Author Notes: My first fanfiction EVER. . I'm excited to finally get it on here. And what better day than November Fifth?!
Disclaimer: Not legally mine. What a shame…
"I fell in love with you, Evey…when I no longer thought I could. "His voice cracked, a gloved hand stroking her cheek softly to wipe away her tears.
As his breaths became shallow, she desperately clung to V's body, her red eyes pleading him desperately. "I don't want you to die" She whispered through her sobs. His hand slowly slid from her cheek, and she sealed her eyes tightly through her sobs.
"V, please don't leave me." She begged, but his heavy body sagged lifelessly in her arms. "V?" Evey questioned, placing a hand against his still chest. "V!"
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Evey sat curled upon the balcony of her apartment, long arms wrapped around her knees, holding them against her chest. Three days passes, and still the memories still tormented her mind, hour upon hour pulling violently at her heart.
There was no question; the world would always remember the 5th of November, but none of them could possibly understand the meaning like she did. They didn't know the man behind the 'idea'. They gained their revolution, while she lost the most important person in her life for the second time. They weren't affected by the memory of the 5th like she was, and while on her balcony, watching the people below, she couldn't help but feel a sting of jealousy. Why hadn't he chosen her, instead? Not them… not their damn revolution.
But she'd be damned if he died without meaning. And they'd be damned if they dared forget the man who gave it to them.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
"Remember, remember, the fifth of November. We are told to remember an idea, not the man. Because a man can fail. He can be killed and forgotten. But you cannot touch an idea, cannot hold it or kiss it. An idea does not bleed, it cannot feel pain, and it does not love. And it is not an idea that I miss, it is a man. A man who made me remember the fifth of November. A man I will never forget. A man the world should never forget." Evey's voice sounded over the hundreds of speakers.
"Tonight, our world will change. Our leaders will be gone, and we must choose what comes next. A return of chains, or lives of our own? Let us choose carefully, London, and when we do, let us mark well and remember. Remember this 5th of November!" The crowd beneath her frenzied into thousands of screams, thousands of voices yelling as one.
She rested her chin atop her knees, a soft sigh crystallizing in the chilled air, diminishing into a mist around her. Her arms and feet were bare, exposed to the cold, but her body felt no chill. She did not shiver or tremble, her teeth did not clatter together as she sat upon her balcony, looking over the city with glistening eyes. Her mind was elsewhere, trapped within the haunting memories that 'freed' London.
The train hurtled towards Old Bailey. A body cloaked in bloodstained robes laying motionless within the train, V's body surrounded beautifully by hundreds of his scarlet roses. The rosebuds shook with the motion of the train, as it neared its destination. Evey weakened to her knees, the heaviness of her heart weighing down upon her. Officer Finch tried to console the sobbing woman, wrapping his thick arms around her shoulders.
- Within the train, a low moan rumbled from the masked terrorists throat. V slowly began to stir, pain flooding into his body instantly when he lifted his head. The burden of his own weight held him down, and an agonizing groan left him after his first failed attempt to sit up. Finally, he rolled his blood-soaked body off the board he'd rested on, crashing into the floor of the trains cabin. Gloved hands gripping the board tightly, he painfully tried to pull himself to his feet. His sticky clothes clung uncomfortably to his body as he pulled himself up, arms trembling beneath his weight as he steadied himself. His mind had yet to comprehend his surroundings, the mask turning about in confusion as V tried to confirm his location. A short gasp was evidence of the fate that laid ahead of him, when outside a small window the concrete walls of a tunnel flew by in a smeared illusion. Rather hastily he pulled himself to the wall by the window, V hitting the wall with a groan when his balance wavered. One hand went forward, pushing at the sealed door. When it refused to budge, he shifted his weight painfully and leaned against the door. Both hands prying at the crack of a seal. His failed attempts caused him to growl, almost barbarically, in frustration. Leaning fully against the door, he pulled the leather gloves from his hands. Thick, scarred fingers now wedged at the doors seal, muscles straining as he tried to rip it open. A sign flew past the window, and V felt his breath catch in his throat. It was coming…, within a matter of seconds it would all be over. Refocusing on escape, his fingers returned to clawing at the door desperately. He let out a guttural cry when he believed he'd failed, the mask pressed against the steel door in submission. Beneath the mask, he ground his teeth & growled, pulling at the door one last time.–
A loud explosion was sounded, flames engulfing the massive building. The symbol had fallen, and Evey screamed out a mournful cry at the sight. She cringed at the explosion, hugging her stomach in consolation and to fight the nausea she was felt churning within. 'Viva la revolution, Indeed...'
She moved away from the balcony quickly, returning to the empty security of her apartment. When she slid open the glass doors, the warm air flooding out caused her body to finally quiver in realization to how cold the night truly was. Evey curled upon her massive bed, leaving the thick quilt beneath her chilled body as she, again, lost herself within thought.
