"So you're actually doing this?"

Victoria was moving around her apartment in Paris, tidying the surface of the worktops after she had finished cooking dinner. It had just gone nine at night where she was and it was late in the afternoon back in New York. Thankfully, it was a Saturday and so Victoria had the day off of work. Homelander had been due to visit her that weekend, but he had told her that something had come up. They had just started filming on the new movie and so he was needed for a night shoot on the Saturday night.

And so Victoria had decided to video call Michelle and Daniella. The two of them were still in the apartment, but Victoria noted the boxes behind them. Daniella was moving out with Georgina and Michelle was due to leave the following month to go back home for a while until she had a date for her PhD examination. She was working out what it was she wanted to do in the meantime, not sure if New York was for her or not.

"It's official," Victoria said, holding up her left hand in the direction of the laptop that was open on the end of her breakfast bar.

"That looks so lovely."

"Is it an antique?"

"Apparently so," Victoria said, leaning against the surface and folding her arms, looking down to it. She smiled at the sight of the stone, unable to stop herself from beaming whenever she looked at it. "He went out and picked it after I basically ruined his proposal."

She had talked to her friends since she'd gotten engaged, of course she had. She had told them everything about that morning and how awkward she had made it. She continued to smile down at her ring before picking her gaze back up. Daniella was perched on the floor by the coffee table, glass of wine in her hands while Michelle sat on the sofa behind her, legs crossed beneath her body.

"I just can't believe you're engaged," Michelle confessed to her. "I mean, it seems like yesterday when you were saying how much you despised fake dating him and now…I mean, Vogue is apparently trying to get the rights to your wedding photographs."

"Seriously?" Victoria asked, picking up her hot chocolate that was next to her laptop. She took a sip of the sweet cocoa and clasped the mug in between her hands. "I mean, we haven't even discussed the wedding. I think we quite like the idea of a longish engagement…and I haven't even thought about getting married in front of millions of people."

"You're dating the most famous man in the world. Do you really think that Vought would let you have a quiet wedding?"

Victoria bit down on her tongue at hearing Daniella say that, but she knew she was right. They'd discussed it before. They'd discussed a quiet wedding, but Homelander had seemed to insist that they would also need a bigger wedding too. He seemed more into that idea than Victoria ever would be. She wanted to marry him, but honestly, she'd be happy eloping somewhere with just the two of them. They had no family. They had friends, but they'd understand why they'd gone. Daniella and Michelle definitely would, anyway.

"Well, John's not exactly enamoured with Vought at the moment so I doubt he would care what they thought," Victoria responded and took another sip of her drink. "And it's not like I'm going to push it too far. Why would I? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but right now, I quite like just being engaged."

"It's sweet," Michelle agreed with her. "But…you're sure about this? I know you're old enough to make your own decisions and you're the smartest one out of all of us, but you've only been dating just over a year…I mean, Daniella's been dating Georgina for ages and they're only just moving in together."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm moving too fast," Victoria said, almost a bit too defensively. She didn't want to discuss it, but she knew that Michelle in particular might have concerns. She seemed to like Homelander, but it was almost like she was apprehensive about him sometimes. "Everyone moves at a different pace. It doesn't mean anything."

"I know, sweetie, but I just want you to be okay," Michelle said. "This all feels a bit like a whirlwind."

"It is, but that's okay. I want to marry him and I have no doubts about him," Victoria said. "Honestly, you don't need to worry about me. We're all good here."

Michelle seemed to relax then and Victoria changed the topic away from the engagement, bringing it back to her friends and asking them how they were and what they were getting up to. She finished off her hot chocolate as they spoke and then told her that they had to go. They were heading out for dinner. Victoria felt a sense of disappointment that she was on the other side of the Atlantic, unable to go for dinner with them. She felt lonely sometimes. She'd made friends in Paris, but it wasn't the same as being with Michelle and Daniella.

When she hung up the call, she lowered the lid to her laptop and considered calling Annie to see how she was getting on. But there had been something off with her when she had last called her. Victoria picked up her mug and placed it in the dishwasher before looking around the vast space and sighing. Grabbing her phone, she text Hector and asked him if he fancied a drink. She couldn't spend a Saturday night on her own.

