Homelander knew what he had promised his wife. He knew that he had told her that he would get rid of Firecracker, but then she had come to him with the bug. He had gone to the meeting room and had been ready to do it for Victoria. He knew that she was on the edge. She was fed up and he had seen that. Usually, he wouldn't bother with doing what other people wanted him to do, but Victoria was different. She was becoming increasingly upset and he didn't particularly enjoy being on the receiving end of her anger. He liked it when things were good between them and things currently were good.
"We need to talk."
"I know, sir," Firecracker said with a nod of her head. "And I heard what happened with Sage at Tek-Knight's mansion. I heard how she let you down…but there was also this that she clearly didn't know about."
And then she handed him the bug. Looking down to it, Homelander knew it was Butcher's without even having to have tests run. Starlight had been at the mansion that night and it had to have been her who had planted the bugs. But then again, he hadn't seen her there. So it had to have been someone else from his team, but who? He'd have noticed them.
"We know it was Butcher's," Firecracker told him and he continued to toy with the bug between his fingertips. He went to sit down at the head of the table and leant back in his seat, shaking his head slowly. "But I found it underneath the table and Starlight never showed her face in the main reception room so it had to be someone else."
"But who?" Homelander wondered, laying the black device down on the table.
"That's what I'm trying to find out," Firecracker said to him. "I mean…Victoria-"
"-No," Homelander interrupted her and she sat down in the seat that Sage usually occupied. He turned his chair to the side and wagged his finger in her direction. "That is the last time my wife's name ever leaves your mouth, is that understood? You might have planted a seed of an idea in my mind, but it never grew…and that's because I know her. I know my wife. I love her and I trust her. And that is why you're here today. You're done."
"No, sir," Firecracker said quickly, shaking her head and placing both hands on the table. "You can't fire me."
"What did you think would happen if you kept pushing your luck?" Homelander asked from her. "You might have pretty little words and you might think that you have something I want, but you don't. The only woman I want is married to me and you, unfortunately, pushed her too far and so I am doing this for her. Just be thankful that I'm letting you leave here in one piece and keeping your VNN slot."
"I can find the leak," Firecracker suddenly spoke. "Let me find the leak and prove to you that you need me as part of The Seven."
Homelander let out a deep breath and he was prepared to shake his head, but she continued talking.
"We know it wasn't Starlight and so that means I can narrow down who was at the party, but I need time to do that," she said. "Let me find the leak and you'll see that I'm not useless…you'll see that I want to help you because I truly believe you will bring greatness to this country. Your wife doesn't know the plan, does she? She doesn't know just what is weighing on your shoulders and I want to relieve that burden. Let me do that for you and everything else…it stops. I'll go nowhere near Victoria."
Homelander considered what she was saying. He did need someone to find the leak. Clearly, he couldn't trust Sage. And Firecracker had brought the bugs to him. That was the part that annoyed him. He thought that he could rely on Sage, but she'd been wrong at every turn so far and they still didn't have the leak. And then if Starlight had heard everything that had been said that night then he knew they had a big problem. He suspected it would be for the best if he just killed them all. If he killed Butcher and his crew then they wouldn't get in his way anymore.
"Find the leak," Homelander demanded from her. "And get the fuck out of here."
"Yes, sir," she said and fled from the room.
Homelander sat back in his chair and twirled the bug in his fingertips, peering down onto it intently and wondering just what he should do. He knew that he had to talk to Sage. He would tell her that she was no longer looking for the mole. He didn't need her getting in the way. He swivelled his chair around to look out of the window for a moment before climbing to his feet. He put the bug in his pocket and stalked the corridors, heading downstairs to the foyer and then into the Vought café.
He found her sat in the corner at a table for two. She had her laptop open and was typing away, earbuds in her ears. As he approached, he honed in on her listening to You Can Call Me Al and could tell that she was mouthing the words. His lips quirked and he bent over, hand going to gather her hair and push it over one shoulder. She startled, jumping back and then turning her head over her shoulder to see him bend down and kiss her once on the neck, clearly not caring who was watching.
"You scared the life out of me," Victoria complained to him.
"You looked lost in work," he replied, hands squeezing her shoulders and she tugged her earbuds out and laid them down on the table. "What are you doing anyway?"
"Ashley asked me if I could do a speech for the Christmas charity dinner," Victoria told him. "It's for the children's hospital and I've stayed in touch with them ever since we did that first bake sale…you know…filming public appeals…sending toys and writing for their newsletter."
"I didn't know you'd done all of that," Homelander said to her.
"It's not much really," she said. "But doing the speech is something else. I would've thought she might ask you, but she seemed…almost reluctant. I guess that she's not entirely pleased since you basically ousted her as CEO."
"She still has a role," Homelander said.
"Either way, I think she's scared of you," Victoria said. "And so I have somehow been roped into doing a speech and you know that I hate public speaking. I'm not going to lie, I'm freaking out slightly."
"Well, you don't have to do it if you don't want to," he said to her and sat down in the chair across from her. She lowered the lid to her laptop and he picked up her hot chocolate and had a sip for himself. "I can tell Ashley that you're busy."
"I said that I would and I want to," Victoria replied with a shake of her head. "Besides, I've got a few weeks before I have to do it. I just wanted to get a head start…plus I've been asked to do some more interviews…really simple pieces on what makes our perfect Christmas."
"And what does make our perfect Christmas?" Homelander questioned and she saw him pick up her mug again. She reached for his wrist to stop him from bringing it to his lips.
"Well, you not stealing my drink for one," she said and he laughed but still took a sip.
"I'll get you another one before I go," he promised her.
"Yes, you will," Victoria said. "Either way, I've gone with the idea that we're going to spend it at home…the kids open their presents in the morning and then we cook the dinner. I'm not sure whether to mention having Yorkshire Puddings or not. Americans don't seem to understand what they are."
"Which is almost a shame because they are delicious."
"Glad I force fed you one now, huh?" Victoria said to him and he rolled his eyes.
"You didn't force feed me."
"You weren't exactly willing to believe me that they were delicious," Victoria retorted. "Anyway, I don't exactly know how we're going to spend Christmas. It's the first time there will be four of us and I want it to be good for the kids…Evie's starting to understand Christmas…it'll be Ryan's first one here…"
"A picture perfect Christmas, right?" Homelander asked her.
"So long as I don't ruin the dinner," she said and he chuckled.
