AN: Revised chapter 10/25/2016
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While Zorro danced with Esperanza, Fuego was working.
After Zorro escorted his dance partner back to her group, he went back to the table of the dons. Fuego raised her brow at the tardiness of Zorro's appearance and then got to business.
Zorro tilted his head when she lifted a black armband with red stripes.
The rouges had worn similar items. Were they here now, in disguised? Or was something else at play here? Quickly, Zorro tucked the band into his dinner jacket pocket and then pointedly looked at Fuego. She got the silent message. She pointed two fingers at his eyes and then gestured to herself. Then, she pivoted on her foot, accidentally bumping into a don wearing green, a don wearing navy blue, and then, to Zorro's surprise, she bumped into Esperanza.
Two dons and a noblewoman were their suspects, but he didn't know what to make of the third suspect.
He narrowed his eyes. Obviously, some surveillance would be required.
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Mia took a sip of her water as she continued to watch from the tech box.
As the duo sought out information, they came across an interesting fact occurring in their town. The position of governor was up for re-election, which explained why the two dons might be the culprits behind the rise in crime. Whoever it was could be stealing the gold to both pay all the rogues and for their climb to power.
The planted trouble was here to show that the town needed someone who could actually protect the place, so that once the mastermind is elected and the trouble disappears, he'll be a shoe-in for governor. The people would love the savior of the town, undoubtedly.
Zorro and Fuego could not accept a fake hero as their governor.
So far, Fuego was monitoring the don in green while Zorro tracked the don in navy blue. If they could find a connection between the stolen gold and the bandits, they could at least narrow the suspects.
After the navy blue don's house, it would be Esperanza's.
He couldn't believe that she would pay common thieves to come and make her brother Don Martinez look good as a candidate, but until he had more information his hands were tied.
Making sure that the don was in the other end of the manor, Zorro silently slipped in through the window. He rustled through the drawers and desk, only seeing bills. If he was barely making ends meet, Zorro highly doubted he had been the one stealing the gold or else he would not be in this predicament. He sighed to himself.
Esperanza's house then.
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It was the middle of the night, yet instead of sleeping Esperanza found herself restless, two figures having her divided attention. The masked vigilante was a 'man of the people,' though her brother didn't think so, she did. She found his courage to be attractive and his eyes sharp and attentive.
But then there was Don de la Vega from the dinner party…
She normally disliked the pomp and attitude of the aristocrats – even though she was technically an aristocrat herself – but when she danced with him that night, something made her believe that he was different from the rest. He had so much energy and vitality that he made her feel so alive like never before.
She felt like she could do anything.
Lost in the memory of their dance, she swayed as she walked, her nightgown swished slightly as she twirled herself. In mid-twirl, something dark darted in the corner of her eye, causing her to pause.
Without further delay, she dashed in the direction the shadow went, only pausing to take the fencing sword off the wall in order to fend off the intruder of their home. Lithely, she followed the shadow, jumping onto a trampoline to get up to the tightropes where the intruder went.
Once there, she gasped.
Zorro was in front of her, holding some papers in his hand. Her heart thudded, but she did not let her fleeting feelings take control. No matter how appealing he was to her, the facts did not change.
1) He broke into her house.
2) He was stealing paperwork.
Her eyes narrowed. What was the masked man doing here? She didn't know, but she wasn't about to let him get away with his disrespectful actions. She readied into a stance, the nightgown not allowing her to go down as low as she had wanted to, but she would have to make do. Zorro had the audacity to grin and laugh. Both only made her even more determined to fight him.
With that in mind, she attacked.
Zorro's laughter cut off abruptly as he quickly dodged. He was surprised to see that she managed to rip a hole in his sleeve. He tucked the papers through his belt and then pulled out his fencing sword. With a shake of his head, he gestured to his ripped sleeve and wagged his sword in reprimand.
Laughter sounded from the crowd. Tambourines playfully sounded out as well as a guitar.
Esperanza tilted her head up and got into another stance. Zorro kept his sword lowered. She took some steps forward, he took some steps back. Her mouth down turned when she realized he would not initiate the exchange.
A woman's work was never done, as they say.
She lunged forward and she saw a flash of metal come near her but she did not feel it. It wasn't until she realized that she could crouch much lower than earlier did she realize what had occurred. She looked down at the long slit he made in the skirt of her nightgown. Her cheeks turned red.
That's a lot higher than it was supposed to be!
Sora momentarily slipped out of character as she sent him a scolding look. His mouth was twisted up in amusement as his eyes appreciatively roamed the shapely leg that peaked out from the nightgown. She had spandex on underneath, but still…
She rushed him and he blocked, their swords forming an 'x.'
"That was too much!" she hissed under her breath.
"Like you touching my chest earlier?" he breezily replied.
She flushed a darker shade and would have said something else had he not leaned over the swords and kissed her cheek. She eeped and made a swipe for him.
