*3rd Person POV*

Hughie sat in the living room of Legend's cabin, cleaning his ear with a rag as he stares at a plate of pizza rolls. He removes the rag and sees black ooze on it, which had been coming out of his ears after taking Temp V same goes for Butcher. Hughie sighs as he sets the rag down while Butcher walks in.

"Where's Soldier Boy and Mystic Shade?" He asked Hughie. "You mean, ever since Soldier Boy told us he was supposed to kill his own son? He locked himself and Mystic in the bedroom with a bottle of Old Granddad." Hughie said as he cleans his ears again. "Well, Homelander ain't really his son, and he knows it." Butcher said, firmly, just as Soldier Boy and Mystic Shade come in the room.

Soldier Boy had a glass of milk in one hand and in the other hand he had a can of Coke-Cola. Butcher turns to them as Soldier Boy pours the can of soda into the milk. "All right, let's be off then, eh? We'll swing by the office and grab some more V. And then Hughie will jump us to where the cսոts are." Butcher said as he puts on his jacket and Soldier Boy takes a drink of his concoction while Mystic Shade stood by the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"We do Noir and Homelander. And we're finished. Right?" Butcher asked the two Supes. Soldier Boy looked between the two men with a look of confliction before he walks and turns away, walking out of the room. Mystic looks over at him then to Butcher and Hughie.

"So, once this is all done, you'll leave us alone?" Mystic Shade asked Butcher. "Of course, love. Once those two are out of the way, you and Soldier Boy can go on your merry way." Butcher said and Mystic smirks alittle. "Good..." she said as she walks up to them and gives them a serious look, Hughie jerks back alittle at this. "Because if either of you do any funny business, it will be the last fuck up you two will ever do. Am I clear?" She asked, her voice stern and serious.

"As a bell." Butcher said, in a steady voice, while Hughie looked a scared beyond belief. "Good." Mystic Shade said before she turns away from them and leaves.

Later, they stopped at a gas station to get some fuel. Mystic Shade was sitting up in the backseat of Butcher's car, her head leaning against the window as she was resting. Ben was lying down in the backseat, his head on her lap. The two of them were still kinda dealing with a hangover as last night all they did was drink, talk and reminisce....and maybe gone a couple rounds of drunk sex.

Meanwhile, Hughie and Butcher were inside the gas station. Hughie was in the bathroom while Butcher stood outside, making a decision. Starlight called him last night and told him that she found out that after taking over five doses of Temp V, it will kill them. Her words had circled his head and he decided he didn't want Hughie a part of this anymore. Hughie was too good for this, he doesn't deserve to have his life thrown away over something that wasn't really his fight.

This was Butcher's fight and his alone.

The toilet flushes and the sound of the sink sounds out as Butcher looks around himself, making sure nobody is watching. A second later, Hughie opens the door and stops when he sees Butcher in front of him. "Hey, uh..." Hughie said and he holds up the bathroom keys, which was attached to a car rim.

"You really are the spitting image of my little brother." Butcher said to Hughie, who furrows his brow in confusion. "What?" he asked and Butcher punches him across the face, knocking him out. Hughie falls back then Butcher pushes him back into the bathroom and shuts the door before leaving him behind.

Minutes later, Soldier Boy and Mystic Shade wake up to see that the car was moving, Butcher driving along. Soldier Boy sits up, groaning, as Mystic rubs the sleep out of her eyes. "Oh, there they are." Butcher said and the Supes noticed Hughie was gone. "Where's the cսm guzzler?" Soldier Boy asked and Mystic elbows his side. "Ben." She mutters, exasperated.

"You were spot-on about him. There I was, filling up the motor, I turn around, the little git had done a runner." Butcher said. "We needed him to get near Noir." Soldier Boy said. "Ah, don't you worry about that, guv. I got it all worked out." Butcher assures them as he looks at them through the rear view mirror. Soldier Boy and Mystic Shade share a look before Soldier Boy shrugs.

"Wake me when we get to New York." He said and he lays back down and places his head on Mystic's lap again. She looks down at him and runs her fingers through his hair, soothingly, as Butcher keeps on driving down the highway.

