Vi

I squeezed Laylas hand as the three of us walked into the basement with tear stained cheeks, we heard Mylo and Claggors argument quiet down as we went down the stairs.

"Where's the-" I started asking the pair before Powder ran to me, she threw her arms around me saying she was glad I was back. I looked down at her, not bothering to hid my conflicted expression. Tears brimmed my eyes as I began to push her away thinking, how the hell am I going to tell her?

Layla, still holding my hand, gave it a squeeze, reassuring she had my back. I'd be lost without her. I nodded letting her go, attempting to keep the tears at bay and focus on the problem at hand. I reached for the gauntlets on the table but Mylo grabbed my wrist before I could touch them.

"Woah those are Vanders. What's going on guys?" He looked at the three of us, Layla tugged a crying Ekko closer to her side.

I dropped my hand in defeat as I said, "Benzo's dead. And they took Vander."

Everyone collectively gasped before Mylo quickly asked, "Wait, who took Vander?"

"I don't know but I need to help him." Mylo said they were coming with me and I didn't have it in me to fight him on it. My shoulders sagged as I said, "Whatever killed Benzo...was like nothing I've ever seen. It tore him apart." I clenched my fists before pulling Layla and Ekko towards me.

Mylo and Claggor wrapped their arms around us comfortingly, "You're not doing this alone Vi, he's our father too." Claggor said as he rubbed Ekkos back.

"Do we know where they took him?" Mylo asked dropping his arms as I started grabbing the weapons on the table and putting them in my bag.

"We followed them, down by the cannery-" I started saying but stopped as I saw Powder holding her bag ready to follow us to get Vander back. I sighed heavily before walking over to her, "I need you to sit this one out Powder, you too Ek."

"What? I'm not afraid." Powder said weakly, wanting to fight with us. I can't lose both of them today, I won't mourn both Vander and Powder. I can't.

Laylas lucky I don't glue her ass to the fucking sofa, instead of agreeing she could come with us and help.

"It's too dangerous."

"But families stick together you said it yourself!" Powder said, her voice rising as she tried to make me change my mind.

"I know what I said..." I agreed but she kept pushing, making me lose my temper and sternly tell her, "You're not ready."

Her face fell, making my heart break, I know it hurt but I need her to listen to me. Really listen and stay put. "You're all I have left, I can't lose you too." I put my hand on her cheek and she leaned into my touch letting a tear drop. I reached into my bag and handed her the smoke light. "Here. If they come for you, take this and run. Wherever you are, light it up, and I'll find you. I promise."

I pulled her close, leaning my forehead on hers before turning around walking towards Layla and Ekko. She whispered something to him before doing the same thing I did to Powder. Once she backed away she reached for my hand, I took it guiding us up the stairs. She turned around telling the both of them to stay together and stay safe.

Mylo and Claggor already were out the door, all of us looking at the two youngest of our group one last time before shutting the door.

We walked out the front door and started our way towards the warehouse, the silence was tense. Mylo and Claggor walked behind Layla and I, Layla broke the silence first. "I don't like this, it feels like we're walking to our death. Let's make a plan for tomorrow night so we can have something to look forward to?"

"How about a date? Just you and me?"

My eyes widened at my own idea. The words were out of my mouth without me even thinking, although this wasn't the time my face blushed violently. She turned to me with a little smile, swinging our hands together to try to lighten the mood.

"Well I was thinking something with all of us, Shiner."

"No!" Mylo suddenly blurted out from behind us, Layla jumped and I looked over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow. Claggor put a hand on his shoulder and spoke up before he did, "What he means is, you two deserve to go on a date. We'd much rather see you two together than play games with Ekko again. That kid is ridiculously fucking competitive."

Layla chuckled as she looked over at me, excitement shined in her eyes and my heart beat faster. "Tomorrow then, it's a date."

"Fucking finally, took you two long enough." Mylo commented and then cursed as Claggor hit him in the back of the head to silence him. I couldn't wipe the blush off my cheeks, we're going on a date!

I felt the need to giggle and twirl my hair but cut that off immediately. We have to get Vander, we can plan the details about our date later.

She's right, this is something to motivate me to come home. Most of the time I just care about everyone else making it back to The Last Drop. But now that I have a date with the gorgeous girl I've liked for years?

