Author's Note: All semester I looked forward to SUMMER! I would have time to write! I'd whip up the end to this story and Midnight in no time! Nope. And all the stress has also impacted my writing. Everything is fighting me, and nothing goes down on paper as I see it in my head. If I wait for something to be perfect, this story will never be finished. Sometimes my ideas just don't want to write themselves…or I can only do it one way. Remember choose your own adventure books? Man those must have been fun to write. I might do one myself, because someone in my group says I can kill or maim anyone I want. Go to chapter 2 to kill him…chapter 3 if you want him to live. *evil grin*. Or chapter 2 to kill him, chapter 3 to cripple him.

Thanks always to my beta Marla and my friends in the community. If you haven't joined my group yet, you should check it out. Search New World Zorro Fanfiction on Facebook. Oh, and I did finally post the adult version of Snuggly Hero with Zorro in a snuggie…but it's only on my LiveJournal because it is rated Mature Adult. Go check it out and tell me how I did.

So I'm sorry this story isn't moving as fast as I'd planned. I warned you it was slow… Anyway, I hope you like this scene. Posting to celebrate the fall of DOMA, giving federal rights to same-sex marriages in the USA. Now I am going to write a DeSoto/Diego/Victoria fic because I'm crazy.

zzz

Victoria glanced down at their joined hands as they walked down the street. Diego never let her go, never let anything separate them. She grinned and kissed the back of his hand.

Diego looked down at her when he felt her lips and raised an eyebrow in curiosity, then smiled and stepped closer to her. "What was that for?"

Victoria blushed and looked around as he urged her closer to a wall so he could wrap her in his arms. He smiled so easily, and she liked that about him. Her fingers straightened his tie. "You're sweet."

Diego looked after Charlie, who was running back towards Rebecca's inn. Diego had seen the boy following them, and paid him to take their packages home. Diego's hand cupped her cheek, then followed the line of her neck before wrapping around her waist again. "I couldn't hold you if my hands were full. I'm not sure my intentions were sweet."

Diego's eyes darkened as they dropped to her lips, and Victoria felt a shiver all the way to her toes. He wouldn't kiss her in the middle of the street!

"Diego, we're surrounded by people!"

"So?"

Victoria's fingers clenched in his shirt. Maybe Diego wasn't shy after all!

"De la Vega!"

Victoria jumped when she heard the name shouted from a short distance away. She stepped around him quickly, unsure why instinct would make her try to protect this giant of a man. As she looked for a threat in the crowd, she knew. Would Zorro have followed her?

Diego took her shoulders and turned her to face him. His hand came up to cradle her cheek. "Victoria…"

Before he could continue, a bear of a man stepped nearly between them to put a hand on Diego's shoulder. "Don Diego, you should have told me you were coming! Come, my friend, I have something for you!"

If Diego had friends like this, she really shouldn't worry. Victoria's eyes were wide as the man pulled on Diego's arm and started walking backwards. Diego seemed annoyed at the interruption, but Victoria's astonishment made him smile.

"Jason, I'd like to introduce you to someone, but you're being rude." Diego grabbed the man and made him stand still.

Diego reached down to take Victoria's hand and placed a kiss on her palm before looking at Jason again. "This is Victoria." Diego noticed the man was alone. "Where's your wife?"

Just as he asked, a beautiful oriental woman came around her husband to gently embrace Diego.

Jason looked Victoria up and down before he spoke over his wife's shoulder. "I was going to say we have good news, but maybe you have some of your own?"

Diego pulled Victoria in front of him with a hand around her waist. "Jason, Jacqueline, I'd like you to meet my wife, Victoria."

Jacqueline covered her mouth with both hands. "Your wife?"

"Well, this is a surprise," Jason said as he gave Diego a strange look. Diego scowled, but the woman shushed her husband.

Jacqueline sighed as she put a hand to Victoria's cheek with a smile. "So beautiful." Her expression was less impressed as her eyes trailed down Victoria's dress.

