Me: I will try and keep an update schedule going...

Real life: *Laughs*

"It's always around me, all this noise
But not nearly as loud as the voice saying
"Let it happen, let it happen (It's gonna feel so good)
Just let it happen, let it happen"

Let It Happen – Tame Impala

OoOoO

The water felt too cold on her skin but Vi didn't care. Standing there under the shower, forehead against the tiles, she felt bad for having freaked out on her partner first thing that morning. But the nightmare had felt too real; the sounds, the smells... but especially the voices. One in particular had felt strangely familiar, like an echo from a past she didn't want to remember.

She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the girl with blue tresses she had seen and spoken to in her subconscious state. Her voice was still clear but her face was blurred, like someone had dropped water on a paper when the pen ink was still fresh. Vi took a deep breath and tried to focus on the parts of her dream where she had encountered the mysterious girl, but the more she tried to recall her face, the more fuzzy it got.

Frustration overtook her and she let out a growl, fist connecting with the tiled wall in front of her. A loud sound followed her action, old pipes complaining under the strain of the impact, causing the water to cut off. The pink haired woman opened her eyes then but didn't make any effort to move, not even when she heard heels clicking on the old floorboards.

For a moment she had forgotten she wasn't alone.

The steps halted by the bathroom door and for a moment, there was silence. The enforcer let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, glancing up at the now shattered tile in the shower wall.

'Shit.'

"Vi, is everything alright?" her partner asked, concern present in her voice. "I think your pipes just gave out."

"Uh, yeah I'm fine." Vi quickly turned both taps off and let out a soft curse when she noticed her right hand was bleeding. "Just... give me a minute, I'll be out soon."

She knew Caitlyn was frowning on the other side of the door. "Are you sure? You seem a bit... off today."

Vi weighed her options as she stepped out of the shower and wrapped an old towel around her bloodied knuckles. Lying to her wasn't a risk the younger woman was willing to take; she was sure the sheriff would be able to see right through it. But telling her the whole truth without being sure what it all meant herself would definitely open a can of worms.

An half-truth seemed like the best option.

"The nightmare I had, it just... freaked me out a bit, alright?" She kept her voice as steady as possible. "It felt too damn real." She let out a bitter laugh. "Who would have guessed, uh? Your big bad enforcer is scared over a little dream."

"We all have those once in a while, Vi. There's nothing for you to be ashamed of." Caitlyn's voice was surprisingly soft. "Just don't let it get to you."

Surprise overtook her features and for a second she wished she could see the older woman's face through the door. "You get those too?"

"Occasionally."

"I wouldn't have guessed it, I mean... You never said anything about that ever."

A small chuckle. "I am not the one who likes to overshare her vivid dreams with the desk-warden."

"Hey now, I do it because he secretly enjoys it. And even if he doesn't, it's worth the faces people make when they're passing by."

"You are incorrigible."

"Yeah but you like me anyway so it's a win-win situation for me."

There was an exasperated sigh. "Just... Finish up and join me for breakfast. We have less than an hour or we will be late."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

oOoOo

As they sat across each other in Vi's small kitchen table, the enforcer decided to share a few details with her partner about what she had dreamed. Caitlyn remained silent throughout the entire thing, occasionally nodding along as she sipped on her coffee. Although as the younger woman finished her wild tale, she raised an eyebrow at the conclusion.

"Is that why you were all jumpy when you saw me? You thought I was going to shoot you?"

Vi gave her a sheepish look. "Well, yeah? Believe me, you were pretty pissed at me in the dream."

"If I were to ever shoot you... Two things." She placed her cup down and held a finger up. "One, you would not have seen me." Another finger. "And two, I would not aim that low. A good headshot would have done the trick if you were off guard. Which, according to your description of events, you were. So, as you see, there was nothing for you to be afraid of this morning."

She twitched. "Was that supposed to make me feel any better, Cait?"

"Logically speaking, it should. Besides, I could never become the person you described me to be in your dream." She gave her partner a small smile as she reached for her cup. "Now finish your breakfast or we will be late. Which reminds me... We need to talk about yesterday."

"Oh? Uh... What about it?"

The sheriff straightened up on her chair, her expression suddenly serious. "Fraternization is strictly forbidden inside the Halls of Law, Vi. If things come to light, we can both be fired on the spot."

Vi tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "Does that mean you came here this morning just to tell me to forget what happened?"

"No, that is not why I am here. Look, this..." she gestured vaguely between them with her free hand. "Relationship thing is uncharted territory for me. My job has always been my biggest priority and frankly, putting it in jeopardy is the last thing I want to do. Not to mention I am not good with anything that has to do with feelings and the sort. So I need you to tell me straight up if you think this is something worth pursuing, despite what I just told you."

The younger woman crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, eyes still narrowed but never breaking contact with piercing blue ones. "If I say yes, what happens?"

"We play this game by my rules. Are you up to it, enforcer?"

