Standing at the side of the stage, Victoria listened on as the Samaritans Embrace Boys Choir continued singing, despite the booing coming from a section of the crowd who were chanting 'Starlight's right' over and over again. Victoria could tell that Homelander was watching them as opposed to focusing on the choir. Victoria watched as her husband's jaw ticked and his eyes narrowed. They were small telltale signs that he was angry, but Victoria had come to know them quite well. She could read her husband like an open book most of the time after years of practice.

She clapped when the choir finished and she glanced at the flag that adorned the back wall of the stage. Homelander glanced to her, throwing a wink in her direction that silently assured her that everything was fine, despite the protesting crowd in the background who were clearly baying for Homelander's blood. Remaining stood on the spot just by the curtain, Victoria spotted Ryan on the other side of the stage. Frowning, she wondered just what he was doing here.

Listening on as her husband spoke about the choir and how they were a beacon of light in these dark times, she moved around the back of the stage and over towards where Ryan was. Homelander started talking about the biggest threat in American history being the Starlighters and Victoria almost thought about how funny it was that people believed her husband. He claimed that they wanted to get rid of superheroes and get rid of him. Some of the crowd hollered no.

Victoria didn't listen to anymore of his speech as she stood in front of Ryan and crouched down slightly, a hand moving to his shoulder. "What're you doing here?" she wondered from him.

"Dad asked me to come," Ryan said to her as Homelander introduced Noir, Deep and A-Train. "I think he wants me to go on stage with him for a minute."

"And you're okay with this?" Victoria wondered from him.

Ryan shrugged and a part of her wondered if he was scared of his own father. Was he doing this just to humour him because he knew what Homelander might do? Did he actually have any idea about just how powerful his father was? Victoria kept a hand on his shoulder as Homelander introduced Sage and Firecracker, the latter blowing an air horn and making a grand entrance. Her costume was red and blue, emphasising her curves and showing off her red hair. Sage was in a brown and golden costume, although Victoria couldn't tell if that was the reflection from the sun. She looked less happy to be there and Homelander muttered something to her that Victoria couldn't make out.

"Now, you all know that I recently went through a trial," Homelander continued and Victoria's fingers fidgeted in the skirt of the tight green dress she wore on her figure. The crowd booed loudly and Homelander lifted his hands in the air to try to get them to calm down. "Well, we saw just first-hand how corrupt the justice system was. And I'm not gonna lie to you, it was a stressful time for me."

Bullshit, Victoria thought. He'd been more relaxed than anyone she'd ever seen on trial before. Granted her experience was limited, but the point still stood.

"And, well, I'm going to level with you here, I couldn't have done it without my wife. You know, we've had some marital issues in the past. We've never hidden that, but we're stronger than ever. And while I know that some of you have an opinion on her for how she behaved when she ran away…things are different now and we're stronger than ever. Victoria, sweetheart, will you come here?"

It was posed as a question, but Victoria was well aware that it wasn't. She moved from Ryan's side to Homelander's side, her hand reaching for his outstretched palm. She let him pull her to his side and he waved to the crowd as Victoria followed suit, her own arm not quite rising as high as his as she waved. The Starlighters continued to boo and so did some of the Hometeamers because they saw Victoria as not good enough for their hero. That was fine by her. She hated being seen in public, but this was the price she was paying for being with him. It was better than being on the wrong side of him.

"Alright, sweetheart?" he asked from her, smiling down.

"Fine," she assured him and he noted the smile on her face. It was the demure tug of the lips she always had whenever it came to these events. She always played the shy wife and it usually served her well.

"And you might have noticed that we have one more spot…but who knows?" Homelander questioned. "My son, you know, he did stop those bank robbers the other day. You saw that, right?" he questioned and Victoria squeezed his fingers tightly inside of hers, hoping that this wasn't going where she thought it was going. Homelander clearly wasn't bothered by the tug of her hand though. "You saw that video, right? So let's say I might be keeping that last chair warm for him," Homelander concluded. "In fact, let's get him out here. Ryan, son, come here."

And then Ryan walked out onto stage. Homelander took his hand and held his arm up in the air, his other hand still inside of Victoria's as she honed in on Ryan, watching how he looked around with his face clearly apprehensive. He looked like he would rather be anywhere else but on that stage. Victoria watched Homelander bend over slightly and whisper something in his ear. A moment later he had a wide smile on his face.

Slipping her hand out of his, Victoria went to stand on Ryan's other side, her fingers running along his shoulders as she reached for his free hand and he peered up to her, the forced smile remaining fixed on his face. Victoria just winked to him, silently promising him that things were going to be alright. Homelander caught his wife's eye and the two of them exchanged silent glares as the clapping continued, like they were able to talk with just their eyes.

