Title: Consequence

Written by : Leiasky

Rated : PG - NC 17

Synopsis: What happens during a thunderous rainstorm has far reaching consequences for Diego and Victoria.

Misc Notes: This story takes place a few months after the series finale 'A Conspiracy of Blood'

Author's Notes: I happen to live in Los Angeles and after the rainstorms we've had this year, I couldn't NOT write a story about it.

Disclaimer: This story was written solely for the enjoyment of other Zorro fans and is not intended to infringe on any copyrights held by Goodman/Rosen Productions, New World Television, Zorro Productions, the estate of Johnston McCulley or anyone else.

Consequence

It had been raining nonstop for three days. Day and night, lightning raced across the horizon and thunder shook the waterlogged hills. This was no normal storm. It wasn't mere drizzle that fell from the sky. It was as if the heavens had opened up and a deluge of water had sprung from the clouds to drench the normally dry, arid country. It was a storm unlike the residents of Alta California had ever seen. Even their ancestors, the first settlers of this new land had not documented ever seeing such a storm. And there was no sign of the rain even beginning to let up any time soon.

The only good thing about all of the rain was that the alcalde was far more occupied with repairing his water-damaged cuartel and adjacent buildings to concoct any schemes to relieve the citizens of Los Angeles of their hard-earned money.

The people were safe from the alcalde's tyranny for the time being but in that reprieve came costly damages to homes and property from the deluge that had blanketed the California coast for the last three days. Even the wealthy landowners had felt the sting of terrible loss - both in their livestock as well as their homes and land.

Living in the normally dry California region had softened the people into complacency. Roofs were not as well thatched as they should have been and routine maintenance of spacious hacienda's had fallen by the wayside. Even if there were some citizens not affected by the incredible deluge, they were powerless to help others as the roads washed away and flood waters blanketed every low-lying area from San Francisco to San Diego.

"Father, I'm riding into town today to see how the tavern is faring in all of this rain," Diego informed his father as he fastened the large cloak about his neck.

"I'm not sure riding into town is wise right now, son," Alejandro glanced out the window and frowned. "You can't see two feet in front of yourself out there."

"Well," Diego pulled on some leather gloves and regarded his father with a small smile. "I will make it. It may just take a bit more time to get there. I'm a bit worried about Victoria."

Alejandro smiled warmly at his son's concern for the tavern owner. It was good to see the young man interested in something other than his books and his poetry. "Well, wait a moment and I'll join you."

Diego stopped as he reached for the door handle. "I think you should stay here in case there is more trouble. It wouldn't be good for both of us to be away at a time like this."

Alejandro sighed, realizing his son was right. Even the well-maintained de la Vega hacienda had not escaped the deluge of rain unscathed. Leaks had sprung up all over the hacienda and had been patched quickly and as well as could be expected while it still rained. Much more rain could see those leaks cause large holes or possibly a collapse of the ceiling entirely. "Well you be careful, then Diego!" Alejandro called after his son, who pulled up the hood of his cloak and walked out the door.

Alejandro stared after his son and shook his head. "Now why can't you behave in a more determined manner more often?" A crash startled the man from his intense gaze at the door and he turned to investigate, muttering something about his son's touching concern for the beautiful tavern owner. The old Don picked up a few small items that had fallen off a nearby stand and chuckled to himself. "Too bad you couldn't' show this determination and concern sooner, perhaps something more than a brotherly friendship could have developed between you two." Another loud clasp of thunder knocked some paintings off the walls and Alejandro swore beneath his breath. "Enough already!" He threw his hands in the air and glanced toward the sky.

Hours later, Diego found himself standing at the tavern door, nearly untouched by the rain and looking splendidly dry beneath the voluminous dark cloak. No small feet in and of itself since he'd had to maneuver his horse around the flooded road and into unknown territory to even be able to make it into the pueblo. He knocked sharply on the frame and waited for a few moments before a startled Victoria unlatched the bolt and pulled open the door.

"Diego?" She cocked her head and stared at the handsome caballero. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking on you." He answered with a kind smile. He was completely unconcerned with how he looked, but Victoria noticed immediately and raked her eyes over his surprisingly dry body.

"In this weather, Diego!" Victoria pulled him inside just as a strong gust of wind turned the rain sideways and began pelting them where they stood. She was pleasantly surprised that he cared enough about her to risk riding into the pueblo during such a storm. She silently cursed the god that gave the man such perfect posture and grooming. There wasn't a hair out of place on his head!

