Chapter Text
She watched from afar quietly as one by one, her squad call their families…she watched as they all laughed, joked and even cried over the phone. Which was to be expected, it was Christmas Eve…another holiday without a family. It made her think about her family…her family she hadn’t heard from since she left six months ago. Up to this point, she was afraid to call them, she abandoned them when things didn’t go get away and she can never forgive herself for that. Because she knows, no matter how bad she broke their hearts buy disappearing without word, they would still be waiting by that phone every holiday.
Even if she never called. Vi uncrossed her arms and sighed. She then felt her pager buzz, she took it out of her uniform pocket and read it. It was time to roll out. She stood tall in attention and commanded “blue team! Wrap it up! It’s time to go” and just like that, they were up and running. Mylo, Claggor, Vi and another member all hopped in one humvee with another one following not to far behind and started to patrol around the Noxus desert roads. As they got closer to the destination, Vi couldn’t help but notice the multiple set of eyes staring at them. The stares were unreadable but dismissive. Then she felt that gut feeling…that feeling to turn back.
They pulled up into a little wooden cabin, far from the other homes. The front had multiple pots sitting on the porch, clothes hanging, and tape covering the windows. Vi got out first and then then her gunner Danny. She wrapped her rifle around her and then looked back at Claggor and Mylo “you two stay back and look out.” Claggor nodded while Mylo crawled up in the gunner seat. Vi nodded back and then looked at Danny “I’ll take point, watch my back?” She reassured the scared kid. Danny was only seventeen years old, he had orange freckles all over his face, orange hair with blue eyes. If anything, Danny reminded her of her younger sister.
He was smart, funny, charismatic…but what made her take him under her wing was how he was Maddie Nolan’s younger brother. Daniel Nolan. Unlike Maddie, his family disowned him because he chose to do this…but Maddie…Maddie encouraged him to follow his dream. Which surprised Vi, maybe after high school she changed. People do change for the better. She didn’t dare tell Danny what his sister was like in high school, he didn’t need that in his head while in this shot hole for a war. So instead, she took him in…taught him everything she could. Looked out for him, disciplined him…anything she could to make him a good man.
Danny nervously nodded and subconsciously squeezed the grip of his rifle, Vi saw. She gently smiled and put her hand on his shoulder; she then reassured him with her eyes “it’s alright” and started to mimic breathing techniques to calm him…Danny followed. This was Danny’s first mission, only because Vi didn’t think it was safe for him to go out on field. Eventually Claggor and the general explained that he’s never going to grow if she kept smothering him. And so here they were, standing in front of a house; the mission was to recover all of the smuggled weapons…simple enough.
“Alright let’s move” Vi ordered. Vi turned and began to take lead, Danny on her ass like his life depended on it. They positioned on the porch and then she knocked rapidly on the door. No answer…another sign she took note to. She knocked again but this time with a little force. No answer…something wasn’t right. Little hairs on the back of her neck started to flare up, she looked back at Danny and her mind started to race. Should she order him to stay behind? Was it safe? Could he handle what was behind this door? And then Claggor’s words popped up in her mind “he’s never going to grow if you keep smothering him”
And so she closed her eyes and took a breath “stand back” she ordered. Danny stood back, Vi stood up straight…took a step back and kicked the door in. And the smell that came next was horrific. The smell of decaying and old blood filled their noses “god w-what is that awf-“ Vi cut him off “listen…you don’t have to follow me in here” Danny had his hand over his mouth but Vi could see the genuine smile across his face “I’m with you captain” Vi slightly smiled and nodded. By now, Vi was used to the smell of death; everything she has witnessed, the smell of death never ever left her nose.
Before they went in, she radioed Claggor to call it in and then…they disappeared into the house.
When they entered, the smell got stronger. Blood on the walls, bottles scattered everywhere, women's and children's clothes here and there. What the hell was this. Vi signaled to move forward and into the back of the house, the checked the small kitchen, the small room on the left and then came the room to the right with a blanket covering the door. And what Vi noticed was how the smell was stronger coming from this area. Her heart started to race, her fingers grew tighter around her rifle and her eyes grew watery from the smell. She’s felt this before…when she—when she killed that kid.
“S-S-Stay here—“ Danny tried to protest “Vi—“ Vi didn’t mean to but she was growing anxious and upset “I said stay here!” She commanded as she trailed her hand up to the blanket with her body arching away, her breath became rigid as she snapped the blanket back and went on the other side, leaving Danny there…safe. And what Vi saw next made her gag and almost throw up. Three bodies in a corner, already decaying. Flies buzzing around them, words written on the wall with dried blood that said “FG” Vi could piece it together FG stood for Ferguson Gusto. Ferguson was the leader of the drug and gun trafficking group they’ve been tracking down all this time.
