Title: Por Ti

Rated : PG-13

Synopsis: Victoria accidentally discovers Diego's secret and his greatest fears are confirmed in her venomous reaction.

Misc Notes: Por Ti mean's 'For You.' This story takes place post series finale

Written: 10/05

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.

Por Ti

"Ah, Diego, there you are!" Alejandro walked into the tavern and headed straight for his son's table. "I should have known you'd be here."

"Morning, Father," Diego greeted his father as he lifted the customary glass of juice to his lips.

Victoria bustled around the tavern, refilling her customer's glasses and Diego had a difficult time focusing on his father. She smiled at Diego as she passed and had a , "Good morning, Don Alejandro," for Diego's father as well.

"Good morning, Victoria," Alejandro answered as she slipped behind the bar.

Turning to Diego, Alejandro's expression turned serious. "Diego, I've been searching for your mother's ring all morning and I can't seem to locate it. Do you know where it might be?"

Diego blinked, his eyes darting toward where Victoria stood, refilling her juice carafe. She met his gaze with a kind smile when she noticed him looking at her.

"I know I gave it to you, but –" Alejandro's eyes narrowed when he noticed Diego wasn't paying any attention to him.

When Diego didn't answer quickly, Alejandro pressed on. "Your mothers emerald engagement ring, Diego. You know the one. It's surrounded by tiny oval diamonds."

But Diego was not looking at his father. Victoria had overheard their conversation and was now intently meeting Diego's gaze with a curious one of her own.

Victoria's jaw fell slack. Her hands stopped moving as her eyes searched Diego's face for some sign that would disprove the wild thoughts racing through her mind. It couldn't be.

She clearly remembered the day Zorro had taken her to his cave to escape bandits chasing her to steal the money she'd saved to settle the mortgage on the tavern. After she'd nearly convinced him to share his secret with her, the bandits had interrupted that special moment. When Zorro returned, he had changed his mind. She always wondered why. Never fully accepting his explanation why his identity must remain a mystery.

Victoria had tried to convince him to tell her, and instead he disappeared up those stone steps and returned with a ring. An emerald ring surrounded by tiny diamonds.

'this was my mothers'

'will you marry me?'

Victoria was drawn back to the present by an irritated Alejandro asking, "Diego? Have you seen it? Have you even heard a word I've said?"

Seen it? It was missing. Victoria swallowed a gasp as a flood of recognition swept against her body like a tidal wave, shaking the very core of her being. Either Zorro had stolen the ring he had given her or – Diego was Zorro. She couldn't decide which thought was more unbelievable. She carefully set the carafe onto the bar and backed toward the kitchen, her eyes locked with Diego's. Even more shocked was she that he held her steady gaze, something he nearly never did.

Worry creased Diego's brow and suddenly Victoria knew the truth. A truth her best friend had kept from her for over five years. She shook her head, her heart plummeting into her stomach as Diego stood, noticing her agitation. Why had she never noticed how tall he was? How blue his eyes were?

"Madre de Dios," she whispered before rapidly disappearing into the solitude of the kitchen.

"Father, please excuse me," Diego said quickly, heart pounding as he realized that Victoria had made a very startling discovery. He needed to speak with her. Now. "I must speak with Victoria."

"But, Diego . . ."

"In a moment." Diego's tone left no room for argument as he strode quickly toward the curtain separating the taproom from the kitchen, leaving Alejandro gaping at his departing back.

When Diego slipped into the kitchen, Victoria's back was to him, her hands plunging into the dishwater and scrubbing a particularly unlucky pot vigorously.

"Victoria?" Diego called, taking a hesitant step closer.

She didn't answer.

"Victoria please . . ." Another two steps put him within arms reach of her.

Diego could see her shoulders shaking and he longed to reach out and draw her into his arms. But fear stayed his hands and he simply stood behind her, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence.

Pilar entered then and gave them a curious look.

"Pilar, can you please take care of the customers?" Diego's tone left no room for refusal and the young señorita stared at him. "Victoria and I have something private to discuss."

With an uncertain nod toward Victoria, who had not bothered to turn around, the young woman disappeared through the curtain.

"How commanding you can be when the mood strikes." Victoria's voice dripped venom.

"Victoria, please," Diego began, holding a trembling hand out toward her. "Let me explain."

"What is there to explain!" Victoria whirled on him, careful to keep her voice low. Even in her anger, she knew the importance of keeping his secret.

Diego's heart plummeted into his stomach when he noticed her tear-stained face. He opened his mouth to speak but she hurried on, her voice trembling as violently as her hands.

"I consider myself an intelligent woman, Diego. How could you have kept this from me so easily? I've been blind. I never saw. I should have –," Victoria's racing mind fought to keep up with the words spilling in incoherent sentences from her lips.

"You are the most intelligent, beautiful woman I know, Victoria." Diego stepped closer and she immediately backed away.

"How could you do this to me? Lie to me, pretend . . ." sobs punctuated her words, causing her to take a deep breath before continuing. "Tell me the truth now. No more lies." She waited only for his nod before continuing. "That ring your father was talking about, you know where it is, don't you?"

"Victoria, I . . ."

"A yes or a no will do!" she seethed.

Diego swallowed nervously. "Yes."

Victoria closed her eyes, tears slipping from beneath the closed lids. "You gave it to me." Her voice was a mere whisper as she opened her eyes slowly for his answer.

