Chapter Text
Sitting on his desk chair and facing the large emerald stained glass window Silco ruminated, rubbing his eyes heavy with fatigue. He had just received a letter from Jayce summoning him to discuss the misdeeds of Jinx who had recently killed some pilties who had come too close to one of the Shimmer factories. Silco already guessed what the man was going to ask him; agree to hand over Jinx to him and bring her to justice for her actions, in exchange for Zaun's freedom. It was something he had asked him before and he didn't seem to want to let go.
Silco chuckled bitterly. That asshole could always run to get Jinx returned to him for some sort of reward in return. He wasn't naive enough to believe Jayce and he didn't intend to gain the independence of Zaun that way.
The news of his daughter's birth had quickly reached Piltover. There hadn't yet been an official announcement that the child was his and Jinx's, though more and more people were beginning to suspect him; she looked too much like them to be the result of anyone but the two of them, and he was sure that conspiracies were beginning to form in the shadows on the side of Piltover and that bunch of brats who were trying to sabotage his plans.
Silco was interrupted in his dark thoughts by a small moan that came from the device on his desk. The moan grew higher and he knew it was time. He left his office and walked briskly to his daughter's bedroom, which was nearby. When he entered, he was greeted by the light from outside filtering through the stained glass window, giving a warm atmosphere to the room. Near this stained-glass window there was a cradle from which came soft noises that he could recognize among a thousand.
The old man approached his daughter's cradle. Dressed in her purple pajamas, Lexie lay among her stuffed animals, moaning as she nibbled her chubby fingers. Seeing her father above her, her face took on a luminous expression and she smiled as she held out her small arms towards him. Silco felt his heart warm at his daughter's smile; it was enough that she simply smiled at him for him to forget all his annoyances. He bent down to take her in his arms and hold her against his hip. Lexie began to rub her eyes.
“Did you sleep well my dear ? he asked, gently rubbing the tip of his nose against her soft cheek.
"Hann..." Lexie stammered in response while sucking her thumb.
Silco admired her for a moment as she looked around with her large blue-green eyes. He couldn't believe that this perfection was already going to be a year old tomorrow.
A year since their lives had changed forever. It was so short and long at the same time. It had taken them a long time to find an organization that suited them in their new life as parents. The nights were rough, and most of the time it was Jinx who got up to calm Lexie down, wanting Silco to get as much rest from his work as possible. But there were nights when Silco took over, not wanting to exhaust Jinx who also had work to do in her lab.
Several times the great fatigue had made them irritable, especially Jinx. Silco had witnessed her many bouts of crying over her insecurities about her role as a young mother; she doubted everything, all the time, she was tired, sad and happy at the same time. She could cry for nothing and laugh the next moment. These were very conflicting emotions and Silco had never needed more patience than in the last twelve months.
Silco carried Lexie to the changing table and carefully removed her pajamas to change her. Lexie obediently obeyed, not without grabbing a tube of baby moisturizer from nearby. Silco smiled at that and gently removed the object from her chubby hands before dressing her in a purple t-shirt and blue overalls before combing her hair into two pigtails. It was amazing how fast her hair had grown, she had not only inherited her mother's cobalt hair, but also its incredible growth.
When he had finished preparing her, Silco admired her again. She was absolutely adorable, and he felt a pang at the thought that this child was his. Even a year later he couldn't fully realize that he and Jinx could have created something so beautiful.
He wanted to spend time with her but his work was waiting for him and he had trouble concentrating when he had to manage his paperwork and his daughter at the same time. He knew that Jinx was in her lab working on a weapons process he had asked her to, but he really couldn't leave her alone today. Taking Lexie in his arms again, Silco walked down the long hallway that led to Jinx's room. Her echoing music grew louder as they approached, and Lexie began to watch with interest the lab door they were heading towards.
"You recognize your mother's very unpleasant music, I presume." Silco told her, smiling, though he didn't approve of their daughter being subjected to such high-decibel music, even for a few moments.
When he opened the door, the music was in full swing and he could see Jinx on the other side of the platform waddling around leaning on a desk. Lexie grimaced and moaned at the loud music and Silco hurried over to the young woman. As he approached, he noticed sparks flying from the desk.
