First of all, I want to thank everybody who has been reading my stories the past year, thanks for all the wonderful reviews I received. I hope you will be pleased with the stories that will be written in the next year. This is part of a New World Zorro fan fiction group Xmas challenge.
For now, I wish everybody, on this site a very very Merry Christmas and a very very happy 2019.
kisses en hugs LadyTpower
A very special Christmas
It was two days before Christmas, the sun had been shining over the desert during the day, not one drop of rain in several months and it looked like it wasn't going to rain for the next months.
That night Diego sat down on a large rock, not any rock, it was the one that held the secret entrance to the cave, the one Toronado used to enter and leave if Zorro was needed or if he wanted to stretch his legs, he wouldn't go far though just far enough to hear the famous whistle when he was needed for the fox of the night.
Christmas was a quiet time for Zorro, a bandito here and there but nothing more than that, it was also a hard time for Diego, no need for Zorro was fewer trips to the pueblo and less time to hold the love of his life.
The young De La Vega was staring at the full moon and the stars flickering above the endless desert., seeing a large Z in the stars, it made his mind go to the things he couldn't have as long as he was wearing the mask of the local hero.
" Four years since the first appearing of Zorro and nothing has changed, I am not even one step closer to having the life with the woman that I love." sighed Diego.
Still watching the moon and the stars.
Diego wasn't the only one who had a hard time, Victoria was cursing this time of the year as well, although she loved the holidays' spirit, she hated the fact that it was a time for family, fewer customers, but more importantly less time with the man of her dreams, the hero of her heart.
She sat on a bench outside on her front porch, looking at the stars, using her imagination to find figures in the stars, she sighed when she spotted that same large Z formed by the stars, the same stars that Diego was looking at, miles away from the pueblo.
It brought her mind to her hero, the man that stole her heart when he appeared.
" Four years ago you stole my heart, my stunning fox but we are not one step closer to sharing a life together, will there ever be a day that I get to know you, the man behind the mask." she thought not risking to say those things out loud with the Alcalde on the other side of the street and not wanting to risk him planning something to lure him out on these holidays, he was quiet for now and she wanted to keep it that way, no matter how madly she longed for the man in black.
They both kept looking at that sign in the sky both at the same time but miles from each other, longing to hold each other in their arms.
Then the miracle happened their minds formed the same wish, thinking it at the same time, " I wish I could start the new year with a new chapter, holding the love of my life in my arms at night starting our life together."
It was like mother nature gave them a sign by making the stars in the Z brighter than before letting the last one flicker a few times.
The young tavern owner sighed and pulled her shawl closer, she whispered, " I love you, Zorro!" before she stood up and went to bed, dreaming of that one day that her prayers would be heard and that her wish would come true.
She turned around one more time the moment the sky was lighting up for just a few seconds. She looked with confusion towards the sky but shook her head and continued her way inside.
Diego was less confused, yes, he had seen the same bright light but he knew where that light came from the moment an older man stood in front of him, with a white costume with light blue embroidery's and a light blue tie and sash, but, just like the last time, red shoes.
" Good evening my dear Diego." spoke the man.
Diego smiled he knew this man, " Good evening don Fernando, what brings you down here? I haven't lost it again, not that I know off."
Don Fernando shook his head, " no, no, dear, dear Diego, I am here to tell you that the time has come to look your biggest fear in the eyes.
Diego thought for a moment where this was going, " you mean...?"
The old man placed a hand on Diego's shoulder, " yes, Diego, it is time to listen to your heart and share your secret to the woman who holds it.
" But as if she rejects the man behind the mask, I couldn't handle that, don Fernando, she is the strength behind Zorro, without her Zorro is lost."
Don Fernando sighed, he knew this was coming, " I appear not only when important people have troubles seeing the good they do, I also come when two soul mates wish the same thing on the same time, I appear than in front of one of them to make that wish come true." explained the angel with the red shoes.
" Yes, don Fernando I get all of that but that doesn't mean she will accept me as the man behind the mask and if she does what about the rest of the people they all know she is waiting for Zorro?"
Fernando knelled in front of Diego, looking him straight in his face, " Diego do you believe in God?"
" Of course I believe in God! But what has it to do with my fears." Diego asked
" Have faith in him and have faith in me, my boy. We will give you everything you deserve, Diego. You have waited long enough now. Please think about it and have trust in Him." the angel said before leaving Diego with his own thoughts.
