Victoria took a moment to herself, comprehending just what it was she was doing. She had followed the GPS to the letter and had ended up at some private airbase. She'd parked up by the terminal and looked to the bag on the passenger seat that her brother had left her. Opening it up, she found two passports and cash. There was an envelope with keys in it and, ironically, three bags of chips and chocolate. Billy had to have remembered her sweet tooth because it was all from England. She took her time to look over the items and longed to slam the car into reverse and go back to the Tower. What if something had happened to Billy and she had just left him? She knew he'd been taken Temp-V as well. What if that had done something to him because he'd taken too much?

But then she heard her daughter's soft little cries from the backseat. She looked to her in the rearview mirror and saw her chubby little arms and legs stretching out. Victoria had to go. She had to go for her. She had to go because she had to keep her safe and this was the only way of doing it. She didn't want to. The last thing she wanted to do was run away. She was about to start the car back up again when she spotted the phone in the bag. She turned it on. It was a burner, nothing fancy at all. A text came through and Victoria frowned.

Look at the video.

She frowned. She didn't know there was a video. She clicked on the phone through to the gallery and found it. She kept her lips pursed and pressed onto it. Billy filled her screen. He was sat behind a desk, holding the phone angled at his face and catching the shadow from his beard.

"Victoria, if you're watching this then you're on the run already," Billy said to her from the recording. She watched him run a hand over his chin and then tilt his head upwards. "And if I know you, which I think I do, you're watching this while sat in the car still in the US of A instead of on the plane that I spent a fortune acquiring for you."

Victoria's lips arched despite herself. It turned out that he really did know her. She shook her head slowly as Billy continued talking.

"I don't have any right to claim to know you. I'm hardly the best big brother. It's not like I've been around…but what I do know is that you, for some reason that escapes me, still love me and I don't deserve that. I don't deserve any affection from you, but you give me it."

Billy shrugged his shoulders. "It's beyond me, Vicky. All I know is that I love you too. I love you so very much and I am doing this for you. I am doing this so that you can get away from this fucker and live a life you deserve…a life of peace and raise that tot the way she should be raised," he continued and Victoria felt her eyes begin to water at what he was saying. She inhaled a sharp breath and closed her eyes firmly, doing her best not to be overwhelmed but failing miserably.

"If this goes to plan then I'm not coming out of it alive," Billy said to her, looking directly into the camera, his eyes wide but steely. Her brother would never dare cry in front of her, even on a video. She gulped back a sob and did her best not to let her vision blur. "I either have to hold Homelander down while Soldier Boy nukes the cunt or the Temp-V is going to get me. Either way, I'm not getting out of it alive and I…I've made peace with that, alright?" Billy's voice became slightly firmer. Victoria just about managed to keep herself composed. "I'm okay with it and that's why you have to go. I want this to work, but we both know there's always a chance it won't. I want to be able to get you away from him and this means you definitely can go. If we end up killing him then you can come back…live a normal life…or you can stay hidden with the new identity I got you. Either way, you'll have the one thing you've not had in a long time: choice. You will be able to choose."

Once again, Billy ran a hand down his chin. Victoria watched him blink and look away from the camera. "You can make the decision on what to do, but they'll be no more Homelander. You'll be free from him and that's what I want for you, alright? So don't even think of being noble. Don't even think of turning that car around and coming back. You get on that plane. Get out of here. You go and you live your life…I love you, Vicky, alright? I love you so much."

He looked straight down the camera once more, eyes wet and a sniff escaping him before he turned the camera off. The screen finished playing and Victoria tossed the phone onto the passenger seat before grabbing hold of the steering wheel. Her hands firmly gripped it and she bowed her head, eyes shutting tightly and a groan escaping her when all she wanted to do was scream. She kept it back, not wanting to upset Evelyn at all. Letting her forehead press to the wheel, she wondered just what she was going to do.

She thought about what Billy had said and she pictured his face in her mind. There was him. There was Annie. There was Alex. They were all going against Homelander. What if he did something to them? If he had then she would be too late to go back. It had been half an hour already since she'd gone. If Homelander had hurt them then she'd be too late. If they had killed him then she would maybe be safe.

