Chapter Text
Vi never knew having pups meant having a shadow.
It starts when the twins are four, and Vi is in the garage lifting weights. She's focusing on her upper arms today, curling her heavy iron dumbbells while some underground Trencher music plays in the background. She lifts through each pounding beat (it was set to low because the twins were mercifully napping). She's on set five out of ten when she hears the all-too familiar pitter patter of feet. Setting her weights down, she looks to see Lavender peeking around the corner of the garage door, grinning toothily at her. There's some kind of sticky substance splattered on her mouth—no doubt her grandmother's famous homemade apple jelly (it was a favorite for Vi, too). Vi matches her pup's grin.
Naps be damned.
"What are you doing over there? Watching Papa lift weights?"
Lavender nods and bounds in, eyes drawn to the weight in her hands. Vi follows her gaze and arches a brow.
"Ah, I see, you want to work out with Papa?"
Lavender grins and squeals as she inches closer, her curious eyes on the weights. "Ya, Papa," she says as she sticks her finger in her mouth. "Wanna get swong."
"Of course you do, little alpha, you're your Pops' pup after all." Vi ruffles her hair and reaches for her lightest weight on the rack—the two pound bright purple dumbells Jinx had bought her to tease her. Lavender scowls at the color, giving her an adorable squeaky growl.
"Hate pworple," she grumbles, but reluctantly takes the weights. "Pworple is dumb."
"Well hey now, I have it on good record that your sister and Mama like purple," Vi teases as she pokes her pup in the side. "Besides, you wanna get strong, don't you pup?"
Lavender looks at the weights pensively before she huffs.
"Fine, Papa."
(Later, Caitlyn finds them both tuckered out on the gym floor, exhausted from growing their muscles for the day).
* * *
When Lavender is seven, she starts to imitate Vi.
Jinx is the first to notice, pointing out just how adorable it was when the young alpha would puff her chest out and strut behind Vi, trying to emanate her father's strength and dominance. Caitlyn had caught on and always swooped her up into cuddles, teasing Lavender about how cute she was that she was trying to take after her papa. Lavender would only communicate in huffs and squeaky growls or flashing her tiny fangs to show that she's a 'grown-up' alpha that didn't need her mother's coddling.
But now, Vi watches as Lavender plays with Lilac, correcting her younger sister's blocks as they design a Hextech set together. Young Lilac, always more keen on reading and drawing, has little interest in building, but goes along for the sake of her sibling. If Lavender was Vi's shadow, Lilac was her mother's. It makes Vi's heart swoon thinking about the similarities between her youngest and her mate. From the matching arched brows and gap-toothed grins, they're both identical. Similarly, now as Lavender aged, her hair darkened to a deep indigo-red, her eyes a matching set of her sire's.
Her own little twin.
And now, she watches as Lilac drops a block, her bottom lip trembling as the set comes crumbling down.
Before she can leap forward to assist her daughter, Lavender sidles up to her sibling and nuzzles her cheek.
"It's okay, Lily, we can just build again," she encourages her littermate gently. "See? It's okay."
Vi watches through watery eyes as Lilac curls into her twin, sniffling still. She can hear the high-pitched, crackling purr rumbling from Lavender's chest as she comforts her sister.
"What's going on?"
Vi turns to see Caitlyn coming into the living room, brushing her wet hair. Vi scents the fresh lavender perfume (no, that's not why she chose that name for her daughter—maybe) and she smiles. She wraps her arms around her mate and leans up on her toes to rest her head on Caitlyn's shoulder. She nudges her wife's neck and gestures to their pups with a smile. "Nothing, my love. I'm just admiring the greatest gifts of my life." Caitlyn purrs and Vi chuffs deep in her throat.
And then she hears the same noise from across the room.
Vi and Caitlyn look to their pups where Lavender attempts to mimic the sound again, but it comes out as a little huff. Lilac giggles at the sound and Lavender beams at making her littermate smile.
