Chapter 26
With a yawn, Evey set down the book she had been reading. While normally she quite enjoyed Jonathon Swift's style, currently Gulliver's Travels was doing little to hold her interest. After she had re-read her current page three times, Evey knew that she needed to do something else.
Evey rose from the chaise where she had been resting quite comfortably, and stretched. A quick glance around the main rooms of the Shadow Gallery suggested to Evey that V must be either in the training room or the green house. In the last few weeks, both had become far more used, as V did not venture above in the cold winter months as often. However, Evey did not hear the loud crashes and bangs associated with V's rigorous training sessions, so she concluded that V must be tending to his beloved underground garden.
Venturing down the hallway leading towards V's two favorite escapes, Evey could feel the restless energy building up inside of her. She had spent the night in the Gallery, as she usually did, but she had been inside all day. Normally this wouldn't have bothered her; after all, there were endless amusements in the Gallery. Even when she couldn't find anything to do, she could always talk with V, which never bored her.
But today, she was plagued by restlessness. Nothing had seemed to satisfy her, and she had bounced from activity to activity. She and V had even worked on her self-defense earlier that morning, but she was still full of energy.
Evey had concluded that it must be due to the sudden snow storm that had blanketed London last night. The forecast had called for a few inches, but when Evey and V had turned on the news that morning, they were shocked to see that there was almost two feet of snow on the ground, with no signs of slowing down. The entire city was at a standstill; schools were closed, along with government offices. Everyone was being advised to stay inside due to the dangerous conditions. The feeling of being snowed in left Evey with a sense of cabin fever.
As she had expected, V was working happily when she found him in the garden. The room was filled with an electrical humming, coming from all of the high powered lights used to grow the plants. Evey was greeted by the powerful smells of dirt and vegetation, which always delighted her. It was incredible to see such life thriving underneath the bustling city. These plants were a reflection of their caretaker.
V looked up from the herbs he was tending to when he heard Evey's soft footsteps. She looked stunning, standing there in the doorway with that old shirt of his. Her hair was pulled back into a knot, but wisps of hair had escaped and now framed her face perfectly. In this natural, vulnerable state, Evey never failed to take his breath away.
"What are you doing, V?" Evey asked, coming closer to observe. She smiled slightly seeing V in his gardening attire. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearm, revealing a small patch of red skin, before suddenly turning into a pair of hideous gardening gloves. Given his penchant for tacky aprons, the gardening gloves did not come as a surprise to Evey.
"I'm simply trimming up the herbs. What have you been doing, love?" V put down his tools to look at Evey more closely.
She shrugged, "Oh, nothing really. I tried reading more of Gulliver's Travels, but it couldn't really hold my interest."
V nodded, and returned his attention to the herbs. He had noticed that Evey had seemed to be slightly anxious today, like a coil ready to spring. She had been flitting from activity to activity, although nothing really caught her fancy. Even training, which usually left her calm, had not helped. V assumed she was just tired of being underground, although it had never seemed to faze her before.
"Is something troubling you, Evey? You seem a bit…restless," V asked.
Once again, Evey shrugged, "That's all it is really. Just restless energy."
"Well then, if you're looking for something to do, perhaps you would like to assist me in the garden?" V gestured to all of the plants surrounding him.
A soft smile lit up Evey's face, "I'd love to."
"Wonderful! Would you mind fetching some fertilizer? It's sitting on the far wall over there," V pointed towards the southern wall of the underground oasis.
Evey started off towards her destination, weaving through rows upon rows of plants. Most were vegetables or fruits, but V did have a healthy variety of other flowers. Of course, his beloved Scarlett Carsons still thrived under his watchful eye. Evey spotted them a few rows away; their vibrant, blood-red petals easily drew her attention. She smiled upon seeing them; although they had a more sinister meaning in V's revolution, Evey understood their true value to the masked man.
Finally, Evey reached the back wall. Seeing the bags of fertilizer stacked on top of one another caused Evey to recoil. Memories suddenly flooded her. She was overwhelmed with visions of the train V had given her, filled to bursting with this very same fertilizer that had been stacked in the exact same manner. Images of her dragging V's dead weight onto that same train, and placing him on top of identical bags of fertilizer flashed before her eyes.
