Diego looked up at the stars from his spot on the alcalde's roof later that night. He tried not to look across the plaza at the light still on in Victoria's room. Was she still awake? Was she hoping he'd come tonight? Was she angry? Worried about him? Felipe said she'd read his note and didn't seem angry, only concerned. She'd come to talk to him, which meant she couldn't be too angry.
Suddenly he heard noise below, and moved where he could hear what went on in the alcalde's office. The governor had men inside, but this was his ticket to freedom so he was determined to be there in case he was needed. Diego had ridden with Hernando to Santa Ana to see the governor today. The governor had already heard rumors of tyranny, and listened intently to everything even a distant descendant of the king had to say. Hernando's testimony, with the DeLaVega support, was enough to convince the governor to come lay a trap for the devious alcalde. Hopefully, the alcalde would find himself behind bars while Zorro finally found freedom.
He listened intently as Hernando pretended to bring the alcalde stolen money in exchange for his freedom. Soon, he heard DeSoto protesting loudly. Diego smiled. He looked across at the light one more time, then dropped down to the ground and entered the office. As expected, when he appeared DeSoto's fury tripled. Diego tried not to laugh in joy as DeSoto blamed him for everything under the sun. He watched in glee as DeSoto was stripped of his rank and thrown in his own jail. After the alcalde was locked up, he edged toward the door as the governor approached him.
"You must be the infamous Zorro," Governor Valdez held out a hand in greeting, which Zorro cautiously accepted.
"The De La Vegas speak highly of you. I've had several letters from Alejandro and Diego. They say you are not an outlaw." The governor reached over and removed the large WANTED poster from the wall, looking from the picture to the masked man himself. "Six thousand pesos. DeSoto doesn't seem to like you at all."
"I am loyal to the King of Spain. I only try to protect the people." Diego said warily, still wondering if he should escape out the door.
"The king has heard of your exploits as well." The governor turned to the men he'd brought with him, telling them to return to the jail so they could have some privacy. When the door was closed and they were alone, Diego relaxed a little. "Several years ago I met up with a friend of mine in Madrid. Sir Edmund Kendall. He boasted about a student he had at the time." Diego eyed the door again, but then reconsidered and leaned carefully against the wall for support as he waited to hear what Valdez had to say. "First year in school, he said, and the student was almost better than the master." They looked at each other in silence for a moment before the governor tore the large poster in half, then walked over to the desk and the saddle bags stashed behind it.
"This might interest you," he said as he handed over a rolled parchment with the royal seal still intact.
Zorro looked at it, but didn't take it. "Is that what I think it is?"
"From the King himself. It's yours." Zorro took the parchment as if it were the finest crystal and might shatter if he moved too quickly. "Zorro won't be needed anymore. You should disappear." He smiled at Diego's stunned expression. "But tell your father. I served with him in the army. He deserves to know the kind of son he's raised." Diego couldn't seem to get enough moisture in his mouth to speak, and was grateful the wall was holding him up. "Go home. I'll come see you and your father tomorrow. There will be a lot to discuss." Diego stood and shook the governor's hand again. Then disappeared into the night.
Diego found Toronado and told him about the pardon. The horse didn't seem to have an opinion on what he should do now. They walked slowly around the pueblo until he came to the back of the tavern. Her light was still on. If she didn't want him to come see her, she could have closed her shutters, right? He started to climb up, but chickened out. He turned back to Toronado, who now obviously had an opinion and pushed him back towards the window. He tried to quiet the stallion, but the square of light reflected on the ground from the window suddenly disappeared. He turned and saw Victoria looking down at him.
"Are you coming in?" Victoria asked. He stood frozen, looking up at her until Toronado bumped him again. She was standing across the room when he entered. He pulled the scroll out from where he'd stashed it for the short climb. He smoothed out a slight bend which had appeared, then stood staring at it dumbly. He set it carefully on a nearby chest of drawers, gently laid his hat over it and closed the shutters behind him. He faced her again, silent for a moment, then he removed the mask and added it to the pile.
"I'm glad you're still awake. I'm sorry I wasn't there today." Diego started quietly. He went to run his fingers through his hair, and gloves were added less gently to the pile before he did it again. He was hot and tired, and the cool air against his face felt lovely, even if he did feel exposed standing in front of Victoria without the mask.
"What happened last night after you left?" Victoria asked. Diego was happy to start with the easy stuff.
