Sitting on the four-poster bed, Victoria knew that she was on the verge of falling asleep. She could feel the exhaustion take hold of her and she knew it wouldn't be long before her eyes closed. Homelander was stretched out next to her, arm wrapped around her shoulders as she curled up against his side. He let his thumb roam over the fluffy white robe she wore and his chin sat by her forehead. They'd had dinner in the room together, sitting on the sofa and just talking about everything and nothing.
Victoria wanted to tell him that she knew. She wanted to tell him that she knew what he intended to do to Singer and she wanted to try and talk him out of it. She wanted to tell him that he didn't need to go through with it and that wouldn't create a safer world for his kids. While she might not agree with all of Singer's politics, she knew that there was a way to challenge him. She wanted to plead with him not to go ahead with it, but she knew it would fall on deaf ears. A part of her wondered if she could stop him, but she knew that was a naïve part of her.
The worst part was that she could see everything come crumbling down. She could see that things wouldn't last and eventually this house of cards they'd built up, playing happy families, playing a loved-up couple, would come crashing to the ground. When that happened, Victoria wasn't sure what was going to happen. She exhaled a shaky breath as she thought about it. If he found out about A-Train then he'd feel betrayed by her. All of that trust she'd built up with him would be destroyed.
"I can see you're thinking," Homelander informed his wife and she pulled back from him slightly so that she could look up at him. His lips were slightly tugged upwards and her eyes focused on his, seeing them glimmering with happiness. "What is it?" he wondered.
And she wanted to beg him. She wanted to plead with him not to go through with what he was planning. She wanted to tell him that she would be there for him so long as he didn't do this. Everything that had happened in the past could stay there. She would let it stay there. She would let go of Alex, even though it might kill her inside. She would love him and that would just have to be enough.
"Vic," he whispered her name as she remained silent, trying to find the words she wanted to say to him.
'Don't go through with this. Don't do it. Forget it and let it go. We can leave. We can go. Me, you, Ryan and Evie, we can go and we can live a normal life somewhere. Just let us be enough. Let me be enough. For once, let me be enough for you.'
But those words never came out. She couldn't force them out of her mouth. And so she just shook her head. "Nothing," she said to him and his thumb brushed over her cheekbone before running along her bottom lip.
"Nothing?" he checked with her.
"I'm just tired," she forced herself to say. "Today's been a lot."
"Then get some sleep," Homelander urged from his wife. "I'll stay here for a little while and wait for you to fall asleep before I go back home. Unless you want to come with me?"
"The idea of flying across the Atlantic is too scary for me. I'll hop on the six a.m. flight from Heathrow," Victoria said to him. "Which means I need to be up in about six hours to get there. You can go, you know…get back home to Evie and Ryan."
"I can wait a little while," Homelander assured her. "Come on, let's get you to bed."
Victoria didn't fight him as he tugged the quilt back and she pulled her robe from her body, dropping it at the bottom of the bed and leaving her in her sleeping shorts and camisole. She climbed in and Homelander pulled the duvet over her as he sat down next to her on top of it. He laid down behind her, his front pressed to her back as he pushed an arm underneath her pillow and he let his other arm move over her waist, taking hold of her hand by her stomach. Victoria closed her eyes and he kissed the space between her neck and shoulder.
"You know you…I just…don't ruin what we have," Victoria suddenly said to her husband. "Just promise me that you won't ruin what we have. I can't take it, John. I can't handle it."
Homelander was quiet then, wondering where this had come from. Did she know? Did she have any inclination what was going on? She couldn't. It wasn't possible. He said nothing for a few moments and Victoria moved her finger over the simple wedding band he wore on his finger. But she couldn't know. Then again, his wife was very perceptive and her brother had to know what the plan was considering he'd bugged Tek-Knight's party. But he knew Billy hadn't said anything to her. He chose to keep quiet because he didn't want to compromise her.
No. It had to be because of what happened today. She was emotional. She was upset. She just needed him. She needed him to look after her and that was what he was going to do. He kissed the side of her forehead again and nodded his head.
"I won't ruin us," he promised her, but even he wasn't sure if that was possible if she found out what he was plotting.
….
Alex sat with Hughie and Annie in the diner downtown, explaining to them what he'd found with Butcher. Billy had gone back to The Boys and told them about Sameer and how he'd kept him alive, but Alex was sensing that there was a level of desperation to Billy. If Sameer couldn't make the virus then Alex wasn't sure what he was going to do. They'd managed to get Frenchie out of jail and he was working with him, but there was a level of uncertainty around what they would create. Alex didn't want to create something that would kill all supes. He couldn't let that happen and it turned out even Butcher seemed to have limits.
"You…you found that at Tek-Knight's mansion?" Alex checked, tugging the earbud out as the recording finished of Homelander explaining that they planned to install Neuman as President and get Singer out of the way. He was talking about treason. He was talking about killing the President.
"Hughie bugged the mansion," Annie explained. "That was the recording we got back. We found out from Tek-Knight himself that Homelander and Sage intend to use his prisons…as internment camps for anyone who goes against them. He's gone crazy."
Alex scoffed. "Pretty sure he's always been crazy," he said.
"Yeah, well either way it's an absolute disaster and if the virus doesn't work then what do we do?" Hughie wondered and Alex looked across to him, offering him a heartfelt glance.
"I was sorry to hear about your dad, Hughie man," he said and he saw Hughie gulp loudly, but then he nodded as Annie reached underneath the table for his hand, giving it a firm squeeze. She smiled across to him encouragingly and Hughie just looked Alex in the eye.
"Thanks, Alex," he said, wondering why he had ever been jealous of him when it was clear that he was a good guy. "I…I'll be okay," Hughie said and the waitress placed three mugs on the table in front of them. They kept their heads down, but the diner they were in was quiet and seemed to be pretty unhygienic judging by the stains, rips in the seats and grease covered counter. No one seemed interested in them and that was what they needed.
"I know, sweetie," Annie said to her boyfriend and pecked him on the cheek.
"And what happened with my dad, it got me thinking," Hughie said. "We need to do the right thing. All we've done so far is fight…kill…and it's not getting us anywhere. But what if there's another way? What if there's a middle ground? Someone to stand up to Vought and Homelander and what's going on?"