*(y/n)'s POV*

That night, we made it to Butcher's office and he was digging around his desk for maps and I guess more of that Temp V. Ben had found a bottle of alcohol and opens it then the scent of the drink hit him. "Whoa...that brings me back. Used to sneak my dad's Manhattans when I was a kid." Ben said as he pours a couple of glasses. "I didn't have to nick nothin' from my old man. He used to get me and me little brother lagered just for the hell of it." Butcher said as he continued to dig in his desk.

"Well, I got to admit, that does sound funny." Ben chuckles and I shoot a glare at him then he looks away before handing me a glass. "The old man still around?" I asked Butcher as I take the glass and sip on it. "Arse cancer. Shitting his guts out as we speak, one hopes." Butcher said as his phone buzzes and he looks at it then rejects whoever was calling him.

"You ever see The Soldier Boy Story?" Ben asked him. "Must've missed it." Butcher said as he takes his phone apart. "It's a classic. We lost Best Picture to An American in Paris that year. At least I got to ass-fuck Jane Wyman in the coat check." Ben said and I rolled my eyes. "About a poor kid from the streets of South Philly. Discovers he's got incredible powers to match his...heart of gold. It's all bullshit." Ben said as Butcher grabs himself a glass.

"Blimey, you don't say?" He said, sarcastically, and I did chuckle a bit at this. "Actually my father owned half the steel mills in the state. I went to boarding school. Got kicked out of boarding school. Because I was a fuck-up. But he made sure I knew it." Ben explains as he sits down in a chair across from Butcher's desk. "Use the belt, did he?" Butcher asked. "Never laid a hand on me. He couldn't be bothered. Said I was a disappointment. Not good enough to carry his name." Ben said and he smirks, sarcastically, alittle before he scoffs, softly.

"So I went to his golf buddies in the War Department, and they get me into Dr. Vought's Compound V trials. I became a superhero. Strongest man alive. Fսcking ticker tape parades when I came home." Ben said. "And what did the old man say then?" Butcher asked him as he takes a drink from his glass. "Ah." Ben said as he smiles and points at him. "He said I took a shortcut. That a real man wouldn't have cheated." Ben said as his smile disappears then he looks down.

I remember when he told me what his father said, I felt sorry for Ben. His father sounded like a cruel man. I never met him, Ben basically cut ties with his father at the same time I cut ties with Adam.

"What about you, love? Got a true story to tell us?" Butcher asked me as I look up at him. "Honestly, I think between the three of us, I'm the most normal when it comes to issues with fathers or mothers. My father and mother had normal jobs, my father a banker and my mother a nurse." I explained and I take a sip of my drink again. "But then things went wrong when I turned seventeen. My father was gunned down by some robbers and my mother died from a broken heart sometime after that. I was left alone." I said and I bite my lips as the image of my mother's frail body appeared in my mind.

"And then it seemed my life turned around when I met Adam. He showered me with love and affection, told me everything I wanted to hear at that time. We got married after about a year. Then a few years later, he tricked me." I said and Butcher gives me a curious look. "Tricked you?" He asked and I nodded. "Basically, he set up a fake doctor's appointment for me when really it was to stick Compound V into me. To get rich and famous." I said. "And why didn't he take it himself?" Butcher asked and I shrugged. "I guess since they had Philly boy here...." I said as I walk behind Ben and pat his shoulder. "They wanted a female counterpart. Vought, I guess, saw potential in me and wanted me to fill that role. We didn't know about Liberty, or Stormfront as you knew her as."

"And what happened to Adam? Clearly you're not with him anymore." Butcher said and Ben looks up at me with a smirk. "Few months after I got powers, he divorced me. He thought I was cheating on him with Ben. I don't know if you've seen the picture of us getting off the plane after the war was over." I said and Butcher thinks for a moment then nods. "Well, when that picture of me and Ben kissing got to the papers, Adam was none too happy. And for the record, I wasn't cheating on Adam. Ben initiated the kiss first." I said. "Hey, you complained about him and I hated seeing you look miserable, you needed out of that. Plus, you didn't reject me." Ben said and I roll my eyes at this but I smiled.

