"I am the dirt under your nails cupcake, and you'll never clean me off," Vi says wistfully as she tucks her head into Caitlyn's chest and shoulder.

She can feel Caitlyn gently resting her chin atop Vi's mop of hair. As Vi closes her eyes and signs in content, she feels a sense of peace she hasn't felt in a long time. She lost Vander. Again. And Powd-Jinx, again. But she tells herself that Vander died before that battle started. What they were facing was a mindless, soulless creature. It wasn't really him. Whatever trace there was of their father, was cut out, or torn out, by Ambessa and Singed. And all that was left was the body, used like some empty husk. So reflecting back at that moment, the pain of Vander's death didn't hurt as much as Jinx's. Vi thought she'd lost her voice after screaming in agony at Jinx's sacrifice. But while she was stricken with sorrow, she also felt the faintest pang of release. Or was it, peace? Jinx died, but she didn't die screaming in agony, or cursing Vi, which she had done for so long. No. Jinx had… smiled. Smiled at Vi, telling her they'd always been sisters, no matter what. And then… she was gone. And she seemed so… happy. So at peace. And for those reasons, Vi felt her sorrow be diluted by a sense of peace she hadn't felt in…. She couldn't tell how long. She'd been angry for so long. But she didn't feel that same anger anymore. And she knew that a large part of that, was because of the person she was resting her head against. She let her eyes stay closed as she could feel Caitlyn's warmth under her dark navy turtleneck.

And because of how Vi had her head tucked under Caitlyn's chin, she couldn't see the look on the Enforcer's face.

Caitlyn had been staring ahead at the fireplace, trying to take in the burning ambers with her eyes- no, eye, she corrected herself. She loved the feel of Vi's head against her chest. She loved to be held by Vi, and to hold her. And she was thankful that Vi's head was nestled under her chin, because that way, Vi couldn't see how much she was trying to hold in her emotions.

As she stared into the fire, events from the battle began to replay themselves in Caitlyn's head. It was like some macabre play that she was being forced to watch. Unable to turn away from seeing, hearing, and feeling… all over again.

Everything had happened so fast after the battle. She remembered Mel leaning over her, telling her they'd won. Telling her she'd be okay. Caitlyn could only nod in acknowledgment. Her first instinct was to thank Mel for saving her. Saving her… she'd lost count how many times during that fight. But instead of any words coming out, she coughed up a gob of blood, narrowly missing a startled Mel before it fell back down onto her own face. She remembered how the cough had wracked her body with pain, and Mel, trying as best she could to hold her in a way that didn't add to her pain. Sharp pains, that coursed throughout her body with the sudden motion of the cough. She remembered feeling the pain in her stomach from when Ambessa had stabbed her. Was it adrenaline, or pride, that made her challenge Ambessa without thinking to remove the knife from her gut first? She couldn't be sure. She only remembered how angry she was. Angry at Ambessa for having manipulated her for so long. For allowing her spy, Maddie, to share her bed, sharing feelings and concerns that she believed would stay between them, only to later find out near the end, how foolish she'd been. How easily she'd been manipulated. She'd been trying to find comfort and solace in someone she'd barely known.

And why? Because she'd cast Vi out. Left her in that tunnel. She was able to find comfort in another, as disingenuous as they were, while Vi descended into her own hell. A hell Caitlyn had left her to. As much as she hated what Ambessa and Maddie had done to her, manipulating and exploiting both her mind and her heart, a part of Caitlyn wondered if she deserved it. And if Vi deserved to see what Caitlyn saw, every time she would look into a mirror.

The play in her head then took her to another moment in time after the battle.

She remembered the sudden pain she'd felt after having been knocked out. Waking up in the plaza, seeing her soldiers, the ones who trusted her, awaiting execution. She remembered seeing Ambessa slowly walking up the steps, and for the briefest of moments, wondering where Maddie had been. The young officer who'd been so caring and affectionate to her when she needed some outlet for human connection. Even though the relationship had ended, Maddie had stayed seemingly loyal, almost unperturbed by the ending of the relationship. Caitlyn had felt a sense of guilt, feeling that Maddie had deserved better. She then remembered looking down at the ground, and seeing a shadow of someone behind her. Someone holding a rifle. Caitlyn remembered slowly turning, expecting to see a Noxian soldier standing over her. She remembered her eyes widening in shock when she saw it was Maddie. Her own rifle slung over her back, and Caitlyn's hex tech rail gun pointed at her. Maddie was still wearing the gas mask, and reached up with one hand to take it off. Caitlyn remembered thinking she'd see some conflicted, or guilty expression upon the junior officer's face. But then she saw Maddie's face. Wearing an expression Caitlyn had never seen before. It was a look of cold detachment. And that's when Caitlyn pieced together why Maddie had expressed no disappointment at the ending of their relationship, or pleaded for another chance. It was because Maddie didn't care. Their short relationship meant nothing to her. It was just a job. Caitlyn… was just a job to her. A job she had fulfilled for her true leader.

