Victoria settled back and watched the scene in front of her. Alex was with Evelyn, the two of them stood by the crashing waves on the small beach. It was hardly that warm, all of them wrapped up in thick jumpers, jeans and coats. Alex had been the one to suggest that they get out for a little while, saying that he'd never really been to the beach before. They'd found a small inlet where the only people there were just dog walkers. It was peaceful, the only noise coming from the crashing of the waves and the seagulls above.

Victoria walked on the dry sand, her feet slipping with some of it ending up in her sneakers. She carried her bag that had some of Evelyn's supplies in it including food and wipes. Looking over to the wet sand, she saw that Alex was holding Evelyn's hands in his, helping her walk as he hovered above her, not letting her go as she put one foot in front of the other. She was concentrating hard, her blue eyes wide and her lips arched as she let out garbled chuckles at what Alex was saying to her.

Just as the waves crashed onto the shore, he grabbed hold of her, hoisting her into his arms and she squealed loudly as he ran away from the seat with her. Victoria smiled at the two of them, watching as he adjusted Evelyn in his arms and looked her in the eye, saying something that made her laugh again. She was slowly starting to speak, but only certain words came out of her mouth. She wasn't entirely able to form coherent sentences just yet. She had just turned nineteen months and Victoria couldn't believe that she would nearly be two. She had no idea how time had gone by so quickly.

"Should we go back to mummy? Yeah?" Alex said and they moved back over to where Victoria was stood. She glanced to the two of them, putting her hand up to her forehead and squinting into the sun. "Look…mummy's here…"

"Mummy," Evelyn squeaked and reached out for her. Victoria took hold of her, finding that she was getting heavier and she was unable to hold her for as long as she used to.

"Did you enjoy the sea?"

"Sea…" Evelyn said and pointed back to it, Victoria nodding.

"Yeah, that's the sea," she confirmed for her daughter. "It's a bit too cold to go in, but one day we'll go swimming, okay?"

"Swimming," Evelyn said back to her and then pointed to the bag she was carrying. "Can I juice?"

"What do we say?" Victoria said to her as Alex moved to open the bag that was dangling on her shoulder, reaching for a juice box inside of it. "We say please, remember?"

"Please, mummy?"

"Good girl," Victoria said, bouncing her slightly as Alex took the straw from the plastic at the side of the box and stuck it into the carton. He handed it to Evelyn, her little hands reaching out to take hold of it. "What do you say?"

She took a slurp and then looked Alex right in the eye. "Thank you, daddy."

Victoria froze and Alex looked startled for a moment. The smile faltered from his face as he took in what she had just called him. She'd just called him daddy. Did she think that he was her father? Had she completely forgotten Homelander? Victoria let her mouth hang open for a second, almost unsure whether she should look at Alex or not. It took her a moment to comprehend what might happen if he freaked out. But how was Evelyn to know any better? She hadn't seen her real father in months. She wasn't to know. Even when they'd been living in the Tower, he didn't spend twenty four/seven with her like Alex did now.

"You're welcome, sweetie," Alex settled on saying to her and Victoria looked to him, Evelyn now firmly focused on drinking her juice, not the two adults around her. Alex just shook his head to Victoria. "It's fine," he promised her, eyes set on her and head nodding to confirm that it was indeed fine. He wasn't going to let her freak out over this. Out of everything they had to freak out over, this was not important to him.

"But-"

"-Vicky, baby, it's alright," he promised her, interrupting her. "We're not ruining a nice day over this, okay?"

"Okay," Victoria said to him with a nod of his head, knowing that she would bring it up later on.

But for now, Evelyn was more focused on going back to the sea after finishing her drink in record time. "Sea," she said, pointing back to it as Alex took her empty juice carton and tossed it into a bin by the path along the top of the beach. "Please, mummy?"

"You want to go back to the sea?" Victoria checked with her.

"Please," Evelyn said and Victoria relented.

"Okay, we'll go back," she said and Alex offered to take hold of Evelyn. Victoria relented, finding it hard to carry her for a long period of time. Taking hold of her in his arms, the bright smile was back on his face as he went back to teasing her and heading towards the crashing waves once more.

…

Sitting on the sofa, Victoria found that she preferred not to watch the news, but it had been on as soon as she'd turned the screen on. And he'd been there. His face had filled the 40-inch screen and she'd frozen. She'd almost dropped her wine on the floor, but she'd managed to set the glass down on the coffee table. She had her legs curled underneath her body, a blanket thrown over her lap. Alex had taken Evelyn up to bed considering she was exhausted after her day at the beach. She'd fallen asleep in her car seat as Alex drove them back to the barn, stopping off at the supermarket for food on the way.

