Later in the week, V paced quietly through the length of the Shadow Gallery, knowing that he needed assistance with another step in his plan. He was however conflicted, knowing that Carly's help would be of great significance, but not wanting to ask outright. He would never force the issue if she refused, and he wasn't sure he even wanted to put her in that position but the Bishop had to die. He'd taken care of Prothero but another chess move had to be played, and he needed to take out another piece for his future plans to pan out. Taking a breath, he found her reading in the library and gently knocked on the door frame.

"Kitten, may I interrupt you for a moment?" V called quietly before approaching her. "It seems that a plan of mine has accelerated, and seeing as you had expressed interest in helping me I'd like to ask for your assistance."

"What do you need me to do?" She shut her book, listening intently.

"There is a man who deems himself as holy but is full of wickedness and sins akin to those who reside in the deepest circles of depravity." V shook his head, "In order to catch him, I fear I must ask if you're alright with being bait. He enjoys the company of young women, who are much younger than yourself but I'm sure we could make you look the part." Carly quickly understood what he was referring to and felt her stomach turn, but nodded for him to continue.

"We will intercept the poor girl who was meant to have a visit with him, and you will create an entryway for me in the room they'll have you change in. I promise that no harm will come to you and I will intervene and do my work." V vowed and gently held her hand to bring into her room. Pulling out a paper bag, he handed her a mauve dress that looked similar to a dress a child's doll would wear at a tea party. Carly frowned and tried it on to make sure that it fit.

"I feel sick, V." She shook her head in disgust.

"Of course you do, anyone who doesn't have indulgences like his would." He sighed and turned to face her, "All you must do is entice him and distract him. In order for this and other tasks that we will complete you must trust me. I would be inclined to end the life of anyone who touched you, let alone a despicable charlatan such as him. He has the blood of many in this nation on his hands." He bent down so he was eye level with her, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you."

Some hours later Carly approached the stairs of the very large seminary and was greeted by a man in a suit who was waiting for her. V had instructed her to keep her head down and she kept quiet, only answering when he asked her questions or instructed her.

"Please change and get ready here, miss. When you are done you can wait in the chambers to your left for Bishop Lilliman." He said pleasantly and gestured over to a door. Carly's smile dropped as soon as the door shut, knowing that while he was pleasant enough to her, he was the one that was orchestrating these visits for others on a regular basis. Putting on the dress, some white knee high stockings and a pair of matching mauve shoes, and covering her tattoo and scars with makeup, she unlocked the rather ornate stained glass window as V had instructed before walking into the room. It was beautiful and grand, filled with ornate architecture and artwork, and Carly took time to look at it all before she heard the main doors open. Turning around she gently bundled her skirt before giving a little curtsey, "Your grace." She addressed him with a coy smile.

"My goodness. To think I doubted your loveliness for an instant...mea culpa, my child. Mae culpa." Lilliman held his hands together in contrition.

"No forgiveness needed, your grace." She bowed her head slightly and moved over to the bed as he gestured for her to take a seat.

"This room is beautiful, certainly fitting for a man such as yourself." Carly looked around, gesturing to the artwork and intentionally trying to relax as soon as she realized how tense her body was.

"Thank you, my dear. It pales in comparison to the beauty that is before me." His eyes scanned her body hungrily.

"How very kind of you..." Carly flashed him another smile and felt a panic course through her body as he moved closer and moved his hands toward her dress, but just as they were about to reach her the doors flew open with a loud crack.

V stepped in, pausing about five feet away.

"Reverend." He addressed him in a dark and menacing tone. With the Bishop distracted Carly moved off of the bed and back into the room she had changed in. Tearing off the dress and putting her original and more inconspicuous clothing on and jumped as a gunshot ran through the door. Taking out the dagger she had stowed away in her bag she opened the door to make sure V was okay but she saw him staring down at Lilliman, holding his now dislocated arm with one hand with the other pointed in her direction to indicate that she stayed put. That was her cue to close the door and finish changing, she wasn't really sure she wanted to know what was going to happen next. For a moment she felt the compulsion to intervene and stop him, it was her nature to cause no harm. However, that feeling faded as she remembered what V had told her, and all of the countless lives his actions had taken. He and whoever else V had sought vengeance on were responsible for the world we lived in today, and for orchestrating the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people for the sake of power. They didn't deserve her sympathy, nor anyone else's.

