I wrote the majority of this piece a long time ago, and by that I mean like...early February. It's an awfully long piece and I gave up on it for a while but I am now fiddling with it again. One of my more recent fanfic's, "Biscuits" was inspired by this creation and was meant to replace it so you will undoubtedly recognize some similarities between the two, especially in this first part, if you have read it. It's not entirely similar though, only in basic concept, so hopefully it will prove different enough to still be enjoyable.

And without further ado (or rambling) I present to you...

Popcorn- part 1

It had been nearly two weeks since V's death, and Evey stepped silently through the shadow gallery, barely able to stand the idea that nearly every singe drop of it's interior reeked with his presence. She glided across the center hallway with a solemn and hungry sort of reverence. Her features were sharp and taught from dehydration, lack of food, and weariness; her eyes, though still swollen around the edges and somewhat sunken in, released no tears; and overall she had nothing left to purge from her body aside from a few salty sniffles and a bland mood.

There was nothing left to give. Without V the world was dim, blank, and uncaring. A void.

Her body drifted to the kitchen. The place where they had shared their first true conversation. She remembered the moment clearly. V in that silly apron, as charming as ever, and she in whatever clothing he had lent her for the night. They were surprisingly fitting and she had no idea where he had gotten them from. V had tried so hard to make a good first impression on her, and to make things seem as normal and harmless as possible. He had not eaten with her, although signs that he had already partaken in his meal were left as clear evidence for her to see, but he did propose some engaging conversation. He was so…charismatic and unashamed, almost proud in his demeanor, the strangest individual she had ever met,

She had not believed him when he mentioned his plan to destroy England's foundations and change the face of the world forever. Oh how wrong she had been. Not only had he kept his word, changing England in to a free land, but he had also changed her.

…Freed her, and in the process had compromised himself.

Evey sighed, her thoughts slowly coming back to the present upon hearing her stomach growl discontentedly over the way it had been treated. She needed to eat something, but she did not want too. not for pleasure, but sustenance.

She opened several cabinets, looking for anything that she could find that didn't, in some way, remind her of V. Food she hadn't eaten, tools he hadn't used…anything. Anything to take her mind off of him and his things. It was useless, however. She seemed to be consumed by his possessions. Everything had some sort of memory attached to it, and all of those memories likewise transferred themselves onto her person. Where once they were welcome they now burdened her, sucking the life out of her like some irremovable leech.

The continued shuffling around his kitchen appeared to be fruitless until, in the back of a rather unremarkable cabinet full of unused spices, Evey found something she had not expected. Inside of it her hand landed in something soft, and oddly shaped. Her fingers gripped the object, and she pulled it out to reveal a large velvet black box, around who's center was tied was a single silver ribbon that served to hold a tag with the name "Evey" written elaborately on the front.

"What's this" she whispered quietly to herself, her hardened brows furrowing with the tiniest bit of long forgotten curiosity.

Evey opened the box. Slowly, tentatively, unsure of what she would find.

"Oh god V," she whispered, as a sudden wave of memories overwhelmed her…"Oh god."

***

The gentle hum of the news, set to a low volume on the television, murmured about the interior of the Shadow Gallery as Evey sat on the couch, waiting for V to return from…whatever he was doing so that they could watch a movie together. He had given her no clue as to what he was up to, only telling her to remain in the television room until he returned. Suspecting that he was going to retrieve some rare movie from within the confines of the gallery, she complied with his request. Normally curiosity would have gotten the better of her, as sneaking up on V had become quite a habit of Evey's, as of late, but the potential threat of getting lost was too overwhelming. Of course, if she did manage to get lost V would find her eventually, but she did not wish to ruin the night.

Evey sighed and flipped through a few unremarkable T.V. channels. There was nothing good to watch on the news anymore, nearly all of it was focused in the man with whom she was now living and she really could not stand to watch it anymore. She did not want to know what he did out there, who he hurt, or what he destroyed, it only made her question him and worry about who he was.

A few more minutes passed, Evey growing more and more uninterested by the moment, when suddenly heard what sounded like a distant gunshot coming from somewhere behind the couch. She started and jumped up from her seat without a moments hesitation, looking around in acute awareness as adrenaline began to rush through her veins.

She expected V to come around the corner, to inform her that it was something harmless, but he never did, and after a few minutes she began to worry about where he was.

"V?" she called to the gallery's emptiness.

There was no answer.

"V?"

There was another popping noise, and it made her start again.

Popping?

"V!"

There was still no answer, and she was just about to start moving when a sudden burst of popping noises exploded into a symphony of sound, sending Evey flying onto the floor as she screamed.

