Sunlight filled Victoria's bedroom as Diego realized that he had overslept. He had suddenly awoken to the sounds of people conversing in the streets. Victoria began to awaken as she felt him perched himself up on his elbows. Her hair was a tangled mess as a result of another night of exploring each other and an explosive session of making the bed shake. Diego had been alternating his nights spent in his own bed and the nights that he spent with Victoria in her bed for just over a month. Being separated from her at night caused his heart to ache from the loneliness that surrounded him when he was alone in his own bed. Some nights when he couldn't sleep in his own bed he would sneak away from the hacienda to be with her.

Sleeping with Victoria by his side was so much sweeter and rewarding. He was lost in his own thoughts once again as he felt himself being brought back to reality as the sight of Victoria's eyes penetrated through his thoughts. She was staring directly into his eyes with a sly smile.

Seeming as if she had noticed that he had finally come back to reality from his racing thoughts she said, "There you are."

"I was just thinking about how much I despise being away from you," Diego admitted.

"Now is when you will get up and leave me, and I will be daydreaming of you returning," Victoria teased.

"Unfortunately I must, but I hope you will allow me the opportunity to kiss you before I leave," he replied to her just before covering the side of her neck with a trail of purposefully slow kisses which caused her to squirm and giggle.

Diego sought out her once again pouting lips and placed his against them with a deeper, more soulful, and lingering kiss. Victoria placed her hands gently on each side of his face as she returned the kiss.

"Go now, before we make ourselves start the day even later," she whispered as she broke away from the kiss.

Diego groaned in agreement as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Reluctantly he stood up and began to put his trousers on and then placed his arms into his shirt.

"Here, allow me to help," Victoria broke the silence as she began to help him secure his shirt.

She then buckled his belt for him even though he wished she could have been unbuckling it instead. Together they made sure that he had all of his important objects attached to him just before she applied his mask and tied it. Having her help him transition into his alter character of Zorro somehow made him feel even more invincible than when he transitioned into Zorro on his own. Together they were a team. They were Victoria and Zorro against unsavory characters, lawlessness, and the injustice against the pueblo from DeSoto. Diego made his way to the window in her bedroom to look for an opportunity to sneak out without drawing any attention.

Spotting his opportunity to leave without anyone noticing him he reassured her, "Mi amor te dejo con mi corazon."

He climbed out of her window, and then while still facing her he added, "Confio en ti para mantenerlo a salvo, y que sepas que solo late por ti."

Victoria seemingly swooned and then rushed over to kiss him goodbye.

He climbed down from the building and hid against a wall in a deeply shaded area which had yet to be touched by the sun. With a keen eye he assessed the scene around him. So far he hadn't been noticed. He continued to walk quietly along the buildings to avoid being seen.

After a few minutes, even though he was certain that he hadn't noticed anyone looking in his direction, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone had spotted him. He kept on walking as if he had not become suspicious. The faint sound of footsteps behind him were now unmistakable. He turned at the corner of a building and waited to catch the person who had been following him. As soon as he had hidden himself against the corner of the building a young boy collided with him.

"Why are you following me?" he asked the startled boy.

The boy looked up at him as if he were lost.

"Zorro, I need your help with saving my sister." the young boy pleaded.

He crouched down until he was closer in height to the boy.

"¿Cual es su nombre?" he asked the boy.

"I am Carlos Rodriguez," the boy quickly shared his name.

"What is happening with your sister? he asked Carlos.

The boy looked up at him with fear in his eyes as he answered,

"Several men are trying to hurt my sister right now while our father is away." he bravely recited.

"They didn't see me, so I snuck away to go find help," Carlos continued to answer.

Carefully he peered around the corner of the building and saw no one of concern in the surrounding area.

"Come with me Carlos," he said to the frightened young boy.

They walked through the street together towards the end of the pueblo as he heard a few residents calling out greetings to him. With any luck hopefully DeSoto would still be sound asleep and totally unaware of his presence. He didn't mind anyone seeing him walking through the pueblo as long as it wouldn't be associated with him leaving Victoria's cozy bedroom.

Upon nearing the exit from the pueblo he whistled for Toronado. In just mere seconds he heard the pounding of hooves. A flash of black streaked towards him. Carlos jumped as Toronado came to a complete stop in front of them. He jumped into the saddle and then hoisted Carlos up in front of him.

"Hold on tight," he cautioned the nervous boy.

Toronado sensed the urgency of the situation and galloped out of the pueblo as the early risers watched with curiosity. After receiving the directions to the boy's home he steered Toronado in the direction that would lead to the fastest arrival time. He held onto Carlos as Toronado leapt over large rock formations and thundered across the uneven landscape.

As the young boy's home came into view he quietly woahed Toronado. It definitely wouldn't do them any good to alert the men of their arrival. Toronado gently escorted them closer to the home soundlessly.

He quietly slipped down from his horse and whispered to the boy, "Stay here with Toronado and he will protect you while I see to rescuing your sister."

The horse began to silently graze as if nothing was wrong. Toronado seemed to know that acting like everything was normal would help to calm the boy down.

"Gracias Zorro, my sister Lucia takes good care of our padre and me," Carlos replied gratefully.

