Hey everyone!

I'm back with the next chapter and, truth be told, I think this is going to be a little controversial. Not gonna say why just yet but that's just how it is. Other than that, I'm pretty glad I got this chapter done relatively quickly - especially since I had to handle the end of term essays at uni, which was fun as always.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you at the end!


Vi ducked away from the first jab and caught the second on her right elbow, before weaving under the hook her opponent sent towards her skull. She let his fist fly over her head before driving her own into his gut, following up with a left hook straight into his side. Then Vi threw her right fist straight up between his guard, striking him dead on the chin. Jayce's head snapped backward and he stumbled back a couple steps, but he kept his eyes open and his guard up; a far cry from when they'd first started. Sure, she'd pulled her punch a little, but credit where credit was due, Vi had sent more experienced brawlers to sleep with that same strike. "So, how're things with Medarda?" She asked, careful to keep her breaths slow and even.

"Things are good." He huffed as he closed the distance, keeping his stance wide and his knees bent. He threw a right cross at her a second later, but Vi deflected it with her forearm and answered with a cross of her own. Jayce leaned aside just in time to avoid a fist to the teeth, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid her attack entirely, and Vi felt her knuckle scrape his cheek. She pulled her arm back before he could regain his balance and struck out with her other fist, jabbing him straight in the nose. Jayce rocked back as his face twisted in a grimace, and he lashed out with a haymaker to drive her back. Vi danced out of the way of the strike and built some distance between them, even though getting inside his guard would've been easy at that moment, but this spar wasn't about winning. "We had our second date a couple days ago. Went out for lunch and everything." He continued, stepping to his right as he brought his arms back up, and Vi mirrored him. They circled each other for a few seconds, the sound of their breathing filling the space between them, and Vi waited for Jayce to make his move.

She didn't have to wait long as Jayce's leg snapped up and out, aiming a kick straight towards her gut. Vi stepped into the strike and dropped low, letting it pass by her head harmlessly as she spun, turning her back to him and sweeping the back of her foot directly into his ankle. No one could hold a strong stance with only one foot on the floor, and Vi took his leg out from under him before he'd even finished his kick. He fell like a sack of bricks, landing on his shoulder with a heavy thud, right as Vi dropped to one knee and aimed a punch straight at his head. Jayce managed to roll onto his back and avoid the blow, however, before turning over once more and pushing himself to his feet. Vi sprung to her feet as well, launching a quick jab and cross at his chest as brought his guard back up, and he blocked both strikes on his forearms with practiced ease. But Jayce didn't catch the left hook she threw beneath his guard, hitting him just below the armpit and drawing a pained grunt from him. "We gonna be hearing wedding bells any time soon?" Vi asked with a smirk.

Jayce hobbled back a step, throwing a jab to ward her off. She weaved under it without issue, standing up straight and taking a short stride towards him. Vi kept her guard up as she rolled her shoulder back, tilting her head to the side and listening to the gentle pop that sounded. "Two dates, Vi." He stressed, sending a jab and a low kick her way. Vi blocked the punch with her right elbow before shuffling a step back, lifting her front leg up and letting the kick miss her entirely. "I don't even know if I'm interested in getting married someday, let alone her. Why're you even interested? I didn't think you were the type to care about ceremonies like that."

Shrugging her shoulders before darting forward, Vi took full advantage of the lull in combat to deliver an uppercut straight into the center of Jayce's stomach. He was able to pull his body back enough so she didn't bury her fist in there, but even then the way his face twisted told her it stung. She drew her arm back before attempting to jab him in the nose again, but Jayce twisted his body and batted the blow aside with his left palm. "That's good!" Vi called as she lowered her arms, pulling back and giving him a moment to breathe. "You're anticipating more now; not just reacting. It won't always work, no matter how good you get at it, but a single hit can be the difference between winning and losing." She explained, for what must've been the third time since the two of them had started sparring together. Sometimes the only way to learn a lesson like that was to get it beaten into you, though - gods know Vander had to beat a few of them into her skull when she was younger. "And the other thing? I mean, people in the Undercity aren't super into the whole marriage thing to begin with. It's a lot of documents just to say you love someone, and it can be really expensive depending how you go about it, especially since there's no official way to go about it down there. I knew a few kids whose parents jumped through all of those hoops, just so they could say they did, but most people who wanna get married just have a small event and then say they're married."

"Makes sense." Jayce said, pressing forward with a pair of jabs that Vi dodged with ease. "What about you, then?" He asked with a barely concealed grin, sending a cross towards her teeth before aiming a meaty hook at her temple. Vi deflected the first and ducked the second, and she rolled her eyes when she saw his expression.

"You're asking me that right now?" Vi groaned, tilting her head off to the side, towards one of the workbenches. She glanced over there a moment later and saw Caitlyn, sitting on a stool with a pen in her hand and a stack of papers in her lap, head down so that the brim of her hat hid her eyes from view.

Vi couldn't help but frown; Caitlyn always took her work home with her, even when she'd done more than enough during the day. If she wasn't spending her off hours honing her skills with a firearm, she was working whatever cases she could - even if there was already an Enforcer assigned to it. The only time Vi felt like she wasn't working was when they were spending time together as a couple, back at the Kiramman estate or in the time they had alone at the precinct. She even worked in the time they spent at Jayce's factory each evening, when they weren't discussing everything going on in Piltover and the Undercity. It never looked like it bothered her, though, so Vi figured it was safe to leave her be. The second Caitlyn looked even the slightest bit overworked, though, they'd be having words.

Nice, gentle words, but words nonetheless.

Vi turned back to Jayce. "We're not talking about that." She announced, pressing forward with a pair of jabs. Jayce leaned out of the path of the first one and blocked the second on his elbow, but he didn't even see the hook she sent towards his jaw, let alone stop it. Her fist caught him right across the chin and knocked him back a step, and Vi made a mental note to drill him on defending against hooks in the near future. One of those in a real fight could put him in his ass, even with his Hextech backing him up.

But, these days, it looked like a fist to the jaw wasn't enough to knock the smile from his face, and he spoke up with a teasing smirk. "What? You can ask me but I can't ask you?"

"That's exactly it." Vi answered, forcing down her a smile of her own. She'd gotten into a lot of fights back in Stillwater, far more than she cared to count, even if she'd used them to develop her skills as a fighter; but every single one had missed this. Laughs. Grins. A clear sense of camaraderie that said a spar was exactly that: a spar between friends. Vi'd missed having friends. That was just another thing she had Caitlyn to thank for. "Now, can I get back to kicking your shit in?"

"It's not like Caitlyn's listening to us." Jayce answered instead, shrugging his shoulders.

