Sitting by Victoria's bedside, Homelander watched her intently. She had her eyes closed and her lips were slightly parted. She was still sleeping soundly, sedated and peaceful. Homelander looked to the cast on her broken leg and knew that would take a few months to heal completely. Daniella and Michelle were sat on the other side of the bed, both of them wet-eyed and red cheeked. Their sniffing had been incessant and had started to get on Homelander's nerves, but he said nothing. He was doing what he needed to do to stay on their good side. They had no idea what he had done and it was going to stay that way. He was a hero to them. He was the one who had saved their friend from her deluded and enraged brother.

"The doctor should be here in a minute," Homelander declared, looking to the clock that was on the wall. "When she wakes up, the chances are she might be groggy. I was thinking that it might be best if she stays with me while she recovers so that she has access to doctors…physiotherapists…everything like that."

Daniella and Michelle looked between themselves then, eyebrows arched and exchanging nervous glances. Homelander picked up on the exchange, wondering just what they were going to say. He wanted to roll his eyes and huff, but he didn't. Were they just going to try and put obstacles in his way?

"I mean, we'd developed a schedule at home for her," Michelle was the one to say. She was the one who always took the lead. "I was going to work from home on my PhD considering my teaching's finished and Daniella was going to look after her in the evenings."

"We just figured she might be comfortable at home surrounded by her own stuff," Daniella said and Homelander's jaw tensed, the smile almost completely fake on his lips as he tried not to look nonplussed about it. He didn't want them to get to him over it, despite the fact that he had no intention of letting her go.

"That would make sense," he agreed with them. "Maybe we'll just let Victoria decide? See how she feels when she wakes up? It might be that she doesn't want to move anywhere for a little while?"

"Yeah, guess so," Daniella was the one to offer.

"Besides, she might also struggle after everything her brother did," Homelander said, knowing exactly what memories had been planted in her mind after the incident. "I suspect she's gone through enough emotional trauma for her entire life. I just want stability for her. I just want her to be happy and content."

"So do we," Michelle said. "And if Billy Butcher even tries to make contact with any of us then we'll let you know but he'd have a nerve showing his face again…him and his crew of criminals."

Homelander nodded, agreeing on that part. But he knew that Billy would make contact because, for some reason, he hadn't been able to kill him. As soon as he had seen his son, he knew that killing Billy in front of him hadn't been a reason. Ryan. His own child. He could hardly believe that the one thing he longed for had come true. He could have a family. Yes, he knew that Becca would do everything in her power to try and keep him from knowing his son. But he would see to it that his son knew him. He also knew that he had to explain this to Victoria when she woke up. How would she react to knowing that he had a son? How would she feel? He continued watching her, seeing her black hair splayed over the pillow and her delicate features relaxed. He hoped she would be fine with it. He hoped that she could accept it for what it was: that they could be a family and eventually have their own. It was possible now and he knew that Becca had Ryan naturally.

"Homelander, sir."

Doctor Jacobs made himself known in the penthouse, walking into the room wearing a smart fitting blue shirt tucked into grey trousers. He had on a white coat over his shirt, his greying hair slicked back. Homlander moved to stand up, hands behind his back as he stood to the side. Jacobs was a man who was brash and to the point. He didn't beat around the bush. Homelander liked that.

"Doctor Jacobs," Homelander greeted him and noted his gaze flicker over to the two women on the other side of Victoria's bed. "These are Victoria's friends, Michelle and Daniella," he motioned to each one in turn and they gave the doctor a soft wave.

"Is she going to be alright?" Michelle wondered.

"All her scans have come back clear," Doctor Jacobs said, checking the wires that she was hooked up to. He reached into a bag and pulled out another needle. "No brain damage, no signs of internal bleedings…all her organs seem fine…she just has a broken leg and cracked ribs."

"Thank God," Daniella whispered and Jacobs moved over Victoria.

Homelander kept his gaze on her, holding his breath and waiting to see what would happen when her eyes opened. He just needed her to open her eyes and come back to him. He needed her to be exactly how she had been, no sign of remembering what he had done. He had taken care of everything and now it was just a necessity to make sure she was fine. He could hear Michelle and Daniella's breathing alter, speeding up slightly along with their pulses.

Victoria's eyes slowly opened after a few moments, Doctor Jacobs hovering over her and checking her vitals. Homelander saw her eyes flicker open and closed a few times, forehead scrunching up and her nose wrinkling. He continued to watch her as she tried to move and sit up, but the doctor was there in a moment.

"Take it easy," Jacobs urged from her. "You've been unconscious for quite some time."

"Where am I?" Victoria asked until her eyes finally fell onto Homelander and she honed in on him. He could almost see the relief in her eyes as she looked at him and he knew that everything had gone to plan. She looked at him just like she had done before. Moving to her, he bent down at the waist, a hand going to hold onto hers and his other hand brushing her hair along her forehead.

"You're in the penthouse," he said to her. "You're safe now, alright? You're completely safe."

"You gave us all a fright," Michelle then said and Victoria's head lolled to the other side, Homelander's thumb still running along her hairline as she looked to her friends. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired," Victoria said and let her head fall back to the pillow until she was looking to the ceiling for a moment, her eyes closing. "What happened? How long have I been out for?"

