Standing in the foyer, Victoria was by Ryan's side, her hands twitching nervously down against her skirt. She had spent an hour in the walk-in wardrobe trying to find something to wear considering most of her dresses were with the dry cleaner. She'd exhausted a number of outfits for the trial and just hadn't sent them down for dry cleaning since the beginning of it. She'd opted for a red dress with a high collar and a fit and flare style. She'd gone for stockings and a pair of red heels to match. She'd clipped her hair back into a low bun at the nape of her neck and had left a few strands to hand loosely down her cheeks.

"You look really nice," Ryan said to her as they stood in the foyer and waited for Homelander to return from the bathroom.

Victoria smiled down at him. "Thank you," she said. "You okay, buddy?"

"I'm fine," Ryan assured her. "Just…there's a lot of people in there."

Victoria nodded and peered into the main hall of the hotel where the event was taking place. She could hear cheering from in there and she suspected another state had been called for Singer and Neuman. She knew they were on the brink of winning the election. The electoral college votes were swinging in their direction.

"I know," Victoria said to him. "You know, when I first started dating your dad, I was terrified."

"You were?" Ryan asked from her.

"Oh yeah," Victoria assured him. "We had to go to these big events and I'd get so nervous that there would be times when I felt like I was going to throw up because I was so scared. Truth be told, I still get nervous about going to them. Your dad knows that and he always makes sure I'm okay, just like we're always going to make sure you're okay. I promise you, alright?"

"Can I stay with you?" Ryan asked from Victoria.

"Of course, sweetie," she said and she offered him her hand. He took hold of it and she felt his little palm slip into her fingers. She curled her limbs around his as Homelander came into view after leaving the bathroom. Ever since their discussion about him aging, Victoria had picked up on him sneaking off to the bathroom even more than usual. She watched him smile over to them and his hands went to his hips.

"We doing okay?" he checked with the two of them.

"We're fine," Victoria assured him and he picked up on how she had given Ryan's hand a gentle squeeze. "You okay?"

"Fine," he said to her and he stretched his arm out behind her, pressing a hand flat to her back. "Let's go and get this out of the way with. I heard that there's even a surprise band playing before the end of the night if the two of them win."

Victoria let him steer them forwards and she refused to let go of Ryan's hand. They stood in front of cameras and had their photos taken. Homelander's smile remained fixed on his face, his hand splayed out in the small of Victoria's back and she also smiled for the press, keeping it fixed on her face for as long as possible until she felt Homelander push her forwards. She wondered where they were going before she spotted Victoria Neuman to one side. Homelander had clearly caught her eye. Moving towards her, Victoria felt a sense of apprehension, knowing exactly what the woman was capable of. She hardly wanted to get on her bad side.

"It's alright," Homelander assured Victoria. "She's hardly going to pop your head in the middle of this crowd."

"I don't think that's as comforting as you think it is," Victoria retorted to her husband in a whisper, smile still fixed on her face as they finally stood in front of Victoria and her daughter, Zoe. Homelander lifted a free hand up and gestured to the two of them.

"My goodness, you look beautiful this evening," he commented, turning the charm on for the surrounding audience who were analysing his every move. "Especially you," he said and pointed to Zoe. "Zoe, you remember my son, Ryan?" he checked.

"Hi," Zoe said in an awkward childish way that Victoria found endearing.

"Hi," Ryan replied, lifting his hand up and giving her a gentle wave as Victoria kept hold of his other hand. Victoria knew why they were there that night. Homelander was going to endorse the new President and Vice-President, but it was also a ploy to remind Neuman of the power he held over her. Keeping the shareholders happy by turning up was also a benefit, not that Homelander entirely cared about their happiness.

"Hey, Zoe, I've heard that this hotel makes its own ice cream. Why don't you and Ryan go and find some, huh?" Neuman questioned.

"Great idea," Homelander agreed. "Go for it, sport."

Ryan looked to his dad and then to Victoria and she nodded her head, encouraging him to go and silently assuring him that it would be fine. But she saw a flash of hesitation there and she made an executive decision. Besides, she would rather be away from Victoria Neuman if she could be.