OoOoO

Their entrance in the Halls of Justice was anything but awkward. As soon as Caitlyn pushed the heavy door open, another sheriff immediately greeted her and took her aside for a private matter. Vi leaned on the heavy front desk and watched them like a hawk, wondering if the wardens had already caught wind of something. Harknor cleaned his throat loudly behind the enforcer but she just ignored him.

"If you're wondering what they're talking about, you should remember what you did last night in the botanic garden."

That got her attention.

Vi spun around, eyes wide at his words. "How do you know about that?"

"Everyone does, you idiot. Breaking in and leaving handcuffs with 'Property of the Piltover Enforcer' carved on them stuck to the gate? Let's just say the morning patrol had a very easy time figuring out the culprit. Honestly, what did you even go there for?"

"Oh you know me..." She scratched the back of her head, faking embarrassment. "Always trying to impress the ladies."

The man snorted. "Must have been one hell of a catch for you to be stupid enough to leave your personal handcuffs behind." His eyes scanned the area for a second before he focused his attention on the newspaper in front of him. "Well whatever you did last night better have been worth it because your 'boss' doesn't look too happy."

She tempted a glance towards where her partner and the other man had been talking and immediately regretted her decision. The brief eye contact she shared with the other woman was enough to make the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up and for her entire body to break in a cold sweat.

Okay, maybe she should have told Caitlyn she had left her handcuffs behind to keep the gate closed...

She heard heavy heels clicking on the wooden floorboards, coming closer and closer until they stopped right behind her. Vi threw a quick glance towards the desk-warden, but the man seemed content enough being kept out of it.

'Coward.'

"Ahem."

"Heeeeey, Cupcake!" She turned around with sheepish expression and was met with narrowed eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"Well..." the older woman raised her left hand, dangling a pair of silver handcuffs in front of the enforcer's face. "Recognize these?"

This is were their little arrangement came into play. Caitlyn had warned her that just because they were technically together, in the work place they were still superior and officer. So if Vi happened to cross the line, she would get the full scolding and consequences for it, less the wardens become suspicious of the nature of their relationship.

At that point she just wanted to grab the sheriff's hand, apologize for the slip up and promise to be more careful from there on, but she knew she couldn't, and the amount of wardens that had surely gathered to watch one of Piltover's Finest known 'domestics' were expecting her to put on a show.

So she gave them one.

"These? Nah, never seen them before. Maybe from one of your boys?"

"Are you sure, Vi? Because these have a very clear 'Property of the Piltover Enforcer' engraved on right here." She pointed with her free hand to the inside of one of the cuffs, drawing the other woman's attention to it. "Still not yours?"

"Oh right, my bad. Lost those last week and forgot to tell you. But hey, thanks for finding them, saves me the trouble to ask for an extra."

She reached for the handcuffs but Caitlyn moved them out of reach, making Vi pout. "Someone broke into the botanical garden last night and whoever it was, managed to pry the heavy gates open, didn't steal anything and left your handcuffs behind. I think that seems too big of a coincidence, does it not?" The sheriff inched closer, nearly pinning the younger woman against the desk. "Start talking."

There were a few gasps in the audience that had gathered to watch the scene but Vi looked anything but bothered. "Alright, you got me cupcake. I broke into the garden last night because I had this beautiful lady friend with me who I've been itching to hook up with. Could have taken her to one of the taverns on the lower districts but she has more... refined tastes. So I had to improvise or you know, I would have missed my chance of getting laid."

Vi threw a wink and put on one of her cocky smirks.

Caitlyn lost her composure for a second, cheeks reddening at the words. Of course the enforcer would try and use the situation to get a rise out of her; she should have known better than to ask the woman to act normally in case something about their break in would come up.

But two could play the same game, she thought as her eyes narrowed again and a small smile blossomed in her red lips. To her amusement, Vi seemed to have noticed the change and was now looking at her like she had suddenly grown two heads.

'Perfect.'

"I hope you had fun last night since you are about to be assigned to the holding cells for the rest of the week. And by that, I mean that, aside from making sure no one breaks out, you will also have to make sure the criminals are well... accommodated."

Clear blue eyes widened at the words. "You don't mean...?"

"Cleaning. Duty."

Snickers broke out around them and even the desk-warden let out a snort. Vi for her part looked beyond mortified as her handcuffs were left to dangle ridiculously from her right gauntlet middle finger (only later she realized Caitlyn had done it as a statement) as the sheriff gave her one last smug look before turning on her heels and making her way towards the staircase.

The wardens present immediately dispersed in fear as she passed by, most of them finding their unfilled pile of reports suddenly more interesting, but as soon as Caitlyn disappeared into the higher offices, a wave of whistling and laughter broke out as the younger woman pathetically dragged herself towards the double doors that led into the holding area.

oOoOo

Later that day, Vi was surprised to receive a note from the sheriff with an apology and an invitation for a quiet dinner at her place.