Could it be true, was it finally time for Diego to marry the one woman who kept him walking, breathing, kept him alive? Maybe don Fernando was right, after all, only one way to know and that was to fight his biggest fear, Victoria's rejection.
Diego had made his decision, he was going to follow his heart, he was going to do what don Fernando had asked him to do, have faith in Him.
" Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, the ultimate day to change my life, hoping in the best way." Diego thought while he climbed down, he had a lot of work to do before tomorrow night.
That night was short, the day would be long, this was it, tonight was the night, he sent Felipe to the pueblo, he had become quite brilliant in bringing messages for Zorro to Victoria without getting caught.
Victoria was working in her kitchen she had a lot of work for her annual Christmas party for the pueblo. When she heard a strange sound on her back door, she opened it and was shocked with what she found, it was an arrow, decorated with greenery of a Christmas tree and little red ribbons holding the greenery to the arrow and carrying a little card in handwriting she knew by heart.
Victoria,
You are my strength and my weakness,
my breath and my life,
please accept this invitation to a romantic dinner,
I will provide a ride for you this evening after closing time.
Love always,
Z
Victoria couldn't believe her luck, a dinner with the man she loved, this was a dream come true.
The day went by slowly, too slowly for the likes of Diego and Victoria, but still, the evening came.
Victoria was wearing a beautiful red dress, with a large green shawl around her shoulders, she was waiting for what she didn't know, she didn't have to wait long though for her answer when a beautiful, black stallion walked from out of the shadow, a stallion she knew by heart it was Toronado.
The smart horse pointed towards his saddle, where she saw a single rose, carrying another little message.
Mi Preciosa
Like I promised,
your ride awaits for you,
mount my loyal stallion,
he will bring you to me.
One piece of advice, hold on tight,
there is a reason I called him Toronado
your beloved
Z
Victoria sighed out of happiness, " this is it, this will be a night to remember."
She mounted Toronado, took the reins and did what the little cart said she held on tight, to keep in the saddle of the most beautiful horse she knew, Toronado.
The horse ran miles in the desert until they came in an abandoned place full of rocks, the horse stopped.
" Where are we?" she asked out loud hoping that the voice she loved so much would answer it but she heard nothing, Victoria jumped out off the saddle not knowing where to go now until a soft nose pushed her in the direction of some rocks.
She looked behind her towards the horse that brought her here, it was definitely Toronado so she couldn't do anything less than trust him and walked forward, seeing a pad that went down and on the end a blanket with the most wonderful things but still no Zorro.
Toronado gave her yet another little push encouraging her to walk the pad down.
" All right Victoria, be brave this could change your life." she thought to herself right before she started her way down and to a wonderful evening with the man she loved so much.
On the blanket was a present with a little card open me written on it, Victoria felt the butterflies through her whole body, this was more than she suspected not knowing that the one wish she prayed for so hard would come through today.
Inside the present were four red roses, one in every corner of the present within the middle a piece of silk, with one last card.
Querida,
What is your most fond wish?
Your Hero
Z
she took the mask out of the present and held it close to your heart, " I want to know who you are." she whispered.
" I would wish that you were holding me like that instead of my mask, my love!" came a voice from out of the shadow.
Victoria turned around, there he was standing in the shadow, leaning against some rocks inside of a cave, not his cave, but still a cave, shadows fell over him like one big mask it was obvious that the mask in this present was the mask he had been wearing to come here.
" Come into the moonlight, that way we can enjoy our evening," said Victoria trying to control her impatient nature.
Diego sighed, this was it, there was no way back now.
Step by step he came out of the shadow that had fallen over him like the mask not normally would be wearing now.
Victoria's heart started banging in her throat, she felt more anxious every step he took until it was clear who her hero was, she was shocked but still overjoyed.
" Diego is it really you?" she asked trying to keep control of her voice.
Diego nodded, " Yes Victoria, it is me, it has been me from the start. Disapp..." he couldn't bring out the rest because she had taken a sprint and was kissing him with all the passion she got.
The only thing he could do now was let kiss her back with as much passion as she was giving him.
It lasted until they needed to come up for air.
"This is everything I ever dreamed of, my best friend being the same man as I love with whole my heart, I am not crazy after all, I am not loving two different man, my mind knows now what my heart knew all along. Thank you, Diego, for giving me this. I love you so very much.
" I love you too, mi Amor, this is the most special Christmas ever!"
the end