You shouldn't be doing this to him.

He's my son. He's going to do this eventually.

As the crowd finished with their cheering, Homelander wrapped up the announcement and they left the stage together. Victoria kept hold of Ryan's hand as Ashley fussed around all the new members of The Seven and told them that press was taking place on the ninety-ninth floor and they had to head there.

"A minute?" Victoria asked from her husband as they headed into the foyer of the Tower and towards the elevator.

"Ryan, buddy, head up to the meeting room and we'll meet you there," Homelander urged from him and he nodded his head, following after Ashley.

Victoria and Homelander headed to the side of the foyer, away from the employees who were just going about their business and on the other side of the reception. Standing by the glass that looked out onto the gardens, Victoria folded her arms. "What happened to not pushing him?"

"I didn't," Homelander defended himself. "I said that he might join us one day, Vic. I didn't say that day was today, did I?"

Victoria knew he had a point there and his smug smile seemed to suggest that he thought he had won this argument. Her lips pursed and she huffed, chin jutting out and eyes moving to the side. Homelander continued smirking and dropped his hands to take hold of her hips, drawing her closer to him so that her folded arms brushed against his chest.

"So does that mean I'm not in trouble?" Homelander said to her.

"You still told him to smile, didn't you?" Victoria checked and he rolled his eyes at her. "I'll take that as a yes."

"He was looking miserable. I couldn't have him looking miserable, Vic," Homelander defended his actions. "Besides, he's been off with me since the other day. I did this for him to show him that everything would be okay and that people would still accept him."

"He's not used to the spotlight," Victoria said. "You need to be gentle with him. I know you have that in you because I remember how you were with me. You weren't always an asshole."

"You know, I think you're the only one who can ever get away with calling me an asshole," he said to her.

"Exception to your rules, remember?" she reminded him.

Homelander continued to watch her intently, finding her response almost amusing. She really was the only one he let talk to him in that way and she had to realise that was a privileged position. His lips quirked for a moment as his face contorted and Victoria thought that he looked like he was almost malfunctioning, not entirely sure what he should be saying. She remained rooted on the spot, not backing down under his glare. Maybe she had been scared of him at one point, but that fear was slowly waning. She knew how to get under his skin. She just knew that there was a line she had to be careful not to cross.

"That you are," Homelander confirmed finally.

"And you know that I'm only looking out for your best interests and your best interest is not to push your son away," Victoria said to him. "So just give him time. You gave me time, remember? You held my hand through everything and Ryan needs that too. He needs to be gently eased into things and not thrown in at the deep end."

Homelander wasn't happy about it, but he relented. She unfolded her arms and ran her hands up and down his arms, stroking along the material of his suit and realising that he was on her side on this. She just had to keep him on side for Ryan's sake. Standing on her toes, she kissed him gently on the cheek. "Nothing I say is going to make you get rid of Firecracker though, is it?" Victoria asked and he chuckled at that before wrapping his arm around her shoulders and guiding her towards the elevator.

"Even I'm not convinced on her," Homelander confessed to his wife. "But Sage seems to think that she's good for us. Time will tell, I guess. Either way, let's go get this press out the way with."

Heading up the elevator towards the ninety-ninth floor, Victoria could hear the clicking of cameras and the general hustle and bustle coming from the meeting room. She'd been in The Seven's meeting room a number of times. She remembered she'd initially been so impressed by it at the start. Walking by the security agents by the door, she saw Deep, A-Train and Noir having a photoshoot. They walked by Firecracker who was talking about vaccines given at the Starlight House, claiming that they gave kids autism.

"What the fuck?" Victoria muttered under her breath and Homelander squeezed her shoulder.

"I do think she might have been dropped on her head as a kid," Homelander confessed and Victoria snorted at that before spotting Ryan sat in a chair off to the side. He had his hands together in his lap and was looking down, clearly uncomfortable with everything going on. Victoria sighed at the sight of him and picked Homelander's hand from her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm going to sit with him," she decided and she headed over towards Ryan as Homelander looked to his son and felt an annoyance bubble up inside of him. He looked miserable and it was annoying him more than he was letting on.

Victoria headed over to him and she perched in the chair next to him. Reaching for the pad of paper on the table, she drew a grid with the pen that had been sat on it. She then drew a circle in the middle of the grid and slid the pad over to Ryan. He looked to it and his lips arched slightly before he picked the pen up and put a cross in the top right corner.

"You know, my mom told me that there's a trick to winning," Ryan said to Victoria.

"Did she?" Victoria questioned. "I'm not sure I ever learnt the trick."