"But yeah, that's my story." I said as I take a huge gulp of the drink, quenching my thirst. "Whatever happened to him?" Butcher asked me. "Last I heard, he remarried sometime after we divorced, had kids and then um....I believe he died in the sixties." I said and I bite my lips and shake my head.

"What about you, you got kids?" Ben asked Butcher. "It's complicated." Butcher replied. "I always assumed I had a few out there. Somewhere. I always wanted 'em. 'Cause I thought I could do it better than my father did." Ben said then he looks over at me. "Homelander ain't yours. Not really." Butcher tells him. "He's the only blood I've got left." Ben pointed out.

"It don't matter. You didn't name him, didn't raise him. Vought grew him in a fսcking test tube to take your place. He's the fսcking reason they left you to rot with the Ivans." Butcher said as Ben looks down. "Look, mate. We had a deal." Butcher said, in a firm tone, and Ben takes a the last gulp of his drink then clucks tongue. "I'm gonna get some air." He said as he stands up. He walks over to a table, sets his glass down and walks out of the room.

After a few moments, I sigh and walk out of the room to look for Ben, then I found him in an empty room, looking out the window. I cautiously walk into the room before going up to him. "Ben?" I said, softly, as he continues to look out the window. "Hey, talk to me. What are you thinking about?" I asked him, trying to sound comforting. He continues to glare out the window, into the many lite buildings below us and the many headlights rushing by on the streets.

"He's asking me to kill my son. I know I didn't raise him but..." Ben stops then sighs as he shakes his head. "What do you think?" Ben asked me and I raise an eyebrow at this. "What do you mean?" I asked him. "You know more about him than I do...what's he like?" He asked me and I sigh at this.

"He's an egotistical asshole, that much I could tell by watching him on the TV." I said then I bite my lips. "But Maeve, who's in the Seven with him, she's told me a lot of shit he's done. And from what I can tell, he's the worst of all." I said. Ben looks way, contemplating what I said before I speak again. "I know this is hard. But no one is safe as long as Homelander is still alive. If we don't take him down tonight, then more innocent people are gonna die." I tell him and Ben sighs.

He stands there and looks out the window, I raise a hand and place it on his shoulder. Ben looks down at me and was about to speak until we heard shouting down the hall. We make our way and follow the noise to hear people talking then someone shouts at someone, I then realized the noise was coming from Butcher's office.

"Butcher's right. Homelander needs to die. That's it. Whatever it takes." I hear Maeve's voice says and this gave me pause. Butcher said told me she was dead, I guess whatever happened, she got out. "I really thought that deep down you were a hero." A young female voice said. "Well, you were wrong. There's no such thing." Maeve said as we get closer to the door. "This is not gonna happen." The female voice said, angrily, and the lights start to flicker. "Annie, I don't want to hurt you." Maeve said, in a warning tone.

"But we will." Ben said as we get to the doorway of the office and see Hughie, Maeve, Starlight and Butcher's friends he told us about all standing in the room. They all look at us, surprised, before Butcher speaks. "All right, you lot. In the safe." He commands and Hughie looks at him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey." He said, worried. "In the safe." Butcher commands again and everyone looks at him then to me and Ben, who starts to reach for his knife. Then Starlight looks around at the others. "Let's go." She mutters and Hughie scoffs as the large black man, M.M. I believe Hughie told me was his name, glares at me and Ben. "Hey, not now. Not like this." Starlight tells him and he and the others go into the safe and Maeve shuts the door on them.

"All right, well...Tinkerbell needs power for her powers." Butcher said as he goes to the power switch after we got ready. Then he flips the down and the power goes off.

*3rd Person POV*

"The prisoners you liberated here, most of them were nearly dead. They owe you their lives." The interviewer said as Soldier Boy and Mystic Shade appear on the screen. Homelander was watching an old interview of theirs on a laptop as he waits in the TV station section of Vought Tower.

"We're not here to take credit. These boys here, they're the real heroes." Soldier Boy said as he gestures to the men behind him. "What the Jerries did here is unforgivable. But we promise you, we're gonna serve them up some good old-fashioned American justice." Mystic Shade said and Homelander smiles at the footage. He always looked up to Soldier Boy and, truth be told, he was envious of the relationship Soldier Boy and Mystic Shade had.

