Struggling to keep up with Homelander's long strides, Victoria was slipping in her heels. His fingers were entwined with hers, practically dragging her along the corridors of Vought Tower. She moved her free hand to her dress, picking up the material to give her more room to lengthen her strides in a feeble attempt to meet his.
"John, you're hurting my hand," she complained to him and he loosened his grip only ever so slightly, the tension moving to his jaw that seemed to be clenching. "And we're not going back to the penthouse to discuss this. Amy is there with Evelyn. I don't want our daughter to see us arguing."
"Fine," was all he snapped out.
He was angry. He was angrier than Victoria had seen him in a long time. She knew that this was probably going to be bad and she wondered what he would do if he didn't calm down. He led her towards the Seven's meeting room, stepping inside and the lights flickering on. All of the monitors were turned off, the seats around the table neatly tucked under. Victoria's eyes flickered to the mural on the ceiling for a moment as they stepped down the step to the room and the doors hissed closed behind them. Letting go of her hand, he moved into the room, hands behind his back.
Victoria apprehensively took a few steps forwards. She slipped out of her heels in case she had to move quickly. Kicking them to the side, she folded her arms over herself and shrugged her shoulders as she looked at his back, eyes glancing over the cape that dangled from his shoulders.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?"
"Who mentioned it to you?" Homelander asked from her.
"Does that matter?"
"Yes, it fucking does," he snarled, turning his head over his shoulder to look to her. She didn't recoil from him. She refused to be scared of him. "It matters because you were never supposed to find out about Flight 37. No one was supposed to find out what happened because do you have any idea what damage it could do to us? Not just to me…but to Maeve too?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Victoria said, stepping closer towards him, keeping her arms around herself. She perched on the edge of the table, standing on her toes. "I thought that Flight 37 went into the ocean? You said that you didn't get there in time. You came home that night and you…you were so upset…and then you gave that speech at the Believe Expo."
"No, we made it to the plane," he said to her and her mouth gaped open.
He figured that he had no other option but to tell her the truth. What did it matter now? She would never let it go. When she got something in her mind she was a like a dog with a bone. She refused to back down. She refused to drop it. It was one of the reasons why they clearly hadn't worked out well together on certain issues. But what did he have to lose from her knowing the truth? He'd done worse things that she knew about. Besides, Flight 37 wasn't exactly his fault. He'd never have been able to save the people on that plane. Had he behaved a bit too nonchalant about that? Perhaps, but it wasn't like he could do anything.
"You made it?" she asked from him. "You…you told me…you came home and you were so upset…and that…it was all fake?"
"We were early on in our relationship and I was trying to protect what we had, just like I always fucking do," he said with a roll of his eyes and he turned around to face her, hands remaining behind his back. She was watching him with wide eyes, lips slightly parted and forehead creased with a frown. "But there was no saving that plane, Victoria. It was going down and there was nothing that I could have done to stop it. I had nothing to stand on to lift it…if I flew at it then chances are I'd have broken through it or it would have gone ass over tit."
"So you just left them to die?"
"Maeve and I couldn't save them."
"You didn't even try?"
"How could I? You don't seem to be listening to me, darling. I couldn't stop that plane from going down. Those people were dead as soon as that flight was hijacked."
"Jesus Christ," Victoria whispered and she felt a shudder run through her, imagining what those people must have felt. They must have felt so relieved that Homelander and Queen Maeve had turned up. She could imagine them clapping and cheering, thinking that everything would be alright. And then she imagined the sheer horror they must have felt when they just left them, plane heading into the ocean.
Closing her eyes, Victoria felt a lump in her throat. "There were children on that plane, John…babies…"
"I know, but I told you that there was nothing that could be done."
"But you didn't even try!" Victoria snapped at him. "You didn't even bother to try…and yes…it might not have gone to plan, but it would have been better than just…what? Flying away? Listening to them screaming as they went down? Why did you not tell the truth? Why did you not just say that you didn't have time to save them?"
He was silent then and Victoria remembered him that day on the beach. She remembered the speech that he gave about how that would never have happened if supes were allowed in the military. She remembered how that had been Madelyn's big idea and Homelander had completely supported her through it.
"You used their deaths for your own gain," Victoria whispered, putting everything together, "to get supes into the army."
"It wasn't as if I planned the hijacking, Vicky."