Apparently, she was.

"I can multitask, you know." Caitlyn spoke up for the first time since they'd been sparring, and the two of them turned to her. She hadn't even looked up from her work, which pretty much proved her point. "I'm very good at it, actually. And truth be told, it's a miracle Viktor and I can get any work done with the racket you two always make. Isn't that right, Viktor?" She asked, but even with her head down, Vi could see her lips curl up.

Silence.

Caitlyn turned up and looked across the room a moment after Vi did, looking towards the other workbench by the far wall. Viktor sat on his stool with his back facing them, holding a pair of tools that Vi didn't recognise as he tinkered with one of her Atlas Gauntlets. The other sat on the floor just next to him, knuckles planted firmly on the concrete. He was wearing his usual shirt and vest, along with a silver-steel backpack that glowed with sapphire light; the device that, according to him and Jayce, was saving his life. Viktor tried his best to explain how it worked to her, the first time she'd seen him wearing it, but that went about as well as it always did with her. All she knew was that it was fixing his lungs, slowly but surely, and at the end of the day that was all that mattered to her.

"Hey, Vik?" Vi called, lowering her hands and watching from the corner of her eye as Jayce did the same.

That got his attention, and the second of Hextech's founders looked up, peering left and right before spinning around on his seat. He met Vi's gaze with a joy in his eyes that she still hadn't gotten used to. That, and the color that filled his once pale and gaunt cheeks. He looked better than she had ever seen him before. He looked alive. "I'm sorry; I got a tad lost in my work. What did you need?"

"I was talking about how it's difficult to work with all the noise in here." Caitlyn said, drawing the scientist's attention. "Though I'm seeing that's not much of a problem for you today."

Viktor gave them an embarrassed little smile. "Ah, no, I was just finishing up the last of the upgrades Vi had asked me for."

"Having fun?" Jayce piped up, wiping his brow with the back of his hand and stepping over to his best friend. They hadn't quite finished their spar, but she'd pushed him pretty hard today so she'd let it go. Vi took the cue to walk back over to Caitlyn's side, snatching up the steel water bottle she'd left on the workbench and taking a big swig. Her partner glanced up at her as she did, smiling at her in a way that showed just a hint of gap tooth, and Vi returned it in full. Then she set her bottle down and placed her palm on Caitlyn's cheek, turning her head towards her. She leaned down and kissed her a moment later, closing her eyes as she did. Vi was pretty sure she smelt about as bad as a wet dog, though, so she pulled away after a few seconds, but gods the way Caitlyn's cheeks flushed was almost enough to pull her back in.

The two of them shared a conspiratorial grin as they parted, looking at each other like the two men in the room weren't fully aware they were in love, even if they'd never exactly told Viktor. Still, with how much time the three of them had been spending together here, Vi would bet all the money she had that he'd figured it out by now. Then the man in question responded, looking up at Jayce. "Lots. Installing the new parts without compromising the current ones was an interesting challenge." He explained, before leaning back and gesturing towards the gauntlet. "Take a look." He said, and Jayce did, peering down into the open machinery before Viktor spoke again. "So, what were the two of you talking about that caused so much ruckus?"

Bringing her hand up to her face, Vi pinched her brow as she wished she'd just kept her mouth shut. She'd tried to tease Jayce and now it was biting her in the ass. "Nothing." She groaned, hoping that he'd take the hint, but Caitlyn just grinned, and Vi suddenly felt like a canary that was sitting next to a cat.

"What do you think about marriage?" Caitlyn asked, the barest echo of laughter tinting her words, and she pointedly ignored the glare Vi sent her way.

Viktor hummed, glancing down at his lap with a thoughtful expression. "Well, Caitlyn, I'm flattered, but I'm not sure you should be asking me such a thing in front of Vi. She'll be heartbroken."

Her girlfriend laughed openly at that as Vi held up a hand and gave that comment as many fingers as it deserved, which was one. She knew it was all in good fun, however, so she gave him a small smile as well. "I meant more as a concept, but now that you mention it; do you think she'd look good in white?" Caitlyn asked, snatching Vi's hand when she tried to move away and keeping her by her side.

"Oh gods, can we not talk about this." Vi pleaded, her cheeks heating up as she tugged at Caitlyn's hand.

Viktor, the little sod, turned to her with a curious look on his face. His mischievous eyes darted up and down her form too quickly to be genuine, before he shook his head with a dramatic sigh. "It's not her color." He explained, waving a hand at her head and torso. "Too red."

A grim expression appeared on Caitlyn's face as she nodded, turning towards Vi as she reached up and brushed stray locks of hair behind her ear. "I think you might be right. Sorry, Vi; I don't think this is going to work out." She apologized with a wink.

Her lips curled down, and Vi leaned back against the workbench with a tortured groan. "Fuck both of you."

Laughing good naturedly, Viktor leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. "In all seriousness, I'm afraid I lack the knowledge or experience to give advice on romance. It's not really my thing. Still, I do think you'd want to consider going public with your relationship before thinking about marriage. Or, first, go on an actual date if you haven't already." He suggested, unaware of the can of worms he'd just opened.

Glancing towards her partner with dawning terror, whose face had lit up like Piltover on Progress Day, Vi let her head hang low. "Why did you have to say that?" She lamented right as Caitlyn locked eyes with Viktor, smirking so wide her cheeks must've hurt.

Caitlyn reached up and placed her free hand on Vi's arm. "I'm so glad you brought that up, Viktor. Actually, Jayce, why don't you weigh in on this." She considered after a moment, and the man in question let out a forlorn sigh. It was no secret that, for all of Jayce's charm and looks, he was as useless with romance as Viktor - he was just lucky enough to build a relationship in spite of it. Or unlucky, as it was turning out.

He leaned back up and turned towards the two of them, stepping away from the workbench as Viktor practically dived back into the Atlas Gauntlet, losing himself in his work within seconds. Jayce and Vi shared a weary glance as he approached, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking for all the world like a man on his way to his execution. "Boy, I've missed these chats. What've you got for me?"

Climbing to her feet with a grin that said she was enjoying this a bit too much, the love of Vi's life and current tormentor looped her arm around hers, placing the palm of her other hand on her shoulder. "You remember Seraphine, right?" She asked.

"Your friend with the squirrel? Yeah?"

"It turns out her parents want to meet me. They're rather protective, and the fact their daughter's friends with the Sheriff after what happened with the previous one is somewhat concerning to them." Caitlyn explained, before her voice grew hesitant; worried, almost. "Seraphine has… issues with social interaction and the like, so they want to make sure I'm not picking up where Marcus left off. She's never been able to go to a restaurant before, so she suggested we go to dinner sometime soon."