"Evey? Is everything alright?"
Hearing V's deep, powerful voice calling to her brought Evey back to reality. It reminded her that the dying man she had held in her arms on the platform was very much alive, and that she needn't worry any more. This fertilizer was no longer a harbinger of death. It was fulfilling its much less insidious task of nurturing life.
"Coming, V!" called Evey as she slung a bag of fertilizer over her shoulder.
When she returned, V had moved on from the herbs to tend to some squash. Evey dropped the bag next to him.
"V, I would certainly hope this fertilizer company gives you a discount for being one of their most loyal customers," Evey quipped. V turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised beneath the mask.
"I'm not sure I take your meaning, love."
Evey gestured to the bag, "After all of the fertilizer you've used over the years, one would think that you would get some sort of loyalty discount."
Now, V finally understood what Evey was saying. She was referring to the incredible amount of fertilizer he had used in his explosive devices. It was his favorite modus operandi, and it always left law enforcement baffled. It was difficult to trace, and it was a basic household item. Eric Finch confessed to this once when they had had a chance to chat in the past few weeks.
"Ah, yes. Well, I'm sad to say that I couldn't buy it all at once in order to receive a bulk discount, for obvious reasons. And the multitude of names I used to purchase it would have made my loyalty discount moot." V chuckled slightly.
V instructed Evey on how to portion the fertilizer properly, and then how to distribute it amongst the plants. They worked together in companionable silence; V clipped and trimmed the plants, while Evey followed behind him with the fertilizer.
Working together, it did not take the pair very long to complete the necessary preening of the gardens. While she had been focusing all of her energy into nourishing the plants, Evey had released a great deal of pent up energy and restlessness. But all too soon, that feeling of calm disappeared once the work in the garden was finished. The moment V traded his gardening gloves for his favored black leather pair, Evey felt the restlessness that she had managed to rein in burst forward again.
V seemed to sense this, "Evey, is there anything else you might enjoy doing? You still seem a tad restless, my dear."
Evey let out a breath as she wiped the fertilizer and dirt off of her hands. What she really wanted was to sprint through the tunnels of the abandoned underground and shout and jump. She wanted to breathe in the fresh air of London, now that it had been cleansed with a fresh layer of pristine snow. No matter how much she loved the Shadow Gallery and its incredible treasures, all she truly wanted to do right now was escape it.
"Do you think we could go for a walk? Would people be out right now?" Evey asked, hopeful.
V considered this request. He was eager to please his lady, but he wasn't thrilled with walking through the streets of London, even if the blizzard would provide some semblance of cover. However, going outside in a blizzard was certainly dangerous; he'd kept his ear to the ground all day, listening for updates on the storm. The total snow fall was already quite impressive, and it continued to grow. With two feet of snow on the ground, V wasn't too keen on taking an evening stroll.
The logical part of V knew to say no. They could be stranded, the conditions were horrible, they might run into someone, or they could leave tracks leading to the Gallery. All of these worries bounced around V's head, screaming at him to make a logical choice. But the other part of him wanted so desperately to make his beloved Evey happy, even if that meant braving the storm for a little winter fun.
A compromise had to be struck.
"Perhaps you would consider going to the roof instead? It would be far safer, and greatly ease my own worries," suggested V.
A large smile broke out onto Evey's face, "Even better! I'll just go get dressed more appropriately."
Before V even had a chance to react or respond to Evey, she dashed up to him and placed a light peck on Guy Fawkes' unmoving lips before hurrying out of the room to gather her winter clothing. An impish smile had lit up her face, and V had recognized the spark in her eyes.
It warmed his heart to see her forget the stresses of the revolution, and occasionally lose herself in something as simple as the snow.
"Evey, are you quite certain that that will be enough to keep you warm?"
The bundle of winter garments standing before V rolled her eyes. Evey had made sure to layer herself properly, knowing full well that V would insist upon it. Already she was too hot from standing inside the Gallery, and she was growing impatient.