"No, but you did create super-terrorists, didn't you? You're…every time I think that you can't possible do something more abhorrent, you do."
"I did what had to be done for the best possible outcome. There was no saving that plane, but we needed supes in the military to stop that from happening again," he said to her with a shrug of his shoulders, arms moving to drop his hands to his hips. His face was stoic and Victoria thought that she might be sick.
"I don't know what's worse," Victoria said to him, "the fact that you never tried to save those people…the fact that you exploited their deaths…or the fact that you aren't showing any fucking remorse over any of it…and to think that you came to me that night…pretended to be so upset and I held you. I comforted you."
"Don't pretend that you didn't get some pleasure out of that night," he demanded from her and he saw her cheeks begin to tinge red, flushing down her neck to her chest. She stood up from the table and shook her head firmly. He watched as she moved away from the room and he followed her before she could get to the door. Hand grabbing hold of her wrist, he turned her around as she tried to push him away but failed miserably. He pressed her against the door, one hand holding her hip and keeping her against it and his other hand grasping her chin.
"You act so fucking pious…so virtuous…but that's such bullshit, isn't it, sweetheart? You know who I am. You know what I've done. You pretend that I'm a monster…that I'm so disgusting to you…that you're repulsed by me…but the fact is that you're not, Victoria. You're not because you keep coming back. You keep coming back to me and needing me."
"Get off of me," Victoria snapped, hand going to his chest, but not moving him. He remained firm, his front pressed against hers as he felt every curve in her body. He moved a leg between both of hers, keeping her pressed to the steel door.
"So now you know about Flight 37. You know what happened. What does this fundamentally change, Victoria? Nothing. It changes absolutely nothing because we are still going to get married. We still have a daughter together. And it doesn't change the fact that the other week you let me fuck you into oblivion despite knowing everything else…this? It's the cherry on top of the cake, yes…but the point is that you need to stop acting so righteous."
She knew he had a point in what he was saying. She didn't want to admit it. She didn't really want him anywhere near him. She shook her head as his hand moved from her chin, the back of it running over her cheek as his forehead pressed to hers.
"You might claim to be repulsed by me, but I know different. You're equally as attracted to me and that scares you."
"Right now, I feel nothing but contempt, John," Victoria said to him. "Because every time I think you can't sink any lower, you prove me wrong. You're so fucking good at doing that…and I want you nowhere near me…not again…and I swear that Evelyn is the only reason why I'm staying here now, but I am never letting you get your claws in her."
"You think you can leave me?" Homelander demanded from her, hand on her hip pressing tighter and causing her to squirm in pain at the feeling of it. "Oh no. You're never leaving me, Victoria. You're mine…and if you even think of leaving me…taking my daughter then I swear you'll regret it. Believe me."
"So you're threatening me?" Victoria questioned him, hand going to his wrist to try and pull him from her. But he wasn't budging. "Really? One minute you're telling me how much you love me…how well we work together…and the next this."
"You always said I was a contradiction," Homelander replied. "And I am doing what I have to do to keep us together…to keep my daughter with us…to protect what we have. It's why I do everything that I do and eventually you'll see that. You'll be angry for a short while, just like you always have been with me whenever I do something that goes against that perfect moral compass of yours, but you'll get over it. You'll eventually get over it because it's what you do…just like you did in Chicago when you needed me."
"Not this time," she said with a shake of her head.
"Keep kidding yourself, sweetheart," he urged from her. "But we'll be fine. For now, I need to go and deal with Maeve."
"What do you mean deal with Maeve?" Victoria questioned from him and she felt his thumb brush over her lower lip, palm cupping her chin.
"She told you all of this. She's got a video of what happened on the flight and she's been blackmailing me with it…threatening to release it. She knows that if she does release it then I'd be ruined."
"So that's why you've been subdued?" she asked from him. "Because she's been blackmailing you? Not because…"
"Not because?" he pushed her on the point, looking at her as his thumb stroked along her cheekbone.
"Because you want to do the right thing for our daughter?" she asked from him and he said nothing for a moment, not entirely certain what he should say on that point. He just nodded his head once, letting her believe whatever was for the best.
"That's another reason," he said. "But I am still going to find Maeve. She had no right to involve herself in any of my business and she'll see that soon enough."