"Open your mouth and stick out your tongue." V instructed before placing a poisoned communion wafer from his pocket and placed it into the Bishop's mouth.

"I don't want to die." Lilliman cried, but to V's surprise, he didn't fight back. V held his mouth shut to make sure he swallowed it before stepping back. Within a few moments his eyes rolled back and started going into convulsions as the poison seeped through his body. Once the bishop stopped moving V reached into his cloak and placed a scarlet carson next to him. Feeling satisfied, V turned back to the changing room and opened the door to find Carly on the opposite side with her knife ready to be thrown, but she immediately holstered it when she realized it was him.

"You did well, Kitten." He smiled and quickly closed the space between them and lifted his mask to give her a kiss, "Come now, we need to leave." He whispered before climbing through the window and holding his hand to assist her out onto the roof. They quickly scaled to the other side and made their way down a fire escape on the other side before ending up an alleyway and into the catacombs they journeyed through to get here.

Upon returning to their home, V tossed his mask to the side and swept Carly up to place her on the kitchen countertop. Pressing his lips hard against hers, he moved his hand to the back of her neck to pull her even closer.

"I'm proud of you Kitten, you did an exquisite job." He purred, Carly was surprised by his ferocity but by no means objecting. He lifted her once more to bring her to the shower, they both quickly stripped and stepped into the warm spray of the water. Carly picked up the movable shower wand and sprayed it in V's face as he leaned in for another kiss.

He reached out and snatched the wand and she let out a giggle, turning it back on her.

"Turnabout is fair play!" V declared as he hosed her down. Only after she was in a full fit of giggles did he stop, and started gently rubbing soap into her skin. His hands slowed on her as his mind drifted, caressing her more than cleaning and accessed earlier memories of their relationship. Then, when V didn't know her, he felt that spark of interest and saw a kindred spirit in need of healing. Something that V longed for but didn't receive till he was burned and broken. He gently kissed her clean shoulder and got some bubbles on his chin in the process. He whispered gently near her ear, "I love you..." It was something she would never tire of hearing him say.

"I love you too." She whispered and turned into his arms, while his hand gently moved up to cup her cheek. While she wasn't sure what else this Bishop had done to the country, she could tell that V had a weight off of his shoulders after his demise. In her mind, what she had to pretend to be in order to distract him was enough for the V's retribution but those details were for later. She enjoyed seeing him happy and unburdened. She saw a new side of V today that she hadn't witnessed before, as he was ordinarily very gentle with her. There was an underlying command and power to him that became slightly less restrained in a way that she unexpectedly found very attractive. Leaning forward and gently dragging her fingers across his hardening member, she moved in for a kiss and quickly dashed out of the shower as V mirrored her to accept the kiss. In yet another fit of elated giggles she went to hide.

Upon noticing her absence and fading trail of giggles V cracked his neck and shut the water off before casually drying himself off before setting out of the bathroom with a devious smirk. His eyes and ears scan the lair, knowing she was still wet and naked made her easier to track. Small wet footprints marked the stone floor and rugs into the main room. "Kitten... you're wet and I am still not clean. You've tried my patience... now you will get what you are asking for." His voice was low and commanding as he moved closer. "The question remains, how long do you think it will take before I catch you? " He knew full well that she was going to dash and he would follow, but that would make their reunion sweeter.

Hearing him approach, Carly darted from behind the couch and threw a pillow at him before darting into a random room, only to see that she had made a full circle and landed back in his bedroom.

"Shit." She whispered to herself and turned around to find another route but his body now blocked the door. Backing up, Carly grabbed the nearest item, which happened to be a riding crop that was leaning against his dresser. After a moment of slight confusion she smirked and held it up as a means to defend herself.

"And what do you use this for?" Carly asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"In time and with permission you may find out, Kitten." V's voice was low as he slowly shook his head in amusement, approaching closer. As Carly swatted at him, he caught it and plucked it from her hand. In a deliberately slow and measured manner, he tossed it to the side and continued his movement toward her like a lion stalking its prey.

