Disclaimer: I don't own anything. But I do love the movies.
He stood there, looking at the destruction of one of the most symbolic buildings in London, waving around his arms as if he was a conductor and laughing like a crazy person.
At that moment, Evey knew that he was.
Despite not being able to see his face she knew it would be alight with satisfaction. With glee and a sense of accomplishment. He was proud.
Proud. Proud of blowing up a building. Of defying the government. Of breaking the law. He laughed like he was a child receiving one of the greatest gifts he could receive. It was crazy; and yet Evey herself felt some satisfaction, despite the anxiousness and fear that accompanied it.
The fireworks and music had finally stopped, and the debris from the blown up Bailey had finally settled on the ground. Evey staggered back and sat down. The man in front of Evey had stopped his movement and finally he turned to her.
"Well?" his voice came through the mask, "What did you think?"
Evey directed her eyes towards him in astonishment. "Did you do that?"
The mask dipped slightly. "I did that."
"But, but that's against the law! They- they could kill you for that." Evey's voice was just above a whisper.
"Yes, I suppose they could. However that would mean they would have to find me first and that, dearest Evey, will be very hard for people to do."
She stared at him for a couple of moments longer before shaking her head gently. "I was right, you are a crazy person."
"You are entitled to your own opinion just as I am to mine." V responded quietly but forcefully. "Now I take it you would like to go home?" He offered her a hand, making it her decision if she would accept it or not.
She studied the hand, suddenly unsure of the man who had saved her from Fingermen earlier that night. Finally, after seconds had passes, she took it and he gently brought her to her feet once again.
"Would you like me to accompany you? I'm sure there are no Fingermen about after what just transpired but if you feel unsafe I could always come with you." V offered gently.
Evey shook her head. "No thank you, I think I can manage." She had just turned and reached the door to the stairs when she turned back. "Thank you, V. For everything you've done tonight." She smiled at him hesitantly. "I can't believe I'm saying this about a stranger but I quite enjoyed your company."
Even though his eyes were hidden by the mask Evey could sense his gaze on her. Studying her, calculating everything she did, observing her every movement. He then stepped forward and almost... shyly grabbed her hand, bowed his head and kissed it.
"It was my pleasure Evey, I'm glad you enjoyed it." he replied.
She looked at his mask for a couple more seconds before shaking her head slightly and turning away. "Well I really should get going, I expect it's about 1:00 in the morning."
"Yes, around there I presume." V said.
Every looked over her shoulder at him. "Goodbye V."
He nodded in acknowledgement. "Goodbye dearest Evey."
She turned back and descended the stairs. V had spoken the truth about the Fingermen, there were none about. Evey watched as her cold breath diffused into the air around her. She didn't think about anything apart from the fact that she had to get to her house before Fingermen showed, or something worse than Fingermen.
Only once she reached her home that night and was laying in bed did she allow her thoughts to turn to the mysterious man in the mask who had saved her that night.
He had been courteous. Kind, and almost... sweet. He had saved her from what could have been her being raped and murdered. She knew what those men had been planning to do to her, and she had been powerless to stop it. They were Fingermen, their word was law.
But then he had come. Appearing so suddenly, out of the shadows, he had come speaking the words of Shakespeare and seeming almost like a heroine from the many stories her father used to tell her. He was her savior and yet she was scared of him. He had attacked the Fingermen seemingly without a second thought. He had killed before, that was obvious to Evey.
Her saviour was a murderer. And now a terrorist.
She sighed. It didn't even matter, she supposed as she drifted to sleep. She would probably never see him again.
But did she want to see him again?
oooOOOooo
Well now here was a problem.
He had come this far, had gotten away from all policemen just to be caught by Mr. Finch's assistant.
As he stood in front of the elevator, with his hands raising to rest on his head he sighed. Of course he could fight the man. But he had a gun, and even though V could fight with a bullet wound it would certainly be painful.