"It's been a few days," Homelander said to her and Daniella went to take hold of the bottle of water that was sat on the coffee table in the living area. She unscrewed the lid and held it out to Victoria, Homelander helping her to sit up so that she could drink it. "We've had to keep you sedated as we did some checks on you."

"Yeah," Doctor Jacobs weakly agreed on that point. "You have some cracked ribs and a broken leg, but you should be able to recover soon enough. There's no other damage."

"Considering you were in an explosion, I'm amazed that's the only damage," Daniella said and Victoria handed her the bottle of water back. She took hold of it and placed it down on the floor next to her. "You're lucky that you got out when you did."

"It…Billy," Victoria said, brows knitting together on her forehead. Her hand was still inside of Homelander's and he knew that this was make or break. She tried to sit up even more and he helped her, perching on the edge of the bed and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Billy was after revenge…his wife…she worked at Vought and died. He wanted to take it out on them. Christ…Madelyn," Victoria suddenly remembered, eyes widening and she looked to Homelander. "He killed her, didn't he?"

"Yes," Homelander said to her with a nod of his head. "You went to try and stop him, but he set the explosion off. I got there just in time to get you out and Madelyn's baby was found blocks away…but…Madelyn didn't make it and Billy is missing. He's a wanted man and he's not going to get anywhere near you, I promise you that, Victoria."

Nodding her head, Victoria agreed on that point with him. He felt her lean closer to him and he kissed the top of her head. Shaking her head back and forth, she remembered her brother with nothing but contempt then. This was all of his fault. His wife had died, but that hadn't been Vought's fault. Why had he been so against Madelyn? Not that Victoria liked Madelyn, but she didn't wish death on her.

"We were just wondering what you wanted to do," Michelle chimed in, sitting back down and tugging her skirt over her knees, letting it flow down to the floor. "We said that we could help look after you if you wanted to come home, but if you want to stay here then Homelander said that's fine."

"Well, we either stay here or we go away…get out of the city and you can rest and recover," Homelander said, thumb running over her shoulder and trying to soothe her. She shrugged her shoulders and closed her eyes.

"I don't know," she responded. "I just…this is all a lot to take in. Can I just stay here? I'm feeling tired and a bit sick."

"You still need to rest," Jacobs agreed on that point. "I would suggest spending the night sleeping and trying to eat something. You might not be hungry, but you need to try and keep your strength up."

"I will," Victoria said.

"And we'll leave you to sleep then," Daniella said and hooked a thumb into the pockets of her high-rise jeans. Her white shirt was hanging baggy on her form and her ginger hair was unkempt, hanging in waves around her head. Michelle nodded, tugging on the cuffs of her black shirt and moving to stand up.

"We'll be back when you want us. Just give us a call."

"I will," Victoria promised them.

"Well, your phone was destroyed in the explosion so I bought you a new one," Homelander said to her. "I'll get it for you later on."

"And we brought you a bag of stuff from the apartment," Michelle said. "Books, clothes, your herbal tea…just little things."

"Thank you," Victoria said, a tired smile on her face as her friends moved to embrace her, holding onto her and saying goodbyes. Homelander watched them leave with the doctor, giving him and Victoria time to be alone. The room was eerily quiet then, no machines beeping now that Victoria was awake and Jacobs had taken the tubes out of her arms.

"You came for me."

She spoke into the quiet and Homelander peered down onto her as he kept his arm around her shoulders. He nodded his head, a free hand moving over his body and pulling the duvet up to her lap, covering her once more. She was wearing a plain grey top and plain grey shorts that he had put her in once he had gotten her back to Vought and her leg had been put in a cast.

"Why would you think I wouldn't?" Homelander asked and her hands toyed with the edge of the duvet cover. She bit down on her bottom lip and felt his chin sit on the top of her head. "I will always come for you, Victoria. You know that. I would never leave you alone."

"I know," she said to him with a nod of her head. "But there's…there's something that's not making sense to me."

"What's that?" Homelander questioned, holding her in his grip still and loving the feeling of having her back in his grip willingly. This was so much better than what they had before.

"Becca isn't dead, is she?" Victoria asked and Homelander wanted to smile. This was all coming together so easily that he didn't think it would last. He was half expecting something to go completely wrong. He only hoped that how she reacted to the next piece of news wouldn't ruin what they had.

"No," Homelander admitted to her. "Rebecca Butcher isn't dead."

"Then what happened to her?" Victoria asked and she moved slightly so that he had to look to her. She angled her face upwards, her gaze meeting his and she felt him move a hand to her cheek, his thumb running along her cheekbone gently. He sighed and did his best to look tormented. He'd had practice doing this before and so it shouldn't be too difficult.

"I don't know how to tell you this," Homelander admitted to her. "I just want to be honest with you, but I don't want to hurt you. You know that I never want to hurt you, Victoria. You're the only thing that truly matters to me and you know that…you have to know that."

Victoria nodded her head. "I know," she promised him and placed a hand to his wrist, holding onto it gently.

"Rebecca Butcher is living in hiding because eight years ago she had a son…my son."

He watched the information slowly sink in and she pulled back from him slightly, moving his wrist and taking his hand from her skin. Her eyes closed and she turned her face away. How could she be hearing this? How could any of this make any sense? She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to imagine that he had just told her that he had a son. But that was what he'd said.

