Chapter Text
There was someone in front of her.
Her vision was blurry, but she could make out who that figure belonged to. The scent of oil, the violet hair—both unmistakable.
As her vision became clearer, two gray eyes sparkling with joy came into focus, confirming her suspicions.
“Mom!” she cried out enthusiastically.
“My girls!” came the equally excited response.
The scene shifted to a third-person perspective, showing two small girls—one with pink hair and the other with blue—throwing themselves into the arms of the kneeling woman they called mom. All three of them wore enormous smiles. A smile so wide she could feel it pulling at her own cheeks, almost painfully so.
The image of the three figures laughing, hugging, and running as they chased each other played out before her like a movie.
Laughter floated in the air, vibrant colors replaced any trace of fire, blood, or destruction. Instead, there was only the comforting reminder of domesticity. The scent of chicken soup—something she hadn’t tasted in so long—filled her nose, and the warmth of arms wrapping around her melted her heart.
There she was, playing with her little sister Powder, telling stories in their shared bed and promising to scare away the monsters.
And there was Mom, watching her with a tender sparkle in her eyes, her smile filled with love and care.
Mom handed her a small stuffed bunny, then cupped her cheek. Her hand was warm.
“I love you, Violet. I’ll always be with you, never forget that.”
She opened her eyes abruptly.
The sunlight streaming through the window bathed the room, forcing her to shut them again. Once she adjusted, she slowly reopened them, catching sight of the empty space on the other side of the large bed.
Her eyes felt sticky, but what stood out most was the dampness on her cheeks. She realized she had been crying.
But it wasn’t out of fear, nor sadness.
It was nostalgia. Longing.
Happiness.
Oh, Janna! She felt blessed.
For so long, the nightmares of her past had haunted and tormented her. Waking up nearly every morning scared, drenched in sweat, with her heart racing and breath shallow, had become routine. The ever-lurking guilt was her constant companion.
But this time, she couldn’t help but feel grateful that her past had not returned to terrorize her.
She sat up and turned toward her nightstand, where the little stuffed bunny from her dream sat waiting. She held it in her hands—her favorite childhood toy.
The plush had been forgotten after she was sent to prison. She had given it to Pow—Jinx—after retrieving it, before the tragedy. Later, it had found its way back into her hands after the war with Noxus, during a time when she believed she had lost Jinx forever. She’d discovered it among the wreckage of the airship Jinx had used in the battle, and she’d kept it as a reminder of her sister.
Their mom had sewn the bunny herself. She’d given it to Violet when she was a little girl, because Violet used to be afraid of the dark and hated sleeping alone. Then Powder was born, and she didn’t sleep alone anymore. The bunny kept them both company at night, but they had each other, too.
The bunny became a symbol—a reminder of their bond, a connection that shielded them from the monsters hiding in the dark. It was a reminder of their mom’s presence, of what they once had. A piece of her past.
She absentmindedly fiddled with a loose thread poking out from one of the bunny’s seams and wiped the dampness from her eyes.
Her gaze shifted to the ring on the third finger of her left hand—a simple gold band with three tiny diamond inlays, though "simple" hardly felt like the right word.
A soft laugh of disbelief escaped her. One year married. She was a Kiramman now. If her teenage self could see her, she wouldn’t believe it.
Her heart fluttered at the memory.
She thought back to how nervous she’d been when she proposed to Caitlyn. It had been a small, intimate moment—nothing extravagant, just the two of them. It had ended up being funny because, as it turned out, they had both planned to propose on the exact same day.
The ring Vi had used to propose was simpler than the one she now wore—it was all she could afford on her enforcer salary at the time. But it was just as beautiful, a gold band with their names engraved on the inside.
The ring Caitlyn had given her wasn’t much different. It seemed they really were soulmates.
The ring on her finger now symbolized their bond, the promise they’d made to each other—a vision of what could be. The promise of a future together.
Her thoughts and the smile on her face were suddenly interrupted by an unpleasant sensation in her stomach. The feeling traveled up her chest and reached her throat, and just as it threatened to spill out, she bolted for the bathroom.
Last night’s dinner found its way into the toilet.
...
It was a few months ago when the idea first came to her.
Almost involuntarily.
But once it did, she couldn’t forget it.
She supposed that’s what happens when someone gets married.
Every time Vi walked through the Kiramman estate, she couldn’t help but feel a little out of place. Despite having lived there for quite some time, she still hadn’t adjusted to all the luxury that surrounded her. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate it, but often, it felt like too much. Damn it, it seemed like every corner of the house was gilded in gold!
What she truly appreciated, however, was no longer having to live in survival mode. She now had access to a comfortable bed, warm water, good food, and, most importantly, someone she loved deeply by her side. From the very first day Vi stayed at the estate, Caitlyn had made it her mission to ensure Vi felt right at home.
She had everything she’d once wished for her family as a child.
But despite it all, there was something that unsettled her—the house felt so large and empty.
With thoughts of the family she’d lost—though her new family was now Caitlyn—she found herself staring at the portraits hanging on the shimmering walls of the estate’s hallways. One depicted the late Cassandra Kiramman, standing proudly while resting a firm hand on the shoulder of her husband, Tobias Kiramman, who sat upright and relaxed in an elegant chair. At their side, at their feet, stood a small version of her beloved Caitlyn, holding a rifle nearly as tall as she was. Her posture mirrored her mother’s strength, and the sparkle in her eyes—the same confident, defiant gleam she still carried—shone brightly.