"John, no, you can't do that," Victoria said as he stepped back from her and pushed the button to open the door. Victoria followed after him, holding her skirts up and walking, almost running, to keep up. He came to the elevator and pushed the button, Victoria clinging onto his elbow. "John, just leave Maeve alone. Please."
"Why? She's done nothing but try to ruin everything that I have. She's selfish…so fucking selfish…and after I let her have Elena. I let her be free and happy. Is this jealousy? Is she just jealous of me and what I have with you because she knew that she'd never have it with me?"
"I don't know," Victoria said quickly to him but she knew that was a load of crap. She just needed to keep him away from Maeve because she had no idea what he might do to her when he was so volatile. "But it's not as if you can do anything, is it? You can go up there and…what? Kill her? Hurt her?"
"I can do whatever the fuck I want."
He snapped at her and moved into the elevator, Victoria following him and standing in front of the control panel, refusing to get out of his way. Hands on his hips, he sighed as the doors closed by the car didn't move. Cocking his head to the side, he looked to Victoria with a dark glare.
"Move," he demanded from her.
"No," she responded with a shake of her head.
"You know that I can just move you, right?" he checked with her.
"I know, but I don't want you to. Just leave Maeve alone…not for me…but for Evie. Think about our daughter," she demanded from him and his eyes widened at that. She saw his lip quiver for a moment and she knew she had him where she wanted him. "It might be too late for us…and we both know that…but not for her. I know that I'm not taking her anywhere. I know that I'm never going to be able to leave with her, but you can at least try and make this bearable, John…for all of us…do you not want to try and make amends for our daughter?"
He continued staring at her as time seemed to stretch. She remained in front of the control panel, not letting him press the button. He stepped towards her, the movement slow and purposeful. She inhaled a sharp breath before he placed a hand either side of her head, leaning towards her and bowing his head. She was smaller than him without her heels on, her gaze settled right on his neck.
"You know how you used to say that Madelyn was an expert manipulator? How she always said the right thing to get me to do what she wanted?" he questioned form her. She said nothing. "What makes you so different to her now, hm? What sets you two apart? She claimed to love me, but she was scared of me…just like you're scared of me now you know the truth."
It was then when Victoria shook her head. She picked her head up, chin jutting out and her eyes met his blue gaze. He had his lips curved menacingly, but the smirk faltered when he saw her tilt her head and look at him with something that definitely wasn't fear.
"I'm not scared of what you could do to me," she said to him. "If you wanted to hurt me then you'd have done it months ago, but you never did. You did everything to keep me…you even let me go before…because you love me. Despite everything…all of my attempts to push you away, you never go. You just stand there steadfast, thinking that I will come back to you because I love you. But it's not enough, not anymore."
His face faltered and she saw the quiver of his bottom lip. She kept going, voice low and gentle. He was right. She was trying to manipulate him because she wanted him nowhere near Maeve. But that didn't mean there was no truth to her words because there was.
"And I would have left you. I did leave you before I found out I was pregnant," she reminded him. "But now…we both know if Evelyn wasn't here then I wouldn't be either. Deep down you know that."
He bit down on his tongue sharply, almost tasting blood at the force. He hated it but he knew she was right.
"I'm here because of Evelyn. I'm never going to leave her and I know that if I even tried to then you'd find us and…I don't want you to take her from me," she said and he saw the desperation in her gaze then. She moved her hand to his upper arm, gripping onto it firmly. "There's nothing for us now. We can't go back to how it was. We can't go back and pretend none of this happened…but we need to think about Evelyn. She comes first and I know that you want her to look up to you. Don't you at least want to try and be better for her?"
Saying nothing, he stewed in his own thoughts before the doors opened once more after not moving for quite some time. His jaw was firm set and he moved his hand to her cheek, pushing her hair behind her ear. He left without another word and she knew that he wasn't going to go and find Maeve. She was confident of that one thing.
Slumping against the wall of the elevator, Victoria moved a hand to her mouth and gasped loudly before falling to the fall, legs curled up beneath her and head bowed as she thought about Flight 37.
…
Victoria hardly said anything to Homelander for almost a month. He was getting tired of her silent treatment, but he knew she would crack eventually. It was bound to happen and he was confident of it. She loved him and that meant something. He would be patient if he had to be. He did find himself confiding in Stormfront however, going down to see her in the medical bay where she was well hidden. Victoria hardly acknowledged him. She would wake up first thing in the morning and tend to Evelyn before leaving her with a Vought nanny for an hour and going down to the pool to swim. Homelander would often watch her on the security camera.
