I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack! And here, for all of my lovely wonderful amazing readers, YOU yes you, is chapter 9! Once again, I only wished I owned V for Vendetta. Because I don't.
Chapter 9
The first thing Evey noticed when she approached the building she worked in was that now, two large men stood on either side of the front door. They were dressed in black suits, and it was obvious that they were from the government. She figured that they were just there for extra security; she wouldn't be surprised if Eric had sent them and now had them stationed at every government building.
Evey was about to just walk past them, when one of them stuck his arm out to stop her. She almost rammed into his thick arm, but caught herself just in time. Backing up a step, she looked up at the guard who had stopped her.
"Is there a problem?" She asked as politely as she could manage. Why was she being stopped from entering her own department? Didn't they recognize the director of the building?
"We're sorry, Ms. Hammond. We know that this must be a terrible inconvenience for you. But we've been instructed to see identification for all personnel, and that includes you miss. Prime Minister's orders," replied the guard who had prevented her entrance.
Evey huffed out a breath. Certainly they could make an exception for her; after all, they had both recognized her. Evey took a deep breath to calm herself down. These men were only doing their job, and if she really thought about it, it was for the revolution's own protection. The very least she could do was show them some I.D.
After struggling for several minutes with her purse and her sling, she was finally able to produce her ECD badge. Evey handed it to the man who had stopped her, and he glanced at it briefly. He handed her the badge back, and stepped back to open the door for her. Evey smiled and thanked him before entering the building, all the while fighting with her purse, sling, and briefcase.
As habit, Evey always walked up to Melinda's desk to say a brief hello and collect her mail and check with Melinda regarding the day's meetings. Today however, she was so busy with her purse that she didn't even bother to look up. She expected Melinda's bright, cheerful voice to call out from her chair, but when she didn't hear the perky voice, Evey looked up in confusion. It was very unlike Melinda to not greet her the instant she walked in the door. Evey was shocked to see that Melinda was not there. In fact, nobody was. She approached the desk and looked over the edge for any signs of life.
While she was investigating, the door to the mail room burst open, scaring Evey half to death. She dropped her purse, and had to catch herself on the desk to steady herself. Evey watched as a rather plump, old woman waddled her way over to the desk and sat down in the chair with a thud. After a moment, the woman finally glanced up and took in Evey's bedraggled state, making Evey suddenly self conscious over her appearance. Her cropped hair was a complete disaster, and her face was bruised while the cut on her forehead was still fresh; not to mention her arm was resting in a sling. She must have looked a fright.
"May I help you?" The elderly woman asked gruffly. Her dark hair was streaked with grey, and her wrinkled face stared up at her grumpily behind a pair of wire rim glasses. Evey was quite surprised at the contrast between this woman and her other secretary.
"Um…yes, I'm Evey Hammond. Is Melinda ill?" She asked, wanting to be sure that the young girl was alright.
"I don't know. Now what do you need Ms. Hammond, do you have an appointment?" She asked brusquely.
"I'm the director here, ma'am. I wanted to check with Melinda about any appointments I have today, but since she isn't here, I suppose I should be checking with you." Evey replied impatiently. This woman certainly wasn't very friendly, and if she was working as the secretary for the department, she should at least know who the director herself was. How did she ever land this position? Evey was certain Finch had something to do with it, and she would ask him about it once he called her later.
The woman absorbed this information and sat there for a moment, thinking. Then, she slowly turned to the computer and shook the mouse to wake the computer. The screen blinked on, and the woman slowly began to click on files, but then close them out just as quickly. Evey was growing annoyed; this woman was quite rude, and now, her shoulder was aching from having to hold all of her things while she waited. Finally, Evey puffed out a breath and addressed the woman with as much decorum as she could manage: "It's alright; if anyone needs to see me, just page me and let me know. I'll be in my office for most of the day."
Before the woman could reply and slow her further, Evey turned and walked towards the elevator and hit the up button. Maybe she should have just stayed down in the Shadow Gallery with V; it now sounded like a far better idea than being here at work. But she had made it this far, so she might as well get some work done. She would take V's advice and leave early, and perhaps she would make her way to the Gallery rather than her flat after work.
