Here's to the New Us - LoadedGunn (2024)

Chapter 1: I'm on the Case

Chapter Text

Prologue: A Goodbye

“I’m gay,” Caitlyn told her mum.

“I’m not refusing to settle down just to piss you off,” Caitlyn told her mum.

“I’m never going to marry a man,” Caitlyn told her mum.

“You never knew me,” Caitlyn told her mum.

Her mum never replied, because last week her mum went to sleep and never woke up, and Caitlyn was now standing over her grave half-drunk.

She was going to leave this life behind. She was going to quit the Metro Police. She was going to ice out her father.

Caitlyn Kiramman was going to be her own woman.

Chapter 1: I'm On the Case

Caitlyn got these boots specifically for sh*t-kicking, and they’d never let her down. She was particularly grateful for the boots, always under the passenger seat, when she saw her mark walk into an abandoned house.

Caitlyn parked her coupe in front of it, and took out her notepad from the glove compartment. She wrote down where she was going and why, just in case. Then she took out her handgun, and a package.

As soon as she entered the house, her boots crunched glass, but the first floor was honestly well-lit and airy. Not the worst heroin den Caitlyn had ever gone to.

She peeked into every room, steps quick and decisive, hunting for blonde hair. She found her mark on the second floor, half-lying on a bleached-out, tattered mattress. Awake and aware. Tossing the package down, Caitlyn kneeled next to her. "Hey, Trinnie? Love?"

The sixteen year old blinked. Then she scrambled to her feet with panic in her hazy eyes. Caitlyn stayed on her knees, hands rising slowly in peace. She wasn't in the business of chasing scared children around. And surely, even if Trinnie ran away, Caitlyn would simply find her again. "I'm not a cop, believe me. Your mum sent me."

A different sort of panic flooded Trinnie’s chubby face. "I'm not going back to Erin and her bullsh*t, forget about it."

"I would never take you somewhere you don't wanna go." Caitlyn slowly lowered her hands to pick up the package she'd dropped earlier. "I'm here to give you this."

Trinnie took it from her slowly and opened it. Narcan nasal spray, a phone, and a hundred dollar gift card to Stop & Shop.

The phone was the first thing the girl picked up. "Cheap."

"Cheaper than cheap. You wouldn't get much for it."

"This is from my mom?" Trinnie asked, suspicious.

"No. It's from me."

"And who the f*ck are you?"

Caitlyn stood up, dusting off her knees. "I'm Caitlyn Kiramman, PI."

Trinnie started turning the phone in her hands, seemingly lost in thought. Caitlyn came closer to her and said very gently, "If you’re tough enough to be independent, you can be tough enough to accept help."

Trinnie shrugged, deliberately not looking at Caitlyn. Caitlyn backed up, putting her hands in her pockets. She added, "Seriously, don't lose the phone. My number's on it as well as your mum's. If you ever get in trouble, call me."

For the first time, Trinnie made eye contact. Seeing as Caitlyn was tall even before the boots, Trinnie had to crane her neck so the light caught her bright blue eyes. "Thanks."

Caitlyn smiled. Trinnie didn't ask her for a ride anywhere.

*

Caitlyn made it back to the first floor, but she didn’t make it much further. She got turned around by the interior design concepts that uniquely made sense to substance users. She left the house through a backdoor, and the next house on the street was so close to this one that she froze, nearly colliding into it.

She shuffled sideways, annoyed that she was only getting farther from her car. Though she had just wrapped up her very last case for the foreseeable future, Caitlyn was always pressed for time.

That was when she saw the monkey graffiti.

Caitlyn flinched, her heart dropping. She was across the street from it, but the tag of her worst enemy was unmistakable. It had been so long since she saw it last, she was actually a little worried for her worst enemy.

As pressed for time as she was, Caitlyn couldn’t possibly ignore this. She couldn't stop herself from approaching it, eyes hunting for clues.

Experience taught Caitlyn that some clues were easier to find than others. For instance, a muscular woman with hot pink hair, actively trying to clean up the crime scene with what seemed to be her own leather jacket.

A woman Caitlyn had never seen before in these parts. And if Zaun had good parts, this wasn’t it. A non-retired PI would call this a clue. A lead.

Refusing to actually pull her notepad out of her pocket, she had to start the list in her head:

athleticwear
dyed pink hair
undercut
neck tattoo
average height
muscled build

Caitlyn finally crossed the street. Walking right up to the defaced wall, she whistled. "What did the monkey ever do to you?" she asked with a heavy American accent.

The woman instantly dropped the jacket, and glared at Caitlyn.

light eyes
facial scars
piercings
freckles
dark make-up

A surprisingly soft voice saying, "f*ck off, I'm not doing anything illegal."

For the second time in half an hour, Caitlyn had to defend her resting cop face. "I couldn't care less about what you're doing. I need to know why you're doing it."

"What's it to you?" The woman's scowl deepened. She did not like being told what to do. Maybe not a dealer, then. A supplier?

"I know the artist,” Caitlyn said, gesturing to the smudges the woman’s jacket left behind. “She would not appreciate this."

The woman's expression changed in a flash. Her mouth softened in shock, and her eyes widened. Caitlyn was so used to people lying to her, she was a little amazed by how easy-to-read this supplier was. "You know Jinx?"

"Know Jinx?" Caitlyn scoffed. "I loathe Jinx. Do you know who she sells to?"

The woman went from offended to relieved, for some reason. Her shoulders relaxed and she looked at Caitlyn like she had dementia. "You got it wrong, lady. She would never."

Her easy confidence didn’t falter for a moment, completely naive. As if she truly hadn’t set foot in this neighborhood before. Not a supplier, then. Who are you?

Caitlyn swished her long ponytail and leaned her shoulder on the graffiti, getting in the stranger's face, trying to rattle her. "Your friend is a dealer who preys on teenagers. This is a fact."

"Congratulations on getting a fact wrong, then. Are you going for cop of the year?"

"I'm a PI, not a cop," Caitlyn insisted again. A former PI. A PI on sabbatical.

"All right, cupcake, don't get pissy."

"What did you just call me?"

The woman leaned into her space. Before Caitlyn even realised it, she was being caged between the wall and the woman's buff arms. A smirk stretched on scarred lips, but before she could say something snappy, Caitlyn's phone interrupted them. The ringtone told her it was the one number she never screened.

I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want!

In two decisive moves, she ducked from under the woman's arm, then twisted it back until her tattooed face was pushed against the brick wall. "Motherf*cker—"

Caitlyn stuck her knee in the small of her back, hoping to persuade her to be still and quiet while she answered the call.

"Caitlyn Kiramman, what can I do for you?"

"Hi Ms. Kiramman, this is Elora from Bridge Elementary."

Caitlyn groaned and put her foot back on the ground, laying off the suspect she had pinned. After all, even if she ran away, Caitlyn would surely find her again.

But she didn't run. She grumbled and rubbed her bruised cheek, but she didn't take off. Caitlyn still kept a close eye on her, while snapping at Bridge Elementary’s principal's assistant: "May I speak with her?"

"With the principal?"

"Is the principal a six year old who just got marched to the highest authority in the building on her first day of bloody first grade?"

The woman tilted her head owlishly and mouthed, you're British?!

f*ck. Caitlyn wished she could take this call literally anywhere else, but she couldn't afford to lose a lead on Jinx. She stomped her boot in annoyance while the principal's assistant muttered, "Of course, you meant Caribel."

Finally, Bee's little voice got on the call. "Mummy?"

"Hi love,” Caitlyn said, endlessly patient. “Sad, angry, scared?"

Bee hummed for a moment, considering it carefully. Caitlyn wished her six year old weren't as meticulous as her, since the suspect was staring at her in silence and this interrogation was getting awkward. "Angry."

Caitlyn grit her teeth. Highly unusual. "Thank you for being honest. Don't say anything to them until I get there, alright darling?"

"I know, mummy." Muffled, Caitlyn heard her add, "She says I can't say anything until she gets here. And when she gets here, you're gonna be in big trouble."

She didn't actually mind that Bee was terrorising the staff—questioning authority was an important value for a growing child. Caitlyn hung up, aware that Bee would forget to do it herself.

"Right. Where were we?"

The woman was on her phone by now, either looking at memes or getting reinforcements. Caitlyn didn't expect to see her own landing page when the woman turned her phone towards her. "Keeping it classy, Caitlyn Kiramman PI."

"You have a problem with my website?"

"No, it's… The graphic design is sh*tty, but it's not like you make a living outta paying attention to detail, right?"

"You dare!"

Before Caitlyn could adequately explode, the words Incoming Call Bridge Elementary appeared on the woman's phone, along with a jazzy ringtone. Caitlyn couldn't believe her eyes, and the woman looked just as surprised.

"Yo," she said when she answered, holding up a finger to keep Caitlyn waiting. "How many times I gotta tell you it's just Vi?"

Vi. Not a dealer. Not a supplier. Just Vi.

"What happened?" Vi asked.

It was only at this point that Caitlyn realised she hadn't asked that question during her own phone call. She'd simply assumed Bee got lippy. A pit of dread opened inside her, not for Bee but for the fact Vi had more information than her.

Vi looked at Caitlyn with narrowed eyes. "I just got one question. Was the other kid British?"

Caitlyn knew the answer from the smirk spreading on Vi's lips.

"I figured. Well, do me a solid and tell J not to say anything until I get there."

When she finally hung up, there was only one pertinent question on Caitlyn's lips. "Shall we carpool?"

*

Caitlyn's sh*tkicker boots were not the most appropriate for sunny, pastely Bridge Elementary, especially since the staff and first graders alike stopped to gawk at her. This was not the first impression she'd wanted to make at this school. Frankly, she'd had enough of those looks from the white, married mums in Bee's preschool.

At least having a pink-haired delinquent trailing after her took some attention off of Caitlyn's shoes. Caitlyn looked over her shoulder. "Would you keep up? You look like you got sent to the headteacher."

Vi arched a scarred eyebrow at her. "I look like I went to a school this nice?"

Caitlyn slowed her step just a second, glancing at the powder blue walls, the bright flower cutouts, the yellow carpets everywhere. Through the windows, she even saw a yard with a fuschia-coloured fence demarking a veggie patch.

As far as nice went, it was a far cry from the extravagant Catholic private school she'd attended in Manchester. But Caitlyn wanted her daughter in public school for a reason, and maybe she couldn't blame Vi for reminding her of it.

”Where did you grow up?”

“Downtown Zaun. Our school was nasty, but at least they had food. I assume you grew up where they talk with that accent?”

“Very astute.” She glanced at Vi casually. “I moved here seven years ago. And in all that time, I've never seen you around.”

“Why does everything you say sound like an accusation?”

“It's the accent. But I'm right, aren't I?”

Vi rolled her eyes, but curiously, she answered. “Yeah. I lived in Bilgewater until last year. Once J’s adoption went through, I could move back. Show J the prosperous, unproblematic metropolis that made me.”

Bilgewater. Adoption. Slivers of information that diffused into the vault in Caitlyn's brain through no fault of her own.

They finally reached the frosted glass door that belonged to the principal’s office. Caitlyn opened it without knocking, and had eyes only for her daughter.

Bee was sitting patiently on the couch by the far wall. Safe and healthy and in the same purple leggings and Elsa shirt that Caitlyn pulled out of the dryer this morning while talking to her last client on the phone.

Then, Caitlyn took in everything else.

Mel Medarda was a young and ambitious principal, who made a name for herself by demolishing charter schools. She was also a rich heiress, so even though Caitlyn had never met her, she felt an immediate affinity towards her, like they might have met at a gala at 16 if Caitlyn had grown up in the State of Piltover rather than London. Caitlyn smiled at her and went in for a handshake. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Caitlyn Kiramman."

Ms. Medarda looked charmed. "Glad you could join us. Both of you. At the exact same time."

Caitlyn whirled around and took a seat at the desk, where Vi was already waiting. Vi's eyes were locked on the other child on the couch—who looked small for a first grader, or just perpetually hunched and antsy. Definitely no connection to Vi, who was actively manspreading in front of the principal. (Caitlyn crossed her legs, thank you very much.)

"So what happened to Caribel?" She asked the principal, intentionally making Bee flinch.

Vi ended up flinching too. "You're assuming that J did something to your mini-me?"

Before Caitlyn could defend herself, Ms. Medarda cleared her throat. "Earlier, during recess, Caribel and Jennifer took—"

"J," Bee corrected. "And I didn't took, I comfiscated."

"What the hell…" Vi muttered. "Your kid's a cop too?"

Caitlyn moved her chair back to look at Bee, and unfortunately knocked into Vi's knee, forcing her to manspread just a little less. "What did you confiscate?"

Bee looked at the other kid, J, and chewed on her thumb. J nodded gently, knees knocking. Bee nodded back. "I saw a girl from Monterossi being mean to J so I comfiscated her scooter until she said sorry."

Vi looked slowly between the children. She turned her chair around to face the couch fully, rather than the desk. "Did anyone get hurt?"

Shockingly, J started sniffling, big fat tears being wiped away angrily on a little fist. "I didn't hurt anyone."

Ms. Medarda intervened quickly, "She didn't do anything wrong—"

"Stop," Caitlyn asked. "J doesn't go by she/her, do you darling?"

J's eyes widened in wonder, and Vi froze. She spread her legs again and leaned forward on her elbows, getting J's attention and ignoring Caitlyn for now. "This girl was getting in your face and you didn't hurt her? That's dope, monkey. I'm so proud of you."

Vi reached for a fist bump. J rejected her, and instead launched into Vi's enormous arms for an enormous hug. Vi was smiling when she glanced back at Caitlyn. "Kid doesn't really do the gender thing."

Caitlyn knew the affectionate smile was for the child and not her, but she was so touched by that hug, she could've wrung Ms. Medarda's neck. "If they did nothing wrong, why are they here?"

The principal winced. "Well… Your daughter won't tell us where she hid the scooter. And J…"

"Won't snitch," J insisted in a trembling voice into Vi's chest.

Caitlyn couldn't believe she had missed the resemblance between Vi and J.

"Caribel Cassandra Kiramman," she intoned in a good impersonation of her own mother.

"Mum," Bee said with a pout in a good impersonation of a young Caitlyn.

Caitlyn sighed and looked at Ms. Medarda. "She's got fuschia paint on her leggings. Did you even check the garden before you interrupted my work day?"

"Chill out, detective cupcake," Vi turned on her without missing a beat. "You think her job is dealing with your cop daughter's nonsense?"

"You dare!" Bee chirped. She scooted closer to Vi, who was still leaning over the couch with J in her arms. "All cops are bastards. How did you get pink hair?"

Vi winked at her daughter. "I ate a lot of beets and radishes when my foster dad told me to."

"Blech!" Bee exclaimed, while J started laughing sweetly. Caitlyn tried not to melt, but her… condition made it difficult.

Ms. Medarda cleared her throat awkwardly. "Well, it seems like the case is closed. I'm sorry I troubled you, Vi. And Ms. Kiramman, maybe a chat about personal possessions?"

Caitlyn and Vi stood at the same time, so they ended up shoulder to shoulder. Caitlyn stuck her hand out first. "Won't happen again," she promised while shaking the principal's hand.

"Yeah," Vi muttered under her breath. "Your kid better not get my kid in trouble again."

And while Caitlyn and Vi decided never to speak to each other again, on the couch behind them, J and Bee conspired to become best friends.

*

Caitlyn was running on fumes by the end of the day. Meeting with Erin, cashing that last check, pick-up, dinner, bathtime and bedtime. Surprisingly, none of that distracted her from Jinx’s resurfacing.

When she finally put her hair down and took her bra off, the compulsion had completely taken over, demanding satisfaction. She got her laptop, cracked her knuckles, and investigated the sh*t out of Vi.

Caitlyn wrote down the details that stood out to her the most, straight out of her mental list: Butch, face tattoo, side-shaved pink hair, connection to dealers (Jinx, Silco?), Zaunite accent but gone for at least X years, foster child, foster parent, social service, pale blue eyes, freck—

Caitlyn's line of thought snapped when a tiny hand knocked on her door.

"Yes love?" she called out.

A rumpled Bee poured herself into Caitlyn's bedroom, staggering in the tutu she decided was appropriate for sleepwear. "Scared," she said.

Caitlyn closed her laptop and took off her glasses. "Would you like a hug?"

Bee shook her head.

"Just a sit?"

Bee nodded and plopped on Caitlyn's bed, by her feet. Caitlyn leaned over her, barely resisting kissing her tiny nose. Bee closed her eyes and said, "Are you mad at me?"

"Darling, of course not. Do you maybe feel guilty?"

"What if I got J in trouble?"

Caitlyn had no idea how her daughter turned out so empathetic. Just another worry to go grey at 32 for. "You are both responsible for your choices. That means, J got themself in trouble."

Bee was listening so hard, she almost tilted over Caitlyn's feet. Then she said something completely unrelated. "Vi is so cool."

Caitlyn scoffed. "Vi dyes her hair, you know, just like mummy. I bet she wouldn't know a radish if she saw one."

Bee giggled. "Can I play with J tomorrow?"

Caitlyn closed her eyes, instantly frustrated at having another decision to make past 9 PM. "Darling, it just so happens I was watching She-Ra on my laptop when you interrupted me. Would you care to join me?"

"Yes yes yes!"

Fully aware they were both going to fall asleep within three minutes, Caitlyn didn't even put her glasses back on. She truly let go of any hope of doing a background check tonight.

Her last day on the job had been a very long day.

Chapter 2: Fear-For-Your-Life Rich

Chapter Text

When Caitlyn woke up the next morning, she was retired. No more cases on her plate, no more mysteries to solve, no more trips to the Undercity. No more background checks.

A minute after Caitlyn woke up, she remembered Vi. Connected to a higher-up in Silco's drug ring, but oblivious to the drug trade. Horribly rude to strangers, but terribly sweet to her foster child. Those notes she stored in her brain yesterday floated up rapidly: height, build, hair colour, eye colour, tattoo descriptions.

There was no way she would run a background check on her. She was out, retired, focusing on family. She made Jayce swear not to pass her any more information from the fed’s database. She couldn’t go back on her word.

But she couldn’t just let it go, either. Mainly because:

"Vi draws on people. For a living!"

It took Bee an impressive 17 hours before she remembered to be inconsolable until Caitlyn promised to set up a playdate with J.

"That's nice," Caitlyn humoured her, shielding her little face when she rinsed out her jet black hair. Caitlyn was so tired, she was barely listening to her daughter's rambling. Vi this, Vi that, Vi was so cool, whatever.

"Like your dragon egg."

Caitlyn snapped to attention. "She's a tattoo artist?"

Bee clapped in the water. "Yes! And,she's not J’s real mum."

Just a casual six year old topic change. Caitlyn frowned. “That's not a very nice thing to say, darling.”

“J’s the one who said it,” Bee argued, splashing the water in annoyance. “They said Vi was their foster and then their real mum got sick and died and now Vi's their adopta mum. What's a foster?”

Jesus. In the five seconds it took Bee to tell that story, Caitlyn already got close to tears. Little J. Knowing how curious her daughter was, she had to ask, “Love, how did you react when J said all that?”

Bee shrugged. “I listened. Then we hugged.”

Caitlyn gave her a watery smile. “Good girl.”

She had a million questions shooting through her brain, but she stopped herself from milking Bee for more information about Vi. Not because it was the right thing to do, but because her daughter was an embarrassingly bad liar. She didn’t want it to get to J that she was asking questions.

Bee splashed the bathwater again, and it hit Caitlyn. “Sooo what's a foster?”

“When a child can't be with their family, a foster parent takes care of them.”

“Whoa. I thought it was like a Bananas Foster. Ooh, can Vi take me to eat ice cream with J?”

Another six year old topic change. Caitlyn was almost too tired to say no.

Then she realised, she didn't have to. If she couldn’t do a background check on the ever more mysterious Vi, perhaps… Simple surveillance.

Simple surveillance would be harmless.

*

Caitlyn was not used to hosting playdates. In fact:

Caitlyn was running around like a headless chicken in her own backyard, changing the formation of beach towels and lounge chairs. She even put fresh fruit out in the gazebo by the pool house.

Her nervous energy had rubbed off on Bee much earlier, so instead of getting her sh*t together, Caitlyn called in reinforcements. With Noémie entertaining Bee in the main house, she was free to fuss inside the fenced-in pool area, since that would be the first thing her guests would see coming up the driveway.

Yes, she had a nice house. It wasn’t a secret that Caitlyn Kiramman had a fortune at her fingertips. An inheritance amassed for generations, yet bottlenecking around one only daughter who wouldn't marry a man to save her mother's life. (Of course, now there was the little heiress, Caribel Cassandra Kiramman.)

She was tossing beach balls into the water when she heard a strange sound. For a moment, she was convinced that a horse was galloping on her lawn, but… that would be absurd. She even shook her head at herself.

Then, a shout: "Stag!"

Caitlyn froze. When the enormous short-haired mutt careened into her yard, it flew through the open fence of the pool, apparently dead-set on drooling specifically at her. Which would have been fine—Caitlyn was practically raised by a Doberman named Artie.

What wasn't fine, was when a woman with short pink hair barreled after the dog in a panic, and within seconds found herself slipping inside the deep end of Caitlyn's pool. Caitlyn and the dog were both in shock, staring at Vi taking an involuntary dip with her hat, sunglasses and sneakers still on. By some miracle, she'd chucked her bum bag at the grass before it submerged.

"f*ck, what the f*ck?!" Vi hollered, panting in the water. "What the actual f*ck!"

The dog sensed her panic and joined the cacophony, barking like mad at Caitlyn's heel. Caitlyn looked down at it and snapped her fingers. "Hey. When Mummy calls you, you stop, got it? Now sitz."

The dog gave her literal puppy eyes, and sat. Caitlyn kneeled down, getting her jeans wet (gross), and scratched its chin. "Love, it's all right, we're all right," she soothed.

Whether it was her words or her tone, something permeated Vi's nervous system and her guest stopped flailing. Both Vi and the dog collected themselves with a similar shrug, and then Vi glared daggers at Caitlyn.

"What the f*ck! Why do you have a pool? Why do you live in this bougie-ass neighborhood? I literally feared for our lives driving up here! Why isn't your kid going to some fancy private school instead of our Montessori program?"

Vi finally ran out of air. Caitlyn did not get fired up; a master at outlasting temper tantrums. She simply ignored the pool and its occupier. She stood back up, keeping gentle contact with the dog, and instantly spotted J.

They were well beyond the clearly marked pool fence, half-hidden behind the pole of a bright yellow gazebo. Caitlyn automatically went into mum mode, and called out across the pool, "Sweetheart! Welcome."

Vi snapped her head around. "Oh my god, monkey! Can you believe how dangerous it is to run around a pool?"

"It's slippery," J said like they were insulting Vi. Then they looked at Caitlyn and got shy again. Her heart squeezed tight, remembering that this precious child lost their mum not too long ago.

She knew better than to assume anything, as well-versed as she was in complicated family situations, but that didn't mean she couldn't be extra nice to J.

"I'm Ms. Kiramman. Caribel has been so looking forward to seeing you today. Do you happen to know this dog?"

J nodded with a guilty look. "Stegosaurus, come here!"

The dog followed the command in exemplary fashion. Clearly J was the alpha in the house. Caitlyn looked at Vi in the pool again.

"Well?" She asked, adjusting her sunglasses. "Do you have any intention of leaving the bougie-ass pool?"

"I don't know, I'm kind of digging it now. Sun's really out when you live topside, huh? No pollution or nothing."

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. She turned towards the open window of the dining room, and called, "Noémie!"

Much like Stegosaurus, Bee appeared thunderously and in perpetual motion, a few unfortunate steps ahead of her nanny. First, she screamed, "J!" and ran to her friend, but midway she did a double Axel and screamed, "Vi!"

Much like Vi, Bee traipsed into the pool, fully dressed and with no fear of death. Vi plucked Bee from the water before Caitlyn could blink, parking her on one enormous shoulder.

"Hey, when Mummy calls you, you stop, got it?" Vi mimicked. She went with a pirate voice, so the hey sounded like aye. It somewhat helped Caitlyn suppress the urge to scream at her daughter.

"Caribel. What did we say about jumping in the pool?"

Bee didn't even look up from where she was making spikes out of Vi's short hair. "I'm allowed if there's a grown-up. Vi's a grown-up."

Vi winked at her daughter. "Game recognize game."

"I'm Bee."

"Yeah, we already met when you stole that scooter. Your cop mom teach you what a felony is?"

Caitlyn decided to intervene and redirect. "Caribel, do you reckon Vi can carry you all the way over here?"

Bee wrapped her little arms around Vi in a way that had to be uncomfortable, and chirped, "No way!"

Wordlessly, Vi secured her hold on Bee and climbed out of the pool like white Maui. She nudged past Caitlyn, getting her wet with pool water, and put Bee down.

Bee stayed close to Vi's leg, giggling and shivering at the same time, her little knees wobbly. Caitlyn was on her with a fluffy blue towel instantly.

Then, Noémie made herself known. She leaned on the wooden pool fence from the outside, and gave Vi a smile. "Salut."

"Bon-jur, ma bell-e."

Vi didn't even attempt any accent other than American, and Caitlyn had to admit she was making it work. She looked at Noémie, then at Bee, then at Vi, dripping wet.

"Well," Caitlyn declared, rushing out of the pool area. "I'm sure Noémie has got it from here. It's been nice to see you again, J. It's been… Vi."

"Wait, you're leaving?"

Caitlyn frowned. "You're not?"

Vi blinked at her. "I just got here. Why would I waste the gas?"

"Oh. So it's got nothing to do with the bougie pool?" Caitlyn suggested, co*cking her hip.

Vi shared a look with J, out of everyone, and smiled softly. "We'll take what we can get."

Caitlyn went inside.

*

Her laptop was open, but Caitlyn couldn't look at it for more than ten seconds before her gaze drifted out the double window, towards the pool party she had painstakingly organised and wouldn't participate in.

J, treading fully dressed in the shallows, was passing the beach ball with Bee while Vi pretended to fail at catching it midair. This involved a lot of flexing, which kept Noémie very engaged. After all, Vi had taken her T-shirt and basketball shorts off, laying them out to dry (and laughing when Bee copied her exactly).

Caitlyn looked back at her laptop, but she had nothing open on it. All she could see was that mental list, under today's date.

Back tattoos: 17 gears, 8 cogs

Abs: 6

Copious body hair (blonde)

Didn't smoke with Noémie

Still no last name

"How's work?"

Caitlyn almost screamed, and slammed her laptop shut quickly and unsubtly. Vi was standing at the doorway behind her, arms crossed, holding a child's pink water bottle. She had a towel wrapped around her shoulders and not much else.

Caitlyn blinked. "It's work. Typing up surveillance notes."

"Does it have anything to do with that, uh, graffiti artist?" Vi asked, too quickly to be casual. Could Vi have been the one with ulterior motives when they set up the playdate?

Caitlyn's heart pounded, but she didn't want to tip her hand this early. "No. Jinx isn't suspected. She's wanted. One of the most, in fact."

Just like that first day, it seemed Vi had no interest in the honest truth. She came closer to the dining table. "You've seen her? With your own eyes?"

Caitlyn did get the surprise. Jinx was Silco's prized chemist, the brains of his Shimmer operation, and five years ago she'd gone to ground and never resurfaced. The only girl Caitlyn couldn't find in all of Zaun. Completely off the grid.

Until that monkey. Until Vi.

"Who's asking?"

Vi frowned at her, nose wrinkling. She flipped the bottle in the air once, and set it on the table with finality. "A real life French nanny, huh? Was Spanish too lowbrow?"

A six year old topic change.

"Please, I teach Caribel French myself."

"So you keep Noémie just for the sex?"

Caitlyn's lip twitched in what couldn't have been a chuckle. "She's 21, don't be absurd. No, Noémie's mother is a friend from Interpol."

"How?"

"She’s… French?"

"No, how is it that the richest people get free childcare?"

"I don't think what she's doing is childcare," Caitlyn snarked back. "Not since you took your shirt off."

Vi laughed, looking down like she'd forgotten she was wearing a wet sports bra and boyshorts under the fluffy blue towel she'd draped over her shoulders. "Too bad she's not my type."

Caitlyn's fingers twitched with the compulsion to expand her list of not-Vi’s-background-check.

Then Vi added, "These European chicks never know what they want."

Once again, Caitlyn rolled her eyes at Vi. She snatched up the bottle from Vi’s hand, and floated over to the sink to fill it herself, noisily. She handed it back with her chin up. "Oh, well. You should go back, make sure the chick's got eyes on both children. Or at least on Bee."

Vi smiled. "Cute nickname, by the way."

"Better than Cupcake."

"Good to know you keep receipts on me."

Vi went out the way she came with a swish of her towel. Caitlyn shut the dining room curtains.

Chapter 3: Work-Mom Balance

Chapter Text

Caitlyn loved collecting information. Her mind was literal and curious, and she made a good living off it. Until a week ago, at least.

A school event dedicated to an overview of Bridge Elementary's mission, values, and important policies would have been completely up Caitlyn's alley. If only it was back to school day.

But back to school night… No, when the sun went down, Caitlyn was very different. Mainly, exhausted. She'd been getting wiped out earlier and earlier for weeks, and she had just been here for the scooter incident.

The only mum who'd already been called to the principal's office. Well, almost the only one.

Caitlyn tossed her ponytail over her shoulder, sneaking a peek at Vi at the other end of the hallway. She was the centre of the universe as far as children and lesbians were concerned, cracking jokes and being charming. Caitlyn was left skulking the halls alone. It was all very similar to her actual boarding school experience. Too gay for the rich girls, too rich for the common girls. As soon as she thought of that, anxiety rocked her. What if Bee…

"This blows," Vi's voice interrupted her doom spiral. "These poor teachers gotta work during the day, now we're keeping 'em up at night?"

Caitlyn tossed her hair one more time and leaned back next to Vi on the yellow wallpaper. "I'm being kept up," Caitlyn complained quietly. "Surely this whole thing could've been an email."

"Yeah, except the idea is to mingle, not skulk around like you've been doing."

Caitlyn gasped. "I do not skulk! I'm very normal!"

Vi laughed, which wasn't what Caitlyn was going for at all. "All right Uptown, how often you practise that in front of a mirror?"

"Why are you even here?"

"To f*ck with you. And kiss up to the underpaid, underappreciated teachers."

A tinkling chuckle reached Caitlyn’s ears, and Caitlyn turned her head. A teacher who must have heard Vi walked up to them, hands in the pockets of her tight tan slacks. Her bright red hair tumbled down her back in a braid.

"Welcome to Bridge Elementary," she said with a smile, reaching out to shake their hands. "I'm Ms. Fortune."

Caitlyn lit up, immediately connecting the name with some emails she got from the Montessori teachers. "Of course! I'm Caitlyn Kiramman."

Ms. Fortune looked her up and down, eyebrows drawn together. "You know, I happen to teach a little girl who looks just like you."

Blood rushed to Caitlyn's face. "Oh, Caribel has made an impression already?"

"Don't see any other little British princesses running around," Vi said under her breath.

"She's a firecracker, for sure," Ms. Fortune added with a diplomatic smile.

Caitlyn sighed long-sufferingly, turning to where her daughter was currently ignoring all the teachers and activities in favour of organising the children by height.

"You're clearly parents who encourage curiosity," Ms. Fortune added, looking between the two of them.

Caitlyn's eyes widened. "Oh, we're not—I mean, we do share certain values—"

"Do we now?" Vi cut her off, crossing her arms.

"We—are not co-parenting, is what I meant. Not at all."

"So you think I'm a bad co-parent or something?"

"No!" Caitlyn corrected, horrified. "I'm just—you should just—" she turned to Ms. Fortune when Vi started to smirk insufferably. "You should know that I'm a single mum, in case Caribel… I don't know, has questions."

"Pretty sure Bee knows you're single," Vi muttered. "She has met you."

Out of nowhere, Mel Medarda clapped her hands together in the middle of the room. "Parents and guardians, please join your child's homeroom teacher for the classroom presentation."

The parents started flowing in confusing patterns towards different classrooms, but Caitlyn was laser-focused when she gripped Vi's baggy shirt. "You can't make me look bad here," she hissed in her ear.

Vi's thick eyebrows climbed up her fringe, shuffling into a classroom with Caitlyn in tow. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you don't like me very much, all right? But I need this to work out for Caribel. She hasn't… had many friends."

"She, or you?"

Caitlyn seethed. Vi only frowned harder. The teacher, curiously not Ms. Fortune, was waving her hands around the classroom, gesturing to the colourful ABCs made out of paper caterpillars, and the tiny library in the corner.

She gagged, suddenly sickened. "Oh my god."

"What now?"

Caitlyn fought a battle not to cover her nose. "Excuse me," she said loudly to the teacher, in the voice of her mother. "How often do you use non-Hex bleach to clean here?"

The teacher's eyes widened. "We don't."

"Yes, you do. My nose is never wrong."

"Christ," Vi muttered to herself, trying to take a step away from Caitlyn. Caitlyn refused to stop clinging to her, like she could hide behind her enormous back if the teacher snapped at her.

"You know, studies show that exposure to non-Hex bleach is dangerous to children. Have you considered natural alternatives?"

"Have you considered she ain't the janitor?" one of the other mums snarked.

"Yeah Uptown, why don't you get your butler down here to clean for her?"

A titter. Caitlyn puffed up her chest. "But I'm right! Don't you care about your child's lungs?"

"The f*ck did you just say to me?" A third mum interrupted. Oh no. They were all looking at Caitlyn. The teacher, the mums, the kids, the caterpillar ABCs. Though Caitlyn's face blanched, she could never back down from a fight.

"I'm not blaming you," she explained. "The teacher is the one who called me a liar."

"The teacher's my sister, you bougie bitch!"

Vi groaned, grabbed Caitlyn's elbow and shuffled her out of the classroom before a riot could start. In the empty hallway she pushed Caitlyn up on one of the yellow walls. "Well, good job, now everyone knows you're single."

"I don't understand, the Montessori curriculum itself includes environmental studies—"

"You were in the wrong classroom, you idiot!"

"What?"

"You were supposed to go with the bougie moms. Not the busted moms."

Caitlyn froze. She'd followed Vi instead of Ms. Fortune without thinking. "sh*t."

"Yeah, sh*t. You know, I came here to make sure my kid's taken care of, not bail a grown-ass woman from getting bullied at school."

Tears sprang to Caitlyn's eyes. Vi knew pretty quickly that she'd gone too far, and her mouth snapped shut. "I'm sorry, f*ck, I just—I'm really f*cking bitchy this time of night."

Caitlyn let out a long breath and finally allowed the wall to support her, staring up at the patchy ceiling. "I can barely keep my eyes open."

Though she wasn't looking at her, she knew she'd made Vi smile. "At least bedtime story is cancelled. J will be out like a light by the time this is over."

Caitlyn sighed and pulled her phone out, wondering if checking the time would make her more or less depressed. When she noticed a text from Jericho's Pizza, her brain turned 100% on.

Jericho's Pizza: Order's up at our south-east location.

Completely ignoring Vi, she dug her Moleskine notebook out of her purse and flipped in it frantically. Blue tab—contacts, Pizzas for P, Zaun area code but multiple locations, what's south—

"The docks," Caitlyn muttered triumphantly, snapping her notebook shut. It really wasn't supposed to be in her purse in the first place, now that she was retired.

"What?" Vi asked, appearing out of nowhere in Caitlyn's brain fog.

Caitlyn shook her head and got into action mode. Retired or not, she couldn’t ignore a text from Jericho’s Pizza. Besides, it didn’t count as taking a job if no one was paying her. "I need to go."

She adjusted her purse and turned on her heels, sneaking back into the wrong classroom. She barely heard Vi hissing to herself, "The docks?!"

There seemed to be a Q&A session going on, so no one noticed Caitlyn tip-toeing in the back. She plucked her daughter from her little green seat and made shushing noises until they got to the library corner. Then she knelt. "Darling, would it be okay if Noémie tucks you in today?"

"Why?" Bee crossed her arms like a tiny interrogator.

"I need to pick up an order," she explained.

Unfortunately, Bee was less susceptible to tasty bribes than her mother. Thank you, sperm donor. "You weren't even here when the teacher talked!"

"That's all right, she's not even your teacher. Your teacher is Ms. Fortune."

"Wot?!"

Oh god. "Love, I'm so sorry for changing your plans so late. I promise I'll be back before morning."

"Morning?!" Vi yelled behind her, nearly giving her a heart attack. She hadn't even noticed Vi followed them. "What the f*ck you got going in the… deli so late?"

Caitlyn quirked an eyebrow. "You get your pizza at a deli?"

Vi pointed at her own bicep and flexed. Though covered by her baggy shirt, Caitlyn could see it. "I look like I eat carbs? For god's sake, just…"

She pointed behind her vehemently. Caitlyn rolled her eyes and stood up, huddling with Vi by the door. "What is it?"

"Why are you going to the docks?"

"Why is it any of your business?"

"If you're going to see Jinx, it's my business way more than it's your business, so tell me what's going on."

Caitlyn sighed. "Look, I'm sorry your girlfriend is a drug lord—"

"She is not—"

"But I don't have time for this."

"Caitlyn, I'm not gonna let you run around the docks alone in the middle of the night, you'll get stalked."

"So you want to follow me? Like a stalker?"

Vi seemed truly angry then. "They'll eat you alive."

"Seeing as I'm the one who got the tip, I really don't see why you think this is a negotiation."

She could practically see steam coming out of Vi's ears, but she still didn't expect her to spit out, "I'll get Tiff's sister to ask the janitor about the stupid bleach!"

Caitlyn grinned. She honestly had no problem with having a beefcake backup in the docks, even if she couldn't stand the sound of her voice.

And she was right about the bleach, so this was a win for the whole school.

"Very well. I'll ask Noémie to pick up J, too. They can even sleep over."

Vi went from relieved to frustrated in a blink. "Don't bother, I'll get a sitter."

"Nonsense," Caitlyn dismissed her, pulling her phone out again. "Bee has been up my arse about a slumber party. You trust Noémie, don't you?"

Vi narrowed her eyes at her, perhaps aware that Caitlyn was really asking to be trusted herself.

"Fine. But ask her what she's wearing."

Caitlyn almost chuckled again. "I will not."

The kids didn't need any placating once Bee realised they were having a sleepover and J realised Bee had a TV in her room. After saying goodbye to them and rushing out to the yellow hallway, Caitlyn was so caught up in thoughts of the docks, she nearly bulldozed two teachers who were standing by the exit.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Caitlyn yelped, bending down to grab the fallen clipboards and markers before the teachers could bully her again. Their name tags (again with the caterpillar motif) read Diana and Leona.

The first teacher, a short platinum blonde Caitlyn recognized from the welcome speech, took back her clipboard. Then turned it right back to Caitlyn. It was a sign-up sheet. "So! Are you signing up for the PTA?"

"Oh no, we're actually in a rush," Caitlyn said apologetically and started walking towards the exit again.

"Don't you have children at this school?"

Caitlyn turned around smoothly. "And? Just because I don't have time to dedicate to the PTA, I'm not dedicated to my child? Being a single mum—"

"Whoa, lady," Diana cut her off, pulling her clipboard away. "I just meant, who's taking your children home?"

"Yeah, sorry about her," Vi butted in, squeezing past Caitlyn and giving the teacher a disarming smile. "A very nice French nanny is gonna pick up both of them."

"And you didn't think to let anyone know?" Leona asked. "How am I supposed to tell the difference between a nice French nanny and a serial killer?"

Slowly, like a sinking anchor, Caitlyn realised these teachers were staying in her way. "She picks up my daughter every day, it's already been authorised."

"Yeah, your daughter. Not her kid," Diana pointed at Vi with the business end of a marker. "We need a release form."

"This isn't prison!" Caitlyn sniffed, outraged.

Leona looked at Diana, and Diana looked at Leona, and then they both wheeled on Caitlyn. "Release forms are pretty hard to come by, you know. Usually we'd only do a favor like this for a mom we know."

"A mom we trust," Leona added.

"Yeah, a mom who's involved."

Caitlyn curled her nails into her palms so angrily it hurt. "Fine! I'll join the PTA! Just get her the damn—

"Your release form," Leona said helpfully, handing Vi a different clipboard.

"Wait, this says—"

"Just sign it!" Caitlyn shrilled, shoving her pen into Vi's hand. "The pizza won't wait for us!"

"Okay, jeez," Vi huffed, signing the PTA vulture's form. Finally, the broad-shouldered teachers separated. The way to the exit was clear.

All smiles now, Diana handed Caitlyn the PTA sign-up form for her to sign her name. "Smart choice. Guess your nose really is never wrong."

Oh god, the teachers were already talking about her. What if they single out Bee? What if—

Caitlyn couldn't get out of there fast enough.

"Do you ever feel like punching someone?"

Vi laughed at the question. "The night is still young."

Chapter 4: I Raised That Guy

Chapter Text

Caitlyn jogged to the trunk of her car and pulled out her gym/PI outfit—black leggings, a black long-sleeved shirt, and a men’s purple windbreaker. She put the leggings on under her skirt, then shuffled behind the car to change her top.

That was when Vi caught up to her.

“Holy cupcakes!” she squeaked, and pivoted 180 degrees to put her back to Caitlyn. “What are you doing!”

“I’m not going to walk around Zaun dressed like a Piltie, now am I?”

“Honey, you could be in a clown suit. You're gonna be walking around Zaun with me.”

Vi was actually cracking her knuckles. Caitlyn couldn't see Vi's face, but she thought Vi might be taking herself seriously. When it was clear that Vi was the liability here.

She scoffed and slipped into her car silently, so as to startle Vi when she turned the motor on. Vi threw herself into the passenger seat and slammed the door after her.

For a moment she simply took in how nice the coupe was, so Caitlyn snapped her fingers at her. “Let me make something very clear, honey.”

Vi's pale eyes widened, so Caitlyn knew she had her attention. “I am going to meet my source, and I am graciously allowing you to shadow me. Shadows are silent and obedient. Shadows do not, under any circ*mstances, start a fight.”

Vi's throat must have been dry, she swallowed twice before saying, “And if things get hairy?”

“Open the glove box.”

While Vi discovered her handgun, Caitlyn smiled and waved at the parents and guardians who'd started straggling towards the parking lot. She backed out smoothly and got on the road.

The first time they carpooled, on the day they met, they spent the whole drive in complete silence. Not tonight. Caitlyn enjoyed emasculating Vi so much that she started playing her pump-up playlist (i.e. the Spice Girls discography). She could always count on it to keep her sharp at night. It also made Vi stop sulking.

When they reached the southern pier, Caitlyn stopped the car outside the fence, but waited for Who Do You Think You Are to finish playing before she turned the motor off.

Ever since the checkpoints were established on the bridges to Piltover, most of Zaun's legal and illegal commerce centred in the bay, right here where the air was so briney it assaulted Caitlyn's nose. And, as established, Caitlyn's nose was very sensitive.

The wind hit Caitlyn hard as soon as she got out of the car, whipping her ponytail around. She zipped up her windbreaker to her chin.

The lock on the gate was old and begging to be picked. Caitlyn was silent as she worked, half of her focused on the task at hand and half of her wondering if Bee was already in bed.

She very rarely worked at night, which meant Bee had precious little opportunities to manipulate Noémie into letting her stay up late. Adding J to the mix meant Noémie was outnumbered. Sure, the nanny oui oui Miss Caitlyn’d, but should she call?

When Caitlyn finally opened the gate, she nearly screeched when she came face to face with Vi. “Bloody hell!” she hissed, fighting hard not to clutch her chest.

Vi shrugged with a smug grin. “Figured it’d be faster to hop it.”

Caitlyn huffed, strutting past her without another word. Rows and rows of shipping containers blocked the city lights, making the looming heavy machinery a bit monstrous. All she could hear was the waves battering the docks.

Eventually Vi snapped, “What's the plan?”

“Just follow me.”

“Cupcake, it's spooky as sh*t here. Throw me a bone.”

Caitlyn huffed, again. She never liked working with a partner, never liked explaining herself, never liked to chat. She was retired. “We find him, we talk, we go home.”

“I thought you had some spy sh*t up your sleeve.”

Caitlyn elbowed her. “I am not a spy.”

“Sure, sure. Just British then.”

“Are you a child?”

Vi nudged her back. “I don't know about you, having a six-year-old makes me feel a hundred.”

“Oh no, for me it's effortless.”

“Pish-posh—”

Caitlyn grabbed Vi's shoulder abruptly and put a finger on her mouth. She definitely just heard something.

They were walking along a row of shacks, towards the harbourmaster’s office. That was where Caitlyn met her source last time, because she knew it was a blindspot for the security cameras. The good harbourmaster didn't need eyes on him any more than Caitlyn did.

Now she and Vi were huddled in the shadow of one of the offices, and Caitlyn's adrenaline spiked when she heard it again—a motor.

In a second, three electric skateboards zipped by them, missing them by a hair in the dark.

Vi whispered urgently, “I thought you said we're only meeting one guy.”

“We are,” Caitlyn said, backing into the wall. The motors were humming, louder and softer and louder again, circling their position like sharks.

“Those were three guys.”

“Would you like to do something useful instead of stating the obvious?”

“Are you saying you do want me to punch someone?”

Caitlyn shook her head immediately. A hand-to-hand fight would be the worst outcome she could think of. “If that's the only thing you're useful for…”

“Jeez, you're hurting my feelings.”

Vi pushed off the wall, detaching the hand Caitlyn had fisted in her jacket. Just as she hopped the fence without Caitlyn noticing, poof, Vi was in the air, climbing the shack like a bright pink spider and reaching higher ground.

When Caitlyn's phone vibrated in her pocket, she had to begrudgingly admit (to herself) that Vi made a pretty useful decision.

With Vi in her ear, telling her exactly when and where the strangers were patrolling, Caitlyn easily slithered from shadow to shadow until she reached the harbourmaster's door.

Her informant was there. His own skateboard was under his foot, casting a green hue on the corroded shacks and containers around them. He casually flipped his board when he saw Caitlyn, as if his partners weren't laying a trap for her, as if she didn't know about it.

“You called,” she started, in no mood for dramatics.

“You came,” he replied, looking up from his board. A splash of green light illuminated the mask on his face, the white dreads piled on his head.

“A show of mutual respect, wouldn't you say?”

“I guess.” He took his mask off. Caitlyn had the same thought she always had when she saw Ekko: he's so young. She was getting old.

“So what—”

“Little Man?”

Something heavy hit the ground behind her, and suddenly there was a commotion in the silent dock. Vi had made a not useful decision and jumped off the office roof, raising her voice so Ekko’s two companions were on her in a second.

Vi was being pushed to her knees, jacket hood covering her hair and face. Caitlyn reached into her pocket, but before she could draw her weapon, Vi pushed one of her assailants back with a strong shoulder, and kicked the second one far enough so she could stand back up.

She gave Caitlyn a glance that said no punching, see?

Then she tossed her head so her hood came off, and Ekko leaped forward with a shocked sound, and now Caitlyn's gun was out. She pointed it at Ekko and his partners and put Vi at her back, close enough to feel her and know she was there.

“She has nothing to do with this,” Caitlyn said. “You're welcome to double-cross me, but you're not touching her.”

“That's real sweet of you, but could you give us a moment?” Vi asked from behind her. She put a hand on Caitlyn's right arm and lowered it slowly. The air was so tense that Caitlyn thought the tide would change.

Vi put Caitlyn at her back, opening her arms to shield her, and again said, “Little Man, it's me.”

“Fat Hands?”

Suddenly she wasn't opening her arms to shield Caitlyn at all. She was welcoming a ferocious hug from Ekko.

The tension snapped and Caitlyn officially had no idea what was going on anymore. Seriously? Random hugging?

This is why I don't work with partners.

“Oh my god, Ekko,” Vi said, pulling him under her armpit in a fake wrestling move. “Still not taller than me?”

Ekko fought out of her hold. He looked even younger when he smiled. “Holy f*ck. I never thought I'd see your ugly face again.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Vi said, tilting her face this way and that, the green light unflattering her dark makeup. “My face never looked better.”

Caitlyn cleared her throat, finally putting her gun away. Vi looked at Caitlyn like she forgot she existed. “This guy's your guy?”

“Psh,” Ekko scoffed. “I'm not her guy.”

“Yeah, you couldn't handle her for a second, trust me,” Vi said, smirking at him.

“Vi!” Caitlyn and Ekko protested at the same time.

Ekko turned to the other two masked men. When he told them to leave, they skated off until the echos stopped bouncing the shipping containers around them.

Ekko stepped up to Caitlyn, his eyes flinty. “I can't believe you pulled a gun on ‘em.”

“It’s not loaded,” Caitlyn said. “And what happened to come alone?”

“Yeah, why'd you bring this goon?” Ekko retorted.

“Eh, I butted in. I thought she was meeting someone actually interesting.”

Ekko glared at Vi for a second, and then they were bro-hugging again. This time Caitlyn could see Vi's face over Ekko's hair, and she nearly lost her breath. She'd never seen such a soft expression on Vi's face, not even when she was with J. It made her look… Yes, younger. It left an odd impression on Caitlyn.

Caitlyn's fingers itched to add to her list of Vi evidence.

Connection to Firelights leader

Strong kick

Thick eyelashes

“How the hell do you know each other?” Vi took the question right out of Caitlyn's mouth, releasing the young man.

Ekko's eyes shuttered and he looked down. Caitlyn wasn't particularly eager to talk about how they met, either.

“Can we get to business, please? Why did you contact me?”

“Right.” Ekko dug his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants, and came up with a strip of photo booth pictures.

Caitlyn's eyes drank in every detail of the girl in them. Green pixie cut, green eyes, aquiline nose, pierced tongue sticking out in two of the four pictures. Couldn't be older than 20.

“She goes by Zeri,” Ekko started. “Four days ago we were supposed to be doing orientation at the community center, but she never showed. Since then I can't find her anywhere in the Undercity. You're the only fixer I trust from Topside.”

“Ooh,” Vi added helpfully. “He's not your guy, you are his guy.”

Caitlyn's hand tightened, nails digging into the leather notebook. She had no idea when she even took it out. “I don’t do that anymore. I’m retired.”

Ekko frowned. “Then why’d you come all this way?”

“I saw Jinx's tag the other day. Do you know what she's up to?”

Ekko's eyes snapped to Vi, and his back went stiff as a board. The silence got thick enough that Caitlyn looked between them twice. There seemed to be a silent conversation happening.

“Well?”

Pointedly looking away from Vi, Ekko admitted, “Zeri… used to deal for Silco. But six months ago she came to us, and we hooked her up with addiction counselling and job placement. She came every single week, Caitlyn.”

Until now. Until the monkey. Until Vi.

Caitlyn felt particularly chilly in the windy dock. “You think Silco is closing ranks.”

“I don't know what I think. But you have to find Zeri before it's too late.”

“What the hell does any of this have to do with Jinx?” Vi crossed her arms, suddenly hostile towards the man she couldn't stop hugging a second ago.

He still couldn't look at her. “Vi. She's not the same girl you knew.”

“As I told you, repeatedly,” Caitlyn huffed.

Vi shook her head fervently. “Nah, you're wrong.”

“I'm wrong?” Ekko took a long, hard look at Vi. “I'm the one who had to clean up her messes! I'm the one who almost got blown up by her booby traps! Where the hell were you, Vi?”

Caitlyn expected Vi to yell back or throw her weight around. Instead, before her eyes, she shrunk. Her massive shoulders sunk into themselves, and her big grey eyes were impossibly haunted.

Caitlyn realised she didn't want to see her like that.

“I'll bring Zeri home,” she decided, on an unrelated note that just so happened to get Ekko's hard eyes off of Vi. “Do you know where she lives?”

He gave her the address, and Caitlyn scribbled away. Then she asked, “What makes you think she's Topside?”

“I just said. No one's seen her.”

“How much are you paying no one?”

Ekko sucked his teeth, pointing his chin at her. “You wouldn't know anything about loyalty up there, would you? Guess you make a good pair.”

Vi barely made a sound, but something about her felt wounded. Caitlyn realised she didn't want to hear her like that. “We are not a pair. She’s shadowing me for tonight only.”

“Caitlyn,” Vi said, taking a step towards her and looking up. “I know you think I'm some brainless hunk, but I can help you. Let me have your back.”

A squirrely part of Caitlyn couldn't stand those doe eyes piercing her in front of Ekko. There was work, and there was this, and there was a difference.

No, not work. It wasn’t a job. She would never take Ekko’s money.

When Caitlyn didn't answer, Vi turned to Ekko. She put her hands on his shoulders. “Little Man. I'm back now. For good. And I have to see her. Please tell me what's going on.”

I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want!

Caitlyn nearly jumped out of her skin. Frazzled, she fished in her windbreaker’s pocket and pulled out her still-ringing phone. When she saw it was Noémie, the rest of the world faded away.

Probably seven million scenarios slammed through her brain at the same time. When she picked up, she sounded more agitated than she had while stalking an informant through the docks. “Are the kids alright?”

“Hello Miss Caitlyn, oui the babies are fine, but the new one wanted to talk to Miss Vi?”

Caitlyn felt a vein in her forehead throb. “Of course, put J on.”

She handed her phone over to Vi, explaining with a stupid flush, “It's for you.”

Vi looked at her phone like it might bite her at any moment, then as soon as she spotted who the call was from, Caitlyn practically saw her mum brain turn on.

“Honey?” she asked. Her brow relaxed, and the corner of her mouth tugged up in a tiny smile that pulled an old scar on her top lip. Caitlyn wished she didn't notice any of those things. “Aw, it's okay. I think you probably miss your dog, don't you? Yeah, that must be it. How about I pick you up and take you home?”

Caitlyn inspected her nails while Vi made cooing noises at her gentle adopted child. There was work, and there was this.

As soon as Vi hung up, her expression became pinched with worry. She didn’t have to say anything, Caitlyn already knew what happened. J wasn’t ready to sleep away from home, and Bee encouraged them to do something about it.

“You have a kid?” Ekko asked, breaking the silence. He sounded stunned, but when Caitlyn looked at him, she could see his gums because he was smiling so hard. Vi was grinning right back.

Something clicked in Caitlyn’s brain. Vi and Ekko’s relationship wasn’t crime-related. They were family. She wished she could write down the connection in her notebook, but there was no time, not with a scared child at home.

“We should go,” she said. She reached out to shake Ekko's hand. “I will find Zeri.”

They shook on it.

Vi and Ekko exchanged numbers and hugged goodbye, and Caitlyn carefully looked away at the first sign of tears.

She practically collapsed into the driver seat when they made it back to her car. The adrenaline was wearing off now, and the briny smell was seriously close to making her throw up. She wanted to snap at Vi to get in the car faster, but Vi looked even more wrecked than her.

Heavy. Stony. Brooding. Nothing like herself. Caitlyn didn't put on the pump-up playlist this time, but she couldn't bear the silence either. As soon as Vi shut the door, Caitlyn asked, “You've known him for a long time?”

Vi's smile was mirthless. “I raised that guy, if you can believe it. He used to pull my sister's pigtails. How could…” she cut herself off, shaking her head.

Caitlyn was very carefully looking at the road, but she could feel Vi's intense stare on the side of her face. “How come you're his guy?”

She knew she didn't have to answer. She hadn't answered any of Vi's questions so far. But this was the first time she felt kind of bad about it. “It's not a fun story.”

“Not a lot of fun stories on this side of the bridge.”

Caitlyn hummed. “He gave me my first case here, just after I moved. Shimmer was very new and people didn't know how to use it without overdosing. He hired me to find where it was coming from.”

“Why you?”

“I was a complete outsider, not in anyone's pocket. And I did find the lab, not far from the pier we were just in.”

Vi waited for maybe a second before asking, “Then what happened?”

“Jinx happened.” Caitlyn's hands tightened on the wheel. “Back then the Firelights were less community organizers, more armed resistance group. When they raided the lab, Jinx just blew it up. I watched it all from a rooftop. The injuries… It was awful.”

“But she didn't… she's alive?” Vi's voice was thready.

“Yes. And next time I see her, I'll get justice.”

Vi didn't ask anything after that.

Traffic was very light at this hour, making their journey back swift even with the checkpoint. They went to the school first, so Vi could pick up her car, and then to her house so Vi could pick up her kid.

They found both children sitting by the kitchen island, raptly listening to Noémie singing a French pop song. Though Caitlyn knew the lyrics were filthy as hell, she was too tired to say anything about it.

It was past 11 PM. If anyone was more tired than her, it was the six year olds. J ran to Vi as soon as they noticed her, and Vi scooped them up as easily as a football. Bee looked a bit more calculated, staying in her seat. She was probably hoping her mother never noticed her, up way past her bedtime.

Caitlyn wasn't going to reprimand her. After the adventure she just had, she needed a hug from her more than anything.

J sounded tiny and inconsolable when they whispered something in Vi's ear. They peeked at Caitlyn over Vi's shoulder, and as tired as she was, Caitlyn could afford smiling warmly at little J. They quickly hid their face again.

Vi rocked them gently and cleared her throat. “Shortcake,” she said, addressing Bee all of a sudden. “J wants to offer a sleepover redo sometime, at our place. We don't have a TV, but we do have a cute dog.”

Bee's eyes went wide and glittery. “Yes yes yes!”

Vi turned to Caitlyn. “Ms. Kiramman? You gonna trust me?”

Chapter 5: Surprise

Chapter Text

Caitlyn followed her own protocols. Finding Zeri's last known address, asking Noémie to look after Bee, putting on her boots, breaking into Zeri's flat, questioning her neighbours.

Protocols were comforting, they gave her a sense of normalcy even though her line of work was anything but. She knew how to get results, which meant she knew who Caitlyn Kiramman was.

