Hey all! So this chapter took me longer because is kinda nubby and DELETED some of my work. yep. disappeared. SO! I'm glad I got to finish this chapter. As always I don't own any of the characters. Please leave a review if you can. Thanks again! :P

The clashing sounds of steel on steel ricocheted through the gallery. Evey glanced up from her book in the direction of the training room. She smiled quietly at the sound of V's breathless laughter. It was obvious from her time there that even though V had to use his fighting skills to kill, he really enjoyed the art form on its own.

Evey twitched at the thought. Her body pulling towards the fun. She had never trained with V —before the physical contact would have been too awkward for her to handle, especially after her imprisonment. But now...

Evey's face blushed a deep red. Since their kiss, V's mask had remained firmly on, but their physical contact was becoming more comfortable and with increasing frequency. It was as simple as falling into his arm while they watched a movie and letting his fingers play in her short hair. Or how she would place a hand on his back in the morning while she watched him cook, often feeling him sigh in pleasure.

Evey snapped her book shut.

Let's go learn to fight!

She practically skipped down the hallway, slowing as she neared the open door of the training room. The hiss of blades met her as she peeked sneakily around the corner. He was amazing. V whirled and lunged, taking down imaginary opponents with his knives. With an incredible backbend, V dropped to his knees and let two fly behind him, striking through the neck of the suit of armour propped against the far wall.

Subconsciously Evey's hand covered her own neck.

Not wasting any time, V rolled forward and allowed three more knives to fly at different padded areas of the room. The knives flew true and stuck each with a dull thud! Breathless and chuckling V stood with his back to Evey in the center of the room. She lightly snuck forward. When she was about two meters away, she pushed forward and jumped with a great cry. She aimed to wrap herself around his back.

I can take him down!

She couldn't. The scuffle of her feet leaving the floor alerted V to her presence and he spun, catching Evey's full form on the front of his chest. He stumbled back slightly into a stronger stance and instinctively his arms prepared to throw her off into the wall. His mind screamed at his body and he simply squeezed her perhaps a little too much for comfort instead.

What in the world is this woman doing?!

Evey's wide brown eyes that stared back seemed to be thinking the same thing. She hadn't expected to come face to face with Guy Fawkes, nor to be straddling the front of V's body like they were having—

"Evey," V panted, still catching his breath as the adrenaline left him. "I almost threw you into the wall there. Although I do appreciate you offering me the opportunity to react to a sneak attack, perhaps give me a warning next time?" V cocked his head, watching a guilty colour wash over her cheeks.

Just like a rose. Mmm. Beautiful.

"I uhh...I'm sorry. Really, I am. I thought it would be fun to try and jump you so I waited for you to be done with your knives. I shouldn't have forgotten you're just as capable without them." In response, V's right arm shifted further around on her thigh and tightened, supporting her weight entirely on one side. With a motion not unlike the strike of a snake, V flicked up his left hand, producing a blade hidden at his wrist with a deadly hiss. He brandished it in front of Evey's nose before letting it fly to strike the suit of armour in the chest. His mask never even turned from Evey's face.

She gulped.

I'm such an idiot! Can you imagine how guilty he would feel if he accidentally killed you? Dummy!

"I'm always prepared, my love."

"Right." Evey let her arms rest on his shoulders, drawing him that much closer into a small hug. "I'm sorry I frightened you."

V sighed into her.

"Thank you. I never want to hurt you again Evey. Not again..."

They stood like that for a moment, V easily supporting her weight. He rocked slightly, as if dancing, enjoying the feel of her across his chest.

"V I think something is pricking me. Ouch." As much as she hated to bring it up, it was true. The steel holsters at his waist dug uncomfortably into the flesh of her inner thigh. Without hesitation, V set her down. His mask tilted slightly and Evey could feel his gaze checking her for injury.

"It was just the holster, not the knives," Evey explained.

V nodded and relaxed. Evey continued,

"V? Would you maybe want to teach me to fight? I think it could be fun and let's be honest, my technique I could use a little work."

V grew quiet for a moment, his mask tilted ponderously. Coming to a decision, he grasped her hand and brought it across the lips of his mask. He bowed.