Once the elevator opened to her floor, she stepped out into room leading up to her office. There were several desks around the room, where some of her employees worked. However, today, only two people could be seen working. They waved warmly at Evey, but made no move to greet her. They looked tired, and Evey had half a mind to send them home for the rest of the day.
She pushed open the door to her office, which had thankfully been cleaned up since the attack. She could see a black mark on the grey carpet where the grenade had gone off, but that was the only indication that anything had gone awry. Evey placed all of her things down on a side table, where she noticed several bouquets of flowers. Most were from her few friends, the largest one of course from Gordon and Philip. She also noticed a small vase from Eric, and another from the janitor of the building. A soft smile crept onto her face as she read all of the cards that had well wishes for her recovery.
Once she had moved some of the vases around the room to offer some life to the plain office, she sat down and looked at the paperwork in front of her. She had several new propositions for the opening of museums to look at, and there was even a blueprint for a new museum dedicated entirely to the revolution at the bottom of her stack of papers. All of these things needed her attention and ultimately her signature of approval.
It was difficult for her to finally get situated with her sling, but once she did get comfortable she easily delved into her work.
Twenty minutes later, she was completely engrossed in the reading she was doing. She was currently perusing the plans for the new museum of the revolution, and she was quite interested in the plans they had for honoring V's memory. They of course wanted her to make some tearful, heart wrenching speech at the opening of the museum about how she missed her dear friend and fellow revolutionary. She wondered what V would think of it; she would ask him when he came to check on her that evening. Evey was just glancing at some sketches when suddenly her speaker phone sprang to life, her gruff new secretary announcing curtly, "Deitrich to see you."
Evey thanked her, although she doubted that she even paid her any mind. However, the prospect of talking with Gordon after her ordeal heartened her considerably. She shuffled some of her papers to the side and waited patiently for the man's arrival. She didn't have to wait long, as Gordon threw open the door as only a showman like himself would do a few minutes later.
"Evey, my dear, thank god you're alright!" Evey rose as he approached her so that she could give him a one-armed hug. "You weren't at your flat, so I figured I would try over here next. You should really get some rest, Evey. You were just kidnapped, after all!"
Evey rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Gordon. But I'm fine, really. Thank you for the flowers, by the way. Did you pick them out, or did Philip? He strikes me to have the better taste in flowers between the two of you," Evey quipped, trying to steer the subject away from her. All of this attention and fussing was starting to get on her nerves.
"I'll have you know that I made the final decision on these! They're quite striking, aren't they?" Gordon replied indignantly as he pointed to the large bouquet of bright, yellow daffodils and daisies. "Although I suppose you must be feeling fine if you have enough wits about you to make remarks like that."
Gordon took a seat, then, not wanting to keep Evey standing any longer. They chatted idly for a few minutes, Gordon talking about his escapades with Philip, while Evey mentioned some of her recent outings with a few friends from the old BTN. It was happy, companionable talk, interspersed with laughter and jokes. But after a lull in the conversation, Gordon became more serious.
"Evey, although I am delighted to see you safe and well, I must admit, this was more than a social call. I have a request that I must make of you."
Evey narrowed her eyes at him dramatically, "And what might that be? Your requests have a way of getting me into trouble." She teased, referring to the night she first met V, when she had intended to meet Gordon.
He laughed. "Although I agree with your assessment, I hope that this will not end poorly. I was wondering if perhaps you would consider being a guest on my new show. Granted, the show is still in the works, and won't air for several more months. But I thought it would be lovely to open up the show with you, the Princess of the Revolution, as my guest. The ratings would be through the roof!" Gordon began to day dream about the shows future success, but quickly snapped back to reality.
Evey had expected this day to come at some point, especially since she had set Gordon up with his new position as head of the BTN. She just hadn't expected it to come so soon. But it was a wonderful opportunity, she knew. And it really wasn't all that different from making addresses to the people; and it would be even easier, with Gordon by her side. She was slowly getting over her camera jitters, with her frequent addresses. It would certainly be a refreshing way to approach the people, rather than in such a serious light.
