Sitting in Madelyn's office, Homelander was beginning to think that he would rather be somewhere else. She had tossed magazine after magazine onto the coffee table in front of him, his eyes glancing over the images and the headlines that were there. They were all of him and Victoria, but the main issue was that he wasn't taking centre stage. The headlines weren't about him. They were about Victoria.

"They're calling her America's sweetheart which is ironic considering she's British," Madelyn snapped, her tone curt. She sat down on the couch across from him. Homelander moved forwards and picked up a magazine. Someone must have sold a photo to the press from the bake sale because this one had him and Victoria together, her smiling widely as she looked up to him and him with his arm behind her, hand on her back and glancing down at her, a slice of cake in her hands.

"You wanted her," Homelander simply said, but he had to admit that a part of him was annoyed. He was supposed to be the one on centre stage. He was the one who was supposed to be adored. But he knew how the media worked. He waved his hand nonchalantly, tossing the magazine back onto the table. "She's just the flavour of the day," he commented. "You know how this works. Today, she's the most popular woman in America and then they'll lose interest in her by next week. She'll be back to just being my girlfriend."

"You would have thought that," Madelyn concurred and he noted a damp spot on the white blouse she was wearing. He didn't comment on it, however, wanting to get this matter solved. She drummed her red-painted fingernails against her thigh. "But I am getting more media requests for her than any of your previous fake girlfriends. I've had requests for her to come and deliver talks at schools…trying to inspire young girls in education…book deals offered for her childhood story…makeup companies asking her to collaborate. She's more in-demand than you know."

Homelander sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose firmly and tilting his head back. He closed his eyes and Madelyn observed him. Was he not taking this seriously? Did he not understand what was happening? Moving to her feet, her heels clicked on the wooden floor as she moved to sit down next to him, tugging her pencil skirt down her thighs and angling herself towards him.

"People like the fact that she is normal," Madelyn continued, a hand going to his thigh. "They like that she is average and humanises you, but that's not what we need right now. What we need is for people to realise that you are anything but normal. You have never been normal…you are a superhero…you are America's superhero, especially if we're ever going to get supes in the military."

"Then what do you suggest?" Homelander questioned.

"Well, you can't break up with her now without cause. It's too soon," Madelyn said. "She would look like some jilted lover and the media would have a field day with that. The press would be on your back in an instant and your numbers would drop. No. I will come up with a plan and, when I do, I will let you know."

"You'll let me know?" Homelander asked, looking entertained at hearing her say that. His eyes met hers and she ran her hand further up his thigh. Moving to grab hold of her hand, he stopped her from advancing any further. He took hold of her hand, patting it with his other one and then lowering it to the couch cushion between them. "Maybe you should leave this to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know how to be popular. I have been doing it for years, but she…well…the shine might be on her right now, but it will dull. I know that," Homelander said confidently, but Madelyn wasn't entirely certain on that point. "I can cope with this, but right now, I need to go. I do believe I am supposed to be seeing her this evening."

"That's not in the schedule," Madelyn stammered and he moved to his feet. Standing up, he let his cape fall down behind him. He moved to the door and threw his head over his shoulder, looking entertained with what he was seeing. Madelyn always came across as unflappable, but clearly that wasn't the case. She was flapping now.

"I had Ashley change my schedule," he declared and left her without another word, rolling his eyes as he walked away from her office. As if she didn't think that he knew best on this one. He occasionally was able to get things right, contrary to her belief.

He took off as the sun began setting over the horizon. Victoria had told him that her roommates weren't going to be in. Daniella was going to be staying at her girlfriend's while Michelle had gone home for a long weekend to visit her parents in Chicago. He pressed the buzzer to her intercom and a moment later the door snicked open. Pushing it open wide, he headed up the steps to her landing. The door was slightly ajar. She must have left it open for him.

Heading into the apartment, he closed the door and listened out for her. "I'm in my room!"

Placing the chain over the door, he headed to find her. The door was wide open and the light was on, her curtains closed. She was sat at her desk, a pen in her hand and her laptop open in front of her. Looking behind her shoulder, she saw him stood in her doorway. He headed into the room and Victoria smiled at him.

"Hey," she said to him. "I just need to finish off writing this up."

