Sam had been pacing around her apartment for the past hour now, nervous and on edge.

Once Nolan had blasted off with Homelander, the cameras had cut, and she no longer knew what was happening. Admittedly, she was worried.

She knew Nolan would be fine. Hell, if anything, she should be worried about Homelander.

But she couldn't help it. She was worried for him, and why shouldn't she be? The man was her friend, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't have a crush on him. Even if she knew he'd be fine, shouldn't she be worried for him?

It didn't help that the camera at the stadium had caught Homelander's shout making Omni-Man's ears bleed.

Sam nearly jumped out of her skin when the door to her apartment opened, only for her to feel elated by the voice that followed.

"Sam?"

Nolan's voice echoed through the apartment, and Sam wasted no time closing the distance from the kitchen to the door, flinging her arms around Nolan's neck moments after he closed the door.

"Thank god, you're alright!" She said, a smile on her face as she hugged Nolan, who couldn't help the confused look that overcame his face.

"Why wouldn't I be fine?" He asked, though he gladly hugged her back anyway. At his question, Sam pulled away, her face reddening slightly.

"I… I was worried…" She admitted, her face reddening in embarrassment.

Nolan smiled at her, chuckling at her admission. "What, you thought Homelander could hurt me?"

Sam looked up at Nolan, her brow furrowed in worry. "I was watching the broadcast… I saw your ears bleeding when Homelander slammed into you."

Nolan rubbed the back of his neck. "I… I didn't expect that either, I admit." He looked at Sam with a small smile. "But in the end, it didn't matter. He's dead"

Sam sighed in relief at the news. "And what about Vought?" She asked. Nolan grinned.

"Turns out Black Noir might've been a better man than we thought. He turned over a hard drive filled with files dating back years to the New York Times." He said, causing Sam to gasp in surprise.

"Really?"

Nolan nodded. "And you'll never guess what we found out."

Sam tilted her head, curious at Nolan's words. "What did you find?"

"Becca Butcher, the woman Homelander raped… she's alive." Nolan told her, smiling as she took in the news.

Sam's eyes went wide, and she couldn't help the smile on her face. "Really?!"

Nolan nodded, smiling. "You remember Billy?"

Sam nodded. "He's the guy who was at Barlow's this morning." Suddenly, it clicked in her head the connection between the two. "He's her husband?"

Nolan nodded. "Yeah. We were going to investigate what Homelander was doing at Noodle Palace, but one of our associates, MM, told Butcher about Becca after reading through some of the New York Times post."

Sam smiled. "You took Butcher to see his wife, didn't you?"

"And his step son."

Sam froze as the meaning of those words hit her like a brick. "You mean… that poor woman…"

Nolan nodded, a sad look on his face. "Yeah… Vought hid her away so she could raise Homelander's son."

"For how long?" Sam asked, disbelief all over her features,

"For… around eight years now." Nolan revealed to her. "She… They had her hidden in a compound a few miles outside of the city. The poor kid never even knew there was a giant wall keeping them trapped.

Sam looked stunned. She was unable to imagine that kind of isolation. "My god…"

Nolan nodded. "Yeah."

Sam shook her head. She wanted to focus on the positives. "So, Vought's officially done, right?"

Nolan nodded. "We still have some people to take care of. Stan Edgar's gone missing, apparently, and we have years of files to comb through, but…" Nolan sighed. It took no time at all to bring Vought down, and he couldn't help the sigh of relief that flooded through him. "But yeah. Vought's done."

Sam smiled, looking at Nolan with a look of glee in her eyes as she got an idea. "Do you… have anything else to do today?"

Nolan raised an eyebrow, but shook his head. "I don't. At least, not unless I get a call about something or another."

Sam placed her hands behind her back, twisting her foot on the ground as she smiled at Nolan. "Well… I did bring home that pizza…"

Nolan smiled as he understood exactly where she was going. "Just let me get changed." He said. Sam watched him disappear in a second, and then he was back, in his casual clothes. With a grin, he gestured towards the kitchen. "Shall we?"

Sam nodded, grinning, and her feet carried her to the kitchen as Nolan followed her.

While she moved to grab some clean plates, Nolan took notice of the empty sink. "I thought I was the one doing the dishes." He remarked with a playful smirk.

Sam laughed at his words. "Maybe you should've thought about that before you left me alone on our date."

Nolan's eyes widened as he laughed. "Hey, Vought had to go down!"