"I would be honored, Gordon. Truly." Evey smiled.
Gordon clapped his hands together, declaring how delightful it all would be. He was already spewing ideas about a possible comedy sketch, what they would both be wearing, what the set would need to look like, and everything else that a showman must worry about. Evey laughed as she watched Gordon disappear into his own little world. Her laughter shook him from his thoughts, and he rose.
"Well Evey, it has been lovely to see you. I can't tell you how relieved Philip and I were to hear that you were safe. You have a wonderful man looking over you." He was careful not to name names, knowing full well that the Ear was still operational, and that V's identity could not be jeopardized. To anyone listening, they would assume they were talking about Eric Finch.
"But you'll have to come out to the house one of these days for dinner, Philip absolutely adores you. And he has some new recipes he wants to try out on someone besides me." Gordon said with a smile. He gave her another friendly hug before Evey walked him to the elevator.
After their farewells and promises to have dinner together soon, Evey turned to walk back to her office. She saw that her two remaining employees were still hard at work, and she approached them and told them to take the rest of the day off. With grateful smiles, and several words of thanks, they packed up their things and left Evey alone on her floor.
She had just sat down in her office chair when her phone came alive with her secretary's voice again: "Prime Minister Finch to see you." Evey was impressed that this woman actually knew who he was. She reminded herself to ask Finch about her once he was in her office.
Evey didn't have to wait long, as Finch bustled into her office. He still had his coat on, and he appeared to be in some sort of a hurry. Evey was immediately concerned; her mind began to whir as several disaster scenarios played out in her head. The way Eric swooped into her office made her think something was wrong.
"Eric, is everything alright? I thought you would just call. Has something happened?" She asked, rising up and walking around her desk to stand in front of the man who had entered her office.
He shook his head, "No, everything is fine. I just left a meeting and I'm on my way to another, but I was right in the neighborhood so I figured that I would just drop in and see how you were doing."
Relieved, Evey sat back down in her chair. "I would be doing better if you had sent me a better secretary, and perhaps told the guards that I didn't need I.D. But other than that, I'm doing quite well."
Finch chuckled briefly before saying, "I'm sorry Evey, and I should have at least called you to give you some sort of warning. I'll talk to the guards on the way out; it won't be an issue anymore. But Ms. Hayes is an old family friend, and she used to work as a secretary for a school. She's only temporary, until we find Melinda's replacement."
Replacement? Evey had just assumed that Melinda was perhaps taking a day or two off after the attack, as most of her other employees had been instructed to do. At the very least, she thought perhaps she had fallen ill. But why was there need to replace her?
Finch seemed to read her mind, and his face fell as he explained, "Evey, I've got a lot of things that I need to discuss with you, but now isn't really the time. I'm running late as it is. Why don't you come over for dinner tonight, and I can fill you in then. All of my meetings today have been in regards to either your attack or the remaining strands of Norsefire, and I've a lot to tell you and little time to do it."
Finch had left her with more questions than answers, and had left her even more worried about her secretary Melinda. She hoped that nothing bad had befallen the young girl. Now that she thought about it, she had likely been hurt when the rebels entered the building. Was it possible she had been killed? She was about to ask Finch as much, but he was already getting up to leave.
"How about you come by around six? Will that be alright? I don't want you working too late tonight, Evey. You need a good hot meal and some rest." He suggested.
Evey rolled her eyes again. "Yes, alright. Why won't everyone accept that I'm just fine?"
"Evey, you may not see it, but everyone else does. You need to relax, and take some time for yourself. You're working yourself to hard. Nobody wants to see you burn yourself out." He chided gently.
"And that's what dinner will be, some relaxation. Will that satisfy you? Shall I bring anything?"
"Perhaps a dessert, if you want. I'm no good with baking." He laughed.
At this point, Eric Finch declared that he really should be going, after all he couldn't be late to his own meeting. He waved at Evey as he walked out the door, and she smiled after him. Finally, she sat back down to work.
Evey only managed to get another hour of work done before she couldn't bring herself to focus anymore. She glanced at the clock, which now read four o'clock. Deciding to take everyone's advice, Evey packed up her belongings and took the rest of the evening for herself.
