(The Boys) The Morning After: Chapter 13 – Epilogue

A/N: So we reach the end of this story. This Chapter will stay exclusive to the paying memebers until farther notice. Thank you everyone for reading and I'm hoping you enjoyed it.

Chapter 13 – Epilogue

A year can be a long time or a short time; it all depends on one’s perspective. For Hughie, it was a mixed bag. On one hand, it felt so long ago that they took down Vought and the Seven, but on the other, they were so busy during these years that Hughie barely felt the months fly by.

After Vought went down in flames, the government claimed jurisdiction over all supe matters. Knowing none of the ordinary forces at its disposal could enforce the new laws against the supes, the president decided to create a new department specialized in monitoring and, when needed, containing supes.

Hughie was more surprised by the way he received the news about the new department than by the news itself.

Flashback – 11 months ago.

Hughie was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He was wearing a new suit that Donna and Annie helped him buy for this occasion.

Next to him, Annie gave him a smile and took his hand in hers, giving him a reassuring squeeze, reminding him he was not alone in this. Not that she knew any more than him. All they knew was that Mallory had requested they show up to this meeting a couple of days ago.

It took a little over a week for the mess at Vought to reach a level where people remembered them, and the news channels announced that the group of “heroes” that brought down Vought and Homelander were pardoned from any crime they committed in the name of unraveling the corruption. Hughie wasn’t charged with the death of Translucent, Annie was free from any blame for what happened to The Deep, and Butcher was celebrated for his takedown of Homelander himself.

The white door in front of them opened, and Mallory stepped out, calling for them, “Hughie, Annie, the president will see you now.”

Hughie had no idea what he was doing stepping into the Oval Office. Just a few weeks ago, he was number two on this guy’s most wanted list.

After they were led to seats in front of the president himself, with Mallory standing next to him, the president was the first to speak. “Mr. Campbell, Miss January, first allow me to apologize for the slander you received while fighting against the corruption of Vought. You both are true American heroes and provided a very important service to your country.”

Hughie was shocked beyond words. He never expected a true apology, far less praise, let alone from the president himself. But Annie was the first to recover and reply, “Thank you, Mr. President. But we didn’t fight for a reward of any sort; we just did it for the people who were suffering because of Vought and its lies.”

The president nodded. “Very commendable. And I expected nothing less from a heroine of your caliber, Starlight.”

This time, Annie frowned. “With all due respect, Mr. President, Hughie was the one who showed me the truth, even at a risk to himself. He came up with most of our plans and brought us to this point. And if we talk about bravery, he was the one who, even without any powers or training, never agreed to stay behind and chose to fight alongside his friends…”

Annie’s rant was cut short when the president raised his hands in surrender, chuckling. “Peace, Ms. January. It was never my intention to imply Mr. Campbell had no contribution to your success; quite the opposite, in fact. I am very aware of Mr. Campbell’s skills and accomplishments over the past year. That is why I wish to hire both of you.”

Both their jaws dropped. So Mallory was the one to provide the explanation. “The US presidency decided to create a new division of the government to deal with the supes as more laws are passed with them in mind. The division will consist of both ordinary agents and supe agents to counter and apprehend any rogue supe in the country.”

Surprised but finding his voice, Hughie asked, “You want us to be agents under Mallory?”

The president smirked. “In a way. Mallory will be the government liaison for this new division, and the two of you will have to answer to her and me... as the Directors of the new Superpowered Supervision Division, or SPSD.”

Annie raised her eyebrow. “Both of us?”

Mallory nodded. “We need someone in charge who will appeal to both the ordinary community and the supe one. As of right now, the both of you are the perfect choice. You proved yourselves to the entire country as a committed and harmonious team, and at present, it is the best thing we can ask for.”

The president leaned forward on his table and asked, “So, are you interested?”

Annie and Hughie looked at each other. They both knew it was the right thing to do. Even if it wouldn’t be easy, at least they would have each other.

They both turned to the president and nodded.

They and the president shook hands while he said with a wide grin, “Welcome to government service, Director Campbell and Director January. You will probably hate it.”

After that, Mallory handed them two tablets and said to the two new Directors, “As you can see, we took the liberty to find candidates for the first agents of the new SPSD.”

Annie and Hughie exchanged another look before getting to work.

Present

The first couple of months were rough. The relocation to Washington was hard for Hughie, but less so for Annie, who never liked NYC from the beginning. It was to their relief that his dad and Donna chose to move with them. Albeit, even more thankfully, to their own place so Hughie and Annie could have privacy in their own home after a hard day of work.