Sam grinned as she grabbed some clean plates. "And the dishes needed to get done." She retorted playfully.

Nolan watched her take out some pieces of pizza and begin microwaving them, and his thoughts began wandering in a direction he was unsure of.

His chances of ever going home were probably low. And he had left so much baggage behind. Perhaps Clockwork bringing him here was more than just a chance at redemption. It was a fresh start.

And Sam was someone he admired, a lot more than he would've thought in the three day period that he'd been in this new world.

She was… unique.

She had a crush on him, that much he knew. But despite that, she tried to be a friend. She didn't push it, and she outright admitted that she wanted to at least try and ask him out.

When Nolan had said yes, he wasn't really sure what he was thinking. It was obvious what she was asking, even over a phone, and she had outright admitted it just last night. He still had Debbie in his thoughts, so why was he agreeing on a date with a girl he's only known for a few days?

Maybe it was a rebound… but maybe it was something else.

Nolan would be lying if he'd said Sam wasn't attractive. The woman was gorgeous. But there was somehthing else there, that Nolan felt a pull towards.

She was kind, loyal… she was an honest woman. Most people caught ogling usually try to deny it. She owned up to it. She had kept his secret, and she hadn't judged him for his past…

She had helped him settle in more than anyone else had. And Nolan couldn't thank her enough…

Sam… He cared for her a great deal.

Maybe it was a rebound, maybe it was something else… but he wanted to see where things would go with her… at least, for now.

He was pulled from his thoughts when the microwave dinged, Sam pulling the now hot pieces of pizza out of the machine.

"Pizza's done!" She said excitedly, setting a plate down in front of Nolan with a few pieces while she took a seat across from him.

Nolan smiled and gladly took a bite, his eyes widening at the taste of the pizza. Sam wasn't lying, it was delicious.

"This is great!" He said with a grin as he took more bites.

Sam watched in amusement as Nolan gobbled up the pizza like there was no tomorrow, wolfing down the piece in his hand before moving to the next one. "Enoying your food?"

Nolan nodded vigorously. "This is delicious." He said, looking at Sam. "You said that diner got rid of this for a while?"

"Uh-huh."

"Can't imagine why."

Sam shook her head with a laugh before taking a bite of her own piece of pizza, savoring the taste of the pizza she'd been unable to eat for so long. "Oh, that is good…"

Nolan laughed as he nodded his head in agreement. "That it is. I can't wait for our next trip there."

Sam smiled at his words. "Neither can I."

The two continued to eat in silence, enjoying each other's company as they ate their pizza.

When they had finally finished, it had once again devolved into an argument over who would do the dishes. As expected, Sam had no way of stopping Nolan.

The two continued to enjoy their day, making up for the date that had been interrupted earlier that day.

Ryan was somewhat nervous. It was his first time being outside of the neighborhood! Outside of the wall!

When he had learned who his dad is, and how he had hurt his mother somehow, he was glad that he'd never have to meet him.

But when he realized that his dad was a superhero… well, a supe, as Mr. Butcher called him… he was somewhat terrified.

He might get superpowers?

A lot of other kids might think that would be cool. Not Ryan. No, the prospect was terrifying.

He didn't want to be a hero. He wanted to be with his mom.

But Mr. Butcher had assured him that he could be whatever he wanted.

Mr. Butcher was gruff. But he was nice.

His mom was married to him. She explained that Butcher was technically his stepfather.

When Butcher had noticed his unease at the idea of calling Butcher 'Dad', Butcher had told him outright that he wasn't ready to be a father, and that while he would care for Ryan like one, he wasn't expecting Ryan to treat him like a father.

Ryan had thanked Butcher. He liked Butcher.

Mr. Grayson was cool as well.

When Mr. Butcher had kicked open their front door and barged inside, Nolan had instead chosen to talk to Ryan. He had asked Ryan about himself, what he liked to do.

At first, Ryan was a little nervous around the man, but he soon found himself enjoying his talk with the hero.

Mr. Grayson had promised him that when his powers kicked in, he'd be there to help him control them as best as he could.

Ryan thought Mr. Grayson was cool. And when his mom let him fly with Mr. Grayson, he was so happy!

Flying with Mr. Grayson was awesome! It was like he was free! Nothing could hold him down.

He was a little disappointed that the flight had to end, but Mr. Grayson assured him that they would meet again. He had even given his number to his mom, in case the boy ever wanted to talk to him again.

All of that led to this. Ryan, in the back seat of his Mom's SUV, Butcher in the passenger seat, as they went to their new home.