"Jinx!" he shouted at her.
But she didn't hear him, continuing to move to the rhythm of the music and he noticed that she was using a kind of saw on a large metal object from which the sparks came.
"JINX !" he called louder this time, hating the thought of having to raise his voice so close to their daughter who was already disturbed by the loud music.
Jinx seemed to hear him this time as she hurriedly cut off the music. Just as silence fell in the room, Lexie let out a moan of displeasure that instantly made Jinx turn to them.
" Oh ! I'm sorry my baby !" she lamented, taking off her glasses before throwing them on her desk.
She swooped down on Silco and took Lexie away from him. The baby continued to make noises of displeasure.
"Mommy is sorry." she apologized again, gently cradling her daughter in her arms to calm her down. "How long have you been awake, peanut ?" I didn't even hear you on the baby monitor."
"It was hard to hear anything with that din." Silco replied cynically, and Jinx glared at him.
"I need music to stay focused on my work." she objected. "You know it."
"You don't need to turn up the volume so loud, especially when you have a baby monitor next to you."
Realizing she was wrong, Jinx frowned and mumbled something before turning to her desk with Lexie in her arms.
“Is it possible for you to watch her ? I have a lot of work." Silco informed her.
"Me too." Jinx sighed as she pulled Lexie into a sitting position on the desk amidst her tools and workbenches. She took care to move the saw out of reach. "I'm behind on missile design and also need to do some repairs on Fishbones. I'm so tired I can't be as productive as before. Music helps me stay awake and focused, but damn it, I feel like my eyes are going to close on their own."
Jinx and Silco exchanged understanding looks. The accumulated fatigue had caused them to fall behind in their respective work; Silco had fallen asleep several times during important meetings, and one day Jinx had even ended up falling asleep on the Last Drop counter as she struggled to drink more and more coffee; she had always hated this drink but finally gave in to desperation to stay awake. But even the many cups of coffee she swallowed weren't always enough to make her more active.
“Don't worry, I'll watch over her." the young woman assured him, recovering from Lexie's hands the screwdriver she had seized.
Silco finally approached her and placed a delicate hand on her lower back. "I'm sorry. I wish I could relieve you for today but it's complicated right now."
"I know." Jinx simply replied, suppressing a yawn.
Silco brought his face close to hers to kiss her chastely before leaning towards Lexie to place a kiss on her forehead. "Feel free to come see me if you really need me to take over. I don't want you to burn out or get too behind in your designs."
She nodded, even though she knew she wouldn't ask him anything. When he left the lab, Jinx sat back in her chair facing Lexie who had this time started fiddling with a screw. She hastened to take it back from him and the baby began to let out a small cry of displeasure which resounded unpleasantly in Jinx's ears.
“You mustn't play with it, sweatheart. Wait, mommy will give you something to play with."
She got up, took Lexie in her arms and went to retrieve a blanket and bag of toys that she always kept in her workshop to occupy her daughter when she worked. She then spread the blanket with the toys strewn across it near her desk before laying Lexie on it. Directly the baby grabbed a plastic dinosaur which she began to nibble happily, and Jinx then went back to her desk to continue what she was doing before Silco interrupted her. But she couldn't concentrate on her work. Besides the fatigue, she couldn't help watching her lovely daughter fiddling with her toys and being amazed. How could she have given birth to such a perfect being?
Being a mother was the most beautiful and important role in her life, but also the most difficult. Jinx had never cried and felt so guilty as since she was a mother ; she felt like it had totally transformed her. And she was also tortured daily by questions: was she up to it ? Was she doing things well ? Didn't she overdo it sometimes ? She blamed herself for feeling bad at times when she had fulfilled her dearest wish to have a child, but the love she felt for her daughter was so intense and deep that she always wanted to do the best for her, even if it means exhausting herself.
Jinx felt unable to concentrate on her work and ended up leaving her desk to join her daughter on the toys blanket. She sat cross-legged next to her and Lexie directly handed her her plastic dinosaur.