"Why don't I come with you guys?" Victoria suggested. "You know how much I love ice cream."

Homelander chuckled, stroking his wife's back and suspecting that she wanted to make an exit away from Neuman. "You do have a sweet tooth, sweetheart," he said and there was an awkward laugh around the group as Homelander met his wife's gaze. "I'll come and find you," he promised her and bent down quickly to peck her on the lips.

Victoria moved off with Ryan on one side of her and Zoe on the other side of her.

"Just make sure you chaperone them two. I don't want anyone coming back pregnant," Homelander declared and Victoria turned her head over her shoulder to see him smiling, teeth bared as Neuman looked less than impressed. Ryan and Zoe had no idea how to react and just turned back around and began to walk away. Victoria cocked her head to Homelander and he waved a nonchalant hand. "I'm kidding," he declared.

"We all know your dad's jokes are lame," Victoria said, moving her hand from Ryan's and running it down the back of his head She suspected Homelander heard her as she took a final look over her shoulder and he caught her eye, winking in her direction. They moved through the corridors of the hotel, Zoe leading the way for them. As they approached the kitchens, the corridors emptied out and she saw him out of the corner of her eye.

She stood still. Ryan and Zoe turned their glances onto her. "You guys go ahead, I just need to find the bathroom, okay?" Victoria said and the two of them nodded before taking off.

Victoria waited until they rounded the corner before she spun on her heel and headed in the direction of where he'd gone. Her heels sunk down into the plush beige carpet before she came to a dead end with only three doors leading off of the corridor. Before she could push a door open, the one on the right opened for her and he motioned for her to step inside. Victoria looked around, making sure that they were alone and Homelander was nowhere to be seen. Stepping into the room, her nose wrinkled as she looked around.

"Couldn't find anywhere other than a disabled toilet to discuss this?" she wondered from him. "And what the hell are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same question. We had no intel saying that you'd turn up," Billy said to his sister, arms folding over his chest as he looked down to her after locking the door.

Victoria moved to the sink, turning the tap on and pushing her hands underneath it, needing to do something. Washing her hands, she grabbed a paper towel and began drying them, checking her reflection in the mirror above the sink.

"He's here to endorse Singer and Neuman," Victoria said.

"And Ryan?"

"He wants him in the public eye," Victoria said. "I'm keeping an eye on him as best as I can. With the trial going on…Neuman in the White House…it just feels like it's all too much. And you? What are you doing here?"

"We're here to top Neuman."

Victoria let out a laugh, meeting her brother's eye in the reflection of the mirror. When she saw that he wasn't smiling back, she frowned and whirled around on the spot. "You're serious?" she checked with him.

"We both know having a supe in charge is dangerous," Butcher said to her. "I can get you out of here right now if you want, Victoria. There's a van out back and I can get you and Ryan away from here and back to Grace. You'd be safe. I can keep you safe. Alex can go with you."

"We both know that's not going to happen," Victoria said to her brother in a whisper, worried that Homelander might appear at any given moment. She had to be careful with what she said. "You need to leave before he finds out you're here."

"I'm not scared of him," Billy hissed back.

"Then you're a fool," Victoria retorted and she tugged at the high collar of her dress, feeling warm all of a sudden. "Even if you were to get us out of here, he'd be onto you in minutes. We wouldn't get anywhere. Plus there's the fact that Ryan can't stand you right now after what you said to him."

"I know I fucked up, Vicky," Billy said. "And I don't admit that I fucked up often, but I know I did with that kid. Becca wouldn't want him with Homelander and you know that."

There was silence then and Victoria knew that he had a point there. She didn't want to admit it, but he was right. But Victoria shook her head slowly as her brother stepped towards her.

"It's too dangerous. I'm looking out for Ryan, Billy. I'm looking after him."

"And who is looking after you?"

"No one, just like I'm used to," Victoria said to her brother and she saw him wince, suspecting that stung him deep. But she didn't care because it was honest. It had always been her against the world and that had become the norm. "I'm fine, Billy. He's…he trusts me again and I'm not going to throw that away for some half-baked plan."