"What are you working on?" he queried, heading to the desk and she turned back around to her work. He stood behind her, peering down onto the laptop that had a document open with a large title in bold: "The argument for enhanced international law protections for asylum seekers and refugees in Europe," he read it. "Is this your thesis?"

"No," Victoria said, holding the pen in between her fingers and spinning on her chair to look up to him. "I've been organising a conference on campus next week for academics and policy makers to attend. My supervisor said it would be a good idea and he used his connections. We have people from big universities in the US and Europe coming along with civil society organisation representatives. It's a big deal and I'm giving the opening remarks. My supervisor wants a draft by Monday…which means I have two days to try and make this perfect."

Homelander had no idea what to say to her. He had no idea how to respond to what she had just told him. She closed the lid to her laptop and pulled the charger from it, dropping the cable on the floor. She placed her pen back into the pen pot and stood up, Homelander moving back to give her some space to move.

"You never mentioned this to me," he said and Victoria shrugged.

"I figured it was work and we never really discuss work," she said and began to move towards the sitting room. "Anyway, I was thinking that we could order in. How do you feel about pizza?"

"Can I come?" he asked, ignoring her question about dinner. He followed her to the kitchen and Victoria pulled out a bottle of wine from the fridge. She picked two glasses out from the cupboard above the sink and unscrewed the top.

"Where?" she wondered.

"To your talk," he said and Victoria began pouring them each a glass. She chewed down on her bottom lip and did her best to try and think of what she could say that sounded polite enough.

"I don't know if it would be your scene," Victoria said to him and he sat down at the breakfast bar, pushing his cape to the side. "It's going to be a long two days and there's going to be lots of academic talks."

"Well, I can just come and watch you," Homelander said and Victoria stood on the other side of the breakfast bar. He could sense her apprehension. There was something that she clearly wasn't telling him. His smile grew, turning almost annoyed. "What is it? You don't want me there?"

"It's not that," Victoria promised him. "I do want you there, but this is my work and it's a really important event. I just…when you walk into a room, you instantly command attention."

His brow furrowed at that. "So you're embarrassed by me gaining attention?"

"No," Victoria said quickly. She didn't want to argue with him over this. She just didn't know how she could say it without upsetting him or making him annoyed. "I'm not embarrassed by that, but I just want an event without people being distracted wondering how to ask you for a selfie instead of focusing on what the event is about and I…I want to talk about my work, not answer questions about what it is like to date the hottest superhero in America."

He tried to weigh up what she was saying, going silent and his face giving away no emotion. She continued talking, hoping that she could make it better. She moved around the breakfast bar and sat down on the stool next to his, holding onto the stem of her wine glass.

"You know how whenever we go to events for your work, I step back and let you have the limelight when it's the right time?" she asked from him. "That's all I'm asking for. That's all I want for one day and I think it's sweet that you want to come, honestly I do, but I just need this…I need my work to try and be one thing for me."

Nodding his head, he tried to shake the sense of rejection he was feeling. Not being wanted wasn't something he was used to. He wasn't used to rejection.

"God, I'm sorry," Victoria said, head hanging low. "I feel like an absolute bitch."

"No, it's fine," Homelander said, but he didn't know if it was fine. He just found it odd that she was talking about having her spotlight stolen when all she seemed to do recently was steal his.

"But it's not, is it? You want to come and support me and I just told you not to come," Victoria retorted and tilted her head back, gaze moving to the ceiling and noting a cobweb in the corner. "I just…I want you there. I want you there, honestly I do, but I just want it to be an event…that…that stays on track."

"I…perhaps there is a compromise here?" he asked from her and she wondered what he was talking about. "Is there a backstage?"

"Yeah."

"Then I can hide there," he said to her and Victoria's eyes fell onto him as he shrugged and she continued watching him, trying to weigh up if he was being serious. "I can just stay there and then go as soon as you've done your talk. No one would see me."

"You're not bothered by that?" she checked.

"We both get what we want then."

"And you really want to come?" Victoria asked. "It's not in your schedule. It's not something you have to do."

"I didn't have to come here tonight, but I did," he responded. "Maybe I just actually enjoy spending time with you? Is that so hard to believe?"

"Considering you couldn't wait to get rid of me a few weeks ago, yeah," she said to him, nodding her head and sipping on her wine. "I'm just wondering what's actually changed."

"Well, you're not as bad as I initially thought," he said to her and she laughed loudly, slipping from the bar stool and heading back to her bedroom for her phone.