"Da-daaaa." she babbled and Jinx couldn't help but giggle. For some time baby Lexie seemed to have developed a passion for dinosaurs.
"That's a cute dino." she agreed and her heart burned with happiness seeing the big smile her baby gave her. She found her so beautiful and adorable in her little overalls, with her blue hair styled in duvets, her big eyes so similar to Silco's. How could a loose cannon like her give birth to such a perfect being ? What had she done to deserve this happiness ?
Jinx didn't realize that a tear was rolling down her cheek until she noticed her daughter's questioning gaze as well as her little arm that was stretched out towards her. She touched her face and took in the wet streak on her cheek before wiping it away.
"It's nothing, peanut. Mommy is just a little too emotional." she told her before taking Lexie in her arms to put her on her crossed legs. She loved feeling her against her, feeling her reassuring touch, her scent. It was like a drug for her. The best drug and also the healthiest.
It was then that a realization suddenly hit her. Tomorrow, Lexie was going to celebrate her first birthday. Due to fatigue and work Jinx and Silco had completely forgotten to organize anything. Shit. Again, Jinx was again seized with terrible guilt and she wanted to cry. But she fought to hold back her tears.
Calm down. Don't cry in front of your daughter. she repeated to herself as her eyes grew wet.
Jinx thought she had enough time to organize something. She knew in advance that they weren't going to have a big party with a hundred guests. Few people cared about birthdays here and no one else really deserved to attend such an important event concerning Lexie, but she still wanted to make this day unforgettable.
Swallowing back tears, Jinx suddenly found the motivation to join her desk to make some creations for her daughter as she rested her among her toys. She put on her protective glasses and began to work, almost forgetting the fatigue that had softened her moments earlier. From time to time, she glanced at Lexie to watch her and the baby quietly remained on her blanket playing. After an hour and a half, Jinx slumped back in her work chair and took off her goggles with a satisfied smile ; her mechanical confetti-spitting dinosaur was on point, and she was sure her daughter would love it. Well, what could she do now?
That's when Lexie suddenly started squealing and moaning, her arms outstretched towards her. Anyone who saw her now wouldn't understand why she was suddenly in this state, but Jinx now knew the Lexilian language; it was time to eat.
With a tired sigh, Jinx stood up to retrieve the baby bottle of breast milk she had kept aside. In general, she preferred to breastfeed directly, but when she had a lot of work she pumped her milk in advance to put a baby bottle aside to help out and save time; it was not always easy to breastfeed a baby while taking care of other things. Jinx usually favored this moment for the morning or evening when she finished working.
Lexie fidgeted impatiently as Jinx sat next to her on the blanket again. She picked her up, settled her on her legs and keep one arm around her before tilting the baby bottle so she could take it into her mouth. And then Lexie drank her milk, her two little hands started to grip the bottle tightly.
"No, sweetie. You're too little to drink alone." Jinx laughs tenderly.
Suddenly, a burning smell alerts her. Quickly turning her head towards her desk, Jinx saw a light smoke billowing from one of her work devices plugged into an outlet. With a gasp of surprise, she quickly put Lexie and the baby bottle on the blanket before rushing to the source of the smoke.
“Shit, shit! Damn short circuit." she grumbled, unplugging everything.
This was clearly not the time to have this kind of problem and she winced at the smell of burning. Groaning, she told herself she'd deal with it later and when she turned back to the baby, her breath hitched in her chest: Lexie was sitting where she'd been left, drinking from her bottle by herself, holding it with both hands. It was the first time she had done this and Jinx was overwhelmed by conflicting emotions: the pride of seeing her little girl drink her milk alone but also a feeling of sadness that squeezed her guts and she felt again her eyes moisten.
Paralyzed by what she saw, the most logical reaction she found to do was to press the call button connected to Silco's office and call him crying.
~~
As soon as he received Jinx's call, Silco rushed to her lab, his heart beating furiously in his chest. Jinx hadn't been able to explain anything except to scream his name and he was already dreading what he was about to discover. When he stormed into the room, he just noticed Jinx crying sitting cross-legged next to Lexie who was drinking her feeding bottle quietly, holding it in her chubby little hands. Heart still beating too hard, Silco quickly joined them and analyzed the situation without understanding.
