Author's Notes: Sorry this has taken so long to get out. It ran much longer than I expected it to, so it's now in two parts. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the second half soon and I'll finally be able to put this story to rest. Thank you for reading.
Discontentedly, he watches as she comes flouncing into the room with a watering can in her hand. She goes over to the window and waters Those Damn Roses. He stares at the cascade of honey colored curls that fall down her back and the pretty dress she's wearing for today, doing his best to ignore Those Damn Roses. How he hates Those Damn Roses, not that he'd ever say anything to her about it.
"Don't be like that, Eric," she instructs with a smile as she turns and looks at him.
"How should I be, Evey?" he grumbles as he takes another drink of his whiskey, ignoring the fact that the ice is mostly melted and has watered down his drink.
"We're going to a celebration," she replies as she puts down the watering can and then settles into his lap. "It'll be fun."
"We're going to a rock concert," he huffs.
"It's a musical extravaganza," she counters as her arms slide around his neck. "You told me when we first met that you like music."
"It's an all day long rock concert," he mutters. "And I never said a damn thing about me liking music. You just put your arm through mine and led me up to the roof so we could watch parliament get blown sky high. Remind me again why we're doing this?"
"V loved music," she quietly reminds him as she cuddles into his lap. "He died five years ago tonight to give this to us. Please don't be so grumpy. V wants us to be happy."
With a sigh, he puts down his drink and wraps his arms around her, holding her close.
"I'm sorry," he whispers, burying his nose in her lovely hair. "I didn't mean to upset you. We should get going soon."
"I know it's hard," she tells him, not moving from her seat. "I did love him, but he's gone and you're here now. I love you, Eric."
Before he can say anything, she sits up, takes his face in her hands and gently kisses him. His arms tighten around her and suddenly the roses seem quite pretty. As he loses himself in her buss, the smell of roses reaches him and maybe those roses aren't so bad after all.
"Have we got everything?" she asks as she checks the boot of the auto. "Food, water, jackets..."
"Earplugs," he grumbles.
"I've got them in my handbag," she replies with a grin.
"Then we've got everythin' but the animals," he tells her.
"Why don't you go get them while I see if I can still get in the car," she tells him with a smile.
"You sure this is a good idea?" he asks, worriedly looking at her huge belly.
"The baby isn't due for a few more weeks," she reminds him. "It'll be fine. Go get the boys."
With a resigned sigh, he heads back towards the house and sticks his head in the front door.
"Phil! Charlie! Let's go, you're aunt's waitin'!" he yells.
"Coming, Uncle Tim!" one of the twins hollers back and a second later the sound of thundering feet reaches him.
He heads back towards the car as quickly as he can and still the boys beat him there. By the time he gets behind the wheel, the twins are already buckled up and waiting to go.
"Did the front door lock get locked?" Tim asks.
"Yup!" Phil eagerly replies.
"And the back door, too," Charlie puts in, just as excited as his brother.
"Then we better get going," Tim states as he starts the car.
"Have you figured out who gave us the tickets, Aunt Ruth?" Phil questions again.
"I told you, I don't know who A. M. is," Ruth laughs.
"Pretty weird how those tickets came in the post after the music extravaganza had been sold out for weeks," Charlie states. "Who would sends us tickets? Especially prime tickets like that? And why?"
"Are you sure they're real?" Phil puts in.
"I took them to one of the ticket outlets and they said that they're real," she replies. "And I have no idea why someone would send us those tickets, much less who."
She closes her eyes and feigns sleep to stave off any more questions. She doesn't have the courage to tell them the truth. She probably wouldn't have figured it out herself if she hadn't found that old note that she hides in the bottom of her jewelery box and compared it to the note that came with the tickets. She hasn't told them that the woman that they used to call 'Mum' is alive and well and will more than likely be at the concert.
"Are you ok?" she asks, a smile tugging at her lips.
"Can we go home now?" he growls as he tries to get his internal organs to stop vibrating even though the last group of noise makers calling itself a band left half an hour ago.
"There's just Freedom's Flight and then we can go home," she tells him as she takes his hand.
"Do we have to?" he grumbles and she can't help but chuckle.
"They were the first group to accept the open invitation that England sent out," she reminds him. "Besides, I like the name of the group, I love the fact that their lead singer is named Liberty and 'Shadows to a Song' is my absolute favorite song. It reminds me of my time with V."