But on top of everything else, Caitlyn Kiramman was 11 weeks pregnant. Protocols helped her be in denial of this fact, but protocols crumbled around 1 PM when she had to go back home and throw up, pass out, and suddenly that was the end of her day.

sh*t.

*

When Caitlyn shut down her PI business, she packed up her office in downtown Piltover and took anything that wasn't bolted to the floor. Files, books, office supplies, contracts, two succulents she let Bee name Meep and Morp.

Those boxes moved to the back of her car, and then drifted into her garage, migrated to her den, made a detour in her bedroom, until now, almost by accident, Caitlyn had a home office on the ground floor.

This was, of course, a lie. Caitlyn couldn’t keep lying to herself.

Caitlyn chose a room at the back of the house that opened to the backyard, and set up a home office very intentionally. There were simply too many new connections in her notebook and her brain; she could no longer avoid setting up her old murder board. She could no longer claim that she was retired.

So Caitlyn was unretired, but only until she found Zeri. Then, she'd be done for good.

Caitlyn specifically liked her murder board on the floor rather than the wall, and though her bladder had a lot to say about it, Caitlyn stuck to protocol.

The first thing she put down was the picture of Jinx’s newest tag. Next to it lay a picture of Vi straight from her Instagram account (a pic that in some circles might have been called a thirst trap).

Then, she focused on what really mattered. Starting with Zeri’s picture, then layering on bright blue sticky notes she'd stolen from Bee's room. She’d been working on a timeline since taking the case last week.

She didn't find much, and what she did find was unfortunately pointing to Zeri taking off on her own volition. When Caitlyn broke into Zeri's flat, she found some notably emptied drawers and no hair colour care products in the shower.

Knocking on her neighbours’ doors led to more confusion. Luckily for Caitlyn, Zeri's motorcycle was so colourful and so loud that every single neighbour noticed it was gone from its usual parking spot. They also said Zeri's ass was usually glued to that bike, because she ran deliveries.

Caitlyn put down her last post-it: Jericho's Pizza. A real place, apparently, that happily hired locals through the Firelights outreach program. Zeri told her neighbour she worked there as a delivery girl. And yet, when Caitlyn showed up, no one there knew anyone with green hair.

A dead end. Where was she really working? Could someone there tell Caitlyn what Zeri had been up to prior to her disappearance?

Caitlyn's alarm went off, jarring her. Time seemed to go by faster in her office, home or not. She made some progress with the board, but none with the actual case, and it was already time to pick Bee up from school.

Something about the timeline bothered her. Signs were leading to Zeri being alive, but she had no proof, no lead, no real evidence. Frustration made her grit her teeth.

Before she could second-guess herself, she called one of her only friends in high places. While the phone rang, she put it on speaker and started looking for a sweater to throw on.

“Caity?”

“Yes, hello Jayce,” she said quickly, hoping the sweater on her face wasn't muffling her voice. “How are you?”

“I'm fine, just grabbing lunch. Is everything alright?”

With her sweater finally on, she grabbed her phone and put it to her ear. “Could you do an early dinner with me?”

“Let me check,” Jayce said, because of course he couldn't make a decision without checking with his assistant. No matter how many times Caitlyn tried to inspire him to be on top of his own schedule, he never learned. And he was always late.

“I've got a meeting till 5. Wanna meet uptown at 6?”

“No, let's meet at your flat. I'll need to pick Caribel up from her dance lesson afterwards.”

“Oh. Classical or modern?”

“Viennese Waltz.”

“Really?”

“Of course not,” she snapped. “She's six, Jayce. If they all manage to spazz in sync with the music, it's a win.”

Jayce laughed. “Didn’t your mom put you in ballroom dancing competitions by six?”

Caitlyn's heart squeezed. Jayce was the only person left in her life who could bring up her dead mum so casually. He also lost a parent to addiction, after all.

When Jayce's father's heart gave out, both he and his mum moved into the Kiramman estate in London, and Caitlyn's mum put him through university. Though he was ten years older than her, trauma-bonding made them as close as Caitlyn got to people she didn't give birth to.

“It was gymnastics,” Caitlyn corrected. “And my mother isn't exactly my inspiration in life.”

“I know, that's my title.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “I'll see you at dinner, darling.”

“Yes dear.”

She hung up while unlocking her car and sliding inside.

*

School hadn't let out yet, but Caitlyn liked to be a little early, grab Bee and be back home as quickly as possible. The reason for that manifested itself today of all days, when the teacher who signed her up for the PTA marched towards her with a clipboard.

“Ms. Kiramman! It's time—Oh, who's this?”

Unbelievably, Diana was intercepted by none other than Stegosaurus, J’s dog. The teacher melted like butter, going straight to her knees to pet the dog and call him a good boy. As soon as her clipboard hit the ground, Caitlyn knew she dodged a bullet.

She felt lucky for about three seconds, before the pink-haired woman on the other side of the dog leash swaggered up to her. “Hey, Cupcake.”

Vi was wearing a dri fit top and cute jean shorts, milking the last dredges of summer as much as she could. They hadn't spoken to each other since the night Vi asked her to trust her, which was an accurate showing of Caitlyn's trust issues.

“Hello, Vi.”

There was a low, blue fence between the school gate and the road, and Vi parked her bum on it casually. Less casually, she pinned pale grey eyes on Caitlyn. “So… Ekko said no leads.”

Caitlyn cleared her throat, adjusting her oversized sunglasses. “It's confidential.”

Vi shuffled closer to Caitlyn, until their elbows were touching. “Come on, I thought we were friends.”

She didn't have to reply. It was enough to give Vi a very sceptical look over her sunglasses.

Vi sighed heavily. “Don't you see I'm tryna help you?”

Caitlyn bit her lip, swallowing the words she actually wanted to say. I'm stuck. I have brain fog. The timeline doesn't make sense. Jayce might not even do me a favour.

She didn’t say any of it. She wanted Vi to see her as composed, skewing towards bitchy. “The only help I need is to find out where Zeri was working.”

Vi's face lit up and her mouth twitched mischievously. “We should go to Babette's, then.”

“Where?” We?

“It's a club. I got a, um, a friend who works there.”

“Zeri didn't work in a club, she did deliveries.”

Vi nodded, undeterred. Her eyes really were hooking into her. Caitlyn couldn't help remembering how sad they looked the other night in her car. “Yeah, but I got a feeling Babette knows where she really worked.”

“Oh, is she an oracle? What's your evidence?”

“I just said, it's a feeling.” Vi nudged her with an elbow again. “I thought detectives were all about listening to their gut?”

Caitlyn huffed. “On telly, sure. I personally do not make it a habit to waste time on feelings.”

“Again, everyone knows you’re single. Loosen up, Cupcake.”

The school bell rang and startled her. Vi hopped off the fence and wiped at the back of her jeans.

“Well, I'll go to Babette's,” Vi announced. “When I find the evidence, maybe I'll tell you.”

Unconsciously, Caitlyn kept angling her body away from Vi, towards the school gate. She only noticed this when she did a full body twirl and glared daggers at Vi. “This is my case, we're doing it my way. I have a plan.”

“Great,” she said, smiling like she wasn't actively infuriating Caitlyn. “I'm glad something will keep you busy while I find Ekko's girl.”

“You dare? Who the hell do you think you—hello, darling!”

She heard Bee squeal from a few feet away. Bee waited a beat on the stairs, still inside the school, then suddenly her hand was around J’s and she was pointing excitedly at Caitlyn and Vi. Or maybe the dog. Either way, they both found themselves pasting on big smiles and waving to the kids like they hadn't just seen them at the breakfast table.

Caitlyn was having a day.

With a last sniff at Vi, she took her daughter’s hand and stuffed her in the coupe.

*

“Caribel!” Caitlyn called out up the stairs. “Come along!”

“No!”

Caitlyn froze. The hairs on the back of her neck stood. Bee could sweet-talk her way out of anything. She was devious, not stroppy. That little no! was a big red flag, and Caitlyn…

Caitlyn actually thought she could make this work. Drop Bee off, go on straight to Jayce’s at the perfect time to get him tipsy and ask a favour, get lectured, cry in the car, pick Bee up, make dinner together, cry in the shower, go to bed at a reasonable time, then wake up and torture Vi into telling her about this stupid club.

Vi. The woman that tipped everything off balance. The mystery that took up more and more space in her brain (and on her floor).

To think that two weeks ago she was liberating succulents from the office building she worked out of, so sure of her retirement.

Of course, none of this mattered one bit. Not to a determined six year old, God bless her.

“Caribel, please get down here so I don't have to shout!”

Caribel slammed her door in reply. Caitlyn flinched. She should probably text Jayce to cancel, but a part of her believed she could still pull this off if she just stuck to the plan.

Determined, she climbed up the stairs and opened the door to Bee's room. The girl didn't even have her dancing shoes on. The shoes she demanded Caitlyn order for the class she insisted on taking to express her creativity.

Caitlyn pinched the bridge of her nose. “Darling. It's rude to be late to class.”

“I don't care,” Bee said. She was crouched on her bed, but the tilt of her chin was anything but meek. “I don't want to go there anymore.”

Caitlyn blinked in surprise. “But it's only been two lessons. We agreed you'd give it a try.”

“Whatever. It's stupid.”

Caitlyn gasped. “Did you just say,” she grasped her daughter's hands urgently, “That dancing is stupid?”

Bee giggled, then forced herself to stop. “It's not a useful skill,” she claimed.

sh*t. Those weren't Bee's words, of course. They were Caitlyn’s.

Caitlyn, who instead of taking Bee to the park, took her on hikes to encourage her interest in landscape drawing, because observation is a useful skill.

Who, instead of buying a 100 piece puzzle, got a 500 piece one and taught Bee how to find the edges and organise the pieces by colour, because pattern recognition is a useful skill.

“Mummy?” Bee asked worriedly, putting a tiny hand on Caitlyn's cheek. Only then did Caitlyn realise she was tearing up. She took Bee's hand and kissed it all over, until the girl giggled again.

“I'll have you know that dancing is very, very useful.”

“Psh!” Bee insisted. “When do you have to dance?”

“When you see a black bear,” Caitlyn improvised.

“Wot?”

“A black bear would rather flee than fight. So dancing might scare it away and be useful.”

“Mum!”

Caitlyn sagged, still holding Bee's hands. “You can skip today's lesson, but next week we’ll renegotiate.”

“I can quit next week?” Her daughter looked so relieved that Caitlyn almost laughed in her face.

“Yes. But you should know, this means we're going to dinner at Jayce's house.”

“Ugh, but he's so boring!”

“I know, love. I know.”

*

Jayce was late, of course, but Bee made them even later, so they ended up meeting in his lobby.

“Junior!” he exclaimed as soon as he saw Bee tucked into Caitlyn's leg. His shout visibly scared the doorman—Jayce was a large man under his baby face.

Bee stuck her tongue out at him. “It's Caribel!”

“No, I'm pretty sure it's Junior. And you just started high school, right?”

“Jayce!” Bee shrieked.

Caitlyn hustled them towards the lift. The fact Jayce had running jokes with Bee was none of her business. Bee talked the entire ride to the 8th floor, filling Jayce in on first grade intrigue and her Montessori programme.

Honestly, if she wore him down, Caitlyn could use it to her advantage.

“I thought you had a dance lesson?” Jayce asked as he let them in his apartment. It was clean enough for a bachelor pad, but Caitlyn knew that wasn't due to hard work, but to the fact Jayce practically lived at the FBI field office.

“I quit.”

Jayce's eyebrows flew up, glancing at Caitlyn, who was hanging her jacket up by the door. “Your mom let you quit?”

“Next week. Though next week we're doing K-pop so maybe the week after that. We negostipated.”

“Spoken like a true politician. You take after your grandma, huh?”

Bee turned glittery eyes to Caitlyn. “Cassandra?”

Caitlyn turned around and fought with the fridge door, trying to find something to snack on. Jayce answered in the end. “Yup, Cassandra Senior. So, which one of you scientists is cooking with me tonight?”

“Me me me!”

Caitlyn grimaced and caught Jayce's eye over Bee’s bouncing form, mouthing, you don't have to.

Jayce simply clapped his hands together. “Good. Now tell me, do they teach you about diffusion in first grade science?”

“What's that?”

“Let's cook some pasta and you'll see for yourself. Could you find some in the pantry while me and mommy boil water?”

Bee ran off, not even waiting for permission. Caitlyn sat down on the bar chair by Jayce's kitchen island, and then buried her face in her hands.

Jayce moved from the kettle towards her, quickly. “What's up, Cait?”

“Well. I need a favour.”

“Sure, Caribel can sleep over. We have to catch up on Legend of Korra.”

Caitlyn peeked at him. “Not that kind of favour.”

“Oh.” He crossed his arms, leaning back on the fridge. “I thought you quit.”

“It's one last case.”

“Sure, all right. What do you need?”

Caitlyn frowned. Jayce was meant to scold her for this. If he didn't, how would she fit in crying in the car? “Didn't I ask you to never help me again?”

“Caity. What's going on?”

“I think Jinx is up to something.”

“You always think Jinx is up to something.”

Caitlyn looked him in the eye. “I think she's up to something in Piltover. Have you heard anything?”

“Of course not. The checkpoints are working. She hasn't been active past the bridge in ages.” He seemed sincere, but he was just parroting the party line.

“Prove me wrong, then. There's a missing girl connected to it. And she has a very identifiable motorcycle that I need you to find for me.”

Caitlyn despised asking for help. She felt so tense she could scream. Jayce's smile dropped, and after a moment, he came closer to her and rested a familiar hand on her shoulder. “Okay. I learned a long time ago to get out of your way when you feel strongly about something.”

“It's not about feelings!” Caitlyn cried out. “I have a damn plan!”

Jayce raised his hands and took a step back the way he came. “Okay… Sure you don't want me to take Caribel off your hands tonight? Give you time to, you know, loosen up a little.”

Caitlyn almost said no. Then Bee ran back into the kitchen with three types of pasta. “Sleepover?!” She screeched.

Jayce blinked at Caitlyn innocently. Caitlyn imagined it: a whole night to herself. Complete quiet. Uninterrupted sleep.

Then there was the other option. Two grey eyes and a scarred smirk. Vi and Jayce thought Caitlyn was uptight? She would show them loose.

When Bee was deep in her spaghetti bowl, Caitlyn passed Jayce all the info she had on Zeri's bike. Then, with no real intention behind it, Caitlyn mused, “Have you heard of a club called Babette's?”

Jayce immediately laughed, slapping his own leg. “Is Caitlyn Kiramman asking me to go clubbing?”

“In your dreams,” she sneered. “I meant from work.”

“Nah, it's not really a terroristy joint. They do high-end private parties. I couldn’t even get in, with my pay grade.”

Caitlyn hummed, and pulled out her phone. She never once texted Vi before, which made for delicious shock value when she sent:

I’ll meet you outside Babette’s at 21:00 sharp.

Should give her enough time to nap. Caitlyn was having a day, and it was time she had a night.

Chapter 6: I'm Going Out Tonight

Chapter Text

At 21:00, Vi was casually leaning on a lamppost, playing with a pair of chunky silver rings Caitlyn had never seen her wear before. Under that bright street lamp, Caitlyn noticed she had smokey eyeshadow and intense eyeliner Caitlyn had never seen on her before.

Babette's was by the north bridge, a single block over the line that made it a Piltover establishment. Seeing as Caitlyn started her fertility journey immediately after moving from England, she never visited. (She also hated clubs.)

Caitlyn smoothed her hands down her dress one last time. It wasn’t the tightest one she owned, but it was the tightest one her first-trimester arse could fit in right now. The amount of time that passed between intrauterine insemination and buying maternity clothes was arbitrary in her opinion.

Vi's jaw literally dropped when she saw her. Caitlyn could spy the pink chewing gum she had in her mouth. Perhaps her step was springier at that reaction.

“What?” She asked coolly, lining up next to Vi in the queue to the club. “You like the dress?”

“I—Wow. You look ten years younger.”

Caitlyn's eyebrows climbed up in outrage. “Excuse me?”

“No! I mean, you don't look pissy.”

Caitlyn’s left eye twitched. “What?”

Sputtering, Vi finally looked away from her, thoroughly embarrassed. That was a good look on her. “You look good. You're hot, Cupcake. That's all I meant.”

Caitlyn swished her hair at Vi in disdain. At Vi's uncuffed jeans, particularly. “You could've made more of an effort.”

Vi's smirk was immediate. “Hey, what matters is being slu*tty on the inside.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. They were making progress in the queue. “So Babette is a girlfriend?”

“Jeez, no. She was my foster dad's neighbor.”

Interest sparked in Caitlyn, as distracted as she was by Vi's eye makeup. “Oh. Downtown Zaun, right?”

“Far, far below here.”

Vi's sleeve brushed over Caitlyn's bare arm, making her skin tingle. Caitlyn leaned away from her, trying to focus. “Wait, if she's not a girlfriend, how did you get on the list?”

“What list?”

They were only one couple behind the bouncer at this point. She couldn't really process Vi's audacity to not have a plan.

“Follow my lead,” she told Vi, and slipped a pair of chic sunglasses out of her purse and onto her nose. “I'm a rich heiress.”

Vi nodded to herself. “Can I be a sexy bodyguard?”

Caitlyn almost laughed. “No. You can be my assistant.”

“Like, a sexy assistant?”

Finally, they were first in line. Caitlyn dialled up the posh society girl inside her, and held her head high. “Good night,” she told the bouncer.

He thought for a moment, and then held up his clipboard. Caitlyn had dealt with worse clipboards today. “You on the list?”

“Darling.” She reached into her cleavage and pulled out a wad of cash. “I'm a Kiramman.”

In they went. Caitlyn felt Vi's shocked eyes glued on her back (or arse). “Damn, you give good heiress,” Vi said, over the music that suddenly washed over them.

Caitlyn didn't mean to sound like an arsehole, but this was getting ridiculous. “Seriously? The name Kiramman doesn't mean anything to you?”

Vi looked honestly bewildered. The worst liar in Piltover. “Are you a gangster? Is that why you have it in for Silco?”

Caitlyn shook her head, speechless. In all this time, it hadn't occurred to her that maybe Vi wasn't background-checking her back. Maybe Vi wasn't keeping receipts on Caitlyn. Maybe Vi didn't have a thirst trap of Caitlyn in the middle of her home office.

Did Vi think she was just a normal person?

More importantly, was Caitlyn obsessed with Vi?

Caitlyn tore her eyes away from her and started scanning the club. It was full of smoke and noise and people, reminding Caitlyn exactly why she hated clubs.

“God, I hate clubs,” Vi echoed next to her, grumbling.

“Really? Have you ever tried loosening up?”

“Funny,” Vi said, brushing Caitlyn's arm again. It took Caitlyn a moment to realise it was intentional. Vi was very nearly holding her elbow, leading her further into the club.

Caitlyn could tell this party was high-end. She had three clues: the way the men were dressed like they had standards, the way no one woman's haircut repeated itself, and the complimentary MDMA passed out in literal swag bags. There weren't separate areas for drinking, snorting or dancing—everything was happening all at once, and all around her.

She suddenly wished she'd had her sh*tkicker boots and her windbreaker on, anything she could use as armour against the people dancing around her and on her and against her and way too close to her.

The crush of bodies brought her closer to Vi, though, and that kept her grounded.

Vi leaned in and said, “See the door behind me, on the other side of the bar?”

Caitlyn glanced that way, and nodded. “Bodyguard.”

“Yeah, and not the sexy kind. I betcha Babette’s office is behind that door.”

“Oh, are you having a feeling again?” Caitlyn snarked.

“Maybe I am.” Vi squeezed her elbow, reminding her that they were still touching for some reason. Still crushed together. Caitlyn felt a rush of heat in the packed space.

“Well, we won't pass a second list check,” Caitlyn said quickly.

“Nope. But if you can cause a distraction, I can get us in.”

Vi's eyes were saying trust me again. Caitlyn almost said no, but then she had a huge lightbulb moment. It sounded like Bee's voice.

When do you have to dance?

“Come closer,” she said icily, and put her hands on Vi’s shoulders. Yes, it was dark and cramped, but somehow Caitlyn saw Vi's eyes clearly. Vi looked absolutely shocked.

But she obeyed. She came even closer to Caitlyn, and as warily as one would pet a spider, she put her own hands on Caitlyn's waist. Caitlyn felt their warmth through her silky dress. She felt Vi's eyes locked onto her, so much more intense than usual.

They weren't really moving to the beat (it wasn't the Spice Girls after all). Looking into Vi's eyes, something more base was moving Caitlyn. Something that told her: she's touching you. That told her: she smells good. That made her move her hands up from Vi's shoulders to the back of her neck, to her short and surprisingly soft hair.

Caitlyn was a touch taller than her in these stilettos, and took the lead easily. She pressed close to Vi and nudged her backwards. Vi's hands were sliding down from her waist to her wide hips, thumbs digging into fabric. Caitlyn couldn't identify her scent—musky and sweet—and it might have been driving her crazy.

It might have caused her to start saying things she never thought she would say, like, “Is this what you meant by loosening up?”

Vi's lips opened and closed a couple of time. Eventually what she said was, “I got no idea what you're saying.”

“Is the accent too highbrow now?”

“No,” Vi smirked, like Caitlyn just walked into a trap. It was a very disorienting feeling. She found herself holding tighter in anticipation. “It’s this dress. It fits you too well.”

Caitlyn's lips twitched, as always happened after Vi said a corny line. She grabbed Vi's wrists and tore her hands off her hips. She watched Vi's pupils blow out, and then she screamed, “You lied to me this whole time?!”

She thought Vi would take the hint and flail away from her, but instead Vi broke her hold on her wrists and grabbed Caitlyn's hips harder. “I would never, baby.”

It was unbearable, feeling her skin tingle. Ugh. She spun Vi one last time and then jumped back, colliding with the bodyguard and screaming, “I know you're behind the revenge p*rn!”

Vi looked honestly offended for a moment, and then screamed back, “That was your creepy ex! He's still in love with you, by the way!”

“How dare you!” Caitlyn leapt forward as if to scratch Vi's eyes out, and finally the bodyguard leapt into action

“Whoa, ladies!” she said, rushing to stand between them and make calming gestures at Caitlyn. “Keep it civil!”

Everything happened so fast. While Caitlyn played cat and mouse with the bodyguard, Vi threw herself at the door behind her. Before the bodyguard even realised what was happening, the door slammed open from inside.

Caitlyn couldn't have possibly imagined the woman standing in the doorway. Babette was tiny, well into her late fifties, with shaggy hair and a teal boho dress that dragged on the floor under her. A silver cigarette holder hung from her wrinkled mouth, and Caitlyn worried it would fall when the woman gaped at Vi like she'd just seen a ghost. And not the sexy kind.

A single word Caitlyn wouldn't soon forget. “Violet?”

*

Babette's office was nothing like Caitlyn's. There was gothic red drapery everywhere, a mahogany desk larger than Babette herself, and Venetian masks everywhere.

Vi dropped into an antique armchair and immediately manspread, while Babette, more daintily, settled on what looked like an original 18th century chaise lounge. Caitlyn remained standing. She hoped she looked cool and casual leaning on the red wallpaper, and not just uncomfortable.

Of course she was uncomfortable. Babette didn't seem to notice she was smoking on her. Also, she had to watch Vi hug yet another person she was supposed to investigate.

Despite her plan to hug the wall, Babette looked right at her under shaggy bangs and asked, “Who's Legs?”

Caitlyn sniffed, but for once in her life, she made the radical decision to let Vi lead this thing. In the spirit of loosening up and all.

“I'm her bodyguard,” she said coolly, folding her arms over her chest.

Vi looked surprised, strong brow relaxing a fraction, but her focus went back to Babette soon enough. She planted her elbows on her spread thighs and leaned forward, tenting her fingers under her chin. Even if they weren't on hugging terms, Babette wouldn't have been able to resist that pleading look.

“I need your help, Miss B.”

Babette drummed her fingers on the chaise’s arm. “What can an old woman like me do for you?”

“There was a time when you knew the name of every woman in Zaun. Me and my,” she glanced at Caitlyn, “sexy bodyguard are looking for a missing chick. Is there any chance you've seen this girl?”

Vi made to hand her phone over to Babette, a picture of Zeri already open on it, but Babette didn't take it. She glanced at it once, took a long drag of her cigarette.

“You know, I haven't seen you since Vander passed.”

Vi tucked her phone away in her jacket pocket. “They moved me to a group home in Bilgewater. I stayed there for the most part.”

“Bilgewater?” Babette asked, wide-eyed. “Oh, sugar, we all thought… Have you heard about Jinx?”

No amount of eye makeup in the world could cover the pain in Vi's face. But for the first time, Caitlyn observed, Vi didn't defend Jinx or beg for more information. Instead, she diverted the topic quickly.

“I've heard she… got in trouble. And I'm worried Zeri's in trouble too.”

Babette rose up slowly from the chaise. She went to her desk to rest her cigarette holder on an ashtray, and then hopped onto a shockingly modern metal office chair. She rolled it closer to the desk, and shuffled her own paperwork around. Caitlyn watched all of it, anticipation building in her.

“I don't know every woman,” Babette said. “But I do know the ones I blacklisted.”

Caitlyn bit her lip to keep from pouncing into the interrogation. Vi was doing well so far. She wouldn't have gotten into the club without Caitlyn, but Caitlyn wouldn't have gotten into the office without her, and that made them… something.

To keep facing Babette, Vi had to turn on the armchair, twisted around. “Why was she blacklisted?”

“She was dealing.”

Caitlyn snorted. “I saw people doing lines in front of the bartender out there.”

“But not Shimmer.” Babette picked her cigarette back up, glancing at her over her shoulder. “Shimmer’s the reason I left Zaun in the first place, and I'll let Silco in here over my dead body.”

“When did you blacklist her?”

“Two weeks ago.”

Finally. Either Zeri was lying to Ekko about going straight, or someone was threatening her. Right before she packed up her flat and disappeared on her bike. Caitlyn's timeline was starting to make sense.

“And Jinx?” Vi asked. “When did you last see her?”

Babette's lashes lowered. Before she could say anything, the office door reopened. “Boss, Marco needs you to sign off on a delivery.”

Babette rose and walked straight over to Vi. Gently, she brushed her fingers through Vi's fringe. Vi looked up at her a bit like a puppy. “I'm sorry, sugar.”

She passed by Caitlyn on the way to the door and gave her a startling look. “Keep her out of trouble, Legs.”

Once Babette left, the bodyguard they'd tricked earlier stayed by the door, glaring at them without actually saying get the f*ck out.

But Vi was deep in thought, planted on the armchair with those brooding eyes. Caitlyn never would have thought to keep her out of trouble, if she hadn't just been asked to. If she didn't keep seeing these glimpses of another Vi, a young and vulnerable one.

She went over and put a hand on Vi's shoulder, stroking circles over her red jacket. Vi tilted her head to the side, leaning her cheek on Caitlyn's hand for one heavy second before she made herself stand up.

“Let's go, Legs.”

Something possessed Caitlyn to say, “I prefer Cupcake.”

Vi smiled. “Me too.”

Chapter 7: Another Day, Another Nipple

Chapter Text

Though Jayce offered to take Bee to school and let Caitlyn sleep in, Caitlyn was well over her loosening up quota. She wanted to see her baby, and she wanted Jayce to go to work and find Zeri's bike.

Driving all over Piltover this early in the morning was an absolute nightmare, so it was clear to her that they'd reach Bridge Elementary later than she would have liked.

It wasn't clear to her that “later” was Vi's preferred drop-off time. Bee saw her first and bolted to the gate, leaving Caitlyn in her car like she was yesterday's lunch. Caitlyn watched her daughter squeeze J’s hand, and then babble at Vi animatedly. Vi seemed… tired, sure, but she laughed and engaged with Bee patiently, like they were old friends.

Caitlyn sighed, and peeled out of the drop-off lane. She had every intention of coming back home and passing out without thinking about Vi for once. On top of everything, she had an appointment later.

But Caitlyn was Caitlyn. She unlocked her home office and folded up on her chair, examining all her evidence and reorganising the timeline. A connection between Zeri and Shimmer definitely equated to a connection between Zeri and Jinx, so she opened her laptop and started making a list of locations she’d once suspected Jinx could be hiding in.

She considered going back to Ekko with it, then remembered Ekko’s insistence Zeri wasn’t in Zaun. The list got a lot shorter then, at least enough to cross-reference with whatever Jayce gave her.

When her doorbell rang, she took her time getting up, afraid of losing her train of thought (and of making sudden moves that would lead her to vomit again).

It couldn't have been Noémie, who was visiting home for a few days. Maybe Vi? Caitlyn fixed up her hair a little. She opened the front door and was suddenly face to face with a moustachioed police officer she loathed.

All those years ago, before Bee was born, when Ekko hired Caitlyn to find Jinx's lab, she wanted to give all her evidence over to the police. She was a police officer back in London. She knew exactly what to send over and what protocols to follow.

But this very man had stood in front of her, and refused to listen to her. You're lucky I'm not arresting you for obstructing our investigation into the Firelights.

The Firelights that had been mutilated before her eyes. For the next seven years, whenever she got close to Silco or Jinx, there he was, even rising in the ranks. So maybe she should have expected this house visit, but she tried not to think about this dirty cop if she didn't have to.

“Marcus,” she said disdainfully, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Kiramman,” he spat back, under his moustache. “It seems you and I need to have another chat.”

He paused, like she would invite him into her home, which, hell no. “How lovely.”

He chuckled, ducking his head. His black hair was longer than she remembered, sweeping over his forehead. “You look worse for wear, should I come back another time?”

Caitlyn kept her face impassive, despite the jab to her ego. “Why are you here?”

“You've been interfering with an open investigation.”

“I didn't know there was an open investigation into Silco. Is he not your boss anymore?”

Marcus frowned, less trained in etiquette than her. “I have a better question. Why are you gallivanting with Jinx's long lost sister? Pink hair, tattoos?”

Sister. Vi cleaning up the monkey tag, Vi refusing to believe Caitlyn and Ekko, Vi heartbroken on Babette's armchair, begging for information.

Vi forcing herself into Caitlyn's investigation, her life, her daughter's life.

Sister.

It took everything in Caitlyn to keep it cool. She felt sick. He wanted a reaction, and she was not in favour of giving him anything he wanted. “Who I spend time with is not police business.”

“Just tell me what she's after, Kiramman. With her history, I promise you don't need her around you.”

Vi lifting Bee on her shoulders. Vi protecting Caitlyn from bullies on back to school night. Vi dancing with her in a nightclub. Vi desperate to see her little sister. Vi being a terrible liar.

Sister.

Caitlyn's stomach turned. “Your promises don't mean anything.”

Marcus sighed, leaning closer to her doorway. “Caitlyn. I know you've been asking about some runaway in the industrial district. Help me and I'll help you.”

“Said the rabbit to the wolf.” She sniffed for effect. “I have no need of your help.”

He narrowed his eyes, definitely getting annoyed now. Her stomach gave another protest. “You will break, you know.”

Caitlyn felt hot all over. “At least I have a backbone to break, you spineless—”

Then she threw her breakfast up on his shoes. Thank you, baby.

Marcus practically ran back to his car, and she slammed the front door shut, limping to the downstairs bathroom to freshen up.

When she returned to her office to grab her phone, she looked down at the picture of Zeri on the murder board, and added the words industrial district. Then she looked at the picture of Vi, and screamed.

*

“Damn, have you ever called me before?”

“Vi—”

“Is it an emergency? Are the kids okay?”

“Yes, they're fine, but I just found out—”

“Can this be a text? I got a nipple appointment.”

“No, it cannot be a text!”

“Then come over. I work at Get Inked down in the Lanes. Tit's out, gotta go Cupcake.”

*

Get Inked was in a very narrow unit, wedged between a burger joint and a pet groomer. The windows were tinted, so Caitlyn didn't really know what she was walking into, only that she wanted to strangle Vi.

Inside was surprisingly bright. The walls were sky blue, or what she could see of them under all the art. From sweet creatures to morbid skulls, it looked like the sketches were arranged by colour and not theme.

Her nose, as usual, went into overdrive, smelling incense. They were selling crystals as well as jewellery by the register. It kind of clashed with the 00’s punk rock playing on the speakers.

A very friendly, outrageously gay middle-aged man smiled at her brightly from behind the counter. “Hey bitch! Welcome to Get Inked!”

Caitlyn pulled her jacket tighter around herself. “Yes, I'm here for Vi.”

The man's eyes drifted down to Caitlyn's chest without shame. “When’s your appointment?”

Caitlyn tapped her foot. “I don't have one.”

“Ooh, we knew she had a girl! You know you're way out of her league right?”

“I'm aware.”

A beaded curtain opened with a jangle, and a woman with purple hair laden with crystals stepped out. She pulled a cigarette from somewhere in there, but stopped in her tracks when she saw Caitlyn at the door.

“Is that you, Kiramman?”

Caitlyn smiled despite herself, walking over to the tattoo artist, a fellow Brit. “Ellie. How's Mags?”

“She's taller than me now, God bless her.”

Caitlyn's smile turned brighter. Last year, Ellie was falsely arrested for solicitation and lost custody of her daughter Mags. Caitlyn did all the groundwork for Ellie's family lawyer to appeal. Not Caitlyn's bread and butter, but she couldn't not help a single mum. She also got her dragon egg tattoo out of it.

“Are you here for round two?” Ellie asked. “Give the dragon egg a little sister?”

Something niggled at the back of her mind, hearing that. Before Caitlyn could answer, the man from earlier practically bellowed, “She's here for Viii! And she doesn't have an appointmeeent!”

Ellie's eyes, unfortunately, slid right down to Caitlyn's chest. Normally Caitlyn wasn't self-conscious of her body, but this late in the first trimester she swore her large breasts were already getting larger. She crossed her arms over them defiantly.

“Hot,” Ellie commented easily. “Well, she's in the back—”

With a tinkle of beads, Vi herself came out from behind a curtain. She must have heard Caitlyn, because she took quick steps in the narrow hallway to reach her while pulling a pair of latex gloves off.

Caitlyn thought she would explode on Vi as soon as she saw her. She thought Marcus's words, which have been circulating in her brain from the moment he said them, would spew out of her like poison. She thought she would scream, just like she did at the thirst trap in her office, a scream of betrayal that would pierce Vi's heart.

But Vi's fringe was piled up in a tiny top knot, which revealed her glorious eyebrows, which highlighted those pale, sorrowful eyes.

Caitlyn was too good of a detective. She remembered that Vi had never lied to her, except by omission, which even made sense given Caitlyn's hatred for her only blood relative. She remembered how flabbergasted Vi was whenever Jinx's crimes were mentioned.

Caitlyn’s gut (which was also growing, thank you, baby) already knew Vi was no accomplice. But Caitlyn hated listening to her gut. She had to confront Vi, had to get a confession, had to reassure herself she was no fool.

A slim girl emerged from behind the curtain Vi had come out of. She was still in the process of pulling her shirt on.

As the girl slipped by Caitlyn to pay at the register, Caitlyn nearly laughed. A nipple appointment.

“This is what you do all day?” she questioned Vi, after Ellie went for the smoke break Caitlyn had interrupted.

Vi's eyes slid down to Caitlyn's chest, and though she was the third person to do it in the last ten minutes, this was the first time Caitlyn felt like her cup size and nipple colour had been sussed out. Vi smirked at her, as she often did. “Why, you wanna get your nipples pierced? Or are you scared of a little pain?”

Caitlyn did laugh this time. “Have you ever breastfed?”

“Nah, I started fostering J when they were three.”

“Oh. What was that like?”

The question slipped out. It hit her that in all this time of being suspicious and sneaky, she never thought to simply ask Vi for the story.

Vi shrugged. “You know, a regular fairytale. A girl I used to know needed me to raise her kid while she drank herself to death.”

Caitlyn was completely thrown off. “So an ex dropped her baby in your lap and you just… got a fostering licence and went with it?”

“What can I say? I got that doormat face.”

“I didn't mean…” The word sister slithered around in her mind, leaving oily tracks behind, but Caitlyn couldn't confront her. She only said, “Vi, that's… extremely noble and kind of you.”

Vi waved her off immediately. “Please don't start being nice to me now, that's not why I keep you around.”

“And why's that?”

The man over the counter cleared his throat so loudly it echoed. “Vi, can you keep it in your pants? Your next appointment is here.”

“Thanks, Antoine. Another day, another nipple. Did you actually have something to talk about, Cupcake?”

“Yes, actually!”

Her hands were stuffed so deep in her pockets, she felt her phone vibrate the second it started. It hit her right away, that nagging feeling that she was forgetting something. She lifted a single finger to get Vi to shut up, and then glanced at her screen, confirming her fears.

Dr. Kulak's office.

“This is Caitlyn Kiramman,” she answered in a rush, checking her watch. f*ck, she was all over the place lately. She glared at Vi.

“Hi Caitlyn, I'm calling from Dr. Kulak's office, I wanted to remind you of the scan—”

“I know, I'm on my way to hospital, I'm actually just about to park, gotta go!”

Sure she sounded like a cartoon character, she hung up and tried not to hurl on anyone's shoes again. Vi was suddenly closer, touching her shoulder gingerly. Her big eyes looked worried. “Hey, is Shortcake alright?”

“What? Yes. I…”

Caitlyn hesitated, biting her lip. She hated asking for help, but considering the huge secret Vi was still keeping from her, it wouldn't be help. It would be karma.

“Do you think you could pick her up from school? I have a doctor's appointment all the way in Upper Piltover.”

“Sure,” Vi said easily. “I'll bring her and J over here, we got a playroom for ‘em. Part of why I work here and not Uptown. We look out for each other.”

“Damn right,” the man, Antoine, bellowed again.

“I even tattoo the kids if they can afford it.”

sh*t. Bee would love that. But Caitlyn wasn't instantly soothed by Vi's kindness, because Caitlyn obviously didn't trust her. “I can just move the appointment.”

She'd done it before.

“Nah, come on, J hangs here all the time.” Vi pulled her own phone out of her cutoffs, and showed Caitlyn a picture of J, Mags and J’s dog fitting crystals together to create one megacrystal. Caitlyn's ovaries were already in overdrive, she had to get out of there.

“Fine. I mean… Thank you.”

“Of course, Cupcake. I'll call you when I have her.”

Caitlyn felt the strangest urge to hug Vi. To just go completely limp in her strong, humongous arms, just like every source they'd met so far. How ridiculous.

“Get a room, lesbians!” Antoine hollered.

Only when she was buckled up, back in her coupe, did she realise she forgot to confront Vi about Jinx. And usually Caitlyn loved confronting people.

Maybe she didn't want to find a reason to mistrust Vi. And usually Caitlyn loved mistrusting people.

She should have moved the appointment. I'll still be pregnant tomorrow.

Chapter 8: Peanut Butter Cups

Chapter Text

Caitlyn grew up knowing she was wanted. Her mother equated her birth to a “prize” after two early miscarriages, and her father was a British Chinese neurosurgeon who supported all of Caitlyn's decisions, as long as those decisions led to her being a lawyer and/or prime minister.

Caitlyn was 24 when her mum died, and she decided to change her whole life. Leave the force, leave England, leave her father, leave dating. Becoming a mother was all she wanted, a young mother who could give things her own mother couldn't.

Dr. Kulak himself told her he'd never met a more determined patient, and it only fanned Caitlyn's flame. It wasn't just about breaking intergenerational trauma, and it wasn't just about passing on the Kiramman name and fortune. It was about both.

When the first IUI didn't work, she tried again. When the first IVF didn't work, she tried again. When she held Caribel screaming in her arms for the first time, after 22 hours of labour, she thought, I'm never trying this again.

So baby number 2 was a bit of a surprise, as much as one can be surprised by their own fertility treatments.

When Bee turned 6, Caitlyn finally got nostalgic enough for a wittle baby to start working on a sibling for her. And yet, she hadn't expected the very first IUI to work.

Baby number 2 was wanted, of course. But baby number 2 was going to change her whole life again, and Caitlyn’s denial of that was going to blow up in her face soon enough.

Her appointment went smoothly after the hasty escape from the tattoo shop. The 12 week scan showed no potential issues, and she got the first photographed evidence of baby 2. Someone's tiny legs, right there, were inside her tummy.

It was hard to stop staring at the sonogram. She blindly followed her nose to the hospital coffee shop, craving something to munch on for the long drive back to the Lanes. A Danish. Maybe with a schmear of peanut butter, if the cashier was nice enough.

She got in the queue and waited and waited and was tapped on the shoulder. When she turned, her jaw nearly hit the floor.

Tobias Kiramman was staring back. Her father's hair and beard were completely white now, washed out by the green scrubs he wore. He had a name tag. Running into her father was bound to happen one of these years, but Caitlyn expected to have a month’s notice, or at least five business days to emotionally prepare.

The last time she saw him was at her mother's funeral. The last time she saw him, she was so furious she could barely speak. Now her throat was getting tight again, thrown back to that time.

The last six months of her mother's life. The moment Caitlyn found out about her mum's “pill problem”, and then the moment she learned her father already knew.

Won't you help her get clean? You're a doctor for God's sake!

She'll never agree to get professional help, Caity. The only way I can help is loving her. Giving her a reason to get better.

“Caity, I…” Tobias started, bringing her back to the present. Irrationally, she hid the sonogram behind her back.

Caitlyn took a huge step back, getting out of the queue and instinctively looking for a safer space with an exit strategy.

Her father followed her toe to toe. He had wrinkles she didn't recognise, stories she didn't know. He used to braid her hair before competitions. The same competitions her mum signed her up for that chewed up her self-worth. He enabled her mother until the end.

Tears sprang to her eyes, which she guessed was better than this morning’s sick. God damn it, Caitlyn thought she was over this.

“I didn't mean for you to find out this way,” Tobias said sheepishly. They were the same height now.

“I'm sorry, was the plan to pop out of a cake or something?” Caitlyn snapped. “You have an employee ID. You work here. You live in Piltover. You followed me.”

It all flowed out as she reached each conclusion in her mind.

“I didn't.” He frowned. “You never bothered to tell me where you went.”

Caitlyn huffed. “Why would I?”

“I'm your only family, sweetheart.”

The sonogram crumpled in her tight fist. “You are not, I made sure of that.”

“Well, you're my only family. I would have followed you anywhere. You have a little girl, can't you understand that now?”

Caitlyn bit her lip, refusing to show any emotion. “So you didn't know I was here, until you did.”

He nodded. “I transferred to this hospital last summer. One of the nurses recognized my last name and told me about a PI who helped her with—”

“Her sister was mugged downtown, police didn't believe her because she was using.”

“Yes. I looked up your office. I saw you walk in with…”

His brows lifted in anticipation, waiting for her to fill in her daughter's name. Caitlyn remembered every time Bee asked about her grandparents, reaching for some roots Caitlyn had dislodged long ago. “Caribel,” she confessed to her father, looking down. “Caribel Cassandra.”

If she was watching him, she would have learned something from his expression. But she didn't want to. She gave up everything for her independence, so this man could never break her heart again.

He exhaled heavily. “Please, Caity, let's sit and talk. You won't believe how much I missed you.”

“You're not coming anywhere near Caribel.”

He reached for her, and she flinched back, crossing her arms. She forgot about the sonogram in her hand, suddenly revealed between them like a cheap prop.

Her father's eyes definitely went misty when he saw it. “Oh, Caity. You're raising two all alone? I can help.”

“I already have a doctor, thanks.”

“Caitlyn. Two is harder than one, and to be working at the same time—”

“I'm retired,” she lied, “and I'm more than capable of doing this on my own. I've always been all alone, Father.”

She was definitely going to cry if he was going to cry, and something told her he was seconds away. Even hurting him took more energy than she wanted to expound on this man. “I have to go,” she said, not wobbly at all, and rushed off without her snack.

He didn't yell after her, didn't call out I love you. He never did.

*

Caitlyn spent a long time just sitting in her car, even after she was done crying. Motherhood came with a lot of love and a lot of guilt, and everything her father had said only reflected her own fears back to her.

Two is harder than one.

With the scan done, she knew she had to tell Bee about the pregnancy. But Bee would immediately tell everyone she knew, and Caitlyn couldn't handle Jayce's judgement or Vi's puppy eyes.

You're raising two all alone?

She turned the car off only when her stomach growled. Checking herself in the mirror, she took her hair tie out and wiped her face one last time. She stashed the sonogram with the tiny legs in her glove box.

Get Inked was a lot more chaotic near closing than it had been near opening. There were two groups sitting on the black leather couches in the waiting area, one psyching up the person getting inked, and one petting a very familiar dog.

The punk rock played on, and the noise was overwhelming to Caitlyn. She wasn't in the mood to be perceived by anyone, let alone fifteen strangers.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), she saw Vi right away this time, chatting with Antoine. Her hair was still up and she had chewing gum in her mouth. As soon as their eyes met, Vi moved with superhuman speed towards her.

Caitlyn couldn't explain it, but just focusing on Vi's eyes and Vi's smell made her anxiety ease up a little. Not enough that Vi, stupidly empathic, wouldn't notice anything's amiss.

“Cupcake, you good?”

Caitlyn huffed. “Perfectly fine. Why?”

Vi's eyes narrowed. “I've only ever seen your hair down when we went out.”

“We didn't go out, we were chasing a lead—”

“I know, I know, my bad,” Vi cut her off, lifting her hands. Her pale eyes kept piercing her. Caitlyn stiffened up, waiting for the next accusation, for the you need to slow down or the you can't do it on your own or even the dreaded let me help.

The last thing she expected was for Vi to smile at her kindly and say, “Can I give you a hug?”

She never would have accepted a hug from her father, but maybe it was what her vulnerable little heart sought. To just go completely limp in Vi's strong, humongous arms. She gave the world's tiniest nod, almost despite herself.

Vi seemed shocked by the acquiescence, but she took it in stride and soon they were touching. The height difference disappeared with Caitlyn being so hunched and defeated, and they fit. Vi's arms fit around her shoulders, her hands fit in Caitlyn's loose hair, her smell fit in Caitlyn's Danish-with-peanut-butter craving nostrils. Vi was firm and warm and comforting and everything that made Caitlyn want to break down.

“It's okay, honey,” Vi whispered to her. Caitlyn couldn't even remember the last time a woman held her. “It's gonna be okay.”

Caitlyn finally gave in and got her own hands around Vi's trim waist. Her fingers tangled in Vi's oversized band tee. “I'm sorry,” she whispered back.

“Don't be. Hospital visits are stressful. I mean, I assume they are, I can't afford one myself.”

Caitlyn almost chuckled into Vi's soft hair. “The hospital was fine. I just… ran into someone I didn't want to see.”

“You know, I've never seen you run into someone you wanted to see, except for Bee.”

Caitlyn harrumphed. Vi was right, of course, Caitlyn was more comfortable around children than people.

Vi leaned back just a little, to look her in the eye. She had freckles all over the bridge of her nose. “Why don't you go hang out with the kids in the back? I'll pack up and then I can make all of us dinner at my place.”

Moving to a secondary location? There was no doubt Vi was taking advantage of the immense power of her hug. For once in her life, Caitlyn was going to let her.

“That sounds acceptable.”

For a moment they just smirked at each other, and then the hug ended and Caitlyn was herself again.

*

“Wow!” Bee screeched, ignoring everything Caitlyn just told her in the car and running straight into Vi's flat. “It’s so little!”

Caitlyn sighed while Vi snorted. J followed Bee and quietly whispered to her, “You're supposed to say cosy.”

“It is cosy!” Bee agreed, spinning around. “I love it here!”

J smiled shyly at the little girl. “Yeah?”

Vi hip-checked Caitlyn as she swanned in. Caitlyn entered the flat last, Stag obediently at her heels. She stopped to take off her shoes by the door.

Vi's place was a two-bedroom corner unit with fairly big windows overlooking the river. Cosy in a way that made four people and a large dog feel like they were filling up the space comfortably, which Caitlyn's house never could.

The kitchen and living space were open plan, and completely dominated by toys, games and puzzles, which Caitlyn could relate to. There might have been a hint of a shaggy rug under the mess, framing a small sitting area with a television.

Her keen eye took note of the furniture, which appeared to be restored. The sectional was refurbished and lush. If Caitlyn weren't so hungry, she'd drift over to it and nod off.

When Caitlyn turned to the kitchen, Vi appeared in her way and put a careful hand on her shoulder. “I'm cooking.”

Before Caitlyn could argue, Bee started jumping up and down. “I can help! I can help! I'm a scientist like Jayce!”

Vi's eyes narrowed slightly at Caitlyn. “Is that your ex?”

“Blech, no,” Bee said helpfully, “My mum is as gay as a maypole! Are you gay?”

“Caribel, oh my god, you can’t just—”

“Hell yeah I am,” Vi interrupted Caitlyn. “So you wanna help me make a really gay soup?”

“You know how to make soup?!”

“You really don't have to,” Caitlyn tried again, putting a hand on her daughter's head to chill her out.

“Don't worry about it, gaywad. J, why don't you show Ms. Kiramman around?” Vi leaned in and whispered to Caitlyn, “Prepare to be mindblown.”

J looked up at Caitlyn with big brown eyes and an apprehensive smile. Caitlyn smiled back, though tired, and reached out to take J’s little hand. “Lead the way, love.”

As soon as J opened their bedroom door, Caitlyn could tell that Vi had given them the master bedroom, because of course she did. She could also tell J had a very special, special interest.

Almost like the tattoo shop, J's walls were covered with drawings. They were so colourful and so detailed that at first glance, Caitlyn thought she was looking at a wallpaper. She stepped closer to investigate, and must have gasped when she saw that next to each painted plant was its Latin name.

“Oh my goodness,” she said, eyes scanning row after row of plants. This must have taken months to compile.

She was going to ask if Vi, who “draws on people for a living”, was responsible for this 2 dimensional garden, but her gaze finally left the walls and landed on a clear box by the bed. There were sketches and art supplies stacked up as neatly as the living room was messy.

Caitlyn stood there, stunned. Not just by the level of detailed art, but by how much practice and hard work it must have taken to reach said level. Bee never had the patience for things she wasn't immediately good at (thank you, sperm donor).

All along, J was next to her, making themself smaller and smaller. By the time Caitlyn told them the drawings were brilliant, J was half-buried in their own sweatshirt.

They tilted their head and shrugged a shy nah. Caitlyn frowned. “This is brilliant. What does Vi say?”

J shrugged once more. “Mom says everything I do is great.”

They said it like it didn't count. Like Caitlyn hadn't just met her emotionally constipated father and cried about it in the car.

She changed tactics. “But did your mom ever say I'm the kind of person who gives praise willy-nilly?”

J got bright red, giving her a pretty good indication of what kind of person Vi said she was. A hardass. A bitch. Stuck-up. Withholding. Uptown.

Then J said, “Who’s Willy Nealy?”

“Willy-nilly. It means… Giving compliments without meaning them.”

“Oh. Then no. She says to always trust you because you don't bull… crap.”

Caitlyn bit her lip for a moment. The combination of J being adorable and her being hungry made her want to eat them up. “Then trust me when I say your artwork is very impressive, darling. Why plants?”

J pulled the hood of their sweatshirt up, they were so embarrassed. Muffled, they said, “I love them. Mom says one day we'll live in a house with a yard and I could plant stuff.”

“Your school has a garden, can't you plant stuff there?”

“No, that's only for the special class.”

Caitlyn heard enough. In a no-nonsense voice, she declared, “I’m taking you to a plant nursery next week. You can get whatever you want.”

J’s big brown eyes got impossibly bigger. They had freckles all over the bridge of their nose. “Really, Ms. Kiramman?”

“No bullcrap. Which of these are in season?” she asked, gesturing to the walls.

One last attempt to get her off their scent: “You really wanna know, Ms. Kiramman?”

“Of course.”

“Well…”

Caitlyn had no idea how much time went by during the following horticulture lecture, but it was long enough for her stomach to growl again, which made J crack up in a really cute laugh.

Caitlyn covered her mouth, pretending to be horrified. “Goodness! I think the alien inside me is getting ready to hatch!”

J’s laugh got a little deeper, from the belly. It must have summoned Stag, who trotted into the room and then leapt on J’s lap.

The dog was twice as big as the child, and banged the door open in the process. Suddenly she could hear Vi and Bee from the kitchen.

“It’s still too hot, Shortcake,” Vi was arguing.

“Why do you call me that?” Bee inquired.

“‘Cause you're short.”

“Then why do you call mum Cupcake?”

“‘Cause she's sweet,” she replied easily.

“She is. She's also pretty. Right?”

“Kid, you need glasses? Your mom isn't pretty, she's straight-up beauti—”

Heat lashed Caitlyn's cheeks and she stomped all the way to the kitchen, announcing her presence. “How's dinner going?”

Vi and Bee sprang apart, like they weren't just conspiring. The first thing that hit Caitlyn was the delicious smell of a hearty soup, something with lentils and beans and no peanut butter. Can't have it all.

She floated over to the big pot and almost stuck her head inside. Vi laughed and suddenly held her hips, pulling her backwards. “Like I just told your kid, it's still too hot.”

Caitlyn spun around with a frown, about to complain, but Vi kept her hands where they were and her face was a lot closer than Caitlyn had anticipated. There was a messy little braid in her pink fringe that hadn't been there before.

Suspiciously, she looked at Bee over Vi's shoulder, and noticed her hair was swept out of her face in flawless double French fishtail braids. There was no way she did those herself. She looked back at Vi, impressed. “Do you do braids for weddings and Bat Mitzvahs too?”

Vi shrugged. “I ain't good for much, but I'm good with my hands.”

“Vi.”

“That wasn't a line! My sister used to make me braid her hair every damn day.”

Caitlyn knocked Vi's hand off of her hip and escaped the counter space, taking big steps towards the breakfast bar where J was already hovering.

Sister. Vi's sister. The dealer, the chemist, the arsonist, the dangerous criminal. Insisting on her big sister braiding her signature long braids.

It wasn't hard to imagine Vi being maternal towards anyone, but it was hard to imagine Jinx being on the receiving end of such love and care. Then again, when Caitlyn imagined Jinx, she only got as far as picturing her rotting behind prison bars.

It was unsettling. Either Vi didn't notice or she interpreted Caitlyn's face as hungry. Which she still was.

When dinner was finally served at the wood breakfast bar, the kids had the soup clear with some rice noodles, while Caitlyn gobbled up all the vegetables and legumes. It was just hot enough to comfort her whole body and soothe her soul. But it had nothing on the ice cream Vi pulled out for dessert. Peanut butter cups.

It was getting late by this point, but every time Caitlyn would hint at leaving, the kids begged for more time together like she was shipping Bee off to war and not to Piltover.

They ended up moving to the sectional. It was the kind of couch that sucked a person in, the kind of couch a pregnant woman couldn't get out of without help. The sound Caitlyn made when it moulded itself to her bum might have been p*rnographic, because Vi laughed at her. “Nice, right?”

“God, yes. Where did you get it?”

“Thrifted it. Then fixed it up. Told you I'm good with this kinda stuff.”

“I picked the fabric,” J added. The fabric was soft hemp.

“That's right, honey. But the throw blankets are so old you could've been swaddled in ‘em.”

At the mention of blankets, Caitlyn grabbed a truly ugly paisley one and curled up with it. Stag shamelessly hopped on the couch next to her, like he didn't weigh more than a poodle.

“Stegosaurus,” J scolded him, calling him back to the floor. “That spot’s for Ms. Kiramman.”

The dog whimpered pathetically, which caused both J and Bee to throw themselves at him in an attempt to comfort his wounded soul. All three of them ended up sprawled on the shaggy rug, arguing about what video to put on the TV.

Gingerly, like Caitlyn might turn into her true form of a bear, Vi sat down on the free spot next to Caitlyn. The couch was so accommodating that Vi's weight caused Caitlyn to slide right over to her, until their thighs were touching.

She should've fought harder to leave. She should've been in her car right now. But even a fire wouldn't have stopped her from falling asleep right there, on Vi's cosy couch in Vi's cosy flat with Vi's peanut butter ice cream melting in her hand.

Her sleep was dreamless and her tummy was full. When she woke up, she didn't need to throw up or pee.

It was a gradual process, first smelling something familiar, then feeling something both soft and hard under her. The room was very quiet, and when Caitlyn finally opened her eyes and lifted her head off of Vi's firm shoulder, she realised they were alone in the living room. And that she fell asleep on top of Vi.

She scrambled backwards, barely avoiding kicking Vi, brain turning on too fast. Vi looked up from her phone, the only source of light in the room. Her eyes were disarming as always. “Hey.”

“Bee—”

“Is in bed.”

“But bath time—”

“Can wait one night.”

Caitlyn huffed. This wasn't normal and Vi couldn't act like it was. “Your hair looks ridiculous.”

Vi chuckled quietly, running a hand through her fringe to detangle the ridiculous-looking remains of Bee's hairstyling. “Tell that to Mini-Me.”

“You can say no to her every once in a while, you know.”

“Eh.” Vi shrugged. “Extremely noble, remember?”

I got that doormat face.

This was not normal. Twelve hours ago she thought they would have an explosive fight with her boot on Vi's neck, and now they were staring into each other's eyes. Now Caitlyn felt like she was the one keeping a secret from Vi.

She bit the bullet. “How are you involved with Jinx?”

If she lied, Caitlyn would know Vi had been manipulating her. If she told the truth, Caitlyn would know Vi was who she thought she was.

Vi looked down and put her phone away. “So you finally figured it out, huh?”

*

They were hunched over the breakfast table, speaking softly so as not to alert the kids. Caitlyn was aggressively sipping on tea, because she had to do something besides write Vi’s every word in her evidence notebook.

Vi's voice, usually snappy and animated, was tired and slow. “She was 3 when our parents died. Our first foster dad was a good guy, but he had other kids running around, and in the end it was just me taking care of her when she was spinning out. She was always different.”

Caitlyn's lips thinned. “She has mental health issues?”

“You name it, she's got it. Undiagnosed, untreated. And I'm sure it got worse when I got gone.”