"You really don't suit this era, do you, V?" Evey's voice sounded from the stairs. V had glanced up over his book, the fawkes mask tilting in silent confusion to her statement. Again she'd caught him seated on the floor of his workout area, his back against the wall to the small library, lost within the pages of another book. The entire lower area was stripped of lighting, only a few candles dimly lighting the floor. V sat between two candles, using their light to read, while enjoying the calm darkness about him. Leaning against the wall by the stairs, she cocked her own head to mimic that of his masks. "A gallery of art, the books, the music." She began, her stare seeming to be unknowingly searching him.
"I'm sorry?" His voice replied in confusion, and Evey laughed quietly to herself before continuing.
"The jukebox, the dancing-"
"Don't you dance, as well, Evey?" V interrupted, clearly not catching the reason behind her statements. Softly, he closed his book around his index finger, keeping the page carefully while fully averting his attention to the blonde leaned against the wall before him.
"I do, but adding to that you have your swords, your...gadgets. Your quotes for cherished movies and plays…your dialect is odd." She seemed to pause, and V cocked his head again.
"I'm afraid I'm not following this, dear Evey." V neatly folded his hands in his lap now, the mask staring back at Evey with its wide grin.
"The cooking. And chivalry." She noted, and a short laugh escaped him.
"Chivalry?" He asked with a nearly mocking tone, mask tilting slightly again.
"You know men aren't like that…not anymore." but instead of a reply, V slowly opened his book. Silence lingered for a moment, and believing her to be done, he returned to reading the scarlet book, moving it slightly to readjust it to the dim lighting. "I didn't mean to offend you, V."
"I'm not sure if it was an insult or not. Should I feel offence?" V questioned, his mask not lifting from the pages of his book.
"Well, no" She delayed for a moment, moving further into the room.
"Every rose has its thorns, Evey. I'm sorry if you feel uncomfortable." He stated casually, his 'face' still hidden behind the book.
"I don't think its that bad." She frowned, lowering herself to a squat close to him. He laid his book upon his lap again, staring back up at Evey. 'Hm,' A noise in the back of his throat the only response given., Evey sighed heavily and crossed her arms. "Do you enjoy being different from them?"
"I'm afraid I have missed the reason for this conversation, Evey." She was silent for a moment, before her shoulders shrugged lazily. "I hold no regrets to the path I've taken." V had nodded slightly and returned his attention to his book for the second time, and before he'd even realized it, Evey had vanished up the stairway.
Evey laughed shortly to herself, now finding amusement in the awkward moment in the workout area of the lower Shadow Gallery. Shaking her head slightly, Evey pulled a pillow against her body, her eyelids slowly becoming heavy. After short minutes of snuggling into the feathery pillow, Evey had fallen into a peaceful slumber.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
-Beep, beep, beep-, Evey groaned softly, nose scrunching as the high-pitched beeping slowly pulled her back to reality. –Beep, beep, beep-, the sound continued, and she rolled over in her bed quickly to silence it. A hand swung forward, knuckles first smacking the front of the clock before a fist loudly found the snooze button, and the room fell silent. Bringing her hands to her face, Evey grumbled softly to herself. Sitting herself up, a quiet yawn escaped her as she swung her feet off her bed. Her body delayed, drowsy eyes still scanning over the empty room as she slowly began to mentally awaken herself. The morning of her first 'normal' day had arrived, since her meeting with V, and rummaging through her drawers, Evey prepared for the first day of her new 'normal' job. After gathering up clean clothes, she headed towards the bathroom to clean up for the day, shedding herself of most of her clothing during the short walk to the bathroom. She wasn't sure what to truly expect at this new job she'd chosen, she only hoped for a homelier job. 'Safe, quiet, and simple. How hard can this be, really? Its just kids.' She'd told herself on the drive to work.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
A week had now passed since V's death, and though it was only her third day at work she'd adjusted perfectly. "I'll be picking him up around 5:30, alright?"
"Its no problem. Have a great day, Mrs. Leon." Evey smiled warmly, taking the screaming three year old into her arms. "Aww, come on, Henry. No more tears." She cooed softly as she took him into the backroom. Sitting the blonde boy onto the wooden rocking horse, he immediately calmed down.
"Evey, dear, Amanda had another accident." A short, plump woman called out, waving Evey over.
"I'll take care of it," Evey managed a smile, taking the small hand of a brunette child. "Her mother left a change of clothes."
"Evey," The stout woman beckoned again, a smile pulling back the wrinkles upon her forehead. Glancing over her shoulder to flash another warm smile, Evey quickly noted another young girl beside the old woman, her skinny knees pushed together and tiny hands squeezed between her legs. "Could you take Emily to the lu, as well?"
