Author's Note: Wow, 20 reviews for Chapter 9! That is the most reviews I have ever received for any one chapter for any of my stories! Thank you very much! So now because of that I will be expecting at least 15 or more reviews for this chapter before I post up the next and final chapter for this particular story. Well, in any case it will take me a while to figure out what I want to write so I figure it will take me a week or two anyway and by then I'm sure there will be several reviews.

Also, I wondered if anyone was curious as to the meaning of the title of this fanfic, Sonnet XLVIII. Can anyone guess? I can't say that there will be a prize and if there were one it would most likely take the shape of a drawing, something free for me to do and easy to scan and send. Interested in seeing my work style you can go to my bio and click (or copy and paste into the address bar) on the Elfwood links, one is fanart, mostly Inuyasha which are the oldest therefore scary. But you can also see Kimahri from FFX done in black marker outline and watercolors which I'm very proud of. Also in the fantasy section a lot of random unicorns, armored horses, and dragons. Yes, I am advertising myself, but it's not for money so I think it's all okay. :-P

More notation on the bottom of this chapter.

Chapter 10

He knew she would leave him. One may call him a cynic, but being a cynic kept one from hoping too much so when undesirable things happened, he would lose nothing. But he had. He had lost his Evey and he wished he could just die. After all those sweet things she had said, and he had believed those words like the alluring sweetness a Venus fly trap put out to attract insects, but then snapped shut to digest the trusting fly. Yes, he had been a fool to trust anyone with his face.

"V? Are you okay? You just went still and silent," Evey asked, face again concerned. V snapped out of his day dream (or rather day nightmare, a daymare?) chiding himself, he was causing his love too much worry in just a day. No, this was his sweet Evey, she would not betray his trust as he had feared in his repeating nightmare. Leaving him after he revealed his face under the facade of Guy Fawkes. He needed to have more faith in her. She had shown him how strong she really is, no longer the frightened girl he had picked up that night a little over a year ago to observe his handiwork at the Bailey.

Evey seated herself on the couch, one leg tucked up under her, as she observed V begin to pace around in front of the telly. His scarred hands were clasped behind him as he moved with hesitant agitation. Evey had an inkling to what all this may be about. She also imagined that for all V was able to express himself well with body language, it was usually well chosen and targeted, like that of an actor. But what she saw now was not carefully planned and not something he has done in a great while, if at all.

The tall man in black was like a void, perhaps very much like a black hole to Evey. While things that surrounded him were of many colors and hues from the covers of his many books to the banned paintings on the walls of the Shadow Gallery, the man himself was of no color in his choice of attire. And it pulled all of the young woman's attention.

V paused in his pacing to turn his head to the side to observe his companion, his black hair sliding forward from his shoulder to swing gently forward with the tilt of his head. Evey stared back at him, wanting him to say something already, but knowing this was something he needed time for and it wasn't in her place to rush him when he was already trying and considering. Oh, but would she push him again another day if he failed today.

Evey shifted off her leg that she had been sitting upon, it had started to get tingly and showing signs of falling asleep on her.

"Have you learned anything of my past from Chief Inspector Finch?" V's cultured voice finally cut through the silence. He stood across from her, his hands now neatly clasped in front of him.

"V, will you at least sit down first? Please?" Evey asked, she patted the couch cushion next to her. He tilted his head at her and unclasped his hands, "As my lady wishes."

He walked to the couch and took his seat next to her, sitting on the edge, straight-backed and attentive. Evey imagined that had the vigilante had his cape on he would have begun his descent to sit with a flourish of his cloak.

"Yes V, Chief Inspector Finch told me what he knew after we watched your fireworks. It just filled in the blanks of what I knew about you. Your vendetta, the people you killed, and it explained your hands, which was the only part of you that I had seen at that time," she told him, reaching out to touch one of those livid hands she had mentioned. They were the only physical part that he had come to regularly reveal to her and the only reminder that he truly was a man underneath that mask.

'She is always touching, trying to touch me when we are near,' V thought. He truly enjoyed the fact that Evey did not give her actions a second thought, did not look disturbed, disgusted or anyway deterred from her insistence at the contact. He knew he was being an imbecile. He should fear pushing her away with his continued wait to unmask before his love, hurting her and perhaps causing her to give up and leave over time. He did not like that possibility at all. Such a lovely young woman as herself would be quickly snatched up by some cad, no one could possibly treat her well enough.