"Well, things are finally stabilizing at the hacienda and I wanted to make sure everything was okay here." He answered truthfully, a small, odd smile spreading across his handsome features. Though the truer fact may have been that he'd missed her over the last few days and wanted to simply see her again. Zorro had no reason to ride and he hadn't been into town for days thanks to the rain. It had been getting harder and harder to spend time away from her. As both Diego de la Vega or Zorro, he saw her nearly every day and being parted from her due to this never ending storm caused him to climb the walls in frustration.

"Is everything alright?" Victoria asked, suddenly concerned. The de la Vegas were close friends and she loathed to see any harm come to them or those whom they employed. She led Diego over to the fireplace and helped him remove the waterlogged cloak. She hung it carefully so that it would reap the most benefit of the fire and turned a smiling gaze on her longtime friend. Truthfully, she was overjoyed to have some company. Even better that it was her best friend. She'd been lonely for the last few days as the storm had kept away only the bravest of travelers. Even her rooms upstairs remained empty and had been for days.

"Other than a few leaks, we seem to be weathering the storm fairly well," He nodded and bent to catch some heat radiating from the fire. He rubbed his hands together and smiled warmly at the woman he loved. "And you?"

Victoria rolled her eyes when a loud crash from the kitchen prevented her from responding. "It's been a trying few days." She muttered as she rushed into the kitchen, Diego on her heels.

She pushed her way through another door off the kitchen - a storage room and raised the lantern she'd procured from a nearby table. She sighed deeply when she glanced up at the roof. Earlier in the day, a leak had formed in the high ceiling and Victoria had contained the water by simply putting a pot beneath the leak to catch the drops. But the leak had spread and it appeared that a portion of the ceiling was on the brink of collapse.

"This is not good," Diego helped Victoria push crates into the corner of the room and then turned to glance up at the ceiling once again. "That roof is going to come down if it isn't stabilized."

Victoria stepped back to light a few candles while Diego searched for a way to climb up to the affected area.

"Be careful, Diego. Don't hurt yourself." Victoria called out behind her as she searched for something sturdy with which to brace the sagging ceiling.

Diego chuckled wryly. If she only knew. He swallowed convulsively, hesitating only briefly before lifting himself easily up and atop the sturdy shelves without much effort whatsoever.

By the time Victoria turned around to give him a large piece of wood to brace the area with, he was already working to steady the sagging ceiling. She called out to him and he reached down to grasp the offered brace when a crumbling sound could be heard from above. The sound of rushing water assailed her senses and then the piece of ceiling under where Diego sat collapsed under a shocking torrent of debris and water.

Victoria screamed and instinctively covered her head in a vain effort to protect herself from the falling debris. The rush of water knocked her to her knees and pushed her into the doorframe that led into the kitchen. With her eyes closed, she didn't see what happened to Diego, but she heard him cry out and then heard him hit the floor. Every candle and lantern in the room went out as the water and rain poured into the storage room.

"Diego!" She cried, frantically grasping at air. Once the debris stopped falling, She pushed herself onto her knees and began to crawl back toward where she thought Diego would be. "Diego! Answer me!"

A few moments of silence followed her cry and she choked in a gulp of air, determined not to think the worst.

"Victoria," Came the quiet reply and she released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Don't come closer. Only a portion of the ceiling gave way. If the rest goes, I don't want you…caught beneath… it."

His breathing sounded labored and Victoria blinked at the darkness, at the raindrops purposely collecting on her eyelids and preventing her from finding her friend. "Dios! Where are you?" She had clearly ignored his demand to stay back, unconcerned for her own safety. Lightning flashed and she was permitted a fleeting look around the small room. But she couldn't see Diego, all she could see were splintered pieces of her roof.

"Victoria! Stay back!" This time his voice brought with it an aire of superiority and the demand that echoed through the small room caused her to take pause - in a moment of quick reflection, and confusion, her eyes narrowed at the familiar tone.

"Diego, you sound hurt!" She called over the torrent of rain that assailed them from above. "Please, where are you!"

Wood cracked and strained against some invisible force. Debris scratched against the floor, against everything they came into contact with. She felt, rather than saw, him crawling toward her then lightening once again illuminated the small room for one brief instant. She inhaled sharply when she noticed his eyes, staring right at her as she reached for him. In that one brief instant, he didn't look like her childhood friend. The familiarity reflected in his eyes caused a tremor to race down her spine. But that familiar look was quickly forgotten when her fingers finally reached his. She grasped them tightly, heaving a huge sigh of relief. If she could have seen her knuckles, they'd have been white with fear.