She called out a goodbye to Ms. Hayes, who only nodded in return. The two guards standing outside also nodded their heads as she walked by, and Evey called out a pleasant goodbye to them as well. She smiled as she walked to her car, deciding that she should go to the bakery before she returned home. Evey was thinking about getting brownies, and she laughed aloud at how despite having an incredibly complex life, she was still able to go enjoy a simple evening with one of her friends.
However, choosing the evening's ensemble was not simple in the slightest, Evey found. She had tried on several different outfits, deciding that some were too formal, and others were too casual. Clothing was strewn about on her bed, and the pile kept growing as Evey kept changing. Finally, she decided on a simple white blouse and a dark pair of jeans. Evey frowned as she put her arm back in the sling; it was very cumbersome, but it certainly made her shoulder feel much better. Slipping on a pair of decent shoes, Evey was about to head to the bathroom to see about her hair and makeup when she heard a knock at the window.
There was only one person who would be knocking at her window in the dark, and her stomach was immediately filled with butterflies. She walked as calmly as she could manage to the window, where she unlocked it and smiled as she let the caped vigilante into her flat. He stepped in gracefully, and Evey smiled as she realized that he did everything gracefully. Why should that surprise her? V caught her smirk:
"Have I done something humorous, my dear?"
"No, no, V. I'm just glad to see you." She smiled as she embraced him. While she was trapped in his arms, V noticed that she was wearing neither her work clothing nor her pajamas, which suggested that she was going out that evening. She looked wonderful, as usual. The blouse flattered her, and the light color made her eyes appear brighter. V wondered what the occasion was, although he was hardly complaining.
"Am I interrupting something, Evey? It would appear as though I have caught you on your way out." Right as V asked this, he realized how suspicious his question must have sounded; almost jealous even. But if Evey thought of it that way, she didn't let on. She had left his embrace at this point, gathering a few pieces of jewelry and her hairbrush, and motioning for him to follow her so that she could continue to talk to him.
He watched her in the mirror, as she managed to put on both of her earrings with the same hand. When she lifted up the necklace she intended to wear, she pursed her lips at it while furrowing her brows. Her current predicament was trying to manage putting on her necklace while wearing her sling. She was about to take it off, something that caused her some discomfort and a great deal of annoyance, when V stepped in:
"Allow me," He said softly. Evey flashed him a coy look in the mirror before dropping the necklace into his outstretched hand. The silver contrasted quite well with the black leather of his glove, in his opinion.
V swiftly draped the chain around her neck before fastening the clasp. The black leather of his gloves contrasted even better with the white, satin blouse she was wearing, and better still with the soft, pale flesh of her neck. Before V could stop himself, he alighted his hands on her shoulders, and he watched as she closed her eyes and sighed. Encouraged, he took a breath and decided to take a risk.
"How is your shoulder feeling?"
Smiling at the implication, Evey played along. "It feels a bit tense; it was rather sore all day."
Behind the mask, V smiled widely at her reaction. With her words as a cue, he began to massage her shoulders and neck with his hands slowly, gently; not wanting to upset her already irritable shoulder. Evey's smile grew wider as he began his massage, and she let out a contended sigh as she felt the warmth of his hands work the tension out of her muscles.
"Is that better, love?" He purred. V caught himself by surprise with his forwardness and confidence. But Evey certainly didn't seem to mind.
"That feels wonderful, V," she replied, leaning back slightly into him.
The moment was not to last, because suddenly, there was a loud buzzing coming from the bathroom sink. Evey's eyes snapped open, and she puffed out a breath of disappointment. She glanced at her phone, which now displayed a small envelope on the screen, indicating that she had received a text message. V was suddenly reminded of his earlier question that remained unanswered. He dropped his hands reluctantly from her shoulders.
"I do believe I am keeping you from a previous engagement." V stepped back, feeling suddenly awkward and uncomfortable. Evey's face turned into a pout. She turned to face him, and frowned.
