It is December 5th. Which means in the Netherlands it is pakjesavond. And so it is, the day I start posting my Christmas gift. The last chapter will be online at Christmas.

Victoria and Zorro have been engaged for months. Christmas is approaching rapidly, and Victoria wants to give Zorro a special gift. She needs the help of her good friend Diego for this. Luckily, he is willing to help her.
However, neither of them has considered that Victoria's request also means they will have to spend quite a bit of time in each other's company, giving Victoria time to do some observations.

I do not own any of the characters used in this story.

Your present isn't under the tree.

Chapter 1

"Don Diego, good morning!" Victoria greeted the man as he entered the tavern. Diego's heart skipped a beat at her enthusiastic greeting. She radiated happiness as she smiled at him and leaned in towards him.

"I was hoping you would stop by today. I want to ask you something."

From across the room, someone called out to Victoria and waved her over. "Señorita," that person called. Victoria looked apologetically at Diego and said, "Please take a seat. I'll be right with you."

Diego looked around, found an empty table, and took a seat. He was curious about what she wanted from him; he savoured the moment, admiring Victoria as she took orders and disappeared into the kitchen.

Victoria returned quickly, holding two glasses of juice in her hands, and asked, "Is orange juice fine for you, or would you prefer something else?" She took a seat across from him without waiting for an answer.

Diego replied, "Orange juice is fine, Victoria. You said you wanted to ask me something?"

Victoria shifted in her chair, making a slightly nervous impression, and began, "Yes, with Christmas approaching..."

"Of course," Diego interjected, slightly disappointed. He had hoped she would want to see him more than just for Christmas dinner. He was don Diego and that was how she thought of him. The most useless man in California. Before she could continue, he said, "And, as you know, my father and I hope you will grace us with your company."

"Thank you, Diego. I'd love to take you up on the offer. But that wasn't what I wanted to ask. You see, I want to give Zorro a gift for Christmas. And now, I've thought of giving him myself."

Diego, who had just taken a sip of his juice, choked on it. The orange liquid came out of his nose. In a reflex, he placed the glass on the table, grabbed his handkerchief, and tried to contain the damage.
"What did you say?"

Victoria took a cloth from her apron pocket and began to blot the table where orange juice had splattered. "I've been thinking about giving Zorro a portrait of myself," she said. "And since you're the only person I know who can make reasonably good portraits, I wanted to ask if you have time to paint one of me. Of course, I'll pay you for it. Just tell me how much."

Diego only half-heard her. His thoughts were consumed by the other meaning her words held about giving herself to his alter ego.

Victoria looked concerned at Diego as he tried to recover from choking and the fantasy that had spontaneously arisen within him, which was definitely not suitable to share with anyone.
Diego coughed once more and took a sip of his drink before he could respond. "Yes, I'm fine," he said.

Victoria smiled and looked at him hopefully. "What do you think? Would you be willing to paint a portrait of me, so I could give it to Zorro?"

"It's a bit short notice. I'm not sure if I have enough time for this. I'm also working on a study of Copernicus. According to his predictions, there should be a lunar eclipse next month that is visible..."

Victoria had never made any effort to show interest in his scientific pursuits, and barely listened to what Diego was saying. "Please," she implored.

Making a painting of Victoria, so she could give it to Zorro. He had kept a portrait of her hidden in his cave for years. The idea appealed to him.
"Victoria, it's not that simple. Making a painting takes a lot of time, and Christmas is only four weeks away. If I were to do it, I'd need to go to San Fernando first to get the raw materials to make the paint. Some of them might be expensive. And for a good painting, I'd need you to pose. It will take a lot of your time. You'd have to come to the hacienda several times."

Victoria had been thinking for a while about what would be a suitable gift to give to her fiancé. It was only yesterday that she had come up with the idea of having a painting made. That's why she was overjoyed that she had finally thought of the perfect gift and brushed aside all of Diego's objections. "I'll arrange it with Pilar and the others. And, as I said, I'll pay for it, including the materials. Please, I know no one else, and it seems like the perfect gift."

