AN: Hi Everyone!
I have been informed that this story is being posted on Webnovel under the name: The Boys: Reborn as Homelander.
It is not me who is posting the story there. Fanfic is the only site where I have posted any of my stories.
Thank you to The Watcher of Fiction for letting me know in the reviews!
I hope you enjoy the chapter.
TIMELINE & DATE:
I think Season 3 happens during 2021 with the last few episodes happening after Homelander's Birthday Special which is July 4th. So I put the action for the last few episodes to happen towards the end of August or first week of September.
For this story I am moving the date up by one year so Chapters 1 through 15 happen during the last week of August first week of September 2022.
My reasoning is that in the show they have a presidential election coming up. In the real world the next election is 2024 and campaigning starts around two years before the election so it fits nicely with the real world and makes future date calculations much easier for me.
AS I'm starting the time skip I won't be providing exact dates only months and years and sometimes only years as we get further along the timeline.
Chapter 17
Date: October 2022
"…even with the increased debt ratios the projected cashflows are more than enough to cover both interest servicing and the increased opex…"
As I sat in the conference room surrounded by the exec team I couldn't help but feel excited watching Ashley answer question after question with machine like precision.
Dressed in a light blue power suit jacket and pencil skirt, along with matching bra and panties, yes I peeked…sue me, plump red lips moving without hesitation I couldn't help but think she looked like a preppy terminator but instead of killing she was spitting finance answers.
Truthfully I was getting a stiffy.
After years of pressure working for Vaught and handling Homelander there was nothing these finance cucks could throw that would faze her.
'HA! Eat your heart out Edgar!' Ashley was a diamond in the making.
She was sitting at the head of the table, strategically placed to show that she was in charge or Vaught while I was in my full suit at the middle of the table.
Chairman off the board or not the 'Street' had only known me a 'Homelander the Hero', the 'Savior of New York', leader of 'The Seven'.
Officially I had no business experience and even though I had much more patience to answer their questions than the 'old' Homelander it was best that answers came from someone who was at least qualified in their eyes.
Even so the earnings call was going just ok.
Both our revenues and profits had dipped for the quarter which was no surprise to anyone considering the shit show Vaught had gone through in the last few months.
Of course it wasn't our quarterly results that caused the uproar it was the forecast along with all the new initiatives that broke all hell loose.
Realistically projected earnings for 2022 were going to be ok, lower than expected but overall ok. It took time for initiatives to ramp up especially in a big corporation like Vaught.
Next year was where most of the spending would ramp up along with the partnership with Byron SatCom for V-Light the new satellite telecom venture.
Yea, people freaked out about that and the grilling intensified.
Not only that but then they realized how much we were planning on borrowing and saw how much the debt ratios went up they had a stroke again.
It was a bit unorthodox the way we were presenting this. Usually we'd announce new ventures or initiatives come budget time, using press conferences once it was all planned.
Crossing the I's and dotting the T's, that sort of thing. This time I instead went for a massive push on the whole management team for the past two months to get a semblance of plan out as early as possible.
I wanted the 'Street' to get used to the new management initiatives along with the venture into Telecom and space as early as possible.
Take the stock slump this year as a shock and ironically let it ride back up in the next year while the actual spending spree is on the way.
In a way I was doing this for this for the stockholders, minimizing the risks and protecting their interests. Of course the most specific stockholder I was worried about was me.
A lot of Homelander's wealth was tied up in Vaught stock. Between the various royalties and stock portfolios his and now my net worth was around four hundred million dollars.
Now Homelander never really put any care into his finances and why should he? Everything he ever needed or wanted was provided by Vaught.
Unlike him, I cared about it quite a bit and just like Vaught I was planning on borrowing a metric ton, against my stock and options, not only to diversify but also to invest in V-Light and the soon to be acknowledged space ventures.
I understood very well the power and influence money gave you especially when you had a large purse to spend on whatever you wanted.
I didn't just plan on being the most powerful person physically or figuratively by being at the head of Vaught, I was going for personal power in all aspects of my life.
There was also the factor that I was riding high on the 'Savior of New York' bit which gave a lot of public leeway.
That made it unlikely that some of our biggest shareholders like the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYLRS) who administers both the Employees Retirement System (ERS) funds and the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) funds would move to remove me from the board for all the changes I was bringing in.
For now New York loved me and I needed to take advantage of that.
"…with Byron providing their satellite technology and Vaught administrative and launch capabilities…" Ashley confidently droned answers on and on.