"Eric invited me over for dinner to talk about the meetings he had today. Apparently he has some news about the rebels who kidnapped me." Evey stated sadly. Now she was wondering if there was any way she could call off dinner with Finch and return to the Gallery like she had originally planned on doing. That was now sounding like the far superior option, especially if V continued with his massage.
V froze. Finch's comments and his actions from the previous evening were now playing like some grand Shakespearean drama in his mind. Surely he had other intentions than discussing politics. And now V wished that Evey had on a different blouse; one that wasn't quite so flattering.
"V? Are you alright?" Evey placed a delicate hand on his arm, which shook him from his thoughts. He quickly moved his arm away from her touch, causing Evey's lips to turn into a worried frown.
"Yes, of course, Evey." When in reality, he was far from alright. Already, the cynical voice in his head was telling him that this was the beginning of the end. After tonight, there were sure to be more dinners. And more "work meetings". It wouldn't take long for Evey to realize that Eric Finch was the man she was looking for, not V. The dark voice at the back of V's mind was already laughing, telling him to just watch Evey slip out of his arms and right into Eric Finch's, and then he would be alone once again, while Evey fell in love with another man. It made sense. It was what she deserved. And V deserved to be alone.
"Are you sure, V? You seem a bit tense." Evey was now becoming quite worried about his sudden change in demeanor.
"Yes, Evey, I'm quite alright. But it appears as though I have made you late, for which I apologize." V then walked down the hallway, with Evey right behind him. V couldn't bear the thought; he desperately needed to be alone, to get away from her before she thrust the dagger any deeper into his heart. He had made it to the window when Evey's voice stopped him short.
"V." Her voice sounded firm, and V was then worried that he had upset her. He turned to face her.
"Come here," She instructed, pointing at the ground in front of her feet. He was powerless; he had to obey. He walked over to her, and waited expectantly.
A smile crept onto her beautiful face, curving her lips in a way V found irresistible. His worries of upsetting her ceased, especially as she wound her arms around him, saying, "You forgot something."
"And what have I forgotten, Evey?" He asked, a small smile tugging at the corner of his own lips.
"This."
Evey rose up onto her tip toes and pressed a kiss onto the cold enamel lips of Guy Fawkes. V's breath caught in his throat, and he knew that she heard it. It was like electricity, pulsing through him. It was just like the night in Victoria station, and it was the first time Fawkes had been granted the honor since then. Many would think that he couldn't feel a kiss through his mask; he used to think so as well, but he was delighted to be proven wrong. Oh, how he wished this mask was real flesh and blood so that he could kiss her back.
She dropped back down onto her feet and smiled up at the mask, V's smile matching her own. Evey gazed into the black eye screens, which as usual betrayed no glimmer or emotion, but could still transmit the weight of his gaze.
"I love you, V." She whispered softly to the mask. She buried her face into his warm chest then, and he could feel her smile through his layers of clothing as he whispered, "And I love you, my dear Evey."
She broke apart then, saying, "Oh, V, if I stay here a second more I won't ever make it to dinner."
V smiled behind the mask, while the voice at the back of his head began to shrink away. "Then I shall let you go, I do not wish to make you any later. Enjoy your evening, love."
With that, V stepped easily out of the window and headed down the fire escape. Evey watched until he had disappeared around the corner before shutting the window and rising to leave.
She donned her jacket, and grabbed the brownies she had purchased before grabbing her keys to leave. She sent Eric a quick message apologizing for running so late, but that she was on her way. Once it had sent, Evey headed out into the cool London evening.
Evey arrived a few minutes late, but Eric didn't seem to mind. He opened the door with a smile, and took Evey's coat once she stepped into his home. He also grabbed the brownies from her hands and led her to the kitchen.
"I hope you don't mind that I bought the brownies. I had absolutely no motivation to bake," Evey said, trying to start up a conversation. Finch had returned to his own cooking, and he looked up from his pot of pasta to smile at her.
"I can hardly blame you for not wanting to bake. I hardly have the patience for it myself." Finch began to strain the pasta, and Evey sat on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter watching. "However, I do enjoy cooking, especially for other people."