"And who would that be?" Annie wondered and Alex picked his mug of coffee up and took a sip, his tongue burning for a moment from the heat before he set it down. Clasping both hands around the white chipped mug, he held it tightly in his grip.
"Neuman," Hughie said. "Look, I know what you're going to say."
"That it's insane?"
"And it might be," Hughie agreed with her on that point, "but I think she's trapped. I don't think she wants this, not really. I know her. I worked with her. This isn't her and I know that sounds crazy after what we found out, but I don't think she knows about the camps…it's not her…Homelander has her under his thumb…but we also know that Singer's legislation is destructive too."
Alex agreed on that point. "So what do you suggest? Because in case you're forgetting, Butcher is trying to cook up a version of the virus strong enough to kill her."
"And I'm not sure that's the right thing to do," Hughie said. "Look, if we think about things practically then we know that Homalander wants Vicky in power to act as his puppet. He wants supes to rule the world…but only the supes who agree with his viewpoint…Vicky doesn't want that."
"You think she'd go up against Homelander?"
"Not on her own."
Alex and Annie exchanged glances then, brows knitting together. Annie was the one who spoke: "Then with who?"
"Hear me out before you say no," Hughie urged.
"Go on."
"Victoria…the other one," Hughie said with a wave of his hand.
"Are you crazy?"
"Absolutely not."
Alex and Annie spoke in unison and Hughie exhaled a deep breath and shook his head, holding his hands up and urging the two of them to keep quiet before they said anything to him. "I know that it sounds mad, but just think about it," Hughie said. "Vicky doesn't want to do this, but she wants her daughter safe…Victoria worked at the UN. She's advocated for human rights causes her entire career. The two of them together…Vicky would have to come out as a supe but she'd have Victoria by her side. They can show that supes and humans can work in harmony. They can work together."
"You seriously think Homelander would let that happen?" Alex asked. "He has her where he wants her. You think she'd stand up against him?"
"I think she's popular enough to have protection," Hughie said. "She's a national figure. She's polling higher than Homelander himself since that interview. She…if she spoke out…if she spoke out against Singer's legislation but said that supes deserve equal rights then it's a compromise. We need to compromise. We need to do something because this fight we're in is only going to end in bloodshed."
Annie was quiet then, thinking about what he was suggesting.
"Your popularity has kept you safe from Vought and Homelander," Hughie reminded his girlfriend.
"For how long?" Annie wondered back.
"Look, I know that we're so fixated on killing Homelander, but what if we can't do it?" Hughie asked. "What? We're supposed to sit around and just let him go through with this plan of his? We can't let him do that and I know Victoria doesn't want this. She just…she needs someone on her side…someone who can help her."
"We can't ask that of her," Alex said, standing firm on that point. "We can't ask Victoria to speak out against Homelander. She has Evie to think about. She's not going to do anything to risk her or Ryan."
"But he would never hurt her."
"You seriously think that?" Annie asked him.
"Look how many times he's taken her back. She's his weakness and we all know it. He wouldn't dare go against her and she…she might be the only one who can stop him."
"You think he's taken her back and it's been instant forgiveness?" Annie wondered from him.
"You don't know what he did to her…if she goes against him again…she can't risk it. She won't risk it."
"I just think that the two of them together could stop all of this madness. They could stop this fighting…the Hometeamers against the Starlighters," Hughie said. "It doesn't need to be that way. Supes and humans can exist in harmony and we all know that. I just don't think that this needs to happen. None of this needs to happen and most people would agree with that."
Alex considered what Hughie was saying. A part of him didn't think it was crazy. He'd heard crazier ideas before, but this one wasn't actually that ridiculous. Victoria had power. She had people in the palm of her hand. She might have been dipping in popularity after her disappearing act, but since then people had warmed to her again. Shit, since her interview the entire country thought she could do no wrong. And what she believed in made sense. But they were living in a time where nothing made sense. Everything was out of kilter.
"We can't ask her to do this," Alex said firmly. "She can't do it. She won't do it."
"Listen, I get that it would be scary for her, but we can talk to Mallory and see if there is a way that we can make sure her and Evelyn are protected."
"That little girl was like a niece to me, Hughie," Annie said. "I…I was there when she was a baby…and I miss her so much…"
"You think I don't?" Hughie asked. "She called me Uncle Hughie and we babysat her. But if Victoria wants to keep her safe then standing by Homelander's side isn't the way to go. Vicky also wants to protect Zoe. Letting Homelander get away with this isn't going to keep anyone safe…other people's kids…this is bigger than just us now and we know that."
Silence shifted around the table as they considered their options. None of them liked the idea, but a part of them guessed that they had to do something at some point. Alex tugged his phone from his pocket and looked down at a message from M.M.
"We need to put the conversation on pause," he said. "M.M. wants us back at base."
"We should get back to the office," Annie said.
"But just think about it," Hughie urged and they all took a final drink of their coffee that was still boiling hot. Slipping out from the booths, they pulled their winter coats on and left the diner and headed back to the office.
…
Returning back to The Tower, Victoria had to admit that she was exhausted. She'd taken the morning flight back to New York and was now five hours behind what she had been when she'd left. Her body clock felt messed up, but she was doing her best to remain functioning. Carrying her duffle bag into the Tower, she walked by all of the Christmas decorations and longed to get upstairs, see Evie and Ryan and then shower. Coming to the penthouse, she expected to find Homelander with them, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Hello?" Victoria called into the empty space, dropping her bag on the ground. She kicked her sneakers off with the toes of her feet and left them by the door. Unbuttoning her coat, she saw that Ryan was in the apartment, sat on the sofa and holding something in his fingertips that looked like a frame.
"Hey, honey," Victoria greeted him and he glanced over to her, a smile forming on his face. Moving towards her, he placed what he was holding down on the sofa and she opened her arms to him. Hugging him to her, she ran a hand down his hair and felt his grip around her waist increase. "You okay, sweetie? Where's your dad and Evie?"
"Evie is with Natalie. She took her for a walk around the gardens," Ryan said and pulled back slightly as Victoria took hold of his shoulder. "Dad's working."
"And you're okay?" Victoria checked.
"Just glad that you're home," Ryan confessed and Victoria felt a warm feeling in her stomach. "Dad said that you went to see your parents. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Victoria promised him. "I just needed to go and sort some things out with them, but it's done now. Come on, I need a mug of tea and you can tell me what you've been getting up to while I've been gone for a few days."