Gone. Caitlyn thought of the timeline. Babette said she hadn't seen Vi since Vander passed. “You were moved to a group home in Bilgewater.”

“That's right. I came back here the day after I turned 18, but social services wouldn't let me see her, let alone be her guardian.”

Caitlyn was well-versed in those criteria. She also had an inkling how Vi “I ain't good for much” Something felt after being shut out like that.

Saying she was sorry would have been next to meaningless, so instead Caitlyn found herself putting her hand on top of Vi's on the wooden surface. Vi froze up at first, and then she tangled their fingers together. Caitlyn let out a deep breath.

“You really haven't seen her since?”

Vi made a fist with her free hand, talking through clenched teeth. “Nope. By the time I was ready to be her guardian, she was a runaway.”

“Moving up Silco's drug ring,” Caitlyn corrected. Vi winced, so Caitlyn quickly added, “I mean to say, it wasn't on you. Silco was never going to let you find her.”

“Well, I didn't,” she said harshly. “Then J came along and I couldn't even keep looking.”

Caitlyn couldn't stand the look on Vi's face. Especially since she was personally familiar with that guilt. That fantasy that if she'd been there to see her mother wasting away, she would've done something about it. “What happened to her is not your fault. She chose the path she's on.”

“I abandoned my own little sister, and now my best chance of finding her is a detective that wants her locked up. How's that for noble, huh?”

“What do you think will happen when we find her, darling?”

Surprisingly, the term of affection was what made Vi steal her hand back, and press hard on her eyes. “I'll save her.”

Caitlyn chased after her hand, holding Vi's wrist. “What's saving her? Not acknowledging all the years that passed? Redeeming her? Enabling her? That's not how you show love.”

“You don't get it,” Vi spat. “I'm all she has.”

Her father's words came back to her.

You're my only family.

But if Vi shared a sentiment with her father, was Caitlyn casting herself as Jinx in this scenario? There were a lot of shoes Caitlyn didn't want to be in, and Jinx's would rank number one.

So she was mentally ill. So they got her young. So she was torn from her only family. Caitlyn didn't believe that erased all the evil she did, the lives she destroyed. Even Ekko didn't believe it was enough to redeem Jinx, and he must have known this whole tragic tale.

But Vi did. And Caitlyn was in Vi's house, holding Vi's hand, with Vi's adopted kid tucked in with her daughter in the next room.

Even if Jinx didn't deserve to be redeemed, maybe Vi deserved the chance to redeem her. Or at least see for herself that it wasn't her responsibility anymore.

Change Vi's mind, change her father's mind, break the intergenerational trauma, yadda yadda.

Caitlyn looked into Vi's eyes for a long time, making up her mind. “All right.”

“All right what?”

“I believe Zeri and Jinx are connected. If you help me wrap up this case, I'll do what I can to help you reconnect with your sister.”

Vi narrowed her eyes. “I thought you didn't need my help.”

The sonogram in her glove compartment said otherwise, but Vi didn't need to know that. “Yet I'd like to offer you mine,” she said diplomatically. “Finding people is kind of my specialty.”

Vi smiled, and Caitlyn knew at once that she'd never seen her true, heart-stopping smile before. She also knew she was doing the right thing.

She was capable of taking this burden off of Vi’s shoulders. Vi, who took care of everyone she met; Vi, who looked tough but inside had a heart of pure gold. Vi, who Caitlyn had been investigating for weeks at this point and only proved to be loyal and good.

“You have no idea how much this means to me,” Vi said through that real smile. “Thank you, Caitlyn.”

“Don't thank me yet,” Caitlyn said quickly. She dragged her chair back and got up slowly from the breakfast bar. “I might change my mind.”

“I don't believe that,” Vi said with a wink. “I trust you.”

“You trust way too easily.”

“Maybe you don’t trust enough.”

Hmm. Trust was a funny thing, she guessed.

*

As Caitlyn suspected, when she went to J's bedroom to collect her daughter, the kids sounded wide awake, whispering behind the door. However, she had no idea what they were talking about.

“I’m a slug monster with venom for ooze,” J was saying.

“I’m a slug-eating crab with razor spikes,” Bee countered, making J oooh. Caitlyn pressed her ear to the closed door, intrigued.

“I'm a shell-crushing bird with huge nails.”

“Then I’m a firebreathing lizard with wings.”

“You can't. Dragons aren’t monsters. I'm a dragon!”

J sounded doubtful. “You?”

“Yes. I was born in the year of the dragon.”

“Wow. What was my year?”

Bee thought about it for a second. “We're the same age, silly! We're both dragons!”

She hadn’t noticed that Vi sidled up behind her, eavesdropping on her eavesdropping, until Vi snorted. “Is it cultural appropriation if J’s not Chinese?”

“I’ll allow it,” Caitlyn whispered back. “They're cute.”

J and Bee were making dragon noises at each other. She felt Vi smile.

She opened J’s door loudly. Somehow they and Bee ended up lying with their feet and heads on opposite sides of the bed.

When the kids heard the door open, Bee pretended to be sound asleep and completely deaf to Caitlyn's request to get up. Vi ended up carrying her all the way to Caitlyn's car, all while holding leftover soup she'd packed up for them, and fending off an overeager Stag.

“You'll be good to drive?” Vi asked quietly after offloading her cargo.

“Yes, the nap helped,” Caitlyn admitted. “And the ice cream.”

“We’ll stock up,” Vi said easily. Despite the late hour, Zaun was busy and a street light showed off Vi's little smile.

The problem was, the street light was probably showing Vi Caitlyn's mirroring little smile.

She really hoped she was doing the right thing.

Chapter 9: A Sexy Assistant

Chapter Text

“Caity, I was just about to call you!” Jayce answered jovially, like a radio announcer.

Caitlyn called Jayce when she knew he was at work. That way, theoretically, she could yell at him and he couldn't yell back. She was in her own office, feet on her desk, ignoring her thirst for a second coffee. She very much enjoyed asking, “Did you know my father was in Piltover?”

“Oh,” Jayce said, completely deflated. It sounded like a confession.

“When did he approach you?”

“After he transferred to Piltover General. I think it was June?”

So maybe her dad hadn't lied. She was still mad. “I cannot believe you didn't tell me! Can you imagine being blindsided like that at hospital?”

“What were you doing at the hospital? Are you okay?”

Caitlyn groaned, taking her glasses off. Jayce was the first person to know about Bee, the only one from her old life she trusted to help. Right now only her father knew about baby number 2. That wouldn't do. “I'm 12 weeks along.”

“Oh my god!”

“Keep it down, aren't you at work?”

“Caitlyn, Jesus, is this why you retired? I can't believe you got me to find that bike for you. Why—”

“You found it?” Caitlyn put her glasses back on, instantly reaching for her laptop and opening a map. “Is it in the industrial district?”

Jayce sounded closer to his phone now. “How'd you know?”

“Where is it?”

“Hold on now.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, annoyed. She thought Jayce would put up a fight back when she made the request, not after he'd already gone through the trouble of getting her an answer. “What?”

“I need you to promise you won't storm the gates without me.”

Caitlyn bit her lip. “That's not a good idea. I’m not sure how kosher this storming will be and I don't want you to get in trouble at work.”

“You think issuing an APB isn't trouble?”

“Exactly, you've helped enough.”

Jayce huffed. “I'm serious, Caitlyn. I don't want you doing fieldwork alone.”

“I've always done fieldwork alone.”

“Not this pregnant!”

“I won't be alone.” She wished she could swallow the words down as soon as they came out.

Especially when Jayce made a very sceptical noise and said, “You're training Caribel now?”

“No! I'm bringing some muscle. Don't worry about me.”

“Whose muscle?”

Caitlyn took her glasses off in defeat and scrubbed a hand down her face. “It's someone from the Undercity.”

“Uh-huh. More details.”

“Vi is… her name.”

On cue, Jayce started squealing. She squeezed her eyes shut. “Caitlyn Kiramman, do tell me more about this muscular woman from the wrong side of the tracks.”

“How is this more exciting to you than me having a baby?”

“Statistically, it's less rare for you to have a baby than meet a muscular woman you want to take on a case more than me.”

“Why do you keep repeating the fact she's muscular?”

“Uh, because you have a type?”

Caitlyn's eyes widened and she snatched the phone up, pressing it to her ear like Vi herself might hear. “Jayce, this isn't a girlfriend. Vi is barely a friend.”

“I thought I was your only barely-friend. Does Caribel know about this?”

Caitlyn sighed. “She’s best friends with Vi's kid. It's highly annoying.”

“A muscular mom? I hear wedding bells.”

Caitlyn stomped her foot. “Jayce, just because two women are gay doesn't mean they're soulmates.”

“Got you to tell me she's gay, though.”

Goddamn it. All she wanted was to make Jayce feel bad for keeping her father's move a secret, not do a DTR on Vi. “I'm not dating her. What kind of mad person would want to date a pregnant woman?”

“A muscular—”

Caitlyn hung up on him, too annoyed to hear another word. Jayce never gave it a rest when her (nonexistent) lovelife came up. And Vi definitely had no place in that conversation.

Most annoyingly, Jayce texted her the location of the bike soon after she hung up, and added: have fun with vi 👩🏻❤️💋👩🏼💍

Caitlyn put everything aside, which she was very good at doing, and opened up her map. Piltover, check. Industrial district, check. But even assuming Zeri was where the bike was, there were a dozen buildings around that address.

She would have to compare it to the map on her murder board floor, but when she started bending down it pressed too hard on her bladder.

Was she going to have to be a normal detective and pin her murder board up? And how was she supposed to do that with only her feet?

Her phone buzzed again, and she fully expected an infuriating text from Jayce about any of the triggering topics they'd just discussed. Instead, it was a text from Vi.

She sent her blurry selfies only Bee could have taken while she was babysat at Get Inked. In the pictures, Vi was using an eyebrow pencil to draw a bee on Caribel’s cheek, exactly where her own Roman numeral tattoo was.

The text read: forgot about this. Shortcake demanded a tattoo 🤣🐝

It was hard to tell who in the picture was more adorable (and Caitlyn believed unbiasedly that her daughter was the most adorable girl in the world).

It also made her realise Vi had trouble saying no to Kirammans, and if Caitlyn was going to work with a partner for the first time, she might as well put that partner to work.

Caitlyn took a deep breath and called the woman.

“Again with the calling, Cupcake,” Vi answered. “Bee never taught you to text?”

Caitlyn pinched the bridge of her nose. “I need you to come over.”

“I mean… it's been real, but I'm not down for a booty call.”

Caitlyn ignored this. “You wanted to be a part of the investigation, yes?”

“Yeah! Yes. I can be there in 30.”

“Good. Don't park in the driveway, and don't come to the front door. Just call me when you get here.”

Vi didn't have any questions or jokes about that. And when she made it, she called as instructed, and Caitlyn guided her through the backyard and behind the pool house until she found the backdoor to her office. Not that this was a test, but Vi was passing.

Caitlyn opened the door to find Vi in her customary red jacket and oversized band tee. One hand was holding a thermos, and the other was shaking shrubbery out of her pink hair.

The first thing she said was, “Damn, cute glasses.”

sh*t. Caitlyn had changed her outfit three times but forgot to put her contacts in. Stupid pregnancy brain. “Come in already.”

Her hand shot out to grab Vi's jacket and she pulled her into the house, shutting the door behind her. Vi was smirking now, a huge clue that she was going to say something corny. “Gotta say, I thought I was too old to sneak into a girl's bedroom again.”

Caitlyn groaned. “Again, not a booty call. Noémie is inside making dinner and if she sees you she'll distract you.” And she would tell Bee, and Bee would make it a whole thing.

She expected some kind of denial, or another joke, but instead Vi just stood there. Buff arms folded. Looking down. At her own thirst trap on Caitlyn's floor.

This one Caitlyn did prepare for.

“Welcome to my murder board,” she said, walking around it and sitting down at her desk. “Your first assignment is to hang it up on the cork board by the window.”

Vi crouched down, inspecting Caitlyn's work. Or her own abs in her own gym selfie. “Am I a suspect or something?”

“Everyone is a suspect.”

“Not everyone here is shirtless.”

Vi looked at her and winked. Caitlyn prepared for this, but she ended up basically squeaking, “If I couldn't find a shirt on your Instagram, that says more about you than me.”

“Sure, sure. To be fair, I got that blond pic of you on my floor.”

Caitlyn felt the blood drain from her face. She already knew precisely what picture Vi was talking about.

In Caitlyn's early twenties she was a blonde socialite, the perfect heiress Vi met outside Babette's. Caitlyn made sure to delete any evidence of those days and those bad hair decisions, but there was one picture that still haunted her, one night that wouldn't be purged from the Internet: the princess of Demacia’s 21st birthday party.

The paparazzi picture of the blonde society girls was so outrageous, so iconic, so timeless, that Caitlyn had even seen it printed on tote bags in Camden Market. It wouldn't have been hard to find, if Vi had any reason to look her up. Which Caitlyn wasn't aware that she did, until this moment.

So Caitlyn frowned haughtily. “You do not. Would you get to your assignment?”

“The assignment that just happens to involve a lot of bending over.”

Caitlyn almost laughed. “Please get to it. Your second assignment is far more interesting.”

While Vi did her bending over, Caitlyn brought her up to speed on the information she got from Jayce and didn't look at her arse. She spent the time printing her research on the buildings surrounding the location of the bike.

When Vi finished, Caitlyn pushd a pile towards her. Without complaint, Vi took the pile and stuck a pen behind her ear piercing. She flopped on the carpet, raising one knee under her chin. The rip in her jeans threatened to extend down her thick thigh. She even sucked her bottom lip in thought while she scanned the first page.

Caitlyn dragged her eyes away from whatever that adorable face was. She cleared her throat. “We start with what we know. Before Zeri disappeared, she was working for Silco. If Silco were operating out of any of these buildings—”

“Not this one,” Vi interrupted her, tossing the first few pages aside. “Hotel next door. Too many eyes.”

“Right. Let's narrow it down further.”

“What about this one?” Vi crawled closer to Caitlyn's feet, showing her what she was looking at. “Foreclosed, no foot traffic.”

Caitlyn leaned closer, putting a hand on Vi's shoulder. She shook her head gently. “Residential, would be emptied out.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“No. Babette told us Silco hasn't found a foothold in Piltover yet, and Jayce confirmed it. If he's risking operating here, there must be a reason.”

“Something he can't find in Zaun.”

“Exactly.” Caitlyn smiled down at her, and passed her a file from her maybe pile. “Like this.”

Vi took it and pushed some fluffy pink hair out of her eyes. “People of Piltover. A newspaper?”

“Defunct,” Caitlyn added. “But the publishers haven't sold the building yet. I can think of a few illegal uses of an abandoned printing press.”

Vi jumped to her feet, and put a red pushpin on the map where People of Piltover used to be. She grabbed her thermos from the desk and went back to her sprawl on the floor, looking through the files with determined eyes.

Caitlyn never imagined Vi would take to paperwork like this, but she did everything she was told, and soaked up Caitlyn's occasional compliments like a thirsty sponge. After an hour, they narrowed the list down to three pushpins: PoP, an out of use COVID-19 vaccine clinic, and a manufacturer of power suppliers for data centres.

Caitlyn stood up and seven of her joints popped at once, causing Vi to snap her eyes up in alarm. She did her stretches while Vi watched, and then announced: “It's time for your third assignment.”

Vi smirked. “Need a massage, boss?”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “Not today. I need you to drive us to lunch.”

“What are you in the mood for?”

She walked to the murder board and tapped on it. “Whatever Noémie made, packed up, in my car, parked somewhere with a view of these pushpins.”

“Ooh, we're doing a stakeout?” Vi cracked her knuckles, joining Caitlyn on her feet. “And I'm the ride-along? 10-4, Sarge.”

“Is that all the police jargon you know?”

“Sorry for not being a cop like you.”

“For the hundredth time—”

“I know, I know,” Vi said, knocking into her shoulder. “Objection, sustained, approach the bench.”

Caitlyn almost laughed. “Do you need me to ask Noémie to pick J up from school?”

“I could ask her myself.”

“No, you're sneaking out the back.”

Vi shook her head. “Too old for this.”

*

Stakeouts were incredibly boring 90% of the time. Vi realized this quite quickly, but thanks to Caitlyn's cunning plan of stuffing food in her face, she didn't complain too much.

Vi ate like a six-year-old, which Caitlyn had already clocked during dinner, and so she watched her with horror instead of the PoP building.

In Vi's defence, every time a piece of her pasta salad came close to fluttering onto Caitlyn's precious car, Vi caught it and even mumbled apologetically. Still, Caitlyn waited for Vi to finish before she inhaled her own salad.

Was she trying to maximise the time their mouths were too busy to chit-chat? Maybe.

Was she oddly nervous? Never.

Vi's smell was stronger in such close proximity, and every time a song she knew came on the radio, she hummed perfectly in tune. She had a sweet voice for such a mean face. As an experiment, Caitlyn connected her phone to her car. Automatically, the Spice Girls started singing.

Caitlyn snapped her eyes forward before Vi looked at her with a smirk and said, “You are seriously obsessed.”

“I'm seriously tired. Play Spice Girls for any British woman my age, and it's like an adrenaline shot.”

“Uh-huh,” Vi drawled, obviously not believing her. “What were you like, over there?”

“Cold.”

“Come on,” Vi insisted, tempting Caitlyn to turn up the music until she drowned out her voice. “You basically know my whole sob story. You're gonna give me nothing?”

When Caitlyn did turn up the music, Vi laughed and turned it back down with her thumb on the wheel. “Come ooon. It doesn't have to be serious. Favorite subject in school? Best bite to eat? Weirdest place you had sex? Assuming you've ever had sex.”

She was obviously goading Caitlyn, but after her humiliating conversation with Jayce, it was working. Caitlyn kept looking ahead casually and said, “I had sex in a car once.”

“That's not so—”

“It was a convertible.” She didn't pause for effect, soldiering on now that the memory was coming back to her. “Her father had just bought her this Bond-level Aston Martin and she drove me all over London until we found a party that was exclusive enough. But instead of going in, I took my top off and…”

She glanced in the rearview mirror, hoping to catch Vi's face, see if she was interested in her story. Vi was staring hard. “And?”

Caitlyn smiled to herself. “And I wasn't wearing a bra.” Or panties.

“Damn. Wait, was your hair blonde or brunette?”

Caitlyn guffawed at how specific the question was, and smacked Vi's shoulder. “Well don't imagine it, you pervert!”

“I'm joking,” Vi said through a grin, defending herself from Caitlyn's hands. “I couldn't imagine you pulling a move like that if I tried.”

Caitlyn felt extremely self-satisfied. “What about you?”

“Me? I don't wear bras either. Though I'm not carrying your weapons.”

“You know what I mean.”

Vi's eyes stopped burning holes in Caitlyn's face. She looked ahead again, leaning back in her seat and manspreading. She made dramatic sounds as she thought. “I guess I've never had a wild night like that.”

“Seriously?” She mimicked Vi, “You're not gonna give me nothing?”

“I mean it.” Vi looked down, her usual co*ckiness evaporating most intriguingly. “I know I look like a f*ckboy, but I treat women right. I'd never let you freeze your tit* off in a convertible.”

Caitlyn wasn't buying it. “What kind of treatment are we talking about?”

“A bed with fresh sheets. Kissing slowly. Whispering in her ear. A lot of oral. Spice Girls playing in the background.”

Caitlyn laughed despite her blush. Though she’d just asked Vi not to imagine her story, she couldn't help but imagine Vi's little vanilla scenario. And to think she convinced Jayce that Vi was her muscle. “Oh, Vi. There's soft butch, and then there's you.”

Vi sputtered. Her ears were turning red. “Hey, I'm hard in the right places. Just ask the picture on your murder board.”

“Sure, stud.”

“Okay, party girl. So much for getting an honest answer outta you.”

Caitlyn huffed. For no reason in particular, she confessed, “Don’t pout. Mind you, I haven't had sex since Bee was born.”

Vi turned all the way around in her seat, grinning with sparkling teeth. “Called it. No wonder you're so stressed.”

“I relieve my own stress often, thank you very much.” Vi laughed in her face. Caitlyn's eyebrows sprang up. “You have a problem with masturbation?”

“No! No, it's funny ‘cause… Well, maybe it's not funny.”

“Oh, out with it.”

“It's just, you have a lot of org*sms with no sex, and I have a lot of sex with no org*sms.”

Caitlyn blinked at her. She was moments away from pulling out her secret Vi notebook and charting this new evidence (Intimacy issues? Body issues? Gender issues? Trauma?), when Vi rolled her eyes and said, “Don't psychoanalyze me, you pervert!”

Caitlyn looked away sheepishly. But she couldn't stop thinking about it. Clean sheets, slow kisses, and not receiving.

Not how she pictured Vi at all.

Before she could ask a million questions, something caught her eye outside the car for once. They were parked in front of the old newspaper building, but she still had eyes on the COVID pop up clinic, luckily.

There were two figures approaching the clinic. Not suspicious on its own, but Caitlyn had noticed the same two figures leaving and entering the building once already. Her and Vi's lunch wasn't that long.

She reached over to the backseat and dragged her camera bag to her. Using her newest zoom lens, she focused on those two people. A large woman with a trenchcoat and a skinny man with a face mask. They were stopped outside the front door of the building, and the woman was lighting a cigar.

“What is it?” Vi asked, cutting into her thoughts.

Again, Caitlyn reminded herself that she brought Vi here on the assumption she'd be useful. She snapped a picture of them and passed the camera over to Vi. “Do you recognise their clothes or tattoos?”

Vi didn't answer. When Caitlyn glanced at her, she saw that Vi was gawping at the picture white-faced. “Vi?”

Vi handed the camera back to Caitlyn and asked, “Can you zoom in more?”

Caitlyn took her camera back and aimed it again, until she heard Vi leap out of the car and slam the door behind her. It happened in a flash. For a moment, Caitlyn was simply in shock. She watched Vi pull her hoodie up and walk briskly towards the building, clearly unaware of the definition of a stakeout.

Something close to her mum brain started spitting a million images of how this could go wrong. Vi confronting the pair could cause Caitlyn's prey to scurry off and waste weeks of work, or it could cause Vi to be sent to the hospital, or—

The shock faded, and Caitlyn realised she had no choice but to be the backup to her backup. She opened the glove compartment to grab her gun, but her fingers touched paper instead, and there was the sonogram she'd never brought home. Her heart panged looking at those little legs.

She cursed and jumped out of the car without the gun. Practically flying towards Vi, she knew that the pair hadn't noticed Vi yet, and she knew that it was bound to change very soon.

So she screamed down the street: “Cupcake!”

Vi turned first, thank God, and Caitlyn tackled her straight into the brick wall of the PoP building. She had no plan, only an urgent need to keep Vi hidden from their marks. Because if Vi recognised one of them, one of them might recognise her back, and everything they worked for could be blown to pieces.

She pulled on Vi's hoodie to make sure it covered her signature bright hair, and rested their foreheads together to make sure she covered her signature face tattoo.

Then she listened, hard. Traffic carried on. Construction by that power suppliers factory. No swish of a trenchcoat, no stench of cigars. Not yet, anyway.

The adrenaline never went down. She felt Vi breathing on her, their mouths a hair's breadth apart. She smelled sweet, like the bubblegum she chewed on after finishing her salad. Caitlyn could practically taste strawberries. They hadn’t been this close since The Hug.

So this was what happened when she acted without a plan. Pinning Vi's hard body, staring at Vi's soft face, some type of electrical current zapping between them. Vi's eyes were wide in surprise and beautiful as always. Her cheeks must have been blazing because Caitlyn felt their warmth licking her own skin. Caitlyn was scared to move a muscle, all suspended energy, almost like they were suspended in time too.

Acting without a plan was terrible.

“Are they looking?” she whispered. In her effort not to accidentally touch Vi's lips, their noses brushed together and the cold of Vi's piercing jolted her.

Vi blinked a few times, her long lashes sweeping on Caitlyn's skin like butterfly kisses. She tilted her head minutely. Then she shoved Caitlyn off of her. “They're gone.”

Caitlyn stumbled back, but when she planted her feet, her hands planted on her hips like a scolding mum. “What were you thinking?! I only asked if you recognised them—”

“Well I did! I know that bitch!”

“And what, you had to go hug her like you did every source we met related to this case?”

Vi's eyes widened, but this time they were furious. “That c*nt was there the night my foster dad was killed and she did nothing. I'm going to knock her teeth outta her skull and she'll f*cking deserve it.”

Caitlyn shook her head, unimpressed. “Then how will we find Zeri? Or did you not think that far?”

“It ain't right to let her walk away, Caitlyn. I thought you were all about justice.”

“We're here on a case,” she corrected her sharply.

Vi scowled. “Yeah, right. We're here because you have a grudge against my sister.”

Caitlyn swallowed, suddenly on the back foot. “Do you see your sister anywhere?”

“I could've beat it out of Sevika, goddamnit!” she yelled with her fists clenched, like the fact Sevika was twice as big as Vi was irrelevant. She moved off the wall like she couldn't even stand to look at Caitlyn. It hurt. “What's next?”

“Recon. We know we have the right building, but we still need to figure out how many rooms and people and weapons—”

“Great. I'll take the roofs, you do whatever the f*ck you want.”

Vi was in the air in seconds, scaling the building, up and away like a pink Spider-Man. Caitlyn went back to her car with her tail between her legs. She put both her camera and her Moleskine in her lap, and then convinced herself not to cry just because Vi yelled at her.

She did what she could from this angle. Using her zoom lens, she could see through the glass door a long, narrow hallway (easy to get shot in). The window on the right was shuttered properly, but whoever did the left window was conveniently thoughtless. She snapped pictures of what seemed to be lab equipment, perhaps for vaccine prep, perhaps for a nefarious Jinx-related purpose. That room was too large for her to guess its size (easy to get ambushed in).

All the while, she kept close watch on the front door and the alleys, monitoring who was coming in and out. The hulking figure, Sevika, stepped out twice more for a cigar break, which showed either that she was a very considerate coworker or that the flammability inside was no joke.

As the day turned to night, the number of people going in grew significantly, and the ones going out came out in groups. A pattern. Even drug traffickers worked in shifts.

She lost sight of Vi pretty early on, so she almost had a heart attack when, hours later, her car door opened. Vi slid in much more quietly than she sprang out. Without saying a word, she tossed two things in Caitlyn's lap—a notebook that seemed to be J’s, and a paper bag that smelled amazing.

She would deny this later, but Caitlyn went for the bag first, almost smiling when she opened it and a chocolatey smell overwhelmed her. Vi got her a croissant. And it was in Caitlyn's mouth without her control. She was still craving peanut butter, but chocolate was nothing to sniff at.

She looked at the notebook next, and nearly choked on the flakey goodness in her mouth. Vi had drawn a full sketch of the building, noting every potential exit and entry points. If Caitlyn imagined her spending all these hours sulking on a roof and cursing Caitlyn's name, she was obviously wrong.

“You've done this before?” Caitlyn asked as she inspected the blueprint.

“Case a joint? No comment, counsel.”

Caitlyn almost chuckled. She looked at Vi for the first time and her brain took in every detail she didn't want to know. Her slumped shoulders, her furrowed brow, her pouty lips, her dimmed eyes. Defeated.

To top it all off, Vi sighed and said, “Look, I shouldn't have yelled at you.”

“Oh?”

“I could've kicked her ass,” Vi assured them both, “but there were a lot more people inside than I thought.”

Caitlyn took another bite of her croissant. Forcing apologies out of her six-year-old took a lot of patience, and Vi seemed to operate the same. She sneaked a glance at Caitlyn, but when she saw she was being watched, she ducked her head again.

After an agonising minute, Vi finally broke. “Sorry I yelled. I'm not used to having someone question me.”

“I'm not used to having someone at all,” Caitlyn said quietly. She passed the notebook back to Vi. “And you did very, very well.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I noticed a lull in people around lunchtime. We sneak in tomorrow at 2. Which entry point would you prefer?”

Vi's eyes lit up like fireworks. Caitlyn stuffed the rest of her pastry in her mouth to keep from smiling.

Maybe it wasn't so bad to have an assistant.

Chapter 10: Four Minutes

Chapter Text

Caitlyn knew that her job was dangerous. She certainly knew that doing her own legwork was dangerous. But above all, she knew that it was worth doing, and so she became good enough at it to mitigate the risks.

The night before they broke into the COVID clinic, Caitlyn barely slept. She was in bed, sure, but she was either memorising Vi’s blueprints, comforting a sick Bee, or conjuring worst case scenarios and contingencies. (Not to mention having nightmares about Vi’s warm voice saying four terrifying words: a lot of oral.)

By morning Bee was still in no condition to go to school, so Caitlyn called Noémie fairly early and asked her to handle that for the day. When she finally kissed Bee’s snotty face goodbye and got in her car, she was confident that in one hour, she would know where Zeri was and close this case.

Then she saw Vi sprawled on a bench by their meeting spot. The first thing they said to each other was:

“What are you wearing?”

Vi's outfit didn't make sense at all—stripy pants, two separate belts that didn’t seem to serve a function, her bright red leather jacket and a white top under it.

Vi scowled at her, nose scrunching up. “You ever been in Zaun? It’s called hiding in plain sight, duh.” She flipped up her hood and stood in front of Caitlyn. “I had no idea we were going to terrorize Gotham.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. Her all-black outfit, down to the leather gloves, was the least of her concerns. “It’s practical.”

“Doesn’t scream drug lord.”

“There were at least five Topsiders coming and going yesterday, I saw no need to disguise myself.”

“Hmm. I can’t imagine where you’re hiding your gun.”

With a swish of her ponytail, Caitlyn turned tail and co*cked her hip, gesturing to the gun tucked into her waistband. Without a backwards glance, she walked to the alley between the COVID clinic and the newspaper building.

Doing this in broad daylight had its downsides, but the alley was empty, and Vi had already checked for cameras. This could work.

Vi followed her quickly, staying close. “You tryna shoot your own ass off? Tell me it’s not loaded.”

Caitlyn chuckled. “That trick only works in switchblade territory like the docks. This…” She looked at the brick building to her left. “I’m not sure what this is.”

One, two, three. They stopped under the third window, chosen by Vi yesterday after testing that she could open it from the outside. It was too tall to look into, which hopefully meant they couldn't be looked at, either.

Caitlyn took advantage of the moment of safety. “Okay. Once we’re in…”

Her words disappeared from her brain when she turned and saw Vi bent in half, from the waist. The clown pants were still an eyesore, but she definitely filled them out well. Vi straightened back up and threw a foot up on the wall, stretching her hamstrings next, leg at 120 degrees.

Either she realised Caitlyn was staring, or she was thinking of something that made her smirk annoyingly. “Yeah?”

Caitlyn cleared her throat. “We’re going to be outnumbered and possibly outgunned, so I’m giving us four minutes to get out, whether we find Zeri or not.”

Vi did head and shoulder rolls, popping some joints, cracking some knuckles. “Alrighty.”

“Really? No objections?”

Vi shrugged. “You’re the boss. I can do a lot in four minutes.”

She leaned down under the window and laced her hands together to make a foothold and give Caitlyn a boost. Caitlyn stared. “You want to lift me?”

Vi definitely smirked at her then. “You thought I was flexing for your entertainment?”

The worst part was that the answer was yes. Caitlyn huffed and completely ignored Vi's offer. She went further into the alley and found a dumpster that should be convenient.

Doing this in broad daylight had its upsides, like the traffic noise covering up the sound of her dragging a dumpster over to the window and climbing onto it.

The room was ominously dark, but definitely empty. Relieved, she jimmied the window open and pulled herself through it. It was a clumsy process to get her boots back on solid ground, nothing compared to Vi’s panther-like parkour bullsh*t, but in the end they were both in.

Caitlyn tugged up her sleeve and started the timer on her wristwatch.

They were in what might have once been a vaccination room, going by the curtain dividers that were piled up on the wall next to a dozen plastic chairs. She counted at least ten signs with hand washing instructions on the walls, and social distancing red lines decorated the floor six feet apart. It was instantly depressing.

Caitlyn clung to the walls and padded over to the door soundlessly. She made eye contact with Vi and counted down from three. Best case scenario, Zeri would be standing right there with a bow on her head. Worst case scenario, the door would open to the long, narrow hallway Caitlyn had spotted from outside.

She breathed out in relief when the answer was neither. Outside the door was a large, airy waiting room. Instead of chairs and grumpy people holding recently vaccinated arms, there were barrels upon barrels. Her nose wasn't good enough to tell exactly what was inside, but she could use her imagination.

She counted three doors, one open and two closed. Vi was already walking over to lookout, so Caitlyn pulled out her phone and ran to the barrels, taking pictures. She managed to wrestle one open, and gasped. She had never seen so much shimmer in Piltover.

While she calculated the volume, she suddenly heard footsteps, and then Vi's arms wrapped around her waist and dragged her away from the barrels.

It all happened so fast, in a blink Caitlyn was stuffed in a tiny IT closet with Vi's broad back between her and the barely-open door. Not even a second later, a door slammed open and five guys stomped into the waiting room. One of them was rolling in a terribly loud pallet jack, which just barely obscured their conversation.

Caitlyn couldn't believe it: they were all dressed just like Vi. She'd never hear the end of it.

It took three people to lift a barrel and load it onto the pallet, and one to steer it, which left one guy just standing there. Caitlyn's eyes were glued to his back, aware that at any moment he could decide to walk around and catch them.

She ended up pinching Vi's hip. The closet was so small that she felt suffocated by all of Vi's rolling muscles. “We can't stay here,” she whispered under her breath.

Vi nodded to indicate she heard her, and then reached into her pocket and shouldered the door open further.

Caitlyn's heart nearly fell out of her arse. So they were going to get caught. She had three contingencies for that: bargaining, threatening—

Bang!

All five men stopped what they were doing and stared in the direction of the noise, outside the door they came in through.

“sh*t, it's the nut job again?” one of them asked.

“I thought Meathead was watching her.”

“If she destroys more stuff we're f*cked, come on.”

They spilled out of the room quickly, leaving the pallet jack, Caitlyn and Vi behind. Silently, Vi pushed the closet door open and stepped out. Caitlyn drew her first breath in possibly ten years. In the light, she saw Vi smirking at her, hands in her pockets.

“You brought explosives?!” She hissed.

Vi pulled a hand out and opened a fist, showing Caitlyn a few coin-sized wrappers. She recognized them at once from Chinese New Year: harmless party snaps that banged when hitting a hard surface. Her eyes trailed up to Vi's bicep, more than impressed by how hard and how accurately she must have thrown them through the room to cause that distraction.

Vi flexed. For her.

Caitlyn looked away quickly, and glanced at her watch. They still had a minute and a half before they had to retreat. More importantly, a female under guard sounded like too good a lead to dismiss.

Caitlyn snuck over to the last unopened door, and pulled the door knob as gently as she could.

sh*t. The door led to the long hallway that Caitlyn had dreaded since staking out the building. A few doors over and across, a huge man was standing, picking his teeth with one massive hand.

“Great,” Vi whispered, poking her head out over Caitlyn's shoulder. “How do we get past beefcake?”

The ticking clock made Caitlyn think faster. “Given what the other guys said, he's most likely posted there to keep whoever's inside from getting out, not to keep anyone from getting in.”

“So?”

“So, follow my lead.”

Caitlyn opened the door breezily and marched down the long hallway like she owned it. She faintly heard Vi curse, then heavy footsteps assured her Vi was following.

The guard watched them approach with a mild expression. He didn't draw a weapon, but a guy his size didn't really need to. Caitlyn drew up to her full height and sneered at him down her nose. “Move.”

He never stopped picking at his teeth, swallowing part of the words: “Who the f*ck are you?”

Caitlyn looked at Vi in exasperation. “She didn't call him?” To him, she explained, “Sevika sent me to extract… information out of the girl.”

The guard finally took his hand out of his mouth, only to crack his knuckles and make two big fists. “Sevika working with a Piltie?”

“I'm a specialist. The best.”

If he regarded them with a “do I kill you before I report you or after” look until now, suddenly he seemed unsure. Her face must be selling it. “I'm calling it in.”

Caitlyn felt Vi reaching into her pocket again, and crossed her arms to nudge her subtly. “I see why she calls you Meathead. What rhymes with that?” She asked Vi.

Vi tapped her fingers on her chin, brass knuckles suddenly glinting in the light. “Rhymes with dead, doesn't it?”

“Isn't that what happened to the last guy who interrupted her smoke break?”

It clicked. Meathead was finally the right combination of offended, annoyed, and they don't pay me enough for this sh*t. He even opened the door for them, while grumbling, “Have fun. She's a loose cannon.”

As soon as Caitlyn shut the door behind them, the room was enveloped in darkness. It was such a stark contrast from any other room in the clinic that Caitlyn was blinded for a moment. Her hand reached out, and Vi caught it, and Caitlyn calmed down enough to breathe and blink.

The pitch black receded, thanks to a light, a sickly green and purple combination, coming in through a nylon partition at the end of the room. And there Zeri was, curled up on a threadbare couch in the middle of the room.

She didn't look like the girl from the picture. This Zeri was gaunt and sweaty and pale. Caitlyn's nose knew before she even saw it—a bucket of vomit was next to the couch. The room reeked, and it was suddenly obvious why Meathead hadn't followed them inside. Caitlyn pressed on her watch to light it up. They still had a few seconds left.

She did it. She actually did it.

They both rushed over to Zeri. Being moms definitely cured them of squeamishness around bodily fluids, since Vi checked Zeri's sweaty forehead while Caitlyn cleaned remnants of vomit from around her mouth.

“No fever,” Vi whispered. “Withdrawal?”

“Doesn't matter. Four minutes are over. Can you carry her?”

Vi nodded and reached for Zeri's shoulders, trying to prop her up. All this time, neither of them expected Zeri to simply open her eyes and speak. So when Zeri screamed, Caitlyn nearly screamed back.

“Who the f*ck are you?” Zeri shrieked, climbing over the back of the couch and falling on the floor with a painful-sounding thud. Vi knelt next to her instantly, hands raised.

“It's okay, we're friends, we're here to rescue you,” Vi whispered urgently.

Zeri did not match her tone, screaming once again. “Leave me alone!”

“Zeri, I swear we're here to help.”

“I don't need help, you dumb bitch, I need a fix!”

Caitlyn cursed and got moving. Zeri being uncooperative made the time they had a lot shorter. She dragged a desk over to the wall and climbed on top of it, pulling the blackout curtains back. f*ck. The windows were shuttered and locked. Caitlyn closed her eyes for a second and tried to ignore the smell and the ranting and just focus.

The hallway. The room was on the right side of the hallway, which meant these windows were facing East. There was no door after the one they came in through, so they were in the far end of the building, and if Vi's sketch was to be believed, there had to be an exit out of this room besides the windows. Caitlyn glanced at the partition, AKA the most ominous part of the room.

f*ck. She was about to push through the panic and hop off the desk, when the screaming stopped suddenly. Vi had gotten through to Zeri.

Zeri was saying, “Ekko? Why would he send you?”

“He's worried sick. You've been missing for weeks.”

“But she said no one cared.”

“We care, honey. Don't believe Sevika.”

“Who's Sevika?”

Right on cue, the partition was pulled back. The lab equipment was producing green and purple smoke, which explained the light show. And from the smoke, a small figure emerged.

Caitlyn stood frozen, hidden by the blackout curtain, and watched as her plan spectacularly failed. Vi stood up so slowly, sounding as stunned as Caitlyn when she said one word.

“Powder?”

Jinx took her goggles off. “Vi?”

Chapter 11: Are You Real?

Chapter Text

Caitlyn felt like an outsider all her life. Being the Kiramman heiress was like being at a zoo—sometimes prowling in a cage and being looked at, sometimes staring into the cage in amazement at the wild things she couldn't be.

The tutors and nannies and maids always admired the precocious child, and she in turn admired all these adults with all this freedom to do whatever they liked. When she started school, she had no idea how to socialise with other children. An only, lonely child.

To be fair, the other children had no idea how to socialise with her, either. A girl who said words they didn't understand, who liked toy guns and swords more than dolls, who caused trouble in class because she was bored out of her skull. Too lanky, too witty, too queer.

They gave her special treatment. Calling her names, stealing her things, shoving her, cutting her hair, torturing her to see if she'd run crying to teacher.

Still, she chose boarding school, because nowhere was lonelier than home. Her mother only spoke to her in lectures: How a Proper Kiramman Lady Presented Herself; the Merits of Sitting Down and Being Quiet; and her favourite: Unbecoming Behaviour That Reflects on Me and the Party.

Sometimes Caitlyn pretended that she had a sister. Perhaps a twin, another raven-haired heiress who actually loved to wear dresses and always said the right thing and never lost her temper. During those scolding sessions with her mother, she pretended she was that twin, and another girl was receiving punishment. A too lanky, too witty, too queer, vaguely autistic and mostly wrong girl.

Caitlyn thought of that pretend twin now. She never wanted Bee to be an only child. But did she want her to have this?

Vi was immediately undone, seeing her sister for the first time in years. Bawling, she rushed to the deranged criminal and swept her into a fierce hug, just like she'd swept Caitlyn into The Hug. It took her a moment, but all of a sudden Jinx was hugging back, her goggles falling to the floor.

She had never seen Vi cry, let alone sob, but the two sisters fit together like puzzle pieces and it made sense. All the pain that led Vi here, all the trauma that led Jinx here. It was like this moment was destined to be. And Caitlyn hid, and watched from the outside.

“Pow-Pow, I'm so sorry,” Vi kept repeating, cradling Jinx's angular face so she could brush her tears away. “I came back for you, but you were already gone. I thought I'd never see you again.”

Her voice cracked and she pulled Jinx in again, stroking her hair, kissing her forehead. Jinx trembled, smaller than Caitlyn had ever perceived her. Her voice was raspy when she finally replied to Vi: “Are you real?”

Vi made a pained noise Caitlyn had never heard before. “I am. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you.”

“Me? Vi, I'm not… the same. I changed, everything changed after—”

“I know honey, but we can start over. All three of us, we'll go somewhere and start again.”

Jinx's face changed. Her tears seemed to evaporate as suspicion flooded her eyes. The worst part was that Caitlyn could see it, but Vi couldn't, having Jinx tucked into her shoulder. She didn't have any warning.

Jinx pushed Vi back. “Three of us?”

“Yeah,” Vi said, still smiling, oblivious to the electricity that raised Caitlyn's skin. “I have a kid now, a badass little artist just like you. Can you believe it? Auntie Powder—”

“That's not my name!” Jinx snapped, pushing Vi's shoulders again. Her head snapped to the right, saying to no one, “She replaced me. She's lying. Shut up!”

“Jinx,” Vi said, raising her hands in a placating gesture. “I didn't say anything.”

“I wasn't talking to you!” Jinx snapped, twitching. She pushed Vi one more time, nearly causing her to trip over Zeri. Caitlyn felt that charge again when Jinx looked at Zeri. “She didn't come here for Powder, she came for her.”

Then she kicked Zeri in the ribs. Vi was in motion quickly, trying to stop her sister, but Jinx pulled a gun out of her utility belt and stuck the barrel under Vi's chin. “Jinx! What are you—”

Zeri coughed and started screaming again. “You said no one was coming!”

“Why would they come?” Jinx spat, kicking the helpless girl again. “You're worthless as a spy, worthless as a dealer, worthless as a lab rat, everyone abandoned you, everyone!”

Jinx pivoted, about to kick Zeri in the head next, and Caitlyn had no other choice. She jumped off the desk with her gun co*cked and raised, pointing right between Jinx's eyes.

“Caitlyn, don't!” Vi protested, casually shoving Jinx's gun away from her face and trying to grab her sister's shoulders again. “I'm here for you, only for you. It's not too late. Come with us.”

Jinx glared at Caitlyn like she could kill her, but her gun was still pointing at the floor. “You're working together? You're playing me?”

It was too late, and it was obvious to everyone but Vi, the sentimental idiot. The tough girl with the bleeding heart. The sister who before Caitlyn's eyes, broke and begged, “Please. You're my family. Please, Jinx.”

Jinx fired before Caitlyn could.

She fired at the floor, and threw herself past the partition like she became smoke, green and purple and noxious. Vi screamed after her, sobbing again, and Caitlyn couldn't look at her anymore. Mostly because Meathead burst into the room as soon as he heard the shot.

And if he heard it, everyone else did too, which meant the priority became to barricade that door. Slightly inconvenient that a tank of a man was standing between them. She shot out his kneecaps—one, two—making him fall like an avalanche and spill onto the floor.

“Vi, help me!” Caitlyn shouted, jumping over the squirming guard to slam the door shut and keep it that way with her shoulder. “Move the desk!”

It was like Vi didn't hear her. She stared at the partition, and then at Caitlyn, and then again at the smoke, completely frozen. f*ck.

She shouldn't have trusted her. She shouldn't have stayed past four minutes. She shouldn't have taken one last case. She should've said something to Caribel before this reckless goose chase.

It was impossible to hear anything past Meathead's cries of pain, but Caitlyn felt it when someone started banging on the door. Her shoulder could never offer enough resistance to keep them at bay, so she took a gamble and fired three rounds through the door.

Whether she hit someone or just stalled, the door was no longer trying to break her shoulder. She sprinted to the desk and started dragging it herself. Maybe she could have made it to the door and barricaded it herself, if she had a little more time. Instead, she only made it far enough for Meathead to grab her ankle in two massive hands and make her stumble, causing the door to open on her and knock her to the floor.

In her hasty attempt to get on her feet and run from the door, she gained some ground, but it was for nothing. She couldn't shoot five men at once.

So they were caught. She had three contingencies for that, but ended up surprising herself completely when she put the gun safety back on, raised her hands behind her head, and begged, “I’ll come willingly, but don't beat me, I'm pregnant.”

There was a second of silence, of stillness. Five pairs of hostile eyes were pointed at her, including several cold weapons. So when she heard the question, “You're pregnant?” Caitlyn knew it was Vi.

Vi was finally unstuck. And at the end of that silent second, Vi moved like Caitlyn had never seen her move. Granted, she’d never seen anyone outside of video games take a running leap and then roundhouse one guy into another guy to grab that guy’s metal pipe and smash the other guy’s head in.

Caitlyn had only ever seen Vi’s warm side, her caring honesty, her gentleness around the kids. She honestly thought Vi worked on those muscles just to pull women. This dangerous, ruthlessly efficient woman scared Caitlyn almost as much as the goons she was beating. Vi spat out a tooth at some point, fighting one against five, but anyone who got close enough to punch her was close enough to get those brass knuckles in the face.

In the end, Vi took down three by herself, while Caitlyn shot two in the legs to make it easier for Vi to knock them out. She didn’t dare look at anyone’s injuries, not even Vi’s. Vi was vibrating with energy, splattered with blood and breathing like a racehorse. She kicked the unconconscious assailants out of the way, angrily, and succeeded where Caitlyn had failed to drag the heavy desk in front of the door.

They made brief eye contact, which Caitlyn evaded. She ripped the nylon partition to the side and uncovered Jinx’s lab. The chemist herself was missing, but whatever she was synthesising was still bubbling and smoking and definitely bad for the baby. In the middle of the operation, hooked up to everything, was a small, blue, glowing battery that Caitlyn had never seen the likes of in any trap house she'd ever been in.

Something she can't get in Zaun.

Possessed by something, Caitlyn grabbed the suspicious object and stuck it in her pocket.

Now, to the alleged exit point from Vi's sketch. She finally looked up and saw yet another blackout curtain. Thank god, when she drew it, she saw an open, unlocked window. Jinx had to have left from somewhere.

Caitlyn ran back to the other side of the room to let Vi know before it was too late, and found her kneeling beside Zeri again. She’d lifted Zeri’s shirt, exposing a large bruise on her ribs. Caitlyn winced seeing it, and winced again realising that Zeri was out cold and would have to be carried out.

Without looking at her, Vi said, “She’s out cold. I don’t… Why would Powder… I’ve never…”

“I told you what Jinx did,” Caitlyn snapped. “We all told you.”

Vi leaned forward, almost collapsing. Her voice sounded like a dying flame. “Go, Caitlyn. Go somewhere safe.”

“f*ck no,” Caitlyn said just as harshly. She rushed forward and tried to hold Zeri under her armpits, but Vi put a bloody hand on her shoulder and stopped her. “I’m not leaving you.”

“Cupcake, I’ll look over her, just go—”

“You, Vi! I’m not leaving you!” She took that bloody hand and brought it up to her own cheek, looking Vi in the eye without flinching this time. Where she wasn’t cut she was bruised, and her face would start swelling soon. She didn’t smell anything like herself. And yet, her eyes were the same beautiful grey that dug deep into Caitlyn’s heart the day they met. Every time she’d seen them hurt and haunted and dimmed didn’t even compare to right now. Vi was utterly lost, and finding the lost was Caitlyn’s specialty.

She pressed their foreheads together just like she did yesterday, on the outside (AKA the good side) of this very building. Vi felt like she was on fire, and still breathing hard. Caitlyn only held onto her hand tighter. This woman beat down five armed men for her.

Fate, if it weren’t already obvious, wasn’t on their side. They both heard a commotion outside, and the door was banged on so violently that the desk legs squealed. Vi ripped her hand out of Caitlyn’s and ran to the door herself. Now that Caitlyn knew what Vi’s powerful body was capable of, it was no surprise that her shoulder did what Caitlyn’s couldn’t and kept the door closed.

Caitlyn should have gone to the window. Of course, she went to the door.

Vi looked at her like she was seeing an alien. “Please, for god’s sake, go already. I f*cking failed—”

“Well, I don’t fail. I brought you here and I’ll be damned if I don’t get you out.”

Vi actually rolled her eyes at her. “Why are you so stubborn? I ain’t worth it. Can’t you see I’m the reason for all this sh*t?”

“We’re both responsible for our choices. Even your bloody sister is. So we face this together, and we go back home to our children, is that clear?”

Vi’s jaw clenched, and then she reinforced her hold on the door and closed her eyes. “You’re the boss.”

The next thing Caitlyn heard was an explosion, and while she nearly shat herself, she did notice that the door wasn’t exploding on her face. It must have been from outside. “Another distraction in your pocket?”

“No, I got—”

They both heard it at the same time.

“FBI! Get your hands up!”

They stopped feeling resistance from the door, abruptly. Caitlyn took a step back and finally breathed. Vi also limped away, and looked at Caitlyn in disbelief. “You called the feds?”

“Of course not, if they catch us here they’ll arrest us.” Caitlyn took Vi’s hand again, and started pulling her towards the lab. “But I assume my friend Jayce did. He is chronically late.”

Vi looked up at the open window. “Cait, I don’t know if I can climb—”

Caitlyn bent her knees and laced her fingers together to make a foothold. She blinked at Vi.

“You want to lift me?” Vi asked incredulously.

“Will you let me?”

“What about Zeri?”

“They'll take her to hospital.” She nodded to her hands urgently. “So what do you say?”

Vi was definitely missing a tooth and bleeding freely and hurt beyond belief, but she had a smile for Caitlyn. “I say I definitely can't afford a hospital stay.”

*

Unlike the quick-footed escape artist that made it into the building, Vi couldn’t do better than a shuffle towards Caitlyn's car, and virtually tossed herself into the passenger seat when she finally made it.

Every time Caitlyn glanced at her, Vi was staring at her profile. Eventually Caitlyn couldn't take it anymore. “If you're gonna ask—”

“How far along are you?”

Caitlyn swallowed her words, shocked. “I thought you were going to ask about your sister.”

“Nope. Nothing to talk about.”

“Vi, you've waited years—”

Vi faked a loud snore to shut Caitlyn up, but it only caused Caitlyn to slap her arm while keeping her other hand on the wheel. “You can't fall asleep until I check if you're concussed, Jesus.”

“Then talk to me. How come you didn't tell me you were pregnant? Meathead could’ve made a burger outta you.”

“It wasn't relevant to the case.”

“The case that's over.”

Caitlyn winced. Maybe she liked it better when Vi was staring at her silently.

Inspired, she plugged her phone in and the Spice Girls faithfully sang from the car speakers. Before Vi could make a comment, Caitlyn did the first thing she could think of and started singing along.

Caitlyn was not a good singer. But that could certainly keep Vi awake. And when Vi shockingly joined in for the chorus (and Vi was a good singer), it caught Caitlyn off guard and she let out a giggle.

Fleeing the scene of a crime in Piltover into Zaun was ironic, but Caitlyn could think of nothing but getting Vi home and checking her injuries. Adrenaline fueled her just as much as fear for Vi.

She was parked outside Vi's flat in record time, but before she could unbuckle and get out, Vi put a hand on her thigh. “Wait. Let me call the sitter first.”

Caitlyn bit her lip and nodded. She turned off the music while Vi pulled her phone out.

“Hey man,” she said after the sitter picked up. “I'm back, but can you and J take Stag to the dog park? I need some alone time in the apartment.” She wasn’t up to smirking at the moment, but a hint of it was aimed at Caitlyn right then. “Yeah, I got a girl with me. Be a good wingman.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. She didn't notice that Vi's hand stayed on her thigh as they waited. The front door opened and a large mutt barreled out with J flying after it. Both child and dog skidded to a halt when a hand reached out to grab J’s shoulder and stop them from running into traffic. The saviour was—

“Ekko?” Caitlyn muttered. “You got him to babysit?”

A weary smile crawled onto Vi’s face as she watched her child toddle off, until they disappeared around a street bend. “He’s a soft cookie,” Vi explained.

“I have never seen that to be the case.”

Vi shook her head and opened the car door. “You’re not an orphan.”

Caitlyn was about to answer when she noticed how wobbly Vi was. She rushed to the other side of the car and piled Vi’s arm over her shoulder, half-carrying her up the stoop and into the lift.

At her front door, instead of unlocking it, Vi leaned on it and looked at Caitlyn sheepishly. “Well. It's been real, cupcake.”

Caitlyn arched an eyebrow. “What are you saying?”

“I'm saying I'll see you around.”

Caitlyn arched her other eyebrow. “You're not going to let me in?”

“I'm not that kinda girl.”

“Vi,” Caitlyn hissed, moving in to crowd Vi against the door. “You got these injuries saving my life. It's my right to patch them up.”

“Could you sound more privileged? I can ice my own face, thank you very much.”

“What if you faint? What if you fall in the shower? What if J comes in and finds you—”

“What if I need to cry?” Vi cut her off. She looked down, avoiding Caitlyn's eyes. “What if my only dream was just f*cking shattered? What if the last time I beat some guys to a pulp I was sent off to Bilgewater and I need to process all this sh*t?”

Caitlyn's breath got stuck in her throat. She knew Vi's casual smiles were hiding all this sh*t, but she didn't expect her to just come out and say it. They were so different.

She realised that pushing and insisting might not be the right strategy here. “Vi,” she said gently, like a caress. “I won't judge you for doing any of that.”

Vi sighed deeply. “I just don't wanna be a messy bitch in front of you, Cait.”

Caitlyn almost smiled, almost teased her that it was way too late for that, but the word shattered kept bouncing around her brain. Vi was going to shatter, and instead of respecting her privacy and untangling this alarming vulnerability between them, Caitlyn was going to double down. “If you let me in, I'll show you messy bitch. You wanted to know why I didn't tell you I was pregnant, right?”

Vi looked up at her. Caitlyn didn't wince at the swelling and the reopened scar. She focused on those grey eyes, seeing the mental calculation. She knew the moment Vi gave in, long lashes fluttering. She couldn't resist a good secret. Not so different after all.

She finally unlocked the door.

Chapter 12: Our Capacity for Love

Chapter Text

Caitlyn was the first to enter the flat. She took her boots off at the door and just for a moment stared at the couch. The last time she was here, she accidentally fell asleep on Vi's sturdy shoulder.

Not the time. She marched towards the kitchen. “Do you have ice?”

“I got ice cream.”

“But not ice cubes?” Caitlyn questioned, pausing in front of the fridge.

“Can't afford ‘em.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes and opened the freezer, finding two perfectly acceptable first aid cold gel packs (under the ice cream and the chicken cutlets). She grabbed a towel from the handle of the toaster oven and started kneading and shaking the gel pack.

Vi hadn't really moved, staring off into the distance with the door at her back. Caitlyn was definitely glad she'd convinced Vi to let her in.

“Come on, darling,” she cajoled, walking back over to Vi and pulling her into the kitchen. She parked her on the breakfast bar chair, as the leather seat would be easier to disinfect than the couch, and then gingerly pressed the two gel packs to her swollen left eye and her right cheek. Vi hissed, but it sounded more relieved than anything.

“Where does it hurt?” Caitlyn asked gently.

“Everywhere.”

“Try to focus. Where should I check?”

With Caitlyn holding the packs for her, Vi took off her own jacket. It was Caitlyn's turn to hiss. There was blood all over her white top, but it would have been impossible to assume whose. What was distinguishable was a blade-shaped tear on her hip. Guilt flooded her. “You… You were stabbed… I should… clean it?”

“I'll shower.”

“I mean with alcohol.”

“Don't got any.” Vi made an apologetic noise. “Blame my ex.”

Caitlyn blinked. Vi had never mentioned an Ex before, so she naturally assumed Vi was more into no-strings flavour of the week. It came to her after a second, of course: J’s first mum.

Addiction. It seemed it haunted both of them.

Caitlyn refocused on the task at hand. She peeled Vi's shirt up, the tacky blood making a sickly noise. There were two dark bruises on her abs. Vi turned her hip slightly, and they both sighed in relief when they saw the cut wasn't deep, not bleeding anymore. Caitlyn honestly didn't know what she would've done if it was. “Okay. Anywhere else?”

“Everywhere,” Vi grunted again. She stood up slowly, making Caitlyn move with her so she could keep her hands on her face. She heard Vi unbuckle both of her belts and then stop and curse. When Caitlyn got a good look at her hands, she understood why.