He thought he had that when he and Maeve were together but that didn't last long. And then with Stormfront...well...that ended in shit as well.

At that moment, Homelander heard footsteps but he didn't turn as he knew who it was. "Scorched earth, eh, William?" He asked as Butcher, Maeve, Soldier Boy and Mystic Shade enter the room. "Scorched earth." Butcher confirmed.

"Where's Noir?" Soldier Boy asked. "He's dead. I killed him." Homelander replied as he turns to them. "Why?" Ben asked him. "Because he didn't tell me about you. I'm alone. I just want to talk." Homelander said as he spreads his arms out. "I know what it's like to have your team betray you. But with you and I together...they wouldn't stand a chance. Nobody would." He said and Ben thinks on this and shrugs.

"Unless we kill each other first." Soldier Boy said as he takes a couple of steps forward. "That's true. But why? What, because he says so? He's nothing. He's human." Homelander chuckles. "Don't you listen to this fսcking twɑt. He ain't your kid." Butcher said as he, Maeve and Mystic take a couple of steps forward. "Yes, I am. I am your son. I am your blood. That's all that matters." Homelander growls. "Maybe." Soldier Boy mutters and Homelander goes over a door while Mystic takes Soldier Boy's hand in hers.

Homelander opens the door and Ryan comes out, Butcher looking at him in shock. "Ryan." Butcher whispers as Homelander brings Ryan up to Soldier Boy. "This is my son. Ryan. Your grandson." Homelander said to him and Soldier Boy has different emotions flowing through mind as he looks at the young boy.

"Hi, Grandpa." Ryan greets, softly, and Soldier Boy looks away and towards Mystic Shade, who was just as shocked as him. "You see? You have a family. You have him. And you have me." Homelander said and Soldier Boy chuckles softly. "It's a shame that I've missed...so much. I wish I could've raised you...and taught you, father to son." Soldier Boy said as he takes his hand out of Mystic's and walks up to Homelander. Mystic and Maeve share a worried look.

"Me too. That's okay. We're not alone anymore. We have each other." Homelander whispers, his voice shaking with tears then Soldier Boy places a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe if I'd raised you...I could've made you better. And not some weak, sniveling pussy, starved for attention. But there's no fixing that now." Soldier Boy said as Butcher and Maeve smile.

"Weak? I'm you." Homelander said to him, confused. "I know. You're a fսcking disappointment." Soldier Boy whispers, shakily, and he grabs Homelander's neck. "Leave him alone!" Ryan shouts as Butcher and Maeve go to Homelander and grab his arms. "Get out of here, Ryan!" Butcher tells him. "Please, stop!" Ryan pleads as he tries to shove Butcher away. "Get out of the building! Now!" Butcher tells him. "Butcher, stop! Please!" Ryan said and Mystic Shade goes over to Ryan.

"C'mon, kid. Let's go!" She said as she starts to drag him away but he struggles and fights as Soldier Boy's chest begins to glow. "You can't do this. Don't do this. Don't do this. Don't." Homelander pleads to Soldier Boy. "Kid, come on!" Mystic said as she drags Ryan away but Ryan was able to get out of her grasp and his eyes glow red.

Before Mystic could react, Ryan uses his laser eyes on her, making her fly back and crash into a wall. The light diminishes from Soldier Boy's chest as he looks over and sees Mystic crashing into the wall, his heart dropped at this then he glares at Ryan.

"Ryan, get back upstairs. Right now." Homelander exclaims as Soldier Boy lets go of him then turns and slams his shield into Ryan, making him fly back and hit a bookshelf. "Ryan!" Homelander exclaimed as he runs to his son, checking on him as he sees a cut on the kid's forehead. "You little shit." Soldier Boy growls and his chest begins to glow while Butcher looks over at Soldier Boy then to Maeve, who had a look that said Don't think about it.

"Ryan. Hey." Homelander pleads as Ryan was knocked out cold. Butcher then made his decision and used his laser eyes on Soldier Boy, who reacted quickly and brings up his shield to protect himself from the laser. Homelander then turns around and uses his laser eyes and both he and Butcher knock Soldier Boy into the news station.

