AN: This chapter ended up a bit too long and too packed, so I had to split it in two. The good news, however, is that I am publishing the second part a little later today. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

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Realizing it was close to midnight, Diego decided he had no time to change his clothes and return to the pueblo, nor was that advisable, since he had made everyone believe he was sleeping at that hour. Therefore, he steered Tornado towards the tavern, leaving him behind the stables, then crept his way towards Victoria's bedroom.

When he got to her window, the young woman was in her bed, reading a novel, while waiting for his visit. As soon as she heard him knock, she hurried to let him in and threw herself into his arms, as if she hadn't seen him in years.

"Where have you been?" She asked.

"Making sure I have a Best Man at our wedding tomorrow." He answered with a broad smile.

"Are you alright? You weren't injured?"

"I am perfectly fine, Victoria."

"Did anyone see you?"

"Just the lancers."

"All the lancers?"

"I don't think they will tell De Soto!"

"You trust them?"

"I saved their lives tonight. Something tells me they might not be inclined to betray me." He answered, bowing his head. "Victoria, even if De Soto finds out, he might not do anything about it. I really believe he was being sincere when he said he asked for a pardon. But the Governor…it's hard to say how he will react. He might decide to have me executed on the spot or pardon me without a second thought. I hope it might be the latter, but if it's the former, everyone related to me is also in danger, my wife included. So…"

"So nothing! Whatever happens, Diego, I will be by your side. Whether it is your destiny to be pardoned, or…or …Your fate is my fate! All I know is that the mere thought of losing you is unbearable to me!"

"You will assume becoming a fugitive, if that is our only option?"

"I will go anywhere with you! As long as you are safe and we can be together! As long as I don't have to live even one more day without you!"

"No matter what may come, we will be together!" He promised, and reached down to kiss her. "Now, I have to go." He whispered as their lips parted. "It's almost midnight and I heard it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, on the day of their marriage!"

"I thought you don't believe in superstitions!"

"I don't…But, right now, I have no intention of taking any chances." He answered with a smile.

"Whatever comes, we will face it together, Diego! I'll always be by your side!"

As a reply, he drew her tight in his arms and kissed her forehead. "I'll be waiting for you at the altar, my love!" Diego assured her, just as he was about to leave.

"Wait!" Victoria asked him. "Let me do it now!"

"Do what?"

"Take it off."

"The mask?"

She nodded, smiling at him, and Diego returned to her, lowering his hat behind his head as she reached to undo the knot of his mask, slipping it off his face and arranging his hair with her fingers.

"Happy?"

Instead of an answer, she took a deep breath and reached to kiss him. Right then and there, Victoria decided she wasn't going to allow him to leave, so, as he eagerly responded to her kiss, she dragged him towards her bed and they both fell on it, Diego on top of his beloved.

"I should leave!" He stated, but made no effort to actually get off of her.

"You should stay!" She retorted, reaching to unbutton his blouse.

"Tomorrow." He pointed out as he stopped kissing her in order to take a few breaths of air. "We will be married…"

Victoria didn't allow him to continue and reached to kiss him again.

"Now" she replied, trying to remove his unbuttoned shirt.

Diego drew back, then buried his head in her chest, panting for a few moments, as he was holding her hands in his. A few more breaths and he was able to pull himself together and slip off of her and, onto the floor, where he landed on his knees.

"This is not how I want to make love to you for the first time!" He told her, as he was kneeling before her bed, just as she sat in front of him.

"But…What if something goes wrong tomorrow? What if we never get to be with each other?" She asked, finally able to express her deepest fears.

"Tomorrow you will be my wife, and I don't intend to let you out of the bed for at least 24 hours!" He stated. "And no Alcalde, no Governor, no Emissary is going to interfere with that plan!"

"But…" Victoria started protesting again, so he cupped her right cheek and drew her towards him to give her a deep, passionate kiss, taking his time to explore her mouth with his tongue, as his right hand caressed her back.

"Next time we do this, you'll be my wife!" He stated, as he left her breathless, before tying back his mask and leaving through the window.

Just as Zorro snuck out of Victoria's room for the very last time, the Mission's bells started ringing, indicating a new day was beginning and the second day of fiesta was ending.

Victoria sighed and looked towards the window through which he disappeared, unable to suppress the feeling of dread she constantly harbored, ever since she had had that nightmare in which she was losing her husband to the hangman's noose.

