~Z~

Chapter 6 Blood Of My Blood

It was Sunday morning, the day after Zorra's competition. A horse trailer had just pulled up to the edge of the black path by the house. Diego and James had arranged for a jet black horse to be delivered. The horse wasn't an Andalusian but he resembled Toronado. Zorra had grown very fond of Toronado during the time he had been staying with them. "Thank you for my horse Grandpa D!" Zorra excitedly squealed as she examined every inch of her new horse.

Diego had given James a variety of coins to sell in exchange for modern currency to buy Zorra a present before he left. "Grandpa Diego, I have something for you in the house," James said as he motioned towards the door. Diego followed him into the house and spotted a gift box sitting on the kitchen table. When he opened it he discovered several photographs of him with Zorra and James. "We had photos printed for you to take with you when you go back to your own time, " James said in response to Diego's smile.

They were all aware that Diego had been preparing to leave them. Knowing that the day he planned on trying to return to his own time had come brought them all a sense of sadness. Diego had spotted a photograph of himself now hung beside the photograph of Victor on the wall across from the table. At least they would remember him when he was no longer living with them. He picked up his sword and scratched a Z into the frame his photo was hung in and left a permanent reminder that he had visited with them. He had truly enjoyed this most interesting vacation in the future.

Zorra had come in from getting her new horse settled in the pole barn after the seller had left. The horse would stay there until a proper barn could be built. "What name did you decide on for the horse?" James asked her. Zorra smiled and announced that the name of her horse was Relámpago. Diego was impressed. "Lightening, yes that's a very suitable name for a horse," he acknowledged to Zorra and James.

"So, would either of you be inclined to tell me who my wife ended up being?" Diego asked them. Zorra smiled at him and simply answered him with one word, "Spoilers!" as she didn't want to ruin the surprise of events that had not yet happened for him. Diego felt that he knew anyway. When Zorra smiled she looked a great deal like his Victoria even though she definitely seemed to favor him as well.

After one last lunch with his family Diego, James, and Zorra walked outside to their picnic table. Diego had the antique thermometer in his hand and the photographs in his pocket. He was fully dressed as Zorro. Toronado was standing by them grazing the grass. He hugged Zorra tightly and felt a tear slip out of his eye. "Zorra you have made me very proud and excited to know that my future namesake is you," he whispered to her. "Please take care of my sword," he added. "I will," she sobbed into his shoulder not wanting him to leave. Diego turned to James and gripped his shoulder, drawing him into a hug. "You are blood of my blood, and with you I am well pleased," Diego said as he looked James in the eyes. "I wish you didn't have to go," James replied. "I would love to stay here, but I must return to my time to ensure that you both will be alive and here in the future," Diego addressed them both.

He tapped the glass of the thermometer on the picnic table to break it. As James and Zorra watched he dropped a few drops of Mercury on his pocket watch explaining that it would interact with the residue still on his watch from the original accident. He quickly climbed into Toronado's saddle before he lost his eyesight again. Diego had begun to feel dizzy as the blackness began to replace his eyesight. He raised his hand to wave goodbye even though he could no longer see James and Zorra. He concentrated on Felipe and his secret cave.

Suddenly with a thud he knew he had landed. Diego opened his eyes to find a very concerned Felipe frantically signing and asking him if he was ok. Nothing had changed in the cave and it was as if the accident had just happened. "I'm fine my son," Diego replied. He proceeded to make sure Toronado was comfortable in his stall before telling Felipe all about his incredible journey into the future. At first Felipe didn't believe him, but Diego showed him the photographs of James and Zorra.

After night had fallen, Diego rode to the Pueblo as Zorro and hid in the shadows by the tavern. He jumped through a window after he heard Victoria's voice. Once again as he had done earlier that day he hid in a corner of her kitchen. Well technically it was the same day still in his own time. Once she appeared he quietly observed her for a few moments before speaking.

"Mi sensacional belleza Victoria," he spoke out into the kitchen from his secluded corner. "Zorro, you startled me again!" Victoria exclaimed. He stepped out of the shadows and took her into his arms. "We need a private place to talk where we will not be distubed," he told her just before kissing her so passionately that her feet lifted off of the floor. "Come with me," Victoria replied to his request. She led him to her private room making sure that no one had noticed him.

Once behind her closed and locked door Diego asked Victoria, "Are you sure you are prepared to find out who I really am even though I have hidden my identity from you all of these years to protect you?" "Yes, Zorro, it's all I have ever dreamed about," she assured him. Diego allowed her to remove his mask even though he feared it could all go very wrong. Victoria gasped when she finally saw his face.

"Don Diego de la Vega!" she whispered. "Yes it is I, Victoria, I'm the man behind the mask," Diego responded to her as he took her hands in his. "You have had everyone so fooled including me," Victoria laughed as she tried to think about how different Diego seemed from how she knew Zorro to be. "What are we going to do about being able to be together?" Diego asked her. "I will just have to break up with Zorro and only be friends with him from now on," Victoria answered as she seemed to be amused by her answer to their problem. "Then I will be free to begin a relationship with you in front of everyone and no one will be the wiser," she thought aloud.

Diego kissed Victoria before he put his mask back on as a commotion had begun in the dining area of the tavern. The sound had been made by a few drunk men on the verge of fighting. Sargent Mendoza and De Soto had appeared to find the source of the shouting. The men stopped mid quarrel as they heard Victoria shout out, "Zorro!" De Soto and Sargent Mendoza looked up at him as if they were trying to decide whether to lunge at him or to try to insult him and goad him into a fight.

Diego as Zorro stopped and looked over at Victoria waiting to see what she had planned. "Zorro, I have decided that I can no longer carry on a relationship with you and we need to remain as friends only!" Victoria shouted across the tables. De Soto looked at him with an evil grin spreading across his face and slowly began to clap his hands. "Senorita, it deeply saddens me to hear this, but I greatly value our friendship," he responded to her while attempting to sound disappointed. He quickly made his way over to her and kissed her hand. "Perhaps it's for the best," he said in front of everyone. "Seize him!" De Soto shouted. Diego as Zorro jumped on to a table and then up onto the light fixture. He quickly evaded De Soto and his men and was once again riding back to his cave knowing that Victoria now knew his secret.