Unmasked

Chapter 14

Cry Me a River

Evey was unsure exactly when she sat down at the kitchen table nor how long she had been there. Her hands were in a knot on the table before her and there were crescent-shaped indents where the fingernails that still had any length had made small marks as they clung helplessly to her skin. She kept examining those fingernails. The undersides of them were still black with V's blood. No mater how much she had scrubbed she couldn't seem to get them completely clean. Not that she had the energy to worry about that.

She was so very lost. She was drowning in the silence, in his absence. She knew she needed to go back to him, but she was rooted to that spot. She couldn't stop staring at that damn apron, it made her want to smile and burst into tears all at once.

Oh V.

Evey started out of her trance when she heard music coming from the other room.

Now you say you're lonely
You cry the whole night through
Well, you can cry me a river, cry me a river
I cried a river over you

Evey jumped up from her spot, knocking over the chair in the process, but she couldn't be bothered to pick it back up. She had a sudden burst of energy through her weak and scrawny limbs as she barreled around the corner and stopped when the Jukebox came into view.  It was a paradoxical role reversal, so reminiscent of the day she had come back.  This time  V  stood at the Jukebox and Evie seemed frozen in place in the doorway staring at his form.  She took a step forward as he half turned to towards her as the song played on.

Now you say you love me
Well, just to prove you do
Come on and cry me a river, cry me a river
I cried a river over you

"V?"  she was almost afraid to say the words, so scared that when she did she would find out that this was merely an illusion caused by hunger or grief or lack of sleep.

"I missed this song,"  he said, parodying her words from that night that they were both apparently remembering.

"Oh my God, V,"  was all she could reply as she barreled forward,  not thinking about anything except for the fact that he was standing in front of her, awake and alive.

She practically launched herself into his arms and he tensed a moment before relaxing more into her touch, a blessing that she had not expected to receive.

"You nearly died on me, V," Evey said as the lump in her throat grew.  She pulled back and took him in.  He had on a new mask and had brushed out his wig.  He smelled like his soap and she realized must have taken a shower as well as changing into his clothes.

Oh.

OH.

His clothes.

She quickly backed up as guilt washed over her once agin. She remembered the violation of his privacy that he no doubt had pieced together. She spoke before he could say anything, "V,  I'm sorry.  I didn't know what to do you were laying there and there was blood, there was so much blood, and I had to do something I couldn't just..  I'm so sorry, V."

"Yes well,  I'm sorry to have put you in the position in the first place.  I should not have returned to you in that state,"  he said simply, his tone clipped and gentlemanly in a way that did nothing to ease her concerns. 

"What you mean is you didn't plan to return to me at all,  did you?" Evey tried to keep anger from rising in her voice but was not sure that she succeded. She knew the answer, had known it for these past days, but she had to hear it from him.

After a long moment, he replied, softer this time, "No, my dear Evie.  I did not."

They stood there in silence as the music played, watching one another. Evey always felt that  V had an unfair advantage in the staring game since he could see the emotions written on her face as easily as he could read the words written in a book,  but all she could see was Guy Fawkes staring back at her with that stupid grin.

I cried a river over you
I cried a river over you