Author's Note: So here is the long awaited chapter 9! Thanks to all who left reviews, I appreciate them very much! (14 reviews out of 195 readers for Chap. 8, thanks go to storm, theshadowcat, princess moon shadow, Belmont-Bellamy, squishmich, jennperry22, SupportSeverusSnape, anaticulapraicantrix, peachi, Salt06, GoldenLyre, Meme Emi, feartoxin, Young Chica) Nope, didn't whip this chapter out as quickly as the others since I didn't get this far pre-typed before I started posting. As for character development, I hope it can be seen in what I have written and also that time lapses can be seen in how I write. I count on those time lapses once in a while so that I don't need to write about their every single moment. Also I will admit that in Chapter 8 V was a bit out of character at throwing a fit over just tripping himself up, but I didn't want to worry about him getting a possible injury by meeting up with Fingermen (in other words I was being lazy :-P) but I may change and edit that area some time later after I have completed this story.

We are coming upon the end of this story in another couple chapters, which is a rare event for me since I have yet to complete any multi-chaptered fanfic. It's hard to end something. I have had a hard time writing this chapter, I'm not sure if it's smooth yet, but I hope it's satisfactory. If not, don't hesitate to comment upon it in your review since I appreciate knowing what my readers think. Stories can always be edited and tweaked.

Chapter 9

The two had ended up taking a nap on the couch after all, or rather Evey slept against V while he continued to stroke her head. V did not sleep since he did not feel tired and was rather content in feeling Evey sleep against him. His body thrummed with the feeling of her breath against him, her arms around his body, her body curled into his side.

"Oh God she is beautiful," he murmured to himself as he had for so many long years, and with a smirk he added, "Lady Justice was right to be jealous."

V was quite sure that it was close to the time dinner needed to be prepared, but he was loathe to extricate himself from his dear lovely Evey. He felt his stomach tighten uncomfortably and sighed. He hadn't eaten properly since the previous night; he would have to get dinner started now. He stopped fondling Evey's head and brought his hands down to remove her arms from around him so that he could get up to get dinner ready. As soon as he started gently tugging on her arms to release him Evey woke up with a startled gasp, eyes wide with fright as she jerked back away from him.

There was a moment of silence, the two on the couch staring at each other, V's hands still holding tensed arms. The young woman relaxed and V released her, feeling cold dread and guilt constrict his heart and spread throughout his body. He knew very well why she had that reaction and it was no simple nightmare from during her nap.

"I'm sorry V, I thought you were… you just surprised me," Evey finished awkwardly.

"I apologize for surprising you, I was just getting up to fix our dinner," V replied, his words coated in that certain quality that was meant to reassure her like the first morning when she had woken up to him in that ridiculous apron making her eggy in a basket. She knew her reaction must have shaken him. He had already gotten up and made his way to the kitchen, turning up lights along the way, pulling his apron out with a flourish and proceeded tying it on behind him and started pulling out ingredients from cupboards and refrigerator.

Evey got up from the couch as well and into the kitchen, she touched him on his shoulder, but he quickly slid out of her grasp under pretense of going over to another cupboard to pull out bowls and dishes.

"V, are you okay?" Evey asked, knowing full well that at least his first answer could be a white lie. They had not broached the subject of her imprisonment and how it would impact their relationship, they both had avoided it, knowing it would cause each other pain and being busy with other problems such as healing the masked man and getting him to accept her feelings.

"I'm fine-" V started, but was cut off.

"No more secrets."

Evey's return of his words stung him, he turned from the countertop to face her. She was standing squarely, one could almost say defiantly, but her words had been spoken tenderly and her face was soft with patience, love and pain shown in her brown eyes and in the endearing twist in her eyebrows.

He sighed deeply, his shoulders dropped and all pretenses that everything was fine went with it to his shined boots. Evey motioned him to take a seat as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"This is all your fault you know," Evey started, making V tense, already mournfully resigned to his fate of becoming alone again, or perhaps to not exist would be a relief… and why was she smiling? Was she such a cruel woman? To tease him with what must be a mockery of love on those lips? Then she spoke, "I wouldn't have been able to try and talk with you about so many things and discuss our feelings before you strengthened me. I would have either let it sit and blame you, or yell at you, already set to not consider what you had to say."

His previous thoughts came to a halt as he took in her words, as a plant would drink in water, slowly. But the cogs in his head sped up, analyzing, repeating what she had just said in his mind.

"I had hoped that you would see what I was doing for you," he said finally, a hint of relief in his level voice.

"Yes, I think I realized truly what it was you did for me when I went about living alone topside and away from you after I healed," she paused, seeing his hands curl into fists on top of the table. She reached out across and took one of his scarred hands into her own smooth one and pulled it towards the center where she brought forth her other hand and began pulling his fingers away from his palm. He allowed her this and relaxed his hand, laying it flat and watched her watching their hands as she took it between both hers and stroked his palm. She continued speaking, "I can't say I didn't worry about being caught by the Fingers and being identified by anyone and everyone around me, I don't think you meant me to loose caution anyhow," she smiled briefly as she glanced up at him then returned her eyes to their hands.