Jayce's brow furrowed. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"She wants Vi to come as well." She finished, and he hummed.

"Right. And what do you think, Vi?"

Reaching up and with her free hand and adjusting the straps of her goggles, Vi fixed him with the most deadpan stare she could. "I think Ionia's probably nice this time of year."

"That's about what I expected, yeah."

Caitlyn rolled her eyes even as she squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "We figured it would be a good idea to have Vi there as well. Seraphine's parents are from the Undercity, so having her there might help smooth things over. Shared experiences and whatnot. That, and having the Sheriff and the Deputy there will help prove we're taking accountability for the situation with Marcus."

"That's not all." Vi mumbled after a moment, and the taller woman tapped her cheek chidingly.

"I was getting there, Darling. We… also think it would be a good way for the two of us to go out together without revealing our relationship." Caitlyn explained. "Things are going well with the Enforcers and we don't want to jeopardize that anytime soon; not with everything going on in the Undercity."

"And you don't think it's a good idea?" Jayce turned to Vi.

Vi bit the bottom corner of her lip, glancing down at her feet. "I said it the last two times Caitlyn asked me about this; I'm no good with people. You both know that. Besides, I've met Seraphine once. We're not exactly friends."

"I think you'd be great." Her partner encouraged, but she just shook her head. "And Seraphine likes you. I don't think it'll be nearly as bad as you're making it out to be."

"Uh, Cait", Jayce cut in, "I think you're missing that Vi's not really the wine and dine type."

Caitlyn's lips thinned as she let go of her, holding her arms across her body as she glanced at Vi apologetically. "I know… I just figured we'd be going out together eventually, and this would be a nice… trial run, I guess."

She looked so genuinely remorseful, like she'd done something to actually hurt her, that it felt like Vi's chest was clenching.

Fuck.

They'd had this discussion, argument, debate - whatever you wanted to call it multiple times by now, and each time Vi gave the same explanation. But seeing the woman she loved like this had the truth surging up and out of her before she could even think of lying. "I… fuck, Caitlyn, I don't want to embarrass you."

The Sheriff of Piltover's jaw dropped. "What?"

Vi glanced over at Jayce for a second, clenching her hands together at her waist as years of bottling her emotions and insecurities up almost locked her lips together. But she wasn't in Stillwater anymore, the wretched hole that had almost stolen her heart from her. She loved Caitlyn and she trusted Jayce - they would never use her honesty against her. Vi believed that. She had to. "Look at me. I've got my name tattooed on my face and a cog on my neck." She rambled, gesturing wildly to the ink on her skin. "And that's not even counting the scars and other tattoos any dress you put me in will show. Everyone who sees us together will think I'm some Trencher rat, and they'll think less of you because of it. You deserve better."

Caitlyn's expression shifted from surprised to sad to confused faster than Vi could keep up with, before settling on a cold fury that pierced straight through her. She risked a glance at Jayce, looking like a rabbit caught in a thunderstorm, and she wasn't shocked when he took a nervous step back. "Excuse me? I 'deserve better?' What, because I'm a Councillor's daughter?"

"That's not what I said-"

"But it's what you meant." Caitlyn interrupted, and her face twisted with such utter disgust that Vi couldn't bear to look at her, glancing at the floor in shame. "Do you think I care about what some narrow-minded, pompous twats think?" She snatched Vi's hands up and dragged them between their chests, squeezing them so hard it almost hurt. "Or that I care that you're not from some noble house, or even from Piltover for that matter, and that your world extends beyond pointless balls and galas? Do you think me so shallow?"

Vi had no answer to that, and silence grew into a gulf between them, leaving them miles apart even though they were right in front of each other. Jayce took the chance to slip away, giving them whatever privacy he could. Caitlyn didn't watch him go. "Of course not…"

"Then why the hell would you say that to me?" She cried, before her face fell, the rage rushing out of her and leaving her looking afraid; uncertain. It looked like she might cry. "I love you. Isn't that enough?" Caitlyn whispered in a shaky voice.

"Of course it's enough." Vi promised, taking a step towards Caitlyn. "But do you think it'll be enough for the people who look down on people like me?"

"Fuck those people!" Caitlyn hissed, tearing her hands away and turning to the side. She tore the hat from her head after a second and held it at her waist, anxiously running her thumbs along its brim. "You won the people closest to me over; my parents, Jayce… the rest can kiss my arse. I… I can't believe you think I'd be embarrassed by you…" She trailed off, her eyes glistening.

Reaching out, Vi placed her hands on Caitlyn's waist, turning her towards her. Then she plucked the top hat from her grasp and gently placed it on her head, before drawing her into an embrace. "I'm sorry. I'm being insecure. I guess eight years in prison wasn't good for my self-esteem…" She whispered, her stomach twisting in guilt as Caitlyn sniffled into her shoulder. "I love you."

Trembling hands clenched around her waist as a quiet voice reached her ear. "You're beautiful, Darling. Scars and tattoos and missing teeth - all of it. I won't allow anyone to say otherwise. Even you."

Vi nodded before pressing a kiss to the side of Caitlyn's neck, and she shivered under her touch. "You're right." She said as she pulled back, pressing a palm to her lover's cheek and meeting her sapphire eyes, the cocky smirk she'd worn for so long finding its way back to her face. "I shouldn't shit-talk myself like that. I'm hot and a badass. There's no one else in Piltover who even comes close to me."

"Other than me." Caitlyn humbly added, and she couldn't keep her laugh down.

"'Course, Cupcake. You've got the best trigger-finger and tits in the city."

Now it was Caitlyn's turn to laugh, running her hands up and down Vi's back as a wicked blush spread across her cheeks, a smile bright enough to light the night sky forming on her lips. "Oh, Vi; you're such a charmer. Is that how you talk to all the girls, or am I just special?"

"Only you." She swore, before her courage faltered, and all the thoughts and worries that had been festering at the bottom of her stomach rushed up her throat, because deep down Vi wasn't good enough for Caitlyn. Not because of her looks or where she was from, but because of who she was; because of the things she'd done, and all the secrets she kept. "I love you." The words escaped her in a panicked breath, and she regretted them almost immediately. Not the words themselves, but why she'd said them at that moment.

There were so many things Vi wanted to say to this kind, beautiful woman, but none of them would be the truth. None of them would explain her guilt, or why she was so invested in her role as Deputy, fighting to help protect the Lanes. She wanted to tell Caitlyn why she clung to her the way she did, even if she hadn't realized she was by now, because she'd found so many reasons to live after getting out of Stillwater.