"It was a long time ago and we…it had been a one-night thing," Homelander informed Victoria and she wanted to get out of bed and move. It was all she longed to do because she didn't want to believe what she was hearing. It made her feel sick. "She found out that she was pregnant and Vought had to move her somewhere secret…she disappeared and your brother thought she had died. Vought made them think that. You don't know how dangerous it could be for people to know this."

"Why?"

"Because it was the first birth of a superhero," Homelander said. "Your brother finally got wind of what had happened and he wanted revenge. That was why he took Madelyn and you went to her to try and stop him, but it didn't work. He was consumed by rage, Victoria."

"You slept with his wife," Victoria said and Homelander shook his head.

"I had no idea she was married," he said, the lies tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. "I never knew, Victoria, and how was I supposed to know that it would be your brother? We hadn't even met eight years ago. You were still in Europe…this is all just a crazy coincidence, you know that. And I never thought that I could have children. They kept this from me too. Madelyn kept it from me."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because she was trying to protect me. She didn't think that I'd be able to do my job if I knew I had a child, just like she constantly tried to keep us apart…she thinks..well, thought...that I am easily distracted. I meant nothing to her, but everything to her job. She did what she had to do to keep me on side."

Victoria could feel a building pressure in her temple, trying to drink in everything that she was hearing from him. She took a deep breath and Homelander studied her, doing his best to drink in everything about her and work out what she was thinking. He didn't entirely know what she would say, but he hoped that it was enough that they had no need to worry over the future of their relationship. He didn't want that. He didn't think that he could handle it again. He finally had everything he longed for and he was going to keep hold of it.

"And Billy thought that she was dead?"

"He knew she was missing and so he presumed she was dead. And he blamed Vought for it with no proof. He was unstable, Victoria. He kidnapped you. He couldn't be trusted."

"And now he's just missing?"

"Yes," Homelander confirmed.

"And his wife?"

"Safe and sound away from him."

"Why would Vought make her go into hiding and not tell him? Couldn't all of this have been avoided? Couldn't she have just told him what had happened? It must have been better than him thinking she was missing…living with so much hatred and anger?"

"Madelyn made her sign an NDA. Vogelbaum backed her. They said that no one could know. Even I didn't know, Victoria. This is as shocking for me as it is for you, trust me," Homelander said to her. "I just discovered I have a son and I had no idea about it. You've got to see that."

"But I didn't even think that you could have children," Victoria said to him. "You told me that-"

"-Turns out that I can," he interrupted her. "And I had no idea about that, but it…the one thing I always thought I could never have…I can…and I know that this is a lot to take in. I understand that, but this doesn't change anything between us. You're still everything to me. You're still my Victoria and I am still me. I am still the man you fell in love with. I am still him."

"But with a son…whose mother is my sister-in-law," Victoria said to him and bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head. "This is all so fucked up. How did it all get so fucked up?"

"I know," he agreed. And he did know that part. "But I want to get to know him, Victoria. I owe him that much and he is my own flesh and blood. I just want you to be comfortable with that too. I want him to be a part of my life, but I also know that you're a part of my life too."

"And you want me to accept him?" Victoria checked with him and he nodded his head once at hearing her.

That was exactly what he wanted. He wanted her to accept Ryan. He wanted it so that, eventually, it would be the three of them. He would take his son. He would do that eventually. He could imagine it now: him, Victoria and Ryan. He could imagine all of them together and it was a perfect image.

"Yes," he said to her with a nod of his head.

Victoria nodded once and it took her a moment to think. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to say that it was fine, but then she thought about it a bit longer. She thought about what it meant. Would she have to meet Becca? Would she have to meet her sister-in-law? They had both been with Homelander and they both knew Billy. Would it not be awkward? Would Becca also not find it slightly too much?

"Can I just process this?" Victoria asked from Homelander and his jaw tensed once more, lips falling flat and Victoria peered up to him. "It's a lot to deal with, John. You've just told me you have a son with my sister-in-law after my brother almost killed me. I…two weeks ago it was just you and me. We were in that cabin and we were happy and now it's like everything has imploded. I just need time to process."

He moved from the bed and Victoria knew that he was annoyed with her. She understood that, but she didn't feel as though he had any right to be annoyed with her. Yes, he might not have known Becca Butcher. He might not have known what Billy would do. He never knew Victoria was entwined in their lives. But they were where they were. And she imagined that she would find it difficult to hear that he had a son, no matter who the mother was.

"John," Victoria whined when she saw him begin to move away.

He stopped and turned around, shrugging manically in her direction and watching her intently. "I don't know what you want me to do, Vicky," he said to her. "I know that this is a lot to take in, but I never knew about any of it either."

"Yeah, but you haven't been unconscious for days, have you?" Victoria snapped back. "I just woke up and discovered all of this. Do you not get why this is quite a lot for me to deal with?"

"Yes, I do, but nothing is going to change because of it. We're still us."

"John, everything will change. You have a son. You have a kid. It's not just going to be us anymore."

"But I'm not going anywhere," Homelander retorted to her, hands on his hips. "I'm staying here. I want you in my life. I want my son in my life. I want you both and I can give you time, but I don't know why. You either accept it or you don't, Victoria. It's really as simple as that."

