Victoria was back to work again, while the question remained in her mind; how could she ever be seen with Diego without anyone suspecting him of being Zorro.

An hour later she served her customers with a bright smile one was used to seeing her, despite of her happy feelings of knowing the identity of her fiancé. Nor did the worries reflect on her face.

When Victoria was standing behind the bar, refilling some glasses for her costumers, Diego dropped in the tavern. Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed her friend entering her establishment. Some butterflies flew in her tummy, but she tried to hide the feeling by the frozen smile she had worn all day after having had her present.

She hardly dared to face him but couldn't escape from him as he addressed her as joyful as always, "Buenos tardes, Victoria."

Somehow Victoria sensed he was a bit nervous as well and made her wonder. Do you know that Santa has shown me around to find out your identity?

She couldn't deny feeling very attracted to her best friend. He is so handsome.

"Are you alright Victoria?" Diego asked a bit concerned by her changed behaviour.

"Why yes Diego," she stammered a bit, "with what can I help you?"

Diego frowned shortly as if making up his mind about her behaviour.

"Well, I wondered whether you have the answer to my question."

"Your question?"

Diego looked a bit indignant while he repeated his question, "yes, my question, I ask you this morning, about you wanting to come over for dinner or whether you would like us to come here."

Victoria had to laugh from nervousness. How could she have forgotten about him having invited her over for dinner?

"Oh that question, right."

Diego looked very concerned, "I know you were very busy today Victoria, but don't you think you need a break?"

"I am fine Diego, really," Victoria assured her friend, "but you're right. How about me coming over to your place? I would love to join you this evening."

She couldn't help blushing a bit. Caused by the heat of course!

"Excellent, then I am can tell Maria that she can start with the preparations for dinner."

Victoria could tell Diego was looking forward to having her as his guest tonight, since she had learnt where to look for.

Diego leaned upon her counter lightly, "as for you, I think you should think about taking a break."

"Diego you know I can't, I have still customers to attend to." Victoria protested finally acting like herself again.

"I know, I know," Diego said calmly, "alright, shall I pick you up two hours after mass, then you can have your rest. How about that?"

Victoria smiled. He is so sweet!

With that amount of time might give her more time to find the answers to the questions, which have kept her busy all afternoon.

"Agreed," Victoria stated smiling brightly.

"Alright, till the five o'clock speech then," Diego greeted with a sparkle in his eyes.

However, Victoria noticed that he didn't look at her straight in her eyes. Then again he never did.

"Hasta luego, Diego," Victoria greeted back.

Diego nodded and turned on his heels to return to his horse.

"Mio querido." Victoria added silently while she watched her tall, blue eyed fiancé leaving. Nobody could have noticed her observing Diego so closely, since she was drying some glasses. She seemed very interested in her work. Meanwhile she peeked through her eyelashes to have a last glimpse of her love.

Her heart grew heavier each step Diego got farther away from her. She wanted to run after him, jump into his arms and kiss him all over. She just couldn't. She would make a bigger mess of all this. No she still had to find a way to help them out. But wait a minute, how did Diego really feel about her?

Some fear made her heart feel like a piece of marble stone, so cold, so lifeless.

Victoria decided to retreat for another hour. There weren't many customers and Alicia would be able to handle it.

"No problem Victoria," her employee remarked, "I think it would do you good to have some rest. You really look tired."

"Gracias, Alicia," Victoria was grateful for her friend's loyalty, "I am glad I have decided to close the taberna for the evening."

"It's a good decision. Now go, have some rest."

And so Victoria went to her room to lie down on her bed to think the day over, but also thinking of the question whether Diego truly loved her. She had found her answer very quickly. It only took her to thinking over what he has written in his journal. If she still wasn't sure she just has to think back of the moments she had relived the past a second time. It is pretty clear that Diego cared about her a lot. She remembers the times she was kidnapped by two bandits and begged Diego to help her. He was holding back his anger, another proof that he loved her.

As for the other question, what to do with their relationship and the alcalde took her much more energy to come up with something.

She couldn't find a solution as quick as she wanted, therefore she decided, "Maybe together we can find the solution."

This brought her to another question, how should she tell Diego that she knew? Maybe she should tell him tonight when they were alone. Maybe she should go to him right now. Or should she tell Zorro the next time he came to visit her?

Questions, possibilities and options were spinning in her head. With a slight headache she fell asleep.

