.

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"I really could not stand being married in the church building, especially after the problems we had." Diego didn't tell her about the nightmares that almost drove him crazy. She didn't need to know that. Seeing her in a wedding dress again, would have brought back painful memories, not happy ones.

"Have we really eloped, Diego? Is this real? Are we married?" Diego laid her gently on the bed, and kissed her with his busy fluttery kisses, that always got him the kiss that he was really after. Already she was laughing; already her eyes were on his lips. She wanted a much more mature kiss. And that was what she was going to get, Diego thought, that and much more.

"I really hope so, because now I want to claim you as my own. My dear wife, my bride, my querida." Diego declared. "With gentleness," he added thoughtfully.

"Of course, gentleness. How else would Diego de la Vega claim anything?" They were together, she thought. Forever, for always.

Diego laughed and kissed her passionately. He let himself gently caress his wife tenderly, and his fingers felt like trails of fire over her body. Now she could understand why he had felt burnt. He felt her distraction, and kissed her again, trailing his mouth over her ear lobes and down her neck, and further. She moaned a little, and surrendered all thought to passion, and herself to her husband's gentle care.