…

Homelander stood in the shower, the water falling down around his body. It was Friday night and it had been two weeks since he had seen Victoria in person. He was due to fly to her first thing in the morning, having managed to get a break from filming the movie. He let the water trickle over his body, flowing down to his feet and he tossed his head back.

It was bad enough he had tried to get A-Train removed from the Seven, but he was still doing the film and seemed to have his own ideas on what to do. It seemed that everyone was trying to defy him recently and his problem with Stormfront was still persisting. He was growing tired of her continuously appearing on his TV screen. Granted, her publicity had calmed down in recent weeks since Victoria was snapped wearing her engagement ring in Paris.

They had been walking along the Seine late at night, hoping that no one would bother them. It had been the night he had proposed and a photographer had been there. The photo had gone viral and so Vought had been on to Homelander. They had given him no other option but to go public with the news. They'd announced it on the Monday morning after drafting an official press release. Homelander had done a few interviews and it had been mentioned to him. He'd smiled and said that they were just blissfully in a little bubble and he was just grateful she had said yes to him.

He'd seen them on the front page of every magazine that week. The photo of them in Paris had been blown up and published on nearly every front cover in a newsstand. He enjoyed seeing it. It was better than seeing Stormfront's face, anyway. She was still testing him.

As he finished showering, the shampoo falling down his back, he heard a noise come from downstairs. He frowned, turning the water off and reaching for a towel. Pulling it around his waist, he let it hang down to his knees as he left the steamy bathroom, still hearing a banging sound downstairs. Padding down the metal staircase, he left wet footprints as he came to the living area, blonde hair that was normally so coiffed was drooping around his face.

Looking to the door, his eyes widened as he saw her stood there. She had her suitcase to the side of her, satchel dropped to the floor. She was wearing a plain black jumper with a brown, mini skirt, thick tights on her legs and brown boots on her feet. She'd had another haircut, her black curls once again sitting beneath her shoulders neatly.

Fixing the towel around his waist, he didn't care that he was still soaking wet and neither did Victoria by the way she moved towards him and reached for him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her, moving her so that she had no other option but to wrap her legs around his waist, inhaling the scent of his own shampoo on him along with his shower gel. She ran her hands along his shoulders, squeezing them firmly.

"I missed you," she said to him and his lips quirked at that. She moved a hand towards his hair, brushing it back from his face and dipping her head down to kiss him. His arms were tight around her waist as he kept her firmly against him, hearing her heartbeat and pulse quicken.

She kept on kissing him, eyes closed and enjoying the feeling of his bare skin against her hands. He didn't relent with kissing her either, needing to feel her against him and hold her tight. He needed her more than anything. He loved having her tight against his body. He didn't want to let her go again. She was back where she belonged, in their penthouse, not in that cold apartment on the other side of the ocean.

"You're actually here," he said when she pulled back for a breath.

She laughed once but nodded, "I'm here," she said to him and went back to kissing him once more.

She didn't know how he was so agile, but she didn't complain as he flopped back onto the sofa. Before she knew it, her skirt was hiked up to her hips and her tights pulled down her thighs. He was inside her before she could say anything, moaning loudly at the feeling of him as he gripped her hips and guided her movements. Neither of them lasted long, especially as his hand snaked down her breast and settled between her legs. Panting breaths filled the space of the apartment and Victoria collapsed against his front, cheek resting on his shoulder.

He played with the hem of her skirt as he remained inside of her, feeling her hand run along the planes of his stomach and up to his chest. Kissing the top of her head, his own cheek nuzzled against her soft curls before she managed to move and look him in the eye after gathering her breath. Her forehead rested against his and she pecked him on the lips once more.

"I missed you so fucking much," he whispered to her, the back of his hand brushing her hair from her face and tucking it behind her shoulder.

"I can tell from the way we didn't even make it upstairs," Victoria said to him, a sly smile on her face as she spoke and his own lips arched at that. "But I…I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" he asked.

She'd wanted to tell him as soon as she walked in, but they clearly had other ideas. She moved then, wincing as she rose up from his lap and he slipped out of her. Her hands went to his shoulders, massaging them softly as he played with her hair and she remained at his eye level.

"The job in Paris…they want me to stay on for another six months," she said to him and his face fell at hearing her say that. Six months? They wanted to keep his fiancée for another six months? "I told them that I needed to come back to New York for a week and talk it through…but they want my decision before I go back on Friday next week."