But Caitlyn was the one who'd made her feel alive, after spending so many years alone. She'd given Vi her life back and asked for nothing in return, except for her love.

And Vi couldn't even find the strength to tell her why she'd been in prison in the first place.

She knew the how of it all, the great big strokes of fate that had landed her in that cramped cell, but her sins lay in the details. In the tiny brushes of paint that made up the whole picture; unseen by most, but in some ways more important than the painting itself.

Vi was terrified to tell Caitlyn the truth because, if she knew her role in Jinx's creation, how she'd damned her little sister to a life without her family, she'd leave her. She'd turn her back on her just like she'd done to Powder what felt like a lifetime ago, and the life she'd built from sand would come crashing down around her - lost to the wind and tide.

She'd be alone, just like she deserved, so Vi poured all of herself into those three short words; her life, regret, loss, and all the hope she had left in her heart, and she forged it into a plea for forgiveness, For her to just, please, stay.

Caitlyn may not have known the whole truth, but when Vi's words reached her she did the same thing she'd done ever since she saved her from that pit: she understood.

Something between love and heartbreak flashed across Caitlyn's face, and the look she sent Vi was filled with more empathy and care than she could ever possibly deserve. "Oh, Vi…" She breathed, throwing her arms around her shoulders and pressing a pair of heavy kisses to her cheeks, before she pulled back. "I'm sorry I got angry at you. You don't deserve that."

Winding her arms around the small of her back, Vi shook her head. "No, you… I shouldn't have tried to make those choices for you. I didn't think you'd want to be seen with me." She explained, before continuing in a quiet, nervous tone. "I'll come to dinner, if you still want to go…"

Her partner bit her lip, glancing away for a split second before turning back to her. "Please don't force yourself into doing something you don't want to do. That wasn't what I was trying to say."

"No, it's not that. I'll be nervous as hell and probably make a complete idiot of myself, but I think it'll be worth it. Maybe." Vi chuckled, before tilting her head in consideration. "I tell you what, Cupcake; I'll even wear that stupid red dress you bought me."

Caitlyn's eyes almost seemed to sparkle. "Will you wear the jewelry I got you?"

"What? You don't even wear your own." She answered, her gaze narrowing, before she took a moment to think about it. "Fine, I'll wear the jewelry. And that includes the ruby necklace." She added when Caitlyn's mouth opened, poised to interrupt.

"I think you'll look brilliant in it. And the dress as well."

Vi rolled her eyes and let go of her, though she didn't step away. "You're only saying that because of the neckline." She teased, before she turned and sat down on the concrete floor, resting her back on the leg of the workbench. Caitlyn joined her a moment later, pressing up against her side as she placed her hat on her lap, before leaning her head on Vi's shoulder. "You're gonna owe me a favor when all this is said and done."

She hummed, looking up at her with a smirk. "I do everything you ask of me anyways, but alright."

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence after that, leaning on each other as Vi fought to quell her pounding heart; a task that became much easier when Caitlyn took her hand in hers, pressing feather-light kisses onto each of her knuckles. It was a kind of intimacy that Vi had never experienced before, casual and open and uncaring of who might be watching, even though she could see that Viktor and Jayce were hard at work on her gauntlet, and she reveled in the gentle warmth that settled in her chest, coaxing the air from her lungs and leaving her almost-perpetually breathless.

Time passed by in a blur of comfort and affection, not a single word passing between them as Vi rested her cheek on the crown of Caitlyn's head, and she knew that, if things stayed just like this, she could learn to be okay.

Then Viktor turned to them with a near-manic gleam in his eyes, mouth open like he was about to call out, before his eyes fell down to the two of them on the floor. Some of the energy left him, looking almost guilty for a moment before he coughed softly. "Excuse me? Vi?" He asked, apologetic. "The upgrades are done. You don't have to test them out now, but it would be good to iron out any faults before you take them out into the field…"

She let out a hefty sigh as she looked down at Caitlyn, hand in hand, and met her eyes. An unspoken reassurance passed between them, and Vi let go. "No, it's cool. I'm not gonna waste all your hard work like that." She stood, then, and made her way towards the other workbench where Viktor and Jayce were waiting. "So, what've you got for me?"

"Well, you asked for more mobility options besides literally flinging yourself at people", Viktor began as Vi stepped past him and beside Jayce, sliding her hand into the Atlas Gauntlet on the table, the whir of gears and hissing smoke like music to her ears, "so I modified some mass-manipulators and kinetic energy amplifiers and installed them into the Gauntlets. If I know what I'm doing, and I do, then all you have to do is think about where you want to go and the Gauntlets will take you there."

Vi nodded as she bent down and retrieved the other Gauntlet, smacking steel knuckles together as she glanced past the workbench, to the handle of the Mercury Hammer that peeked up from behind it. "Get warmed up, Pretty Boy. It's round two once I've taken these for a test drive." She grinned, moving to an empty patch of factory floor as she clenched and unclenched her fists.

A month ago, Jayce would've been anxious about facing her with the Atlas Gauntlets, even with his hammer, but now he just smirked. She might've been rubbing off on him more than some people might've liked, but having a little fire in your veins never hurt anyone. Except for when it literally did. "You're on." He laughed, full of confidence as he strode 'round the table and took the Mercury Hammer in hand. The sound of thunder rumbled through his family's factory as it erupted into life, and he swept the arcane weapon up into two hands before walking off to find his own space. Vi watched him go, and a few moments later the sounds of humming energy and shifting energy found her ears.

Then she hopped up and down a couple times, cracking her neck and rolling her shoulders as she glanced over at Viktor. "How's this work, then?"

He plucked his cane from where it lay against the table, more of a precaution at this point than anything, and stepped to her side. "For you, it will feel like gravity is no longer affecting you, and you'll be pulled in a direction of your choosing at rapid speed." Viktor paused as he visibly considered something, his head tilting to the left. "And I do mean rapid. I tweaked the hard-light shield generator to form a small barrier around you when this… thruster, I suppose, is activated, but you'll be moving fast enough that I recommend extreme care, regardless."

Nodding, Vi filed that information away. "Don't trip; got it. Can this take me in any direction? Like up?

"Easily." He answered. "Though I would make sure you're wearing an Overshield if you're planning on doing so. Or, at the very least, practice your landings. Just remember, the technology I've added is experimental and somewhat finicky, so I've limited it in a few ways so as to not damage the other systems in the gauntlets."

"Right?"

