Full Summary: An unfortunate ambush costs detective Levi his bones and his memory, but that's okay. He is the kind of man that could live through the loss of a tragic recollection or two, but what happens when he confuses his own identity with somebody else's? What happens when he claims his real name is: 'Eren Jaeger'? And what happens when this so-called Eren Jaeger's former girlfriend shows in the picture? Will her arrival unlock the mystery to the crimes that had been taking place since Eren's death? Or will her charming presence loll the broken detective into a new love he so desperately refuses? [Crime AU] featuring multiple ships.

Detective Levi-24/10/13-8:45pm-Downtown Manhattan

"It's currently 8:45pm and Police are still investigating. A 46 year old man imprisons his family along with 8 other hostages and takes over an entire building in Manhattan. Police sources say_"

There was an explosion in the 5 floor of the block opposite them. The whole building lit up like a torch, and he found himself wincing.

That's when the flood of chaos threatened to push him back to the parking lot. His hand felt for his badge and he held it up high, monitoring his way through the crowd and coming to a close before the police van. A couple of agents who were frozen before a complicated set of wires and screens stood in a matching salute. He murmured a muffled greeting while his eyes searched fervently for Chief Smith. The Blonde giant finally emerged from a nearby van, his face grim and suspiciously angry.

"Detective Levi." He acknowledged. Levi complied.

"Erwin, what the fuck is going on?"

"I think you watched the news Levs." Chief gestured to the building before them. It stood 14 stories high and there was a massive crowd of people and policemen alike circling it.

"What's the guy's name?"

"Richard Manford, 46, currently unemployed and nearly 14 people are his hostages."

"Where did he take them?" Levi inquired.

"4th floor, the hostages are his wife, his 4 kids and the neighbors' families." Erwin rubbed his temple tiredly. "One of them made a 911 call, and the residents notified the sound of shot fired."

"One of them is down already." Levi murmured apathetically, one of the many agents had handed him the case's file and he found himself looking down at the faces of the unfortunate people that were currently sitting under the mercy of this Richard. Said person had an awfully long face with a tanned complexion. "Doctor now is he?" he asked upon reading the info tagged to the man's picture. Erwin gave a brief nod and extracted his infamous golden lighter. Levi accepted his invitation and produced his own cigar, lit it then inhaled deeply, trying to forget about everything for a moment.

"Erwin?"

"hm?"

"Tell me everything." Levi discarded his cigar to the bottom of his shoe. He watched Chief Smith as he scratched his head anxiously.

"Agent Gin says, and I agree, that the suspect hauled his closest neighbors, a pair of old people, after having tied his family up. He's used a loaded gun, there's probably a multitude of weapons in his apartment. We also know that 14 consist of his wife, his 4 kids, 4 old people, 4 college students and a chemist. He specifically called 911 to tell them about the whole ordeal."

"He's just doing this for a show, huh? He's probably some crazed maniac. Fuck this." Levi tapped his foot impatiently. "Which one of the hostages' down?"

Erwin shook his head. "We haven't identified that yet."

Levi clicked his tongue, annoyed. "Yeah well, when did the rest of the residents evacuate?"

"Around, 8pm, that's when we came here,"

"What about the explosion in the 6th floor? What the hell's that all about?"

Chief Smith tilted his head up, looking at the obscure said floor. For some reason, the blast had lit up suddenly and disappeared immediately after. "There doesn't seem to be a fire." He said. "It seems as if all the light bulbs in that floor exploded."

Levi nodded, lost in thought. He scanned the crowd for any familiar investigators.

"Who's on the case Smith? Did you find a way to contact the suspect?"

Erwin seemed hesitant. Levi fixed him with a stern look but knew nonetheless that if Erwin didn't want to tell him he wouldn't be able to press the information further. After all, it was Chief Smith that ranked higher than him, and even if it was amiable companionship that linked them together, there was that one line they couldn't cross what with them being professionals in this line of work, thus it was nearly impossible to intimidate Erwin into telling him what was really going on.