"You didn't," Ryan said to her. "The first player should always go for a corner. You went for the middle."

"I did," Victoria agreed and she noted that Ryan had her cornered and she laughed softly at him as his own lips arched into a small smile. "You're pretty good at that then. Want to teach me the trick or would you prefer to keep it to yourself and just win all of the time?"

Ryan nodded his head and he drew another grid as Victoria peered down to it, listening to him explain how you could make sure you always stood a good chance at winning the game. She let him take charge and they went for another game. She glanced off to the side as she spotted Homelander stood to the side by the TV screens after his conversation with Sage. She frowned as she spotted Firecracker moving towards him, practically standing in front of him. He seemed not to recognise her as his gaze remained set on the TV screens.

She watched as Firecracker leaned in closer to him and Victoria moved to her feet. "I just need to ask your dad something," Victoria said to him. "And then we can go back to the penthouse and grab lunch."

"Okay," Ryan agreed with her.

Victoria moved over towards the two supes in time to hear Firecracker whispering in a husky voice.

"If I can do anything for you, sir…please do let me know. This is everything I've ever dreamed of…this hot costume…being here with you. So anything you need, and I do mean anything, you let me know," she said and then Victoria noticed how her hand went to his chest. "Anything…anything at all…" and her fingers dropped down his stomach and Victoria wondered if he was paying attention considering he seemed intently set on the TV screen where Starlight was delivering her speech.

"Okay," he suddenly said just as Victoria approached to see Firecracker's hand on his crotch and he grabbed her wrist, pushing it from him.

"And this must be your wife," Firecracker suddenly spoke, hands going to her hips and a smile on her face as if she didn't just try to seduce Victoria's husband. "Well, aren't you just as cute as a button," Firecracker cooed and Victoria wasn't entirely sure how she felt at being called cute. It felt as though Firecracker was trying to undermine her. "And I heard you worked on asylum laws. You're not one of these liberals who-"

"-I'm going to stop you there," Victoria interrupted, hearing her pulse beating in her ears. "I suspect that question is going to go somewhere I won't like. Mainly, I imagine you're going to ask me if I'm one of those bleeding-heart liberals who thinks human rights are for everyone when not everyone really is equal. And, for some reason unbeknownst to me, I'm guessing you think that would insult me when actually the opposite is true because at least I have principles."

"Vicky," Homelander whispered his wife's name lowly.

But Firecracker looked amused at Victoria's response.

"Well, aren't you a fiery one?" she said. "And I guess our beliefs don't align, but Homelander recruited me."

Victoria chuckled at that. "Yeah, he did," she said, "but here's some free advice from someone who knows Vought better than you do."

She stepped forwards and Homelander had to admit that he was intrigued by what she was going to do. He knew she was angry and a part of him liked it when Victoria was angry over him.

"You're dispensable," Victoria warned her and she saw a glimmer of apprehension cross Firecracker's face. "So if you even think of touching my husband again, I might not be a supe, but I can make your life a living hell."

"Okay, I think that's enough," Homelander said and he moved a hand to Victoria's back, pressing his palm against the small of it. Victoria continued to watch Firecracker and she knew that she had her there. She was clearly obsessed with Homelander and she thought that she had a chance. "Vicky, why don't you take Ryan upstairs?"

"Pleasure," Victoria said, a sickly-sweet smile forming on her face and she looked to Firecracker once more. "Have a good meeting," and then she leaned up to Homelander and whispered just loud enough in his ear for Firecracker to hear her, "and try not to think about the time you fucked me in your chair, alright?"

Homelander coughed awkwardly at that and Victoria gripped his hand for a moment before passing by him. Firecracker just stood there awkwardly, almost looking embarrassed. Victoria looked to Ryan and gave him a gentle nod before he followed her out of the door and they headed back to the penthouse together as Homelander called order to the meeting to begin, kicking out members of the press. Victoria couldn't help a small laugh escape her once they were alone in the elevator at what had just happened. The look on her face had been worth that. If she could get to Firecracker then she would. She messed with Annie. And no one messed with Victoria's friends if she could help it.

…

Victoria finished making sandwiches for lunch for both her and Ryan. Evelyn was still in nursery. Victoria had considered pulling her out early, but her daughter seemed to be enjoying it more than she'd anticipated. She got on well with other children and she always came back smiling. Victoria carried the ham and cheese subs with salad into the living room and saw Ryan playing on his videogame. She looked to the screen and saw him playing as Lamplighter against Crimson Countess. Victoria frowned at how gruesome it was.

"Do you really enjoy playing this?" she asked him, setting his sandwich down on the coffee table and then looking back to the screen for a moment.

"It's fun," Ryan said to her and Victoria shook his head.