Victoria guided him into the kitchen, hand remaining on his shoulder. He sat down at the breakfast bar as Victoria moved in the kitchen and pulled out a mug and then put the kettle on the stove to boil. Folding her arms, she stood at the other side of the kitchen, legs resting against the worktop.
"So…what's been going on?" Victoria wondered from Ryan.
"I decided to do the TV show," Ryan said to her. "You know, the one with puppets."
Victoria tried not to look annoyed. She thought that her and Homelander were going to talk about that before they mentioned it to Ryan. Then again, Homelander had probably been unable to wait while Victoria had been gone.
"Did your dad talk to you about doing it?" Victoria questioned from him.
"Yeah," he said with a nod. "I said that I'd do it, but I…we had rehearsals today and I said that I wasn't sure about it. The…the script seemed off to me. There's this song telling kids to call a number if they suspect they know anyone who…who might think that their parents are…I don't know," he confessed, "if they're like socialists…against supes…it doesn't feel right, Vicky. Something about it doesn't feel right."
"Okay," Victoria said, nodding her head thoughtfully. "I have to admit, Ryan, that I have no idea what it's about, but I'll find out and I'll talk to your dad. I'm not going to let you do anything that you don't want to do."
"You will?" Ryan asked her.
"Of course, I will," Victoria promised him. "Do you have a copy of the script I can look at? I might be able to change it?"
"Yeah, let me just go and get it," Ryan said. "And I…I think there's a present for you…from Butcher."
"Billy?" Victoria checked.
"Yeah, it has his writing," Ryan said.
Victoria took the kettle off the stove as it began to whistle. She poured the hot water into her mug and left her tea to brew on the side, following Ryan back into the living room. He moved to the Christmas tree and knelt down, scrambling among the presents and searching for it. Pulling it out, Victoria saw that it was wrapped in brown paper with a string around it. It was addressed to Dr Victoria Anderton and had a return address of '123 Wonderland'. Victoria's lips arched.
"Mine said Don't be a cunt," Ryan said and Victoria nudged his shoulder but she smirked.
"He sent you one?"
"A picture of him, my mom and his dog," Ryan said with a nod and Victoria watched him head to the sofa and pick it up. He handed it to her and she took hold of it, looking down at it with a sad smile on her face, thinking about what could've been for her brother if things had been different. "Why does yours have Wonderland on it?"
"When we were kids…I loved Alice in Wonderland," Victoria explained. "Billy would read it to me before bed most nights."
"I don't think I've ever read it," Ryan said.
"It's…it was a good escape," Victoria said and she handed the photo back to Ryan. "I think that maybe your dad shouldn't know about this, okay? I don't like keeping secrets from him, but you know what he's like about Billy. I don't want you two to fight over this."
"I thought the same thing," Ryan confessed.
Victoria sat down on the edge of the sofa, holding her own present as Ryan placed his into his backpack.
"There's some kids who are going to the arcade this afternoon," Ryan suddenly said as his phone went off in his pocket and he checked the message. "Can I go?"
"Text me where and let me know when you arrive," Victoria urged from him. "And be back for dinner, okay?"
"Okay," Ryan agreed and she saw him rush off to get ready. He moved upstairs as Victoria toyed with the string around the gift-wrapped present she was holding onto. She let her fingers fiddle with it as Ryan came back downstairs and handed her a copy of the five-page script for the puppet show.
"Thanks," Victoria said.
"I'll see you later, Vic."
"Have a good time, honey," Victoria said. "And don't forget your gloves!" she shouted and he picked them up from the sideboard, holding them in her direction to show her and she laughed once. "Good boy," she said and she heard the door close behind him.
Victoria looked to the script that now sat on top of her present and she tossed it to the side. Opening the gift, Victoria flipped it over in her hands to see a photo in the frame. Her eyes widened as she wondered where he'd gotten it from. It was her, Billy and Lenny as children. Victoria must have been about five and Billy was stood behind her in the playground, his arms around her waist and holding her steady as Lenny sat on the floor in front of her. Billy had a small smile on his face, Lenny was showing off his pearly teeth and Victoria was laughing, her gap-tooth smile wide. She couldn't remember it, but clearly there had been a time when they'd been happy.
Moving a finger over Lenny's face, Victoria felt her chest ache with longing for her brother. Closing her eyes, a tear fell down her cheek as she stood the photo on the coffee table in front of her. She looked to it and nodded her head firmly. Billy was clearly more thoughtful than he would ever let on.
Reaching for the script at the side of her, Victoria felt her mood go from one of longing to one of anger as she read it and knew that she had to confront her husband.
…
Homelander sat in his meeting chair and told Ashley that she could leave. She scurried away and the door closed behind her as Sage joined them.
"I thought we were meeting yesterday," Sage decided on saying to him. Firecracker sat in the chair to his left seeing as she now thought she was his second in command because she'd found the leak. Really, she was just a means to an end. Homelander also couldn't deny that she was a good broadcaster. She gave Vought's fans exactly what they wanted.
"I had other things to take care of," Homelander replied.
"And how is Victoria?" Sage wondered and settled down in the chair at the end of the table, placing her notebook on the table and folding one leg over the other. "I saw her earlier walking into The Tower."
"Victoria is fine," Homelander said, even though he hadn't seen her yet and he didn't know what was going on with her as he'd left her when she'd fallen asleep the previous night. That felt almost like a lifetime ago, sitting on the balcony in London, cradling her against him and letting her sob.
"Glad to hear it," Sage said.
A part of Sage was slightly uneasy when it came to Homelander and Victoria. She knew who Homelander was, of course. He was a volatile man-child who wanted to get his own way. He wanted power. He wanted supes to be superior. But his wife was a different matter. She was a human. She hated power and didn't want to use the power she had. But she was his one weakness. She was the one thing that would trip him up in the long run. Sage had considered trying to turn him against her. It might be the only way they could get what they wanted. But that was too risky. She was more likely to have her head blown off of her shoulders and she wasn't overly fond of that idea.
"But…what I want to know…is who is the leak?" Homelander questioned her. He didn't let on that they already had Webweaver downstairs waiting to be interrogated.