"You know we can just get someone to cook it for us?"
"Absolutely not," Victoria said. "I can do it. Besides, I might need your help. Should I put that in the interview? Homelander makes a mean roast potato. Do you think that's headline news?"
"I don't think it'd make front page," Homelander said to her and she chuckled before folding her arms on the table. "Anyway, if you don't want to do anything then you don't need to."
Victoria shrugged. "It's nice to keep my mind busy," she said. "I think the Christmas tree is due to be delivered to the penthouse tomorrow. Did you know it's about nine foot? I'm not entirely sure if we have enough decorations to cover it. The last few years we haven't really bothered, I know."
"You're really going all out, aren't you?" Homelander said.
She shrugged. "I just want to make it nice for the kids," she said. "You know, when I was growing up we only had a tree for a few years…a fake one…and then dad came home one night drunk and destroyed it. He claimed Christmas was for children and that we needed to grow up. We couldn't afford to buy another one after that."
Homelander watched as he saw her eyes glaze over for a moment. But then she blinked repeatedly and forced a smile to her face.
"I'd watch them celebrate Christmas in the lab," Homelander said. "They'd hang up tinsel and other decorations…eat Christmas dinner…and I'd just sit and watch. They told me what Christmas was, of course, but it wasn't like I ever got to join in on anything or got presents. The first time Christmas actually meant something to me was when I spent the first one with you and we went to the cabin together."
Victoria tilted her head and a sad smile formed on her lips. "It sounds like we're trying to outdo each other for who had the shittiest childhood. I think you win."
Homelander chuckled darkly. "I think we both know how shit things were," he decided on saying to her and she agreed with him on that point. "But never again. We'll give Ryan and Evie everything we never had."
"Which does mean I might have spent a fortune on toys and decorations," Victoria confessed.
"Well, it's not like we can't afford it," he shrugged ruefully.
"Just don't check your credit card bill."
"You think I've ever done that?"
"Oh, I know you haven't," Victoria assured him on that point. "But it's just a figure of speech. Either way, I told Ryan and Evie that we could decorate the tree as soon as it came."
"Well, you might have to go ahead and do that without me."
"You still looking for the leak?"
"Yeah."
"And Firecracker?"
Homelander exhaled a sharp breath and Victoria rolled her eyes as she saw him glance away from her. Victoria reached for her mug and took it from his grip. She cradled it in both hands and lifted it to her lips.
"She's still on the team, isn't she?" Victoria checked with him before taking a sip. "What did she say to you?"
"She said that she can find the mole," Homelander said. "So, she does that. She doesn't mention your name again. She stays out of your way and she treats me with the level of respect I deserve. Once she has the mole…if she proves her worth…then I'll see what to do then."
"And the message got through?"
"The message got through and if it didn't then I'll send her back to her little podcast in the middle of nowhere," Homelander promised his wife. She wanted to believe him, but she just wasn't entirely certain if she did. She felt him reach across the table and peel one of her hands from her mug. "I promise you that nothing else is going to happen there. She's not going to get in the middle of us…get between us. It's me and you against everyone, sweetheart. It's always going to be us."
"Fine," she relented, knowing that there was no point in arguing with him. She would just see how things went. That was all she could do.
"Just fine?"
"Look, I'm willing to draw a line in the sand over the whole thing. I trust you, okay? I know we throw that word around a lot, but when it comes to her then I do trust that you don't want her and that you wouldn't cheat. Besides, if you wanted to cheat then you've had plenty of opportunities," Victoria said and Homelander remained silent, not wanting to tell her how many chances he'd had to cheat on her in the past. He'd been propositioned so many times in the past and he'd never done it because he wasn't interested. He wasn't interested in anyone else.
"Come here," Homelander urged from her and he made a come-hither motion with his finger, urging for her to lean over the table and move towards him. She did so and he cupped her cheek in a gloved palm.
"We're in public," she said to him, eyes darting to the side as she suspected people might be watching them.
"I don't care," Homelander said to her with a shake of his head and he leaned in to kiss her, lips pressing against her softly. He tucked her hair behind her ear and felt him tickle her skin, making her laugh against his lips before she pulled away, her fingers gripping his chin gently.
"So we're good?" she checked with him.
"We're good," he assured her. "And there's something else I should tell you."
"What is it?" Victoria asked and sat firmly back in her chair, but Homelander took her hand from his chin and held onto it.
"Stan Edgar was released from jail," he said and he saw her face scrunch up. She hadn't expected that news and he knew that no one had told her.
"When? How?"
"Almost a week ago," he said. "He hasn't been seen since."
"Who do you think got him out?"
"Details are sketchy," Homelander said. "I think some strings might have been pulled. I mean, I'm not worried."
"You're not?" Victoria checked with him. She knew that he'd had a turbulent relationship with Stan Edgar. The two of them had never entirely gotten on, but Stan always seemed to have some power over Homelander, despite not being a supe. But then Homelander had turned on him and Victoria suspected that even then, when he'd done that, he'd never truly been scared of the supe.
"Why would I be?" Homelander asked from his wife with a shrug of his shoulders. "He's no longer in charge around here."
"I know, but we both know that he's a clever man," Victoria said to her husband. "There was always something about him that unnerved me. I never really knew what was going on behind those eyes of his…he used to give me the chills."
"He's not that much of a complex man," Homelander said, but Victoria wasn't sure if that was true. "Either way, I thought you should know."
"Does anyone else know?"
"I assume your brother knows considering he knows most things."
"He never mentioned it to me," Victoria said. "Then again, he doesn't tell me much of what he gets up to."
Homelander cocked a brow. "Doesn't trust you not to tell me?"
"Nailed that on the head," Victoria confirmed for him. "He thinks that I'll tell you anything he tells me and considering that he's trying to kill you, that means I get no info. And it works both ways. I don't tell him anything either…except I did tell him that Firecracker is batshit crazy."
Homelander chuckled at that and nodded his head. "I know that too," he assured his wife and she thought that was ironic coming from him. "Anyway, I need to get back to work. We're having a nightmare finding the leak and Singer is still going with his anti-supe rhetoric…I'm beginning to think that Neuman might be useless."
"She has a seat at the table," Victoria said to her husband. "That doesn't make her useless."
"Perhaps not, but it's still concerning," he said and he moved to his feet. He walked towards her and crouched down so that he could kiss her goodbye. "I'll see you tonight, okay?"