'First the earnings call then the ensuing media circus probably for another two months hopefully it will calm down by the New Year.'
Was all I could think as the meeting continued past the scheduled hour.
Scene Break
Date: December 2022
Maeve walked into the surprisingly clean apartment with trepidation and a bit of dread.
"So what brings your royal highness to visit little old me?" Butcher's gruff voice asked and Maeve couldn't help but scowl. "Didn't happen to finally get your hands on some V did you?"
"No security is still tighter than a drum. You look like shit, not eating again?" She eyes his dark circles under his eyes and thinning frame. 'Christ he probably lost another stone!' she thought.
Billy scowled in return and went to the kitchen and pulled out a whiskey bottle from one of the top cabinets and two glasses.
"The bloody pills keep the seizures away but cut the hunger right out makes everything taste like stale cardboard." He said and took a sip of the caramel liquid.
"Not whiskey I see." She remarked.
"No, not whiskey." He gave her a cocky smirk "Whether it's the V, the pills or the booze one way or another I'm slowly wasting away, might as well make it all three." He said and handed her the second glass.
She took it put it to her lips and took a small sip. They both stood in silence for a brief moment enjoying the sensation of the drink.
"Have you visited Hughie?" His demeanor darkened instantly.
"Bit hard to do with the monitor." He said and tapped his ankle.
"Like that could stop you." She couldn't help but sarcastically remark.
"Well, wouldn't want to make Malory look bad. She went to bat for me on this one." He took another strong swing of his glass turning away back to the kitchen counter.
She felt a surge of annoyance at him.
"You should go. Doctors said it's a miracle he even regained consciousness, they say it could be any day now. Annie's there every day, even M.M showed-"
"YES I FUCKING KNOW!" he said slamming his glass down on the counter shattering it.
Maeve watched as Butcher suddenly stopped and took a deep breath. "I know. I know. Ok. I will." He said with finality.
"Now you're not really here to nag me about my absence from visiting hours, I got enough of that from Frenchy and Kimiko, nor do I see a magic cure all vial in your hands so why are you here?" He asked as he started to clean up the broken glass and spilled contents.
The sense of anxiety overtook her again. This was the moment she had dreaded for the last week but he needed to know.
She took a quick breath and steadied herself.
"No, you're right. I'm here to tell you that I'm pregnant."
He stopped and paused for a moment then turned to her from the kitchen counter.
"Well, congratulations." He said. "Seems to be that tis' the season." He remarked and she couldn't help but give him a questioning look.
"Kimiko broke the news two weeks ago. Haven't seen Frenchy happier…" He paused "Or more scared than ever."
He went and threw the shards in his hand in the trash. "But I am quite curios" he said turning back to her "How'd that happen?"
Now Maeve felt annoyed and put her hands on her hips in her signature pose. "Do I have to explain the birds and the bees to you? Do you want the Disney version or Animal Planet?" she let her sarcasm show.
"Cheeky!" he responded back. "But you and Elena…well two flowers don't work that way usually you need a stinger in between."
"Obviously." She remarked.
"Now who's the lucky fellow?"
She paused, raised her brows and slightly inclined her head as if you point at him.
Maeve saw the exact moment as realization came into his eyes.
"I'm the stinger?" he said more as a statement than a question.
"By process of elimination, I hadn't slept with anyone in months before and no one after." She affirmed.
"Fuck." Was his only response. He tried to hide it but she could see conflicting emotions struggling for dominance in his eyes.
She saw that she didn't know what to say so she continued.
"William" she said bringing his attention back. "I'm going to keep it. I hadn't thought I was going to be a mother in a long time but now that it's happened." She paused.
She wasn't sure how to express the feelings she's felt ever since realizing she was pregnant nor could she properly explain the process of how she came to the decisions.
"Well I just feel like it's the right way to go." She paused again. "I'm telling you because it's the right thing, because you should know, because well-"
"Because I might kick the bucket any day as well. Because it's unlikely I'll see the birth of my own child." He said and stopped.
They both stared at each other in silence for a moment.
"Right fucking mess this is." He finally said.
"Does Homelander know?"
Maeve felt a surge anger and annoyance permeate her being again. Homelander, Homelander, it always came down to Homelander with Butcher.
She was annoyed at Butcher for bringing him into this and she was annoyed at him for being right to ask the question.
'How will Homelander react to her carrying Butcher's child?' …that is if he ever found out it was his. She couldn't get a read him anymore there were to many changes that happened in both him and Vaught but she didn't feel that Homelander will take any action against her.