Unnecessary pain wasn't something V liked.
Ha! He almost laughed out loud. If it had been any other situation he would have. Unnecessary pain for V? Well that was something he was quite accustomed to.
"I must say that I am rather astonished by the response time of London's finest. I hadn't expected you to be quite so johnny-on-the-spot." V was glad when his voice came out calm and relaxed. Showing panic certainly wouldn't do in this situation.
He had turned to look at the man who had caught up with him. Yes, it was Finch's partner. Dominic. That was his name. He looked calm but V could see the well veiled nervousness in his eyes and the so slight shake of his hands.
"We were here before you even got started, bad luck chummy." Dominic sounded calm as well. Sure of himself and his position.
Suddenly V was distracted by Evey, the woman he had met last night. She was walking down the hall quietly, reaching into her bag for her pepper spray Why was she here? And more importantly what was she planning to do?
She was going to help him, V realized. He could see it on her face, in her determind expression. In the way her eyes never left Dominic in case he moved.
V was suddenly very grateful for his mask because he didn't think he could conceal his look of surprise from the man standing in front of him.
"Oh I don't know about that." he said in response to the detective in an attempt to keep him looking at V and not Evey.
It worked. The man was looking intently at V when Evey tapped him on the shoulder.
As V expected he turned his back to V and looked at Evey. What he didn't expect however was that the man would swing his hand around and hit Evey with the butt of his gun.
Immediately V sprang into action, punching the man unconscious.
Once he was done with that he turned to look at Evey. As he stepped towards her he looked at the camera. So the police would know everything that had just happened. Well if they hadn't seen it on camera Dominic would have told them anyhow. There was nothing to do about the camera or the man. They would know she helped him. They would identify her and try to reprimand her.
Unless he took her with him.
No! No he couldn't afford distractions, or allow anyone to get close to him. Not when he had gotten this far.
But she was just laying there. She had helped him so shouldn't he help her? Well he had already helped her last night. God, was it only last night? Offhandly V wondered what Evey was doing at the BTN in the first place. Maybe if he brought her to his home he could ask...
No! No he couldn't let her see where he lived; and yet he would like some company and she did seem smart...
Ugh there was no time. Already he could hear the police running and hear their yells.
He sighed behind his mask. There was nothing else to be done about it. So he picked her up, careful not to be rough, and together V and Evey both made their way to the Shadow Gallery.
oooOOOooo
"Why didn't you just leave me alone?!" she cried and stormed away to her- his- room.
She slammed the door and flopped down on the bed. Why was he doing this? It wasn't fair. He should have just left her alone.
She sighed. Why had she helped him? She hadn't even thought about it, all she had been thinking was that V was in trouble. The man who had blown up the Old Bailey, the crazy man who had saved her from Fingermen, was in trouble.
She shook her head. He probably could have handled herself, he had certainly done so that night with the Fingermen. Why had she thought he needed help? Why had she put her whole life in danger just to help a terrorist?
She felt the tears coming, felt the familiar ache of fear, anxiousness and anger in her stomach.
It had been hard for Evey to live before, knowing that the government kept tabs on her because of her background. How much worse would it be now that they knew she had helped a terrorist evade being taken into arrest by an inspector?
Maybe it was for the best that V had brought her here. Where else would she have hidden? Where else could she have gone? There was always Gordon, she supposed, but he couldn't be expected to put up with her and shelter her when she was being searched for by police. That would be asking him to put his whole life at stake and Evey couldn't do that.
Maybe it was for the best she had been brought here. This place certainly was interesting, there was plenty to look at. Plus V seemed to be a very interesting man and Evey couldn't deny that she was curious to learn more about him. She suspected she was the first person's company who he had been in for a while and that he was just as interested in her as she was with him.
Evey scolded herself internally. She couldn"t stay here. This was not her home. This man was breaking the law. He was defying order and was planning on destroying a building for gods' sakes! He was insane.