Her knuckles were busted and bloody, fingers trembling too badly to unbutton her trousers. Caitlyn tutted and put the gel packs down so she could look at her hands. Vi flinched when she touched them. The brass knuckles apparently offered no protection.

Thinking quickly, Caitlyn looped the towel twice, once around the gel pack and then once around Vi's hand, to make sure the pack stayed where it was most needed. She did the same with Vi's other hand, and then went on to the next problem—the trousers.

Considering Caitlyn spent years of her life dressing and undressing a squirmy child, she wasn't above kneeling and unlacing Vi's combat boots. It didn't even take a minute to remove them both.

The real problem was being hyper-aware of every breath Vi took. Or rather, Vi not breathing when Caitlyn unbuttoned her pants. “Cupcake,” she warned.

“I'm just looking for leg wounds.”

“I didn't get cut there. I got piped, and not how I usually like it.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “Can you be serious for one moment?”

She looked up when Vi didn't answer. In her kneeling position, she couldn't possibly ignore how close Vi's body was, and how… firm and strong and… how she protected Caitlyn with it when all else failed…

Her eyes trailed from the thighs in front of her, up the exposed abs, all the way to hooded eyes. Vi was biting her lip, which couldn't have been good for the injury she reopened there. “It's gonna be ugly, Cait.”

Caitlyn suddenly remembered her own promise from earlier. From one messy bitch to another.

“I'm scared of my own baby.”

With how intently Vi was watching her, she knew she heard the slight whisper. It was easier to talk without eye contact, though, so Caitlyn lowered her eyes again to Vi's waistband. This time when she unbuttoned it, Vi didn't stop her, clearly waiting for her to continue speaking.

“I made it using the same ingredients as Caribel, so I thought, what's the problem, I’ve already raised one of those. But it's not like raising Caribel is getting easier. Since I got pregnant I can barely get her dressed in the morning. What if I already gave everything I had to Bee and there just isn't anything left?”

Caitlyn stopped to take a breath, shoulders hunched. “I just feel…” She pulled Vi's pants down with a gentle tug. “Completely out of control.”

Jayce was not wrong to repeat how muscular Vi was. Her calves, her thighs, every inch under her black panties was tight and prominent. Caitlyn's face got hot so fast she feared it would reflect on Vi's bare skin.

Not so bare, though. She ran her fingers through the fuzzy hairs from Vi's ankle to her knee, helping her turn so Caitlyn could inspect the truly nauseating bruise the pipe left on her pale thigh. Past how nasty it was, Caitlyn was glad to note at least the skin and the bones were unbroken. Vi's muscles jumped when Caitlyn's nails skidded back down her leg. “Ugly?” Vi asked, voice rough, like she couldn't look herself.

Like anything about her could be ugly.

“Aren't you listening? Ugly is the pit where my mother's love should be.”

She turned her face up to show Vi that she was being cheeky, but her mouth went slack when she noticed that Vi's stare had somehow only intensified. Her eyes smouldered and her jaw was grinding. She reached her own fingers down and hooked them under Caitlyn's chin. “You're not gonna run out of love.”

“Vi, your boundless capacity for love is completely anomalous.”

“Come here.”

Caitlyn rose to her feet slowly. With the breakfast bar behind her, there was really nowhere to stand that wasn't practically on top of Vi. Vi's hands, still wrapped in freezing gel, trailed hot and cold to Caitlyn's cheek and the hair behind her ear. She could feel it coming. She thought, maybe this time, she'll kiss me.

But Vi was Vi, and she said, “You're not alone. I can help you.”

And Caitlyn was Caitlyn, and she said, “I don't need help. But you need a shower before I bandage up the open wounds.”

Vi's face shuttered. She took two big steps back while shaking her head at Caitlyn. Even the way she unwrapped the towels and tossed the gel packs on the countertop was abrupt. “Don't worry about it. Ekko's probably better at first aid than you. Go home, Caitlyn.”

Caitlyn swallowed, almost reaching out to feel close again. But Vi was gone, halfway to the bathroom. “I'll stay until he returns,” she insisted.

“Fine,” Vi snapped, and then she slammed the bathroom door shut behind herself.

Caitlyn didn't know why she stayed. As much as she hated relying on feelings and gut instincts, something inside her wouldn't allow her to let Vi out of her sight. Even though there was a door between them currently, the tether wouldn't break. Caitlyn still wanted to fix something.

She began by restocking the gel packs in the freezer. Then she put Vi's boots next to hers by the doorway, and found cleaning supplies to mop up the blood from the chair. She bundled up Vi's clothes, debating for a moment what to do. The most likely place for a laundry machine would be the bathroom. It also happened to be where Caitlyn wanted to be all along. She wanted in. She wanted to get her eyes on Vi and know she was safe.

Caitlyn steeled herself and walked up to the bathroom door, but she never went in. She only got close enough to hear Vi crying. To hear wrecked sobs, to hear a dream being shattered and swirled down the drain, to hear her whimper the name Powder over and over again.

Caitlyn had no defence from this. She started crying too. But she didn't leave.

*

Vi got out of the shower wrapped in a pretty small towel by Caitlyn's extravagant standards. It was clear she wasn't expecting Caitlyn to still be in the flat, let alone right where she left her in the kitchen.

It was a shock to see her clean. More accurately, it was a shock to realise how much of the blood that had covered her was not her own. Her injuries were stark, biting into her pale skin like they didn't belong there. Like Caitlyn put them there. Like Caitlyn was in charge of the plan and the plan failed.

She didn't want Vi to know she'd heard her cry, but she had no idea if her own tears had dried sufficiently.

Thankfully, they didn't get a chance to say anything before the door opened and a tired-out dog went straight to Caitlyn's feet, panting and watery-eyed and adorable. He was quite fond of Caitlyn, despite how tepidly she acted towards him. Must run in the family.

“Whoa!” Ekko said when he came in, covering his eyes dramatically. “I thought you'd be dressed by now! Nobody wants to see that sh*t.”

J, who hadn't covered their eyes, gasped and ran up to Vi almost immediately. “Mom?”

“Hey, honey,” Vi answered, pulling J in for a famous Vi hug, even lifting them up slightly. “I missed you so much today.”

J stepped back as soon as Vi put them down. “What… what's wrong with your face?”

Vi shrugged and smirked and wiggled her eyebrows and did what she always did—pretended nothing was wrong. “Had a little scuffle. Don't worry about it. Oh, wanna see something cool?”

“I guess?”

“Remember when I asked you to keep the first tooth you lost?”

J immediately brought a finger up and stuck it in their mouth, where Caitlyn had already noticed a gap in their lower teeth. “Yef.”

Vi opened her mouth wide and stuck her own finger in it, undoubtedly pointing at her newly missing molar. “Thif if why!”

“Oh my god!” J exclaimed. “You lost a tooth too!”

“I wanted to match,” Vi claimed. “Like we match clothes.”

Oh. The pieces finally came together, why someone who worked so hard on her body only wore baggy shirts and clown pants.

J was nearly bouncing up and down in excitement. “I had no idea old people lose teeth!”

“Who you calling old?” Vi pouted. J giggled mischievously. “I'm not old.”

“Yet you still block with your face,” Ekko snarked, coming closer to Vi and J. He clicked his teeth when he saw the damage for himself. “Is Zeri a-l-i-v-e?”

“She’s safe.” Caitlyn was the one who answered, finally drawing herself up. Ekko and J both turned, comically startled, to face her.

“Ms. Kiramman!” J squeaked. They started looking everywhere, like Caitlyn was hiding Bee in her pocket.

“It's just me, darling,” Caitlyn said, stifling a chuckle when J's face fell.

“Oh no. Is Bee okay? She wasn't at school neither.”

“She's just a little sick.”

It was meant to be reassuring, but J clapped a hand over their mouth in shock. “Not her tooth too?”

Vi laughed, ruffling J's hair. “When that girl loses a tooth she'll shout it from the rooftops, trust me.”

That was probably true. Caribel was obsessed with any sign of being a big girl. Also, Caribel never met a person she didn't believe was interested in any little thing that came to her little head. Thank you, sperm donor.

“So you're…” J was obviously processing something, thinking hard enough for their tongue to stick out. “You're just here… for my mom?”

All three adults started speaking at the same time— Ekko asking, “You're the girl?” while Caitlyn mumbled something about a joint project, and Vi declared that Ms. Kiramman was just leaving.

Caitlyn bit her lip, not going anywhere until Vi was patched up, but recognising that Ekko couldn't tend to her in front of J anyway.

“Why don't you show me your room again?” Caitlyn asked, walking over and reaching down for J's hand. “Let your mummy get dressed and catch up with Ekko.”

“Okay,” J said shyly and took her hand. After a moment’s hesitation, they leaned closer and whispered, “Are you dressed up as Catwoman?”

Caitlyn grit her teeth while Vi snorted loudly.

*

Caitlyn felt a little like a discontent cat, pacing around J's room, wanting to sit down but knowing none of the miniature furniture would accommodate her bladder. She pretended to examine J's art again. “So, what's your routine before dinner?” she questioned. “Homework? Minecraft? Stopping supervillains?”

J shrugged, while walking purposefully to the little clear box at the foot of their bed. They pulled out a stack of papers and artist grade coloured pencils, and laid them out on a miniature desk. “I like drawing?”

“How about a get-well card for Caribel?” Caitlyn suggested, amused. “I'm sure she'd appreciate it.”

J's eyes widened at her and they mumbled, “You are a genius…”

Once J was focused on their work, Caitlyn drifted closer to the door, trying to eavesdrop on Vi and Ekko.

She picked the wrong moment. Ekko was practically hissing, “And you still want to find her?”

“Of course,” Vi replied, sounding annoyed. “I'm not giving up on her.”

“Vi! You just said she pulled a gun—”

“Will you keep it down?” Vi interrupted, and that was the last Caitlyn could hear of that conversation. Her heart clenched. As much as she wanted to yell Ekko's words herself, she also wanted to protect Vi from reality.

She went back to J and peeked behind their shoulder. They'd drawn a bee with big tears coming out of its eyes, and across from it was the outline of a cylinder. J was writing the word “honey” on it in the same orange colour as the bee's body.

Caitlyn was already smiling. “Is the bee sad because she's sick?” she asked.

J answered with a nod, focused on turning the cylinder into a jar. Caitlyn extrapolated, “But the honey makes her happy?”

Curiously, J hunched over like they wanted to hide the drawing from Caitlyn's eyes. Barely audible, they answered, “Honey makes bees happy.”

Caitlyn didn't understand where the shyness suddenly came from, but she respected it and returned to her pacing.

When J finished the card, they folded it up not once but four times, and didn't look Caitlyn in the eye as they handed it over. “I won't look,” Caitlyn said preemptively. “But I know she'll love it.”

J sat back down, shoulders up to their ears, and simply started working on their next masterpiece. She didn't notice how much time had passed before there was a soft knock on the door.

Caitlyn slipped outside without alerting J, and was surprised to find Ekko and not Vi. Her surprise was quickly replaced with relief. Vi was full-on snoring on the couch, huddled under the same paisley blanket that pulled Caitlyn under when she was in Vi's position.

Caitlyn came closer to her and noted every band-aid and bandage on her with a pleased nod.

“Did you check—”

“She's not concussed,” Ekko answered before she even finished.

“And the stab wound—”

“I stitched her up to be safe. She'll be fine, Cupcake.”

Caitlyn narrowed her eyes at him, hands immediately on her hips. “Do not call me that.”

Ekko looked thoroughly unimpressed. “What's going on between you two?”

Caitlyn squinted so hard at him she was starting to get a headache. As she told Jayce, “I’m not dating her. We're both trying to capture her mad sister.”

“That's funny, I coulda sworn in the docks you said she was just shadowing you for one night.”

“Well. She proved mildly useful.”

“Right.” Ekko scratched the back of his neck, shaking his head. “Just… be careful with her. Maybe give her some space.”

“Let me guess, if I hurt her you'll hurt me?”

“No, I mean you should be careful,” he corrected seriously. “She tends to overpromise.”

Caitlyn didn't know where her question came from, only that it had been at the tip of her tongue for hours. “If Jinx agreed, do you reckon Vi would just run off with her?”

“Of course. Vi will sacrifice anything for family. That's, like, her fatal flaw.”

Caitlyn felt shaky, but she barely had the guts to admit it to herself, let alone a source. Before she gave anything away, Ekko said, “But you and I know Jinx better than that.”

Caitlyn nodded, and redirected. “I take it Vi told you about Zeri.”

Ekko started moving towards the kitchen, away from the children. “Yeah. Said Zeri was hanging by a thread. Good thing I hired you on time, huh?”

Maybe that was his way of saying thank you. But that wasn't what Caitlyn wanted. And as usual, she wasn't going to sugarcoat anything to get it. “Zeri lied to you. She never stopped working for Silco. Aren't you upset?”

Ekko simply shrugged. “I’m the community outreach guy of the f*ckin’ Undercity. Everybody lies to me. But not everybody who disappears winds up alive, so I'm not gonna waste a miracle by bein’ upset.”

Caitlyn couldn't decide if Ekko just taught her a lesson or just showed the same kind of weakness that Vi wore on her sleeve. Compassion, faith, trust. What was wrong with these people?

“It wasn't a miracle. Jinx was using her for… something. And I let her get away with it.”

Ekko shook his head. Reaching the fridge, he started pulling some things out. “I'll go visit her at the hospital tomorrow, if you wanna come.”

“Oh no, I…” Caitlyn couldn't even go near there until police cleared out. The last thing she needed was for Meathead to connect her to the bullets in his knees. “I'm afraid of hospitals.”

“Well. You found the girl. That's not bad for a retired detective.”

Retired. The word jolted Caitlyn to the core. So much happened today that it hadn't even hit her yet. The case was closed. She could actually retire. She was free.

She glanced over her shoulder at the sitting room, where Vi was still snoring with half her arse off the couch. Through the door, where J was sketching with Stag drooling faithfully under the tiny desk. To the kitchen, where Ekko was apparently starting dinner.

She finally had to admit: there was no reason to keep puttering around here. Vi had asked her to leave three times already. Caitlyn put her shoes on and grabbed her bag. She left without another glance at Vi.

Either the tether would hold or it wouldn't.

*

Caitlyn couldn't remember ever being so tired. It wasn't often that she faced death, soap-opera sister drama, firing her gun and escaping the law all in one day. Getting home took time, parking took time, opening the car door and moving her body took so much time.

So when Jayce ran to her from the front door, it seemed like he was going at super speed. The high-pitched yell of her name didn't help matters. When he stopped in front of her he practically left skid-marks behind him. “Caitlyn! I nearly shat myself! What took you so long?”

Caitlyn stared up at him, trying to catch up to the conversation he'd clearly been having with himself. Then she punched his shoulder. “You ratted me out to your boss, didn't you?”

“Yeah, you're welcome! You thought I was gonna let you go in with no backup?”

“I had backup!”

“Yeah, I did some digging on your secret girlfriend. Jinx's sister?”

“She's more than that,” Caitlyn said, suddenly furious for Vi. As hypocritical as that was. “And I'm the one who compromised us! I fired my gun in there, Jayce, what do you think the feds are gonna do with those bullets? ‘Cause I know what the local PD would do—Marcus has been waiting years to nail me.”

Jayce shook his head, grabbing her hand. She hadn't noticed it started shaking. “I've been listening to the comms, Caity. No one mentioned two civilians being there, not the agents or the guys they arrested. That's why I came here, I thought… I don't know what I thought.”

His eyes were getting misty, fast, and next thing she knew, he was touching her tummy. Caitlyn couldn't take it. “We're okay,” she said, squeezing his hand to comfort him and also get it off of her. “Vi saved us.”

“Good,” he said, squeezing her hand back. “When do I get to meet her?”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes and shoved him away. “Can we stay on task, please? What else were they saying on the comms?”

Jayce crossed his arms. “This can wait, Caity.”

“It can't, actually,” Caitlyn snapped back, much louder than she intended. “Jinx escaped maybe two minutes before we heard the first agents, so if they missed her—”

“They put a Jane Doe in an ambulance. A girl with green hair who wouldn't have made it out of there without you,” Jayce said softly. “Can't that be good enough?”

So no Jinx. f*ck. She couldn't say it, couldn't admit to anyone how much the failure burned her alive. She wasn't brave like Vi. “It can.”

“Good. Why don't you go strip down your gun? Take a nap with Junior?”

Caitlyn reached for her gun automatically, and her fingers touched something she hadn't given a single thought to since she nicked it.

The mysterious battery that Jinx left behind was still in her back pocket. The thing she nabbed to stop Marcus from getting it.

Her first, second and third instincts were to keep it the hell away from law enforcement, but she also knew it would be a useless piece of metal in her hands. She wasn't allowed to know what Jayce's job was, but she knew he was a tech guy and not a field agent. He could get more information out of it than she could.

Besides, not having the physical thing didn't mean she couldn't keep her investigation alive.

She pulled the blue rectangle out of her pocket and held it up. His eyebrows climbed to his slick hair. “That looks like evidence.”

“Really? To me it looks like a bargain waiting to happen.”

Jayce sighed. He definitely looked like he wanted to argue, but thankfully he stopped himself. “What is it?”

“I have no idea. It was attached to Jinx's kit.” She handed it over to him. “You should investigate it quietly.”

Jayce didn't take it at first. “And the bargain?”

“Two sleepovers. And tell me what you find. And I want a list of who got arrested, because I took pictures yesterday that we could cross-reference—”

Jayce took the thing before she could add more demands. “I'll see what I can do. But I'm not telling you a damn thing until you get some rest. Okay?”

“Fine. Oh, but I need to take a picture of it—”

Jayce laughed and hugged her quiet. It wasn't as good as a Vi hug, but it was nice to think that someone worried about her.

*

This might put her in the bad mum club, but Caitlyn couldn't help herself: she secretly liked it when Bee was sick. Of course she hated seeing her pain and suffering, but seeing her spastic daughter completely docile and cute was a different matter.

Bee was snuggled up in Caitlyn's bed instead of her own, which Noémie had warned her about downstairs. Caitlyn put down her tea on the bedside table and then sat next to Bee, squeezing her shoulder.

Bee opened her eyes slowly. She seemed flushed and hazy, and her hair was simply everywhere. When she noticed it was Caitlyn who woke her, she went limp and whined, “Mummy.”

“Oh, darling.” Caitlyn melted, kissing every inch of Bee's little face while making child-eating monster noises. Bee squeaked, her voice breaking before it could reach squeal decibels, which only made her more adorable.

Caitlyn scooped up her little body and propped her up on her luxurious pillows, pushing her hair off her face. “Do you want some tea, love? It'll be good for your throat.”

Caribel nodded, smacking her lips together and sneaking just her hands out of the blanket burrito to take the teacup Caitlyn was offering her. She blew on it like a good girl, but that caused her to cough lightly and make a miserable little sound. Caitlyn couldn't take it.

She reached into her back pocket and pulled out J’s get well card. “I have a message from the outside world, if you're ready.”

Bee took the world's smallest sip of tea, and then stuck her hands out again for the paper in Caitlyn's hand. Caitlyn pretended to keep it away, but Bee simply blinked sad blue eyes at her and Caitlyn gave in and passed it on. “It's from—”

“J,” Bee’s voice was rough and squeaky at the same time. She said it as soon as she unfolded the paper not once but four times, so Caitlyn guessed she recognised J’s signature style.

She was wrong.

“See?” Bee showed her the paper, “It's us.”

Caitlyn looked, and saw the same bee and honey jar she saw in J’s bedroom. “Me and you?” she asked.

“No, me and J. They call me by a nickname so I call them by their nickname.”

Caitlyn made the connection instantly. Vi called J honey all the time. Honey makes Bee happy.

“Mummy? Why are you crying?” Bee asked gently.

Caitlyn sniffed subtly and wiped her face with her sleeve. “It's just brilliant, darling. Do you know what a semantic field is?”

“Mummy.”

“It's a bunch of words that have an associated meaning. Bees make honey, so both words are in the same field. Can you think of more words in that field?”

“Like…flowers?”

So while Bee was occupied with that, Caitlyn had a moment to convince herself to stop crying about how cute J was. That she distracted her child with a developmentally inappropriate linguistics exercise was going to stay between them and Bee's future therapist.

“Very good, Caribel. Would you put the card away so I can get in bed?”

It seemed like a Herculean effort, but Bee put away the tea and the card on her own. Caitlyn settled down next to her. It felt so damn good to lie down after the day she'd had.

Staring into Bee's blue eyes, her tiny nose and her stubborn freckles, all made Caitlyn feel at peace. In a moment like this, she could imagine that her capacity for love was boundless.

“Can I tell you something I've been keeping secret?” she asked Bee, her voice automatically lowered now that they were so close to each other.

Bee nodded solemnly. “Tell me!”

Caitlyn smiled at her, lifting a hand to caress her silky hair again. “You're going to get a sibling.”

“What?!” Bee screeched, suddenly 70% less helpless and needy. Caitlyn should have known she was being played. “Is J and Vi going to live with us?!”

Caitlyn shook her head, wiggling backwards so Bee wasn't screaming in her ear. “No, silly, your sibling is still in my tummy.”

Bee gasped, urgency replacing all the sweetness from before. “You ate my sibling?!”

Caitlyn laughed, tempted to go along with her daughter's investigative streak, but this was too important and she had to make sure Bee understood. “You remember our talk about the uterus, don’t you? Mummy’s pregnant, Bee. In a few months there's going to be a baby in our family.”

For how wiggly Bee normally is, she became as stiff as a board after hearing that. “But I'm the baby. Why do we need a new one?”

Caitlyn swallowed, feeling suddenly cold. “It might be nice to be three instead of two, darling.”

“But with J it's four, and four is unlucky. You should put the baby back.”

Caitlyn was stumped. As usual, she only thought about diffusing the situation as soon as possible. Reminding Bee that her business with Vi had just been concluded and their families were only going farther from each other seemed counterproductive.

There was also the issue of how Caitlyn didn't want to cry twice in front of Bee.

She went with the truth. “You can't put a baby back. It's coming and we both need to get used to it.”

Bee huffed, and turned her back to Caitlyn in her own bed, shuffling to the very edge so they weren't touching. This was unprecedented.

“Caribel? Don't you want a cuddle?”

“I'm sick,” Bee said quietly. “I don't want to make the baby sick.”

“You won't, love. But…” Caitlyn took a deep breath through the nose. She wasn't going to double down like she had every step of the way in Vi's flat. Parenting was a lot more intimidating than Vi ever could be. “If you need space, it's natural.”

The battle was futile. Caitlyn was crying again. Remembering her father's warnings, Vi's baseless assurances, Ekko talking about overpromises, the pit where her mother's love should be. She swallowed every single noise and wept next to her daughter.

Chapter 13: A Wonderful Father

Chapter Text

In the beginning of retirement 2.0, Caitlyn suffered from a haze of anxiety no matter what she did, half-expecting to get arrested at any moment. After three weeks she got over it, or at least used to it.

She signed up for online yoga, downloaded a few bestselling novels, and learned two different dumpling recipes. She did self-care. She overwhelmed Bee with positive attention. She spent half a day meticulously putting away her murder board, thankful that Vi had pinned it up for her.

Piece by piece, she unravelled and catalogued her evidence, binding it up in separate organisers. She kept Vi’s thirst trap for last, heart fluttering a little stupidly. When she took the picture down, she flipped it over to check out the list she'd compiled back when the school year started.

athleticwear

dyed pink hair

undercut

neck tattoo

average height

muscled build

Caitlyn cringed. Her notes made her sound completely obsessed with Vi’s looks. When clearly the real problem was her obsession with Vi's everything else.

Because she read and did yoga and ate dumplings, and she got a haircut and her nails done and spied on every new body hair that sprouted in unpredictable places, and through it all, she couldn't stop thinking about Vi.

Where was Vi? Was she communicating with Jinx? Which reckless decisions was she making? Who was she hugging? Did she like dumplings?

Three weeks in, retirement made her officially bored out of her skull and she went looking for trouble.

Usually she dropped Bee off outside of Bridge Elementary and went straight home, but today something was holding her back. She wasn't exactly surveilling the gate, but her brain couldn't not keep track of who was being dropped off by whom. And which pink-haired guardian was mysteriously missing. She hadn't seen her since their bust.

Eventually Caitlyn was creeping there for so long that she got noticed. “Ms. Kiramman?” someone yelled.

Caitlyn adjusted her sunglasses and looked coolly towards the voice, then frowned when she recognised that teacher. She had actual nightmares about this teacher, Diana Lunari, AKA “coordinating the PTA is my life's mission”.

Well, what the hell, Caitlyn was retired. Surely it would be good PR for Bee if Caitlyn showed her face more at school.

“Hello!” Caitlyn said good-naturedly, rushing to Diana at the school entrance as if she hadn't been evading this woman for weeks. “Is now a good time to talk about how I can contribute to the PTA?”

Diana checked her phone, suspicious, and Caitlyn could see her calculate how much she could get out of Caitlyn before the first class started in five minutes. She pulled a massive binder out of nowhere, licked her thumb and flicked the pages until they opened on a list titled “PTA sh*t to do”.

Fundraising was always on the table, it seemed, but galas gave her post-traumatic stress and bake sales gave her pre-traumatic stress. She skimmed on, squinting without her reading glasses (thank you, baby number 2). Chaperoning trips and events sounded like too much contact with adults, while hosting holiday-themed activities sounded like too much contact with children.

When she reached line 8 she knew what she was taking over: veggie patch expansion. She pulled out a pen and confidently wrote her name next to the list item.

Diana snatched the binder back from her, outraged. “First of all, I didn't give you permission to write on my stuff. Secondly, what's your offer?”

“I can orchestrate the children. I have it on good authority that a number of greens should be planted now to grow in season,” she sniffed, repeating what J told her the first time she'd visited their room.

“Well, Ms. Fortune’s in charge of that, ‘cause the Montessori kids are learning about ecosystems in the garden.”

“That's absurd. It should be a learning experience for all the kids.”

“Okay, Lenin, weren't you talking about child labor a minute ago?”

Caitlyn gasped. “You know I'm right!”

Diana rolled her eyes. “What I know is that you can't have all the kids outside at the same time. They'll mutiny.”

“I can handle it.”

The doubtful look Diana sent her was icy. “Listen, I'm supposed to assign PTA stuff to make less work for us teachers, not more.”

Caitlyn crossed her arms over her chest, more convinced by the second. “I'll find a deputy. A mum, not a teacher. In fact, I'll hire catering for the teachers, to thank you for all your hard work. Do you like Korean barbecue?”

“Are you bribing me?”

“That depends,” Caitlyn said, “Is it working?”

Diana looked completely exasperated, which meant Caitlyn was winning.

By the time the school bell rang, Caitlyn had Diana's and Ms. Fortune's numbers on her phone. As she walked back out towards the gate, she finally ran into who she wanted to see all along: J. With Ekko.

They both seemed flustered (did Ekko get them there on a skateboard?), but even though they were running late, J stopped in front of Caitlyn and greeted her politely. “Good morning Ms. Kiramman!”

She wasn't going to ask about Vi at all. (And even if she did, it wouldn't be immediately.) “Good morning, J. Is Ekko your new driver?”

Ekko rolled his eyes. “Violence is cashing in on all the years of babysitting I missed.”

“Don't call my mom that,” J hissed, narrowing their hazel eyes. “Little Man.”

Ekko looked so flabbergasted that Caitlyn covered her mouth to keep from smiling. “You're being raised by wolves!” Ekko said, flinging his hands in the air. “Go get some education, please.”

J giggled, but before they could run off Caitlyn made a split-second decision. “Hang on, J. Who's picking you up today?”

J gestured to Ekko, who gestured to himself. Even if Caitlyn was desperately wondering why, she wasn't going to ask about Vi at all, or at least not immediately. Instead, she offered to Ekko, “I can pick them up when I come for Bee. We actually made a plan to buy some plants.”

J’s eyes went wide as saucers. For such a quiet child, their voice became very emphatic when it came to plants. “Oh yes! Oh please Ekko can I? Please please?”

“Did you clear this with Vi?” Ekko asked her.

As casually as she possibly could, Caitlyn crossed her arms and said, “No, we haven't, um, been in touch. But I really need J's expertise.”

She basically held her breath until Ekko said, “Fine, I'll ask her. Go to class now.”

J actually said, “Yay!”

They hesitated for a moment, and then ran to hug Caitlyn's leg before skipping off. Caitlyn froze up, completely unused to physical affection. Her heart felt a little gooey.

“Are you using me to check on her?” Ekko asked shrewdly as soon as J was out of earshot.

“Of course not,” Caitlyn protested. She wasn't using Ekko, she was using J. Much more efficient. “Why would I check on her? The case is over. Our mutual interest is in the wind. Just because we nearly died together doesn't mean we're friends.”

She was probably overselling it, but it wasn't like she was lying. There wasn’t any reason for her to worry about Vi's recovery from the physical beating and the emotional heartbreak she suffered. Which meant that if she could get the information without Vi knowing she even asked, it would be better for both of them.

“Riiight,” Ekko said. “That sounds totally normal.”

“I am totally normal.” In a stroke of genius, Caitlyn added, “In fact! I'm glad I ran into you. I recovered a piece of tech from Jinx's lab that I want you to—”

“No, nope, not going to prison for that bitch, sorry—”

“It's just a picture of it!” Caitlyn cut him off, hissing at him to be quieter. “Just tell me what it looks like to you. Off the record.”

Ekko narrowed his eyes up at her. “I'll think about it. If you bring J home after kidnapping them. Sun's really out when you live topside, my skin's dry as hell,” he complained, scratching his elbows.

“I'll take it,” Caitlyn agreed after a thought, trying to sound like she hadn't just agreed to drop J off and inevitably see Vi.

Caitlyn nearly said yay! and skipped off.

*

In all her devious planning, Caitlyn hadn't actually stopped to realise that she was signing up to watch over two six-year-olds for the first time in her life.

Instead of napping, Caitlyn went to buy a second booster seat for her car, and then stayed at the store to order a delivery of simply anything she could possibly need for a new nursery. She even had time to print out the picture of the device and stuff it in her bottomless mum bag, for the next time she saw Ekko.

When she drove back to school to pick up the kids, she came early enough to park and run in to find Leona, the teacher who usually handed the kids off at the end of the day.

“Hello, hi, I'm Caitlyn Kiramman,” she greeted her.

Leona looked at her like she was crazy, either because she wore an enormous floppy hat or because she saw this woman every day. “Yeah, I know.”

Well, that solved that mystery. “Of course, I know you know, but I'm actually here to pick up J from Mr. Ezreal’s class for the first time and I didn't know if Vi told you in advance as it was quite last-minute—”

“You can take J,” Leona interrupted her, already done with the conversation apparently.

“What?” Caitlyn questioned indignantly, arms crossed. “You're not going to make sure I'm allowed? What if I'm a kidnapper?”

“First of all, I can take you in a fight,” Leona, who was built like a linebacker, asserted. Then she thrust a red clipboard at Caitlyn's chest. “Secondly, you guys signed this on back to school night, remember?”

Caitlyn skimmed over the release form and her eyes got wider and wider and wider. She remembered that night and the whole business with the bleach. She even remembered Vi signing something while Caitlyn rushed her to get to the docks.

But this part did not register at all.

Apparently, Vi signed a form that said she was Bee's father and authorised to pick her up. Caitlyn nearly shrieked. “She is not Bee's father! I am a single mum and—why does it even say father and not, well, co-parent or something?”

“Excuse me form police, we’re a gender-inclusive joint, she can be a dad if she wants to. You should really check your bias.”

Caitlyn was sure her face was as red as her sunglasses. Of course the father thing wasn't the issue at all. “We're not even friends! Do all the teachers think we're partners? I cannot believe this… these shenanigans!”

Leona took her clipboard back with disdain. Apparently she didn't like being accused of shenanigans. “You know, you're looking more and more like a kidnapper to me.”

She adjusted her wide straw hat so Leona couldn't see her face, and backed away slowly. “Ugh! Forget about it! We're best friends, she's a wonderful father.”

But of course, she couldn't let it go. By the time she finally had J and Bee strapped in her car, she was heated as hell, plotting how to get blackmail material on all the teachers at the school.

She should have been paying more attention to Bee's mood. It had been hit and miss with her ever since Caitlyn told her she was pregnant. They were spending a lot more time together thanks to retirement, but a small part of her constantly worried that they were only growing apart. As in, physically. The rounder and squishier Caitlyn got, the less Bee wanted to hug and cuddle her. Giving her all those lessons about personal space was biting Caitlyn in the arse.

But she didn't think to worry about backseat bickering. Usually hanging out with J after school was the antidote to Bee's grumpiness. She had no idea when the children started fighting, only tuning in when Caribel’s pitch went high enough to nearly crack the windshield. “It's my turn!”

“You already picked one!” J whined back.

“I said we each pick two!”

“That's not fair!”

Caitlyn winced, her teeth grinding at their volume. A peek at the rearview mirror showed Bee clinging to Caitlyn's phone like it would take a crowbar to separate them. Still, she tried. “Caribel, let J pick the next song.”

Bee's look of utter betrayal singed Caitlyn's headrest. “But mum! I write and read faster than them!”

Caitlyn had plenty of experience in conflict resolution, as de-escalating a situation was often the only way to get her job done (if you don't have a partner with brass knuckles). But when J started crying, her brain only sent distress signals and she did the first thing she could think of: distract.

“Hey, J darling, would you like to see my baby?”

She desperately opened her glove compartment and chucked the sonogram to the backseat like chum for sharks. It worked better than she thought it would.

As if they never screamed at each other at all, suddenly Bee was stewing silently while J fawned over the picture and conspired to make the baby their and Bee's pet (assuming Caitlyn heard correctly).

Caitlyn found a good parking spot outside of Maroon Iris Nursery, but it still took ten minutes to make it through the entrance because she slathered both children in sunscreen and convinced them to wear sunhats like her.

She was already feeling that missed nap, but it was honestly worth it to see how J lit up when they saw all their paper friends come to life.

“Wow,” J whispered, drifting closer to Caitlyn's leg like maybe they were overwhelmed. Caitlyn herself was overwhelmed by the scents of the flowers and the soil around her. Feeling suddenly faint, she clocked the closest space she could lean on: the checkout counter.

She waltzed past the house plants display, J and Bee marching behind her, until she reached the area with the long rows of garden plants. A bright and colourful assortment of annuals and perennials greeted them, making J “wow,” again.

“Pretty!” Bee agreed, clasping her hands together and taking an exaggerated whiff. She ran forward and, of course, the first pot she saw had a sign that said “Violets”. “Muuum! It's Vi!”

J ran to her and squealed. “Oh oh oh! Did you know that Violets like cold weather and they have five petals?”

“Does Vi like cold weather?” Bee asked.

“She says she's always hot,” J explained.

Caitlyn snuck closer, detective brain turning on. “Has she been outside a lot these weeks?”

Does she have brain and/or nerve damage? Are her injuries healing up? Did someone look at her stab wound? Did she ask about me?

J shook their head, getting a little quieter. “She's sick.”

Well, that was worrisome. Not to Bee, of course. “We should buy her violets! Ooh, and pansies! Oh my god these ones are called mums!”

Caitlyn reeled in her offspring before she could name every single sign she saw. She planted her hands on her hips authoritatively. “Listen up. Our mission today is to buy 10 different kinds of plants for your school. To do this, we will divide and conquer. Who wants flowers and who wants greens?”

“Flowers!” Bee yelled immediately, jumping a foot in the air.

J did not seem happy about it, but they said, “I'll get greens,” and Caitlyn considered the conflict resolved.

“Marvellous. I'll be at the checkout counter, you each get five plants and come find me.”

They ran off, and Caitlyn went to the counter and pretended to be extremely interested in a display of badly-painted garden gnomes, so no one could tell she was just an exhausted pregnant lady.

It took J and Bee five minutes to stampede back to her, which should have been the first clue that something had gone wrong. They were tugging a single pot of Piltover Porro between them and talking over each other.

“Mum! Tell them I'm in charge of flowers!”

“But Ms. Kiramman, the Piltover Porro brings Porro parasites that could ruin the whole garden!”

Caitlyn sighed. “J is the expert, darling.”

To stomp her foot, Bee let go of the plant abruptly, which caused J to wobble and Caitlyn to catch their little shoulder. Bee pointed at the plant in J's hands and yelled, “I want this one, I want this one, I want this one!”

J yelled back, “Ms. Kiramman said I decide!”

“Ms. Kiramman is my mum! I decide!”

Suddenly, like a shot between the eyes, Caitlyn heard her father's voice in her head:

Caitlyn. Two is harder than one.

Caitlyn lifted her hand off of J's shoulder to cover her eyes. Great. Apparently everything made her cry.

The kids got suspiciously quiet for how loudly they'd been fighting. She sniffed hard, forcing herself to get it together, and blinked down at them. One seemed curious, one seemed worried.

Her daughter was the curious one.

Bee clapped the dirt off her hands and announced, “We don't need the parasite flower. I'll get help and complete the mission.”

She gave J a meaningful look, and Caitlyn might have noticed she was being divided and conquered but there was only one thing on her mind. “Caribel, don't overdo it.”

Bee nodded at her, and then completely overdid it, skipping to a nearby employee with a hand in her hair and simpering in an exaggerated accent, “Hullo luv! I'm Bee! Your hat is so cool!”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, which only exacerbated her sudden headache. The only thing that pulled her out of it was J’s little hand suddenly brushing hers. J looked up at her with their bottom lip sticking out. “Are you sad, Ms. Kiramman?”

“Oh no, darling,” Caitlyn reassured them, pasting on a big smile and touching her growing tummy. “I promise, it's got nothing to do with you. When a person is pregnant, it's really the baby in charge of their body.”

J looked down with a thoughtful nod, and mumbled, “Like the Porro parasite.”

“Exactly,” Caitlyn agreed, pleased with J's analogy. After a moment’s hesitation, she moved her hand to J's shoulder, gently squeezing it until they looked her in the eye. “But it's okay to be sad sometimes, too. It's perfectly natural. Are you sad sometimes?”

J pouted again unconsciously. “I don't think so. But my mom is.”

Caitlyn frowned. Yes, the whole point of this outing was to grill J about Vi, but she didn't expect them to bring it up on their own. She had no idea what they knew and what Vi wanted to keep hidden. (Maybe her brilliant idea to kidnap Vi's baby was backfiring.)

“Love, your mum had a hard week. She… wanted to be friends with someone who didn't want friends.”

J chewed up their lower lip. “Sometimes you get mad at friends.”

Caitlyn's eyebrow climbed up. Had she really caused such a flower-related rift between the BFFs? “I’m sorry you and Bee had a fight.”

“Oh no, it's okay, Bee is my wifey.” J suddenly covered their mouth with a squeak, looking at Caitlyn like Stag did when he tried to steal her spot on the couch.

Caitlyn used all the energy she had left to suppress a sharp laugh. “I had no idea I was someone's mother-in-law!”

“Please Ms. Kiramman don't tell her I told you! I just meant that it's okay to fight with friends sometimes as long as you don't hit them!”

Caitlyn took a very deep breath at that, suddenly awed by J’s wisdom. She ruffled J's hair and smiled at them. “Thanks for the advice, Honey.”

J got as red as the parasite plant, even under the excessive amount of sunscreen she poured on their nose. They looked down again and fidgeted in embarrassment. “Are you still friends with my mom?”

“Why, darling?”

“Because she loves you.”

This time Caitlyn's face got red hot. She went temporarily deaf. “I meant why did you ask!”

“Oh, because you stopped coming by.”

After spending all day telling people she wasn't friends with Vi, she couldn't bear to repeat it to J’s little face. “Your mum and I…”

She was saved by the squeal of a large cart being wheeled over every rock on the path to the checkout counter. There were ten different kinds of plants, as well as a six-year-old, in the cart. Somehow the nursery employee had Bee's hat and Bee was chomping a popsicle.

“All done! Are we going to school now?”

Caitlyn thanked the employee profusely and started loading the pots onto the counter, not asking any questions. “No Bee, we're taking J home.”

“We're not planting them at school?” J asked forlornly.

“No sweetheart, we don't know when that's going to happen. I just wanted to…” Check on your mother without her ever knowing I cared. “Get practice plants, to make sure they grow in our yard.”

“Oh. So then… you'll have to come here again and get new ones?”

Caitlyn smiled, and pulled a Vi move by winking at J. “Oh no, how terrible, you'll have to join me again.”

J giggled furiously, and then toddled over to approve every plant Bee and the employee chose.

Caitlyn looked down when she felt a tug on her pant leg. Bee looked quite pensively at her. Caitlyn bit her lip. “Are you all right, love?”

“You didn't…” Bee struggled, twiddling her thumbs anxiously. “You only wanted J's help. And then I made you cry.”

“Oh, sweetheart. Mummy just cries sometimes. You helped loads. You saved the mission!”

Bee looked down, obviously considering it. Caitlyn considered tearing out her own heart. It didn't take a genius detective to figure out that Bee wasn't coping well with the huge change barreling into their lives, and maybe if Caitlyn knew how to cope better herself, she'd have all the answers.

But she was much better at evading and avoiding. She plastered on a sweet smile and caressed Bee's hair, trying to draw her into a hug she knew would comfort both of them. Bee shrugged her off before she could make contact.

All three of them were quiet the whole drive to Zaun, but Caitlyn's mind was far from calm. Every mile across that bridge brought her closer to the woman she couldn't get out of her head.

One word was on repeat, thumping like her heartbeat in her throat: Vi. It had been so many days since they saw each other, but the last time was so raw and painful that it felt like no time at all.

When Caitlyn thought of her, which she did on a normal basis by the way, she had two images in her mind: the gym thirst trap, and the eyes Vi made at her when Caitlyn was taking her boots off. How different could she be now? Did she regret asking Caitlyn for space? Was Caitlyn obsessing?

She parked quite close to the front door and then unloaded the kids, clucking at them to stay on her. Bee was perking up, babbling in an excited stream about telling Vi this and that. It was more than Caitlyn could do. Gearing up for this moment all day didn't actually make it easier.

Usually she would gladly use Bee as a human shield from awkward conversation, but as she got in the elevator she realised that all she wanted to talk about with Vi was Bee. She wanted to monologue:

Caribel was born perfect. Every day since then was a new opportunity for Caitlyn to mess her up.

This core belief was as real as it was shameful to Caitlyn, and she never shared it with anyone, afraid to manifest it. Then there was Vi, who made motherhood seem so natural and effortless. If anyone could give her advice, it was her.

If the tether didn't break.

As J didn't have a key, Caitlyn let Bee knock on the door to her heart's content and came up with 21 branches the potential conversation with Vi could take, followed by 8 contingencies in case something unknown happened. Her brain was trying to suppress her overwhelmed heart, still thumping away in her throat.

Then Ekko opened the door. He blinked at them in shock, which was the moment Caitlyn realised she was still wearing her enormous hat and she practically towered over him, not to mention the dog excitedly barking behind him.

Ekko looked down slowly, and arched his bleached eyebrow. “Damn, you must be Bee.” He held his hand out for a shake. “Fancy meetin’ you.”

Her daughter took the words right out of her mouth: “Where's Vi?”

Ekko snorted, dissed on the doorstep. “Guess we know where the bossiness comes from,” he said with a smirk at Caitlyn. “You know, I've been working with your ma for 5 years now and I never got housecalls.”

Caitlyn's eyes flashed and she cleared her throat. “I'm here for drop-off.”

“Sure,” Ekko said, moving back so J could run at the dog and do mutual slobbering. “Pop off.”

Caitlyn cleared her throat again. “Is Vi in?”

“She's resting.”

“Is she in pain?” Caitlyn questioned. Of course she'd asked Google what the recovery time was from Vi's particular injuries, but her mum brain just turned on the emergency blinkers and she forgot it.

“Yeah, she is. Some chick was mindf*cking her.”

Caitlyn clapped her hands over Bee's ears. “Jinx came back? She did something to her?”

“Not Jinx,” Ekko said meaningfully.

That was even worse. The eyes Vi made at her when Caitlyn was taking her boots off. How frustrated she was when she stomped to her shower. Things Ekko had no business knowing. Was he Vi's roommate now? Her nursemaid? Was he bossing her around? She wanted to ask so many questions, on top of the Bee monologue she had prepared.

It hit Caitlyn like a brick in the face. She wasn't going to see Vi today. It wasn't in her hands to solve this mystery. And she was definitely delusional to think she could ask for help.

“Thank you,” she said curtly. She stuck her hand in her bag and pulled out the picture of the blue device. Without giving Ekko a choice, she thrust it in his hands and turned around with Bee. “Good night.”

“I love you J!” Bee screamed over her shoulder like she was being marched off to a battleship. “See ya at school!”

Her stomach clenched when Bee shrugged her off. Whatever.

Caitlyn had always dealt with her problems alone. Why should it bother her now?

Chapter 14: The Sweet Spot

Chapter Text

The following conversation happened in French:

“Miss Caitlyn, I have some terrible news. I've been accepted to the Instituto Marangoni.”

“Congratulations! Why is that terrible?”

“You see, I have to be in Milan in a week.”

“Oh, my!”

“I know miss, I'm so sorry to leave you without a nanny like this. So terribly sorry, in fact, that I wanted to offer live-in services until I leave.”

Caitlyn paused, going over it again in her head. Was it the language barrier, or was Noémie asking to f*ck around in a luxury pool house instead of her mother's flat for her last week in the States?

Either way, Caitlyn was so shocked by the idea of not having Noémie around anymore—of being entirely alone with Bee and Baby—that she found herself agreeing immediately to all of the nanny's terms. It wouldn't be the first time Noémie stayed in her pool house, and Caitlyn trusted her not to trash the place. The young adult didn't even smoke or drink too much by French standards.

It softened the blow for Bee, as well. At first Caitlyn was terrified of telling Bee she had to say goodbye to Noémie, rocking her world again. Yet, though Caribel was gutted about Mimi going away, a week-long sleepover sounded like six-year-old heaven.

When the insane amount of baby products were finally delivered to Caitlyn’s house, Noémie was there to sign for it. Of course, if Caitlyn hadn't been at Dr. Kulak’s, she would have persuaded the delivery people to put the plain cardboard boxes in the room she’d cleared out for the nursery. Instead of all over her living room.

Making the best of the situation, Caitlyn showed Bee all the shipping boxes with exaggerated enthusiasm. Instead of admitting it was b-a-b-y stuff she had stress-purchased and possibly poking the tiny bear, she announced that they were going to build a fort. At least, they were going to plan the structure of a fort. Building things wasn’t exactly Caitlyn’s forte.

So she watched Caribel and Noémie follow her blueprints. She didn’t know that Noémie had already stabbed her in the back.

*

Caitlyn Kiramman had always defined herself by her career. What she did was who she was. She didn't have friends, hobbies or relationships. All of her passion and drive went into raising a little girl and stopping corruption.

Now retired, Caitlyn was slipping into sloth-mode, with ever dwindling self-awareness. Which led to this: Caitlyn standing at the door, greasy hair piled high on her head in a shapeless knot, a purple oversized robe wrapped loosely around her shoulders, and her eyes puffy from a nap.

In front of Vi.

In short, she went from living her best bra-free life to being viscerally self-conscious in three seconds flat.

She thought she was still dreaming at first. Vi's bruises were healed, her hair was freshly cut and dyed, and she was wearing paint-splattered denim overalls over a red bikini top.

She was also wearing an infuriating smirk.

“Hey, Cupcake. Miss me?”

Silence.

During those horrible weeks with no proof of life from Vi, her mental images got progressively worse. Vi succumbing to her injuries, Vi seeking revenge on Sevika, Vi going back to Bilgewater and living on a beach, Vi being shot by her deranged sister, Vi bearing a grudge against Caitlyn. For Vi to have simply delivered herself to Caitlyn's doorstep in a hot butch outfit like nothing happened was… disturbing.

The fact it made Caitlyn happy was preposterous. She refused to let it show. She tightened her robe around herself and crossed her arms, maybe to cover her tummy. “What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Vi asked, lifting her right hand to show off a battered tool box—and a powerful bicep. “I heard there's some nursery stuff to build.”

“We're here to help!” J chirped, nearly knocking Caitlyn off her feet. She didn't even notice the small child standing right there in matching overalls. Well, to be fair, she didn't notice anything past Vi's arms.

Vi. Alive and real and back. She frowned. “I told you I don't need help.”

Vi shrugged, completely unrepentant. “Right, but I found a loophole. I'm actually here to help my girl Noémie.”

Caitlyn bit her lip, some pieces falling into place. “sh*t.”

“Yeah, she said you got random packages all over and she nearly fell and broke her leg.”

“She did not! How often do you even speak?”

Vi smirked at her. “How often you take other people's kids to sniff plants?”

Caitlyn huffed. It should have occurred to her that Vi would do oppo research after Caitlyn pulled her kidnapping move like that. She underestimated her not-friend, again.

“It's not such a mess.”

In a just world, Caitlyn's height would have been enough to block Vi's view of the mess in her living room, but of course Bee chose that moment to emerge from her fort, sprint to Caitlyn's side and shove the front door open all the way.

“Vi!” she squealed, and took a leap into her arms, like Caitlyn wasn't over here trying to keep it cool.

Amazingly, Vi didn't drop the tool box on her Blundstone’d toes. She didn't drop it at all, in fact, able to hold Bee up with one arm and hoist her higher on her hip. “Shortcake! How ya been?”

Caitlyn took a second before she interfered. A second was all it took to clock Vi's subtle grimace, the way she favoured the side that hadn't gotten stabbed. Neither of them could pretend that nothing happened at Jinx's lab, or in Vi's kitchen afterwards.

Caitlyn was never the kind of person who could let anything go. She'd seen Vi completely ripped open and she wasn't buying this put-back-together version. She had so many questions for her, so many things to not say.

None of that was going to happen with the kids around, though.

Caitlyn grabbed Bee under her armpits and detached her from Vi safely, plopping her back on solid ground. “Caribel,” she reproached. “Did you ask first?”

Bee simply ignored her completely, a new weapon in their little war that drove Caitlyn bonkers.

“It's cool,” Vi said over the awkward silence, too much of a sweet pushover as usual. “I missed you too, Beeswax.”

Bee preened, pointing at the tool box. “What's this? Did you bring me a present?”

Vi snorted. “J’s the present, you goose.”

Just like her mother, Bee abruptly changed her focus from Vi's arms to Vi's kid, but she was way less cool about it. “Oh oh oh! Check out my fort!”

J gasped. “You got a fort?”

The kids rushed into the house, lightly pushing Caitlyn from the doorway and allowing Vi to set foot inside. Her eyebrows flew up when she assessed the chaos Caitlyn pretended didn't exist. In all the days since the delivery, she hadn’t assembled a single thing. Caitlyn very rarely procrastinated, but Caitlyn was also very rarely pregnant.

Vi whistled when she saw it all, placing her toolbox on the coffee table. “Well, well, well. My Tinder profile does say I'm handy with a box.”

“Vi!”

Vi co*cked her hip. “So what do you need first, Cupcake? I'm all yours.”

She wanted to continue arguing, but it seemed that Vi wasn’t going to give up, not after driving all this way and lugging a toolbox. If anything, continuing to argue might just encourage Vi to offer more and more help. Caitlyn had to prioritize.

“All right,” she declared primly. “We can start with the bassinet.”

Vi nodded, hunting for one of the larger boxes. “Sure we could, if we were doing anything. I'm gonna start with the bassinet. You can just sit pretty on that armchair, boss.”

Caitlyn guffawed. “I beg your pardon?”

“What, you can refuse my help but I can't refuse yours?”

The trap snapped closed around her. Hastily, she readjusted and said, “No, I meant—that’s obviously a chaise lounge, not an armchair.”

Vi rolled her eyes, pulling out a screwdriver and a hammer and pointing both of them towards the navy chaise tucked behind all the chaos. “Whatever it is, get your ass in it and put your feet up.”

“Pfft!” One of the boxes between them screamed. “She said ass!”

“Caribel and J!” Caitlyn huffed. “Go play in your room!”

The kids peeked over two different boxes, J with another box over their head. “We're defending the fort, Ms. Kiramman,” they explained.

Caitlyn's lips twisted into a smirk. “But darling, don't you know I was the crown’s fort-breaker?”

J's eyes widened in shock, while Bee's eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What crown?”

“The queen’s crown.” Caitlyn stalked toward the fort's tunnel entrance, pleased when the kids retreated further back. They were much easier to trick than Meathead, at least. “My specialty was to find the fort's weakest point and dismantle it from within.”

Bee actually ha ha ha’d. “My fort doesn't have weak points!”

“Is that so?”

Caitlyn was certainly not going to crawl inside the labyrinth her daughter created, but from her height she could see one place where a large box was just barely balancing on a much smaller box, and another section that was constructed on top of the living room rug.

Caitlyn took heavy steps, adding Godzilla-level sound effects, to the free end of the rug. The fort was way too heavy to go anywhere once she pulled on the rug with her right foot, but luckily that one misplaced box teetered enough for whatever was inside to rumble loudly.

She expected the kids to shriek and scurry off. She expected her bladder to protest engaging her muscles as much as she did. She did not expect Vi to put her hands on Caitlyn’s hips, sweep her off her feet, and yell heroically, “I've got her! Run!”

“Unhand me, wretch!” Caitlyn yelled back, though she could hardly hear herself over the two six-year-olds screaming and galloping towards the stairs.

“Down with the monarchy!” Vi shouted after them. “Vive la révolu-ssion! Let them eat cake!”

She winked down at Caitlyn, making her heart rate gallop in tandem with the kids. Vi bridal-carried a pregnant Caitlyn all the way to the chaise and placed her down like a princess. She even pushed all the greasy hair that escaped her bun behind her ears. As Caitlyn’s legs were completely made of jelly, she couldn’t get up again even just to spite Vi.

Then there were two. Being alone with Vi made everything feel quiet. Especially since Vi wasn’t even saying anything, absorbed in pulling out a switchblade and cutting the first box open.

Oh. Vi was bending over, flexing her biceps as she pulled out pieces of wood and piled them up without harming the parquet floor. With her unfortunate shirtlessness, Caitlyn caught sight of… a lot of muscles.

She shook her head and did a little maths. Right. Second trimester. That sweet spot between first trimester nausea and third trimester back pain when Caitlyn's cl*t felt like an absolute livewire and she got so wet that a strong breeze could topple her into org*sm.

Caitlyn swallowed and coughed. “That’s it then?” she griped. “I’m supposed to just watch you?”

Vi glanced at her mischievously. “My Tinder profile does say I like to be—”

“Shut up, Vi.” Caitlyn would usually smack her shoulder for a cheap joke like that, but she didn't even want her to shut up. She wanted to get on her feet even less. “You seem more… chipper than the last time I saw you.”

Vi shrugged. “Kinda the point.”

So it was purposeful, not seeing her, avoiding each other. A bizarre mix of vindication and hurt followed that admittance. “Yet here you are now.”

“Got over it.” Vi started pulling more parts out of the box, not looking at her. Her overall’s waistline dropped with the movement and exposed that scar from their misadventure. That sobered Caitlyn right up.

“You got over the pain?”

Vi hummed, still focused elsewhere. “I've had worse.”

Three word answers, three times in a row? Seriously? Caitlyn wanted Vi to look her in the damn eye. “You got over seeing Jinx?”

Vi looked up at her so abruptly that her fringe swooped majestically over her left cheek. Those electric grey eyes Caitlyn missed were glaring at her. “You know what it's like to be kicked out of the city you buried your family in?”

Caitlyn knew it was a hypothetical, but of course she said, “I do.”

“Right, your days in service to the crown.” Vi snorted, annoyed. “Well, imagine coming back to it and realizing everyone forgot about your family. Realizing you're never gonna hug your sister again. Until you do. I had her, Cait. And I lost her. Again.”

Caitlyn bit her lip, trying not to snap immediately. Vi was delusional if she thought she could have “saved” or “fixed” Jinx. Caitlyn was right there in the room with her, and what broke her heart somehow gave Vi hope.

How could two people look at the exact same most wanted criminal and see two different things?

Unrelatedly, how could Caitlyn look at herself and see an unlovable anxious mess, when Vi looked at her and saw someone to waste a Saturday on building furniture for?

She wasn’t going to solve the mystery of Vi’s heart by letting her pretend nothing was wrong. “You didn't lose her,” she insisted. “You can't blame yourself for her leaving you for dead.”

Vi looked more than ready to argue, but Caitlyn blurted: “Did nothing change that day?”

Vi softened up, from her clenched jaw to her tight shoulders. “Of course something changed. You're pregnant, Cait.”

She said it with wonder. She said it unlike any other person who heard about Caitlyn’s second pregnancy. It caught her by surprise and she chuckled dryly. “In this house, that’s not really a positive.”

Vi looked down at Caitlyn's stomach—or more realistically her cleavage—until Caitlyn added, “Bee didn't take the news well.”

“How?” Vi’s eyes rounded in surprise, like she couldn’t imagine why.

You're not gonna run out of love. Vi had no idea how much those words meant to her. She couldn’t know how fiercely Caitlyn clutched them whenever Bee threw a baby-related tantrum.

“She's acting like if she’s stubborn enough it’ll go away.”

Vi smiled for the first time since Caitlyn brought up her sister’s name. “I wonder where she got that idea.”

“What are you saying?”

Vi gestured to the mountain of stubborn boxes. “I'm sayin’ it's pretty rich of you to accuse me of being in denial.”

Out of nowhere, Caitlyn blushed, acutely aware that Vi turned the investigation around and expected Caitlyn to be emotionally vulnerable. She had underestimated her opponent yet again.

She curled up protectively. “I’m letting you help, aren’t I?”

