Author's Note: I'm back with chapter 2, not entirely happy with it, but here it is. Would've liked to go more into what Evey does exactly to help the revolution and the politics behind it, to add a bit more detail ... but yeah ... so little time. I'm still writing parts of chapter 3 so it will take a bit longer to update. Please let me know if you enjoy this. Hugs to all.

Btw, this will be a V lives story, but ... not yet.

PS: This story is dedicated to NoraOz. Thank you!

Evey Hammond had become the new face of the Revolution. She made speeches and kept the fire of the revolution alive, painstakingly piecing together the fragments of a shattered nation. As the country descended into chaos, riots erupted on every corner. The Head was dead, and Inspector Finch, took down the Nose. But the Eye, the Finger, and the Ear still clung to power with all their might, their hold on the people unrelenting. It took months to dissolve them all. She was grateful to Finch and Dominic. Their knowledge of the system and its inner workings proved invaluable in such a time of confusion, and the list of corrupt officials they compiled made a tremendous difference in their efforts to restore order.

Now, after two decades of oppression, the country had finally embraced democracy once more and they had their first democratic elections in 20 years. New faces with new ideas emerged. Evey, however, had no desire to seek political office and she held no allegiance to any candidate. She was just there to mediate and keep hope alive. That was of utmost importance … to keep hope alive.

It was a start, a good one, and she was happy with what they managed to do in such a short period of time.

For the first time since the 5th, her life had a semblance of normal. She had an apartment, worked tirelessly, even went out with friends from time to time, laughed, and lived. She did not return to the Gallery after the 5th. She promised herself that she will, but it never felt like she could. It felt claustrophobic in there, his absence was suffocating. What she did take from there were the roses, and she tended to them religiously. Keeping them alive was like she was keeping the last piece of him alive. She also gave Eric a fresh batch every time she would go visit. It was their way of remembering him.

They became good friends, her, Eric, and Dominic. She knew she could always count on them, and they visited each other often. Eric was always worried about her, and for good reason. She put a big target on her back when she decided to be Evey Hammond again and give up the fake persona she created after being released from V's cell. He was very serious about her security after that. His best men kept an eye on her, and Dominic was in charge of her safety. But Evey seemed to do a great job of keeping herself safe. She took fighting classes and learned to use V's knives. To Eric's surprise she was exceedingly good with them, so good it scared him.

-VEV-

She was out with one of her girlfriends that night. Outgoing and forever smiling, Dana was everything Evey wasn't. She was a good friend, but not close enough to know much about her. To Dana, Evey was the woman who helped V initiate the Revolution. Which worked for Evey.

They went to one of the bars near her apartment. They were halfway through their drinks when Dominic entered the bar with a bunch of noisy friends. He noticed her sitting at the bar and he called out to her.

"Hey, Evey!"

"Oh, he's cute.", Dana whispered in Evey's ear.

"Hi, Dominic!", Evey smiled, brushing off Dana's comment. Dominic excused himself from his friends and joined Evey at the bar. "Enjoying your night out?", she asked, her voice hinting at an ulterior motive for their encounter. She hugged him shortly.

"I didn't expect to bump into you here." he said.

"So, you just happened to come at a bar in my neighborhood?"

"I swear, it's my day off. Chief has someone else keeping an eye on you today.", he defended.

"Really, who?", she asked looking around. But there were so many people she couldn't figure it out, even if she usually could.

"If I tell you he'll skin me alive."

She chuckled. She could definitely see that happening so, she dropped it. It didn't matter any way. She could take care of herself, and she was set on keeping a low profile tonight.

"How is Eric? I haven't seen or spoke to him in almost a week.", she asks.

"Umm…I don't know what to tell you. He's been acting strange lately. He's distracted, and on edge all the time. He's not at work that much either. I don't know, I think it's because the 5th is coming." Dominic said. "He's really worried about you, and to be honest, I am too."

That drew a hint of sadness on Evey's face.

"I'm sorry, I wish you wouldn't worry so much about my safety. I can take care of myself."

"I know. But that's not why we're worried, Evey.", he replied with a knowing look. "You have to grieve.", he continued lowering his voice.

"I … I can't.", she whispered and tears were starting to form in her eyes. "I can't even think about it."

"I know but … It's been almost a year. What you're doing is not healthy. You can't keep it up like this, pretend it never happened. "

"Yeah. You're right … I know.", she said sadly.

"In a few days, he's going to be everywhere.", he said placing a hand on her shoulder.

She nodded and wiped her eyes.

"Sorry I ruined your evening.", Dominic excused himself and pulled her into a hug. "Take care of yourself."

"You too.", she smiled as she released him. Evey turned back to the bar and downed the drink she ordered earlier.

Dana noticed Evey's change in demeanor and asked what was wrong.

"What was that about?", sh asked showing real concern, but Evey just wanted to stop thinking about it. Dominic was right of course, but … she couldn't. She has endured torture, but she could not endure the memory of his body going limp in her arms. "Evey?" Dana called again.

"I'm sorry. This isn't exactly how I imagined this evening going.", Evey excused herself.

"If you need an ear or a shoulder to cry on … I'm here luv."

"I know. But I really don't want to talk about it."

"Ok. Let's do something fun then.", Dana said before getting up from her chair and starting to dance.

-VEV-

It was raining when she left the bar. She intended to go straight home but she ended up roaming aimlessly on the streets of London. She was aware she was giving Finch's men a hard time, but she couldn't care less today. Dominic started a train of thought that she could not put an end to. She did not want this; she did not need this. But the rain didn't stop. It flowed, and it poured, and with every drop it made her remember.

His body heavy in her arms. The blood … and how long it took to wash it off her hands.

"I fell in love with you Evey. Like I no longer believed I could." No … no, not this. She didn't want to remember this. She had tried to convince herself that it was just the confession of a dying man, that he didn't mean it like that. Anything to make the loss easier.

But she knew it wasn't true. Not when he came back to her, wounded and dying, only to tell say it. To give her the last piece of him.

"No more tricks, no more lies. Only truth."

"I fell in love with you Evey." … "I fell in love with you…" now just echoes of sorrow in her mind, bouncing back and forth on the walls of her skull.

She couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She began to sob, large droplets of rain washing all her defenses away.

She cried for the longest of time, or maybe for just a minute, she couldn't tell.. When her tears finally subsided, the rain still poured down around her. It was still dark, and she struggled to steady herself before beginning to walk again. It was then that her phone vibrated, and she read the message from Eric: 'We need to talk. Come by my place tomorrow evening, 8PM. It's important. Eric.'

She had to read the message twice. No contact for a week and then he sent her this message. This was very out of character for Eric.