A/N: This takes place after the final battle, but before the "Dirt Under The Nails" scene.

It was dead silence at the Kiramman Estate, save for the crackling of a fire.

"They did another sweep. All they could find was this." Caitlyn took out of her pocket what looked like part of the head of a toy monkey. Both women recognized the style right away.

Vi slowly took it in her hand, flipping it around with her fingers. "Nothing else?"

Caitlyn shook her head. "No blood, not even a wisp of blue hair."

At least Vander had been found. Or what was left of him. The explosion and the long fall had finally put the man to rest. It gave Vi closure on that front at least.

"I see." Vi gripped the piece hard and smiled. "Thanks."

Caitlyn frowned. "You actually hope…"

"Yeah. She got away."

Caitlyn took a sharp breath. "Do you want to try to find her? I can hel-"

"No." Vi had a hard, pensive face. "I won't go after her."

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows.

Vi put on a somber face. "At the bunker, she told me to start living for myself. She did not want me to go after her anymore. It was her wish. Wherever she is, I'm going to respect that. For both our sakes."

Caitlyn nodded in understanding, and sighed. "Alright. Then I'll respect your choice. I want to move on too." She was tired of hating, anyway.

"But thank you, Cait. At least I have a little something to remember her by." Vi set the piece on a table and sat down.

Caitlyn couldn't help but look at her for a while. Vi definitely looked less tense. She even had her arms wrappings off, a subtle sign of her taking a well-deserved break. The aftermath of the battle had been such a mess, especially with how injured they both were, that they had almost no time to themselves. She gingerly sat down next to her. "That means you really will be staying?"

Vi took a moment to answer, slowly turning to Caitlyn. "Sure. If you'll have me."

"Of course I will. I wasn't sure what to expect from you when I found you in the bunker. What you would want with me." Caitlyn crossed her arms and put on a smirk. "The message you sent me was very clear, I guess." This drew a laugh from Vi. "And I'm sure my response was also clear. You're not even a guest, just-" She paused. "You can stay for as long as you need."

"If your dad doesn't kill me."

"I'm sure you'll grow on him."

They both chuckled.

Caitlyn continued. "I want to help you however I can. The least I can do after… I was so horrible to you that day."

Vi kept looking at the fire.

"I regret it so much. I was so blinded by grief. You were calling me out on it. And I pushed you away, after I roped you into it in the first place. I can't help but feel like I don't deserve the second chance you're giving me."

Vi replied after a long second. "These past few days, I've had time to think. Really think. I told myself that my sister was gone. And that killing her was the only way to move on. What you convinced me was to join the force, I already wanted to go after her myself. I told myself what we were doing was right. The only answer. But Isha. The kid. She reminded me too much of Powder. She made me see Powder in Jinx again. I lost my grip on things." She sighed. "It wasn't about me not trusting your aim. In hindsight, you probably wouldn't have missed. I think that was just me lying to myself again."

"I still should have thought it through better. And…" Caitlyn buried her face in her hands. "I keep replaying the moment I abandoned you in my head."

"Well. My sister has hit me several times. And I still love her. Still, while we're at it…" Vi took on an even more somber tone. "Did Loris ever tell you what I was up, these months?"

"No. I didn't even know you and him hung out during that time."

"I was alone. I had neither you nor my sister. I had to make a living somehow. And the only thing I really know how to do is fight. So, I took it all out in a fighting ring. Beating the absolute fuck of anyone who stepped in. Make some money. And then drink the time away until the next fight. For a time, I had… some degree of fun. But over time it became… degrading. Eventually I pushed Loris away and that is when I hit true rock bottom. If Jinx hadn't shown up. To tell me that Vander was alive…" Vi didn't continue past that point.

Caitlyn listened. She wanted to scream. At herself. But she made herself listen to all of it. She deemed it more important that Vi let it all out, no matter how painful it was for her to hear.

It dawned on her why Vi had not wanted to bring in anything from wherever she had been living at.

There weren't any good memories there. At all.

She was close to starting to cry. "Vi… You can be mad at me if you want."