"Oh Kitten... what have you done?" He watched as she tried to dart past him and caught her by the waist, hoisting her off the ground kicking and thrashing before tossing her down on their overly fluffy bed. Closing the space between them once more he quickly pounced on top of her and pinned her down, growling deeply with his lips were inches from hers. "Much... too... late for forgiveness..."

"Are you sure?" Carly whispered with a feigned pout as she tried to get out of his hold, with very little success, "I was only playing!"

"Silence... You invited me to play so let the games begin." V's voice was low and lush as he moved her hands so he could hold them both with one of his own and while his other gently wrapped around her throat, "You are to tell me if I overstep, but until then, you will learn what happens when I am deprived of the one I desire most."

"Are you sure?" Carly heard herself whisper, and wondered what had come over her to challenge him again.

"I had always wondered if I would be enjoy encountering someone that was as willful as me..." V mused in a low growl. The hand that was around her throat gave it a gentle squeeze before traveling down toward her pelvis. His fingertips gently danced toward her mound but stopped just above it, causing her to let out a whimper.

"Yes Kitten? Was there something you wanted?" V purred in her ear, holding her hands tighter together.

"I just wanted to play." Carly whispered as her legs quivered from the adrenaline and exhilaration of their interaction. She had woken a beast within him and wanted him to devour her whole, but she wasn't banking on him to play with his food before consumption.

"I'm sure you did...tonight you will learn that I have dominion over your body." He said, as smooth as silk sheets being torn from a bed as he moved closer to kiss her clavicle with the gentlest of touches. She asked for the beast and then knocked on his door. Now he was here.

"What do I have dominion over?" Carly countered.

"You Kitten, have dominion over something else entirely. My soul." His breath was hot against her neck as his fingertip's continued to dance over her skin.

Once she was squirming enough, his hand finally reached down between her legs and into her sex. He took his time to move his fingers at an agonizingly slow pace against her clit, making sure that he enjoyed every last second of her pleasure and desire for more. But as he could see her about to cascade into an orgasm his fingers moved back up to cup her breast. He took a moment to truly marvel the desperation in her eyes, as her chest rapidly rose and fell and gave her a smirk. Moving his hands between them, he displayed the evidence of her pleasure that coated his fingers before gently licking his fingers clean and reveling the taste of her. She would do anything for more, but V wasn't quite sadistic enough to drag it out further and his own desires were gnawing at him. Swiftly moving between her legs he pushed his entire shaft deep within her in one long hard stroke. Her whimper of mixed ecstasy and shock radiated through him like an earthquake as he held himself inside of her. His free hand found purchase around her throat once more while the other now let go of one of her hands to link their fingers together. As he stared into her eyes, he moved his hips with purpose, thrusting in deep strokes.

"You are mine, Kitten." He growled slowly, enunciating mine with a deep thrust, "Mine to drive mad with pleasure." His hand moved from her throat and back toward her aching bundle of nerves, moving his finger in small circles as he moved his hips. "Do you understand the depths of my desire now, my willful, naughty, Kitten?" He grunted, pausing, and waiting for her reply.

"Yes." She whispered, gazing up at him through half lidded eyes. With that V abandoned what points he had yet to make with a vigor to send her tumbling over the edge. His hips withdrew and pushed forward at a relentless pace, while his fingers worked on her clit. Each cry and moan that escaped her mouth only motivated him to go deeper, he was addicted to the sound and enjoyed the symphony before him. His hand let go over hers and tangled in her hair, pulling her head back to give access to her neck, before he gently sunk his teeth gently in her flesh.

"V...please!" She whimpered, both of their crescendos buildings parallel to one another. V leaned back, slightly watching her face and body contort as her orgasm cascaded over her like a waterfall. Holding himself deep inside her, V felt the convulsions of her body gripping him. But the euphoria and adrenaline hit him and he quickly succumbed to his own orgasm. His hands gripped and shook as he ceased everything else and his member twitched inside of her. The motion and sensation caused him to exalt a growl as he buried his head in her neck and gently pulled her hair. Collapsing on top of her, V's weight pushed the wind out of her lungs, eliciting a small laugh from him before rolling off and pulling her into his arms.