"I don't think I'll ever truly understand boys," Victoria said and she winked at Ryan. "Eat your sandwich. I'm going to go and finish some work in the kitchen."

"Okay, Vic," Ryan said and he went back to playing the game.

"Is she gone?" the voice in his headset asked him and Ryan peered around the corner to make sure that Victoria was out of sight and wouldn't be able to hear him.

"She's in the kitchen," Ryan said. "Why can I not tell her I'm talking to you?"

"It's just a bit complicated," Butcher said.

He'd managed to talk to Ryan through the videogame and was currently having his ass handed to him by the kid. It turned out that he wasn't as good at video games as he had initially thought he might be. Ryan shook his head slowly and his fingers continued moving along the buttons on the remote.

"My dad said you left her to get hurt," Ryan said to Billy. "He said that your dad hurt her and you left her alone. He says that you don't really love her."

"I do love her," Billy said in response to that and there was a moment of silence as the game seemed to pause slightly. "But I did leave her alone. I let her get hurt and that is my biggest regret, Ryan. I never wanted her to get hurt, but I didn't know what our dad was doing to her. I didn't know how bad it was and I thought I'd stopped it…but I hadn't…I let Victoria get hurt and for that I'll always be sorry. If I could turn back time and go to her…bring her back…look after her…then I would."

Ryan considered what Butcher was saying, trying to reconcile his words with what he'd heard from his father. They were two very different stories and Ryan wasn't entirely sure what to believe. A part of him longed to believe his dad. He was his dad. But then there was Butcher. Butcher had always looked out for him and there had always been an honesty to their discussions.

"I really like her, Butcher…and sometimes I feel bad because I love her…and my mom…I miss my mom…"

"You know no one will ever replace your mum, don't you?" Billy responded. "And Victoria would never want to replace her. She loves you too, kid. She's your step-mum and she'll always look out for you."

"Why can I not tell her about you?"

"Well, that's a bit more complicated," Billy said. "I know your dad wouldn't want you to come and see me and Victoria…if she knew then she'd have to tell him. I don't want to put her in that position. Besides, you can fly here and back in less than five minutes. I just want to talk to you, Ryan. I want to make things right."

Ryan finished killing Crimson Countess on the screen, Lamplighter being victorious and he just nodded his head. "Alright," he relented.

…

"You know, the issue with someone telling you not to think about something is then that is all you can think about," Homelander informed his wife when he walked back into the penthouse in the mid-afternoon. Ryan had told Victoria that he was going to go out for a short while and she'd let him go. He said that he just needed some fresh air and she trusted him on his own.

"I didn't know that was an issue," Victoria said, eyes still set on her laptop as she looked over the document that Jennifer had sent her about the charity work they were doing.

"Well, turns out it is," Homelander said and he moved to sit down next to his wife at the table, tugging out a dining chair. "And then the issue is that when an image is in your mind, well, your body has a certain reaction."

"I'm sure if you asked Firecracker nicely enough then she'd sort that for you," Victoria said and the work no longer held her attention, but her eyes remained on the screen. Homelander's own lips curled and he chuckled darkly.

"I'm sure she would," Homelander agreed with her on that point. "But you're not seriously angry with me, are you?"

"With you? No," Victoria assured him. "Although you did take quite a while to tug her hand off of you."

"I was distracted. I barely noticed her," Homelander said to his wife and Victoria just nodded once. He let out a deep breath and arched his brow, arms folding over his chest. "I'm not interested in her and we both know you're not jealous of her."

"Am I not?" Victoria wondered, finally lowering the lid to her laptop and looking him in the eye. "Why would I not be? I mean, she's got a hot suit and I'm just…what was it? Cute as a button?" she checked with her husband.

"You are cute as a button sometimes though," Homelander told her. "But trust me, you're pretty sexy, especially when you get territorial over me. That really is a turn on. But you don't need to be jealous over her and I know you're not because you know what we have and you know that I'd never be interested in someone like her. She's insane and I know it."

"But she's still with you," Victoria said. "You still let her join The Seven."

"And you know why," Homelander replied. "I mean, if you really want me to show you that you have nothing to be jealous about then I am more than happy to take you upstairs and fuck you until you can't walk straight."

Victoria arched her brow and she leant back in her chair. "You think that's a romantic proposition?" she checked from him.

"Wasn't meant to be romantic," Homelander said to her. "I've just had to deal with that meeting where Noir fell asleep, I sacked Deep and told Ashley that she is now just a figurehead while Sage takes over…and I had to do all of that while my pants were tight because my wife couldn't help but humiliate a supe by telling her how we'd fucked in that very same room…in the very same room I was supposed to conduct business in. So I'm not particularly in a romantic mood."