"I'm taking that as my compliment for the night," she said to him and he chuckled, listening to her as she walked away. "Just let me find my phone and I'll order the food."

"Sounds great," he retorted, hearing her fiddling around in her room trying to find her cell before he looked to the wooden worktop where his wine glass had left a round, wet mark. He vaguely remembered answering her question of what he wanted to eat, but he was thinking back to what Madelyn had said earlier that night. Did she have a point? Should he be concerned? He didn't know. His defences felt lowered when he was around Victoria. That was a dangerous way to feel and he knew it. But he didn't know how to stop it.

…

Homelander had left Victoria's early in the morning. The clock had gone about one and the pizza had been left half-eaten between them on the coffee table. The TV was playing another show that Victoria had started watching, but they had ended up talking over most of it instead. He had only left when he had seen Victoria yawn. She'd walked him out to the sidewalk and embraced him goodnight before going to bed. They were due to attend a film premiere the next night together. Victoria had asked him if it would be alright if she met him there. She was going to work late at the library and come straight from there, changing in the car on the way and doing her makeup in the library's bathroom before going.

"Where the hell is she?"

Homelander was stood on the red carpet, listening to the roar of the crowds around him and waving his hand. He had posed for photos, signed autographs and taken selfies. It was almost half past seven and Victoria was twenty minutes late. He had bided his time for as long as possible on the carpet, doing interviews and always looking to the road. Each car that pulled up, he expected to see her step out of it. But she never did. She never got out of any car, dressed in a designer dark blue dress that Vought had sent her.

Madelyn asked the question to Homelander and he shrugged. "I have no idea. Where is the driver who was sent to pick her up?"

"She insisted that she could make her own way here…organise her own car," Madelyn responded. "And this is why she shouldn't be in charge of anything. Leave me to it and I'll find her."

"I assume you've tried calling her?"

They were huddled in the entranceway of the cinema, avoiding the crowds and the passing celebrities who were moving inside to see the latest film from Vought Studios.

"Multiple times," Madelyn said. "She's not answering."

"Is everything alright?"

Madelyn turned to see Queen Maeve stood there, hands on her hips and looking flawless in her usual costume, not a hair out of place. She was looking between Madelyn and Homelander, her gaze intense and questioning. She knew that Victoria was supposed to be there, but she hadn't shown. Maeve had felt herself grow concerned. Had something happened to her? Had Homelander done something to her?

"Everything is fine," Madelyn said and looked down to her screen. "You two go inside and I'll see if I can track down little miss perfect. If anyone asks, she's ill and in bed."

Madelyn stormed off into the cinema, seeking out a quiet room where she could make some calls. Homelander watched her go as Maeve kept her gaze focused on him.

"She's not here?" Maeve checked.

"No, Maeve, apparently not," Homelander deadpanned with her.

"Has anything happened to her?"

"How the hell would I know that considering we can't find her?" Homelander demanded from her.

"Aren't you worried?" Maeve continued pushing him. "From what I've seen, she's never missed anything before. What if something has happened to her?"

And Homelander did wonder that. His eyes scanned the crowd one final time for any sign of her, but there was nothing. He looked to Maeve and let out a deep breath. "If Madelyn asks, tell her there was some emergency," he said.

"You're going?"

"It's only the Deep's feature film and he can't act for shit," Homelander declared. "I'm not missing anything."

Maeve watched him head back down the red carpet, the movie star smile back on his face as he went, waving to the crowds around him. He never explained his absence, but he took off into the night with everyone watching after him. Madelyn soon appeared back by Maeve's side, arms folded over her chest as she spotted Homelander fly off.

"Where the hell is he going?" she demanded from Maeve.

"To find his girlfriend," she answered simply and headed inside.

Madelyn looked to the sky, Homelander long gone. She cursed under her breath and knew that she had to put the plan in place sooner rather than later. Homelander needed her to do that. She needed him and he would see that eventually. He would understand that she was the only one who could keep him on the path he was on.

…

She wasn't at home. He had used his x-ray vision, but there had been no sign of her inside. She wasn't anywhere in the building. She was nowhere to be seen. He racked his brain with where else she would be. There had been no traffic on the roads and so she couldn't be stuck in traffic. He began to wonder if Vought should consider putting some kind of tracking device on her phone. What if something had happened to her? What if something bad had happened? He was the Homelander. There would always be people out to get him and what if they thought using Victoria would do that? He took off once more and went to the only other place where he thought she might be.

