Victoria hated the smell of the facility. She hated how it smelt like disinfectant. She hated the fluorescent lights that hung in the halls and buzzed lowly. They were far too bright and the walls were white with paint peeling from them. Everything about it felt cold and, if she had to be honest, scary. She had gone through the security check with Daniella and had been amazed when her name hadn't been flagged. Did Homelander want her to see him? Did he want her to see what had happened? She wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to contest it. The truth was she was terrified. She hadn't slept the night before and the entire car journey out of the city had been torture. She'd bounced her knee up and down continuously and Daniella had just gritted her teeth, not saying anything but getting frustrated. She figured it best to keep her mouth closed.

"The prisoner will be restrained," the guard spoke in between chews of gum. "You're not to touch him or move beyond the yellow line on the floor. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Daniella answered.

The two of them had left their bags behind in a locker. Daniella only had a notebook and pen to make notes. They had badges pinned against their chests and had been told that they could only have half-an-hour with the prisoner.

There was a loud mechanical buzz that screeched loudly and then the guard pushed the door open. Daniella walked in first, dressed in a pastel pink pantsuit with heeled ankle boots and looking all business. Victoria cautiously followed her, fingers clutching at the material of the short a-line skirt she wore tucked into a black turtleneck jumper. Her palms were sweating and the denim of the skirt scratched against her fingers.

"Alex," Victoria whispered her name as soon as she saw him.

He looked up and she wasn't sure how she walked into the room, the door slamming shut behind them and leaving them in silence. His face looked gaunt with his cheekbones more pronounced. His eyes were bloodshot and the grey jumper and sweats he wore seemed far too big for him. Victoria bit down on her tongue as she noticed him glance to her for a brief moment before he looked away and focused on Daniella. Victoria felt a stab to her heart. He could barely stand to look at her.

"I heard you're my lawyer now," Alex said, voice gravelly and slightly hoarse.

Daniella sat down on the other side of the steel table to him. She set her notebook down and flipped it open to the page where she'd been making notes already. She held her pen in her hand, clicking down on the top of it. Victoria hesitantly sat down next to her friend, glancing down to the table but only occasionally stealing glances at the man across from her.

"Yeah, I petitioned the court for a change of representation," Daniella said. "The good news is that we've managed to hire a couple of other interns to work on your case to try to clear your name."

"And you think that's going to work?" Alex wondered. "The evidence is stacked against me."

"I know it's not looking good, but we're talking to Singer's legal team and trying to petition them to get him to tell them that you weren't explicitly involved in this. We know there's evidence of him meeting with M.M…Butcher…and even Starlight…but as far as we can tell from official documents, you never met him."

"But why was I with them?" Alex wondered. "They're going to know I was with them at pivotal moments. I'm not seeing any way out of this."

"We say that you were with them because you didn't know where else to go," Daniella said. "You were scared of Vought after everything that happened there. You were scared of what they might do to you when you fought Soldier Boy and so you fled. You pretended to be dead and you were scared. You came back because you thought that they could help you."

"I should've stayed dead," Alex grumbled.

"Yeah, but we're here now," Daniella said. "And we're telling the truth. You came back because you were scared."

"I came back because I thought that I could save someone I was in love with," Alex spat back, glaring at Daniella as if he couldn't look at Victoria. "Turns out that I shouldn't have bothered because she's doing just fine with her husband."

"I'm not with him," Victoria spoke up then, but he still didn't look at her. He kept his arms folded over his chest, the chains clattering on the table as he made the motion. Daniella exhaled a deep breath, fearing that this might happen. She should've known that the two of them wouldn't get through this without some sniping. Not that she could blame Alex really. She understood why he would be upset and angry.

"No, but you were," Alex said. "Do you know that he came here and took great delight in telling me how you'd almost slept with him again?"

"I didn't," Victoria defended herself. She didn't tell him how for the past two weeks all she'd done was spent most of her nights with him, the two of them laying side by side and saying nothing to each other. They just laid there after long days of tearing each other to shreds. It was almost like they didn't need to say anything. No one knew that he was staying over. Victoria hadn't even told Daniella. "I'm trying to get you out of here, Alex."

"Is that in between your rallies and spreads for Vogue magazine?" he questioned her.

"I'm doing all of those things to try and stop him…to try and fight what he's doing to this country."