"And what kind of mood are you in? Because I hate to disappoint you, but I need to finish this work."

"I don't think so," Homelander said to her. "I have an hour before Sage comes back and tells me who leaked the video to Starlight…and that's an hour I don't intend to waste. You riled me up, Victoria."

"My intention was actually just to piss Firecracker off," Victoria defended, but Homelander was already moving his bare hand along her thigh under the table, slipping up her leg slowly.

"Well, your intention had unintended consequences," Homelander said and he leant forwards, kissing her forcefully. She returned the kiss, biting his lip and hearing him moan against her. He pulled back and ran a thumb over his bottom lip, wondering if she had made him bleed. "Upstairs," he demanded from her and Victoria let him carry her up the steps to their bedroom.

….

"So…you fired Deep?" Victoria checked with Homelander.

They'd been upstairs for forty-five minutes, clothes strewn around the bedroom. Victoria had to admit that most of her muscles were aching. He'd been more forceful than he had been the last few times, his grip tight in her hair and his hand holding her waist firmly. Finally, he'd exhausted himself and was laid down besides her. Victoria was draped over him, her head resting on his stomach and her hand on his chest. She looked to the ceiling as he laid his head on the pillow and brushed his fingers through her hair.

"Can we not mention that octopus fucker while I'm still thinking about being inside of you?" Homelander questioned and Victoria chuckled darkly at that.

"That good, huh?" she wondered from him.

"Always," he assured her and she knew that he was telling her the truth. There had been a point in her life when she'd have been apprehensive about sleeping with him. She knew that he'd had his fair share of partners and her experience had been rather limited. But that had been before. Now, she was just focused on staying on his good side and that meant being intimate with him. She couldn't go forever without sleeping with him, despite the fact that she scrubbed her body relentlessly when they'd finished, like it would get rid of the feeling of him on her.

"But the questions still stands," Victoria said to him. "You sacked him?"

"Well, it was his department that fucked up," Homelander said. "Sage is going through records and trying to find out who had links to Starlight. Someone is feeding her intel from the inside."

"And what're you going to do when you find them?"

"Sack them," Homelander said, not telling her the truth.

But Victoria knew him. She turned her head to the side and he looked down to her, chin doubling with the motion. "Don't bullshit me," she urged from him. "You're not entirely lenient on people who cross you."

"Your head is still attached to your body," Homelander replied.

"Because it's too pretty not to be," Victoria said and he chuckled at that, still stroking her hair. "And you love me."

"Very true," Homelander said. "But I swear on Ryan's life than I won't lash out."

Victoria seemed to relent at that. Nodding her head once, she laid back down against his stomach, stroking his chest gently with her fingertips and feeling him shudder underneath her. Homelander lifted his free hand to her arm, trailing a finger up and down her forearm.

"Hey, you know that supe bill the new administration want to pass?" he asked from her.

"I saw it on the news," she confirmed. "Singer is working on The Superhero Management Act, right? He wants supes out of the military, police…he basically wants Vought to be brought to hand with anti-trust charges. I agree with him on that, but I worry about anything further. I mean…removing them from the military and law enforcement…I just wonder if maybe there would be a cause for judicial review. Surely it is prejudicial, isn't it? What if someone is a supe and they want to do good?"

"So you disagree with the Act?" Homelander questioned her.

"I mean, do you want my opinion?" Victoria asked from him.

"I'm not going to like it, am I?"

"Probably not," Victoria said and she sat up slightly, her arms on his stomach to prop her up. "And in the interests of not fighting, perhaps it is better if we don't talk about it. I imagine you know where I stand on this anyway."

"I know," he confirmed for her. "You think that supes should be equal to humans."

"Got it in one," Victoria said. "Why do you ask anyway?"

"Because I'm going to meet with Neuman later this afternoon to discuss what to do moving forwards. She's a supe. If she's outed as a supe then she can hardly support this legislation and the movement."

"You're going to out her?"

"Hopefully she'll out herself," Homelander said. "She shouldn't be ashamed of who she is."

"If she outs herself then people will put two and two together. It'll be obvious who popped all those heads in Congress that day," Victoria retorted and Homelander curled a strand of her hair around his finger. "I mean, that would mean that she couldn't stay on as VP."

"Well, by that point it would be too late for anyone to do anything. Do you think people would dare do anything against her if they knew her powers? They wouldn't do anything because they'd know she's superior. She's a supe. We shouldn't be ashamed of who we are."

"And I agree with that, but I don't think it's going to work," Victoria retorted.

"We'll see," Homelander said.

"And why are you even telling me any of this? You know that I could just go and tell my brother?"