Yet she trusted him. With her life in fact. And she had already proved that she would put her own life in danger to help him save his.
What was wrong with her?
Oh how she missed her home. Her friends. Her life.
So that day Evey fell asleep with tears streaming down her face, her throat choked with sobs, and with a terrible sense of homesickness.
oooOOOooo
"Your hands!" The words came out in a soft whisper but to V they felt like he was being punched.
He glanced down, "Yes." he said before turning.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! he reprimanded himself. Why did you take off your gloves when you knew she could wake at any moment?
Without thinking V's reaction had been to spin around and quickly put the familiar leather gloves back on his hands. He had turned away to quickly to see Evey's initial reaction but when he turned back to her he watched her anxiously, waiting for the look of disgust, or worse, pity.
But he was surprised.
She was not looking at him in pity. Or disgust.
No, she was looking at him with worry.
It was almost worse than disgust.
It showed that even now she cared. Even after she had been so upset at him for taking her here to his home, she was worried about him. She was becoming a bigger distraction then V had originally anticipated.
What he hadn't anticipated however, was the fact that he liked having her here.
He raised his hidden hands to show her. "There, that's better. I hope I didn't put you off your appetite." Yes! That was good, try to distract her. Make her forget somehow the horrible image that was his skin.
"No please, it's just," her voice held it too. The worry. "are you alright?" she asked him.
And we were back to his hands. He turned away to look at the toasting bread in front of him. "Oh yes, yes, I'm fine."
"Can I ask what happened?" Now her voice was curious.
He paused, trying to think of the right words to answer her. Finally he spoke, "There was a fire, many years ago." He turned back to look at her. "Ancient history for some, not really good table conversation."
He picked up the plate, trying to ignore her gaze. "Now, would you like a cup of tea with your egg?" Good, very good, get back to the food.
She hesitated and he could see she was trying to decide wether to let it go. Finally she did. "Yes, thank you, I'm starving actually."
He nodded, thankful to put the topic to rest. "Have a seat." He motioned to the table and she sat.
She dug in, and he poured her tea, watching her carefully. She hadn't shown any signs of fleeing from him, or mollycoddling him. She had merely asked if he was alright and then she had gone on like nothing had happened, asking questions to cure her curiosity.
Maybe, if she could accept how his hands looked, she could accept the rest of him.
oooOOOooo
"You'll find your own tree," V said along with Edward Dantes, unable to resist quoting the movie.
Evey didn't even look at him, focusing on the movie. Finally when the credits came up seconds later, V turned to face her. It surprised him to see her eyes shining from tears.
"Did you like it?" he asked eagerly, surprised at how much he wanted her to say yes.
"Ya," she responded, "it made me feel sorry for Mercedes."
"Why?" he asked her curiously. Mercedes got the guy, and they all lived happily ever after. There was nothing to feel sorry for.
"Because he cared more about revenge than he did about her." she told him.
v blinked, surprised at her answer.
Of course Edward did, it was his goal. Why wouldn't his revenge matter more to him? Yes Mercedes was a beautiful girl, and yes she was his true love but revenge... it was what he had striven for for a long time.
Because he cared more about revenge than he did about her.
Huh. V had no idea how later, those words would come to haunt him.
oooOOOooo
"My god, she wasn't lying. It is you." the cowering bishop said.
V quickly turned to look at Evey. She moved back a fraction of an inch. She was shaking. "I'm sorry," she said, "I had to!" She sounded guilty but she also sounded scared. She turned and ran.
"Evey!" the name slipped out of his mouth automatically, without a thought. The voice was laced with betrayal and worry. He was worried about her. After she had tried to save his next victim.
The guilt was almost unbearable for Evey.
Damn the worry, it made her want to stop and turn around. To act like it had been part of the act to gain the mans trust. The disgusting man who called himself a man of faith, and all the while he makes love to children once a week.