He walked off then and Victoria wanted to go after him, but she knew that she couldn't. She couldn't hobble from the bed and chase him. And so she slumped back into the pillows and closed her eyes, longing to know exactly what it was she should do for the best.

…

Ten Years Ago

"Billy, please, you can't leave me. Please…please take me with you…please, I'll be good, I promise. I can get a job. I can move schools. You won't even know I'm there. I will be so good, I swear. Just don't leave me here."

Looking to his little sister as he stood outside of the block of flats, he saw the tears streaming down her face. Her cheeks were puffy and her eyes were red. She had chased him out of the flat after he had pushed their father up against the wall and told him never to lay a hand on Victoria again. He had snapped as soon as he had seen the burn marks on Victoria's arms. His mother had tried to stop him, but the rage had been too much. He hadn't been able to save Lenny, but he wasn't going to let Victoria get hurt.

Victoria was still in her school uniform, a long-sleeved white shirt tucked into a knee-length skirt and a blazer on top with the school emblem on it. Her hair hung down to the small of her back, the exact same colour as his. Her pale complexion was fair and he noted a few spots around her chin. She was seventeen, still a teenager and still a kid to him. But he couldn't protect her.

He shook his head at her as he stood by the car that he had parked up after renting it. He was on two week's leave from the barracks where he was living and knew that he had to check in on Victoria. She didn't write to him and he had been anxious. It turned out that he had a good reason to be.

"Dad won't touch you again, alright?" Billy said to her as she shook her head and moved to grab hold of his arm, tugging on it, her small hand barely wrapping around it. "If he does then you call me and I'll come back home and I'll sort him out."

"Billy…just don't…please…please don't go without me…please…" her voice was breaking and he looked down to her. He had no idea what he should say to her. He had no idea how to make her feel better. He wasn't subtle. He wasn't used to being around teenage girls.

"I can't take you with me, Vicky," Billy said to her with a firm shake of his head. "I need to go. You look after yourself, alright?"

"Billy, no," Victoria cried and he moved from her grip.

He climbed into the car, pulling the key from his jean pocket and pushing it into the ignition. He put the car into gear as Victoria stood there on the pavement and looked to him through the window. She was still crying and Billy couldn't even look at her. He pulled the handbrake off and pressed down on the gas pedal before moving off and Victoria grew smaller in his rear view mirror. Looking to her, he spotted a man walking out of the apartment. It was a man he didn't recognise until the year later when he saw his face on television. Eddie. The man who ruined his sister's life.

"Billy…Billy…wake up…come on…"

He was losing his grip on the car, the voice ringing in his ears and the image of his sister disappearing. It was only as he opened his eyes did he realise that he had been dreaming. It had all been a dream. But it hadn't been because he had left her. He had left Victoria behind. Panting for breath, he came back to reality and felt Becca's hand on his chest, her face hovering above his.

"Alright?" Billy asked Becca and he saw that concerned look on her face.

"You were having the nightmare again," Becca said to him. "You were calling her name out."

"Fuck," Billy mumbled, arms going behind his head and Becca continued running her fingers along his bare chest. He looked to the ceiling and shook his head once. "Sorry, Becca."

"Why are you apologising?" she questioned. "You've been having the same nightmare for months now. Why don't you just find her? You're CIA. You have the ability."

Billy opened his eyes and peered down to her, hand running over his clean-shaven chin. "Because she made her feelings perfectly clear when I found her in Durham after the trial. She wants nothing to do with me and I don't blame her. I should have taken her away as soon as I went back."

"You weren't to know what Eddie was doing to her."

"But she begged me, Becca," Billy mumbled. "She begged me to take her and every time I think of her…I see her face…I close my eyes and I see her face…and she's never going to forgive me."

"But don't you want to try and put things right with her?" Becca questioned, fingers running into his hair and pushing it back. "Don't you want her in your life? I know she might be angry with you still. I know she might resent you for leaving her. But she is still your sister."

"She's better off without me."

"That's pity talking," Becca said, voice slightly sterner by that point. "I'm not going to make you do anything. No one can make you do anything, Billy Butcher, but I am here for you. I am here for you and I think that it might be for the best if you did find her…try and work things out…I'm pretty sure it's what you need to do."

"We'll see," Billy said and Becca knew that was the end of the conversation. There was nothing left to say on the matter. But, in the end, Billy would wish that he had reached out to her. If he did, then perhaps his future might be different.

…

"You said that he's called Ryan."

It had been a day since Homelander had dropped the news of his son. He was sat at the dining table with Victoria across from him. She had been getting used to using her crutches and hobbling around the penthouse, moving mainly between the bed and the couch. She was picking at the pasta salad that he had ordered in and sat down to eat. Things had been tense since the night before, but Victoria had time to think about it. She had time to think about what she had heard from him and she realised that she had to accept it if she wanted to be with Homelander. And she did. She wanted to be with him more than anything. Did she want a child in their lives? No. If she was being honest, then no. She wanted to be selfish. She wanted to be selfish and she wanted it just to be the two of them. She wanted that. But she couldn't be selfish. Their time for being selfish was over.

"He is," Homelander said.

She had hardly approached the topic and so he was tentative. He would let her take the lead and see where they ended up, hoping that it might be fine.