Landing on the university campus grounds, he headed on to the library. The campus was quiet, most of the buildings shut. He entered the library, easily vaulting over the security barrier, the security guard behind the reception desk giving him a once over, but then deciding against saying anything when he realised who it was.

"Have you seen Victoria Anderton?" he asked and the security guard nodded his head, standing up straight and seemingly in awe of Homelander, unable to believe that he had just walked into the library during one of his many boring nightshifts. This would definitely be one to tell his kids.

"She's usually on the fourth floor…desk in the corner, you won't miss her. There will be no one else there," he said and Homelander nodded.

At least that was something. So, apparently she hadn't gone anywhere as of yet. He climbed the steps up to the fourth floor and all of the lights were out. Moving into the corridor, he took in the smell of musty books and headed down the main corridors, the fluorescent lights lighting up as he took steps towards the corner. There were rows of desks lined up along the windows, overlooking the green campus outside. Each desk had a lamp above it, most of them turned off, except for a few.

There were some people working late into the night, dotted around and hunched over laptops with textbooks next to them. Homelander's gaze fell instantly on a mess of black curls dangling around her and covering her face. She had her arms crossed on the desk, her cheek laid against her arm and her laptop open in front of her, the screen dark. She had her notebook opened to the right of her alongside three textbooks. Homelander's brows knitted together, rising on his forehead. Walking closer to her, he finally noticed that she was sleeping. She was fast asleep.

He stood where he was, content that none of the others in the library had turned around and noticed him yet. He watched her back, seeing that her breathing was shallow, her body rising and falling softly. That had to be the most uncomfortable position to fall asleep in. He knew that she was human. He knew that she was seemingly consistently tired. There were endless commitments she had to attend on his schedule, alongside keeping up to date with her work. Plus, he had kept her up late the night before.

He wanted to be angry. He wanted to be upset with her for missing out on the premiere. He wanted to snap and tell her that she didn't have the luxury of missing out on things. But he couldn't. He didn't want to. He moved over to her and knelt down next to her, a hand going to her arm and shaking her slowly.

"Huh…what…" she stammered, eyes opening wide. Disorientated, she looked around before she saw him, crouched down next to her with his hand still on her arm.

"It's only me," he whispered, well aware that her sudden snaps would have gained attention.

Blinking, Victoria moved a hand down her chin, grateful that she hadn't been drooling. She tried to focus, looking down to her watch on her wrist and then instantly growing with panic. "Shit…we're late…fuck," Victoria cursed and Homelander chuckled at her reaction. Looking to him, confusion took hold of her. Why was he taking this so well? "I am so sorry. I had no idea what time it was and I didn't mean to fall asleep. I just…with this conference…my thesis…I got here at seven this morning and I just-"

"-It's alright," he interrupted her and she looked concerned then, her hand moving to his shoulder and prodding him.

"Are you the real Homelander?" she questioned from him. "This doesn't feel like a hologram."

"Very droll," he said to her, but he shook his head. "And I don't care. The film looked shit anyway. Come on, pack your stuff up and I'll take you home."

"But what about the after-party?"

"Fuck that," he whispered, picking his hand up and brushing her hair from her face, letting the back of his hand run along her cheek. She leaned into his touch and felt a sense of calm take over her. "I'll deal with Madelyn when she comes knocking."

"Right," Victoria said, relieved at that. She knew Madelyn would be so annoyed with her. "I just need to finish off-"

"-Nothing," he interrupted her again. "Come on, whatever you need to finish, you can do tomorrow. Now, pack your stuff up and I'll take you home."

Victoria nodded, knowing that he was right. She took hold of her laptop and pushed it into the laptop sleeve. Standing up, he helped her gather her things, handing her the notebooks she had been using along with her laptop charger. She pushed everything into her satchel and hung it over her shoulder after slipping into her long, red coat. She grabbed the dress in its bag from the chair next to her, draping it over her arms. Homelander took hold of her textbooks and carried them under his arm, his other hand going to the small of her back.

"Will she fire me?" Victoria wondered as they left the library, Victoria saying goodnight to the security guard and he let them both out so that she didn't have to use her pass at the barriers. Leaving the library, Victoria stifled a yawn back, doing her best not to look too tired.