"See you tonight," she said and he gave her one final peck before taking off.
Victoria went back to work, watching the back of him as he left her alone and she exhaled a low breath before moving to her feet and packing her stuff away, her speech completely forgotten. She moved through the Tower and headed towards the gardens before hearing Homelander in the sky. She wondered where he was going, but she guessed that meant she had a window of opportunity.
She backtracked and took the elevator up to ninety-ninth and walked along the corridors, hoping that he might be there. She snuck by the meeting room where Firecracker was sat and typing away on a laptop. Heading towards Ashley's office, she saw him then and tried to look innocuous.
"A-Train," she greeted him.
"Victoria, hey, how're you doing?" he replied.
He was in his usual supe suit minus the glasses. He'd just left Ashley's office after finding her day drinking. She was clearly under a lot of stress and she didn't know how to handle it. He'd told her to pull herself together.
"Not bad," Victoria said. "I was just looking for Homelander," she said, loud enough so that the employees passing her by could hear her. She didn't want him suspecting why she was where she was. "He was just at the café, but I forgot to ask him if he'd be back for dinner tonight."
A-Train nodded along, wondering why she was telling him any of this.
"I think you just missed him."
"Oh well," she said ruefully with a sigh. "I'll catch him later. If you see him before I do can you tell him that I'm going for a walk…thinking I might head over to the boathouse at Central Park."
She hoped that he understood as she stared him directly in the eye. He just looked back at her before nodding his head.
"I'll let him know," he assured her.
"Thanks, A-Train," Victoria said and she took off, heading to the penthouse to drop her laptop off before walking towards the park.
….
Sitting on a bench out of the way, Victoria held her takeaway cup of tea. She had her winter hat on her head, hair sticking out from underneath it and flowing down her back. Her red winter coat was buttoned to her chin, the brass buttons gleaming in the afternoon sun. Despite the sun, it was still freezing. She had her gloves on and had bought the tea to try and warm herself up, but she could still feel the cold.
No one had noticed her so far. She looked inconspicuous in her hat and coat, just like any other person who fancied a walk in the park. She wasn't sure if A-Train would show. She hoped that he might, but she couldn't count on it. The truth was that she had never really trusted him, but if he was spying against The Seven then perhaps things had changed.
"Figured I should change before I came here."
He sat down next to her, wearing a black coat and jeans. He also looked odd without his supe suit. She realised that it had only really been Annie she'd seen often enough not dressed as Starlight.
"Probably a good idea," Victoria agreed with him on that point. "John flew off somewhere so I figured now is probably as good a chance as any to talk to you…ask you if you're alright…" she said and she picked up the second cup of tea she'd bought. She handed it to him and he took hold of it. "Sorry, I don't know if you like tea."
"Never really had it."
"I think it's the Brit in me. I can't go without a good cup of tea," Victoria said. "I have it imported from the UK…along with chocolate…American food has some things going for it, but I miss England for others."
"How long have you been here?"
"Almost eight years," Victoria said. "I don't know if I ever saw myself really settling down here, but I guess it's looking likely I will now…even though laying on a beach somewhere until the end of time sounds a lot more idyllic."
"Know what? I could go for that right about now," he said and he took a sip of tea and he had to admit it wasn't too bad. "He's getting closer, isn't he?" A-Train changed tack and asked her.
"Honestly? I'm not sure," Victoria confessed on that point. "He knows the leak wasn't Cameron Coleman considering Starlight was at Tek-Knight's."
"And you?"
"What about me?"
"Why haven't you told him?" A-Train wondered from her.
"Because I know what would happen if I did," she said. "I'd be in his favour even more than I currently am, but that would mean he'd kill you. I'm not in the habit of getting people killed…trust me…I think I have more than my fair share of blood on my hands."
"You?" A-Train asked from her.
"He's done things for me that I maybe could've stopped, but I didn't," Victoria said to A-Train and looked over him. "I try to do the right thing, but there are times when I can't…and I know that I'm a hypocrite…but I do try, A-Train. And that's why I'm not going to tell him about you, but you need to know that he'll find out eventually."
"I know," A-Train agreed on that point. "And I know that time is running out. I can't keep doing this. Ashley is day drinking because I got her dragged into this and I don't know if she's going to be able to keep a lid on this for much longer."
Victoria's brow knitted together and she nodded thoughtfully. "The concert…when you two were talking," Victoria mused.
"I needed to get Sage off my back. She suspected me and Ashley suggested Cameron would be a good replacement," A-Train said and Victoria shook her head, taking a sip of her tea and looking to the sky.
"I told him that it didn't make sense for it to be Coleman," Victoria replied. "I didn't know if he believed me, but I guess not judging by the way he's apparently on an extended holiday…I take it that's not true either?"
"You think he'd let a mole live?"
"Fuck," Victoria whispered.
"So you're not the only one who has blood on their hands," he retorted.
There was a silence between the two of them then and Victoria glanced down to the floor as she thought about what her husband would do if he found out where she was. She knew he'd kill A-Train, but she had no idea what he'd do to her. She wasn't sure she'd be able to talk herself out of this mess.
"You need to leave," Victoria decided on saying to him. "You can't stay here, A-Train. You need to go."
"If I go then I draw attention to myself. He'll know it's me."
"If you stay then it's only a matter of time before he finds out," Victoria said. "Whatever it is he's planning…I know that it's not good…"
A-Train's forehead creased. "You mean you don't know?" he checked with her and she shook her head. "He hasn't told you anything?"
"He says he's telling me everything, but I know that's bullshit," Victoria said. "He's probably keeping it from me because he knows that I won't approve. He knows that whatever it is I'll never like it."
"Fuck," A-Train whispered. "You really have no idea what he's doing?"
"And a part of me doesn't want to know because I have to go back home and I have to face him and if I knew…I'm a good liar, but I'm not that good of a liar. He'd sniff me out in an instant. We're both plastering over the cracks…lying to each other…me not telling him about you and him not telling me what he's plotting," Victoria confessed. "And we both smile and ask each other about our days, talk about easy stuff…talk about personal stuff…but nothing else."
"Then I'm not going to be the one to tell you," A-Train decided on telling her. "I can't do that. I can't put you in danger when you're so close to him."
"It's not good though, is it?" Victoria said, her voice almost sarcastic.
"No, it's not," A-Train assured her on that point.