"So you're only here for a week?" Homelander questioned from her.

"I'm here for a week and then I have to go back," Victoria said. "Even if I decide not to take the extension, I need to go back to tie things up and finish off my current contract there. I just…I'm wondering if it's the right decision because sometimes I absolutely love living over there. I love the job that I'm doing."

"And the other part?"

"I love New York. Michelle and Daniella are here…granted, Michelle is leaving soon and Daniella is busy with Georgina…and you're here. You're here and I know you can come over whenever you want to Paris, but it's not the same as actually being here," Victoria said and he continued to watch her, thumb running along her cheekbone softly.

"Another six months though…it's a long time."

"I know, but we've already done like two months…nearly three," Victoria said. "And I asked for two weeks off at Christmas so that I can come back home anyway. I know it's a lot to take in, but I…I think I want to stay. I want to stay and finish the job off."

He continued to stare at her. He didn't tell her what he was thinking. She wanted to stay, but she'd be away from him. She would still be too far away and how was he supposed to handle that? How was he supposed to cope knowing that he had another six months of waking up alone?

"I see," he decided to say to her.

"You see?" she echoed back to him and he felt her tense up on his lap.

"It's just that I got excited thinking that you'd decided to come home and now I hear that you want to spend another six months away from me," he decided on saying and Victoria frowned, moving completely from him.

She stood up, crouching slightly to pull her tights back up her thighs and tug her skirt down. Her hair fell back into her face as he tugged his white towel back around his hips and sat on the edge of the sofa. He'd upset her. He could see that much.

"Victoria, I just miss you," Homelander decided on saying to her.

"And I get that," she said, but her voice hadn't exactly mellowed. "But I thought that you'd at least try and be a bit more supportive. The work I'm doing…it's important, John…and I enjoy it. I enjoy actually making a difference and I know you get that. That's why you do this job."

She had no idea why he did this job. It wasn't because he liked helping people, that was for sure. "I know," was the easier response to her. "I understand that, but six months…another six months without you…it's a lot, especially when we've just got engaged."

"But we'll still see each other," Victoria said to him. "I just want you to support me, John. Is that too much to ask?"

He wanted to snap and tell her that she had no idea how he had supported her. If only she knew what he had actually done for her. But he said nothing on that matter. He kept quiet, hands balled into fists by his side as he stood back up and tried to calm himself. He was going to say the right thing. He was going to do what he had to do.

"I do support you," Homelander said to her and moved to take hold of her hand. She was about to protest, but she let him drag her off to the back of the living room when she finally saw it. He stood behind her, arms around her waist as he noted the red tinge of her cheeks. "I wanted this to be ready for when you came back…it's all yours, Vicky."

She looked at the large mahogany desk against the wall. There was a notice board above it and a comfortable looking desk chair behind it. There was a massive iMac set up there too, which definitely wasn't hers considering she always worked on her laptop. There were bookshelves next to the desk and all of her textbooks were lined up on them. And then she saw the photo frame, spotting the picture of the two of them in Paris inside of it. She relaxed more then and he knew he had gotten around her. She dropped her hands to sit on top of his and settled back against him.

"It's perfect."

"So now you don't need to work at the breakfast bar or the dining table," he said. "I do support you, Victoria. I never want you to think I don't…it's just that…I don't like being without you."

"And I don't like being without you," Victoria assured him and turned around to face him, looking up to him. "I really don't, John…but for six more months, I think we can do it. I think we can make it but if you really don't want me to do it then I won't."

And there it was. It was on him. He knew what response he wanted to give her, but he knew which one he had to give her. For the sake of their relationship, he said the opposite of what he actually meant.

"I want you to do it. Take the extension," he said and he knew that everything was going to be alright as she turned around and kissed him sweetly.

…

"What if he hates me?"

"He won't hate you," Homelander promised her, holding onto her hand inside of his as they walked up the driveway towards the perfect suburban home. The house was painted in yellows and whites, the windows clean and the grass perfectly cut. It almost felt familiar to her, but she knew she'd never been there before.

"Or Becca?" Victoria pushed.

"Victoria, no one is going to hate you," Homelander assured her as they moved up the steps to the porch. "Becca knows you're coming and she's told Ryan that you're my fiancée. It is all going to be just fine."