And when Maddie thumped her chest to Ambessa, Caitlyn felt her heart sink. She couldn't tell if she felt more anger than she did despair. Or was it self-loathing? She felt her heart sink because she knew that she'd failed. Failed so completely. She'd failed to see the extent and depth of Ambessa's manipulations. And it was her fault. All of it. Ambessa was a wolf, in nature as much as in title. It was in her nature to deceive. And Caitlyn should have known that. But she failed to see it. And so many had died because of it. Because of her. The countless Enforcers who'd been cut down by the Noxian warlord and her minions. The civilian volunteers from Zaun who had every right to tell Piltover, and Caitlyn in particular, to go to hell, and that they deserved whatever Ambessa had in store for them. She remembered her failed attempt to shoot Ambessa, and the shock of being stabbed in her stomach, before falling to her knees. She remembered that sudden pain, followed by a sensation that was at once burning and cold. She couldn't tell which; she'd never been stabbed before.

She was saved by Mel, of course. The first of many saves by Mel that day.

The play then moved to another stop in her memories. This one taking place shortly after the battle had ended.

She remembered waking up in a hospital bed, her father the only other person in the room, his head buried in his hands. Reminiscent of how he sat during Mother's funeral, Caitlyn later recalled. Caitlyn tried to lick her lips before calling out to him in a weak voice. Thankfully he heard. Caitlyn expected him to have a look of relief on his face, but instead, when he approached, he looked so… heartbroken. At first, Caitlyn thought something had happened to Vi, and she remembered asking where Vi was in a panicked voice which caused ripples of pain to shoot throughout her body. But her father raised his hands up in a pacifying gesture, saying that Vi had injured her arm, but that she was recovering, causing Caitlyn to let out a painful sigh of relief. His expression then turned more sorrowful as he got closer.

Caitlyn remembered her father gently telling her how lucky she was to be alive. That she'd lost so much blood. He talked about the wound to her stomach, and how, despite how deep it was, that it would heal. He kept repeating the same thing, each time using different words, as if he were telling her something new.

But something was wrong, Caitlyn knew how to read her father. He always spoke in that tone, repeating that something was okay, over and over again. And he only did that to her when he was about to tell her something bad had happened. It was his way of trying to blunt the pain of her hearing something upsetting, by repeating something positive, that he had already told her. It was unmistakable. Caitlyn felt her heartbeat quicken as she determined that her father was bracing her for something. She tried to flex and feel her body, tensing traumatized muscles and tendons, and despite the pain that shot through her as she tensed and flexed each muscle and tried to move each limb, everything… seemed to be fine. Even her right ankle, which Ambessa had all but stomped down on. It was something else Father was dreading to tell her. Something she knew he didn't want to tell her, but also knew that he could not keep from her either.

After repeating the good news about her stomach wound for the fourth or fifth time, he then looked at her sadly, and Caitlyn only then remembered that half her field of vision was gone. She then remembered Ambessa pushing the knife into her eye, and moving her head as it slashed across her. She'd felt a sharp pain. A pain unlike anything she'd felt before. She remembered closing her eyes and moving her head as she grabbed the knife in her and cut the runes from her arm, allowing Mel to finish her. She'd avoided the worst of the strike, hadn't she?

That had to be it. That was what father was going to tell her. Admonishing her once again, in his own caring and endearing way, that he wished she wasn't an Enforcer, that she shouldn't have put herself in harms way. Reminding her of the many injuries she had gotten into in her childhood. And the many times she had gotten hurt, and when an injury was near her face, her father always chastised her for the potential harm to her, as he put it, beautiful face, and especially her beautiful eyes, how they were so precious and beautiful, and that she had to be more careful. Yes, that was probably it, she reasoned. He was going to chastise her for how much more seriously she could have hurt her eye.

She was mentally preparing herself to hear Father tell her that she had to undergo some long and arduous recovery procedure for her eye to heal, with talk of months of rehabilitation and possibly prescribing some infernal eyewear contraption that she knew she'd probably object to, before begrudgingly agreeing to wear. She was already mentally preparing herself for the back and forth between them, with him telling her that her recovery time would be months, while she argued that she didn't need so much time, and that she needed to get back to work. They'd eventually work out a compromise that neither liked, but one that both would accept.