He ducked under her blade and ran along the tightrope, easily climbing up to the long platform. She followed close behind, displaying incredible agility as she flipped herself up to the platform. His eyes lidded as he took in her flustered form, her strap close to slipping off her shoulder and her slender leg showing.
He initiated the duel this time.
She quickly bringing her sword up with a two handed hold and diverting his swing to the side. He recognized that block of hers, knowing that she tended to leave herself open on the left side afterwards.
Let's see if she's learned.
He switched his blade to his left hand for a thrust; to his approval, she reacted, twisting herself out of the way as she brought her blade back to defend. However, her reaction did not get her completely out of the way, allowing his sword to cut through the fabric. She saw the hole along her side, her lips pursing tightly as she tried to contain another sound of frustration.
He preened. She attacked in response.
Her counterattack was not thought out, having been moved by emotions. She couldn't explain how she was feeling right now. She was blushing like when Leon kissed her in public, but she was also upset like the time he had broken a figurine of hers in the living room.
Her eyes were fiery as they crossed blades again.
This time when he leaned forward, his free hand went around her head and fisted her hair, bringing her closer to him. Her eyes were wide as he deeply kissed her on stage, a stirring in her stomach igniting fast as well as outrage. When he released her, she shrieked in half indignation. He had seen her pupils dilate, so he knew she was not truly angry with him.
Hot and bothered seems to fit the bill.
He couldn't wait for later.
They had a frenzied exchange of hits, their swords clanging as they connected. Then, in an unexpected move, Esperanza dodged and jumped up, using his shoulder to help her backflip over him. Zorro turned around to face her, seeing her triumphant look for one second and then her lips parted in shock. When he noticed the black clothed mask in her hands, he realized what the shock was from.
She unmasked him as she back flipped.
Some police whistles sounded in the air, making Esperanza turn towards the sound. Quickly, though, she felt the mask being pulled from her hand and she gasped, turning around to see Don de la Vega in the costume of Zorro.
He stared at her for a few seconds more and then, after a short bow, he left.
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The stage lights went off for the intermission.
Leon calmly walked over to the dressing room area, having seen his wife head in this direction. It wasn't the end of the show. He clearly knew that. But after pacing backstage for a good two minutes to get his desire under control, he knew it wasn't going to happen.
When he reached her door, he gave a brief knock and let himself in before she could tell him to. He had expected her to squeak upon seeing him enter or maybe even dodge her water bottle for all the PDA on the stage.
What he hadn't expected was for the room to be empty.
He walked back out and shut the door. She could be in the bathroom. In his eagerness he hadn't accounted that possibility. Damn. He sighed to himself and went over to his dressing room.
So much for convincing her.
He opened the door and turned around to close it. Without looking, he tossed his mask onto the dressing table, waiting for the light sound of it landing.
"Do you always throw things without looking?"
He felt a grin threatening to come out at the sound of her voice. He turned around, seeing her sitting on his dressing table, still in the cut up nightgown. She was currently taking his mask off of her head. She shook her hair a little to fix her bangs when she noticed him staring.
"I thought I'd be waiting here for nothing." She shifted, crossing a leg over the other. The cut in the dress did nothing to hide it. "You lose your way?"
"I went to your dressing room."
She grinned, taking in his lidded eyes. "Seems we both had the same idea."
His eyes silently kindled with the fire from earlier, making her place his mask on the table. "Where did we leave off?" he rumbled out, taking a few steps to her.
She innocently shrugged, though the playful tilt of her lips told him otherwise. "Something about 'later' and a dressing room." She looked at him from beneath her lashes. "Does that jog your memory?"
"Yes," he murmured, his hand sliding up her thigh. "That sounds familiar."
He hotly kissed her, done with words. She eagerly reciprocated, putting her legs around his waist. Hands went into hair, under cloth and then back again, indecisively. Her breath hitched as he pulled her flimsy straps down. He paid homage to her flesh, kissing and biting his way down. Her mouth went to his jaw, following the familiar lines of his face.
Then, she suddenly pulled back, feeling his hip roughly press against her.
"H-Hey," she breathed out as he pressed again, causing her to bite her bottom lip hard to keep from whimpering. "We're not going that far."
"Why not?"
"Because it's intermission!"
He kissed up to her ear. "We'll make it back in time."
Her face flushed, her retort gone the moment his mouth covered hers. Her nails dug into the cloth along his shoulder blades as his narrow hip pressed harder. She whimpered in his mouth, his kiss wet and hot. His hands went under her skirt, tugging her spandex down.
The door to his dressing room opened.
"Oh…"
Sora abruptly broke off the kiss, dumbly staring at the teen.
"Marie?"
The teen's face flushed, tossing Leon's next costume change onto the couch and then leaving, one ear bud popping out due to the jerky motions.
"Who was that?"
Sora thumped her forehead against his chest repeatedly. "We just scared off someone from wardrobe."
