AN: Hello to all my fellow V fans...I do apologize for the long break in this story, but a lot has happened in my life since I published the last chapter, but I am back now and ready to put the final touches to this love story on paper...there will be one last chapter to this saga of V and Tiffany, and it will have a powerful ending...to all of you, I promise that. So please enjoy this chapter, and as always, please let me know how you liked it.
Vigilante
Chapter 11
Love's Revenge
Tiffany hurried to the spiral staircase she and V had came down only hours before, her arms full of mewing, wiggling kittens with Viola trailing behind. What was that crazy man she loved up too? She knew something was wrong-she had felt it deep within her...something very bad was about to happen...something she knew she had to stop.
V made his way through the shadows of the night, across London's rooftops, finally dropping onto the safety of the building that covered the Shadow Gallery. Slowly, he looked up glancing at the diamond filled sky. ' Starry starry night paint your palette blue and gray, look out on a summer's day with eyes that know the darkness in my soul...' (1) Slowly he shook his head. ' Everything is coming to it's final conclusion...must I also?'
The rooftop door groaned open under V's grip as he stepped inside out of the bitter cold. It took only a matter of seconds before his ears caught the sound of the elevator slowly making its way to the top of the landing. He sensed nothing unusual as he moved into the shadows of the hallway, waiting . Tiffany stepped from the lift, one of V's cloaks pulled tightly against her. She paused momentarily looking up and down the small entrance before making her way outside into the bitter cold. Sighing, V silently slipped from the shadows to stand behind her..
Sensing he was there, she turned. . " V...what is going on? What are you planning? And don't tell me that it's nothing to worry about..." She paused, her hand reaching for his black clad arm. " It has something to do with that train you showed me, doesn't it?"
V's head tilted as he looked at her. She was indeed a creature of beauty, long removed from the thin and pitiful form he had brought into the gallery almost a year ago. My god, was it sinful to love someone as much as he loved her at this moment? He felt his heart fill with sadness." I am afraid my time here on this world will soon come to an end Tiffany." His head dipped, he didn't dare trust himself to look at her... " It is time for my final curtain call..."
" No! " The cry that escaped Tiffany's lips wrenched V's gut." You can't do this...I won't let... Her hand grabbed onto the thick material that covered his arm and shoulder. " I won't loose you, not now..."
" It is my destiny...my right..." His hand curled into a clenched fist as he brought it to his chest.
..
" What about my rights?" She glared at him. " You have always told me that every person in this country has god given rights...rights that Norsefire could never take away from us..."
" Yes..." V watched as she moved closer to him.
" You're taking those rights away from me..." Tiffany's eyes pleaded with him for understanding. " I want my rights...I want the right to love you without fear, or questions...I want the right to love
you as I please. " She moved on him before he could protest, the wig and mask landing on the floor at their feet. Tiffany smiled softly as her hands went to his face, her fingers gently touching the cross-crossed scars that traveled across leathery cheeks. " I will not loose you now...or ever..."
Her arms circled around his neck as her lips touched his in a lite touch and V could not but help to do the same to her-if only for a moment.
" No...I can't..." He pushed her gently away, retrieving the wig and mask.. " Tiffany, please..." His eyes locked with hers as he replaced his alter ego over the burned visage he had grown to loathe. " I must follow through with what I have planned, or England will be lost...forever."
She watched as the lift disappear from sight and a cold, numbness spread through her like a flash fire. She knew that she would do whatever she had to do to save his life...even if it meant following him into hell itself...
V walked down the deserted train tracks toward Victoria Station, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. He had only one chance to pull this off, and return to Tiffany. Reaching under his cloak, he checked the tightness of the knife belt around the metal chest piece beneath his jacket he had borrowed from his old sparing partner. " Ah Mondego, I require your assistance for this last act..." His hand stayed its motion and he lowered his head in respect.
The sound of distant voices pulled V's attention back to the present, and he glanced down the tracks to the location where Creedy would be waiting for him. A slight laugh escaped hidden lips as he thought about the fact that he would never hand himself over to Creedy. The only thing he wanted at the moment was to feel his gloved hands around the man's neck, squeezing the life from him...
Tiffany pulled the black sweatshirt over her head and tucked her hair carefully into the hoodie. She hurried, shoving the pistol she had found in the weapons room into the back band of her jeans. Norsefire had taken everything she had loved from her...her self respect, her courage, and most of all, her father...and she would be damned if it would take the man she loved also. She knew where the meeting was to take place and when...she had spent many hours in V's media room learning to operate the computer system and cameras. Time was running out...luckily, she had also learned the many shortcuts from the gallery to various locations throughout the underground giving her enough of a lead to be at Victoria Station before V's arrival. Picking up the small torch, she left the gallery, pulling the door closed behind her, shutting with a dull thud. There was no turning back now...she was on her own, and V's life depended on what the outcome of the next few hours would be.
