Well, this is my first ever V For Vendetta fanfic, it's a oneshot, and it's by far the longest thing I have ever written, whether it be a chapter or another oneshot. It took me three days, so I hope you enjoy!
Title: I'll Prove I Love You
Summary: After V's death, Evey couldn't bear it. It was too much. V is given twenty four hours to return to her and ask her one question. But there is more than one answer. VxEvey. [OneShot
Rating: PG-13
Rated for: Character death, Angst.
I'll Prove I Love You
It had been one week since November the fifth. But to Evey Hammond it seemed like an eternity. Life without V by her side was awful. She had taken his final wishes into account, and now lived permanently in what had been V's home, the Shadow Gallery.
She had kept pretty much everything the same. She hadn't ventured into V's old bedroom, as she felt that although he was gone, his privacy should still be respected. It took her hours to get to sleep at night, and she often only managed that by crying herself to sleep. Evey had previously believed that heartbreak was immediate, but now she knew that it was worse than that. It stretched out over a long period of time to make it that much more painful than it already was.
-----
In the afterlife, V was in a room. It was an empty room apart from himself and another man, standing some distance away from him. The man had his back to V, and seemed not to be aware of V's presence in the room. V cleared his throat audibly, and the man turned around. He was wearing half-moon glasses and looked very old, with a long white beard and moustache.
"Ah, yes," the man muttered. "November the fifth, 23:47pm."
V felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was frightening to admit that he knew exactly what the man meant by that. That was his own time of death.
"Excuse me," V said politely, "but what exactly is this room for?"
The man sighed. He lowered his glasses from his face. "Men and women die all the time, and all arrive in their own one of these rooms, with a man, just like me, waiting and expecting to greet them."
"Oh," V whispered. "What happens after this?"
"I actually have a job," the man went on, "See, you have arrived, and now I have to ask you a question. One little thing."
"And what is that?" V asked uncertainly.
"Do you have anything you would like to do or say back on earth, with the living, before you move on to the world of the dead forever?" the man replied.
This surprised V. He hadn't known what he'd been expecting, but it definitely wasn't that.
"Um..." he considered for a while. "Is there any limit to how long I can spend back on earth?" he asked the man.
"Of course," the man smiled. "For every privilege, there is a limitation. 24 hours, in equality, one day. After that you must return here, whether your business is accomplished or not."
"Can I choose when to return, for instance, when my business has been accomplished?" V enquired.
"Full of questions, tonight, aren't we?" the man remarked. "Just think in your mind that you are ready to die, and you shall return to this room, where I shall be waiting again."
"How do I go now?" V said finally. "I know where I must go, and who I must meet with."
The man smiled. "Picture it in your mind. Really focus on it."
V closed his eyes behind the devilish smile of the porcelain Guy Fawkes mask, and pictured, with all his might, his previous home, the Shadow Gallery, where he was hoping Evey would be sleeping. He felt like the world was beginning to spin around him, and he felt his feet lift from the floor. He very nearly opened his eyes to see what was going on, but thought better of it before he did. All of a sudden, as quickly as it had started, it stopped. He felt carpeted ground beneath his feet, and he hesitantly opened his eyes.
He was greeted with the sight of his jukebox before him. There was no music playing. The jukebox was silent. There was only a small candle lit some way down the hall adjacent to the room he was standing in. V could faintly hear a noise, like talking and swords clashing. He began to wonder whether Evey was alright, or even still here or whether she had given away the whereabouts to someone else and they had made the place their own. He looked up at a clock; it was three minutes past eleven at night.
"You find your own tree." V heard faintly, but no matter what, he could make out that line anywhere, anytime. A moment later, he heard the television being switched off, and a light that must have been on in the room was turned off. He heard soft footsteps approaching. If the person, whoever it was, wanted to go to bed, they would have to walk past him first. He prayed it was Evey.
The footsteps got closer and closer until Evey appeared from around the corner. V breathed a silent sigh of relief. Evey was still oblivious to him being so close, as she had her eyes on the floor. She was quite clearly very drowsy. She stopped all of a sudden, her eyes widening. V followed their path. She had seen his black leather boots.
Very slowly, Evey's eyes travelled upto V's face, and she gave a startled yet happy cry when she locked eyes with Guy Fawkes. She covered her mouth with her hand.
"Oh my God, now I'm seeing things," she said, much to V's surprise. She looked away from him, back to the floor. "I have to sleep..."
"Evey, you're not seeing things," V said, ever so softly. She looked up and once again met Guy Fawkes' eyes. Hearing V's rich, dark voice again convinced her that this was real.
"V? Is that you?" Evey asked uncertainly.
"Yes, Evey," V said, confirming his identity.