But Victoria didn't know if she could take that chance. What would Homelander do to her if she went back? What would he do to Evelyn? He'd raise her and turn her into a mini-him and Victoria couldn't let him do that. She had to protect her daughter.

Turning her head over her shoulder, she looked back to Evelyn and realised that this was it. Her daughter was it for her. She made her choice.

…

Alex went back upstairs to the TV studio after he had made sure Victoria had gone. He wasn't entirely certain what he was going to find. He'd been gone ten minutes and he walked in to find Annie, Kimiko and Butcher taking on Soldier Boy. Turning to the side, he saw Homelander and Maeve fighting in the archive room still. Ryan was on the floor, but his arm was twitching. He was clearly alive and awake. Alex wasn't entirely certain why Butcher had turned against Soldier Boy. He had missed the entire incident where he had gone after Ryan.

Homelander was clearly unhinged and they could all see that. It took a few moments for Alex to decide where to go and who needed his help. Maeve was on the floor, Homelander perched over her with a finger jamming into her eye. He hear her shriek in pain before he moved to the room. He clapped once, the sound wave knocking Homelander away from Maeve, causing him to stumble backwards. The supe turned to glare at him then as Maeve whimpered, a hand going to her eye as blood pooled down her cheek. Alex kept his hands poised to clap together again as Homelander straightened himself up, eyes turning red. The beams shot out in Alex's direction, but he was quick to avoid them, jumping to the side and running towards the blonde before he could get close to him, an arm going around his waist as he pushed him forward, his eyes turning blue once more. Alex slammed him against the filing cabinets, dinting them with the force of the movement.

Maeve moved again, punching Homelander squarely in the jaw. He retaliated, knocking her to the ground with a swift kick to her stomach before she could dodge him. Alex was about to launch another punch before Homelander caught his fist in his fingers, twisting his arm behind his back and shoving him forward, watching him hit the ground.

"You're a pain in my fucking ass," Homelander complained to Alex. "I'm going to enjoy killing you…but not before you suffer first," he warned him and Alex turned his head over his shoulder to look to him.

Maeve moved to her feet slowly, gaining her breath once more as Alex climbed back to his feet.

"You think you can take my daughter and wife from me and there be no repercussions? No, I don't think so."

"Kill me if you want, but at least they're away from you."

"Killing you would be far too easy. No. I'll take out everyone you love before then…kill them…let them know that you caused it…and then I'll deal with you," Homelander warned him and Alex knew full well that the supe was not kidding. Alex gulped and then glanced to Maeve, both of them knowing they had to attack and stop Homelander.

They moved in tandem together, Maeve throwing punches and Alex backing her up as Homelander fought back, giving as good as he got. They were struggling to go up against him. He was strong and quite clearly able to hold his own. As each punch landed, Alex didn't know if it was going to work. He was tiring, clearly nowhere near as powerful as Homelander. He was doing his best to keep up with the two supes, but struggling more than he cared to admit.

He heard a blast from the studio next door, but he couldn't look. If he looked then he'd be distracted. Homelander managed to get a punch in anyway, knocking him to the floor again and causing his jaw to sting. Maeve took over, punching Homelander in the gut and sending him flying into the studio. He landed gracefully in a kneeling position before standing up as Maeve advanced towards him again. He grabbed her neck, strangling her and looking at the woman he once considered a friend with nothing but disdain. She was quicker, picking up a steel object and shoving it into Homelander's ear, disoritenating him as he stumbled around.

Blood dripped down her face, running from her chin and onto her neck and chest. Alex caught up with her, jaw still aching and his own forehead cut with blood. He looked into the studio that was completely destroyed, glass shattered and pipes dangling down. Annie, Kimiko, M.M. and Frenchie were struggling with Soldier Boy whose chest was glowing, a hum coming from him as he tried to fight them off, the mask on his face restricting him from breathing. Butcher was in the corner with Ryan, holding the boy to him almost as if he knew what was coming.