Her father, looking at her with sympathy or pity, she couldn't tell which, slowly looked from her good eye to her left, towards where her field of vision ended. As he did so, a sob escaped from him, causing Caitlyn to feel as though her stomach had somehow sunk deeper into her. Caitlyn then remembered how her right eye stung and began to water, clouding her vision, as her father told her what a part of her feared, but hoped wasn't true.

They couldn't save her left eye.

She remembered clenching her jaw, something she did when she tried to fight from crying. She'd clench her jaw, and lift her chin, almost defiantly, and try not to blink, willing her eyes not to water. Fighting the natural impulse to cry. How many times had she done that during an argument with Mother, while poor Father tried to play peacekeeper between them? Only, Mother was gone. There was no one to argue with. And Caitlyn, the proud Enforcer who'd tried so hard to right the wrongs she'd committed, lost another fight. She relaxed her jaw, as a sob escaped her. Her battered body shook with every sob that escaped her. As she cried, she brought her right hand up to her mouth, trying to suppress her cries. Her father leaned over her, and kissed her forehead while gently stroking her hair. She tried to be stoic and strong. But in that moment, she was back to being the little girl who'd cried after she scrapped her knee, or after she believed her mother had scolded her too harshly, or been otherwise unfair. But this wasn't a scrapped knee. And it would never get better. She didn't cry often. The only recent time being when she broke down in front of Vi in her home. Vi! No. What would Vi think? How would she see her now? She tried to put that thought out of her head. She couldn't think about that now. So for that moment, she continued crying in the arms of her father. She couldn't remember how long she'd cried before she'd finally lost the energy to weep, and fell asleep.

When she woke again, she saw her father at the doorway, speaking to a nurse. She looked past them, to see people walking back and forth, some of them medics, some families, no doubt looking for their love ones. Then, she saw her. Vi, with her red mop of hair, and black jacket with sleeves rolled halfway up her forearms as she poked her head into the door. Caitlyn felt her mood lighten instantly. She saw Vi get her father's attention, and they were talking about something. As they did so, Vi turned and looked across the room to Caitlyn, giving her a weak smile. Did she know? Did father tell her? Caitlyn felt an instant pang of… shame. As if she had put her clothes on the wrong way. Or forgot to do her hair. But this was different. This couldn't be fixed. Not anymore. What was she feeling? embarrassment? Or was it insecurity? How would Vi look at her again?
Some of their past exchanges began to play in her head.

You're hot, cupcake. Caitlyn remembered how flushed and taken aback she was by Vi's forward statement. And how it made her feel. But… how would Vi feel about her now, knowing that she… wouldn't look the same anymore?

She then remembered what they shared in the prison cell. The one, ironically, that Jinx was in only a few hours earlier. She remembered how Vi initiated that kiss. And how it made Caitlyn's whole body feel. She remembered her confession to Vi, that she had seen someone, and how relieved she felt when Vi told her in an almost exasperated tone "Cait, I don't fucking care!". Caitlyn smiled at the memory. At Vi's unconditional, uninhibited love. She remembered how they slowly but surely undressed each other, the giggle they exchanged when Vi fumbled with Caitlyn's belt buckle. And how much more amazing everything was after that. She remembered how Vi looked at her adoringly, and wondered… would she ever be able to look at Caitlyn the same way again?

Caitlyn tried to shake away her thoughts and focus on the present.

Vi was okay, that's what mattered. Father had told her that Vi was okay, and Caitlyn wouldn't distrust his word, but still, she needed to see her. She needed to see her for herself. Vi and Father finished talking, and as Father and the nurse left, Vi walked into the room, a sad smile on her face. She reached Caitlyn and took her hand in hers, squeezing it softly before giving her a kiss on her cheek, careful to avoid the left side of her face which was still bandaged up heavily. Caitlyn tried not to read too much into Vi's being so careful to only kiss and touch the right side of her face. Vi's touch seemed to make her forget about the pain that had made it's home to almost every part of her body. Caitlyn motioned to a chair near the wall, and Vi nodded with a smile as she brought it over and sat next to Caitlyn, resting her head on the bed, tilting it so that her face was just a few inches from Caitlyn's.

