Author's Note: I saw the movie last weekend, and it cries out for a fanfic!

Chapter 1

It was the hardest thing in the world to wake up, Evey realized. Her head pounded, she had a crick in her neck, and she was stiff and sore from not budging all night. What had she done last night that…

As her eyes opened, Evey realized that she was not at home. Even worse, she didn't know where she was. Thinking back, she remembered what had happened at work; running from the cops, and then seeing that strange V in trouble, and then feeling an explosion in her head after macing the cop.

Sitting up slowly, she looked around the room, taking in her surroundings. She was in a large comfy bed with a fluffy white comforter, but the rest of the room! It looked like some deranged librarian had gone mad in there! There were books piled along the walls, stacked up above her head, around the bed, and when she looked, she saw that they were under it as well. Some of the titles she saw were familiar but were on the blacklist, and others were strange.

Gingerly, she got out of bed and headed for the door. Something smelled terribly delicious, and her stomach growled. She was starving!

What she saw next as she reached a kitchen defied description. A guy dressed all in black wearing a Guy Fawkes mask was also wearing a flowery apron and oven mitts, and he was fixing breakfast. She got a shock when she saw his hands, and quickly, he pulled his gloves on.

"Good morning," he said brightly. "Breakfast?"

"Where are we?" she asked, still feeling a trifle dazed. "How did I get here?"

He pulled a chair out for her and she sat down, feeling as if she had just arrived in the Twilight Zone.

"I brought you here," he said, serving up eggs-in-a-basket. "You see, after you saved me at the television station, I couldn't leave you there on the floor, could I? Also, you helped me. Thank you." He bowed low, startling Evey into a smile. "As for where we are, this is my home. I like to call it the Shadow Gallery, since it is full of things that have been forced into becoming shadows by an overzealous censoring committee."

Evey looked about. "It's lovely, V," she said, remembering that was what he called himself.

"Again, thank you," he said happily, pouring her a glass of juice while she dug into her eggs.

"How did you find all these things?" she asked, wondering if he had managed it all alone.

"Oh, regular raids on government vaults, things like that," he said lightly, sounding as if he were smiling under the mask. "You'd be surprised how rarely they do inventory in those places."

As Evey finished, V fought down a feeling of trepidation. She was not going to take this well, he knew that already.

"We have to talk, Evey," he said, sitting down across from her. "Do you realize what my bringing you here means?"

Startled, she shook her head. "I don't know, beyond having a good breakfast," she said. "I suppose you're nervous that I'd tell someone, but I can promise you I won't tell anyone. After all, who'd believe me?"

He sighed. This wasn't going well. "Creedy's men would believe what you have to tell. This means that you won't be able to leave until the fifth of November next year, Evey. Creedy's bagmen will be looking for you since you helped me and since they know you're with me now. I'm afraid that cameras caught me picking you up. I don't wish to have you in danger, and I can't have you where Creedy can get at you."

She became very quiet and stared at him. "You mean I'm stuck here…for a year?"

He nodded. "Yes, but I can promise you that it won't be unpleasant for you, and I will not ask you to do anything you do not wish to. There is plenty to do here, and very rarely am I ever bored. There are books, films, music; all sorts of things."

He didn't realize until then that she was staring at him, her expression horrified. "I can't stay here for a year!" she protested. "I won't!"

"And where will you go? How will you hide from Creedy? You can't go back to your apartment," he pointed out.

"I'll stay with friends!"

"Who would be taking very great risks on their own lives if they sheltered you," he continued. "It would be simpler for everyone for you to remain here."

He expected her next reaction: After shouting at him a little more, she got up, stormed out, and he heard the slam of her door. Sighing, he rose from his chair and began to clean up.

Space

Evey fumed for close to three hours before emerging to search for the bathroom. She found it, and was surprised to find that another door inside it led back to her room. Good. She didn't want to have to see that crazy vigilante unless she absolutely had to.

That night, sounds of a battle woke her, drawing out of her room and into the main part of the home. What she saw surprised her: V battling tooth and nail against a suit of armor. He was a good fencer, she could tell that much, and a movie was playing on the television. It was one of those swashbuckling thrillers in black and white.

That was when he spotted her. They chatted a bit, and then he invited her to watch the film with him. Once it was finished, she was a little tearful. Happy endings were always nice, but she felt a little sorry for Mercedes. After all, Edmond had cared more about revenge than he did her.

"Good point," was all that V said.