"You're willing to stay with him?"

"It's better the devil you know at this point."

"Don't throw Kylie in my face," Billy retorted. "I'm serious, Vic, come with me…please…"

"I know you're doing this because you're scared, Billy. I know that you only have months to live and I know that terrifies you because, despite what you say, you're not a complete dickhead. You want to help us, but a rash exit plan isn't going to work. It'll just undo all of the work that we've done…and I know you're scared," she assured her brother and Billy gulped at hearing her. "And if…if there's nothing that can be done…then I've accepted that. I've accepted that maybe this might be it and it makes me sick. I don't sleep. I hardly eat. I spend every day thinking of ways to protect Ryan and Evie from what might be coming."

"I'm not giving up, Vicky," Billy said to his sister. "I'm going to get you away from that cunt."

Victoria's eyes watered and she observed her brother. He was looking haggard and tired. He looked worse for wear and she suspected that time was running out and that scared her. She didn't want to lose her brother, but she knew that it was looking likely that was going to happen. There was no one strong enough to stop Homelander and she understood that. Reaching for Billy, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"I love you," she whispered. "And I'll look after Ryan…for Becca…"

Billy wrapped his arms around his sister and held onto her tightly for a few moments. "You're a good mother, you know that?"

"I'm trying," was all Victoria said and she whispered as quietly as she could into her brother's ear. "Just tell Alex…tell him to be safe and I miss him…I love him, Billy. Every day, I think about him and wish that we were back in England."

"But you still have feelings for that cunt, don't you?" Billy replied and looked to his sister, drinking in the way her gaze shifted downwards and she let go of him, arms going back to her side and he took hold of her shoulders. "I can see it, Victoria. There's a part of you that still thinks he's the asshole you met."

"Billy, I might need to spend the rest of my life with him. I have to act nice. I have to be the perfect, doting wife and I despise it. Deep down I despise it and him, but I know that…if this is it…if there is no escaping because he won't let us go…then sometimes pretending is easier than fighting."

"How much of it is pretend?" Billy questioned from his sister, eyeing her sceptically.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," Billy demanded from her.

"I can't because even I don't understand. I don't understand anything that's going on, Billy. He…he acts like the perfect husband and that scares me because I know who he is, what he stands for and what he's done. I know all of it, but he's never like that with me and if this is my life now then sometimes I think it's easier to give in. I'm tired, Billy. I'm just so tired because I don't see how I can get out. I don't see a plan. I don't see a vision."

"You can't love him, Vic."

"I'm not in love with him," Victoria said. "I'm trying to make living with him easier. I don't expect you to understand what it's like, Billy, but I'm not leaving with you and a makeshift plan. You should leave, okay? You need to get out."

Victoria wasted no more time then in unlocking the door and stepping back out into the corridor. Billy followed her, keeping up with her pace back down the corridor. Reaching for her arm, he wrapped his fingers around it and stopped her from moving any further. She turned back to look up at him and saw the desperation in his eyes.

"You're my sister and the thought of him with you makes me sick," he said to his sister and she tried to pull her arm from his grip, but he was stronger than she had anticipated for someone who looked so weak. "Come with me, Vicky. Just come with me and I can get you, your sprog and Ryan out of here. I can get you somewhere safe. You need to try. Please. For me."

"No, Billy," Victoria said with a firm shake of her head. "I can't."

"I think you should respect her decision, William."

Homelander's voice interrupted them and Victoria looked down the corridor to see him stood there, hands behind his back and a look of amusement on his face. He stepped forwards, his eyes glimmering with glee as he watched him. He could see that the mass around his brain was growing and he suspected that he had less than six months to live now. His time was most definitely limited.

"She doesn't want anything to do with you and you know it," Billy said.

Homelander's jaw tensed and Victoria stepped up then, tugging her arm free eventually and looking to her brother.

"He's my husband," she said to her brother. "I'm not coming with you, Billy. We're done here."