"The boost lasts exactly for one second which will carry you a considerable distance, at the speed you'll be moving. Then it'll take a few seconds to reset, and you'll be able to go again. The Atlas Gauntlets have this function individually, though, so if you time the uses carefully the reset time will be inconsequential. Still, I would like to mention that, due to the effect of the kinetic energy amplifiers, the first punch you throw during or immediately after moving will carry a heightened amount of force. More than the gauntlets are normally capable of producing." Viktor elaborated, and Vi glanced down at her plated hands.

Thinking back to all the fights she'd been in since taking up the Atlas Gauntlets, Vi recalled throwing Sevika around like a ragdoll, knocking down walls and flipping cars and trucks like tables. Jayce's mining tools were disgustingly strong, and even if they weren't specifically designed for combat like his Mercury Hammer, the fact was they turned her from a skilled and experienced boxer into a one-woman wrecking team. Boosting that power for even a single blow was damn-near dizzying to think about. "How much more?" She asked, feeling just a little concerned. The magic powering the Atlas Gauntlets responded to her thoughts and will, meaning she wouldn't maim or kill anyone she explicitly didn't want to, but she wasn't sure if that protection extended to their latest feature. It wouldn't hurt to be careful, either way.

Viktor hummed, leaning more on his cane for a moment as he held his hand out in front of him, tilting it side to side. "Not too much, all things considered. Around three hundred percent."

Her mouth fell open, words failing her for a second. "Fuck me! Three hundred isn't too much?" She blurted out, honestly aghast.

"Maybe a little much." Viktor grimaced, before he shook his head. "Just practice caution around more… fragile things." He advised, and she nodded absently.

Then Vi drew in a deep breath, considering the weapons that she'd quickly come to view as extensions of herself. Maybe too quickly, if she was being honest. But the feeling of putting them on for the first time a month ago in this very building, back when things had been so very different, it brought her back to the time she met Vander. He'd worn gauntlets like these, too, and so had she, when she fought and beat Silco's goons in the cannery eight years ago. Hands of iron instead of magic and steel, now sitting in her wardrobe back at the Kiramman's house after she'd taken them from her sister's tea party; a reminder and a memento all in one, much like the goggles she now wore on her brow.

Deep in the back of her mind, even with how effective the Atlas Gauntlets made her, how much authority they gave her with the rest of the Enforcers, the reason Vi wore the Atlas Gauntlets was because they made her feel closer to her father.

Thanks for everything, Dad. I'll use these the way you would've wanted me to.

"Hey, Caitlyn!" She called, spinning on her heels before striking at the air a couple times. Her girlfriend had, rather unsurprisingly, gone back to work in the minutes she'd been speaking to Viktor, but she glanced up at the sound of her name. "You wanna see something cool?"

She actually took a moment to consider that, glancing down at the papers on her lap before giving a forlorn sigh, which was pretty underserved in Vi's opinion. Caitlyn must've done more paperwork in the past hour than the rest of the department had done in two days. Four, in her case! Still, she placed the heavy stack on the table behind her and gave Vi her full attention. "Try not to break your neck, Darling." She said by way of encouragement, showing that, once again, she'd been listening to her surroundings.

Vi gave her a wink before glancing over to where Jayce had gone to practice, finding him with his hammer planted head-down on the floor, leaning on its haft and watching her with curious eyes.

Pursing her lips, Vi settled into a wide stance with her arms held loose at her sides. She'd moved to the halfway point between the factory walls, so that should have been a good testing distance. Of course, Viktor chose that moment to voice his concerns. "Umm, I think you should-"

But Vi had already willed the Atlas Gauntlets into motion, and a barrier of thin blue, smoke-like light coated her body as gravity lost its hold on her. In an instant, her body floated what must've been an inch off the floor, before an unseen force launched her forward.

Two things occurred to her, then, in the barest fraction of a second that followed.

One; Viktor was right. This thing was fast, and the world around her grew blurry as she was propelled straight towards the factory wall at speeds a normal human could never hope to reach.

Two; if this boast lasted for exactly one second like Viktor said it would, then at the speed she was moving, and the direction she was moving in…

Vi flew face first into the Talis factory wall the very moment she realized her mistake, her chest and nose slamming into steel first before momentum carried the rest of her body forward. Then she bounced off the wall with an echoing clang and crashed back down onto the concrete, coming to rest on her back with her arms spread wide, unfocused eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

Well, at least the shield works. She thought as the sound of hurried footfalls reached her, and she raised her right arm, giving them a big, metal thumbs up. "I'm good." She called, and even to herself she sounded a little dizzy. Going from zero to fuck knows in less than a second had taken it's toll, even with the protection the Atlas Gauntlets gave her. "Let's just forget that happened."

Caitlyn reached her side first, dropping to one knee as she slipped her arm behind Vi's shoulders and helped her up. Her other hand was pressed just above her stomach as she looked her up and down, critical eyes doing nothing to hide the look of shock and panic on her face. "What did I just say?" She hissed as Jayce moved opposite her, squatting down and placing his hand on her shoulder. Viktor arrived a moment later, walking as fast as he could with his cane in hand.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Vi dismissed, planting her left palm on the floor behind her and pushing herself up fully. Caitlyn nodded and let go, leaning out of the way as she brought her massive fists in front of her and linked her fingers together. "Only thing I hurt was my pride." She explained, glancing back towards the wall and half expecting to see a Vi-shaped dent in the metal. There was nothing there, thankfully, which was either a miracle or some arcane fuckery she was too stupid to understand.

"I think you'll live." Jayce laughed, standing and offering her a hand. Vi placed an oversized finger into his palm and pulled herself to her feet, regulating the gauntlet's strength so she didn't pull him off his. "But, other than that, I think that went alright."

"That's the spirit." She chuckled, rapping her knuckles gently on his chest.

Covering his mouth with his hand, Viktor tried, and failed, to hide his grin. "I was in the middle of warning you about the distance when you… you know, found out for yourself." He explained, stifled laughter echoing in his voice, and Vi rolled her eyes.

"As long as you all enjoyed watching me eat shit." She sighed, but she was putting it on and they all knew it. "Alright, assholes, give me some room."

She turned and strode all the way over to the far wall, Caitlyn and her friends backing up like she asked. Almost pressing her back to it, Vi bent her knees with her palms held out in front of her, even as a small, uncertain voice in the back of her head questioned that decision. She wasn't sure what would happen if the Atlas Gauntlets simply came into contact with something after the boost, if that three hundred percent increase in power would lead her to pushing her hands through the wall by accident, or if simply willing it not to happen would prevent it entirely.

The only way to know was to try, though, so she steeled her nerves, sucked in a breath, and activated the booster.