"I'll be fine, V. Come on!" Evey said, dragging V towards the lift with her gloved hand.
It had been a long time since she had been up the lift, the last time being after her release from her false imprisonment. She had considered coming up here after the Fifth, when she still thought V was dead, but it would have caused her too much grief. But now that they were together again, Evey had simply found no reason to come here to the site of her rebirth. In retrospect, she regretted this, but she was glad to go there now.
The lift traveled slowly; as it had the first time she was in it. It had not changed in the slightest, which gave Evey the distinct impression of stepping into a photograph of the past. V seemed to be having the same sense of déjà vu, as he remained rigid next to her. They traveled to the roof in silence.
Of course Evey knew that the roof would look entirely different now, covered in snow. But a part of her was clinging to the memory of the dark skyline and a pouring rain. Part of her expected to step out into that exact moment in time.
Evey took a few reverent steps forward, struggling slightly due to the deep snow. V held back, watching, just like he had not long ago. Snowflakes kissed Evey's exposed cheeks, and collected on her eyelashes. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, soaking in the feeling.
If God was in the rain, did that mean he was also in the snow?
Regardless, the feeling Evey got while standing in the swirling snow was exhilarating and liberating. This is exactly what she had needed all day long; air. The sky. The sharp, biting wind. Behind her, Evey could feel V's looming presence. He was giving her a respectful distance, knowing full well what memories would be coursing through her mind.
After several long, silent minutes, Evey finally stirred from her reverie. She let out a satisfied breath, opened her eyes, and took in her surroundings once again. The skyline was almost completely gone; Evey could only barely make out the buildings closest to them. Evey turned to face V, whose heavy gaze had not left her since they emerged onto the roof. She gave him an impish smile before quickly reaching down to grab a mound of snow.
V almost had no time to react, which was quite surprising given his heightened senses. The snow hit him square in the chest, causing him to gasp slightly in surprise. When he looked up, Evey was standing out in the swirling snow, barely able to contain her laughter.
"Oh Evey, what a grave mistake you have just made."
"Have I?" Evey giggled, another snowball already being packed in her hands.
The only answer V gave was unleashing his own attack, causing Evey to squeal in surprise. Of course he didn't throw them as hard as his incredible strength allowed, but he was certain to make sure Evey could feel their impact. The first two hit precisely on target; they certainly couldn't compare to his knives, but V was pleased with his aim regardless.
Evey turned and ran as best as she could through the knee-deep snow. Despite her best efforts, she was only able to make it a few feet before she was tripped up. She was barely able to let out a cry of shock before she found herself face-down in the snow.
V approached slowly, conflicted between his suspicions of another ruse and his concern for Evey's well being. As he grew near, the part of V's mind that was worried quickly quieted when he heard the sound of muffled laughter. V had to laugh himself as he watched Evey roll over on to back and continue her fit of laughter.
"I do believe this means I've won," V announced. Evey could almost hear the cheeky grin that was hidden behind the mask.
The only response Evey gave was lobbing another snowball in V's general direction, but he easily dodged it. Evey continued launching poorly aimed snowballs at V, but only one even came close to hitting him. Finally Evey let out an exasperated groan before letting her arms fall out to her side while her head fell back into the snow.
V saw this as a golden opportunity. He scooped up an armful of snow and crept silently towards his unsuspecting victim. When he was close enough to her, V tossed the pile in his arms, completely blanketing Evey. She let out a shriek of surprise before squirming around to shake off the snow.
"V, that isn't fair!" Evey whined, which only served to amuse V more. His shoulders shook with laughter as he watched his dear Evey pout and shake snow off of herself.
Moments like these always caught V off guard. They reminded him how far he had come since he first met Evey; how much he had changed. Before meeting Evey, he never would have imagined coming to the roof to play in the snow. He would have never felt his heartbeat quicken when Evey's bright, hazel eyes flashed at him from beneath her long, snow-covered lashes. V owed a lot to the woman before him.
"V? Why are you staring at me like that?" Evey asked, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Of course the mask betrayed no emotion, but Evey could sense the look that was hidden behind it.