So Levi looked at the crowd. Fuck the media; he cursed facing the blinding light of cameras around them. There was a particular kind of honey colored gleaming hair that caught his eye, one that fluttered over vest clothed shoulders, one that fell over a pale face, one that he recognized right away.

"Erwin?"

"Yeah?"

"What's Petra doing here?"

The young woman was heading their direction. She gave both men her greetings and stood close to Chief Smith. Her shoulder had slightly brushed Levi's once and Petra immediately scowled. She had been careful not to meet his gaze, and he had done exactly the same, though he couldn't help but think that it has been a long while since he'd seen her last. Of course his last recollection of her consisted of her tear streaked face, flushed with anger, demanding him with an awfully hoarse voice to leave and never to get back. Indeed, seeing her here seemed like pouring gasoline over a fresh wound. He shifted all the hostility he could muster towards Erwin.

"Levi, I've been meaning to tell you," Erwin said while handing Interrogator Ral the case's file "we did contact the suspect and he asked for one person solely."

"He asked for Petra?" Levi asked incredulously "I mean no offence to her and all since she's a brilliant interrogator.." he added facing the bone chilling glare the woman sent in his direction. He kept his look apathetically fixed on her form, watching her as she inspected the list containing the names of the hostages.

There were times in Levi's life; times when he wished time could go faster, so his boredom could dissipate. That trait in him had been increasingly growing from his time as a kid, to his life with Petra. She was beauteous, she was smart, and she was everything anyone could wish for. But she was boring, oh so boring.

If time was a factor in his life, if he had the ability to rip time anew, if only it didn't slip from between his fingers whenever he grabbed at it, he probably could have lived with her. He always found himself rooting for seconds to speed their rhythmic cycle, now however; he would trade his own soul to make time go slower.

Because he hadn't seen her, not when she dropped the file and sprinted towards the building's entrance, not when Chief Smith began shouting for agents to stop her, and not when she disappeared behind that door.

That fucking door.

His sprint was equally swift. He literally flew towards the building.

Inside was a dim reception. He monitored his way towards the stairs, Petra's high heels' clicking guiding him through the darkness. He felt for his gun and armed it. Midway through climbing the 2nd floor's set of stairs, Petra's noise subsided. Fuck. He cursed inwardly, what if something terrible happened to her? Why the fuck did she run in anyway? He racked his memory for anything unusual in her demeanor, in the hostages' list. Remember, he willed his brain, just as his speed intensified. At one point he observed that Petra had discarded her shoes, much to his own chagrin. Before the 4th floor's entrance, he paused, extracted his gun, loaded it and aimed it forward. He took gradual steps in the corridor, cautiously inspecting his surroundings.

Four doors leading to four respective apartments were wide open, a couple were firmly shut. Glass covered the floor and he made as to avoid crushing it. Is she here? His eyes searched fervently for any sign of life. The suspect is certainly here, he heard so from Erwin. But if Petra's here, how did she know about the suspect's location? She had been with us for a couple of minutes sharp and hadn't even had any time to enquire about anything and_

No.

His inched closer to a particular flat, one that was vaguely recognizable from Petra's phone gallery, where she'd taken numerous pictures of herself and her half-brother. Auruo Bossard. He lived here, he was one of Manford's neighbors, and he is one of the hostages. Actually he wasn't any hostage, he was the one person who first called 911 at around 7:37 pm, Levi deducted as he caught the gruesome sight of Auruo Bossard's dead body, the trail of his blood reaching halfway to where he stood. He should've remembered, he should've recalled Auruo's dumb face beforehand. Why, didn't he?

He came a tad too late. Levi quickly ducked when a bulled sizzled past his ear, lightly scratching it. He lifted his gun up, pointing it towards the stairs. A head had just disappeared within and he was very tempted to follow it. Hostages first, he reminded himself. Heading towards one of the closed doors and shooting the lock open. Empty, he observed and moved to the next one, there he saw a total of 7 people gagged and blind folded and he knew he should probably set them free, but there was a really bad feeling in his gut that was telling him to move the fuck away or else.