"I doubt it," Homelander said. He didn't want to tell her that she might, in fact, fire her for being too popular. But Homelander would see what he could do to stop that from happening. He knew that he had some power with Madelyn. He had the ability to try and persuade her not to do exactly just that. He didn't want her fired. He needed her with him because she gave him what no one else ever had.

"I am sorry again," she promised him and he nodded.

"I know," he assured her. "But let's not dwell on it. Come on, I'll get you home."

She agreed and exhaustedly collapsed into his grip, gathering everything up on her lap. He launched both of them into the air, flying towards her apartment block. Landing on the ground, Victoria searched for her apartment keys. Homelander insisted on going upstairs with her to make sure she got in safe. She flicked the light on and dropped all of her things onto the floor, throwing her coat over the chair in the corner as Homelander set her books down on the sideboard.

"Thanks for that," Victoria said and he saw that her hair was a mess around her head. He nodded, hands behind his back and eyes scanning the apartment, door open slightly behind him. "And, honestly, tell Madelyn that I am sorry. I'm just exhausted. I know that's no excuse…and I know that I'm not exactly going to be popular, but I am sorry."

"I'll protect you from the big scary Vought executive, don't worry," Homelander said to her and Victoria smiled softly, folding her arms over her chest. "You should go and get some sleep."

"I will," she promised. "And I'll see you on Monday night, right? Don't we have some dinner that night?"

"Another one," he confirmed. "But I'll pick you up this time. Missing one event, you can get away with, missing two, well, even I don't want to deal with Madelyn then."

Victoria laughed and agreed on that point. Moving towards her, Homelander's steps were slow and purposeful. He looked down to her, a hand raising up to brush his gloved fingers through her hair. Victoria looked up to him and took hold of his wrist in her fingers, but she didn't push him back from her. She looked down and he wondered precisely what was going on in her mind. He knew what he wanted to do. He had known since that gala at Vought when Madelyn had interrupted them.

"You know that this isn't part of the contract, right?" Victoria said to him.

"And that's all I still am? A contract?" he questioned from her.

"No," she said to him with a shake of her head. "No, you're not."

"Then fuck the contract and fuck anything else," Homelander said to her.

"I can't afford to have that attitude and I don't want to…I…like you," she promised him. "I like you and I don't want to risk any of that. I don't want to risk what we have right now because we have another four and a half months and what if we ruin things? What if we do something we regret?"

"Have you thought about it?" He didn't need to specify what he was asking her and she didn't need him to ask.

She scoffed. "I have eyes," she said to him and he chuckled at that.

"So do I," he responded and he moved his other hand to hold onto her waist, drawing her closer to him and hearing her heart rate increase alongside her breathing hitch. She moved her hands to his shoulders and squeezed him tightly. "And right now, I want to know exactly what it feels like to kiss you because I can't focus on anything else but you, Victoria. You've intoxicated everything…you've done nothing but make me focus on you."

"I don't mean to," she promised him. "I just want the best for you after everything that's happened."

"And I think that's you," he assured her. "I think that you can be everything I need."

She didn't get chance to ask him what he meant by that. He dropped his head down, his lips crashing onto hers forcefully and taking her by surprise. His hand moved from her cheek to the back of her head, cradling it softly and his arm moving firmly around her waist, bringing her front flush with his. He could feel every single curve of her body, even through his padded suit. She reached for his neck, keeping him bent down, her lips moving against his as he backed her further into the apartment.

Feeling the back of the sofa against her legs, Victoria sat down with him moving a knee in between both of her legs, hands going to hold onto the back of the sofa as he lifted his knee higher, causing her to groan into his mouth at the sudden force of friction between her own legs. She moved her mouth from his, gasping for breath before he kissed her neck, nipping and soothing the skin with his tongue. She shuddered against him and he picked up on her arousal instantly as he inhaled. It made a moan catch in the back of his throat as she shifted, laying back on the sofa and him hovering over her, a hand going to her hip and she winced, causing him to pull back for a moment.

"Human," she simply reminded him. "You have a firm grip."

"I'll be gentle," he promised her and she nodded, moving to bring his face down to hers once more, kissing him again as he ran a hand down her side, coming to the waistband of her skirt. He tugged at it, longing to feel the bare skin beneath it and her tights, making a note to get rid of his gloves.

