A/N: A little Disney Zorro ditty…not too deep, just a little study of the friendship between Don Diego/Zorro and Sergeant Garcia. It could take place any time after the Eagle, before the move to Monterey. Alejandro has not revealed he knows Diego is Zorro, but there is a hint of him thinking about it.

FRIENDSHIP

CHAPTER ONE – In the Wilderness

Zorro rode Tornado out of the pueblo at full gallop. The night rescue had gone all wrong. I'm going to have to change some things, he thought. Either Sergeant Garcia's getting smarter, or I'm more of a baboso. They almost caught me tonight, and they're giving a good chase right now!

Zorro usually loved giving Sergeant Garcia and his lancers a merry chase, but tonight, he was tired, and he just wanted to get home as quickly as possible before…

Before Father knows I'm gone, he thought. He guided Tornado through a grove of trees, hoping he could lose them in the chase. He turned his head around to see how close the pursuers were, and misjudged where the trees were. As he turned front, a tree branch whacked him in the forehead and knocked him off Tornado. He landed with force on the ground with his left foot caught underneath him; the wind knocked out of him. The edge of the grove was near a small arroyo, and the force of Zorro's fall made him roll into it.

Z

"You know, Bernardo – you'd think the new Magistrado would know by now that these little schemes to oppress the people of Los Angeles won't work. I think that most of these oppressions are to try and trap Zorro – eh? Why do they keep doing them? I know – I shouldn't complain – but Bernardo – I can't help but think we've been lucky so far – and I hope our luck doesn't run out!" He reached out and gave Bernardo's arm a playful slap.

Earlier in the day, Diego de la Vega and his manservant, Bernardo rode back to the hacienda. Diego rode his palomino. They'd gone to the pueblo to investigate the imprisonment of a peon who worked at a neighboring rancho. Diego was still mulling in his mind what he should do.

Diego was silent for a while. He kept going over different scenarios in his mind, and whenever he thought of something, he would say it – all the way home to the hacienda. Diego laughed at one such thought. Bernardo tapped him on the shoulder with a puzzled look on his face. Diego shook his head, then looked down.

"It's funny, Bernardo. Remember when the agents of the Eagle 'framed' me for being Zorro? I can laugh about it now – but I was so angry at Sergeant Garcia for being in on the plot..."

Bernardo tapped him on the forearm and nonverbally questioned him again. "Oh, you want to know what I am laughing about. Well – while I was in jail, Sergeant Garcia told me I must not know Zorro very well…that Zorro would come over the wall as he always did…Am I really that predictable, Bernardo? Because if I am – they may be able to trap me some day – and then…"

He did a hanging gesture. Bernardo's expression reflected the horror of it. Diego cocked his head to one side and pursed his lips together.

"What made me so angry was the thought that Sergeant Garcia, who I thought was my friend – would set me up like that. Evidently I was making a nuisance of myself with Senora Toledano and her innkeeper friends…But I was, after all, asked to keep an eye on her by her husband. I guess she didn't like me being so diligent in my duty. What do you think, Bernardo?"

Bernardo gestured again. "You want to know how I can be friends with Sergeant Garcia – when I know he wants to capture me for the reward. Well – I like Sergeant Garcia. He's a good man in a difficult position. As a Sergeant in the King's Lancers, he has sworn to serve his government, right or wrong. I know he has a good heart. If it weren't his duty to try to capture me all the time, I think he and I could be really good friends."

Bernardo looked up at the sky and frowned a moment. Diego followed his eyes. "Oh, si, it is going to rain soon. We'd better get home."

Z

At the bottom of the arroyo, Zorro found he couldn't move for a few moments. He blinked his eyes and struggled to sit up, shaking the cobwebs out of his head. As he started to get up, he put weight on his left foot and the surprise pain made him cry out as he awkwardly got to his feet. I think my ankle is sprained, he thought. He whistled for Tornado but the horse had already galloped away. Tornado's not usually like this, thought Zorro. Maybe he'll come back after he runs it off. In the meantime, I better find better cover than this arroyo.