V was right. There was something terribly wrong with this country. And the people in it.
Oh, V.
As she stopped running and finally as she caught her breath at a wall she allowed herself to feel the guilt.
V hadn't been that bad really, and he had never hurt her. He was always one for having interesting conversations and as he actually possessed some amount of intelligence it was always nice to talk to him. He didn't overwhelm you, and he spoke the truth. Evey didn't think that he had ever lied to her.
It had been nice for a change. Having been told the truth when you asked for it. And yet it had suffocated her in a way. A way she was unaccustomed to.
Suddenly Evey felt fear and regret.
What if Gordon rejected her at his door? Left her to the Fingermen roaming the streets? Or even worse, turned her over to them himself.
She shook her head. No, Gordon would never do that. He would at least hear her out first.
Why did she suddenly feel like leaving V had been a bad idea.
Later that night Evey heard sirens go past Gordon's house. She was gripped with fear. Had someone caught V? Was he okay? Had he killed Lilliman? Was he hurt? She had heard men yelling when she had ran from the church, maybe they had captured him.
No, Evey thought, trying to put her mind at ease. No, V was much to clever for that. He had a plan, and he made sure his plans always worked.
So why was she still worried about him? More importantly, why was she wishing she could see him again?
oooOOOooo
She had been just about ready to give up. Just about ready to end it all, and tell the men who were keeping her locked up in this place she could help them find Codename V. That she knew things about where he lived that they could use to discover his whereabouts.
But then she had found Valerie's letter, and she had found something within herself, something strong and unyielding and powerful, and she refused them once again. She would not tell them where to find her friend. She would not tell them about V's home. She no longer showed signs of fear of the consequences of her refusal.
Desite the gases infused into her body from the showers, the poisons that racked her body for days and caused her to throw up the small amount of sludge she managed to eat everyday; despite the bruises, the aching, the uncleanliness, the drownings and beatings. Despite the injections and inquisitions. Despite the constant threat of
ending her life, Evey had stayed strong. She had not given in, and if she had lasted that long than why should she give up now?
It was like Valerie had retaught Evey her whole perspective on life. She had thought her life was the only thing she had left.
That was not the case.
No, Evey had her will. Her conscience. She knew that if she gave up V right now the soldiers that checked her in her cell every few hours might as well just shoot her. She would never be able to live her life knowing that she had sold out one of the most important people in her life.
They had spent several weeks together, Evey and V, and while she had learned hardly anything new about him he had learned a lot about her. And she had enjoyed telling him, and answering his questions. They had watched movies and listened to the jukebox and he had taught her how to cook with butter and other ingredients she hadn't had since she was little.
They had hugged. Not often, but when Evey got extremely excited she had hugged the man and, always after a noticeable hesitation, he would hug her in return. He never wrapped his arms around her without her having done so to him first, as if he was afraid of rejection. As if that took things a step too far. As if it was too close and personal.
But he had always returned her hugs. Oh how Evey missed his hugs. She missed everything about him in fact. The warmth, caring, gentleness... she even missed that mask that he constantly wore. The one that had come to sybolize his face. She missed his voice. Deep and rich. Full of emotion and yet so carefully controlled. His voice held all of the years of his life. But most of all she missed the man. V himself. She missed the person with the amazing voice and Guy Fawkes mask.
While she had been there she had found that the mask almost changed. It didn't actually but whenever V would laugh or his voice held amusement Evey could almost see the actual mask change. Sometimes it held amusement, other times it held wonder. There could be a certain cruelness to it or it could be full of warmth.
Or maybe it was the voice and the actions of the mask that seemed to change how she saw it. Maybe she was imagining the expressions the actual face of the man held.
She would never see those expressions now. Never discover the man beneath the mask, the one who had saved Evey. She would never learn what had happened to him to burn his hands like they were, or to make him gain enough courage to actually strike against the demanding government of England. She would never get to touch his skin, see his eyes, feel his soft caress... kiss his lips.