We're all making it home, especially us. So I can finally kiss her right.

~~~~~

We climbed onto the roof, sliding down to look into a broken window. When we saw everything was clear, I strictly told them, "Let's just get Vander and get out."

I tugged Layla along before climbing into the building quietly, making sure to be quiet as I jumped onto the second floor. Once everyone made it down, we hunched down as we walked along the inside of the walkway. We stopped when there was a bridge leading towards the other side of the building. I looked down it to see Vander passed out, strapped to a chair. My expression hardened as my anger increased, I looked to make sure the coast was clear before giving them the signal to follow me.

We ran across and I dropped my bag before running to hug Vander, "Vi? What are you doing here?" He asked roughly, not believing we were here.

"We're breaking you out. Mylo" I said breaking eye contact with Vander so he didn't see the weakness shining through my eyes. I walked around trying to find a way to escape or something we could use for defense. He asked how we got in here and I replied with, "It was easy. We found an open window and..." My jaw went slack as I realize what I said, it was easy. Too easy.

Vander straightened in his chair before commanding, "You have to get out. Now." My breath quickened as we all heard a greeting from some where outside the room we were in. I turned to look with everyone else at a man slowly clapping his hands.

"You have my congratulations. But I'm afraid this will be a very short reunion. Have you heard the rumor about Vander fleeing town with his children? And they were never seen again." He said in an eerily calm tone.

I hid behind the side of the doorway pulling on Vanders gauntlets before turning to the crew, "Claggor, see if you can find another way out of here." He nodded before scanning the room, I turned ready to walk out the door before Vanders voice stopped me.

"You don't have to do this."

I looked at him and replied, "Yes I do." I looked to his left seeing Layla giving me a terrified look, she didn't want me to go either. I lifted the corner of my mouth before giving her a wink acting like I was fine, when really I didn't want to do this. I wanted to kick their asses yes, but if I got hurt and all of them had to watch they'd be scarred. I'm not gonna let them see me lose, I promised myself while I walked out ready to face my first opponent.

Vander called my name but I was already sizing up the insanely big bald guy covered in neck tattoos. I lifted the gauntlets as he walked closer and cracked his neck, he then nodded to the man who greeted us before pulling his sword back going for the kill. I blocked it easily and then gave him a hard uppercut, lifting his feet off the ground and his body slamming down.

I lifted them up again as I heard a voice from behind me, "Fuck yeah, baby!"

Layla.

My chest warmed, giving me strength and reminding me I wasn't alone. She's not gonna see me fail, I'll kill these assholes one by one. We have a date tomorrow, she's not going alone.

Which was what I did, I sent some tumbling off the bridge to fall to their death or I hit them so hard they went down easily. Some were tough, especially when the blonde asshat came at me from behind and put me in a chokehold. I swung my fist around and once his grip loosened I turned and threw him down to the first floor. When the two came at me at once they got a few slashes on me, drawing blood, but I humbled them real quick. But the last shirtless asshole knocked me off my feet, my muscles ached as I turned to the side to avoid the end of his hammer. He kept swinging but faltered as I took a blow to his stomach, I hit him with one last punch and he went down.

I heard animalistic growling and looked up to see the guy who busted my chops in the alleyway after the Piltover job. He had purple veins all over his body, he was the thing that murdered Benzo. He shoved one of my former opponents who finally got on his feet, off the bridge before turning away from me. I took my chance and charged at him, jumping on the fence to the side, ready to send my arms down on him. But he reached his veiny arm out and grabbed me by the throat, knocking the wind out of me.

I heard Layla scream distantly while Vander tried negotiating with the greeter to let me go. The man beast threw me down the bridge towards the others, one of my gauntlets flying off and tumbling to the ground. I crawled weakly to the room the others were in before Layla ran up and shut the door behind me, locking it tight while the guy kept launching himself at the door. Mylo took over for her getting the last lock off of Vander as she lifted me up and threw my arm over her shoulders.

She grabbed my cheek and leaned in to kiss me straight on the lips, I froze forgetting what just happened and where we were because holy shit.

Layla. Is. Kissing. Me.

She pulled back before I could lean into her, whispering breathlessly, "Don't you ever scare me like that again Violet." I smiled as I leaned into her body that was still holding me up, my eyes went to Vander in front of us who had a little amusement dancing in his eyes.

"You did good." He said as Mylo still worked on getting the last of the locks unlocked.

We leaned against the door holding it shut, as we watched Claggor get the rest of the wall opens Mylo unlocked the last of the locks. Vander got up and I sighed in relief, we did it! We can go home!

Just as our victory started, the door exploded behind us, sending blue rays of electric light dancing in the air. Layla and I grabbed each other tightly, closing our eyes.

I felt my entire body aching from the pain. I don't know if it was hours or minutes I was laying on the ground from the explosion. I momentarily lost consciousness, but when I woke up I couldn't believe what I was looking at.