They talked. About the battle. About what had happened. Caitlyn wanted Vi to talk as much as she could, for as long as she wanted. She could tell Vi was despondent, and Caitlyn wanted her to talk, so that Caitlyn could offer whatever encouraging words she could. And on a lesser, but more selfish note, it would avoid Caitlyn having to speak about what she had gone through. What her mistakes and bad choices, had put her, and so many others, through. She didn't matter. What mattered was Vi.

The inevitable question Caitlyn asked was about Jinx. Hearing Jinx's name, Vi's eyes began to glisten, as tears flowed down. Caitlyn's one eye opened wide, and she mentally cursed herself for causing Vi to suffer again as she tried to reach out with her right hand and hold Vi's trembling hands. Vi held them, but very gently, as she was still cognizant of Caitlyn's injuries. Caitlyn apologized, both for Vi's loss, and for asking. Vi said it was okay, and actually produced a small smile through her tears, causing Caitlyn to tilt her head as she waited for Vi to continue. Vi explained what had happened. How Vi had gotten too close to Warwick (she refused to see him as Vander), and the creature began attacking her. Jinx had then jumped into him with all the strength she could muster, saving Vi again. Vi had caught her hand in her grip, and tried to pull her up, but the creature was also holding onto Jinx. Jinx knew Vi wouldn't be able to hold on for long before getting pulled down. Jinx then took the only action which would save Vi, causing both Jinx and the creature to fall, and Vi to remain on the higher platform. Vi described how Jinx's last words were a declaration of how they'd always be sisters, no matter how far apart they were. She then saw Jinx pull one of her bombs out and set it off as she turned to the creature. As the fell to the bottom, an explosion, pink and blue, shook the structure. Vi had turned away from the edge onto her back, and screamed in agony. As Vi recounted her story, Caitlyn listened in silence as a tear fell from her own face. It was in reaction to hearing Vi's story, and seeing her pain. But also, on a smaller but still notable level, Caitlyn realized that the tear was for Jinx as well. Months ago, it would have been unthinkable. The news of Jinx's death would have been met with grim satisfaction from Caitlyn. She wouldn't have celebrated it, but would have been relieved by it. It would have signified the death of the person she saw as a monster. Only, months later, after confronting Jinx in the cell, Caitlyn knew what she never wanted to believe… that Jinx was no monster. She never was.

As Vi had said, Jinx, or Powder, as she was once called, was so sweet. So kind. So compassionate and willing to help others. But the cruelty of her being born in the wrong city, home to the underprivileged and wronged, made it impossible for that sweet child to grow and blossom into the person she could have been. The world had broken her, again and again. And with each injustice, each indignity, each act of cruelty and violence, she had been forced to put herself back together again, with no blueprint or manual on how to do it. Was it any wonder Jinx would become the person she became when Caitlyn saw her? Someone who wanted to just leave her cruel world. Or break it, so that it was just as broken as she was, on the inside? Caitlyn then remembered something she overheard Jinx say when she fought Vi in the tunnel. What was it? 'You didn't save my life, you ruined my death.' It was only after talking to Jinx, that Caitlyn truly felt remorse for the cruel life Jinx was forced to live. And anger at her own selfishness.

What Jinx did was wrong, but it was pure, unadulterated narcissm to believe that Jinx had deliberately targeted her Mother, and that everyone else hurt was just collateral damage. Jinx would have had no idea her mother was in that building. And it wasn't just because Jinx said she didn't know (although also admitting it probably wouldn't have made a difference), Caitlyn, on some level, knew that herself. It was a random, brazen attack that killed multiple people. But Caitlyn had somehow, subconsciously, made it all about her. Her pain. Her grief. Her anger. It made her feel so ashamed in retrospect.

And guilty as well, for going down her own dark path, making the choices she made, all in the name of hunting Jinx down. And in the end, she saved Vi. Saved the person Caitlyn loved. That both Jinx and Caitlyn loved.

Caitlyn realized the irony, that as much as Jinx and her hated one another, they loved Vi. And in the end, Jinx had acted on her love for Vi, as Caitlyn had done so in her own way before the battle, when she allowed Vi to free Jinx. It was so strange for Caitlyn to take in the news that Jinx was gone. She had been staring down at her hand, which was holding Vi's when Vi lifted her head and tried to force a smile. Vi said that Jinx was at peace, and that she was happy for her. She then said that one of the last things Jinx told her in the cell, was that Vi deserved to be happy, and that Vi "deserved to be with her". Caitlyn's eye widened, as Vi then told her that the 'her' Jinx was referring to, was Caitlyn. Vi finished saying that with a sad smile as she gently squeezed Caitlyn's hand.