He later understood why he felt that way, because upon further inspection, he saw that none of them was moving, not even a tiny flutter. They could be drugged, he thought, the suspect used to be a doctor after all, and it was easier to arrest him for good and find Petra rather than hauling a bunch on unconscious people down the steep stairs. He wasn't going to play hero, not now. He headed towards the next floor, and somehow found his voice.

"Petra!" He called for his blond ex-wife. His answer came in a series of muffled whimpers from above. He sped his pace towards the 6th floor, when he suddenly froze.

How could one person drag 5 drugged people up and down these steps?

And even if they weren't drugged, couldn't any of them snatch the gun from his hand?

There was 14 of them, well 13 if you discount Auruo Bossard, but certainly 13 people against one person, even if he were armed_

There… Richar Manford's dead body greeted him at the 6th floor's entrance, confirming his glanced up briefly, enough to sight 3 dark clothed people clad in matching masks standing near the lobby's window, enough to see the Helicopter's bright light aimed towards them through the glass panes, but obviously not enough to catch the upcoming assault. He heard gun fire, and he was brutally knocked off balance when the bullet dug its way into his leg. The searing pain started enveloping him but his fingers instinctively pulled the trigger. As he fell, he heard a cry of pain, his entire body shook violently as he rolled down the steps, his vision subsided and his head cracked. He lay down before the 5th floor's lobby, his limbs screaming achingly. He was disoriented; wishing blackness could wash over him and rid him of the pain, but then he heard it, howls of grief coming from above him.

"YOU BASTARD, YOU FUCKING BASTARD, YOU KILLED HER."

He shakily stood up, leaning on the wall for balance. His leg crumbled beneath him but save that, he didn't seem to have broken anything. He raised his hand, still gripping the gun and fired blindly. The person who was yelling at him was coming down the stairs and he fired again and again at its shadow. It shattered and spilled to the ground, rolling a few steps and landing beside his trembling form.

For the first time of his life, Levi felt scared, utterly, genuinely scared. When the person above the stairs shot him in the leg, he didn't hesitate a moment before firing back. Its cry was incredibly feminine and he caught sight of her looks. Blond hair, Flailing form, blood spilling from her mouth where he'd shot her in the heart. He vaguely recalled seeing her pictures in the hostages' file and he observed grimly that he may have killed a hostage.

Now the person who was currently lying by his feet, limp and unmoving, had a tanned complexion, dotted with freckles. Hers was the face he remembered seeing beside the blond chick in his file. There.. Levi observed, he came in trying to save Petra and ended up killing two hostages.

Petra… He didn't know where she was, and he hated having to give up but he needed to hide. He shot down the stairs, tripping over his injury and rolling down 'till he reached the 4th floor. It was harder to stand this time but he tried with all his might and limped towards Auruo Bossard's flat. He quickly ducked underneath the dining table, only to meet a pair of gleaming hazel eyes.

Petra!

She was alive. She was well. And she was crying. Her crouch was low, too close to the ground, and her hunched back seemed to have adapted to that terrible position. He grabbed her shoulder and shook her, hissing in her ear.

"What the fuck were you thinking about? Running in the danger zone like that?"

"I had to get him." She sobbed violently. "He's the only family I had, and now… now…" between hiccups Petra screamed. "NOW HE'S DEAD."

"Shhh, Petra, shh." He hushed, folding her into his chest, his eyes frantically checking the lobby through the gap in the door. She continued her miserable crying, not caring that she might blow their cover. "Hey," he tried reasoning "if I don't get you out of here in time, we're gonna get killed so stop crying okay? Fuck it Petra, stop fucking crying."