Before he can respond, the lights dim and he quickly makes sure his earplugs are back in place as the first notes of a single guitar wafts through the speakers. As the spotlight slowly comes up, they can see a lone woman sitting on a tall stool in the middle of the stage playing the guitar. Her bright red hair falls down to the middle of her back and her bright green eyes glance up into the box Evey and Eric are sitting in. He gets the feeling he's seen her somewhere before, but as he's trying to figure it out, she finally opens her mouth to sing.
A million stars light
This beautiful night
This is not a night to die
Let me sing and dance
Beneath the sky
I have such love to give
To give!
I want a chance to live
Live
For the one I love
Love
As no one has loved
Give
Asking nothing in return
Free
Free to find my way
Free to have my say
Free to see the day
Be
Like I used to be
Like a wild bird free
With all of life in me
Live
For the one I love
Love
As no one has loved
Give
Asking nothing in return
Though this world tears us apart
We're still together in my heart
I want the world to hear my cry
And even if I have to die
Love will not die
Love will change the world
Live
For the one I love
Love
As no one has loved
Give
Asking nothing in return
I'll love until love wears me away
I'll die and I know my love will stay
And I know my love will stay
As the last notes fade away, thunderous applause shakes the theater. Liberty grins as she places the guitar in a stand next to the stool and then stands up. She takes the mike from the stand and walks to the edge of the stage.
"Good evenin' London," Liberty calls out in an unmistakable southern drawl and there's more yelling and clapping. "Ah can't tell ya how much it means for meh ta beh here tonight. It just warms my heart."
There's more cheering and then she looks back at the control booth, shielding her eyes against the bright spotlight.
"Can ya'll bring up tha house lights, please?" she requests and several seconds later the theater brightens. "Oh, there ya'll are! Thank ya! My goodness, look at ya'll. Ya'll stuck it out this long ta see meh?"
There's even more yelling, whistling, clapping and stomping and she places her hand over her heart. She nearly looks like she's about to cry from the shear joy of their response. He glances over at Evey and sees she's clapping along with everyone else. He can't help but smile at her obvious joy.
"Thank ya, ya'll are just so sweet," Liberty continues once the noise settles down to a reasonable level as she walks across the stage closer to Eric and Evey's box. "Ah guess Ah better go an' say 'hello' ta all tha people who made this thang possible and have endured through this whole thang."
People chuckle as she gives a big wave at the boxes nearest the stage and he sees Evey plaster a smile on her face as people turn to look at them. He gratefully leans back into the shadows, knowing that no one is interested in him and he absently notes that the rest of the band is now coming out on stage to take their places at their instruments. He listens with half an ear as this Southern Belle greets and names all of the dignitaries in the surrounding boxes, impressed that she's getting them all right. When she gets to their box, he leans back further to let Evey shine.
"Why as Ah live an' breathe, Chief Inspector Finch is that ya'll hidin' behind Miss Hammond?" Liberty suddenly asks, shocking him.
"Yes it is!" Evey gleefully shouts back as she grabs his arm and hauls him forward.
"Have ya'll been hidin' back there all this time?" Liberty questions, highly amused by the surprised look on Eric's face.
"Yes!" Evey yells back, keeping a death grip on him so he can't sink out of sight.
"Oh, Chief Inspector, ya'll shouldn't beh doin' that," Liberty gently admonishes with a thousand watt grin. "Ya'll are just as important as anyone else here. Ya were given an impossible task ta find that man an' Ah theenk everyone here is mighty glad ya didn't. After all, where would we all beh if V had failed?"
There's a lot of cheering from the crowd and he looks down at the mass of people below him and he's surprised that a lot of people are clapping.
"Who knew that being a failure could be popular?" he grumbles and Evey just smiles at him.
"Well, Ah doubt ya'll came out here ta just listen ta meh yammer on, so what's say we get this show started?" Liberty asks the crowd and the noise goes up exponentially with people screaming their approval and the woman on stage looks back over at him. "Better make sure ya're earplugs are in good an' tight, Chief Inspector, it's gonna get mighty loud in here."
She turns towards the back of the stage and points at the drummer who counts off the beat just before the music starts with a deafening bang. Eric watches and, despite the earplugs, listens as Freedom's Flight entertains the crowd. While he does admit the woman can sing, unlike some of the earlier acts that he's endured through, he gets the strange feeling that he's seen this woman before.
He frowns as he tries to figure out how he could possibly know this woman and it's not until Evey's hand slips into his that he's shocked out of his ruminations. He listens to the song that tells the story of a woman lost, a slave to her despair, until a mysterious stranger saves her one night and shows her how to be free again. As soon as the song ends, there's more thunderous applause and he watches as Liberty bows to the audience.