To my left Layla laid reaching her hand toward me, but she wasn't moving. I stared at her before forgetting the pain in my body and holding back a scream. I started crying so much, thinking I'd lost her, that I didn't see the smallest rise and fall of her chest. Her eyes were closed and her blonde hair had blood stains in it. I yelled in agony as I continued to stare at her unmoving figure.

In my peripheral I saw a smaller man facing the purple beast, ready to fight. They fought viciously but I started screaming when I realized the purple beast was killing Vander. I looked at my other surroundings, seeing different limbs poking out from under concrete blocks from the walls.

Mylo and Claggor...No.

And right in front of them was a toy monkeys head...the same one from Powders toy collection.

No! Don't tell me she's here too!

I cried, pleading for this to all be a dream.

Some sick fucking nightmare.

A bang sounded from the hallway, and when I looked Vander wasn't standing on the bridge anymore. I tried crawling out from underneath the heavy door I was trapped under. But before I could it was lifted off me and I was faced with the purple beast, I stared at it completely terrified. I accepted the death he would soon give me, at least I'd be with everyone I love.

But as he reached for me, he was pulled back by an even bigger purple monster. It killed the first one, and threw his body behind him before turning to me.

...Vander?

My eyes widened in fear, he looked like he wanted to hurt me. He looked over at Laylas body, looking like he saw something I couldn't and started to shake and grab at his head, trying to stop himself from attacking as I scooted farther away from him.

He turned yelling at someone else as I tried pulling myself towards the open wall, but fire surrounded me and I was too weak to walk. I heard the ceiling plummet before I was pulled up and held tightly as the purple man ran us through the wall.

We landed with a thud but he protected my body with his so I didn't feel the fall. I crawled up looking at his face that was dripping with purple, "Vander. Vander..."

He leaned his head up weakly, his body shaking as he whispered, "Take care of Powder." He then fell back down and I watched the life drain from his overgrown body. The purple in him dimming, making me let out a sob before sitting up ready to yell at the world. Before I could I saw a body on the other side of his, blonde hair shined brightly from the fire as the body laid facing away from us.

I started crawling to her fast, limping to the other side of Vanders body, pulling Laylas disheveled figure into my arms.

He had grabbed her too.

I cupped one side of her face softly as I whispered, "No Lay, no please come back to me, pretty girl. Don't leave me too." I stared at her bruised face, losing the last bit of sanity I had left. I screamed at the sky, angry with the world and with the people who killed everyone I loved. I leaned us back against Vander as I cried and yelled in anger.

I was so lost in rocking back and forth with Layla in my arms, that I didn't hear Powder sneak up behind me.

"Vi it worked!" she yelled excitedly, walking up to me as she held her bag to her chest.

"What?" I whispered to myself, gently moving Layla off my lap to stand up and face my sister.

"Did you see it? My monkey bomb finally worked!" She said, happy that she did something.

I looked at her in horror before whispering, "You did this..?" Her happiness melted away instantly as she finally took a look at our surroundings. "Why...Powder why would you-."

"I was saving you," she said quietly as she looked at Vander and Laylas bodies. Claggors bloody goggles sat 4 feet away, the glass cracked. She started breathing heavily, now realizing what she'd done. Tears poured out her eyes as she repeated, "I only wanted to help."

I didn't feel sympathy because in that moment all I saw was pure red. My stare hardened as I glared at her, she did all this? We would've made it out if she'd just listened to me for once. "I told you to stay away." I said angrily, cutting off her pleas.

She kept apologizing and I snapped. Mylo, Claggor, Vander and Layla were dead because of her mistake. "I told you to stay away!" I screamed before slapping her across the face, she grunted before falling back holding her cheek.

"Why did you leave me?!" She asked, crying harder and harder. I've never hit her before, but in this moment I didn't care because she murdered everyone I love. Accident or not, I would never get to hug Vander again or kiss Layla for the first time. I wouldn't get to hear Claggors ridiculous jokes or play fight with Mylo because he always thought he could magically find a way to beat me.

I got in real close and roughly grabbed her chin, pulling her face towards me. "Because you're a jinx! Do you hear me? Mylo was right."

I was breathing hard as I stared at her dirty face, with tears streaming down her cheeks. My angery expression dropped as I finally realized what I had done.

She was scared, of me. Fuck.

I let her go backing up and turning to run around the corner of the warehouse, ignoring her begging me to come back. I needed to think and I couldn't do that with her constant apologies. She's my sister, I have to forgive her. As soon as I was out of her sight line I broke down, sinking to the floor, holding myself.

God how did this happen so fast?

I took a deep breath to try and keep whatever was left of my sanity intact before turning around and looking around the wall towards Powder. My eyes widened as I saw she was surrounded, I automatically started moving towards them. Her name was on the tip of my tongue but I was silenced by a cloth and someone who pulled me back into a dark alley.

I fought against the person holding me but my vision started becoming blurry and I lost feeling in my limbs. I kept my eyes on Powder, continuing to try and get out of the persons hold.

"Shh, everything will be okay." My kidnapper whispered to me as I went in and out of consciousness. I reached a hand out in front of me, praying to god they wouldn't hurt her as I blacked out. I went limp and let the man pull me away from the only family I had left.