AN: This is a story for one of my fans out there------it's a birthday present---you know who you are, and I hope you enjoy this as much as I am writing it. Happy Birthday, good friend! As before, I don't own anything of V's-----only my ideas......

Shadow of a Day

Chapter 1

' Beginnings '

He moved through the shadows cast by the buildings, knowing the darkness would never refuse him the safety it offered. Just a few short hours earlier, he had taken out three fingermen with silent and deadly precision, and was returning to his home when a form, lying against one of the walls caught his eyes. It looked to be a human body, a ragged blanket thrown across a limp figure. Reaching down, he pulled a knife from the belt around his waist, his enhanced senses on high alert for any hidden dangers. Scouring the area, he found nothing to alarm him, and kneeled beside the form. Throwing back the cover, V discovered a young woman----bruises and cuts covering her pale skin. He slid the knife silently back into place while swearing at a god who would allow such an atrocity to be carried out in the first place. Taking the black leather glove off his right hand, he searched for a pulse in the thin wrist he was pressing against and was rewarded with a slight thumping under his fingers. Pulling the cover over her nakedness, he reached down, picking her up in his arms, and continued on his way.

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Eyelids fluttered slightly open-----swollen so badly that all she could make out were shades of grays. Evey inch of her body was in pain from the beating she had taken. This had been the worst one yet she had received from Alex, simply because she would not sell her body to finance his drug habit.

" You are safe here, little one." He had bathed her, dressed her in one of his linen shirts and bandaged her cuts. She now lay in his bed, a warm comforter tucked in around her. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, and smiled as he thought about the battle he had with the length of it as he gently cleaned her up. " You must rest now, so you can regain your strength. I shall be back to check on you later and bring you some warm broth if you are hungry." A low voice spoke gently to her. V could sense that the girl was drifting into darkness once again, and removed the cool wash cloth from her forehead, placing it into the wash basin. There was heavy bruising on her face and cuts covered her body----he treated them with herbal salve and ointment he had created for his own use, but unfortunately, some would still scar the girl's body. Hopefully, the scaring wouldn't be too bad. Picking up the basin he rose to his feet, trying to get the kinks out of his back, then entered the bathroom emptying the water down the sink, returning the basin to its proper place.

He walked down the hallway and into the main room of the gallery. Collapsing on the red settee, he pulled his boots off and stretched out, one arm resting on his head, the other across his stomach. 'I'll rest for only a few moments....' He thought to himself, closing his eyes behind the mask. Forty-eight hours without rest had taken its toll on him, and within seconds, he was sound asleep.

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The girl woke with a start sometime later, her eyes taking their time to adjust to the light seeping through the opening in the doorway. Straining to sit up, pain ripped through her body as she used her arms for leverage. Pushing the covers away, she saw she wore a clean shirt, and bandages covered several large cuts on her arms and legs. Slowly, she threw her legs over the edge of the huge bed, and stood up, her body responding in angry protest-----but she knew if she did not move around, she would become stiff, and it would take longer to heal. She looked down at the shirt that covered her body, the cuffs laying past most of her hands. The material was soft and luxurious, something she had never felt before. Gathering her courage, she hobbled to the doorway, and pulled it open, sticking her head out into the hallway. The corridor continued down for hundreds of feet, opening into several more hallways. She stared at the paintings and statues that lined the walls as she moved. The pain she was experiencing slowed her walk to almost a crawl, but she continued forward to the first adjoining hallway. Stopping briefly, she noticed a door to her left at the end of the corridor, but to the right, she found that the hallway disappeared into shadows and darkness. She looked ahead, seeing an archway that opened into a large area at the end of the several statues. She continued down the hallway finally walking into one of the most beautiful rooms she had ever seen. Statues sat in corners and various other locations, paintings lined the walls, and a piano sat center, a tapestry thrown across its top. What caught her attention though, ( she must have been asleep for a time, because the swelling had gone down enough that she could actually see a little) was some kind of machine that kept changing colors every few seconds.

" It's called a jukebox." The same voice from her dream spoke to her. She turned abruptly, and threw herself off balance, but two strong arms caught her before she hit the floor. " You should not be out of bed." He turned and started back the way she had come from. Looking up, she stared into a mask----but for some reason, she did not feel frightened by the marionette face, but her arm around his neck did tighten somewhat. Reaching the bedroom door, he pushed it open, settled her once again in the bed, and pulled the covers up to her waist. She stared at him, as he stared at her, his head tilted to the right as if in observation.