Peter Creedy flashed the torch in various directions throughout the station landing while his men checked and searched every possible place for anything that the terrorist could have hidden. V had become a thorn in his side, and he would do anything to get rid of him.
" It's clean sir, nothing is showing up on the imager." One of the soldiers looked up from the small x-ray device he was holding in his hand at Creedy.
Creedy took a deep breath. " Bollocks..."
" Penny for the guy..."
The voice startled Creedy's men and all swung to face the black-caped figure standing amidst them at the same time.
V tilted the mask upward to stare at the man standing several feet away from him. " I have upheld my part of the bargain Mr. Creedy...now the question is, ...have you?."
Creedy called to the top of the stairway. " Bring him down...".
V watched as a man, his head obscured by a black bag that hung limply around his neck was pulled down the set of steps and pushed to his knees before Creedy. " I want to see him."
Creedy nodded to one of the men and the bag was removed from Sutler's head, terror filling his eyes as he looked around..
"At last, we finally meet..." The Fawkes mask appeared mere inches from his face. " I have something for you Chancellor, a farewell gift. For all the things you have done, for all the things you may have done, and for the only thing you have left..." V tucked the Scarlet Carson into the lapel of Sutler's suit. " Goodbye Chancellor...Mr. Creedy..." Rising quietly, the vigilante moved away.
A smirk crossed Creedy's lips as he looked at Sutler. " Disgusting." Raising the gun, he pulled the trigger, then watched as Sutler slumped onto the wet floor, dead. " Now that that's over with... it's time to have a look at your face." He turned to V. " Take off your mask..."
" No."
Tiffany hid behind the debris that had become part of the destruction caused by Norsefire's tightfisted regime watching the scene unfold before her. Nine of Creedy's men gathered around V, their guns leveled and ready...just waiting. Very carefully she pulled the gun from behind her and took aim. " Drop the gun Father, or I will kill you..."
V's head snapped in the direction the voice had come from.
Creedy's mouth dropped open, staring at the lithe figure walking toward him from the shadows. " You? You're suppose to be dead...Alex said he killed you..." His voice held a sneer.
" No Father, as you can see, I am very much alive. Now, tell your men to drop their weapons, or so help me, I will blow your bloody frickin head off..." Tiffany snarled as she cocked the pistol.
Creedy looked at his daughter, his hand raising his gun..." Kill them both..."
V rocked backwards and down onto one knee as the bullets from Creedy's henchmen pierced his body, then regaining his composure, rose to his feet... Creedy's soldiers lay in pools of blood on the deserted station's cold floor in a matter of seconds and he turned his attention to the man before him..
Creedy watched in horror as V walked toward him, after he had discharged the final rounds from his gun into the vigilante. " Why won't you die?"
" Because Mr. Creedy, there is more than flesh under this mask...there is an idea, and ideas... are
…...bullet proof..." His hands circled around the man's neck as he lifted his body from the wet cement floor, ramming his back into the iron bars that blocked off Victoria Station from the rest of the outside world. " Like Sutler before you, Mr. Creedy...I also have a gift for you...for the only thing you have left...your worthless life..." V's hands tightened as bones popped... then finally the body fell to the floor unceremoniously. Staggering, he let the platemail slide from his hand, and walked to where Tiffany lay, a small amount of blood had began to pool under her right shoulder.
" Why did you not listen? Why did you have to be here..." Lifting her up in his arms, his body ached with every movement he made as he became aware of wounds in his legs and arms that would have to be tended to, but right now, Tiffany was the priority. It seemed that the extra platemail he had added to the chest plate had worked, none of the bullets had pierced his chest and no vital organs had been touched... .he was bruised and battered, but very much alive... Slowly, he began up the long spiral staircase toward the Shadow Gallery.
Chief Inspector Eric Finch moved cautiously down the tunnel toward the location he had heard the shots ring out from. He held his gun at the ready, his breath being released every few steps. The dim lights from the track pushed him onward, every sense he possessed on high alert. After traveling a subtle distance, the movement of an opening door caught his eyes and Finch froze, watching as a cloaked figure struggled to stay upright, the weight of the human figure he bore in his arms all but bringing him to his knees.
" Hold it right there!" Finch's voice echoed off the tunnel walls as he walked cautiously toward the figure.
" Inspector Finch...it is a pleasure to met you...but it would have been preferred to be under much different circumstances..." V's voice was shallow beneath the mask.
" What do you have there?" Finch inquired glancing at the form in his arms.
" A courageous young woman...who like me, believes in justice..." V momentarily lost his balance and swayed uncontrollably...
Finch reholstered the pistol and hurried to V's side taking the unconscious form from his arms. " You need a doctor-both of you do..."
" No..." V blurted out, " Help me get her to the Shadow Gallery...I can tend to her there..."
" I don't think you are in any shape to take care of anyone..." Finch's voice trailed off as he watched blood begin to pool at V's feet. " I may not be a doctor, but I do know something about first aid."