But suddenly she wanted to. With a passion that unnerved her Evey wanted to feel his lips on hers. Suddenly she wanted to feel him lightly trail his fingers- his fingers, not the gloves he wore- across her arms. He wanted to hear his voice, the one that wasn't muted by the mask, and she wanted to feel his lips move as he whispered words into her ear and made her shiver.
Evey had discovered her inch, and now that she had it, she refused to let anyone take it from her.
Now here she was. Another man had thrown her into her cell and as she reread Valerie's letter his words still resounded in her ears.
"Why protect somebody who doesn't give a shit about you?" he had sneered at her with cruelty in his voice.
She sighed and carefully placed Valerie's letter back into the hole in the wall with shaking hands.
The man had been wrong of course. V cared about her. Evey knew he did. Sometimes she even suspected he cared for her more than he cared for himself.
But if that was the case then where was he now? While she was being tortured, held captive against her will. While at any second she could give up his whereabouts he was out doing... what? What was more important than keeping his home a secret? Of staying hidden? Of hiding from Sutler? Of saving Evey so that he could remain alone?
What, what was more important to him than Evey herself?
She was surprised at how much the words rocked her. They shocked her to her core. Perhaps there were many things much more important than Evey. Maybe he had a wife and children somewhere. Maybe he was out continuing his vendetta. Killing people and wreaking havoc, not even noticing Evey was captured.
It could be anything. Maybe Evey had been wrong in guessing how much he actually cared for her. He might just leave her here, in this hellhole, assuming that she wouldn't give him up. Knowing that either she was too nice for that or that she cared too much.
Evey straightened. No. No V wasn't like that. Even though Evey didn't know what he had been like in previous years she was sure that she knew him now. He would never leave her here unless there was no other choice. The man she knew would never do that to her.
And even if he was she knew she still wouldn't be able to do that to him. Would never be able to give him up just to save herself. He, what he stood for and everything he was doing. All he was, was worth more to her than her own life. She would die to protect him, she realized.
That was why, when the man asked her to give up one more time she responded with this, "Thankyou; but I'd rather die behind the chemical sheds."
What scared her most of all was that she had meant it. With everything Evey had, she had meant it.
oooOOOooo
It was the Shadow Gallery.
All along she had been in the Shadow Gallery. Not in some musty, dark and depressing prison. She had been in the Shadow Gallery that whole time.
For a stupid second Evey was worried that the police had found V's hideout, taken him prisoner and built the cell's adjoining his home. That was why he hadn't come to save her. She still thought it was the government who had taken her.
But then, as she stepped farther away from the place that she had been tortured she saw that the truth was in fact much worse than that. As V stepped out in front of her she realized exactly what had happened.
It had been him that whole time. The man she had been tortured for as a punishment for protecting him, had in fact been the actual torturer himself. The man she had been willing to give her life to save and keep hidden was the man who had insisted she give him up. The man who had caused her so much pain, both mentally and physically, was standing right in front of her.
This was an unheard of level of betrayal. And Evey couldn't stand to even look at him. She was so weak that she could hardly lift her head anyway, what was the point in causing herself more pain than she had already endured? She couldn't think of a good reason.
But then, like nothing had happened he spoke 2 words- 2 words- to her. "Hello Evey."
She stepped towards him, still shaky, still not fully comprehending what this meant. "You," she said softly, "it was you." She couldn't stop moving towards him. Like she was compelled to be near him, this man who had almost killed her.
His head dipped a bit in agreement. "Yes." the word was spoken with the barest trace of emotion, and yet to Evey that made him all the more despisable.
She gestured to the torture facility behind her with the hand holding Valerie's letter. "That wasn't real," now anger was starting to seep into her voice along with understanding. He had taken her from Gordon's- Gordon! She asked him quietly, "Is Gordon-"
He stopped her before she could finish. "I'm sorry but Mr. Deitrich's dead. I thought they'd arrest him but when they found a Koran in his house the had him executed."