"And is it working?"

Victoria thought about the recently imposed nine p.m. curfew. She thought about the supes that now patrolled the streets, masquerading as legitimate law enforcement and threatening anyone who they deemed to look suspicious. There had been horror stories of abuse of power with people going missing and bodies turning up days later after some tragic accident.

"We're still fighting," Victoria just said to him. "And I know that you can't stand me, Alex. I get that…but this…I'm not going to stop trying to help you."

"You know, sitting in that cell means I have nothing else to do but think," Alex said and as he looked at her, she swore she'd never seen so much hatred in his eyes. He despised her and she couldn't blame him, but it still hurt to see. "When your husband came to see me, I thought that maybe there was hope for you…that maybe you could get away from him because if he killed me then you would never forgive him. He'd cross some kind of invisible line that you've drawn for him, but now I'm not sure. I sit in there and I think about everything that he's done. I think about it all and you still went back to him. You still slept with him. You still love him."

"Alex," Victoria could only just whisper his name and he saw how her eyes turned glassy like she was going to start crying. And at one time he might've stopped and gone easy on her. He might've felt pity for her. But he felt nothing but resentment and anger. Being locked up would do that to anyone.

"That's why I don't think it really would matter if he killed me because you'd still forgive him. You will always go back to him because your brother was right. He's got his claws so deep into you that you can't escape. You're a classic victim really…going back to the man who abused you."

"I'm not a victim," Victoria said sternly at that.

"You are, but you can't see it," Alex said. "You can't see it because you still love him. You might leave him…you might even divorce him…but you'll never be free from him. I don't think either of you will be free from each other until one of you dies."

"Don't say that," Victoria demanded from him, banging a fist on the table. "I loved you, Alex. I was happy with you."

His lips arched sadly at that. He sat back in his seat and he shrugged his shoulders. "Loved," he echoed the word back to her. "You loved me, Vicky."

She blinked profusely, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks. "I…a part of me will always love you, Alex. I do. I swear to you."

"Just not as much as you love him," Alex said with a knowing nod. "Enjoy your time with him, Vicky."

"Alex, I told you I'm not with him."

"No, but you'll never truly leave him and we both know it. You should go before I say something I might regret."

"Say it," Victoria urged from him and Daniella dropped her pen onto her notebook. She wasn't getting any work done anytime soon. She looked to her friend and reached a hand underneath the table, brushing Victoria's thigh.

"Vicky, come on," she urged from her.

"No, if he's got something he wants to get off his chest then I want him to say it," Victoria snapped and then looked to Alex. "Do it," she demanded from him. "Say what you want to say, Alex. I can take it. I can handle whatever it is."

"I don't think you ever loved me," he finally said. "I think you saw me as a safe option. You saw me as a dull choice and you longed for that. You longed for someone more normal than him…someone who would never hurt you…you loved what I could give you because it was what you wanted. You wanted stability. You wanted that, but you wanted it with him. And he gave you that, didn't he? You had glimpses of it with him when he took you away…took you on dates…he gave it to you and you fell for it hook, line and sinker."

"I had no other option, Alex. I had to go with him."

"But you had the option not to fall for him," Alex retorted. "I thought that it was pretend, Vicky. I thought that you were pretending…but you weren't. It was all real."

"I know I fucked up," Victoria defended herself. "I know I am fucked up, Alex, and I am sorry. I am so sorry for everything."

"You think an apology means anything to me?" Alex demanded from her.

"This isn't going to help anything," Daniella warned the pair of them.

"No," Victoria said. "I know it's not going to help and I'm not going to stop trying to get you out of here. I'm not going to stop because I know it was me who fucked up your life. You came back here for me and I blame myself for you being in this position. I hate myself, Alex…because I should've been honest with you. I should've been honest and let you find someone who deserved you…someone better than me who can give you everything. I wish that I could. I wish that I could've given you that, I really do, because I care so much for you…but John…I can't get rid of him. I can't shake him no matter how hard I try."

"It's utter bullshit," Alex snapped loudly then, leaning across the table. "You're just full of shitty excuses, Victoria. You can't even stop trying. You won't stop trying."

"You think I haven't tried?" she demanded. "I've tried so hard not to love him or care about him. I hate him for what he's done. I hate him for ruining our marriage. I hate that he's lied to me, hurt me, humiliated me. I hate it, but he…I still fell in love with that man. I wish I hadn't. I wish that things were different. I wish that we were back in Norfolk together and that we were enough for each other. I really do wish all of that."