She would do laps for forty minutes, hair flowing around her head as she did breaststrokes. She went up and down continuously, not stopping for breath or pausing. It was only when she finished did she lay her arms on the edge of the pool, cheek turned onto her arm. She'd close her eyes and get her breath back and then just float there. He would watch her until she climbed from the pool, the simple black costume clinging to her body.
The first time she had gone down to the pool there had been three other employees there. Ever since Homelander had noticed one of the kids from tech look at her chest as she climbed out, no one used the pool at the same time as her. He'd made sure that Ashley had enforced that rule. Victoria knew it too, but she'd said nothing. She found it almost comical that he thought he had any control over who stared at her. He was possessive over someone who didn't even want him.
"This came for you earlier," Homelander informed her as she walked back into the penthouse after her morning swim. She had showered and changed, hair hanging in a wet bun at the nape of her neck. He could still smell a whiff of chlorine from her despite the fact she'd showered and doused herself in shower gel.
"What is it?" she questioned.
He was stood with Evelyn in his arms, their daughter gurgling softly as her head sat by his neck. He buried his nose into her soft curls that had begun to grow on the top of her head. Victoria looked to the bag on the couch. It was a garment bag and there was a glossy one next to it on the floor. She began to pull on the zipper and stopped after a moment.
"No idea," Homelander responded. "Anything interesting?"
"A wedding dress," she said. "Seems apt that I have no control over anything anymore. Why would I get to pick my own dress?"
"Do you not like it?"
"I haven't even seen it."
"Well, let's look," Homelander said and she turned her head over her shoulder to glance at him. He rolled his eyes at her expression. "It's not as if we can have any more bad luck going into this marriage, is it?"
"Depends on if there's some cruise ship you left to sink that you're not telling me about," Victoria mumbled and Homelander chuckled at her sarcastic response. He held Evelyn in front of him, bouncing her up and down gently in his arms as her eyes met his and he continued staring at her.
"Mummy is always like this, Evie. You get used to it…well…I get used to it…she reserves her attitude just for me because she thinks I'm a monster."
"Don't talk to her like that."
"She doesn't understand what I'm saying."
"I'd prefer not to have you do it though," Victoria said to him and she left the dress on the seat, arms going over her chest before she stepped towards them and he continued bouncing Evelyn in his arms. "She's impressionable and I don't want her picking up any bad habits or getting the wrong impression."
"Don't worry, it's not as if I've committed atrocities in front of her," he replied and saw Victoria continue to frown. He rolled his eyes and sighed, walking through the room, lifting Evelyn into the air and back down again. She seemed to gurgle happily at the movement, his smile set on his daughter. "Your mummy never used to be this uptight, Evie. She used to be fun."
"I still am, it's just that there's not much fun to be had right now," Victoria retorted. "Anyway, I thought that you'd be at work. Where's Jessica?"
"Who is Jessica?"
"The nanny," Victoria said to him and she realised that he never bothered to learn names. It was like people were beneath him.
"I told her to go. I'm not working today…got the day off. I was thinking of taking this one for a walk somewhere out of the city…going somewhere quiet."
"You think that's a good idea?"
"I've taken her for a walk before."
"Never out of the city."
"She'll be able to fly one day. She'll be fine."
Victoria gaped. Hands dropped to her hips. "You are not flying our daughter anywhere, John," she said to him firmly. "If you insist on taking her for a walk then you're driving. She has a car seat."
He rolled his eyes. "You know that she's my daughter, right? She's going to be one of the strongest girl's alive."
"Going to be, but not right now and you are not taking chances with her…even better…I'm coming. If you want to take her then I'm coming and I'm not listening to you argue with me," she retorted. He began to open his mouth, but she held a hand up and shook her head. Picking the wedding dress up, she tossed it over her shoulder and grabbed the shiny bag that contained shoes and what looked like a veil. "I'm coming and that's final."
He watched her take the items up the stairs and Homelander looked to Evelyn, her wide eyes on him. He shrugged his shoulders at her. "Your mummy is a contradiction…but we love her anyway."