Graciously, Vi chose to accept it. Blessed with that letting-stuff-go that Caitlyn was too autistic to understand. She did a little shimmy while reaching into her toolbox. “Put on some tunes, then. But not Spice Girls.”

Caitlyn nodded to herself as she pulled out her phone and looked up a good One Direction playlist. Vi didn't seem mad about it. “Hey, it's your free show.”

And so Caitlyn watched her work, desperately horny and sleepy at the same time, until she fell into an awkward nap.

*

Caitlyn could nap for hours these days, so she wasn't sure how much time passed when Vi shook her awake. “Hey, boss. Need your approval on something.”

Caitlyn smacked her dry lips together and uncurled, stumbling off the chaise and stretching cat-like. It took her a moment to notice Vi smirking at her.

“What?” Caitlyn asked, running a hand through her hair. “I didn't snore, did I?”

“Nah. But any farts you smell are your own.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, almost smiling. “You know, sometimes it really shows that your best friend is six years old.”

Vi stuck her tongue out at her, very maturely, and gestured to the stairs. Caitlyn started walking in the clear path towards them, then realised that Vi had singlehandedly cleared a boxless path on the rug. As shocking as the missing boxes were, Caitlyn couldn't help but notice the contents of the boxes were missing as well.

“What did you do?” She questioned.

Vi gestured to the stairs again. “Go and see.”

Slowly and suspiciously, Caitlyn went upstairs. The door next to the master bedroom was just barely open, so Caitlyn pushed it the rest of the way and gasped.

She could hardly believe her eyes. Vi had unboxed, assembled, and carried upstairs both a bassinet and a changing table. But it wasn't the unbearable kindness that made Caitlyn's heart squeeze—it was seeing the room suddenly filled.

Both pieces of furniture were in the completely wrong location for baby feng shui, but amazingly Caitlyn resisted the urge to fix it. She simply stared at them, and cried.

“Oh sh*t,” Vi said, barging into the room. “You don't like it? I can paint ‘em.”

Caitlyn shook her head, drying her tears with the sleeve of her robe. “I do like it. It's just…”

It was just that this was Bee's room, before they moved her into the corner bedroom with the two windows. Before she got so big and independent. When Caitlyn's only job was to protect her.

She sniffed hard at the thought, and before she knew it, she was melting in Vi's strong arms, initiating a hug for the first time.

She smelled like wood and sweat and Caitlyn wept into the crook of her neck. One of Vi's hands went straight into Caitlyn's hair, while the other curiously fluttered over the side of her belly bump. If Caitlyn touched her in the same place, she'd feel rock hard obliques.

“Whoa,” Vi muttered, breath puffing over Caitlyn's ear. “Can I feel it kick?”

Caitlyn laughed wetly. It didn't feel bad like when Jayce touched her tummy. It didn't feel even close to bad. “Not ‘til the halfway mark. Were you… with your ex when she was pregnant?”

“Nah, Sabine was in the rearview by then,” Vi said quietly. “She came back when J was already three.”

“Potty training age. Lovely.”

Vi laughed. Her hand eased up on Caitlyn's hair, and she leaned back slightly so they could look at each other while still standing close. “Thanks for letting me help, Cupcake.”

This time when Caitlyn cried, it was definitely due to the unbearable kindness. Vi didn't seem to understand, but before she could ask her anything, they heard a scream and shot apart.

“Mummy!” Bee barrelled into the nursery. “You ruined my game!”

Caitlyn looked at her daughter's tragedy-stricken tiny face and wanted to kneel and beg for forgiveness, but she couldn't. Not physically or emotionally. “Darling, the boxes weren't a game.”

“They were! You took away my fort and turned it into baby stuff. You ruined everything!”

Speechless, Caitlyn cried harder, and suddenly Vi had to deal with two sobbing Kirammans.

“Whoa, hey, Shortcake,” Vi interrupted, waving her hands to get Bee's attention. “There’s lots of boxes left. And anyway, forts are for cowards. You know what's a better game?”

Bee wiped her face on her sleeve miserably. “Wot?”

“Pirates.”

Vi certainly had her attention now. Bee's eyes were shining at Vi, like they used to at Caitlyn. “Who's the pirate?”

“Me, duh. Didn't you notice I'm wearing a bathing suit?” She slipped one of the straps of her overall down her shoulder, and Caitlyn was suddenly fascinated by the ceiling.

“Yeah. It's pretty. You're pretty.”

“Dang, B. You got a crush on me or somethin’?”

Bee's voice finally sounded more curious than furious. “What's a crush?”

“It's when you like a pretty girl.”

“I thought crush was…” She made a grunt of effort, and Caitlyn looked down to find her daughter crunching her little fist. “Like the Hulk.”’

Vi nodded solemnly, glancing at Caitlyn under her fringe. "That's exactly how it feels. So, want me to teach you how to swim?”

“I've been in swim lessons since I was a baby,” Bee complained.

“Oh so you know the butterfly?” Vi flapped her arms around Bee excitedly, making her dance around to avoid her.

“Duh!”

Vi crouched, playing even closer to Bee. “The back, the front, the side? Do you know the rhino?”

Stumped, Bee huffed. “There's no such thing.”

“Trust me, there is. How about you get in a swimsuit and meet me by the ship?”

Caitlyn held her breath, until Bee smiled cheerily and skipped out of the room, screaming for J to come to the pool.

“See what I mean?” Caitlyn asked as soon as Caribel was out of earshot. “I'm not imagining it, right?”

Vi shrugged. “She’ll warm up to the baby. I promise, as a big sister.”

“Hmm,” Caitlyn said, not entirely believing her.

Then she couldn't think about anything anymore because Vi slipped the other strap off her shoulder, fully exposing the Baywatch red bikini top. “C’mon, Noémie promised me pool time.”

“So that's the real reason you're here.”

“Yeah, to see my crush half-naked,” Vi agreed boldly.

Caitlyn snorted in outrage. “She's only 21!”

Vi rolled her eyes and sauntered out of the room, telling Caitlyn to ferme-u-la.

*

Caitlyn stared in the mirror for so long, she was sure Vi and the kids were already in the water outside while she was stuck in her wardrobe, braiding her hair.

She liked to swim in a simple blue full bathing suit, but that was not going to happen with her bump. The only other option she could dig out was an older, skimpier bikini from a very blonde period of her life.

She couldn't bring herself to leave the room wearing it, hesitation holding her hostage. Honestly, the purple strappy thing looked even more amazing on her than she remembered, with her boobs spilling out in their current size.

It was completely inappropriate. Worse than that, she knew exactly how Vi would react (horny flirting), and she knew she would like it. Staring in the mirror at her half-naked truth, she couldn't deny it:

She always liked it when Vi said her cheesy lines, because Caitlyn was sexually awakened when she was deep in her society girl era and all she’d wanted in her mouth was the bad girls with the side-shaves and the neck tattoos and the emancipated nipples.

To find a compromise, Caitlyn wrapped a white shawl around herself and decided she was ready. She stepped out of the wardrobe and bravely walked downstairs.

Through the dining room window, she spotted a turn of events—it wasn't just Vi and the kids in the pool, but also Noémie and her bestie, Cléo. Caitlyn had met the bestie on numerous occasions. Every time she wondered why this young woman didn't mind hanging out with a six-year-old, Bee would do something cute like say “je suis Bourdon!” and the French girls would swoon.

Even through the window, Caitlyn got the sense that Vi was smack in the centre of attention. She had a white shirt plastered to her torso (allegedly to match J’s white rash vest). Cléo was trying to wrestle a volleyball away from her, and her technique involved a lot of heaving and rubbing.

Everyone was involved in the scuffle, even Bee, so Caitlyn basically tiptoed into the backyard with an armful of sunscreen and hats. Yes, she was the sunblock mum, and she would have gotten away with it too, except that the volleyball went flying in her specific direction.

Caitlyn looked back at the pool to see Cléo sputtering and Vi frozen mid-toss. She was... Vi stopped everything (possibly even breathing) to ogle her. Like a cartoon wolf.

Caitlyn full-body blushed, suddenly aware of all the eyes on her skin. Out of mortal dread that Vi would say “hey mama”, Caitlyn didn't even take off her shawl before she waded into the shallows. The cool water was heaven on her heated skin.

While the others stayed in the deep end, Vi swam to her with a shark's precision, obviously having trouble keeping her eyes no lower than Caitlyn's face. “Finally, the sheriff joins us.”

“The sheriff had trouble finding a bathing suit that fit.” Her eyes went to her tummy. Of course she felt self-conscious, she was standing in front of the woman who invented keeping it tight.

“Yeah, feels like I'm getting the free show you owed me,” Vi husked, sending thirsty signals that made Caitlyn’s confidence return.

She teased, “Oh hush, I know my boobs are getting out of hand.” Before Vi even opened her mouth, Caitlyn snapped, “Do not make a my-Tinder-profile joke!”

Vi's mouth slammed shut. “Wasn't gonna,” she lied.

Caitlyn shook her head, then frowned when she noticed the very tips of Vi's ears were getting burned.

“All right children,” Caitlyn called, bursting their bubble. “Time for hats and sunscreen!”

“Mummy, that's for the park, not the pool,” Bee whined.

“Oh really? Then why is Vi letting me put it on her?”

Vi quirked an eyebrow in challenge, but she quickly folded, too eager to be in on the joke. She closed her eyes and leaned forward, offering her heart-shaped face up to Caitlyn. Only when she got on her tiptoes did Caitlyn realise that Vi put on a shirt for modesty, but her arse was still out. Muscular and firm in red bikini bottoms.

Accurate and efficient, Caitlyn smeared so much sunscreen on her freckled skin that her cheeks were glowing white. Caitlyn was transported to the first time Vi had let her touch her face, back in Babette's office, after their little dance. Bizarrely, Vi was smiling.

“Why are you so pleased?” She asked suspiciously.

“No reason. Just uploading the info that you have a tattoo.”

Caitlyn dropped a black snapback on Vi's head, harder than intended. “That better be all you're uploading.”

“It's my tattoo!” Bee splashed them in her excitement, causing Caitlyn to jump back from Vi and find her next sunscreen victim. “I'm a dragon!”

She roared into the hat Caitlyn was trying to put on her. She wasn't wrong, the dragon egg tattoo was symbolic. A few months after giving birth, Caitlyn had a stress reaction to her baby no longer being inside her uterus, and decided to ink something that would never leave her body like that. Before Bee got so big and independent. When Caitlyn's only job was to protect her.

“Will there be a new one for the new baby?” Noémie asked innocently, sliding in for her turn with the sunscreen.

“You should let Vi do you,” J squeaked.

“Oui,” Noémie laughed in Caitlyn's face and came closer to nudge their shoulders together. Caitlyn pushed her away playfully, both because she wasn't a fan of being touched even when she wasn't half-naked, and because Noémie’s treachery was the only reason Vi was even here.

Surprisingly, it was Vi who tamped down everyone's enthusiasm. “I'm fully booked, sorry Cupcake.”

“You're booked 26 weeks from now?” Caitlyn sniffed, passing out the rest of the hats.

“Yeah. You didn't know I did my apprenticeship with Gangplank himself?”

“Is that supposed to mean something?”

“Yeah, means I got enough rich Pilties booking me, I'm not bumping someone for Your Highness.”

Caitlyn gasped exaggeratedly, and splashed Vi right in the mouth. Bee got in on the action, swimming behind Caitlyn to splash Vi over her shoulder. “Bah!” Vi screamed after resurfacing. “I'm just playing, I'd do your mom any day!”

“You dare!” Caitlyn huffed, and started splashing her with both hands now.

Amid the noise, just barely, she might have heard Noémie tell Cléo, “I told you she's taken”, and she might have been grateful Vi didn't speak French.

After J sprinted to retrieve the volleyball, they divided into two teams: Bee and the French girls VS. J and the mums. It became abundantly clear, and she probably should have seen this coming, that she and Vi were the most competitive people in the pool.

At first it was to their advantage, until Bee played a brilliant card and said, “Mummy, Vi is so much better than you!”

From that point Caitlyn started doing moves she couldn't even dream of pulling on dry land, lunging in front of Vi and J to show she could get to the ball faster, even though Vi could undoubtedly hit it harder.

Vi did not respond well to this, grabbing Caitlyn's hips and practically heaving her out of the water just to toss her aside. Caitlyn's counterattack was inspired by her daughter: she wrapped her arms around Vi's neck and climbed on her back to try and dunk her. Not to feel hard, slippery muscles all over her bare skin for the first time in forever.

The ball ended up fumbled on their side of the pool more often than not, either because Vi was trying to drown Caitlyn or, on one occasion, Caitlyn was trying to bite Vi’s ear off.

Suddenly, Caitlyn was the girl all over Vi, trying to wrestle a volleyball away from her using a lot of heaving and rubbing. Of course, considering their earlier conversation about denial, Caitlyn didn't notice any of this happening until the voice of a man caught her by surprise:

“Caity Kiramman! Are you giggling?”

Caitlyn looked up at Jayce, and immediately saw herself in his eyes. She was mounted on Vi, pressed as close as her squishier parts allowed, fooling around so rambunctiously that her floppy hat was soaked and she was, apparently, giggling like a girl.

With Jayce watching, suddenly Caitlyn felt a lot less electrified, turned on, and hormonal. She pushed herself off of Vi and swam to the steps, covering her chest as she slowly got out and her boobs reacquainted themselves with gravity.

Not letting any emotion show, she flounced to the towels tossed on the glass pool gate and wrapped one around her shoulders. Wringing water out of her braid, she finally addressed Jayce. “Should I arrest you for trespassing?”

“I tried everything! I guess now I know why you didn't hear me ring,” he answered himself. “What in gay hell is going on here?”

“Pffft!” Bee squeaked from the water. “Gays don't go to hell, that's not a nice thing to say!”

Jayce turned on her daughter, shocked. “Junior, you know that's not what I meant! I was gay in college!”

“Oooh, Uncle Jayce is sooo old.”

Every time Caitlyn looked in the mirror and saw her white roots showing, she made the same expression Jayce was making right then. Even Vi half-sunk in the water, muttering, “That's savage, Shortcake.”

Noémie rushed over to shield Bee with her body, scolding in French, “Caribel, don't bully the old sexually fluid man.”

Caitlyn put her hands on Jayce's shoulder to refocus him. “How can I help you, darling?”

“I got some news.”

Caitlyn's eyes widened. She'd been waiting for an update, and Jayce changed the subject whenever she asked. “Case-related news?”

He nodded and dropped his voice. “Maybe we could, uh, talk in private?”

Caitlyn was getting excited. “Of course. Vi, come along!”

“Yes boss,” Vi sighed, and then hopped out of the pool straight from the deep end, aided only by her muscles.

As they watched her in slow motion, Jayce said under his breath, “Damn, her arms are as big as mine.”

Caitlyn nudged him quiet when Vi grabbed a towel and shook out her magnificent pink hair. She whispered back, “You knew she's my muscle.”

“You need muscle for me?”

Vi's show continued when she tore off her white shirt, and then squeezed her still-wet legs back into her denim overalls. A mystery on its own: why lose the shirt indoors but put it on outdoors? Was she actually a fellow sunblock mum? Or a f*ckboy?

Jayce elbowed her again. “Caity, you're drooling.”

“Whatever, you kept harping on about me accepting help, well here I am, open to receive.”

Of course, Vi made it over just in time to hear Caitlyn’s last few words. Of course, she immediately said, “Hey, that's what my Tinder—”

“Shut up before I push you in the pool!” To the pool, she asked much more politely and in French, if the girls could manage the kids.

Noémie and Cléo both had one eye on Jayce's arse, so Caitlyn had to assume one collective eye should be enough to keep the kids from drowning. She whirled around, her wet hair slapping Vi in the face, and headed inside confidently.

They might just save her from retirement yet.

Chapter 15: If This Bath Were a Murder Board

Chapter Text

“Welcome to the new murder board,” Caitlyn announced when they entered her office through the back door, the one Vi once snuck in through while accusing Caitlyn of booty-calling her.

She might have spent a night or two of her retirement in this office, printing out pictures from the stakeout and trying to make any irrefutable connection to Jinx. It wasn't work, per se, it was her way of processing what happened to her at the clinic. Things she should have been too busy to think about.

She printed out the mugshots of the men she shot, and imagined she could feel Baby fluttering around inside her. She wondered if the baby could feel her terror in that moment she was pushed to the floor, or her grief when she saw Jinx leave Vi behind.

But whatever, she buried her feelings deep down and focused on the evidence before her.

Vi, on the other hand, focused right away on the fact her thirst trap was back on the board (though not connected to anything yet). It only made her wink at Caitlyn.

Caitlyn ignored her. She approached the board, leaving the back door open to remain within earshot of the pool. “Here's what we know.”

Caitlyn was interrupted by the sound of wheels. Vi was rolling Caitlyn's office chair from behind the desk, then stopped it directly under Caitlyn's arse. Caitlyn sighed, wondering how to get out of this even though Vi hadn't said a single word to her, simply moved a chair—

Jayce put his hands on her shoulders and politely pushed her into the chair.

Caitlyn glared up at him while readjusting her robe over her bare thighs. She suddenly wished she'd spared a moment to shower or put pants on. Or brush her hair.

Huh. Caitlyn rolled her chair to the other side of the desk, careful not to run over Vi's feet, and pulled a neon orange child-sized hairbrush out of the junk drawer. She rolled on the chair to the centre of the board and pointed at the biggest picture: the mysterious blue device.

“This was found connected to the equipment in Jinx's lab,” she presented mostly to Vi. “I believe it's the lynchpin of this operation.”

She pointed with the orange brush to the map she'd printed out, where their disaster at the COVID clinic was circled. “The amount of shimmer we found was massive for a single location, and completely unheard of on this side of the river. Assuming it was all made there, by the same equipment, for the first time ever—”

Vi snatched the brush from her after the second time she nearly smacked her in the face with it. Caitlyn sniffed at her, but continued her practised speech. With all the Caribel and Baby drama, she missed simpler times talking about drug dealers.

“My theory is that this device was integral in the production process. So, Jayce, tell us. What the bloody hell is it?”

Jayce sighed, inspecting her cork board seriously. After a moment he trudged to the chair opposite her desk, and sat heavily on it. “There's something you left out, Caitlyn.”

Caitlyn's heart leaped, and she rolled over to him. Did she get something wrong? Vi yelped and jumped after Caitlyn, as she was attached to her hair.

She was brushing it. Huh. How long had Vi been gently brushing her hair? What the hell?

Before she got to the bottom of that, Jayce's head dropped, chin on his fist. She was practically on the edge of her seat, Vi on her like a pink shadow.

Then Jayce looked up and smirked at Vi, cutting the tension at once. “Are you single?”

“Oh my god, Jayce!” Caitlyn snapped, leaning over the desk to slap his shoulder weakly.

Mortifyingly, Vi was chuckling behind her. “I mean, you're a pretty boy, but I don't think we're compatible.”

“The reason I'm asking is—”

“Irrelevant!” Caitlyn decreed. “I already told you I'm not going to date anyone while I'm pregnant.”

“You're not?” Vi mumbled behind her, and thank God Caitlyn couldn't see her face.

“Of course not. Pregnant women are crazy. Now can we focus please? What is it?”

Jayce leaned back in her chair, growing serious again. “It's a very mini Energy Recovery Device. They're typically used for energy efficiency during Reverse Osmosis processes when desalinating water, but this one has been modified to de-something a completely different substance.”

Before Caitlyn could get more excited (and Vi could get more bored), Jayce sighed and added, “It's a dead end.”

“Why? Surely you traced the manufacturer of the mini thing by now.” The piece of irrefutable evidence Ekko couldn't find for her.

“We surely did. Shoola Labs. They're using the mini things to make mini water bars for Zaun kitchens. And apparently, their prototype was stolen a few weeks ago.”

Caitlyn blinked at the board, processing the information. Weeks. It had been weeks since Zeri went missing, going from spy to dealer to lab rat if Jinx had been listing chronologically.

Jinx. The monkey. Vi.

Caitlyn shot to her feet, grabbing one of Bee's dinosaur-themed post-its and writing SHOOLA LABS THEFT on it. She stuck it on the murder board victoriously.

Jayce coughed. “Dead end.”

Caitlyn glared at him over her shoulder. His face led her to conclude: “Local PD closed the case.”

He simply nodded. “The report Marcus gave us is… very short, but apparently soon after Shoola Labs reported the theft, an arrest was made, and the alleged thief had destroyed the device.”

“Well, obviously they hadn't!” Vi snapped, waving her fist towards the picture of the not-destroyed ERD.

“Yes. But they won't reopen the case because the thief is apparently a material witness in another case. So it's a—”

“Dead end, we heard,” Vi cut him off. “f*cking cops, Jesus.”

“Hey, I'm a f*cking cop,” Jayce said harshly.

Not as harshly as the look Vi gave him, though, suddenly radiating tension. “You're lucky I'm ignoring that right now.”

“Yeah, right. Why don't you give your sister a call and just ask her about the device?”

Caitlyn clapped her hands loudly, like she would when Bee and Noémie got in an academic debate. “Jayce, it could be a cover-up.”

She looked at the newest post-it again, calculating. A theft without a thief. Or perhaps Shoola Labs themselves were more interested in profit than clean water. God forbid Zaunites could drink from their own bloody sinks.

Caitlyn's eyes trailed up to the picture of Vi's sister. “Ekko didn't hear anything about a heist of this size, which means it was either Silco’s initiative or—”

“Wait, when did you talk to Ekko?” Vi asked, narrowing her eyes at her.

Caitlyn flipped her hair haughtily. “He was my source before he was your babysitter.”

“Did he… say anything… about me?” she mumbled, clearly hoping Caitlyn would say no.

Some chick was mindf*cking her were Ekko's precise words, but Caitlyn was not going to bring it up. Too gay and complicated. It would be simpler to focus on the mini energy recovery device of the reverse osmosis processes for desalination.

Ignoring Vi, she asked Jayce, “If you can't tie Silco to the device, can you tie him to the lab?”

“No. We only arrested low-level guys.”

“Say that to my new scar,” Vi grumbled, lifting her shoulder to loosen up the straps of her overall, so if someone were looking at her body they would've seen her scarred, naked side. “What about Sevika? Cait took pictures of the ugly bitch, and everyone knows she's Silco's pet.”

“She wasn't at the scene,” Caitlyn answered.

Jayce added, “And nobody turned on her. Of course, some of them took brass knuckles to the mouth, so they couldn't speak even if they wanted to.”

Vi became very interested in her fingernails.

“Marcus would silence anyone who could turn on Sevika. It's what they pay him for,” Caitlyn spat, close to despair. It was just like the first time she found Jinx's lab and it literally blew up in her face, along with Ekko's close friends.

“Can't we take out this Marcus guy?” Vi asked simply. “If everyone knows he's dirty?”

Caitlyn sighed. “I've been trying to get proof for years. His precinct is too tight-knit, no one would give him up.”

“Sure, the precinct is, but what about the streets? Where I grew up, you couldn't throw a stone without hitting someone who's been police-brutality’d.”

“Brutalisized,” Jayce corrected. “And those people generally don't talk to feds.

“Brutalized,” Vi corrected back, throwing her chin up. “And those people would talk to Cupcake.”

Caitlyn bit her lip, not sure Jayce needed to know about their private steamy nickname. “I thought I had resting cop face.”

“Oh let's be clear, I'm gonna be the face,” Vi pointed at said beautiful specimen. “But you can do the detectiving.”

“That’s why I came, Caity,” Jayce said. “When I realized the weak link is Marcus, I knew I needed your help.”

Caitlyn smirked at him. “What happened to no fieldwork while I'm pregnant?”

He smirked back. “What happened to having muscle?”

Caitlyn felt Vi beam without even seeing her. “Is that me? I mean, obviously. I'll take care of everything, Cupcake, don't sweat it.”

Suddenly both of them were looking at Caitlyn. Brown and blue puppy eyes, pleading for her to agree. Interviewing/interrogating who-knew-how-many Zaunites who were f*cked over by police sounded less exciting than starting a gunfight in a traphouse, but bringing Marcus to justice was something Caitlyn dreamed about.

So Vi and Jayce were basically begging her to do something she’d always wanted to do anyway. But the difference was, she had someone she could trust. She had a partner.

She looked at Vi and smiled. “You'll have to reconfigure the murder board.”

Vi smiled. “Duh. The board's my bitch.”

“And you'll have to arrange a business meeting with Ekko.”

“That kid’s even more my bitch than the board.”

Jayce elbowed Caitlyn and whispered in her ear, “Don't forget two sleepovers.”

Vi was already nodding. “I'm not a hot French chick, but I could step in for Noémie whenever.”

Oh god. In all the excitement today, she'd forgotten about Noémie flying away from her. Just the thought summoned a headache. Like blowing out a match, all of Caitlyn's higher thinking was puffed away.

She climbed out of her chair, until she found herself standing between Jayce and Vi, two people of radically different heights who automatically put a helping hand on her shoulder. She shrugged one of them off.

“I think it's time to shut down the pool party, don't you?”

*

When Jayce collected his kisses from “Junior” and went back to his car, Caitlyn expected Vi to follow in his footsteps. After all, she'd packed up her tools before going in the pool, and J was already dry enough to travel. But it seemed Vi had no intention of leaving.

They were currently whispering in the kitchen against the fridge while Bee held everyone else hostage in the dining room. She claimed she was doing a “presentation”, but if Caitlyn listened, she'd hear that Caribel was trying to teach them a very complicated dance.

Caitlyn was flabbergasted by what Vi had just said.

“Out of the question,” she told Vi, hands on her round hips. “You've done more than enough for me today.”

Vi rolled her eyes. “Just because you're hot doesn't mean everything's about you, Topside. I promised Les Misérables out there I'll fix ‘em dinner.”

“You did?” Caitlyn hissed, instantly resenting that there had been conversations in the world that she didn't know about.

Unbothered, Vi flicked her hair out of her eyes, putting a dramatic hand over her heart. “I know, right? I'm pretty and I cook? If only pregnant women weren’t crazy.”

Caitlyn gave her a tiny kick, but there was only so much she was willing to argue. The last time Vi had cooked her dinner, it was the most comforting bowl of soup she'd ever had in her life. “Are you sure?”

Vi gave her a much more genuine smile. “Yup. And since you're in an agreeing mood, I wanna try talking to Bee about the baby, if you don't mind.”

“Oh…” Caitlyn bit her lip, not sure how to explain that her precious baby girl was also a rage monster these days. “She, um. Sometimes she can be, uh, assertive.”

“That's like my middle name.”

“Violence Assertive?”

Vi slapped her palm on her forehead. “Oh my god, Ekko's spreading that sh*t again? It's Violet.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “I knew that.”

“You did? Huh, I don't remember us talking about it.”

Her face suddenly felt red hot. She couldn’t casually say I've done three background checks on you without sounding deranged. Plus, there was a chance Vi was bluffing. For the second time today, Caitlyn was forced to pivot.

“Fine,” she said firmly, then tucked her hands in her robe pockets, drawing the fabric taut over her breasts, still lifted nicely by her bikini underneath. This was a part of her pivot. “If you insist on cooking and keeping everyone alive on your own, I shall take a bath.”

As expected, Vi got very flustered, practically fighting to keep her eyes on Caitlyn’s face. But she didn’t back down. “Sounds good. But what’s my margin of error? Like, if I only keep 80% alive, would you still take a bath?”

Caitlyn almost laughed. “Depends on who we’re sacrificing.”

She pushed Vi back to escape her refrigerated cage, and swished her hair as she left the kitchen, clumsily picking her way through Bee’s collapsed fort. Before she quite made it upstairs, Vi cupped two hands over her mouth and hollered, “Shortcake, you’re in charge of the stove! Honey, you’re on knives! What do we know about French cooking?”

Predictably, Caitlyn stopped in her tracks and gazed down the stairs, finding Vi smirking directly at her. Knowing she couldn’t take a Vi wink in her current condition, she hurried upstairs without comment.

*

Caitlyn hadn’t taken a bath by herself in probably six years, so she was determined to turn this into a grand production. First, Googling (1) bath salts pregnant, (2) bath temperature pregnant, (3) bath duration pregnant, (4) dinner pregnant, (5) best ben and jerrys flavour home delivery. Then, scrubbing herself in the shower to get rid of imaginary pool water. Then, the accoutrements: incense, candles, a dry face towel, a wet face towel, a body towel on the towel warmer, a pillow, and waterproof Bluetooth speakers playing Harry Styles.

Then she got in, aimed the shower head just right, and moaned Vi's name.

Her eyes closed and Vi was on top of her in a red bikini, anchoring her body under the warm water. Caitlyn's hips twisted and she thought about Vi grabbing her in the pool, grabbing her now, squeezing her and doing everything the quirk of her scarred lip always promised to do to her.

It came down to Vi’s hands. Larger than even Caitlyn's, rough and calloused and deadly in brass knuckles, but also gentle, capable of the finest art and of building Caitlyn's baby’s furniture. Caitlyn rarely let other adults touch her, but in this moment she thought she couldn't live without it anymore.

Her body remembered almost every time Vi's glorious hands were on her. She gasped for each one: the posh club, ah, the pool, oh, her kitchen on her knees Vi smelling like a fight telling her come here you're not alone—

As soon as the water hit Caitlyn’s cl*t she started convulsing in bliss. She felt like she could float away to Vi’s strong arms. She found her lower lip caught hard between her teeth, hopefully obstructing the sounds coming out of her.

Her eyes squeezed shut to picture Vi's clear gaze and her sexy new haircut. There was nothing else she could possibly think about.

Caitlyn slammed her thighs together over the showerhead and came hard this time, like earlier was just the promo. So hard, in fact, that it triggered some kind of unfortunate post-nut clarity.

A different, rational part of her was reeling along with the rest of her. Something was waking up inside. It was like a distant door that wouldn't stop banging, like knowing she should make something with the lettuce before it spoiled, like climate change, like everything Caitlyn buried deep and avoided.

If this bath were a murder board, Caitlyn had just pinned the latest irrefutable evidence. She had an inconvenient, massive crush on Violence Assertive Last Name.

f*ck.

*

Caitlyn was floating on air when she left her steamy ensuite, hair already brushed methodically. She might have been happily humming as, skipping her sweatpants pile, she got into a maroon maxi dress that was tight on the bust but flowy on her baby bump and legs. She felt like a goddess of fertility when she sauntered out of her bedroom, practically skipping downstairs.

Then she got into the kitchen and actually saw Vi, and the anxiety she should have felt before hit her like a bulldozer.

There was a reason why people didn't think about the lettuce in the back of the veggie drawer or the ice caps melting. It made them feel impossibly helpless.

Caitlyn wasn't a bad detective, she knew Vi was attractive from the moment she saw her. That was easy. Being attracted to her? That was not as planned. That was a human attachment that she was not ready for. That was—

Vi noticed her immediately. She had a little tomato sauce on her chin when she smiled at Caitlyn and said, “Looking good, babe. Had a relaxing bath?”

Caitlyn’s brain was sending distress signals everywhere. What on Earth was she supposed to say to this woman, after getting herself off thinking about her hands? Less than 12 hours after saying she wasn't dating?

J ran in at this point, saving her. “Mom mom mom, can I have your sketchbook?”

Vi tore her gaze from Caitlyn and blinked at her kid. “Where's your sketchbook?”

“I… forgot it.”

Vi slung a towel over her shoulder and put her hands on her hips. “Forgot it or lost it?”

J wrung their hands. “Depends on if it's in the car?”

Vi bit back a smile. “Well, did you ask your nerd friend for a notebook?”

“But I don't want to note, I want to sketch!”

Caitlyn, who had been in shock at the idea of Vi carrying a secret sketchbook around just like Caitlyn carried her Moleskines, snapped out of it and put her hand on J's shoulder.

“I'm sure we can find something suitable in the game room. I love stationery.”

She barely heard Vi whisper the word nerd, but she did hear J giggle.

I just masturbat*d to how hot their mom is.

Not even a minute after getting in the kitchen, Caitlyn turned tail and ran.

*

Dinner was a quiet affair. The kids were wiped out from swimming in the sun, and the French girls were wine-drunk. Caitlyn had her own reasons. For instance, when Vi plopped a dish of lasagna on the dinner table. She tore Caitlyn's oven mitts off of her hands with her teeth, and waved her fingers around like she'd just performed a magic trick.

Those hands. Caitlyn couldn't not notice them now, after all the irrefutable damage they'd done in her mind’s eye. She looked away, ears burning. She knew that if she so much as asked Vi for a plate, she risked asking Vi to pinch her nipples by mistake. So she ate wordlessly.

Honestly, Caitlyn stuffed herself like she hadn't eaten all day. She was always carb-hungry after sex, even when it was with herself.

Vi casually sat down next to her to tuck in. Three (3) times she left her arm draped over Caitlyn's backrest, and two and a half (2.5) times their knees knocked together. Seven (7) times Caitlyn thought she would choke on her food.

J was asleep on the couch before any of the adults even finished eating. Bee was also noticeably hazy, but she was forcing herself to stay awake and keep up with the women around her. Eventually, Noémie suggested that she go tuck Bee in. Vi stood up and offered to tuck her in herself.

Caitlyn held off for an impressive minute before she tiptoed upstairs to eavesdrop.

She leaned close to Caribel's door and heard Vi say, “Did she give you any advice on being a big sister?”

“No, she doesn't know anything,” Bee complained, probably about her.

“Well, did you know I'm a big sister?”

“Yes. Jayce said to mummy: your secret girlfriend is a jinx sister.”

Caitlyn nearly collapsed. She knew kids heard everything, but did her kid have to hear that?

Vi completely ignored this new information. “So anyway, I was your age when my mom told me I'm getting a little sister.”

Caitlyn knew from three background checks that Vi and Jinx were only 5 years apart, but Bee didn't. She sounded fascinated. “What did you tell her back?”

“I was like, pssh, hell no. This baby's getting all my old clothes and toys? What if I ain't done with them?”

“Yeah!”

“But then, Mom said I'm so lucky to have a little sister, because she's gonna worship me.”

Caitlyn leaned closer to the door, refusing to cry about Vi's dead mother and her own dead mother and the cycles they were both trying to break. She was not adding to the new-new-(feelings)-murder-board tonight.

“Worship?” Bee repeated.

“Oh yeah. That baby's gonna be obsessed with you. They'll wanna dress like you and eat what you eat and be friends with your friends. They're going to think you're the smartest, biggest girl ever.”

It was working. Bee whispered resolutely, “I am a big girl.”

“Exactly. You're a natural born leader, kid. Just like your mom and your grandma.”

Caitlyn covered a gasp. It made sense that Vi knew about Caitlyn's dead mum, as much as she hated it. Vi had to have Googled her to find the Iconic Blonde Pic from the princess's birthday. All roads lead to Cassandra Kiramman.

“What do leaders do?” Bee questioned.

“They're supposed to take care of their people.”

“The baby's… my people?”

“Yeah. And we should probably come up with a cuter nickname than Baby.”

“Like… Cakepop?”

Obviously, Caribel listened to her more than Caitlyn realised. She burst into the room and clapped lightly. “That's a wonderful example of a semantic field, darling. Well done.”

Vi nudged her hip when Caitlyn drew up to the tiny bed Bee was tucked into. The little girl’s hair was a mess for future Caitlyn to deal with. Her eyes were tired and adorable. Bee smiled proudly at Caitlyn. “I can name the baby?”

Caitlyn smiled back, low-key panicking. “You can nickname them, sweetheart. That's even more important, as you well know, Bumblebee.”

“Okay. Can Vi stay until I fall asleep?”

Caitlyn bit her lip and forced herself not to look at Vi in question. “No, darling, Vi has to get J home.”

Vi took her cue from there, leaning over the little bed to poke Bee's little nose. Her hip nudged Caitlyn again in the process. “That's true, Shortcake.”

“Oh. But we missed you.”

Vi looked down at Bee with enough affection to make Caitlyn weak in the knees. She was suddenly, randomly reminded of that form floating around the school about Bee's “father”. More evidence. Irrefutable.

“That's a very sweet thing to say, honey. Lucky for you, I'm gonna be around all the time from now on.”

“Are you now?” Caitlyn hissed, while Bee simply beamed.

“Good,” the girl chirped. “But don't touch my fort without permission.”

“You got it, little boss.”

The mums back away at the same time, shoulders bumping together. Caitlyn's cheeks were overheating the whole time they bumbled out of Bee's room, turning off the light behind them.

Caitlyn kept quiet as they descended the stairs. Vi heaped J on her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried them fully asleep to the car, much less gently than she carried Caitlyn to the chaise lounge earlier.

“So,” Caitlyn said when Vi was leaning on her car and simply looking goodbye. Caitlyn didn't stare at her hands lustfully, but she did blurt out, “Thanks for the handiwork today.”

Vi smiled like she hadn't even expected a thank you. “You're very welcome.”

“Bee, um, well,” she cleared her throat, “Obviously missed you.”

Vi looked down, shuffling backwards. “Listen, I know what you're thinking.”

Caitlyn bit her lip, fighting her instincts to say something awkwardly horny. “I doubt you do.”

“Cait. It was messed up that I ghosted you. Getting hurt is… hard for me.”

“I don't think anyone enjoys it,” Caitlyn quipped, hoping Vi might change subjects. She was experiencing way too many emotions for one day.

“I know that. I'm trying to… not run from my issues.”

Quite honestly, Caitlyn said, “That's my favourite workout, I reckon.”

Vi rolled her eyes. “That sounds like my kinda joke. Am I rubbing off on you, Cupcake?”

“Oh my god,” Caitlyn squealed, then covered her mouth in horror of the sound that came out of her. “Please leave the premises.”

“All right. See you soon, then.”

Caitlyn stiffened up. “Soon?”

“Yeah. Pick a day, we can go to Ekko's straight after school.”

“Right. The business meeting.”

“Yeah.”

Caitlyn wrapped her arms around herself, tapping her slippered foot. “Right.”

Vi leaned towards her for a moment, haltingly. “Are we gonna do a goodbye hug?”

Oh, no thanks, I just had an org*sm, was what she almost said. Obviously her brain was too overwhelmed to continue the conversation.

“No, but… We can hug soon, right?” she said instead, slightly like a challenge.

Vi nodded. “I promise, Cupcake.”

She took Caitlyn's hand, squeezed! It! With her own!, and slid into the driver's seat.

Alone at last.

Caitlyn didn't make sure she'd turned off all the lights or started the dishwasher. Not tonight. She went straight to bed, intending to stare at the ceiling and make the irrefutable refutable again.

It was too late, of course. She and her wand vibrator had a lot of catching up to do.

Chapter 16: Piltover's Finest

Chapter Text

Caitlyn was on top this time, grinding her hips lazily. They’d been doing this for a while, working up a sweat. Vi's pale eyes were glued to her curves, her red mouth opened on a sigh. So pretty. Vi was feminine except for the masculine parts, hard except for the soft parts, like some queer jigsaw puzzle conjured by Caitlyn's innermost cravings. Caitlyn wanted to ride her until she was spent.

Vi supported her shoulders for her, so her tummy didn't squish, but Vi was also roughly squeezing her breasts, and also handcuffed to her headboard.

It was only a fantasy, anyway. Vi's hands could be wherever Caitlyn bloody well liked them.

Caitlyn picked up the pace, perfectly envisioning Vi's firm stomach under her, those abs flexing and sweating between her thighs. The position was as far removed from reality as having real sex with Vi was, but in the fantasy, Caitlyn could spread her legs as far as she could in her gymnastics days.

Far enough to lean in and let Vi kiss her.

Before she started doing this twice a day, Caitlyn had been blissfully unaware of just how extensive her recollections of Vi's lips were. Damn her attention to detail. Damn Vi's full, scarred, stupid perfect mouth. Damn how much Caitlyn wanted it all over her.

f*ck.

When the waves crashed, she could feel Vi's lips fitting over hers, just once after a dozen almosts. The resulting org*sm was messy, Caitlyn moaning into her palm and squeezing her legs together tight.

After ascertaining that the wet streaks on the pillow she'd been humping weren't wee, Caitlyn collapsed in a sleepy heap. God, she was pathetic for indulging this fantasy.

She wrapped her silk robe tighter around herself. Caitlyn never got naked outside of the lockable ensuite. She was proven wise thirty seconds later, when her alarm went off to remind her to go pick up the kids. She took a deep breath, enjoying one more second of her org*smic haze before she had to turn her brain back on.

The thought process sounded like this: Vi Vi, Vi Vi Vi, oh sh*t the business meeting is today.

She thanked herself for laying out her outfit before giving into indulgences, a strapless yellow maxi dress this time. It meant she could spend more time making sure she didn't look freshly f*cked the first time she entered the Firelights complex in the Lanes.

Ekko had been the leader of the Firelights movement since she met him, but she never before received an invitation to their inner sanctum. The gated complex included one of the only well-cared-for buildings in that neighborhood, as well as Zaun’s only green park.

Vi's impeccably good nature was opening up quite a few doors for Caitlyn, it seemed.

Vi, Vi, Vi… J! Caribel!

Finally ready, with makeup and contact lenses, she went to trot downstairs but something caught her attention on the way. The nursery door was open.

With Noémie gone, the only one who could've opened it was Bee, after Caitlyn got busy with breakfast. Curious, Caitlyn pushed the door open all the way, and gasped when she looked inside.

After Vi playing handyman, and with the comeback of her libido, Caitlyn found the inner strength to finish unpacking the fort boxes and righting the nursery's feng shui. She made it spotless, mostly so she wouldn't have to even think about it until her due date.

Apparently, this morning, Caribel had taken it upon herself to trash the place.

Caitlyn cursed to herself and trotted downstairs with even more purpose. She was stewing in it the whole drive, not even the Spice Girls managing to cool her down.

The school bell rang, and Caribel and J came flying out the door holding hands. They both grinned when they spotted Caitlyn waiting for them, but Bee's face fell when she was close enough to see her mother’s expression.

Caitlyn smiled serenely at J and said, “Hello darling. Could you give Caribel and I a minute? Then I'll drive you to mommy.”

Caribel cringed and seemed to hold onto J's little hand for courage, but J was not likely to disobey Ms. Kiramman. At least that, Vi taught them right.

“Um, I'll just…” J trailed off, then toddled towards the rest of Mr. Ezreal's class. Bee looked down at her sparkly little shoes.

“Sweetheart, I noticed you went into the nursery this morning,” Caitlyn started, struggling to keep her tone neutral. “Did you forget to pick up after yourself again?”

Bee looked up and shook her head. Her expression went from embarrassed to resolute, like looking in a mirror. “I donuted them.”

“Pardon?”

Bee nodded quickly. “Cakepop is gonna need my clothes and toys. I figured I don't need all of mine. I'm a big girl anyway.”

Oh. This might have been the first time Bee said something kind about the baby, and as if on cue, Caitlyn was crying in the middle of the street. “Oh, darling. You don't have to donate your things. Baby—I mean, Cakepop will have their own clothes and toys.”

Please, you can stay my little baby princess.

Bee smiled at her, brave and serious. “It's okay to cry, mum. Feel your feelings.”

Caitlyn gave her a huge kiss, and then shuffled both her and J into the coupe.

Maybe the standstill with Bee would be tenuous, but one thing she was sure of: Bee or Vi were not naming this child.

*

The car ride to the community centre went through some sketchy streets, but nothing could shock Caitlyn after so many years of working here. She was focused on her destination, the only healthy tree for miles, and ignored J and Bee arguing loudly about the order they put their seatbelts on, and who got elbowed in the process. She might have to get a bigger car, once there were three of them.

She noticed Ekko waiting on the curb for them, and quickly parallel parked outside the gates of Firelights Community Hub. While she had her head turned over her shoulder, Vi materialised on the street. Caitlyn gulped.

She was wearing the red jacket Caitlyn had last seen covered in blood, as well as an oversized shirt tucked into cute white jeans. There was also a small child sitting on her shoulders, and a large dog panting at her feet.

Caitlyn's insides fluttered when she got out of the car, catching Vi's eye through her knock-off aviator sunglasses. She only glanced down at her lips, remembering today's unfortunate fantasy where she let Vi kiss her when she came. She looked up urgently, terrified of being caught.

Last time, they said they'd hug next time. Was it now?

Apparently not. Vi took off her sunglasses and wolf-whistled at Caitlyn like a ‘90s construction worker. Ekko pushed Vi's shoulder, not very mindful of the kid balancing on them. “Don't objectify her, man!”

Vi looked away from Caitlyn to give Ekko a wounded look. “She knows how hot she is!”

“Dude!” Ekko smacked Vi’s sturdy shoulder again, before Caitlyn could. “This sh*t is a safe space!”

Caitlyn was very tempted to torment Vi in front of her friend, but considering how she objectified Vi pretty much every chance she got, she didn't dare. “I'm quite touched by your concern, Ekko, but Vi and I have a nonverbal understanding.”

That was, sometimes Vi talked like a dumb panty-dropping jock, and sometimes Caitlyn basked in her magical butch gaze and felt like a human and not just a mum. So what? She didn't have to answer to anyone (but her pillowcases).

Caitlyn walked up to Vi, watching her eyes grow subtly wider the closer she got, then snapped her head up to smile at the kid. “Hello, little darling. Do you remember me?”

Mags turned her head, tumbling all the curls she inherited from her mother, Ellie, Vi's boss and a former client of Caitlyn's. She didn't seem to recognise Caitlyn, which was just as well—they met under quite traumatic circ*mstances. Caitlyn smiled at her encouragingly. “You know, Vi’s ears are very ticklish.”

“Hey—” Vi sputtered, a second before Mags decided to test her ears. Vi jumped. It was quite satisfying to watch Vi, who made lifting a third-grader look easy, struggle to keep Mags from wriggling off of her. With a glare at Caitlyn, Vi deposited Mags back on solid ground.

“Hello!” Bee said excitedly, coming up to the other little girl. “I'm Bee! What's your name?”

Mags whispered the answer so shyly that Vi stepped in. “Hey, Shortcake. Cool shoes.”

Caribel beamed, showing off her sparkly Elsa-themed shoes to Vi and Mags. “Are you here to play with us?”

“No honey,” Vi replied. “I'm here to play with your mom. But Stag’s been very excited to see you.”

“Truly?” Bee asked, looking the dog in the eye. They were the same height. “Mummy, can I play with him?”

Caitlyn looked at the road and passing cars behind them, and Vi got the message before she even said anything. “Inside the complex, behind the building, there’s a pretty cool dog park. Do you want Mags and J to show you?”

She said it to Bee, but her eyes were on Caitlyn, questioning if this was okay. Caitlyn bit her lip. She didn't want to leave Bee in a strange place without keeping an eye on her, but she didn't want to be controlling, nor put her foot in her mouth. “Um, is it fenced in?”

“Yeah, and Ellie's the mom on duty there right now.”

Caitlyn nodded, reassured. Bee squealed, realising she was getting permission to pet more dogs. Caitlyn preemptively took her hand before she ran off. They had a routine when they split up.

She pulled an old-fashioned walkie-talkie out of her bag and clipped it on Bee's belt loops. “Do you remember the signal?”

Bee nodded, patting the walkie-talkie. “Koala Bear.”

Vi laughed, mumbling to the adults, “That's my safeword too, what are the chances?”

Caitlyn ignored her, even if her blushing face didn't. “Show me.”

Bee rolled her eyes dramatically. “Mum, you know I know how to use it.”

“Caribel.”

Harrumphing the whole time, Bee pulled the walkie-talkie to her mouth and pressed the right button. “Koala Bear, over.”

Caitlyn nodded her approval. She hoped Vi and Ekko assumed they had this system for stranger danger, though in reality Caitlyn was often the one koala’ing so Bee would get her out of social interactions.

Within a second, the kids and dog were gone, whisked away through the gates of the complex.

Vi laughed again, shaking her head. She pointed at the gates and told Caitlyn, “Ladies first.”

Tearing her eyes away from Vi's hand, Caitlyn opened the gate and then almost immediately fell on Vi when two teenagers raced outside with their skateboards under their arms.

Heart thumping, Caitlyn felt Vi's chest against her back and wanted the ground to swallow her. Squeaking like the gate itself, she overcorrected to escape Vi, and tripped a little over a cobblestone.

Ekko was staring the whole time. “You're giving off all kindsa vibes,” he remarked. “Did you hit it?”

Vi spluttered like a fool, but Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “We're here on business, Little Man.”

“Sure,” Ekko said, but his eyes were still annoyingly twinkling. “Let’s go to my office, then.”

When Caitlyn finally looked around the hub, she tried her hardest not to let her shock show. Against all odds, in the smog and soot of the Lanes, she was looking at an actual park.

It seemed like the park grew the community centre, and not the other way around. The fenced in dog park, the children's playground equipment, even the hub's building itself were all skewed on uneven ground. Every manmade thing seemed precarious, but only so it wouldn't interrupt the precious trees and shrubs that predated it.

“Ekko, this is incredible,” she assessed, drifting on the path to the building.

“It’s what happens when people work together.”

Inside, the building was rustic and unique. It reminded her of Vi's refurbished sectional that could put anyone to sleep. Ekko pointed to every door they passed as they climbed up to his office, rattling on about the classrooms.

Apparently there was a rotation of classes every day, from kids’ origami to adult GED prep. Caitlyn slowed down to peek through a windowed door. It was a little studio, where ten kids of varying ages were doing yoga. “Can the parents afford all these classes?”

“What parents?” Ekko asked sharply.

Caitlyn's eyes shuttered closed. So Vi hadn't meant mom on duty, she meant on-duty mom. “Oh.”

It all made Caitlyn feel… tiny. Was she wasting her time and resources in her solo pursuit of justice? Why had she never asked what she could do to help Zaun, rather than doing her schemes?

They carried on.

A room for a social worker that came too rarely, a room for an addiction specialist that came too often. A community kitchen, a community garden, more child-friendly spaces.

What happened when people worked together.

*

“So you're looking for people who got set up by cops?” Ekko clarified, already opening his laptop. They were in his office, Caitlyn collapsed in a chair and Vi fiddling with a novelty skateboard mounted on the wall.

“Basically,” she agreed.

“All right. Go to the park, throw a rock in any direction.”

Vi snorted, the side of her mouth tugging up. “That's what I said. But we're looking for someone specific.”

Ekko hummed and guessed, “Like someone who went down for stealing a bright blue thing you found? I already told Caitlyn, I don't know anything about that.”

“No, but you can spread the word that we're trying to stop police corruption,” Caitlyn said.

“Nah, that makes it sound like we're white guys making a podcast,” Vi protested. “Tell them we're hot, muscular single moms.”

“That is not how I identify!” Caitlyn sputtered, shocked by how similar to Jayce's description of Vi that was.

“Caitlyn, come on, don't you wanna catch this guy?”

“Well, not necessarily,” Caitlyn corrected, though that was definitely the goal. But thinking of her fellow orphans downstairs, thinking of the apple-sized organism swimming around in her uterus, she found herself saying, “Anyone who wants to talk to us should get a chance to.”

Vi flicked one of the wheels of the skateboard, raising an eyebrow at Caitlyn. “We told Jayce we'd get him Marcus. It's already on the murder board.”

“We can put pressure on Marcus even without solving the mystery.” Before Vi argued again, Caitlyn stuck out her chin and said, “I won't turn away anyone who suffered injustice. And I certainly won't throw rocks at them.”

Vi and Ekko exchanged a long look that made Caitlyn feel left out. “Cait,” Vi started gently. “That's, like… a lot of people. Even me. Don't you think that's beside the point?”

Caitlyn was confused about a lot of things at the moment. Her feelings for Baby, and for Caribel, and for Vi. Her body becoming more and more unpredictable. The concept of putting skateboards on office walls. But she was not, and never had been, confused about her purpose.

Incensed, Caitlyn stood up abruptly. Before she knew it, she was in Vi’s face. It seemed more important than anything for Vi to listen when she said: “It is the very point, Violet. You.”

Vi blinked at her in shock, so Caitlyn added, “You in the Undercity, I mean. I got into this business to help the disenfranchised, to make things right. Sometimes you need to say, ‘screw the murder board.’”

Vi blinked again, like Caitlyn was speaking in a different language. Caitlyn's high heels forced Vi to look up, which forced the lamplight into her clear eyes. Don't look at her mouth.

Ekko coughed. “Okay, non-white white savior. Interviewing poor sumprats in your office with Fat Hands was really what you imagined for your retirement?”

Caitlyn immediately shook her head. The last time she was in her office, she stared at Vi's thirst trap on the murder board and imagined sitting on her face and having her arse grabbed by strong hands. She would not be taking meetings there. “Surely people would feel more comfortable being interviewed here.”

Somehow her pen was in her hand, and she started jotting down notes fervently. Release forms, audio equipment for chronicling, fact checking, bringing cases to the lawyer she cooperated with when she helped Ellie—what was his name? Vic? Viktor?

Ekko's voice penetrated her thoughts at some point: “—damn, she really is a workaholic.”

Honestly, Caitlyn had to find something to do with her time or she'd keep putting her hands down her pants thinking of beefy arms and puppy eyes.

Then Vi's voice: “She's amazing.”

Caitlyn snapped her notebook shut, giving them both a determined look. She felt more energized than she had in a while. “Shall we start today?”

Ekko rolled his eyes. “Do I need to remind you about your own damn kids?”

Caitlyn bit her lip. “They can join the yoga class downstairs, can't they?”

“Yoga's definitely over by now,” Ekko informed her. “You think your princess would like mini martial arts?”

“Hey, Bee's scrappy as hell,” Vi countered. “And she could definitely use some focus and confidence.”

Not to mention let out some evil energy. “Exactly,” Caitlyn agreed. “She would do anything to be more like Vi.”

“Aw, really?”

Ekko, who clearly wasn't sold on the idea, looked at Vi in betrayal. “You know, since yoga's over, I bet Evelynn would love to get in on your white guy podcast.”

Vi paled and her head whipped to the floor. Quite suspiciously, Caitlyn asked, “Is that the yoga teacher?”

“Yeah. And Vi's hitting that.”

“Ekko, shut up, Jesus,” Vi huffed, kicking her foot up on the wall behind her.

“What? Everyone knows you go for blondes.”

“Oh my god, now who's objectifying Cait? You've seen her blonde pics.”

“Uh, no? I ain't a gay mess like you.”

Caitlyn heard them bicker, but she wasn't listening, ears suddenly muffled. A cruel realisation was ricocheting in her skull: she was not the only woman basking in Vi's butch gaze.

Vi wouldn't shut up about her online profiles. Vi f*cked around. Vi wasn't serious about girls. Vi was ready to leave the country with Jinx. Vi overpromised.

For how tall she was, Caitlyn felt infinitely small. She flipped her hair and crossed her arms. “Wonderful, use that personal connection. I'll get the kids onboard, Ekko will find us space. Chop chop.”

*

One chop chop later, Caitlyn was standing in front of the children's library door.

Vi had just stuck a new sign on it demarking: the sheriff's office.

Caitlyn was not impressed. “Are you sure we won't interrupt the library's functions?”

Vi laughed. “How will we keep the children away from the library? The only thing they like more than books is broccoli, right?”

Caitlyn scoffed, thoroughly offended. She spent a lot of her childhood alone in a library. She stuck her hand out, pointing at Stag sitting between them. “But does the dog have to be here?”

“Duh. We're asking people to talk about painful memories, they're gonna need a dog. He's a service animal.”

“He… is?” Caitlyn arched an eyebrow at the panting mutt. She had never seen him as more than a slobbering chaos creature.

“Yeah. I got him for J to feel safe after… you know. They grew up together. Stag knows how to comfort people.” Vi was on one knee in a second, vigorously petting him. “Don't you, buddy? We both got more than meets the eye, huh, buddy?”

Caitlyn looked down at the display, and she couldn't help but notice the similarities in their toothy smiles. She also couldn't process the sight of Vi on her knees under her, or it would be another sleepless night.

She opened the library door and stepped right over her. Then, she fussed.

Would it be appropriate to talk in the nook or by a desk? Should she write or record? What was she even asking? What if they felt interrogated? Should she have dressed more professionally?

God, what was she thinking, wearing a dress just to bait Vi?

She jumped midair when she felt something touch her hair. While she was in her guilt loop, Vi had come up behind her and placed something on her head. She reached up to grab it before it fell.

A top hat.

She twirled around to shout at Vi, only to be struck dumb when she saw her. Vi was wearing orange cat ears and grinning like an adorable fool. The headband pushed her fringe back, so her pretty face was open.

“Cute,” Caitlyn accused, hoping she didn't look as starry-eyed as she felt.

“Right?” Vi was leaning back, but her body was close enough for Caitlyn to feel. She pointed behind her at a chest. “Dope storytime props.”

Caitlyn took a big step back and looked down at the top hat in her hands. For no reason at all, she whispered, “Did you know the Zaun mums at school still call me Topside Nose? Ever since the bleach business?”

She bit her lip, immediately embarrassed by her own vulnerability. What was even the problem? She deserved to be called that.

“Hey.” Vi reached under Caitlyn's chin and tilted her face up. “No doubt you're intimidating as hell, but everyone can see you're using your powers for good. Even Zaun moms.”

Caitlyn looked into Vi's pale eyes through her lashes. “You're a Zaun mum.”

Vi’s grin softened a little, crooked mouth falling open. She reached up slowly, and Caitlyn's eyes closed, sure Vi would touch her hair. Instead, she put something else on her head.

When Caitlyn peeked up, she saw the white tips of two long bunny ears. Her cheeks got uncomfortably warm. “This mom thinks you're cute as hell, Cupcake,” Vi claimed, gently fixing Caitlyn's hair around her new headband.

“You said you'd hug me, next time,” she blurted, sounding awfully like a petulant Caribel.

Vi didn't need any further prompting. Though she was the shorter one, Vi threw her arms around Caitlyn's neck, offering an almost protective hold around her shoulders. A hold that said, you're doing something right and I'm here for you.

f*ck. Caitlyn was hoping it wouldn't feel this good. Unrestrained, she closed her eyes and buried her Topsider nose in Vi's hair, smelling it and possibly sighing. Yes. They both sighed in contentment at the same time. Then they laughed when their headbands tangled together and dove off to the floor.