Homelander chuckled. "Your brother isn't entirely a threat, sweetheart. Besides, do you think I don't know about his stupid team and how they're trying to deal with Neuman? I know all about that, Vicky. I also know that they're not very good at their job. Your brother has been coming after me for years now and I'm still here…perfectly safe," he said to her and she shook her head slowly. "And I told you because I want to trust you. You're my wife. You're going to be by my side through all of this."

"I just hope you know what you're doing," Victoria said to him and his lips curved in a smirk.

"Don't worry about me," he urged from her. And she didn't. It wasn't him she worried for. It was everyone else.

…

Victoria had picked Evelyn up from nursery and had cooked dinner that night. The issue was that Ryan hadn't come home and neither had Homelander. She'd made a pasta bake and had sat at the dining table, eating by herself and feeding Evelyn small forkfuls of the food. She'd tided up and then gone with her daughter to the living room, sitting on the floor and playing with her.

"Daddy come home?" Evelyn questioned.

"Soon," Victoria assured her daughter, wondering just what had gone on at his meeting with Neuman. He had told her that he was meeting her at the Vought on Ice rehearsals and Victoria had laughed at that. She'd heard about the show and it sounded ridiculous. She had no idea why it had sold out its opening week.

"Where Ryan?" Evelyn continued to ask.

"He's just gone out for a bit," Victoria said. She was slightly more concerned about him than Homelander if truth be told. She wondered just where Ryan had gotten to, apprehension settling in that he had been gone for a little too long. "Anyway, you need to tell me all about your day at nursery."

"I learned a new song," Evelyn said.

"Did you now?" Victoria questioned.

She spent the next half an hour with Evelyn and then she told her it was bedtime. She carried her upstairs and got her changed into her pyjamas, helping her brush her teeth and then brushing her hair. She read her a bedtime story and left the nightlight on in the corner as Evelyn fell asleep. Victoria kissed her softly on the forehead and whispered a goodnight before sneaking out and snicking the door closed.

Moving down the steps to the living room, she took a glance outside and did a double take at the sight of Homelander on the balcony. She stepped into the cool night air, feeling the chill even through the thick green cable knit sweater she wore.

"John?" she spoke his name gently.

"Do you know what your brother's cooking up?" Homelander wondered from her.

"Excuse me?"

"Hugh Campbell was at the arena. He was eavesdropping on us," he snapped and Victoria moved towards him, arms folded over her stomach and she shook her head. Homelander continued pacing, cape flowing behind him. "Was he sent by your brother? Did you tell him about the meeting?'

"Okay, firstly, it couldn't have been Billy who gave him that intel because my brother has been kicked off the team," Victoria said, holding one finger up. "And secondly," she held another finger up, "I wouldn't tell him because what good would that do me? I know things are good between us, but I am well aware that rests on me doing as you ask."

Homelander wasn't entirely happy with her response, but he guessed that she had a point. He took a moment to consider what she was saying and he realised that she was telling the truth. He could smell a lie like that a mile off. His teeth bared as he snarled in frustration and Victoria heard the rumbling of thunder in the distance. It almost felt poetic.

"John, you're forgetting that they're trailing Neuman," she reminded him. "They're following her and the chances are that they were there because of that."

"Well, he got away," Homelander snapped. "Hugh Campbell got away and he heard what we were discussing. I couldn't laser his fucking head off in time."

Victoria gulped and looked down to the ground for a moment, the thunder growing louder. She was hardly going to tell him that she was glad he hadn't managed to kill Hughie. Victoria liked the kid, despite the fact that they'd gotten off to a rocky start. She inhaled a deep breath and tried to think of a way to quell her husband's anger.

"Look, I think Hughie being there is more a problem for Neuman than you," Victoria assured him. "I know you're annoyed, but I don't think you need to be worried."

Homelander looked to her and guessed she had a point. He stopped his pacing and his face moved quickly, almost like he was trying to settle on an emotion to feel. Victoria moved to him and took hold of his hand, squeezing it in her fingers.

"It's alright," Victoria assured him.

He let out a deep breath and she pressed her other hand to his chest. He moved his fingers to sit on top of hers.

"Why do you always know the right things to say?" Homelander wondered from her.

"Because I'm your wife," was the only explanation she gave him. She stood on her toes and kissed him gently on the lips before pulling back. "I've just put Evie to bed, but I have dinner in the oven staying warm. Are you hungry? I don't know where Ryan is, but I've text him and he said that he's fine and will be back soon."

"What do you mean you don't know where Ryan is?" Homelander wondered and she led him inside as the thunder cracked in the sky and then lightning hit. Victoria could hear the rain begin to fall and she dragged him inside.