"Oh my God," Evey whispered. She ran forward and threw herself into V's embrace. She almost immediately recoiled. She now looked scared. "You're cold." She pointed out, looking up at him.
V hesitated. "Yes, I know."
"It's like the bloody equator in here, how are you this cold?" Evey asked him incredulously, her face hardening with lines of worry. When V didn't answer, her expression softened and her eyes grew sad. "V, what's wrong with you?"
There was a silence-filled pause. V struggled mentally to find an appropriate answer, but could think of none other than the truth.
"I'm dead, Evey," V said quietly. "You watched me die, did you not, with your unquestionable powers of observation?"
"Yes, but that doesn't make sense. If I watched you die, then how..." Evey said, trailing off.
"Am I here?" V finished for her. "Sit down, Evey, and I shall tell you."
They sat together on the sofa; Evey waiting expectantly for what she knew would be a fascinating explanation. V took a deep breath before he began.
"When I died, I arrived in a room. There was a man in the room, and he stated my date and time of death," V started. "He told me that this happened to everyone who died. Everyone arrived in a room with a man and all the men ask the deceased a single question."
"What's the question?" Evey asked impatiently.
"He asked me if there was anything I would like to do or say on earth. I chose to come back here because I wanted to see you." V said simply. Evey smiled. He really did care for her. "I have twenty four hours to spend with you, and then I must return."
"Twenty four hours?" Evey repeated. "Well, unfortunately, it's late now and I must sleep. I'm really tired."
"I assumed that my appearance here tonight might have startled you out of drowsiness but, no matter. Go and rest, Evey," V said kindly.
Evey nodded, stood up and began to walk away, but she turned back around. "V?"
"Yes?"
"Will you come with me?" Evey asked tentatively. "I mean, not to do anything, but just to sleep beside me..." Evey trailed off, feeling stupid. "No, that was a stupid question, I shouldn't have –"
"Of course I will," V told her, smiling behind the mask.
Evey smiled. V stood up and took her hand. He began to lead them to Evey's room. She was already in her pyjamas, and V didn't feel like changing, so they both climbed into the bed. Evey snuggled up and rested her head on V's chest, wrapping her arm around his waist. V cuddled her in return. Looking down at her, V saw that Evey had a content smile on her face and was already snoozing happily. Together, they slipped into the realm of dreams, where anything was possible.
-----
Evey woke up with her arms empty, and no V wrapped inside them. She got worried very quickly. Was his time already up? Had he already returned to the world of the dead? She glanced at her clock next to her bed. He couldn't have gone; it was only six minutes to seven in the morning. He still had another sixteen hours or so before he had to leave for good.
Evey climbed out of bed and put on her dressing gown before going to check the rest of the Gallery for the masked man. A noise from the kitchen made her drawn to it. She heard someone humming as they cooked breakfast.
She walked directly into the kitchen, recognising V's humming voice, and realising that it was not an intruder.
"Ah, bonjour mademoiselle," V greeted warmly; as he had done on the first day Evey had ever stayed with him. He was also making the same breakfast, 'eggy in the basket'. Evey smiled and sat down at the table. V flipped her breakfast once more before placing it on a plate, putting it down in front of her, and pouring her a cup of tea. He returned to the frying pan to make her a second slice.
"V, we don't have a lot of time together," Evey pointed out.
"We have until eleven o'clock tonight. That is enough," V said simply, not looking at her.
"Enough for what?" Evey asked curiously.
"For what must be done," V replied. "And it shall be done."
"It would be a lot easier for me to believe if I knew what you meant," Evey told him.
"I have one question to ask of you before I can go back," V went on. "It is not something I have to do so that they will allow me back, it is something that, if I have not done, I will refuse to return."
"Well, you can ask me now," Evey said.
V stopped cooking. He put down the spatula he was holding, and slowly turned around to face Evey.
"Alright," he said. He hesitated. "I would like to ask you if you love me."
Evey stopped chewing her mouthful and looked up at V. "Of course I do."
"How much?" V added, almost frightened of the answer.
"I would do anything for you," Evey said immediately.
V nodded, and looked away from her, to the floor. Evey stood up and walked over to him, gently holding his gloved hand. Still, he avoided her eyes.
"V, I would die for you," Evey said softly, barely above a whisper. His masked face turned and looked at her. The look on her face told V she was deadly serious.
"I couldn't let you do that," V told her. "You have a whole life ahead of you. Make the most of it."
"I will, but only with you by my side," Evey said. "It doesn't have to be on earth. All I want...is you."
V was shocked that she was willing to give up her life to be with him. But he cared too much for her, and he wouldn't let her do that. They would spend what little time he had remaining on earth together, and then after that, she would move on and forget him.