Alex glanced to Maeve and she looked back to him. He knew what had to be done. No one was getting out of there if Soldier Boy detonated. It would kill Homelander, but it would kill too many other people. Alex's eyes met Annie's and she almost looked at him with sorrow. She knew this was it too. Alex shook his head slowly as Homelander finally pulled the metal from his ear. He came back towards them and Maeve punched him with both fists in the chest, letting out a loud scream.

Alex rushed towards Annie and the others, wondering if he could help them overpower Soldier Boy, but he knew that he was far too strong. What he hadn't anticipated was Maeve running at them, grabbing Soldier Boy around the waist and launching him out the window. Alex tried to get out of the way in time, but he felt something snag around his wrist, tugging him along towards the window. His heart hammered in his chest, his eyes wide with fear. He had no time to think coherently as he hurtled towards the broken window and the eighty floor drop to the ground.

Annie shrieked loudly, seeing the wire catching onto Alex's wrist at one end and then Soldier Boy's wrist at the other end. She screamed as loud as she could, but Alex stumbled, clearly unprepared for what was happening. She met his eye as he fell alongside Maeve and Soldier Boy and she saw the fear there. Annie rushed to the broken window as Hughie followed her, arm going around her waist to keep her from running too far.

She could barely make out the three figures before they turned into nothing but a giant blaze, a loud boom echoing through the building as sirens wailed in the distance.

…

Homelander could feel the blood dripping down his ear. He'd managed to get back up in time to see Maeve hurtle from the window, taking Alex with her. Starlight's wails echoed in his ears. Homelander almost felt smug at the sight of Supersonic and Maeve plummeting to their deaths. It was what they both deserved and it was one less problem for him to have to deal with. But there was still the issue of his wife and her brother.

He pulled himself to full height, chest puffing out before he saw Butcher crouched down over Ryan. He was knelt there, his hands holding Ryan's arms as he fussed over him, pleading with him to tell him that he was alright. Ryan said nothing, unable to speak as Homelander appeared over Billy's shoulders, the young boy's gaze going there automatically. Butcher soon turned his head over his shoulder and stood up straight, watching him too.

The two men faced off. Homelander could feel the anger inside of him begin to boil to the surface, lips parted and teeth clenched. "Where is she?" he demanded from Butcher.

"Away from you."

"I'll find her," Homelander warned Butcher.

"Even I don't know where she's gone," Billy said. "Torture me all you want, but I'll never tell you."

"You're playing with fire, Butcher."

"No, I'm protecting my sister."

"Dad," Ryan's voice soon spoke and he moved out from behind Billy. He stepped in front of his father and looked up to him. Homelander's eyes flickered down to his son and he looked to him, eyes wide and pleading. "I want to leave."

Homelander remained silent, looking back to Butcher and wondering just how he was going to get his wife back. There had to be a way. He knew that there had to be a way. It took him a moment before he came to the realisation that Ryan was holding his hand tightly, gripping onto it. He looked down to his son and knew that he couldn't do anything at that moment in time. He couldn't kill Butcher in front of Ryan. He didn't want to alienate his son. He would bide his time. He would just do what he had to.

He kept hold of Ryan's hand and walked with him out of the studio, the blood having stopped dropping down his face from his ears. He kept his steps slow and even, heading to the elevator and taking it down to the basement. There was no one in the Tower. Everyone was gone.

"Has Victoria really left?" Ryan suddenly asked as they entered the foyer and looked around nervously. It was eerily quiet. Homelander listened in and use his x-ray vision to glance down into the cells beneath him. They were empty. His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed.

"Yes," Homelander answered, tone tense and full of anger. "But she'll be back. Don't worry about that."

…

Victoria had followed the instructions her brother had given her to a tee. As soon as she had landed in England at the private airbase in Manchester she'd used her fake ID to rent a car, using the bank card Billy had given her too. She had no idea how her brother had set all of this up, but it was proving useful. She had tucked Evelyn into the car seat and left the city, heading towards the countryside and finding the address he had left her.