His tone rose, just slightly, but she seemed frozen by his sudden hostility. She raised her bloodshot eyes and her gaze clashed with his. He remembered yelling at her numerous times during their marriage, Time after all was a heavy factor in his life and he craved yelling at her because… he somehow liked it. It was his way to go through his marital situation. It made him look despicable, even to himself. He knew he was a terrible man, one who enjoyed scolding his wife to pass time, and he knew he had no right to yell at her now.

He immediately regretted it.

"Sorry." He mumbled, letting go of her. Petra studied him curiously before looking down, she gave a sharp gasp and his lolled vision snapped back.

"Detective." She panted "You're shot."

"I know. Now I need you to listen carefully. This whole thing started with Richard imprisoning his family and a couple of neighbors in his apartment right? He made a 911 call at around 7:31 to brag about it. Now the suspicious thing is, that, of the 8 other people that later became his hostages couldn't they have had weapons of their own?"

"Weapons?" Petra questioned, dazed.

"Yes, weapons. Your brother had a gun in the top drawer of his bedroom right? I remember you telling me about that once." She nodded. "The thing is, an old man taking his family and a couple of old people as his hostages using some gun sounds logical, but taking down a bunch of teenagers? Meh."

She stared, her eyes wide. He went on, his tone barely above a whisper. "There was another 911 call at 7:37 which was simultaneously held with the first one. That's when Auruo was shot. When I got up to the 6th floor, I saw a bunch of masked guys. Now here's a theory, these guys came in to steal some shit and probably killed your brother in the act, the 911 dialer heard the shot, tracked the location, notified the cops, the residents threw a shitstorm, started evacuating. The gang probably took your brother's roommates as hostages and 4 other people for insurance. They didn't know about Richard and he didn't know about them. That way, one was taking over the 4th floor and the others took the 6th, and both got thought the investigators were after them."

"But Chief Smith and the others said they only established an interaction with Richard Manford, they didn't get any complaints about the 6th floor_"

"Save for the blast."

She shook her head in confusion, and he felt the remnant of his strength slipping away. Blood loss was taking its toll on him but he spoke up nonetheless. "The blast at around 8:45 when I first arrived. The gang was probably messing with electricity and they ended up blasting all the light bulbs in that floor. Richard drugged his hostages, climbed up to investigate then he got killed instantly. The real puzzle here is how to get the fuck out."

Silence befell them for a few moments. It shattered at the sound of a phone ringing in the nearby apartment. Levi attempted to stand but the dead weight of his leg was pulling him down. He felt for his gun and aimed it forward. Moments later they heard steps coming from the stairway. Four black masked people emerged and swarmed the entrance to Richard's flat, one of them turned his head slightly…

…And saw them. Levi scrambled to his feet, pulling Petra up with him. The man fired, and Levi found himself limping towards the window.

His ears buzzed and his vision started to darken at the edges. More shots were heard, but he registered no pain whatsoever, either he was under an excessive doze of adrenaline or he was dying already. His fingers struggled with the handle, thrashed the window open brutally and rushed Petra out…

…or he was going to, if she hadn't pushed him out beforehand.

He was falling, and he saw Petra's face as she crumbled to the ground. There was a certain oddity to the pain he's felt as he registered the red smearing her entire torso. He had been the one who promised never to hurt her, but he kept hurting her all through their marriage nonetheless. And he was probably the one person she hated most in this world and also the one she loved most, and sometimes in his most drunken moments he had wished her death so he could rid himself of a constant nagging reminder of how much of a terrible person he was.

But not like this. Never like this.

The ground was approaching dangerously fast. Wind ripped at his clothes and his hair.

For the last moments of his life he heard nothing but his heartbeats.

For the last moments of his life he saw nothing but the blinding lights of cameras within the crowd.

And even though the light was blinding, the world was very very dark.

Preview: "Who the fuck is Eren Jaeger?" Hange questioned, her eyes dark.

"I don't know," Smith leaned back in his chair, pondering "but his name sounds vaguely familiar."