Victoria brushed at her skirt as Diego introduced the seamstress Rebecca had mentioned earlier. She turned pink as her hand smoothed over a patch she'd put in her skirt last year. The woman was wrapped in fine silk, in a style of dress she'd never seen before. Her black, silky hair was piled on top of her head and held together with what appeared to be decorative sticks.

Victoria's arms crossed over her middle, once again feeling unsure as Diego wrapped both arms around her waist.

"We were married yesterday," Diego supplied, ignoring Jason's surprise.

Jacqueline took Victoria's hand and tucked it into her arm. "Yes, yes. Now we will have you looking beautiful."

Diego didn't let Victoria go when Jacqueline moved away. "She's already beautiful." Jacqueline waved away his flattery and dragged Victoria off to her shop, Diego trailing helplessly holding her other hand.

Jason had run ahead, and Victoria smiled as Jacqueline let her go to stand by her husband. She felt some of their mysterious excitement as they looked at each other silently.

Jason opened a large chest and pulled out a smallish box, which he handed to Diego as if it were precious. "That's all of it."

Diego's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

"Yes! Your idea was brilliant. We made baskets of clothes and took them to the ship. The sailors didn't have to come to our shop. They liked Jacqueline's clothes. We sold everything. This pays off the loan entirely!"

Diego opened the box and Jacqueline saw Victoria's eyes widen at the money inside. "Don Diego loaned us the money to get started. We had nothing when we arrived in California."

"You did all the hard work. Your talent made you a success. That's why we are here. I wanted Victoria to have some new clothes." Diego closed the box and handed it back to Jacqueline. "Keep it. We'll spend it today. I want her to have whatever she likes."

Jacqueline and Victoria's eyes widened as they both looked at the box and then each other. Jacqueline tried to return the money, but Diego refused. "You worked hard. You deserve it. Thank you for paying it off so quickly."

Jason bounced on his feet as he took out a bottle of wine, dusty with age. He poured four glasses and handed out the ruby liquid. "To our wives, and the future."

Zzz

Victoria shook her head again, and wrapped her arms tighter around herself…around her chest. The dress-gown-shirt-robe-thing Jacqueline had somehow convinced her to try on was not clothing. Two strappy sleeves left her shoulders nearly bare and came down to cover her breasts, leaving the center of her chest completely exposed. The skirt covered her knees…knee…on one side. The other side lightly fluttered at the top of her thigh, leaving her legs completely exposed. Surely there must be a second piece to this outfit.

"Put your arms down, Victoria. I am sure you look beautiful in it."

Once again Victoria shook her head. Her breasts were covered, yes. Why had she removed her shift? She might as well be naked.

Jacqueline winked at her and put a hand on her hip. "Diego will love it, trust me." She put a finger to her lip as she waited for Victoria to relax, then she snapped her fingers. "Let us ask him!"

Victoria panicked and grabbed her arm, glancing nervously at the screens which divided the room. Diego hadn't wanted to be away from her, and insisted the screens gave her plenty of privacy. At the time she thought it was sweet.

She also hadn't expected to be standing in the room almost naked. Jacqueline had a soothing voice as she spoke of her homeland, of meeting her husband in a foreign land. It was romantic, and took Victoria's guard down. Now goose bumps covered her bare arms as she blushed at the idea of Diego seeing her in such a state of undress.

When Jacqueline saw Victoria's panic, she covered Victoria's hand where it held her arm. "Victoria, are you alright? I was only teasing."

Victoria glanced at the opaque screen with wide eyes when Diego stood and came closer.

Initially excited about Jacqueline's exclamations, now Diego was worried. "Victoria?"

Her pleading eyes turned to Jacqueline, though she rushed to reassure Diego. "Yes, I'm fine. I just…we aren't finished." Diego placed a hand against the screen, and Victoria knew he wanted to see her. "I'm fine, husband. Don't worry."

"Jacqueline?"

Jacqueline didn't answer him, only kept looking at Victoria. Her eyes narrowed. "Don Diego, go sit down. You know you are not supposed to be in here."