"Then you know of the explosion I caused in my cell," he stated, seeing Evey nod her head.

"Yes and knowing how small that cell was myself I know how you must have burned your whole body," she added with a squeeze to his hand. He responded to her words with a stiff nod. She was watching him, the silence becoming heavy for the reluctant man. There was only one thing left to do, but he wasn't ready, he couldn't, he was mentally backpedaling from what action he knew she wanted him to take, the one he knew he should take. But the relatively soft lights of the Gallery suddenly seemed bright, blindingly so. Such light, in his mind, would make things glaringly stand out. He had to get away from such light, to another room, turn down the lights. Turn off the lights.

Evey heard the intake of breath V took in preparation to speaking, but he was hesitant to let the words come forth. Then, in a fashion very much unlike the masked vigilante of old, but now becoming of him post-Parliament as their relationship progressed, he stumbled over his words, full of pauses and a diffidence that was extremely rare to see in such a capable and confident man, "Perhaps, that is, I would rather, we should…" he let out a great sigh, attempting to calm his nerves with that gust of air he reformulated his words in his mind, hoping to convey them properly out loud. His head and body slumping slightly as though in defeat before he slowly straightened up and directed his gaze back up to her, "Evey, please forgive my ineptitude. I fear I don't know what to say or do, but please follow me to another room where I would find it more… comfortable."

Evey gave him a patience gentled smile, this man was quite endearing in the way he dithered. He stood with her, reveling in the reassuring clasp of her hand as she kept them connected, her thumb smoothing over the back of his hand before she reached into his palm and had them interlace their fingers. Who, but the man, knows if he may have blushed?

She followed him as he walked a slow gait to his room, the library. Beyond the first group of towering books in amongst his cot and the chair she used lay there was, of course, more books, but also an upholstered chair huddled in a corner, one too heavy for Evey to drag to his side during his convalescence, hidden among books and a lamp next to it sitting upon a pile of even more books. She looked up at the tall man in black in curiosity as they stood in the doorway to his room. He indicated that she should step in and he closed the door then the lights started to dim, she noticed his hand on the light button, she had pressed that large button to turn on and off the lights in this room before, not realizing that it was also a knob that allowed its user to adjust the light. And now, red hand laced in white was turning that knob until it was almost pitch black in the room save for the faint strip of light that crawled in from the slit under the door.

"V?"

"It's all right dear, sweet Evey," his voice softly rumbled, the darkness allowing his self-assurance to return a bit. He reached out for her other hand and pulled her slowly to him and placed her hands onto his chest, pulled one out to beside them and had her briefly touch the knob that would turn on and up the lights in this room before he returned her hand to rest on his chest once more.

"There is the light switch, you may choose to turn it up as you see fit," but she heard his silent plea of 'Please wait for me, I need to prepare my heart.'

She felt the movement of his chest and felt that he had brought his hands up to his face, where the mask still resided then heard a very faint "click" and hands lowering again. Then she knew. He was without mask before her in the dark. She traced a hand down to his arm, and found the solid, curved object that confirmed to her as his mask and fished it out of his hand to place it in the dark atop a stack of books she knew to exist near them. That accomplished her stray hand joined the other at his firm doubleted chest. She heard the wonderful sound of his breath that did not whistle through the mouth of a mask, but lips of flesh.

Her hands traveled up slowly as to not startle this strong and sensitive man, trailing up to touch the high-collared neck of his clothing and paused right at the edge of the top of his collar, knowing that next would come his jaw, his face. He seemed to be holding his breath, their every movement and exhalations amplified in the dark where eyes could not be used, but only touch, smell, and sound (and perhaps, if permitted someday, taste). The fingers moved up and brushed up against his jaw. V breathed in.

Evey's lips curled as she felt lightly along his jaw and chin, feeling the uneven patches of skin, rough then smooth, similar to his hands. It was mostly smooth, some felt like rubbing the surface of fleshy plastic, if that made sense, along with leathery patches like that on his torso among the uneven surface. She couldn't feel stubble or hair aside from the wig that swayed at the back of her hands. She felt his chin, his temples, his forehead. Her fingers traced the naked brow ridge where eyebrows should have been and wondered if even his eyelashes were gone. She heard and felt him sigh, his breath caressed her face as he continued to stand still before her while she continued to gently explore the contours of his face. Kind hands felt down his ruined nose, feeling what was not there… there was really not a nose to speak of, no tip that pointed out prominently like that of the Fawkesian mask, but a gentle slope outward only to slope back down along with melted down nostrils. She stroked out along his cheeks then finally pulled his face down as she pushed herself up onto the balls of her feet and kissed uneven, firmly soft lips.