The two men share a look before Homelander turns to Ryan and Butcher goes to Soldier Boy. "What the fսck are you doing?" Soldier Boy asked Butcher as he stands up. "Not the kid." Butcher said. "Oh, I thought you said blood didn't matter. Thought that was the whole fսcking point." Soldier Boy exclaimed. "He's my wife's son." Butcher admits and Soldier Boy gets a confused look.

"Wait, Homelander fսckеd your wife? And you want to save the brat? The hell's wrong with you?" Soldier Boy asked him, confused. "I made a promise." Butcher said. "So this is it. Everything you wanted...He's right fսcking there...And now you blink?" Soldier Boy asked, angrily. "Stand down." Butcher commanded. "Fuck you." Soldier Boy yells as he glares at Butcher. "You're weaker than he is." He said and the two men begin to fight.

They punch and kick at each other while Maeve and Homelander start fighting in the other room. Butcher punches Soldier Boy in the leg, the chest and then uppercuts him before he grabs his neck and lasers him in the face.

Suddenly, a rope wraps around Butcher's neck and pulls him back. Then it flings him over to where he lands on the desk. Soldier Boy looks over to see Mystic Shade standing nearby, her eyes glowing electric blue. Soldier Boy looks over at her and gives her a Are You Okay? look, she nods, assuredly, and he returns the nod as he grabs his shield then walks over to Butcher.

Still a bit dazed, Butcher opens his eyes and looks up to see Soldier Boy looming over him, raising his shield up high and aimed towards his head. "Ben..." Mystic called out and Soldier Boy stops. "Let's just get out of here, go home." She said as Soldier Boy looks down at Butcher, who was staring at the shield in fear. "He made his bed, now he can lay in it." Mystic said as she gestures to Butcher.

Soldier Boy considers what she was saying until there was a couple of loud gunshots sound out. One hits Soldier Boy and the other hits Mystic Shade, didn't cause any harm just stunned them. They turn around and see M.M. and Starlight had come in and M.M. was firing with a gun while Starlight uses her light powers at the two Supes.

Mystic Shade and Soldier Boy get into a stance as he holds up his shield and Mystic uses her shield powers as Butcher gets up. Starlight was firing balls of light at Mystic and Soldier Boy but Mystic's shield was able to hold those lights back. Mystic tries to use her telekinetic powers to throw debris at Starlight but she dodges or uses her power to blast the debris while Soldier Boy fights off Butcher.

Starlight was able to get behind Mystic and was about to use her power but Soldier comes up and swings his shield at her, knocking her up into a wall then falls on the ground.

Butcher uses his laser eyes and Soldier Boy uses his shield to block the laser. Butcher walks closer as he keeps using the laser eyes until he got close and punches the shield, causing it to break in pieces. "Yeah! Fuck your shield, bitch." M.M. exclaims, excitedly. Soldier Boy gives a hard, angry glare at Butcher and tosses the piece of shield he held onto aside then he and Butcher fight. Meanwhile, Mystic waves her hands and M.M. was grabbed by some ropes around his middle and thrown against the wall.

Soldier Boy ended up getting the upper hand as he punches Butcher several times in the face then he grabs him and throws him across the room, knocking him out. Kimiko comes in, carrying a container. It was the gas Frenchie was able to whip up quickly that was gonna knock Soldier Boy out since Maeve threw out the one Frenchie had worked on for awhile.

Kimiko tries to run at Soldier Boy but then a cable wrapped around her neck and it throws her aside, Soldier Boy looks over at Mystic and nods in appreciation. Then Starlight stands up as Soldier Boy and Mystic Shade turn to her. Her eyes glow gold as she gets ready to fight them.

Suddenly, the lights began to glow brighter thanks to Hughie, who was in the control room and cranking the lights up to the highest level they could go. Starlight's eyes and hands glow as she slowly starts to rise up as the lights were making her more powerful.

Soldier Boy and Mystic Shade look at each other, as if having a silent conversation, before he nods to Mystic. Starlight then raises her hands and goes to blast at the two but Mystic raises her own hands and shielded them from her blast. But it seemed the light blast was a lot stronger than Mystic anticipated as it stayed blocked for a few seconds before it breaks through the barrier of her force field and knocks Mystic and Soldier Boy back.