"We're married, Jacqueline, I told you that."

"And I told you to go sit down." Jacqueline scowled at the screen until Diego's shadow moved silently away.

Jacqueline took a step toward Victoria and put a hand to her cheek. "If he hurt you in some way…if you are afraid, you can tell me. We are friends, but maybe I do not know him as well as I thought."

Victoria relaxed as she watched Diego disappear, but her heart crawled back into her throat as she looked at Jacqueline. This woman was Diego's friend…business associate. And now what…Jacqueline thought Diego hurt her?

Her behavior from now on would reflect on Diego. Maybe Diego would be patient with her behind closed doors, but she couldn't ruin his reputation. She wasn't used to people caring what she said or what she thought. She must be more careful.

"No, he's wonderful. He's kind and gentle. I love him, really I do." For some reason, that didn't sound like the lie she thought it was. "He can see," she rushed to reassure the woman. "Diego, you can come see."

Victoria forced a bright smile for the still-suspicious Jacqueline. All too soon, Diego was standing at the edge of the make-shift wall…looking at her. She forced her hands to her sides, opened her fingers when they formed into fists. Maybe if she showed Jacqueline she wasn't afraid of her husband, she wouldn't be.

Diego tore his eyes away from his wife and tapped Jacqueline on the shoulder. "Leave us."

Victoria's eyes widened at his command, but she smiled confidently for Jacqueline. "You wanted him to see, didn't you? It's alright."

Jacqueline shook her head. "I was joking. It is not proper."

Diego put both hands on the short woman's shoulders and turned her toward the door. "Go see how Jason is doing. Come back in five minutes."

Diego forced his eyes to lock with Jacqueline's even though he wanted to look at Victoria…forever. He was definitely in trouble. He prayed for patience and self-control. Victoria looked like a frightened colt. Diego gave Jacqueline a little push and Jacqueline finally started walking away, casting wary glances at Victoria's shaky smile.

Victoria felt all her exposed skin heat up in a blush even though a second ago she was chilled. Diego's eyes found her body again, but it was a long time before his eyes met hers. She wondered if he could see her trembling, and she focused on not covering herself. If he wanted to look, he could. Hopefully he wouldn't touch her… but if he wanted to touch, he had the right. Suddenly she felt like a mare up for auction, where the ranchers inspected the horses. She was standing on a small elevated platform for Jacqueline to work, but now it added to the feeling of being on display. And the ranchers did touch…

Diego had already decided on her, though. He didn't have to inspect her. They were married. He loved her, and was being patient with her. She was safe, this wasn't a bedroom. She cringed inside, frustrated with herself. She was safe because Diego was a good man.

Diego took a step forward, and her arms automatically came up to cover the indecently deep bodice in the scrap of cloth Jacqueline had claimed was a dressing gown. He took another step, stood right in front of her, and she forced her arms down again, because now he was looking at her face. Some, not all, of the heat had gone out of his eyes, and he looked worried, just like Jacqueline. She shouldn't worry him. Jacqueline was right on the other side of that door. He wouldn't do anything.

He leaned forward and gently pulled her into his arms. She wondered if her face was an uglier shade of red than this gown, but at least he wasn't looking at her breasts anymore. Diego had removed his jacket. She could feel the heat of his body through his shirt… with no shift, no corset between them…Her breath hitched when she thought about what he might feel, even though he wasn't looking. She could also feel… Diego was right. He shouldn't have to pretend, and she shouldn't make him. Did he like the dress that much?

"Breathe, Victoria," Diego instructed.

Victoria concentrated on her breathing, on his heartbeat she could hear when she wrapped her arms around his waist. She liked being held by him. She wasn't some horse up for auction, and Jacqueline had meant well by showing her such a beautiful gown. Diego seemed to like it, what did she care what she wore?

"It's a beautiful gown. I'm sorry I overreacted," Victoria said, her head resting comfortably against his chest.

Diego pulled away just enough so he could lift her eyes to his. "You like the gown?"