"Jinx, what's going on ??" he asked her, crouching down next to her.
She suddenly threw herself against his chest and pressed her face to it, wetting his shirt with tears. "Look at Lexie !"
Silco's gaze fell on their daughter. She looked perfectly healthy and continued to drink from her feeding bottle while looking at them curiously, not understanding why her mom was in this state.
"What is the problem ?" he asked again, understanding less and less what was wrong here.
"Can't you see?! She's drinking her bottle on her own! She doesn't need her mommy anymore..." Jinx whined, pulling her face away from his shirt.
Silco felt the angst suddenly leave him and he began to sigh to release the sudden stress he had been feeling. Thank Janna there was nothing serious. Gently, he put an arm around Jinx's shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"Our daughter is growing up, honey. It's just normal. I've noticed that she's been trying to drink her milk on her own for a while."
Jinx took a deep breath as she dramatically wiped away her tears before leaning over to hug Lexie and making her sit on her cross-legged again. The baby let herself go without her hands or her mouth are leaving the bottle.
"No matter how old she is, she will always need you." Silco told her softly, reaching out a hand to affectionately caress one of Lexie's small legs. "But she will become more and more independent."
"I do not want to." Jinx sobbed, pressing her face against her daughter's hair. "Well, yes, but...I want her to always be my little baby."
"And she will be." Silco smiled. "But your role is also to teach her how to grow."
Jinx snorted. "I know... Sorry, I don't know what came over me but it made me feel too emotional to see her like that."
"Do not be sorry." Silco presses a kiss to her temple again and this time Lexie's mouth leaves the bottle nipple to look up at her parents. Her gaze flicked from Silco to Jinx, and she suddenly pressed her face against her mother's chest.
"Awww." Jinx meowed as she hugged her daughter, holding back her tears from falling again. "Mommy didn't want to cry, peanut. Mommy is just...overwhelmed with her emotions. You're becoming a big girl and I'm proud of you."
But she suddenly looked up at Silco with a panicked look. "Do you remember that her birthday is tomorrow ?" she asked him.
"Yes.." he sighed. "But I didn't have time to deal with it."
Jinx pursed her lips. Decidedly, there was not one to catch up with the other.
"I've already started to create a few things, but you also have to take care of the cake."
"That's no problem, I can order one."
"No way !" she protested vigorously. "I would make my baby's first birthday cake."
Silco looked at her half-surprised, half-jaded. "You ? Need I remind you what happened the last time you tried to do anything in the kitchen ?"
Jinx growled. "Oh, c'mon. It was just a little fire, nothing to make a big deal out of it."
The old man stifled a sigh, knowing how stubborn the woman he loved was. "Well, I'll leave it to you to take care of her birthday cake. But be careful this time." he added sternly.
Jinx tried wave his worry away. "Don't worry, babe ! I'm going to bake the most beautiful cake you've ever seen."
She seemed so enthusiastic that Silco didn't have the heart to contradict her. And as he was leaving the laboratory to return to the office, he took the opportunity to pass by the kitchen side of the bar to check if the fire extinguishers were in working order.
~~
It was late when Jinx finally finished fixing Fishbones' flaws. Exhausted, she tossed her tools and goggles on her desk with a sigh. She smelled of powder, soot and perspiration and she couldn't wait to take a good shower. Getting up, she stretched strongly before joining her daughter. Lexie had finally fallen asleep slumped on the blanket, surrounded by her toys. Jinx smiled tenderly at her baby's sleepy face and leaned down to take her gently in her arms so as not to wake her, then headed for the bedroom she shared with Silco. No sooner had she crossed the threshold than Silco came out of the bathroom, his hair wet and a towel around his waist, and Jinx couldn't help but stare at him for a moment ; In another situation she would have gladly snatched this towel to take care of what was underneath, but unfortunately it was not the right time.
"You finally finished what you wanted ?" he asked her as he walked to the closet to retrieve his pajamas.
"Yes, finally. I thought it was never going to end." Jinx growled.