His mom had said it was their real home.

He was excited. But nervous.

They had made a pit stop to Butcher's aunt. And now Ryan had a riding buddy in the backseat, hugged up against him.

A big white bulldog named Terror.

Butcher had said he'd love the dog.

Ryan had to admit, he was a good traveling buddy. He loved the dog already.

He was curious about one thing, though. "Mom?"

"Yes, Sweetie?" His mom's voice asked, glancing at him through the mirror.

"Am I going to be allowed to leave this new neighborhood?" He asked, curious.

His mom glanced at Butcher in the passenger seat, before looking back at him. "Sweetie, as long as you have someone with you, you can go to the next state." She said with a smile. "Just don't make me worry."

Ryan smiled. "Okay mom."

His mom went back to watching the road, but Mr. Butcher decided to turn to look at him. "Hey, son, you ever wanted to go to an amusement park?"

Ryan nodded eagerly. "Yeah! But I've never been able too…"

Butcher grinned. "Well, tell you what. Take a few days to get settled in, and I'll you to there." He promised. Ryan's eyes widened, and he bounced up and down with excitement.

"Really?!" He asked, glancing at his mom. "Can I go, Mom?"

His mom looked at him, a look of unease flashing through her, before smiling. "We'll all go together, kiddo. How about that?"

Ryan nodded eagerly. "Awesome!"

"So, kid, what do you like to do anyway?"

Ryan thought for a moment. "Well… I like to play with Legos, and watch some movies with my mom."

"He has a passion for filmaking." His mom informed Mr. Butcher, causing the man to grin.

"Is that right?"

"Yeah." His mom nodded. "He's made these little stopmotion videos with a camera and his Legos, remaking scenes from the movies we watch."

Butcher looked at Ryan, an impressed smile on his face. "Well, we have a future movie director in the making, don't we?"

Ryan smiled. He was liking Mr. Butcher more and more. "So, what do you do Mr. Butcher?"

Butcher's eyes widened, and he glanced at his mom for a moment, before smiling at the boy. "Well, I'm a sort of… cop, for superheroes. I spank bastards when they-"

"Language!" His mom shouted from the front seat, surprising both Ryan and Butcher.

"Sorry. Anyway, I spank the cunts when they-"

"Billy!"

"Oi, that's not a bad word!"

"It is here!"

Ryan laughed as the two bickered. Maybe not now, but he thought that just maybe…

He might be able to call Butcher his dad.

Klara Risinger was not happy. Not happy at all.

Her husband's company… it was destroyed.

Thanks to this… Omni-Man.

Years and years of hard work, ruined.

Almost a century of success, destroyed.

All thanks to Omni-Man.

So what if Homelander had taken a few woman? He was better than they were! He was a god! They should've been greatful that he had allowed them to feel his seed!

So what if some of the supes had killed a few people? They were gods… a superior race to these normal people…

Well, maybe not all of them. A-Train… bleh.

Less said about people of his kind, the better.

It was unbelievable in her opinion that Stan Edgar had been able to take power at Vought. How the hell could they deface her husbands comany by letting someone of his kind take over?

She had seen the New York Times post.

Luckily, the drive didn't have anything about her change, just her time as Liberty…

There was no file detailing the change from Liberty to Stormfront. And luckily for her, it would prabably stay that way.

Assuming she was right, and Vought had handled it off the books, the only place that had any sort of information about her being as old as she was, would be the Church of the Collective.

The Church… she used to respect them, and then they started letting so many… inferior people in.

And now, with Homelander, possibly their only savior, dead, she was on her own.

Well, maybe not… on her own.

There was one more possiblity.

Homelander's father.

It had been kept secret as best as it could be, but unfortunately, the files detailing Homelander's father and what had truly happened to him were on that drive.

Fortunately for her, so were the files detailing who Homelander's father was.

It would take a while for that to come to light. After all, there were so many files on that drive. It a day, hopefully, for people to become more aware about what had truly happen to the original.

Unfortunately, by the time they learned, it would be too late.

She would have to keep her nature a secret at first… but maybe, just maybe…

He would be helpful. And with time, she could turn him over to her view.

There was a miniscule possibility that it wouldn't work out that way, but what choice did she have?

She would help him adapt to the modern times… explain what had happened. And more than likely, she would have to help him hunt down his old team.

But she would do it.

Because the future of the master race depended on it.