"And does he have super powers?"

"I'm not entirely certain, but I think so. He just doesn't know how to use them."

"And Becca?" Victoria questioned. "Is she close with him?"

"From what I've seen." Homelander said. He wasn't going to deny that. "I haven't exactly spent much time with them. It's quite the adjustment, Ryan accepting me in his life after being kept from me. Plus, I have other commitments…the Seven…you…"

"And I imagine that Vought don't want this news out?"

"Vought…Becca…me," Homelander said to her. "I think it's for the best if we keep this quiet for the time being."

Victoria nodded. "And you…so what? You want to visit him? Build a relationship with him? You're going to take things slow?"

"Whatever is necessary," Homelander replied to her and he saw her let out a deep breath before nodding her head slowly. He saw the way she placed her fork down onto her plate and tucked her hair anxiously behind her ears. She played with the ends of it and he couldn't help but note how long it had grown, coming down past her shoulder blades and the ends seeming blunt.

"And you want me to be involved?" she checked with him.

"More than anything," he said.

"And does Becca? Does she even know who I am?"

"She knows," Homelander said. He took a moment or two to weigh up what to tell her, but he knew that Becca would have no choice in the future. It wasn't as if he was going to let her dictate what happened with his son. "She knows who you are and she will accept you because you're my girlfriend."

Victoria shook her head shyly. "But you need to ask her," Victoria said and he wanted to tell her that he didn't need the permission of anyone. He would do exactly what he had to do and consequences be damned. "Please? Just ask her if she is okay with it. I think, to begin with, it's important for you to get to know your son on your own. You both need that, but when the time is right and if Becca is fine with it, then I want to meet him too."

"You're serious?"

"It's a lot to get into my head, but yeah, I'm serious," Victoria said to him with a firm nod. She still wasn't entirely certain if this was the right course of action, but what other choice did she have? "As someone who grew up with a deadbeat dad, I don't want Ryan to grow up without knowing his father. It's not fair on him and you…you want this. You want to get to know him and I really do think that's admirable. I'm sorry if I haven't entirely been the most supportive throughout all of this."

Homelander shook his head, moving to kneel down next to her on the ground. He moved his hand to her cheek, stroking it softly and his other hand went to brush her hair over her shoulder. "You're being supportive now," he said to her. "And you know that all I want is to get to know him…see what he's like as my son…and in the future, I know that we discussed our future…but this might change things."

"How so?" Victoria questioned and he shrugged, a smile forming on his face. It was the first genuine smile he had shot in her direction since she'd woken up.

"Well, I know we discussed not being able to have a family, but clearly that's not true," he said and he saw a flicker of something pass over her face. Did she not want a family? It disappeared after a moment and she took his hand from her cheek, kissing the back of it and then holding it tight.

"I get that," she promised him. "We discussed it before when we were certain you couldn't have kids and I know that's changed, but that's still a big thing and a massive decision. We're not there yet and, honestly, I don't know if I'm going to be there for a while. I don't want you to think that this changes anything automatically."

"Of course not," he said, the fake smile back on his face. He wanted to push her and ask how long she suspected they could wait before they did have a child. He wanted to ask her what the timeframe was for them, but he didn't. He guessed he had enough from her for one night. "Besides, we'd have to get married before then."

"Very traditional of you," Victoria said, a teasing edge to her tone and he felt himself relax a bit more. This was how it should be. This was how he always wanted it to be. He wanted to laugh and joke with her. He wanted to hear her tease him. He moved to stand up slightly before bending over and kissing her chastely. It had been the first time he had kissed her since she had found everything out. It was the first time, but it felt so natural and normal. It felt exactly like it should do.

"I'm just thinking of my polling numbers," he said to her and he felt her push at his chest, but a smile remained on her lips before he kissed her once more, still smiling into it. Pulling back, he looked to her with a soft expression as she continued lazily smiling to him. "Should we get out of here for a while?" he asked. "Head on up to the cabin, take some time out?"

"You think we can?"

He chuckled, forehead pressed to hers. "We're still America's golden couple. We can do whatever the fuck we want."

…

"Can you grab the shampoo and the conditioner from the bathroom? I think it's on the shower ledge," Victoria said and Annie moved into the en-suite, picking out the toiletries for Victoria as she sat on the edge of the bed, pulling open drawers in the bedside table. She didn't bother with her tights, knowing she couldn't get them on over her cast.

"These the ones?" Annie questioned from her.

"They're the ones," Victoria confirmed. "Thanks."

Annie placed them into the duffel bag that she was helping Victoria pack for her trip away with Homelander. Annie hadn't been to visit her since she had woken up, needing to know what she should say to her. She wanted to bring up the party. She wanted to bring up Victoria's odd behaviour, but she didn't know how to. Plus, there was the fact that she was still meeting Hughie whenever she could and he had told her that Homelander was dangerous. He hadn't exactly given more details, almost as though he was worried that divulging anymore would put Annie in danger.

"How long are you going to be gone for?" Annie wondered.

She was wearing jeans and a striped white and navy top, going incognito and spending the day away from any Vought duties. She was due to attend some film premiere the next night. She didn't want to, but Homelander had managed to get out of it, claiming that he needed personal time away. No one had challenged him. It seemed to be that whatever Homelander wanted, he got, no questions asked.