Vi knows she used to do the same with Jinx when they were younger. The sound always used to make the younger omega laugh when she used to mimic her father's own deep chuff. It wouldn't come until she hit puberty in prison, but it held the same meaning.
Protection.
Love.
Family.
And as Vi looks upon her pups, she's never been more grateful for anything.
* * *
The first time Lavender gets into a fight, she's ten.
Unsurprisingly, when Vi and Caitlyn had been called to the office, Caitlyn had been worried sick about if their pup was injured. Vi was also worried, but upon seeing a young gaggle of older boys with bruised cheeks and eyes exiting the principal's office with irate parents, her anxiety shifts to confusion.
When they enter the the room, their twins are sitting on the chairs, Lavender with a busted lip and a cut across her brow and Lilac staring at her anxiously.
As it turns out, some of the boys in the class above had been bullying Lilac for her gap teeth, and Lavender had cut in with a fist-first mentality. She took on three boys that were two years older than her to defend her littermate. Lilac had done her best to use her words, but the boys hadn't let it go and Lavender decided it was her turn to intervene. As Caitlyn and the principal talk about an adequate punishment, Vi looks over at her eldest, watching as the young alpha sits up straight with her eyes protectively staring over sister, still alert for threats while Lilac reassures her everything's okay.
That night, Vi talks to her about using her fists less.
"But, Papa, you fight people," Lavender argues as Caitlyn ices her lip. "Why can't I? I'm big and strong now too, look!"
Vi ignores the glare Caitlyn directs her way when Lavender flexes her tiny bicep. But as much as Lavender is her twin, she still has Caitlyn's inquisitiveness.
Clearing her throat, Vi starts by saying, "because Papa puts away bad guys—"
"They were bad guys—"
"They were boys," Caitlyn calmly corrects. "And yes, they were being mean to your sister, but you both should have told an adult first."
"And do what? Adults are stupid," Lavender grumbles as she swipes away Caitlyn's hand. "Mr. Black didn't do anything when Lilac told on them, so I took care of it."
Vi sighs as she shakes her head. "Lavvy, you can't just take care of things like that. You could've hurt them."
"Yeah, but they won't be coming after Lily anymore, will they? Mr. Black couldn't do that. See? Problem solved."
Vi hates to agree that it's a good point, but she spies the knowing glare from her mate and knows better than to give that to her spitfire of a daughter for ammunition.
"Look," Vi sighs as she inches forward and takes both of Lavender's hands into her own. "I know you want to be like me, kiddo, but you have to know that violence isn't the answer. I do what I do for work and it's with the knowledge that I stop really bad people. I know you love your sister so much and want to protect her, but not like this, okay? You're a smart kid. You don't want to put yourself into trouble before you can even get going." The last part is said with a bit of remorse, as Vi reminisces about her early days as a child. She doesn't want what happened to her to happen to Lavender.
Lavender looks unconvinced but she sighs and nods. "Fine. Can I go play with Lily now?"
Vi smiles and nods, ruffling her hair. Before she can dart away, Caitlyn clears her throat.
Lavender turns and blushes, withering under her mother's expectant look. "Um. Sorry?"
Caitlyn arches her brow. Lavender withers further, looking to Vi for help. Caitlyn clears her throat again, drawing her attention.
"You're grounded," Caitlyn says, "while I appreciate you protecting your sister, no TV for a week."
Lavender groans. "Mama, are you serious?!"
"Two weeks."
"Right, never mind. Sorry again!"
Before Caitlyn can speak, Lavender dashes off to her sister's room, no doubt about to get up to more hijinks. Vi sighs fondly as she follows her retreating form before glancing over to Caitlyn, who rolls her eyes.
"Don't start," Caitlyn says as she puts away the bloodied cloth. "She's your pup."
That she is, Vi thinks, that she is.
* * *
Lavender's teenage years are... interesting.