"Not interrupting, am I?"

The two of them tore themselves away from each other, eyes going to the door that neither of them had realised was still slightly open. Victoria's cheeks flushed as Homelander remained hovering over her, not entirely bothered about their current predicament. But she was. He felt her hand go to his chest, pushing him away from her and he relented, letting her move her legs from either side of his hips and swinging them round until she was sat up. He did the same, kneeling on the couch, an arm moving over the back of it.

"Madelyn, I didn't expect for you to come here," Homelander confessed, smarmy smile on his face.

He had been so preoccupied with listening to Victoria that he hadn't heard anyone come up the stairs. He ignored the tightness in his pants and saw Madelyn fold her arms and cock her hip out. She was still dressed in her gown from the premiere, her face contorted with anger, however. Homelander knew that he would be in trouble. He knew that she would be angry. A part of him didn't care, but then he looked at her and realised that maybe he should. He needed her. He knew that he needed her, despite what he sometimes thought. He always went crawling back to her.

"Well, when one of our prized assets goes missing, it doesn't exactly look good for us," Madelyn retorted. "Plus, you were filmed in the library…look…" she said, holding the phone out for them. Their gazes fell onto the screen. "The comments are quite something, praising you," she motioned to Victoria, "for your dedication to your job and you," she glanced to Homelander, "for your dedication to looking after your girlfriend."

"Just two dedicated individuals," he said, a sarcastic tone to his voice. "But, as you can see, she is safe and sound which begs the question why you are here if you've seen online that everything is fine."

"Because it's my job," she retorted. "And you're needed at the after-party. Victoria, you stay here. But Homelander, I need you to come with me."

"I am sorry," Victoria said, wondering if her apology would actually mean anything. She doubted it from the way Madelyn turned around and left the apartment, expecting Homelander to follow him. And he did. He looked to Victoria and saw her biting her bottom lip. He moved his thumb over it, freeing it from her teeth and shook his head.

"I've got this," he promised her, hand cupping her cheek and he bent down to kiss her once more. "I'll see you later, alright?"

"Alright," Victoria agreed and then, before she could say anything else, he was gone.

Homelander followed Madelyn down the staircase and towards the sidewalk. She climbed into the back of the town car, leaving the door open for him to follow her. He did so, shutting the door as Madelyn barked at the driver to take them to the nightclub where the after-party was taking place. He let out a deep breath, huffing loudly.

"Are you going to be mad at me all night?"

"I have every reason to be mad with you," she snapped back, the driver pulling up the divider to give them both privacy in the back, the windows also blacked out too. "I thought that you were a professional. What are you doing with her? What are you playing at?"

"Just having some fun," he tried to act nonchalant.

"Don't give me that bullshit," she demanded from him. "You're falling for her…she…you actually care about her. You're not faking this anymore."

"So?" he asked. "What does it matter?"

"It matters because the chance is that she is going to lead you astray," Madelyn warned him. "She doesn't have your best interests at heart because she doesn't know you, not really. She doesn't know what you need or how you need to be in order to stay popular. She can never do that…know what you're really like."

"And what am I really like?" Homelander questioned from her.

"You know and I know," Madelyn said. "We don't need to say it. Just think about this. Think about her. She's not like us. She's not as strong as us. You will find that out eventually and I am trying to spare you from that heartache. I'm going to do what I can to get you back on top, but you need to trust me. You need to trust me over her."

Homelander was quiet then. He took a moment to comprehend what was going on in his mind. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing that will hurt her," Madelyn assured him and Homelander's stare narrowed onto her.

"You don't need to hide things from me."

"I'm not, but I keep things from you to protect you," she retorted. "Just trust me to protect you and I need you to realise that what's going to happen…it's for the best. No one will be hurt, I promise. You will be back on top where you belong."

She moved her hand over to his cheek, stroking it softly and his lips parted, a smile forming on his face. "Fine," Homelander said, relenting. "But she's staying."

Madelyn didn't protest. She just let him take her hand from his skin and he went to staring out the window as Madelyn felt a sense of dejection. But that wouldn't last for long. She would do anything she could for Vought to succeed and for Homelander to regain his position at the top.