"You know what I wish?" Alex asked from her. "I wish that I had never laid eyes on you. I wish that I hadn't come back here for you. I wish that I'd never fallen for you because you ruined my life. You ruined my life and your apologies aren't worth shit."

Victoria stood up then, realising that they weren't going to get anywhere. They were just going to go round in circles and she didn't want to spend his time doing that. Daniella actually wanted to talk strategy with him and she should give them space to do that. Alex watched as she knocked on the door and waited for the guard to open it for her. She turned her head over her shoulder, hair bobbing around her shoulders as she looked back to him.

"I won't stop trying to get you out of here," she said to him.

"Just don't bother coming here again. We're done." Alex said firmly and he saw that she was crying as she nodded in understanding. The door creaked open and Victoria fled through it, hand covering her mouth to stifle a sob. The door shut once more after Daniella indicated to the clock on the wall. They still had twenty minutes.

"I know she's fucked up," Daniella said to Alex. "And I know that you're pissed off with her and how she's behaved. I get it. But she is trying to get you out. Do you know how much work she's doing? She's hardly sleeping. She barely eats. I have to force her to spend time with Evelyn because if she didn't then she'd just be holed up in the office with the interns we've hired to work your case."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No," Daniella said, tone stern and Alex could tell that she'd be a good lawyer to have on side. "You have every right to be angry with her for fucking with your feelings for her. You can't be angry with what she's doing to try and help. She detests public speaking, but I've got her flying all around the country doing rallies to thousands of people. She practically vomits in the bathroom before she goes on each stage."

Alex looked off to the side, avoiding Daniella's eye.

"She does interviews with journalists pushing back against martial law. She smiles when all she wants to do is cry. She remains composed and dignified whenever anyone brings up questions about how Eddie raped her, even though we tell them they're off limits," Daniella continued pushing. "She's raised almost a million dollars to fight a judicial review against the martial law…to use on pursuing yours and the others innocence. We've rented offices. We've hired legal interns to help work on the cases. We've tried to adopt a social media strategy. She's the figurehead of all of this. She's become the opposition to this government and that is all on her shoulders."

Exhaling a deep breath, Daniella rubbed her temple. Alex still remained quiet, toying with his fingers in his lap and glancing down at them.

"And I don't pretend that her relationship with Homelander is anything but fucked up. I know it is. I know everything about him and what he's done. I know he's evil. I know there's no redeeming him…but I also know that he's the father to her daughter. He's the man who spent so many nights in our apartment with her…the first man who loved her for her and not to use her. She trusted him implicitly. She loved him for him and he loved her for who she was. She'd never had that growing up. She'd never had anyone love her like he did and she…she can't get over that. She can't get over the man she met because he still is that man for her and she hates it."

"She needs to get away from him."

"We all know that," Daniella said. "But I think you're right. She'll never move on completely unless one of them is six feet under and I'd much prefer for it to be him, but I don't see how that is going to happen. So until then, I'm standing by her side and I'm going to help her however I can and that means working on your case and fighting martial law…so you can use the rest of your time seething with her or we can discuss strategy and you can accept that she really does want to help you."

Alex said nothing to her and Daniella pushed the top of her pen down once more, gripping it in her hand.

"I'll take your silence as you wanting to move on," she declared. "So, let's get started."

"Fine," Alex said begrudgingly, but his mind was on the woman who had just fled from him and how he wanted nothing more than to get her back, despite what she'd done to him.

…

Homelander stood in the meeting room, looking at the screen that was playing the tape of his wife having visited Alex. He should've made sure that she couldn't see him, but a part of him was glad that she'd gone. He also knew that he wasn't supposed to film visits with legal counsel, but he was the one making the rules now and he didn't care if anyone had opposing views. He had listened to the conversation numerous times, eyes wide and gaze soft as he hit paused on the image of Victoria standing up and leaving. A part of him hated that she'd gone to Alex. Another part of him was relieved with what he'd heard. She didn't love him, not really. She still had feelings for her husband.

She still loved him and he knew that there would be ways to get her back. He just had to be strategic.