" Thank you." She whispered softly, her throat sore from the trauma she had taken. It was then that V noticed the deep purple marks that had appeared around her throat over night---- his blood began to boil, as his hands clenched into fists by his side.

" Who did this to you?" He asked, his voice low and ominous.

She lowered her eyes from the mask, but did not speak.

V sighed deeply. She would answer his questions in her own time. The fists relaxed as the gloved hands clasped each other in front of his waist. " May I ask whom I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

" Tiffany." She replied, eying him.

" Tiffany...." The man repeated, " That's a very lovely name."

" Thank you......who are you?" She looked at him. The man before her was dressed entirely in black from the top of his head to the boots he wore.

V chuckled at her bluntness. " I have no name, but you may call me V."

Tiffany crossed her arms above her waist. " Why don't you have a name? Are you a murderer or something?" The only people that wore masks were ones being hunted by the law.

" It is a long story, " V sighed heavily, " one that I do not wish to discuss at this moment."

" Oh." She looked away from him.

" Would you like something to eat?" V asked, once again staring at her.

"Yes, thank you." She answered as he turned to leave, " oh....by the way...."

He looked over his shoulder at her. " Yes?"

" Ah...where am I?" She asked.

" In my home, I call it the Shadow Gallery." He continued out the door.

"Nice guy....." Tiffany mumbled under her breath as she looked around the room . It was very large and very masculine----it smelled like V. She smiled as she remembered the scent of him-----god, it was intoxicating. Sandalwood, musk and leather-----enough to make any woman's heart jump out of their chest! Her mind went back to the exploration of the room. It was done in hues of black, gray and red. Several tapestries hung on the walls, and what seem to be old fashioned furniture graced the room----but one funny thing did catch her eye------there were no mirrors anywhere----not even a hand-held one.

V walked through the door carrying a tray in his gloved hands---sitting the it on a nearby table, and helped her to sit up in the bed, then placed the tray on her lap, he standing before her. " Would you like a cup of tea to go with your lunch?" He inquired.

" Yes, thank you." She smiled up at him, pain spreading across her face. She lowered her eyes. " I must look horrid."

" The bruises and cuts will heal." He replied softly as he reached out his hand, but stopped midway. " I'll get your tea." She watched as he left the room. 'What a strange man he is.' She thought as she dug into the beef broth and fresh baked bread. It had been days since she had eaten, and the bread with the real butter set her taste buds alive.

" Do you like it?" V startled her as he entered the room, placing the cup of hot tea on the table, within her reach.

" It's wonderful." She looked up at him, the spoon in her hand. " You are really a good cook."

V tilted his mask, " Thank you." He paused, looking around the room. " When you are finished, please call and I will remove the tray."

She nodded as another spoonful of the wonderful soup went into her mouth.

" There is an adjoining loo through that door if you would like to take a bath. I will be going out tonight for awhile. If you wish, you may explore the gallery if you get bored."

" Thank you, V." Tiffany replied as she took a sip of the warm tea.

V bowed and left her to her privacy.

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Tiffany lay back in the large claw-footed tub, just relaxing. The hot water was relaxing her muscles---the pain, much easier to bear now. She took the fragrant shampoo and poured a large amount into her hand so she could scrub all the filth from her waist length brown hair. It had surprised her when she had turned the water on-------- finding the shampoo and matching soap piled neatly in a small silver tray close to the tub. Tiffany had found it strange that neither the bottle or the light colored paper the soap was wrapped in, was without any type of identifying mark. She smiled as she inhaled the herbal scent of the liquid. Lathering her hair up, she scrubbed her scalp until it started to hurt, finally accepting that it was as clean as she could get it. Holding her breath, she ducked below the water and rinsed the soap free, sitting up in the tub again splashing water over the side, she wiped her eyes just as a knock sounded on the door.

" Tiffany----are you ok? I heard a noise...." V's voice startled her. Damn! She wished that he would stop sneaking up on her!

" I'm fine, V. I'll be out in a minute."

" Very well."

She heard his boots disappearing down the hallway, and placed both shampoo and soap back in the tray. Rising slowly from the tub, she stepped free, onto a thick rug. Picking up one of the three black towels, she wrapped her hair up, then took another and carefully dried herself. Most of the bandages V had applied to her cuts had come loose in the tub, and she picked the discarded pile up and threw them into the trash can. Slowly, she pulled the black linen shirt over her body, and adjusted it to cover all parts of her. Exiting the bathroom, a black robe laying on the bed caught her eyes. Reaching out, she touched the material cautiously----it, like everything else in the gallery was simply wonderful! She pulled it on over the shirt, tying the belt around her waist and headed down the hallway where music was emanating from. Stopping silently under the archway, she watched as V bent over the jukebox---as he called it---pressing buttons.