"You know I'm not going to stop, don't you?" Billy checked with Homelander. "I'm not going to stop trying to get them away from you."

Homelander chuckled at that, coming closer towards him. "And how do you think you're going to do that? I can see that black mass around your brain, William. You have months to live. It's a shame, really. I will miss this little dance of ours. But rest assured, once you're gone, Victoria will be in safe hands…well…safer hands than she was ever in with you. Was it not you who left her to that monster?"

"John," Victoria urged him in a soft voice.

He held his hands up defensively. "I am just saying," he defended himself. "It's not as if that's not true, is it? He's not exactly your great protector."

"And you are?"

"I've kept her safe."

"Bollocks."

"Stop it," Victoria urged from the two of them, moving to stand in between them as they stepped closer together. She held her hands up and looked between the two men who were glaring at each other over her head. "John, let's go," she said, her hand moving to his chest and she noted how his jaw continued clenching, eyes dangerously darkening. "John, please."

Her final plea got him to look down to her and she nodded her head encouragingly.

"Vicky, don't," Billy pleaded from her.

"I'm fine, Billy. Seriously. I'll call you soon, but I'm fine," she declared and he knew that was a lie, but there was nothing that he could do because he knew that she wasn't going to relent. He shook his head slowly and Victoria reached for Homelander's hand, taking hold of it inside of hers and moving her other hand to his cheek, drawing his gaze down to her once more. "Let's get Ryan and go home."

He nodded once, his fingers entwining with hers. "Good to see you, William," he commented and the two of them walked away together.

…

Victoria would be lying if she said that her brother's offer hadn't been tempting. Did she want to run away? Of course she did. Did she dare run away? That was another story entirely. She knew Homelander would never forgive her if she tried to leave him again and she worried what that might mean for Evie and Ryan. Returning home from the event, Victoria urged Ryan to go to bed considering it had gone eleven. She'd moved to the sofa in the living room and turned the television on, waiting for the election result to be finalised as the electoral college votes came in. She'd poured a glass of wine, needing something to drink. Homelander had also taken a glass and sat down beside her.

"So your brother is still a pain in the ass," he said to her and she chuckled at that. She wasn't going to disagree with him on that point.

"Thank you for leaving him."

"No point getting into a fight with a dead man walking," Homelander said and he saw her wince despite trying to mask it with a sip of her wine. "But, in a way, I will miss him. He's the only human who isn't scared of me. I wonder if it must be a Butcher thing."

"You know it's funny," Victoria said to him. "I've never really seen myself as a Butcher. When I changed my name to Anderton, I thought that I'd be able to leave that part of me behind. It was like changing my name from Butcher would get rid of everything that happened, but it didn't, not really. I couldn't run away from my past."

"No, but you faced it."

"I think you faced it for me, John," Victoria deadpanned.

He chuckled and took a sip of his own glass of wine. He let the dry fruity taste linger in his mouth as they watched the television and he saw the image of the two of them flash up on screen that had been taken as they'd returned to the main room after their alteration with Butcher. Victoria had smiled demurely while Homelander waved confidently.

Moving his free arm around her shoulders, he felt her lean against his side. Closing her eyes for a moment, Victoria tucked her legs beneath her and laid her head down against his shoulder. Homelander picked his hand up and brushed her hair through his fingers gently. She looked so at peace.

"You know, I was thinking that if we go away then I'll need to buy a whole new wardrobe," Victoria informed him, keeping her eyes shut as she listened to the news play on low in the background.

"Will you now?"

"Well, Evie doesn't have swimming costumes and the one I have is old…plus I need summer clothes considering I hate most of mine…and we'll need to pack for Ryan too. Then there's you. Please tell me you don't intend on wearing that suit in thirty-degree heat."

Homelander laughed at that, thinking about how easy it was just to be with her. "I can get normal clothes," Homelander assured her. "You know that I don't wear the suit all the time."

"No, just most of the time," Victoria replied. "I think I can probably count on a handful of occasions the times I've seen you without the suit."