The alpha goes from being the same height as Vi and lanky to suddenly shooting up to being taller than Caitlyn and made of broad shoulders and a sharp jaw. Years of working out and playing Hexball with her sister has allowed her to pack on muscle. Without even working hard for it, she benefited from her alpha nature and genetics and was blessed by Caitlyn's height and Vi's body build. It was no secret that by seventeen, Lavender is a omega magnet. She spends most of her days swooning omegas and betas, flashing her weathered letterman jacket and flashing her baby greys. It's common scene to see Lavender flirting with omegas after her games, usually pulled away by her 'over it' and disgusted littermate before she can make any serious moves. And when Lilac is the center of the attention of flirtatious alphas, Lavender is the ever protective alpha, shooing them away.
"She's too much like you," Caitlyn told her one day when they were in bed, "I'm glad I locked you down before you could run wild."
Vi arched her brow at her wife and had grinned, "oh you shut me down? If I remember correctly, it was love at first sight for you, Matilda."
(Caitlyn blushed—it was hard not to when Vi mentioned the first time they fell for each other).
But, it's not always easy, as Vi realizes when she comes home to Lavender and Lilac in a screaming match.
"You always do this! You're such a hypocrite, Lavvy."
"They were undressing you with their eyes, Lilac. What was I supposed to do?!"
"Oh, like you don't do the same with those omegas! Half the team wants to be knotted by you!"
Lavender makes a disgusted face, but blushes all the same. "That's not true—"
"Yeah it is, you himbo! If you spent half the time you do fucking around with random women as you do with your school work, maybe you'd be passing math by now!"
The minute the words leave Lilac's lips, Vi can see she regrets it. Lavender reels back as if slapped, her eyes watering at the insult.
"That's a low blow, Lilac," her pup mutters as she rubs the back of her head. "You know I'm trying."
But if Lavender is anything like her, Lilac is everything like Caitlyn, and won't go down without a fight.
"Just... can't you lay off me? Besides, I'm not interested in any of those alpha pricks anyways." Except Zoe, Vi thinks with a grumble. She knows that her daughter is likely dating the other alpha. Keeping secrets is not a strength for anyone in the Kiramman pack, unfortunately. Before she can ponder the alpha further, Vi watches as Lavender's expression softens before she sighs.
"I'm sorry, Lily. I just... I don't want you to get hurt."
"Protecting me is not your responsibility!" Lilac stresses, her voice cracking. "I need my space, too. You're not my sire."
Suddenly, Vi is reminded of herself from years ago, hovering over Jinx constantly. Her sister eventually had been driven mad by her constant need to overshadow her. At first, Vi hadn't understood; she was an alpha, and it was an alpha's duty to protect their pack. Jinx had explained years later, after therapy and growing, that the co-dependency issues they had were toxic and didn't allow Jinx room to breathe or even have space. As she looks upon her pups, she knows that Lavender's desire to protect her sister has always been strong, even to a fault, it seems.
Before she can intervene, however, Lilac inches forward before wrapping her arms around Lavender and burying her head into her broad chest.
"You know I love you," Lilac sniffles as she holds onto her tightly. "You'll always be my protector, you know that right?"
"It's okay," Lavender croaks with a half-hearted shrug. "You're right, Lily, I need to back off—"
"No," Lilac hums as Lavender's arms come around her shoulders. "You just need to take it easy. One day I'm gonna have a mate, and you'll have to like them, okay?"
"Huh," Lavender grunts teasingly, "I'll try my best."
"Trust me, it drives me crazy hearing those omegas on our team talk about you like some object," Lilac sneers as she headbutts Lavender's chest playfully. "You're a good alpha. I know you don't fuck around. You're not like those other knotheads that just see omegas as some sort of cock-sheathe. I know you care about everyone you meet. You've got a good heart."
Vi's eyes water as she thinks about herself.
You've got a good heart, Vi.
"Besides," Lilac says as she pulls back and arches her brow at her littermate. "Only I get to call you a himbo, himbo."