He must’ve gotten to this family…owed him money or something. Just then Vi stepped forward a little and heard a creak in the floorboard. She looked down to see a little cubby hole door...she knew she had to clear the house, she had no choice but to investigate it. "Shit" she mumbled to herself. She's too experienced for this...she knew something was about to happen...she needed to be ready. She tightened her grip around her rifle and bent down. She wrapped her hand around the knob and closed her eyes. She really hoped it was nothing....she can't take too much of this. She opened her eyes and pulled up the door. She saw a pregnant woman and a little boy laying on top of some bags. They looked dead, she sighed in realizing that she was clear from danger but still on edge.
Just then she heard Danny from the other side of the blanket "Captain everything alright?" She turned her head towards the door....big mistake. And just as she was about to answer her eye caught movement. She turned to see the woman holding up a gun at her side, ready to fire. It was like a blink of an eye. The woman fired and so did Vi. Multiple shots went off....Vi's shots....the woman's bullet hit the center of Vi's vest, Vi's first bullet hit her clean in the head. But Vi was too terrified to cease fire. So she kept firing until her clip was empty. Soon fire ceased, smoke coming from her barrel...both the pregnant woman and kid dead with multiple bullet holes in them. Vi stood there gasping for air, trying to wrap her head around what she had just done. Tears ran down her face, she started to quickly run her hands up and down her body to check if she was hit.
She felt the bullet that was stuck in her vest...just then, Danny Claggor and Mylo rushed in. "Captain! You okay? We heard gunfire and took cover" Danny asked. But Vi didn't hear any of that, her eyes stuck on the deceased woman and child she just had killed. Claggor's eyes followed and saw the scene "oh shi-shit Vi-Vi" he tried calling out for her but Vi couldn't hear. Her ears rang, sweat streaming down her face, eyes tearing up... What more does this place want from her? Everyday she's losing more and more of her sanity. Her eyes glued on the pregnant woman with the gun in her hand. "W-why?" She whispered out barely audible....and suddenly her blood boiled, her heart raced and her mind turned. This woman sacrificed her life, her son and her unborn child just to try and kill her...Why?
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Back at base, soldier’s hurried to chow and others outside messing around; but Vi…Vi stood in front of a telephone…reluctant. The events that took place made her think of her family; she could have died without hearing from her family. That pregnant woman looked awfully like Caitlyn…dark blue hair, sharp cheekbones but with brown eyes. It made her think of Caitlyn…she picked up the phone and held it to her ear. Her hand hovered over the buttons, what would she even say? She was still angry but yet so sad she hadn’t spoken to them….
She knew they were all in the loft she bought before she left, waiting for a call….wondering if today would be the day they would hear from her. Her fingers nervously dialed. She closed her eyes and took a breath right as the line rang.
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Caitlyn paced around VI’s kitchen, Powder stirring a pot of soup; Felicia, Vander, Cassandra and Tobias sat in the sitting area quietly talking. Everyone in their own way, but Caitlyn…Caitlyn waited, she waited everyday for anything from Vi. A call, a text, an email but got nothing. She blamed herself for it, the way she handled the argument before Vi disappeared…she could have handled it better. Every holiday she hoped to see Vi walk through that door…too see the grey blue eyes looking back at her…she just wished Vi was here.
At one point, she thought Vi was dead, only thing to keep her sane was the military calling every month to tell them that Vi is alive and well. She was angry at Vi for that…she wanted to hear it from Vi herself. She wanted Vi. To tell her she loved her, to update her on her daily life…like she got offered a job at the sheriffs department. She was going to take it, but she thought about how she reacted to Vi not telling her she joined the military; she didn’t want to repeat that same thing. Just then, her phone buzzed. She propped herself up from the counter and pulled out her phone to see a no caller ID. Her finger hovered over the decline button but what if it was Vi? Instead she accepted the call and held the phone up to her ear and spoke “Hello?”
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“Hello?” She heard that beautiful Voice answer. VI’s mind raced, her heart skipped a beat…her hands grew sweaty; she was frozen. Caitlyn had answered. What was she to say? After all these months of ghosting the love of her life. Tears welted up in her eyes, her lip quivered at the thought, she didn’t mean to but she whimpered out just a little. Her hands grew shaky.
Caitlyn stopped in her tracks on the way to the sitting area and stood frozen when she heard that familiar whimper. She knew it was her, it was Violet. “V-Vi?” She subconsciously said. Felicia whipped her head around, Powder stopped stirring the pot and looked up shocked “Violet is that you?”
Vi didn't know what to say, she was basically trembling...her ears burned, her eyes filled with tears....she couldn't bear to get a word out. Instead, she propped up against the wall and sat. She held her knees up to her chest and let the tears fall.
“Vi…You don’t have to speak…but I-I need you to know that I’m sorry…and I miss you—we all miss you. I love you so much baby and I need you to know that no matter what happened in the past, I will never give up on you.” She heard Caitlyn say on the other end of the line. It only made Vi break. She couldn’t bare it any longer, so she hung up. Once the call ended, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She cried until she couldn’t get a breath in. She wanted to go home…she needed an out. She messed up so bad, Caitlyn was right…this wasn’t for her. She’s seen and done things she never thought of and it was slowly breaking her day by day.
For now, she could dream of being in the arms of the person whom she called home.