Levi's horse stomped its hooves impatiently, probably because she knew they were a short distance from home. They'd traveled through the night to get from Maria to Rose, so that they'd have little chance of encountering Titan's. The sun was rising and the sky was turning from purple to grey. It would be blue but there was cloud overcast. Somehow, he felt he left the sun behind at the colony.

"Damn," Amaura cursed from beside him and shifted in her saddle. "I was hoping to get here before dawn. The Titan's will be waking up, and there's a larger concentration of them here."

"At least we have cloud cover so the stationary guard won't see us." Luke interjected from the other side of Amaura. "Are you sure about this?" He asked and gave her a severe look that bordered on worried and worried Levi in turn.

"Yes," Amaura dismounted and started removing her gear.

"What are you doing?" Eren asked with a tone if incredulity.

"We don't share our technology with indwellers." Levi understood her, even if he didn't like it. The Titan's weren't the colony's only enemies and they'd need to keep their secrets to survival to themselves or risk losing their advantage. It bothered him that she was right. The military could be ordered to invade and conquer the colony in order to steal their secrets to survival and in the end they still wouldn't survive. Because, the colony had advanced to a stronger race of humans that were in less danger of becoming extinct.

She finished disarming and neatly packed her horse with all of her gear, including her harness and swords. He couldn't tell if it was a sign of trust or mistrust. She grabbed a small bag of what were probably clothes, and looked to Mikasa. "Mikasa, I'll be sharing your horse."

Levi brought his horse around to her, "you'll be sharing mine."

"Is that a good idea?" She looked at him defiantly.

"We're escorting a general into our city," he reached down snatched the bag from her and affixed it to his horse. "That general should be protected by the strongest man alive." Truly he hated the title, but in this instance it was semi true and he had ulterior motives. Since their shared night they'd had no time together and shared little more than stolen glances. It had been three days and nights of hard travel and no time for anything else. He wanted to be near her as much as he wanted to protect her. He looked down into her violet eyes and offered his hand.

"Fine," he had the sense that she wanted to smack his hand away. Not because she was mad, but because she wanted to be contrary. But, she didn't, she took it and swung herself up on the horse behind him. He found it strange that even though he knew how dexterous she was, he was always amazed by it. For an instant she squeezed him a little tighter, pressed her breasts into his back, and he felt the touch of her cheek on his shoulder. He almost smiled at the small gesture.

"We need to move before we lose cloud cover," Luke dismounted. Heather and Seth did the same and then slapped their horses away. "We'll follow from above or behind."

"Eren, Mikasa, Armin," Levi ordered sharply. "Keep your noses to my ass."

"Yes sir," a chorus responded and he kicked his horse into a run.

The first part of the run was uneventful and almost nice, especially since Amaura clutched him so tightly. But, little over halfway to their goal two Titans came at them from the left and three from the right. Levi looked up as the others flew past and engaged them, but then two ten meter tall Titan's rose up from the ground right in their path. One was bald and muscular and the other, potbellied and grey haired. The Sentinels were too spread out to help so he had to fight. "Dammit," he cursed not because he couldn't handle it, but because he didn't want to leave Amaura alone without any real way to defend herself should she need too.

"Easy work for man's strongest fighter," she whispered in his ear. She reached beside him and pulled out one of his triggers, "Especially with the modifications Gareth made. Or don't captains inspect their gear?"

He snorted at her and took the trigger. "I'm not an idiot." He had noticed the changes and had planned on thanking her for the enhancements, but just then was not the time to discuss it.

She reached around him and took the rains as he maneuvered so that he crouched on the top of the horse. They got close enough that they were about to run under the Titan he launched himself using the pole vault feature on his pack and armed two blades. It was seamless, his launch, and as he flew through the air he sent an anchor into the bald Titan's chest. He swung around turning himself so that as the Titan reached for Amaura and the others on the ground, he cut through its neck in one clean slice. It fell to the ground as they ran underneath it.

Again he activated the pole vault and launched himself from the falling Titans back and headed for the old looking Titan. Amaura and the others were mere meters from it and it reached down with both hands to grab her. He propelled himself so that he tumbled and twisted through the air and cut through the muscles at the top of its arms. He shot another cable out and it attached to the Titans cheek. He propelled sideways so that he twisted around its head in a circular motion and took two large chunks out of the back of its neck. The Titan though dead, threatened to fall on top of the others so he summersaulted back, used its head as a spring board, and changed the directions of its fall all at once.

For a moment he free fell through the air, before he used his pole vault and propulsion to land on the horse behind Amaura. "Twenty eight seconds," she teased when he wrapped his arms around her and took the reins.

For a split second he appreciated how right she felt, but the gate loomed ahead and he needed to maintain his focus. With a quick glance he confirmed that the others had fallen back and he urged his horse to go faster. They made it to the gate without further incident and when he got there he looked over his shoulder to see Luke sitting on his horse with Amaura's black one next to him. He pointed to his wrist then held up four, then eight fingers before he yanked up the reins and rode away.