Z

Sergeant Demetrio Lopez Garcia hoped to capture Zorro for the reward. It had been his dream for a year. Not only did he want the reward money – he also wanted the prestige he knew would come with capturing a bandito of such fame. He'd helped various Commandantes use every trick in the book they could think of – and Zorro always seemed to either know about the trick or trap ahead of time – or be able to evade capture during the chase.

That night – the chase led Zorro, Garcia, and about a dozen lancers out into the wilderness outside Los Angeles. He nearly captured Zorro in the cuartel earlier by using the peon as bait. But the chase was long, and Garcia was thirsty. What he wouldn't give to sit down in the tavern with his friend Don Diego and a large mug of wine…

Now, they were miles from Los Angeles, out in the middle of nowhere, it seemed, except for a large grove of trees. Large boulders, little rises, and small ravines were close by. Garcia thought he heard something up ahead. Garcia stopped about fifty feet before the grove of trees.

"Lancers! Spread out! I thought I heard Zorro cry out. He might be injured! Lancers! Dismount! Move slowly – and – be careful…" The lancers, with Sergeant Garcia in the lead, dismounted and made their way towards the grove of trees. As they watched, Tornado ran past them. Garcia shouted, "Lancers – to horse!" They remounted and quickly followed in pursuit.

It was very dark and no one had a torch. Garcia's horse stumbled at the edge of the arroyo Zorro had just climbed out of. Garcia exclaimed as he fell, but the lancers rode on – his voice lost in the thunder of horse hooves and lancers' shouts. When Garcia tried to get up, he stumbled on a rock and fell against another. When his head hit against the rock, Garcia was rendered unconscious for a minute or so. When he awakened, he called out.

"Lancers! Where are you? Get me out of here! Lancers!"

Z

Zorro watched from the edge of the grove of trees and saw Garcia's fall from his horse and his stumbling over the rock. He lay on his stomach as he watched. He knew it could possibly be hours before the lancers discovered Sergeant Garcia wasn't with them, before they would turn around to search for him. I have to see if Sergeant Garcia is all right, Zorro thought. But I have to get up to do that.

He rolled over to his right side and dragged himself to the trunk of a tree. He looked at his foot. He could feel the swelling make his boot tighter. He pulled himself up against a tree trunk by putting his back to it, then hobbled to the edge of the arroyo.

Z

"Lancers! Where are you? Help!" Garcia called out into the night.

"Sergeant Garcia! This is Zorro! Are you all right?" Zorro peered down into the nearly ten-foot deep arroyo.

"Zorro! I think – I think I am all right – but my head hurts. I cannot see very well. I am very light-headed."

"Sergeant, can you get up? Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"Si, I can get up." He tried to rise, but swayed and fell back again to a semi-reclining position. "I do not tell the truth. I – I cannot get up. Can you help me, Senor Zorro?"

"I will try, Sergeant, but I am also slightly injured. I'll help you as soon as I can." Zorro paused a moment, thinking.

"Sergeant, listen to me – we are alone. Your lancers are gone. Our horses are gone. There is only you and me out here. We must make the best of it. Let's call a truce – just until we get back to Los Angeles."

"A truce? How do I know I can trust you? You have tricked me many times." Sergeant Garcia harrumphed.

Zorro snorted back. "How do I know I can trust you? You have tricked…" He cut himself off… You have tricked me before, too, Sergeant Garcia, he thought, remembering the set up and knock out. Aloud, he said, "You have tricked Zorro with your traps."

Both were silent a moment, then Garcia broke the silence. "Please Senor Zorro – I need help. I cannot get up by myself. My head hurts. I am very dizzy. Si – let's call a truce."

Zorro thought a moment. "All right, a truce. I will be down un momento."

Zorro slid down into the arroyo and hobbled over to Garcia, while he reviewed the logistics in his head. "The way I see it, Sergeant Garcia, I am going to have to trust you, more than you will have to trust me. I will help you out of the arroyo, then you will probably have to help me get out. I got out once, but I may not be able to do it by myself a second time. All right? Do we have a bargain?"

Garcia put a hand to his head a moment, as if trying to process the information. "Si, Senor Zorro, we have a bargain."