"We're making inquiries to process…" Sage began but she trailed off when Homelander slammed the bug he had kept on him onto the table, smashing it and the glass of the table beneath his fist. Standing up, his hands laced behind his back as Sage moved her hands to rest on the arms of the chair.
"I assume you know what that is?" he said to her.
"It's a bug," she answered.
"Specifically William Butcher's bug and they probably heard every single word we said at Tek-Knight's," Homelander said.
"They won't go public with the information," she said as he walked behind her chair and she spun around to face him.
"And why not?"
"Because it would short circuit everything they really want which is to take out Neuman once and for all," Sage said to him, voice calm and level. She knew what Homelander was doing. He was turning to someone else because he was starting to doubt her abilities. But she knew if she told him everything then he'd ruin it. He was too impulsive and despite his promise to her, he wouldn't listen to her in the end.
He growled lowly, turning away in frustration for a moment. "We should just slaughter Butcher and his entire fucking team," he hissed.
"Great idea, sir," Firecracker spoke up and Sage shot her a withering look.
"Butcher will be dead in a few months anyway," she reminded him. "And what do you think your wife would say if she found out you killed her brother? You're keeping enough secrets from her as it is already. I wouldn't want to add another one to that list."
"Does she know about the bugs?" Firecracker dared to ask.
"I'd assume from the fact that you went to see her last night and spent most of the evening with her that the answer to that is no," Sage answered and Homelander looked at her sceptically as she continued to stare at him. She sighed and waved a hand in his direction. "You have a distinct scent of Chanel No.5 that is lingering on you which I suspect means that she flew off to London to try and quell things with her parents and you went to her last night. You wouldn't still smell of her perfume if she knew what the plan was because she probably wouldn't let you anywhere near her."
Homelander hadn't been able to smell his wife's perfume on him, but clearly Sage was more astute than he gave her credit for. Or perhaps he had just become so used to the smell of Victoria that he hardly noticed it on himself?
"And with us being this close to go-time, I wouldn't stir up shit with the CIA," Sage warned him.
"Yes, yes, yes, your illustrious fucking plan," Homelander sniped. "We killed Cameron Coleman for no reason."
"A speed bump, but ultimately harmless," Sage said.
"Cameron Coleman golfed with Mike Lindell who just pulled fifty million bucks worth of pillow commercials. You call that harmless?" Firecracker piped up.
"Look at Daisy Duck Dynasty doing the math," Sage said in a tone of mock bemusement and Firecracker just glared in her direction.
"You know, Firecracker and I have been talking," Homelander said.
"Stimulating, I'm sure," Sage said in a sarcastic tone, looking at Homelander from the corner of her eye. But he looked less than amused. A dangerous glance crossed his face and she knew that she had overstepped with that comment. "Sorry."
"You have brains, Sage," he said, "but I have wisdom. And what happens if those brains of yours get blown out again? Leaving you talking like a gibbering idiot?"
He moved back to his chair, pushing his cape out of the way and letting it dangle over the arm of his seat.
"Firecracker and I will find the leak," Homelander settled on saying.
"With respect-"
"-Respect?" Firecracker interrupted. "I don't hear no fucking respect coming out of your mouth. In fact, I am personally offended by the way you are talking to this great man."
"Just make sure the shooter is good to go on the sixth," Homelander said to Sage.
"He'll be ready."
"Good. Then you can leave."
…
Storming down to the ninety-ninth floor, Victoria felt an anger bubbling up inside of her that she swore she hadn't felt for a long time. She had read the script and then scrunched it up, watching the paper crumple beneath her fingertips. She'd ground her teeth together and tugged her sneakers back onto her feet, almost falling over and losing her balance considering she was so angry.
Moving towards The Seven meeting room, Victoria spotted A-Train moving in the opposite direction.
"You okay?" he asked when he saw she had a face like thunder.
"No," Victoria said. "Is he in there?" she asked, pointing to the room.
"Yeah…I think so," A-Train said as if he hadn't just been spying on them.
He said nothing further to Victoria as she pushed the button to open the door in time to see Sage standing up and getting ready to leave, notebook in her hands. Homelander was sat in his chair and his face lit up for a moment when he saw his wife, but then fell when he noted the expression on her face. Moving towards him, Victoria watched as he also stood up.
"Sweetheart, what is it?" Homelander asked his wife.
"Don't fucking sweetheart me," she snapped at him, throwing the paper at his chest. "You're seriously asking Ryan to do this? You're really pulling this shit with me?"
Homelander looked down to the paper that had bounced from his chest and onto the desk. He saw that it was a script and he guessed what it was.
"Out," Homelander demanded from Firecracker and Sage. They obeyed him, sensing that it was best not to be around when a marital fight was on the cards. He waited until they'd gone, still staring at his wife as she glared back at him. Standing in silence, they waited until the doors had closed before they erupted. "You don't come in here and interrupt my meetings, Victoria," he snapped at her.
"I wouldn't have to come down here and interrupt your meetings if you didn't behave like this," Victoria said back to him, tone angry and finger pointing at the paper. "You think that shit is okay? Asking kids to grass on their parents? Turn against them if they don't agree with what Vought does? That's fucking fascism, John."
"It's called keeping America safe," Homelander retorted.
"No," Victoria said indignantly. "It's not. That's not keeping anyone safe. We both fucking know it."
"Look, Victoria, I've got enough on my plate right now. I've got things I need to be getting on with…plugging this leak…dealing with Neuman…I just need him to do the TV show. It'll be fine."
"He's not doing it," Victoria said defiantly and Homelander let out a deep breath as Victoria folded her arms over her chest, chin jutting out. She wasn't going to back down. She refused to back down and let him win this argument.
"Just…you didn't need to get fucking involved," Homelander seethed at his wife and Victoria laughed loudly at that, shaking her head at her husband and moving closer to the desk. Planting both hands down on it, she leant forwards and continued watching him intently as he mimicked her pose.
"I'm your fucking wife," she snapped back at him. "I'm Ryan's step-mum and it seems I'm the only one who is putting him first. What happened to letting him do what he wants to do? Was that just bullshit? Is everything you've been telling me bullshit?"
"Everything I tell you?" Homelander asked her. "Jesus Christ, Victoria, I'm tired of this. I'm tired of fighting with you over every little thing when all I am doing is trying to keep this family safe…trying to keep you safe…and that means doing things that you might not like and I know that. Deep down, you know it too, but it's for us…for this family."