"The news is ready to go public that we've apprehended some of the felons," Firecracker informed Homelander. She had been the one who had given him the footage of Victoria visiting Alex. She'd sat in her usual seat quietly as he watched it himself, rewinding the tape in certain places and clinging tightly to the remote.

"Have they said anything about Butcher or Starlight?" Homelander questioned.

"They're refusing to talk and claim they don't know where they are. We have no reason not to believe them. They were all apprehended heading in different directions with fake passports," Firecracker said. "But don't worry, sir, we'll catch them soon enough and they'll be locked up like the rabid dogs they are."

Homelander just nodded once and turned on his heel. "Call me if anything important comes up. I'll be gone for the night."

"Are you going to her?" Firecracker questioned from him.

He shot her a warning look over his shoulder. She held her hands up defensively.

"I just want to make sure you're alright, sir," she said. "I've noticed that you've been leaving at night quite a bit…figured you were heading to hers."

"My private life is none of your concern," Homelander warned her. "Do your job. That's all I need you to do."

"Yes, sir," Firecracker simply said and Homelander knew that she longed for him still. She was transparent and he wasn't going to bite. He didn't want her and she wasn't getting that through her skull. She might eventually understand, but that was happening anytime soon.

He said nothing else to her and chose to leave the meeting room. Heading up to the penthouse, he flew from the balcony across the city. It had gone nine at night and the curfew was in full effect. He didn't think he'd ever seen New York so quiet before. Landing on Victoria's bedroom balcony, he saw that she'd left the door ajar, just like she always did. He pushed it open to see her sat on her bed cross legged. She had her laptop open in front of her and was wearing her Durham sweatshirt with jogging bottoms and thick white socks. She'd tied her hair into a ponytail and was biting her bottom lip as she concentrated on the screen in front of her.

Homelander closed the door behind him and scanned her. "Have you eaten anything today?" he asked from her, noting a full glass of water on her bedside table and a packet of crispy M&Ms that were also unopened.

"I'm not hungry," Victoria said to him. "I'm just…I've got a lot of work to get done tonight. Evie's asleep and Natalie is downstairs watching TV."

"You need to look after yourself," Homelander said to her and he sat down at the end of the bed, tugging his boots from his feet. "And M&Ms and a glass of water isn't exactly a nutritious dinner."

"I had a banana a few hours ago."

"And that's hardly substantial," Homelander retorted.

"I know it's not, but I'm really not hungry. I've had a shit day and I just…I need to keep working on this…"

"What is it?" Homelander questioned, moving to sit up against the headboard. He stretched his legs in front of him, pushing his hands behind his body to adjust the pillows before his eyes scanned over the text on the document she was looking at. "You're trying to work some kind of deal with Singer?" he guessed from the limited amount of information he had.

"We're wondering if he might vouch for Alex…say that he wasn't involved in any of this," Victoria said. "I need to do something to try and get him out and I'm almost out of options. I don't know what to do apart from getting down on my knees and begging you to let him go."

Homelander observed her and he reached out. He moved a palm over the lid of her laptop and closed it. She looked to him with an arched brow and he exhaled a shaky breath. He knew how to play this. He just had to make sure he did it right. "I know you went to see him today," he said, not letting onto the fact that he knew what she'd said.

"I was amazed I was even permitted," Victoria confessed.

"An oversight on my part, I admit," Homelander said. "But I take it that it didn't go well?"

Victoria scoffed. "That's a fucking understatement," she muttered and she leant back against the pillows. She folded her arms over her stomach and looked up to the ceiling as she spoke in a hushed voice to him. "I just didn't know what to say to him. He's in that cell because of me. He's in there because he fell in love with me and I fucked him over…I let him run away with me…I let him come back…work with the others…and I should've just been honest with him. I should've told him the truth right from the start."

"And what truth is that?" Homelander queried. He needed to hear it from her own lips. He wasn't going to rest until he did. She needed to admit it because it would make things so much easier for the pair of them.

"That I couldn't give him what he wanted," Victoria said. "I couldn't give him all of me. I couldn't love him like he wanted to…and I tried. I tried, but I couldn't. A part of me longed to because he was normal, John. He was so normal and I craved that. But he was right. I craved it with someone else."

Victoria sniffed and Homelander could tell she'd been crying most of the night. She was struggling to remain composed. She tried to pull herself together, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Sitting up once more, she crossed her legs and opened the laptop lid.