Starlight falls down on her side as Soldier Boy starts to sit up. But it seemed the blast took an effect on Mystic as she is knocked out. Soldier Boy stands up and looks down at her then starts to worry about her. But before he could do anything, M.M. jumps on his back as Kimiko and Starlight grab his arms. Then M.M. places the gas mask over Soldier Boy's mouth and nose and that's when the Supe starts to panic as he screams, grunts and growls.

"You ain't no hero. You're just another racist piece of shit we can't seem to get rid of. This is for my family." M.M. sneers as Soldier Boy groans then his chest starts to glow just as Mystic starts to wake up. "I'm not going back in that fսcking box!" Soldier Boy growls, it seemed the gas wasn't working.

"What the fuck are you guys doing?!" Mystic exclaims as she starts to come to and sits up. Butcher stands up and sees this then sees Ryan walking out. "You'll kill everyone." Starlight said to Soldier Boy as he begins to power up. Butcher runs over to Ryan and goes to shield him while Mystic waves both of her hands and multiple cables and ropes grab on to Starlight, Kimiko and M.M. and yank them off of Soldier Boy as the light in his chest grows brighter.

Meanwhile, Maeve and Homelander have been duking it out during all of this even to the point where Homelander shoved his thumb into Maeve's right eye, blinding her. But she was able to grab a steel cylinder and shove it in Homelander's ear, dazing him, just as she looks over to see Soldier Boy turning to Starlight, M.M. and Kimiko, smoke starts to come out of him and the light gets even brighter.

"Ben!" Mystic shouts as Maeve looks at Starlight then sighs. "Shit." She grumbles then she punches Homelander in the chest then runs over to Soldier Boy, grabs him and the both of them fly out of the building. Then a few seconds later, there was a loud explosion and then silence before they hear some car horns in the distance.

Starlight and M.M. walk towards the window that they flew out of and look below to see nothing. Then Hughie runs in and embraces Starlight just as Frenchie comes in and Kimiko and M.M. pat his shoulder. Mystic Shade looks down, in sorrow, at the ground as she contemplates what just happened.

Butcher looks down at Ryan, who starts to stand up. "Are you hurt? Ryan, look at me." Butcher asked him but Ryan wasn't looking at him as he was looking over his shoulder. Butcher turns to look as does everyone to see Homelander walking towards Butcher, not looking pleased.

"Dad...I want to go." Ryan said to Homelander as he walks up to him. "Let's leave. Please. I want to leave." Ryan pleads to his father, who continues to glare at Butcher, but then looks down at his son. "Ryan. Please." Butcher pleads but Ryan takes Homelander's hand and the two of them walk out of the station.

Butcher looks down in defeat and the gang all look worried at this until they heard a small humorless laugh then a slow clapping sounds. Everyone looks over to see that it was Mystic Shade as she shakes her head with a fake smile. "Well congratulations on being the world's biggest fuck ups." She said and everyone glares at her while Butcher looks defeated and Hughie has a worried look on his face.

"Thanks to you dumbasses, Homelander seems to have gotten what he wants and you've lost that kid forever. Now that is gonna make him more dangerous than he ever was before." Mystic Shade said before she starts to get angry. "I mean, seriously?! Stopping Ben was a higher priority than Homelander? Way to go with the brilliant ideas, you fuckers."

"He had to be stopped, he was a murderer. He's killed countless people." Starlight argued and Mystic Shade scoffs. "And your boss hasn't?" Mystic asked and Starlight narrows her eyes. "I mean, if I recall, didn't he let a plane full of people go down?" She asked and Starlight seemed alittle surprised she knows that. "Maeve told me about that little thing you two kept dangling over his head." Mystic said. "And tell me this, cause I know this is bullshit, but that friend of yours, SonicWave....did Homelander kill him?"

Starlight's jaw sets and she looks away then Mystic smirks and scoffs again before looking at Butcher. "And you, Butcher, this was all your idea. To take Homelander down cause you believed he needed to be taken down...oh, and apparently, he fucked your wife and had that kid with her. Which now said kid, you were trying to protect is now driven into the arms of your enemy." Mystic said and Butcher looks up at her before he turns his head away.

