Chapter Text
Caitlyn stuttered as her mouth tried to catch up to the voice screaming obscenities in her head. Gray eyes stared hatefully at the sheriff but Vi’s shoulders were set and her head was held high in defiance. She obviously didn’t want to do it, but regardless she accepted his bizarre challenge. It would have been surprising if she hadn’t met Vi at an event she volunteered to participate in. This was different though! Marcus had to have something up his sleeve; she’d be falling right into his trap. In a vain attempt to keep their conversation away from the sheriff, Caitlyn half-whispered, half-yelled, “You do not have to do this!”
“I do.” Vi looked at her, face still angrily serious, and nodded. Then her eyes softened for just a moment and she said quietly, “Trust me. Please.” One hand grasped Caitlyn’s and held it tightly.
She needed to make a decision. Vi may have a plan of her own but Marcus had far more resources and influence than them, so creating a plan that would out-plan his plan was…unlikely. There was also the option to call his bluff. Would the chief really do something so reckless? Surely he couldn’t be considering ending an entire High House familial line; some things even a sheriff wouldn’t dare. Unfortunately if he did dare, the consequences would be dire.
Vi, with her warm grasp and hopeful look, asked her to trust her. To trust her ability to save Caitlyn and her people from danger. So she took a deep, calming breath, and did. “Okay. We accept.”
Marcus nodded. In some twisted form of good faith, he lowered his gun, yet the enforcers behind him kept theirs up until he turned to one, gestured towards the door, and said, “Let the rest go.” The enforcer lowered their gun and dutifully marched away without question. As far as Caitlyn knew, her father and a couple servants were the only ones at the estate but the servants weren’t a threat and he had to have known that. So who else did he have tied up?
Fear settled like a rock in the pit of her stomach. She did her best to stop it from showing in her scent. “Who else is here?”
Caitlyn was starting to figure out that he only smiled when he had something devastating to say. “I found your mother and Mr. Talis wandering the streets earlier, so I took the liberty of bringing them back here. Trouble tends to find groups of alphas out under the cover of darkness, and it’s the sheriff’s job to help citizens avoid that.”
Thank goodness they didn’t call his bluff. Vi being willing to fight on her behalf legitimately saved her parents and best friend. They weren’t perfect but they’re all she had! If she lost them all at once…
Vi must have felt her hand starting to tremble in her grasp because she changed the topic quickly. “I need more information.”
“It really isn’t a bad deal for you. You only need to fight the other person in the ring; you don’t even need to win.” He could see the questions forming Vi’s face; he put a hand up to stop her. “The fight is tomorrow evening. Get to the ring by 5 and the fight will start at 6. Do not be late. That’s all you need to know.”
While the remaining enforcer kept his gun trained on them, Marcus turned around and walked towards the door, taking the bulk of her terror with him. It all came back when he stopped seconds before the threshold and turned his head just enough for his profile to be visible. “In case it isn’t obvious, trying to escape would be a bad idea. There will be enforcers waiting outside your gate, just in case. They will be your escorts.” After that he was finally gone and seconds later the remaining enforcer followed suit.
Caitlyn jumped up, ready to go check on her parents and Jayce, but Vi’s hand grasping her arm stopped her. “Let them leave the house first.” Her tone was blessedly soft again, but she sounded so tired. Caitlyn’s concern only continued to grow as she had time to actually contemplate Vi’s sacrifice for her and her family.
“Vi…” She turned towards the other woman. “Why would you…?”
It was clear she didn’t regret it, but she couldn’t look Caitlyn in the eyes anyways. “There were no other options. I’m not going back to Stillwater and I won’t let your family get hurt because of me.” Her hand left Caitlyn’s arm and she nervously wrung her hands together. “If I can do this one thing to keep you guys safe, I’m going to do it.”
Caitlyn realized that this was Vi’s way of showing her gratitude, but what was the point if it just took her back to where she was in the first place? “You don’t deserve to get hurt any more than you already have. I don’t want to put you in a position where you have to get hurt again.”
“ You aren’t doing anything. It’s not your fault Marcus came into your home and threatened to murder your family. He wanted to get to me .”
For a moment she wanted to argue that if she never started the investigation then none of this would have happened, but she decided to let it go. Playing the blame game wouldn’t get them anywhere. “If I can’t blame myself then neither can you.” Caityn’s hand came up to cradle Vi’s cheek. “And since we can both agree that Marcus played a major part, it’s on us to give him hell.” She smiled reassuringly. Caitlyn may not be the one fighting in the ring, but she’ll get Vi whatever she needs, and be her support on the sidelines. She might not be able to do much, but what she can, she will.
Vi’s answering smile warmed her heart. “You got it, cupcake.” They shared their softest kiss yet, quiet and full of gentle affection.
