At first, Diego could only sometimes hear sounds reaching him in the dark emptiness in which he resided. There was no time there, no joy, no pain, no love and no hatred. Nothing but him, or whatever was left of him. He had no idea how long he had been in that place, but he did realize when things first changed.

Where there was only darkness in the beginning, suddenly there was also light. Instead of that endless pit in which he had been stuck for who-knows-how-long, he started finding himself at lavish balls, seeing Victoria glancing towards him and becoming overwhelmed by a feeling of hopelessness, certain that their families would never allow them to be together. The next moment, he was living with the gypsies, sleeping under the clear blue sky with Victoria in his arms, or fighting evil noblemen to save her from a forced marriage. His father, Felipe, Mendoza and even De Soto made an occasional appearance in that strange world, but the only constant was the woman he loved.

Many lives they had lived together in various places and centuries. Sometimes their romance led to a happy life together, despite all the obstacles they had to overcome. Sometimes, it only led to sufferance, heartbreak and death.

Then, one day, things changed once more.

Slowly, he found himself back in Los Angeles, on horseback rides, at picnics, at the hacienda or at the tavern, participating in discussions, although, from what the people around him were saying, it felt to him that they weren't listening to a word he said. Diego, however, was listening to them.

He listened to his father tell him, Victoria and Felipe, at the dinner table, about the new horses he had bought, about the news from the pueblo, once or twice even mentioning Tornado. Most often, though, he listen to the woman he loved reading to him on their daily picnics and making confessions she normally wouldn't make. But that was a strange world he was in, so everything unusual still felt normal somehow, even their baths, when Victoria insisted on him getting naked and washing him all over, despite never allowing him to do the same for her.

Once, he heard Doctor Hernandez telling Don Alejandro that his son would probably never wake up, prompting Diego to wonder why was that even necessary for anyone to mention since Gilberto was already dead. Another time, he heard Maria, the De la Vega cook, tell Victoria how good it was to have her in the house. Diego looked around at the forest, wondering why was Maria on their private picnic, then realized, as he turned around again, that they were in the hacienda and Victoria was the mistress of the house. He was certainly happy with that, but couldn't understand why everyone continued asking him to wake up. For all he could tell, he was wide awake.

At some point, Victoria allowed him and Mendoza to go on a ride together, and his friend started telling him all sorts of strange things, mentioning Zorro having been pardoned by a new alcalde, his father being almost killed by bandits who had taken Tornado, and ending by mentioning that the horse managed to get himself free and, eventually, helped him and Sepulveda back to Los Angeles before disappearing. He could not understand the disappearing part since he was riding Tornado at the time, thus the horse was right there. But the Sergeant then mentioned that Tornado kept showing up in the De la Vega corral. Still, he realized, that didn't explain why he was riding the stallion as himself. It must have been a dead giveaway, since even Mendoza, at some point, looked at him and whispered, asking if he was Zorro by any chance, stating that, if it was so, that would explain many things.

Another time, his father came to him while he was in the cave. He didn't know how the old don knew to enter it, but he seemed to know he was Zorro and had no surprise at seeing him dressed in black. Then, he complained about him sleeping too much, about Victoria not giving him any children and also mentioned something about a pardon and a new, good alcalde. It was then that Diego finally realized he was, in fact dreaming.

ZZZ

The first time he actually managed to move was one morning. Victoria had just finished shaving his beard and, as she did, she placed a light kiss on his cheek, pretending to test how smooth his skin was, then whispered "Please come back to me, Diego!" In the strange world in which he still lived, he embraced and kissed her, telling her he was right there, that he'd never leave her. In reality, though, he only moved a finger and did that so slowly and so little that she didn't even notice.

