Year 2021

"Hugh?" Wanda pokes her head into the room Hughie occupies at the moment. Her sudden appearance and voice makes him jump. "Sorry." She laughs at his reaction. "Was wondering how you're holding up." She tilts her head with a sympathetic smile. "And if you're going to see Annie today." The volume of her voice drops so low Hughie's barely able to make it out.

"Doing as good as I'm capable of." Hughie throws on a shirt and turns to Wanda as he tries to walk out, but she catches his head in her hands.

"We're going to figure this bullshit out and you can be with Annie. Okay?" Her voice is still quiet.

Hughie nods and Wanda pulls his head down so she's able to place a kiss on his forehead.

"Come look at how Kimiko's doing." She gives a warm smile that helps his mood. Wanda drags Hughie through the room until they stand behind Kimiko. "Look at how amazing she's doing," Wanda says and Kimiko mirrors her grin.

"It looks good." Hughie agrees.

"I looked outside today," Wanda informs Hughie. "They're searching for us everywhere." She tells him. "I know you're going to see Annie and you want to go alone, but today I'm coming." She speaks almost silently into his ear. "I don't care if you don't want me to. You're my family and there's no way in hell those bastards are getting their hands on you."

Hughie just stares at her with a silent plea to not follow.

"Those eyes aren't going to work on me now." Wanda stares him down. "Either I come with or you don't go at all." Her need to protect Hughie is through the roof. Especially with Butcher being MIA on her.

"Fine." Hughie agrees to the plan.

"I won't be close enough to ruin your guys' little meet-up," Wanda whispers. "I'll just be watching from afar." With a nod of Hughie's head, the pair walk for the door.

"The fuck you two going?" Mother's Milk calls out the duo.

"Just going to get your Purell." Wanda comes up with on the spot.

"Two of you need to do that?"

"Hughie wanted to go alone, but I checked outside this morning and everyone is looking for our ass, so there's no way I'm letting him go alone," Wanda explains and Mother's Milk remembers the redhead treats Hughie like her kid.

"Get the shit with aloe." Mother's Milk tells them. "And come right back."

"I suggest not talking to me as if I'm your soldier and I follow your orders." Wanda's eyes glow red for a millisecond and M.M. backs down. "That's what I thought."

"You have to stop threatening them," Hughie tells her as they walk out of the building and onto the sidewalk, Wanda keeping him the farthest from the street. "Especially since you ha-"

"Since I was injected with the shit everyone hates?" Wanda questions and Hughie thins his lips. "You guys seem to trust Kimiko more than me." She points out. "I've been protecting your asses since day-fucking-one, so shut the hell up." She lectures him.

"I'm sorry." Hughie shakes his head right when a Supe flies over their head. In unison, the pair pulls their hoods over their heads and face the concrete as they walk. "You know I trust you, and I'm sure they do too. It's just Kimiko doesn't talk, so she can't throw out threats, unlike you."

"You do realize just because she's mute doesn't mean she hasn't killed someone," Wanda explains. "We're not having this conversation again." She lets out a deep breath. "Let's just get you to Annie and get back."

"Something we can agree on," Hughie says and Wanda playfully slaps him upside the head, earning a laugh from him.

"Now I'm definitely going to become best friends with Annie just so I can spill all your deepest darkest secrets to her." Wanda pokes Hughie's abdomen.

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Wanda walks into the subway before Hughie and notices Starlight. She mumbles to Hughie to hurry up. When he joins her, he meets Annie's eyes.

When the doors shut, Hughie and Annie sit together while Wanda's eyes wander everywhere else to make sure no one followed Annie and no one's caught her's and Hughie's identities.

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Wanda sits on the couch with Kimiko and smiles adorn their lips.

"You're very beautiful." Wanda compliments Kimiko and she gives a shy smile. Kimiko points at Wanda. "Are you saying I'm beautiful?" Kimiko nods. "Thank you." Her grin widens, showing her teeth now.

"You're very talented," Wanda pulls her legs to her chest. "And strong."