She launched herself into his arms as he reached the doorframe, hugging him so tight, she could hear him groan, could feel something crack against her chest. "Diego?"

"We need to close this door and push something against it to keep the water contained!" he called over the howling wind that whipped through the room. The rain pelted their faces like miniature daggers as they moved quickly to barracade the door. "We can't do anymore tonight. We'll need to wait until the light of day," Diego breathed. Victoria gripped his hand tightly and they moved through the curtains and into the dining area.

They squinted against the sudden light of the fire, and the few candles that she had lit when Diego arrived. They both trembled, both from the exertion and the cold. Diego suddenly stopped and leaned against the bar, breathing haggardly. When their entwined hands were pulled taught, she turned back and regarded her best friend with a concerned stare.

"Diego?" She stepped back toward him and placed her hand on the side of his cheek. Giving him a quick once over, she surmised he'd been injured in some way. But he had not said anything. There were a few small cuts on his face, but there was very little blood. Surely he would have spoken up if he was injured? Sudden concern for his safety overwhelmed her and she reached out and gently gripped his arm.

He coughed once and smiled crookedly at her, seemingly amused at the situation he had found himself in. "In hindsight, perhaps I should have remained on the…floor."

A pang of recollection rushed through her body at that smile but she pushed it to the back of her mind as she inspected his drenched body for further signs of injury. Without any thought of propriety, she pulled off his jacket and tossed it up on the bar, continuing her search.

Diego shifted uncomfortably beneath her touch and again a small piece of her wondered at how such a gentile, inactive man had such an obvious, well-muscled form. What did he do to maintain such a …well-cut physique? When he pushed away her hands and muffled a groan, she glanced up into his eyes - the window to his soul. He looked away uncomfortably and then she noticed that he was holding his arm very tightly against his side. Before she could voice a concern, he said slowly, deliberately, catching his breath. "It's just my arm. I think it's just bruised."

Victoria caught her breath and immediately stood. "Let me fetch some supplies. I can wrap it in a sling."

Diego nodded and watched her sprint up the stairs and into one of the empty rooms. He shifted uncomfortably, hoping that the pain in his side was mere bruising and not a broken rib or worse.

When Victoria came down the stairs, she regarded Diego with a curious stare. Not only was he thoroughly drenched and looking like a drowned rat, she was surprised at the determination in his eyes, in his demeanor as he worked to find the source of his pain. His white shirt was now translucent due to the rain and she was astonished to see the well-defined muscle flex with each simple movement. His wet hair fell into his eyes, giving him a rakish quality that she had never noticed before in the ever so prim and proper caballero. Even his now soaked pants hid a multitude of wonders that she had never noticed before. How had she never noticed this? She could see his muscled thighs flex with the effort of sliding down to the floor. She found herself watching him for a few curious seconds before lightening flashed outside the windows, reminding her that Diego was injured.

"Diego," She crossed the distance between them surprisingly quick for a woman her size and knelt beside him with a small bag in her hands.

He regarded her with a kind smile and glanced at her hands. Sensing the unspoken question, she replied with a quick, "Something I keep for emergencies."

She noticed him take a deep, shaky breath and placed a questioning hand on his arm - again noting the tight muscle hidden beneath the wet shirt. She shook her head, committing this new development to her memory for closer examination later, and reached for Diego's shirt.

He stared down at her fingers as they nimbly unfastened the buttons hidden beneath the ruffle of his shirt. He tensed suddenly for a moment and considered removing her hands before his body responded too eagerly for him to hide it. The feel of her gentle touch proved too difficult to resist and he just stared down at her through darkened eyes.

She noticed him tense but continued with her work, offering, "You need to get this wet shirt off or you'll catch cold. And I need to wrap your arm." She pulled the wet fabric away and tossed it onto the bar with his jacket. When she returned her gaze to his chest, her breath caught. Her fingers rested on his injured arm, but her eyes raked over his muscled torso until he stirred uncomfortably beneath her stare.

When she glanced into his eyes, she saw a storm raging there strong enough to rival the one currently raging outside the tavern walls. Those eyes were hauntingly familiar and she trembled, forgetting that she was looking at her best friend, and not at the man to whom she had pledged her life and her love.

As was customary, she fell into his soft, loving gaze - He has the same crystal blue eyes as…. And before she knew what she was doing, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

TBC