"And it involves Neuman, doesn't it? He's using her as his puppet to go against Singer. He doesn't like what Singer stands for and he thinks Neuman can stop him…but I mean…I don't know how. She's as close to power as she possibly can be," Victoria said and she knew she was just airing all the thoughts that had been going through her mind over the last few days. She didn't want to put A-Train on the spot or have him answer something he wasn't comfortable answering, but she was getting tired of being left in the dark. She knew it was dangerous to know, but her mind wouldn't stop.
"Listen, all you need to know is that you're safe," A-Train told her. "So long as you're on his side then you're safe because the chances are he'll win. He's the strongest supe alive. No one goes against him."
"And I know that," Victoria said. "But he's so determined to create a world where supes come out on top that I don't think he'll stop at anything…but going against the new President…I mean, it's not as if he can start a coup, is it?"
A-Train went quiet and he looked down as Victoria glanced over him and she knew that was what he was intending. She'd thought it. In her mind, it had been there, but then she thought that, surely, he couldn't. Surely, he wouldn't go to those lengths? But then she remembered who she was talking about. A horror-stricken look overtook her face and Victoria moved a hand to her mouth.
"A fucking coup?" she hissed at A-Train. "He's actually planning a coup?"
"I'm not telling you anything," A-Train said and Victoria leant back against the bench, eyes widening.
There had been an election. Singer had won it. Just because Homelander didn't like the outcome didn't mean he had any right to try and oust him. And then what? But then it all made sense. Neuman. Neuman would be in charge. She would take over. She was a supe and he wanted supes in power.
"That's what was happening at Tek-Knight's mansion," Victoria said. "That's why all of those wealthy people were there. He needs them on side. He needs support if they're going to try and get rid of Singer…but surely he can't be talking about…no…even for him that's too far," she said as she tried to keep up with her thoughts, her mind racing.
"Listen, we both know nothing is too far for him," A-Train said to her and he shifted closer to her, dropping his voice. "But you can't say anything to him. You can't let on that you know anything. It's not only you, but it's me…my family…we're all at risk and I can't let anything hurt us, okay?"
"But we can't let him do this," Victoria said. "He can't get rid of the President."
"And hopefully it won't come to that," A-Train said. "If he knows you know then he'll come after whoever told you."
Victoria shook her head. "I won't say anything," she said.
A-Train scoffed. "You just said that you're not that convincing of a liar."
"I'm not, but I'm going to have to be," Victoria retorted. "I know that I'm going to have to be…and maybe…I can try and stop him…I don't know…I don't know if he's too far gone…but I need to try something."
"You really think you can emotionally manipulate him?" A-Train wondered.
"I don't know," Victoria confessed, "but I promise that I'm not going to say anything. I can do this. I can act like his good little wife."
"And you're sure about that?"
"I've got no choice."
….
Standing in the shower, Victoria enjoyed feeling the water tumble over her body. It had gone nine in the evening and Homelander still hadn't returned. After her meeting with A-Train, Victoria had just walked around the park and tried to get her thoughts together. It all made sense now. It made sense why he kept telling her that he was trying to make the world a safer place. To him, a safer place meant supes in charge. While Victoria didn't agree with Singer's politics entirely, she'd never think about replacing him. That was utter madness. And what happened if Neuman got power and was under Homelander's thumb? Supes would rule everything. They'd be in charge of everything. They'd be no equality.
Victoria knew that she had to pretend everything was okay when she saw him that night. She knew she'd have to smile and make nice with him. She couldn't put A-Train in danger. If Billy knew what Homelander was planning then maybe he had his own plan in place?
"You're going to use up all the hot water if you stand here much longer."
Victoria turned her head over her shoulder. Homelander stood in the doorway of the walk-in shower, completely naked and climbing in. He shut the glass door behind him and moved to his wife through the steam as she moved up slightly and he stepped underneath the rainforest shower head.
"It's like a sauna in here," Homelander told her.
"I think I lost track of time," Victoria said. "It was cold outside and I'd been for a walk around Central Park…I don't think I really warmed up when I came home. Anyway, you're late home. I put Evie to bed and I think Ryan might be asleep by now."
"I checked in on them when I came in," he told her, hands going to his hair and wetting it, pushing it back from his face as Victoria reached for the shampoo and squeezed a dollop into her palm. "I didn't mean to be so late."
"Where have you been?" Victoria wondered and she moved her hands to his hair, massaging the shampoo into his scalp. She hoped if she could distract him then he might not hear her voice if she sounded nervous.
"The leak…keeping the company afloat…we've lost money since we announced Coleman was going on a break," Homelander said to her and Victoria rolled her eyes as she continued scratching at his scalp.
"I'm not an idiot," Victoria said to her husband. "I know that Coleman isn't on a break, okay? I know you, John. You might think that I don't, but I do. I know you well enough to know that if you thought someone was a leak then they're not going on a break."
Homelander looked to her as she kept staring at him, the water falling over both of them and Victoria just kept on staring at her husband, refusing to back down. He reached for a strand of her wet hair and twirled it around his finger.
"And you decided to speak up now?" he questioned.
"You brought it up and I thought that we were being honest," Victoria replied. "So I know, okay? And I know why you didn't tell me and I do get it. You didn't think I'd approve. You thought that I'd be upset…and I'm not pretending that I think what you did was right, but I've been here long enough to know how you think."
"And you're not mad?"
"What would being mad achieve?" Victoria asked him. "I mean, I did tell you he wasn't the leak and I don't think he deserved to die. Is that what you're going to keep doing? Killing people until you get to the right person?"
"Or we could just make sure that we find the right person next?"
"And kill them?"
"You know as well as I do, Victoria, that I can't have people betraying me," Homelander told her and Victoria wasn't entirely sure if that was what was happening, but she said nothing. She knew that it would be in her best interests not to disagree with him as much as she wanted to. "But I have to say…you're handling this incredibly well."
"Yeah, well," Victoria said and she made a motion with her finger, "turn around," she urged from him and he did as she asked, letting her run her fingers through the hair at the back of his head. "I know who you are, John. I know why you do what you do and you don't have to keep things from me because you're scared of how I'll react…I mean…if you're that scared of how I'll react then maybe you shouldn't do those things in the first place?" she suggested to her husband and he chuckled darkly at that as Victoria rinsed her hands under the water.