"Well, I hardly need to go incognito," he said. "Anyway, I should tell you that we're in the process of narrowing down who should join The Seven. We have a meeting tomorrow afternoon, but truth be told, I find it all quite tedious right now. Everyone down there is an imbecile with no backbone. The Deep just does everything that I tell him to do. He runs Crime Analytics but his department is a shambles."

"Because he's not competent enough to do it," Victoria said, sipping on her glass of wine and opening her eyes, turning her head to the side so that she could peer up at him. "We both know Deep is an idiot. I can't stand him…I mean, his ex-wife claims that he fucked an octopus."

"He's an embarrassment, I know," Homelander agreed with her on that point. "And then we've replaced Noir but he has no idea how to be Noir. He talks far too much and is over the top…and A-Train…I have no idea what's up his ass recently."

"Who are you thinking should join then?" Victoria wondered.

"The board have apparently narrowed down a list of twenty-five supes, but honestly…the recent hires have been ridiculous. They haven't fitted in whatsoever. I need someone who is competent…has brains…"

"So you're prioritising brains over brawn?" Victoria checked with him on that point.

"You could say that," he confirmed for her. "You know…out of everyone in this Tower…you're the only one who ever tells me the truth. You're the only one who has the nerve to tell me what I should hear and not just what I want to hear."

Victoria wondered if it had ever crossed his mind that people told him what he wanted to hear because they were scared of him and for no other reason? There had been a time when she had been scared of him, especially after he'd caught her after she'd ran away. But over recent months, that fear had gone. She didn't know if that was wise or stupid.

But she didn't tell him that. "I think you just need someone on The Seven who isn't going to be controversial," Victoria said to him. "But someone smart would be beneficial probably. I'm not saying that's not a good decision…but there's been so many changes that I understand why you want to get this right."

Homelander nodded in agreement with her and he set his wine glass down on the coffee table in front of him before leaning back. "I'm serious when I say that I think you'd make an amazing supe," Homelander said to his wife. "You're smart. I mean, I'm smart…but you're a different kind of smart."

Victoria let out an involuntary laugh at that. "I'm not sure if I should be offended by that or not," she said and Homelander watched her place her own wine glass down onto the coffee table. He moved her so that she was laid down against him, her head resting in his lap on a cushion, hair fanned out over his thighs. She let him pick one of her hands up, his fingers toying with hers as he held them mid-air.

"Don't be offended by it," he urged from her. "You're clever, Vicky. You're perceptive. You…by my side…I need you because you tell me the truth."

"But it's not always the truth that you want to hear, John," Victoria said, remaining laid in his lap, peering up at him as he looked down at her. She felt his thumb run over her knuckle slowly. "We both have very different perceptions about the world and you know that. We don't agree on everything…I'm not sure you'd want me telling you the truth in some cases."

"I know," Homelander agreed on that point. "But I knew that about you when I met you, Victoria, but I still love you. I love you because we have deeper things that bind us together."

"I love you too," Victoria said to him. "But the fact is that any advice I give you isn't advice you want to hear."

"I think that's not always the case," Homelander said with a shake of his head.

"Not always, but most of the time," Victoria said. "Besides, we already discussed that I would make a terrible supe. I'd be horrendous and we both know it."

"I think you'd be great," Homelander said. "But I know you'd never want to change."

He thought about the V that he had hidden away in the apartment under lock and key. His wife should be a supe. She was better than any human and he knew it. She deserved to be a supe. But he knew that she would never go for it. She was happy as a human.

"Anyway, I think it's smart to exercise caution when picking a new member," Victoria concluded for him. "I'm also thinking that it might be a clever idea to go to bed sometime soon because I am exhausted. It's been a long day and seeing Billy wasn't what I had planned. I know you despise him…but he…I know that there's no cure for what he has, but eventually he's going to die and I don't think I've accepted that."

"You know that…when it happens…I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere, Vicky."

"I know," Victoria replied. "But you need to know that I love him, John. I love him because he's my brother and I know you don't agree with that. I know you would rather me be nowhere near him, but I really do love him and I just…I don't want him to die. I just don't want him to die."