She came to Kendall in the Lake District and drove slowly through the streets, following the GPS until she came to the house. It was an end terrace down a quite cul-de-sac. There was one parking space outside of it that she pulled into. It looked deserted and empty. Victoria climbed from the car and looked up to the grey building before grabbing hold of Evelyn from the passenger seat. She kept the bag on her shoulder and held the house key. She unlocked the front door and walked in. The hallway was small, stairs steeply situated against the wall. The entire house was newly decorated, the smell of fresh paint and new carpet overpowering. Victoria headed down the hall to the galley kitchen that also looked new. There was a piece of paper on the worktop.

She looked down to it as she bounced Evelyn slightly in her arms. Welcome to your new home, Dr Jameson! You'll find the manual for everything you need in the cupboard under the sink.

Victoria frowned and dropped her bag to the floor. That was the name on her fake ID. She was now Amanda Jameson. Victoria moved through the house, seeing the TV built into the wall. There was a sofa and a chair in the sitting room with a dining room in the space behind it. Heading upstairs, there were just two bedrooms. One was the master with a double bed already made up and a cot next to it, the other was empty and much smaller. The bedroom had a shower over the bath and a small basin and toilet.

"How did you manage this, Billy?" Victoria wondered in a whisper before she felt Evelyn shuffle in her arms again. She was tired. The flight had been long and turbulent and then the drive up had seen them spend a long time in traffic, Victoria often worrying about whether or not she was in the right lane.

"I don't know what time it is either, baby," Victoria said to Evelyn. "But we should go and get you some things, yeah? We'll go in a minute, but I just need to call someone first…your uncle…"

Victoria laid Evelyn down in the cot, her daughter only protesting for a few minutes. Victoria reached for the phone she had shoved into her skirt's pocket. She looked down for the only number in the device and dialled it. She heard the international dialling code before it began ringing. She waited patiently before there was a click on the other end.

"That you?"

His voice was gruff and so familiar. Victoria almost collapsed with relief. She'd seen that Vought Tower had been destroyed on the news, but there had been nothing else mentioned as of yet. She sat down at the end of the double bed and bowed her head.

"Billy, are you alright?"

"Define alright," he replied.

"Alive...safe…"

"Alive, yeah…safe, that's a rare thing," he retorted and Victoria wanted to snap at him. "I'm alright, Vic. You don't need to worry about me. I got out of there before anything could really happen."

"What did happen?" Victoria asked him. "I keep checking the news, but they're not saying anything. I don't know what to do…I didn't know what to do…I wanted to turn round and come back."

"That was the last thing you should have done and you know that," Billy retorted, voice firm. "I went to a lot of trouble to get you away from him. I had to pull a lot of strings with Mallory and others to get you away."

"I can't believe you did all of this for me," Victoria said.

"Least I owed you," he retorted.

"You didn't owe me anything," Victoria said. "But…thank you. Can you not come over here? Can I…can I come home?"

Billy kept silent then and Victoria knew what that meant. Homelander was still alive. There was no going home.

"Soldier Boy turned on Ryan, Vicky. He was there…I told him that Ryan wasn't part of the plan. He didn't seem to care. He was pissed I went against him and broke the deal. I didn't want Homelander dead at any cost, especially not the cost of Ryan. I did what I had to do…but…we were all there…we couldn't subdue Soldier Boy…"

"He…what happened?" Victoria asked, sensing that there was something horrendous he wasn't telling her. She closed her eyes and waited for it, her leg bouncing anxiously as a hand went through her hair, tossing it back.

"Maeve launched herself at him…went out the window with him," Billy said and Victoria bit her lip, feeling her head begin to pound and her eyes begin to water. Shaking her head slowly, she knew what was coming next, but she wasn't entirely sure how she should feel. "She didn't make it, Vic."

"Shit," Victoria whispered, Maeve's face floating into her mind.

Billy was quiet then. He hated lying to her. He hated it, but until he knew Homelander was gone then there was no other option. Maeve wanted to live a life of peace. Homelander thought she was gone and that was for the best and, while Billy had no intention of letting the supe near his sister, he knew that he would be looking. While Victoria wouldn't spill anything to him, Billy knew that he had ways of getting information.