"I think two weeks," Victoria said to her and Annie nodded. "Hopefully a change of scenery will be good. I'm getting pretty bored of being in the penthouse."

"You're getting upstairs though, which is great," Annie said to her and Victoria scoffed.

"Homelander carries me up and then when he's not here I slide back down on my backside," Victoria replied. "It's all good when he's here. Having super-strength has come in handy for exactly this. But I draw the line at him flying me to the cabin. I've insisted he drive."

"Can he drive?"

"He can do anything," Victoria said with a roll of her eyes and she took hold of the pants and bras she had grabbed, folding them up and putting them on the top of the sweatshirts in the duffel bag. "Anyway, it's great to see you. It's been far too long and I know that things have been hard for you…I wanted to call…I wanted to see how you were holding up."

"I'm fine," Annie promised Victoria, sitting down next to her on the bed. "Deep's gone…I'm trying to make a difference in Vought…and I know that you defended me to Homelander after everything with Hughie and Butcher."

"Because I knew that you wouldn't betray the Seven," Victoria said. "And Homelander knows that too. I just want you to be happy and I wanted to tell you about Hughie ages ago. I wanted to tell you that something wasn't right, but I had no idea what he was involved in…what he was planning to do to the Seven."

"I'm not sure even he knew what he was planning to do," Annie confessed to Victoria and she watched the older woman shrug her shoulders. "But, listen, Vic, your brother…what he did…are you sure that's what happened? Because when I saw you at the party that night you weren't yourself and there were bruises on your chin. I didn't know how to bring it up, but it has been bugging me."

Victoria tilted her head, looking at Annie with a questioning gaze. "Yeah, I'm sure," she said to her with a firm nod of her head. "I'm sure that it was my brother who almost blew me up. As for the party, I don't remember that. I just remember going to find Billy and that's it."

"You remember none of it?"

"The doctor told me that memory loss is common after trauma," Victoria said. "And it is just short-term memory loss, but I remember what happened."

"But the bruises…Victoria…they were the shape of fingers," Annie continued and Victoria looked so nonplussed by the entire conversation that she was beginning to wonder what was going on. It didn't seem like normal behaviour.

"Probably my own or Homelander's…he sometimes forgets how strong he is compared to me when we're…well…you know," Victoria trailed off, blushing slightly and Annie got the message. It took her a moment before she realised that there was nothing Victoria was going to tell her. Hughie had to be wrong. How could Victoria be scared of Homelander when she clearly doted on every word he said? "Anyway, none of that matters. We're good. I'm good. I just wanted to see you more. It feels like it's been ages."

Annie nodded. She wasn't wrong on that point. "I know," she said, agreeing with her. "I wanted to come sooner, but I didn't know how the recovery was going. Homelander said that you've been pretty tired and just sleeping."

"He's not wrong," Victoria said. "I guess it's more emotionally draining than anything, you know, finding out that your brother isn't who you think he might be. But I know you get it, what with Hughie being a complete fraud too."

"Yeah," Starlight nervously agreed on that point. Now was not the time to confess that she was still meeting Hughie. "I mean, we were never that serious, so that's something." She didn't want to lie. She didn't want to play down how she felt, but she knew she had to, especially when she heard banging coming from the downstairs.

"You don't need to undermine your feelings, Annie," Victoria said, a hand going to sit on top of hers, holding it tightly. "I know you really liked him and I am sorry that he wasn't who he said he was. You can talk to me about it. I get it, okay?"

"I thought I heard voices up here."

Homelander appeared at the top of the staircase, glancing between the two women, hands on his hips and smile fixed on his face. Victoria beamed at the sight of him. Annie watched her smile widely and she couldn't quite understand what had changed. She hadn't been like this at that party and no matter what she said, Annie knew something had been wrong. But this was like it had never happened.

"Annie came up to help me pack," Victoria said.

"So I can see," Homelander replied and wandered closer to the bottom of the bed where the bag was set. "Well, I have a car parked out back and hopefully no paparazzi or press will be there. I thought that it might be best to get going before traffic becomes too busy."

"Good plan," Victoria said to him and then looked to Annie. "Just call me if you need me, alright? I'm always here, no matter when you want to talk."

"Thanks," Annie said gratefully. And she was so grateful that Victoria was there for her. She was grateful that she had someone who would look after her and care for her in the Tower when she felt like she was alone. "I'll let you two get going. Are you going to be alright getting down there?"

"I've got her," Homelander said, zipping up the duffel bag as Victoria tossed her phone into the satchel that was on the ground by her feet. She picked it up and Homelander took it from her as well. "I'll just head down and put these in the car."

"I'll head downstairs and wait by the elevator," Victoria said.

"Come here and I'll give you a lift down," he responded and Annie watched him take hold of her around the waist tenderly, picking her up and carrying her downstairs as though he was carrying nothing but a mug. Setting her down, Annie handed her the crutches and she hopped to the elevator as he dealt with the bags.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Annie checked with her as Victoria pressed the button for the elevator. Annie knew she only had a few moments before Homelander got back.

"I'll be fine," Victoria said, the smile back on her face. "This is what we need, just some time away again. It'll be fun."

"Well you know that you can always call me if you need to. We're friends. It works both ways."