And then the tears came. Homelander wanted to roll his eyes. He wanted to snap at her and tell her that she shouldn't be crying over someone who had done nothing but hurt her. But he didn't. He remained silent and he moved her so that she was sat up in his lap, crying into his neck as she let herself sob for her brother, thinking about never being able to see him again. Homelander stroked her back gently and held her to him.

"It's alright, Vic," he promised her.

She would be fine in the long run and he knew that. She would get over it and she would be fine. He just needed to stay with her until then. He would be her rock. He would be the one she turned to. He would be her everything and that was exactly how it should be.

…

Victoria sat with Evelyn while Homelander had his meeting with the Seven. She'd gone for a walk with her daughter around the gardens, holding her hand and walking slowly with her along the rows of flowers and pointing them out, helping Evelyn identify the colours of them. They'd ended up sat on the grass, Victoria with her legs crossed and her coat hanging open around her and Evelyn in her arms as they picked at a dandelion and Victoria blew at it, watching its fluff move into the air as Evelyn looked on animatedly.

"Mummy, is daddy in trouble?" Evelyn suddenly asked.

Victoria arched her brow. "Why would you say that, sweetie?"

"He…I heard someone say he did bad thing," Evelyn said.

"Your daddy didn't do anything, baby," Victoria assured her daughter, planting a kiss on the side of her daughter's head. "Your daddy is just working very hard. He's a superhero, you know, and that means sometimes he's very busy."

"I know. Daddy saves the world," Evelyn said, almost sounding proud. Victoria longed to correct her daughter, but she knew that wouldn't go down well. She was still a toddler. She didn't need to know about the ways of the world and Victoria intended to shelter her for as long as possible. "Why do we not see Alex?"

That question took her off guard. There had been a time when Evelyn had thought Alex was her father. Victoria remembered that so clearly. She remembered how Alex had walked with Evelyn along the cold, wet beach and picked her up, pretending to throw her so that she laughed loudly. Victoria longed to go back to that time. She missed Alex more than she cared to admit.

"Alex had to go away, sweetheart," Victoria said to her daughter, stroking her hair gently. "But you just need to know that he really loved you. Alex adored you, baby."

"I miss him."

"I know, honey," Victoria assured her. "But we had to come back home and now you have your daddy and Ryan…and me…always me…" Victoria promised her and squeezed her tighter, kissing her once more on the top of her head and Evelyn giggled.

"Mummy being silly," she said and Victoria laughed at that.

"Mummy is always silly with you," she said. "Now, come on, we need to go inside before it becomes too cold."

She picked Evelyn up and let her walk until they reached the main door and she tired. Victoria picked her up and she had to admit that her daughter was getting a bit heavier. She held her against her hip as she tired, her small arms holding her mother's shoulders. Victoria carried her back to the penthouse and Evelyn complained she was tired. She set her down for a nap in her bed and heard a noise in the bedroom. Victoria frowned and moved to the master suite, peering inside and seeing Homelander sat on the edge of the bed, lacing up a pair of sneakers on his feet.

Victoria's eyes widened in shock. "What is going on here?" she questioned.

He was sat on the edge of the bed dressed in jeans, a red tee and a blue jacket. Victoria didn't think she'd ever seen him in those clothes before. Hell, she didn't even know he owned those clothes. She dropped her hands to her hips, jutting one out and watching him as he finished lacing his sneakers.

"I need to go out and I figured it would be best to go incognito," he said to her.

"Where are you going?" she wondered from him. "And you're sure people won't recognise you?"

"I have a baseball cap too," he defended himself and Victoria scoffed.

"Is this like when Superman wears a pair of glasses and instantly goes back to being Clark Kent?" Victoria questioned from him. "I never bought that, not really. I mean, I know that's you even without the suit. Then again, it would be weird if I didn't know it was you, right? We're married. I should be able to recognise you without the suit."

"You're babbling," Homelander said to her.