"My apologies, Evey. I was simply lost in thought," V lied quickly, realizing he had been caught staring.
Evey flashed him a knowing smile. She stood then, although it certainly wasn't as gracefully as she had hoped. As she took her first step towards V in the snow, she lost her balance. If it wasn't for V's speed and reflexes, she would have found herself face down in the snow once again.
He caught her arms and steadied her, but neither let go once they found each other. Instead, Evey drew herself closer to V, which he certainly welcomed. Evey snuggled closer to him, the bitter cold finally sinking into her bones. V felt her shiver against him.
"Perhaps we should adjourn inside to warm up," V suggested. "A warm bath and a cup of tea should do the trick."
"Alright," Evey agreed, feeling much better now. The fresh air had invigorated her, and lifted her spirits considerably. She no longer felt the nagging restlessness that had plagued her all day; she was perfectly content.
The couple made their way back to the lift, V making sure that Evey didn't trip and fall once again. Once safely inside the walls of the Gallery, V ushered Evey into the bathroom and instructed her to take a warm bath. Once the water began to run, V began to make his leave.
"Would you like me to prepare you some tea, love?" V asked, pausing in the doorway.
Evey shook her head, "No thank you, V. I think I'd like to take a bath and maybe have a nap. I'm quite tired, all of a sudden."
V bowed his head, "As you wish, Evey."
Before V left, he assisted Evey out of her heavy coat and other winter accessories. He gathered them into his arms in order to hang them up to dry. Evey thanked V with a gracious smile, and then turned to check on the water. Once she heard the door click behind her and V's heavy footsteps down the hall, she shrugged out of her final layers.
The warmth of the water was a welcome relief to Evey's chilled body. She slipped into the tub with a sigh, submerging herself almost entirely under the water. V had taken the extra step of putting in Evey's favorite bath salts, giving the steamy air the faint aroma of lavender. Evey inhaled deeply, feeling the scent seep into her.
Evey spent a long time submerged in the tub, simply enjoying the relaxation she seemed to have been lacking all day. The sounds of V tinkering about in the Gallery echoed down the hall and reached her ears. She often suspected that V made more noise when she was around, so as to not startle her. His propensity for gliding around without a sound was quite impressive, although sometimes quite irksome as well. The thought of him purposely making noise for her benefit made her smile. She knew that it probably went against his own instincts.
Finally, Evey decided she really shouldn't keep V waiting much longer. At any rate, the bathwater was beginning to turn tepid, and was growing less and less enjoyable. Evey let the water out of the tub, watching it swirl down the drain for a few moments. She recalled as a child being very scared of being sucked down the drain, and her father always comforting her and telling her that wasn't the case.
Once the water was washed away, Evey wrapped herself in one of the luxurious towels V always left in the bathroom. She scurried through the brisk hallways of the Gallery until she reached her bedroom, where she dressed quickly in a warm layer of pajamas. After a few minutes, Evey could hear V's timid steps approaching down the hallway. She smiled softly. Even now, V still acted so unsure, as though Evey might suddenly change his mind. V waited outside her room respectfully for a few minutes while Evey settled herself into her side of the bed.
"You can come in, V," Evey called out to him. V had to laugh when he saw Evey wrapped up tightly in her blankets. Her soft curls peeked out from the thick comforter, along with two bright, laughing eyes.
"You look comfortable, Evey," He observed.
"Would you care to join me?" Evey asked, reaching out from underneath her nest and patting the bed beside her.
"I would be delighted," V bowed his head. Before he moved to join her, V quickly turned off the lights and shut the door, submerging the room into total darkness. The whole routine was quite rhetorical. They both knew exactly how it would play out.
As always, V moved very deliberately, worried that he would make one wrong move to offend Evey. He was better than before, of course. At least now V did not flat out refuse to join her, or leave in the middle of the night to sleep in his own quarters, as he often used to do.
Once V removed his boots and gingerly situated himself underneath the covers, Evey immediately flocked to his side and curled into his warmth. V hardly had time to adjust the blankets properly before he felt Evey next to him. It was as though he was a magnet, and Evey was a small piece of metal.