"And now he can't stand to look at me and I don't blame him. He wants nothing to do with me, but I can't give up on him and let him rot in there because he's in there because of me. He's in there because he loved me and I couldn't love him like he deserved. He deserves someone who can give him everything and that was never me…and I…if that means I have to work until the early hours of the morning then so be it because I need to get him out."

Homelander considered what he was hearing and he watched her side profile. She had her head bowed and was typing something on a document, hunched over her laptop and squinting because her eyesight was deteriorating but she hadn't bothered to get glasses yet.

"You're trying to get him out because you feel guilty for him being there…not because you love him," Homelander mused and Victoria just nodded her head once and he realised that he could do something that would make her feel better. He'd hate it. He didn't want to do it. He would prefer not to do it, but he saw it in her eyes. He saw that she didn't love Alex, not really. The two of them were done. There was never any chance of them working out.

"I just need to get him out," was all Victoria said to her husband.

"I can get him out," Homelander declared.

"I know you can, but you're not going to," Victoria said. She didn't take her eyes from the screen. Homelander shook his head and he tugged his gloves from his fingertips. He tossed them onto the bedside table and reached for her hair in the ponytail, twirling some strands around his index finger.

"I'll free him," Homelander said and Victoria turned to look at him in shock. She reached for his wrist, tugging it from her hair and placing it down on his lap.

"What's the catch?" she demanded from her husband who just shrugged at her.

"No catch," he said. "I mean, he'll need to lay low and get away from this place, but he can go free. I can see to it."

Victoria shook her head. "There's always a catch," she pointed out to her husband. "You always have some ulterior motive. I know you, John. I know how you work. What? You free him and I give this up? You free him and I move back in with you?"

"No," Homelander said and Victoria wasn't entirely sure she believed him. "You know, despite what you think, Vic, I do love you and seeing you like this…not eating…you're sleep deprived…I don't like it. I don't want to see you that way."

"You're serious?" Victoria checked with him, unable to believe that he was but longing for him to be.

"I'm serious," he said to her with a nod.

Victoria watched him intently, not entirely certain if she trusted him. He was bound to have another plan. No doubt he thought that she'd be eternally grateful to him and that would mean she'd come back to him. That wasn't going to happen, but she needed to make sure he knew that.

"I'm not coming back, John," she said to him. "And I'm not going to stop trying to clear Starlight's name or fight the martial law."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he replied and Victoria cocked her head. Homelander chuckled at her expression and he reached out for her cheek, cupping it in his palm and stroking her cheekbone with his thumb. "Look, I hate having to do this. I'd prefer for him to rot in a cell and die alone, but I can see what it's doing to you and I hate that you're in pain. If freeing him means making you just a fraction happier than you currently are then I'm willing to do that. There's no catch. Just accept that I love you more than I hate him."

Victoria just stared into his eyes, watching him intently as he continued stroking her cheek gently. "You'd do that for me?"

"I'd do anything for you, sweetheart. You're still my wife and I still love you. That hasn't changed…just like I know you still love me."

Victoria didn't bother trying to deny that. "I'm not sleeping with you either," she said and he let out a deep chuckle.

"I wasn't expecting you to," Homelander told her. "Right now, I'd settle for you just eating something so that you don't pass out. That means putting that laptop down and having proper dinner."

She let him close the lid to her laptop once more. He picked it up and placed it onto the bedside table. Moving to his feet, he held his hand out to his wife and she just watched.

"It's a hand, nothing else," he said. "We're going downstairs and we're going to rustle up something to eat."

"You know, I could order something if you didn't impose that stupid nine p.m. curfew," she said and he laughed again, but she still took hold of his hand and she let him help her stand up. She moved in front of him. "Keep your voice down though. I don't want Natalie to know you're here or Evie to wake up."

…

Sitting on the granite worktop of the kitchen, Victoria picked up a slice of the grilled cheese sandwich they'd made from the white plate. Homelander stood to the other side of the plate, eating another half of the sandwich.

"How's it all going over there anyway?" Victoria wondered, making conversation as they ate. She sometimes found it weird how they asked about each other's days as if they were a normal couple. "I saw that you've promoted Firecracker to chief anchor of VNN."

"I didn't really have much choice," Homelander confessed, chewing down on the grilled cheese. "She's proven to be pretty popular so she was the next logical step. She's still moping around the Tower and trying to discredit you at every turn."