Caitlyn's heart was galloping when they separated, biting down on a smile with all her might. A dozen and one almosts.

Someone cleared their throat, and Caitlyn nearly screeched, turning around. There was a third woman in the library, and Caitlyn had no idea how long she'd been standing there. Some detective she was.

“Hey babe,” Vi greeted the newcomer, sidestepping the fallen kitty ears and casually giving away her hugs again. “Cute skirt. Putting the hot in hot yoga.”

To be fair, the woman was incredibly beautiful, in a young and glossy K-Pop star way. Long, straight blonde hair, cateye sharp enough to kill a man, a silvery crop top, a leather skirt.

“Damn, stud, you always got a corny line ready?” the woman chuckled, kissing Vi on both cheeks.

“She truly does,” Caitlyn agreed wryly. “You must be Evelynn.”

Caitlyn recognised her as a waitress in one of the bars she took clients to when they needed a loud place to speak. Evelynn obviously didn't recognise her back. “That I am. I gotta say, I thought Vi was doing a podcast with a white guy, not an Asian gay.”

Vi coughed loudly, maybe to cover Caitlyn's guffaw. “This is Caitlyn, she's my…”

She hesitated for too long. Caitlyn cut in, “I'm a retired private investigator, not a podcaster. Would you like a seat?”

Evelynn assessed her for a long, almost nerve wracking moment, and then sat down on the couch, crossing her legs when her miniskirt rode up.

Nook it was. Caitlyn dragged two chairs in front of the couch, and Stag loyally settled at her feet as soon as she sat down herself. Evelynn lost some of her lethal sharpness when she looked at the happiest dog in the world, petting his ears. Fine, maybe Vi had good ideas sometimes.

“First, I want to make sure you understand why you're here,” Caitlyn started, calculated. “We are gathering testimonies against Captain Marcus Dover and the precinct he runs, in order to prove they've been protecting the drug trade more than they ever protected Zaun's citizens.”

Surprise lit Evelynn’s eyes. Before she could say what was so clearly running through her mind, Caitlyn added, “I am not a cop, a lawyer nor a journalist, though I'm sure I look like I'm all those things.”

“Plus Asian gay,” Vi added helpfully.

Evelynn laughed. “If V vouches for you, I'm in.”

That was good to hear, though Caitlyn personally thought Vee was a cringy nickname for Vi.

“But are we, like, on the record? Could I get in trouble?”

Vi answered that one, with her reassuring soulful eyes. “The idea is to find patterns of false arrests and use them to pressure Marcus. He's the only one we're exposing. I'm not gonna let anyone harass you, honey.”

Evelynn thought about it, humming to herself. She looked everywhere but at them, until her eyes settled on Stag and stayed there. “So I just talk, and you…”

“Listen.”

“I don't know how interesting my story is, it's not like I got beat.”

Caitlyn's fingers curled into angry, righteous fists. She wanted to rant about institutional victimisation and corruption, topics she dedicated her life to, but Vi simply said, “I'm listening,” and maybe that was enough.

Somehow, Caitlyn's pen was already writing on her Moleskine when Evelynn began telling her tale. A date, a time, an address.

It was a summer night, and Evelynn was driving to work in the Lanes when she was pulled over. The policeman didn't give a reason why, or a choice but to hand over her licence and registration.

Evelynn described the quiet terror of being scrutinised, of waiting to be asked to get out of the car and possibly assaulted. “All my papers are from before I transitioned,” Evelynn explained. “So now this guy's convinced I jacked some hot dude's car.”

So on that summer night, Evelynn was arrested for stealing her own car.

“Did the cop have a mustache?” Vi asked.

“Not the one that pulled me over. But there was someone pretty gross at the station.” She leaned down to pet the dog again, like she was trying to dissociate even as she recollected. “Yeah, he had a mustache. He's the one who started going about finding drugs in my car.”

Caitlyn's pen almost drilled a hole in her notebook. “What drugs?”

“Who cares? There weren't any drugs. And I know, I know every bastard who ever got caught for possession said the drugs were planted on ‘em, but—”

“Oh, no, I believe you completely,” Caitlyn assured her in a clipped voice. “But if you can remember what he said, it might be helpful.”

Evelynn looked at her for so long that Caitlyn forgot to breathe, until she nodded in approval. “Of course I remember. It was Shimmer. Like I'd touch that sh*t. Pills, sure, powder when I can afford it, but not Shimmer. That sh*t killed my older brother.”

Caitlyn felt like she was pierced with an arrow. Evelynn's glossy hair, the cute skirt, the perfect makeup. Caitlyn reassembled it all around that grief, the trauma all three of them shared.

Vi's instinct, of course, was to comfort her, not analyze her. “sh*t, I'm sorry honey,” she said roughly, leaning over to squeeze Evelynn's hand. Evelynn squeezed back.

“It's… it was a long time ago. The chembarons recruited him before he even turned twelve.”

Vi sighed. Caitlyn watched her thumb pass over Evelynn’s knuckles, once, twice, thrice. “My baby sister… I think that happened to her, too. I think she was fifteen.”

Caitlyn tried not to scowl. Jinx wasn't a baby, she was a recruiter herself, a pusher, a gangster.

But both of them could be right at the same time.

And if Caitlyn were honest, she thought about Vi a lot more often than she thought about Jinx nowadays. So she didn't argue, and didn't scowl, and instead slipped her hand over Vi's free one under the table. Squeezing it once, twice, thrice.

Evelynn's phone cut the tension by ringing, and all three of them withdrew their hands to themselves. She pulled her phone out of her purse and turned off the ringer, looking at them apologetically. “That's my mom. Are we done here?”

Caitlyn scanned over her notes in seconds, but couldn't think of any follow-up questions that wouldn't be invasive. She reached into her own purse and passed over her card. “If you know anyone who might help our cause, do give them my number.”

Vi cleared her throat. “She means to say, thanks a lot. I know how hard it is to talk about this sh*t.”

Evelynn smirked suddenly. “It's never hard to talk to you, V. Are you busy tonight?”

Vi cleared her throat again, but it was a lot more awkward this time. Or maybe Caitlyn's ears were just full of steam. It didn't make sense that she waited for the answer more eagerly than the one who posed the question.

“Uh, oh, yeah, sorry,” Vi mumbled, running a hand over her side-shave, scratching her nose, fidgeting. Entirely different from the girl who talked about hot yoga. Maybe Vi’s charm simply activated when she saw a woman, an unconscious flirt. She was certainly self-conscious now.

Evelynn arched a perfect, sexy eyebrow. “Well, are you busy after you're busy? Because if I remember correctly, we had a very good time getting busy—”

Vi jumped out of her seat, chuckling even more awkwardly. “Why don't I walk you out and you call your mom back?”

Despite having just wrapped up a very sensitive, painful interview, now was when Evelynn glanced at Caitlyn suspiciously. “Huh.”

Caitlyn wasn't aware of her own smug smile until she wiped it off. “Huh.”

Vi basically carted Evelynn out, while Caitlyn remained with Stag and started clearing up what little mess they made of the nook.

What were they talking about that they had to leave? Were they making plans after all? Would it interfere with the case? Would it be better than a dozen almosts? Would it make it immoral to go home and have another wank to Vi's shoulder muscles?

Enough was enough. She pulled out her walkie-talkie and pressed the button. “Bumblebee? Over.”

She heard crackling before Bee answered. “Mummy? Over.”

“Get ready to leave, darling. Over.”

“But mum! Is a koala bear asking?”

Busted. Caitlyn huffed, but before she could say anything snappy, Vi reentered the library with a trepid shuffle.

She was red-faced but Caitlyn didn't see any lipstick stains on her. She considered that good enough, but Vi came up to her with a very solemn expression.

“By the way,” she said, not casually at all, glancing at Caitlyn's stomach area, “I told her I'm, y’know, busy for the foreseeable future. It was just physical between us, anyway.”

“Oooh,” Bee commented, high-pitched and giggly, and Caitlyn realised her thumb was still on the talk button.

Caitlyn’s eyes shot up to the ceiling, not sure how to handle it right now. It was good, of course, that Vi wasn't sleeping with their only witness so far. That was what Caitlyn cared about.

“I should hope so,” Caitlyn said, desperately trying to sound haughty. “I don't see any metaphysical use coming out of you.”

Finally, the weird, awkward version of Vi melted away, and she gave Caitlyn a co*cky sideways smile. “Damn. You'd think I'd prefer hanging out with the girl who makes me feel hot, not the girl who makes me feel dumb.”

“Hanging out?” Caitlyn hip-checked Vi. “We're busy working a case, deputy.”

“All right, sheriff. Pretty good start, right? I mean, I didn't get stabbed this time.”

“And I didn't shoot anyone,” Caitlyn agreed. “We should identify who did the arresting, and check the date she gave us for anything extraordinary. Oh, f*ck! I didn't ask her about the blue device! Oh, how could I be so—”

Vi put an arm around her shoulder, herding her towards the door. “Easy now. We know where to find her. But right now, I think mini martial arts should be over. Think the kids got in trouble?”

Caitlyn sighed, successfully distracted. “She’s always hyper after exercising. I'm not looking forward to the drive home.”

“Why don't you have dinner with us, then? We're only two blocks away.”

Caitlyn peeked at Vi from the corner of her eye, as they both moved towards the stairwell with Stag zipping ahead. “I thought you were busy?”

“I am,” Vi agreed. “But am I busy with pizza or stir-fry?”

Caitlyn hummed, that smugness returning. “Pizza.”

“That's my girl.”

She was confused about a lot of things at the moment. Her feelings for Baby, and for Caribel, and for Vi. Her saying screw the murder board out loud. But, for once in her life, she was willing to indulge the fantasy of togetherness.

What happened when people worked together.

Chapter 17: Pillow Princesses

Chapter Text

At the age of 10, Caitlyn became a woman. She was in science class, where she always had a front row seat, and suddenly felt a cramp. Convinced she was dying, Caitlyn's little hand shot up practically under the teacher's nose, and she was excused.

In the loo, as soon as she saw blood, she panicked. There was some information about the menstrual cycle floating around in her brain, but it had been filed under for when you're older, and besides, there was blood and pain.

She stuffed her underwear with toilet paper, but it was too late for her white skirt. She ran as fast as she could to the front office, skidding to a stop in front of Martha.

“What's wrong, pet?” Martha asked, wide-eyed.

“I need my mum to pick me up. I'm dying.”

In slow motion, Martha's eyes trailed down to Caitlyn's stained white skirt, and she had the audacity to smile. “Oh love, you're not dying. You're a woman now! That's excitin’!”

The words knocked around her little brain for a long moment. A woman.

Caitlyn was a sensible person, logical to a fault. She knew she was a girl, and assumed that when she got old enough she would magically turn into a woman like her mum. She'd get assigned a job and a husband and a house and a purpose. She'd be busy and important and miserable.

A woman. Caitlyn was blinking back tiny tears at this point.

Martha was still smiling. “Nurse Kane has everything you need in her office, and I can find you a new skirt, how does that sound?”

“P-please,” she said tearfully. “I just need to go home.”

Martha sighed and picked up the receiver of the school phone. Caitlyn told her the number she'd memorised, and Martha had to go through two secretaries, but eventually she must have reached MP Cassandra Kiramman’s office.

“Mrs. Kiramman, this is Caitlyn's school. Our little dove is asking for you, it's her time of the month.” Whatever her mum said back, the smile was starting to melt from Martha's face. “Yes, I told her that. Of course we have menstrual products, it's a girls' school.”

Caitlyn was wilting into her chair, shame coursing through her for subjecting someone to a mummy speech. By the time Martha finally passed the phone over, Caitlyn could hardly speak.

“Mummy,” she squeaked, cheeks red and tongue heavy.

“Caity, I'm sending Edwin to get you. He'll sort you out in a tick.”

Caitlyn bit her lip. “Maybe you could get me?”

“Darling, Edwin is perfectly suitable for the task, he has a daughter your age and I trust him more than the imbeciles who run your school.”

“But mum,” Caitlyn tried again stubbornly. “He's a boy. I'm a woman.”

“Then act like it, young lady. Every day I have to remind parliament that women are powerful. I do it all for you, Caitlyn, so you'll grow up in a better country where you can be in charge. So allow Edwin to cater to you.”

Caitlyn sniffed, choked by more shame and more tears and more cramps. She wished she didn't have a body at all. “I understand.”

“Good. Now put the secretary back on and go wait for Edwin.”

But Caitlyn never waited for Edwin. At ten years old, Caitlyn was a woman, and women didn’t wait for help. She snuck out of school property and marched home on her own. Chin up, back straight, bloody skirt and all.

A thought echoed between her ears, a buried memory niggling at her. Two years ago, the master bedroom. Her father reading to her. Her mother coming out of the master bathroom with blood on her pants. Two sad adults.

Period meant she wasn't pregnant.

Caitlyn put two and two together, and solved her very first mystery. She would get pregnant as soon as she could, and never get a period again.

*

Caitlyn was never getting pregnant again.

She liked to be on top of things. To be prepared for anything, to foresee any circ*mstance, to overplan. She prepped hard for Bee's school's PTA planting extravaganza.

Apart from aggressively stuffing her car with plants, she also got soil, and cute little pastel trowels and shovels. Arranging the catering she’d promised Diana, she started to worry that the kids wouldn't be busy for long enough not to bother the teachers, and so she printed dozens of age-inappropriate worksheets on photosynthesis and ecology.

Despite all of that, or perhaps because of it, when her PTA debut finally came, Caitlyn was so drained she could hardly get up off the bench in the shade. She was simply too pregnant for this sh*t.

That was where Vi came in.

Like an energy bomb, Vi zipped through the school's veggie patch and helped the kids follow Caitlyn's overly specific instructions. She wore ripped men's jeans and an oversized tee that she twisted and tied over her hard stomach to battle the heat of exertion.

Yes, Caitlyn was enjoying the eye candy. She was also wondering how far she could push her luck. Maybe if she kept giving Vi orders, Vi would pull her shirt even higher.

“Vi, darling, remind row D4 not to bury the leaves with the roots.”

Rewardingly, Vi wiped her face with an enormous bicep and then gave a thumbs up. “You got it, Cupcake!”

Vi ended up repeating the phrase, “You got it Cupcake,” so many times that a group of boys started running circles around her and repeating mockingly yougotit yougotit yougotit.

“Hey, quit copyin’ me!” Vi squawked.

“Quitcopyingme quitcopyingme quitcopyingme!”

“Stop that!” Bee demanded, sending the boys running. Caitlyn wasn't that surprised to see that the boys were more intimidated by Bee than by Vi. Caribel started really applying herself to mini martial arts training.

Vi and Bee worked together from that point on, the child maintaining discipline and the adult making sure everyone was having fun. And showing off the ink on her lower back.

Caitlyn could only boggle at why Vi ditched work to help her wrangle all these first-graders in the sun. It couldn't have been just to spend time with her, they already spent so much of it together.

For the past two weeks, the two women met up every day, either at the Hub or one of their dinner tables. It was like Vi seamlessly took over from Noémie, self-appointed officer of cooking, cleaning, flirting, and entertaining the kids.

It was like Vi hadn't ghosted her after the bust at all.

Soon enough, Bee's class was finished and Mr. Ezreal's class came out to the yard for their turn. During the exchange of children, Bee saw J, shouted, “Jamie!” and gave them a hug.

Caitlyn really hoped she hadn't just witnessed a hate crime.

J completely bypassed Vi and toddled up to Caitlyn’s observation bench. Having Vi's child next to her made ogling kind of awkward, so Caitlyn cleared her head.

With a pregnant heave, she leaned down and drew out a special pot she'd been hiding under the bench. It was no taller than J themself. “I saved you a sunflower, honey.”

J blushed, but refused to take the plant from her. “Thanks, Ms. Kiramman, but… I think I like drawing them more than planting them. I don't like the mess on my hands.”

Caitlyn hummed, putting the pot down on her other side and making a show of wiping her hands afterwards. She was too curious not to ask. “So. Jamie, huh? Do you like that better than J?”

J looked down at their shoes, scratching the back of their head like Vi often did. “Sometimes people think J is for Junior, like Vi Junior. And I like that, but I'm not in kindergarten anymore, you know?”

Caitlyn had heard this before. Caribel insisted she was a big girl all the time. But as much as Caitlyn wanted to put Bee in a jar and keep her small, as much as she wished she herself hadn't become a woman at 10 years old, nothing could stop a person from growing up.

“Indeed, you're not so junior anymore,” she agreed, hoping her voice wouldn't crack. “Was Jamie your idea or was my daughter taking liberties again?”

J smiled shyly. “She wanted to name me in case you wouldn't let her name the baby.”

“Oh my god.”

“But it feels good when she calls me that,” they added, not wanting to get Caribel in trouble. “Better than Jennifer.”

She had no idea what to say for a moment. Her eyes were darting around the yard, searching for pink hair and comforting eyes. Vi would know what to do. Did Vi even know about this?

“Would you like the grown-ups to call you that too?”

J thought about it, curling up their leg under their chin. “I don't wanna make a fuss. Maybe just mom and you, Ms. Kiramman.”

Caitlyn nearly started crying, touched that she was in the same bracket as Vi in this child's eyes. She tilted her chin down to make sure J, or Jamie, knew she was taking this immensely seriously. “I will always address you whichever way you choose, love, as long as you call me Caitlyn from now on. Deal?”

Jamie's jaw dropped, brown eyes wide as saucers. Before Caitlyn could recover, Vi’s shadow passed over the bench when the woman swaggered up from behind them. She leaned on the bench directly behind Caitlyn, the heat of her arms brushing Caitlyn's shoulders. “Hey honey,” Vi greeted either of them.

Caitlyn had to crane her neck up to look at Vi's face, so Vi's lazy smile was upside-down. The first thing she noticed was that Vi was sunburnt. The second thing was that Vi was ripping off her gardening gloves with her teeth. Once released, her fingers flexed and stretched. Caitlyn couldn't stop staring at them. If she weren't already pregnant…

Vi's smile turned devilish. “You look a little flushed, beautiful. Want some cold water? A fan?”

Caitlyn straightened her neck to look dead ahead, determined not to let Vi see her cheeks under any circ*mstance. “I'm pregnant, Miss You Got It. My core temperature is through the roof.”

“Maybe you should put your hair up,” Jamie suggested innocently. “Mom is really good at braids, Caitlyn.”

Caitlyn bit her lip. She couldn't say no to this child now. It would be like saying no to Vi's beating heart.

Vi took the heat for her. “Honey, I think Aaron needs your help over there, he's massacring that peony.”

“Oh no!”

Jamie was gone in a second. Vi remained hovering behind Caitlyn, both of them quiet and awkward. Caitlyn's eyes closed and she sighed, “Fine. Braid it.”

All she could hear was her own breathing. It would only be a minute.

She could have died waiting for one of Vi's fingers to graze her skin. When Vi completed the braid without so much as an accidental whisper of a touch, Caitlyn was so annoyed that her hand shot up on its own and took Vi's.

Her fingers were calloused and gentle. This was not helping Caitlyn’s core temperature at all.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard another adult. “Wow! This looks amazing!”

Ms. Fortune, Bee's homeroom teacher, was walking directly towards them, carrying two paper plates full of Korean barbecue. Grateful for the chance to put something in her mouth besides her foot, Caitlyn smiled at the teacher and reached greedily for one of the plates.

Ms. Fortune passed the food on to Caitlyn without making her stand. She gave her a long, exaggerated look. “Ms. Kiramman, I could hardly recognize you!”

To be fair, the last time she saw her was back-to-school night, when Caitlyn had worn a grey power suit and her hair had been in a tight ponytail and she’d thought morning sickness would kill her. Now she wore a loose dress and her hair was in Vi's strong hands.

Immediately self-conscious, Caitlyn shook Vi off of her and brought her plate up to eye level for inspection. Vi had definitely been spoiling her with home cooked meals lately. “Yes,” she admitted to Ms. Fortune. “Perhaps I should check in more.”

“Oh, pssh, don't worry about it. Bee told us you're expecting.”

sh*t. Caitlyn took a huge bite of grilled pork instead of saying anything scathing. She despised anyone knowing her business.

Unfortunately, Ms. Fortune didn't let up. “Gotta respect a single mom. Especially when you already have a six-year-old. Is anyone helping you with Bee? Your mom?”

Caitlyn almost laughed into her plate. “Oh, no, she's dead.”

Ms. Fortune was a beautiful woman with beautiful hair. Her beautiful face was currently stuck like she'd stepped in dog sh*t. “Oh my god, I'm so sorry for your loss.”

Caitlyn's eyes widened, not expecting that. “Please, don't be. She'd be lobbying against fertility treatments for lesbians if she weren't already in hell.”

“Triggered!” Vi cut through the tension, rounding the bench to give Ms. Fortune a friendly hug. “We're definitely gonna unpack that later. But can I get in on this food?”

Vi took a thin slice of beef off of Ms. Fortune's plate and sucked it into her mouth, making sure to lick each finger clean of marinade afterwards. Caitlyn observed Ms. Fortune observing this. She didn't feel so hungry anymore, herself.

“Vi, use a napkin,” Ms. Fortune reprimanded her, and then said something in Burhu that made Vi snort with laughter.

“Sarah,” Vi replied, and continued in the foreign language.

“You two seem familiar,” Caitlyn said dryly, though she definitely already had enough clues to support the claim.

Vi nudged Ms. Fortune's shoulder, stealing a napkin from her delicate manicured hand. “Oh yeah, Sarah's a Bilgerat. We know a lot of the same people.”

Of course, Caitlyn already knew that Ms. Fortune moved here from Bilgewater. She did background checks on all of Bee’s teachers. Sarah seemed amused by Vi's description. “Let me tell you, I've never seen a Sumprat do gardening until today.”

Vi smirked. “Hustle is something you're born with.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “The children have been doing the gardening.”

Ms. Fortune gave Caitlyn a surprised look. “Really? Did you plant anything, Ms. K?”

“Oh no, if I get on my knees I'll need a forklift to get me back up.”

Vi wiggled her eyebrows instantly. “That's how I feel when I'm on my knees, if you catch my—”

“Shut up, Vi,” Caitlyn interrupted her.

Ms. Fortune was far more encouraging and giggly. She even leaned into Vi's shoulder, and whispered something that Caitlyn couldn't hear but somehow interpreted perfectly.

Number four. Ms. Fortune was now fourth on the list of suspected women who used to sleep with Vi and then asked for a repeat before Caitlyn's eyes. During the past two weeks, there had been Evelynn, another witness, the mini martial arts long-haired instructor, and now her daughter's teacher.

Four pillow princesses in a row. Vi's type was so predictable. Petite girls who liked waking up alone the next morning. Everything Caitlyn wasn't.

Vi jumped away from Ms. Fortune’s whispering with a panicked laugh. “Sorry, I don't get down like that anymore.”

Four times in a row, Caitlyn heard her reject them. Good.

“Thank you for the food,” Caitlyn said with finality. “Please, go enjoy it. We're here for the faculty, not the other way around.”

Ms. Fortune froze up for a moment, unsure, but then nodded and walked back into the building with a wave for Vi.

With a deep groan, Vi collapsed into the bench next to Caitlyn, tilting her head back and closing her eyes before the sun. Their thighs were almost touching.

Within one second of Vi relaxing, a fight broke out between three groups by row B2. Caitlyn thought she heard something about a Bluey-related grudge.

Caitlyn took this opportunity to flee Vi's confusing presence, and got up to her feet.

Vi touched her wrist, startled by the unexpected movement. Caitlyn shot a teasing grin at her and said, “I got it, Cupcake.”

*

Caribel was jealous, and it was obvious to everyone but herself.

An expert on Bee's cues, Caitlyn knew when her girl was tired, hangry, or overstimulated. The jealousy thing only really reared its head after the pregnancy news, and it was a double-edged sword: either Bee wouldn't go near Caitlyn because she was jealous of Baby, or Bee wouldn't let Caitlyn breathe because she needed all of her attention. Either genre was exhausting.

When planting day was officially over, Bee skipped outside to the veggie patch without a care in the world. She froze almost comically when she caught other kids talking to Caitlyn.

“Mummy!” she announced from far away and started stomping like a terror. “Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!”

Caitlyn, who was busy explaining to the kids that birds were dinosaurs but dinosaurs didn't necessarily have feathers, didn't even notice her until Bee grabbed her arm and started pulling her away violently.

Nearly losing her balance, Caitlyn snapped, “Caribel! Since when do we push?”

Bee hesitated for one moment, and then started sobbing.

The only thing that consoled Bee at that point was a clever distraction from Jamie, who asked her to plant their special sunflower with them. Though it was torturous to stay at school past their obligation, Caitlyn and Vi cooed and took enough pics of the kids to fill two museums.

In the car, before any fight could break out, Jamie twisted around in their booster seat to try and plait Bee's hair to match Caitlyn's. That seemed to be the kid's answer to everything these days.

The four went back to Caitlyn's this time, simply for the multitude of showers she owned and the amount of dirt that needed scrubbing off all of them.

If Caitlyn had any energy left after gardening/babysitting, bath time sapped the last of it out of her. Completely lifeless, she ended up collapsing sideways on the living room sofa, her feet up and daring anyone to tell her to make room.

For maybe two seconds, Caitlyn managed to luxuriate in lying down, one of her favourite pregnancy pastimes. Everything ached, from her muscles to her head. She just needed some quiet to recharge.

Obviously, that wasn't going to happen. Her eyes snapped open when, without asking for permission, Vi lifted Caitlyn's ankles up and sat down on the sofa next to her.

Caitlyn was ready to protest, but the words disappeared from her brain when Vi just placed Caitlyn's legs back down, in her lap this time.

She didn't think she would ever get used to this casual physical contact that Vi enforced. Caitlyn realised her arse was touching Vi's thigh, so she squirmed until only her feet were in Vi's lap.

Vi didn't even seem bothered by all of this. She gave Caitlyn a tired look, then snapped her hips up to reach her own back pocket. Caitlyn made an annoyed sound, trying to fix up the draping of her legs with Vi wriggling under her.

“Aha!” Vi said when she pulled her hand out of her pocket, apparently finding what she was looking for. Shockingly, she presented it to Caitlyn. “I meant to give it to you this morning.”

Caitlyn narrowed her eyes suspiciously before anything else. In the middle of Vi's palm was a small, rectangular box. “What is it?”

“I need to spell it out for you, detective?”

Caitlyn snatched it from Vi and opened it. It was a mostly-melted trio of chocolate pralines. Her mouth watered from the sight alone. “Is this from—”

“The yellow place we found behind the Hub, yeah.”

“With—”

“I went with pistachio. I read that pregnant chicks like insane flavor combos.”

Caitlyn would not count pistachios as insane even if she weren't pregnant, but the praline was already in her mouth before she could argue.

At least five times this week, she complained about the yellow-graffiti’d confectionery closing too early. Each time, Vi complained about Caitlyn keeping them at work too late (“not that anyone's getting paid”).

Sometime this morning, perhaps during an early jog in a tight sports bra and shorts, Vi got Caitlyn chocolates and then let them melt in her back pocket while she did her bidding all day.

“Good job,” Caitlyn mumbled through melted chocolate, trying to fit them all in her mouth before someone noticed—

“Oooh, chocolate!” Bee yelled. She climbed onto the armrest behind Caitlyn's head and leaped over her, kneeing her right in the crotch. Vi must have heard Caitlyn's bladder scream, as she helped redirect Bee to Caitlyn's knees.

“Gotta be careful of the tummy, Shortcake,” Vi explained. “Make sure Baby is cozy.”

Bee frowned, picking chocolate out of her mother's hand. “It's in my way.”

“It's in your way, is it?” Caitlyn guffawed. She wasn't even that big yet, and already she started blaming everything that went wrong on her tummy. Couldn't sleep? Couldn't sit? Couldn't stop masturbating? Thanks, tummy.

Vi gasped dramatically and put two protective hands right on Caitlyn's belly. “Stop it! Cakepop can hear you two!”

Bee's eyes trailed suspiciously to Caitlyn's stomach. “Really?”

“What, you don't talk to your sibling?”

“What ever would we talk about?” Bee asked, very reasonably in Caitlyn's opinion.

Jamie joined them in the living room, kneeling on the plush rug. “You can tell them secrets,” they suggested. “Or make wishes.”

“I sang to my sister,” Vi added helpfully. “Then when she was born, we were already best friends.”

Bee made her thinking face, and then looked at Caitlyn for approval. Her little hands went to the baby bump, slapping Vi's hand away and clearing her throat.

She wasn't ready for Bee to start singing Spice Girls. Vi laughed out loud and Caitlyn rethought all the culture she ever exposed her daughter to.

“I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want…” Bee hesitated, and her eyes shot to Vi. “You know the words! Vi!”

“You wanna duet?” Vi asked, still laughing. Idiot. Caitlyn saw it coming a mile away. The only thing Caribel liked more than having the spotlight was making adults embarrass themselves.

“Duh. You could use more best friends, let's be real.”

“Damn, you got me there.”

Vi glanced at Caitlyn. She would have killed to know what she was thinking at that moment. Then Vi started singing along with Bee, her voice soft and rich.

As the two serenaded the foetus, Caitlyn was torn between resting her eyes and taking a video. Her eyelids started drooping, winning the fight, when she felt Vi’s finger sliding up her socks, fluttering over her bare skin. Just one of her hands circled the whole circumference of her ankle.

“Foot rub?” Vi asked under her breath, so Bee would continue singing without her.

Caitlyn had to consider the fact she might be dreaming. Her toes curled unconsciously. She still tasted chocolate. “Violet, did you Google things ‘pregnant chicks’ like?”

Vi rolled her eyes. “I know, I’m such a bitch.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Why are you so damn suspicious? It's not like I offered a free perineum massage!”

Caitlyn made a sound that could have indicated either shock, amusem*nt, or a delayed allergic reaction to the pistachios. Suddenly a platonic foot rub didn't sound so intimate, by comparison.

As skittish as a cat, Caitlyn extended her long leg to entrust her foot to Vi. Her chin dropped in a noncommittal nod. Vi grinned like Caitlyn was giving her a birthday present. Did she have a foot fetish? Did she have a pregnancy fetish? Why was she Googling about pregnant chicks?

At Vi's first touch on the arch of Caitlyn's foot, she screeched and kicked up. The only thing that saved Vi's nose from breaking was reflex as she grabbed Caitlyn's ankle midair.

“Whoa!” Vi breathed in shock. “Has Bee been teaching you kickboxing?”

“Do not tickle me,” Caitlyn said in the same tone she'd accuse Vi of murder in.

“Sorry! Jeez.” Vi lowered Caitlyn's foot back into her lap slowly, now treating it like a loaded gun. Unafraid, she made a second pass at her, moving her thumb from Caitlyn's arch to her heel and pressing instead of brushing.

This time Caitlyn was expecting it, so she didn't attempt a roundhouse, but she did shiver from head to toe.

Vi glanced at her from under her long lashes. Caitlyn might have made a noise. “You want it harder?”

Caitlyn couldn't possibly answer that, her mouth was too dry, so she tried to kick Vi again. Vi just laughed and firmed up her hold on Caitlyn's foot, really digging in her thumb and sending electric pulses up Caitlyn's spine.

f*ck, Vi was actually good at that. Maybe Caitlyn should have gone for the free platonic perineum massage. “Is this okay?” Vi checked in gently.

“Yes.” Caitlyn tried not to moan. “Is it okay for you?”

“No,” Vi admitted immediately. “Stop lookin’ at me like that in front of the kids.”

Caitlyn bit her lip hard and forced her eyes to close again. Between Vi's magic hands and Bee's tummy lullaby, it took Caitlyn all of 60 seconds to pass out in bliss.

*

Caitlyn had three recurring nightmares her brain cycled through once in a while:

1. The house was on fire and Bee was inside.
2. Caitlyn lost control of the car and Bee was inside.
3. She had to retake her final exams from sixth form.

The one she was currently having had all the highlights of number 1, with a fun twist. Though she couldn't see through the smoky windows, she knew that Vi was inside. All Caitlyn could do was scream and scream her name.

She woke up with a start thanks to the real Vi snoring on her. Caitlyn felt paralyzed for a moment, like she did in the dream. She wasn't in her bed?

The last time she and Vi had an accidental couch cuddle, she took a nap on Vi's arm while Vi played on her phone. This time, she knew before she even opened her eyes that Vi was asleep.

Caitlyn was still lying lengthways on the couch, her legs on top of Vi. Vi had slid off the backrest towards Caitlyn, leaning her weight on Caitlyn's hip like she fell asleep still singing to the baby.

When she peeked over, she saw Jamie and Caribel also napping, lying next to each other on the rug. If only Stag were there, it would have been a puppy pile. A picture complete.

Caitlyn looked back at Vi. She had that sexy little scrunch on the bridge of her nose, but seemed pretty peaceful otherwise. Caitlyn found herself matching her breaths, brushing her fingertips over Vi's hair to investigate the difference between the shaved side and the full side.

Vi unconsciously snuggled closer, and Caitlyn, in some sort of fugue state, held her in her arms. After a moment, Vi woke up, blinking her long lashes at Caitlyn.

Her eyes were so beautiful.

Caitlyn couldn't help but whisper, “Big, bad Vi, all wiped out because she planted three flowers.”

“f*ck off,” Vi muttered with a sleepy smile. She started stretching and made to sit up, but Caitlyn stroked her hair again casually and Vi froze up.

Caitlyn took her chance while Vi was subdued. “Why are you doing all this for us?” she questioned.

During the past two weeks, Caitlyn had set up a murder board in the back of her mind to investigate that particular mystery. Vi's character motivation.

If Vi was doing it to get in her pants, there were easier ways to play out a fetish. If she was in it for Caitlyn's heart, well—she was moving way too fast.

And if she was inserting herself into Caitlyn's family just so she had a lead on Jinx… No, she wouldn't do that.

Vi looked away from Caitlyn, considering the question seriously for once. “I guess… I got a confession to make,” she started.

Caitlyn fought not to react.

“I've kinda been lying to Bee,” Vi said. “I don't really have all these memories of my mom being pregnant. I don't really see myself getting pregnant, neither. And I always thought… God, if I'd been there for Sabine through it all, if I hadn't cut her off when she cheated, maybe J would still have a mom, you know?”

“Violet, you couldn't possibly—”

“What I'm trying to say,” Vi cut her off, still quiet. “Is that a part of me always wondered what it would be like to grow a family like that.”

She paused, her fingers dancing over Caitlyn's stomach as she still refused to look her in the eye. Caitlyn waited. She could hardly hear what Vi mumbled next.

“I know you're not my family, but being around you and Bee right now just makes me so f*ckin’ happy.”

Caitlyn blinked down at her, trying not to cry. This was very, very far from anything she had on the internal murder board. Making Caitlyn happy apparently made Vi happy. No one else she had ever known could make that claim.

Not even her ten year old self, who walked home from school, alone, in a white skirt with period stains.

The longer it took her to find the right response, the more Vi's eyes widened in panic. Vi ended up blurting, “Plus, your body is insane right now.”

Caitlyn stifled a laugh. “Vi, shut up!”

“Seriously, your pheromones are doing all kinds of sh*t to my ovaries.”

Caitlyn pulled Vi's hair slightly, as amused and annoyed as Vi's banter always made her. Flustered was the word. “If you tell me I'm glowing, I will kick your arse.”

Vi didn't tell her that, but she gave her a look that meant she would if she could. The stupidest part was that Caitlyn felt glowy. Vi's puppy eyes made her feel like every wall she'd ever built up inside had a sh*tty foundation.

“I want to take you somewhere,” she whispered without a second thought.

Vi groaned. “Not another drug lab. I don't need any more knife holes.”

Caitlyn tutted. “I don't mean for the case.”

Vi groaned even deeper in her throat. “I'm not going back to that school, f*ck the PTA.”

“I don't mean with the kids, either,” Caitlyn corrected.

Now Vi seemed extremely suspicious. “So what is it?”

“A private meeting.”

“Just you and me? Like a—”

“Like a renegotiation. Of, um. The terms of our social contract.”

For the first time since this conversation started, Vi seemed wide awake. “Wow. Do I need a lawyer present?”

“Depends entirely on your manners.”

“Okay. Okay, yeah.” She started talking progressively faster. “Bee can have a sleepover with Ekko and J at my place.”

Caitlyn almost laughed. “You think Ekko would moderate a sleepover?”

“Trust me, for this he will. A sleepover—”

“A sleepover?!” Bee suddenly chirped, scaring Caitlyn almost to urination.

“Yay!” Jamie yelled, running from the carpet to the sofa. “A sleepover!”

Caitlyn sighed. Naptime was officially over. She took her hand out of Vi's hair and nudged her with her knee. “I'll do dinner, you do homework?"

"You got it."

Chapter 18: Do You Snort Pills in London?

Chapter Text

Chapter 17B (From The Vault)

Did Caitlyn just ask Vi out?

Two hours must have passed, yet in Caitlyn's brain, the only thought on repeat was: does she like me or does she like me-like me?

To avoid conversation, she ate like a maniac through dinner and then was distressed to find there was no way she could drive Vi and Jamie back to Vi's car. She couldn't even imagine getting out of this chair in one piece. There was no way to voice this without completely humiliating herself.

To make matters worse, the kids were so hopped up on ice cream that they were basically running circles around her and repeating: sleepover sleepover sleepover!

Vi was trying to do damage control, bless her, running after them and saying, “The sleepover isn't now! The sleepover is hypothetical! We have to be chill about the sleepover, you little turncoats.”

“Unless,” Caitlyn said sharply from the dinner table, to which she was still glued thanks to Baby and the PTA. “We do a pre-sleepover sleepover. Not the business negotiation sleepover. Just a sleepover.”

Vi’s eyes shot to her in shock and betrayal, then she smirked like she could see right through her. “Yeah, not a sleepover sleepover. A crash on your couch and give us a ride to school tomorrow. No one wants you getting on your feet now.”

Caitlyn huffed defiantly, like it was all Vi's idea and not a huge relief.

That feeling lasted until the moment Caitlyn finally got in bed, snuggled up in her comforter, and realised she couldn't masturbat* with Vi in the house. Sure, Vi was all the way downstairs in the living room, but Caitlyn could never look herself in the eye if Vi ever found out she wanked to her.

Not that Vi would. It was an irrational fear, but it killed the mood. With no way to relieve herself, the anxiety about their social contract renegotiations kept her up way longer than she'd expected after such a laborious day.

At 2AM she got out of bed to pee and had the bright idea to make a cute breakfast for tomorrow instead of going back to tossing and turning in bed.

Of course, to get to the kitchen one had to cross the living room, where Vi was snoring. When Caitlyn passed the sofa and noticed that Vi was braless, she sprinted back upstairs to hide, fancy breakfast forgotten.

She stared at the ceiling and thought, Where would we even go? Neither of us drink!

The next morning, getting Vi to wake up was harder than waking a teenager. Caitlyn offered her breakfast but Vi popped some pink bubblegum in her mouth and said I'm good, like that made any sense.

This was the woman Caitlyn asked out? Had she been in a fugue state? She snuck a sandwich in Vi's bag for later.

Vi managed to perk up during the drive. When they reached school, she hopped out of Caitlyn's car to hug Jamie and Bee goodbye.

Instead of going directly to her own car, she leaned her elbows on Caitlyn's driver-side door, talking to her through the car window. Her sunglasses were pushed up her forehead, mussing already-mussed hair, and her usually bright eyes truly looked bleary. Nothing could have stopped Caitlyn from cooing at her cute, stupid face.

“Are you like this every morning?” she inquired.

“Bitch, you know I get up earlier than you to work out,” Vi pouted, leaning closer through the window. “Not all of us roll out of bed lookin' like a snack.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes under her own prescription sunglasses. “But tonight? Did something keep you up?”

Vi pouted harder somehow, her withering eyes accusing Caitlyn without saying a word. The thought of her freaking out on the sofa all night, wondering the same things Caitlyn did, almost made her smile.

“Yeah, your fancy-ass couch,” Vi eventually answered. “Can I skip work to sleep in?”

She didn't mean the tattoo studio. Caitlyn gave her a stern mum look. “Not a chance, deputy.”

Vi shook her head, perhaps fondly. “Why did I bother? Bye, Cupcake. See ya at the Hub.”

Caitlyn wanted to say goodbye, but instead grabbed Vi's chin and pecked her cheek. A perfectly innocent straight girl mwah-mwah gesture through a car window.

Vi looked so stunned Caitlyn had to suspect she'd never been kissed before and all her game was for show. When Bee shrieked, it sounded like Vi's inner voice.

Caitlyn pushed Vi out of her window, made a face at her daughter, and drove off to second breakfast.

Chapter 18: Do You Snort Pills in London?

Caitlyn learned about her mother's addiction long before the OD.

The year was 2010. One Direction just placed third on The X Factor, and Caitlyn was in her slu*tty blonde era.

It was 4AM, and Caitlyn stumbled along the mansion’s grand halls drunk, her high heels in her hands, the princess of Demacia trailing behind her equally sauced.

“Say that again,” Lady Lux said between giggles.

“Knackered,” Caitlyn repeated, playing up the accent even more. “Let's go to bed.”

“Aw, come on,” Lux whined, tugging on Caitlyn's arm to slow her down. “We can keep the party going.”

Caitlyn arched an eyebrow and assessed the situation. Of course, she brought Lux here from the club to f*ck her, but how did one make the first move on royalty? Especially since Lux was the only girl friend in Caitlyn's circle who was taller than her.

But she liked a challenge.

She came closer to Lux and pretended to stumble just enough for a single lock of strawberry blonde hair to come loose. She took her sweet time twirling her hair in her hand. Pushing it gently behind her ear and then running her fingers down the length of her high ponytail, including the extensions, all the way to her generous cleavage. Lux was watching every single move in awe.

Maybe she wasn't a challenge.

The princess tasted like her lipgloss and her daiquiri, coincidentally both strawberry flavoured. She was sweet and easy and quick to spread her legs for Caitlyn's fishnetted thigh. Caitlyn cupped one small breast under Lux's halter top, and swallowed a surprisingly low grunt. “Schatz,” the princess sighed.

A sudden alertness overtook her, fighting the fog of alcohol. Caitlyn was 22 and still living with her parents.

“Come to my room,” Caitlyn whispered, stepping back from the wall she had Lux pinned to. “My mum’s around here somewhere.”

“She doesn't know about you?”

Caitlyn snorted. If Tory MP Cassandra Kiramman knew about the girls Caitlyn snuck into her bedroom, she was in perfectly deep denial about it. Not that she would have said so to Lux. Caitlyn never talked about her and her mother's non-existent relationship, she wasn't going to start with a damn PILF.

“I thought you wanted to keep the party going,” Caitlyn simpered.

Lux started grinning. “Got co*ke?”

“Not in the house.”

“Right, your parents…” Her eyes brightened. “Wait, isn't your dad a doctor? And your mom's a politician?”

“Yes?”

“Do you snort pills in London?”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. Apparently Lux was more drunk than she thought. “My mother’s not hiding any pills. She voted against clean injection sites, for Christ's sake.”

“So? Is your mom the first politician who isn't two-faced?”

That sobered Caitlyn right up. With cold determination, and no sex appeal whatsoever, Caitlyn marched to her mother's ensuite and opened the medicine cabinet for the princess.

“See? Nothing but melatonin.”

Lux nodded her head in consideration, and took a long look around the room. She checked behind the mirror, opened a couple of drawers, and then squealed. “I love old people.”

Like a magician, she pulled her hand out of the drawer holding a bottle of painkillers.

Stunned, Caitlyn rushed over to her and looked in the drawer. It had a false bottom. Her heart dropped.

Not really noticing Caitlyn's mood, Lux casually opened the bottle and picked out two pills to crush. “Hey, it's okay,” she said. “If you sign an NDA, I could tell you a lot about the queen of Demacia’s medicine cupboard.”

Caitlyn snatched the meds from Lux, rage and shock fighting for space in her brain.

Her mother was a hypocrite. Caitlyn had known this for a long time, but she never expected a secret like this. How could she have missed this? How could a stranger turn her onto it?

Lux could tell she was upset by then. She put a gentle hand on Caitlyn's shoulder, thumb running over the strap of her minidress. “Babe. She doesn't know you, either.”

Soon after, the princess called her driver.

*

Caitlyn abhorred liars above all. She prided herself on being brutally honest, and encouraged her daughter to practice it even when it led to mortifying questions about Vi's Instagram and Caitlyn being low-key obsessed with it.

Caitlyn's favourite thing about Zaunites was how straightforward they were. Vi, in particular, couldn't lie to save her life. Usually that lifted a lot of mental load off of Caitlyn, but not today.

It hadn't been 24 hours since Caitlyn asked Vi out, and all she could do was closely monitor Vi's face and question her so-called “happiness”.

Being around you and Bee just makes me so f*ckin' happy.

In the cold light of day, miles from their bubble on the sofa, Caitlyn simply found the statement too hard to believe.

They were in the sheriff's office/children's library, and had been for hours. Instead of interviews, today they focused on fact-checking and printing the biweekly report. (Secretly Caitlyn was researching how to legally change Jamie's name, but Vi didn't need to know about that until she had positive results.)

This particular case report was a painful one. When she and Vi started their operation at the Hub, Caitlyn really expected to hear exaggerated, overdramatic accounts of police misconduct, people with an axe to grind, liars looking to misguide her specifically.

In reality, the interviewees were casual and matter-of-fact about their miseries, and their stories so far always corroborated. If anything, they were more suspicious of Caitlyn than she was of them.

Vi was helping with that. She reminded Caitlyn to relax her resting cop face, and to process all the horror stories they heard on a daily basis. She was also very handy with cardstock.

After their very first trial run with Evelynn, Caitlyn and Vi talked to Jayce and they decided on a plan. Well, Caitlyn decided on a plan. Put the fear of God into the police captain so that to save himself, he'd go to the feds to cut a deal, confessing his crimes and Silco's.

Caitlyn didn't know of anything more fearsome than one's own lies being discovered. And with every interview, she amassed more of his lies and mistakes.

She was a skilled enough writer to take the interview reports and turn them into condemning, evidentiary-based stories. Posting them online would draw Silco's attention, which guaranteed putting lives in danger. Passing them through Jayce to the FBI would endanger the Zaunite interviewees, which Caitlyn of course refused to do.

The best idea by far was for Caitlyn to hand-deliver her reports to the station and rub them in Marcus's smarmy disgusting moustache until he confessed that Caitlyn was right all along and agreed to give Jinx up. Vi and Jayce were strongly against it for some reason.

Still, they had all agreed that Marcus had to know they were onto him for this plan to work. That was where Skye came in.

Caitlyn met her last year on a case, a Piltovan public defender who wasn't afraid to get in a cop's face. She had ties both in the station and with the press, which made her the perfect go-between, passing Caitlyn's biweekly reports to Marcus.

Her cover story was that a (“sexy, muscular”) reporter was feeding her evidence of police misconduct and she'd be remiss not to warn the captain.

It was essentially a pincer manoeuvre. The feds were already putting pressure on Marcus for letting a drug lab operate in Piltover, and the anonymous reporter was continuously turning up the heat with the truth that Marcus facilitated it.

It was the closest Caitlyn had ever been to leverage.

And she wasn't even allowed to take credit or sign her name. She couldn't believe anyone would mistake her specific printing and binding styles just because she wore gloves to keep fingerprints off, but they weren't in this situation because Marcus was a brilliant detective. She hadn't gotten any home visits yet.

Skye knocked on the library's door at exactly 17:45, just around the time mini martial arts with Fiora wrapped up. Stag started barking a bit lazily, having just woken from a nap on Vi's lap. Caitlyn never related to a dog more.

She opened the door for Skye while Vi stood up, joints cracking. “Hello.”

Instead of answering, Skye's eyes trailed up to Caitlyn's hair in surprise. Oh sh*t. Caitlyn forgot that Vi had been ADHDing around with the prop chest an hour ago and decided to plop a tiara on Caitlyn's head.

Before she could shake it off, Vi wrapped an overly familiar arm around her shoulders and waved at Skye. “Suits her, huh?”

Caitlyn elbowed Vi hard, grabbing the dainty tiara and putting it on Vi's pink hair instead. The effect was immediate. She looked completely adorable.

Vi's eyes rolled up like she could see past her eyebrows, her tongue sticking out like a puppy. After a second she pulled her phone out and put the camera on selfie mode, inspecting herself like that. Rather than taking the tiara off, she repositioned it roguishly over her undercut and automatically did the wink-and-flex her Instagram was renowned for.

They were lucky that Caitlyn was immune to princesses and Skye was the straightest person either of them knew.

“Um, hi Vi, Caitlyn,” she mumbled, then jumped back when she noticed Stag. Proving her straightness, Skye was terribly afraid of dogs. “Oh great, the dog is here. That's just… so cool. Love that for me.”

Caitlyn took pity on her. “Violet, why don't you take Stag and find the kids? I'll walk Skye through it.”

“Aye aye,” Vi said distractedly, still more focused on her phone. “Do you think Bee will think I look cool?”

“Bee always thinks you look cool, darling, she has no taste,” Caitlyn complained, rolling her eyes. “Go before I tell someone you're stealing children's toys.”

“Narc!” Vi cackled. She pulled her walkie-talkie out of her cargo shorts and pressed the button, speaking too closely to the device. “Shortcake, I'm coming down. Got ideas for our Halloween costume. By the way, that fart was so big I heard it from the office. Oh, over.”

The walkie-talkie crackled back. Caitlyn expected the very basis of modern debate, “she who smelt it dealt it”, but instead Bee's crisp little voice said, “Go off narc, over.”

Vi cackled again, shaking her head and putting the walkie-talkie away. “That's my girl.”

To Skye she gave a normal smile, and then she and Stag took off. Caitlyn watched Skye watch her, and realised this could be an investigative opportunity. As soon as Vi was out of earshot, Caitlyn leaned creepily close to Skye.

“Does she seem happy to you?”

Skye jumped a few feet away from Caitlyn. “What?”

“Happiness. Would you associate that with her? If someone said she was happy, would you think they were lying?”

Skye opened and closed her mouth wordlessly a couple of times. “Um. She smiled? I don't know?”

Useless. Vi was always smirking, especially when she was upset. Not the heartstopper smile, but a smile nonetheless. “Does she seem more into bowling or axe-throwing?”

Skye blinked at Caitlyn. “I don't know her that well.”

“Ah, of course. I should ask—”

“So, Caitlyn,” Skye clapped her hands. “What do we got this week?”

Caitlyn passed her the folder Vi had just finished binding. “Another frame job. This one was a minor at the time, a teenager. His mum was offering her services to a police officer, who turned around and planted a weapon in the kid's backpack.”

“Jesus Christ. Why would—”

“So glad you asked!”

Caitlyn turned the library's whiteboard around, revealing her proxy murder board. Under the red title SHOOLA LABS THEFT, there were three pictures: Jinx, Marcus, and the blue device.

“My theory is that whenever someone affiliated pulls something big,” she pointed to the picture of the stolen device, “Marcus would frame someone from the community. Then, with everyone looking in the wrong direction, he would make sure the loot found its way out of the station to the highest bidder.”

“Whoa,” Skye said, pushing her glasses up her nose as she approached the whiteboard. “Is this one of the kids that got arrested? She looks so skinny.”

Caitlyn was shocked to find Skye pointing at the picture of Jinx.

Sure, she was skinny and had mental health issues and had been groomed since she was young and every time they talked to someone who knew Vi from her younger years they'd ask what happened to Powder and it would feel painfully like attending a wake.

But Jinx was still Caitlyn's nemesis. She was at the heart of all this sh*t that kept happening to mothers and daughters and sisters. Plus, she made Vi cry.

“No, that is not a kid,” Caitlyn said stormily. Her own walkie-talkie sounded off from her bag.

“Over? Cupcake?” Vi was repeating.

Caitlyn quickly went to the nook and pressed the button. “Cupcake, over.”

“Cupcake, over? There's a dude here who wants to talk to the sheriff. Can you come to the lobby?”

They'd never had a drop-in before. Red flag. “I better go before she hugs or punches him,” Caitlyn told Skye, who nodded.

The last thing Skye said before they split up was, “I, um. I went on a bowling date once and the guy just pulverized me. Maybe don't do something competitive.”

Caitlyn made a hundred mental notes.

*

It was pretty empty by now in the Hub, only three people in the lobby when Caitlyn reached it. Vi, Ekko, and a stranger.

He had straw blonde hair and wore an intensely green windbreaker. Caitlyn vaguely recognized him, but not from the community centre. Must have been a bar scene while she worked a case.

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, joining their little circle. She immediately noticed how tense Ekko was, arms crossed and lips snarling. She also noticed her daughter's absence. “The kids?”

“I stashed ‘em in the purple game room,” Vi said quickly, not looking away from the guy. “This is Deckard.”

“He's a bottom feeder,” Ekko provided, right in the guy's face.

Deckard sneered at the shorter man. “Motherf*cker, I’m not here to throw down with you, but that doesn't mean I won't.”

Vi tossed her head back and barked a laugh. “You'll have to go through me, and I just don't see that working out for you.”

“Oh yeah?” Deckard spat out. He was taller than Vi by two heads and had no idea what she was hiding under her oversized tee. “Good thing I'm here for your boss, Piltie Pet.”

Caitlyn raised both of her hands before this escalated further, giving them all a stern mum look. “Will someone explain what's happening?”

“Yeah, I will,” Deckard said, finally looking at Caitlyn. “I got some info for you. About a certain pig.”

This wasn't how their system worked. They interviewed referrals from other interviewees, scheduled enough time in advance for Caitlyn to vet them. Not to mention she barely slept and was running on fumes. Was axe-throwing competitive?

“And why would I be interested in that?”

“My followers told me what you got going on. Fiora gave me your number, but this needed to be in person,” Deckard explained.

Caitlyn tilted her head, glancing over at Ekko who was making murderous eyes at her. “He's a thief,” Ekko whispered louder than a shout. “He ain't allowed on the premises, I don't care if Fiora's pity-f*cking him.”

“Come on, I haven't stolen any bags since I got big on TikTok,” Deckard insisted. He looked at Caitlyn soulfully. “Just hear me out.”

Caitlyn hated changing her plans as much as she hated talking to strange men, but she could never pass up a case. She rubbed her forehead in frustration. “Ekko, would you allow him on the premises for thirty minutes if Vi made sure he didn't steal anything?”

Ekko groaned. “Caitlyn, do not waste time on this scumbag—”

“I made a promise,” she cut him off. “To Vi and you yourself, that I wouldn't turn away anyone who suffered injustice. Now, I would like to get your opinion, but can we do it in private?”

Ekko looked up at the ceiling and mumbled something that sounded like f*cking half-white savior. Caitlyn gave Vi a small nudge with her elbow, and though it took her a moment, her partner dutifully took the hint. “I'll take him to the office for a vibe check. But you better talk quick, ‘cause it's been way too long since I punched a man.”

Deckard opened his mouth to protest, but seemed to realise that he was getting his way so he shut up. Caitlyn’s eyes stayed on Ekko, making sure he was actually allowing this. He gave the world's most reluctant nod. Vi went upstairs with Deckard.

As soon as Ekko and Caitlyn were alone in the lobby, he stuck an accusing finger under her nose. “That dude f*cking sucks.”

“I'm sure, but that's not what I need your opinion on,” she started quickly, aware that Vi didn't make empty threats when it came to punching. “Would Vi prefer cheese-making or stargazing?”

Ekko looked completely caught off guard. The annoyance in his eyes was quickly replaced by glee. “Oh my god, it's really happening.”

“What is?”

It sounded more like he was talking to himself. “I thought Vi was f*cking with me. I can't believe this.”

“Ekko, please focus, I have a witness upstairs. Indoors or outdoors?”

He looked at her like she just invited him to go cheese-making. “Cait, it doesn't matter where you take her. She's a sure thing.”

Caitlyn gasped. “Don't slu*t-shame her.”

“How could I? Girl's been on a puss*-free diet since you got her stabbed. Also, she's the one going around talking about a sleepover!”

Caitlyn was unaware of this. The sleepover was supposed to be hypothetical. A bed with fresh sheets. A lot of oral. Spice Girls playing in the background. Caitlyn's cheeks burned. “She meant the children, not her and I!”

Ekko groaned at the ceiling again. “Please wife her up already. Feed her cheese til she chokes, I don't care. Just do it ASAP. Do it tonight.”

Caitlyn wanted to argue that they only discussed a private meeting, not a wedding ceremony, but there was no way she was saying that out loud. She could barely say it in her head.

“Now? Are you that desperate to keep us away from Deckard?”

Ekko slapped his own forehead. “I'm desperate to get all this lesbionic drama outta my damn life! Whether you interview Deckard or not, I'm taking your kids to Vi's tonight and that's that.”

This must have been what a heart attack felt like. “It takes weeks to reserve a spot at the cheese school, don't be absurd.”

“Then do the other thing. The gay stars. You f*cking owe me for letting that scumbag in my joint. Plus, haven't I waited long enough?”

It sounded like he was asking if she had waited long enough. If she overplanned enough, if she catastrophised enough, if she prioritised every single other thing enough. If she wanted Vi enough. Vi, who planned a couples Halloween costume with Caitlyn's daughter.

“Yes. Fine. Let's go tell the children.”

Ekko had the gall to smile proudly at her. This might have been a huge mistake.

*

It was only after hustling the kids out of the purple room and into Ekko's office that it occured to Caitlyn to maybe tell Jamie's mum about where they went.

She rushed to the children's library as fast as her pregnancy allowed. Inside, Vi had parked Deckard at the desk instead of the nook, and was crossing her beefy arms in annoyance. Thankfully, there was no bloodshed.