-
Thankfully, Caitlyn’s parents and Jayce were only a little roughed up. For the most part they were furious at the sheriff’s blatant overreach and Caitlyn was right there with them; doing dastardly deeds quietly was one thing, but dragging people from the streets and placing enforcers outside of their estate was something Caitlyn never would have thought the normally careful and professional sheriff would do. His reckless actions gave them all the impression there really was something, or someone, in the background putting pressure on him. She was relieved that her Great Conspiracy board was packed away before everything went down that day, because if he’d seen how far her investigation went, he could have decided getting another fight out of Vi wasn’t worth giving Caitlyn more time to pick apart his schemes. When she’d voiced this concern to Vi, she showed major interest in seeing it. It was such a good idea Caitlyn didn’t know why she didn’t think of it first.
At first she didn’t know whether to expect Vi to have anything significant to contribute. She’d been in prison for years, after all, and was only a kid when she first got there. What she’d told Caitlyn of her life before she didn’t even mention any scheming or backhand deals. But after a long, hard look at the papers and maps and such, she said a name that she’d only uttered once before. “Silco.”
Trying to be gentle about addressing her painful past, Caitlyn’s tone was cautious. “The man who…”
Vi was not in the mood to pull punches however. “Who killed my family.” Her hands balled up at her sides. “He must have taken over after…after that night. If he could do what he did to kids I can only imagine the ruthless shit he’s done since then. And it’s not like fucking Marcus hasn’t worked with him before!”
Yet another piece of the puzzle, and quite an integral one! The picture was getting clearer and clearer. “How do you know that?”
“I kinda glossed over it before, but he was payed off by Silco. That’s how we ended up in his demented warehouse that night. I don’t know what the deal was exactly, but it got sheriff Grayson killed.”
Despite the years gone by since her death, Caitlyn’s heart still lurched painfully at the mention of her former mentor. Marcus played off her death like she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it made sense now why he’d always been so visibly torn up about her “unlucky” demise. It ate him up that he was not only responsible but had to cover up the truth. “I almost can’t believe it,” Caitlyn breathed out incredulously. ”He’s been crooked the entire time.”
“The whole damn time.”
“Is there any way we can prove this?”
Broad shoulders shrugged as Vi turned away from the map and towards Caitlyn. “We probably don’t need to. As long as the council finds out what happened tonight, they have to be open to hearing other stuff he’s done, right?”
Caitlyn responded with a nod. While it wasn't good that Marcus ultimately answered to a so-called industrialist that didn’t have a problem kidnapping and killing people, it did feel good to finally start understanding the entire timeline. Once again Vi’s experience in the Undercity brought a fresh, much-needed perspective to the investigation. How could she have ever hoped to do this without her pink-haired partner?
She was brought out of her thoughts by said partner’s only somewhat-muffled yawn. It was an important reminder that they were up in the middle of the night. “Tired?”
Vi’s lips titled up in a wry smile. “My body is exhausted but my mind won’t let me sleep right now. It’ll take me a while to come down from being so…wired.”
Caitlyn completely understood. If she only had to worry about herself, she’d go over her detective board, analyzing new information and piecing together new theories until she’s almost too tired to pull herself into bed. She doubted that was Vi’s style, but maybe the private gym downstairs would be. “There’s a gym downstairs, if you want to tire yourself out.”
“You always have the best ideas.”
-
With the promise of violence looming over the household, the mood was incredibly tense. It was obvious that Caitlyn’s parents weren’t used to being under such pressure by the way they both hovered nervously over Caitlyn and swung wildly between resentment and adoration towards Vi, both the cause and solution to their problems in their eyes. The large breakfast they had prepared for the two turned out to be a trap: it was only to keep them in place long enough for an intense interrogation that neither took very well. Caitlyn did what she could to eat around the rather intrusive questions since she needed her strength in preparation for the fight but her stomach was knotted with anxiety and her parents weren’t making it any easier. At least Vi was able to avoid the conversation by constantly stuffing her face and promptly leaving when she was done.
The day didn’t get any easier after that. After a brief check-in with Caitlyn, where she was serious compared to her normal jovial self, Vi put on the clothes she had from the arena and spent the rest of the time either in the gym or the garden. Caitlyn understood that she needed to be alone to truly prepare so she gave her as much space as she desired, even if her mind kept trying to convince her to find ways to “accidentally” run into the other woman. She kept busy by doing some routine maintenance on her guns, a methodical process she had down to a science. It normally distracted her perfectly but this time she couldn’t shake the near-constant darting of her eyes toward any clock near her.
Caitlyn knew she was utterly, desperately bored when she sought out her parents to update them on anything Jayce hadn't been able to explain. Somehow, because she caught them by surprise, they were much more willing to simply listen and not debate back. They even had questions based on what she’d told them, the true sign that they were absorbing her information. Of course, when that topic was done they still had questions that hadn’t been answered at breakfast but because of their productive back-and-forth, within reason Caitlyn was fine with answering them. She told them what she felt was appropriate to share of Vi’s story and they didn’t respond with disbelief or scorn but compassion. It shouldn't have but it blew her away.
