Title: Afterwards
Author: augrah
Fandom: V for Vendetta
Rating: PG
Summary: For my oldest LJ buddy phantomsangel48 who wanted a tale of our dearly beloved heroes, Finch and Evey. Ficlet.
Disclaimer: Do not, repeat, do not own these characters. All grammar mistakes are my own.

x-posted to finchfic


~o~

Afterwards, they would say they always believed it would happen.

That there had never been any doubt.

But I was there, that night on the streets, when the masked mob descended upon parliament and the security forces were paralyzed by their lack of direction. Nobody was sure of anything that night. Even those thousands who came, dressed in their robes and masks, even they had no idea what was to occur, if they were safe, if they would be punished. I suppose they came because it was the only option left. Their lives were ruined, and even a whispered promise of hope is better than none at all.

To be exact, I was not actually on the street when the mobs came, although Dominic has filled me in one some of the more intense moments. Instead, I was several kilometers away in an underground train station, then in a tower of a building I never knew existed. I suppose you could say I had balcony seats for the whole symphonic performance. And I was not alone.

She was with me.

She stood by me as the fire rose from the sky, only to descend again. She was with me when the smoke filled the air so thick that I could no longer see her face, only feel her hand as she pulled me back inside. And she was there when I told her I had to go, and when I begged to be able to return.

It was chaotic, to be sure, but not perhaps as chaotic as one would have thought. The explosions seemed to last for hours even though the fireworks only really lasted for about two or three minutes. After that, there was fire, tons of fire, and smoke that hid all the secrets and filth of what was now most definitely the previous government, and the citizens of London, who were suddenly able to feel like citizens again, helped clear the way for fire and emergency vehicles. There were few riots, few clashes, and even few arrests. It wasn’t until the embers stopped burning that people even really realized what had happened. That things would never be the same. That Adam Sutler would not be retuning.

And neither would V.

But I was given a gift that night. A gift bestowed upon a woefully undeserving man who had cowered for most of his life.

I was given the gift of friendship. I was given the gift of companionship.

I was given the gift of Evey.

All of her. All of her devotion and her fire and her passion and her humour. I was given laughter and harmony and company and intelligence and curiosity and a sly streak of a prankster.

Afterwards, we would say we always believed it would happen.

That there had never been any doubt. I had, after all, dreamt of this moment, of sitting here, a glass in my hand, watching her arrange some flowers.

But when it happened, it felt so inevitable.

Afterwards, we would say we couldn’t remember any other life than this.

Afterwards.

~o~

FIN

I have not written these characters for over a year so sorry if this is weak. :)