…
Victoria was the one pushing the pram along the wide paths. The park was pretty empty and she recognised it as one that her and John used to frequent when things had been simpler between them. They'd spent time walking along the paths, his hand in hers as they talked about everything and nothing of importance. They enjoyed it because it was so far out the city that no one really visited it during the workday except for the occasional mother with her baby or dog walker. It was like that when they went on the cold February morning with Evelyn.
Homelander was walking to her side, constantly alert and looking around. Evelyn was tucked under thick blankets, her little face content and her eyes closed, the fresh air causing her to sleep. She had earmuffs over her head and Homelander could see her pink coat against her small neck peeking out from underneath the quilt.
"I didn't like the dress Ashley sent," Victoria suddenly said to him.
She had thick woollen gloves on her fingers, her road coat buttoned up to her chest and a checked scarf poking out the gap. She ambled slowly by his side, her hair tugged into a ponytail, wisps coming out and blowing gently in the wind. He watched her for a few moments as she kept looking between Evelyn and the path ahead.
"What was wrong with it?"
"It didn't look right…it just…it felt like some big Princess dress and that's not what I want," Victoria said to him with a shake of her head slowly. "It feels like something made for someone other than me. I'd prefer something simpler."
"I'll sort it. You can pick your own," Homelander said to her with a wave of his hand and she gave him a tight nod as they rounded the corner and came to a familiar wooded area. She stopped for a moment and he picked up on her heartrate and heat from her cheeks. She looked into the woodland and Homelander followed her gaze, his own lips arching into a sad smile as he recalled the last time they had been there.
"We don't have to talk about it."
Victoria was holding onto Homelander's hand. The sun had set and the night had turned chilly. It had been two days since he'd been forced to do the fake documentary that he had no desire to do. Thankfully, he hadn't filmed everything. After his breakdown he had ran away, no desire to go back and be a Vought lackey and give them what they wanted from him. But it was still playing on his mind. His childhood was still there, locked away but not so securely that it didn't haunt him every so often. He knew that it was a small part of him that thought about them. It was a part of him that longed for approval. He longed for a family and he knew it made him weak, but he didn't care when it came to Victoria. He would be strong. He could have it all.
"You know when you say we don't have to talk about it…you usually just end up talking about it," he said to her and she shrugged.
"I just think that talking about things helps," she responded.
He wasn't a talker. He didn't believe in talking about his feelings. But he opened up when it came to her. He always did.
Victoria kept hold of his hand as they continued wandering down the path together, arms occasionally bumping against each other. They didn't see many other people and those that they did see they just gave a wide berth. Homelander was in no mood for talking. Eventually, Victoria moved off the path and down the dirt track that was big enough for just one person to walk on. Homelander let her take the path, walking on the grass besides her.
"You know," she continued when he remained silent, "after what Eddie did to me, I didn't want to talk about it. I just wanted to bottle everything up…I…a part of me felt as though it would hurt too much to relive it and it does. It does hurt to relive it, but it also helped. It helped to have someone listen and tell me that what happened wasn't my fault."
Homelander shook his head quickly. "How could you think any of what he did to you was your fault?"
"Because I didn't fight him in the end…because I never spoke up…I know it wasn't my fault, but the mind…well…it doesn't always think what you want it to think," Victoria said and she stared up at him as they came to a fallen tree, the branch separated from its trunk, well and truly off the main path. He climbed over the branch and held his hand out, helping Victoria to climb onto the stump. She remained there, hands going to his shoulders as he took hold of her waist and helped her down.
"All I'm saying is that it might help to talk about it…and that might not be with me-"
"-A shrink?" he interrupted, sounding horrified. He shook his head quickly. That was never going to happen.
"Alright," she said, not pushing him as she kept hold of his shoulders to stop him from moving off. "What about me?"
He watched her as she stared up at him, so innocent to everything. Her wide eyes were watching him with longing: longing for him to tell her everything about his life. She had told him all of the pain she'd suffered. She had laid everything bare to him and he had been nothing but accepting. He moved his hands from her hips and picked her hand from his shoulder, an arm wrapping over her own as he forced her to continue walking.
"They never gave me a normal childhood. Everyone was too scared to come near me," he said to her. He could give her a snippet. She'd appreciate that. "You know how I said that blanket was all I had? I'm not kidding…I mean…they gave me toys and stuff to play with as I grew up, but I never really got it. What's the fun in playing on your own? And then there was Vogelbaum…he wanted to create America's perfect superhero and that was me. I was raised to be All-American…perfect…normal kids had fun, didn't they? But I never had that. They told me that the Seven would be my family. It felt like a sick joke. They decided everything in my life, even my fucking family who turned out to be nothing like a family I'd want."