"All right, Sergeant." Zorro gave logistical instructions to Garcia about shifting his weight, climbing up on his haunches then using a bush on the side of the arroyo to pull himself up. Zorro helped provide momentum – with his boots – by lying on his back and placing his feet on Garcia's backside, and pushing.

Once Garcia was up, he swayed again. "Zorro! I am dizzy!"

"Put your hand out to the wall of the arroyo to steady yourself. You can do it, Sergeant! I have the utmost confidence in you!"

Garcia smiled and it lit up his whole face, even though his head reminded him of pain. "Gracias, Zorro! That is one of the nicest things you have ever said to me!"

Garcia remembered – just a short time ago – when Zorro had told him "You're a good man, Sergeant." The sergeant knew he had really disappointed Don Diego by not getting an important message to Old Juan, the de la Vega servant. He had been distracted in the kitchen by Corporal Reyes' pilfering of a cooked chicken. Don Alfredo was nearly killed. Garcia was thankful when the opportunity came to redeem himself. He didn't mess that up. His face wrinkled at the memory of Don Diego's voiced anger. He felt so badly. After all, Don Diego was probably the best friend he had. But then Zorro had praised him – and the next time he saw Don Diego, he seemed to have forgotten his anger.

Garcia put his hand out to Zorro, with a smile. "Gracias, Zorro. Gracias for helping me up."

Zorro hesitated a moment before accepting the hand. He made a decision to trust with a backup plan in case he was betrayed. Zorro had occasion to trust Garcia before – with the gunpowder – and Garcia had not betrayed that trust.

Zorro reached up his hand, Garcia took it, and hauled Zorro up.

Z

"What now, Zorro? How do we get out of here? We are a very long way from Los Angeles." Garcia's brow furrowed as he set his mind to thinking.

"Well, Sergeant. First we climb out of here, then you will help me walk. I will help you see – to keep you from running into or tripping over things and help you stay standing."

"Gracias, Zorro. Where did you say you were hurt?"

"I didn't. But – it could be my ankle – I may have sprained it."

Garcia slipped down the embankment every time he tried to climb out. Zorro shook his head from side to side and made a decision.

"Sergeant, I'm sorry. We are not making progress. Here is what I will do. I will bring a sturdy tree branch for you to use to pull yourself up. Comprende?"

"How do I know I can trust you, Zorro? How do I know you will not leave me here?" Garcia frowned.

"Will you believe me if I give you my word, Sergeant?" Zorro looked at him with a small smile, clumsily climbed out of the arroyo.

Z

With only a little help from Garcia, Zorro climbed out of the arroyo. From the edge, Zorro looked down. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Sergeant. I'll try not to go out of earshot. So, if you want to speak to me, just shout out. I will hear you."

"Si, Zorro. But hurry – please."

Zorro hobbled into the woods looking for anything he could use to help Garcia climb up. It needed to be a long, but sturdy tree branch…something both he and Sergeant Garcia would both be able to hold on to…something that would also hold Garcia's massive weight without breaking.

"Zorro! Can you hear me? How is the search going?" Garcia was nervous. He wanted to trust Zorro, but he wasn't sure he could. After all, he'd been chasing Zorro with the intent to capture him – until they'd both tumbled off their horses. And Zorro's past taunts of being a 'big, fat Sergeant' also came to mind.

"Still looking, Sergeant – I haven't found anything suitable yet." Zorro called from the grove.

A few minutes went by before the corpulent sergeant called out again. "Zorro? Are you still there? Can you hear me?"

From a bit further off, Zorro replied, "Si, Sergeant Garcia. I am still looking. I will let you know when I find something."

Z

More minutes went by. Zorro had seen several long branches, but none of them were stiff enough to hold Garcia's weight. He'd tried to stay in contact with the large sergeant, but wearied of the almost constant calling out. I have to find something suitable soon, he thought. Sergeant Garcia has enough trouble trusting me in this awkward truce – he might think I'm slowly sneaking away from him.

His eyes spotted a long, thick downed tree branch. He limped over and started dragging one end of it. He thought he'd get a little closer to the arroyo before telling Garcia he'd found something. But in the dark, he didn't see the rock. He tripped over it, slamming his head hard against the ground.

TBC