"Pathetic. All of you." She growls and Starlight's eyes start glowing gold again. "Oh, don't fucking start, Sparky." Mystic groans then Hughie grabs Starlight's arm. "Mystic, I like you but you gotta admit...your boyfriend is really fucking crazy in his own right." Hughie said and Mystic gives a small, sarcastic smile. "On the surface, yes he is. But don't pretend like you know who Soldier Boy is when all you have to go off of is rumors and stories." She said.

Mystic looks down then sighs before she looks back at everyone. "You think all Supes and Vought are bad, you people are no different from them." Mystic sneers at them and they all look at her, shocked. She then starts to walk out. But once she gets to Butcher, she stops and turns her head to him. "I hope the kid was worth it, Butcher." She mutters to him then she heads to the door.

But once she gets to the door, she stops then turns to the others as she had one more thing to say. "You all had your chance to stop Homelander and you threw it away. From this day forth, anyone that Homelander kills...it's on you fuckers." She proclaims then leaves as everyone looks around at everybody, considering what she said. Butcher felt lightheaded and raised his hand up to his nose to see some black ooze was coming out of his nose and then he passes out and falls to the floor.

Soldier Boy groans as he slowly opens his eyes, his vision blurry and his head was swimming. He moves his head around, slowly, and try to take in his surroundings, which looked like he was in an alleyway. He was then able to see a couple of figures coming towards him. "He's here. We got him." He hears a voice say. His vision clears up a little and he sees that the two figures were men in armor.

He tries to get up but then the men were slammed up against the wall a few times before they pass out. Soldier Boy sits up slowly as another figure walks up to him, but this one being female. "Ben!" A familiar voice calls out and he realized that it was Mystic Shade. "(Y/n)?" He said, hoarsely, as she comes up to him and kneels down next to him.

The first thing he saw of her was her beautiful (e/c) eyes then her smile. "It's okay, Ben. I got you." She said, softly, and she helps him up to his feet and his vision finally clears up and noticed that the men were wearing CIA gear. "Are...was that...?" He stammered to ask and Mystic nods. "We need to get out of here, fast." She said as she takes his hand and they walk down the alleyway.

"You..saved me?" Soldier Boy asked her and she turns her head to him and smiles. "Of course I did. What kind of wife would I be to not save her husband?" She asked, teasingly, and he smiles before they stop and he leans in and gives her a kiss. "I love you." He whispers once he breaks the kiss. "I love you too." She said then they look around before they head out.

The next day, Bethany was watching TV, the news about Maeve's death and how she stopped Soldier Boy. The news calling him a radicalized Russian but she didn't believe it, she knew that was some shit as Ben acted like his normal self. But she was also worried about (y/n), she hadn't heard from her best friend in a few days and that wasn't like her.

She sighs, sadly, then runs her hands over her eyes when the front door opens. She looks over and sees Steven walking in, holding an envelope and a look of concern on his face. "What's wrong, honey?" She asked him. "It's a letter...from (y/n)." He said and Bethany furrows her brow.

"What?" She said as Steven walks over to her and sits down next to her. "She hasn't sent letters since cellphones were created." Bethany said as Steven hands the letter to her. Bethany takes the letter, opens it and begins to read it aloud.

Bethany and Steven,

I know this is old fashion to send a letter but with everything going on, I couldn't risk sending a text which I actually destroyed my phone. What I can tell you is don't believe any bullshit that Vought puts out about Ben. He's also not dead and neither is Queen Maeve. Those men you saw me and Ben with well, they betrayed us. We were supposed to take out Homelander but for some reason those men and their friends turned on me and Ben.

I'll send another letter later to give a more detail story on that but for now just know Ben and I are safe. We are staying at a different house I had purchased years ago. It's isolated in a small town that seems to not know who we are or were, should I say.

I'm not sure if we'll ever reunite again, if not then this letter and the next will be my goodbye. I'll always hold the time we had very dear to my heart. I love you two and Amelia so much and appreciate everything you guys did for me when Ben was gone.

I do hope we see each other again but if not then I give my goodbyes to you and good luck to the rest of your life.