She heard his wet gasp as strong arms wrapped around her lithe and slight body, clutching her to him almost painfully, his face buried in her shoulder where she started to feel moisture collect. It almost broke her heart.

She brought her own arms around him, trying to soothe this broken man who had yet to come to terms with this part of him. She started to hum and rock the grown man as one would a child, telling him it was okay, bringing a hand up to the back of his head, stroking it through the wig that still stayed in place, leaning her head against his.

'She hasn't seen me yet, she hasn't seen me yet,' chanted through his mind as he struggled with himself.

And then there was light piercing through his eyelids, however soft, and he dreaded what would come next even as he realized that nothing could change Evey's convictions as he had helped her to do. Not even death.

She was drawing back from him gently, her hands at the sides of his face and he resignedly allowed her to. He saw her smooth cheek going away past his peripheral vision, then her eye and then all too soon they were facing each other, her hands still grasping him about his head lightly in the dim light of his room.

She took his features in, a smile gracing her face as she shyly looked into blue, wide-set eyes for the first time and said, "Hello there, it's nice to finally meet you."

He would have chuckled, one could be sure, were the situation not as it was. But his heart finally understood, he finally allowed himself the painful joy to radiate.

'She didn't, she didn't look away, her eyes are still showing love…'

Her eyes stung and face flushed for a moment at the look of understanding and surprise dawned on him, that she did accept him. Why had he held that heart crushing doubt? She sniffed and brought her thumbs under his watery eyes, wiping away his previous tears that were upon his mottled cheeks. Expressive blue eyes stared into her as she pulled him in for another kiss. She brought his head down and pressed her lips to the corners of his mouth, his cheeks, his brow, dotting his whole face with soft kisses. She questioningly fingered his wig, he nodded his assent and she slowly slid off the wig, revealing what appeared to be a hairless head, more mottled, scarred skin. She set the wig beside them in the general location of his mask, bringing her hand up to his scalp and seeing his ears for the first time.

His left ear was not much to speak of, a small disfigured cup that melted along into the rest of his head held a hole. The right looked more like an ear, earlobe still intact if also a bit disfigured as well. In fact she would venture to say that his right side was slightly less damaged by the ravages of fire than his left, although not by much. Perhaps that was the side he had pressed against into a wall to brace himself against the blast of his cell?

"You are beautiful," she whispered to him, not blushing at all and very much serious.

He didn't believe her statement, but didn't argue; after all it was ungentlemanly to disagree with a lady.

Author's Note: Hehe, did I scare you all with the first paragraph of this chapter? Pretty evil of me huh? ;-D I wonder if I made V a bit too soft and sensitive, but then again I figured it's a big event to reveal a face that had been hidden from all people for so many years so…

Tell me what you thought and leave a review.

Thanks go to: peachi padwan, Paige, princess moon shadow, storm, graciousplum, Vendie of Rivendell, Salt06, Liana-Elfgirl, MX, Lady-Willowish, vampiricfaerie, Sunday's Child

anaticulapraecantrix- I hope this chapter answered your question

theshadowcat- well, not much of a conversation, but I hope this will do J

squishmich- thank you very much! As for a sequel… let's say there are always possibilities, just not thought out yet

Young Chica- LOL! Yes, I have found myself forgetting what I wanted to comment upon as well so sometimes I open up the review box right when I see something so I don't forget, but no worries as long as the story was enjoyed.

Jula- Wow, thanks for the enthusiastic comment.

Blackwing-Rose- Glad you like the "nothing but evey and vness" which is fortunate since I wasn't ready to go into the political happenings and the aftermath of V's actions. :-P That would be for another story…

Anon.- Thanks for the compliment, but I can't be Alan Moore, I don't want to get sued… lol!

LizzAnn- Thank you very much! You and others have stroked my ego very well, for which I am rewarding you all :-D. Yes, I hope to continue to write as well since it is something that allows me to write things the way I want them when such a story isn't available for me to read by others. I find it most enjoyable and it allows me to use vocabulary that I would not otherwise use in everyday conversations.