Once in the street, Diego climbed down and hid behind the building to button up and tuck in his shirt. He was about to head for Tornado when he heard a noise from a nearby corner.

"Zorro?" he heard a woman, exclaim. "I thought he was dead!" she told the man who had been kissing her until Zorro's appearance interrupted them.

"He's about to be!" The man stated, coming out of the shadows, as his soon-to-be-brother-in-law turned towards them.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ramon! There's no way you can overpower me; and I really don't have time for this!" Zorro replied and was about to leave.

"I can always try!" The younger man stated, blocking his path. "Or do you deny coming out of my sister's room right now?"

"I don't owe you any explanation or denials!" Zorro stated, annoyed, yet also amused by the situation, especially since he and Victoria had done nothing more than kissing, and they were about to get married, a fact her brother knew quite well.

"Victoria just cheated on Diego with Zorro?" The woman asked, outraged.

"No!" Both men stated at the same time.

"Victoria would never cheat…Ramon misunderstood the situation." The legendary outlaw explained to the increasingly confused woman, then moved past the youngest Escalante, heading for Tornado.

After taking two steps, though, he stopped and turned. "Wait…" He said, as he just recognized the woman who had spoken. "What were you doing here with Antonia?"

"That's none of your concern." Ramon replied.

The two men stared at each other, arms folded across their chests "As far as I know, you and Antonia are not engaged." Zorro stated.

"As far as I know, you were also kissing my sister without being engaged to her." Ramon retorted.

"So you were kissing her! But you've just met two days ago. What are your intentions with Antonia?"

"How do you know when we've met?" The young woman asked and found herself ignored.

"Perhaps I intend to marry her!" Ramon stated. "If she'll have me…"

"You want to marry me? But we've just met!" She replied.

"My point exactly!" Zorro underlined.

"I still don't understand your concern, senor Zorro." She stated.

"I find your courting highly inappropriate." Zorro told Ramon.

"You're the one talking?"

"We both know that's different. You don't know anything about my…Antonia."

"Your Antonia? What's that supposed to mean?" The young woman questioned.

"Ramon, Antonia? Where are you?" Francisco asked, coming round another corner of the building, his hand intertwined with Clara's.

"Zorro?" The young woman exclaimed at seeing the black-clad man. "You're Zorro! My cousin said you were dead!"

"That's because I am. At least as far as everyone else is concerned." He answered. "Why are you holding hands? For God's sake, please tell me you two are not both courting my…Antonia and Clara."

"You said that again. What exactly do you mean with your Antonia and Clara?" Antonia asked.

"Nothing!" The three men answered at the same time.

"How do you know my name?" Clara questioned.

"Right! How do you know our names?" Antonia supported her sister.

"I know everything." Zorro told her. "Where's their father?" He then denied his previous statement, by asking Francisco.

"He wasn't feeling well so he left early. We promised to escort them to the hacienda." The younger man explained.

"He left them with the two of you? What was he thinking? The senoritas will be coming with me!" Zorro stated.

"What? But…Why should we go with you? How can we know we'd be safe?" Clara wondered.

"Zorro!" They heard a lancer's loud whisper a few feet away, before anyone had a chance to reply. "You need to go! The Alcalde is in the plaza and he might see you!" The soldier murmured, noticing the other four people there, yet showing little concern after recognizing them.

"Thank you for letting me know, private." He answered.

"No problem. Thank you for helping my friends tonight!" The man replied with a smile, as he headed back towards his commander, determined to make him look in any other direction than the one in which he might find Zorro.

Ramon and Francisco stared at the lancer as he was leaving, then at Zorro, clearly unable to understand why the soldier had warned him.

"Apparently everybody decided to be observant this past month." Zorro told them with a somehow amused frown, before becoming serious again. "The twins are still coming with me. I don't trust the two of you with them!"

"We'll bring…take them to the hacienda in half an hour, but the private is right. You should go!" Francisco stated.

"Yes…Half an hour! Promise!" Ramon confirmed.

"I'll hold you to that." He answered, then, mounting his stallion, headed towards the cave.

Once there, he disguised Tornado again, changed his clothes, and rode back to the front entrance of the hacienda. Ten minutes later, after stabling the horse, as the half an hour had almost passed, he entered through his room's window and headed towards the library, where he waited, a book in his hand, for the four younger people to arrive.