Oh my god! Evey was almost overcome with sorrow. Gordon was dead. The man who had taken her in, had given her food, clothes and shelter, was dead. "Oh god," she whispered to herself.
V took a small step towards her. "Fortunately I got to you before they did."
Fortunately? She raised her eyes to meet his, anger in them and her voice. "You got to me?" She asked him incredulously and was filled with a small sense of satisfaction when he averted his gaze from her. Wether it was from guilt or the knowledge she was about to start an onslaught Evey didn't know and she didn't care.
"You did this to me? You cut my hair? You tortured me?" As she spoke he moved to the other side of the table, the side Evey was not on. "You tortured me?!" she repeated louder and then made her voice a whisper. "Why?"
He dragged a hand across the wood, focusing on it rather than on her. "You said you wanted to live without fear," he finally said, "I wish there'd been an easier way but there wasn't." He almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than her. Not that that was doing any good.
She felt the almost forgotten symtoms of asthma starting to creep up on her. "Oh my god." she breathed out.
"I know you may never forgive me, but nor will you understand how hard it was for me to do what I did. Every day I saw in myself everything you see in me now," she listened to him in stunned silence, not capable of putting her feelings into words. She watched as he tried to explain himself, tried to tell her why. As he tried to earn her forgiveness. He continued on. "Everyday I wanted to end it, but each time you refused to give in I knew I couldn't." He had been walking towards her slowly, placatingly, trying not to make her run or move away.
She was shaking again. "You're sick!" she spat at him. She started moving away, despite his efforts. "You're evil!"
"You could have ended it Evey," he went on explaining to her despite her fury and hurt. "You could have given in but you didn't. Why?" he asked and she knew that he actually wanted to know. No. That wasn't it. He needed to know. He had already guessed but now he wanted his suspicions confirmed.
"Leave me alone, I hate you!" she yelled at him, trying to block his words. Trying to focus on her anger so that she wouldn't listen to him and eventually forgive him as she knew she would. Trying not to let herself see the truth in his words. And the lies in hers.
"That's it!" he cried at her, apparently satisfied with her response. "See at first I thought it was hate too. Hate was all I knew, it built my world, imprisoned me, taught me how to eat, how to drink and how to breathe." He took a deep breath, "I thought I'd die with all my hate in my veins." He raised his head, and she knew that his eyes were meeting with hers. She could feel it. "But then something happened, it happened to me Evey, just as it happened to you." His tone turned gentle, slightly pleading. Pleading for her to understand, to accept it, to reassure his hope. Pleading with her to feel for him as he felt for her.
"Shut up! I don't want to hear your lies!" she yelled at him, futilely trying to block his words, to reject him. Her voice held pleading too. She was scared to realize it, scared to accept it. She didn't know what to do with it, so it must remain hidden.
He implored her to understand, using her own words against her. "You're own father said artists use lies to tell the truth. Yes I created a lie, but because you believed it you found something true about yourself."
She shook her head, denial colouring her tone. "No, no." she repeated the word over and over again.
"What was true in that cell is just as true now," he told her, knowing he was close to getting her to see, to embrace the truth. "What you felt in there has nothing to do with me."
No! How wrong he was, it had everything to do with him! Why couldn't he see that and stop! She stopped moving and looked at him. "I can't feel anything, anymore!"
Now his voice was calm, once again it was deep and rich. "Don't run from it Evey, you've been running all your life."
She felt the asthma onslaught her. "I can't- breath,- as- asthma- when I was- little-" her knees buckled, her body wracked with sobs and the inability to get enought air to her lungs. He moved to her and carefully placed his hands on her so that together they would kneel down gently. His hands touched her face, steadied her by being placed on her back and waist. He was so close to her, making her pay attention. Making her listen.
