PART 1
He found her standing next to a small stream where they once shared a picnic. He had enjoyed himself so much that day. The sun shone brilliantly down on them, but it had not been as radiant as Victoria. She simply sparkled that day; her enjoyment of being with him dazzled him. Now, it was a dark night whose violent wind promised to bring a storm at any moment. The thought of the storm did not bother him. In fact, he almost welcomed its punishing force, but he did not want Victoria to be out in it.
Her demeanor alarmed him. Tonight, standing so still beside a rushing stream, she looked like a lost waif. The wind blew through her hair, letting him see her beautiful but tortured face, and what little moonlight there was reflected off her tears. She was miserable, and he was responsible.
"Bella, you should not be out here on such a miserable night," he said softly. She stiffened, telling him that she had not heard him approaching. He sensed for the first time ever that she did not welcome his presence. "The wind promises to bring a fierce storm with it," he continued as if unaware of her attitude.
"There is already a fierce storm," she answered so softly that it seemed she was talking only to herself. "I--I just needed to think for--I am so confused." She ran a hand through her floating hair.
He took in a deep breath, knowing he needed to handle the situation delicately, but unsure what to do. For once, his quick mind seemed to have turned to mush. He felt like he should say something. But what? He tried humor. His wit had helped him out of other tight spots. "You sound like you are at confession, Victoria." He winced; his mind was definitely gone. Of course she sounded like she was at confession. She felt guilty for what had happened earlier, even though she was in no way responsible.
Damn Diego anyway! It was all his fault! he thought. Then, he silently laughed at himself, finding no humor in the idea. Since when had he started seeing himself as two different people? The game was starting to become so confusing. He was not even sure if he knew who he was anymore. Did the man behind the mask even exist anymore or had he been permanently eliminated? One thing he did know with certainty was that he had probably destroyed one of the most important relationships in his life.
Diego's friendship with Victoria was vital to him. True, Zorro had her love, but Diego really knew her, her hopes, her dreams, and her fears in a way that Zorro did not have the time to discover. "Diego, I was friends with your mother long before I fell in love with her. Please, son, when you find the lady you wish to marry, make sure that you are friends with her. Friendship is as much an important ingredient to marriage as romance," his father used to tell him. His mother always agreed, telling him that she was one of the luckiest women in the world. Some married friends, and some married lovers, but few got both as she had.
Now, within the span of a few minutes, he had destroyed that friendship. Would he be able to build it back after Zorro took off his mask? Would Victoria allow him the chance after she knew the truth? Would she--His mind ached with all the questions that swirled around it. He had asked himself the same questions for four long days without finding any answers. When he had finally forced himself to go into Los Angeles to face her, he had been relieved by her attitude of denial. It would have made life easier for them both, but somehow he had managed to make the same mistake tonight. Victoria would not forgive him now. He certainly would never forgive himself.
She stared at him, not seeing him. "Confession--I sound like I'm at confession?" A soft giggle of pain reached his ears. "I guess I do. I guess I am."
His breath caught at the sound of her pain. He would endure the punishment. He would let her confess, assure her that she was innocent of any wrongdoing, and hold her. His justified punishment would be hearing her condemn him, even if she was unaware of what she was doing. He deserved any abuse she threw his way. He had betrayed her trust.
Not saying anything else, she strolled over to Toronado and quickly took a blanket from the saddlebags. He said nothing as she laid it on the ground. She sat there quietly for a few minutes before motioning for him to sit beside her. "I'd love to spend more time with you here again, but I really think we should find some shelter from this storm." She shook her head and again indicated that he should sit down. Unable to think of a way to get her to change her mind, he sat. Hopefully, her confession would be quick so he could get her to shelter before the rain started.
Staring out over the small, raging stream, she took a deep breath. Her eyes had not met his once tonight. "I have something to tell you. I--I don't want to tell you, but I know that I have to tell you, or I won't be able to live with myself. I'm not even sure--" She stopped to take another deep breath. "Four days ago, I went with Diego de la Vega to Santa Paula. I don't know if you heard, but Don Alejandro fell from his horse the other day. He hurt his ribs and was unable to personally go see the Royal Emissary about some of the alcalde's tax initiatives, so he sent Diego to Santa Paula instead."
"He trusted Don Diego to speak for the entire pueblo?" he asked, imitating her question to him that day.
She laughed with no joy. "I asked the same question. I could not believe that Don Alejandro would elect Diego to perform such an important task. Shy, unassuming Diego could not begin to speak for the entire pueblo! I would have to go with him to make sure he did it right." She stopped, and he saw the small smile that touched her face. When she started to speak again, her voice was softer, more reflective. "I was wrong. Diego spoke with such passion, such fire, that I realized that I had just slowed him down. He was wonderful. His mere presence demanded attention. His whole barring was different. It was like--it was like I was watching a stranger. Listening to him speak, I felt like I did not really even know him."
Zorro lay back on the blanket and watched the dark, menacing clouds that floated across the night sky. "I've always believed people are able to achieve great feats. Remember, with a mustard-seed faith, we can move mountains. I have found that too often friends and family are unaware of what someone could achieve if they tried." He sighed. "The people themselves are usually just as unaware of what they can do. Diego probably just showed you one of those mountains that he could move."
Victoria's smile this time was free and unrestrained. She even looked at him. "Now you are starting to sound like him."
He looked at her, startled by her comment. "What do you mean?"
END OF PART 1