Hey all, thanks for being patient...I am extremely sorry about the wait. Thanks to all who reviewed! Special thanks to R., Bel, Neinna and Fabulous1Forever...I couldn't have done it without you guys.

Enjoy!

Chapter Two: May I Present…

V sighed as he sat down on the couch. Cradling Evey's head in his lap, he shifted his weight so he could hold her close, at least for a moment. It had gone so wrong. He remembered the foolish image of her kissing him the minute he stepped through the doorway. I guess it was too much to hope for…at least right now. He sighed again, fighting back the despair rooting in the pit of his stomach. This would be a process, he thought grudgingly. This is what normal people do. Dating. He shuddered, never before had something seemed so ominous.

Why were the social interactions between a man and a woman so complicated?

Evey turned her head, mumbling incoherently. He braced himself; she was starting to come around. He looked over her body, reaching down; he pulled the robe tighter around her. He didn't want her feeling embarrassed when she came to. It might be bad enough that she was waking up with her head in his lap. Perhaps I should move…

He started to slide out from under her, but her hands snaked their way into his jacket, clutching the leather as if her life depended on it. She mumbled something into the coat. He tilted his head and listened intently.

"V." He almost didn't catch it. V repressed the desire to shake her awake. But I am here, he thought, despair taking root once again. Her eyes started to flutter and her breathing became shallow. Finally, with one great intake of breath, her eyes shot open and she sat upright. Her eyes still wide with fear.

"Evey, its okay Evey," he could feel her body shuddering as it tried to sort out what had just happened. Her breathing was ragged, coming in gasps. She turned to look at him.

"No. It's not okay. Get out of my house you sick pervert." Scrambling to her feet, she glared down at him and spat, "get out before I call …"

"…Scotland Yard? What are they going to do, evict me from my own home?" He smiled. "Evey, its me…V," he looked past the anger storming in her eyes and prayed that she would remember.

Please remember…please…

Her body remained rigid, waiting for him to strike. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for the knife, still lying on the floor not ten feet from where she was standing.

"I saved you from the fingermen, then showed you a concerto from the rooftop as the Old Bailey was blown to bits in front of your eyes…Evey…" he paused, gazing into her eyes, "I have come home." His expression softened.

Please remember…

"You told me that your father was a writer, your mother read you Shakespeare," he gestured wildly around the room to the bookshelves, groping for anything that would spark her memory.

Please…

"Evey you know who I am." He reached an ungloved hand out to her, hoping to break the tension, "I promised that you would see me again Evey, and here I am, exactly one year later, keeping my promise to you."

Suddenly an idea came to him: if she doesn't trust me, I need to let her feel as though she has the upper hand…give her the advantage. Slowly he stood and crossed the room to where the knife lay on the floor. He picked it up and brought it back to her. Looking into her eyes, he handed her the knife and placed his hands behind his back.

"Evey if you don't believe me, go look on the kitchen table, you should find something of interest to you there." Her eyes flashed like they did when she was thinking.

Holding the robe closed with one hand and slid the sash out of its loops with the other. "Turn around," with his back to her; she tied both of his hands securely behind him.

He smiled inwardly; she at least had learned to take care of herself…though the knot is slightly loose… he played along, knowing it may be the only way that she would trust him.

"Stay here. I am not sure if I believe you." She snapped as a look of pain and uncertainty crossed her face.

VvV

Evey looked at the stranger, not wanting to trust him. He seemed familiar, smelled familiar. She refused to believe it. She trampled the green shoots of hope that were sprouting in her mind. No. Not again.

After securing the stranger's hands, painfully aware of his eyes on her; she left the room, looking back only once. Remembering. Thinking. Hoping. She strode toward the kitchen, the hard floor cool under her bare feet. She paused at the bedroom door. After a moment, she entered and started to rummage through the dresser. Selecting pajamas, she pulled on a pair of flannel pants and a tank top before hurrying to the kitchen.

What if it was really him? It can't be. He's dead…Dead. Gone.

She flicked the kitchen light on and felt her jaw hit the floor. On the table were one dozenroses. Scarlet Carsons. His roses.

Tears streamed down her face as the realization hit her. She attacked him, she screamed at him, she even tied him up and he had done nothing but love her. Try to love her, she corrected. The guilt felt like a stone weighing in her stomach. How could she? She always imagined him coming home… her cooking him a meal, sharing some wine, dancing…not this…not this.

She shook her head as more tears came. Not knowing what she was going to do, she scooped up the roses and left the kitchen in a daze, unsure if her feet would make it back to the sitting room. She saw him, unmasked, sitting on the couch with his hands still bound. Any other time the idea of him being bound by a mere sash would have been hilarious.

She stood in the doorway, uncertain what to do. She felt her knees knocking, the room started to spin as she looked upon him. He lifted his gaze, searching her eyes. She leaned against the doorframe for support, she couldn't move.

In one swift movement, she watched as V snapped the sash binding his hands and crossed the room in what looked like three strides. She gazed up into his face, his real face, unsure of what to do. She felt the roses fall from her shaking hands as she became lost in his eyes. Her mouth started to open and close, trying to form words.

"V…I…I…" she choked as a fresh wave of tears cascaded down her cheeks. She looked away, wanting to fade into the woodwork until she could calm down. She felt his gentle hand caress her cheek, trying to soothe her. He picked her up and carried her to the couch. Sitting down, he wrapped her in his arms. She snuggled into his coat and quietly cried into his chest. She placed an ear to his heart, listening to it. He breathed. She heard his lungs expand and his heart beat as he waited for her to absorb the information. Her fingers gripped his shirt and slowly she started to breathe again.

She felt the weight of the day press in on her; it was too much, her eyelids started closing. Sleep seemed like such a wonderful idea. She sighed and felt herself fall asleep, as she had dreamed about so many times, in his arms. She smiled as she pulled the leather closer around her.

VvV

V let out the breath he had been holding. Perhaps she really was his Evey...he smiled at the thought. Gazing down at her once more, he sighed and reached for the light switch behind them. This isn't a dream, he thought. She is here, right here, in my arms.His eyes started close as her scent wrapped warmly around him. He chuckled inwardly, a warm body was much better than waking up with your arms wrapped around a pillow. His eyes flicked open again; how he longed to kiss her.

"V…" Evey stirred on his chest, "…I missed you."

"I missed you as well. But the hour is late and we must really--" he stretched and yawned "—need to sleep." He smiled as he ran his fingers cautiously over her soft hair. This really isn't a dream. "There will be lots of time to talk in the morning." He slid his boots off and propped his feet up on the couch.

"Hmm," she sighed, voice thick with sleep.

V pulled her closer as he situated himself on the couch. He drifted off smiling like a Cheshire cat; for the first time in his life he felt human. Better than that, he felt whole. As he wandered farther into the realm of sleep, he realized that he felt something that he had never felt before.

He was happy.

V smiled, nuzzling Evey's neck. He imagined the two of them having a picnic in the country. She laid, head in his lap, listening to him read to her, his fingers gently stroking her hair as the stars started to come out and the moon started to rise. V sighed contentedly, wrapping his arm tighter around her as his imagination ran wild with acts that were best left to the light of the moon and the twinkling of the stars.