Homelander tilted his head back and let the suds fall from his hair, rinsing it and turning back around to face his wife as she began to shampoo her own hair, running her fingers against her scalp.
"I keep things from you because there are things I need to do that aren't pleasant and I know what you've been through in the past. I know what happened to you, Vic, and I don't want to burden you."
"Don't you get it?" Victoria wondered from him. "I want to be burdened. I'm your wife. It's my job to share your burdens."
He hummed once and stepped towards her. He took over running the shampoo down the length of her hair, urging for her to turn around. He moved an arm around her waist and bent down so that his chin was by the side of her head. He pulled them both under the shower head, water tumbling into her faces as he used his free hand to rinse Victoria's hair.
"My sweet, darling wife," he whispered to her. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said to him and knew that maybe she could act better than she thought she could.
…
Sitting up in bed, the clock had just gone eleven. Homelander was still naked, the quilt pulled up to his lap and his hair almost dry. Victoria's hair was still damp and she had tugged on the white, fluffy robe from her closet. She'd gone downstairs and made a mug of tea and brought up her big bar of chocolate which she was picking at from its place on the bedside table. Homelander lifted his arm up and draped it over her shoulders as she leant against him, phone in her hand as she scrolled the news. She moved the device further away from her face.
"I think my eyesight isn't as good as it used to be," she complained to him.
"Can you not read that?"
"It looks a bit more blurred than it probably should," she replied to him. "Maybe I need glasses."
"I don't know if I can picture you in glasses."
"Would you still fancy me with glasses?" Victoria wondered and glanced up to him and he laughed, teeth bared.
"Sweetheart, I'd fancy you in anything," he assured her on that point. "I bet you'd look good…like some hot academic or something."
"Is that why you fancied me? Because I was a hot academic?" Victoria wondered and she curled her legs into herself, pressing herself tighter against his side. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"I have to admit whenever you came over her and would sit and work…before…you know…we even got that close…I'd watch how you stuck your tongue out between your teeth and you'd get these little frown lines whenever you focused," Homelander said to her. "I found it pretty hot. It drove me mad whenever you tossed your hair back too. I could smell your shampoo and it was all I'd think about."
Victoria glanced up to him, dropping her phone to her lap. This man, who was confessing how he loved watching her work, was the same man who was going to try and stage a coup. This man who was currently declaring his devotion to her was going to try and thwart democracy. How could he be the same person? Victoria wasn't sure and she didn't know if she wanted to know. At times, she understood the phrase ignorance is bliss.
"You really had it bad for me, huh?" she joked with him and he moved his other arm around her, tugging her to the mattress as she shrieked, phone flying out of her lap as he pinned her down, quilt getting caught around him as he moved in between her legs and kept both arms tight around her waist, snaking a hand up towards the back of her head, cupping it in his palm. Victoria took hold of his shoulders as he lowered his forehead to hers.
"I've always had it bad for you," he said to her and kissed her sweetly as she increased her grip around his waist with her thighs.
"I just…it's always been you, John," Victoria whispered. "No one else has ever gotten to me like you have. I just…I'd be happy with you living in the middle of nowhere with the kids, you know that, right?"
"I know."
"And that week we spent on holiday," Victoria said, "I think it made me realise that I don't want all of this. I don't want TV shows. I don't want interviews. I just want peace and quiet. I want our family."
Homelander looked to his wife and he thought about what she was saying. He wasn't sure where all of this was coming from, but he let her keep talking as she picked her fingers up and stroked his hair soothingly.
"Searching for moles…wanting to make the world a safer place…what if none of it mattered? What if you didn't have to do any of that and we could just be us…me, you, Evie and Ryan? Every morning we could wake up to blue skies and the ocean. We could just go swimming when we wanted…let the kids grow up being free and happy…do you not think that sounds like bliss? They'd be at school and we could just do what we wanted…go for walks…spend time lounging around…I think that was my favourite time, when we went to the cabin for Christmas and we just had those two days sat watching old movies, reading and sleeping. It might sound boring, but it wasn't. It wasn't boring because we were together."
Homelander watched his wife as she smiled to him, teeth bared and eyes searching his. Perhaps in another world that might have been enough for him. Perhaps if Vought hadn't raised him how they had then he could have had that and he'd have been content with his wife. But that wasn't his world. His world was completely different and no matter how he longed it wasn't, it was.
"So long as I have you, I'm happy," Homelander settled on saying to her and he kissed her for as long as he could, hoping that would be enough for the time being.
…
Homelander had been working late for most of the week. He hadn't really spent any time with the kids and while Victoria usually wouldn't mind, Evelyn kept asking after him. It was constant 'where's daddy?' questions and Victoria deflected them as best as she could. Ryan knew that his dad was working late and he also knew that Victoria was busy with the run-up to Christmas and being asked to attend events, fundraise and do speeches. Evelyn was in nursery for the day and the supe school had finished which meant that he sometimes spent a few hours by himself in the penthouse and that was when he felt alone.
Victoria tried to spend as much time with the kids. She'd taken Evelyn down to the play area in Vought. Ryan had come with them and he'd played with her in the ball pit. She'd taken them for walks around the gardens and had even gone bowling with Ryan one night too. But Homelander was still working. He would get back late and there were times when she'd feel the bed dip under his weight and he plastered himself to her, arm wrapping around her waist and holding onto her. She'd roll over, still sleepy and yawning and kiss him quickly before going back to sleep. She didn't know how long he stayed awake for, but he didn't tell her anything. He just kept quiet.
A part of her didn't mind if he was going to be gone for a long time. It provided her with the opportunity to relax and not feel so on edge all of the time.
"Did you know about Firecracker?"
Victoria had been on her way to see if she could find Homelander. Apparently Vought wanted Ryan to appear in some TV show and she wanted to talk with him before they said anything to Ryan. He wasn't in the meeting room, however, but Sage was. Victoria had tried to excuse herself from leaving, but Sage had then questioned her.
Turning to move back into the meeting room, Victoria folded her arms over her chest, instantly turning defensive.
"What about her?"
"You don't need to play dumb with me. I know they're keeping me out of decisions," Sage said.
"I don't get involved in Seven business."
"Apart from the fact you do," Sage said. "You know that there's been a leak and you knew it wasn't Cameron Coleman. He told me that before he decided that he'd rather confide in Firecracker."