Victoria smiled. "Of course!"

Diego shook his head and cupped her cheek before barely stepping away from her. She held onto his shirt, but he still stepped away, leaving her exposed again. Her hands fisted at her sides, and she closed her eyes briefly before she composed herself to look at her husband again. "You like it, don't you?" Focused on her breathing again, the words barely shook.

She jumped a little when his hand on her cheek trailed down her neck to her shoulder. Her arms tried to come up again when his finger trailed lower along the bodice, coming dangerously close to her breasts, but she kept them at her side. His finger felt like it was on fire, and overwhelming sensation spread out from that one point of contact. She sucked in a breath when his finger reached the bottom of the bodice below her breasts, and she closed her eyes as that finger trailed back up the other side. Goose bumps spread over her skin, and this time it wasn't from the chill of the room. Her breasts tingled, felt heavy…but surely she didn't want him to touch her there?

She forced herself to stand still, but Diego must have seen her fear. She ducked her head, ashamed. He'd been so patient with her. But what could she say? She wasn't even sure she disliked him touching her so intimately. It was almost exciting. He wasn't touching her that much. He hadn't touched her breasts at all, but now she almost wanted him to, if only to stop the strange tingling sensations sliding over her skin. It didn't make sense that she wanted to lean into his touch at the same time she wanted to cover up and hide.

His hand cradled her neck and he kissed her forehead, then his hands caressed her cheeks. "I like it. Anything you wear, especially something this revealing, I like. But I love you, so I want you to be comfortable. I'm sorry if Jacqueline went too far, she means well." Diego wrapped his arms around her again and briefly kissed her lips. "Be honest. If you don't like something, it's not the end of the world."

Victoria let out a gust of air, staring at his chin. "I hate the dress."

Diego chuckled and Victoria warmed up a little inside. He reached behind her to pick up a piece of cloth, and this time when he stepped away, he wrapped it around her shoulders like a shawl. His hands came together over her breasts to hold it closed, but this time he wasn't touching her. "What about my hand? Did you hate it when I touched you?"

Victoria's eyes widened at such a blatant question, but hadn't she been wondering about touching his chest earlier? Instead, she decided to turn the tables. She reached up to hold the cloth herself and dropped her eyes. "Would you?" Victoria had to clear her throat. "Like it if I…if I touched your chest like that?"

Diego grinned. "Most definitely." Instead of responding or smiling, Victoria ducked her head as even her ears turned pink. Diego took pity on her and smoothed out her hair before kissing the top of her head. "But maybe in private. I might feel overwhelmed if I was experiencing feelings I'd never felt before."

Victoria shrugged one shoulder and lifted a hand to place it over his heart. Strange how feeling his steady, confident heartbeat could calm her. "Maybe it's a little scary," Victoria lifted her eyes to his, "but I didn't hate it."

"If you don't like something, or are uncomfortable doing something like removing your shift for a stranger," Diego grinned when her expression told him he'd read her correctly. He wrapped his arms back around her and kissed her lips. "It's okay to say no. Even with me."

Victoria reached one hand up to cradle his cheek, her thumb eventually tracing his lips while he stood there and let her touch him. Now the added height of the platform let her inspect him. Her fingers gently ran over his eyebrows, his nose, even his ears. When her fingers went to his hair, his eyes closed in bliss. She brushed his hair back into some semblance of order after a moment and leaned forward to kiss his lips before she lost her nerve.

He smiled at her, and just like that her toes curled into the floor.

"Did you want to touch anything else?"

Victoria's eyes widened, but she forced herself to be honest as she blushed. "Not now."

Diego grinned, pulling her close again. "You mean you've thought about it before?"

Victoria laughed, glad she could, then pushed him away. "Let me change. Go away."

Zzz

Author's Note 2: How'd I do? Victoria is opening up, and Diego is pushing her buttons. (If you want her to be more forward, don't forget Snuggly Hero, cause she goes after what she wants in that fic, and she wants Zorro!)

If you enjoyed, please review.