Victoria awkwardly embraced her with one arm, holding onto her crutch haphazardly. Annie hugged her back, holding onto her gently and running a hand up and down her back. She felt a sense of foreboding, almost as though she shouldn't let Victoria go. But what did she say? You can't leave with your boyfriend because the fugitive who broke my heart says he's not good? And I've got no evidence to show that? No. She had nothing.

"You girls all done here?"

He was back, walking into the penthouse and adjusting the gloves on his fingers. Victoria assured him that she was fine and before Annie could think of anything rational to say, they had gone. Heading into the elevator, Victoria waited until the doors closed before she looked to Homelander who was stood next to her, hands on hips.

"Did Annie seem jumpy to you?" Victoria wondered as they descended the floors to the foyer.

He shrugged, acting nonchalant. "I guess it might be me. I gave her a hard time over that Hughie stuff."

Victoria sighed and looked at him with those wide eyes that he knew he couldn't resist. How was it possible? How could she have such a hold over him? "Can you just be nice to her? She had no idea what he was up to. You know that."

He sighed and tilted his head to the side. "You know I can't resist you, right?"

The smile stayed on her face and he bent down to kiss her chastely, hand going to her cheek. He pulled back before he could get carried away like he wanted to, knowing that wouldn't be for the best considering they were near the foyer once more.

"It's just because you love me," Victoria said.

"Not wrong there, sweetheart," he whispered and kissed her once more before the doors opened.

He slowed his pace down to match hers as she hopped out of the elevator. He led her to the back entrance, greeting anyone who he came into contact with politely and Victoria did the same. As soon as he opened the fire escape, he cursed under his breath. The noise was deafening. There were journalists all piled up down the alley where he had tried to keep the car hidden. There were already a couple of Vought security guards out, trying to get them to disperse. Victoria felt blinded as soon as the door opened, the wall of yells hitting her ears.

"Victoria! Did you know that your brother was a killer?"

"How are you feeling? Is it true he was going to blow you up?"

"How has this impacted your relationship with Homelander?"

Looking down to her, Homelander saw that she was uncomfortable. She had her sneakers on, a pair of grey shorts and a sweatshirt. Her hair was tied in a ponytail at the back of her neck and she had no makeup on. She was hardly camera ready. But he guessed it would look good. She would show a fragility. And he would show that he was the one to protect her and look after her.

Moving an arm to hover behind her, Homelander lifted his other hand up. "Excuse me, everyone, please, can we just get through?" Victoria began hobbling forwards, Homelander using his hand to try and keep people back and the security guards doing what they could to do that too. "Come on, folks, please give us some space here."

"Is it true your brother abused you as a child?"

It was that question that made Victoria stop moving to the car. She stood still and looked to the side, but she couldn't find where the voice had come from. Homelander rolled his eyes and moved a hand to the small of her back, but not before there was a push from the crowd. Knocking Victoria from her feet, Homelander caught her before she could fall. He heard her hiss in pain as she placed weight on her broken leg and he stopped with his polite act then.

"Alright, that's it!" he shouted and everyone seemed to freeze. "Back off. Now. Everyone needs to get out of here."

One of the security guards grabbed Victoria's crutches after she had dropped them. She was stood on her good foot and Homelander held her arms, helping her hop to the passenger seat of the car. Once she was sat down and in the car, he slammed the door shut, almost breaking it with the force. He left her crutches in the backseat and then went to the driver's side. He was quick, pressing the ignition button and putting his foot down on the clutch. He didn't even care if he hit any journalist speeding from the alleyway. Heading onto the main road, Victoria turned her head over her shoulders and looked to the journalists still flashing their cameras in their direction.

"Hey," Homelander said, gaining her attention. She looked to him again. "You alright?"

"Yeah," she said and he noted the way her cheeks were flushed.

He kept one hand on the wheel once they were driving straight on, his other hand going to her hand on her thigh. Picking it up, he moved his fingers into hers and squeezed tightly. She moved her other hand on top, clinging to him and leaning her head back against the headrest. She turned her head to the side and looked out of the window, Homelander perfectly content in the silence as she held onto him.

…

After putting Ryan to bed, she found herself with some spare time before she went to sleep. Not that she slept soundly anymore anyway. She was constantly terrified of him coming back for her son. She didn't seen him as any part of him. She had raised him with love and care. She had raised him not to use his powers, scared that he would become exactly like his father. But Ryan knew that Homelander was his father. Every time he watched TV and the news came on, she would try and change it quickly. But his interest had been piqued ever so slightly.

And then she had seen her. It had taken her a while to clock on who she was. The news loved her, lapping up everything she did. Going to the larger cabinet in the corner where she kept parts from her old life, she'd pulled out the photograph. She could still remember finding it in Billy's things. For a man who never claimed to be sentimental, she'd found it odd that he'd kept a photograph of his past life.

As she sat with a glass of wine, she watched the news. She caught the story of Victoria Anderton coming out of hiding after her brother's horrific attack on her and Madelyn Stillwell. Of course, she knew differently. She still remembered the sight of Billy on the ground, Homelander ready to kill him. She remembered how she had told Ryan to get back inside before throwing herself between the father of her child and her husband. And then she had told Homelander what she would do. She would kill herself in front of Ryan and blame him if he laid a hand on Billy.