Her body left the ground within a nimbus of azure light before being carried forward at inhuman speeds, but Vi was ready for it this time. The world almost seemed to stretch in that single moment, growing hazy and ill-defined, before the force moving her cut out entirely. Her feet hit the floor with a thud and she stumbled forward, maybe fifteen feet from the wall she'd just hit, and she had to break out into a near-run to keep her feet, her arms flailing about in an attempt to balance herself. When Vi slammed into the wall this time it was at a much more manageable speed, and she caught herself on her shoulder, wincing briefly in pain even as she kept her footing.

She glanced around as she pushed herself off the wall, finding the other three staring at her with varying expressions. Viktor was staring at her with curiosity, like he was waiting for her feedback on her latest crash test, while Jayce just smiled, clapping his hands like he was at the fucking theatre. Vi had pretty much spent the past month beating him up, though, so she'd let him have this one. That's what friends did. Caitlyn, for her part, just held her face in her palms, looking like she was fighting a migraine and losing badly.

"Viktor, please take those things out of her gauntlets before she ends up in a cast." Her girlfriend pleaded in a weary voice as Vi turned to Jayce and bowed, right arm across her stomach with her left held out at her side, not even bothering to hold back her laugh.

"Nonsense, Caitlyn." Viktor said, the echoes of a smile on his lips. Even he wasn't so above it all. Not anymore. "I think this is a valuable learning experience. We're getting so much valuable data already."

"Jayce?" She asked.

"Do it again." He said without hesitation, and both Vi and Caitlyn gave him a dry look.

Vi held up her massive hand and looked Jayce in the eye, clenching it into a fist and turning it side to side. "Once I get the hang of this, you do realize I'm gonna be using this against you, right?" She explained slowly, like she was talking to a small child.

"Mmm." Jayce nodded, cheeks turning a little pale, before turning to his science partner. "Do what she says, Vik."

"You are both worrying over nothing. Vi will master this new ability and-"

The sound of a slamming door rocked the factory, metal striking metal and echoing through the air, and the four of them had barely begun to turn to the front of the building when a furious voice called out. "Vi!"

Ekko stormed through the front door of Jayce's factory with bloody murder in his eyes, scanning left to right before his gaze fell on her. A wrathful sneer twisted his face and he stomped towards her, either not noticing or simply not caring about the other three people in the room. His left hand drifted dangerously close to the emerald bat on his hip, and as he approached Vi noticed just how bloodshot his eyes were, like he'd been having trouble sleeping. Or crying. "What did you do!" He roared, steel-toed boots striking the floor so hard she was surprised they weren't creating sparks.

Frozen in shock as a fear she didn't recognise tore its way through her nerves, Vi stood there, paralyzed by the intensity of his glare. Ekko would never attack her, not after everything they'd been through together since she'd escaped Stillwater, but this… this wasn't her Ekko. Whether he could hurt her was up for debate, especially when she had her Atlas Gauntlets and he apparently didn't have his Z-Drive, but right here, right now, she truly believed he might have it in him to try. "Uh, h-hey Little-Man, you- what did I do?" She stuttered, the weight of his gaze like an actual, tangible force pressing down on her chest. Vi glanced at Caitlyn and Jayce, both looking between the two of them in naked shock.

Viktor took a step towards Ekko, the tap of his cane drowning under the noise of Ekko's stride. "Ekko, there's no need to shout like that. If you'd just explain-"

Without even slowing down, Ekko reached behind him and tore something from his waist and slammed it down to the floor. The object clattered and slid towards Vi, stopping just a few inches short of her feet, and her heart leapt into her throat.

Powder's gun.

How something so small could make her feel so much dread was almost beyond her understanding, but it wasn't the weapon itself that made her feel like this. Gods knew she'd been grappling with the woman Powder had become ever since meeting her again, on the dark, moonlit roof just beneath the surface.

No. It was…

"How did you find that?" Vi questioned without taking her eyes off the gun, her voice faint. "Is she-"

Ekko didn't stop moving until he'd gotten right in front of her, and he shoved her back with a snarl. "I'm asking the questions! What the fuck did you do!" He screamed, wild eyed and red faced as he kicked the gun towards her.

She caught her footing and took a few more steps back, building a little distance between them as she dropped her hands to her side, deactivating the Atlas Gauntlets with a thought and letting them fall to the floor. They landed knuckle-first on the concrete with an echoing thud, and you could tell the situation was fucked when no one so much as twitched at the noise. Caitlyn took the chance to step between them, putting her hand on Ekko's chest and holding him back. Her face was hard, expression eerily similar to the one she wore right before bullets started flying, but her eyes were concerned. "Alright, everyone! Calm down! This doesn't help anyone!"

Fist clenching at his side, Vi thought Ekko might actually take a swing at her, but he just stood there, letting the Sheriff of Piltover hold him back. But, if anything, it just made him madder. "You're not a part of this, Piltie. None of you are!" He shouted, throwing his hand to the side and glaring at Caitlyn, Jayce and Viktor in turn. Then he turned his rage on her, and she flinched. "This is between me and her, and I swear if you don't start talking, Vi, I'm going to beat the fucking answers out of you!"

"No one's beating anyone!" Jayce called, holding his hands out to both her and Ekko. Then he waved a hand at the pistol on the floor, faint blue light shining from lines in its body. "Now, unless I'm seeing things, that's Hextech, which means that's Jinx's- that belongs to Vi's sister, right?" He corrected, eyes flitting guiltily to her, but the damage had been done.

Ekko glared at the four of them for a long, tense moment, breathing heavily through his nose. "Yeah." He huffed, turning back to Vi, and she wasn't sure why, but she couldn't meet his eyes. Then he bent down and snatched the gun from the floor, holding it by the barrel with his fingers away from the trigger. "I… fuck… Fuck!" Ekko growled, running a hand through his braided hair before storming off to the workbench on the right. He slammed his hands down, the gun striking its wooden surface, and he shoved it off to the side as he clenched the edge of the table. He spent the next few moments breathing, chest heaving as he visibly forced down his anger. "I found her."

And Vi forgot how to breathe.

"Yesterday", he continued, voice distant, like he was reliving something even as he spoke, "I went to scout out Renni's main production line with a couple of my Firelights like we talked about, Sheriff, but someone beat us to her. There's half a dozen corpses outside, the door had been blasted open, and the only thing louder than the screams of the fleeing workers were the gunshots coming from inside. Then a grenade with metal teeth came flying out a window and landed at our feet, and suddenly things started making a whole lot more sense."

Her heart raced in her chest, sweat beginning to gather on her brow, when Caitlyn stepped next to her and grabbed her hand, and only then did she realize she was shaking.