Victoria continued listening to him, her hand holding his on her shoulder, thumb running over his knuckles slowly. He kept his grip firm on her, not wanting to let her go. "And then you came along," he said to her. "You…and I had no say over dating you either. Madelyn bulldozed me into it…but then when we kept this going…when we said fuck the contract…I think that was the first time I've done something because I want to do it."
She smiled sadly, glad that she could give him some semblance of peace.
"And I know that I can't have children. I know that it's not possible for me to have a family, but if you can accept that…stay with me…then you're all the family I need."
Victoria's chest ached at hearing him say that. She bit down on her bottom lip and glanced up to him for a moment, stopping their walk. He turned to look to her and she knew that it was scary. She had never been anyone's everything. She'd never been anything but a quick fling and now she was here with a man who wanted just her. It was nerve-wracking. She just wanted to make him happy. Standing on her toes, she gave him what he wanted. She was scared, but she was excited more than anything. She was excited to start a life with him. Kissing him sweetly, she closed her eyes and let him wrap his arms around her waist, holding her to him.
Homelander kept thinking about how she had kissed him. That kiss had said everything. It had promised him that everything was going to be fine, that she was going nowhere. He remembered how he had rucked her dress up to her hips, pushing her against the tree and claiming her for his own, kissing her tenderly and whispering about how much he loved her.
"Feels like an age ago, doesn't it?" he said and they moved away from the dirt path.
"Because it was, I guess," Victoria said, hand holding tightly onto the handle of the pram. He walked closer to her and Victoria felt his hand go to the small of her back, pressing into it gently. "John," she warned him.
"Just…we're a normal family…just for an hour," he urged from her and she said nothing, knowing that there was no point in arguing with him. She'd never get what she wanted anymore.
…
Looking in the mirror, Victoria was trying not to cry. She was by herself trying on wedding dresses in one of Vought's changing rooms that was usually reserved for supes who were getting new costumes. The last time she had tried on wedding dresses had been with Michelle. She'd been pregnant. But now she was alone. Annie had been called off on some emergency and Daniella wasn't talking to her. Billy was hardly going to fill in as a sub. And so she had done it by herself. She thought that it might be easier.
But as she tried on a simple satin number that came down to her ankles, the sleeves long and going to her wrist, she broke down. She moved her hands to cover her mouth and knew that this was it. This was her life. She wasn't going to get away from him now. Was there ever going to be anything that could defeat him? She knew that was the only way she was going to get away with Evelyn. It didn't help that a small part of her still wanted the life she thought they might have had. She felt disgusting for loving him when she knew what he was.
"Victoria, how's it going in there?"
She looked to the wooden door and knew Ashley had finally found her. No doubt she had a team out there to take the alterations of her dress.
"Just a minute," Victoria managed to shout, her voice hoarse.
Looking in the mirror, she felt afraid for the first time. She was afraid that she would never stop loving him. She was afraid about how he would want to raise their daughter, despite promising her that they would both have a say. She was afraid that he would raise her to think that people were beneath her as he clearly did. And then she was afraid that this would be her life. She'd never see Daniella again. Annie would always tread on eggshells around her. Billy would never look at her without thinking about the man who raped his wife.
And Victoria, selfishly, wanted someone to love her. She didn't want a marriage filled with contempt and loathing. She didn't want a marriage where they would both be miserable. She knew that he thought she needed time to accept him, but no amount of time would turn the clock back. She knew too much now. Before then she thought he was perfect. She didn't think anyone could love her so unconditionally and it thrilled her. She wanted to love like that again, but it would never be with him. How could it be? She just felt helpless. She felt her life slipping away.
She moved around the room, needing to get out and get away from the rack of dresses that seemed to be taunting her in the corner. Reaching behind for the zip to the dress, she struggled to get it, her hands shaking and the zip not budging as she tugged it down. Shaking her head, she just left the room, unlocking the door and barging past Ashley as the new CEO stood there with her assistant behind her.
"Victoria…what the hell is going on?" Ashley demanded.