"V, you died for this country," Evey said, bringing the past's horror back to the present. "I admire that greatly, and I want to be with you to help you remember that."
"I didn't die for this country, Evey," V corrected her quietly. "I died for you. It may have seemed like it was for my own personal revenge that I decided to blow up that building, but it was really so you could enjoy your life. Don't make it so that my efforts were in vain."
"They weren't, but let me die to go back with you, so that I can be happy," Evey said, on the verge of tears now.
V said nothing.
"You say you want me to enjoy my life, but without you..." Evey said, the tears flowing freely down her cheek now, "...I can't."
Just as she had done before V had gone to the end of the tunnel to see Creedy and his men, Evey leaned forward and kissed V's mask.
"Please..." Evey whispered desperately, as she broke apart from him. "Take me with you."
"I don't think that you are ready to die," V said earnestly.
"I'll prove I love you," Evey told him. "By doing this for you."
"Are you sure?" V asked.
Evey only nodded.
V noticed that she was still holding his hand. An idea sprung into V's head. It might not work, V thought, but it's worth a try.
He closed his eyes behind the mask again, and thought clearly that both he and Evey were ready to die.
We're ready to die, together. So, please, take us both. Do not leave her behind...
He felt his feet lift from the floor once more, and he realised that Evey was still holding his hand. But, as soon as his feet hit the floor and he opened his eyes, Evey was no longer standing beside him.
-----
Evey opened her eyes, though she could never remember closing them, and realised that somehow V's hand was not clasping her own anymore. Nor was she standing in the Shadow Gallery anymore. She was in a room that was entirely white, and was empty apart from her and another man. Was that V?
"Hello?" Evey said nervously.
The man turned around. It wasn't V.
"Ah, Evey Hammond," the man said. "November the twelfth, 7:02am." Evey remained silent.
"If you have nothing else you would like to do back on earth, you may proceed through the door on your left."
Evey looked around, and saw that there was indeed a white door on her left. She walked towards it, only hoping for the best, and that V might be waiting on the other side. She placed her hand on the handle, and stepped through.
On the other side, she broke down and cried when she saw that V was not in fact standing there, Guy Fawkes grinning wildly back at her. She also noticed that her hair had grown back, as it had been before she had met V. What was going on?
-----
V looked up to the man in the room, the mask concealing his hurt-filled features.
"Ah, you have returned," the man smiled. "I suppose your business has been accomplished, then?"
"Yes, I suppose," V said quietly. "What happens now?"
"There is a door to your left," the man said. "Go through it to...pass on."
V nodded, and without hesitating, walked over and placed his hand on it. But before he could go any further, the man spoke again.
"There may be a few pleasant surprises on the other side," the man said, smiling gently. "I wish you well, my friend."
"Thankyou," V said graciously. And without further ado, he proceeded through the white door to the other side.
-----
V was startled to find that on the other side, there were many people. It was like a small city. There were many buildings, and even more houses. People were coming and going out of the houses, and walking along a path. Someone approached him.
"I take it you're V?" the woman asked him. "Follow me, I'll show you to your house. I'm like the welcoming committee round here." she smiled warmly.
"Yes, I'm V," V said, nodding. "Where am I? Am I still dead?"
"I'm afraid so," the woman said, starting to walk. V followed. "This is just where people who've died go. It's like a life in the afterlife."
V smiled. There was silence between them as they walked to V's...house. It didn't take long, and they soon arrived. They walked up the driveway to the front door, and the woman stopped walking and turned to V.
"You will find someone inside waiting to greet you," the woman said kindly, before walking off.
V opened the door and walked inside. He was met with a living room, where a woman, who had her back to him, was sitting in an armchair. He shut the door behind him and the woman turned around and smiled.
"Evey?" V said, startled.
Evey's face turned to one of confusion. "V? Is that you?"
"Yes, why would it not be me?"
"You look...different," Evey said, her face warming up again. "You look perfect."
V noticed there was a mirror in the living room, and went to examine his face.
He looked into the mirror and gasped. He was no longer wearing the Guy Fawkes mask, and his face was not disfigured or scarred anymore. It was the same as what it was before Larkhill. Before everything.
"It's a miracle," Evey said, tearing up. V turned round to face her.
"You're perfect too," V said, smiling. "But you were always perfect to me."
Evey ran forward and threw herself into V's arms. V put his still-gloved hand onto the back of her neck, and wrapped his other arm around her back, pulling her closer. Then, he kissed her. For the first time, they were kissing without the sneering Guy Fawkes mask in their way.
All was at peace. They were in love; they were happy; and they were together, forever. At long last.
Aww, a happy ending! Don't we love sappy yet happy endings? If you do, please review!
QueenSerenity818 out.