"It would be my honour to be your maître d'armes my lady." V chuckled excitedly. This was going to be fun.

—-

"Again!" V barked.

Evey was beginning to seriously regret her decision.

For the past hour, V had been drilling the same exercise over and over again. At first, it had seemed innocent enough. V taught her how to stand properly with her front foot straight and her back foot at a 45-degree angle, always square to her opponent. He had paced in front of her recounting many tales of how a strong stance had been the most crucial element in his fights while she practiced switching feet. This part of her training was enjoyable.

But now, things were different. V had cranked it up a notch and his new exercise involved rushing at Evey from various angles while she practiced readjusting her stance. If she pivoted incorrectly or he caught her unrooted, he would come at her chest first to push her off her balance point, forcing her to stumble back and often fall into the mats below. Only twice so far had she managed to square to him in time to brace her arms against his chest and guide him to the side with her waist. Those were each well over an hour ago.

She hit the mat with a smack and beneath his mask, V winced for the 67th time. He could tell by the quiver of her legs that she was reaching her breaking point for the day.

"Focus Evey focus. You need to feel it and face it head-on, just like how you faced your death. There's no running, your stance is solid. You're here to be in it so prove it to me. Again!"

Before she could fully recover, V charged. Evey's eyes widened. Before she could think, she found her foot stepping back perfectly at the 45 degree angle. As the silk of V's shirt brushed her fingertips she gripped and turned, except this time she threw her whole body along with it. V didn't expect the lack of resistance and stumbled slightly. Normally, it would pose no problem for him, but given Evey had dedicated her entire body weight to falling V didn't have a moment or the space to correct. He fell, managing to wrap his arms around her protectively before they could hit the ground.

"Oouf!" The impact of Evey's elbow on V's lung knocked the breath out of him. Evey was likewise trapped and breathless for a different reason.

"I did it! I did it finally!" She laughed into V's shoulder as much as she could given his weight. When her jubilation ended she noticed V had frozen.

"Evey," V said softly, bringing the nose of his mask to brush against hers, "nothing brings me more joy than to see you content but there was something you missed."

"What?" Evey blinked and her smile shrank.

"If I was a Fingerman right now, how would you get away? If I was trying to kill you, how would you stop me from crushing your windpipe?" To provide extra emphasis, V cupped the side of her neck with his gloved hands.

Evey's smile disappeared. He was right. Despite her victory at taking V down she sacrificed herself to do it. She sighed. Did he have to be right all the time?

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For even considering taking myself down too as an option. I-I-don't know what I'd do if you did the same. It's unfair of me to be careless like that for you."

Above her, V shifted so that he was planking comfortably above her. His gaze seemed to burn through his mask.

"I will always do whatever it takes to protect you. You have my word, just as you had it the night we met. But I understand your fear. If you were taken for real I don't know if I would even make it to the fifth."

Evey nodded. Something between them had shifted since her return. No longer was it just about companionship or even friendship. It was about love.

In an attempt to break the tension, Evey brought a leg up and pushed against V's side. Graciously he played along and rolled, dropping from his plank and letting Evey straddle his waist.

"Little would the Fingerman know I'm actually a professional wrestler."

V's breathy laugh shook his chest beneath her.

"It would appear you've got me. But now what?" His mask tilted coyly. Evey hated situations like this. It was so unfair. Under his mask V could hide his expressions so that sometimes Evey couldn't tell if he was simply asking, or suggesting more than that. She let her weight drop onto his hips and got her answer as his hands gripped her thighs a little too firmly.

"Now," Evey said, bending down to whisper in V's ear. "we get cleaned up. Care to join me?" Evey waited and the air hung between them. She could practically see the cogs turning in his head.

"It would be my pleasure." Evey grinned as her cheeks grew rosy, matching that of V's mask.

—-

As always, V was the complete gentleman. He let Evey settle into the bubble bath first so that she was fully covered by the foam before he stripped down to his silk (yes, silk) boxers and settled in the water opposite her. He left the mask and wig on, but Evey was content enough with the simple feeling of his skin on hers beneath the water.