The establishment of the SPSD went smoother than any of them expected, but just when Hughie thought their first operation should be an easy one, he got it wrong.

Flashback - 9 months ago.

Annie and Hughie were sitting in their office at the SPSD HQ working on some paperwork when Anika walked in.

Anika once worked as an analyst for Vought but apparently was one of Mallory’s informants inside the company. When she heard about the division and who would be running it, she asked to be their assistant. She didn’t know Hughie before, of course, but she admired Annie more than anyone else. Of course, by now, she was a good friend of Hughie’s as well.

Annie gave the Indian American a smile and asked, “How is it going, Anika?”

The young woman smiled back and replied, “Secretary Mallory is here for a meeting.”

Hughie stood up from his seat while saying, “Send her in, please, Anika, and thank you.”

Another smile exchange later and Anika left the room. A few moments later, Mallory walked in. Without even waiting for a hello, she pressed the screen on her tablet, and pictures began filling the different screens around their office.

“We found her. Today she goes by Stormfront. Until she resurfaced under this identity, she went by the name Liberty. She has a long list of crimes to both her names. Right now, she is in New York trying to gather a following for her supreme race of supes,” the older woman said in her usual strict voice.

Hughie nodded, a plan already forming in his head. He turned to Annie and said, “I will grab Frenchie, and we will start preparing the new portable red room. This one is dangerous. You should grab Kimiko and Maeve to join you in the field.”

And yes, Hughie was still surprised Maeve joined them as a senior agent. But according to Annie, it had something to do with Elena. Maeve was now in charge of the New York office, reporting to them every day.

Annie gave him a nod, already sending messages from her tablet while also saying, “We will study her profile first to know what we should be ready for.”

Mallory nodded at them and began leaving while saying, “I shall leave it in your capable hands.”

Present

That mission went even better than expected. Not only did they get Stormfront, but they also got Neuman, who was there to try and support Stormfront’s efforts from the shadows. She made a mistake when she decided to take advantage of the fight and kill one of the agents from the new SPSD. Thankfully, she aimed her powers at Kimiko first, and Kimiko, with her own powers, could withstand the exposure for much longer than anyone else.

Kimiko raised the alarm. Frenchie tapped into all the cameras in the area, which was easier with government support, and quickly found the hiding supe. Hughie and Frenchie reached her location in a minute, and without her even noticing them, they sedated her and soon had her blindfolded, rendering her powers useless.

After that, when the president announced the SPSD to the public with the results they had achieved, the public embraced the new division with their entire heart.

It took them a month or so, but eventually, they caught up to A-Train and Black Noir. As former members of the Seven, they had a lot to answer for. Hughie also made sure that the charges for Robin and Charlotte stuck to them.

All in all, it was a difficult but rewarding year.

Hughie looked at his chest where Annie’s head was lying. He expected to see her sleeping, but instead, she had a faraway look on her face that concerned Hughie.

His arm snaked around her midsection, holding her gently, and he asked softly, “Annie? What’s bothering you?”

Annie lay in silence for a moment before asking, “Do you think I should get rid of my powers?”

About a month ago, Frenchie and his engineering department finished perfecting the radiation they stole from the Russians. Now they can remove supes’ powers with ease, no pain, and no time, as well as creating a portable handcuff that emits enough of the radiation to negate any supe’s powers without removing them permanently.

Still, he frowned in confusion, not sure where the question came from, so he asked, “Why would you?”

Annie shrugged helplessly. “I never wanted them. I want a normal life, a good life, with you, Hughie.”

Hughie’s face softened. He gave Annie a smile before saying, “We have a good life, Annie. We have our family, our job to make the world a safer place for everyone, and most importantly, each other. Maybe you didn’t choose to have your power, but you used it to do a lot of good.”

Annie raised her head to look into his blue eyes. “Do you really think so?”

Hughie shook his head with a confident smile. “I know so!”

Annie considered it for a moment before a wide smile spread on her face, and she said, “Thank you for telling me the truth, Hughie.”

Hughie didn’t need her to say it to hear the unspoken “now and then.”

Hughie looked deep into her brown eyes and stated heartily, “I love you, Annie January.”

Annie smiled even wider and responded, “And I love you, Hughie Campbell.”

Annie’s smile turned into a smirk, and without warning, she launched at Hughie and kissed him as deeply as she could.

As the atmosphere around them grew hotter, Hughie pondered the fact he didn’t know what the morning after this would bring, but together he and Annie would face anything.

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