With a knock on the door to her bedroom Alicia woke her up. Through the closed door Victoria answered Alicia's wake up call. "What time is it?"

"It's a half an hour before the alcalde will give his speech. I'd better hurry home before he makes me listening to his nonsense. I won't be the next to be taken to prison."

'What did you say?" Victoria practically shouted to the closed door and suddenly the remains of her beautysleep had vanished.

Alicia explained what happened during her sleep.

"Gracias for enlighting me," Victoria held the door open just far enough to face her employee and friend, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

With a sigh Victoria closed her door. Leaning against it she realised that an unfortunate Christmas' Eve has come and heard Alicia closing the frontdoor behind her.

No guests were in the tavern. The quietness felt heavy, revealing that trouble was in the air. What could have been expected?! Some peasants had been dragged to the plaza, while no reason was given. Finally Victoria knew what to do.

Why does the alcalde have to spoil everything again? Such a special and important fest!

Victoria hated the alcalde's actions but this time his timing was pretty good. She knew Zorro would come to fight this injustice. So, this time she could wait for Zorro on the de la Vega ground in the area of where she had been hunted by some bandits not a year ago. Zorro took her to the cave then.

While she observed her surroundings a foxy smile radiated from her face. He shouldn't see her following him, but what if he had been looking for her? He would surely be missing her on the plaza as he always sought her out.

Well time will tell.

Victoria was getting more nervous by the minute, got very impatient and needed to suppress the feeling of riding back toward the pueblo very hard.

What is taking him so long? What if he has been caught this time? No I mustn't think this way. He has escaped every time these seven years. So, even now he will!

Or what if he had been shot? He must have been some times ... wait a minute, his brother must have shot him last summer.

Some panic took over the control on her ratio.

Hey, there he is! Victoria almost jumped at the sight of him. She needed to keep her head clear. So, she managed her horse to follow the black steed. At a distant she followed her hero until they reached the bushes in front of the entrance to the cave. She was amazed when he just disappears into some bushes.

Where did he go?

A bit awkward, but very curious she followed his tracks slowly to the place where he had disappeared. She saw nothing but rocks, stones and wood. Victoria recalled some bells were ringing when those bandits came too close to the cave entrance. So, she kept looking for the entrance at a slight distance. Zorro hadn't showed up making Victoria presume that this was the place; Zorro's lair.

While Victoria looked at the ground and around her, she tried to figure out how Zorro could have been able to open the wall without dismounting Toronado.

Maybe someone was there to open it. But who?

Victoria was sure that his father didn't know the secret. After his father insulted him, her fiancé had looked too hurt to be an act.

What about Felipe? He is very close to Diego. He could be his help. Would Felipe have opened the wall? Victoria doubts it, since she hasn't seen Felipe on the plaza when she left and many other times the boy stayed at the pueblo until Diego showed up again. Sometimes Felipe stayed with Diego, other times he left. Sometimes Diego seemed to have picked him up.

No, Zorro must have been able to open this wall …. by …. himself. While Victoria was thinking about all possibilities, she noticed the spot that opened the wall by stepping onto it.

"Con Mio," Victoria said to herself, "will this be the key?"

She stepped onto the spot and turned around to see the wall opening indeed.

Quietly she walked toward the entrance. Shyly and cautiously she entered the tunnel of the cave. She didn't want to have Zorro jump upon her, thinking she was an unwished intruder. Shortly Victoria let her eyes adapt to the dark when the door closed behind her. At the end of the entrance she noticed some lights. Carefully, she followed her way toward cave. She still didn't want to feel the point of a sword on her throat.

Halfway the passageway she could smell Toronado and heard Zorro's soothing voice while he was talking to his friend. Victoria held still to hear more of what he was saying; A special occasion as she heard the real man speaking. This was not just the dashing hero and not just the quiet, proper caballero, but the complete man she loved. And that was the man, who had entered her tavern, when he arrived in California after a long period of absence to be studying in Madrid.

She heard him talking about her and wondered how many times Toronado had to listen to these kind of speeches.

"If only she could see through the masks," Zorro sighed. "What do you think Toronado; could she love the real man?"

"I think she could," Victoria answered softly, deciding she had heard enough and didn't want to make him suffer more than needed and stepped into the light. This was the first time she was able to see him after her arrival in the cave.

Diego dressed in black clothes looked up with a very surprised expression on his face. After recognising her, a grin appeared, but turned quickly in a questioning stare.