His gloved hand kept hold of hers, his finger often skimming over the stone of her engagement ring whenever he held her hand. He liked knowing that it was there, silently telling everyone who saw it that she was officially taken. She was officially his. He knocked on the front door and he could hear Victoria take in a deep breath.

He had spent the previous night laid in bed with her, trying to get her comfortable with the idea of meeting his son. It wasn't that she didn't want to meet Ryan, it was that she was apprehensive about what he would think of her. Would he not like her? Would they not get on? Would that upset Homelander?

"It's going to be fine, darling," Homelander assured her, bending down and pecking her on the cheek gently. She nodded her head as the door opened and Becca stood there.

Victoria had never even seen the woman before. Her own brother's wife and she had never seen her or met her. But as soon as she opened the door, Victoria could see why Billy would have been taken by her. She was stunning, there was no denying that. Her hair was naturally curly and shiny and she looked so casually beautiful, dressed in a plaid shirt that was open around a plain white top tucked into light skinny jeans.

"Becca," Homelander was the one to speak, voice cheery. "This is Victoria, my fiancée."

"And apparently your sister-in-law," Victoria added on and moved her hand towards her. "I know that this must be weird, but I don't want it to be…I mean…I just want it to be alright."

"Yeah," was all Becca could get out as she took Victoria's hand and shook it politely for a moment.

Homelander chuckled, arm going around Victoria's shoulders. "She babbles when she gets nervous," Homelander declared and felt Victoria nudged him in the ribs. He laughed once more, noting how her cheeks had gone red. "But I told her that she had nothing to be nervous about, isn't that right?"

Looking to her, there was a warning look behind his eyes. The smile was forced and menacing, eyes glimmering with threat. And so Becca nodded, holding the door open. "Of course not," she said, mustering up the words with as much conviction as she possible could. She wasn't certain it was enough, but she did her best. "Come on in, Ryan's out the back."

"Great," Homelander said and took hold of Victoria's hand, leading her through the quaint little house and out to the back yard. He saw his son perched on the grass, knelt in front of the wall where a Lego house was sat. He was building it upwards, moving pieces around. Victoria saw him and couldn't stop herself from thinking that she was looking at the spit of Homelander.

The blonde hair and the blue eyes were the biggest giveaway. He had Homelander's jaw too. It was his son alright. Homelander gave Victoria's hand another firm squeeze and they moved onto the grass, Ryan's eyes looking up at the approaching figure. He dropped her hand and moved to his son, kneeling down in front of him.

"Hey, buddy," he greeted him Ryan shifted on the grass. "I know that last time I was here, things didn't go well…but I promise you that I'm not going to push you again, alright? I just want to be able to get to know you…spend time with just us…what do you say?"

It only took a moment before Ryan nodded his head. "Sure," he said, but there was a cautious edge to his voice.

"Great," Homelander said, squeezing his son's shoulder. "And there's someone I want you to meet. This is my fiancée, Victoria."

"Hey," Victoria said as Homelander motioned to her, standing up once more and holding his hand out to her. She took hold of it once more and looked down to Ryan as the little boy awkwardly smiled and then looked around. And so Victoria knew she had to do something. She'd never interacted with children before, well, not since she was one herself. But she could talk to people. She wasn't totally incompetent.

"Are you building with Lego?" Victoria asked from him and Ryan nodded again. "You know, when I was younger, I used to build with Lego. You know, one time I stole my brother's set and created an entire hotel."

"A hotel?" he asked.

"Yeah," Victoria said and she went to sit down next to him.

Folding her legs under her body, she sat cross legged, her pleated red and orange floral skirt flowing around her. She rolled the sleeves of her black ribbed top up to her elbows and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"There's not much to it. You just need to have enough pieces…want to give it a shot?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure," Victoria responded with a nod of her head. "So…what else do you usually build?"

"Well, I can build anything, but nothing too big. I usually make films out of them too," Ryan said and he placed the clear box containing all of the pieces of Lego in front of them. Victoria dipped a hand into it as she spoke.

"You make films? What kind?"

"Recreate famous movie scenes that my mom loves," he said and Homelander stepped back, seeing that Victoria was settling into conversation with Ryan easy enough. This was perfect. He met her gaze and winked to her as she smiled back and then turned her attention back to creating with Ryan.