"Really?" Victoria checked with her husband. "Keep telling yourself that, John, but we both know you're lying."
"Seriously?" Homelander questioned from her. "When have I ever done anything but put you first? I flew out to London, for fuck's sake. I spent my entire night holding you…comforting you…when I should've been here and trying to take care of business. Do you not get it? Everything I do is about keeping our family safe."
"And you think this is the way to do it?" Victoria asked. "And what're you going to do with people who snitch on their families? You're going to round them up? You're beginning to sound exactly like your Nazi girlfriend."
"Don't bring her up!" Homelander snapped, voice growing in anger. "You know that I was never serious with her. You fucking know that, but you take every opportunity you get to throw her back in my face. It's such a cheap shot. It's a low blow. I thought you had more class than that."
"You want to talk about class?" Victoria wondered from her husband. "You're telling children to go against their parents which is so fucking ironic because family…I thought it meant everything to you? And you know that if Evie was old enough then she'd have to snitch on me. She'd have to snitch on her own mother…your snowflake, liberal, UN-loving wife who you claim to love so fucking much."
"You're being ridiculous," Homelander said with a shake of his head.
"I'm being ridiculous?" Victoria retorted. "I'm the one who is looking after our kids…looking out for them…I'm not letting you do this, do you understand me? I'm not letting Ryan do this."
"You're being dramatic," Homelander said.
"Whatever," Victoria said. "I'm done with this conversation."
"So you're going to walk away?" Homelander wondered and she stood up straight before he pushed his chair from behind him and Victoria shrugged her shoulders.
"What's the point in discussing this any further? Clearly, we're both going to disagree so I may as well save my breath," Victoria said to him.
Homelander's teeth ground together as she turned around and left the meeting room. His hand balled into a fist and he slammed it down on the glass table beneath him, hearing the glass jump up from the force and shatter in small pieces before seeing a large dent form in the middle of it where his fist still rested. The problem he knew was that this was only the beginning.
…
Victoria pushed her hair over one shoulder and exhaled a sharp breath. She could feel a headache coming on and so she'd left the Tower. Ryan was still at the arcade and Victoria had picked Evelyn up and gone to Central Park. She was still exhausted, but she couldn't be in that place anymore. She knew that Homelander was never going to back down and so she had left. She had left and she knew that she would have to face him at some point, but she wasn't ready.
She held Evelyn's hand inside of her own as they wandered towards the lake and Victoria crouched down and they watched the ducks together. Keeping her arms around her daughter, Victoria held her tightly and clung to her. Closing her eyes, she felt herself beginning to cry as she knew that she had to tell Homelander the truth eventually. She had to tell him that she knew. She had to tell him that she knew what he was planning and she hated him for it. She either had to beg him to stop or he had to realise that he was going to implode their family.
As they watched the ducks flock to the other end of the lake where someone was feeding them bread, Victoria heard the familiar sound of A-Train's sonic boom as he approached. Her hair blew across her face with the speed of him and he stopped in his tracks. Looking to her, she saw that he was dressed in his supe-suit and he watched her intently as she stood up straight, holding Evelyn's hand as her daughter also turned around.
"He knows," A-Train said to her.
"What?" Victoria asked, heart beating rapidly. "What do you mean he knows?"
"He sent Deep and Black Noir after Butcher and Starlight," A-Train said. "I got there and outed myself as the leak. He'll know…but I need to take my family and disappear. I need to get out of here."
Victoria nodded her agreement with him on that point.
"Mummy? What's going on?" Evelyn asked and Victoria bent down and picked her daughter up, holding her against her hip. Looking to her, Victoria brushed her forehead against hers.
"Nothing, baby, everything's fine," she said and then looked back to A-Train. "Is Billy…" she trailed off.
"They got out of there," A-Train said to her and Victoria couldn't believe that Homelander would do this. He'd sent his lackeys to kill her brother and her best friend. He'd done that. He'd done that despite promising her that he would leave Billy alone. But he was clearly on the edge. He was clearly at his limit. "I said nothing about you knowing, but you know that you should get out, right? He's…he's at breaking point."
"I know," Victoria said, "but it's easier said than done," she retorted. "Now go. Get your family and go…you…you're a good man, A-Train. You don't deserve what he'd do to you so leave."
A-Train nodded his head and Victoria clung tightly to her daughter, heart thudding against her chest. She was anxious. She was nervous. She didn't know if she could go back to the Tower. She didn't know what she'd face because there was no chance that she could act nice knowing that he'd tried to have her brother and friend killed.
"Look after yourself," A-Train said.
"You too," Victoria replied and he took off without another word.
…
Hughie knew that he was desperate, but he didn't care. He had gone to Victoria's after they'd tried to find intel on the shooter who Sage had been liaising with. A-Train had sent them the shooters image and they'd had the address. When they arrived, they hadn't expected to see a shape-shifting supe. It was a good choice to use someone like that to kill the President. Then they could frame whoever they wanted. The supe had cut Hughie and he'd promised Annie that he would go to the ER, but instead he'd gone to see his old boss.
Alex, Butcher and Annie had gone back to the office with no idea of what laid in store for them there.
Walking into Victoria's townhouse, Hughie saw that she was packing up boxes, no doubt getting ready for her move to D.C. He carried the bag of junk food into the kitchen and emptied it onto the worktop. Victoria reached for a big pack of cheese puffs and opened it, eating one straight away.
"Look, we need to talk," Hughie said to her. "You can still stop all this."
"You must be desperate if you're throwing a Hail Mary like this," Victoria said to him.
"Just five minutes where we cut the bullshit and you and me just talk," Hughie urged from her. "We can talk about how fucked up all of this is."
"What it is, is politics," Victoria retorted. "You know how it goes. You have strange bedfellows."
"But you're working with Homelander!" Hughie snapped at her. "He's going to kill the President and that sounds fucking insane coming out of my mouth."
Victoria simply shrugged, but there was something in her eyes that told Hughie that she wasn't completely gone. He refused to believe that she was completely lost. She'd been the only ally he'd had when he'd been at work at one stage and he didn't want to think that she was completely lost to him. He cared too much still to think that.