…

Homelander knew that it made sense to see Victoria before the dinner on Monday night. He wanted to make sure that everything was fine between them. He'd gone to her apartment, expecting her to be there. Knocking on the door, he had used his x-ray vision and spotted that Michelle was in, tidying the kitchen up. She moved to the door and pulled it open, hand holding the door and hip cocked out.

"Home," she said and then wrinkled her nose. "Nah, that nickname doesn't work. Lander doesn't sound that good either. We'll just stick with Homelander. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"Is Victoria in?" Homelander asked.

"She just went out to the store. She said that we were out of milk. You're free to wait in her room, if you want to," Michelle said. "Is she expecting you?"

"No," Homelander said, but he walked into the apartment anyway. "You sure she won't mind me waiting for her?"

"Nah," Michelle said nonchalantly. "Do you want a drink or anything?"

"I'm good," Homelander promised her. "I'll just be in her room."

"See ya later," Michelle said and she went back to the cleaning, wiping down worktops.

Homelander headed into her bedroom and looked around. The bed was neatly made, the pillows fluffed up against the steel headboard. Her laptop was closed, the desk still covered with papers and notebooks. He spotted her clothes on the floor, clearly from the previous night where she hadn't bothered to tidy up. He spotted a letter on the bottom of her bed. He frowned, picking it up and unfolding the paper. The writing wasn't neat, but it was coherent enough for him to read it.

We need to talk. Meet me in the place on Monday at twelve.

He frowned, wondering just what that was. Was it her parents? He didn't know, but he put it back down. He didn't want it to look like he had been snooping. He paced her room, drinking in the details of it. He'd been there about half an hour when he left, Michelle still cleaning in the kitchen, wiping the fridge clear.

"Are you sure she was just going to the store?" Homelander questioned from Michelle.

"Yeah," Michelle said. "I'll give her a call."

She pulled her phone from her back jean pocket and scrolled through it for Victoria's number. She placed it to her ear, Homelander hearing it ring numerous times before going to voicemail. She wasn't going to pick up. Michelle tried another time and then frowned. "Weird, she said to call her if I remembered anything we needed."

"Which store would she have gone to?" Homelander queried.

"Just the one three blocks over," Michelle replied. "It's the Whole Foods. Ever since Vought paid her, we've been eating pretty well. I'm sure she's maybe just spending a while looking through the aisles. She really does love food."

"I'll go and try to find her."

"Should I come?"

"No offence, Michelle, but I can have her back before you've even put your shoes on," he said.

"Fair point," she let him have that and he left the apartment without another word.

He located the store that Michelle had told him about quickly. He didn't even get a chance to go in, noting the commotion that was taking place around the store. It had been completely evacuated, everyone on the pavement exchanging anxious glances and shouts of fear. Homelander attracted stares and he noticed a security guard stood on the pavement.

"What's going on here?" Homelander asked, unable to spot Victoria amongst the crowds.

"There was an armed robbery," the security guard said. "We have three injured and two unconscious…a girl…they took her with them."

"A girl?" Homelander checked and the security guard nodded before Homelander looked around. There was no Victoria. Why would they take her? Why would a robbery involve her? "Can I have your phone?" he asked.

The security guard nodded and he typed Victoria's name into Vought's online search operator. Her image instantly came up of the two of them together. He clicked on the one taken during the gala, showing it to the man.

"Did she look like this?"

"Shit," the man said and that was all that Homelander needed to know. "Your girlfriend?"

"Did anyone see which way the car went?" Homelander demanded to know.

"Just that it went left," he said and Homelander nodded, passing him the phone back.

"The police will be here soon, I need to go."

He didn't say anything else, taking off into the sky. He didn't go in the direction of the car, however. He flew straight back to Vought Towers, landing outside and storming in, foregoing all pleasantries. He had his hands clenched by his sides into fists, his eyes darkening and almost threatening to turn red. He didn't knock as he came to Madelyn's office, slamming the door open.

"What have you done?" he demanded to know from her. She was behind her desk, her baby in her arms as he gurgled happily.

"Excuse me?" Madelyn questioned.

"What have you done to Victoria?"

…

A/N: Again, thank you so much to my consistent reviewers MadisonJM, nizem8 and .Venus for reviewing the previous chapter. So, things are getting a bit more intense! I hope you enjoyed and as always, would love to read your comments/thoughts/recommendations/theories!