Heading inside, Homelander saw Becca stood by the patio doors, watching the scene. "They're getting on just fine," Homelander said to her.

"I thought that she was working in Paris," Becca said as Homelander made himself at home, moving through the kitchen and sitting down at the dining table. He still had business he needed to discuss with Becca. She threw one look back to her son and sister-in-law, content that they were going to be fine for a few minutes.

"She's back for a week and I wanted her to meet my son. She is going to be his step-mother eventually," Homelander said and Becca kept her arms folded, chin jutting out and glare on her face. "And that doesn't mean she's going to replace you, Becca…although…she might eventually."

Becca's eyes widened. "What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded from him.

"I know about Billy Butcher's visit here. The cameras caught him leaving and Noir is on his track," Homelander said to her. "What was he doing here?"

"He…he wanted to try and get me out," Becca confessed. She knew it would be better than lying to him. "But I told him that I wasn't going anywhere. I'm staying here with my son."

"And that's all he wanted?" Homelander questioned. "Because I warned you what would happen if I suspect anything suspicious is going on."

"That was all he wanted. He's gone and he's not coming back," Becca said, her voice snapping at him.

"You see, I wish that I could believe you, but I don't know if I can… I know that he hates supes. I imagine he doesn't entirely care about Ryan, but you…and her out there…my fiancée…I know he's not going to leave her be."

"He…I don't know," Becca said and moved into the kitchen, busying herself.

Homelander chuckled. "I know you're lying."

"Look, I'm not getting involved in any of this," Becca said, holding her hands up.

"Oh, but you are involved in this," Homelander said and moved to his feet once more, hands behind his back. He could hear her breathing speed up and her pulse quicken. "Tell me what he said, Becca, and everything stays fine. You know that. I just need the truth because, believe me, I don't relish the idea of squeezing it out of you."

"I know what you did to her," Becca finally spat out and turned around to face him. "Billy told me what you did to her. He told me everything…how you wiped her memories…how you completely cleared her memory. He's not going to stop trying to get them back for her or helping her. I don't know what he's planning, but I just know that she comes above everything for him…she comes above me."

She knew that wasn't necessarily true. She had told him that was how it had to be and she hadn't given him any chance to argue back with her. But it would be enough to get Homelander off of her back. It would be enough to keep Ryan safe and with her. He was her number one priority. He was always going to be her number one priority because he was everything to her.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Homelander said to her in a low voice before leaving her alone in the kitchen. She watched him over her shoulder, seeing him heading out to the garden.

Victoria and Ryan were laughing over something, the two of them almost looking like they'd known each other for years. Becca wondered what it might have been like if they had met under different circumstances. She went to put the kettle on, content that nothing bad was going to happen. So long as she gave Homelander what he wanted, he wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Plus, Vought might have something to say on that too. It took her a few minutes to gather some mugs and she was about to go and ask Victoria if she wanted tea, remembering how Billy was particular about his tea, when the woman walked in.

"Hi," Victoria said and Becca let the water boil in the kettle on the stove.

"Hey," Becca responded. "You look like you were getting on well with Ryan."

"He's a really sweet kid," Victoria said to her. "And an excellent Lego builder."

"He loves it," Becca said. "He's always been pretty creative. You seemed to be enjoying it out there too."

"I used to build when I was younger…I'd steal the old Lego sets from…" she trailed off, not sure if she should say his name. Looking down, she shook her head, a fake smile moving to her face. "Never mind."

"It's fine," Becca said, wishing that she could just tell her the truth so that she could get away from him. But she couldn't because she had Ryan to think of and she had no idea what Homelander would do to her son. He was so unpredictable that it terrified her. "I know about yours and Billy's childhood."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

Victoria took a moment to let that sink in and she knew that she shouldn't have seen it as a shock. Why would he not tell her everything? They were married and usually that means keeping no secrets. She was going to marry Homelander and she kept nothing from him. Of course, she had no idea that he was keeping so much from her. Biting down on her bottom lip, Victoria rocked back and forth on her heels. Shrugging out of her mac, she suddenly felt too warm. Becca continued to stare at her, wondering if, at one time, they might have been good friends if Billy had reached out to her and she had never taken that job at Vought. But it was too late to think on that now.