He glanced quickly at the girl's bloody shoulder. " I think the wound is superficial... "
" As do I..." V's voice faltered as dizziness started to overcome him. " But I won't know for sure until I can examine it..."
" Which way?" Finch asked adjusting the weight in his arms.
" To the right, and up the stairs..." V leaned against the wall momentarily, leaving a bloodied " V " in his path as he slowly moved onward..
Finch managed to pry the door open enough to get a shoe between it and the frame, his shoulder bearing the brunt of the weight as V passed through the doorway, the door slamming shut behind both men as Finch followed the cloak figure who was now leaving a trail of blood behind him.
The walk to the Gallery entrance took only minutes, but to the masked man, it felt more like hours. The darkness had been closing in on him with every step he had taken, his stamina the only thing keeping the blackness at bay. Slowly pulling the camouflaged piece from the wall he entered the security code and stepped inside as the heavy door opened , Finch following as V lead him down the hallway toward a series of closed doors, opening the last one to the left. " You may place her there..."
V's breath was labored, " I shall return as soon as I possibly can. You will find any medical items you need in the loo under the sink."
Finch watched as he disappeared through the doorway, and then laid Tiffany gently on the bed. He found various medical supplies as was told, bringing the entire box back out with him from the loo.. Gently, he slit the black pullover open, revealing the hole in Tiffany's shoulder. " Bloody hell..." Taking his jacket off, he rolled his sleeves up and began to work on the unconscious girl.
The infirmary was equipped with medical supplies V had taken from one of Sutler's private train cars...cars that had originally been destined for one of the several hospitals designated as an emergency site for Norsefire party members...but this particular one never made it's destination, the masked man had made certain of that.. Slowly, V removed the cape and dropped it onto the floor, blood splattering upon the clean white tiles. The zipper of the Jacobin jacket he wore opened as gloved fingers struggled to perform the simple task of what seemed to take hours instead of minutes. Finally, he slid the jacket from his body, followed by the bloody and torn shirt. Quickly, he set up an IV and hooked up a pint of his own blood, then removed his gloves steadying his shaking body with his hands against the sink, looking into the mirror. Reaching up, the mask clattered into the porcelain basin as V studied the seeping gapes in his shoulders. Most of the bullets had gone cleanly through his flesh, and it was those ones he would tend to first. Taking the bottle of alcohol, he doused his upper body with it, washing away the caked blood from the wounds then wiping them clean as best as he could. Steeling
himself, the tip of the needle punctured the skin and he pulled the catgut through the ragged edges of the rip closing it tightly. Taking a deep breath, he continued the task before him as the blackness began creeping again back into his mind...
Finch stood by the side of the bed and looked at his handiwork. It had taken him almost an hour to clean and sew up the wound in Tiffany's shoulder. He hoped that she hadn't lost to much blood, and would soon regain consciousness...at least for the sake of the vigilante.
" How is she?" V's voice broke Finch's train of thought and he turned to face the masked hero.
" I 've done all I can..." Finch replied as V approached the bed. " Isn't she Creedy's daughter...the one that disappeared about a year ago?"
" Yes." he answered softly. " I found her in an alleyway very near death. I brought her back here...to the Shadow Gallery and nursed her back to the young woman you see before you..." V slowly sat down beside her, taking her hand in his gloved one. " And in that year Mr. Finch, something happened I thought I would never have a chance to do...I fell in love."
Finch smiled at the man. " What you did today will go down in history...you know that, don't you?" He took his coat from the chair and pulled it on.
" I don't want to be part of history Mr. Finch...I just did what others should have done long ago...I just gave them a shove...a push into a new world..." V looked up at the man standing next to him.
" Hmm...well, I'm afraid the citizens won't agree with you...they will see you as their savior..."
V laughed softly..." I suppose they will... the vox populi will again have a strong voice."
Finch's smile faded, " How are you?"
V let out a deep breath. " I will survive."
Finch shook his head. " You know that you will be safe with me...no one will know you survived, I will see to it."
" Thank you, Inspector."
Finch turned to walk from the bedroom. " If you need anything, you know where to find me...you did quite well as Rookwood."
V tilted his head upward. " I do apologize about that Inspector, but I need you."
Finch stared at him. " I guess I better go clean up the mess. " He headed out of the bedroom, V following behind.
Finch waited patiently as the gallery door slowly swung open, then extended his hand. " Thank you."
V shook the man's hand and watched as Finch stepped through the door.
Leaving out a deep breath, he looked around the gallery. His vendetta was finished, and he had survived, but the most important thing in his life lay on his bed, recovering from a gun shot wound that he had caused. He could have gotten her killed...shaking his head, he snapped himself out the thought, and turned to return to the bedroom. It was only a matter of time now...maybe with God's help, he wouldn't face the unknown future alone.
1). " Vincent" by Don McClean