"Sorry," she replied. "I'm just shocked considering you never went incognito anywhere…even when we were dating…it might have made going to restaurants a bit easier."

"Well, it's not something I enjoy doing," Homelander defended himself and moved to his feet. "Does it look alright? Or does it look stupid?"

"No, it looks fine," Victoria assured him and he reached for the blue baseball cap, tugging it down on top of his head and covering the majority of his blonde hair. "Where are you going anyway?"

"There's a supe I want to meet: Sister Sage," he said.

"I don't think I've ever heard of her."

"She was apparently kicked off of Vought's books," Homelander said. "A-Train can't stand her and so I think that's a sign that I should go and see her."

"What's her power?" Victoria wondered, pushing her sneakers from her feet and laying them underneath her dressing table.

"The cleverest person in the world."

Victoria then tugged her coat from her shoulders and threw it onto the bed. She folded her arms over her chest and cocked her head. "So when you said you were looking for someone with brains then you weren't kidding," she said and his lips arched at her comment. He moved towards her and he reached for her waist, drawing her closer to him.

"You know…in the meeting today I told Deep to blow A-Train and he was going to fucking do it," Homelander said to her and Victoria's eyes widened in surprise at hearing that. She hadn't been expecting it. She was almost repulsed at the power Homelander had, but she wasn't sure what she should say. "They all just say yes. They're imbeciles. I'm exhausted by it. We need someone smart on the team. We need someone who has brains and is able to help me."

"Do what exactly?" Victoria questioned, her hands sitting on top of his on her waist.

"Keep me at the top," Homelander said. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll be back soon. Ryan should be back soon enough and I'll be back before dinner."

"Can you just promise me one thing?" Victoria asked from her husband.

He hummed lowly in his throat and Victoria watched him look around for a moment before he relented with a sigh. "What?" he asked from her.

"Be careful," she urged from him. "Sometimes people can be too clever for their own good and I just want you to be careful…think about what you're doing."

"Trust me, sweetheart, I've thought long and hard about this," Homelander promised his wife and kissed her softly, finger curling underneath her chin to tilt her gaze up towards him. Victoria closed her eyes for a moment as his lips moved over hers and he pulled back, forehead brushing hers. "I'll be back soon," he assured her, giving her another quick peck before he took off and Victoria watched the back of him, wondering just what it was that he was planning.

Heading downstairs, Victoria figured she had a few hours before she had to start dinner. She'd tidied the apartment and had put the washed clothes away in wardrobes. She'd even changed the beds that morning. Homelander had told her that there was a reason why Vought hired housekeepers, but Victoria had always been insistent on doing everything herself. She'd grown up learning how to be independent and she wanted it to stay that way. Homelander, on the other hand, had been given everything on a plate. He hadn't had to do anything in his life.

And so, with nothing urgent to do, she curled up on the sofa and switched the television on, settling on a mindless TV show and leaving her phone on the side. She'd text Billy that morning to tell him she was sorry for everything and she hoped he was alright. He hadn't responded to her, but she wasn't expecting him to.

"Hey, Vicky," Ryan greeted her when he walked in half an hour later.

"Hey, sport," she replied. "How was school?"

"I had supe training today. Dad said that it was more important than school."

"Did he now?" Victoria muttered, not entirely agreeing with that decision. "Well, how was supe training?"

"It went fine," he promised her and sat down on the sofa next to her. "Last night, I saw you with Butcher. I heard him saying that he wanted to take us away. Why did he say that?"

Victoria sighed and knew she had to be careful. "You know that Butcher doesn't entirely like your dad, don't you? He thinks that he's dangerous and he wants to keep you from him. I know that's hard to hear and probably to understand."

"I…I don't know how to talk to dad about him," Ryan confessed, hands clasping together in front of him and Victoria nodded, moving closer to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, finding herself comforting him once more. "He doesn't want me to talk about him and I know why."

"I know that Billy said some mean things to you," Victoria said. "My brother isn't perfect and I know that, but he…" Victoria trailed off. She wasn't sure she should say anything further, but she wanted to. She just knew that it was dangerous if Homelander found out. "It's alright to feel something for him still. I know your dad won't understand it, but I do, okay? So maybe we can just keep this between us. You can tell me anything and it'll stay between us."