Love,
(y/n)

Bethany's eyes tear up as she reads it then sniffles when she was done. Steven goes to hug her and Bethany cries in his shoulder. She understood why her friend had to do this but it still didn't help the hurt as she really cared for (y/n) and would miss her dearly. But she will always treasure those memories forever.

Few Days Later

*(y/n)'s POV*

I walk out on the porch of the large cabin to see Ben sitting in the chair, looking out at the lake. I bought this cabin years ago to have a place whenever I wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the town and city. It had two rooms, a kitchen, living room and a bathroom. There was a small town a few miles away but you wouldn't have thought that as all you could see were trees, mountains and a nice lake.

Ben turns his head to look up at me as I hand him a beer bottle. He takes it then turns his head, like he heard something. "You hear that?" He asked me and I listen for a moment and start to worry about him. It had been a few days since he had any weed or coke, so I was worried he was suffering some sort've withdrawn side effects.

"Hear what?" I asked him as I take the seat next to him. "Exactly. I think this might be the first time in my life where I've heard complete silence." He said, smiling with content, and I listen again, feeling calm by the silence. All I could hear was the leaves rustling in with the breeze and the sounds of rushing water from the river. "Yeah, it's nice." I said, smiling as well.

"I know it's not as glamorous as the city..." I started to say but Ben shakes his head. "Nah, this is great. You picked a perfect place, sweetheart." He said and I smiled. "Although, I gotta say, I'm still pissed at Butcher and those other motherfuckers." Ben growls and I give a sympathetic look. "I'm just...confused and pissed off and..." he stops then sighs with an angry heavy sigh and I place a hand over his that was on his thigh.

"Hey, I'm pissed at them too but...let's not dwell on that right now. They fucked up and whatever happens afterwards, that's on them especially Butcher." I assured him as he looks at me, he still had a bit of that anger in his eyes but he sighs and nods. "I'm just glad I was able to get to you before they took you away from me again." I said and Ben gives a small smile.

"I'm glad you did too. There's no way I'm going back in the box. Too many bad memories." He said then he turns his gaze from me and looks down. I frown then set my beer down on the little table next to my chair and I walk over to him and sit on his lap. I wrap my arms around his shoulder and he leans his head against my chest, sets his beer down then wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer to him as if he was afraid that I'd disappear if he didn't hold me close to him.

"It's okay, Ben. I won't let that happen." I whispered, comfortingly, then I kiss the top of his head, softly, before I run my fingers through his hair while he buries his face into my chest. "I'm never letting you go. Never again." I whispered to him. Ben was never really this vulnerable but whatever happened in Russia must've really shook him to his core. Yes, he did put up this whole macho man facade to hide it all, it's how men were raised back then, but I knew something was wrong.

I just can't imagine what he went through these last forty years at that place and I wasn't there to save him. But now I was able to save him and I have him here safe and sound and I'm gonna do my best to help him through all of this.

"Good...because I don't want to be anywhere else but here." Ben said as he pulls his head back to look at me and I smile then I lean in and kiss him, lovingly.

*3rd Person POV*

Unbeknownst to the couple, out in the distance was Grace Mallory. She had her binoculars up as she looks at the cabin, towards the couple. She had seen the body cam of her two officers that were knocked in the alleyway when they were gonna grab Soldier Boy. In the cam, she was able to see Mystic Shade walking down the alleyway and help carry Soldier Boy out of the alley.

It took her a few days because the home that was under Mystic's real name was empty and she didn't know where Mystic went. Eventually, she was able to track down this little cabin which Mystic put it under another name which was her using her old married name from way back in the 40's.

Mallory lowers her binoculars as she contemplates on what to do next. A strong part of her wanted to head over to them and talk to them and take Soldier Boy into custody as he is a danger. But another part of her wanted to leave them alone, Soldier Boy seemed in a calm state since he is with his girlfriend. Mystic seems to keep him calm and happy.

Plus Mallory remembered how Mystic Shade saved her life back in Nicaragua. So she feels that her leaving Mystic and Soldier Boy is in a way to return the favor.

Mallory sighs then heads into her car as she decided to leave them alone...for now at least. With how Butcher is and the whole thing with Vought and no telling what's gonna happen with Homelander now, she keeps this information to herself as she might call upon these two one day.