Victoria noticed the emotions changing rapidly. She still stood at the end of the passageway to give Diego time to recover from his interruption.

"How … how did you get here?" he suddenly asked softly while holding up his hands, palm upwards and then he gestured to the entrance with his left hand and with both hands back to where he stood. He slowly walked into Victoria's direction.

"I followed you," she replied when she had conquered her sudden fear. She feared Diego becoming angry at her for invading his territory.

"Followed me?" he asked and stood still in front of her.

"Yes, I followed you," she repeated.

A silence filled the air, while Diego tried to comprehend this fact. He was always careful; making sure no one was following him.

"You followed me?" he asked again but in a thoughtful voice. Victoria only nodded.

"All the way from the pueblo?" Diego inquired further.

"Eh no, not that far," Victoria stammered a bit shyly and confessed how she got here, "I waited for you to return from the pueblo down the hill."

Diego was perplexed at this revelation, "how did you know where to find it?"

"All I knew was that you are my hero," Victoria stated a bit embarrassed now without knowing why, "I just didn't know how to let you know .. I … eh…"

"How long have you known," Diego cut in even more surprised.

"Just a few days but that is a long story," she spoke quietly, waiting for him to be his old self again; his real old self.

"A few days?" he repeated searching his memory for clues. He must have missed a lot last few days.

"Must you repeat everything I say?" Victoria asked getting nervous now. She just heard him saying to Toronado that he desperately wanted her to make his wife, but how their conversation went it didn't feel like it at all.

"Oh, eh I am sorry," he apologised quickly and a warm smile appeared at the dejá vu he has.

"Is it true, what you said earlier?" he then asked having overcome his amusement, "that you could love the boring, studious caballero?"

As she repeated her much earlier statement, she closed her eyes a second or two, "As I told the hero once before, …"

She opened her eyes and faced him straight in the eyes. With a determination that couldn't be denied she continued, "the courage and the passion lives also in the heart of the man behind the mask."

Victoria stepped forward and held her hand against his cheek, challenging lightly, "So why don't you start with a kiss."

Diego didn't need to think twice about this invitation and grabbed her in his arm to give her to most passionate kiss he had ever given her.

"And, is that better?" he asked playful after he had broken the kiss.

"Much better," she stated content feeling loved, while she remained in his arms.

She gave him another kiss on his lips and released him from her tight hug.

"Black looks good on you De la Vega," she teased him by a compliment.

Diego looked down at his clothes, and was reminded that he would have to change into his customary clothes within a few hours. Knowing his father would already have been missing him.

"Gracias," he replied a bit shyly and changed the subject. "But tell me, how did you manage to get here?"

He held his arms freely around her waist while he waited for her answer with a seductive smile on his face.

Victoria looked up at him with a secretive smile, "It bothers you doesn't it?"

"Hmmm, … not really," he smiled teasingly at her hiding the fact that he was very curious. Well, to the truth it bothered him a bit. If she could do it, who else would follow?

"I just want to know how cunning my wife to be is."

Victoria's eyes grew wide, so he added, "that is, if she still wants me."

She smiled at first, but got very serious as she answers, "There might be a problem."

Diego held his breath and looked like he was about to fall into pieces. Still he waited for her reason, the reason why she wouldn't want to marry him.

Looking at her toes she completely missed his agony and was trying to hide a smile, "I am already engaged."

Diego felt a heavy burden falling from his shoulders. She was just teasing him. He wildly lifted her up from the ground making her scream in surprise and turned around his axis while waving her through the air. He was so excited; feeling like a dog was enjoying the wind and the waves at the beach. He didn't give her time to say anything.

Diego finally brought her over to the chair and decided to play her game along, "You know, you could always break the engagement."

"I am loyal to my fiancé, and I will always be," she states firmly as she sat on the chair, facing the man she had always loved.

Diego knelt in front of her with a serious yet a passionate look in his eyes, "Will you marry me Victoria?"

Her eyes grew large from excitement, "absolutely and definitely yes."

The end

~Z~

Merry Christmas to you all. Have fun, enjoy the time with family and friends. For 2020 I wish you all the best and that troubles and sorrows have melt away. I hope having been able to give you some distraction with my stories. Keep faith and a smile. Thank you all for your kind reviews this year. That had been great gifts and gave me a smile on my face. Love you for it!