As promised, here's the reworked version of The Finest Struggle. I'm currently just giving some finishing touches on a couple of chapters and having them spellchecked before I post it. There's 11 chapters total, so expect them posted until the end of the day. The original story line suffered a few alterations to fit the new lore a bit more and to hopefully give a few more character to this lovely ladies.

The chapters are also now named after the songs I listened to while I was writing. I've made a playlist that I will update and link, if someone is interested.

Hope you guys love this new version as much as I do! Enjoy!

(Cross posted on AO3 as well)


"And I found love where it wasn't supposed to be
Right in front of me
Talk some sense to me"

I Found – Amber Run

OoOoO

"Come on Caitlyn, it will do you good." He almost begged this time. "You need to get out more any ways; being stuck behind that desk in this..." Jayce paused for a moment, faintly gesturing to their surroundings. "... Stuffy room all day long is no good. You have to admit it though; some fresh air and a nice warm meal in good company does sound tempting."

Flashing a very cocky smile he thought she wouldn't be able to resist, he leaned back on his chair, watching her with soft eyes.

She barely spared him a glance and his face dropped.

His late attempts to get the sheriff to agree to a pleasant dinner with him seemed now more hopeless than before, ever since Vi got in the picture. The brash pink haired woman seemed to have a tight hold on Caitlyn's attention from day one, being it through her easy-going nature or through the paperwork piling up on the sheriff's desk.

He still had no idea what his friend saw in her.

He tried to keep his face as neutral as possible as she scribbled away, no doubt trying to justify why the museum front windows had to be replaced yet again. Or why the house of some nobleman had now a Vi sized hole in the place where the door used to be. Who knew these days what she had been up to as the reports kept coming in almost in a daily basis.

Sometimes even in a matter of a few hours.

The usual composure Caitlyn seemed to keep, faded and she let out a quiet sigh. Muttering something under her breath in a language he was not familiar with, she let go of her pen and reached to pinch the bridge of her nose, before letting her eyelids drop.

The sheriff remained unmoving for what seemed like an eternity before she opened her eyes and fixed Jayce with a surprised look, like he hadn't been there sitting in front of her all that time.

His stomach turned and he clenched his teeth, trying to still keep his face as neutral as possible but judging by the the way Caitlyn cleaned her throat and straightened her back, she must have seen through his façade.

"I am really sorry Jayce but I am afraid I will have to decline your invitation." Her eyes focused back on the papers and she grabbed the pen again, scribbling something quickly in one of the margins. "I am busy with important documents that the commissary needs to have first thing tomorrow morning. And in about an hour I have a meeting with the rest of the sheriffs... No idea how long that will be this time."

"I understand that duty comes first but... I mean, look at yourself. You look exhausted, Cait."

She let out a quiet sigh and dropped her pen again."I am aware of that. Sadly, crime does not take vacations." She replied quietly, hands reaching up to rub her temples. "So neither do I."

He shook his head at her demeanour. "You should at least take a day to yourself. Sleep in, maybe do some shopping? Also have some decent meals for once, I hear from Mohan all you eat nowadays is salad and junk food."

"You sounded just like her now." The sheriff chuckled slightly and upon seeing Jayce's confused expression, she clarified. "Vi, I mean. She has been pestering me about my eating habits, even though she is the one who supplies me with terrible fast food..." Gesturing to the papers on her desk, she added; "And extra work."

Cocking an eyebrow, he stared at the raven haired woman who had seemingly spaced out. Her eyes were a dull blue and her gaze seemed to be fixated on a spot above his head.

Probably the door.

He chuckled to himself when she broke out of her reverie and cleaned her throat, probably embarrassed for being caught daydreaming. A soft 'sorry' escaped her lips as she straightened herself on the chair and her eyes fell on the documents she had been working on before. Jayce allowed her to regain her composure and busy herself again with scribbling away, until the sound of pen on paper was the only thing filling the air for a while.

When he noticed her eyes had glazed over again, he carefully asked; "Something on your mind?"

"Perhaps. But it is not something I wish to talk about. I hope you understand."

"We are friends, Caitlyn. You know you can tell me anything. And to be honest, it does seem like you may need a friendly ear... Especially with what is being said around town."

She leaned back on her chair again and raised an eyebrow at his statement. "A new rumour?"

"Yeah. About that argument you and your enforcer had two nights ago in front of one of the theatres at Drawsmith Arcade." He scratched his chin absently. "I am guessing the courtier you two were interrogating couldn't keep her lips shut for long."

The raven haired woman sighed in frustration. "We had a disagreement. Vi made a tasteless joke, I replied in kind. That is all that there is to it; what did that unbearable woman make of it?"

"Lover's spat."

She frowned. "Is that all? It feels like nothing compared to the rumours going around the tavern's bad tongues."

"Well... There was also something about Vi's performance being... unsatisfactory... in between the sheets. Your own words, she said."