"I just told him that it didn't make sense for it to be Cameron Coleman," Victoria said. "I don't know who the leak is, but I know for sure it isn't me. All I know is that something went on that night at Tek-Knight's and he wasn't happy about it. Your brain turned to mush or something…and you let him down. Firecracker was there when Starlight ambushed the party and she told him that meant the leak couldn't be Coleman."
"And now he doesn't trust me to find the leak, does he?"
"You'll need to ask him that," Victoria said, holding her hands up as if to say she wasn't getting involved. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Christmas dinner I need to go and organise."
But the doors to the meeting room closed and Victoria didn't leave. She huffed and turned to face Sage who had the remote in her hands. Sage moved to sit down in her usual seat and Victoria moved around the chairs, pulling out the one she knew her husband sat in. She settled into it and leant back, turning it so that she could face Sage.
"He's volatile," Sage said.
Victoria snorted. "You're only just learning this now?"
"If he surrounds himself with idiots then he's only dooming himself and that's what he's doing. He's surrounding himself with people who suck up to him and tell him what he wants to hear."
"Because that's all he craves," Victoria said. "He wants people to say yes to his every whim."
"But you don't," Sage retorted. "You know him better than anyone. How? How did you get so close to him?"
"He wasn't always like this," Victoria said with a shake of her head. "When I first met him he was under Vought's control. He was their golden boy, sure, but he listened to people in charge…Stillwell…Edgar…but he slowly picked them off one by one when they did something he didn't like."
And you stayed standing throughout," Sage mused.
"Because I was the only one who saw him for who he was. I didn't look at him with dollar signs in my eyes. I never wanted him to do anything for me…take me to red carpet events…buy me expensive gifts. I wanted him and I think that was a novelty after he grew up around people using him," Victoria confessed even though she wasn't sure why she was telling Sage any of this. She suspected the supe might use it against her, but she didn't care if she did. She wasn't saying anything she hadn't said to Homelander. "And I think he saw me as someone who was refreshing after years of people just sucking up to him."
Sage considered her words and nodded thoughtfully at it.
"Listen," Victoria said, "if he's not confiding in you with whatever it is he's planning then I can't help you. I don't know what's going on-"
"-Do not bullshit me," Sage interrupted with a hiss. "You might be many things, but we both know you're not stupid. Now, you might not be as intelligent as I am, but you still have a brain inside that skull of yours. While you might not know the intricacies of what's going on, I'm sure you can put two and two together."
Victoria weighed up the next words to come out of her mouth. They kept staring at each other, clearly trying to work each other out.
"I really don't know," Victoria said. She knew it would be best for her to play ignorant. She didn't want Sage to say anything to Homelander. She didn't trust her and that was the bottom line of things. "Look, I don't have any advice for you on how to handle my husband…of how to get yourself back into his good graces…I just…you'd probably be better off just leaving. I warned you that you were expendable. Everyone is."
Standing up again, Victoria glanced out of the window and pressed the button on the desk to open the door. She left Sage in the meeting room without another word, heading back down towards the nursery and wondering just what Sage was going to do next.
…
Moving down the staircase, Victoria did her best not to trip over her dress. She pressed a hand to her chest, swearing that her gown was gaping slightly. She had to admit that this was the most risqué dress she'd worn in a while, but Vought had insisted she wear it considering it was by some upcoming designer. Coming to the living room, she looked at the Christmas tree that was adorned with baubles and lights that were twinkling. There were decorations everywhere, with garlands adorning the mantle over the fireplace and toy nutcrackers stood on the floor. Presents had started to pile up around the tree too.
"Mummy look beautiful," Evelyn cooed loudly and Victoria looked to her daughter who was sat on the floor with Ryan who was playing with her fake tea set with her. Homelander was stood by the door, eyes set down on his phone and Victoria frowned. He'd hardly given the kids any attention in recent weeks.
"Well, thank you, sweetie," Victoria said back to her and she crouched down by her side. "Can I have a hug before I go?"
Evelyn moved to her feet and walked into Victoria's open arms. Holding onto her daughter, she kissed the top of her head and then pulled back, holding onto her.
"Now, you make sure you go to bed and go to sleep," Victoria said, tickling her sides. "And I'll see you in the morning."
"Love you, mummy."
"Love you too, baby," Victoria said and kissed her sloppily on the cheek, making her laugh loudly. Victoria stood up and clasped Ryan's shoulder as he remained sat on the floor, legs crossed and holding a fake teapot.
"I'll see you tomorrow too, alright?" she said to him. "We can even go to the bowling alley if you want?"
"Sounds good," he said.
"Alright, and don't stay up too late playing video games," she urged from him and bent down to peck him on the top of the head. He chuckled at her and Victoria turned to Natalie. "Thank you so much," she said to her.
"They're a pleasure," Natalie promised her and Victoria wondered if she was just saying that. "And you are looking stunning, Dr Anderton…that dress is…wow…"
"Far too mech flesh on show for my liking, but thank you," Victoria said. "And it's just Victoria, Natalie."
"Old habits," she said and Victoria just smiled at her before turning to her husband who was still looking at his phone.
Victoria exhaled a sharp and deep breath before moving towards him. She moved her hands to her hips and stood before him. "You ready?" she asked from him.
"I'm ready," he said and then finally looked at her. He blinked rapidly as his eyes looked her up and down and she noted his mouth gape slightly. "Wow," he said. "You look gorgeous."
"It's not too much?" Victoria wondered.
"Definitely not too much," he said and she knew where his eyes were lingering. "You usually don't go for something like that…but you look amazing."
"Thanks," Victoria said.
The dress was a glimmering red and much more low-cut than she was used to, dipping into a v and baring her chest. It was long sleeved and there was a slit up her right leg too. She kept pressing the material to her chest, scared that it was going to gape. The red material shimmered in the light and she'd left her hair hanging loose around her face.
"We should get going," Victoria said.
"Of course," he said, pocketing his phone.
They said goodbye to the kids with another wave and then left the penthouse. The event was taking place in Vought's conference room just downstairs and so they didn't need to travel far. Moving to the elevator, Victoria stepped in first before Homelander offered her his hand. Picking it up in his grip, he spun her under his arm. "You really do look beautiful," he said to her.
"It feels odd, but I'll be fine…and did I tell you that I got out of the speech Ashley wanted me to do?"
"How did you swing that?"