"I'm sorry," Victoria said. "It should never have come to this."

"Yeah," was all that Billy could answer with.

"She…you know she-"

"-Vic, that's not all," Billy interrupted his sister and Victoria frowned. "Annie's fine, you don't need to worry about her, but it's…Alex…"

"Was he hurt?"

"Vicky, he…" Billy trailed off, knowing that this one was going to devastate her. But she would hear it sooner or later. There would be no keeping it from her and so he had to do it. He had to tell her. But he didn't need to. Victoria was already crying, her body shaking. Pressing a hand to her mouth, she felt her stomach ache and chest seemed to constrict.

"No," she managed to gasp out. "Billy, not him…"

"Vic, I'm sorry," Billy said to her before she dropped the phone and let her grief take hold of her as she cried over Alex.

…

"I don't care how you do it, just fucking do it."

Homelander's anger had taken hold of him as Ashley informed him that there had been no lead on where Victoria had gone. They were stood in the foyer of the Tower that was closed to all employees for restructuring to take place. It had been two days since Maeve and Supersponic had died fighting a radicalised Soldier Boy. Ashley knew better, but she had deleted the video. She didn't want anyone coming after them, especially Homelander. She knew that she was trapped with him, but so long as she did as he asked then she was safe.

"We've searched her bedroom and all of her stuff is still there," Ashley said, shrinking slightly under Homelander's glare. She was dressed in a yellow suit with a red blouse, patent red heels on her feet. "Her passport, all of her debit and credit cards, her visa…she hasn't been able to check into any hotel or onto any flight. Crime Analytics are trawling through CCTV, but Soldier Boy fried most of our infrastructure so we're struggling."

"It's her brother," Homelander snapped. "He knows where she is."

"He might do, but we don't know where he is right now."

"Jesus Christ!" Homelander snapped loudly, arms flapping by his side, the anger inside of him palpable as he thought about Victoria. "She's married to me, Ashley. She is the fucking wife of Homelander. She's carrying my baby and has my daughter. Someone must know where the fuck she is."

"And I'm sure we'll find her," Ashley said, although a part of her wondered if it would be for the best if they didn't. "In the meantime though, we need a cover story to explain her absence."

"She's sick," Homelander said, waving a nonchalant hand. "Morning sickness is too much for her…she's struggling with the pregnancy…just think of anything."

"Yes, sir," Ashley agreed with a nod of her head.

"Do I have to do everything round here?" Homelander demanded. "I mean, seriously, Ashley? My wife is missing. She's taken my daughter. She's pregnant. This can't be happening to me…this just can't be happening…"

"I know, sir," Ashley said, feeling the apprehension inside of her build with each passing moment. "We'll do what we can to find her brother and if we can find her from that then we'll be alright…we'll be fine."

"Will we?" Homelander demanded. "Because Victoria is becoming a pain in my ass. If she thinks she can run from me and hide then she's got another thing coming."

Ashley watched, face turning ashen. She was doing everything in her power not to feel too apprehensive, but she was struggling, especially when her phone beeped and she looked to it, seeing the message that had just come in. Homelander's hands dropped to his hips and his brows arched on his forehead. Why was she not giving him her full attention? The anger inside of him continued to build until he heard her swear under her breath.

"What?" he demanded to know.

"They're protesting outside the Tower and it's got worse," Ashley said with a firm shake of her head. "Your fans…people who believe Starlight…this is a PR disaster. Add a missing wife and daughter to the mix and we've got a catastrophe."

Homelander held a hand up. He knew that he had a job to do. He had a company to save and a family to find, but Victoria would have to wait just for the time being. He looked to the other side of the foyer where Ryan was stood, looking out over the yard in front of him. Sighing loudly, Homelander tossed his head back and looked to the ceiling.

"I'll deal with the crowds. You get Crime Analytics to find William Butcher. Find him then I can find Victoria."

He walked away with another word to Ashley. Moving to Ryan, he tried to force a smile onto his face for his son, hoping that it didn't look too forced. His hands clasped his hips once more and he cocked his head to the side. "How do you feel about meeting some people?"