“The kids?” Vi asked first, not looking at her.

“Ekko took them to yours.”

Now Vi looked at her like she couldn't see anything else in the world. “What?”

Caitlyn cleared her throat, almost grateful that Deckard was there so she and Vi couldn't have an actual conversation about this. “The sleepover you apparently told him about, it's tonight.”

It was incredible to watch Vi go from tough enforcer to fumbling schoolgirl in two seconds. “I-it is? The… the renegotiation? Um, wow. Okay, well, tonight.”

She patted herself down like she was getting dust off her outfit, retucking her shirt. Fussing. Deckard looked at Caitlyn over his shoulder with a face that screamed what the f*ck?

Caitlyn went to the desk, pushing Vi’s stiff body aside to sit in her chair. She was surprised to see the picture of the blue device she had just shown Skye was on the table between Vi and Deckard. Coolly, she pulled out a fresh notebook and nodded at Deckard.

“First, I want to make sure you understand why you're here,” Caitlyn started, just as she had with Evelynn.

Deckard pointed at the picture of the device. “Yeah, I know, this thing. Can we pick up the pace here, lady detectives?”

Caitlyn arched an eyebrow at Vi, asking without asking. “The board was facing us when we came in and he picked up the picture on his own,” Vi explained.

“You’ve seen this device before?” Caitlyn asked him.

“Seen it?” He chuckled. “I went to f*cking jail for it.”

It was so hard to keep her arse in the seat at this point, but she had to keep it casual in front of her potential star witness/smoking gun. “Go on. I'm listening.”

Deckard began telling his tale. A date, a time, an address.

It was the very same night that Shoola Labs was broken into, and Deckard was “making content” in his spot in the Lanes. He got a weird text from Zeri, a friend-with-benefits, warning him to “get out”. Two minutes later Captain Marcus Dover personally brought down his door.

Deckard then learned from a warrant that he was under arrest for nabbing a priceless prototype from work. He even remembered the name, because his own initials were Eddie Rafa Deckard. An ERD.

If he just saw the picture in the office and decided to f*ck with them, he wouldn't have known the exact name of the thing.

According to him, the same ERD prototype which Deckard had never seen before in his life, appeared in his house at the same moment the cops appeared in his house.

Caitlyn was astounded. “First thing's first. You worked at Shoola Labs?”

“Yeah, like five years ago, I was trying to go straight and my brother got me a temp gig.” He tapped on the printed picture with his pointer finger. “Ain't never seen anything like this, I can tell you that much.”

“But they found it in your place.”

“Then why did they let me walk after 72 hours?”

Caitlyn didn't have an answer to that. “And you're sure this is what they were looking for?” Vi asked, looking down at the picture.

“Yeah. Allegedly they found it in my bathroom. I even told 'em, I only flush turds, not this futuristic-looking motherf*cker, but they still tore up my place.”

Caitlyn winced, crossing out the word turd she had automatically transcribed and never wanted to retain in her notebooks or her brain. “What about the arresting officer? Can you describe him?”

“Yeah. Short guy, creepy moustache. I got it all on camera, by the way.”

Caitlyn's jaw dropped. Of course. He was “making content”. He even had an alibi for the theft, and a connection to Zeri going off the grid.

If there was concrete evidence of Marcus investigating the Shoola lab theft, falsely putting a former employee away for it, only for the device to still show up in a drug lab in Piltover…

She jumped to her feet and grabbed Vi's bicep like a lifeline. “We have to talk.”

Vi recognised Caitlyn's excitement/urgency. She still looked unimpressed as she followed her outside the office. Not that she had a choice, as Caitlyn was still gripping her arm tightly.

“You believe that guy?” Vi whispered to her when they were alone. “You heard what Ekko said.”

“He says he has video! We must call Jayce.”

Vi grunted in pain. “Hasn't today been blah enough?”

Caitlyn completely ignored her and pulled out her phone. Jayce answered quickly, perhaps still in the office.

“Hey Caity, what’s up?”

Vi made a face and mouthed Caity in disgust, like she didn't have her own inappropriate nicknames for Caitlyn.

“I have something big,” Caitlyn told him sharply.

“I already know you're carrying—wait, is it twins?”

Vi scoffed loudly. “You think a twin is just gonna enter the chat at 18 weeks? I know you ain't never seen a woman's body but didn't you get the general memo?”

“Oh, great, Vi's there,” Jayce sighed. “Love that for me.”

“Listen, both of you,” Caitlyn demanded. “You said Jinx's device was a dead end because PPD closed the original theft case. I got a guy testifying that he was framed for it.”

“Okay,” Jayce said, though it sounded more like a question.

Vi huffed. “Okay? We got proof of the police cover-up! Can't you get arresty?”

“I don't know a thief who hasn't claimed sh*t was planted on him. What did he actually say?”

Caitlyn pulled out her notebook. “He says they planted it on him. He has videos of himself at home while the theft was occuring. He was released without charge after 72 hours. The device went from Marcus's hands to Jinx's lab.”

“To your pocket,” Jayce completed. “The thing wasn't even bagged and tagged at the scene.”

“Yeah, so those bags and tags wouldn't conveniently disappear!”

Caitlyn didn't think she had the capacity to be this angry on so little sleep, but her fuse was officially lit. Like it was her fault? Like she was a liar? “You know what, if your pincer isn't going to do anything, mine will.”

“What do you mean?” Jayce asked, as Vi said, “Am I the pincer?”

Caitlyn caught Vi's eye. She straightened her back in steely determination, and Vi kind of went slack-jawed looking at her. “This needs to end. I'm not waiting. I'm going to the station to rub this in Marcus's smarmy disgusting moustache until he confesses I was right all along.”

Vi gulped. “Love the badass energy, but there's no way I'm letting you do that.”

“Caity, you know it's too dangerous.”

Caitlyn huffed angrily. She solved the mystery and they were keeping her from her prize. Pregnant or no, Caitlyn had never been asked to compromise like this. “Nothing is dangerous if you have a good plan,” Caitlyn argued.

She had a hundred plans on deck. What she would say to Marcus, how she would make him see what was just, the amends she could make for all the people she'd interviewed, for all the mothers and daughters and sisters. It was within her grasp and she didn't need anyone's help.

Then Vi said the only possible thing that could've stopped Caitlyn in her tracks.

She came close enough to Caitlyn to cover her phone, whispering like a sweet secret, “I thought we're doing the sleepover tonight.”

Caitlyn was drawn to her eyes, beautiful and grey, her dramatic make-up and earnest gaze. Vi was biting her lip, actually nervous about bringing up their renegotiation date.

Had she waited long enough? Had she prioritised every single other thing enough? Did she want Vi enough?

“You're right,” Caitlyn said softly.

Vi grinned at her, a total heartstopper of a smile. “Has been known to happen.”

“We need time to corroborate the details, anyway.”

“Yup. I keep telling you, you gotta be more patient and level-headed.”

Vi had literally never said this to Caitlyn. But this banter was familiar. She started breathing normally again. Then she smacked Vi's shoulder. “Me?! You’re so impatient you never even wait for dessert! And the kids copy you, you know!”

Vi laughed. “I can wait for dessert when it's worth it, Cupcake.”

Caitlyn flushed, smacking Vi again. That was not in the terms of the sleepover.

Jayce suddenly shrieked on the phone. “Oh my god, it's really happening!”

Caitlyn hung up on him.

Chapter 19: Can We Just Be Kissing Again?

Chapter Text

The last time Caitlyn went on a date was 23 weeks before Caribel was born.

Caitlyn was so busy setting up her business and making contacts and growing a foetus that she wasn't really looking for a relationship. She was looking to scratch an itch. She was pregnant, horny and on Tinder.

When she matched with a woman she liked the sight of, they video chatted for long enough to be considered dating, and then Caitlyn invited her to her pool house. She didn't want her in the real bedroom.

Her name was Nicki. She had lilac hair, a nose ring, hairy armpits and GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! tattooed behind her ear. Caitlyn bent her over the couch and f*cked her doggy style until her voice was hoarse.

When Nicky sleepily murmured about returning the favour, Caitlyn informed her she'd much prefer a nap, and the rest of the date was spent spooning.

She never saw her again. Itch scratched.

The thing was, Caitlyn was a lot more attuned to her mind than to her body. It wasn't full dysmorphia, but a certain detachment she felt when she looked in the mirror or when someone touched her. Her body was more of an obstacle, most of the time, interrupting her work with sleeping and eating, slowing down her brain with babies and hormones.

It wasn't often that her body made demands, and less often still when she answered them. She was perfectly fine without sex, totally adept at heartache. Made an art of her independence.

Sitting in Vi's parked car outside the hub, on the precipice of a date with the woman of her dreams, felt like an out-of-body experience.

Caitlyn was already sweating and annoyed. Vi was waiting for her to tell her where to drive, looking out the window, drumming her hands on the wheel, sneaking glances at Caitlyn when she thought she wasn't looking.

Caitlyn was babbling while scrolling furiously on her phone. “It's too late to find a cheese workshop, and I didn't have time to scope out a place with a good altitude for stargazing, but bowling might get competitive and obviously we can't drink—oh my god, can you turn that down?”

Vi chuckled and reached across the dashboard to turn the volume down. “This here's called a radio, Cupcake. It has music that's not 90s Brit-pop.”

“But must it be old white dad music?”

Vi's eyes widened in hurt, and without any warning, she threw her head back and started screaming/singing along, “Hey hey mama said the way you move, gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove!”

The air guitar solo that followed was painful to watch, yet Caitlyn couldn't possibly look away. “Hey mama? You're a maniac.”

Vi shrugged with a devastating toothy smile. “I’m pretty, though.”

“That's right,” Caitlyn said automatically, reaching over to fix Vi's hair and then freezing when her brain caught up with her body. The last time she touched Vi's hair, they were snuggling and she asked her out.

Vi's tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip, her eyes jumping from Caitlyn's outstretched hand to her face. The car felt completely claustrophobic. Caitlyn had trouble breathing.

“So what's that about cheese?” Vi asked, voice soft. “You hungry?”

Caitlyn shook her head. Her throat felt too tight to speak, and she didn't intend to squeak in Vi's face on their date.

Was it the date already? They were at the same place at the same time, without the kids and without a case and without a reason. Despite having really important work to do with Deckard. Why couldn't Caitlyn's body produce a single intelligent word?

Vi couldn't have missed Caitlyn's freak-out, but all she did was tilt her head and keep talking for both of them. “You know, you did amazing in there.”

“Hm?”

“You literally cracked the case and handed Jayce his ass. It's like when you set your mind to something, you're unstoppable.”

“With cases, yes,” Caitlyn admitted, cheeks a little redder. “With, uh, social contracts, not so much.”

Vi’s expression sharpened, not more serious but more investment. Caitlyn's hand was still stuck midair, and Vi simply took it and pressed her tattooed cheek to Caitlyn's knuckles. They'd been in more intimate situations than this, but there had never been this much eye contact. Her stupid cheeks were on fire by then.

“Just say what you're feeling,” Vi whispered like it was easy. Even though barely any light hit her, Vi's eyes were sparkling and beautiful.

Perfectly fine. Totally adept. Artfully independent.

“My mum was an addict,” Caitlyn blurted.

What the f*ck was wrong with her? No one knew about this apart from Jayce. Vi's eyebrows scrunched up sympathetically, so even faster, Caitlyn rambled on. “I mean to say, there's so much you don't know about me.”

Vi shrugged. “I know you're smart and funny and tough as hell. I know you're an amazing mom and nothing gets past you. I know you got trust issues.”

She ignored everything but the latter. “Well, obviously, you could probably see it from space. I trust my daughter, but I suppose that doesn't really count because she's mine.”

Vi's eyes closed and she pulled Caitlyn's hand even closer to her cheekbone, caressing her soft skin. “We got that in common.”

“Trusting my daughter?”

Vi shook her head gently. “Being yours.”

Caitlyn just barely refrained from squeaking. She snatched her hand back, overwhelmed by Vi's honestly. She always had more guts than Caitlyn. “Violet.”

Vi gave her a guarded look. “You wanted to do this. You asked to take me out.”

She did, but how was Caitlyn supposed to explain that her plan was to eat cheese and not be emotionally vulnerable? How could she explain how inexplicably precious Vi was to her? She wouldn't survive it.

“Violet,” she said again, almost pleading. That one word had come to mean so much to her. Home and safety and family. Hers. Those grey eyes looked like they knew it all. Caitlyn ended up whispering gingerly, “We haven't even kissed.”

Vi’s smile went crooked. Her abandoned hand went to the back of her head, ruffling her hair casually. Hers. “So? I thought I'd get the rest moving in the meantime.”

The rest… Caitlyn swallowed hard. The cooking, the cleaning, the co-parenting, the family walkie-talkies, the having her back always. Hers. Have they been dating all this time?

“So you have been seducing me!”

“Girl, you think I'll touch anyone's stinky feet?”

Caitlyn gasped in offense. “They are not stinky!”

“Is that so, Uptown? You think just ‘cause you're hot sh*t—”

Caitlyn pinched Vi's chin and drew her in for a kiss to shut her up.

It was supposed to happen in a beautiful overlook under the stars, or on the riverbank at sunset, or at her doorstep after an amazing meal. It was supposed to be calculated, it deserved weeks of planning and panic attacks.

In the end, Caitlyn kissed Vi because her body demanded it. Her lips felt exactly as they looked: plush, soft, scarred and perfect. Her nose ring pressed into Caitlyn's skin with a sharp jolt, a moment before her sharp teeth did the same to Caitlyn's lower lip. She tasted like her cherry bubblegum.

Caitlyn loved feeling Vi's feathery pink hair brushing her cheeks, and feeling Vi's mouth growing less timid. More than anything (possibly ever), she loved the soft, longing noises Vi breathed out. She could get addicted to those.

Her eyes stayed closed for a long moment after they separated, savouring the tingling in her lips and the echo of Vi's sighs. She only opened them when Vi whispered, “f*ck.”

Vi was breathing hard, her eyes dark and intense when they stared her down. She was making her feel so seen and vulnerable and everything that terrified her. Caitlyn didn't want to imagine how feral she herself looked. All she wanted was to drown in this, to have more, more, more.

Her eyes darted down and caught Vi's magnificent hands trembling in place between them, inching towards Caitlyn and then hesitating and retreating. Hands that could make Caitlyn's dreams come true, or just destroy her.

She found herself saying, “Put them on me,” at the same time that Vi asked, “Can I touch them?”

Caitlyn knew they were speaking about different thems. There wasn't a moment of confusion before she lifted her blouse to her armpits.

She expected more ogling, whistling, smooth comments. Instead Vi groped her remorselessly. Caitlyn's toes curled so hard in her boots she yelped.

God, she'd been thinking about these strong hands for so f*cking long. They cupped her, pushed her tit* together and squeezed gently. Vi practically growled, staring way too hard. Caitlyn kissed her like she was starving.

Her breasts had only been getting more sensitive the more far along she got. When Vi passed her thumbs over Caitlyn's nipples through her lacy bralette, she ripped her mouth away from Vi's just to curse, “f*ck, oh my god.”

Vi redirected instantly, kissing Caitlyn's neck and ear while her fingers toyed with her breasts. It felt like she was everywhere all at once, completely ravenous. If Vi had shown this tenacity at the office, they would've cracked the case ages ago.

Vi pressed into her, leaning down to kiss her collarbones and stare at her tit* some more. “Even better than I imagined.”

Caitlyn bit her lip, struggling to breathe under the onslaught of attention. “You—f*ck—you imagined this?”

“This?” Vi's eyes burned her when she looked back up. “Cait, I imagined the rest of our lives together.”

Caitlyn squeezed her legs together tightly, losing brain power. “Cheesy.”

“Well, have you ever thought about it?” Vi started trailing kisses up Caitlyn's neck, her hands still very much full. “Us?”

Caitlyn was not going to mention her masturbatory marathons. Vi pinched her nipples, like she wanted to coax a reply. “Maybe,” Caitlyn allowed, high-pitched.

Vi moved one hand down suddenly, stroking Caitlyn's tummy and fitting exactly over her tattoo. It was such a familiar gesture, like she'd been practising it for years.

Caitlyn started crying.

Vi startled, leaning back to look at her. To be fair, Caitlyn was startled too. Gently, more gently than Caitlyn thought she was capable of, Vi wiped the tear slipping down Caitlyn's cheek. “You okay, baby?”

“So okay,” Caitlyn insisted, sniffling. She was overwhelmed in a way that a non-pregnant person simply wouldn't get. “I'm sorry, it's the stupid hormones. God, I'm ruining it.”

“Ssh, stop, you could never ruin it.” Vi leaned in to kiss her mouth again, tender, like Caitlyn was precious porcelain. “You're so beautiful.”

She started crying harder. Her hands shot up to grab Vi's shirt, attempting to keep her as close as possible in the front seats of a car. She buried her face in Vi's neck, either to get closer to her shampoo or to simply disappear. Caitlyn loved how Vi smelled, which was saying a lot coming from Topside Nose herself.

It was a peculiar instinct, to lean into someone for comfort.

Vi caressed her hair soothingly, humming while Caitlyn ruined everything. She even planted a tiny kiss on Caitlyn's forehead. “It's not just the hormones, is it?”

Caitlyn wouldn't lie. But she would whisper so quietly she could convince herself Vi just couldn't hear her. “I want you so much, it's killing me. I didn't know how much…”

She couldn't believe she actually said all that out loud. She leaned away from Vi and started furiously wiping her face, fighting back even more tears. “f*ck, crying isn't sexy,” she complained. “Though I'm sure I'm not the first girl you made weep.”

Even though Caitlyn's breasts were still exposed, Vi valiantly looked at her stupid crying face and touched her hair carefully again. “I want you too, Cupcake. In case you didn't notice, I'm kind of obsessed with you. Only you.”

What?

If Vi wasn't lying about her so-called “happiness”, and she wasn't lying now… Caitlyn was thoroughly shaken. “Obsessed?”

“Duh. I only tell you that twice a day.”

Caitlyn clicked her tongue accusingly. “Vi, you flirt with anything that moves. If you really wanted me, why didn't you say so sooner?”

Vi would have looked very offended if her eyes hadn't kept sliding down to Caitlyn's bra. “Why didn't you?”

“I asked you first.”

“Oh, real mature.” Vi closed her eyes at this point, losing the battle against her boobs. “I just… I didn't… Well, Ekko said—I mean, would've said if someone asked him, that I have a tendency to…”

While Vi prattled on, Caitlyn had calmed down enough to open her mental catalogue of “Vi's tendencies”. Putting herself last. Putting herself down. Solving Caitlyn's problems to avoid her own. Supporting Caitlyn even when she actively fought against her. Making every girl around her feel like the only girl in the world.

“Don't answer that,” Caitlyn decided quickly, cutting Vi off. She brushed some tears off of her cheekbones and smiled at Vi. “Can we just be kissing again?”

“Why, you think I'm a good kisser or something?” Vi asked with an insufferable smirk. Of course she was a good kisser.

The smirk slipped off when Caitlyn confidently said, “Practice makes perfect.”

“That's a good point. I'm honored that I was your first kiss, by the way.”

“Vi! I am not a virgin!” Caitlyn pouted in offence for as long as she could before laughing out loud.

Vi beamed at her, obviously pleased that she managed to stop Caitlyn's crying. “Said the chick with her jugs out.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “I’m wearing a bra.”

“Can still see your nips.”

“How long am I going to wait for your hands?” she asked, annoyed.

Vi looked at her own hands, making a surprised face. Instead of cupping her tit* and wrecking her again, she cupped Caitlyn's cheeks, rubbing her thumbs over fresh tear tracks. “You sure you don't wanna stop?”

Caitlyn bit her lip, instantly embarrassed by how much she didn't want to stop. “Don't be daft. Unless… you do?”

Vi kissed her hard, stealing the air from her lungs. Like they never paused in the first place. Caitlyn was sticking out her chest trying to get closer despite the centre console. Finally, making her entire body shudder, Vi slipped a rough hand into her bra and squeezed her like she owned her.

“I wanna keep touchin’ you forever,” she confessed in her ear, making Caitlyn gasp. “Wanna make you weep from how good you feel. f*ck you to pieces.”

Even with her brain practically melting out of her ears, Caitlyn was not going to let Vi get away with such a line. She put her own hands under Vi's shirt and pinched her. “You are… so corny, Violet.”

Vi chuckled. Even that sounded sexy, with Vi's mouth on her ear and Vi's hand mercilessly teasing her breast, making her wet. “Kinda embarrassing that you like it.”

She never thought she'd admit this to Vi, but she felt so helpless and delirious. She was definitely not getting enough oxygen. “I do. f*ck me, I do.”

Vi grunted at that, stopping her kisses to sink her teeth into her neck instead. “I love it when you curse. You're so sexy, Caitlyn.”

She was so used to Cupcake and Cait and babe, that hearing her full name in that gravelly tone did horrible, wonderful things to her. If she weren't already pregnant…

To avoid moaning, she put her lips on Vi's and slipped her some tongue. In her enthusiasm, her tummy bumped hard into the gear shift. She hissed.

Weren't they supposed to do this somewhere else? What was it that Vi said in her car a forever ago?

A bed with fresh sheets. Kissing slowly. Whispering in her ear. A lot of oral. Spice Girls playing in the background.

Caitlyn could practically feel her silk sheets and hear the Spice Girls.

Wait. She actually could hear the Spice Girls.

Her phone was ringing. Her eyes fluttered open and she pushed Vi back gently, forcing herself to sharpen up. She'd dropped her phone under her seat when all the kissing started, so now she had to bend and root around for it while Vi leered at her cleavage. Unhelpfully.

“It's Jayce,” she said when her phone was finally in her hand.

Vi groaned in frustration. “Boner killer.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes and answered the call, putting it on speaker immediately. “Darling, I'm quite busy—”

“Who is Deckard?”

A wave of frost passed her body, chilling her to the bone. She hadn't told Jayce Deckard’s name. “Why?”

“Why? Maybe because he's gone viral on TikTok talking about a lesbian private detective dismantling the police force?”

Vi's eyes flashed in pure rage, completely different from how they were just a phone call earlier. “What the f*ck? He only left the Hub an hour ago, he didn't say nothing about—”

“It doesn't matter,” Caitlyn said, already three steps ahead. “If it reached the feds it reached the chembarons. We have to go to the station and warn Marcus that Silco just got motivation to cut his losses.”

Vi started the engine, but not to do Caitlyn's bidding. “Yeah, f*ck no.”

“Caity, you need to get somewhere safe,” Jayce insisted. “Is Junior with you?”

Wasn't it funny that the only thing he and Vi agreed on was to get in Caitlyn's way?

“No, she's on a sleepover,” she said quickly.

“Thank god.”

“God? If Marcus ends up—”

“I'll worry about Marcus,” Jayce said. “Please, Caitlyn. Go home.”

Vi was already driving towards the bridge to Piltover. “I got it, man,” she told the phone. “Protecting the queen.”

“Thank you, Vi.”

“Gross, don't be nice to me. I'm hanging up to call Ekko.”

She looked at Caitlyn beseechingly, and Caitlyn would have completely ignored her and continued arguing if it weren't keeping Vi's eyes off the road.

She still snarked, “It's the king you protect in chess.”

“We can do king. Whatever turns you on, Cupcake.”

Jayce hung up on himself this time. Caitlyn only remembered to pull her top back over her chest when they approached the first checkpoint.

Chapter 20: Wildfire

Chapter Text

After Ekko chewed them both out for engaging with Deckard against his advice, and the kids said good night, Vi was totally silent the rest of the way home. She didn't sing along to the radio, didn't joke around with Caitlyn, didn't even pop gum. Caitlyn’s thoughts were a hurricane, her stomach churning.

She might have f*cked up the case, bet on the wrong man, lost Ekko's trust and lost her leverage on Jinx, and still all she really cared about was whether or not Vi was mad at her.

She clearly lost a few marbles during their parking lot make out session.

Vi parked the car in Caitlyn's driveway and climbed out without a word. Caitlyn kind of wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

Then Vi opened the passenger side door and offered Caitlyn a hand to get out. She took it. She was pregnant, it was allowed, whatever.

The silence only got more tense when they were both standing outside the car in the dark. Her solar-powered outdoor lighting hit Vi's face with its warm glow, and Caitlyn couldn't help but notice traces of her own lipstick shade on Vi's well-kissed lips.

“Are you thinking about f*cking Deckard up?” Caitlyn questioned.

Vi's eyebrow jumped up. She stepped into Caitlyn's space, half a head shorter. Their height difference had been a non-factor inside the car, and now made her heart swoop. Would she dare lean to kiss her again?

“I'm thinking about f*cking you up, Cupcake.”

Caitlyn was close to gasping. “You’re not mad at me?”

“Nah. Mortal danger is a big turn-on. It's actually on my Tinder profile.”

“Vi, will you be serious?”

Vi's smirk said, no, she would not. A second later, Caitlyn was in the air, shrieking. Vi had carried her bridal-style and given her piggyback rides before, but she never just squatted and lifted all of Caitlyn's weight. Caitlyn had to wrap her legs around Vi's waist like a tattoo.

She felt safe and breathless at the same time. Vi tipped her against the car and slammed their mouths together. Yes. She pinned Caitlyn to the front door and buried her face in her tit*. Yes. She took her up the stairs and put her hands on Caitlyn's arse and told her “your ass just don't quit since 13 weeks”.

When they reached the bedroom, Caitlyn fully expected to be tossed onto the bed at this point. Honestly, after feeling up Vi's arms the whole way and squirming on her abs, Caitlyn didn't know if her legs still worked.

In an impressive show of strength, Vi reached the bed, turned around, and sat on it, all while keeping Caitlyn in her lap. Touching Vi's biceps, while Vi's hands were covering most of Caitlyn's waist, made it feel like all was right in the world apart from the case falling apart.

She was so wet she might have passed out from dehydration.

Caitlyn had definitely been here before in her dreams, kissing Vi and riding her fingers until her lap was soaked. In reality, Caitlyn's hips were absolutely killing her and there was no way she could keep her legs spread like this.

She pulled back from Vi's mouth with a wet pop, and slid to the floor instead, kneeling between Vi's legs. This had been a particular fantasy of hers since that day she treated Vi's wounds, so she was very intentional about slipping Vi's shoes off and slowly pulling down her shorts.

Wow. Caitlyn was not one to kneel nor to objectify, but Vi's leg muscles were just… wow. She stared, erasing the image of them bruised and bloody from last time she was down here. Almost without a conscious thought, Caitlyn put her mouth on Vi's strong thigh and sucked.

“Jesus,” Vi cursed, tensing under her. “I look that much better than my thirst traps?”

Caitlyn frowned, looking up at her. Blinking brainlessly when she saw Vi leaning back on her hands, biceps bulging under her shirt. Frowning again. “Did Caribel tattle?”

Vi snorted, insufferably pleased with herself. “I was referring to my pic on the old murder board. Wait, does Bee know you're into me?”

“Who says I'm into you?” Caitlyn asked, while pawing and kissing at Vi's thighs like she couldn't possibly stop.

“Baby, you look like you wanna f*ck me up.”

Caitlyn smirked. “Would that… I mean, do you…”

“What, bottom?” Vi winked. “Sure. I switch. I'm up for anything. All sex is good. It's kinda my only coping mechanism.”

Triggered. Will unpack that later. Caitlyn bit her thigh playfully, still keeping eye contact. “You know I like specific answers, darling. What do you want?”

“Honestly? I want my face between your legs for the next, like, six hours.”

Caitlyn was so shocked she jumped to her feet, with athleticism she hadn't shown since she got knocked up. “Vi! I haven't even showered or, like, I don't know, waxed!”

Vi gasped mockingly, and slipped a thumb into her own waistband so she could look down her underwear. Undoubtedly seeing a respectable bush. “sh*t, were we supposed to? I totally forgot.”

Caitlyn crossed her arms in defiance. “You don't understand, my estrogen is insane right now. I have hair on my bloody belly.”

Completely unruffled, Vi rolled her eyes. “So, you're saying you're a fertility goddess and that's supposed to be a bad thing?”

She pulled Caitlyn’s elbow until her stubborn arms uncrossed and she stood between Vi's spread legs at the edge of the bed. Even though she was at perfect eye level with Caitlyn's oversized bust, Vi chose to peel Caitlyn's blouse up and then pepper kisses all over her baby bump.

“Oh my god.” It was sheer luck that she didn't scream. Her hands went into Vi's hair, but what started as an attempt to push her away became a desperate grab to keep her close. Vi's soft lips were clearly blessed, and Caitlyn wanted them everywhere more than she wanted to be a brat.

“You're hot, Cupcake,” Vi accused, right in Caitlyn's stomach. “The hairier the better.”

Caitlyn tossed herself onto the bed dramatically. Before Vi could climb on top of her, she shot out her allegedly stinky foot and propped it on Vi's chest, keeping her in place.

Caitlyn sighed longsufferingly. “You better start proving it, then.”

“You got it, boss ma’am.”

Before Caitlyn could snap back, Vi lifted her ankle and started kissing her boot, unzipping it slowly. It would have been totally boring if it weren't blowing Caitlyn's mind. “Vi…”

Vi smiled wolfishly, taking both of Caitlyn's boots off and tossing them carelessly behind her. “Mm, that's gonna live in my head rent-free.”

“Your own name?”

Vi laughed. “No, the way you just said it. Usually it's all, Viii!” she whined in a ridiculously high-pitched disapproving voice that didn't sound anything like Caitlyn and still made her giggle.

When she tried to kick Vi in retribution, Vi took the chance to easily push Caitlyn's legs open. She started reaching for the stretchy waistband of her maternity pants. Caitlyn was trying to suck in her tummy, almost embarrassed to be revealed.

She never got naked outside of the lockable ensuite. She had an emergency-prone six-year-old, after all.

Vi must have noticed her stress, as she removed her hands from Caitlyn's hips and put them on her cheeks instead. Her eyes were wide and sincere when she said, “Hey. It's me. It's just us.”

Caitlyn's stomach immediately unknotted. In fact, Baby had to fight a horde of butterflies for space. She was starting to understand why so many girls liked Vi so much.

“Violet,” she said, trying to conjure the low tone Vi seemed to like earlier. “Could you, for the love of f*ck, hurry it up?”

Vi eagerly climbed on top of her, and all of a sudden Caitlyn was being kissed within an inch of her life.

Vi's hands were calloused and heavy and inevitable, running all over her body and undressing her slowly. She took off her blouse and kissed her tummy again. She took off her bra and groaned into her tit*, completely forgetting about hurrying.

“Wow,” she said, out loud, making Caitlyn giggle again. “Can I leave marks?”

Caitlyn’s breath hitched, and the worst part was that Vi immediately noticed because her face was in her tit*. “You… Um, if you want, you can…”

Vi didn't hesitate. Jesus, if her hands felt good, her mouth felt amazing on Caitlyn. Even when she sucked too hard, the thought she was intentionally leaving a mark on Caitlyn's normally untouched skin made her pant. She was more or less possessed when she took Vi's hand and pushed it down.

This time when she reached for Caitlyn's waistband, nothing was stopping her. Vi led the charge into her panties with two strong fingers. She hesitated over her pubic bone. Caitlyn bit her lip hard, fluttering her lashes up at Vi.

“What is it?” she asked, terrified of ruining the moment again. She was more excited than she'd been in a long time. Vi's mouth was softly open; Caitlyn felt her stuttering breath on her face.

Vi rearranged herself to lie on the bed, her head propped on her left fist. She was still hanging over Caitlyn's face, while her right hand started slowly playing with Caitlyn's pubic hair. “How do you like it?”

Caitlyn blinked. “The normal way?”

Vi huffed, tugging at her. “You're the bossiest bitch I know, Cupcake. Don't got any no-no's for me?”

Her fingers slipped down to Caitlyn's lips, just rubbing her up and down lazily. Much as she hated admitting Vi was right, her touch felt so good with soft hair between them. There was no way Vi needed instruction in this. What was she waiting for?

On instinct alone, Caitlyn was the one who reached up to Vi's cheek this time, petting her cute little button nose. “I'm honoured to be your first time, Violet,” she mimicked what Vi said in the car.

Vi stuck her tongue out at her, mature as ever. “Shut up. I just… didn't think I could ever have you.”

The detective noted the use of the word could instead of would. Caitlyn leaned up for a little kiss, and when Vi was smiling again, she softened her voice. “My Vi. You've been in my dreams.”

Vi gave her the mother of all smirks, glowing from the inside. Caitlyn made a living out of exploiting people's weaknesses, and Vi's ego was just sitting there. She wasn't even lying.

“Yeah? What was I doing in your dreams?”

This was fine. As long as Vi thought they were talking about dreams and not hyper realistic debates with her vibrator, it was probably fine.

Caitlyn gave her another kiss, leaning up to press her lips to Vi's ears. “Your big, strong hands on my tit*. Squeezing my nipples while your tongue is on my c*nt. It's overwhelming. You have no idea how sensitive I am.”

“Caitlyn,” Vi moaned, one of her fingers slipping between Caitlyn's folds and almost accidentally brushing her cl*t, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

“Vi,” Caitlyn moaned back, hips twitching. “Touch me, I'll Koala Bear if I need to, just please—”

Vi kissed her quiet. It was like a switch had flipped inside her. Apparently all it took was a girl saying please for Vi to shake her nerves off and do, as always, what she was asked.

Caitlyn asked for more groping and she got just that, tracking Vi's every move with hooded eyes. How Vi's big hands fit perfectly on Caitlyn's breasts when she squeezed her, how Vi sucked on her nipples with kiss-swollen lips. How many marks she'd already left. Caitlyn arched and cried out from oversensitivity.

Reality and fantasy were blurring together. She never imagined so much grinning and winking and teeth in her daydreams, yet before her eyes Vi was… happily consuming her. Taking her apart with adoration. Disappearing Caitlyn's pants and underwear like a magician.

When her lips finally made it to Caitlyn's puss*, Caitlyn was so on edge that she nearly slammed her hips into Vi's face. Her hands, which had so far been clawing at the sheets, tangled in Vi's short hair and pulled.

She retracted quickly, fisting her hands and stuttering, “Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…”

Vi lifted her head to smirk at Caitlyn. Her lips were already blurry. She simply put Caitlyn's hand back in her hair, like every time she put something stupid from the prop chest up there. “Do your worst, Topside.”

Caitlyn's breath stopped. Her fingers tightened in silky pink and Vi hummed delightedly. If Vi wanted it rough… then Caitlyn didn't give a sh*t if it made her the bossiest bitch Vi knew.

“Soft tongue,” she demanded, then positioned Vi precisely and took her for a ride. “Lick me.”

Vi went down on her as if she'd been doing it for years. Keeping her tongue soft and flat, backing off the moment Caitlyn felt overstimulated, doubling down right when she needed more pressure, more wetness, more desire.

It was impossible to watch her anymore, both because of the little baby bump and because her eyes squeezed shut as soon as Vi found her cl*t. It was impossible to breathe.

Caitlyn was near silent, biting her lips hard to keep everything inside. Every time she opened her mouth to take a big breath, all this sh*t kept spilling out—”Yes, that feels so good, Violet, yes, oh f*ck!”

It wasn't a shock that Vi ate puss* like she went to school for it. The shocking part was how loudly she was moaning into Caitlyn, how her own hips were rolling into the mattress. She must have really wanted this. Craved it, like Caitlyn had. Perhaps more.

And if Vi wasn't lying about wanting Caitlyn or about her so-called “happiness”... How could Caitlyn possibly withstand this wildfire of a woman?

Her body was clearly winning over her brain. Everything they talked about in the car came back to haunt her. Put them on me. Vi dug her fingers into her arse cheeks so she wouldn't squirm away. I'm not a virgin. Caitlyn pulled her hair and Vi opened wide and sucked her down.

When she came, Caitlyn wept. Just as advertised. (Not the six hour part, though. It had been a long while since Caitlyn managed being awake for six consecutive hours, let alone get laid.)

It felt like the longest org*sm of her life, assisted by hormones and Vi relentlessly lapping at her and gripping her arse. Her back was in the air and her rational brain was in space. She felt the tears rolling down her temples the longer it went on, but she couldn't care less.

When she came back from Mars and blinked her teary eyes open, Vi was right there. She looked at Caitlyn like she was seeing the Sistine Chapel, or Mel B and Ginger kissing. And Caitlyn realised, perhaps way too late, that Vi had always looked at her like that. Dreamy and slack-jawed and full of devotion. She was good at painting over it with cheesy innuendos and f*ckboy bullsh*t, but Caitlyn was better at peeling back the truth. She would never unsee it. Vi was sincere and good and loving and trustworthy.

“My Vi,” she found herself saying again, voice surprisingly hoarse. “Thank you.”

Vi blinked at her, sitting up straighter. The warm light from the ensuite hit her face and Caitlyn almost choked. Vi was a very messy eater, apparently. “Thank you,” Vi replied. Her eyes slid back down to Caitlyn's wet, hairy puss* and she repeated, “Thank you.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, swinging her knee to nudge Vi's side. “What's the damage?”

Vi couldn't stop smiling at her crotch. “You're really wet, babe.”

Caitlyn bit her lip hard. “Yes, well, it's the pregnancy. Is it… excessive?”

“Excessive? It's what heaven must look like.”

Vi rose on her knees and trapped Caitlyn under her magnificent body, right where she wanted to be. Vi half-clothed, Caitlyn fully exposed. Vi’s grey eyes looked at her more seriously than ever before. “I have to f*ck this puss*. Do you understand me, Cait?”

Heat seared Caitlyn's body from head to toe. She didn't know how she felt about second rounds or staying naked or not showering immediately, but for once, not knowing didn't matter. Maybe she liked Vi being bossy.

“Y-yes,” Caitlyn squeaked, her voice breaking when Vi's thick finger slid inside her before she even finished speaking. God. She was thick, spreading Caitlyn open and spilling some cum between her legs.

Vi seemed to like it even more than Caitlyn, moaning and husking about how sexy and tight she was. Kissing her with a filthy mouth. I have to f*ck this puss*.

Caitlyn’s head was a complete whirlwind, wondering when Vi would get tired, if she could nap in Vi's arms soon, how her puss* got even wetter and made embarrassing noises every time Vi pumped into it.

Then none of it mattered anymore, because Vi adjusted the angle and found, in the most unlikely place, the off switch for Caitlyn's brain.

“Oh f*ck! Oh my god,” she whined, her thighs twitching like crazy. Completely out of control.

Vi, who had been leaving sticky kisses and lovebites all over her tit*, smiled up at her roguishly. “Yeah? You like that, baby?”

“Uh-huh,” Caitlyn barely managed to agree, losing her mind every time Vi curled her finger and set her G spot on fire. “Oh, oh, oh… No, no, no!”

Vi froze, concerned. “What's happening?”

Caitlyn was still twitching, but the wave of tension she felt inside was too overwhelming. “I don't know if I'm going to come or wee,” she whispered urgently.

“Like, wheee?”

“No, like piss!”

Vi smirked. “I'm game to find out.”

“Koala Bear!” Caitlyn yelped, laughing. “I need a bathroom break, help me up.”

Obediently, Vi unfingered her and jumped off the bed, reaching a hand out. When she realised where that hand had just been, she popped her fingers in her mouth without a second thought, sucking them clean and then offering them to Caitlyn once more.

Caitlyn knew she was blushing. If Vi looked ruffled after all the puss*-eating and hair-pulling, Caitlyn must have looked like an even bigger mess after org*sming 1.5 times. She was so wet that her thighs felt uncomfortably sticky when she finally moved off the bed.

Vi leaned up to kiss her immediately. She wrapped her arms around Caitlyn's waist, drawing her in so close they were touching almost head to toe, nice and cosy. Caitlyn couldn't believe she'd let herself get completely naked while Vi still had a shirt on.

She indulged Vi all the way to the ensuite door, but no farther. “I am not letting you watch me pee,” she affirmed when Vi gave her puppy eyes.

“But what if it's a squirt?”

“Then I'll consider telling you about it afterwards.” She leaned down to kiss Vi's cheek affectionately. “Please, darling, go drink something. You earned it. I'll be out soon.”

Vi was still pouting, but she lifted her t-shirt to wipe half her face so Caitlyn didn't get the full effect. Her abs were sweaty. She shut the door in Vi's face and ran to the toilet.

Then she showered. Then she brushed her hair. Then she put her face moisturiser on. She would have stalled more, in the hope of forgetting about the helpless needy creature she had turned into under Vi's hands, if not for one thing.

Vi was yelling for her from outside.

“Cait! Cait, help me!”

Assuming that Vi needed help with extreme horniness or the juicer, Caitlyn took pity on her own wobbly legs and put her robe on very slowly.

She never, ever would have imagined going downstairs and seeing Vi kneeling at the front door, holding an unconscious woman in her arms.

Sickly pale skin. Long, blue braids. It was Jinx. At Caitlyn's house. Either injured or strung out.

Was she hallucinating?

“Help, please,” Vi repeated. Caitlyn took her eyes off her worst enemy and looked at her worst enemy's sister.

All the glee and mischief and lust and love from earlier were gone from Vi's face. She needed help. Two impossible things had happened one after the other, and she needed Caitlyn to tell her what to do.

Caitlyn's body clocked out, and her brain clocked in. Deckard. Marcus. Silco. The plot to take down the drug ring.

“Take her to the pool house. I'll bring the first aid kit.”

Chapter 21: Not That Kind of MILF

Chapter Text

Caribel was conceived after a year of attempts. It took seven cycles, and after each negative test, Dr. Kulak continued emphasising how young and healthy Caitlyn was, how there was no reason for the IUIs not to work, how it was up to chance and “next time she'll get it”.

But for a long time, she didn't. Of course, Caitlyn blamed herself and nearly drowned in anxiety. She got through that year in a haze, pouring herself into work and establishing a life in a country where the only person she knew was Jayce.

Her first client was Ekko, the skateboarding leader of a guerilla group dedicated to cleaning up the streets of Zaun. He hired her to find the person manufacturing Shimmer, a then-new drug that was racking up bodies downriver.

Ten days after her last embryo transfer, Caitlyn woke up extra early to do a blood test, and then took her mind off it by setting up a meeting with Ekko. She thought she finally had the location of the lab.

Coincidentally, as she pulled into the docks, she got a text from Kulak's office about her blood test. She swerved, nearly losing control of the car before pulling over safely.

And Caitlyn got to know Bee for the first time.

While she sat, crying uncontrollably in the driver's seat, she couldn't help but notice something bizarre happening in front of her car. A teenager with bright blue hair and barely-there clothes was crawling on the ground towards the edge of the docks.

Caitlyn's heart jumped and she thought, wow, maternal instinct is real. She wiped her tears vigorously and hopped out of the car, rushing towards the girl. Someone so young shouldn't be out in the dark so late.

When she heard the teen suddenly speak, she assumed she was being spoken to. She was wrong. The girl was speaking to herself, singing a creepy little song.

Even more worried, Caitlyn called out, “Love, are you alright?”

“Love?” The girl asked. She was rising slowly from the ground, her back still to Caitlyn. “Buy me dinner first, Toots.”

She turned around, and stuck a detonator between her teeth.

And Caitlyn got to know Jinx for the first time.

She'd never forget that moment, when the Earth shook and fire bellowed just a short distance away from them, exactly where Caitlyn was meant to meet Ekko and his crew if she hadn't pulled over. The lab. Jinx blew up her own lab.

She nearly blew up Caitlyn.

She nearly blew up Caitlyn's baby.

When Caitlyn tried to give her evidence over to the local PD, she had the displeasure of meeting Marcus's moustache for the first time. He refused to investigate the blue-haired teenager, making an enemy out of Caitlyn.

Ekko went on to build the community centre, and Caitlyn went on to make a lot more enemies. It came naturally to her. Being judgy and stubborn was part of her brand. But of all her enemies, the thing that made Jinx a nemesis was purely timing.

Even after all these years, she never forgot how it felt when the Earth shook, and the joy of learning she was finally pregnant clashed with the terror of having someone to lose for the first time since her mum died.

She could go back to the moment in an instant. And so, Jinx was her one and only nemesis.

Timing was everything.

*

What was she wearing?

Caitlyn spent her preteen years trying to melt into walls, wearing all-black sweatshirts and hoping no one noticed she had breasts or that she was a raging queer. Even looking in the mirror made her cry sometimes, seeing her body in a dress and feeling detached from it.

However, once she finally bloomed, Caitlyn couldn't get enough of mirrors. It was one of her mother's core beliefs that a woman should never be caught out of style. Appearances are a lady's most valuable weapon, besides her shotgun.

She used to be so into fashion. She had had two different Cher Horowitz walk-in closets, designer everything, and when she first got into social justice she donated her entire wardrobe and bought a new vintage Serena ven dar Woodsen one.

Becoming a mum changed all that. As soon as every item of clothing she owned had been introduced to puke, pee or poop, the value of fashion magically shrunk. Her closet was full of exactly five alternating outfits now, and she even traded the sh*t-kicking boots for leather low-ankle boots a size too large.

There was one cherished outfit she kept from her life in England, though. A beautiful, luxury power suit her mum's ghost would not allow her to toss. It was burgundy and intimidating as hell, and Caitlyn actually had it refitted three times during and after her first pregnancy. She kept it away from bodily fluids at all costs.

She had always imagined herself wearing it when she finally got Jinx arrested. But it didn't work out like that at all.

The night Jinx appeared on her doorstep, she would have followed Vi to the pool house in her nighty, had she not felt the need to grab her gun. Passing a mirror on the way to her gun safe, she did a double-take when she saw the liberties Vi had taken with her entire chest, collarbones and neck. f*ck.

She ran back to her bedroom, gun in hand, and wore the first clean things she saw. A tie-dye oversized tank top from one of Bee's Montessori projects, and Vi's “work” cargo shorts with two unnecessary belts. Horrible colour combo for the biggest interrogation of Caitlyn's career.

But Caitlyn wasn't thinking about it, moving on autopilot. The last time the sisters saw each other, Jinx had a gun in Vi's face. Caitlyn had to separate them as fast as humanly possible.

When she opened the door to the pool house, gun tucked in her waistband under the tank top, she half-expected to see Vi being held hostage. She did not expect Vi to be kneeling in front of her passed-out sister, holding her hand and dabbing a towel on her skin to clean it. She was calm and methodical.

Caitlyn instantly felt like an intruder, just as she did at Jinx's lab, when Vi had sobbed like a child in front of her. This time, however, Vi wasn't panicking. She noticed her without pummeling three grown men.

She stood up and Caitlyn almost laughed. They were matching. Vi must have grabbed the first pair of pants she saw, which happened to be the other half of Bee's Montessori project. A leggings and tutu hybrid, with pink frills that honestly made her arse look amazing.

Focus.

“She’s got cuts and bruises from a fight, but they aren't as bad as they look,” Vi reported quickly. “I think she crashed from fatigue. How the hell did she get here from the Undercity?”

Caitlyn strongly suspected that Jinx passed out either because she was high or because she was low. She also strongly suspected that Vi was choosing to ignore that.

At least Vi wasn't panicking. She was worried, of course, but it looked more like a mum-worry, and not the messy bitch Vi was after seeing Jinx in Piltover for the first time. She wasn't worried about Jinx, she was worried for Jinx.

For a killer.

A voice whispered in Caitlyn’s ear. This was only going to end one way.

At her lack of response, Vi suddenly looked Caitlyn up and down. They ended up speaking at exactly the same time.

“Why isn't she tied up?”

“Where is the first aid kit?”

They blinked at each other. Vi asked first, “What the f*ck?”

“We need restraints, Vi. Your sister is dangerous,” Caitlyn huffed, circling Vi to stand between her and Jinx. She tried to sound businesslike, like Vi hadn't been inside her less than hour ago. Like I have to to f*ck this puss* do you understand me? wasn't echoing on repeat in her brain.

“My sister is hurt. You said you're bringing a first aid kit!”

“You just said she wasn't badly injured. And if she were, there's a first aid kit right here,” Caitlyn threw her hand towards the shelf by the door, which very plainly housed a first aid kit. “It's basic pool safety.”

“Well excuse me for not having neither a pool nor a house, Princess,” Vi hissed back, crossing her beefy arms in annoyance. When her sleeves shifted, Caitlyn noticed scratch marks on her. Apparently Vi wasn't any more unscathed than Caitlyn.

She blushed, looking away from Vi's muscles. “There's a toolbox with some rope under the ottoman, will you please just get it?”

“Not to kinkshame, but you're not tying my sister up,” Vi insisted, unmovable.

“Vi! She's probably here to kill both of us! Did you forget that Deckard put me on blast?”

She obviously did, and it was obvious why. Vi's eyes jumped, very quickly, to Caitlyn's chest before realigning with her eyes. “Uh, she weighs less than Bee, I think I can handle her. Plus, she's passed out.”

Caitlyn frowned, but Vi wasn't wrong. When Caitlyn took a closer look, Jinx was sweating and twitching, but out cold. She automatically leaned in to check her pupils, then remembered who she was dealing with. “Wait, did you check for weapons?”

Vi looked guiltyly to the side, where Caitlyn had a large rattan basket for pool-wet towels. Currently, it also had three guns and two grenades inside. Caitlyn nearly shrieked. “Do not tell me you touched them without gloves!”

Vi looked even guiltier. Especially when they both remembered where Vi's fingers had been most recently.

“That does it.” Caitlyn marched to the sink in the open concept kitchen of the pool house.

“You can't waterboard her, either!” Vi argued, marching right after her.

Caitlyn defiantly kept filling a glass with water. “It's just to wake her up. They do it on TV all the time.”

“Yeah, on cop shows, not hospital shows!”

Caitlyn closed the tap and glared at Vi. “If you don't move, I'll splash it on your face.”

Vi groaned. “Oh now she wants to squirt on me, ain't that something?”

“f*ck me,” said the raspiest voice Caitlyn had ever heard. “Did I wake up in gay hell?”

Caitlyn turned her body around slowly.

Jinx was conscious. Tweaking out, on her back, on Caitlyn's pool house sofa, probably getting blood on it.

Vi dropped down by her sister so quickly that her knees banged the parquet. “Hey, hey, take it easy,” she said gently, holding her sister's hand again. “I got you, honey. You're safe.”

None of them were safe. Watching Vi figuratively sticking her head in a shark's mouth was nerve-wracking. She wished again that she could pull Vi's sensitive heart away from here and lock her out, but she couldn't. Vi was her best bet of getting answers out of Jinx, after all.

Jinx was still groaning, barely able to move it seemed. Vi had to help her lift her head. The movement revealed that she had stained Caitlyn's sofa. Implicating her. But if she wasn't badly injured…

“Whose blood is that?” Caitlyn asked immediately. Why wasn't she already on the phone with Jayce? Did Vi f*ck all the common sense out of her?

Jinx's eyes went to her quickly, like she'd forgotten whose doorstep she passed out on. A second later, her eyes unfocused again, pinning a slice of thin air right next to Caitlyn. “She's wrong, she's a mistake,” Jinx started muttering to herself fervently. “He's a liar.”

Caitlyn grit her teeth, loath to engage with her. Vi leaned closer to Jinx, wanting to recapture her attention. “Who's a liar?”

“Him.”

Vi's eyebrows were scrunched together, a tortured look, so different than just twenty minutes ago in the bedroom. Caitlyn couldn't help but think of last time in the lab, couldn't stop seeing Vi completely shatter again at her sister's hand. “Silco? Did Silco beat you?”

A twisted, mirthless grin spread on Jinx's face. “Oh no, that was all Sevika.”

Vi practically growled. “I'll f*cking kill her.”

Christ, Caitlyn would really like to not be implicated in any more crimes tonight. “Why would Sevika hurt her golden goose?”

“Don't dehumanize her,” Vi hissed, holding Jinx's hand protectively again. Too damn sensitive. This was only going to end one way. “Honey, tell us what happened. I'm listening.”

Caitlyn's hand twitched with the need to write, and she almost regretted bringing a gun and not a notebook. As a compromise, she took her phone out and started recording surreptitiously.

And so, Jinx began telling her tale. A date, a time, an address.

Jinx was not the target demo of Deckard's white guy podcast, but his story about Caitlyn gained traction amongst his ex-girlfriends, and they were all on Sevika’s Instagram feed.

When the lieutenant brought it to Silco's desk, Jinx happened to be perching on the lamp above it tinkering with a new smoke bomb idea. It could be a big problem, Sevika said. If Captain Marcus Dover got caught by the feds, Sevika (and honestly, Jinx as well) had no doubt he would squeal.

Silco suggested that someone pay a visit to Marcus's house, catch up with his daughter, make sure he still understood the terms of their deal, that kind of thing.

Caitlyn interrupted Jinx for the first time since she started talking. “His daughter is twelve,” she said scathingly.

“Yeah, I know! Twelve year old girls are so f*ckin' judgy, you think Sevika got the stones to deal with her?”

Vi's face hardened, voice breaking. She was still on the floor between Caitlyn's pacing form and Jinx's strung out one. “What'd you do to that kid?”

Jinx gave a raspy laugh that quickly turned wheezy. Caitlyn really wanted to check her pupils. “Nothing, sheesh! I haven't been that crazy in years!”

Vi seemed relieved. Caitlyn never got the answer about whose blood was on her couch. “Continue the story.”

Apparently, even Sevika disagreed with Silco, saying it was too late for threats. She wanted to get rid of Marcus for good, and she wanted Jinx herself to get it done. Jinx saw right through it: Sevika was going to throw Jinx under the bus, and Silco wasn't going to protect her anymore.

Caitlyn didn't believe a single word she said, but this particular point made even less sense than the others. “But why would they betray you? You're practically running the show.”

“‘Cause they know about us, Toots.”

“Wot?!” Caitlyn spluttered, getting three grey hairs simultaneously.

Jinx rolled her eyes. “‘Cause of Vi, you stupid bitch.”

“Me?” Vi gasped, entranced by this narrative Jinx was weaving.

“When you came back to town, I realized he lied to me. So I left some breadcrumbs, and c*ntlyn came running. Didn't you wonder why I left you my little toy?”

Caitlyn paled, hands curling into fists.

It was all on purpose. Jinx f*cking played her. For how long?

Caitlyn suddenly remembered the monkey tag downtown, in the bad part of Zaun. Meeting a fascinating, beautiful stranger that pushed Caitlyn to have sympathy for Jinx. Had it all been predetermined by her nemesis?

Could Jinx taint this, too?

While Caitlyn was reevaluating her whole life, Vi could only get one thing through her thick head: “You believe me?”

“I believe in the lesson you taught me, sis,” Jinx said slowly, hauntingly. “You gotta leave before you get left.”

Vi looked struck, like she'd just been slapped. Caitlyn wasn't the most empathetic person in the world, but the guilt she saw in Vi's eyes was intimately familiar to her. She felt her pain. She wanted to kiss her again. She had to focus.

“So this was an exit strategy?”

Jinx rolled her eyes. “It was, until f*cking Deckard f*cked the whole thing. Sevika knew it was my doing. She knew I would say no when she told me to whack Marcus. It just gave her an excuse to beat the sh*t out of me.”

Vi growled again, pissed-off and torn. “I'm sorry. You never have to see them again. We'll put all this behind us, I promise,” she said solemnly, her voice going high and scratchy, pouring her soul out.

It was… hard to hear. Especially while so discombobulated. Something occurred to Caitlyn and she stepped closer, stopping next to Vi and glaring down at Jinx. “Are Silco and Sevika alive right now?”

Jinx grinned. She had the same sharp teeth as Vi. Caitlyn felt phantom bites on her neck. “Shouldn't we keep some mystery alive in our relationship?” Jinx drawled.

Caitlyn pulled her phone out of her pocket without thinking, her heart racing. She had to call Jayce. Maybe not Jayce, but someone. She had a moral obligation to call someone who wasn't related to Jinx and/or pregnant.

Vi jumped to her feet, probably reading her mind. “Caitlyn, wait! She's my sister!”

Caitlyn narrowed her eyes at Vi. “And what am I?”

Jinx cackled again. “Jeez, sis. You knock her up and didn't DTR? You know she's practically a cop, right?”

“Leave her out of this, Pow,” Vi said, stepping closer to Caitlyn and keeping Jinx out of her sight. She looked up at Caitlyn with her most dangerous puppy eyes. “Please, Cait. Don't call the cops.”

“What cops?!” Caitlyn nearly screamed. “The ones arresting each other right now?! f*ck.”

Her brain was going too fast. She didn't know what to do, and she had too much to lose. It felt so much like the first time she met Jinx, except that this time it wasn't her baby she was afraid to lose—it was Violet. Jinx and Vi have tangled her completely in their web and she had no control.

A voice whispered in her ear. This was only going to end one way. Caitlyn, alone.

It was her worst fear, Vi literally standing between her and Jinx. Here Caitlyn was, a self-possessed woman who had no need of a partner, let alone a romantic one. And there was Jinx, blood of Vi's blood, a damsel in distress, everything Vi dreamed of.

She knew who Vi was going to choose.

She sighed, lowering her phone again. “No. Jinx stays here.”

Vi gaped at her. “Cait, they'll look for her. We need to protect the queen, remember?”

“They’ll look for her, but not here. I'm the last person who'd be suspected of harbouring my nemesis. That's precisely why she came here, isn't it?”

Jinx snickered. “I need to lay low and get clean for a couple weeks. Figured I'd pay my sister's girlfriend a visit.”

Vi's jaw ticked, her hands turning to fists. For the first time, she looked down at Jinx with something like unpleasantness. “You can't use her like that. What, you'll pretend you're her underpaid pool boy? She ain't that kinda MILF.”

“Oh no,” Caitlyn said immediately, grossed out. “She's too dangerous to leave the pool house.”

“But…” Vi evaded eye contact, biting her lip hard. It obviously pained her to say, “She believes me. After all these f*cking years… I gotta look after her.”