"Now... we are a mess again...I think a bath is in order before dinner and bed." He sighed, with what remaining energy he had, V stood to prepare a bath. After a few minutes, it finished filling and soft white bubbles formed and V gently scooped Carly up to set her in the tub. "Come now Kitten... the water is warm and I am in need of you."

Settling behind her, he used his foot to shut off the water and shift a bit till she is comfortably between his legs with her back resting against his chest. V ran a wet hand over Carly's head before gently pulling her to him and kissing her lips softly as they savored the feeling of being in the bath together.

"Do you know why your fingers get all pruney after you are in the water for a while?" She murmured sleepily and took his free hand to gently touch his fingertips. "It's so that we can hold onto things in the water, because the grip from our regular finger prints aren't enough." She mused and kissed the pads of his fingers one by one. V lifted his head slightly from the edge of the tub with a quizzical expression that she couldn't see. He wasn't questioning the logic or her knowledge of human physiology, it was the timing that confused him. No matter how cute he found her to be. He went to say something but paused, mouth slightly open, and reconsidered the intellectual continuation of the thought. "Yes... quite profound Kitten."

V nuzzled his nose into her hair as he contemplated where such a consideration came from. Could it have been that their previous encounters had acted as a catalyst to push endorphins and thus stimulate additional neural activity? He certainly had felt empowered, and cared for during their encounter, but not necessarily intellectually heightened. In fact that was one of the things he enjoyed about their relationship. They could engage in equally stimulating banter and attempts to outwit one another, but only for frivolous things and flirting, never for anything nefarious or serious. She never felt it necessary to challenge him in such a way, he was busy engaging in that type of thinking on his revolutionary plans.

"Where did that come from?" While he waited for her response he brought his hand up from the water and glanced at it. Red, without fingerprints and quite rough, it was hard to see where any folds really occurred. The burned palms now white and peach from years of work were hardly the dainty or soft digits that she had.

"I was just thinking... what you and I have...it's something that is immersive. You can't just dip your toe in and leave it at that. Like water," Carly gently waded her fingers through the bubbles that sat at the surface. "The longer you spend in an environment the more you adapt, I wasn't sure how everything would work but it is."

"What do you mean by everything, Kitten?" V asked curiously.

"Everything, you and I, being involved and helping you with your plans. I thought I would have more of an objection to the concept of allowing someone to die in front of me. For a moment I didn't know who I was, and disturbed by the fact that I felt alright with it happening. But I saw the faces of all of those people who were in the cells with me, all of the children that died at St. Mary's and through the Three Waters Contamination..." V held her tighter as she processed through her thoughts, understanding how crucial this part of her growth was.

He had been prepared for her to grapple with her participation and lack there of but he wasn't prepared for the question that came out of her mouth next.

"Does that make me a monster?"

The words hit V in the chest hard, as if a truck had struck him at full speed. The fact that she had even contemplated calling herself that hurt in a way he hadn't expected, it offended him. He took it as an insult on her behalf that such a divine and virtuous creature was made to think they were anything less. It made him question his decision to involve her in his plans and in his revolution all together, but he took a deep breath and tilted his head so he could look into her eyes.

"What was done to us was monstrous Kitten. The very notion of considering yourself to be a monster is but the claws of the beasts still trying to find purchase on the your mind. Predators only dig their claws in deeper as they lose their grip. Do not let them defile you further as you liberate yourself from their hold. Do you understand?" His voice was deep, serious and deliberate. V was all to aware that this part of the process was the most difficult. Carly's eyes were filled with self doubt as she fought to follow his instructions but she nodded, knowing that he had gone through everything she was experiencing. Beneath her, V's chest tightened as he held her tighter, ignoring the tear that slipped down his cheek. He fought his own frustration that he couldn't erase the emotions she was feeling, and the fallacies she was battling. He did not experience fear often but in this moment was all he could feel. Fear of the thought of losing her. V's fingers and palm dwarfed her own as he gently curled them around hers before bringing it to his lips and whispering, "I do... love... you..."