A few days later, he moved his toes. That was during dinner, as his father was mentioning that the two thugs who had assaulted him were finally recaptured. It was then that Diego's world started falling apart as everything around him started to become dark again. At first, he believed the guilt he felt at the thought of somebody having hurt his father and him having done nothing about that was somehow causing him to return to that pit he had first lived in. He only realized it wasn't so when he started feeling his body aching. There was pain emanating from his back, legs, neck. In fact, there was pain almost everywhere and all he initially wanted to do was scream. That was until he realized that pain was good, for pain meant he was alive.

When Victoria first noticed Diego's toes moving, during one of his morning exercise sessions, she asked the caballero if it had been him doing that, then asked him to move them again if he heard her. As he could neither reply nor repeat the movement, she sighed and continued, convincing herself that she had unwittingly caused that reaction.

A while later, when the caballero was first able to open his eyes, it was night, and he saw his father sleeping in the armchair next to his bed. He couldn't move his head much. Opening his eyelids already took most of his energy, but he spent as long as he could just watching the old don until the weight was too heavy, and his eyes simply closed.

The following morning he finally felt strong enough to open them again and did so just as Victoria was washing him. He stared at her till she finished, then, realizing she might be embarrassed at finding him watching her, he closed them as soon as she raised her head to look at him.

"There you go, my dear! All cleaned up!" She said rather cheerfully as she slipped his shirt back on, then carefully pulled it down and covered him with his blanket. "Now I'll go bring you your orange juice, and I expect you to drink all of it without causing any trouble!"

Diego smiled as she exited and opened his eyes again, trying to pinch himself just to make sure he was truly awake. When he heard Victoria return to the room, Diego turned his head and looked at her with the most love-filled smile he could muster.

The young woman dropped the tray she was holding at seeing his face, and stood there, frozen for a few seconds, after which she rushed to his bedside.

"Diego!" She exclaimed, barely able to breathe and completely ignoring the fact that she was kneeling in orange juice. "Can you hear me? Are you really awake?"

He nodded slowly, not yet sure whether or not it was the right time to speak, regardless of whether he even could do that.

"Dios! You are awake! Don't go anywhere!" She uselessly asked as she picked herself up and rushed out the door, searching for Don Alejandro and Felipe. A few minutes later, the three of them rushed into his bedroom.

"Son? Diego?" His father asked.

He nodded again and the old don instantly started crying as he took his son's right hand with both of his, holding it as if it was his lifeline.

"Gracias a Dios! It will all be alright, Diego!" He first felt the need to assure him. "Felipe, go get Doctor Hernandez!" The old don then instructed and the younger man rushed out the door, tears also escaping his eyes.

ZZZ

Diego became stronger with each passing day. At first, Victoria still spend as much time as possible with him, her attentions making him hope that he was closer than ever to the day when he'd finally be able to marry her. They were already engaged, and, with Zorro pardoned - as Felipe confirmed to him when they were finally left alone - and the need for his particular brand of justice gone, there was nothing more standing in the way of their happiness. All that was left was for him to ask her as himself.

Which was what he did a couple of days after he woke up, as she was reading to him, checking from time to time to see if he hadn't, perhaps, fallen asleep.

Victoria startled and gaped at Diego, unsure of having heard what she believed to have heard.

"Marry me, Victoria!" He repeated, rather hoarsely, at noticing her puzzled look, added, "Soon."

The taverness first smiled, then suddenly remembered that she had already promised herself to another man. A man whom nobody had seen in months.

"I… I think we should talk about that when you'll be feeling better." She replied after a few moments of silence.

From that day on, she found herself, once more, pondering the mystery that was the man she had agreed to marry, just as she started reflecting on her feelings for the tall caballero.

She had, for a very long time, told herself that he was nothing more than a good friend, someone with whom she could talk about anything and never fear he'd judge or disapprove of her; a man whom she respected and admired; honest, good, and utterly frustrating.

