Heavy Is The Crown

She's Got A Way... She Got A Way.

*This chapter is heavily based off of The Subway by Chappell Roan aswell as EP 3 of Act 1, Season Two with my own spin on it!*

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"She's a KID!" Vi shouted, positioning herself in front of the child, covering her own body over her sister, Jinx, who held Isha tightly in her arms. Vi's voice was desperate, protective, a wall against the violence Caitlyn intended.

"She's not getting away. MOVE!" Caitlyn shouted back, her eye narrowing as she looked down the scope of her rifle. Vi knew Caitlyn's aim was flawless—she was an excellent shot, after all. But Vi also knew what this meant to Caitlyn, understood the stakes in ways that cut deep. Still, she couldn't ignore the risk, the chance that Isha, a child, could become an unintended casualty. If Caitlyn was successful in killing Jinx, the little girl Vi was trying to protect might die, just as Vi had once risked her life to protect her sister. It was a cycle she saw herself caught in, a mirror of her past where she had tried to protect those she loved, just as Vander had done before her, taking the blame and paying the ultimate price.

Vi's mind flashed to that moment—how Vander had been captured, handed over to Silco, tortured, and killed by the man he once considered a brother. The thought twisted in Vi's heart, and as she looked down at Isha and Jinx, she felt as though she were staring into her own reflection, seeing her younger self, desperate to protect the people who meant everything to her. And so, when Caitlyn demanded she step aside, Vi didn't. Instead, she raised her hands and took a step forward, her voice trembling with a plea. "Cait—"

But Caitlyn was already taking aim, her lips curling with frustration as she sighted over Vi's shoulder. Rage blinded Caitlyn, her finger tightening on the trigger. Blue light pulsed from the barrel of her hexcore rifle, and a shot rang out, the bullet ricocheting off the hexcore plating on Vi's shoulder. The force made her stagger, the impact bruising her almost instantly. Vi hissed in pain, grabbing her shoulder, but Caitlyn didn't hesitate. She took aim once more, her determination unbroken, her heart hardened to the idea of collateral damage.

Seeing this, Vi's eyes widened in horror. "CAIT!", She lunged forward, grabbing the barrel of Caitlyn's rifle just as the shot went off, slamming the barrel down to the ground. The bullet grazed Vi's cheek, slicing her skin before it struck one of Jinx's chaotic devices—a firework-like mechanism, her final chaotic statement before the inevitable.

"No... NO! This isn't how it was supposed to go—" Jinx's voice cracked, panic filling her words as the explosive went off. The explosion shattered the ventilation panels above them, sending clouds of colored gas—blue, orange, red, purple—shooting up into Piltover's skies. The ventilation fans, intended to bring clean air to the Undercity, broke under the pressure, creating a powerful downforce that sent everyone in the room—Jinx, Vi, Sevika, and Caitlyn—flying in the chaos.

Jinx rolled onto her side on the stole altar, instinctively shielding Isha with her body. Sevika, seeing the danger, rushed over, grabbing Jinx and Isha, flinging them over the side of the altar before covering them both, wrapping herself protectively around them as the gusts of wind howled through the shattered room.

Vi clung to a ledge, her Atlas Gauntlets digging into the stone with all her might. As Caitlyn came tumbling past, Vi reached out with one gauntlet, gripping her around the waist. Caitlyn clutched her rifle, holding it close as Vi took the brunt of the wind, enduring the strain and pain of holding them both against the forceful gusts. When the storm of debris finally settled, they found themselves at the bottom of a pit, dust and rubble filling the air.

With a cough, Vi released her grip, sliding her gauntlets off Caitlyn's waist. Caitlyn rose to her feet, her expression furious, determined. She stalked toward the pile of stones blocking the path to Jinx, slamming the butt of her rifle against the rubble, her desperation palpable. "Help me... she's getting away!" she demanded, her voice tinged with anger and desperation. This was her chance—her chance to finally get justice for her mother. Vi struggled to her feet, clutching her aching shoulder, her voice strained. "Cait... stop."

But Caitlyn just scoffed in frustration, turning back to the stones, her forehead resting against the cold surface. "You stopped me," she muttered, almost to herself. The words were filled with anger, pain. She closed her eyes, feeling the sting of betrayal. The Atlas Gauntlets dropped from Vi's hands with a hydraulic hiss. Vi stepped forward, her voice soft but firm. "You—yes, I stopped you! You didn't have a clear shot. What if you missed?"

Caitlyn spun around, her face twisted in anger. "I wouldn't have missed!" Her voice was sharp, a mix of accusation and hurt. Vi took a step back, her eyes wide, her voice quiet and pleading. "Cait... she was a child."

Caitlyn pushed past her, shoving Vi's shoulder as she made her way to the ladder. "I keep telling myself you're different... but you're not." She stopped, her back turned to Vi, her voice laced with bitterness. "It's her blood in your veins after all". Caitlyn's words were like daggers to Vi's heart. The contempt, the disgust—it cut deeper than any wound she'd ever received. She had always thought there was something special between them, that they understood each other. But now, it was clear that Caitlyn saw her only as a part of that legacy, as something to despise. Truly oil and water. Vi's chest ached as Caitlyn walked toward the ladder, each step feeling like another nail in the coffin of their bond.

Before Caitlyn could climb, Vi grabbed her elbow, her voice trembling with anger and heartbreak. "If it's her blood in my veins, then why are you the one acting like her?!". The words struck Caitlyn like a physical blow, her whole body tensing. For a moment, regret and anguish flickered in her eyes, a chink in the armor she had so carefully crafted. But just as quickly, her expression hardened, and she pulled her arm free. She turned away, unable to face the vulnerability Vi's words had uncovered.

"Let's just... talk about this, please," Vi's voice broke, softer now, filled with a desperate hope. She remembered their moments together, the quiet promises and shared glances, the hope she had once felt with Caitlyn by her side. But Caitlyn's eyes, dark and unyielding, showed no softness. "Cupcake..." Vi whispered, her hand reaching down Caitlyn's arm to her hand, a last attempt to connect, to bridge the chasm that had opened between them. But Caitlyn's response was brutal, ramming the butt of her rifle into Vi's stomach, hitting the old wound Sevika had inflicted.

Vi gasped, falling to her knees, pain radiating through her body. She'd taken blows before, had withstood countless battles and wounds, but this—this broke her. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at Caitlyn, her voice choked with betrayal and heartbreak. She saw a flicker of regret in Caitlyn's eyes, but it was gone just as quickly. Caitlyn turned and began to climb, each rung taking her further away from Vi.

As Caitlyn's form disappeared above, Vi crumpled, pressing her forehead to the cold stone floor. Memories of Stillwater, of every painful moment she had endured, flooded her mind, merging with the raw hurt of Caitlyn's departure. And there, alone in the darkness, she finally broke. Her sobs echoed through the pit, her body shaking with the weight of her grief and the realization that Caitlyn—the Caitlyn she had loved—was gone, consumed by vengeance and sorrow.

Each sob tore through Caitlyn as she climbed, her heart twisting with guilt and pain. Her grip on the ladder was unsteady, and for a fleeting moment, she wanted to go back, to cradle Vi in her arms, to tell her it wasn't supposed to end like this. But vengeance was a chain around her heart, pulling her onward.

As she reached the top, Caitlyn looked down one last time, Vi's form small and broken in the darkness below. "Goodbye, Vi," she whispered, barely audible, and then she walked away, leaving Vi alone in the shadow of what they had once been, shattered by the weight of a love that could no longer be saved.