Victoria didn't stop, rushing down the corridor with the other changing rooms off of it. Thankfully the space was empty. She didn't bother to stop as Ashley kept shouting after her. She knew she looked a state, the zip halfway down her back, her feet covered in her black socks that didn't go with her dress at all. She saw the elevator and the doors were wide open.
"Hold it!" she snapped and she saw a man stood there, dressed in a supe costume. It was white, blue and red with a star on the chest, his hair cropped on top of his head. He did as she had asked, holding the doors and standing to the side. She stepped into the elevator as Ashley continued shouting her name.
Victoria pressed for the doors to close and felt a moment of relief that she was away from Ashley and her demands. She fell back against the wall as the man looked to her, his brow arched.
"Can't say I've ever seen a runaway bride in real life," he said.
She ignored his quip. "Which floor is this going to?"
"Ninety-ninth," he said and she quickly shook her head.
"I can't go up there…Ashley will have told him and I can't see him…not yet…" she said and the man held his hands up, trying to keep her calm. He hit the emergency stop button and the car came to a jolting halt. Victoria let out a deep breath, the noise shaky and her face deathly pale as she fell back against the wall and slumped to the ground, pulling her legs up to her chest in front of her.
He watched her for a few moments before he sat down opposite her, leaning against the wall, legs stretched in front of him. He suspected that he wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon, not if the sight of the woman opposite him was any sign.
"You're Homelander's fiancée, right?" he broached the topic.
Victoria knew she had to pull herself together. If Homelander got word of her freaking out and running off then she knew it wouldn't go down well. They had appearances to uphold. They had to portray themselves in a certain way. He saw her gulp loudly and then nod her head once. She didn't know if she could speak coherently just yet. She took a few moments to brush her hair behind her ears and nod.
"Yeah," she managed to get out.
"So…is there a particular reason why you're running around in a wedding dress? I take it you haven't left him at the altar."
She shook her head. "It was the fitting," she just said. "I…I just needed a minute…and you know how Ashley can be, I guess?"
"I've had the pleasure a couple of times," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Who are you anyway?" Victoria asked, needing the attention to be away from her for a few minutes. She knew he'd have lots of questions. It wasn't every day a stranger trapped you in a lift. He bit his tongue to stop himself from asking her not to deflect. He guessed she maybe needed it.
"I'm almost insulted you don't know," he said and Victoria observed him. But he didn't make her guess. "My name's Alex."
"And you're a supe?"
"What gave it away?" he asked and she arched her brow before he looked down and motioned to his costume. "Right, I guess this probably helps," he said and he looked over to her again, picking up on the brief smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm a supe," he said to her with a nod. "Supersonic. I was here to talk about the audition process for American Hero."
"Supersonic?" Victoria checked.
"So you have heard of me?"
"Hard not to walk around a supermarket without hearing Rock My Kiss," Victoria commented and he chuckled at that, nodding his head and scratching the back of his neck.
"Well, either that or turning on the news and hearing about my rehab stint," he said to her.
"I think you're definitely better known for your pop songs."
"Not sure that's a good thing or a bad thing," he admitted and Victoria let him keep talking. "But I'm sure the last thing you want is to be stuck in a lift with me talking about me."
"Better than trying on wedding dresses," Victoria replied.
"Not sure if that's a compliment or an insult," he responded. "I mean, I thought that this was going to be the wedding of the century. No one can stop talking about you and Homelander…wondering when the big day is…and you two look so happy."
"Yeah," was all she offered him and he wondered if she was getting cold feet. But it wasn't as if she could tell him the truth. How could she possibly say anything?
He said nothing else for a moment as his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. Tugging it out, he hardly recognised the number. Hesitantly, he answered the call and Victoria listened in as he spoke.
"Alex…yeah…she is…okay…fine…I'll tell her."
He hung up after the quick call and placed his phone back into his pocket. "That was Ashley. She's freaking out and wants to know where you are…she must have seen me in the elevator," he said. "She has Starlight with her on the penthouse floor."
Annie. If Annie was there then that was something. Victoria moved her hands to her eyes, wiping them and hoping she didn't look too much of a mess. She stood up and hit the button once again to keep the elevator moving. Alex watched her, knowing that there was something wrong. He stood up quickly and hit the stop button again. Victoria frowned, watching him.
"Why did you do that?"