"Apparently George Clooney agreed to step in. Seems I can be upstaged still," Victoria said. "But that works for me. I mean, I'd rather listen to George Clooney than me any day of the week."
Homelander chuckled at her. "Well, as long as you're happy."
"And you?" Victoria asked. "We've hardly seen you this week, John."
"Things have been hectic," Homelander said. "I've been trying to appease shareholders since the news of Cameron Coleman's death came out. I've also been trying to work out where we are at with Neuman and Singer."
Victoria was quiet for a moment. Vought had announced that Coleman had died after a short illness and that the holiday had been a cover for him. There was also more noise gearing up around Singer, namely that he was trying to push his anti-supe legislation up the agenda again.
"In the interests of disclosure," she said to her husband, "I tried to find you yesterday and I was cornered by Sage. She thinks you're pushing her out."
"I am pushing her out," Homelander confirmed.
"And that might be, John, but she…just remember she's the smartest person in the world, okay? I know you need to keep her at arm's length, but you let her in and I wouldn't piss her off," Victoria said to him. "Besides, if she hasn't found the leak then what makes you think Firecracker can?"
"Well, she said she was going to," Homelander said. "And she said that it was worth a shot seeing as Sage has done a shit job so far."
Victoria nodded her head once and took a moment to think about what to say to him next. "I just think you should be careful, alright?" she urged from him. "Firecracker…I think she's desperate to please you. I just don't want you to find the wrong person and hurt them. That's already happened."
"I won't," Homelander assured her. "And I'll take what you said about Sage on board…she might be the smartest person, but I have wisdom and actual supe powers."
"Brains over brawn sometimes win," Victoria warned him as the elevator doors opened in the foyer. "Anyway, let's go and enjoy the Vought Christmas party."
The two of them walked hand-in-hand across the foyer and towards the conference room that had been transformed into a winter wonderland with Christmas trees and decorations dotted around everywhere. Victoria couldn't begin to comprehend how much it had cost to decorate the entire tower. There was a large twenty-foot tree in the middle of the room that had golden glimmering lights and red and blue baubles on it. There were tables scattered around with white tablecloths and nibbles on them. Waiters and waitresses were carrying trays of champagne as well.
Homelander took two glasses from one passing by and handed a glass to Victoria. She took it and had a sip, looking around and seeing some employees she recognised and other supes. The Seven were also there, all in their supe suits and talking to shareholders, no doubt trying to schmooze them based on the recent mess.
"Come on…let's get this over with," Homelander said.
The two of them moved into the party and the fake smile that Victoria had learned how to wear stayed plastered on her face. She laughed when she was supposed to laugh and she held onto Homelander's hand throughout. He took the lead in conversation, talking about Vought business and how they were going to try and fight Singer's legislation. As they finished their drink and the conversation with one of the chief financial officers, Victoria glanced to the side and spotted Sage talking to Seep, but looking less than impressed.
"Oh, I meant to ask you something," Victoria said when they had a moment alone, stood at the side of the party after smiling for a photo.
"What is it?"
"Ashley said something about Ryan doing a kid's TV show. I said that I'd talk to you first, but I think it ultimately needs to be Ryan's choice," Victoria said.
"Oh yeah, it's some show with puppets for Christmas," Homelander said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "Just, you know, spreading the Christmas cheer."
"But it's Ryan's choice, right?"
"Yeah, sure," Homelander said to her with a firm nod of his head.
"Promise?"
"I promise," Homelander said, hand going to his chest as Victoria placed her empty glass down on the table next to her. "Anyway, it's easy enough and I figured he'd be okay just to do it…I've got the script to approve for it but it's all set to go."
"Well, I think we leave it down to him. We agreed that the kids came first and they could make their own minds up," Victoria said, reminding him of their previous conversations they'd had.
"And that's what we'll do," Homelander said, but he knew that he might have to talk to Ryan himself. He looked around and then noted Firecracker nod at him, urging for him to come over and talk to her. Victoria also noticed the look and rolled her eyes behind his back. Looking to his wife, Victoria shrugged.
"Go," she urged from him.
"You're sure?"
"I can cope," Victoria assured him. "And it's not as if I'm coming over there with you."
"Okay," Homelander said and he bent down to kiss her briefly, hand holding her hip. "And you do look really sexy."
"Goodbye, John," Victoria said but he saw her lips quirk upwards for a moment.
He left her alone and moved over to Firecracker who began whispering animatedly to him and they left the conference room. Victoria grabbed hold of another glass of champagne from a passing tray before she noted A-Train standing next to her.
"What's that about?" he wondered from her, motioning to the two of them leaving as Sage also looked on.
"I don't know," Victoria said to him. "He's asked Firecracker to look for a leak so I imagine they might have a lead. I don't know though. He hasn't really been here in the last week. He's been busy…I think tonight is the most time I've spent with him while I've been awake."
"And you're alright?"
"Fine," Victoria said. "And you?"
"As good as can be," he said and Victoria saw Homelander's cloak vanish from her eyesight.
Homelander and Firecracker moved across the foyer and towards the closed café. They bypassed the barrier and stepped into the dark space, the only light coming from the dimmed foyer lights. Homelander stood by the window, arms folded over his chest.
"It was Hughie Campbell who planted the bugs," Firecracker said.
"Campbell?" Homelander checked. "I never saw him. Hell, I never even smelt him."
"Because he was in a disguise. He was wearing Webweaver's disguise," Firecracker answered and Homelander's brows shot up.
"Who the fuck is Webweaver?"
"A low tier supe," Firecracker said. "I went through the guest list and saw that he had been there…and apparently he had been there to see Tek-Knight about being his sidekick. Anyway, he was the only one in a suit, right? So, he had the perfect disguise."
"Where is he then?"
"At his apartment," Firecracker said, "but I can have him a cell with a click of my fingers," she said and clicked her fingers for emphasis.
"Bring him in," Homelander said. "Good job, Firecracker."
"Thank you, sir," she said, voice full of gratitude.
"And tomorrow we'll meet before we meet Sage at eleven. I want her to know that we've sorted this…and that she's no longer up to the job."
"I think she might've gotten that message."
"Well, she's going to receive it loud and clear tomorrow," Homelander said with a smile and said nothing else to her. He moved in to rejoin the party, standing by the door with his hands behind his back as he looked around at everyone. He saw Victoria stood on the other side of the room, holding another glass of champagne and talking to someone from the legal department.