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Victoria finally just settled on saying to her. "But what happened to me as a teenager…I mean…I try not to remember it that much and I don't want it to define me. I know you don't know me and you only know what Billy's told you, but…maybe, in time, you can form your own opinion because I don't think Homelander is going anywhere anytime soon."

Becca wanted to snap that was much to her dismay, but she didn't. "I tried to get Billy to find you," she settled on saying, watching the younger woman brush her hair behind her ear awkwardly, looking around the kitchen once more. "I told him that he should try to make amends, but he was scared you'd never want to see him again."

"I was eighteen when I last saw him. I'd just gone through the trial and everything was still raw…I maybe should have handled things better, but I didn't. Turns out that he wasn't that bothered about making amends anyway," she scoffed at the end, arms folding over her chest and crumpling her white shirt tucked into her skirt.

"He was," Becca said and she knew she had to be careful with Homelander just outside. If she said too much then she had no idea what he would do. "He really did want to make it right with you. He'd wake up most nights after a nightmare."

"It doesn't excuse what he did in the end though," Victoria replied with a soft shrug.

"You really think he could have had you kidnapped? You think I'd fall in love with a man like that?" Becca wondered.

"I think we sometimes don't know who we fall in love with until it's too late," Victoria said and Becca wanted to scream at her. She was damn right about that because that monster outside was hiding precisely who he was. She had no chance to say anything, Ryan coming running in.

"Mom, did you know that dad's been in a bunch of films?" he asked, Homelander appearing in the doorway, leaning against it with his arms crossed. "And he's going to be in another one about how him and Victoria met. He said that I could see it when it comes out."

"Did he?" Becca questioned, hearing the kettle whistle and taking it from the stove.

"Are you starring in it?" Ryan asked Victoria.

"Oh, definitely not," she replied, shoulders sagging and feeling more relaxed with the conversation moving away from Billy. "My acting is nowhere near as good as my Lego building, I promise you that."

"Well, she's not exactly tried," Homelander replied.

Victoria scoffed and looked to him. "I can hardly act. You see right through me all the time," she reminded him and his own lips arched at that. He really did.

"Too true," he concurred with her on that point. "Hey, why don't you come and spend the night at the penthouse soon, Ryan? I can show you some of those movies and Victoria here makes the best popcorn."

"That's true," Victoria said and Ryan turned to his mother.

"Mom, can I?" he asked and she looked almost uneasy at the idea. Then again, Victoria suspected she was worried after pretending for years that he was a normal kid when he was actually growing up inside of a prison.

"Let's talk about it later, yeah?" Becca said, running a hand over his hair and ruffling it. His face fell slightly and so Victoria acted quickly, wondering what had come over her as she felt the need to make him feel better.

"Hey, Ryan, why don't we go back outside and you can show me some of those movies you like to make? I can even tell you what my favourite film is and you can have a go at that?"

"Alright," Ryan said. "What is your favourite movie?"

"Well, I like all the old ones," Victoria said, walking back outside with him and throwing Homelander another smile as she continued talking about films on the way back to the lawn. Turning his attention to Becca, Homelander's arms folded over his chest and his head cocked to the side.

"I thought that we had a deal?" he said to her and she nodded.

"We do."

"Then why did I hear you defending William?"

"He is still my husband," Becca hissed through gritted teeth. "And I still love him. I didn't say anything to her and I'm not going to. Ryan is my priority here and you know that."

Homelander tried to weigh her up. Was she going to try anything stupid? Did she think that would end well? He simply nodded his head once at hearing her and turned on his heel. "For your sake, you'd best keep quiet," was all he said to her and heading on outside himself.

Becca gripped hold of the worktop counters tightly, head bowed and breathing coming out in short pants. She completely forgot about the tea she'd been making.

…

Victoria was due to fly back to Paris on the Friday morning. She had managed to spend most of the week catching up with Michelle and Daniella while Homelander was working. In the evenings, they would simply stay in when he had no publicity events to go to. She'd gone with him to some film premiere, suffering through reporter after reporter asking her tedious questions about their engagement ring. When were they going to get married? Where would they get married? Who would be her maid of honour? Had she chosen a designer dress yet? She had smiled and just answered politely, echoing Homelander when he said that they were simply enjoying the bubble that they were living in and had no desire to rush anything.