"Cait. I don't think I have any rage left in me. Those poor bastards I fought took all of it in. And all that time, all I ever wanted was to be with you again. I kept seeing you, everywhere. When we met again, at the commune, we immediately hatched a plan. And when I woke up, all I could throw at you were a couple of sentences about having joined up with that Noxian bitch. I didn't even ask if you had done something horrible while being the Mongoose Commander." Beyond what she occasionally saw Enforcers do on the street. "I mean, what does that say about myself?"

Caitlyn finally interjected. "You were worried about your sister."

Vi processed that for a moment and then got up. "Exactly! Because that's what I do! I didn't even say a word about us, just straight to the fucking bunker!" She walked to the wall. "Because I never!" She punched the wall. "Once!" Punched it again. "Gave a shit." Another. "About MYSELF!" And again, this time leaving a crack on it. "Just bottling it all up, waiting for the next breakdown! Just denying myself what I always wanted, WHICH WAS YOU!" With a final punch, she now left a very noticeable imprint of her fist on the wall.

She turned around and finally looked at Caitlyn for the first time in the conversation. "YOU! At first you were just a hot piece of ass I made a deal with, but I fell in love! You gave me a lifeline! I had a chance to not be alone anymore even if I had lost my sister. And without you I can't do shit!" She fell to her knees and began to cry. "I want to be with you because I can't bear the thought of being alone again."

Caitlyn took that as the cue to rush to her, and hugged her. "There. Let it all out." She too began to cry.

For a minute they stayed like that. Caitlyn finally spoke. "I fell in love with you because I saw goodness in you, despite the rough exterior. I wanted to help you. I squandered that chance. And it corrupted me. Without you, I let myself get used by horrible people. I enabled terrible things. And I tried to fill that void in my heart… But you were the one I truly missed. You're the only person I ever wanted. I guess we both lied to ourselves. All I can do now is try to fix things as best as possible."

Vi listened to it and slowly stopped crying. "I can't get mad at you because I'm madder at myself."

"You always did what you thought was best for those who mattered to you. You can't be blamed for it. I understand. At heart, you are a protector. Your sister wanted you to liberate yourself from her."

"That's what I'm trying to do. That's what I did in the bunker. I don't care that you saw other people. I don't care that you hated my sister. I don't care what you've done after the sewer. I just. Want. You."

Caitlyn sobbed. "I just want you too. Wherever you go. Whatever you want to do with your life. I will have your back." She paused. "I would promise, but I already broke a promise. I hope my actions matter more."

"Giving me that chance with her at the bunker. That meant so much to me." Vi gripped her head tightly and kissed her deeply.

Caitlyn reciprocated, but then gasped as she felt herself get picked up. Vi smirked, despite still having some tears running down her face. "And as for promises… I think I know how to make this feel more binding, cupcake."

"... Oh."

Later…

"Well. I'm not sure how much a relationship can thrive on make up sex, but for now, I can work with this." said Caitlyn, somewhat smugly as they finished up their shower.

Vi chuckled as she was looking at herself in the mirror. Caitlyn had a good view of her back tattoos.

"Feel better now, Vi?"

"Fucking amazing." She smirked. "Just fantastic."

"At least a bed was involved this time."

"Hah. I'm not apologizing for the cell, you know?"

Caitlyn's smugness grew further. "Who said I wanted an apology?" Besides, she could see the poetic value of it having been where they had first met. In a cell. And it was fortunate that all the guards were gone.

"I am sorry about the wall though."

"Don't worry about it." Caitlyn then frowned as she adjusted her eye patch. Adjusting to her injury was hard enough, but she felt better after Vi had not made any sort of face when she first saw what was underneath the patch.

"Cait…"

"Hmm?"

"You mentioned fixing things. What are you planning anyway?"

"Well. Maybe that's just the thing. Maybe it shouldn't be up to me. At least for the most part." She gently hugged Vi's back and they looked at each other in the mirror. "They finished nominating the Council this afternoon. They brought in someone from Zaun to represent it."

"Anyone I know?"

Caitlyn did a half-smile. "Sevika."

Vi made a face of utter disbelief. "... You're joking."

"Ekko turned down the offer."

Vi chuckled and looked down at the sink, while making a note to catch up with Ekko one of these days. "You think she'll be good?"

"That remains to be seen. But the approval was unanimous." She shrugged. "So, let's hope?"

Vi sighed. "I can go with that for now."

"And they are reforming the Enforcers."

