A/N: Well this is the first chapter of Vaudeville. It's a story that was eating my brain lately and I had to spit it out. It will be a V/Evey romance fanfic, where V lives…sorry but I'm a hopeless romantic, and I just couldn't let Evey alone (not with Finch anyway *giggles*). I hope you will like it. And please excuse my English…I'm not as good at it as I wished. (And I'm not too much of a writer either).

Rating might go up.

Disclaimer: I do not own V for Vendetta, I'm just playing with the characters and universe for others entertainment. I'm not making any money out of this.

VAUDEVILLE

Chapter I

„Remember, remember

The 5th of November,

The gunpowder treason and plot

I know of no reason

Why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.(1

But what of the man?

I know his name was Guy Fawkes...and I know in 1605, he attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. But who was he really? What was he like. We are told to remember the idea and not the man. Because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten.

But 400 years later...an idea can still change the world.

I have witnessed firsthand the power of ideas. I've seen people kill in the name of them...and die defending them. But you cannot kiss an idea...cannot touch it or hold it. Ideas do not bleed. They do not feel pain. They do not love. And it is not an idea that I miss. It is a man. A man that made me remember the 5th of November. A man that I will never forget.

No one will ever forget that night...and what it meant for this country.

But I will never forget the man...and what he meant to me."

Tears flooded Evey Hammond's eyes while London sprang into applause. The crowd was facing the Houses of Parliament, now in ruin, a mass of black clad figures looking at her from everywhere. Anywhere she would look his mask will be looking back at her, mocking her. 'What am I doing here?' she asked herself. Her head lowered in the attempt to hide the tears that were now washing her pale face. Eric Finch caught her hand, dragging the crying Evey off the stage and covering her shoulders with his jacket.

"Come, let's get out of here!" his soft voice told her.

She nodded, letting out a painful sob. They made way out of the crowd, fireworks exploding above them.

"I cannot believe it's been a year since…" Evey said, her voice fading. "…since he died. And I still miss him."

Crystals descended again from her eyes. The man besides her tugged the coat tighter around her, and caught her in his embrace. Her hair, which grew back over the last year, hid her face while she buried her head in Finch's chest. He stopped for a moment, waiting for the lithe figure in his arms to calm down.

"Evey…"

"Yes." She answered weakly, looking up at the man that called her.

"I know this isn't the right moment…" Eric started with a hesitant tone. "…and it probably won't make you feel any better, but I thought you would like to know."

"Tell me."

"We found him…or….what's left of him, while we were removing what's left of the Parliament."

"I suppose I should have expected that." She said with a weak smile.

"You loved him, didn't you?" Finch finally dared to ask this question.

"I still do."

"Forgive me for asking but…how? You told me you never seen his face."

Evey smiled, this time full-hearted.

"I do not need a face." She looked at the sky above her. "He did so much for me. I haven't realized back then, but I understand now." She took in a deep breath. "Thank you, V!"

A wide smile covered her face, Eric looked down at her.

"Now, that's better!" he said smiling.

"Thank you too, Eric. You've been a very good friend."

"That's the least I could do for the woman that saved us."

"Eric, if you don't mind, I would like to spend this night at the Shadow Gallery."

"Only if you promise me to be careful."

"I'll try." She replied with a naughty smile.

"You'll try?" Eric asked with an admonishing tone.

"Just joking. I promise I'll be careful."

"Ok, then. See you tomorrow, my dear." He hugged her, and then left.

Alone in the darkness, Evey headed to the Shadow Gallery…his home…hers.…no! THEIR home.

"I'm so selfish, aren't I? Wanting you back just for me." She sighed, thoughts and memories swirling in her head. She did miss him, though she was a stronger woman thanks to him, this was her only weakness. She wasn't thinking about him anymore now, not as she was almost 11 months ago. But tonight…tonight was his. One night for her to remember the man she loved so dearly. Oh, how she longed to hold him, to tell him what she didn't have the courage to say when it would have made a difference, the words that would have at least made him happy. And how it hurt.

She stopped suddenly, feeling she's being followed, she still kept the Gallery hidden, wanting no one to intrude her only refuge. She looked around, noticing how the shadows moved.

Three black clad figures, wearing faux masks, came from behind her, two of them were tall, both remembering her of the authentic figure, the other at about her height, wearing a wrong hat.

'Oh, God. This can't be good.' She thought remembering how Eric told her to be careful.

"What do you want?" she asked the three. "Why are you following me?" Slowly she retrieved one of V's knives from her pocket. None of her stalkers answered. She was beginning to lose patience, and she started spinning the knife, almost with the same dexterity as V once did.

"If you don't want to answer, I'll get the answers myse…" A shot rang in the mute darkness and Evey fell heavily to the ground, hot blood staining the concrete.

End of Chapter I.

(1 Quote from the movie - "V for Vendetta" - Evey's monologue

A/N: Chapter 2 soon. Thank you for reading.