Sitting through the film premiere, she'd kept her hand inside of his, resting it on her thigh as she crossed her legs. She barely paid the film any attention, feeling his finger run over her engagement ring all of the time and leaning in close to him. She was going to miss him when she went back to France, but she knew that it was the right decision for her.

On the Thursday before her flight was due to go, she'd promised him that she would visit him on set of Dawn of the Seven. She'd changed in the morning, picking out a fresh pair of tights from her drawer. The note that had been sat there was pushed right to the back of the drawer. If her fingers had strayed another inch or two, she might have felt it in her grasp. But she hadn't. Instead, she'd grabbed the first pair she found at the top of the pile and pulled them onto her thighs before pulling on her long sleeved plum dress.

Heading out to the set, Victoria took a car, asking for one at reception of Vought Tower. She checked her emails on her phone on the way there, only putting it away when she arrived. Thanking the driver, she climbed from the car and saw that Ashley was already stood and waiting for her, a gurning smile on her face.

"Victoria, it's so good that you could make it!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, Ashley," Victoria said politely to her. "Homelander said that he'd be here."

"He is…he's just on set filming a scene, but I can show you to his trailer for you to wait for him. We have some photographers on set today so it might be something if you…well…you know, a few photos of you watching him would be good."

"Ah, so you're being extra nice to me because you want publicity," Victoria commented and Ashley's smile dropped and she began shaking her head. The last thing she needed was Victoria commenting to Homelander and him getting on her case.

"No…no, that's not it…not at all-"

"-Relax, Ashley, it's fine," Victoria said, aware that she had a job to do. "I'm flying out tomorrow so you'd best get your money's worth out of me, I guess. But is Starlight around? I haven't seen her all week."

"Oh…she'll be in her trailer. I'll show you the way and let Homelander know you're here."

"Thanks, Ashley," Victoria said and followed her through the set.

Victoria had never been on a film set before. She was in awe of everything, including the massive trailers for the crew and the pop-up food hall. Victoria smelled garlic and swore that she was having something for lunch before leaving. Coming up to Annie's trailer, Ashley knocked politely before the supe answered. She was dressed in full Starlight costume, hair extensions in and makeup on her face.

"Vic!" she exclaimed, shocked to see her there.

"Hey," Victoria replied.

"I'll give you guys some time to catch up. Starlight, you'll be wanted on set in half-an-hour after Maeve's finished her scene."

"Got it," Annie said with a nod and Ashley waved once before leaving them alone. Turning to Victoria, Annie held the door to her trailer open. "Come on in."

Moving up the steps, Victoria looked around the space, eyes widening. "I think this is bigger than my entire apartment I had when I was in Paris doing my Masters."

"Pretty fancy, huh?" Annie agreed. "Do you want a drink?"

"You got a coke?" Victoria questioned and Annie nodded, moving to the fridge. She opened the door and pulled out two diet cokes, handing one to Victoria who thanked her. She took hold of it and sat down on the couch, Annie sitting next to her. "So, how are things going? I haven't seen you since I got back."

"Yeah, sorry, it's just that things have been super busy here," Annie said, but she wasn't looking her in the eye. There was something she wasn't telling her and Victoria didn't know how to get it out of her without going for a direct confrontation. She didn't want that, but she suspected it might happen eventually.

"I get that," Victoria said. "How is filming going?"

"Filming is going well," Annie said, glad that they were avoiding the topic of Homelander. "It's long days and everything…but it's fine."

"Who are you mainly filming with?"

"Stormfront," Annie said, pulling her bottom lip over her top one and nodding her head.

"Ugh," Victoria said, unable to stop herself. She rolled her eyes and Annie arched a brow. Taking a sip of her coke, Victoria waved a nonchalant hand. "Sorry, I guess I should maybe try and not be a bitch when she's your colleague."

"It's fine," Annie said and she longed to tell Victoria everything about her. She wanted to tell her how she was a supe called Liberty who was nothing but a raging racist with an agenda that terrified her. "I mean, I'm not entirely sure what to think of her either."

"What do you think?"

"What do you think?" Annie threw back at her. "Honestly, you can tell me because I get the feeling we might have the same thoughts."

"I despise her," Victoria said. "I haven't even met her and I despise her. Homelander's told me how she, apparently, put me down in one of your meetings. She seems to think supes are better than humans and Homelander deserves someone better than me…I mean…I'm allowed to think that, but she's not allowed to say it…and then there's her rallies…the things she says…the false information she's spreading…it terrifies me. It terrifies me because people are listening to her and believe her."

