As predicted, the past few hours had been some of the hardest in what he could recall of his life. Time even moved faster when he was being put through hell in Larkhill. He had escorted Evey back downstairs and to her room, his arm around her the entire way. She hadn't even fought against him, hadn't said a word, just allowed him to do so. She had clothes there and access to a shower, so he had left her to it, and retired into the depths of the Shadow Gallery. He hadn't heard a peep since.

He'd spent those few hours in relative silence, lost in his own mind. He was trying to come to terms with the fact that Evey was going to leave him and he would probably never see her again. By the time she could possibly forgive him, it would be far too late. But he had considered this when he decided to fake her imprisonment, he had taken on that burden to help her lose her fear. Now that the time had come to cross that bridge he could feel his heart slowly breaking.

No matter how hard he tried to suppress his feelings for her, he always failed. It had turned out that every choice he made now, benefitted her, even if in the most miniscule away. Everything he did, he did it for her. He would continue doing so until the day he died.

He approached the Wurlitzer jukebox and sighed softly. Since she had left the first time, he had barely used it. His favourite songs reminded him of her and that just hurt too much. Even though there were more than enough songs to choose from, it just didn't feel right to play music on it when his home no longer had the life that Evey brought to it.

Almost as a final farewell, not just to the woman, but to the jukebox as well, he pressed down a button and rested his hands on either side of the machine as the music reached his ears. The music had barely started when he heard her approach. This was the moment he had been dreading.

"V.. I'm leaving."

"There are 872 songs in here.." He sighed softly. "I've listened to them all, but, I have never danced to any of them."

"Did you hear me?" She sounded annoyed at him so he turned his head to face her briefly.

"Yes."

"I can't stay here."

He lifted his weight from the machine and turned so he was fully facing her. The words that left his lips were barely more than a whisper; he feared if he spoke any louder his emotions may just get the better of him.

"I know.." He sat back on his hands, against the jukebox, and looked away from her. "You won't find any more locks doors here."

"I thought about keeping these, but.. It didn't seem right, knowing that you wrote it."

Valerie's letters caught his attention and he pushed off the Wurlitzer to take them from her. He looked down at the paper in his hand then back to her. "I didn't."

The look on her face was hardly one of belief so he decided to try a different tack. "May I show you something, before you go?"

She nodded her permission and he lowered his head, smiling slightly beneath the mask. At least she was willing to do this. He gestured for her to follow him and lead her through the Shadow Gallery, to a room that was never hidden but often forgotten. Here he grew Scarlet Carsons, beneath the posters of the woman who had inspired him, who had helped make him into the man he was today. As he led her further into the room he could nearly feel her shock emanating from her.

"She was real.." He looked around the room, the shrine. "She's beautiful."

He nodded his head, Valerie truly was beautiful.

"Did you know her?"

"No.." He lowered his head, unable to look at her. "She wrote the letter just before she died. And I delivered it to you, as it had been delivered to me."

"Then it really happened, didn't it?"

"Yes.." If he had imagined that this farewell would be painful, nothing could have prepared him for the combined pain of not only seeing her leave, but also recalling Larkhill and the time he had spent waiting for Valerie's letters. He could remember the crippling pain in his heart when he received the last letter, when he realised that such a wonderful person was dead and he would never get to meet her.

"You were in the cell next to her. That's what this is all about. You're getting back at them for what they did to her. And to you."

"What was done to me created me. It is a basic principle of the universe, every action has an equal and opposing reaction." These people deserved all they got.

"Is that how you see it? Like an equation?"

"What was done to me was monstrous." He snapped, far harsher than he had intended to but he did not apologise.

"And they created a monster."

Those few words sliced through the anger that had suddenly built, striking him right at the very core of his being. A monster, yes, that was what he was. The sooner he realised that, the better. He would never have a proper life; he would never have what he wanted, or who he wanted, even. He knew he should remember that, but his heart refused to do so, instead reminding him of the fact that he had fallen for her, that he was in love. And he cared.

He took a small step closer. "Do you know where you'll go?"

"No. That would have scared me before, but I suppose I should thank you."

Well, at least that worked, he thought wryly. "Oh.."

The next few moments would stay in his memory forever. He had fully expected her to leave, to make sure she had all of her things and just walk away from him. But instead of walking away, she walked closer, right up to him as though she were going to kiss him. His breath caught in his throat as he eagerly awaited her kiss. But none came. They were so close and he could see that her eyes were on the lips of his mask. At that moment he could have pulled the mask off, just so he could feel her lips against his skin. But even as she leant closer to him, no kiss came.

"Thank you.." She whispered. Her breath moved through the hole in the mask, through the mesh that covered it, mingling with his, he could feel its warmth. "Goodbye."

She pulled away from him and walked, just as he had expected her to do first of all. But he could not just let her walk away again, walk out of his life forever.

"Evey." She stopped and turned, much to his relief. "May I ask you for something? If I had once wish, I would wish to see you again, if only once, before the fifth."

"All right."

"Thank you." And this time, she did walk.

He found himself in his dressing room; he was not entirely sure how he had gotten there. All he knew was that Evey was gone and his life had never felt so empty. He slowly reached up to his mask and unfastened the ties. He had no reason to wear it in the house anymore; nobody was here to see his true face. He grasped the sides of the mask and slowly lowered it from his face. He could feel his emotions getting the better of him, he was losing control.

In an outburst of pain, upset, grief and guilt, he let out a shout and slammed his mask into the closest mirror, shattering it completely, the pieces falling from their frame. He covered the few short steps to his chair and dropped into it. His pulse was racing and his breath came out in stressed pants. He couldn't hold it in anymore. He grasped his head in his hands and sobbed, one sob soon turning into many as he lost all control.

She was gone. The woman he loved was gone from his life. He could hold onto the fact that she had agreed to see him once before the fifth but it was little comfort. When she had called him a monster, she had been completely right. He was a monster and nothing awaited him except for a tragic end, no doubt. He promised himself that he would not keep an eye on her like he had done before; she had left him to move on with her life. And he would respect that.

It took a long time for his tears to stop and the sobs to subside. When they finally did so, he felt absolutely exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Now that she was gone, he would be able to concentrate on the last few pieces of his plan. Make sure that everything was prepared in time for the fifth. It was an even bigger day for him now, so long as he was able to see Evey again.

He pushed himself to stand and went to the destroyed mirror. He stared at his reflection in one of the broken shards, stared at the monster which looked back at him. He grabbed the mask and shook it of any possible sharp pieces before securing it over his face once more. He couldn't stand looking at his true face. It was best if he stayed in the shadows, the darkness. For darkness restores what light cannot repair.

That quote was from Joseph Brodsky. I know this chapter was more film text than I would usually like, but it had to be done. We shall soon be leaving the film behind and moving on to the survival part of my story. Thank you to all of you who have been reading this so far, and also thank you to everyone who has been reviewing. I hope you continue to enjoy.