"Look, you can tell me to get lost and to mind my own business," he began, "but running away from trying wedding dresses on isn't normal behaviour and…and you look scared."
"I'm fine."
"Really? Because I can see it in your eyes that there is something wrong," he said to her.
"Look, Alex, I'm perfectly fine. I just got overwhelmed. That's all," she responded and reached around him to hit the button to get the elevator moving again. He stepped back, not bothering to crowd her. He would hardly get the truth out of her. She didn't know him. He didn't know her. But he knew that there was something that was off with her. As the elevator slowed, Victoria turned her head over her shoulder and looked at him.
"Don't do the show," she said, her gaze moving over his kind features. He frowned, brows knitting together. "You don't want to join the Seven. Trust me."
He had no option to ask her what she meant by that. The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Annie was stood there in her costume, Ashley behind her with the other Ashley behind her.
"What the hell was that?" Ashley snapped loudly at Victoria as soon as the stainless steel doors parted. "You can't just run off like that, Victoria. Do you know how much that dress costs-"
"-I don't think that's helpful," Annie was the one who interrupted, Alex holding the door open to the elevator, not letting it close. His gaze met Annie's and he saw a look of shock pass her features. Did she not know that he was auditioning for the show? He just gave her a brief smile which she returned momentarily, her attention mainly going to her friend as she took hold of Victoria, arm going round her shoulders.
"I'm sorry, I just freaked out for a moment," Victoria said, trying to come across as composed. "I'll go and change out of it…but this is the one."
"Seriously?" Ashley asked. She clearly didn't like it.
"I think it's stunning," Annie tacked on, sending a warning look to Ashley. "But let's go and get you out of it, okay?"
Victoria nodded and glanced over her shoulder, looking to Alex. "Thank you," she said appreciatively and he just managed a soft nod with a wave as Ashley turned her attention to him and Annie walked with Victoria back to her own rooms, not back to Homelander's penthouse.
Stepping into the apartment, Victoria let out another deep breath she'd been holding in. "Does Homelander know what just happened?" she asked from her.
Annie shook her head. "I made Ashley promise to keep it from him. I caught her before she could find him in the meeting room," she promised. "What's going on? You're not okay and don't even pretend to tell me you are."
"Can you get me out of this thing?" Victoria asked and Annie stepped behind her, reaching for the zip and tugging it down. Victoria shimmied out of the gown, leaving it to sit over the back of a chair before Annie handed her a spare shirt she had left to dry on the airer. Victoria slipped it over her head and took the jogging pants too.
"Better?"
"Better," Victoria confirmed and she went to sit down Annie's sofa. Annie grabbed two cans of coke from her fridge, setting them onto her coffee table and sitting down next to Victoria. She folded her legs beneath her body, arm stretching out over the back of the sofa as Victoria curled into a ball on it.
"You know you can talk to me, right? It feels like ever since you found out about Flight 37…you've been reserved…like you…like you don't want to talk to me."
"I just…I never know what to say," Victoria confessed to her. "Because there's nothing that you can do, Annie. I have to marry him. I have to stay with him because we have Evelyn and I know that he says he'd never take her from me but that's conditional on me being here. I just…I need to stop moaning about it…I need to just accept it because I have Evie and she needs me."
"That doesn't mean you have to bottle it up," Annie said. "You can talk to me about it and you know that I will do everything I can to stop him."
"I know," Victoria said, well aware that Annie hoped there might be some way to stop him. "I just…the idea of marriage seems so permanent…of having to stand there and pretend to be happy when I know that we never can be…but wanting it all the same. I used to imagine this, Annie. When we first got engaged, I used to imagine marrying him and it excited me."
"I know," Annie said, hand going to her arm and touching it gently. "But you deserve so much better than him. You deserve someone who loves you and can make you happy."
"You want to know the scary part? When it's just us…he does that," Victoria confessed. "But there's no point dwelling on that. I need to go and get back to Evelyn before he comes home."
"We'll find a way out, Vicky, I promise," Annie said, squeezing her shoulder. Victoria just offered her a tight smile, not entirely sure if they could.
…
A/N: Slowly coming to season 3. Next chapter...will there be a wedding? Does Homelander have any reason to feel jealous and over who (we all know how he reacts when he does?) Would love to know your thoughts/suspicions about what might be coming up - reviews really do help keep me going with this one!