For months she had imagined having him back, awake and walking, able to, once more, be the same paradoxical man he used to be. Yet, now that it had happened, now that he had returned to the realm of the living, she found herself hoping he hadn't, since she was still unable to sort out her feelings towards him. Was it love, or just gratitude? He had saved her life, trading six months of his own for such action, so she was certainly grateful. But was there more to it than that?

Diego could not understand her sudden mood change as Victoria seemed to suddenly prefer Maria's company in the kitchen, but decided to be patient, and focused on getting better as fast as he could. Less than a week later, he was well enough to walk through the hacienda with the help of a cane, and, even if he had not posed the question again, he had already informed both Felipe and Padre Benitez of his plans to marry the taverness as soon as possible.

To his father, he said nothing, however, certain that they needed to have a very long conversation at one point or another, and hoping he might be able to postpone it until after Victoria had agreed to the wedding. It was rather funny, Diego considered. Don Alejandro knew the truth, and he knew his father knew since he realized that much of what he was told during those dinners, picnics and rides he had had with his loved ones in his mind were, in fact, things they had said in his proximity and his mind simply made up the surroundings. But, despite knowing, Don Alejandro did not bring up Zorro while Diego was recovering, even if, at several times it had seemed to him that he was about to.

ZZZ

Tormented by too many unanswered questions, Victoria started seeing Diego's rapid progress with some inquietude.

On the one hand, she worried that, soon enough, her reason for being there would completely vanish, since Diego already seemed to no longer need her. The mere idea of leaving, however, seemed absurd. The hacienda had already become her home, the De la Vegas her family, and the caballero… She had no idea what he was at that point.

In fact, that was the other issue troubling her. He had asked her to marry him, even though she wasn't sure why he'd done that. True, he was just getting out of a coma at the time, and was weak and not yet in control of himself. But, what if he asked again? Did she want him to ask? Then what about Zorro? And why had she so rarely thought of him and of his feelings during all those months she had spent at the hacienda? What if the reason he hadn't come to her during all that time was that he somehow saw her devotion to Diego, and reached the wrong conclusion? Or was it the right one?

"I'm better." The tall caballero interrupted her train of thought one afternoon as they were both pretending to be reading in the library. Victoria raised her head to stare at him in confusion. He left his book on his chair, stood up without his cane, took the two steps separating them, and kneeled before her. "Will you marry me?" He then asked, rather certain that, although she never said a word, she had, just like his father, already realized that he was the man she had so many times professed to love. How could she not if even Mendoza reached the right conclusion about him?

Victoria opened her mouth, but no word came out, so she put away her book and stood up, pacing the room and glancing at him every few seconds. Diego smiled as he sat in the armchair she had just vacated, waiting patiently for her to reach a decision, and preparing for whatever reprimands were to come before her forgiveness.

ZZZ

Some thirty feet away, just outside the hacienda, the youngest De la Vega was doing his best to be completely useless, in the hopes to delay Don Alejandro there as much as possible. The old don had decided to do some gardening that day and his adopted grandson volunteered to help.

"No! You got that wrong again! I told you the geraniums go into the long pots and the dahlias into the round ones. What's with you today, Felipe?" The don asked in frustration when the younger man mistakenly planted the flowers wrong. For the third time that afternoon.

His grandson shrugged his shoulders.

"I'd be better off asking Victoria, or even Diego for help!" The older man uttered and stood up, considering heading to the house.

Felipe's eyes grew wide as his mind started racing between the various ways in which he could keep the older don outside while his adoptive father proposed to Victoria, as he said he would when he sent him to make sure they wouldn't be interrupted.

ZZZ

"Are you asking because your father told you I was the one taking care of you? Because you are grateful to me… or is it because I now know how you look naked?" The taverness wondered, hoping he would not see her blush.