He can see people starting to get up and head for the exit, including a family with twin teenage boys and a mother who's very pregnant. Some memory niggles the back of his mind that he should know these people too, but he can't figure out why.
If I should stay
(The twin boys stop dead in their tracks and spin around towards the stage.)
I would only be in your way (The band that had been leaving the stage suddenly comes dashing back out, quickly retaking their places.)
So I'll go, But I know I'll think of you every step of the way
(As one, the boys rush towards the stage, pushing people out of their way to get there, only to be stopped several feet short of their goal by security and the barrier set there.)
And I will always love you
(Eric could swear that Liberty is now singing to the boys plastered to the barrier.)
I will always love you You, my darlings you, Mmmmmmm
(He glances back at the parents and sees the husband holding up his openly weeping wife, not caring that they're blocking half the aisle.)
Bittersweet memories
That is all I'm taking with me
So goodbye,
Please don't cry
We all know,
I'm not what you, you need
And I will always love you
I will always love you.
I hope life treats you kind
And I hope you have all you dreamed of
And I wish you joy and happiness
But above all this I wish you love.
And I will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you
I…I will always love you…you Darlings,
I love you I'll always… I'll always love you
Liberty blows a kiss and gives a wave to the cheering crowd before giving a final wave and smile to the twins. Then she turns and rushes off of the stage and he's not entirely sure, but Eric swears he sees a look of anguish on her face.
After the crowd has been given a chance to thin out, they get up and leave. So lost in his own thoughts, he doesn't notice that Evey has been silent until they're driving towards home.
"I want to go to the Gallery," she suddenly states, shocking him out of his thoughts. "You don't have to come with me if you don't want, but I just need...I need to be there at midnight. I want to watch the fireworks when they go off from the roof top."
"It's ok, I'll go with you," he quietly replies as he makes a turn that will take them towards Victoria Station.
It takes them a good hour to get to the defunct station and down into the tubes. Once there, it's only a matter of minutes before they're entering the silent and dark Shadow Gallery. It takes her only a moment to get the lights on and then they step into the silent shrine of the masked vigilante that gave his life so that England could be free once more. With all of the precious artwork still down here, Evey insists on keeping the place at a constant temperature which means they're not freezing their noses off for which he's very glad as they remove their outer clothing and hang it on the coat rack.
The Gallery hasn't changed much since the first time Eric saw it five years ago this night, though a few of the pieces of art have been returned to the people as V had wished. Most of the work that has been returned was in the back storage area and he's actually once more thankful that the man had the foresight to catalog all of the work he had collected. He follows Evey as she heads towards the storage area again and he knows why she's heading there.
She flips the switch to turn on the overhead lights, illuminating the now nearly empty room. Except for a few statues and couple pieces of rather sizable paintings, most of the art that had been stored here have gone to museums. But he knows it's not the artwork that draws Evey to this room, but the box on the desk that was found a little over a month ago hidden in the far corner of this room under a tarp.
It's not a large box. It's about the size of a bread box, made of wood with brass straps holding it together. Truth be told, it looks like a small pirate's chest, though the lock on it is totally out of place. The lock is digital with a four digit code and engraved on the lid is the only clue to the combination.
"'The day we met'," Evey grumbles, staring down at the box. "I've tried every combination of November fourth, November fifth and I've even tried the year V and I met, but still nothing!"
"You could try breaking the lock," he suggests again and then suddenly he looks back over his shoulder. "Did you hear something?"
"It's probably the heater kicking in or the water rattling the pipes," she replies as she sits down in the computer chair so she can glare at the lock. "Knowing V, if we break the lock, it'll probably explode."
"I swear I hear music," he mutters as he starts to turn around.
"Eric, please," she snaps a bit peevishly. "V kept logs of everything he did starting with him waking up in Larkhill, yet some of the books from just before I met him are missing. I bet they're in this damn box."
"Then break open the box," he replies. "I bet a good crowbar would do the trick."
"If it didn't blow up, then it probably would do something to destroy the contents," she huffs in frustration. "He said no more locks, but here this stupid thing is."
"Did you try eleven-zero-four for the code?" he asks.
"I've tried that, eleven-zero-five, zero-four-eleven and zero-five-eleven," she heatedly points out. "I told you that already!"
"Have ya'll tried April eighth?" a new voice asks.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.