V felt Evey shiver slightly, and suddenly, he felt Evey's small, delicate hands slip under his second skin of lyrca. They were quickly followed by her slender arms, which wrapped tightly around his midsection. He tensed suddenly; her hands were freezing, and the move had startled him. But V was becoming more used to this gesture as well, and made no move to stop her.
"Evey, your hands are freezing," V commented.
That made Evey burrow into him further, which was quite the impressive feat, "Well I suppose it's a good thing you're so warm then."
V chuckled at this. Indeed, he was much warmer than an average man would be. It felt like he was constantly running a mild fever, and in a sense, he was. His raised body temperature was due to the virus that had been injected into his bloodstream at Larkhill. It was one of the lingering reminders of what they had done to him, but he was so flattered that Evey enjoyed it. It was another way she continued to rub out the harsh scars left by Larkhill.
And now, it felt as though Evey actually was trying to rub out his physical scars. She was delicately tracing the deep ridges that wrapped around his body like spider webs. He could feel the love and care pouring out of her finger tips. V looked down, and saw the corners of Evey's lips turned up into a soft, blissful smile. She looked to be completely content and at peace, even while she was being reminded of the horrible monster V believed himself to be.
They stayed like this for a long while, Evey gently caressing V's stomach and V watching her. Evey couldn't reach very far due to the constricting lyrca, so she was limited in what she was able to touch. But Evey's touch was so hypnotizing; V could hardly contain himself. Feeling her gently skimming her fingers over his rough flesh sent powerful volts of electricity through his nerves. He felt so alive with her delicate fingertips on him.
Why was he limiting this magical touch?
Suddenly, V sat up in bed and removed Evey's hands from his skin. Evey's eyes flew open and she jolted upright, immediately concerned that she had offended V.
"V…" Evey began, an apology already forming on her lips.
V cut her off, "Wait, Evey."
And before he could even fathom stopping himself, V took the edge of the lyrca and quickly slipped it over his head, and discarded it next to him on the floor. A rush of cool air brushed against V's hot skin, making it feel even more alive than it already did.
Slowly, before the snarling beast in the back of V's mind could say anything against him, V reached out and took Evey's hands in his. He could feel Evey's hands trembling slightly, and she let out a shaky breath. And then, Evey's hands were on his chest.
Evey almost couldn't believe what was happening. She couldn't see what V was doing, due to how dark it was in her room. But she heard the familiar sound of rustling clothing, and then, when V took her hands, she was able to put two and two together. She couldn't believe that V had willingly removed what he considered to be his second skin, especially without any prompting on her part. This was an enormous step for him, akin to removing the mask for the first time. It had taken Evey completely by surprise.
"V, are you sure…" Evey began again.
"Yes, I am," V cut her off once more.
"You know you don't have to if you're uncomfortable," Evey said softly, always concerned for her beloved.
"Evey, I am trying to move through discomfort. I cannot let it or my fears control me," V explained gently, "And truly, love, I am not uncomfortable now."
Evey hesitated for only a second more, but after V's encouraging words and her own burning desire to touch him burst through, she gently rested her hands on his chest.
She had felt his torso before, but never so far up on his chest. It felt similar to what she had already explored; this did not come as any great surprise to Evey. The skin was tougher in certain spots, where the burns had been more severe or perhaps had not healed as well. There were other places where it was incredibly smooth.
The deep ridges that began on his lower abdomen could now be explored in their entirety, and Evey could conquer them as her own. All of this was unexplored territory that Evey was desperate to engulf and map out in her mind's eye, and lay claim to. She was a conquistador, and V was the New World.
V was focusing on his breathing, because if he focused on Evey's electrifying caresses all he would want to do is strip off the mask and kiss her, and he already felt like he was pushing his luck as it was. He never wanted to offend Evey. But her feather-light touches that whispered against his mottled skin were driving him positively mad.
And then, resisting became all the more difficult.