"I'll tell you what, that Homelander is a lucky man."
He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but as soon as he heard his name, he couldn't help it. Looking to the side, he saw three men stood around one of the tall tables, beers in hand and munching on the canapes. He suspected they were part of the marketing team.
"She came into the office the other week asking for something to do with the charity she's working on," another one said. "Bent over the desk and I'm only a man…I had a peek."
They chuckled and Homelander's jaw locked. He was ready to lash out. He could feel it coming.
"You reckon he's actually getting any? I mean, she seems a bit of a prude."
"Of course he is. He's getting some. You'd have to."
"Yeah, but she's a bit of a snowflake, isn't she?"
"You know what they say about uptight girls though?"
Homelander snapped away from their conversation when he felt a hand on his arm. Looking down, he saw Victoria stood there. She moved her other hand to his cheek, guiding his gaze to hers. She shook her head. "Don't," she said to him.
"What?" Homelander asked.
"I know that look on your face and whoever you're listening to, don't bother," Victoria said to him. "It's not worth it. It's the Vought Christmas party…just let it go."
"Easier said than done," he grunted.
"For me?" Victoria tried and he looked to her, seeing how she moved her fingers to her neck, toying with the locket she wore there that he'd bought for her the first Christmas they'd spent together. "Please?"
Homelander exhaled a shaky breath and just nodded his head. "Alright," he relented and he moved to take hold of her hand from his cheek. "Come on, let's get out of here."
Victoria agreed with him, but instead of going to the penthouse, he stole a bottle of champagne and they went to The Seven's meeting room. Victoria wondered what they were doing there before he shut the door. He sat down in his seat and Victoria kicked her heels off. She perched on the edge of the table and he handed her the champagne bottle.
"You know, we should've bought glasses," Victoria said to him.
"I've seen you drink out of the bottle before," Homelander said and she shrugged, tipping it back and downing a gulp. She handed it back to him and he set it down on the table in front of him. He laced his hands over his stomach. "It was Hughie Campbell who snuck into Tek-Knight's party. He planted bugs."
"Bugs?" Victoria questioned.
"Obviously, they didn't hear anything too incriminating," Homelander said, but he knew that was a lie. He had no idea she'd pieced most of the jigsaw together. She just had a few pieces missing, but she'd get them in time. She knew she would. "But he was wearing Webweaver's costume."
"Who is Webweaver?" Victoria wondered and she picked the bottle up again and had another sip of champagne.
"Some supe," he said, nonchalantly waving a hand. "Either way, he's the mole."
"For everything?"
"I suspect so."
"And I assume you're going to bring him in for questioning?"
"Firecracker is on it," Homelander confirmed and Victoria let her legs sway over the side. She nodded thoughtfully, doing her best to consider what he was saying to her. Victoria sat quietly, holding the bottle in her fingertips and Homelander could see that she was thinking. "What is it?" he asked from her.
"Just that I've never heard of this guy," Victoria said. "I mean…even Billy's never mentioned him."
"Would William mention the leak to you?"
"Definitely not…it's just…it's all a mess, isn't it?" Victoria said to her husband. "Everything is a mess and a part of me thought that after the trial we'd be finished, but it never seems to end, does it?"
Homelander took the bottle from her and reached for her hips. He dragged her forwards and towards him. He spread his legs and Victoria sat on the table between them as he ran his hands up and down her sides.
"We'll be okay, Vicky," he said to her. "And I'll try and be around more this week for the kids."
"Evie has been asking after you," Victoria informed her husband.
"I know and I hate that I have to be away from you all," Homelander said. "Have you missed me?" He asked the question as his hands moved up her thighs underneath the skirt of her dress. Victoria looked at him as he watched her questioningly and she thought about what was on the line. Forcing herself to smile, she shrugged and tried to act coy.
"I don't know," she said. "I mean…I've been pretty busy myself…have you been missing?"
Homelander's teeth came out as his smile widened and he grabbed under her thighs, tugging her to him and she straddled his lap. He reached for the arms of her dress and started to peel it from her.
"You're always so funny," Homelander muttered and then shook his head once as Victoria let him pull her dress down to her waist, seeing that she had forgone a bra and moving to kiss along her collarbone. "But I am sorry for neglecting you, sweetheart," he whispered while nipping her skin. "I'll make up for it tonight…I promise," he assured her.
She felt his fingers trail against the sides of her breasts and she shuddered under his touch as her own hands skimmed his shoulders.
"Sir…I…oh God…I'm so sorry."
Victoria startled as the doors opened and Ashley came barrelling in. She tugged her dress up to her chest, the arms dangling free but she managed to cover her modesty. Homelander kept his arms around her waist and she pressed her chest to his front, trying to stay hidden.
"What do you want, Ashley?" he demanded from her, voice exasperated.
Victoria tucked her hair behind her ear and turned her head over her shoulder to face the Vought CEO who was just looking anywhere but at the two of them.
"Sorry, sir…it's just that…Victoria…it's her mum," Ashley said and Victoria frowned as she tried to untangle herself from Homelander as elegantly as possible without her dress slipping. He stood up, adjusting the front of his pants and looking down to his wife.
"What about her?"
"She says she needs to talk to you about your dad."
"Did she say why?"
"Just that he's in hospital…and your mum...she says she's received threats…and she sounded scared," Ashley said.
"Okay," Victoria said, hand going to rub her forehead. "Just tell her that I'll call her in ten, okay? Can you send her number to me?"
"Consider it done," Ashley said and she scurried out the meeting room.
Homelander dropped his hands to his hips as Victoria tugged her dress back onto her arms. "You're seriously not going to call her, are you?"
"I want to know what's going on, John," Victoria said. "She's receiving threats. I never wanted that to happen when I went public."
"They're not worth your time."
"My dad might not be, but my mum doesn't deserve this," Victoria declared, slipping her heels onto her feet. "I know you don't agree and I get that, but she's still my mum. I never had a real relationship with her, but that doesn't mean I want her to go through anything like this. I know how shit it is."
Homelander wanted to roll his eyes and demand her attention. A part of him wanted to storm off and leave her to deal with her mother by herself. He had more important things to do. But then he remembered what she wanted. She wanted a husband.
And so he held his hand out to her. "Let's sort this," he said and she did what he expected her to do. She took his hand like she always did.
...
A/N: As always, thanks for reading and would love to know what you think!