"And your wife…she's been missing for several months. Why are you only just admitting this now?"

Victoria looked to the screen, seeing a snippet from the Cameron Coleman show. The host was sat there with Homelander sat across from him, dressed in his usual supe outfit. He had an arm resting on the table, hand covered in his red glove. His blonde hair was neatly coiffed on the top of his head, blue eyes softening slightly as the screen in the background showed an image of him and Victoria on their wedding day, her in her white dress, arm draped over his lap as they sat on the staircase together, his gaze set down on her adoringly as she looked to him, a demure smile on her face.

"Well, Victoria hasn't entirely been herself since Evelyn was born," Homelander confessed. "She's struggled with motherhood and I think that is completely understandable. It is hard being a mom…and being the mom of a supe…well, that comes with extra challenges as we all know. Vought tried to get her as much help as possible and I thought that things were getting better, but then we discovered she was pregnant again and…I think that tipped her over the edge."

"Do you think that she would harm your daughter?" Cameron asked and Victoria blanched on the sofa.

Homelander shook his head and she noted the sudden way his jaw jutted out. She could see he was annoyed by that question. It was subtle, but she knew him better than anyone else.

"Never," Homelander said confidently. "I think she is struggling. She lives her life under a microscope and she isn't used to it. It's difficult for her. She struggles with that and I think this is her attempt to escape it all."

Cameron cocked his head to the side. "You're saying that she struggles with the fame that comes with being with you?" he checked with him.

Homelander shrugged and then let out a deep sigh. "I think so," he said and Victoria snorted on the sofa. "I know she's never been comfortable with it."

"And you've never thought of giving it up for her?" Cameron pushed.

"I would," Homelander replied with a firm nod of his head. "I would give it up for her if she wanted me to, but all I've ever known is the Seven and helping people. It would be difficult to quit, but I'd be willing to for her."

"That's very noble of you." Cameron said.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Bullshit," she whispered under her breath.

"I love her," Homelander said. "We've had our differences and challenges, but I love her. I just want her back safe and sound…and I'd hoped she'd be back by now."

"But there's been no word from her?"

"None whatsoever," Homelander said with a gentle shake of his head. "We didn't tell people the truth to begin with because we were trying to keep her condition under wraps. I was trying to protect her and that is all I've ever tried to do. I just want to protect her and our daughter, but I…I just want to know she's safe. I just want to know my wife is perfectly safe with Evelyn. I miss them both."

"And if she's watching now, what would you say to her?" Cameron asked and Homelander looked directly down the camera's lens. Victoria started into those blue eyes she used to adore. She used to be able to get lost in them, laid in bed with him and panting for breath as he stared so intensely at her, like she was the only thing that mattered.

"Victoria, darling," he spoke in a soft voice, "if you are watching this. If this gets out to you then know that all I want is for you to come home. I want you and Evie to come home and I'll take care of everything. Nothing will hurt you again. I promise you. I love you, sweetheart."

"And there we have it," Cameron summed up and Victoria flicked the TV off, tossing the remote off to the side. She buried her face in her hands before she heard Alex speak.

"You shouldn't let him get to you," he said to her and Victoria whirled her head over her shoulder to see him stood at the bottom of the staircase, arms folded over his chest. He was still wearing a green cable knit sweater over his dark jeans, hair slightly messy from their earlier time on the beach and the wind.

"He's not," Victoria promised Alex and he headed over to the sofa.

Sitting down next to her, he draped an arm over the back of it and over her shoulders. "What he's saying is shit and we both know it," he promised her. "No one knows us here and we don't see enough people for anyone to recognise us. You're right…the Brits aren't entirely bothered by supes."

"Still worrying," Victoria said. "It sometimes feels that it doesn't matter how far we go, he'll find us. He'll still be able to find me and it's like I'm biding time."

"We don't know what's going to happen in the future," Alex said, his other hand coming up to play with strands of her hair, knuckles brushing her cheek as he did so. "But what we do know is that we're staying hidden and that's for the best. You're doing this for your daughter."

"I just…it just scares me that one day someone will recognise us."

"And if that day comes then we move. We start somewhere new," Alex assured her. "But for the time being, it's clear that Homelander has no idea where you are and these ridiculous appeals he's doing aren't fooling a lot of people. You should read the comments on social media. People have seen him for who he really is after Starlight outed him."

"That's even worse because he…he still has supporters…and so long as he has people who support him then he's going to keep going," Victoria said. "I just hate that we escaped him and he's still in my head…I just…I can't get away from him."