Clearly, it was not the job of Evey's dreams, and not what she expected when accepting. It wasn't so quiet & it wasn't so simple; but it was homely. And even though being attacked by a mob of thirty children during snack-time was a challenge, the work was still safe. She was hugged, cuddled, smacked, cried on and spat on, yet began loving it more and more each day that passed. And once discovering how not alone she was, though they were mere children, Evey dreaded returning to her empty flat.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
With a heavy sigh, Evey flung her keys onto the wooden table near the door, delaying only a moment to kick off her sandals. As though part of a nightly ritual, Evey moved to the balcony. Leaning against her elbows upon the cold metal railing, wearily watching the city streets below. Her brown eyes couldn't help but wander towards the familiar alleyway of winding cement walls, where hidden below was a home she'd give anything to see again. But every attempt to return had failed as the closer she'd gotten, the more her heart pleaded for her to stop. The reason she missed the Shadow Gallery was gone, and finding it empty would not satisfy her longing, Perhaps loneliness was hidden behind her reasons, but Evey lived without forcing herself to admit that V was dead. He wasn't hidden away in the Gallery, waiting for the perfect moment to come for her, and she could not will herself to learn. Her eyes, however, would not turn away from the alley they once walked, until tears blurred her vision and Evey pushed herself away from the railing. With fingers lightly brushing the evidence of tears from her cheeks, Evey threw herself onto her white sofa to gaze without expression into a blank television.
Evey awoke the next morning to find herself, still, coiled upon the sofa. Taking in a sharp gasp, she raced into the kitchen for the clock. '9:08', she repeated in her head, "Shit!" She squealed aloud, bare feet skidding across the soft carpet when she glided into her bedroom to search for clean clothes. Grabbing her sandals and keys as she hurried past, Evey stumbled clumsily to hurry out the door.
"I'm so-,"Evey tried to catch her breath, placing a hand upon her heaving chest. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Cane." She rasped breathlessly. The old woman just laughed at Evey's pants, shaking her head.
"Its fine, Evey. The children are doing fine." Mrs. Cane patted Evey's bare head with a wrinkled hand. "Except for Henry. I can't seem to get him to calm down." and Evey finally returned the warm smile, following her into the backroom.
Settling the weeping boy onto her hip, Evey sighed a last apology. "I am sorry." Mrs. Cane waved off her words before vanishing behind the swinging wooden door to return to the front desk. Seating herself upon the plastic toy box with a smile, the nine children seemed to gather around her. "Now, what story shall we read today?" Evey asked quietly, laughing when three of the kids squealed in delight.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
"Evey, its 2:00. You should be on your break already." Mrs. Cane's head emerged from the partially opened door. Evey shifted her weight, slowly rising from the rocking chair with Henry fast asleep in her arms. "Just settling them down." Evey replied softly, bending over to lay the boy upon a small blanket.
"Just git." Mrs. Cane pretended to scowl, and Evey exchanged another smile with her.
Pulling her black jacket over her arms, Evey cast one last glance across the room. "I wont be long." She promised as the stout lady pushed her through the swinging door.
Mrs. Cane gave a short wave before the door swung shut. Evey left 'Tiny Tykes' behind, strolling down the streets as her mind debated the days lunch. Glancing in the blue newspaper box quickly, Evey's thin body halted to a stop. ' Terrorist Fawkes mask found in ruins of subway', the headlines brought a frown to her thin lips. Dropping a coin within the machine, she retrieved the paper to continue her reading. 'No body has yet been discovered, but officials are still in the process of searching the remains of the tunnel before further notice is giving on the status of the terrorist, V.' The short article succeeded in disturbing Evey's mind, the unnerved woman staring ahead blankly. She slowly rolled up the newspaper, trying to force those thoughts aside to refocus upon her choices of lunch.
Lips pursed together tightly, Evey continued to search the small shops in debate. Arms pulling her short jacket tighter around her emaciated body, Evey gave a feeble attempt to still the shivers coursing through her muscles. "Ms. Evey" A lively voice beckoned, drawing her attention across the slow-paced street. With a quick smile, she made her way across the road towards the Asian male. "Kye!" She exclaimed when reaching the narrow sidewalk. "I haven't seen you in.."
"Ages, I know. You went scurrying off with that," He hesitated in his choice for words, leaning against the bricks of the small Asian Restaurant. Exhaling a thin cloud of smoke, he smirked upon finishing his statement "Man."
Evey's brown eyes stared warmly, but her smile began to falter upon the mention of her fallen companion. "You're looking well." She nodded simply. With a light chuckle, Kye tossed his cigarette to the sidewalk. Stepping firmly upon the red embers, he ground the cigarette into the concrete. "Come on." He pushed open the glass door, expression void from his face as his arm held it open for Evey. Tilting her head back to examine the glowing sign above the door, she gave a soft mumble of approval.
"Will this be quick?" She asked mindlessly, loosening her jacket as the warmth within the restaurant engulfed her.
"I'll do my best." Kye smiled faintly, leading her towards the back and patting a table gently. Sliding into the booth, she wiggled the black jacket off her shoulders, letting it fall behind her to rest between herself and the seat. Upon removing his own oversized jacket, a dark hand found her baldhead, rubbing it roughly as though ruffling nonexistent hair.
He just smiled in silence as he smooth out his white apron, and Evey was grateful Kye disregarded questions. "What'll it be, Evey?"
-- -- -- -- --
So there you have it…No, V hasn't appeared yet. Have patience! It's not his turn yet ;)
So, I've done it! I cleaned up the 'before's and fixed the layout for dialog :) Hope this flows much more smoothly!