"She should have knocked."
"We should have locked the door!" Sora hotly retorted. "What am I saying? We shouldn't even be doing this here!"
"You are correct." He looked at the door. "I should have locked it."
She hid her face against his chest. "Why am I the only one embarrassed?!"
He lightly shrugged. "We're in our honeymoon period. They should know better."
"The what?"
He started kissing her shoulder again. "The time in which a relationship is still new and thrilling." He looked up at her, lightly smirking. "Often physical."
Her cheeks heated. "But our relationship isn't really 'new'."
"The progression into marriage is a new stage," he bit her jaw, "thus, a new sort of relationship."
She let that sink in. "Leon?"
"Hm?"
"So…does that mean there'll come a time when our relationship is…bland?" Her eyes lowered. "…You'll get tired of me?"
He paused in biting her neck. He sighed, rubbing her arms as he lifted his head up to face her. "Sora, all relationships settle down." He tilted her chin up. "It is merely a progression of our feelings and understanding of each other."
"Settle…"
"Look at me," he firmly murmured, waiting until her eyes came back to him. "The years will go by and we may not be the same as when we first came together." He put her hand on the left side of his chest. "But the facts remain," he brushed his nose against hers, "you are the one that awoke my heart. That fire will only grow, not diminish."
Her eyes watered. "Leon…" she rested her forehead against his cheek. "I don't think I could ever stop loving you."
He held her close, lids lowering.
"I know…"
Her heart had no limits. He could only hope it remained that way even after she learned about his past. She only knew the surface of his younger years, about the dark pit that swallowed him up. At times, he would think about it and feel undeserving. He tilted her face towards his, brushing her cheek. The majority of the time, he was selfish.
He will not let go of her.
He felt a surging passion ignite him. She looked at his eyes, seeing it burn deep inside.
"Leon?"
Her breath suddenly left her as his hands pulled down her spandex. She stared at him wide eyed before his mouth covered hers, swallowing the gasp that escaped her as his hands wandered, his hip pressing against her with renewed energy.
Her nails dug into his back as they joined.
The dressing table rattled as he made love to her along its edge. She clung on, squeezing her eyes tightly as the tension built up faster than other times. His kiss was a bit sloppy as he tried to give her air but also keep their lips connected.
"Sora…Sora…"
"Kami," she half whispered.
Hearing him say her name like a plea did strange, wonderful things to her. Her hands rubbed his back, trying to soothe him of his pleasurable strain as the fire between them burned hotly. He heard her gasp suddenly, her mouth moving from his to bite the cloth along his shoulder. He buried his face in her hair, letting the fire make its way through both of them.
Her body relaxed, letting him breathe.
He kissed her softly, brushing her bangs aside. He wanted more. So much more. But this was what he could have - what he could give her - at the moment. He knew she had felt a similar heat during their performance thus far. He could see it in her eyes, in the way she bit her bottom lip as she watched him perform from the side lines.
It had almost brought him out of character at times.
"You need to get dressed."
She dazedly nodded, feeling him pull her spandex back on.
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"You guys are late."
Backstage, Leon stood on the sidelines with May as they waited for the show to start up again. In the corner of his eye, he could see May looking at him, but he decided not to look back in the hopes that she'd get bored.
"It won't happen again."
"Hmph. Doesn't matter to me, it's not hard to adjust the time table. But Ken was throwing a little hissy fit." May crossed her arms. "I heard a newbie from wardrobe caught you two in your dressing room."
He spared her a glance and then faced forward again.
"She didn't knock."
"Right." A few seconds more and May crossed her arms. "You two really need to have a sign on the doorknob."
Leon quirked a brow. May snickered at her joke.
On the opposite side of Leon, Sora sighed as Ken was frowning at her.
"I said I was sorry. I don't know what else you want me to say."
The music played as the trampoline act went underway.
"I had to move up the comedy act."
"No offense, but you've done that easily in the past." Sora tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "You're acting like I've never been late before."
Ken gritted his teeth. "You've never been late because of fooling around."
"What?"
"You were in Leon's dressing room."
"So what? He's my husband."
"No, he's not." He lowered his voice when he caught himself raising it. "At this stage, you're the leading lady and he's the leading male. You come to perform, not smooch it up."
"You're asking me to pretend he's not my husband? That's impossible."
"I'm asking you to be professional." He put a hand on her upper arm, making her frown. "I didn't think I had to tell you, of all peoples, to act like a pro at your stage."
The disappointment in his voice rubbed her the wrong way. She pulled her arm out of his hold, not looking at him.
"You should go. I'm up soon."
He wanted to say something else. Shake some sense into her, wake her up to see that Leon was changing her and Ken wasn't certain it was a good change.
"Lights, be prepared to switch to indoor low," Ken murmured into his headset mike, walking away.
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AN: Seems like Ken's confronted with something he can't handle. XD There, there.