Caitlyn managed to force a smile for Vi, but on the inside, she wanted to say that Jinx was right, that Vi did deserve to be happy. But with someone who deserved her. Not someone who did the things Caitlyn did. Or who now…looked the way Caitlyn did. Vi deserved so much better.

Vi changed topics, and asked about Caitlyn. Caitlyn tried to talk only about the stab wounds, and the other cuts and scraps across her body, but she knew that Vi would eventually ask about her eye wound. Caitlyn looked down for a moment before shrugging and telling Vi what her father had told her. She could see Vi's eyes widen and her expression change. Caitlyn could see it; the expression of pity. Caitlyn wouldn't have it. She quickly spoke up, trying to make a joke, saying that she would't have to squint and close her left eye any more when lining up a shot. She forced a laugh, but it was so close to becoming a sob. She looked down at her lap, and looked at Vi when she squeezed her hand. Vi's expression was one of concern, as she wasn't buying Caitlyn's bluster. Caitlyn tried to hold Vi's gaze, but couldn't. She looked down and just said that what was done was done, that it was time to move on, and that she'd find a way to make it work. She looked up at Vi cautiously as she finished. Vi seemed to want to say something more, but stopped, likely realizing there was nothing more she could say. Caitlyn tried to read into Vi's expression. It was as though Vi was looking at some precious possession that had been returned to her broken. That's what Caitlyn thought to herself. She remembered how flustered she became when Vi called her 'cupcake'. But would Vi ever be able to see Caitlyn the same way again? To feel the same way she did back in that cell? How could she? Caitlyn couldn't even look at herself the same way again.

After a few days, most of Caitlyn's other injuries healed, including her stomach wound. The eye on the other hand, was another story. Caitlyn remembered sitting up on a chair as doctors and nurses slowly unwrapped her bandages. A part of her wanted the bandages to remain, as if she could convince herself she was just injured, and that it would heal with time. She couldn't feel anything from that side anymore, just a throbbing pain that caused her to wince. The doctors said it was normal. Someone said something about 'phantom eye pain'. The feeling of discomfort or pain after an eye has been… after it's gone. Caitlyn tried to process the information as best she could. There was a part inside her that she could tell was crying. That still couldn't believe it had happened. But this was her new reality. As she looked up, she saw Vi leaning by the far wall, her hands in her jacket pockets. Vi was looking down at the floor with an unreadable expression on her face. She then looked up and looked startled when she realized Caitlyn had been staring at her. Caitlyn tried to look away, feeling ashamed, knowing how horrible she must look. But Vi gave her a soft smile, which Caitlyn was able to return. As the last of the bandages were removed, the doctors hovered around her, and talked to her about how she would need to look after her injury going forward. One of them had looked back at Vi, and Vi walked closer. Caitlyn surmised that they wanted Vi to know as well, so she could help with any… care, Caitlyn needed. Caitlyn shut her right eye for a moment, trying to blink back a tear. As she opened her eyes, she gave Vi a smile.

Vi stared at Caitlyn, sitting in the chair while the doctors tended to her. After removing and checking the injured area, and looking at the scarring, one of them produced some gauze and an eye patch to cover her eye area. Vi saw Caitlyn look down while they finished. Vi wanted to hold Caitlyn, to tell her everything would be okay, but she was too afraid to do anything that might hurt Caitlyn. So Vi kept her distance as Caitlyn looked down, or to the side, anywhere but at Vi. Vi was initially worried, but then remembered how tough Caitlyn was. Caitlyn had faced down Ambessa, with Mel's help, and despite losing an eye, helped take down the Noxian warlord. Something so many had tried to do before, and had failed to do so. The long line of bodies left in Ambessa's wake were proof of how unwilling she was to die. And after all that time, and all those conquests and killings, it was Vi's cupcake who helped take her down. Vi wished she could have been there. Wished she could have helped do something to help Caitlyn. If she were there, maybe Caitlyn wouldn't have… wouldn't have gotten injured. But Caitlyn was strong. She'd find a way to pull through. She'd been so strong for Vi when she broke down telling her about Jinx. Caitlyn was strong. She'd get through this. She didn't need anyone's help. She never did. And she'd be back to her normal self before Vi, or anyone else, knew it.

Eventually, Caitlyn got discharged from the hospital. She'd been given some medical supplies and instructions on what to do going forward. Despite the eye injury, the rest of her injuries had healed up well. She was stronger than a lot of people thought, Vi thought to herself with a smile. They then made their way home. To their home. To Kiramman manor.