Ryan seemed hesitant for a few moments. Victoria ran her hand up and down Ryan's arm, bowing her own head. And then he spoke in a gentle voice.

"I don't want him to die," Ryan admitted.

"Neither do I," Victoria said. "And it's okay to feel that way because you…families say things to each other that they regret. Trust me, I've said some things to Billy that I wish I could take back, but I can't, but he forgive me because we're family and we love each other. I'm just saying that it's okay if you're sad about Billy because no matter what he said…you can still care about him deeply."

"Dad won't like it."

"I know, but he doesn't need to know," Victoria promised Ryan on that point. "And I can talk to him. It doesn't change anything because he's still your dad and he knows that."

"I just think that there's a reason why my mom loved him."

"I think I agree with you," Victoria confirmed. "And I know I'm your step-mum, but you can tell me anything. If you want to talk about Billy then you can come to me. You can come to me to talk about anything."

"Thank you," Ryan said. "I love you, Victoria."

Victoria felt tears well up in her eye at hearing him say that and she wrapped both arms around him then. "I love you too, Ryan," she said.

…

Sitting up in bed, Victoria watched Homelander strip out of his jeans and she shook her head, rubbing her hand cream into her skin, the quilt around her lap. She was wearing another black camisole and shorts, her hair still damp from her shower. Shaking her head, Victoria reached for her moisturiser and rubbed it into her arms. "I still can't get over you in civilian clothes," she said and she watched him leave the clothes in a pile on the stool at the dressing table. "How did it go with the meeting anyway?"

"Well enough," Homelander said. "Sage is on board with joining and it turns out she's quite clever. She even had the audacity to observe that I'm going grey and have an enlarged prostate…but she had exactly what I wanted. She understood what I'm trying to do: create a better world for our children."

"And can I ask how you intend to do that?" Victoria wondered.

"A plan is being devised, but we'll worry about that after the trial concludes…and our holiday," Homelander tacked on and he moved to the bed wearing only his briefs. He pulled the quilt back and slipped into bed. He sat up and watched as Victoria continued moisturising her limbs, reaching for her legs and running her hands up and down her calves.

"About Ryan," Victoria said to her husband, "I want to tell you something, but promise not to get angry, alright?"

"What is it?"

"You have to promise first," she urged from him.

"Fine, I promise," he relented and Victoria guessed that was as good as she was going to get from him.

"I think he's confused about how to feel about Billy," she said, downplaying what they'd spoken about. She needed to test the waters first and see how he would react. Homelander rolled his eyes, fingers moving through his hair and slicking it even further back on top of his head. "I think a part of him doesn't entirely know how to react. He spent a lot of time with Billy and he was married to his mom. It's just confusing for him. He's only a kid."

"Butcher isn't his dad."

"And he never said he was," Victoria said and Homelander watched the curve of her leg as she bent her other limb and applied more moisturiser. "John, you don't need to feel jealous about that. Trust me. Ryan knows you're his dad. He loves you."

"He shouldn't care about him."

"But he does," Victoria said. "Just like I do."

"And I still don't understand that," Homelander mumbled.

"You don't need to, but you accept it," Victoria said. "Ryan will always be your son and he needs you. He needs his father and he…just be gentle with him. He's a kid and maybe you just need to talk to him and tell him that it's alright for him to be sad about Billy. It's alright for him to feel that way."

"We'll see," Homelander said and she guessed that was him saying that it was unlikely to happen. But she suspected it might go this way anyway. She shrugged her shoulders and tried to brush it off.

"Thank you," she said to him and she had enough sense to end the conversation there. It wouldn't go well and there was no point in pushing it. When Homelander had his mind made up on something then that was it. Victoria should know. She was an expert in knowing her husband.

...

A/N: Another chapter and I'm very excited for what is coming up! Sorry if the updates are too quick! Would love to know your thoughts as always!