Evey smiled, thinking of her masked man, who also enjoyed the same hobby. She wondered if he was preparing something for himself at this moment, since she was not there to share a meal with.
Finch had now finished his final preparations, and he led Evey to his dining room table. He pulled out her chair, and with a smile in thanks she sat. He disappeared into the kitchen, and returned with two steaming plates of pasta, chicken, and vegetables. Placing the plates down, he also went to fetch a bottle of red wine. After pouring them each a glass, he finally took his own seat.
They chatted idly about the progress of the new museum, and Evey complimented Eric's cooking. Finally though, her curiosity could no longer be held at bay.
"Eric, what is the news you were going to tell me earlier? About The Eye, Ear, and Finger?" Evey asked through a bite of chicken.
Eric finished chewing his own bite before he wiped his mouth with a napkin and placed his fork down gently. He had been hoping to enjoy a few more minutes of conversation with Evey that weren't linked directly to their work with Norsefire. Although he valued any conversation with this beautiful woman, he hardly ever had the chance to sit with her and have a simple, casual chat. Shouldn't she enjoy that too? Was everything about work with her? He supposed so, given her connection to the man who started the revolution. Finch let out a sigh.
"Yes, I suppose that that is why you came over this evening."
Evey brought her brows together in concern. Why did he sound so upset all of a sudden? Finch saw her expression go from one of curiosity to one of worry, and he immediately regretted how biting his statement had come out. He cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry Evey, I didn't mean to upset you. But the news I have is both good and bad. Which would you like to hear first?" He asked.
The ease returned to Evey's face. She even laughed as she responded, "Of course I want the good news first."
"Why am I not surprised?" Finch smiled. "As you know, we have detained several of the more high-up party members. Most of these men were actually integral parts to the inner workings of the Ear and the Eye. Interrogations have yielded nothing, because they only wanted to strike a plea deal for information. They have offered to give us the needed schematics, passwords, all that we need to finally shut down the eye and the ear."
Evey frowned. This was very good news, indeed. But she knew that these men were clever and manipulative. It could all very well be a trap; they would provide false, even harmful information in exchange from some plea bargain that they hardly deserved. The cost of this information would be high, she knew.
"Why do I get the feeling that the bad news involves the price of this information?"
Finch sighed, "The highest sentence that any of them have received is life in prison with no chance of parole…"
"They deserve far worse than that," Evey snarled, interrupting him. Finch glanced at her, surprised at her sudden burst of anger. Evey was slightly surprised as well; she realized that that is exactly something V would say. V shouldn't have worried about trying to influence her. He'd done so long ago, when she was still just his captive.
"The best we could do negotiating was thirty five years in prison with no chance of early release. Evey, think about it. Most of these men are in their fifties or even sixties. Thirty five years will essentially become a life sentence for most of these men, assuming they last that long in prison." Finch reasoned.
Evey hissed out a breath before nodding. He was completely correct, she knew. And for the information that they were giving, it was completely worth the trade off. This was the key to completely freeing the English people; with the Ear and the Eye gone, there were no longer any remnants of Norsefire to haunt and torment the people of this country.
"You're right Eric. And that's wonderful news. We'll finally be free of Norsefire, once and for all."
"Almost." Finch reminded her sadly. He thought it was interesting that she had seemed to almost forget the very people who had kidnapped her, just days previous. "The Finger is still out there."
This gave Evey pause. Hadn't V and Eric taken care of those who had kidnapped her? "Eric, what are you talking about? You and V took care of them when you saved me." The thought of her captors still being at large was only slightly unnerving to Evey; she wasn't scared, so much as she was angry. They were a threat that needed to be dealt with swiftly.
"I was just as surprised as you are when I found out at my meetings earlier. But all of our intelligence has lead us to several other cells operating under X. You shouldn't worry too much, Evey. The cells are weakening as we speak. Many of the rebels don't think this is all worth the risk and are assimilating back into the population." He explained.
It was typical of these cowards to give up, Evey thought, although the news was encouraging. She sat back in her chair, having finished her meal, and now idly sipped at her glass of wine. Finch had finished his own meal, and rose to collect their plates. Evey insisted on helping him clean up, to which he grudgingly agreed. Their happy, unimportant chatter picked up as Evey and Eric began to wash the dishes together, Finch washing while Evey dried.