"Listen to me Evey," he said quietly. "This is the most important moment of your life, commit to it," as he spoke she breathed deeper and harder. "They took your parents from you, they took your brother from you, they put you in a cell and took everything they could from you except your life. And you believed that was all there was didn't you? The only thing you had left was your life, but it wasn't was it?!"
"Please," she told him while sobbing, weakly trying to get him to stop, "please," she said shakily.
He continued on, seemingly to be hardly bothered by her crumbling and breaking in front of him. "You found something else, you found something that mattered more than your life. Because when they tried to kill you, what did you do?" he stared at her as she finally met his eyes. "You told them you'd rather die." he almost breathed the words to her, still holding her in his arms, comforting and yet forcing her to understand. To be strong. "You've faced your death Evey, be calm, be still, try to feel now what you felt then."
What she felt then? What she had felt then was the urge to keep V alive. To try as best as she could to keep him safe. He still didn't know that did he? He was talking about something else. She had wanted to save him, that's what she had felt.
But that wasn't all was it?
She had wanted to defy the government. To fight, in the last way she thought she could, for what she believed was right. To prove that she was stronger than them, the she would not give them what they needed to keep things as they had always been. She would not let them win. That's what she had wanted. And one other thing.
She had wanted revenge. Revenge for everything they had done to her, her family, her friends and the people of England. The people of London.
Slowly, her breathing regulated, hitching every few seconds. Slowly her thoughts grew slow and she was aware of everything around her. "God," she whispered to him, "I felt,"
The mask moved towards her face. "Yes?" he asked, just as queit.
"I'm dizzy," she said tiredly, "I need air." she met his eyes and then bowed her head in submission. The gloved hand reached to cup her cheek. "Please." she said. "I need to be outside."
"There's a lift, it'll take us to the roof." he said before scopping her up and quickly walked to the lift. She closed her eyes, savouring the feeling she had, the blood coursing through her, her mind suddenly clear.
Before she knew it she was outside again. And it was raining.
v set her down and supported her as they walked to just under the roof. They both took notice of the weather, the lighting and thunder and the rain pouring down on them. Evey stepped forward hesitantly and felt V lightly place his cape on her shoulders.
She stepped out from under it and felt him retract it back.
She knew he was watching, she could feel his gaze. Hell, it felt like the whole world was watching her but Evey didn't care. All she saw was the rain and all she knew was the calming it had on her burning skin as it softly hit her.
She felt like she was being reborn.
She looked at the sky. "God is in the rain," she said softly.
She took more steps forward, and more and more until suddenly she was almost at the railing. He was still watching her, in wonder, but she didn't care.
She laughed breathily, wearily. She accepted it. As she raised her arms she continued to laugh and smile. She watched the sky light from the lightning and suddenly, she felt whole again.
She had had everything except one inch taken from her. But now, she had it all back.
So just as the man behind her had been reborn from fire and hatred, just as he had screamed at the sky filled with burning embers and smoke, Evey Hammond stood there; in nothing more than an orange prison costume she stood there, with her hands raised, in the rain and laughing. V may have been remade from fire and hatred but Evey let it be known that she was reborn from rain and love. Love with a desire for revenge.
oooOOOooo
The music played softly in the background but V focused on the woman behind him.
She had just uttered the words. The ones he knew would have to come but dreaded hearing nonetheless. "V, I'm leaving."
He had sighed, not able to show her how those words pained him. "There are 872 songs on here," he told her. "I've listened to them all, but I've never danced to any of them."
Take the hint, take the hint he begged her in his head. But she went on as if he hadn't spoken.
"Did you hear me?" she asked.
He turned his head a little in her direction. "Yes."
But then she had to go and speak again. "I can't stay here."
At this he turned, unable to speak to her without seeing her. If she was going to leave him he was going to salvage all that he could out of it, even if that wasn't much. He would see her face in those final moments before she left, even if it made his head break all the more. "I know. Well," he sighed, "you won't find anymore locked doors here."