"Hey, listen to me," Alex said, a hand moving to her cheek and forcing her to look him in the eye, thumb running along her cheekbone. "You are away from him. You got away from him and look where you are. You're here…free…raising an amazing little girl. If anything happens then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it because you have people who love and care for you…your brother…Annie…they might not be able to be here, but they're not abandoning you."

Victoria nodded and kissed him on the cheek, motion quick and forceful before he moved her, angling her to rest against his side, her cheek pressing to his chest as she lifted her legs up, bending them at the knee. He moved his hand to sit on her kneecap, fingers stretching out over her jean clad thigh.

"About earlier…I'm sorry," Victoria said.

Alex shifted slightly. "What are you sorry for?" he wondered from her.

"I just…when Evelyn…" Victoria blabbered, not entirely sure on the right words.

"Ah," Alex said, catching on. "She's still a baby, Vicky. She's not going to remember it. I mean…I know I'm not her father and I'm never going to be her father…but she…I do care for her a lot."

"I know," Victoria said and she wondered just how hurt Homelander would be if he knew what their daughter had said. She suspected he'd be beside himself. She tried not to think of that. She knew how badly he wanted a child. He had told her often enough that he just wanted a family and she had given him that. For some fleeting moments, it had been perfect. But they had just been moments.

"I just know you never signed up to any of this and-"

"-We don't need to go through this again," he interrupted her. "I knew exactly what I was getting involved with when I pursued you after I met you. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to fight against Homelander. And I knew precisely what it meant coming here…it meant that I'd be with you and Evie. You're a package deal and that doesn't deter me in the slightest. In fact, it means more."

Victoria felt her chest swell at that and she peered up to Alex, a hand going to his cheek as she brought his face down, lips pressing against his tenderly before she pulled back. "I love you," she settled on saying to him and his own lips cocked into a smile then.

"Not just falling?" he asked and she shook her head.

"Too far gone for that," she assured him in a gentle whisper.

"Same here, baby," he said, nose brushing hers. "I love you too," he said and kissed her once more.

….

Looking at the photo of his wife on their wedding day, Homelander's thumb roamed over her face. She was staring up to him like she actually loved him. He knew that she had done. She had loved him and everything had been perfect. But then everything had gone terribly wrong. As soon as she'd found out about Becca Butcher, it had gone downhill. He took a moment before he placed the photo frame down on the desk in his living area. Ryan was currently at school. Homelander thought it would be a waste of time, but Ashley had managed to persuade him that it would be good for him to study. He was being home schooled, but not like Homelander had been.

"I see you're still struggling to get your wife back."

Homelander's teeth ground together. He'd invited Victoria Neuman up to his penthouse after she'd been in contact to tell him that she had a piece of information he might find interesting. They'd agreed to a professional relationship. If he did a favour for her then she would owe him a favour. It was purely transactional and Homelander was proving himself to be quite useful.

"Just biding my time," Homelander settled on saying, hands going behind his back and clasping together. "Now, what are you doing here? I have meetings concerning new recruits for the Seven in twenty minutes."

"This won't take long," Victoria said and he saw that she was holding a brown file in her hands. She tossed it down onto the coffee table in the living room. Homelander walked towards it, each step tentative, wondering just what he was going to find. "I think you'll find it very interesting."

"I'll be the judge of that," Homelander said.

He moved to pick the envelope up, peeling the top of it open with the back of a finger. Once he pulled the paper out, he felt his heart race and his stomach churn. It was his wife. It was a photo of her in some store, picking up milk. The image was slightly blurry, but he instantly recognised her. He looked at her dark hair and plump lips, noting the way she glanced down, wide eyes set on nothing in particular. It was his Victoria.

"Where did you get this?" Homelander questioned, mouth completely dry.

"I have links with government and pulled in a few favours. I figured that Crime Analytics here might not have the resources since, you know, Deep fired most of your staff," Victoria said and Homelander rolled his eyes, remembering the expose on working in CA that the NYT had run. The shares had gone down by six percent the other week.

"And you did this out of the goodness of your heart?" Homelander asked.

"Oh, no," Victoria said with a shake of her head, own lips arching up in a smile. "I did this because now I have the upper hand. When I need something from you then you give it to me. Your wife disappeared before…she could disappear again if I chose to help her…but hopefully it won't come to that if you give me what I want."

Homelander ground his teeth together. He didn't like this. He didn't like the fact that he owed someone something. It wasn't how it should be. But he'd learned that things weren't how they should be and it was down to him to make them right. The first thing was starting with his wife.

"Where is she?"

"Do we have a deal?" Victoria pushed him and he exhaled a sharp breath, waving a hand in exaggeration.