After leaving Carlos in the care of Toronado, he snuck along the side of the home and quietly entered the front door. The unsuspecting men were too busy with their foul actions to notice that he had joined them. Lucia was cowering in a corner of the kitchen area in the small home . Her dress had been torn and she was desperately attempting to hold it closed. The men, if they could even be called that, were laughing at the distraught and disheveled adolescent.

He crept up behind the shortest intruder and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey man, wait your turn…" the formerly oblivious attacker began to say as he turned and found his jaw connecting with the fist of Zorro.

Diego forcefully rammed his knee into the stunned man's groin. The offender grabbed himself as he fell backwards and groaned in agony. The other two men suddenly had taken notice of the presence of Zorro in the room with them. They had turned their attention from their victim to the extremely angry masked man who had interrupted them.

The plump and balding ring leader of the vile men grabbed a gleaming knife from the table. Diego struck it from his hand with his sword. As the knife fell from the man's hand it landed just below his protruding belly, striking him in his dangly bits. He hadn't planned for the knife to strike the man in such a fitting way, but the despicable man had deserved his fate.

"No, no no, no…" the third man cowered as Diego approached him.

Seeing the fate of the ring leader had turned the last remaining opponent into a stuttering fool. The fear of the wrath of Zorro was more than the vile man could handle as he passed out and hit his head on the hearth behind him.

With all three of the men passed out on the floor he quickly sought out a blanket for Lucia to cover herself. Suddenly the front door was flung open and a rather large and angry individual appeared with a rifle aimed and ready to be fired. The man was beyond being able to be reasoned with. The room was suddenly filled with the sound of shots being fired as the three men became completely limp against the floor. As soon as the man with the rifle had verified that the men were indeed no longer living he placed the gun down and embraced Lucia who had wrapped herself in the blanket. Her father had returned and he was absolutely furious to have discovered the men and what they had tried to do to his daughter.

"My son informed me that you were inside taking care of intruders," the man said as his hands continued to shake from adrenaline.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't arrive in time to save her from what these men did to her," he regretfully apologized to Lucia's father.

The man walked over to him and firmly shook his hand.

"Zorro, you were here when I couldn't be and stopped them from doing any further harm to my daughter," the grateful father replied.

"She's only 16 years old," the man quickly added as he shook his head.

During the conversation with her father he hadn't noticed that Lucia had left them to find another dress. She had reappeared with her hair in a more presentable fashion and was wearing an intact dress.

Her father tossed the ruined and discarded dress into a freshly lit fire as he said, "Carlos is not to know anything about what these men did to you today."

Lucia nodded and seemed relieved.

"Zorro, would you mind helping me carry these carcasses outside?" the determined father asked.

"I suppose I should," he answered.

As the man prepared to grasp a pair of limp legs he announced, "By the way my name is Enrique Rodriguez."

Together they lifted the bodies and carried them to an area full of thick growths of flora and fauna. Even though he really should have made sure that the men were presented as criminals to the proper authorities, he knew that DeSoto would likely use the opportunity against him and Enrique who definitely didn't deserve punishment. He was protecting his daughter even though he would have preferred to have delivered them while still alive to pueblo's jail.

Against his better judgment he helped bury the bodies of the three criminals. He would visit with Padre Benitez for a confession as Zorro. The Padre would understand his predicament with protecting Enrique from DeSoto's wrath. The death of the three men would be quietly recorded within the records kept within the mission.

After the bodies had been sufficiently covered with dirt they joined Carlos who had been entertaining Toronado. His horse absolutely loved attention and praise.

"Zorro, I greatly appreciate your help with our situation," Enrique once again thanked him for coming to their rescue.

He climbed into the saddle and Toronado began to nuzzle Carlos's neck.

"I do believe that you have made a friend, young man!" he exclaimed as the boy and his father genuinely smiled.

He grabbed the reins in one hand as he tipped his hat.

"I will be back to check on Lucia and Carlos," he informed Enrique while a restless Toronado pranced in place.

He turned Toronado and began his ride back towards his cave. He was formulating a plan in his mind on how to best help Lucia. Once in his cave he would mix several herbs with sedation benefits together in an attempt to prevent complications from the attack on her. She could drink it as tea. The hot sun continued to cause sweat to trickle down his face and chest as he looked forward to the coolness and peaceful quiet of his cave where he could hide from the world and unwind.

He soon rounded the sharp corner that kept his cave a secret. The entrance to the cave stood before him welcoming him home. Toronado rushed to the spot for opening the cave and stomped hard as he was ready for the ride to be over. As the cave opened Felipe greeted him. He dismounted the fatigued horse and led him into the coolness of the cave. As the entrance closed and sealed the cave from the scorching head outside of it Diego began to brush the dust from the hot and sweaty horse.

"You had a rough day?" Felipe signed as he watched Diego frowning throughout the grooming session.

Diego looked up and replied, "I had a very rough and violent recovery mission."

As soon as Toronado was relaxed and satisfied he changed into a dry outfit suitable for anyone other than Zorro.

Diego prepared a special tea with Felipe's help for Lucia as he explained the events of the rescue mission and how the tea would help.

After placing the tea mix in a container he asked, "Felipe would you care to join me in finding a bit to eat?"

"Have you not eaten" Felipe signed?

Diego's stomach growled loudly. "No, I have not found the time to eat yet," he answered.

They exited the cave through the library in search of food and conversation with his father.