Before Kimiko can physically respond, the door slams open and catches everyone's attention. French talk being thrown loud and around the room only causes more panic for everyone.

"What the hell happened?" Wanda jumps over the couch and finds one of the guys carrying another down. "Holy shit! M.M.!" She calls for Mother Milk.

"Sit him down," M.M. orders the man. "Sit him down." He repeats multiple times.

"Just bring him over here," Wanda orders them now. She flips on the light above the table as the injured man sits down and M.M. unwraps his arm.

"What's wrong?" Frenchie questions M.M. and Wanda.

"Holy fuck." The sight of the torn-up forearm shocks Wanda. "Look away." She turns to Hughie, knowing his easy stomach and how he reacts to these things.

"Listen," M.M. faces the guy who brought the other in, "he's broken every single bone in his arm."

"Broken half his ribs. I can't do nothing here." Mother's Milk informs him. "You got to take him to the hospital." The man only responds in French and M.M. turns to Frenchie. "Translate for me, Frenchie. Tell him to take him to the hospital."

Frenchie translates but the guy only responds in frustration.

"Fuck." Wanda shakes her head and she walks behind M.M. to grab a rubber tourniquet.

"What'd he say? What's going on?" Hughie questions Frenchie when he's finished fighting with the other man.

"Frenchie, what did he say?" Wanda's aggravated. "Shit." She groans when Frenchie faces her.

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"I'm about to murder a fucker." Wanda mumbles as she hops out of the van with Frenchie, Hughie, Mother's Milk, and Kimiko.

M.M. and Wanda examine the street from the concrete up to the power lines. Wanda quietly whistles to grab M.M.'s attention and points to the security cameras.

The boys walk into the building while Wanda sticks with Kimiko who stalks closer to the wrecked ship. The mute woman picks up what Wanda assumes is origami.

"Cops seen this?" M.M. takes his glasses off while Hughie and Frenchie stand on opposite sides of the room, but close enough to see the computer screen.

"No one's seen it." The guy behind the computer responds. "I ain't trying to get life without patrol."

"They promised me," Frenchie speaks up. "They would only smuggle in guns and cocaine and fentanyl. Not fucking..."

"Not human fucking cargo?" Hughie somewhat snaps at Frenchie. "Jesus Christ, Frenchie."

"They didn't tell me." Frenchie tries to defend himself.

"Or you didn't ask." M.M. accuses Frenchie of knowing there was more behind the operation but never questioned the others' motives.

Everyone goes silent as they watch two men start to brawl on security camera footage. One pushes the other onto the ground and raises his hands, lifting the boat from the water and slamming it on the man lying down.

"A Supe," Hughie states the obvious.

"A Supe Terrorist," Frenchie adds. "They got paid to smuggle in a Supe Terrorist." His voice sounds hurt from betrayal. M.M. and Hughie look at each other with different expressions before Hughie excuses himself to find Wanda.

Hughie walks out of the building and searches for Wanda, only to find her leaning on the van with Kimiko.

"Wands," Hughie's nickname for Wanda makes her head snap to him. "Guess what we're fucking dealing with."

"What?" Wanda's brows furrow as she stands up straight.

"They smuggled in a Supe Terrorist," Hughie answers and Wanda throws her head back with a groan.

"Right when you think there's no more," She raises her head. "Another one pops up." Taking a deep breath Wanda asks where Frenchie and M.M. are, only for them to walk out a millisecond after asking.

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"Yesterday, the Deep was found drunkenly ranting at children at Splash Zone in Sandusky, Ohio." The TV speaks as Kimiko is the only one to listen and Frenchie speaks to one of the men who he trusted with the real information on the cargo.

"He was later arrested and taken to Sandusky suspension center. He was released on bail shortly after." The sound fades in Kimiko's ears as she walks towards Frenchie, handing him the origami she found.

"Did you make this?" Frenchie questions her with a smile. Kimiko shakes her head and reaches over the couch to grab the notebook she's been practicing writing in. She writes down something and the noise captures Wanda's, Hughie's, and M.M.'s attention. "You wrote something."