…

Victoria didn't know how long she had sat on the floor and cried for. She had hardly managed to compose herself, thinking about Alex. He was gone. He had died. He had died fighting Homelander. He had died doing the one thing she never wanted him to do. She felt as though she had dragged him into this. What if she had just been more forceful and asked him not to join the Seven? What if he had listened to her? He might have been a supe still, but he'd have had his family. He would still have been happy.

Evelyn had started to cry after a while and Victoria had wiped her eyes before steeling herself and putting on a brave face for her daughter. She had to look after her now. She was her number one priority and that was how it was going to be forever.

…

Buther wasn't entirely happy that Starlight was now a member of the Boys, but it wasn't as if he had any choice considering they were apparently now a democracy. Buther had watched the TV with all of them as Neuman announced she was running for VP and then they had seen what Homelander had done. It had taken some time for them to get over it, clearly in shock. Homelander had completely lost it. Vought had gone on the defensive of course, claiming that the video might have been a fake. They'd asked about Victoria, but Homelander had said that she was sick.

"Is she okay?"

Billy was sipping on a mug of tea in the office. He was preparing to leave after he had finished his drink. He knew he couldn't exactly go back to his apartment considering that was where Homelander would find him. He didn't want to see that man, but he knew he would have to eventually. He couldn't hide from Homelander forever, no matter how much he wanted to.

Looking over the rim of his mug, Billy swallowed the milky tea. "Yeah," was all he said to Starlight.

She looked annoyed. Then again, she always looked annoyed when it came to Billy. "Is that all I'm going to get? A yeah?"

"I can't give you any more than that because I don't know anymore," Billy retorted. "I haven't called her since the other day when I told her about Maeve and Supersonic."

Annie's brows furrowed, arms folded over her chest. She ambled into Billy's private office. "You told her the truth, right?"

His silence said enough. Annie rolled her own eyes at that and shook her head. She couldn't believe this. What was he playing at? Billy set his mug down on his desk. Annie flapped her arms by her sides.

"You didn't tell her?" she accused him.

"I couldn't tell her. It's best this way. She can't have another secret to hold. She can't have the responsibility. It's not fair on her and you know that."

"It's not fair to let her think they're dead," Annie hissed back at him. "She's going to be feeling guilty and what is she going to do when Alex rocks up on her doorstep alive and well?"

Billy held firm. "He can't go to her."

Annie scoffed. "Are you going to tell him that? He might need weeks to heal, but he wants to go. His family think he's dead so that he can protect them from Homelander-"

"-And if he's found with Victoria then what? You think Homelander wouldn't kill him? What do you think he'd do to Victoria? He'd be pissed enough that she even ran from him, but add in running with another supe and you get a whole load of shit."

"And if she isn't found?" Annie asked. "I mean, that's the idea, right? That Homelander is never able to find her?"

"And that had been the plan with Ryan. That went to shit," Billy snapped. "I will do everything I can to keep her from that psychotic cunt, but I don't know what will happen in the long run because in this world there's always people who want to fuck you over. No one knows where she is, even me. I arranged it that way so that there's distance. We need that. If you know…if Supersonic knows…then we don't have that. What we have is a member of the Seven with her and it's bad enough people might recognise her. Put him with her and you're asking for trouble."

"They'd be in a different country, right? People wouldn't recognise them."

"There's always a chance that they could and the fewer chances we take then the better it will be. I know he cares for her and has risked a lot…but I can't let him go to her…I need to protect her. It's for the best this way."

Annie scoffed. "For who? Because from where I'm standing, no one is going to be happy."

She stormed off then and Billy sighed, wondering if perhaps she had a point as he thought about his sister and what she would want. He knew what she'd want. She'd want Alex and perhaps she needed someone who cared for her. Perhaps she should have a shot at happiness after everything.

…

A/N: So in the next chapter we have Butcher v Homelander...a trip to England for a certain supe...and an old friend comes back! Love to know what you think as we now head into the wait for season 4 if I continue this!