"Tomorrow we will have to do more stancework..."

"Ugh, please no." Evey groaned and leaned her head back against the porcelain tub.

"Learning to fight can be done quickly. Learning to fight properly on the other hand takes time." Knowing her distress from his countless hours of repetition, V casually reached beneath the water and gently massaged her foot. "But I know once you get the hang of it I expect you will be a worthy adversary for even me."

Evey smiled at that, then something struck her.

"V? You never did tell me how you learned to fight? Did you have a teacher?"

"No, not quite."

"Then how are you so good?"

V paused his movement, suddenly growing tense.

"I—" he sighed. "I promised I wouldn't lie to you again. It's just a difficult truth for me, please understand."

Evey nodded and leaned forward to grasp his burnt hand in hers, as if somehow her action could protect him from a past already lived.

"When I was imprisoned at Larkhill, as you know yourself torture was a daily activity. However, the original purpose of the government's imprisonment of those innocent people was to experiment on them...biologically."

Evey gasped and V glanced up to search her face. She couldn't imagine the horror of being injected on top of what she had experienced. It was just too much. Nonetheless, she stomached her reaction and seeing her resolve V continued.

"I just so happened to be their most successful patient— their only one. Whatever happened to me during that time gave me advanced physical speed, strength and flexibility as you've seen. However, it came at a price. My memory was destroyed, Evey. I don't remember anything of who I was before I was brought to that hell hole. I blew up Larkhill and was reborn from the flames. Unlike the rain, it unfortunately left me scarred."

Oh my god, V.

"How am I so good at fighting? Well, I've had years of time to hone my skills, along with my physical disposition it comes quite natural to me. The only thing natural about me...really."

Evey didn't know what to say. She couldn't comfort him, no words could help that kind of pain.

"Not the only thing." Turning around, Evey scooched backward until she was settled against his chest. Taking each of his arms by the wrist, she guided them around her and leaned her head back, relaxing into the space below his neck. Although she was naked, and although the sexual tension existed between them, V simply held her without moving for her chest. Instead he rubbed small circles on her stomach and shoulder. It was safe. It was trusting. It was perfect.

"V, I know you've been through a lot and I understand why you think as you do about yourself. But now it's my turn to be completely honest with you. You're worth it to love. Until you can feel that way about yourself, just know that I feel that way about you."

V remained silent except for the pounding of his heart that beat into Evey's back in a lovely rhythm.

"I thought I had lost the ability to love anything for the longest time. I could appreciate the arts sure, but love was something I had lost hope in. Thank you for proving to me I was wrong Evey. It's the most beautiful thing you could have given me."

Then, before he could let his brain think anything to stop him, V hooked his finger under the chin of his mask and pushed, allowing it and his wig to fall to the ground behind the tub with a clatter. Evey stiffened against his neck and closed her eyes, waiting.

"Evey...you can look if you want to."

She twisted to face him but her eyes remained firmly shut. Letting her hands trail up his chest and neck, she cupped his jaw in her hands.

"As much as I'd love to look at your face, finally, I can't do it tonight. Even if it's just simply to prove that I see you without it."

She pressed her lips against his and his response was immediate. They danced together each enthralled in the heat of the other. V shivered despite it. The sheer incredulity of her love had crumpled his smooth demeanour. They broke away each gasping for breath.

"As you wish m'lady." V whispered into her neck as he trailed kisses down to her collarbone, stopping short of where the bubbles concealed her. Guiding her to lean back in the water, V settled her to float while he reached back and returned his mask and wig to their usual place. He relaxed. Although he was prepared to show Evey his face, his extra layer did give him comfort.

Feeling as though a large weight had been lifted from him, V giddily began explaining Evey's training regime for the next month, eliciting several groans from the sore woman. Evey sank under the water in an attempt to drown out V's extremely complex diet plan.

Looks like I'm in for the fight of my life. This is what happens when you attack a terrorist you dummy- he forces you to eat broccoli. You should have stuck to the books.

Evey smiled through the bubbles.

Once again I don't own any of the characters! Please comment with any more fluff ideas you would like to see brought to life.