Wanda walks away and pulls out her phone, typing in Butcher's number.

"Come on, William." Wanda's head drops as she gets sent to voicemail like the other times. "Butchy, please pick up. We really need you... I need you. I need my big, pain in the ass brother." She pleads before she presses the red button on her screen.

"He's not coming." Hughie grabs Wanda's attention. "And we don't need him to. We can handle this without him."

"I'm not telling him to come and help with this fucked up situation, Hughie," Wanda spins on her heels to face Hughie. "And it's not whether we need him or not. It's called he put this damn team together, so he has no right to leave it."

"Plus, family doesn't leave family behind and he taught me that bullshit, so his ass needs to be here." Wanda's chest tightens with both frustration and sadness. "Whether you like it or not, Butcher needs to be here."

"Okay, so?" M.M. questions Frenchie as he walks to the trio.

"They were wired the money from a blind account to smuggle the bastard in," Frenchie informs them. "Cold trail."

"Amazing fucking friends of yours." Sarcasm is heavily laced in Hughie's tone.

"I never said they were my friends, huh?" Frenchie stands up to Hughie while Wanda and M.M. focus on the dollhouse Mother's Milk has been building. "I only said we will be... safe here."

"Okay, okay, alright." Hughie doesn't fight. "What do we do?"

"Oh, you just call 911." Mother's Milk tells Hughie as he measures a room on the top floor of the dollhouse.

Hughie scoffs, "What, an anonymous tip?"

"Yeah, I'm sure that'll go straight to the mayor." Hughie's back to sarcasm. "You saw that video. What if he does that to-to an airplane? Or the fucking Brooklyn Bridge?"

"So, what's your big plan, Hughie?" M.M. keeps calm.

"Okay, the CIA lady, right?" Hughie answers as he frantically looks between Wanda and Frenchie. "Rayner?" He tries to remember her name.

"Right, the same CIA that wants to clamp our nuts into some jumper cables." M.M.'s response makes Wanda smirk as the comment only relates to the boys.

"We could call Butcher." Frenchie offers the idea that Wanda's been trying.

"For the last time, we don't need Butcher." Hughie tries to convince Frenchie as he did with Wanda.

"Then what?" Frenchie faces Hughie.

"We should... call Annie." Hughie's idea makes Wanda's head almost break from how fast she whips her head to him.

Wanda's tone is full of shock, "'Call Annie.'"

"Annie?" Mother's Milk turns around in the spinning chair.

"Yeah." Hughie sounds nervous.

"You mean Starlight?" M.M. rises from his seat. "'Cause that's who she is." He walks closer to Hughie, slowly backing him up. "Vought has her phone so bugged... they're praying that you do that." Hughie's facial reaction makes M.M. let out a disappointed sigh. "Oh, no."

"You fucking called her?" Mother's Milk can't believe Hughie's actions.

"No, no. I'm not, I'm not stupid, okay?" Hughie waves his hand. "I texted her."

"Oh, fuck." M.M. can't look at Hughie.

"And then we met up, but we're getting some Compound V," Hughie explains but it doesn't change anything.

"Fuck you, Hughie!" M.M. grabs the collar of Hughie's shirt. "Are you fucking crazy?" He slams him against the wall.

"Easy!" Wanda walks up to them. "Hey!" She grabs the back of M.M.'s shirt and pulls him back.

"Are you fucking crazy?" Mother's Milk continues to scream.

"We were careful!" Hughie tries to defend himself.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Frenchie helps Wanda keep space between them as M.M. continues to yell.

"We used a burner... we used burner phones."

"Kid, you don't get it!" Mother's Milk tries to step closer, but Wanda stands in front of Hughie with a straight face. "They could've been following you." He doesn't try to get past her. "They could be watching us right fucking now!"

"If you're the fucking reason why I can't finish that Vermont country dollhouse, I will fucking end you." Mother's Milk threatens Hughie.

"You've been walking around for days like you want to kick my ass, so do it already." Hughie tries to seem tough.