Her husband. What had he gone through? What had happened to him? She'd wanted to grab him and hold him. She never wanted to let him go. But she had made her choice when she went to Vought and told them she was pregnant. She hated Homelander. She despised him for what he had done, but then she looked at her son and she felt nothing but love. It confused her in the beginning, but she had eventually accepted it. Ryan was hers. She would never let him go. She wondered if Billy could ever understand that.

Placing her wine glass down on the coffee table, she stood up and headed to the cabinet, opening the bottom drawer and finding the five photographs from her past that she had kept. One was of her with her mom and her sister. Another was of her and Billy on their wedding day and then one on their honeymoon. The fourth was of Billy as a child. He was holding his baby sister in his arms, his little brother next to him. The fifth was just one of Billy's sister on her graduation day. He had found it online when it had been posted on the Durham Law School website announcing she had graduated top of her class. He'd printed it and kept it with him.

"She really is stunning."

She almost dropped the photographs from her fingers at the sound of his voice. A hand went to her chest and she whirled around to see him stood in the doorway of her living room, hands clasped tightly behind his back. Glaring at him, she watched as he made his way into the room.

"You can't just show up here when you want," she snapped at him, but he ignored her, holding his hand out and waiting expectantly.

"Can I see it?" he asked and she reluctantly handed him the photo.

His eyes glanced down to Victoria, drinking in the purple sash around her black cape, a cap on her head and her smile wide, eyes crinkled. She looked so happy and proud, the fake degree rolled up in her hand.

"I saw her on the news."

"Hm," was all he said back to her and she put her other photographs down on the sideboard as he left the one of Victoria on the coffee table. "She's actually the reason why I'm here."

"Is she hurt?"

"You assume I'd hurt her?"

"Your track record isn't exactly sparkling," she snapped back at him and he shot her a glare that made her bite her tongue. She didn't want him to have any power over her after what he had done, but she knew what he could do. She knew of his abilities.

"She's fine," he said, tone low and deep. "And I want her to be a part of Ryan's life."

"Seriously?"

"Becca," his voice sounded like a warning.

"Do you not get how fucked up this is? She is my husband's sister. She…you're dating her and I'm here…trapped…does she even know what you did to me?"

"Yes, she is aware that we had an encounter many years ago."

Becca scoffed, her throat clenching and her stomach churning. The lasagne she'd made for dinner threatened to come back up. "She has no idea, does she? She has no idea what you're actually like because if she did then she'd be nowhere near you. I know about her past. Billy told me everything. He told me what Eddie-"

"-Don't," he said the word in a warning, holding his hand up, fingers clenching into a fist and his jaw tensing. "Don't mention his fucking name. Not in front of me and not in front of her. Listen to me and listen carefully because I left her sleeping to come here and I don't have time for discussion."

Becca fell silent, arms folding over her chest and chin jutting out.

Content that she would be quiet, Homelander continued talking. "Victoria is going to be a part of my son's life because she is my girlfriend and, if things go according to plan, we'll be engaged by the end of the year."

"You're serious?"

"Deadly," Homelander said and the look in his eye told her that. "Victoria is going to be treated with respect. You are going to keep quiet about everything. There will be no mention of our past. There will be no talk of how William Butcher nearly ruined everything. To her, William is simply the brother who tried to kill her."

Becca shook her head firmly. "He would never hurt her. He loved her."

"Yeah, he loved her so much that he let her be abused by a man repeatedly," Homelander scoffed and Becca wanted to yell about how he had no place to cast judgment over anyone, but she had no chance. "No. He tried to kill her. He orchestrated her kidnapping. You're going to go along with that story if it comes up. Am I understood?"

"Why should I?"

"Because I let him go once," Homelander said, holding a finger up. "You don't want to test me, Becca. Trust me, it won't end well."

And she knew that much. She remained silent and just nodded her head once. What other choice did she have? He had backed her into a corner. Once he seemed appeased with her response, he stood up straight, a smile back on his face.

"Excellent," he said. "Now, I really should get going. I'll be back soon."

"You'll not hurt him, will you?" Becca asked, following him back to the porch, the air cool once the door was open and he walked down the steps to the lawn. She continued chasing after, seeing the swishing of his cape. "Billy…you'll leave him alone."

"So long as he leaves me alone and you do as you're asked."

"And Victoria?"

"What about Victoria?" Homelander asked, turning to look at her again.

"You won't hurt her."

Homelander chuckled at that. His brow rose on his forehead. "Are you really trying to convince me that you care about your sister-in-law? You've never even met her."

"Billy loves her. His biggest regret was not helping her," Becca said to him, tugging on the sleeve to the cotton checked shirt she wore. Her shoulder length hair flapped in the wind slightly. "I just need to know that she's safe and not going to get hurt for his sake."

"You have no need to worry about her," Homelander said. And that was the honest truth. "She is safe so long as she is with me."

He took off then, Becca having no other option but to watch him head into the night air. She didn't trust him. How could she? But she was running out of options on how to get away from him.

…

A/N: Back with a new chapter. Think this might be the longest one I've written, but hopefully not too long. I only have the next chapter planned out but then things are in the air so pretty please, if you have anything you want to see - let me know! It'd be great to know that you're still interested in where this is going!