"I know," Annie said. "And I do agree with everything you've said about her."

"But I don't want to spend time bitching about her when I haven't seen you in ages," Victoria said. "I mean, I've tried calling a bunch of times while I've been in Paris…I just…it feels like you're avoiding me, Annie."

Annie laughed awkwardly then, tossing her head back as Victoria did her best not to look too upset. "No," she said, drawling the word too long. "I'm not, honestly, I just have a lot going on…there's a lot of stuff happening here and I need to deal with it…but I-"

"-Annie," Victoria interrupted her. "Please, stop."

Annie stopped talking and Victoria placed her can down on her coffee table. Folding her hands together, she leant forwards before speaking in a low voice.

"I know you're lying to me because you're pretty bad at it…just tell me what's going on because I really don't want us to have secrets. You're my friend."

"I know," Annie promised her on that point and Victoria took a moment to let her compose her answer, but Victoria knew that there was something going on. "And you're my friend too…and…there's stuff going on…stuff that I really do want to tell you because it's fucked up, Vic. It's all fucked up and I don't know how to say it…how to say any of it…"

Victoria moved a hand to sit on top of one of Starlight's gloved ones, squeezing hold of her fingers tightly in her grip. It took a moment before she spoke, tone softer and more encouraging.

"Just talk to me. We can sort it out, I promise," Victoria said.

Annie wanted to laugh at that. They couldn't sort this out. There would be absolutely no chance to sort it out because it was all a complete mess and Victoria had no idea. Her entire life would crumble if she did, but at least she would be safe. But, would she? Because she'd known the truth once before and he had kept her locked away, threatened her and made her play the role of doting girlfriend. Who was to say he wouldn't just do that again?

Opening her mouth, Annie was about to talk before there was another knock on the door. She groaned as she saw Homelander through the window, waiting for a response. And what other choice did she have but to tell him to come in. Entering the trailer, Homelander looked onto the scene, a smile on his face. He had clearly come at just the right time.

"Not interrupting, am I?" he queried.

"Well…we were just talking…" Victoria was the one to say, but Annie shook her head.

"No, it's fine," she said to him, knowing that there was no chance Victoria was getting the truth from her then. He had interrupted any chance of that happening. "I just…I think it must be the stress of the work…and hormones…I'm just an emotional wreck," she said and looked Victoria right in the eye. "But I'm fine. I promise that I'm fine and I'll call you when you get back to Paris."

Victoria could only nod as Annie stood up and made her excuses to get to set. She didn't even hug her as she went. Victoria watched her go, the door closing behind her. She didn't seem bothered that they were both still in her trailer. Pointing to the door, Homelander frowned and looked to Victoria.

"Something's off with her," he said.

Victoria scoffed. "Yeah," she agreed and stood up. "But I have no idea what and she wasn't exactly forthcoming. I don't know what else I can do."

"Just wait for her to open up to you," Homelander said and held the trailer door open as Victoria left her coke behind and moved down the steps. He closed the door behind them and wrapped an arm over her shoulders. "It's probably nothing. Like she said, the stress of filming can be a lot and this is her first film."

"I know, but it just felt like something else," Victoria said and then sighed. "It's like she's avoiding me and I have no idea why. If I've done anything to piss her off then I'd rather she just told me."

"I doubt you have. What could you possibly have done?"

"I don't know," she confessed.

"Exactly," he quickly retorted on that point. "I think she's just stressed out. Give her until filming finishes and she'll be fine. In the meantime, I've got another scene to shoot and was wondering if you wanted to come and watch."

"Sure I won't distract you?"

"Sweetheart, you easily distract me, but I think…so long as your clothes stay on…I'll be fine," he said teasingly and she nudged his ribs with his elbow, causing him to laugh and bend down to kiss her chastely, leading her to set and knowing that he'd have to sort Starlight out because there was something going on with her. And he'd find out what it was, no matter how long it took him.

...

A/N: So I know it's been a while, but work is pretty manic! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and can feel some of the tension building up - a lot comes to boil in the next chapter when a certain video is leaked and another character gets more involved...in the meantime, I would, as always, love to know your thoughts and if you're still reading!