"That so?"

"It's going to include Zaunite volunteers, and be more oriented towards civil protection and outreach than just, well, enforcing the law." At least the way the two had grown to dislike. "Also, some specialized units in case of new problems with Shimmer. Or Noxians. Or whatever else."

"Speaking of Shimmer, what about that Reveck guy? The weird doctor."

Caitlyn shook her head. "Nothing. We believe he fled the city before the battle. But we will keep looking."

"Darn it. Sorry, keep going."

"Well, they are still thinking of a new name for the outfit. I was thinking of proposing 'Wardens'. What do you think?"

"Eh. Sounds good. You would be in charge?"

"They want me to, yes. I would be a Sheriff, answering to the Council like the old system. No longer a Commander with absolute power. A demotion I very much deserve. I thought about just quitting it all, but my fight isn't over. This city's fight isn't over."

"Well, good luck then, Sheriff Kiramman." Vi said it in a mocking tone.

"Hah." Caitlyn paused. "Listen, Vi. There is a spot for you if you want. But only if you want. I don't want to pressure you. It doesn't have to be your fight anymore."

While Vi had donned the armor and badge again at the battle, there was no real official process. It was a convenient armor and visual identifier, and wasn't like anyone was going to turn down her help. But after the battle, her status was still in limbo. Until now, Caitlyn never got the nerve to ask her to make a decision.

Vi's smile ceased, betraying deep thought. "I need something to do, right? And I can't just let you run around without me having your back. I'm sure we'll do some actual good this time."

"Again, no pressure, Vi. You have time to think. And alternatives."

"Heh. Sure. I can check out the Firelights. Or see if the Last Drop can be rebuilt. But honestly…" Vi put her hands on Caitlyn's shoulders. "Cait. I want to be a part of your fight." They hugged.

"Thank you. But sleep on it, ok?"

"I will."

Now finally out of the bathroom, Vi wanted to change the topic. "Are you free tonight?"

"I am. What were you thinking?"

"Maybe a drink. And a walk. See the stars. Visit some place that hasn't been wrecked."

Caitlyn slowly walked towards Vi. "Is that you asking me out on a date?"

Vi gently took her hand. "Maybe."

"Well, I think they reopened the movie theater."

"Huh. I never watched a movie. Those any good?"

Caitlyn chuckled. "Usually, the line goes something like 'You want to catch a movie?'"

Vi rolled her eyes but was smiling. "Whatever. You want to catch a movie, cupcake?"

Caitlyn had a sultry smile. "Sure." And they kissed again.

The next day…

Caitlyn was back in her study, and was looking again at the schematics for the Hex Gate tower, with the monkey piece in her hand. All while thinking of scenarios, based on what Vi told her of her final sight of Jinx and Vander.

After some thought, she figured that if Jinx managed to wriggle free of him, and jump into one of these air ducts after leaving the bomb in his mouth - after all, his body was missing its head - then theoretically…

She was always sly… Maybe Vi is right.

Then, Caitlyn heard a humming coming from the living room. It sounded like Vi.

She went there, and saw Vi sitting in front of the fireplace, humming while holding a cup.

Caitlyn sat next to her and playfully bumped her. "Is that… singing?"

Vi looked at her and then back to the fire. "It's just a tune my mother used to hum."

Caitlyn felt a great deal of joy seeing Vi so relaxed. At peace. Humming a tune. It made her at peace too. She laid her head on Vi's shoulder. "Are you still in this fight, Violet?"

Vi looked at her after a few long seconds, smirking. "I am the dirt under your nails, cupcake." Vi then laid her head on Caitlyn's shoulder. "Nothing's gonna clean me out."

Caitlyn now felt truly hopeful for their future. But she said nothing and gazed at the distance, still thinking about her theory.

For her sake, may you finally find some good fortune.

Somewhere else…

The airship flew over the sea, giving its passengers a beautiful view. One of them was a cloaked woman, standing alone on a corner.

Jinx leaned on the edge of the vessel, taking in the view of the vast sea while playing with a piece of metal. A finger of the Atlas Gauntlet that had miraculously stuck to her clothing after the blast. She pocketed it again, and managed to let herself smile.

A/N: Where is she going? Well, I'll leave that to the reader's headcanon. Thank you for reading.