"And when they round up all the Starlighters and throw them into internment camps, you're cool with that?" Hughie demanded to know, but she didn't answer him back. "You didn't know about the camps," he concluded and Victoria still remained mute. "What did you think you were at Tek-Knight's for? He wants his prisons."
"I've got to get back to work," Victoria said and she moved around him, heading back towards her living rooms and a half-empty box. Hughie turned around quickly and watched her.
"I still have all the dirt on you," he said to her. "What you said at Tek-Knight's and everything."
"Is that a threat?"
"No, because if we drop it then you'll kill us all," Hughie relented. "It'll be mutually assured destruction…but I don't think you want this and if you are even one percent of the person I thought I knew then I don't think you really want to do this. You can still step back, Vic. It's not too late…there's…ways out of this."
"How?" Victoria questioned him and he looked to her and saw a sense of desperation as she rested a hand on a closed box and Hughie stepped towards her, hands in his pockets.
"I know this is going to sound mad and we haven't even spoken to her about it yet, but just think for a moment…you come out as a supe," Hughie said, but Victoria shook her head quickly.
"I can't."
"You either do it on your own terms of Homelander outs you," Hughie said. "You know that he will because you know what he wants. He wants a supe in the White House. He wants supes to be superior, but you and I both know that's not the key to peace. You shouldn't be ashamed to be who you are. You're a supe, sure, but that doesn't mean you have to be a bad person."
"Do you know how long I've spent hiding this secret?"
"Your entire life, I know," Hughie assured her on that point. "But you shouldn't have to. I know you want Zoe to be safe, but you want her to grow up in a world where she's accepted too…humans and supes shouldn't have to fight each other. How far has that gotten us? It's gotten us nowhere."
"Then what do you suggest?" Victoria asked. "So long as Homelander is around…Vought is around…then there's nothing we can do."
"Victoria."
"What?" she asked.
"No, I meant his wife," Hughie explained. "Homelander's wife. You've seen how popular she is."
"Yeah, I mean she has people on her side, but what about her?"
"The two of you together can prove that supes and human can co-exist. You both have the same views. You both want the same thing. You want your kids to be safe and this fighting…this idea that either supes are dangerous or more superior…it's never going to help us get there. Singer's legislation is horrific and we know that, but what Homelander wants is equally as bad."
Victoria shook her head quickly. "Do you seriously think she'll ever go against him? She's not even a supe."
"She might not be a supe, but she is still his only weakness," Hughie said. "If he won't listen to her then we are all fucked and you know it. But if she speaks up. If she uses her voice then maybe we can stop this. The two of you together could be so powerful…even more powerful than Homelander and Vought and we both know that popularity…being in the spotlight…it can protect you."
"You can't seriously think he'd let his wife speak out, can you?" Victoria wondered from him. "And she would never do it. Have you even asked her?"
"I haven't seen her-"
"-Then this is just a pipedream," Victoria said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Besides, she'd want nothing to do with me, Hughie. As soon as Homelander got a whiff of us working together then he'd tell her that I was the one who told him where she was when she went into hiding."
Hughie's brows furrowed and he shook his head. "No," he said.
"Yes," Victoria admitted. "I was the one who told him where she was. I took away any chance of happiness she had being free from him…living with Alex…her daughter. I did that and so why would she ever think of joining forces with me?"
Victoria wasn't entirely sure why she had told Hughie that. Perhaps it was because she was making excuses because she didn't want to do this? She didn't think that she could go against Homelander? And she had to be honest: she was scared. She was scared of Homelander and what he could do to her.
"Why did you do that?"
"Because I thought it would give me leverage," Victoria replied. "Because I was under his thumb and I needed to get out, but it didn't work. It was stupid to think it would, but I was desperate. I was just desperate…and this idea of yours…it's so half-baked, Hughie. It would never work. The only way we deal with Homelander is to kill him, but I don't see that happening anytime soon and so I need to look after myself. I need to take care of myself."
"And I understand that," Hughie said to her, "but this is bigger than just one person. It's bigger than you…me…Victoria…everyone. It's so much more and we need to realise that."
Victoria considered what Hughie was saying to her. She started packing, indicating that the conversation was over. Hughie shook his head and moved towards the front door. His hand pressed to the handle, ready to give up before she spoke again.
"Would she meet me?"
…
How had her whole world shifted? Since the previous night, her life felt like it was imploding and she didn't know how to stop it. A part of her knew that this was inevitable. They'd been tip-toeing around each other for weeks, pretending that things were good and they were a happy family. But that wasn't the truth.
As soon as A-Train had disappeared, Victoria had called her brother and asked to meet him. She'd gone to his apartment and had found him there with Annie, Alex and M.M., the four of them looking slightly dejected and bruised. Moving into the apartment, Victoria was still carrying Evelyn considering her daughter had been complaining about walking. She'd held her tight as she navigated the metro and then walked the three blocks to her brothers, not once thinking about how heavy she was.
Entering the dingy apartment, Evelyn looked around and then her eyes landed on him. "Alex!" she shrieked his name.
Alex's face lit up and he moved towards her. "Hey, sweetpea," he said and she tried to squirm out of her mother's arms and go to him. Victoria let her, watching as Alex clung to her and held her in his arms and hugged her tight. "I missed you, sweetie."
"I missed you too," Evelyn replied. "I can read now…and walk," she said proudly and Victoria smile despite the situation being anything but one she should smile about.
"You're so clever," Alex said to her.
"Are there any hugs for your Auntie Annie?"
And then Evelyn finally looked to Annie and her face beamed again as Annie stood beside her and fussed around her. Victoria turned to her brother as he stood by the door and shared an understand glance with him. Moving to him, Victoria wrapped her arms around his neck as he took hold of her waist.
"He sent them to kill us, Vic," Billy murmured down to her. "Your cunt husband sent them after us."
"I know," Victoria said and she felt his arms tighten around her. "He's…I don't think I can do this any longer, Billy."
"I can get you out," Billy said and he pulled back, hands moving to her cheeks and cradling them in his grip as he brought his face closer to hers, talking to her in a gruff whisper. "I can get Mallory and I can you out of there. You and the sprog…Ryan too…I can do it if you let me."
"I want to," Victoria whispered, "but I can't. He…he'd never let that happen. You know that he wouldn't. I can't risk it again. I can't run away again."
"Then what?" her brother asked. "What do you do?"