"Now tell me Eric. How on earth did you decide that Ms. Hayes would be a good secretary?" Evey chuckled. She glanced up from the plate she was drying and noticed that Finch's face had immediately fallen. Evey put down her plate and put a hand on his shoulder in concern.
"Eric?"
Finch had hoped to talk about the issue with her secretary another day, seeing as how they were having such a lovely evening. He didn't want to plague her mind with any more worries; he knew she had enough of them already. But how could he hide something like this from her?
"Eric, what's wrong? Have I said something?" Evey was concerned that she had upset her friend. She scolded herself; they were having such an enjoyable night.
"Evey, I really didn't want to tell you this until I knew you were feeling better. But I suppose I have no choice. Why don't we go sit in the parlor?" With that, they abandoned the dishes, Evey's worry growing with every step she took behind Eric.
They sat side by side on the couch, and Eric turned to face her. "I feel awful about this Evey, I really do. But you should know that I hired Ms. Hayes as a replacement for Melinda."
Evey stared at him impatiently, "Well I already knew that, Eric."
"But you don't know why Melinda had to be replaced," Eric took a deep breath before continuing. "Melinda was a spy for X. That's how the rebels even go up to your office; she let them up. She told them that you and I would be having the meeting that day, which is why they attacked when they did."
Evey felt as though a ton of bricks had been dropped on her. How could Melinda, sweet, bright, happy, eager Melinda be a spy? She was the last person she would ever accuse of being a spy, save for V of course. She had never for a second questioned this girl's loyalty. She loved her job, or so it had seemed. How could she do this? Why would she do this, and help these men?
"But Melinda…she…why would she do this?" Evey was suddenly overwhelmed. A hot tear slid down her cheek, and her kidnapping, injuries, stress, and betrayal all finally caught up to her. More tears followed suit, and that made Evey even more upset.
Finch saw Evey's grip on her emotions slowly faltering; he kicked himself for causing her such distress. He placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, trying to calm her down.
"Evey, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have ruined your evening." Finch soothed.
Through her tears, Evey managed a weak, unconvincing smile. "No Eric, you haven't. I'm just-overwhelmed, is all. You shouldn't have to deal with me when I'm such a mess."
Eric almost laughed; he would have dealt with her no matter what state she was in. Such were his feelings for this woman who sat crying next to him. All he wanted to do was comfort her and provide for her.
"It's alright, Evey. You don't have to be strong all the time. You can let someone take care of you every once and again. No one is invincible." Evey raised her head to look at him and she actually managed a convincing smile this time. Finch returned it, and it only grew when Evey wrapped her arms around him.
"Eric, I don't know what I would do without a friend like you. Thank you for putting up with me tonight."
"It's my pleasure. Perhaps we should sample some of the brownies you brought." Finch suggested, reluctantly drawing Evey up and out of his arms. Evey nodded, and went with him into the kitchen to fetch them.
Once she had a brownie and a few more sips of wine, Evey was feeling much better. She could worry about all of the political obligations tomorrow, and for now, she was determined to enjoy the rest of her evening with a close friend. They didn't mention work once after her outburst of tears, but rather of their pasts. Finch told her some of the stories of his childhood; playing pranks on his brothers back in Ireland and his move to London. Evey was more fascinated with his tales of his home country. She had always wanted to travel, but with Norsefire in control, she'd never been able to. Finch painted a picture of the beautiful green place of his birth, describing as best he could the town he grew up in, in order to help Evey imagine what it was like there.
Evey mostly listened, as most of her childhood memories were not as pleasant. But she enjoyed herself immensely. Soon the brownies were nearly gone, and Eric had reached a point in his own story where the events that took place began to darken. It was nearly nine o'clock, and Evey suddenly found herself yawning.
"You're certainly a wonderful story teller, Eric. You've convinced me to go to Ireland; perhaps you should reconsider your career as a politician and consider becoming a travel agent." Evey teased. They laughed together for a few moments, and then Evey finally rose to leave. "I've had a wonderful evening, Eric. Thank you for having me over."