"When I asked you to marry me, yes," Diego said softly, reaching out to gently rest his hands on her shoulders. His heart ached as she trembled. Throwing caution to the wind and risking even further wrath, he gathered her against his chest and held her tightly.

Victoria stiffened in his arms, her anger warring with the overwhelming familiar security of his embrace. But the famous temper won out and she flattened her hands against his chest and shoved him away from her.

"You lied to me!" she cried, tears dripping down her cheeks. "Why? Why did you do this to me?" She pushed at him, venting her anger. "You never intended to keep your promise, did you?"

Diego opened his mouth to explain, but she continued, her tone venomous. "I trusted you! Both of you!" she turned away, whimpering. "How could you betray that trust?"

"Victoria let me –"

"Get out," she hissed, her voice steady for the first time since this had begun. "Get out of my tavern."

"Not until you let me –"

The stinging slap that followed as she whirled around to face him caused him to stumble away from her. Victoria lowered her hand when she noticed the shocked look on Alejandro's face as he stepped through the curtain. Her hand stung and she clenched it into a tight fist.

She swallowed hard and glared at Diego. "Get out."

"What's going on here?" Alejandro demanded, eyes narrowed. What had his son done to anger Victoria enough to strike him? When he received no answer, he glared at his son. "Diego. Answer me."

"Father." Diego's voice shook with restrained emotion. "Victoria and I are having a private conversation."

Victoria turned steely eyes on her former friend. "We have nothing more to say to one another. Get out of my tavern."

Alejandro's brow creased. What was going on here? He took Diego's arm, stunned at the tense muscle he could feel beneath the crisp, white shirt. "Diego, go. Let me speak with Victoria."

"No, I –"

"Get out!" Victoria nearly screamed the word, not caring who was around to hear.

Diego winced. Despite wanting to stay and make her understand, he knew that when she was in such a temper, reasoning with her was the last thing she would allow. Diego turned on his heel and strode out, not looking back.

"Victoria, my dear," Alejandro moved to the distraught woman's side immediately. "Whatever Diego has done to upset you, please accept my apology and –"

"I don't want to talk about it." Victoria's shoulders slumped. "I – I just want to be alone."

"Against my better judgement, I'll acquiesce, for now." Alejandro frowned. Whatever his son had done, it was no small thing. Pushing Victoria now would get him nowhere.

"Please come to me if you need to talk," he said before stepping out of the kitchen. Determination hastened his steps. He would drag an admission out of his son if he had to beat it out of him.

When Alejandro returned to the hacienda, Diego was nowhere to be found. The older man stalked through every room, his temper growing with each passing minute. He growled in frustration, startling Felipe who had just sat down to read a particularly interesting volume Diego had recommended the day before.

"Felipe!" Alejandro's eyes brightened. The boy always knew his son's whereabouts. "Do you know where Diego is?"

The boy shook his head, indicating that he'd not seen Diego since he left for the tavern this morning.

Alejandro frowned and Felipe's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. Felipe decided to ask, rather than search out Diego.

Alejandro sighed. "Diego and Victoria had a fight today. I only heard the very end of it, but, it was very serious. Victoria was crying."

Felipe's eyes widened and he suddenly wished he hadn't asked, simply distracted the older man and entered the cave. Which, Felipe knew, is where Diego went when he had something serious on his mind.

"Please come get me if you see him?"

Felipe nodded quickly, hoping the man would stalk off to another part of the hacienda to look for his missing son.

After a few moments of grousing, Alejandro did just that, leaving Felipe free to enter the cave.

Felipe frowned when Diego wasn't there. Where could he have gone? And what was this argument about? There was very little that Diego, the indolent Diego that he presented daily to the pueblo, could do to upset Victoria. Unless . . . Felipe's eyes widened and with one last look around the cave, he left to saddle his horse. He would go to the tavern himself and find out what happened if he couldn't find Diego.

By the time Felipe arrived, rumor was already running rampant that Victoria had had a fight with someone very close to her. By the way the tavern customer's talked, she simply wandered around in a daze, filling their orders, until retiring to her room for some much needed privacy.

Pilar worked the lunch crowd now, and Felipe watched and waited, listening for any further clues as to who she'd fought with. Some mentioned it had to have been Zorro, for no one had ever remembered the vibrant young woman ever looking so despondent.

After a few hours, Felipe left the tavern, even more worried for Diego than he had been when he'd arrived.

Victoria lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. The tears had finally stopped only to be replaced by a painful emptiness. Her thoughts turned back to that day in the cave, when she'd seen that ring for the first time. Diego's mothers ring. Doña Elena de la Vega's ring.

Zorro held out the beautiful jeweled ring to her that day and asked her the words she had longed to hear since she was a child. "Will you marry me?" Words she had dreamed of every day since then.

She'd accepted with such joy, with such happiness that she felt she would burst from the overwhelming feeling of it all.

Now that joy was gone. To be replaced by an overwhelming sense of betrayal. Diego was Zorro! It was almost unbelievable. But as she thought more about the startling revelation, she could see the similarities between the two men – similarities that she had never noticed before today. Now that she knew, she couldn't believe that she had never known. It was all so obvious to her now.

She didn't know at whom she was angrier. Diego for keeping such a secret or herself for never seeing the truth that stood right in front of her eyes.

TBC