V could feel Evey's weight shift, and the blankets rustle. And suddenly, she was perched delicately on top of him, keeping most of her weight suspended above him in case he felt uncomfortable. Her soft, supple lips, now traced along all the deep fissures and patches of roughness, as though trying to kiss away all the pain and horrors that came along with them. V could feel her breath escaping them, leaving a long trail of warmth behind it.
"Is this alright, V?" Evey asked between kisses.
V could hardly find his voice; he feared that if he opened his mouth his true desires would escape him.
"Yes," He managed to gasp. It took ever fiber of self-control not to act on these new urges V found sprouting inside of himself.
V would allow himself to place his hands on Evey's hips; simply to help her maintain her balance. Or at least that is what he told himself. But he vowed to hold them firm and still. He would not test these delicate boundaries.
While she continued to leave gentle pecks all over his skin, Evey's hands continued their own quest. She was trying to build a mental picture of what V truly looked like. She was committing all of the details to her mind's eye. There was a particularly brutal scar that followed along his left collarbone, but faded as it moved down the chest. Another deep scar ran down his right side, on top of his ribcage. All of these helped her build a map of V's true appearance.
Evey could even distinguish bullet holes, most of which she knew were from the standoff in the tunnels on the Fifth. She thought it was safe to assume that not all were from that, but it did not take away the knowledge of what caused the majority. She paid extra attention to those. Whenever she came across one, she immediately placed a firm kiss there, trying to erase the horrid memory of that night.
She continued her journey until she reached V's face. Evey tried to press her lips lovingly onto V's, but was slightly surprised when she met cold enamel. Of course, it should not have come as a shock to her that V would leave this on. He had exposed himself almost entirely, and she knew he was dreadfully nervous. He wanted to leave the mask on as one last defense, as one last comfort.
But Evey simply had to kiss him. They had come so far, and now, the only thing that would satisfy her was being able to feel V's breathe escape him as she kissed him. She wanted to feel the rush of warmth as she brought their faces together. She wanted to feel the surge of electricity that passed through their lips when they finally met. She just wanted to be able to feel him. With no more barriers.
And V sensed this. The moment Evey met the cold, hard mask, V could sense her sudden hesitation and withdrawal. And he so desperately wanted to please her, but the thought of taking his mask off while he was already so vulnerable left him feeling slightly lightheaded. Or was that due to the spell Evey had cast on him? It was difficult to tell.
"V?" Evey asked softly.
"Yes, Evey?"
"The mask," was all she said. It was phrased as a statement, but it came out more like a question.
V hesitated. Should he follow his instincts; hiding, concealing what he was beneath the mask, or should he take a risk?
Slowly, V peeled his hands from Evey's hips where they had been firmly rooted, as he had promised himself. He propped himself up on one elbow and leaned forward, which caused Evey to lose her balance slightly. V carefully gripped the satin ties of the mask, and paused one more time to consider what he was about to do.
V knew that this wasn't anything to be scared of. Now, he had shared many kisses with his beloved without the protection of his mask. And Evey was asking him to do this; almost pleading. This, his true face, was what she somehow seemed to want. And V would give his Evey whatever it was she so desired.
There was the sound of heavy enamel on the hardwood night stand. Evey cherished that sound more than anything, because it signified V letting his guard down, opening himself up. That was the very sound of trust, and there was nothing more beautiful to her. Nothing, not even the 872 songs on the Wurlitzer, could compare.
And the moment Evey heard that sound, her lips found V's. Her fingers traced the now familiar grooves on his cheeks, chin, jaw line and forehead. V had also taken the courtesy of removing his wig, which he only done once before. This delighted Evey. She loved the feeling of V being so real and authentic underneath her touch. There was nothing between them anymore.
The moment Evey had kissed him, V lost whatever remained of his self control. His hands were no longer restrained; he allowed them to do whatever they wished. One wound itself deep into Evey's honey colored curls, bringing her closer to him. The other playfully traced along the hem of Evey's shirt, slowly working it higher and higher.