She walked over to their bed and gently placed Lexie between the pillows. "She was lovely." she pointed out to Silco with a hint of pride in her voice. "I didn't even have to run after her like the other times. She was very good."
"There are days with and days without. Today she decided to give us some respite." he said with a smile as he buttoned up his pajama shirt and joined them on the bed.
They stood there for a moment lovingly observing their sleeping baby. There were no words to describe how this little being made them feel. It was a piece of them that now bound them forever and despite the intense fatigue they felt neither of them had any regrets. Lexie was hands down the best thing that ever happened to them.
"Well..." Jinx said, reluctantly getting out of bed. "I'm going to take a quick shower and join you. I just want to sleep for three whole days."
And while Silco stayed with their daughter, Jinx went to the adjoining bathroom, getting rid of her filthy clothes and untying her hair before jumping in the shower. The water that fell on her did her a world of good, and she savored this moment alone in peace. After spending long minutes washing and getting rid of the grime of the day, she got out of the shower and reached for a towel before stopping in her gesture when she crossed her reflection in the large mirror.
Her body was almost back to normal. Her breasts were still a little more swollen than usual, and her stomach had become flat again but it had lost its tone. Jinx hadn't had the opportunity to be so active in the last few months, the rare times she had time for herself she spent it either in her laboratory or trying to take a nap to catch up on her lost sleep. And although she sometimes had to repeat certain stunts, she couldn't afford to do as before now that she had a mini-me that she had to take care of daily. Her reflection also sent back the reflection of her pale face and her dark circles even deeper than usual. Decidedly, she had never been so tired.
She put on a tank top and short shorts before joining her old man and their daughter in the bedroom. Silco had slipped into bed next to Lexie who was still sleeping soundly, and Jinx wasted no time in joining them, placing herself on the other side of her daughter so that the baby was between them. She noticed that the little one was now in pajamas ; Silco had a knack for managing to change Lexie's clothes as delicately as possible without waking her.
"I hope she won't wake up too many times tonight." Jinx lamented. "I would give anything to sleep at least three hours straight."
Silco chuckled. "Remember when you thought giving birth would be the hardest part?"
Jinx let her head fall back into the pillow, moaning. "It was the good old days..."
She looked up at their daughter and gently stroked her chubby cheek with her fingertip. "Don't get me wrong, I love her more than anything. But damn it, I didn't think it would be this hard, even though I thought I was prepared for it."
"I don't think we're ever really ready for what's in store when we become a parent, much like I was when I met you that night." Silco told her, also reaching out to caress one of Lexie's small hands. She stirred slightly in her sleep and they couldn't help but smile.
Jinx then felt Silco's gaze on her and she looked up from their daughter to meet his gaze.
"Are you really sure you want to take care of the cake?" he couldn't help but ask her.
She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Of course. Believe it or not but I've improved my cooking skills, I promise you I won't be setting the kitchen on fire this time."
Silco looked at her unconvinced and Jinx was determined to prove him wrong for not trusting her to handle this. Their gaze turned again to the sleeping face of their daughter. "I imagine she'll be sleeping with us again tonight." remarked Silco.
"Obviously !" Jinx agreed.
"Be careful that it doesn't become a bad habit."
The young woman's eyebrows furrowed. "She's just a baby, let her sleeping with us. One day she will be too big to want to do this and so I intend to enjoy her as much as possible. And then I know that deep down you love it too."
Silco scowled slightly and Jinx smiled victoriously.
A little later, when Jinx was quick to join Lexie in her sleep, Silco watched in the darkness of the room, dimly lit by the stained glass window, the sleeping faces of the two beings he loved the most. How could he have been so lucky ? His life had been a journey filled with trials, battles and betrayals, and now it all seemed to have taken a totally different turn. Everything around him could go up in smoke, he wouldn't care as long as he could keep Jinx and Lexie by his side. They meant the world to him.