"Hernando had escaped…those were the shots we heard. But I knew he wouldn't try to escape. I found him and he said the alcalde had threatened him. My father and I have been writing letters to anyone who would listen about what is happening in Los Angeles. I thought the governor might listen to Hernando and we could lay a trap for DeSoto." The chest of drawers was the perfect shoulder-height and he leaned against it and the wall, exhaustion catching up to him. Victoria brought him a glass of water and he drank it gratefully.
"So it's over. Ignacio is in jail. I'm still trying to grasp everything that has happened this week." He was glad she hadn't gone all the way back across the room after handing him the water. She was standing so close he could smell her perfume. He propped his head on his fist, leaning more into the corner of the wall and chest as his mind emptied of everything but her. She blushed as she saw the look of love and desire in his eyes, and focused on the scroll she'd seen earlier. Picking it out from under his other things, she tried to focus on it instead of the man now standing barely a few feet from her.
"What is it?" She studied it intently as she felt his hand lightly touch her hair.
"Zorro's pardon. I'm free." Diego's hand moved from her hair to caress her cheek. "I think." She looked up at him in surprise and he shrugged. "I've had more important things on my mind this week. I didn't open it yet."
"More important than your freedom?" she asked, and he dropped his hand, resigned to more talking. He nodded when she made a move to open it and she examined the words carefully. "It is. It's signed by the King. You're free."
"Free to do what?" Victoria almost rolled her eyes at him. Maybe he was asleep on his feet because he wasn't making any sense. He stopped her when she looked like she was going to move further away from him again. They both looked at his bare hand on her bare shoulder, the goosebumps that spread on her skin and the blush that followed. "What does my freedom mean if I don't get the girl?" He smiled hesitantly, a little less tired as he traced his fingers up her neck so he was cupping her cheek again.
He pulled her closer to him as he stood away from the wall he'd been leaning against, and she came around the chest so she was standing directly in front of him. She covered his hand with hers, and put her other hand over his heart. "I was never angry. I didn't understand-" It appeared Diego was done talking when he threaded his fingers into her hair and bent to kiss her before she could say anything else. She gasped in surprise, and any words she was planning to say were scattered as his tongue dipped into her mouth. Her hands felt muscles she never imagined would be on Diego as her hands ran up his chest to lace her own fingers into his hair. Diego couldn't hold back a groan as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, loving the feel of her soft curves against his tired body.
Victoria gasped and angled her head as he trailed kisses down the side of her neck. He held her tighter as his lips continued to her bare shoulder, her shawl long forgotten and hanging uselessly behind her. Her own hands moved back down his chest, feeling safe and protected, loved and desired as she nervously caressed his muscular chest. He flinched, though, when she found the wound Felipe had poked recently. She jumped in response, and Diego stopped his hands from venturing into forbidden territory and sighed sadly. He hugged her to him gently this time, pressing her face to his chest as he leaned back against the wall and they tried to catch their breath.
"You were saying?" Diego asked as he chuckled. Victoria wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, reveling in his strength. She could only manage a sigh of contentment in response. He smiled, but knew he shouldn't be here alone with her. "Maybe I should leave." Victoria poked him in the side for that, remembering he was here to talk, and stood on her own to look him in the eye. He reluctantly let her go, but kept her hands in his as if he was afraid she'd get too far away.
"Well, Diego," she said after a deep breath, "The matchmaker was definitely wrong about you." She paused as she looked at him. He looked exhausted, and it was because he'd been fighting for the people all this time. "Everyone is."
"I know I haven't been myself. But with the pardon and the alcalde gone, everything will be different." Diego looked at their clasped hands for a moment, stalling. "You will marry me, won't you?" Diego asked, and he couldn't hide the doubt from his voice. "Let me make it up to you."
"Diego, what I said that day in the tavern… I understand now. You were right. I'm not sure I could have watched passively as you…" She looked at the spot which had made him flinch. He was wounded even now. "You've done so much for everyone. We owe you everything."
Diego straightened up quickly at that and cupped her cheek. "No. You don't owe me anything." Standing this close to her, Victoria's perfume filled his senses. Diego couldn't keep his eyes from dropping to her lips again, and then he watched as his fingers traced down her neck, to her shoulder and across her collar bone. When he reached the edge of her blouse on her shoulder, his hand continued to trace her skin as he followed the fabric back down across her chest. "I need to go," Diego said softly, but he did not stop in his explorations.
Victoria gently grabbed his hands, ending the silent battle waging in this passionate man standing in front of her. "We can talk tomorrow," she said, thrilled that she had such an effect on him. "You need some sleep." He eyed the bed over her shoulder, and Victoria quickly turned him around and pushed him toward the window. "Go home."