It wasn't surprising to hear. Caitlyn knew what had to be done. She'd known from the moment she saw Vi holding Jinx on her floor. She knew what she had to do, and she knew what it would cost, and she thanked god for whatever personality disorder that allowed her to bury her feelings.

“Of course, you're going to stay here too,” Caitlyn said in a clipped tone.

Vi’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“Jamie and Stag will stay in the main house, of course.”

Vi turned fully towards Caitlyn, already shaking her head. “No. I can't let you do this.”

“Oh what, you don't trust me with Jamie?”

“Cait,” Vi said softly. “I just… We can't keep her prisoner.”

“She literally came here. Willingly!” Caitlyn grit her teeth. She laid out the facts like a floor murder board. “You can't stash her at your flat and expose Jamie to her. You can't leave her alone with me because I could sabotage your escape plan. She doesn't have any other allies.”

Vi opened her mouth as if to argue, and Caitlyn cut her off with a frustrated noise. It shouldn't be so hard. “There's no other scenario where you can have both, Vi.”

“Both you and her?”

“Both her and J,” Caitlyn corrected quickly. Clipped. Assertive. A retired detective on the case. That's right. “This is my case. It's my decision.”

Vi opened her mouth again but nothing came out. She was stunned silent. Her eyes got wider, thick eyebrows scrunching. She was so beautiful. And hurt.

She lumbered past Caitlyn straight to the door, holding it open for her.

“We're taking this outside.”

*

It was raining, because of course it was. Caitlyn refused to go far from the pool house, so both of them just stood in the drizzle like idiots, in matching tie-dye. Maybe they all woke up in gay hell.

Vi went to hold both of Caitlyn's hands, but Caitlyn evaded, rubbing her forearms to keep warm. Vi always, always knew when Caitlyn was upset.

So she avoided her gaze, too. She had an actual terrorist hidden amongst her yard decorations, but meeting Vi's eyes was a way scarier thought in that moment.

“Hey, partner,” Vi said hesitantly, crossing her arms. “What happened to making decisions together?”

Caitlyn bit her lip, feeling the rain soak into her tank top. She whispered in her own voice, “This was only going to end one way.”

Vi stayed frozen, two feet and a hundred miles away from her. Caitlyn thought she'd yell, but she sounded almost monotonous. “You know Shortcake tells everyone at school she's got two moms?”

f*ck, right for the jugular. Caitlyn shook her head, focusing on not crying.

Vi took a step forward, voice lowering. “You know I started calling you my girlfriend in my head? You know who has to tell J’s sweet little face it ain't true?”

Caitlyn squeezed her arms so tightly that her nails nearly broke skin. Anything not to cry. “But it's not. It's not true.”

“What about us?” Vi barked, nose scrunching up in rage. She hadn't been so hostile towards Caitlyn since the day Vi found out she was pregnant.

Since it started. The cooking, the cleaning, the co-parenting, the family walkie-talkies, the having her back always. She finally met Vi's gaze head on.

“I'm a... single mum, Vi,” she blurted. “I've always been a single mum.”

Vi looked like she got stabbed in the gut because of Caitlyn again. She was always too f*cking easy to read.

And then she finally started yelling. “I still got pubes at the back of my throat, Caitlyn! You said I'm yours, you said ‘my Vi’. Was that all bullsh*t?”

“It wasn't bullsh*t.” Caitlyn's voice cracked embarrassingly, yet she was not crying. “But obviously, it wasn't meant to be.”

“Oh, now it's obvious? Guess f*cking you is all I'm good for, huh?” Vi sucked her teeth in rage. “You used me. I can't believe I was going to let you see my tit*.”

Caitlyn officially started crying. “Darling…”

“Don't darling me!” Vi yelled again, taking two steps and a hundred miles back. “I knew you'd bail, I just didn't think it would be so soon. You didn't even let me say I love—”

“Because if we start a family for real and you leave, I won't survive it!” Caitlyn exploded, not even caring that tears were streaming down her face. They mingled with the rain anyway. “Violet, one of us has to be realistic. Can you look me in the eye and tell me you won't pack J up and leave me if that's what your sister needs from you?”

Vi stayed silent.

It kind of said it all.

“So don't overpromise,” Caitlyn finished.

"Me?!" Vi squealed. “So I'm supposed to pretend nothing happened between us? I can't. f*ck, Cait! I can't do that. I'm not like you."

She was right.

A lifetime ago, Vi had stared her down and lifted Caitlyn's chin and told her she wasn't going to run out of love. Vi, your boundless capacity for love is completely anomalous.

Caitlyn was right.

“I'm sorry, Vi."

"I don't think you are.” Vi's eyes shuttered, and Caitlyn realised that if Vi were crying too, the rain would mingle with her tears anyway. “But I think you will be.”

Vi turned her back to her. "I need space."

"You'll stay here, though?" Caitlyn said in a rush.

Vi’s shoulders jumped, nearly meeting her ears. "Guess I don't have a choice, do I? I gotta protect her from you.”

It felt like a stab to the gut, when Vi went inside the pool house and slammed the door shut. Thunder cracked the sky.

Timing was everything.

Chapter 22: (Vi's Version)

Chapter Text

This wasn't ideal. Sitting in her ex-girlfriend’s pool house with nothing but her thoughts and the actual embodiment of her trauma was not an ideal sitch for Vi.

She wasn't really into wallowing. Sure, her life sucked, pretty much continuously from the moment her parents died to the moment J came into her life, but then Jamie did. Jamie, an actual angel that brought so much light and laughter into her life. What was there to boo-boo about now?

Vi looked down. She was in the middle of rinsing out a red popcorn bowl Jinx had thrown up in. Even though looking at it was making Vi sick, she knew she had to clean it before Jinx woke up and vomited again.

Oh, right. Before Jamie even existed, Vi had been raised to raise Powder, and she fumbled it so bad her sister became a f*cking drug lord or something.

Nope, no boo-hoo. Don't think about it.

Vi put the bowl upside down to dry, wiped her hands on her sweats and collapsed on the main room’s couch. She decided it would double as her bed, if she ever went to sleep.

Jinx was well into the initial crash of shimmer withdrawal by now. Soon after Caitlyn’s interrogation, Jinx lost her words and fluctuated between extremely hungry and extremely fatigued. Vi did what she could. She fed her, cleaned her and tucked her into bed.

She totally definitely doubtlessly needed to detox in a medical facility. If only she wasn't wanted by both the police and a f*cking drug cartel. Vi's fault. Vi's problem. Vi would fix it.

Shut up. Stop thinking.

Contemplating on the couch reminded her too much of the therapy sessions she was forced into when she was moved to the “Bilgewater Group Home for Misled Youth”, after Vander died and she was taken from Powder.

After the worst night of her life, when her heart was torn out of her chest and replaced by the Guilt.

The Bilgerat shrink had no clue what to do with her. Zaun poor was different from Bilgewater poor. Angry Zaun teen was different from angry Bilgewater teen.

Do you know what PTSD is? The therapist had asked.

Vi had laughed in his face. Where to start? She was orphaned once at 8 and put in foster care. Orphaned twice at 16, when the foster home caught fire. Learning it didn't “catch fire” so much as Vander crossed the wrong guy pulling Powder out of a bad situation. Beating said guy half to death and slapping Powder in the face and being sent to a group home for violent youth in Bilgewater and a million sh*tty events that could've happened to any sumprat.

Does it ever go away? Vi had asked her therapist.

Apparently not, because here she was, negative-thinking in her ex-girlfriend’s pool house with her sister's vomit bowl still in her line of sight. In the middle of the night when she finally got her sister back.

To be fair, it was more of a luxury bungalow. Apart from the main room with her couch, it had a bathroom, a bedroom and a respectable kitchenette. Not the worst place in the world to detox, or to mope.

She didn't allow herself to mope. She had everything she wanted, even if it didn't feel like it. She grabbed her phone, intending to scroll away from the dark cloud in her brain, but seeing her lock screen made her even more emotional. It was Jamie's drawing.

She was missing her baby excruciatingly. She told Jamie about the super-extra-mega sleepover, but it was over Ekko's phone while she had been giving him packing instructions.

She wouldn't get to actually see Jamie until after school. She wouldn't even get to see Cait, possibly ever. Cait Caitlyn Kiramman, who just dumped her. And also U-Hauled her ass. And got naked for her. All in the span of one night.

God, Vi needed a beer. She settled for her favorite chewing gum instead. Even if she hadn't made that vow on Sabine's grave, there were definitely no more beers in the pool house. She knew because as soon as Jinx passed out, Vi did a full sweep of the place. She'd loaded up the gun hamper with all kinds of drugs and booze leftover from Noémie’s week-long goodbye bash.

She also found a couple of thongs, which would have been welcome if Vi still had an appetite for 21-year-old puss*. Also, a really cute note from Noémie to Cait, thanking her for being like a second mother to her, for believing in her and giving her confidence. At least according to Google translate.

“Vi?”

Vi jumped to her feet before her brain even fully registered the raspy whine from the bedroom. She grabbed the puke bowl and rushed to her sister.

A part of her expected Jinx to have disappeared from the bed, like she'd imagined it all. She was so used to missing her more than she could bear.

Not like this, though. Jinx's skin was sallow, and her eyes were bloodshot. She was rail-thin, swimming in the Bilgewater MMA Champions sweater Vi had wrapped her in to stop her shivers. She looked worse than Sabine did towards the end, and that was not a comparison Vi ever wanted to make.

Vi sank to her knees on the floor, tilting her head so Jinx could see her face through squinted eyes. “I'm here, Monkey. Hungry? Nauseous?”

Even though she was right in front of her, Jinx's eyes wandered, taking in all the people Vi couldn't see. “Stop it!” Jinx rasped, slamming her eyes shut. “You're not real!”

“I am, Pow,” Vi promised, stroking her sister's fevered cheek. “It’s Vi. I'm not going anywhere.”

Suspiciously, Jinx cracked one eye open. “I… I saw mom,” she whispered, disoriented. “Did you see mom?”

Neither of them remembered what their mother looked like. They lost the pictures in the fire.

“I believe you,” Vi said anyway, moving her hand into Jinx's hair to soothe her. “Hey, remember the song she used to sing to us?”

Jinx shook her head, biting a chapped lip. Vi hesitated. “Well, how about the song I used to sing to you?”

It took her a daunting minute, but suddenly Jinx's face brightened just slightly. “The apple song?”

Vi's breath caught, unable to contain a smile. She remembered. It was her. She was there. “That's right. I could sing it to you?”

Jinx shrugged. “Whatever. Anything to help me sleep.”

She spat out her gum, excited to have a way to help. It felt as bad as looking out for Sabine during a bender, but also as good as singing Jamie to sleep after a nightmare.

“Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur…”

*

Powder loved it when Vi braided her hair after a shower. Powder never took a meal for granted, and got especially giddy when Vi made silly ketchup drawings on her plate. Powder helped Vi practice pickpocketing, even though she was too hyper to be any good at it herself. Powder cherished it whenever Vi showed her physical affection, a hug or a caress at the right time would soothe her more than anything else. Powder would scream her head off to get Vi to look at her when she did anything mildly impressive on the “monkey bars” (in the Lanes, that meant busted up fire escapes).

Powder also hated being in Vi's shadow. Powder was paranoid about being left behind, and being talked sh*t about, and being forgotten. Powder heard voices and saw faces that said horrible things to her. Powder blamed Vi for being too close and not close enough. Powder resented that Vi so easily became Vander’s favorite. Powder tried too hard, and made reckless mistakes that caused small explosions.

Powder looked for approval in all the wrong places. Powder accepted a gig from Silco, and three days later Vander was gone and their lives were blown to smithereens.

Powder was no longer Powder.

But Vi saw her in everything Jinx did, she saw her whenever she closed her eyes, she saw her whenever she looked in the mirror. She made eggs with a ketchup smiley for breakfast, and held Jinx's wildly long hair back when she threw it up. She hugged Jinx fiercely, despite the fact her sister felt brittle and ghostly. Because even if Powder changed, Vi sure as f*ck didn't. Caretaker, protector, loyal, stubborn—

“Playing the hero!” Jinx screamed at her, eyes blazing. “You like seeing me suffer, don't you? You always did. It's what Vander would have wanted, isn't it?”

The first night with her sister back turned into the first day with her sister back, and her sister only wanted one thing. That thing was well outside the pool house. Vi was blocking her way to the front door and getting screamed at.

She took a deep breath through her nose. “I'm just trying to help, Monkey.”

“Oh yeah? Like you helped when you abandoned me?” Jinx started clapping loudly, looking around at an invisible studio audience. “Wow, sister of the year, holding dolls so tightly she breaks them.”

Vi couldn't even deny it, didn't have the power to fight the Guilt. The jagged pieces of her heart were in the way, up her throat. But she didn't need words, neither her own nor Jinx's, to know she was not moving from this door.

Jinx must have read it on her face, because she shrieked and marched back into the bedroom, slamming the door loudly behind her. The relief Vi felt was completely abhorrent. Didn't she deserve everything Jinx was dishing out? Hadn't she been seeking this punishment her entire adult life?

At first she heard Jinx banging around in the bedroom, but eventually the noises petered out. Eventually Vi stopped punching the couch cushions too. She had to tell Ellie she couldn't come to the studio for a couple of weeks, and then push back all her appointments. Ellie might have been the most understanding boss in the world, but Vi wasn't crazy enough to ask her to talk to the hysterical lesbians of Zaun on her behalf.

Vi managed to distract herself with work for hours, until a sudden knock on the front door startled her.

Vi stiffened, looking around instinctively to see what she could tidy. She didn't want to give Cait any more reasons to kick them out. She also didn't want to talk to Cait at all. Just thinking about that hot bitch could give Vi an ulcer. So…

Don't think about it.

Another knock, this time followed by a muffled, “Mom?”

Vi's heart soared, instantly forgetting about anything else. In the last forever of helping Jinx and then self-regulating, she forgot about counting down to school pickup. She practically tore the door off its hinges.

“Honey!” She squealed, hopping from foot to foot. “Oooh, I missed you so much, oh I missed you, I missed you, I missed you!”

She tackled Jamie like a quarterback, so enthusiastically that they both fell on their sides right outside the pool house. “Oh my god,” Jamie laughed. “Mooom!”

Vi buried her nose in Jamie's lush, curly hair, and took a huge, life-affirming whiff. “Give me a kiss right this minute! Oooh I'm gonna eat you up, I freakin’ swear. Did you get cuter overnight? What did Uncle Ekko feed you, fairy dust?”

The weight on her got significantly heavier when Stag, not wasting a minute, joined the cuddle puddle. She grunted and fought the large dog off, sitting up and fixing her hair hastily. As always, she knew when she was under the blue gaze of Caitlyn Kiramman. Her real boss, and not half as understanding as Ellie.

Cait looked absolutely unamused at the excited family rolling around on her lawn. She also looked good in a thin shirt Vi could see her bralette through, but that went without saying. Literally, Vi refused to say anything flirty, even though it tore her apart inside not to.

Those treacherous boobs dumped her, and Vi wasn't going to pay them any more attention. She tore her gaze away and refocused on Jamie. She could tell everything she needed to know just from looking at their face.

Jamie only started talking when they were four years old. After some examinations, the docs in Bilgewater said it was a natural “mental block”, given what Jamie had been through and what they might have seen under the town drunk's care. Okay, maybe they didn't say exactly that, but it was what Vi heard.

(Do you know about CPTSD? They asked, almost exactly like that first shrink.

c*nty post traumatic stress disorder?

No, uh. How about insecure attachment styles?

Did you talk to my ex?)

So Vi had done everything to learn how to communicate non-verbally. To really know J. To look into her child's big brown eyes and read exactly how they were feeling. To do everything single-handed because J had refused to be anywhere other than on her hip. To figure out her own gender stuff while she had the privilege of walking J through theirs. To show love and devotion, rather than just talk about it.

Jamie had perfectly understood everything she said, even without replying. And when Jamie finally started speaking, it was in full, thought-out sentences. This was how their first conversation went:

“I don't like this dress, mama.”

Vi panicked. Not about the dress, she didn't give a sh*t about that. She'd never been “mom” to someone. She was mom-ish to half of the Lanes, but no one ever called her that, not even the sister she had been raising.

Several hours of agonizing later, she brought it up again. They were fingerpainting together, so she knew J was in a good mood. She wiped her left hand clean and pulled out her phone, scrolling through pictures of Sabine.

“So, honey,” she started awkwardly, showing the screen to J. “This is your mama. You know that, right?”

J didn't even stop painting the tree they were working on. “Yes. Also.”

Vi accidentally spilled a little paint on the floor. sh*t. “We need to talk about this, buddy. Your mom is your mom. Like, your biological mom. I'm…”

J looked weirdly annoyed when they glanced at her under their bangs. They'd always been a serious kid. “Also.”

Vi's voice broke when she replied. “Okay. Sab is your bio mom. I'm your Vio mom. How does that sound?”

J shrugged. “Where's the red brush?”

When Sabine passed, it was shockingly easy to adopt J, at least in comparison to the years and years Vi worked the system to get guardianship of Powder (to no avail). Or maybe because of those years. Vi knew what to file and when, she had all the femme social workers of Bilgewater in her back pocket, and she was a genuinely decent person who had raised J for nearly half their life. Also, the only way J would end up in foster care was over Vi's stinking dead body.

Right now, in the sunshine outside of Cait's pool house, Jamie seemed genuinely happy to see her. Then they got up and started towards the pool house. “So are we going swimming?”

Vi scrambled to her feet, and lifted Jamie before they could reach the door. She hadn't given it too much thought, but her gut instinct was to keep Jamie and Jinx far apart.

Huh.

“Whoa honey,” she said while twirling Jamie and putting them back down next to Cait. “That right there is mom's private space now. That means only moms go in there.”

Jamie was familiar with the concept. During COVID, when Gangplank’s shut down and she tattooed people in her house to make money, the art room became mom's private space on account of all the bare ass, and Jamie was really good about avoiding it.

They seemed confused now. “But it's Ms. Caitlyn's space.”

“I gave it to your mummy and aunt, darling,” Cait said in her Mary Poppins accent. Completely blowing Vi's cover.

Jamie didn't miss a word. Their jaw dropped. “I don't have an aunt.”

Vi smiled gently. “Don't you remember me talking about Powder?”

“Your sister?!”

“Yeah, that's what an aunt is, honey.”

“Whoa. You found Powder?”

“I did. She's just, well, she's very sick right now, so you kids can't come near her.” When she saw Jamie's little face fall, she quickly added, “Also, she goes by Jinx now. She chose her name, just like you.”

Jamie's eyes sparkled. “Jinx… with a J?”

“Duh. Everyone could use a little J, am I right?” She smirked. A hint of a smile crooked Jamie's lips, and Vi couldn't stop herself from lifting Jamie again and making monster noises into their tummy.

She heard Bee Kiramman screech before she saw her. The little girl shot through the lawn like a bullet, launching herself at Vi until they all went tumbling down again. “Vi!!!” She screamed in Vi's ear. “Sleepover!!!”

Vi rubbed her ear, hoping to regain her hearing at some point. “I know, Shortcake. You excited?”

Bee chattered for a full minute about all the activities she had planned for them (including opening a manicure parlour and going on a treasure hunt, hopefully not in that order), with Jamie laughing and making embarrassing heart-eyes at her like they always did. Vi had to resort to tickling her to get her to pipe down.

“That all sounds insanely fun, but I can't leave the pool house, Beeswax.”

Bee scrutinized her like a cigar-smoking forty-year-old hardball New York police detective. “You're not in the pool house right now.”

She got her there. “Right, but the door is at my back, so it's okay.”

“The pool’s right there! Ten meters from the door!”

“What the heck is a meter?”

Cait stepped in, touching Bee's shoulder meaningfully. “Vi has to stay at the pool house, end of discussion. I'll play with you two.”

Bee gave Cait such a savage diss that Vi snorted a laugh. Yeah, she couldn't picture Cait hunting down a treasure chest either, not in her condition. Vi was definitely the fun mom.

Jamie tugged on Vi's sleeve. “If you have to be in the pool house but I'm not allowed, how… um… will I see you?”

“I'm right here honey!” She forced on a big smile. “Just knock! And we can FaceTime with your tablet. Or use the family walkie-talkies all night. We'll be back home in no time, as soon as Jinx feels better.”

It took a moment, but Jamie was such a good kid, they soon nodded in understanding. “Okay. Um, maybe… Maybe Stag should stay with you. So you're not alone and missing me.”

A wet sound interrupted them. Cait was sniffling, crying already. Vi, who wasn't immune either, hoped Caitlyn was ready for living with the sweetest kid in the world for two weeks. Not that Bee wasn't adorable, but she was more like… Vi's catty best friend, when Jamie was more like… the love of her life.

“That's an amazing idea, honey. You're very thoughtful.” She cupped her mouth to whisper in Jamie's ear, “But I'm gonna miss you no matter what, ya bozo.”

She kissed them all over the face. Bee looked at them, absolutely unamused. “Come on Jamie, we need to unpack, you're staying in my room!”

Cait cleared her throat, giving her daughter a look. Bee cleared her throat right back. “Unless you wanna stay somewhere else.”

Jamie looked at Vi, at the door behind her, at their dog next to her. Then they put on the bravest little face and took Bee's hand. “It’s a super mega sleepover,” they said. “I should stay with you.”

They toddled off, discussing an actual heist of anything treasure-like that Cait owned. Leaving just the two moms together. For the first time since their break-up. On the first day since Vi got her sister back. Which happened to happen immediately after Vi f*cked the sh*t out of Cait.

“So,” Cait started, crossing her arms over her criminally thin shirt. “How's the fugitive I'm harbouring?”

Except for the one in her pool house, Cait took no prisoners. Nothing could stop her from speaking her mind. Sometimes it felt like daggers. It's what made her a badass detective. Her ability to dig and dig and dig.

Obviously, it wasn't meant to be.

Vi looked away from her crystal blue eyes, accidentally caught sight of her dark red bralette, reminisced about the white one she'd worn when they hooked up (like Vi didn't have enough on her plate back then), and ended up looking at her feet. “She's, you know. In recovery. You didn't have to tell Jamie about her.”

“Were you intending to lie?”

“No, but Jamie's my kid, I should've been the one to decide.”

Cait huffed. “They're mine for the next two weeks, because of your decisions. I'm not lying to anyone.”

Vi's shoulders hunched, her eyes snapping back up to Cait's. She was surprised to see Cait a little remorseful, like she hadn't meant to twist the dagger quite that deep. But the damage was done. Vi was done.

“Well, great talk. Wait here.”

Vi went back into the pool house, and very carefully dragged out the hazardous materials hamper. She wanted to make Cait angry, and she succeeded.

“What in the world!” Cait squealed, leaning down to sort through weapons and booze and thongs. “You just kept this around her?!”

“What, you wanted me to leave it out for the coyotes?”

“You dare? The only predator around here is your sister!”

Vi's jaw ticked in anger. “She never went near it.”

“How do you know? Maybe while you slept, she—”

“Was in my arms.”

Cait winced, shutting up for once. It was extremely satisfying, for maybe a second and a half.

Violet, one of us has to be realistic.

Cait grabbed the handles of the hamper, and Vi immediately jumped to help her, but Cait shrilled, “I don't need your help!”

After five steps, she stopped and turned back to look at Vi. Much more quietly, she asked, “You're really… You really think she can change?”

Vi shrugged, Jinx's words still on her mind. You love playing the hero. You love seeing me suffer. You always did.

Despite how much she wanted to, she couldn't just paint a perfect picture for Cait. Her and Jinx have never been perfect.

“That's not up to me, is it?” She said eventually. “But I gotta let her try. I gotta believe in her, Cait.”

Cait took that in for a long, patient moment. One of the best things about her was how she listened to Vi, diligent and steadfast, like Vi's every word mattered even though most of the time she talked sh*t. It was obviously just a detective thing, but it made Vi feel important and worthy, even when in the end Cait just said, “You remind me of my father.”

Vi wanted to make a meet the parents joke, but it was obvious from Cait's tone that it wasn't a compliment. “He got a fancy accent like you? Pish posh bippity boppity Wingardium Leviosa?”

Cait rolled her eyes hard, and started strutting towards the main house, dragging the danger hamper behind her. “Great talk, let's not do it again!”

Whatever. Vi was done wasting time on girls that would never be hers.

Chapter 23: The Dog House

Chapter Text

Vi had a thousand recurring nightmares her brain cycled through nightly, but these were the top three:

1. Vander’s house was on fire and Jamie was inside.
2. Zombie Sabine came back to eat Jamie's brains.
3. Vi smacking Powder in the face and abandoning her for 13 years.

Today, for the first time, Vi got to wake up from number 3, wipe her eyes and see Jinx. Her sister was back. She was right there, on the left side of the bed, alive and within reach. It was the best feeling Vi could imagine.

After three days of withdrawal, Jinx's fatigue was mostly gone, making room for Vi's two best friends, depression and anxiety. Vi tried her best to get Jinx out of her head, and they ended up falling asleep in Jinx's bed while watching anime on Vi's phone.

Vi took another minute to shake off her nightmare, and then rolled out of bed to make some eggs. A mysterious anonymous donation full of groceries appeared at the doorstep yesterday.

“Jinx, c’mon,” she called when she was putting the finishing touches on the ketchup flower she was drawing. “You gotta eat.”

“Eat my ass,” Jinx croaked back, barely loud enough to be heard in the kitchenette.

Vi grit her teeth, putting the ketchup bottle down and padding back to the bedroom. Jinx was tucked up against the wall, like she was trying to melt into it. “Up and at ‘em.”

“Can't. Slow.”

Vi approached the bed. “You'll never get more energy if you don't eat.”

“What do I need energy for? Not like I'm going places.”

As if he knew she was down, Stag trotted into the bedroom and started shoving his snout into Jinx's barely visible hand. Vi's eyes lit up.

“Then let's go places.”

“What.”

“Yeah! Let's walk Stag together around the yard.”

Jinx peeked at Vi over her shoulder. “You're not scared I'll escape to get high?”

Vi snorted. “I'm in the best shape of my life. I don't see you getting very far.”

“Ugh!” Jinx groaned into her pillow. “Stupid jock!”

When they were kids they only had big fights around two topics, and one of them was Vi trying to convince Pow to join a group sport. (The other one was Pow trying to convince Vi to share her bras even though she had no use for them.)

“Whatever, nerd,” Vi retorted. “You coming?”

“Cupcake wouldn't like that. I'm not looking to get shot.”

Vi shrugged. Cait didn't want Jinx to run into the kids, but they were at school by now. Cait herself might choose to perch somewhere with binoculars trained on them like a freak, but Vi was trying to worry about one thing at a time.

“Do it for the dog, Monkey.”

“Ugh.”

It was totally working. Jinx and Stag fell in love with each other at first sight. It seemed obvious now, as Stag was a good therapy boy and Zaunites loved big dogs. The fact it was Jamie's idea made Vi so proud she could explode.

Stag was always there to comfort Jinx in his doggo way. And Jinx got out of bed for him. Out of the pool house, breathing fresh air, moving her legs. This was amazing for Jinx. It had nothing to do with Vi herself being extremely stir-crazy. Working out for two hours every morning was totally normal, everybody did that.

They were on the second lap when Jinx asked her a question about her past for the first time.

“What was it like in the home for killers?”

Vi stumbled on nothing, but recovered fast, hoping not to discourage her sister from communicating. She fished for the most neutral thing she could possibly say, that wouldn't set Jinx off. “They were really big on therapy.”

“Ha!” Jinx honked in laughter.

Vi nudged her playfully. “Well, the occupational therapy was nice. They let me learn MMA as long as I didn't beat anyone without consent. And I really got into art.”

“Art?” Jinx repeated, hesitant.

Vi nodded with a smile. So many of her memories were tainted by the Guilt, but making art with Powder never deserted her. Sketching and painting and practicing and tattooing was often a way of reliving the good parts of her childhood. “Yeah. It made me feel connected to you.”

“To Powder,” Jinx hissed coldly, all the curiosity evaporating in an instant. The mood swings were somehow more intense than usual. Even Stag was sensing it, slowing down to walk next to Jinx's left leg.

Vi pivoted. “And it got me my first girlfriend.”

Jinx went quiet for a moment, back to cautiously interested. “Ho era. Remember how you promised…” she trailed off.

Vi made a lot of promises. But she knew what Jinx was referring to. She remembered Powder being viciously jealous of every girl Vi looked at, and demanding a veto vote before Vi finally asked someone to be girlfriends.

She didn't get a girlfriend before they ran out of time. One of many things the sisters never got a shot at. Vi never even got to see Powder become a teenager. When Jamie turned 12, Vi was basically off-script and probably f*cked.

“She was cool,” Vi started, trying to conjure up her first date with Sabine. Maybe she embellished to bait a smile out of Jinx. This was how she told it:

Sabine was older and cooler and prettier than Vi. She’d only been in foster care for a year, practically a normie, and clung to Vi for guidance and support.

She was an expert at getting people to buy her alcohol, and one night they both got wasted and snuck into a sail-in showing Titanic. Kate Winslet was… a lot for young Vi. Especially while holding hands with an older, cooler, prettier girl that made her palms sweat.

Sabine made fun of her the whole way home for getting flustered during the racy scenes, until Vi pulled out her embarrassing secret sketchbook and suggested she paint Sabine like one of her French girls.

Sabine threw herself at her.

Jinx laughed mockingly at this point. “As if.”

Vi shrugged, pleased with Jinx's predictable reaction. “She did!”

“Sis, I hope you got more gay game than that. Sheesh.”

Vi elbowed Jinx, knocking her into Stag until all of them wobbled. “I got game, okay?”

Vi had maybe too much gay game. Sabine taught her that sex and love and girls made her heart forget the Guilt for two seconds. It was a huge turning point, much better than therapy. Love got Vi through the “traumas” that didn't have “childhood” in the prefix. Vi loved every girl she met.

Girls liked Vi, and Vi liked being liked. Girls used Vi, and Vi liked being useful.

Jinx quickly filled the silence with her commentary. “I don't know, man, Caitlyn Kiramman? Kinda desperate. What happened with the Bilgewater Babe?”

Vi clammed up. She didn't tell the rest of the story. Sabine and her were on and off for years.

On, when they moved in together as soon as they aged out of the group home. Sabine convinced Vi not to run back to Zaun because she relied on her for everything.

Off, when Sabine binge drank and Vi got absorbed in getting guardianship of her sister now that she was out of the system herself.

On, when Vi came back to Bilgewater from Zaun with the devastating news that her 15-year-old sister was lost. Vi decided not to care about the drinking anymore.

Off, when Sabine cheated again. Vi did care about the cheating.

Vi was finally done with her and started making good money at the tattoo studio, and then Sabine showed up with a three-year-old child. She begged for Vi to step-mom J, just until she got sober. But she never got sober.

If girls were better than therapy, kids were an acid trip. For Vi, the love she felt for J almost instantly eclipsed the love she had for any girlfriend. It was the only love that could ever stand up to the Guilt. A parent's love.

“She died,” Vi said instead of everything else.

“Ha!” Jinx cackled again. “Classic! Dead sister, dead ex. Good thing you stopped me from killing c*ntlyn, right?”

Vi froze up. She could have laughed it off, placated her, or even turned the questioning on her. But she did what she always did—made silly noises to Stag until he picked up the pace and Jinx started chasing him.

She never intended to ask Jinx what it was like for her when Vi had been in the “home for killers”. The only thing Vi wanted to know, and the only thing she absolutely shouldn't ask, was did he touch you?

*

Twice, Vi thought her sister was going to be taken from her again.

The first time, Jinx was sulking in the bedroom while Vi was in the main room, cleaning up the remains of a plate that had been smashed on the floor. Jinx's detox cravings were possibly more intense than Cait's pregnant ones, and led to a lot more food fights.

Vi was emptying the dustpan by the bay windows when she saw, in the dark, a car pulling up by the main house. The dustpan dropped from her hand, adrenaline already surging through her.

“There's someone outside,” she called. “Stay here, okay?”

“Bitch, I ain't tryna get caught,” Jinx yelled back through the bedroom door.

Vi spent another second debating if she should grab her brass knuckles, but the figure emerging from the car seemed on the small side, so Vi's own knobby knuckles should get the job done. She rushed out of the pool house, whistling for Stag to follow her.

Cait would have probably gotten in her sexy Catwoman outfit, stuck to the shadows and found a good vantage point. None of that even crossed Vi's mind. She waved her arms in the air and yelled, “Hey, asshole!”

The mystery person, who made it from their car almost to Cait's front door, froze up. Either they were scared of Vi or of the big dog next to her. The more noise she and Stag made, the better chance Cait had of escaping the…

Tiny French lady leaping at Vi and kissing her cheeks.

Vi was shocked, the sense of danger not abating, despite the fact Noémie’s best friend was as threatening as vanilla ice cream. “Bonsoir!”

“Bonne…” Vi racked her brain for a second, taking a step back to actually look at this girl. The last time she saw her, they were both in bikinis and Vi liked how gentle she was with Jamie. But she couldn't remember her name. She decided to shoot her shot, hoping her terrible accent would get her close enough. “Bonne soir-ee, Cléo.”

Cléo giggled wildly, perhaps using the very same trick when she called Vi, thick-accented, “Vivi! My god, I thought you were going to kill me. You'll get frown lines looking so angry!”

“I thought…” Vi shook herself, making an effort to clear her face and smile. Wasn't much of an effort. The intruder was a cute French girl and Cait wasn't actually in danger. “What are you doing here, babe? Is Noémie alright?”

“Oui, silly, I'm here for dinner! Let's go inside, no?”

“Oh,” Vi cleared her throat, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. “No, that's cool. It's just Cait and the kids.”

Cléo looked comically confused. “Quoi?”

“It's cool, okay? I'm staying at the pool house. I got my own groceries.” It was totally cool that Cait invited someone else to dinner.

Cléo tilted her head, the solar powered outdoor lighting catching in her curious eyes. “Don't Americans say dog house?”

A very poignant question. Vi pointed behind her back. “I mean the literal pool house.”

“Did you and Ms. Kiramman have a fight?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“So you're in the dog house in the pool house?”

Vi grit her teeth, called out and eviscerated. She started turning back and saying her goodbyes, but Cléo’s hand shot to her bicep, stopping her. They were suddenly close. Cléo was shorter than her, and smelled like peaches.

“There's just… Um, maybe I can go to the pool house first? I think I might have forgotten some stuff there, I wouldn't want to trouble you with, um, well, how do you say…”

Vi tried hard not to laugh. “I already passed all the contraband to Cait. My bad.”

Cléo pouted, cursing lyrically in French. Her makeup was way too heavy to show her blush, but Vi had a feeling she knew what this was about. And she couldn't possibly stop herself from flirting. She took a step closer and put her own hand gently on top of Cléo's, still on her arm. She husked, “What, were they your lucky pair?”

Cléo looked at her through thick lashes, stealing her breath. Her hand turned under Vi's, capturing it and leading it down to her jeans. All of a sudden, like hot girl magic, Vi’s thumb was hooked in a yellow G-string. “I guess that depends on what you think of these ones.”

Damn. Maybe not so vanilla ice cream.

“I'm sorry, honey,” she told Cléo gently. “I'd love to, but I can't.”

Honestly? It wasn't hard to say no to her. Yeah, girls used Vi and Vi liked being useful, but that was in the past. Pre-Kiramman.

Ironically, Vi fell for the one woman who didn't need anything from her. Who patented being hard to get and impossible to read. Who was more excited about perineum tearing than she was about asking for help or for Vi’s hand in marriage. All while being a perfect equal partner in every way.

The sexual frustration was horrific.

Since meeting Cait, Vi slowed down significantly. She kept f*cking around, but it was for her cardio and self-esteem, and she always dipped before anyone tried getting into her panties. Once she learned that Cait was pregnant, though? Other women became invisible.

Ekko gave her so much sh*t for it, but Vi wouldn't be Vi if she could control her emotions. She was in Cait's web, and by the time she realized it herself, it was too late. And now Cait didn't even ask her to dinner.

Vi still couldn't picture getting down with Clóe. Not even a yellow G-string could get her off. Christ, the closest she got to cumming in weeks was when Cait said lick me and yanked her by the hair into puss* heaven.

Obviously the sex didn't mean sh*t to Cait, but to Vi it was everything. It was sad but true: The moment she took Cait's bra off ranked as one of the best in her life, just one lower than the moment they kissed for real.

Real. Was any of it real?

Cléo shrugged like she couldn't care less, that hot girl magic in effect again. “Hmm. Sucks for you. I'm here all week if you change your mind.”

The magic faded and Vi's brows furrowed. “You are?”

“Yes? Ms. Kiramman hired me to help with the kids?”

“What?!” Vi yelled, head snapping to the main house where she swore a curtain fluttered at the same moment. “How much is she paying you? I'll split it.”

“Oh, silly, she told me not to accept anything from you,” Cléo explained, like that wasn't insane.

So Cait not only took Jamie, Vi and Jinx in, she was also paying for groceries and a French nanny to do everything Vi was supposed to do, and she didn't expect Vi to pay her back? What kind of patriarchal bullsh*t was this?

Cléo just looked at her pityingly, like she was going to say something about Vi's well-earned frown lines, so Vi finally let her go. “Sorry for keeping you, honey. Give the kids a kiss from me.”

Cléo said something back, but Vi barely heard her, consumed by Cait being infuriating again. She did kiss Cléo's cheek and felt up her ass in full view of the mysterious anonymous fluttering curtain. Whatever. Vi wouldn't be Vi if she could control her emotions.

She spent the next few hours Venmoing Cait random amounts of money. No matter how aggressive the payment notes got (“you know what's this for you bitch!!”), Caitlyn declined each transfer.

Vi wanted to scream at her, but she refused to send the first text.

*

Jinx was surprisingly curious about Jamie. Questions like “how did my gay-ass sister get pregnant?” turned to “that story makes you gayer than actually raising the kid with a lesbian partner” and then to “do you call Jamie by the wrong name sometimes?”

Again, Vi didn't tell her everything. But she told her that Jamie was a little artist like her, that they had untameable hair like her, that they had no fashion sense like her. Part of Vi wanted so badly for Jinx to sympathize with Jamie somehow, thinking that kids and dogs brought out the human side in everyone. Hoping it would change how Jinx saw Vi herself. Dreaming they could all be a family one day.

A pipe dream. On night five, that pipe hit Vi square in the kneecap. While Jinx's fatigue faded, Vi's was starting to wear her down. All she wanted was to talk to Jamie and sleep on her couch. Instead, she hung up on Jamie and nearly screamed when Jinx emerged from the shadows.

“Your voice is different when you talk to the brat,” she observed, hollow-sounding.

“What?”

“Like talking to a bunny rabbit. Like you talked to Powder.”

Vi bit her lip. “Honey—”

“No!” Jinx called suddenly. “That's their word. They said so.”

Her voice was the kind of angry that deflated Vi. She was so, so tired. “Jinx, I talk the same to everyone. I'm just tired.”

“Stop lying,” Jinx hissed. “Honey's just a random kid. Not even blood. Not even from Zaun. Why is Honey here? You know what Zaun does to kids. What it did to Powder. Hop hop, little bunnies.”

Vi’s drowsiness just evaporated. Her body locked up, on edge. “I can take all the sh*t you got, Jinx, but don't talk about Jamie like that.”

“You're the one who can't shut up about them!” Jinx yelled back. “You replaced me with a random kid, I replaced you with drugs. Why am I the only one not allowed to get a fix, huh? Maybe you should detox.”

Vi's nostrils flared, trying to take a huge breath in and calm herself down. Her skin was crawling at the thought of… the image of… Jamie being corrupted or threatened, she couldn't handle it at all. “You need to shut up.”

She stormed off to the couch, turning her back on Jinx and cracking her knuckles obsessively. Jinx hated being ignored. She screamed, loud enough to hurt Vi's eardrums, and slammed the bedroom door shut between them. It was a common occurance now.

Twice, Vi thought her sister was going to be taken from her again. The second time was a couple hours after that explosive fight.

She was woken up by weird noises. That was pretty normal, considering her roommate was unsteadily losing her sh*t, but this time Vi just knew that the noises were coming from outside the front door.

She was slow to wake up most days, but a little danger always sharpened her up. Walking closer to the door and listening more carefully, she realized she could hear two different voices. Vi did not like those odds.

Even more troubling than that, Stag was outside and he wasn't barking. If someone did something to silence him… Vi grabbed the brass knuckles this time.

She slammed the door open. Instead of leading with hey asshole again, she snarled, hitching her shoulders up and getting ready to swing hard enough to break Sevika’s f*cking nose. “Hey—”

But she didn't see anyone. Her visitors were a lot shorter than that half-metal bitch.

Vi's jaw dropped along with her hands. Cait had already turned off the outdoor lighting, it was that late. What the f*ck were Jamie and Bee doing out here, dressed in black?

“Heyyy,” she softened her voice immediately, getting on her knees to be at their level. For the first time in a long time, Jamie flinched away instead of hugging her. Even Stag looked judgemental, sitting pressed to Jamie's leg. Vi’s landing was abrupt, pain making her eyes flash white and suddenly… nightmare number 3.

Powder, covered in ash and soot, head snapped to the side after Vi smacked her face and screamed, You got him killed! Who's gonna take us in now?!

Powder, tears and snot streaming down her face, breathing so fast her nose was flaring. Her nose was bleeding. Vi's eyes went from the blood spattered on Powder's face to the blood on her right hand, and something was born inside her. The Guilt. You replaced me with a random kid.

Jamie was much younger than Jinx had been, and tinier at that. She looked into their familiar, soulful eyes and knew she had scared them. She slipped off the brass knuckles behind her back, dropping them silently on the fake grass.

“Hey honey,” she tried again, voice cracking a little. Her skin felt too tight. f*ck you, PTSD.

“Don't tell mum!” Bee, bless her little heart, broke the tension. “But also, it's my fault!”

Vi rose to her full height, mom-brain kicking in. “Shortcake, what are you two doing out of bed?”

“I…” Bee twiddled her thumbs, cutting a look to Jamie who still seemed a little shaken. “I was jealous. Mummy was being nice to Jamie so I wanted to go to you. And I made Jamie come with me.”

Vi's head slowly tipped, not convinced for a second. It was a surprisingly self-aware lie, but Bee didn't deliver it right. She really didn't like lying. She was a cunning manipulator, but an honest one.

Until right now, standing in one of Jamie's oversized black shirts, in front of the forbidden pool house. To protect Jamie.

Similarly to Vi, Jamie's head tipped towards the little girl, like they were just as surprised that Bee was sacrificing herself for them. It was embarrassing to watch.

Vi cleared her throat. “And what if you fell in the pool? Or got lost in the woods? Or saw a big hairy spider with 16 eyes? You cannot sneak outta bed—”

Jamie took a little step forward and shook their hair out of their eyes, a little Vi-ism the kid unconsciously copied sometimes. “It was my fault. I wanna meet my aunt.”

Vi's eyebrows drew up, stunned. She didn't think Jamie was as curious about Jinx as she was about them. They talked for three hours a day both on camera and off, and this had not come up yet. Jamie's daily reports barely varied from “Bee will be my wifey forever” to “Bee is ruining my life so tell her to stop talking to me!”

“Your aunt is sick, honey,” Vi said carefully, leaning down again, still hearing Jinx scream and slam the door at her.

“Maybe I'm sick too,” Jamie said, and gave a fake cough that sounded like a kitten squeaking, except cuter.

Vi's throat tightened, feeling everything Jamie spared her of in the daily update. Jamie was jealous. Jamie needed her. Vi was keeping them away from their mom. The sister guilt and the mom guilt, her face with the blood and the shake of their hair, it all compounded inside her. You replaced me.

Once, she may have thought the tiny orphan could replace Powder, or at least replace the half of Vi's heart that was torn out when she lost her. But from the very first time J smiled at Vi, she knew that they were their own person. Her baby, duh, but their own person.

She looked behind her at the closed bedroom door. Maybe Jinx was her own person, too. (Maybe, goddamnit, Caitlyn was right.)

The only thing she knew for sure, was that Jamie and Jinx were not meeting tonight. “Sick, huh?” Vi finally responded, giving Jamie a warm smile. “Maybe a lil’ homesick?”

Jamie looked down, hiding in their curls. “Maybe,” they mumbled, so shy and not-Powderish.

Vi honestly hadn't thought it would happen. Their two-bedroom was cosy and well-lit and amazing compared to the sh*thole she grew up in, but it had nothing on Cait's house. Cait's house was a damn Dreamland for a kid. Even from the pool house window, Vi had a view of the flowerbed Jamie themself planted with Cait a few weeks ago.

But maybe it wasn't the apartment itself they missed. Maybe it was the drawings hanging on the walls, or the tricked out J-shaped night light, or the smell by the kitchen window of the bakery downstairs. Or their dog, or their mom.

Vi crumpled like a dollar bill at a strip club. “Come on, you punks. Let's go back to bed.”

“You're… coming with us?”

f*ck it. Jinx could handle herself for half an hour. She probably wouldn't even notice Vi was gone. “Of course, baby. If you're sick, you definitely need your mom to tuck you in.”

Jamie looked behind Vi at the pool house, but they must have decided her offer was better than whatever lay beyond that mystery door. They didn't smile or hug her, but they listened to her, which was more than other people had tonight.

She led the kids to the main house, which they had left unlocked (another rule broken). The lights were off inside, which led Vi to believe that Cait was asleep even earlier than normal. It was honestly a relief. The past hour sliced her heart up a thousand times, she didn't need Cait to make it worse.

Caribel was right there with her. While they climbed upstairs, she said to herself, “Phew. She doesn't know.”

Vi rolled her eyes. “You know I'm gonna tell her, Shortcake.”

“Wot!” Bee whined. “Narc!”

Vi should really start paying attention to the sh*t she said in front of her. “It ain't snitching if it's your mom,” she claimed. “Moms always stick together.”

“So you still love her?” Jamie asked timidly.

Vi should really start paying attention to the sh*t she said in front of them. They made it to Bee's bedroom. Completely ignoring the question, Vi tucked both kids in under the covers, and sat her ass down at the foot of the bed.

“So. Story or song?”

“Both,” Bee answered cleverly.

Vi told them a pretty horrifying version of Hansel and Gretel, but instead of wandering in the dark and meeting a cannibal witch, the two kids wound up in a realm where every dog had two butts.

After they both promised never to sneak out again, and Bee busted out a sick Elsa night light, Vi sang them the apple song, passing along the tradition.

It was only after they fell asleep that she realized she hadn't punished either of them. Was she supposed to? Jamie never got in trouble! Cait's daughter was being a bad influence, ergo therefore hitherto, Cait could deal with disciplining them.

Feeling like she rigged the system, Vi started skipping to the staircase. She passed by Cait's closed bedroom door to get there, and suddenly her legs just stopped working. She looked at the door and the door looked back. It hit her, stronger than the fatigue and the mom-brain, that the last time she was outside this door…

Cait was in her arms, her long legs wrapped around Vi's waist. Vi had one hand on Cait's ass; probably the most expensive, luxurious, magical thing she'd ever held in her sh*tty life. The other one was on her back, secretly spying for the clasp of Cait's bra. Cait was kissing her like she wanted to leave her mouth sore, but it was the kind of pain Vi lived for. When they weren't kissing, Cait was breathing in her ear, her lips and tongue playing with Vi's piercings. She felt sensitive and strong and alive and ready—

Vi ran away from that door and whoever was behind it like there was a bomb in there. She took the stairs two at a time, preferring her sister's frying pan to her ex’s scorching inferno.

She nearly shat herself when she saw Cait herself waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. She would've been sure this was a hallucination, except that Cait was wearing such an unsexy Victorian nightgown.

Cait crossed her arms under her bust, getting Vi second-guessing the sexiness of nightgowns all of a sudden. Nope. Vi snapped her head up and looked Cait in the eye. Boobs, treacherous, dumping her, etc.

“I was tucking the kids in,” Vi said quickly, hoping her voice didn't sound guilty and horny. Cait's detective face made her feel exposed. Dog, dig, digging.

“I know.”

“I… I would've texted you, I just thought you were asleep.” f*ck f*ck f*ck. The last conversation they had was awful. And the one before that was heartbreaking.

Now Cait was literally blocking her way to the exit. She wasn't saying anything, just looking at her down her nose, reading her mind. Vi hated that she was wearing just a slu*tty little tank top and chequered boxers, specifically because Cait's eyes were getting her nipples hard.

Cait was the bomb. Vi was in trouble.

“What?” Vi ended up snapping, crossing her own arms now. “I know you don't want me in here, but the kids—”

“Snuck out, I know,” Cait said breezily. For a moment Vi didn't even register it, since Cait knowing everything ever was normally so obvious.

Then she grit her teeth. “So you were awake? Were you hiding in the office the whole time?”

Cait's mouth turned down cutely. “I was not hiding. I figured you could take a turn disciplining them.”

f*ck, Vi was beaten at her own game. Bee would definitely roll on her if Cait asked the kid how Vi punished them. “You were just chilling while they were outside?”

Vi knew the answer to that—Cait didn't have a chill bone in her body—but she was still surprised by Cait's reply. “I knew where they were. I have surveillance and alarms everywhere on the property.”

So she was insane. “You… do?”

“Yes. And by the way,” she said haughtily, tucking her loose hair behind her ear. “No one needs to do 60 shirtless push-ups every single morning.”

“Oh my god.” Vi laughed, unconsciously flexing and clenching her arms. “You got cameras in the pool house, too?”

Cait hesitated, drawing her answer out. “Of course not. I trust you.”

Vi couldn't help being warmed by the words. Cait's trust was hard-won and exclusive. Vi knew that Caitlyn didn't trust anyone else, like damn, she only let random French girls babysit her kid.

But she trusted Vi, over and over again, with her case and her protection and her family. Vi discovered that she liked that more than she liked being used by petite girls who never spent the night.

It was the final, ultimate, K.O kick to the gut Vi needed to break down. She dropped onto the final step, folded her arms on her knees, and buried her face in them.

Cait jumped back in surprise, obviously not expecting Vi to collapse like a drama queen. Her voice was high-pitched and very British when she asked, “Violet, are you quite alright?”

“I f*ck everything up.”

Cait didn't say anything cutting or smug. She simply sounded surprised. “You?”

“Yes! It's not like Jamie to break the rules. They miss home. Maybe they even miss our old home in Bilgewater. God. I'm totally retraumatizing them.”

“It will pass.”

Vi shook her head, snorting into her folded arms. “Yeah, that's not how CPTSD works.”

Cait hesitated again, then suddenly slender fingers were sliding into Vi's hair. “They're not being traumatised. They just miss their mom.”

Her tone was cutting and curt, her fingers awkward. She obviously wasn't used to comforting adults. But the Caitlynisms became a comfort after all this time. Vi came to rely on Cait's unflappability. Until the break-up.

She suddenly felt close to tears. “God, if they feel abandoned even for a second—”

“They'll live,” Cait interrupted her evenly, so f*cking sure of herself. “You can't control everything.”

Vi laughed at her. “I can't believe you're telling me to let something go.”

“Perhaps I learned something from the best mum I know.”

Vi was filled with the intense urge to kiss Cait on the mouth. Her head lifted slowly to see her, and Cait's fingers slipped to her cheek and remained there. Cait's face-touching obsession was the bane of her existence. Not because Vi didn't enjoy the intimate touch, but because Cait was completely unaware of how it made her feel. Which wasn't surprising, as Cait avoided intimacy like the plague. If Cait's love language was physical touch, she must only love two people.

Vi leaned into it easily, pathetically. No matter where she was, she always wanted to be close to Caitlyn. Her anchor. “How are you even keeping it together?”

Cait bit her lip, free hand going to her own tummy. “Well, you saw Cléo. And Caribel is basically running the show. And Jamie is an absolute dream, you really shouldn't worry about them.”

Vi smiled, marveling at Cait's beautiful eyes. Her breaths were starting to come easier. “I know.”

“How did you get them so—”

“Beats me.”

As matter-of-factly as she said everything else, Cait added, “I hope the baby is like them.”

Vi nearly cried right then and there. With her sitting and Cait standing before her, Vi was at the perfect height to talk to the baby she'd been set on co-parenting from the moment she found out about it. “How ya doing, Cakepop?”

Cait's other hand dropped to her tummy unconsciously. “I… I felt them today.”

Vi's head snapped up in disbelief. Cait looked a little flustered, probably from Vi smiling from ear to ear at her. “Like, you felt them move?”

“The… the silly thing is that…” Oh, Cait was definitely flustered about something. Vi's heart started pounding, for good reasons this time. “I was… God, never mind.”

“What is it?”

“I was watching a video.”

Vi gasped, her hands going to cover Cait’s on the baby bump. “Oh my god, were you jacking off?”

“No!” Cait hissed. “It was a video of you. From a long time ago.”

“Was it shirtless push-ups? Is that why you couldn't stop masturbating?” Vi pushed, just to drive Cait insane.

“Vi!” Cait shrilled. Music to Vi's ears. “It was Bee teaching you a dance from dance class.”

Bee's favorite hobby was teaching Vi dances from dance class, but Vi had a feeling she knew which video Cait was talking about.

It was a banger Vi knew by heart, so instead of learning the moves, she gave the singing performance of a lifetime, riffing the beat and the words just to drive Bee insane.

Vi smiled even brighter, on cloud nine. “So what you're saying is, the baby heard me sing, and then it moved for the first time?”

“I'm sure the two are completely unrelated—”

Vi shoved her face into the nightgown, nuzzling Cait's tummy and beginning to serenade the baby who liked her voice.

“Baby, this is what you came for / Lightning strikes every time she moves.”

That was how Cléo caught them when she unlocked the front door. Vi on the stairs, shiny-eyed, and Cait giggling like a gay mess. “Oh là là,” Cléo declared. “Someone's out of the dog house.”

“Dog house?” Cait asked, scandalized.

Vi jumped to her feet so fast her knees cracked. Her knees were having a rough f*cking night. “Haha, sometimes her English is so confusing, weird right?”

Cléo gave a charming giggle and trotted off, starting to record a voice note in rapid-fire French while still in their presence. Both their names came up for some reason.

Cait blushed in the tips of her ears, easily embarrassed under all the hoity toity. Now that Vi was standing, they were so close she could count her eyelashes. Last time they were this close, she—

“You should go back, Violet,” Cait said softly, buckling Vi's knees once again. No one could compare. No one even came close. One little hair toss from Caitlyn and Vi was f*cking swooning.

“I should?” she rasped back.

“Well,” Cait's face softened, her eyes trailing down to Vi's mouth. Her anchor, and her cloud nine at the same time. “I really want you not to, so yes, you should.”

Vi's brain misfired. Was Cait being flirty? Before she could think of anything smoothe to say, Cait took a big step back and finally got out of Vi's way.

Vi sighed, giving the 19th century nightgown a final longing look. “Are you gonna watch my ass go on your surveillance?”

“Not on your life.”

Vi gave it a very brief thought. “But you'll watch me work out tomorrow?”

“Goodbye!” Cait pointed at the door, but the tips of her ears gave her away.

Vi left, because doing Cait's bidding was her way of life now.

*

The bedroom door was open when Vi trudged back into the pool house. She heard Jinx before she saw her, as soon as she opened the front door. Jinx was talking to herself.

Vi hurried to lock the door behind her and ran into the bedroom. It was a slight relief to see that Jinx was actually talking to Stag, who curled around her on the bed. It was also not a relief at all, because Jinx was sobbing into his fur. She just kept repeating two words: I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry.

Vi fell to her knees yet again, speaking as gently as she could, “Hey, I'm here baby, what's wrong?”

Jinx gasped and lifted her head from Stag's huge shoulder. She looked like usual. Gaunt, pale, sweaty, twitchy. Her eyes were puffy. “You're here?”

Vi nodded, reaching out to clasp Jinx's hand tightly. “It's me honey, I'm real.”

She thought it would make Jinx calm down, but instead she started letting out anxious, paranoid whimpers. “I thought you were gone again.”

Vi choked. A smack in the face. For so many years, Vi had built her life around the hope of finding her sister and apologizing for leaving her. Then came a hot pregnant angel in killer boots who made Vi believe her sister was within reach. Cait could make her believe anything was possible.

But now… Jinx was here, she had actually done it. Now she didn't need hope anymore, and there was nothing but pain in the hope's shadow. Jinx thought she was gone forever. She didn't trust her to come back.

The only person Vi hadn't disappointed tonight was Cléo. She couldn't stop herself from climbing into the bed and holding her baby sister. “Shh, I'm here. I'm never leaving you again.”

Jinx kept crying, but she wasn't hyperventilating anymore. “I'm sorry I'm such a c*nt.”

Vi almost burst out laughing. “I took care of addicts a lot c*ntier than you, sis.”

“No, Vi,” Jinx said, voice trembling. She hugged Vi ever tighter. “I'm sorry I threatened your loved ones or whatever. It's what it takes to survive down there.”

“You never have to go down there again,” Vi said firmly, overwhelmed by getting an apology. She was the one who owed Powder an apology. She'd waited her whole life to give these apologies. “I’m so f*cking sorry I left you with him. I tried to find you so many times, Jinx. CPS wouldn't let me near you, and then… you were just gone.”

“I fell down a well,” Jinx said. “No one could find me.”

Vi sniffed, tears streaming into Jinx's blue hair. “I should've found you.”

Jinx laced their fingers together. “It doesn't matter. We're running far, far away.”

Vi did everything she could not to let her sudden panic show. There was a time she would've given her whole world for a chance to start over with Powder.

It was only when the Guilt suffocated her, that she realized it had even been gone. That as soon as she started singing to Cait's baby, the Guilt evaporated. She really loved that woman.

Can you look me in the eye and tell me you won't pack Jamie up and leave me if that's what your sister needs from you?

Vi f*cked everything up.