"You saw me naked?" He asked aghast. Victoria's face turned pale at seeing his reaction. "I know you saw me naked, Victoria." He then said with a chuckle. "Just as I know you've been the one taking care of me for much of the time during which I've been unconscious. I know you've read to me, washed me, fed me, talked to me… and I am very grateful to you for all you've done. But my father didn't say a thing. He didn't have to. I've been able to hear much of what was said around me for weeks, perhaps months, even if I am not yet sure how much of that my brain made up and how much was real. Not to mention, you were just finishing washing me when I actually woke up. I closed my eyes as soon as you finished because I didn't want the situation to become embarrassing for us both." He answered, surprising the taverness. "But none of that has anything to do with my wish to marry you." He continued. "You must know, Victoria, that I've wanted nothing better than to be your husband for a very long time! I have loved you for most of my adult life, to be honest, and I know you also love me."

"You… You heard everything I said?" She inquired, still unable to face him.

"More than you would have probably wanted me to." There was an element of puzzlement to his reply as he didn't understand why she seemed so embarrassed about what he might have overheard, considering all the love declarations she had made to him, as Zorro, over the years. "I didn't do it on purpose, but I won't apologize for it, either. And it truly doesn't matter. All that matters is that we can finally get married. Victoria, this is already your home. My father is like a father to you, and I know you care about Felipe as much as I do. You are already the mistress of this hacienda. All that's left is for us to make it official." Diego replied.

"I… I can't Diego…" She answered, finally looking straight into his eyes, then turned around again at seeing his reaction.

"Why not?" He wondered, distraught, unable to understand her.

"Because I've already promised to marry Zorro." Victoria uttered, despite being rather confused about the state of that engagement.

Now that Diego was recovering and she would soon have to return to the tavern, she knew that the masked man no longer had a reason to stay away. Furthermore, she had once promised him that he'd never have to doubt her love again, and she had every intention to be true to that promise, even if she no longer knew for sure where her true affections really lay.

As she was not facing the caballero when she replied, the young woman didn't notice the sudden mixture of wonder and relief brightening his face as he suddenly realized it had not been Zorro to whose care she had dedicated herself during those six months, but Diego. Not her fiancé whom she had asked to return to her, but her best friend. Not the legendary hero whom she confessed to have kept in her heart since the first moment she had seen him, but the man of flesh and blood.

"Victoria, I think there's something you should know…" Diego said with a smile at hearing her answer. "In fact, I think there's something I should show you."

As he said that, he stood up and took her into his arms, leaning in to give her a kiss. She posed no resistance but eagerly responded, allowing him to deepen it, and kiss her with all the passion and longing in his heart. Diego was certain she finally understood as he stopped his assault on her lips, and looked at her expectantly. It took Victoria a few more moments to open her eyes and stare at him. Seconds later, he saw her beautiful face contorting in a mixture of ire and embarrassment as she suddenly pushed him away and ran out of the house, leaving the caballero completely confused.

"Where is Victoria going?" Don Alejandro asked at meeting his son on the threshold just as the taverness rushed out of the gates on her mare.

Felipe, who was following the older caballero also looked inquiringly at his adoptive father.

"I don't know." Diego answered, disconcerted as his eyes were glued to the diminishing figure of the woman he loved.

ZZZ

Victoria headed northeast at first, with no destination in mind, then, several miles into her ride, she decided to go to the tavern, so she steered her mare that way.

She was furious with Diego. She was furious about him having listened to every confidence she had made when she believed nobody was listening; she was furious about his bluntness, about his confession to having loved her for years, even if he had never before shown any sign of harboring such feelings towards her; most of all, she was furious with him for having dared to kiss her after she had clearly told him she was engaged to another man.

In the span of a week, he had gone from her patient to wannabe husband, waking up one minute and proposing the next. She would have been content with just taking care of him for the rest of her life, as long as she'd be able to see him every day. Now that he was awake, he was lost to her for the simple reason that he was misguided enough to ask her to make an impossible choice.

"He's asking you to stay by his side, just as you want to!" Something inside her pointed out.