"Well," Diego muttered. He liked the idea, but it was not as if he didn't have enough on his plate already. Between Zorro and Diego, they both took up a lot of his time.

Victoria knew she had pursued the don. "Thank you." She got up. "This one is on me. I also have some apple pie if you're interested." She was already on her way to the kitchen and returned with a large slice of pie. "When can we start?"

Diego thought for a moment. "Come by tomorrow during the siesta. I'll make some sketches, and you can tell me how you want the portrait. Then I'll check what painting materials I have, and I'll know what I need to get."

Victoria clapped her hands and did a little happy dance. She had to restrain herself from hugging the don. Just in time, she realized that showing her joy in this way might give the wrong impression to everyone present.

Seven months ago, she and Zorro had become secretly engaged. In reality, it was strange that she was engaged to a man about whom she knew so little. Victoria knew he was honorable, handsome, charming, brave, heroic, and skilled with every imaginable weapon. But who he really was, she had no idea. She knew the coffee preferences and favorite dishes of every man within a ten-mile radius. But she didn't even know if Zorro liked coffee. It didn't matter. It wasn't important. Her heart told her that Zorro was the man of her life, and she was still ecstatic that he had shown his love for her by proposing. His identity didn't matter. Neither did anything else. She loved Zorro with all her heart and soul. And he loved her. The proof of their mutual feelings lay carefully hidden in her dresser.

.

The next afternoon, after the lunch rush had subsided, Victoria apologized to her helpers. She harnessed her mare to the wagon and set off for the hacienda. There, the door was opened by Don Alejandro.

"Victoria, what a surprise. What brings you here?" Don Alejandro held the front door invitingly open.

"I made an appointment with don Diego. I asked him if he would paint me." Alejandro looked at her questioningly. "I'd like to give Zorro a Christmas present, and I thought a portrait of myself would be a good idea."

Alejandro nodded. "An excellent idea, if you ask me. I'm sure Zorro will appreciate something like that. And Diego will definitely succeed in making a good portrait."

Victoria put her hand on the don's elbow. "Could you keep it quiet, though? I want to surprise him with it."

"Of course. Compared to me, the grave is a chatterbox. Let me see if I can find Diego.

Victoria laughed at this remark. She knew all too well that Don Alejandro was a good and honest man, but she also knew he could let his emotions carry him away too far and say things that weren't meant for everyone's ears. At that moment, muffled footsteps could be heard in the hallway.
Victoria took a seat. She and don Alejandro turned to see Diego walking down the hallway. In his hands, he held a stack of papers and a piece of charcoal.

"Ah, Victoria," Diego said with a smile as he looked for a place to set down the items in his arms.

Victoria smiled back. "Yes, I can't wait to get started. I'm already curious about the results. What do you need me to do?"

Diego gave an apologetic smile. "It will be a while before it's finished," he said. "Today, I'll only make a few sketches of you to determine the composition," he explained. He turned and placed a chair in the middle of the room, gesturing to Victoria. "Please, have a seat."

Victoria took her seat in the chair designated by Diego. She felt his gaze on her, and for some reason, his gaze gave her a strange feeling in her stomach. She saw Diego squint his eyes and shake his head. He walked to the window and opened the curtains further, allowing more sunlight to stream in. Then he returned to the same spot and stared intently at her, causing Victoria's cheeks to flush.

"No, this won't work." Diego shook his head. "Victoria, we need to sit in the garden. The lighting here doesn't suit me," he said as he began gathering his drawing materials without paying any further attention to her, preparing to go outside.

Victoria smiled as she realized just how engrossed Diego was in his drawing. His complete immersion in his work made her wonder if he would even notice the sound of a gunshot were one to occur at this very moment. It was typical for Diego to become so consumed by his various interests, whether it be reading, experimenting, or, as now, creating art.

.

.