Finch rose with her, saying, "The pleasure was all mine, Evey. We should do it again soon, but with different circumstances. I hate talking about work after hours."
"Of course. Next time I'll make more of an effort with baking." She smiled in return.
Finch walked her to the door and helped her into her coat. He watched her patiently, and she finally turned her gaze back onto him. Her warm, hazel eyes were utterly arresting, and Finch almost forgot what he had been planning on saying all evening. He coughed then, to knock the lodge out of his throat.
"Evey, I had a wonderful time tonight," He started. "You're an incredible woman, I hope you know that."
Evey snorted, "What are you buttering me up for, exactly?" Her smile was easy, but in her mind she was beginning to grow apprehensive. Eric laughed nervously. His heart was beating twice it normal rate; he prayed she couldn't hear it.
"Why don't you let me take you out to dinner, Evey? Nothing work related, just you and me, together." He finally managed to blurt out. It was certainly not as suave and calm as he would have liked, but he had managed it none the less. Here he was, putting himself out on the line.
Evey's smile fell from her face, taking Eric's right along with it. How could she not have seen this? She was a complete idiot; and she kicked herself for not realizing Eric's intentions earlier. She couldn't bear the thought of hurting him. But didn't he realize that her heart already belonged to someone else?
"Eric, you know that I have the utmost respect for you. You're one of my closest friends, and we've been through so much together. I would never want to put our friendship in jeopardy, nor would I want to jeopardize our working relationship. We're a wonderful team, and if anything happened to that, I fear what it would do to the revolution." Evey tried to put him down as gently as possible; she truly didn't want to damage their friendship or professionalism. Surely he would understand her motives. And he must also understand how bad it would look to the people; it would be like the new government was built on favoritism, not actual political process.
Finch sighed. He knew that she would use their professional relationship against him, as well as their friendship. But at the same time, he knew that her reasons were fair. He just suspected that they weren't all of her reasons. That was when he realized. It was so obvious; he should have seen it from day one.
Evey was in love with V. He should have seen it sooner, and now he was making a complete fool of himself. However, it did ease her rejection. He knew that V was someone that would take care of Evey as he wished to.
"I understand, Evey. I really hope that this doesn't change anything," He said softly. Understand? Yes, he understood. But that didn't change the fact that he was hurt.
"Of course it won't, Eric. We'll always be friends. You've helped me so much; I really couldn't imagine life without you as my friend." She smiled.
"I feel the same way, Evey." He smiled back, although with not as much enthusiasm. Once he had returned her smile, she gave him a quick hug before thanking him again for dinner. She turned to go, and her hand was just resting on the doorknob when Finch's voice stopped her.
"I'm glad that V is back in your life, Evey."
Evey looked back, shocked. It was not as though she had gone and announced her relationship with V to the world. To her knowledge, Finch was the only person besides her that even knew he was alive. But all Finch did was smile knowingly at her, and they both knew that everything would be fine.
A/N Woohoo, back from vaycay! Let me begin by saying that you all are amazing. I came back and I was peeing my pants with joy when I saw all of the reviews, favorites, and follows that happened while I was gone! You guys are the best! (Keep it up, huh? ;D)
Well, this certainly took a different direction than what I had originally planned, but I think it was a change for the better. (And now I can cut out some unnecessary stuff and get to the good stuff! Woohoo!) The V/Evey fluff kind of took me by surprise, but it was a happy accident as they say!
Loboscha I hope this answered your question ;) But I definitely do NOT nor will I EVER ship the Finch/Evey stuff, but hey, we gotta add a little flair. But V was obviously going to win that, it wasn't even a choice! ;D Thanks so much for all of the reviews you left me, it made me so happy!
Destiel Junkie I want those roses dammit. But alas, I actually have a plan for that that will be happening within the next 2-3 chapters, that I hope you will be equally happy with!
Your reviews are like little gold nuggets of happiness that feed my inbox, and my soul. Always feel free to leave reviews or pm me! R&R my lovelies, an update in the next few days that I am excited to write out!