All the while, her oldest friend talked on. "I send my guys back because like hell do I want them there, you know? Not with Jinx tearing the fucking place to pieces, and I do mean pieces. I get inside, and I'm damn near wading through bodies at that point, and then I see her, and she's just, I don't know, standing there." He said as he turned around, placing his hands on the back of his head and leaning against the table, eyes fixed on the floor. "And then she sees me, and the only thing she can say is 'hey'. Can you believe that?" He asked, a short, desperate chuckle tearing out of his lips. "Next thing I know, we're talking like we're not surrounded by a hundred fucking corpses, and she says Silco told her to attack the place."

"Silco?" Caitlyn whispered, before a horrified question entered her eyes - one Vi didn't understand. "Before he died, surely?"

And Ekko laughed, tears springing to his eyes as he rubbed a hand down his jaw. "You'd think so, wouldn't you! Trust me, it gets so much worse later. And she… she didn't look good, Vi." He admitted, turning to her as her head began to pound, and she squeezed Caitlyn's hand for all it was worth. "Either a side effect of the Shimmer or she just hadn't been eating, I don't know which, but then she asks… she asks me to…" He trailed off, his words failing him.

"Ekko?" Vi spoke up for the first time in what felt like ages, her voice trembling almost as much as she was.

"I didn't wanna fight her." Ekko pressed on, seemingly lost in his own story. "Even with all my Hextech, I wasn't sure I could win a second time, but beyond all of that, I just didn't wanna hurt her. Gods, she must've been in so much pain…" He said quietly, like he didn't mean for them to hear, before he snarled and rubbed his fingers across his eyes, brushing away his tears before they could fall. "Whatever. We formed a fucking truce or something and we went up to Renni's office where she'd holed up. Long story short, Jinx kicked her shit in, beat the Spider's name out of her, and then killed her after the wrinkly bitch ran her mouth a bit too much."

"You know his name?" Caitlyn blurted out, shocked. Vi didn't know if it was because he knew in the first place or that he didn't seem to care all that much about it. She knew she didn't.

Powder… what did you do?

"Urgot." He huffed, waving a hand dismissively. "Some Sump-rat from the Dredge, who gives a fuck. So I rewound time and brought Renni back, and I threw her out before Jinx could paint her brains across the ceiling a second time. Next thing I know I've taken three shots to the chest with a forth on its way, and the only reason I'm still alive now is because of my Overshield, and because I was fast enough to activate the Z-Drive." Something in Ekko gave out, then, and he slumped down, his ass hitting the floor as he brought his hands to his face. "So we fought and I beat the shit out of her, because it turns out time-travel's really fucking busted in a fight. Then we're back down in the corpse-pit and she's rambling about her dad; talking to the fucking walls or some shit", he ranted, and past his fingers she could see the tears spilling over, "and then she fucking died." He wept, before turning to her. "She died, Vi."

"What!" Caitlyn shouted, jaw dropping right as Vi's legs failed her, silent static filling her ears.

Her knees hit concrete, a pain that would've caught her attention at any other time, before she fell back. Caitlyn managed to catch her, wrapping her arm around her shoulder and holding her up, and she saw her mouth moving from her periphery a moment later, but the words never left her lips. The only thing Vi could hear was the hammering of her own heart, and the words that spilled out from Ekko.

Oh gods, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no no no no nonononononononononono-

"She had some kind of Hextech rocket launcher, and she blew herself up with it. You guys heard about the fire in the Sump yesterday? Took nearly ten hours to put out? That was her." He hurried on, pressing a hand to the back of his head and drawing his knees to his chest. Vi's vision had begun to swim and her lungs were burning because she couldn't breathe and- "I barely made it out alive. She was nothing more than an arm, a torso and an eye when I found her, and you know what the worst part was? She hadn't even died yet! The Shimmer kept her alive until well after I got there, and she couldn't even talk but she begged me to stay and I did and she… I watched her die. She put her hand on my cheek and she died, and then…"

And then Ekko's voice started to fade.

The pain in her chest grew brighter and brighter until it felt like she was burning and drowning at the same time. The world shrunk down around her until she was back in her cell in Stillwater, beating her fists against the wall because Powder was dead, Silco had killed her, no matter how much tried to tell herself otherwise. She'd left her and she died and she wanted to die with her, because anything was better than living at this point-

Something damp touched her brow and Vi flinched back, throwing her hands up to defend herself, but all she saw was Caitlyn kneeling in front of her, wet cloth in one hand and Vi's water bottle in the other. "Violet? Please, Darling, can you hear me? Come on…" Her love whispered, and she suddenly realized there was an arm around her, and it wasn't hers. She glanced to her right and saw Jayce kneeling beside her, his burly arm draped across her shoulder as he kept her steady. The back of her head hurt, like she'd hit it on something hard, and realized that she'd passed out.

She also realized that she didn't care.

"She's dead, Caitlyn."

The words drifted out of her, cold and empty, and she thought she might be sick.

Her sister was dead. It was over. Everything she'd survived, all those cold and lonely years - they had been for nothing.

Caitlyn just shook her head, pressing her palms to Vi's cheeks and tilting her head up, forcing her to lock gazes. "No she's not. It turns out Ekko is useless at telling stories, and he took too long to get to the part where he went back in time and saved her from the explosion."

… "What?"

She felt something soft touch the back of her skull and she glanced aside, seeing him wiping a second cloth down her head, before he pulled it back and looked it over - checking for blood.

"She's alive. I promise you." Caitlyn swore, and Vi glanced around her, watching as Ekko paced back and forth a few feet away, hands on the back of his head as he hissed something at Viktor. He stood just beside him, knuckles turning white around his cane, and his face twisted with barely concealed anxiety.

Ekko threw his hands to the side before glaring down at her, realizing she was conscious again, and he stomped forward, damn near pushing Caitlyn aside as he grabbed her by the jacket and hauled her to her feet. Vi didn't have it in her to fight him, and she stumbled as she fought to stand under her own power. Caitlyn and Jayce were up in a flash, standing either side of her just in case she fell. "Listen, Vi." Ekko began, his voice hoarse like he'd been shouting. "Viktor thinks I should be a little more concise so we don't have a repeat of what just happened, so here it is, plain and simple. I saved Jinx and she left, and I was too hurt and my equipment was too damaged to follow her. Then I went home for the night only to hear this afternoon that my scouts had found her out in the Lanes."

That caught their attention, the four of them turning to him with shocked eyes. "So I told them I'd handle it, and I went out to meet her. Wanna know what I found?"

Vi nodded. "Please."