Caitlyn stood up abruptly and let out an exasperated sigh. "That was meant as a joke!"

His eyes filled with mirth at her words. "Wait... You actually said that?"

"It was nothing more than an harmless joke, I swear. Vi started by insulting my ego. So I insulted hers in return, using the only language she seems capable of understanding these days."

"In front of a suspect..."

"It was still meant as a joke."

"That's a shame. I was honestly wondering if she is really that bad in bed."

"You can just ask her, if you are that curious. I am sure she wouldn't mind bragging about herself for hours."

"And risk having my bones broken? I'll pass. She is not as chatty with me as she is with you on those... subjects." He eyed the slight flush on the sheriff's face with suspicion. "Although, I have to wonder... Was it really just a humorous comeback or is there more to it? You seem more distraught by this than usual."

"Do not go there, Jayce."

He held his hands up slightly in defence. "Alright, alright... I get it. There is absolutely nothing going on between you two. Nothing at all. Just good ol' gals being pals."

"You have been spending time with Sarah again."

"What can I say? She is a charming lady." When she rolled her eyes at this, he chuckled. "You know she means well, even under those insane amounts of innuendos she throws around."

"Now you sound like Ashe. Next you are going to tell me to 'trust my instincts and stop being so stubborn' when it comes to finding a date."

"Wise words from a wise woman. Maybe you should listen to her."

Caitlyn hummed affirmatively before moving away from the desk, turning her back to him to stare out of the window. The street below was busting with movement, from the couples passing by with arms linked and knowing smiles, to the merchants selling all sorts of warm beverages and sweets.

Her eyes darted to the side walk across the Hall of Law when she caught a flash of pink.

Vi was walking with an unchecked swag to her step, like she owned the place. Her huge gauntlets shined in the low light, as the small crowd parted to let her through; either out of fear or simple dislike. It was hard for the sheriff to wrap her mind around the idea of how much Piltover disliked Zaunites, even though she was pretty sure nearly the entire south of the city was full of people whose parents came from both factions.

Some of the northern upper bring as well, if she was being honest. But of course, people there were quick to hide that under a few heavy bags of golden hex.

Focusing her attention back to the enforcer, she noticed the pink haired woman had stopped near a small stall and was now in an amused conversation with the old owner. She was gesturing big and frantically, her metal fingers flexing and stretching accordingly. It looked incredibly ridiculous; yet Caitlyn felt her heart flutter in her chest and her shoulders drop at the sight.

It seemed like the appropriate metaphor, she thought, that Vi had this talent to break through people's guards. She felt some of the stress melt away at the prospect of the enforcer walking- no, barging, into her office in a couple of minutes and regal her with one of her wild stories of what had happened while she was on patrol.

Her eyes soften and she let out a content sigh, completely forgetting she had company.

Jayce watched her with completely unabashed amusement and let out a throaty laugh when she flinched and suddenly turned to face him, cheeks red and puffed. Her eyes narrowed and her posture stiffened considerably when she caught sight of his expression but he remained unmoved.

"I can only begin to guess who you caught sight of down there. I only regret it is not me."

She opened her mouth to retort, but it died on her throat when she heard her partner's full laugh fill up the hallway and her heart swayed.

It was so frustrating how little things like that had an effect on her.

The defender seemed to catch on and his grin widened, much to her dismay. He then got up from his chair and brushed non-existent dust from his clothes. Grabbing his heavy mercury hammer from where he had leaned it against the wall earlier, he watched as his friend sat down at her desk, her eyes refusing to meet his. She was clearly embarrassed at being caught out and his expression softened slightly.

"For all that is worth, I won't tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me. But... I think you should talk to her about it."

"I cannot, Jayce. There is no point in doing so."

"Why not? The rumours are already there to begin with. The only thing you would be doing is confirming some are true."

She shook her head. "That is not the point."

"You are not going to pull the entire 'we are so different' speech, are you? It doesn't suit you."

"What would you honestly have me do then? Confess to her like a love struck teenager? I am far too old for that."

"Well, you just admitted you do have feelings for her. That's a start."

"Jayce, please."

"Fine, suit yourself then." He turned to leave but paused when his hand touched the door handle. "Just so you know, I will keep pestering you about dinner if you don't talk to her. See you around, Cait."

Before she had a chance to reply, the door had opened and closed, and she found herself alone in her small office again. A frustrated muttered curse left her lips at his antics but she found herself having no time to dwell on it when the heavy clock chimed five o'clock.

Quickly grabbing a manilla folder from the top drawer of her heavy wooden desk, she stood and left the room. Crossing the reception hall in quick strides, she barely spared a glance around as she made her way to the elevators.

As she pressed the button to the top floor and the doors hissed shut in front of her, Caitlyn was blissfully unaware that a certain pink haired woman had caught the last part of her conversation and left the building.