Was there someone in here with them? Was that one of V's bombs? Was she going to get hurt too? Her mind began to race with a myriad of possibilities when a sudden familiar scent began to pervade the air; salt, butter, and the slight hint of burnt…something.

Oh god, what had he done to the kitchen?

Evey got up, racing to the scene of the crime, fully expecting to see in some horrible state and wondering if he had caught himself on fire.

"V! Are you alright?" she shouted above the noise as she rushed around a statue and into the kitchen, stopping beside his prized refrigerator. Her eyes darted around the area until they located him. To her disappointment, or rather amazement, he was still in one piece

"Evey?" V lifted a rather large pot off of the stove and the noise abated, he turned to address her, "of course. Why would you think otherwise?"

"God V" Evey gasped as she put a hand to her chest, "you scared me half to death! What is…is that…popcorn?"

Well he thought that he would go for a classic movie theater staple, something that would summon that appreciative, somewhat mischievous, yet hesitant glance Evey awarded him every now and then that intoxicated him so. "Yes Evey, an old custom that I am sure you may remember. "

"Oh! I can't believe you just did that! I thought that you went to get the movie, I was beginning to think that you had gotten lost or something. Then I heard those popping noises…you had me thinking that they were gunshots! Why didn't you tell me?"

V chuckled at her sudden outburst of chatter. "Yes, well, it is rather hard to thwart you Evey. It was supposed to be a surprise."

"It was a surprise! I thought someone had broken in or something!"

"I certainly didn't mean to startle you."

"Yes well you seem to be doing that an awful lot." She lifted her brow in somewhat playful accusation.

"You are easily frightened. But enough of that," V lifted the pot back onto the burner "why don't you go sit down while I finish making this. No more surprises until we begin the presentation, I assure you."

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" Evey said, turning around and shaking her head as she made her way back to the television room. "Very hard to believe."

A short time later, they were both on the couch, V sitting adjacent from Evey at an appropriate distance and Evey happily munching on his latest culinary creation.

Everything was set, and in order as V lifted the remote, intending to command the DVD to begin the film. The action was interrupted, however, when Evey set the rather large bowl of popcorn that he had given her down on the table and spoke.

"V? Aren't you going to eat any." all this fine food and he had not even attempted to enjoy it with her.

V froze at the inquiry, almost, at first, unsure of what to say to her.

"Evey please, I have gone over this situation with you before."

"Yes but that was a long while ago, don't you trust me by now?"

"It's not a matter of trust. I simply can't, please refrain from pushing me any further on the subject, going into any further detail will only make matters worse."

"But…" her brows furrowed, hurt beginning to show in her eyes.

"Evey I'm not doing this to offend you, only to protect you. Believe me when I say that it is for the better. Now let us get on with watching this movie, shall we?"

"Alright," Evey was still not sure that she understood, but let the subject drop for the moment, picking the bowl back up and popping some of it's contents into her mouth. "Fine."

He lifted the remote once more, but was thwarted yet again as he felt something softly hit the side of his mask.

"Evey!" V exclaimed, surprised at the gesture.

"Well I just thought since you weren't eating any…"

"That you would throw it at me?"

"I was aiming for the hole…"

V couldn't resist the urge to chuckle at her "Oh I highly doubt that madam, unless, that is, you believe that my mouth is situated somewhere around my left eye."

Plunk.

Evey giggled at her own antics, impishly trying to squeeze a reaction out of V.

"You mock me" V said with feigned frustration.

"Oh, afraid of a little popcorn are we? Well I think that you deserve it after being so stubborn."

"I'm certainly not afraid of it, I just think that it could be put to better use."

"Then why won't you eat it?"

"Evey…"

Plunk.

"Is that a challenge?"

Plunk.

"Do you think it is?" Evey's eyes gleamed with childlike mischievousness.

Plunk…The little vixen.

"Oh my, I'm afraid that you've left me with no choice" V said sternly as he got up from the couch, advancing towards her like a cat would its prey.

Evey squealed and tried to shield herself around the bowl before V got to her, but it was no use. V reached the bowl before she even had the time to blink. He stood tall with it in hand and held it above her reaching distance. The smug look upon the masks face was nearly equivalent to his own underneath. "Aha, I believe I have gained the upper hand in this battle."

Getting up from the couch, Evey made her way over to V, a sarcastic grin adorning her porcelain face. V couldn't help but admire her efforts, did she honestly believe that she had even a sliver of a chance at getting her bowl back? Of course, he was likely to let her win her prize, but the irony of the situation was still quite amusing.

"I don't believe that you are tall enough, my dear." V said, quirking his side as he always did in that curious, mocking sort of manner. "Perhaps you should surrender while you still can."