Ekko snorted derisively, taking a step back as he shoved his hands in his pockets, glaring straight through her. "She was up there, and she was talking to you."

What?

"She was talking to you and Vander and Silco, to Mylo and Claggor." Ekko listed, each name driving itself into her chest like a bullet, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach, shying away from his gaze. "Even your fucking Mom and Dad. She thought I was a hallucination, and nothing I said could convince her otherwise. And she was looking at you through a telescope, you and your girlfriend over there", he hissed, gesturing at Caitlyn dismissively, "because apparently she's been watching you have lunch at Jericho's a while now. You wanna know why? Wanna know why she'd been doing that? Why she joined up with Silco and started calling herself Jinx, or everything else she did? Not because she's evil, or-or crazy, but because she's sick." He growled, and something in his expression twisted, wrath turning to something Vi didn't recognize in him, and he turned away. "She's mentally ill, and I think she has been for a long time now."

"Schizophrenia." Viktor explained, his voice subdued, and Ekko pointed a finger towards him.

"Ding ding ding." Ekko voiced, full of scorn. "I'm pretty sure it got a lot worse after she killed Silco, though. I don't even think she can tell what's real at the best of times, let alone when she's having a bad day - which I'm pretty sure is most days at this point. I…" He stammered. "I hated her all this time and I didn't even know… And you know what she told me, before I- before she left, right after she tried to shoot herself?"

"What?" Caitlyn cried, because he must not have told them about that, and Vi rocked back like she'd been punched. "Ekko, I swear-"

"Oh, give me a break!" He interrupted, spinning around and glaring daggers at them. "I told you she's alive because she is! I got her to stop! How do you think I have her gun!" Ekko shouted, tilting his head to the workbench where he'd left it. "I'm not going to fucking sugar-coat this, Kiramman! Powder's lonely and suicidal and she sees people who aren't there; what, do you want me not to tell her?"

"I want you to have a little more tact!"

Ekko stomped a step forward and pointed a finger at Caitlyn's chest. "That's all you Topsiders care about! Tact! Appearances! Well listen here, you-"

She'd had enough.

"Ekko!" Vi shouted, glaring at him as tears began to run down her face. "What did she say?" She begged.

Ekko stumbled back, expression caught between fury and disbelief, like he couldn't understand why she'd shouted at him. "She told me what happened the night you went missing. About how she killed Mylo and Claggor using the Gemstones she stole from his apartment!" He roared, throwing a hand towards Jayce, who looked like he might throw up. "She told me how Vander died to save you, and that you turned on Powder when she found you! That you hit her and called her a jinx, and then you just left her behind!"

Self-loathing and shame roiled like a storm in her gut, and she was all too aware of Caitlyn standing next to her, looking at her - waiting for the woman she loved to deny Ekko's words. To explain that she hadn't betrayed her sister, and that she hadn't thrown her away. But Vi wasn't the woman she thought she was. She never had been, and she was about to learn that now.

"It's true." Vi admitted, her shoulders slumping as she refused to meet Ekko's eyes. Caitlyn's eyes widened beside her, her face growing pale. "I abandoned her."

And Ekko just stared at her, his expression morphing from anger to sadness, to betrayal and heartbreak, before settling on cold disappointment. Ekko stepped forward and pressed his finger to her chest, right above her heart. "Everything that happened, all the people she killed: that's on you."

Then he turned and left, snatching Powder's gun from the table and shoving it into the back of his trousers. Jayce took one look at her and Viktor before turning to Caitlyn, and something unspoken passed between them. He pulled Vi in for a hug, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her brow before pulling away. Then he ran to where he left the Mercury Hammer, snatching it up with the crackle of arcane thunder echoing around him, and left as well - she could only assume to find Ekko.

Vi squatted down, wrapping her arms around her knees as she wept silently, and Caitlyn got down on one knee beside her. "Violet?" She whispered, glancing up at Viktor as she wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

She couldn't bear to look at her. "Please don't leave me." She begged, burying her face into her thighs. But Caitlyn would leave her, just like she'd done to Powder, because that's what she deserved-

"Why would I leave you?" The woman she loved asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Because of what I just said, and what I did. It's all my fault…"

Caitlyn moved in front of her so that they were face to face. "But it's not all your fault." She explained in a patient, desperate tone. "I think you share some of the blame, but only that. Some. So does Jayce for creating the crystals in the first place. So does Ekko for following him to his apartment and then sending you there. Hell, I share some of the blame."

"How the hell is any of this your fault?" Vi sobbed brokenly.

She just shrugged. "When you and your sister first reunited after we escaped from Silco. If I hadn't interrupted, maybe you would've been able to get through to her fully. Blaming yourself like this isn't good for you, and it certainly won't get you anywhere with Powder."

"And what will? Powder left Ekko and we don't know where she's gone! How am I supposed to help her if I can't even find her?" Vi cried, finally looking up at Caitlyn. There were tears in her eyes, too, but she was holding on. For her sake, Vi realized with a start.

"I don't know", she admitted, "but whatever happens, we'll do it together. I'm not going to leave you, Darling. I love you, and I promised you I'd help you find Powder, and that's what I'll do." Caitlyn took her hands and stood, then, gently tugging Vi to her feet. "Get your gauntlets." She ordered, and Vi looked at her, puzzled.

"Why?"

"We're going home. You're going to get cleaned up, and I'm going to go get my gear." She answered. "Then we're going down into the Lanes to look for your sister. We'll start with the rooftops near Jericho's, like Ekko said. See if we can't find some trail, or any leads as to where she might have gone."

Vi did as she was asked, light-headed with the tears streaming down her face, before Caitlyn drew her into a heavy hug. She wiped her tears after, before kissing her on the cheek and saying goodbye to Viktor, who promised to close up for the night.

Then they left for the Kiramman home, and for the Undercity in turn, but even with Caitlyn's reassurances, all her promises and her love, Vi didn't think she'd ever felt so small.


So there you have it.

This is something of an interim chapter, I guess. More setup than anything, even with all the revelations and the like, but that's okay. They can't all be explosive, dramatic battles. Now, if any of you are looking at what Ekko told Vi this chapter and what happened in the last two and noticing some… inconsistencies, know it is intentional. I'm saying it now so you guys don't get confused and start wondering if I'm retconning stuff. Even then, I might've made a mistake or two considering this is such a dialogue heavy chapter, but that's how the cookie crumbles. I don't think this is a perfect chapter, none of them have been, but I'm proud of this one.

Anyways, comment if you have any feedback you'd like to share, positive or negative, and see you next time, where we'll see what goes on with Jayce and Ekko. It's about time those two got to share the spotlight…