Lavender rolls her eyes, eyes wet with happy tears. "You're the worst."
"Yeah, but you love me."
"Unfortunately, buttface."
"God, you're an idiot!"
* * *
The one time Lavender isn't her shadow, is when she finally graduates from university.
It was a long and hard fought journey, but she made it with an honors degree in chemical engineering and mechanics. Vi had shouted her name proudly as she'd walked across the stage, beaming for a country mile as her eldest pup accomplished everything she could have dreamed of. She cried tears when Lavender came down from the stage, cap on and golden tassle hanging from her neck as she swept her father up in a hug. It would be embarrassing on any other day to be an alpha of a pack being lifted up by their pup, but Vi doesn't care. Her daughter lifted her up and spun her around before setting her down with teary eyes. Vi reached up and wipes her tears from her sharp cheekbones, staring into those grey eyes and breathing in her almost identical musky scent. She's so proud as she cries with her eldest. Beside her, Lilac and Caitlyn are holding each other and crying, too.
"Pops," Lavender croaked emotionally, "we did it."
"Nah kid," Vi whispered she poked her in the chest. "You did."
Lavender shook her head and stared down at her with a smile. "Not without you, Papa."
Vi's chest felt like it was going to burst as she stared up at all six foot four of her daughter; she felt on top of the world.
Later that evening, as they're celebrating Lavender's graduation and preparing for Lilac's tomorrow, Vi finds Jinx in the kitchen.
Lavender is sitting next to Caitlyn in their living room, a strong arm wrapped around her mother's shoulders as Caitlyn chuckles at something she's said. Zoe and Lilac are seated together on the loveseat, the two to-be mates cuddled close together. Ekko is in the corner of the room chatting with Viktor and Jayce about something, while Caitlyn's parents putter around and pass on their congratulations to her eldest. Vi sighs as she looks upon her pack with a smile, feeling complete.
"I offered her a job, y'know?"
Vi blinks as she looks over at Jinx. Her sister shrugs and smirks.
"It was about time Bug and I worked together for real," Jinx says with a smile. "Though I should probably call her grasshopper given she's almost a foot taller than me. Damn that Princess' genes, hey?"
"Ha," Vi laughs as she looks at her family. "At least Lilac's not taller than you... yet."
"They've gotta stop growing eventually," Jinx bemoans fondly, "I can't keep getting stepped on around here."
Vi chuckles and wraps her arms over Jinx's shoulders. The two of them stand in silence, quietly and contently observing their pack.
"I'm proud of her," Jinx murmurs eventually. "It wasn't easy but she did it. Thank God she's got some of your genes, at least. Got that relentless work ethic, that one."
Vi's eyes water as she looks down at her sister. Jinx looks up and shrugs before she sighs and pecks her cheek. Vi feels her heart burst from her sister's love.
"But Vi, I swear to God if she flirts with any of my research assistants, I'll neuter her myself. Got it?"
Vi can't help but laugh.
* * *
One thing that Lavender does that's exactly like Vi, is how she cares for Caitlyn.
It's the little things that she does, like calling Caitlyn when she's on break for lunch or stopping by for an unannounced family dinner. She knows how much her Mama needs quality time with her pups, and with Zoe and Lilac on their honeymoon, she knows her mate has been feeling like the house is just a little too empty. Caitlyn tells her about it sometimes, that she at times regret not trying for another litter before they both got older, but she knows that deep down they're satisfied with their two pups.
(It doesn't stop them from trying to recreate the magic of trying in bed, though).
But now, as Vi looks at her daughter washing their car (with her shirt off, God knows that pup always had it off on a hot day) on their driveway. Caitlyn sits on the side, engaging in easy conversation with her pup as Lavender goes onto wax the car. Vi walks out of the garage, done with her workout as sweat sheens from her arms and shoulders from her workout. Grinning, she thinks of an idea as she steps in front of them, interrupting their conversation as she lays a kiss on Caitlyn's forehead.