"Hey." Wanda stays calm as she looks back and forth between the two and M.M. walks a few feet away before turning on his heels to face them.

"I don't wanna kick your ass, Hughie. I just don't want to get dragged back into this, alright?" Mother's Milk admits. "I want to get home to my wife and my kid. That's it. If I still can."

"This guy could kill a lot of people," Hughie responds.

"Hughie... let somebody else handle it, okay?" M.M. pleads as Wanda walks to Frenchie to supervise the situation but not be involved.

"There's no one else!" Hughie raises his voice as he steps closer. "No one's coming to save us."

"You don't get it." M.M. opens his arms in exaggeration. "You are not a soldier. You're not a spy. You're just a kid that sells stereo equipment." He tries to make him understand.

"No, I don't!" Hughie argues. "I don't have a job." He pauses as he tries to console his emotions. "Or Robin. Or my dad. Or Annie." He informs Mother's Milk. "One way or another, they all, uh..." Hughie takes a deep breath. "Now all I have is this." He uses his hands to make clear what he means. "This."

"Which is really fucking depressing, but it's true." Hughie's words hit all three. "So, maybe I can't be Lee Marvin. But I can be Harry Potter." A small smile tugs at Wanda's lips. "Or, uh... you know, John Connor or-or-or what's her name from The Hunger Games."

"Katniss." Wanda knows the movie right away.

"Yeah, the point is I could be the person that nobody thinks is awesome, but it turns out they're kind of fucking awesome," Hughie tells the three. "M.M." He steps closer. "Listen, we help the CIA lady, she could help you maybe get back to your family. Did you ever think of that?"

M.M. sighs, signaling he's given in. Wanda excuses herself and walks the farthest from the boys, pulling her phone out to call Butcher and inform him of what they're planning to do.

"William Butcher," Wanda seethes into the phone when she gets sent to voicemail again. "Don't want to answer me? Fine. Be my fucking guest, so here's me saying this is the last time I'm giving a shit and calling."

"Chéri," Frenchie walks up to Wanda as she wears an angered expression while sliding her phone into her back pocket. "Is everything okay?" The worry gives her some comfort. Knowing Frenchie's grown to trust and not fear her.

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Mother's Milk drives the van while Wanda sits in the front seat, leaving Hughie, Frenchie, and Kimiko to sit in the back.

"You know, you ain't John Connor, man." M.M. looks at Hughie in the rearview mirror. "You ain't got no motherfucking boom box."

"Sorry?" Hughie's confused as he pops his head up front.

"You want to get back together with Starlight," M.M. calls Hughie out.

"No. No-no, I don't." Hughie tries to convince M.M., but Wanda's expression lets him know that he's correct.

"Yes. Yes, you do." Mother's Milk says. "But this ain't the way to do it, Hughie. You can't keep pulling this shit, man." He explains and Hughie looks to Wanda for help, but she shrugs knowing M.M. is right. "Calling her, texting her. Are you crazy?"

"You know, you sound like Butcher," Hughie tells M.M. and the mention of him makes Wanda clench her jaw and focus on the road. "She's on our side."

"I know." Mother's Milk understands. "I'm saying this for her, kid. You're putting her in danger." He begins to explain. "Homelander finds out that she's been talking to you? She's fucked."

"The deeper you keep pushing her into this thing, the deeper in the meat grinder she goes." M.M. ends his talk.

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"How're you guys doing?" Rayner questions the five.

"We're hanging in there." Mother's Milk replies.

"Has Butcher contacted you?" Rayner eyes Wanda, knowing her and Butcher's friendship goes deep.

"Nope." Wanda's reply is monotone and Rayner feels a little uneasy at that. "He's completely ghosted."

"Do you think he killed Madelyn Stillwell?" Rayner questions.

"I'd like to think that he didn't," M.M. answers when Wanda doesn't respond. "But I... I don't know."

"Deputy Director, I know this might not be the best time to ask, but do you ever...?" Mother's Milk doesn't get to finish.