Evey was growing tired of this little game; V could sense it. She was slowly beginning to fidget and squirm in an attempt to assist V's efforts. Finally, Evey pushed herself up and began to reach for the shirt in order to take care of the pesky fabric herself. V's large hands landed on hers, halting her progress. In the dark, V could see the look of shock on Evey's face turn into one of annoyance, and then sudden realization. He could tell she was worried she had gone too far, but V quickly assuaged those thoughts by simply moving her hands aside and taking over the job himself.
Once the cotton fabric had been removed, Evey instantly returned her lips to V's. V pulled her close to him once again, deepening their kiss. He traced his tongue along Evey's bottom lip, to which Evey eagerly responded.
Now, she could feel the heat of V's hands more directly. The feeling of his rough hands on her own smooth, flawless skin sent shivers down her spine. It felt like V was dragging live wires down her back as opposed to his fingers; that was how electric his touch was.
Desire was burning through them both; and V could tell. But as the feeling began to build inside of him, it seemed to awaken his demons from their slumber. They had been quiet for so long, but now they were stirring, and reminding V that he didn't deserve this. They whispered in harsh, sandpaper like voices that this was going too far. And for once, V agreed with them. Things were starting to escalate too quickly.
V pulled away from Evey, just enough to gasp, "Evey, I can't."
Evey lifted herself up and sat back on her haunches to give V some space. V propped himself up on his elbows, and turned his face instinctively away from Evey, although she still could not see him.
"Are you alright, V?" She asked softly into the darkness of her bedroom.
V was silent for a few moments, trying to regain control over his own thoughts. Evey's voice helped bring him back to reality, and helped to banish the demons back to the depths of his own psyche. Yes, her voice meant that she was still here. She had not left him, and she had not been offended. She was still here, and she was concerned about him.
"Yes," V managed after several long minutes.
"What's wrong?"
"Evey, I…I simply can't. Not now," V hoped that she understood what he was trying to say.
In the darkness, Evey smiled softly. Instead of saying anything, she simply removed herself from V's lap and stretched out beside him, pulling the covers over them both. She tenderly wrapped her arms around him, and rested her hands on his chest. He was still tense; especially now without any barriers, Evey could sense the power and energy in his tightly wound muscles. She began to gently massage the deep scar that ran down his chest.
"I'm in no hurry, V. We've all the time in the world," Evey whispered. "I understand. You don't have to explain yourself. Let's just sleep, V."
"But Evey, I…"
Evey cut him off, "V, just sleep. You don't need to say anything to me because I understand. I do."
This seemed to help V relax to some degree. She did feel some of the tension leave his body, and soon, his arm returned her embrace. The warmth radiating from V's torso made her tired, and began to lull her into a deep slumber.
V's voice roused her slightly.
"Evey?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you," V said.
Evey sat up slightly, confused, "For what?"
"For being so understanding, love. It never fails to amaze me how compassionate you are, and how caring you are. I know that I'm not the easiest character to get along with; truly, I understand. And I loathe that about myself. But your ability to look past that simply astounds me, Evey," V explained.
He leaned down then to place a gentle peck on Evey's forehead. A very common gesture for nearly anyone else, but for V, it was a mark of how far they had come. Never had he imagined being able to lay with a woman as beautiful and loving as Evey, and be able to gently kiss her goodnight without fear of her running away.
"Goodnight my dear. I love you, Evey," V whispered softly. He saw her face light up in the dark.
"I love you too, V."
A/N
GOD I AM AWFUL. I AM SOOOO SORRY.
I am not going to make excuses. I know that for many of you, they will not be enough. But please understand that I have had a lot going on in my life for the past year. Relationships, family issues, my senior year of highschool, and a new job. I have been extremely busy and stressed, and have not had a lot of spare time to write.
But THANK YOU to all of you who reviewed during this long hiatus. I greatly appreciate all of the support, and it would take way too much time to give individual shout outs. Although I will say that Otakumistess96, you gave me the final push I needed to finish it today. Thank you everyone.
I can't say when the next update will be. I have a few more months of school, but I'm super busy. I'm just not going to make any promises so I don't disappoint anyone. Thank you all SO MUCH for the support.
theweezil