Their arrival at the arena killed any of her previous happiness. The enforcers that followed them like hungry dogs followed their next meal, just waiting for the group to give them a chase, dragged Vi away when they got to the front door. Caitlyn was ready to fight for Vi to stay with them until Vi made deliberate eye contact and shook her head slightly. There was a trace of fear in her eyes but her smile was the definition of confident. “I’ll see you after the fight cupcake.” Then she turned and looked towards the sky. Her shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath. “Let’s go boys.”
Caitlyn watched her walk away until the corner she rounded obscured her view. After all the thinking and planning and worrying she did that day, she was finally too emotional to do any of it anymore. She wished she could see which of the myriad emotions running through her dominated her face, but it was probably best that she couldn’t.
Cassandra’s voice cut through her overloaded mind. “Cupcake?” Her confused and slightly suspicious tone made Caitlyn laugh, her first genuine laugh all day.
“Yeah. Cupcake.” And much to her mother’s chagrin, she refused to explain any further.
They sat at the highest level of seating. They wouldn’t be able to hear anything but the seat’s elevated position gave them an advantage in sight. They were an hour early so only a few people were there already and they could catch every face that came in after them. Unfortunately, everyone else could do the same with them. The Kiramman name was whispered ample times as people came in and noticed their presence; a few brave souls even came to their not-so-curiously empty seating area to greet them and attempt small talk. Her parents’ manners were too good to ignore them but Caitlyn cared more about looking out for possible danger than maintaining social graces. For once in her life, they were okay with that.
Caitlyn had never seen the sheriff at these events so it made sense that he was not among the audience. But five minutes to 6 and Hoskel was nowhere to be found either. Was he afraid to show his face after the piss poor trap attempt and save himself from another ass-whooping? Wherever he was, hopefully he hadn’t learned about the council meeting Jayce secretly scheduled at the same time as the fight. It was the safest time they could think of because Marcus and Hoskel should have been distracted by the event but with neither of them here, she was beginning to worry it was a big mistake.
When the announcer climbed on stage Caitlyn accepted that the two men weren’t coming. It was a relief not having to look at their faces but with no way to contact Jayce she just had to hope for the best until she could see him again.
Compared to her first appearance, Vi was a whole different person. Despite the four enforcers following her, she no longer scowled and hulked menacingly towards the center of the room. Now, her posture was relaxed and a small smile graced her face. Judging by the pure volume, the crowd loved her, and from the proud pheromones Vi pumped towards the crowd, she loved the attention. Caitlyn rolled her eyes. Marcus wasn’t lying about Vi being missed.
Vi’s jaw went slack when the elevator revealed her opponent.
The crowd went silent at her appearance. Tall, dark, and built like a brick house. Dark lips set in a smug, arrogant smirk and a jawline so strong every man in the room had to be jealous. One thick arm swung lazily by a torso thick like a tree trunk and a dark cape covered the other. Her scent of gunpowder and sage was so thick in the air it obscured Vi’s proud pheromone release just minutes earlier. This opponent was the worst case scenario.
And walking in right beside her… Marcus!?
It’s the first time Caitlyn has seen him out of his uniform. He still walked like an enforcer, and his standard-issue handgun was holstered to his belt, but he lacked the air of authority that came with the blue and white ensemble. Caitlyn was still plenty intimidated though, as her mind associated his face with danger at that point.
“Escorted by the chief of Piltover’s boys in blue, we have a surprise contender tonight. Meet Sevika, a friend from down town.” For the second time the arena lit up with whispers. On the stage, all traces of any emotion but deadly anger were gone from Vi’s stance. She didn’t just look ready for a fight – she looked ready to kill. They have to know each other, then. Marcus knew this and that’s why he wanted Vi to be in the arena that day. The other woman, “Sevika” didn’t look surprised to see Vi either so she’s in on it too.
Caitlyn rarely hated being right and she hated this time the most.
Marcus took the microphone from the announcer as Sevika climbed on stage. The fire in Vi’s eyes was clear even from Caityn’s distant seat. Vi was barely holding herself back from attacking before the starting sound. It wouldn’t be good if she let her emotions cloud her judgment and dampen her natural fighting ability and it pained Caitlyn that she couldn’t do anything to help her focus. The custom rifle in her bag ensured that she could deal with the fallout, thankfully. Firing a gun in a crowded room was one of the very first things she was told not to do when she started shooting, but to save Vi, she’d break every rule in the book.
“We have something special planned for you this evening. The one rule in the arena is very simple: don’t kill each other. Today, that changes.” That devastating smile was back on his face. The crowd hummed in excitement yet Caitlyn could barely hear it over the alarm bells set off in her head. He couldn’t mean it. Could he? “This fight is to the death.”
The surprise and disbelief on Vi’s face was a dagger in Caitlyn’s heart. Sevika’s cruel enjoyment of her reaction was a sick twist of the weapon.