"No, I did not as fear is one thing and being cautious is quite another. With what I do I have learned quite the difference in them," he agreed with her. He supposed his palm would have tickled had he had half the feeling in them before his incarceration at Larkhill, but now, even after all the training he put himself through to feel as much as he could with what nerve endings he had left, he could only feel the light pressure of her fingers running against his palm. Evey seemed to have quite the interest in his hands, perhaps a fetish...

"I'm not going to lie to you, as you saw I still hold some residuals of that time with me. Once in a while I have nightmares that I'm still there in that little cold cell, worrying Rossiter would open that door any minute. But I haven't been having as many of those dreams like in the beginning despite being freed," Evey continued quietly. She had shuddered at her utterance of "Rossiter," to her he was not V even after knowing everyone she thought in that prison as several people were all one person and dummies. She wasn't ready to face that facet of him fully, only partly; one thing at a time.

V knew about her nightmares and had a very strong suspicion as to their content. It hadn't taken long to find out what they were about. The time after her imprisonment she had spent recuperating before she had left him he would hear her tossing and turning on her bed, she had become a very light sleeper and when she slept she often cried. Not too long he had heard her scream "No!" just as she had at him as Rossiter. Her freedom had come at a price. But now months after that he realized that he should and should not have been surprised at her behaviour. She had almost fully recovered, this was the first time Evey had awoken in such a way, that he was aware, that was a residue of her tortures. She did not sleep as lightly, slowly readjusting to comfort and safety.

"I hated you," Evey said softly as she continued, V flinched, but was glad that her words were in past tense, "I'm sure you knew that and probably prepared for that."

V nodded, she was correct. He had tried to guard his heart when the day for her release approached, had already tried when he went to torture her, because it also tortured him. But it still pained him deeply when she came out, broke down and then after a time of recovery, left him with a promise of a dance that he was not sure she would keep.

"But, and this you should know, and if you don't I would wonder about your supposed genius," her face twitched into a grin, "I came back and I was able to accept what had happened so I could dance with you. I don't hate you, we spoke words of love, and I meant them, did you?"

"My beautiful Evey, never question my love for you," came the immediate sharp reply in a deep, rough voice, his hand captured the one that had been stroking his palm, gripping it securely. Evey, momentarily alarmed, widened her eyes, but relaxed and squeezed his hand back. She wanted to say those words back at him, for she knew he had doubted her. But she held them back, content in that she had said her piece and he had took her hand, the situation diffused.

"But you know…" Evey started mischievously, V's attention snapped to those words, leaning in curiously, "It wouldn't hurt for you to take responsibility, since you did cause those nightmares, and come to the rescue now and again. It would be great to wake up to you."

V leaned back, grunting noncommittally. Evey grinned at him devilishly as he fidgeted in his seat for a short moment.

"Yes, but then you would have a permanent bedmate, and then what would you do?" he replied flippantly as he got up to prepare dinner once again, leaving Evey surprised and pleased at his answer. She let out a delighted giggle. V smiled underneath his mask, his floral apron back on, as he prepared the ingredients. Who would have imagined that his Evey, as she is now, would giggle? But, it was easy to imagine as she was before he "captured" her to giggle, long curls bouncing.

He paused in chopping the vegetables when he felt Evey press herself to his broad back, her arms coming around and hugging him. He continued chopping the vegetables.

They ate dinner quietly, as became the habit when V had given in to actually eat with her at the same table. Talking had the habit of them looking at each other, which was not something V had desired while he partially unmasked himself to eat. He ate with his face turned to the side Evey avoided looking at him directly, but she did face him as she ate and though her eyes were directed at her food she could still see his unfocused form in her peripheral vision. The black form of his body, his hands of angry burn scars that handled a fork and knife on the plate, and she noticed a similar color, his chin, peaking out from under the white mask that was tipped up for a bite, before it was brought down while he chewed.

This was not comfortable. Evey had felt uncomfortable eating when V had not, but they had conversations and it had distracted her slightly from the fact that he was not eating with her. And though it was preferable that he eat with her and not just observe her, she wished they could converse regularly, face each other from across the small table and not worry that he did not want to be seen. She darted a glance up at him when she heard what would have been a sigh, but sounded as though it came through his nose. He was looking at her, the mask in proper place; she knew he was looking at her though all she could see were the black pits of the mask's eye holes.

V knew the awkwardness that would result in his acquiescence to Evey's request, demand rather, for him to join her for meals saying she would allow the mask and that she would not look at him. He knew she meant it, but also that she had pretty much said anything to get him to eat with her. What she really wanted was for him to reveal himself.

She had seen his hands and had caressed them and held them, she had seen his body (more intimately than she cared he was sure. Who would want to dig bullets out and sew wounds up?) and cared for him, had not left him. The young woman had proved to him time and again that she would not leave him, not anymore. He had yet to show his full trust in her, he needed to show her.

"V? Are you all right?" the words wafted up to his ears. Evey's face was again concerned, her eyebrows again tweaked in a way that could only be done by her and no one else.

"Yes, quite. Let's finish dinner and we shall talk in the living room," he replied, quickly going about finishing what remained on his plate, though his appetite had been taxed now that he held some dread of what he knew he would need to do after the completion of this meal. But no, he would have to have his faith in Evey Hammond.