Author's note: I have 2000 views on this story now! You guys are amazing :) Thanks for being patient again; here's chapter 11!
Chapter 11
Caitlyn bit her lip as Vi's fierce glance found hers. Jayce, too, whirled around to spot the sniper crouching awkwardly behind a piece of rock. In that moment, Caitlyn felt as small as she possibly could. Jayce's gaze contained full-on concern, and a strange tenderness quite unbefitting of a Noxian. She knew then - knew that he loved her, without any hint of knowing why. Vi's eyes held spite, tinged with regret and the hint of an unknown pain. Yet there was still a small glint of affection there; Vi didn't want to fight Caitlyn, and strangely, the sheriff realized, she didn't want to fight Vi.
The three stood silently for a second, before Vi broke the silence with another of her sarcastically witty comments. "Well, are you gonna hit me or what?" She raised a fist half-heartedly, aiming at Jayce. He stood there for a moment longer before his head swiveled slowly back to see Vi's fist coming at him. He didn't move, just stared as her gauntlet hit his chest with a light thump.
He raised his head to see Vi's lowered, her eyes covered by shadow, but her mouth clenched in a grimace of pain as her entire body shook. Caitlyn watched, emotions swirling within her as she tried to make sense of everything. She thought back to a time that Vi was still with her in Piltover - a time when the two were happy.
But with those thoughts came the memory of the breakup.
"I can't believe you," Vi snarled, pinning Caitlyn against a wall. "You've been setting yourself up to look better? You've been hiring Noxians to commit crimes and then catching them? Then bribing the judges so they serve a smaller sentence and you pay them off? Caitlyn, what the hell?"
"Where in Valoran did you hear that?" Caitlyn replied, stung. "That sounds like the kind of things a sewer rat would spill."
"Then where did your newfound prowess come from, huh? You finally caught 'C', without my help. You find every single person that commits even a little bit of wrongdoing. You hardly even talk to me anymore because you're going out and enjoying the praise of the citizens."
"Vi! Have I ever come across to you as the type that would pay people off for fame?" Caitlyn pleaded. "Do you think I'd ever do that to you?"
"I don't know, cupcake, maybe you were trying to impress me," she shook her head. "I can't stand you anymore. I'm going."
"What- no!" Caitlyn's eyes began pouring tears freely as Vi released her and turned away. She ran forward a few steps, reaching for Vi's shoulder.
"Don't bother," Vi said with her back still turned. "I'm going to Noxus."
"WHAT?" At this, Caitlyn flipped. "Out of every place in this world, you choose the absolute worst place? What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with ME?" Vi whirled around. Caitlyn flinched as Vi's arm swept around, nearly smacking her with her huge fist. "I've gotten an offer from there, and it's better than working with you. I'd rather be somewhere I can actually not have to worry about the integrity of my partners. At least in Noxus, everyone's a scumbag."
"What, so that's easier to deal with?" Caitlyn shouted in reply. "I haven't even done anything! Vi, I love you!"
Vi bit her lip almost to the point of drawing blood, with her cheeks so flushed it looked like her face was about to explode. When she finally spoke, her voice was low and dull. "No, Caitlyn. It's over."
It hadn't been until months later that she realized it been Jayce who'd whispered those rumors around, who'd planted evidence to take Vi away from her, who'd stolen her partner away. But why would he do it? she still wondered. There was no clear motive. Cait shook her head. Now was not the time to think about it. She stepped out from behind her cover, holding her gun loosely in her hands.
The sniper rushed over to Vi, then slowed down as she approached. "Vi?" she said gently.
Vi raised her head, her expression one of pain and confusion as tears rolled down her face. "I can't," she choked.
Jayce stared at the two women, confused. "You said something earlier about how I made Vi leave you," he said carefully, addressing Caitlyn. "What exactly did I tell her?"
"You don't remember?" Caitlyn snarled. "You said that I'd been hiring people that I could catch to further my self image. You even planted evidence around Piltover. I don't know how or why you did it."
Jayce shook his head and sighed heavily. "I'm not the Noxian Jayce you know. I don't know why he did it either, but if I had to guess, it was because Piltover was rising in power, mainly due to the two of you working together. And he needed a way to stop that."
"You seem to know a lot for not being 'Noxian Jayce,'" Vi whispered angrily.
"Why didn't you come back once you knew he was wrong?" Caitlyn asked Vi.
"I always thought it was true until now," she responded, ashamedly averting her gaze.
"And you," Caitlyn turned back to Jayce. "Who are you?"
"I'm from a different time," Jayce explained. "In my timeline... you died. I found Zilean and asked him to change that."
Caitlyn scoffed. "You chose to save me instead of preventing Noxian occupation of the entire continent?"
Jayce sighed. "I loved you. And Zilean couldn't change time that much. He died to bring me where I am now."
"And our Zilean died about two weeks ago from an unknown cause," Caitlyn muttered. "And you listen up," her voice suddenly changed fiercely. "I will never, ever love you. And I will never forget what you've done to me and Vi."
"Cait," Vi sighed. "This dude obviously has no recollection of what the one we've known has done. They're not the same person."
"So that means everything is all tea and crumpets now? Everything is forgiven?" she snarled.
"What your Jayce has done... is horrible," Jayce answered sadly. "But will you punish me for it?"
Caitlyn put her hand up to her forehead burying her face in it. "I don't know anymore..." she said dejectedly. Vi walked over to her, placing a giant hand on her shoulder.
"We can still fix this," she said. "I'm with you."
Caitlyn turned and smiled wanly at her. "Thank you."
As Jayce, Cait, and Vi were sorting things out, the battle had dissipated into a number of smaller skirmishes, but it was easy to see that the rebels were winning.
"This won't do," Swain muttered, looking across the battlefield. He spotted Katarina lying on the ground with the arrow still stuck in her stomach. She had dragged herself over to Talon as a dull pain flowed constantly throughout her body, and she finally fell still as her breathing became ever more shallow. Swain's gaze swerved to the other side, to where Draven and Darius lay collapsed on top of each other, barely recognizable in the lake of congealing blood.
"I didn't want to bring those guys out," Swain sighed. "But it seems I have no choice." He pressed a button on a strange device, and it began beeping. A reply slowly crawled over the screen: "We're already here." The general scowled; they'd just been watching?
No matter. Now that they were here, the rebels would fall within seconds.
A boom emanated from the center of the arena, and everyone turned to watch as the ground slid open, revealing a passageway underneath. As the smoke cleared, three figures arrived, clad in black and red combat garb.
Caitlyn gasped. "The Crimson Elite..."
Jayce gritted his teeth. "That's not gonna be fun. Who makes up their ranks?"
"Only those three," Caitlyn whispered. "Riven, Akali, and Kennen."
Jayce sputtered. "Since when does Noxus accept Yordles and Ionians?"
Caitlyn glanced at him. "Since Kennen destroyed an entire regiment of the finest Noxian soldiers single-handedly, and since Akali was born in Noxus."
Jayce shook his head. "Your world is really weird."
Vi stepped in between the two. "It doesn't matter how weird it is," she said grimly. "This isn't going to be easy."