"No, no, no! I should not be thinking that!" She chided herself. "He's not simply asking me to stay with him. He's asking me to be his lover, for that's what wives are to their husbands. And that is not how I feel about Diego!"

"Hypocrite!" The same inner voice uttered. "A woman who doesn't want a man doesn't kiss him as you've kissed him."

"He's not the one I'm supposed to marry!" She contradicted that voice. "That kiss was just a mistake!" She said aloud, just as she was entering the pueblo.

"You love him! You love being with him. You always have. And you love his family as if it was already your own. Why is it so hard to accept it?" The voice insisted.

It was already dark outside as she reached her destination. Victoria stabled her horse and spent almost half an hour brushing her while the inner dialogue continued, the new voice in her head becoming more and more convincing.

When she, eventually, headed inside through the kitchen door, she found the establishment completely empty, except for Zorro, who was waiting for her in the taproom.

"I hope you don't mind I asked everyone to give us some space. I thought we needed to talk." He said.

"Now you want to talk?" She replied spitefully. "For six months I didn't hear from you, and now you suddenly want to talk!"

He stared at her openmouthed. "I thought… I see…" He said as the grimace on his face transformed into a smile. Twice in a day he had been wrong about her knowledge of his secret. He'd really need to be more forthcoming this time. "Victoria…"

"No! I don't want to hear it!" She stopped him. "I've been waiting enough for you! For over nine years I was faithful to you! But I'm done! I don't understand why you disappeared like that, just as I don't understand why you do half the things you do! I always trusted you knew better, that you are smarter and far more clever than anyone else around. Most of all, though, I trusted our love. But… the thing is… I no longer do."

"You believe I no longer love you?" He wondered.

"No… I don't know or assume to know how you feel. I never truly knew, since you never actually told me! The truth is it's I who no longer love you. I care for you… I always will… But something happened… I fell in love with someone else…" She explained.

"With whom?"

"Promise you'll never harm him or…"

"Of course, not. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, Victoria." He uttered, holding his breath and hoping he had not imagined her confessions while he was bedridden.

"Yes… I know… I don't know why I even said that. You even suggested I should marry him once." She replied.

"Diego?" He asked as he breathed, relieved.

Victoria nodded, looking expectantly at him. Instead of saying anything, he smiled and reached to give her a kiss. She wasn't sure if to allow him to kiss her but decided that a parting kiss wouldn't hurt anyone.

This time, however, she did recognize it. Her eyes grew wide as they parted and she just remained there, staring at him in disbelief.

"You?" It was all she could ask, as all her questions were finally answered in the most unpredictable way imaginable.

"I should have told you a long time ago." He said as he took off his hat and placed it on the table next to him, then reached for the knot holding his mask in place. Untying it, he let the piece of black silk slip to the floor. "I did try a few times," he continued, looking straight as her with no mask in-between them. "Just before you accepted Juan Ortiz's proposal I came to talk to you about courting you as myself, but you were busy and, as you put it later, completely ignored me. Then… it was that night we spent in the mill… I came quite close to telling you everything, but I feared a kiss would no longer be enough once you'd know the truth, and it was just the two of us there. The day I took you to the cave I also came close, and only decided against unmasking after hearing those thugs planning to torture you into revealing my identity. Finally, the day De Soto shot Gilberto… I think that's when I came closest to confessing everything, both to you and to my father."

"And Felipe?" Was the one question which came to her.

"He's always known. Who do you think has been taking care of Tornado for all this time?"

Victoria kept looking at him, almost unable to believe as all her senses were telling her that Diego was Zorro and Zorro was Diego. She kept falling in love with him, for very different reasons, in very different ways, thinking he was two completely opposite men. Or had her heart always truly only belonged to him, and kept recognizing him, despite her mind being unable to see behind his masks?

"Now will you marry me?" He again interrupted her thoughts.

Victoria just nodded as she reached to kiss him again, committing herself to forever remain in his arms.

THE END… Maybe… For now… I'll think about it…