"He left and said that he needed air," Victoria said. "I figured he'd be fine to be out there on his own."

Homelander considered her words, but he figured that his son maybe just needed space. Perhaps he had pushed him a bit too far in recent weeks? He followed Victoria into the kitchen and he ate a portion of the pasta bake she'd made as she asked him questions about his day. He told her how they'd found the leak from Crime Analytics and had fired her. He left out the part about him killing her. Victoria didn't need to know that. They went and sat in the living room after dinner, watching some TV show Victoria insisted on putting on.

She stayed by his side as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head by his shoulder and Victoria closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. She finally heard the door open and a moment later Ryan walked into the apartment.

"Where have you been?" Homelander questioned, but his spine stiffened and he moved his arm from Victoria, sitting up straight. Victoria frowned at his reaction to Ryan walking in.

"I've been at Coney Island. I got some hot dogs," he said.

"Don't lie to me," Homelander warned him in a deep voice. "You've been with William Butcher. I can smell him on you."

Victoria's eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. "You went to see Billy?" Victoria checked from him. "Why did you not tell me?"

"Because he clearly knows that he shouldn't have gone," Homelander said and he stood up. Victoria could hear the anger in his voice continue to grow and a part of her felt scared for Ryan. She knew that this wasn't going to go well. "You lied to me. You lied to Victoria."

"I wanted to see him," Ryan said. "He's going through a tough time."

"Why do you care?" Homelander snarled at his son. "You have everything here. You have a home! You have a father! You have Victoria!" he moved towards Ryan, pointing at him and his voice becoming even more manic with each step. Victoria moved to Homelander and she tried to grab his forearm to calm him, but it wasn't working. "I've given you everything that I ever wanted and it's still not good enough for you."

"John, please," Victoria tried to plead with him, knowing that this wasn't helping the situation.

"No," Homelander said, looking to his wife and she saw anger in his face, but she also saw pain. She saw how his eyes were glassy and a part of her pitied him. He didn't seem to realise that this behaviour was only going to push Ryan further away from him. It was going to have the opposite effect of what he wanted. "He's ungrateful. He goes behind our backs…lies to our faces…and I want to know why," Homelander turned back to Ryan, arms flapping by the side as his voice seemed to break. "Why?" he questioned.

Ryan remained stood on the spot, clearly unsure of how to answer the question his father had just shouted at him.

"John, come on, they'll be a reason why he went. He's upset. Billy was married to his mom."

"You're his mom now," Homelander said back to her and he looked to Ryan. "Is she not good enough for you? Is that it?"

"No, of course not-"

"-So is it me?" he questioned his son. "Is it me who isn't good enough for you?"

And Victoria saw the man who was longing for approval in that sentence. He was longing for his son to tell him that he was in fact enough for him and that he was sorry. It was all he needed and Victoria knew it stemmed from his childhood. She knew it because she also understood it herself. A part of her had longed to be enough for someone too. She knew that feeling.

"No, it's not…it's just that Butcher-"

"-Butcher," Homelander snarled his name and moved around with his hands waving in front of him. He clearly was annoyed and beyond reasoning with, but that didn't mean that Victoria was going to stop trying.

"Come on," Victoria urged her husband. "John, we can talk about this."

"No," Homelander snapped. "You know what?" he looked to Ryan and pointed at him again. "If you love Butcher so much then why don't you get him to be your dad?"

"No, I don't want him to be my dad," Ryan stammered.

"Enough!" Homelander snapped.

"No, dad, I-"

"-I said enough!" Homelander finally yelled and Victoria shrieked as he grabbed a vase from the sideboard and threw it against the mirror on the wall. It smashed into tiny pieces, shards glittering to the floor as the thunder outside boomed in the sky.

Despite the noise, a deathly silence fell over the three of them. Homelander was panting for breath, cheeks puffed out and eyes still glassy. Ryan looked at his dad with horror and then ran back through the door. Victoria remained rooted on the spot, horrified at what she'd just seen. She shook her head slowly and looked to the mess on the floor. Moving in front of her husband, she saw that his hands were shaking and he made a small grunting noise before burying his face in his hands.

"What the fuck was that?" she demanded from him.

"Not now, Victoria," he snapped at her.

"You scared him, John! Did you mean to do that? You're going to push him away? Is that what you want?" she pushed him and he moved his head from his hands as Victoria heard Evelyn from the top of the stairs, calling her name and sounding like she was crying.

"Mummy! Mummy!"

Victoria moved her glare from Homelander and glanced to the mess on the floor.

"Fix this," she demanded from him.