And he realized again that Jinx was right; he loved that their daughter slept next to them. He liked to be able to detail her at will, to hear her soft steady breath, to feel the touch and the warmth of her small body close to him. It was difficult for him to put into words what he felt since he was a father, it was magnificent and pure happiness... despite the external threats hovering over them. Silco then thought back to Jayce's earlier letter and suppressed a growl. Fuck them all. Nothing and no one can ever break their family, Silco had sworn to that and he was more ready than ever to fight against the whole world. He brought his face closer to Lexie's until the ridge of his nose touched her chubby cheek.
On her other side, Jinx was also sleeping very close to her and it was on this comforting vision that Silco fell asleep, lulled by the breathing of his favorite girls.
~~
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEXIE!"
Silco was abruptly awakened by a scream and a shaking on the bed. He got up painfully from his pillow and shook his head to brush the hair out of his face, before it took a moment to realize what was happening; Jinx was literally jumping on the bed with Lexie on her shoulders, whose crystalline laughter now filled the room. Silco let out a gasp as Jinx flopped onto the mattress next to him, Lexie on her lap.
"Be careful not to be too abrupt when you hold her." Silco scolded her before yawning heavily.
"I don't shake her either." Jinx replied, rolling her eyes. "And besides she likes it, look."
Indeed, even though Lexie had stopped laughing, she was now wearing a huge smile and looking at both her father and her mother with bright eyes. Jinx hugged her to her chest.
"My darling baby. You're one year old today, do you realize ? Mom and dad are going to throw you the best birthday party, starting with the cake!"
At the word "cake", Lexie suddenly started fidgeting and squealing as she reached out an arm to Jinx's chest.
"Okay, I get it, it's time for breakfast." she said in a capitulating tone, lowering a strap of her tank top to release a breast. At the sight of the piece of flesh Lexie's eyes widened and she was quick to hook her mouth to the nipple before suckling. Jinx then began to wince; her daughter had started to develop teeth and breastfeeding sometimes became uncomfortable when her little teeth bit her nipple.
Silco watched them lovingly for a moment, when the memory of Jayce's request suddenly came flooding back to his mind again and again. Shit, he had to stop thinking about it. Anyway he knew it was a lost cause, Jayce would never get what he expected of him. Silco was even outraged at the man's nerve. Who did he take him for?
"Sil ? Are you okay ? You seem worried." Jinx pointed out.
"It's nothing. I'm thinking of all the paperwork waiting for me." he lied. He didn't have the heart to bring her into this and he decided to settle it one-on-one with that bastard Jayce.
Jinx looked unconvinced by his answer but she decided to capitulate.
"So today I'm going to spend the day finalizing her birthday party. I'm going to ask Chuck if there's anything left to bake a cake downstairs. It's going to be a busy day...Lucky she's got us gave a little respite during this night."
Lexie had indeed only woken up twice to be breastfed, and apart from a few squeaks in her sleep she had been calmer than usual. That night did them a lot of good, although it wasn't enough to catch up on all the fatigue they had accumulated over the past few months. But Jinx felt in good shape to organize her daughter's first birthday in the best possible way.
When Silco left them to go to his office, Jinx stayed in bed with her daughter for a while. She took the opportunity to cuddle her, kissing her forehead, her little nose, her ears, her chubby cheeks, and even her adorable little feet, drawing crystalline laughter from Lexie. Jinx loved that laugh more than anything and she cherished those special moments with her baby. In those moments she only wanted one thing, that time would stop and that she could stay in her bubble of happiness with her family.
At one point, Lexie seemed to start dozing off. Jinx lay on her side holding her daughter against her, and gently stroking her hair to help her fall asleep.
"If only you knew how much I love you." she whispered to her as her baby closed her eyes.
She was traversed by an indescribable wave of love. Jinx thought she had found true love with Silco, and that was partly true. But the love she had for her daughter was beyond comprehension. It was too strong, almost destructive ; she knew she would kill without hesitation for her child and that she could set the world on fire and blood without mercy.
When she noticed that Lexie was sleeping soundly, she went to put her in the pram in her bedroom. Before leaving, she took care to put her stuffed animals correctly around her and gently caress her cheek with the tip of her finger, then she put the baby monitor on the chest of drawers near the pram and left the room after throwing a last loving look at her daughter.
Serious things could begin.