"I liked her monologue on how I was trying to corrupt the legal system by arguing for a judicial review," Victoria said. "Next thing I know she'll be accusing me of trafficking children just like she did Starlight."

Homelander shook his head once. "She has limits. I make sure that she has limits. Nothing happens that isn't run by me. That does mean that I do occasionally need to go against you…you know…healthy competition."

Her lips quirked at that. "I quite enjoy healthy competition," she defended herself on that point. "Anyway, did you see my rally in Chicago the other week? Thanks to your nine-p.m. curfew we had to disband by like seven to make sure everyone got home in time. Daniella thinks that there must've been at least eight thousand there."

"You're attracting big crowds, I'll give you that," Homelander said.

"It's…I hate it," Victoria confessed to him. "I've been throwing up before I go on stage most times. Then there's the interviews…I'm trying to deal with them as best as I can, but there's times when I struggle."

Homelander watched as she lowered her gaze and brushed a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. He moved the empty plate to one side and moved a hand to sit on her thigh. He let it rest there, gently squeezing as he looked to her. "I saw that they'd been asking about Eddie," he said to her.

"I should've expected that, right?" she checked with her husband. "I mean, it's out there now and I'm in the public eye more than I ever had been. There's going to be people who ask about him and want to know more than I'm willing to divulge. I should've expected that all along."

"It's no one's business but yours," Homelander promised her. "And as far as things go from our side, I've told them that anything about Eddie is out of bounds. You're not to be asked anything about him."

"I'm grateful for that…truly," Victoria said to her husband and she was. She knew that he could easily try and make things more personal than they needed to be. "And you're ready for the debate next week?"

"It's being billed as the debate of the decade," Homelander chuckled. "Apparently the ratings will be through the roof. People are dying to see us take chunks out of each other on TV. Little do they know that we spend most nights sleeping in the same bed still."

"Little does anyone know," Victoria retorted on that point. "Either way, I…"

She trailed off as her phone began to vibrate from next to her. She glanced down and saw that her mother was calling her. Homelander noted the caller ID too and he frowned.

"I should take this," she said.

"Go ahead," Homelander said.

She jumped off the worktop and picked her phone up. She answered the call and placed it against her ear. Homelander watched her move towards the patio doors that led onto the small courtyard. She stood by the windows, unable to see anything because of the darkness. Homelander placed the plate into the dishwasher and tidied up, eavesdropping on her conversation as he did so.

"Hi, mum," Victoria greeted.

There was a sniff on the other end of the line. "Victoria, sweetie, I…I didn't know whether to call and I couldn't get hold of your brother. I can't believe what he's done and what's going on with you."

"I know, mum, things are crazy," Victoria said. She'd had a couple of calls with her mum and had diluted the truth from her. She didn't want her worrying. "I'm trying to work on finding Billy, but I don't know where he is."

"My son…my little girl…I just…I know that you have a lot going on over there and I hate to ask this of you, but it's your dad. He's…he's dying, Vic. The doctors think that he probably has a couple of days left at best," Connie informed her daughter.

Homelander looked at the back of Victoria. She stood up straighter and crossed one leg over the other. She said nothing for a few moments. She was clearly trying to think of an appropriate response.

"I see," she said.

"And I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I just don't think I can do it alone. I need to execute the will. I need to clear the flat…plan the funeral…and I don't think I can do that by myself."

Victoria frowned. "You want me to come back and help?"

"And I know that I shouldn't be asking you. I shouldn't be asking you to help me, but there's no one else I can turn to. Once it's done then he's gone. He's gone from our lives."

A dark chuckle left Victoria's lips. "He's not dead and we're already discussing his will and funeral. That feels quite macabre, mum."

"Well, it's not as if we're going to mourn him when he's gone, are we?"

"Amen," Homelander muttered under his breath.

"I guess not," Victoria agreed with that point. "Look, can I think about it, mum? Last time I saw dad things didn't exactly go to plan. I don't know if I want to see him again."

"I understand that. I'm going to visit him for one last time tomorrow…and your brother…I don't think he'll get chance to. I know that there's no way you'll ever be able to clear the air…move on…I do know that…but when he's gone…I wish I was strong enough to do it on my own, but I don't know if I am."