"I said not now!" Homelander snarled at her and she saw the anger inside of him as he glared back at her and she scoffed at him. Shaking her head, she looked him in the eye as his hands balled into fists by his side.

"What? You'll throw something else?" she asked from him. "Do it. I'm not scared of you, but your son is. I'm taking Evie and we're going to find Ryan."

Homelander sunk down onto the floor as Victoria darted away. He heard her climb the steps and carry Evelyn into her bedroom, promising her that everything was okay but that they just needed to go out for a little bit. She reappeared a few minutes later with Evelyn in her arms, his daughter's head resting on his wife's shoulder. He couldn't even look at her. Victoria carried her out of the apartment, door shutting behind her and leaving Homelander completely alone as he tried to gather his breaths.

"John," a voice called his name and he looked over to the mirror that was broken, the vase Victoria had bought also in bits around it. He stood up, hands in front of him as he moved towards the glass and looked at the cracks that showed his reflections staring back at him. "You really made a mess this time, tiger," one of them said.

"Come on champ, pull yourself together. Deep breaths," the one on the left spoke with a sympathetic expression.

The right hand side reflection was not as nurturing. "For God's sakes look at you," he hissed in a deep voice. "A few Starlighters hate you, Ryan spends some time with Butcher and ah-boo-hoo-hoo you're a fucking mess."

"You need to be stronger, John, for Ryan, Victoria and Evelyn."

"You still need love, so much love. You still crave it."

"No," Homelander replied, eyes scrunching shut and head shaking back and forth. "That's not true."

"You're going to make him weak and needy like you."

"You can still fix things. He's your son."

"He's going to turn on you. Everyone hates you. Victoria will too. She'll leave and you know it's a matter of time."

"Ryan's your blood. Victoria's your wife. She came back to you. She loves you."

"Everyone hates you."

The voices reached a crescendo and the Homelander looking back at him from the top of the cracked mirror watched him, not with anger, but with menace. "Sh, sh, sh," he urged. "It's time to overcome this need for love…this sickness…once and for all. You're never going to be your true self until you transcend your humanity."

"What do I do?"

"You need to go back to the start," they chimed in unison.

…

Victoria found Ryan down in the cafe, hunched over on the bench in the corner and crying. Victoria felt her heart break for him as she carried her daughter towards him, knowing that they couldn't go back to the penthouse for the night. She moved to sit down next to him, juggling Evelyn on her lap. Her daughter was still sleepy and the cafeteria was completely empty, thankfully. Evelyn's blue eyes scanned over to Ryan and her little brow furrowed.

"Ryan sad?" she questioned.

Ryan sniffed and managed to turn his head over his shoulder to see Victoria sat next to him. "Ryan's just upset," Victoria said to her daughter. "But he's going to be okay."

"Why was daddy yelling?" Evelyn wondered.

"Sometimes adults yell and get mad," Victoria told her. "But it doesn't mean that they don't love you," she said and looked to Ryan who just scoffed and shook his head.

"Doesn't it?" he wondered and Victoria shook her head.

"No," she assured him. "Come on, we can see if one of the guest rooms is free for tonight."

She stood back up, carrying Evelyn and waiting expectantly for Ryan. He soon followed her and they headed towards reception and Victoria asked if one of the guest rooms was free for the night. Vought has a floor of rooms for people who visited them on business. She was given a key and she just claimed that there was an issue with the electrics in the penthouse. They seemed to believe her on that point and she didn't push back on it.

Once they were in the generic beige guest room, Victoria put Evelyn into the large bed and her daughter was asleep in minutes. Heading back to the living area, she saw Ryan sat there on the sofa, hands clasped in front of him and head bowed. Sinking down beside him, she rested a hand on the small of his back.

"You okay?" she checked with him.

"Is he still mad?"

"He'll calm down," Victoria said, but she had to admit that she wasn't entirely convinced he would, but she didn't air those thoughts to Ryan. Instead, she moved an arm around his shoulders. "Your dad is new to this," she said, not entirely sure why she was defending him, but a part of her guessed that it would be for the best if she did. She could try to smooth things over. "Sometimes, being a parent, it can be hard. I know your dad is the most powerful man in the world, but he is still insecure. He's just not always sure how to be a dad."

"But I don't want Butcher to be my dad," Ryan said. "I never said that."

"I know you didn't, honey," Victoria said, stroking his hair gently. "And we'll work things out, okay? We'll figure it all out and everything will be fine."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise," Victoria said, but she wasn't sure if that was a lie or not.

...

A/N: Massive thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story - new readers and those who have been here since the start! I've gotten quite a few PM's from people and it really means a lot. Knowing that people are interested really does keep me motivated! As always, would love to know thoughts on season 4! What direction might it go in?!