"I need to face him. I need to face him and we both need to tell the truth. I need to tell him that I know and then…then we'll see," Victoria said. "But running away isn't an option, Billy, because he'll just find me. Wherever I go, he will find me, and I know that."
Victoria reached up and pecked her brother on the cheek, kissing him gently. She pulled back and just searched his eyes. "I just needed to see you," she said to him. "I needed to make sure you were alright."
"I'm fine, love," he assured her.
M.M. scoffed from the sofa, not entirely sure if that was true, but he didn't say anything. Victoria turned her head over her shoulder and she saw Annie with Alex and Annie, the two of them still fussing over her. Victoria moved towards them and she wrapped an arm around Annie's waist, head going to her shoulder as Annie moved her own arm around her. The two of them laid their heads against each other.
"I'm sorry," Victoria whispered to her.
"None of this is your fault," Annie whispered back.
"I miss you so much," Victoria confessed and Annie squeezed her waist tightly.
"I miss you too," Annie replied. "And I miss this one too," she said and she took Evie from Alex's arms, throwing her into the air but not letting her go and listening to her giggle. "Now, why don't you sit with you Auntie Annie and your Uncle Billy and tell us all about what you want for Christmas from Santa, huh?"
Victoria knew that Annie was giving her and Alex a few moments together because that was all they could have. Billy went to sit on the sofa next to M.M. and Annie perched on the floor, holding Evelyn in her lap. The three of them listened as Evelyn garbled a speech around them and Victoria felt Alex's fingertips brush against hers.
"You should've seen Annie throw Deep to the floor," he whispered to her. "And did you know Noir can fly now?"
"He can talk too," Victoria replied as Alex continued toying with her fingers against his and he moved so that he was stood in front of her. "They didn't do a great job with replacing Noir."
"Clearly," Alex said and then Victoria saw the bruise on his cheek. Moving her hand up, she held his cheek in her hand.
"You're hurt," she said.
"Deep got a punch in before A-Train showed up," he explained to her and Victoria shook her head, unable to believe that Homelander had done this. "But I'm alright, don't worry. You know that you don't need to go back to him? We can get you out of here?"
"And what? I sit back and watch as he kills everyone who stands in his way to get us back? We've had enough bloodshed, Alex. We can't have anymore and definitely not over me. No. I need to face him. We've both been lying to each other…dancing around the truth…and enough is enough."
"What do you think you're going to achieve, Vic? Nothing good will come from it."
"And nothing good will come from running from him. He's too powerful. No…there's been too much running and fighting. I need to deal with this…deal with him."
"You need to be careful, baby," Alex warned her.
"I know. But it's time," Victoria said confidently. "It's time."
…
Homelander hoped that he had managed to persuade Ryan to do the show, but he had other things to worry about. He'd gone down to interrogate Webweaver and it had been disgusting. His supe power made Homelander feel queasy. He admitted to working with Butcher, but a part of Homelander suspected he was lying. But that hadn't stopped him from ripping him in half. He'd told Deep and Noir to go and take care of Butcher and his crew. If they did their job properly then no one would know who killed them. But they had to be disposed of before they told Victoria anything or ruined his plan.
And then he found out that they'd failed and that A-Train had been the leak. Homelander had no idea how he had been able to do that to him. He'd been sat in the meeting room and was staring out of the window when Firecracker and Sage came in.
"Smartest person in the world and you didn't know that A-Train was the leak?" Homelander questioned from Sage.
"I knew," she said.
"You knew," Homelander echoed, fingers clenched into a fist and sat by his chin. Of course she'd known.
"So you let us kill Webweaver for nothing," Firecracker replied.
"You killed Webweaver?" Sage checked with them. "Did you think he was the leak? He was a junkie who would confess to nailing Christ on the cross if it got him his next fix," she said and moved to stand in front of the two of them, unable to believe that this was happening. She knew Homelander would go rogue, but she suspected that he might have more intelligence than to trust Firecracker.
"I was very clear…no more secrets," Homelander said to her.
"But A-Train only leaked the information I wanted Butcher and his team to know. He was the perfect misinformation delivery system until now," Sage said. "This was all part of the plan."
"Hmm," Homelander mused. "Okay," he said, but he'd had enough. Lifting a hand up, he waved it nonchalantly. "You're done. Go back to your litter box in Detroit and die alone."
Sage looked almost shocked then, but a part of her had expected this. "You said you'd listen to me," she reminded him.
"You're lucky I'm not sending you home in a bucket," he said, a menacing look on his face. "Go."
"Fine. Surround yourself with people like her and you can systematically eliminate everyone who gets in your way, but there is one person you will never ever defeat…good luck without me," she said and she stormed off then, slamming her notebook down on the surface. Homelander didn't want her there anymore. He didn't want her secrets and her lies. He wasn't going to deal with them.
"We don't need her," Firecracker said. "We can do this on our own…and look…I know you told me not to say anything, but I had to look into it…your wife…"
"Don't fucking talk about her," Homelander hissed. It wasn't exactly a secret that they'd had an argument that morning.
"And I wouldn't, but I have proof that she's been working against you. She's been lying to you," Firecracker said and Homelander was about to snap at her, but he didn't. She pulled the images she'd had printed from her pocket and she set them down on the table. Homelander turned around on his chair and looked down at the photographs of his wife. Shaking his head, he moved a gloved finger along her face and he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
"I know that you don't want to see these, but you have to. You have to know that she's not on your side…she's working against you…she knew all along. She's always known."
"Get out."
"I just want to-"
"-I said get out!" Homelander roared at her, the noise so visceral and chilling that she left without another word. Picking the photographs up, Homelander waited for the door to close before he snarled at the sight of them and let his anger take hold of him.
…
Walking back into Vought Tower, Victoria had never felt her heart beat so quick. She was on edge and her stomach was churning. Her pulse was thudding and she could hear it in her ears. She felt a bead of sweat drip down from her forehead as she carried Evelyn, grateful that her daughter was sleepy in her arms.
"Oh, Victoria," Ashley spoke as she rushed across the foyer, heels clicking on the floor.
"I need to be somewhere, Ashley," Victoria said.
"Ryan was asking if you could come to the TV studio, but I didn't know where you were and your phone was off," Ashley said and Victoria frowned as she pressed the button for the elevator, shifting Evelyn in her arms as her daughter became heavier from sleeping.
