What Truths the Light will Show

Disclaimer: As per usual, I must reluctantly admit that I do not own any part of V for Vendetta in any way, shape or form.

Author's Ravings: I have several chapters written already, and was considering just posting them one at a time and making people beg for more. Oh, the evilness of me! Then I realized that there really wasn't much to chapter one, and I had to give people a bit more to get them wanting more. So, without further ado, I bring you chapter two. I'll make you beg for the rest. g

Chapter Two

vVv The Past vVv

His mind drifted lazily as the sun shone through his closed eyelids, warming his face. He would have felt perfectly content were it not for the distant, nagging feeling that he should be doing something. Oh well, how important could it really be?

A jolt against his side made his eyes fly open. A surprised gasp escaped his lips. "Wake up already!" Wide blue eyes stared at him accusingly. "Mum says we're going to be late. She was already here a half hour ago and told you to get ready." The little girl crossed her arms and huffed in disapproval.

"Your mum came to wake me up. But since she's my sister, I don't have to listen to her." He grinned cheekily as he stretched and lazed in his armchair. His niece took in a lungful of air.

"Grandma!" she yelled. "Uncle Grant says he'll only listen to you!" The man chuckled and tousled her white-blond locks as he rose from the chair. He was already heading towards his suitcase when his mother's voice called up the stairs.

"Give me five minutes," he shouted back with a grin. Such was the way of life with his family. Whenever they had somewhere to go, someone always dithered until the last minute, there was shouting without anger, a rush to get out of the house and laughter when they inevitably arrived late. "You'd better go downstairs, unless you want to see your uncle naked," he joked.

"Ewwwww!" The young girl shot out of the room in an instant. Children were so fun to tease. It took him two minutes to find some clean clothes that looked half-decent together and to slip them on. He hastily washed his face and brushed his teeth. It wasn't worth bothering with his hair, partially because it was short and easy to maintain but mostly because he was rushing off to a family reunion and was seriously not trying to impress anyone. Heaven forbid that one of his cousins should suddenly develop an attraction towards him.

Grant thundered down the stairs two at a time, grinning impishly as his sister glared at him. "My god, are you 17? Come on, we're going to be late."

"No, I'm 27… like you were 5 years ago," he smirked. "Not everyone wants to be 17 forever, but I'm closer to it than you are, Claudia." She swatted him good-naturedly.

"I have to help mom get her baking into the van. Can you help Lizzy with her shoes?"

"I can do them myself!" a childish voice called indignantly. Grant knelt by the chair his nice was sitting on. Small pink Mary Jane shoes were on her tiny feet. They were unbuckled. Time to speed things up a bit.

"I challenge you to a shoe-buckling race! Do you want to take the left or right shoe?" Lizzy giggled at her uncle's absurdity. "This one!" she cried with joy.

"Very well," Grant took her left shoe in his hands. "On your mark… get set…" he looked around, pretending to be distracted.

"Uncle Grant," she huffed. He ignored her, pausing for a few moments more.

"GO!" Lizzy bent over her shoe, a look of intense concentration on her face. The buckles were in fact a bit difficult to fasten, but Grant made a show of fumbling a bit. He made sure that he fastened her shoe just a split second after his niece triumphantly yelled "Done!"

"Oh, I almost had it!" he exclaimed in mock dismay. He picked Lizzy up as she beamed with pride.

"I beat you, I beat you!" she chanted happily. Grant grinned.

"It's these big, clumsy fingers of mine." He showed her one hand and then tickled her tummy. "You need tiny little fingers for tiny little buckles." Carelessly slipping his loafers on his feet, he headed outside with his niece in his arms, her tiny Mary Jane clad feet drumming against his side.