"Hear about your family?" Rayner knows where he's going with it. "Your daughter is, uh, starting soccer, I think." The information brings a smile to his lips.

"Soccer?" M.M. seems proud and astonished.

"Can M.M. see them?" Wanda asks.

"You know what, let's, let's see if this checks out," Rayner tells them. "And I will see what I can do." M.M. and Wanda look at each other, and even behind the sunglasses, she knows he's thankful for the question.

"Thank you, ma'am." Mother's Milk faces Rayner.

"Okay, so give me the description of this guy." Rayner orders them.

"About five-ten, 165, black hair, wearing knockoff jeans and sneakers, probably from Taiwan, maybe India." Wanda gives what she remembers from the short clip she got to watch before they drove off.

"You got all that from the video?" Hughie's shocked.

"So, the other shoe drops, and it just crushes us all," Rayner states as she shakes her head.

"Meaning?" Mother's Milk is lost.

"Meaning I've been trying to put this puzzle together, and there's a missing piece and it's been driving me nuts. And I think you just handed it to me." Rayner explains.

"Okay, so, then, what's the whole picture?" M.M. starts to ask the real question.

"The whole picture- it's Vought!" Rayner answers. "It's a fucking coup from the inside."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Hughie steps in. "Uh, ma'am, your nose." He catches the blood dripping from Rayner's nostrils. Before everyone knows it, Rayner's head explodes.

"Fuck!" Wanda exclaims. "Let's get the fuck out of here!" She tries to usher everyone into the van.

"Holy shit!" Hughie screams multiple times.

"Must be a Supe out there." Frenchie guesses as he holds onto the handle in the van.

"Are-are our heads gonna explode?" Hughie's in full shock.

"Wanda, Frenchie, who do you know who could do that?" M.M. questions the pair as he drives off as fast as he can.

"No one." They respond in unison.

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Mother's Milk covers his hands in hand sanitizer and rubs them violently, sliding the liquid up his arms too. Wanda has Hughie's head bent over the sink as she rinses the blood out of his hair.

"Fuck, Hughie," M.M. speaks up. "So glad you... got us into this shit."

"Shut it for the next hour." Wanda glares at him before fiercely running her fingers through Hughie's wet hair.

"She had a husband. Right?" Hughie gets out while Wanda gives up and grabs a rag to dry his hair. "A kid?" Wanda makes him lean his back against the sink as she harshly dries his hair.

"Two... kids." Frenchie corrects Hughie, earning the same glare Wanda gave M.M. a few seconds ago.

"And I got her killed."

"You didn't get her killed." Mother's Milk corrects him. "That wasn't meant for us." He explains.

"How do you know?"

"Because our brains aren't all over the dash, that's how," Wanda answers as she stops drying Hughie's hair. "Someone was watching her. And the minute she said something she wasn't supposed to?" She imitates splat with her hands and noise.

"Somebody from Vought?" Hughie questions Wanda and M.M. and they both shrug. "So, we're saying that Vought may have just assassinated the deputy director of the CIA."

"And now we're in the middle of that, too." Mother Milk points out. "Happy now, motherfucker?" He walks away and Hughie sighs.

"We'll handle this." Wanda lies to try to lighten the mood in the basement.

"You have blood..." Hughie takes the rag from Wanda's hands before turning around to wet it and wipe off the blood under her ear that she didn't get. His phone starts to vibrate and he picks up the call, dropping the rag on the counter in the process. "Hello?"

"It's me." Starlight's voice is heard on the other end of the line.

"Jesus, you shouldn't be calling." Hughie scurries away from everyone but drags Wanda with so it seems like their usual personal talk instead of hiding the truth.

"I'm on a burner phone, it's fine," Annie informs them but it doesn't ease either Hughie or Wanda.

"Yeah, but somebody could be listening," Hughie explains.

"Hughie, we did it. He's getting me the Compound V in, like, a day or two." Annie sounds proud of herself. "What do you think? Um... New York Times? I mean, I was thinking CNN or MSNBC, but..."