"Why is he in the studio?"
"He's doing the Avenue Q Christmas special."
"He's what?" Victoria snapped, voice loud enough to wake Evelyn up. Even Ashley startled. She almost dropped the papers she was carrying. "I told John that he wasn't going to do this. I told him that it wasn't happening."
"Well…I think he spoke with Ryan and he agreed," Ashley said.
"And he's in the studio?"
"He films in five minutes," Ashley said and Victoria shook her head.
"Take me there now," Victoria demanded and Ashley wondered if she'd ever seen her look so angry before. She led the way towards the studio and Victoria promised Evelyn that they would go home in a minute, but she just had to do something first. Coming to the studio, Victoria saw the set-up as Ashley headed into the control room and Victoria stayed on the floor of it.
The room was decorated in everything that showed a cosy Christmas. There were tartan patterned sofas and chairs and a large Christmas tree with red, blue and white baubles and glittering gold lights. There were garlands adorned with lights and bows dotted around and covering the surface of the fake fireplace. Oversized candy canes and nutcrackers stood either side of the mantle. Victoria could see that she was too late. Ryan was already sat down on the chair, the puppets surrounding him.
There was a puppet of Homelander next to him on the sofa. Firecracker and Deep were dancing around by a bar and Noir was playing the piano. The song began and Victoria listened to its lyrics, recognising them as the same ones from the script. Ryan just sat where he was, hands clasped together and looking more uncomfortable than she'd seen him before. Victoria moved across the studio, ignoring the glares from the camera crew as she moved to stand opposite Ryan, looking at him. He met her eye and Victoria just shook her head, hand cupping her daughter's head as she shifted in her sleep.
"You don't need to do this," Victoria whispered to him. "Sweetie…it's alright."
And she would make it alright. She would look after him. She would take care of him. She was prepared for whatever was going to come her way.
The song continued playing and then Ryan suddenly spoke up, shaking his head. "Stop," he demanded. "Stop…just stop it…" the music died down and confusion sparked around the studio. "This song isn't cool. None of this is cool," he said and he stood up. "No, don't go to commercial…keep rolling, please," he urged and Victoria guessed he'd used his super-hearing to hear Ashley's panic from the box behind her. The people voicing the puppets slunk off and Ryan moved closer towards the camera. "Your family isn't your enemy. Your family is all you've got. I've been thinking about my mom a lot lately. She died…but she loved Christmas and smores…Terms of Endearment…and her husband Billy, but she wouldn't love this. She wouldn't want me doing it. My mom always told me to tell the truth…and Victoria…my step-mom…she's always been there for me. She's looking after me and she's tried so hard to make Christmas special for me again…and I want to protect her because people have hurt her before…that's why I can't do this. I can't stand here and tell you to turn against your family because it's wrong…because without my mom…her, my dad and my sister are all I have…and I…" he trailed off, almost like he wanted to say something else, but he couldn't.
He rushed off set and Victoria chased after him. He moved towards the corridor leading to the fire exit and she saw his eyes turn red for a moment as his hands tugged at his hair.
"Hey, hey, hey," Victoria said to him and she somehow managed to kneel on the floor, holding Evelyn in her arms but placing a hand on Ryan's forearm. "It's alright, sweetie. I promise you that it's alright."
"I didn't want to do it," Ryan said to her. "I didn't want to do it…but he told me it would help him out…I just…I just couldn't, Vic. I couldn't because it was wrong. I knew it was wrong."
"It's okay," Victoria assured him, hand squeezing onto his shoulder.
"He's going to be mad," Ryan said.
"I'll deal with him," Victoria said. "I need to go and talk to him, but I need you to take your sister and go back to the penthouse, okay? Can you do that for me?"
Ryan nodded and he held his arms around, taking hold of Evelyn. Victoria stood up straight and bent down to kiss him on his forehead, letting her lips stay there. "I promise you, I'll look out for you."
"I love you, Vic."
"I love you too," Victoria said. "Now go on, go home and I'll be back soon."
She guided him back towards the elevator and watched him head on up to the penthouse before she took the next elevator to the ninety-ninth floor. Moving along the corridor, Victoria wiped her sweaty palms against the pleated skirt she wore and unbuttoned her winter coat, letting it flap open around her and reveal the black shirt she wore tucked into the green skirt. Every click of her ankle boots on the tiled floor took her closer to him and she knew she had reason to fret because everything was going to come crumbling down.
Moving to the door of the meeting room, she saw that he was in there. He had his back to her and the entire room was destroyed, the tables smashed and the chairs and overturned. The screens were flickering from being cracked and there was a scorched mark in the ceiling, lights dangling precariously from the ceiling. She knew that this had been him. It had to have been. Victoria stepped further into the room and the door closed behind her.
"You've been lying to me," his voice spoke, but he didn't turn around. "Your heart is beating like a drum."
"You want to talk about lying?" Victoria questioned from her husband.
He chuckled darkly at that and shook his head, hands clenched behind his back and leather squeaking. His teeth ground together and his eyes darkened as he turned around to face her. She kept on watching him, wondering just what he was going to do as she glanced to the floor and saw the photos. Crouching down, she picked them up and looked at the images.
"You've had me followed?" she wondered.
"Firecracker took some initiative and she did," Homelander said and Victoria flicked through them. The edges of them were burnt and crumpled, but she could make them out easy enough. It was her in the park with A-Train. It was her going into her brother's apartment. "How long did you know about A-Train?" he demanded from her.
"A few weeks," Victoria confessed to him on that point. "Since Tek-Knight's mansion."
"And you said nothing."
"And how long have you been plotting to assassinate the President?" Victoria retorted and she stood up tall as his jaw tensed. He didn't answer her and so she kept on talking. "And you said nothing," she mimicked his earlier words. "So, are we going to do this?" Victoria wondered from him.
"Do what?"
She moved to take an overturned chair and she set it upright as Homeander watched her sit down, hands moving to lace together and rest on her stomach. Homelander copied her movements, taking his own chair and placing it opposite hers so that his knees were almost touching hers. He placed his hands on the arms of the chair and she saw his face scrunch up with anger.
"Do what, sweetheart?" he hissed once more to her.
"Tell the fucking truth."
….
A/N: And it's all going to come out...where do we go from here? As always, would love to know what you think!