She gestures at her pup before looking to what Lavender is not wearing. "Feeling cold, kiddo?" She teases. Lavender rolls her eyes before she grins and winks at her mother.
"Ah, just wanted to give Mama a free ticket to the gun show, y'know?" She says back, flexing her bicep. Caitlyn rolls her eyes fondly and looks up at Vi with a teasing grin. Vi rolls her eyes before she strips off her own shirt.
"You wanna see guns, kiddo? I'll show you, guns."
Vi flexes and poses for show, earning laughter from her pup and a deep blush from Caitlyn as she watches her mate not-so-secretly ogle her muscles.
"Alright, alright," Lavender sighs as she waves her father off, "I get it. Hey, speaking of guns, wanna hit the range sometime, Mama?"
Caitlyn arches her brow curiously. "When did you take an interest in shooting, sweetheart?"
"Well, Zoe keeps bragging about how good Lilac is and I feel like I need to tone down her expectation of my sister," Lavender teases with a grin. "Gotta be the best Kiramman pup in this pack."
"Right," Caitlyn drawls innocently, "so, it's got nothing to do with the cute clerk?"
"Cute clerk? Where? There? No way," Lavender splutters, turning a shade of red. "Why? When is she working?"
Vi laughs as she walks forward and gives her a gentle tap on the shoulder. "Gotta work on your cover, kid. We see right through you."
Lavender rolls her eyes and rubs the back of her head with a sly smirk. "Eh, whatever. I was never gonna be good at shooting anyways. Don't have the patience for you like you do, Mama."
Caitlyn gets up from her chair and walks over to her, reaching up to ruffle her hair fondly. Lavender groans, instantly reaching back to fix it as she looks in the car's reflection.
"I love you," Caitlyn says softly, leaning her head on Lavender's shoulder. "Thank you for coming over today."
Lavender softens and Vi feels her heart grow a million sizes.
"Anytime, Mama. I'm just a call away."
* * *
The next time Vi catches Lavender imitating her, it's in the best of ways.
She's visiting Caitlyn in the commissioner's office to drop off a few reports when Lavender swings by to bring them both lunch. She was in the area for a guest lecture she was giving at a local college for students with learning disabilities and decided to be the ever doting alpha and feed them. Vi watches as she enters with two paper bags and her characteristic smirk, sliding the bags on Caitlyn's desk. Vi pats her on the shoulder and chuffs at her, which Lavender returns in jest. Caitlyn stands up as Lavender walks around the desk and pulls her into a hug, before nuzzling her cheek affectionately. Caitlyn gently rubs her shoulder and gestures at the food with interest.
"Do you want to eat with us? You have been eating right?"
"Ha, think I could grow these babies without food?" Lavender jokes, giving her bicep a flex and causing Caitlyn to roll her eyes in fond exasperation. "But nah, Aunt Jinx and I got lunch before I came down. I'm helping her with her dissertation work."
Jinx had started an accelerated PhD program shortly after Lavender graduated, not one to take the spotlight away from her nieces. Lavender was working in her lab alongside Ekko, who was working on his Master's in a different subject. It still pulls tears to Vi's eyes to think that her sister is finally getting the chance to live her dreams and be the inventor and scientist she had hoped to be. She turns her attention back to Lavender, who is talking Caitlyn's ear off about the specifics of a Hextech project.
"And I think that it might be worth you to look into," she catches Lavender say, "you know, for extra protection. We still are working on ways to clean up Shimmer from the Lanes, but it's still not safe for them without masks."
"It's a great idea," Caitlyn says sincerely, "thank you, darling."
Before Lavender can speak, there's a knock at the door. The three of them turn at the sound, both Vi and Lavender letting out small warning growls as they stand in front of Caitlyn.
"Oh hush you two," Caitlyn mutters fondly as she rubs their backs before calling out, "come in, Andrea!"