She had no response to that so she handed him the letter. "I thought about keeping this but, it didn't seem right knowing that you wrote it."
He took it and studied it in his fingers. It seemed he was unable to meet her eyes without feeling guilt and pain. Finally he forced himself to look upon her. "I didn't."
She just stared at him, disbelieving.
"May I show you something, before you go?" he asked her, trying to keep the hope out of his voice. Any second longer with her would be one well spent he told himself. He told himself he wanted her to stay because he would miss her friendship and company. Nothing more, nothing less. They were friends, if even that, V told himself. There could be nothing more between them so why even hope?
She accepted gladly, almost hopefully.
He led her to the room dedicated to Valerie. The one with the roses and movie posters. The one to remember her.
He watched as Evey's look changed to one of wonder, disbelief and happiness. "She was real."
"Yes." V told her.
"She was beautiful." Evey stated plainly.
V's head dipped in agreement, "Yes."
Evey's head turned to look at him. "Did you know her?"
"No, she wrote the letter just before she died and I delivered it to you as it had been delivered to me." he told her.
"Then it really happened didn't it?" she asked him, needing his confirmation before she could accept it was the truth.
"Yes."
"You were in the cell next to her." Evey's eyes dipped and then met his again, filled with understanding. "That's what this is about. You're getting back at them for what they did to her... and to you."
V met her eyes, his voice came out hard. "What was done to me created me. It's a basic principle of the Universe that every action will create an equal and opposing reaction. "
Evey felt hey eyes grow cooler. "Is that how you see it? Like an equation?"
V's head whipped up and she grew still under his gaze. His voice was hard. "What was done to me was monstrous."
"And they created a monster."
The words slipped out without Evey meaning them to but she refused to take them back. She didn't know if she believed them or not but she could tell as his head dipped to his chest slowly that V was hurt and yet not surprised by them.
That made her sad.
Finally he broke the silence that had been thick between them. "Do you know where you'll go?" It was silly, how much he wanted to be able to check up on her. See if she was okay or not. Make sure he was there to save her.
She shook her head, relieved that her harsh words were behind them. "No. That would have scared me before but, I suppose I should thank you."
"Oh," once again his head dipped in dissapointment and once again Evey felt shame and guilt well up inside her. Despite what he had done to her she cared for V. She cared a lot more than she was willing to admit right now, and she didn't like being the person to cause him more pain.
She stepped forward, so close that their bodies were just touching. Her face was as close to his mask as possible and for a moment Evey wanted to kiss him.
For a moment V wanted her to kiss him. He knew that if she kissed him, niether of them would be leaving the other that night.
But she didn't kiss him. And that was probably for the best.
She looked into his eyes, and it felt like she was looking at his eyes. Not the mask's. His. Then her eyes fell to the lips and Evey opened her mouth. "Thankyou."
Her eyes met his again. "Goodbye."
With the last of her willpower Evey broke their gaze and stepped away to the door. His voice stopped her.
No, please V, please let me go. Don't make this harder than it needs to be.
"Evey," he started but then paused as if unsure to continue. Finally he finished, the words were rushed and she could hear the hope he put in them. "May I ask you for something?" When she nodded he continued. "If I had one wish I would wish to see you again, if only once, before the Fifth."
She tried to discover any hidden meanings in his words but she found none. She was surprised at how much she wanted to grant him this small request.
So it was for her, and not for him, when Evey nodded to him. "All right."
He nodded in thanks. "Thankyou."
And it was for her, and for him, that V wept that night. The sobs kept in time with the cracks forming on his heart and so V cried. Harder then he could ever remember crying before.
oooOOOooo
If no one has been able to guess this is based off of the movie, not the books. I do like the books but I have to say I like the movie better :) I hope you guys enjoyed! Reviews are loved ;)
Love you all!
Percyjacksonfan3