"I don't know. I haven't told him so I don't think so."
"Good." He said firmly. "You don't know what that crazy cunt might do. He might hurt you both out of spite."
"He might." She acknowledged. "But I don't think so, something's changed in him, spending time with…Ryan …changed him, I think." she said hesitantly, she knew there were unresolved issues between Butcher and Ryan so she quickly continued "Besides Vaught wouldn't waste the marketing opportunity."
Butcher scoffed.
"They'll parade you around like a prized mare, the pregnant 'Icon', superhero mommy, Christ I can see the billboards now." He said.
"Probably." She said her tone resigned. "I won't be able to acknowledge that it's yours. The PR would be a disaster."
He was silent for a split second.
"Probably for the best. I'll be surprised if Vaught doesn't imply Immaculate Conception to begin with."
She smiled. "I'm sure someone in marketing will at least suggest it."
"Do you know what it is?" he asked cautiously. She shook her head.
"No not yet. Maybe in a week or so once I do the tests."
He nodded, eyes understanding silently looking at her.
A moment, then two, then three passed as they stared at each other until he finally broke.
"Now what?" he asked.
She took a moment more, unsure of where to go.
"I guess, now you know." She said her shoulders feeling lighter. "Nothing else really."
Scene Break
Date: January 2023
The wind moved with strengthening speed from the north bringing a crisp cold chill to anyone foolish enough to be in its path.
The wind was a preview of the snow storm that was supposed to hit the east coast in the next two days.
The storm was going to be a giant mess of icy rain and snow that the networks have been raving for the last few days striking much needed fear and caution into regular folks urging them to stay inside and be safe.
Even with the best efforts of state and local officials it was inevitable that a whole lot of people would be in danger either caught outside in the storm or even in their own homes.
All incidents were of course excellent PR opportunities.
Truthfully that's what winter was a giant PR opportunity for Vaught. There was no better opportunity for our heroes to go out there and make themselves useful than a big natural disaster.
The wind picked up again catching my cape and pushing sidewise on me strongly that I had to 'steady' myself in the air.
It didn't help that I was about two miles high up where the intensity was much higher than the ground.
As I steadied myself in position I didn't take my eyes off the group I was watching on the ground 'foolish' enough to be outside.
Was I surveying a group of thieves? Murderers? Criminal masterminds? Super villains?
No of course not.
I was watching a motley crew of supes, heroes and regular humans all dressed in black gathered around a hole in the ground saying their last goodbyes to Hughie Campbell.
And yes the petty part of Homelander that was still a part of me enjoyed every moment of it.
Truthfully 'I' did was well. Hughie had clanged on to life longer than I expected. Hell for a moment I even thought he was going to recover when I heard he regained consciousness.
That wouldn't have been good for me. With Hughie alive even if comatose there was no way I could make a move on Starlight, her thoughts would always wonder to him. There was just too much bad history and association between the two of us.
But with him finally kicking the can and with my hands metaphorically clean of the whole ordeal, after all I'm not the one that gave him V-24, hell I even warned her about it, the coast was clear.
Maeve was there as well. I know that by now she knows she is pregnant. She hasn't told the team yet but she will. She won't have a choice she's going to start showing soon.
Victoria was there, as Hughie's boss at FBSA, along with some colleagues, some other regular folks that I assumed were friends and family of his or his father all looking sad and cold.
And of course 'The Boys' were there as well braving the weather to acknowledge their own fuck ups.
As I saw and heard his father finish his last remarks and cry into some unknown woman's shoulder I couldn't help but feel a surging sensation of satisfaction.
The 'Heart' of 'The Boys' was dead.
Now all I needed was for that ragged looking Butcher to also die.
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AN:
I estimated HL's net worth based on what it would be for a high value celebrity athlete like LeBron James who is supposedly worth $600M. I figured HL, unlike LeBron, probably doesn't care about expanding his wealth aggressively since Vaught provided everything he ever needed or wanted. Of course the SI has different views.
Maeve thinks it's Butcher's kind since she hasn't fucked anyone else and has no reason to suspect HL doing anything to her while she was unconscious. In this timeline her and HL never had that big fight and the SI never mentioned her worth for baby eggs.
And yes there is enough HL influence for the SI to be petty and watch Hughie's death.
Like I said before the time skips are now in play so pay attention to the dates and years, sometimes they might even go backwards.
It won't all be random events, there is an actual plot that I have in my head for how I want things to evolve.
Once again thank you for reading and reviewing. Ya'll have given me some great ideas in the reviews keep them coming.