"I'll think about it, mum," Victoria said. "Listen, it's late here and I've got an early start. I need to go."

"Alright, honey, but call me when you can, alright?"

"Okay," Victoria agreed. "Goodnight, mum."

"Goodnight, Vicky."

Hanging up the call, Victoria twirled her phone in her hand and saw Homelander turning the dishwasher on. He busied himself with the buttons and a part of her found that rather amusing in itself. "I know you were listening in," she said to him and he finally turned it on, the machine bleeping and filling with water. "I don't know what to do on this one."

"But we both know what you're going to do," Homelander declared, folding his arms over his chest.

"Do we?" Victoria queried from him.

She put her phone down on the worktop and leant against it. Homelander leant against the worktop of the island across from her, the two of them mimicking each other's pose with arms crossed and legs stretched in front of them.

"You'll go back to England you'll help your mom...mum," he corrected himself. "You'll do it because it's who you are. You owe your parents absolutely nothing, but it's who you are. You'll help her because you think it's the right thing to do even if you might hate every minute of it because going back there…reliving it all…it's painful. It's painful and you'll feel like you'll break, but you won't."

She wanted to tell him that everything he said was wrong, but they both knew it wasn't. He was being honest with her because he saw her and he knew her better than she knew herself.

"This is going to fucking suck," she complained and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "And does it make me a horrible person for not giving a fuck that he's dying and actually relishing the idea of him dying alone?"

Homelander shook his head once. "It's normal," he promised her on that point.

"And Billy," Victoria complained, feeling a headache coming on. "I can't exactly get through to him. He's not even answering any of my calls. Then again, I doubt he will even care that dad's on the way out. He'd probably want to go to the funeral just to spit on his grave."

"Again, can't blame him for that," Homelander said to her.

"I need to talk to Daniella then," Victoria said. "I need to get her to clear my schedule for a few days. I need to make sure Natalie can come with me as well. I don't want Evie near him or at the funeral. I don't even know if I can fly…can people still travel?"

Homelander nodded his head once. "We can't stop millions of people from flying, but we do have added security," he confirmed for her.

She grabbed hold of her phone, unlocking the screen and beginning to type out messages. Homelander moved towards her and took hold of her phone. Plucking it from her hands, he held it away from her but she tried to grab it. "John, come on," she urged from him.

"It can wait until morning," he assured her. "It's late and your parents don't deserve your immediate attention, especially when you look like you're going to collapse."

Victoria knew he had a point. She was exhausted. She was on the verge of collapse and she could feel it. She let him put her phone back on the worktop and he moved his hands to her shoulders. She leant forwards slightly, bowing her head and letting her forehead rest against his chest. "I fucking hate him," Victoria growled lowly. "I hate him so much for everything he's done."

"And no one can blame you," Homelander promised her, thumbs massaging her shoulders and trying to relax her. "When people say that forgiveness sets you free…it's all a load of shit," he said to her. "There's some people who don't deserve forgiveness and your father is one of them. If you want to go over there…watch him die to make sure he's gone…no one would blame you."

"I just think that maybe when he's gone then I might stop feeling this way," Victoria said. "I might be able to forget him."

"Time will tell," Homelander said. "In the meantime, you need sleep."

She didn't argue with him as he urged her back upstairs. She stripped out of her sweatshirt and into a plain grey tee with her shorts. Homelander pulled his cape off and stripped out of his suit. He climbed into the bed and Victoria came out of the bathroom after brushing her teeth. She climbed into bed next to him and laid on her back. Turning the lamp out, Homelander laid on his back and slowly let his hand crawl across the mattress until his fingers brushed over hers.

"You're going to be okay, you know that, right?" he whispered to her in the darkness.

"In time, yeah," she answered him.

There was silence then and Homelander heard her breathing shallow. Before she went to sleep, however, she rolled onto her side, her hand leaving his. But then she whispered to him before sleep took over.

"Thank you."

He turned his head to the side and looked at the back of her. He didn't say anything. He just moved onto his side, his chest pressing to her back and an arm going over her waist. He kissed the side of her neck and she shuddered for a moment. He didn't say anything to her. He just let his nose sit by her hair and his own eyes closed as he felt sleep take over him too.

…

A/N: A visit to England in the next chapter! Thanks so much to everyone for reading and reviewing! So thrilled you're all still enjoying this!