If Homelander wasn't an option anymore… than their next best option was his father. The man who's sperm was used to create him.

Soldier Boy.

And hopefully, together…

They could kill the traitors. Omni-Man, and Clockwork.

She knew that despite what they claimed, they were both liars. They were no better than the rest of their kind. They were gifted with special powers through V, same as the rest of them.

And they'd die, for their betrayal.

Klara grinned. She had a plan.

James Stillwell was a cold, calculating man.

His little cousin, Madelyn, thought she was cut out for the business Vought did.

He was unsurprised to find that she had screwed it all up somehow.

You don't challenge a being like Omni-Man.

From the moment he first appeared, he could tell that Omni-Man was not one of Vought's superheroes.

Vought's heroes only ever went after authorized crimes. There goal was to make it look as bombastic and spectacular as possible. Make themselves look like heroes so they could make money, always stay to do an interview, get a name.

Omni-Man did none of that. He didn't get authorization. He flew where crime was. He looked for crime to stop.

Stan Edgar, his pupil… the man attemted to to run the company the same way he had. But Edgar had decided to have a family, grow attached.

Nadia Nuemen. And her daughter, Zoe.

James knew, from that moment, that Edgar was doomed to fail the company.

James severed emotions. He had been called a cold bastard for much of his career.

What good were emotions? They never helped anyone get aheadin life. Only hard work did, and he had made sure his cousin had known that when he got her her job at Vought.

Only because of their familial ties did he get her started at all, and even then, that was a one time thing and he started her at the very bottom. He wanted to make sure she knew that no one would help her in life.

He had stepped down as Vought's CEO for one reason and one reason only.

He wanted to test Edgar.

Unfortunately, he failed.

But James wasn't worried. This was a minor setback.

After all, as much bad publicity Vought was getting, especially with all of their of their secrets revealed, there were still some saving graces.

Stormfront was still a top hero. Her history was completely off of Vought's record.

And there were definitely some heroes that were still unblemished by Vought's downfall.

It was a steep hill, to bring Vought back from the brink.

But James would do it.

Because unlike Madelyn, and Edgar, he was a cold, calculating man.

And he knew exactly what he needed to do.

He'd announce tomorrow that he was stepping in as Vought's new CEO.

He'd make a statement.

Obviously, not many people would believe it at first.

But he was prepared for that.

As he was for the possibility that Vought does collapse.

After all, he knew how to work the system. He wasn't sitting idly by, relaxing while Edgar ran Vought.

He had his own backup company.

Stillwell Industries.

He had invested a lot of time and money, but it was a pharmaceutical company. Sure, it didn't make superheroes… but it was successful enough that if Vought did fall… he could absorb it, buy out almost all of it's assets when the government took over.

Granted, when he stepped up as Vought's new CEO, Stillwell Industries would come under fire… but he had made sure that Stillwell Industries had done everything by the book.

Even if the government searched his company, their was nothing to hide.

Unlike Vought, all of Stillwell's classified files were legit and completely legal.

So, if Vought was unable to be recovered… that didn't mean any of the company's work was lost.

And there was still one contigency he had made sure stayed only under his knoweldge, even after Edgar had taken over Vought. After all, it was the highest priority, and now, perhaps their greatest weapon.

James Stillwell was a cold, calculating man.

It's how he got ahead in life.

And as he watched the news, wine in his hand, covering Vought's apparent fall, he only had one thing to see.

"Idiots."

A/N: Yeah, I'm still debating on whether or not Vought is done completely, but one thing is for sure, the company's work is not.

Yeah, this is probably a major curveball for some people, but I wanted to bring in James Stillwell from the very beginning, because A) He's the perfect foil to Omni-Man's superman, B) He's much more cunning, cold, and ruthless compared to both his onscreen counterparts, and C) Because I just feel like the character is underrated considering how much more popular the show is compared to the comic.

As for Stormfront and Soldier Boy, Soldier Boy's fate is now public, but considering how far it dates back (And let's be honest, there's a LOT of shit Vought's done before then, and to now) I feel like it wouldn't be noticed as quickly. And yes, it might sound weird to Soldier Boy and Stormfront working together, but their's a reason Stormfront didn't reveal her Nazi heritage to Homelander at first, and I really feel like she'd try and get him to help her if she had knowledge of his fate and Homelander was impossible to access.

But don't worry, there's a lot more to come with this story.

Nolan's work, as well as the rest of the Boys, is far from over.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to review, and I'll see you all in the next one.