"Okay, wait, wait, just-just-just hold on a second." Hughie tries to process everything.

"Come on, this is what we've been waiting for," Annie says as she ignores Hughie freaking out. "Let's burn those fuckers down."

"Just take a beat, let's figure out the best way to do this," Hughie tells her.

"Why? What happened?"

"Nothing." Hughie lies. "Vought's just dangerous, that's all. I mean, you got to be careful. I don't want you getting hurt." Now he tells the truth.

"I'm not gonna get..." Starlight pauses as she feels something's off about Hughie. "If something happened, you know you can trust me. We're in this together."

"No, I do trust you. It's just..." Hughie faces his back to Wanda as he tries to figure out what to say. "I just want to take our time. You know, do this right. That's all."

"I know when you're not telling me the truth, Hughie. I kind of lived with it every single day." Annie's words make him spin on his heels to find Wanda biting back a laugh. "Don't lie to me. Not again." The sincerity of her voice makes Hughie pause.

"I'm not." Hughie pauses after his lie. "Swear to God."

"Whatever. I, um... I got to go." Annie doesn't sound like she believes him as she ends the call.

A body falling down the stairs makes Wanda push Hughie behind her. Frenchie's "friends" pull out their guns and aim them at the stairs to shoot whoever walks down them.

"Alright, easy does it, lads. Easy does it." Butcher walks down the steps in clothes no one thought he would wear. "Like I tried to tell this cunt... I'm with that lot." He points to the five he started with.

"Yeah." Frenchie signals for everyone to put down their guns and they do so.

"What the fuck are you wearing?" M.M. asks the question they all want to know.

"That is a good question." Butcher points at him.

"You called him?" Hughie turns to Frenchie knowing Butcher isn't one to care about voicemails.

"I'm sorry, Petit Hughie. It's not a game now." Frenchie apologizes as Wanda walks with fury in her steps toward the Brit.

"You motherfucker!" Wanda pushes Butcher's chest and he falls back a little. "Frenchie calls once and you come running but me ringing you, afraid of what the fuck happened to you, doesn't?" She punches him now and everyone walks away, not wanting to be involved in what they're afraid is going to happen.

"You're a piece of shit. You know that?" Wanda's chest heaves with anger. "I've been here since before Becca, I helped you through everything, yet you have the audacity to pull this bullshit?" She doesn't lower her tone. "Do it again and I'll fucking kill you myself. Got it?" She jabs her finger in his chest.

"C'mere, ginger." Butcher's never seen Wanda as a threat, even after she told him her whole story. He pulls her into a hug, making sure no one's watching. He doesn't need anyone knowing he has a soft spot for her or they'll probably use it to their advantage.

"You're family, Butch." Wanda takes a deep breath. "Only family I have, so you pull this shit again and I mean it when I say I'll kill you when I find you." The threat makes Butcher chuckle.

"I'd like to see you try." Butcher's comment makes Wanda try to escape the embrace, but he doesn't let her, knowing it's going to piss her off even more.

"I will tell everyone the stupid nickname I came up with for you if you don't let me go." The tiny threat makes Butcher let go and Wanda holds back laughing at him. "No, but next time you ignore me and not them I will send you to the depths of hell you didn't even know existed."

"Becca's alive." Butcher whispers and Wanda's jaw drops. "Has a kid that's a spitting image of Homelander. They're holding her somewhere."

"If you think you're leaving my sight again, you're sure as fuck wrong." Wanda crosses her arms but before either can say a thing M.M. tells them to stop whatever they're doing and join the rest of the group.

"This is a fucking mess." Butcher admits. "We got a Supe Terrorist, Rayner's blown her canister, and we're the most wanted cunts in the country." He steps a little closer to Hughie. "But don't you worry. Daddy's home."

Frenchie and M.M. drag Butcher away and leave Hughie and Wanda together.

"'Daddy's home.'" Wanda repeats Butcher's words with a disgusted face. "Hugh, I know you're going to hate this, but we really do need Butcher."