"We have a fucking deal," he snapped at her.

"Her address is here," Victoria said, handing him a folded piece of paper she'd kept in the pocket of her dark brown three-piece suit. "She's been going by the name of Amanda Jameson…new fake ID…offshore bank account. Did you not think to look in England considering that's where she's from?"

"Of course I did," Homelander snapped.

"Then Crime Analytics really must be underfunded," she settled on saying to him and he grunted his response. "I'll leave that address with you. I trust you can manage not to fuck this up?"

Homelander just threw her a withering glower before he moved onto the balcony of the penthouse. He didn't bother with goodbyes. Instead, he took off into the night and prepared to go and find his wife and daughter.

…

"Where are you?"

"What do you mean where am I?" Victoria asked, startled awake by her brother. It was three in the morning and her phone had started vibrating, waking her up. She'd sleepily reached for it on the bedside table as Alex groaned, also waking up. He slung an arm around her waist as she propped herself onto her side. She managed to reach for the switch to turn her bedside light on, eyes squinting as she adjusted to the dark.

"The house in the Lake District…you're not there, are you?"

"No," Victoria said as she suddenly became more alert and sat up against the headboard, Alex's arm still slung over her as he blinked rapidly, trying to wake himself up. "We left there and headed somewhere else…figured we should be somewhere more remote."

"He's there, Vicky," Billy's gruff voice said and Victoria felt a weight crushing against her chest. Alex sat up and listened in, able to hear what Billy was saying.

"What…how…" Victoria garbled, not entirely sure she could form coherent sentences.

"I don't know how, but I had the house rigged with an alarm system and an outdoor security camera…it's him…he's in the house…"

"Fuck," Victoria whispered and Alex shook his head, knowing that they had to get out. "He's in England?"

"Yeah," Billy said. "There's nothing in that house that links you to where you are now, is there?"

"No…I don't think so," Victoria said and looked to Alex who also shook his head. They'd done a deep clean of the place, making sure they didn't leave any trace of them being there. He knew that they had to be careful. They had to make sure that they were safe. "But if he's in England then he knows I am…he knows about the house…which means he knows about my ID, Billy. He has to know. He has to know all of it and he'll be able to trace me with the card-"

"-I know," Billy said. "I'm working on getting you another ID, but for now I need you to get out. Grab your baby and go."

"Where?"

"Anywhere. Pay in cash. Lay low and keep this phone on."

"Okay," Victoria agreed with a nod of her head, already climbing out of bed and reaching for clothes as Alex did the same. "I need to go, Billy."

"Just text me when you're in a hotel, alright? One that's non-descript…small and quiet…"

"I will," Victoria said and hung up, tossing the phone onto the bed and looking to Alex as he stripped out of his top and reached for a clean one to pull one. "You hear all of that?"

"Yep," he said to her. "I'll grab a bag and pack our things if you get Evelyn's things together."

"Alright," Victoria said, out of breath, running entirely on adrenaline. She pulled her nightshirt off, turning her back to Alex and reaching for a clean bra. She pulled it on and clasped it at the back before whirling around and heading to the wardrobe. Alex was stripping out of his joggers, wearing only his boxers on his legs. He caught Victoria's eye, noting her state of undress and trying not to focus on the swell of her breasts in her plain black bra.

"Never imagined the first time we were half naked we'd be putting clothes back on," Alex said, making her smile for a second despite the situation.

She tugged on her jeans and a jumper, slipping into a pair of sneakers before heading to the door. Before she could go, he wrapped a hand around her wrist. "We'll be fine," he promised her and bent down to kiss her for a second. "We'll get out of here and be fine."

Victoria nodded her head and kissed him on the cheek before rushing off to grab Evelyn and flee.

…

Standing in the terrace house, it was entirely non-descript. There were no personal items in it. It was newly renovated and was pleasant enough. Homelander sniffed, turning his nose up at it. It was far too small for him. He walked around the living room and inhaled. He could smell her. He could smell his wife. She might have cleaned, but she hadn't done a great job considering that he could smell her everywhere. He could smell Evelyn too. It was a familiar baby smell from the bedroom upstairs. But in the main bedroom, he looked to the crumpled white duvet and smelt something else. It wasn't his wife's perfume. It wasn't her shampoo or body wash. It was a man's smell. She'd had a man in her bedroom.

Homelander's hands clenched into fists. He couldn't place the smell, but he knew what it was. What did she think she was playing at? He had no idea, but he would be certain to remind her of her place when he got her back.

….

A/N: Is it possible to hide forever? Who knows? Anyway, the net is closing in - what do you think might happen!? Would love your thoughts!