Vi couldn’t help but compare the grand portrait to the small, worn photograph she had of her own family. The photograph she’d recovered alongside her cherished stuffed bunny.
In the picture was a young Vander, clean-shaven and grinning—so different from the rugged man she remembered—standing strong and smiling. Beside him were five small children: a young Vi with a faint smile but that unmistakable fire in her eyes, holding a tiny Jinx—or, back then, Powder. Her little Pow Pow…
And then there were Mylo and Claggor, her adoptive brothers.
Oh, how she missed them all.
Standing in those grand hallways, she couldn’t shake the strange feeling in her chest. She knew Caitlyn was used to solitude, having grown up as an only child. But Vi—Vi had grown up surrounded by a big family. Even before Vander, she’d had her parents and her sister.
And in the face of all that empty space in the house, only one idea came to her about how to fill it.
Fingering the ring on her finger, a longing tugged at her heart, and the image of something that felt like a dream formed in her mind.
She remembered those days descending into the Firelights’ hideout to help Ekko. One of her responsibilities there had been caring for and training the children, teaching them how to fight and defend themselves, just as she had once done. She’d loved spending time with them; it reminded her of her childhood, when she taught Powder and Ekko how to fight.
And then, like a reel of film, a series of images began to take shape before her:
One where she was cradling a small bundle in her arms.
One where she saw Caitlyn, wearing a soft smile, holding a tiny mini-Kiramman in her embrace.
One where two little girls ran down the cold, vast hallways of the estate, their presence warming the space, filling it with light, laughter echoing against the walls.
One where Vi hummed the same lullaby her mother had once sung to her every night to help her sleep.
Oh, the thought of something more swelled in her heart and invaded her mind!
The yearning to build a family of her own.
But that flame was extinguished as a doubt crept into her thoughts.
Would Caitlyn share the same desire as she did?
...
Days and weeks passed since that idea first took root in her mind. She couldn’t shake it.
Vi wanted to share her thoughts, the longing she felt, with Caitlyn—but a deep fear held her back.
What if Caitlyn didn’t want the same thing?
What if Caitlyn was perfectly content with just the two of them?
What if Caitlyn actually hated kids?
The truth was, neither Caitlyn nor Vi had ever discussed having children. It just never seemed like the right time. They were always too busy with their duties, focused on rebuilding Piltover and, more importantly, Zaun.
"Maybe this isn’t the right time," Vi thought.
But deep down, she knew. She had never felt better or more secure in her life than she did now—secure enough to want something like this.
“Hey, love.”
Vi looked up from the coffee cup she had been staring into, lost in thought for what felt like an eternity.
There she was—Caitlyn, her beautiful and beloved wife. She stood leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, dressed in high-waisted trousers and a black turtleneck, her deep blue hair tied back in a high ponytail. She smiled playfully, one eyebrow raised.
“What’s up, cupcake?” Vi replied with a teasing grin. Caitlyn rolled her eyes at the nickname, even though Vi knew she secretly loved it. “Finally free? I made you some coffee, but I think it’s cold by now.”
“Thanks, love. It’s fine like this.” Caitlyn walked over, pressing a soft kiss to Vi’s forehead before sitting at the table across from her, picking up the cup Vi had prepared. She noticed Vi’s own coffee still untouched. “Looks like someone else let their coffee go cold,” she teased, taking a sip of her drink, which was still a little warm.
Vi only let out a small chuckle, her mind still elsewhere. Caitlyn noticed.
“Everything okay, Vi?”
Vi’s gaze dropped back to her coffee, fingers idly rubbing the white porcelain cup. The whirlwind of doubts still churned in her head.
But then her eyes fell on the ring on her finger. She looked back up at Caitlyn—her wife—who was watching her with concern, but also with that gentle openness, ready to hear whatever storm might be brewing inside her.
Oh, by Janna, this was her wife! The woman who had pulled her from rotting in prison, who had saved her from the brink of death. There was no reason to doubt her.
Vi let out a shaky sigh, a spark of courage flickering to life within her.
“There’s… there’s something I’d like to talk about,” she said softly.
She was determined to tell Caitlyn.
Before she could, Caitlyn suggested they take a walk in the garden to help Vi relax, having noticed how tense and nervous she was. Vi agreed.
The two of them sat on a bench, watching how the sunlight made the green of the trees shimmer brightly, intensifying the colors all around them. The garden was blanketed in petals from the violet flowers that fell from the grand tree towering above them.
“I… um… I’ve been thinking about…” Vi stumbled over her words, unable to form the simple sentence she wanted to say.
Her hands fidgeted restlessly, and her leg bounced nervously. A warm hand rested gently on her knee, grounding her.
Caitlyn watched her with patience, her gaze calm and steady. Vi decided it was time to let it out.
“Have you ever thought about having kids?”
Vi didn’t look up, too scared to see Caitlyn’s reaction. But the gentle squeeze on her knee was enough to make her lift her gaze. What she saw stopped her heart for a moment.
Caitlyn’s eyes were wide, sparkling with warmth, excitement, and affection.
“I have,” Caitlyn said eagerly, taking Vi’s hands in her own and pulling them closer. “And you…?”
“I have too!” Vi blurted out, her doubt replaced by an unmistakable excitement in her voice. “I… I’ve been thinking that… well, I think I’d like to start a family with you.”
Caitlyn leaned forward, pressing her forehead to Vi’s, their breaths brushing softly against one another.
“It would be my greatest honor to do that with you, Violet.”
Vi didn’t reply with words but instead with a passionate, elated kiss.
...