He knew she was right, but sighed in disappointment as he went to open the shutters. Victoria grabbed his shoulder and closed the shutters again, pointing to the pile of his things on top of her dresser. He chuckled as he went to the dresser and picked up the mask. After putting it on, Diego asked "You won't be terribly dissappointed if your hero disappears?" He put his hat on with flare and held out his arms for her inspection.
"My hero won't disappear. I love the man, not the legend," she said, putting her hand once again over his heart. He hugged her to him tightly, spinning her around quickly before releasing her and setting her away from the window.
He picked up the pardon, reading the contents for himself finally. "The governor knows who I am." At her gasp of concern, he continued. "I guess it's alright. He didn't arrest me before, and tore up my wanted poster. He says I should tell my father, Zorro should disappear, and that there will be things to discuss tomorrow. Will you come to the hacienda? I've been granted my freedom, the last thing I want to do is sit around talking politics all day. I'd rather discuss …other things." He smiled at her and she nodded, shivering at his heated look. He dropped to the ground, amazed at all that had happened in just twenty-four hours.
Before he got too far away, Victoria called out to him again. Diego turned back to look up at her in the window as Toronado bumped him in the back, eager to be off. "Yes." She smiled brilliantly. "Of course I'll marry you." Diego dropped the pardon he'd been holding on the ground, and climbed up the wall again. Victoria was going to have to get used to Diego moving so quickly, because never imagined he would climb back up so fast. She didn't move back, however, and put her hand on his chest to keep him from coming in even as she laughed. "No, you were going home." Diego pouted, and she couldn't resist cupping his face and kissing him again. Diego suddenly dropped about six inches as he forgot he was holding himself up when he tried to touch her instead of the windowsill.
Once he'd clutched the windowsill again, he looked up at her because he'd lost his footing and was slowly slipping down the wall. "Maybe instead of coming to the hacienda tomorrow we could just meet at church. Big weddings and long engagements are overrated, don't you think?" He looked down, kicked around a few moments with his feet and pushed himself back up the wall. "Or maybe the padre would marry us tonight." Diego's eyes sparkled as he grinned convincingly at her.
Victoria heard a thud against the ground as something fell and Diego slipped another fraction as he held tighter to the window. "Go home. You're tired, remember?" He shook his head emphatically. "You have to give a girl time. And your father is going to have enough to worry about tomorrow." She started to peel his arm off the window and he jumped lithely back to the ground.
He bowed to her and spun back around to Toronado, flashing his cape as he picked up the discarded pardon and making a spectacle of himself. She watched as he leapt up onto the stallion's back and wondered how in the world Diego managed to fool anyone so completely. She wondered what the future would be like, what Diego would be like when he wasn't hiding his true abilities. This man would never have to employ a matchmaker. She called out to him again. "I think tomorrow's a great day for a wedding. But go home." She added frantically as he planned to come to her again. She could only resist so much!
He knew it was approaching dawn when he finished bedding Toronado down for the night. He turned to his clothes on the nightstand and just didn't have the energy to change. He walked undiscovered through the dark house, and once in his room left a trail of black silk to his bed. He didn't have to hide anymore. Let his father find his mess and he wouldn't have to do explanations. The faster they got the Zorro thing out of the way, the faster they could move on to more interesting topics, like how fast he could get Victoria to a church. His hand stretched out to smooth down the covers on the empty side of his bed. As he snuggled down contentedly into his pillow, hoping she wouldn't change her mind. He smiled confidently. He could be persuasive.
Last night's brilliant plan obviously had a few flaws, Diego thought as he buried his head under the pillow a few hours later to block the shouting. It didn't help. Alejandro just called his name again and fired even more questions at his son, each one louder. Maybe if he'd gotten changed in the cave one last time he could have slept a few more hours instead of getting yelled at and pulled from a deep sleep. He gave up and turned over when Alejandro pulled his pillow out of his grasp and threw it across the room. Sitting up against the headboard, he rubbed his hands over his face to try to wake up. What time was it? Something hit him in the face and he opened his eyes to look at the mask he'd been asaulted with. He couldn't help smiling at the memories of last night.
Alejandro just stared at his son, who just grinned at the silk mask. He grabbed it away from his Diego, trying to get Diego to look at him and finally wake up. He picked up the hat and sword and tossed them on the bed, then stood there expectantly with his hands on his hips. "Something you want to tell me?"
The end. Yup. Just like that. I hope you liked it :) Please review it :)