" Ah, there you are." He smiled under the mask, looking up at her. " I see you found the robe."

How the hell did he do that? " Yes, thank you." She blushed.

" I procured a few half gallons of some very good ice cream the other night on my way back to the Shadow Gallery. Would you care for some?" He asked standing by the Wurlitzer, his hands clasped at his waist.

" Yes!" Tiffany exclaimed as she moved toward him.

" This way, mademoiselle." He offered his arm to her, which she accepted as he led her toward the kitchen. He pulled out a chair from the table for her, then walked to one of the cabinets.

" Hmmmm....let's see......" He opened the door, and stared inside. " We have chocolate, strawberry, butterscotch, caramel, blueberry, raspberry and pineapple. " V paused, looking back at Tiffany. " Which would you prefer-----although I do suggest just the straight syrup. It would be easier on your throat."

Tiffany's eyes widen like a child in a candy shop-------she had never seen so many toppings in her life------hell, she was happy just to get one a year, let alone being able to choose the flavor she wanted. " Caramel, please."

V reached up, taking the jar down, sitting it on the table along with a bowl and spoon.

She watched as he placed the bowl before her-----where was his? " Aren't you going to have some?"

V shrugged his shoulders, " Maybe later." He opened the freezer and took out one of the half-gallons of vanilla ice cream, opened it and scooped some into her bowl, handing it to her. Next came the caramel syrup. Tiffany took the jar from him and began to pour until there was at least a half-inch in the bowl. Under the mask, a hairless eyebrow rose as a smile stretched across thin lips.

Closing her eyes, she savored the rich creamy taste in her mouth.

" Do you like it?" V asked, his voice soft.

" Oh god....it's been so long since I've had ice cream...." She sighed softly as a chuckle escaped the mask and he rose from the table, replacing the ice cream in the freezer.

" I will be returning sometime later this evening. You will be safe here." He walked around the corner of the table to stand by her. " I fixed a Shepard's Pie for you. If you become hungry, set the oven at 375 and leave it in for ten minutes." He turned to walk away from her.

" V?" Her hand on his arm stopped him.

He looked at her hand, then at her. " Yes?"

She pulled her hand back. " I just wanted to say thanks, " She paused, " and be careful out there."

V tilted his head toward her. He wondered if she had concerns for him, or the fact that if anything happened to him, she would be stuck here for some time. Nodding his head, he walked down the hallway.

Tiffany watched as he strode away, looking at his frame. He definitely had a nice solid figure, and his arse wasn't bad either! She sensed that under all that black was a very muscular torso, and the signs of strength radiated from him in waves. She wouldn't want to be on his bad, that was definite! She giggled softly finishing off the last of the ice cream and placing the bowl in the sink, and slowly walked toward the telly room.

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V placed the last detonation device carefully inside the small hole he had made in the side of the building. The timers had all been set for 4 minutes, which was definitely long enough for him to get away. He smiled under the mask as he rose to his feet, throwing the black leather bag over his shoulder.

" Hold it right there!" The voice broke through the darkness, " Get your hands up---now!"

V raised his hands above his head and slowly turned around. " How odd----that I miscalculated your break time, Officer Jonas."

" Here now, how ya' know my name?" The middle-aged man asked as V observed him. A good solid punch to the right-side of his chin should do the trick, and the man lay unconscious at his feet in a matter of seconds.

" I 'd stand real still if I were you, chummy." Another voice rang through the night from V's left.

" I don't have time for this bullocks.....' V mumbled to himself as one of his knives flew from his hand just as a gun shot echoed through the night's stillness, and V felt a sharp burning sensation in his right shoulder as his knife hit it's target, and the other officer fell to the ground dead. Staggering just a second, V's hand went to his shoulder, coming away with a wet sticky substance, the smell of copper catching his nose under the mask. " Damn!" He swore to himself walking over and extracting his knife from the man, wiping it on his shirt, then replacing it in the leather belt around his waist. Pulling his pocket watch from the doublet, he checked the time------he had less than a minute...... Grabbing the unconscious guard, he drug him into the safety of some nearby bushes, and then ran like hell toward the closest alleyway just as the bombs went off sending a blazing cloud of oranges and reds into the night sky. " Beautiful, simply beautiful." V whispered as he watched from the shadows. The newest building of the Norsefire regime was no longer. He turned and headed back to the gallery as the first of the sirens split the night.