AN: I decided to accept Karin's challenge this year, if for no other reason, at least because she's accepted both challenges I came up with and gave us some great stories to enjoy, so I felt I owed her at least this little story in return.

Requirements: base the story on the "Miracle of the Pueblo" episode; pick a letter of the alphabet not used in the show (for the plan they think of); one-shot; online before Christmas; plan must be believable and fitting the series.

Well… Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, make no money off of this and only write and share for the fun of it. I do, however, own the idea for the story and the order in which the words are written, so its publishing on any other website without my approval is strictly forbidden.

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It was the Christmas Eve of 1819 when Don Alejandro de la Vega, together with his son, Diego, his ward, Felipe, and Sergeant Jaime Mendoza, proud lancer of His Majesty's Army, met Señorita Victoria Escalante in her tavern, just as the siesta started.

The five of them had spent about an hour the previous evening trying to come up with a way to free from the Alcalde's jail an unjustly-arrested man calling himself Señor Jones, and who Mendoza swore was Santa Claus.

"I've been thinking!" Victoria said when they all gathered in her taproom to organize. "What if neither one of the plans we've come up with last evening works?"

"I've been wondering the same, Señorita." Mendoza uttered. "Maybe we need more ideas. Just to be sure."

"How about a plan D?" Don Alejandro asked.

It had taken them an hour the previous day to come up with three bad plans. Some 40 minutes after deciding to come up with a few more, though, they had some 26 similarly ill-conceived new plans they could put into practice (and watch as they'd fail miserably, just as they were due to).

As they were running out of ideas (and letters in the alphabet for that matter), Plan Y had to do with Victoria putting on a rather revealing blouse and seducing the Alcalde while the four men freed Señor Jones from prison. It was not a particularly good plan for Victoria, while beautiful, was not exactly a trained seductress and her attempt to mesmerize De Soto would have most probably ended with her utterly embarrassing herself under the confused gaze of the Alcalde. However, in their defense, they had already used all their better ideas and none was in the mood to let Diego speak.

"And if not even that plan works, then we move on to Plan Z." The taverness uttered. "We find a black horse and you, Diego, dress in black, put on a mask, and make De Soto and the lancers believe you are Zorro, and that you are making your escape out of Los Angeles on Tornado. The Alcalde will certainly take all his men and follow you while we free Señor Jones."

"Yes… Victoria… If I may just point out a few small flaws in that plan…" The caballero uttered.

"There's no flaw, Diego! It's a perfect plan, even better than some of the others. Perhaps we should use it earlier." Don Alejandro pointed out.

"And where exactly do you expect us to find a black horse as fast as Tornado or clothes similar to those Zorro wears?" The tall caballero inquired, no longer willing to shut up since he very well knew the consequences of keeping his silence at that point.

"We can paint the clothes you're wearing!" Victoria suggested. "And we could do the same with your horse."

"I don't believe there's enough time for any of that. Besides, what would I be wearing if we paint my clothes?" Diego inquired.

"You may wear your underwear…" Victoria suggested. "Or are you perhaps shy, Don Diego?"

"No… I…" He answered, feeling uneasy at noticing the mischievous look she was giving him, and suddenly suspecting that the sole purpose of Victoria's Plan Z was for her to see him in his underwear. Don Alejandro and Mendoza turned away to slightly chuckle at the face he made. "I really don't think that is a good idea. Besides… These are some of my favorite pants and this is certainly one of my best shirts. I'd hate to see them ruined…"

"But I think the Señorita's plan might work!" Mendoza uttered, slightly amused. "Dressed in black you could look a lot like Zorro, Don Diego!"

"I'm sure that's not the case!" He answered nervously.

"No… No… The Sergeant is right!" Don Alejandro uttered. "Dressed in black and with a mask, you'd look just like him. All you'd have to do is disguise your voice a little…"

"Father…" The tall caballero uttered, looking at Felipe for help.

The young man just shrugged his shoulders, unable to think of anything he could do to come to his guardian's aid.

"I never noticed it before, but now that Don Alejandro mentions it… Diego, you are probably just as tall as Zorro, and have a similar mustache…" Victoria uttered as she was staring at him.

He chuckled nervously, doing his best to find a way to dissipate any suspicion the three of them might start to harbor.

"Look… I always wanted to be more like Zorro… as I have probably mentioned before, on occasion… But I'd rather not get accidentally shot or executed by De Soto for impersonating him, if you don't mind…"

Victoria seemed disappointed as she glanced towards Don Alejandro. "He's right! Even if we could get the horse painted and him dressed in black, he'd probably just fall off of the horse in a matter of minutes if the lancers fire at him. All he'd accomplish would be to get himself arrested. Then how are we to trick De Soto into freeing both Don Diego and Señor Jones?" She wondered.

"I'm sure the real Zorro would not let my son hang just for dressing up like him." The elderly haciendado uttered.

"Unless he takes it as a personal insult and decides to stay out of it to punish me." The tall caballero suggested.

Don Alejandro seemed to allow himself convinced by that argument, and both his son and Felipe breathed easier.

"How about we do this instead…" Diego said. "We find a couple of branches, dress them up as bandits – bandanas included – fix them on two of our horses, then send them towards the hacienda and tell De Soto that our mounts are being stolen. If we do a decent enough job, from a distance he's sure to believe the branches are real bandits…"

"That's a terrible plan, Son! Just let Victoria and I figure everything out! You're really no good at this." Don Alejandro replied.

"That's true, Diego! It's good you are not Zorro because, if you had been him, you'd have been caught a very long time ago!" Victoria pointed out on a condescending tone before sending Mendoza to tell Señor Jones they were on their way to rescue him.

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AN: Hope you liked this little story.

PS: If anyone wants to take my New Year's Challenge this year, as well, I am sure all the Zorro fans on this fandom would appreciate it. Just saying…