Diego reacted just fast enough to catch Victoria when she fainted. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her to the hacienda, his shirt forgotten on the ground and a worried Juan following them.
"Victoria? Victoria?" Diego called as he lay the young woman on a couch and used his fingers to spray some water on her face. "What do you think happened?" He asked the younger man as the taverness struggled to come to her senses.
Juan looked at him for a few moments, inquisitively studying the scars on his back. He knew exactly what happened as he had already reached the same conclusion his wife had during the duel. Her reaction only came to confirm it. The De la Vega heir was California's most infamous outlaw, the father of Victoria's child.
"I think you should ask her that." The Lieutenant replied, unsure whether to be glad that things turned out the way they did, or sad because any hope for a future with Victoria was now completely gone.
"Is she injured?" Zafira asked as she entered the room, having just been informed her help was needed.
She would have gone straight for the taverness but the sight of a half-naked Diego kneeling next to the couch stopped her in her tracks.
Victoria slowly opened her eyes, initially barely able to focus. Her mind was just as fuzzy as her vision, and it took her some time to sort out where she was and try to remember what had happened. Then, as her eyes found those of the young caballero, for a few moments it almost felt to her like she had forgotten how to breathe.
With a rush, the memories of his duel with Don Alvaro and of the truth she had just uncovered came to the forefront of her consciousness. A cascade of memories followed and, for a moment, she felt overwhelmed as she tried to merge the two men she knew and loved, in very different ways, into one. A man who was both her hero and her friend, brave and intelligent, cunning and wise, a man of action and a philosopher, a swordsman and a painter, a fighter and a man of peace, the only one who had always been there for her whenever she had needed him. A beautiful array of contrast she loved with all her heart.
Ignoring Juan's presence, as well as Zafira's, she lifted a hand to the caballero's face wondering how come she had never before noticed how much he looked like Zorro. It should have been obvious who he was from the first time she had seen him in a mask, yet she never realized the truth, despite all the clues he had willingly or unwillingly given her.
Slowly pulling him towards her, she reached to kiss him, and he responded eagerly, for a while unable to even remember that there were other people in the room, not just the two of them.
Zafira felt her heart sink and an inner voice shouting out loud for them to stop because she couldn't take the pain. No sound came out of her throat, though, and, as she averted her eyes, they found Juan, and the thought came to her mind that Diego was kissing the Lieutenant's wife right in front of him. She stared worriedly at the young officer, fearing that he might harm or, at least, challenge the caballero to a duel, but he just turned away and walked out of the room, so the young widow followed him.
ZZZ
When their lips parted, several minutes after their kiss had started, Diego and Victoria remained gazing at each other, as one would be contemplating a miracle. She was slowly sobbing and he lifted his hand to wipe away her tears, but the young woman caught it and took it to her lips to kiss, before embracing him and allowing herself to cry with happiness in his arms.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Victoria!" He muttered as he squeezed her to his chest, resting his head on hers. "I should have told you a long time ago…"
She raised her head at the implications of his words and looked into his eyes again. "You remember?" She asked, her voice trembling.
Diego just nodded, overwhelmed by all the memories, sorrows, fears, pain, joy and regrets that had returned to him, all at once, while kissing the woman he loved.
"I should be so mad at you," she told him. "You deceived me for so many years! You let me believe you felt nothing more than friendship for me while, at the same time, courting me from behind a mask!"
"I know…" He answered. "And you have every right to be angry at me!"
"But I can't! I wish I could… But I can't be upset when I am so utterly relieved and glad you are alive!" She said with a loving smile. "Besides, you did try to tell me… You even tried to take off that mask when you came to the tavern, after our first night together, but I wouldn't let you."
"You said you would wait until I'd find a way to be with you for good. And I did… I might not like it, but Zorro is dead. We can live our lives together… Except…" Diego raised his head and looked around, only then remembering the other people who were in the room earlier.
"Except I'm married to Juan." She stated at understanding what he was about to say.
The caballero slowly stood up and put some distance between them, as he folded his arms across his chest. For a few moments, he looked almost afraid, as he gathered his courage to ask. "Juan… Yes…" He said. "Have you two…"
"No! Nothing happened between Juan and me. We didn't have the time before he left, and when he returned, bringing you back with the others, all I could think of was how to prevent the Governor from executing you." She answered to his relief. "Diego, all I said to you that day at the Presidio… it wasn't true. I did marry Juan because I am pregnant, and I needed to protect my… our child. You were right about that, but I didn't understand why you knew, and others were listening in..."
"You're pregnant…" The caballero muttered, his face lighting up.
"Yes… I thought it was already visible... We're going to be parents." She answered.
Diego returned to kneeling next to the couch and kissed her again while his hand travelled to her belly. "Hello, little one," he whispered as he again let their lips part, and slowly glanced down, caressing the small bump on her stomach.
"I think it's too small to hear you!" She pointed out with a grin. "I'm so sorry, Diego! I made a mess of things… All I wanted was a family with the man I love, and all I did was to put us all in danger. I should have just stayed with you when you got ill. I knew you needed me, that we could lose you at any moment… But I let my fears get the best of me! Please, forgive me, my love!"
"I needn't forgive you anything… You did what you thought was best for our child. I can very well understand that. And you saved me again. You saved my life even without knowing the truth about me. If anyone made a mess of things, it was I, and it happened long before you went to Monterey." Diego told her saddened.
"What are we to do now? I am married to Juan and have no cause to ask for an annulment. What if he doesn't want to ask for one? And even if he does ask for an annulment, it will take months till we'll receive the decision, and the baby might be born before that!" Victoria inquired, several scenarios making their way through her mind all at once.
"I'll talk to Juan. I'm certain we can find a solution together." The caballero suggested, but his words did little to reassure the woman he loved. "It's going to be all right!" He tried to comfort her. "You just need to have some faith! My grandfather used to say things happen for a reason. Perhaps it's true… All I know is that nothing seems impossible as long as I have you by my side!"
Victoria nodded and embraced him again. "I'll never leave you again!" She promised. "And we can finally go home…"
"You are forgetting, my love, that, right now, both my identities, as well as you, yourself, must be on Wanted Posters all over the territory. Returning home under these circumstances is not a possibility, I'm afraid." He pointed out.
"You're right!" She realized. "So what can we do? How will we get back to Los Angeles, Diego?"
"I don't know yet. But I'll think of something." He answered with a slight grin.