"We'll see about that," she muttered quickly before jumping up on the cushions--though even this only helped her a little, as V was quite tall--and reaching over to grasp the bowl out of V's hands. He backed away, however, before she could even think about reaching her prize.

It took a moment for Evey to realize that he was backing away, and yet another moment to realize that she was leaning over far too much to make to make a proper recovery. Evey let out a short but soft little yelp before gravity kicked in and she began falling helplessly to the floor.

V saw this, of course, and had begin rushing back over to her before she had even had the chance to realize what was happening. With no time to release the bowl he strode over to her, one arm extended to restore her balance on the couch. He didn't quite expect the couch to start sliding back when he did this however, and in an attempt to rescue both the damsel and the prized sculptures that backed the couch behind her--though he honestly cared more for her safety than any material object--he leaned further back and caught Evey in his arms as he prepared to land quite solidly on his back upon the floor.

V cushioned Evey as they hit the ground, and the bowl, upon impact, released all of it's contents into the air and sent popcorn flying all about the room. Evey jolted when they hit the ground, staring wide eyed into the mask as she attempted to regain her sense of direction and balance. She lay frozen atop him, surprised by both V's speed and action and not quite knowing how the masked vigilante would take the situation.

A glorious deep laughter filled the room, such as Evey had never heard from him before. It was like a thousand booming church bells, deep, foreboding and beautiful all at the same time, and full of a mirth that even V did not know he had possessed. Evey shortly followed suit, adding her own chime-like trill to his baritone cadence as she tried to prop herself up and steady her body against his shaking chest.

"Well then, I think that that settles it, my dear. An eye for an eye." V spoke between his fading, though still present chuckles.

"So you're calling this a truce?" she queried while removing a few wayward pieces of popcorn from his chest, their cheery yellow contrasting sharply with the deep black of his doublet. An affectionate gesture that did not go unnoticed by the masked man.

"I believe I am, mademoiselle. Well played." he twitched a few more times as his chest betrayed a few silent, though persistent laughs and he began to rise when a rather baffling notion came to his attention. How had he not noticed?

V's eyes widened beneath the mask. Heaven forbid she thought he planned it, he had merely been concerned for her own wellbeing but….good lord, she was on top of him! Fortunately enough for V, his eyes were hidden from Evey' view, preventing her from seeing his growing expression of alert. This, however, did not stop her from noticing the rather abrupt cessation of V's constant, steady, and always well controlled breathing.

Her brows furrowed in confusion, and she cocked her head to the side in the same manner that he often did, trying to figure out what would startle this normally very composed and stoic man. Was something else humoring him? No, he never did this. Never let his body give away the thoughts beneath. Was something wrong? She hadn't done anything to hurt him, had she? The woman doubted very seriously that her weight would have caused V any sort of discomfort, not because she was necessarily that thin but because he was so strongly built. She could feel his muscles beneath him, he certainly had not been the most malleable surface she had ever landed on, though it was obviously more appealing than landing on the rigid floor…

Evey's own eyes expanded and her smile faded as comprehension rapidly dawned upon her. Oh God, that was it…she was on top him.

He simply stared at her, unable (or rather, unwilling) to move. He didn't want to startle or threaten her by making any sudden movements, he, of all beings, certainly had no intention of…

Evey shifted and cleared her throat before he could even finish his thoughts, dismounting from her straddle and rolling off of him to sit beside him on floor.

"I'm sorry for the mess," she said, trying to quell the growing tension between the both of them as she feigned not to notice what had just occurred "I didn't mean to fall on you."

"Oh please Evey don't apologize, it was just a little sport," V said as he propped his torso up, leaning with his arms stretched out behind him on his hands.

He began to chuckle again as he reached over towards Evey's face, moving his hand (much to Evey's dismay) past her cheek and into her hair as he plucked out a piece of popcorn. He brought it back to hold it up before her. "Perhaps, you should go change while I clean up. There's certainly more where that came from, and although you wear it well, I don't believe that it popcorn was ever meant for fashion."

"Very funny," she said as she got up and attempted to brush herself off, "I suppose I should, considering the butter."

"Indeed" V said, remaining as he was on the floor. He watched her turn and exit the room, her silence heightening the awkwardness of the moment.

When she was gone, his head turned to consider the entertainment system beside him.

The movie had never even stood a chance, remaining in the DVD player, unactivated….

He put one solid, gloved hand on his chest. He could still feel her weight there, the pressure lingering on his skin like a waning phantom.

"Good Heavens Evey," he whispered low, a bit of a husk in his voice "what are you doing to me? "