V FOR VENDETTA, KORY ANDERS

CHAPTER THREE

I'M A BUZZKILL
⤷ CHAPTER THREE !

          SHE HAD driven back to the loft. Vera's hand shook, the butterflies in her stomach upsetting her. She had a bad feeling. And because of that feeling, she dragged her feet getting back upstairs. She didn't want to face Keiko. She didn't want to have to lie to her face, but she had to. It's not like she could walk in the door yelling, "Hey honey, I'm home! Oh, guess what, I killed a man and just burned his corpse in the desert! And after I made sure the skin was all burnt off, I buried his bones!"

Standing right outside the door, she saw the bag of food still there. Sighing, Vera picked it up, and she used her keys to open the loft door. She opened the door slowly, peeking inside she saw Keiko sitting on the couch.

"Oh my god!" The woman shot off the couch in a sign of relief. Vera watched as her expression quickly changed to anger, and it was noticeable with her hands on her hips and all.

"Ki, I ──"

Keiko cut her off quickly, "Where the hell were you? I was so worried, and I was about to call the cops ──"

"No, no cops," Vera blurted out at a quickening pace.

Keiko titled her head to the side in confusion, of course, she wouldn't understand why, and she'd never know if it were up to the brunette.

The blonde shrugged it off. "I called the take-out restaurant, they said you never came in. I was so worried about you, and you wouldn't answer your phone! I-I-I ──" Tears began to well up in her eyes, and stream down her face in seconds. Keiko heavily sighed and plopped down onto the couch; she was crying like a river.

Vera could feel her heart falling in her chest. She made her cry; she'd never done that before.

The brunette woman half-smiled, "I'm fine, I'm a bad bitch." Keiko didn't even let out a weak laugh, she just kept crying as her head fell into her hands, and her elbows rested on her knees. Vera frowned, causing her frown lines to appear and show how old she indeed was, she then made her way to the couch. She sat beside her, plopping down just as she had done moments before.

Keiko lifted her head, she obviously smelled the smoke on her, and the tears stopped flowing down her cheeks. "You're smoking again?" She questioned.

Vera didn't respond. Vera just turned her head, starring ahead at the door, nothing but the feeling of remorse on her mind.

Keiko stood and began to pace around the room. "You were doing so good, and-and ──" She stopped for a moment, realizing what had happened with the brunette. "You were never clean, were you?" Vera then dropped her hand, staring at her feet. She could feel the disappointment of her lover. "Vera," her voice came out soft and hushed, yet she never responded, and then, Keiko sighed. And only then she plopped back down next to her.

"I'm sorry." That's the only thing Vera could muster out of her mouth at that moment. She lifted her head, turning to look at the woman sitting beside her, both their eyes wet. There wasn't a dry eye in that room.

Keiko draped an arm around her neck, pulling Vera into her embrace. "I don't mean to be so angry," Keiko felt her heart race, the palm of her hands grow sweaty, and butterflies in her stomach, "I just, I don't want you to get sick or die because I-I ──" She took a deep breath in, "Because I love you."

Vera pulled away immediately, looking at the woman confused. "What?" She choked out. Vera kept her emotions hidden, and didn't express them often, but she didn't expect to hear Keiko ever say those three words to her. She couldn't believe that someone like Keiko would love someone like her.

"I-I'm in love with you Vera Grace Barone."  Immediately Keiko's mouth flew open, finally realizing what she said. "And you don't have to say it back!" She sprung up from the couch almost instantly. "I know you're not one that really expresses their feelings, and you might not even feel the same way, but I had to tell you," she bit her lip, waiting for the woman to respond.

Vera stood there, shocked, no words came out of her mouth no matter how hard she tried. "I ──"

"Please don't say it unless you know you mean it." That was the next words out of Keiko's mouth, and Vera closed hers, nodding.

The former vigilante took ahold of her girlfriends hands, placing them on her heart. "Do you feel that?" She asked her.

Keiko stared at her chest, the thumps of her heart beating against her small fingers, "Yes," she dragged on.

Vera softly smiled at her, and she kept Keiko's fingers on her chest. "That is the feeling of my heart beating for you, and only you." And at that moment, Keiko couldn't contain her excitement. She found herself smiling and crying at the same time. Her emotions were all over the place.

Vera, who had a full-on smile now, let go of Keiko's finger, pulling her into her arms, holding her. She just kept her there, embracing the person she thought she might love.

｡･☆ : * ･ﾟ☆彡・。

          VERA AWOKE at the sound of her phone ringing. She knew it was in the wee hours of the morning when it went off from the way the light danced through the blinds. Opening her eyes, Vera grabbed ahold of the charging phone on her bedside table. Looking at the caller identification, she knew it was important.

Vera sat up, peering over her shoulder to see Keiko sleeping soundly next to her. Vera pulled herself out of bed, grabbing a lighter and a box of cigarettes on the way out, and she made her way to the balcony that was attacked for their room. She slid the door open, closing it behind her.

Vera lit up a cigarette, holding it in her left hand as she answered the call. She pressed the phone against her right ear, the nip of the early morning causing goosebumps to arise on her body. All she wore was a pair of polka dotted pajama shorts and a matching tank top; she got really hot when she slept.

"This better be important if you're calling me at this time," she sneered into her phone, taking a quick puff of her cigarette afterward.

"I thought you wanted quick results, but I guess I can always call you back later with the information you oh so desperately wanted."

Vera rolled her eyes. "What did you find out, Cat? Don't make me ask twice," she harshly spoke. The young adult bit the inside of her lip while simultaneously tapping her left foot on the concrete.

"I didn't figure out who exactly put a bounty on your head, but I did learn this: whoever it was, they didn't want you killed. Someone wants you back in Gotham, Ven. And it just is someone who has money because the mercenaries for hire will just keep coming."

Vera thickly swallowed. At once her throat began dry, and her hands became sweaty. She didn't understand why someone would want her in Gotham; usually, people wanted her out of the city. Why would you want a "hero" in a crooked city? Something very wrong was happening. Vera knew that whatever was going down, was arriving soon, dangerously soon.

Vera whispered into the phone, "Keep me posted if you find out anything else."

"I will, you know I always keep my ear to the ground."