Vi knows Andrea. She's Caitlyn's assistant, newly graduated from the academy but preferring to work more as an administrative agent than a frontline Warden. She enters the door and Vi smiles at her, losing her protective scent. The young woman is a beautiful omega with dark eyes and light brown hair curled into a neat bob at top her head. Her head is down, buried in the mountain of files in her arms. Vi is about to tell Lavender that they should go to give the two some space, but when she looks over at her pup, she has to hold back a laugh.
Lavender looks star-struck.
"Here are the files you requested, Ma'am," Andrea says, her head still down as she accidentally bumps into Lavender. "Oh!"
The omega practically squeaks as she drops the files, finally looking up to stare at Lavender with wide eyes. Lavender blushes and lets out a soft gasp at the impact before she nervously rubs the back of her head.
"I'm sorry—"
"I wasn't looking—"
The two interrupt each other before Lavender gives her an anxious, flimsy smile. Usually suave, she looks like a mess right now as she squeaks, "sorry, I was in the way. Let me help you pick those up."
Vi's brows shoot up to the ceiling.
Who was this and what did they do with her pup?
Andrea nods and smiles, but quickly regains her composure as she hums and nods. As if she and Caitlyn don't exist, the two quickly kneel and hastily pick up the files before placing them back in Andrea's arms. Lavender's hand brushes Andrea's arm and she jolts, as if struck by electricity. Andrea follows the motion with an arched brow, a faint smile pulling at her lips. Lavender looks at the smile and blushes a deeper shade of read. She watches as her pup hastily mutters something about needing to go, that it was nice meeting her, before she jogs away, but not without casting a longing look over her shoulder at the omega (and promptly running shoulder-first into the door).
Instead of looking embarrassed, Andrea only smirks.
Vi can't help but grin.
When she looks over to Caitlyn, she can see her mate is wearing the same matching expression.
It's just like old times.
* * *
It's two years later when Lavender pops the question.
"How did you know when it was time to propose to Mama?"
Vi huffs out a breath as she rotates her stiff shoulder, setting down her boxing pads. She's nowhere near as agile as she was before the accident at the docks, but she's glad she can at least still spar with her daughters (even if they take it easy on her). Vi looks at her pup and arches her brow. Inside her stomach, nervous little butterflies bounce around, no doubt excited for the potential of Lavender settling down.
After she had met Andrea, it was like no one else had ever existed. Andrea was the perfect match for Lavender. She had the grit and tenacity and firmness of an alpha, but the softness and humility of an omega. She was a good balance to Lavender's high energy, and did a good job of always making sure her pup was looked after. In turn, Lavender doted on Andrea hand and foot. She looked at the omega like she hung the stars and the moon and everything in the sky. Even at family gatherings, she constantly wanted to be close to the omega, with either a hand on the small of her back or cuddling with her on the couch. Vi had never seen her pup look so soft before. The two of them were inseparable and got along well with each other's families.
It only makes sense that Lavender is thinking of mating her forever.
"Well, our story is a little unique. End of the world and all—there wasn't a whole lot of time for thinking," Vi jokes, even if the humor doesn't quite reach the tone of her voice. She still has her scars from the final battle with Jinx and the remnants of Silco's Undercity gangs. It had taken years to move past everything that had happened, but some scars just never heal right. Bringing herself back to the present, Vi looks at her daughter earnestly. "But I knew the moment I saw your mother that I wanted to be her mate. How do you feel about Andrea?"
"Like she's the only person in the world that matters," Lavender breathes out without hesitation. "I want to spend the rest of my life with her."
"Then you know it's the right time."
"But what if she says no?"
The question is asked with trepidation as Lavender anxiously wraps and rewraps her wrist tape. She avoids Vi's gaze as she takes a seat on the workout bench. They stay in silence for a moment before Vi sighs and takes a seat next to her, undoing her own wraps.
"And what makes you think she'll say no?"
There's a pause before Lavender gulps and says, "I'm not a perfect alpha. I'm not smart like her, not as beautiful as she is; she could do so much better than me."
Ah, so self-doubt runs in the family, it seems.
Vi smiles sadly as she nudges her pup. "You know, I used to think the same things about myself with your mother."
Lavender's head cocks up curiously. "You did?"
"Yeah. Convinced myself that she would do better with another Topsider than street trash like me. But your mother only ever wanted me. She chose me, out of all of them."
When Lavender doesn't reply, Vi nudges her again.
"And Andrea chose you, Lavvy. She chose you."
Lavender smiles, blushing slightly as she nods, glancing back up at her father with an impish grin. "She did, didn't she?"
"She won't say no," Vi says with conviction. "She loves you. Sometimes, that's all that really matters in the end."
* * *
The best time Vi watches Lavender imitate her, is a year later, when she finally becomes a parent herself.
Vi watches with wet eyes as her daughter—her pup—is the proud papa of her own pack.
"I can't stop looking at them," Lavender whispers as she stares down at her twin girls. Andrea sleeps peacefully in the bed beside them. "I never want to leave them."
Vi takes a seat beside her and smiles fondly as she watches Lavender counts all their fingers and toes under her breath, as if to reassure herself of their presence. Vi can't help but be brought back to the day she first held their litter, and how she had done the exact same thing. Vi wraps her arm around her daughter's broad shoulder and presses a kiss to the top of her head. Lavender's grey eyes finally tear away from her little ones as she looks up at her with an earnest look. Vi sighs in content.
"I'm so glad you're here, Papa. I'm glad you got to meet them," Lavender says emotionally. "I'm gonna need your help again with parenting, y'know?"
"Nah," Vi says as she fondly rests her head on Lavender's shoulder, staring at her new grandpups. "You'll be just fine, kiddo. I'll always be here, but you've got this. You always have."
Lavender chokes up and presses her nose into her hair as the two alphas take in the moment to savor the moment of new life.
And then there's a soft knock at the door.
Lavender can't help but growl lowly, her alpha instincts taking over in the presence of her two young ones. Vi remembers those days well and gives her a firm rub of the shoulder before she gets up to go to the door. Opening it reveals little two-year old Violet and a heavily pregnant Lilac, followed by Caitlyn and Zoe in the back. Jinx and Ekko are behind them, the pack eager to see the new additions to the family. Vi looks over to her daughter, who softens and nods, allowing them in.
Violet is the first to scamper up to the twins, grey eyes wide with wonder as she looks at them.
"Why are they so round?" Violet asks in a dramatic whisper that's more like a yell. "And why do they look pink?" Zoe is quick to hush her as Lavender grins at her niece. She nods down at the sleeping twins fondly.
"They're you're cousins, Junior. Your little packmates," Lavender says as she holds them out. "Wanna meet them?"
As Violet introduces herself to the sleeping twins, Lilac comes to stand next to her, hand on her swollen belly. "How you hanging in there, Papa?"
"Ha," Vi chuckles tiredly as she holds her daughter close. "You know how I am, kiddo."
"Emotional?"
"Hey now."
"She's not wrong," Caitlyn says as she comes in, followed by Jinx and Ekko. She gives her wife a fond look. "Your Papa wouldn't stop crying for the first few days you were both born."
"Yeah, I can see why," Lavender croaks as tears well in her eyes. "They're just so perfect."
Lilac eventually parts from her father and comes to sit next to her littermate, cooing over the new life. Jinx gives Vi a celebratory punch to the shoulder before moving to the other side of the bed where Andrea is now awake and blearily looking at her mate and her children with awe. The two omegas start chatting in low voices, not wanting to wake the pups as they continue to snooze with their father. Vi is content to stand back and watch with Caitlyn at her side, her mate's arm looped around her waist.
"Remember when she was young and used to lift weights with you?" Caitlyn muses warmly. "I'll never forget those days. It still feels like just yesterday."
"Now she's got two more important things to lift," Vi replies as she watches her pup take the role of father.
Now, her shadow has her own shadows.