He cantered his horse to the outer gate, "Captain Levi Rivaille, Survey Corps," he yelled loudly.

"Open the gate," was echoed by different voices and within a minute he could hear the clink of metal chains as the heavy stone door lifted.

Amaura stiffened and he reached up and tugged her hood down over her face. "Stay hidden," he whispered as the gate opened wide enough for them to walk through. A short tunnel of darkness greeted them and they came through the other side just as the sun's rays broke through the clouds.

Bells chimed around them and onlookers started opening their windows and doors. That was something else he hated about being in the Survey Corps, the bells that were meant to honor the fallen, and the stares of the people who would come to gawk at them.

Amaura hunkered down, ducked her head, and he was very aware of how hard it was for her to return with him. Her body was so tense she was on the verge of shaking. He didn't blame her if she was afraid. But, he had a feeling it was probably that she felt vulnerable, especially with no weapons or real means of escape. "mon Colibri," he whispered in her ear and she leaned back into him slightly. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I feel like, I've been put back in a cage I won't get out of again," she admitted honestly then looked at him, with wide surprised eyes. "I'm sorry." She hunched down closer to the horse.

A crowd had gathered, so he didn't want to talk anymore, but he spread his hand out over her stomach underneath the cloak she wore and hoped she was reassured.

They made it half way to the military offices before they were surrounded by Military Police. "Captain Levi," a nameless Ensign pointed a gun at him. "We have orders to arrest you on sight."

"Be a smart pig and go get Commander Erwin first."

"I don't take orders from you."

Levi was aware that he was about to say something the Survey Corps rarely got to say upon their return. "Tell him my, mission was successful."

Amaura twitched in his arms and pulled away from him. She knew what he knew, she was about to become live bait for the sharks. He hoped by the end of the day, she still had some measure of trust for him.

Amaura rode with Levi surrounded by no less than fifty Military Police. She didn't recognize any of them, but then the ones that had committed the assault on her, could be dead or higher up in the ranks. Since Military Police didn't fight Titans she had to assume they'd achieved some measure of rank.

Worse than her fear of being found out by her assailants, was her doubt in her own decision. She'd come to save Levi from a court martial, and maybe his life, but she hadn't considered that he may choose his duty over her. He'd already said he couldn't choose her over his mission. She understood that. But, if protecting her ceased to fall within those mission parameters, would he abandon her? She'd come into enemy territory unarmed and putting her life in the hands of someone she didn't completely trust.

"We'll take them from here." A commanding voice announced and Amaura looked up to see a blond man. His hair was neatly combed and his chiseled face was set with hard but unreadable features. He was surrounded by ten other Survey Corpsmen and their horses. There was a presence about him that commanded respect and he reminded her of Jasper. She knew him not only by reputations but from distant observation. No one could ever mistake Erwin Smith for anything other than what he was, a Commander.

He was dressed in full gear and had blades loaded in his vents. There were no Titan's inside the walls, so she had to assume he was prepared for a fight. That worried her.

"I have orders to deliver him directly to a tribunal. He's to answer for his desertion and the questions of treason." The Ensign in front of her said, but his voice waivered.

"And, he will," Erwin took a step forward. "As will I, because I ordered him to complete a mission of the utmost importance before he stood trial."

"What mission would that be?" Another voice interjected from a newly arrived group of horses. Amaura recognized it and her instinct to fight made her react and reach for one of the blades in Levi's vents. He caught her hand in his and managed to grab the other before she had a chance to make a second move to the blades.

The horseman trotted forward so that he could look down on the blond man. Amaura knew she'd never ever forget the weak features of that face, not even after twelve years had wrinkled it. She fought against Levi's hold, even dug her nails into his flesh, but his grip was steadfast.

"Captain Johnston," Erwin looked past him and at her. She saw a subtle shift in his eyes as if he recognized some unspoken signal. He walked forward and placed himself between Levi's horse and the others. "I ordered him to bring back proof that humans lived outside the protection of the walls."

Tension filled the air and it was all Levi could do to keep Amaura seated on the horse in front of him. At that moment she truly was shaking, but he knew it wasn't with fear. She wanted to kill a man. She kicked at his shin and tugged at the hands that held hers.

He knew as soon as Leo Johnston spoke she recognized him and why. As much as he wanted to cut the man in half he couldn't, and he couldn't let her. Instead, he let her dig her nails into his hands, even though he could feel blood start to trickle from the cuts. Thankfully Erwin knew how to read his facial expressions, and knew that now was not the time to introduce Amaura to them.

The long silence continued and whispers started around them. "Only Titan's live outside the walls."

"Since this was a mission of the Survey Corps," Erwin spoke up before the whispers got out of control. "It is our duty to find out what manner of human lives outside the confines of the walls."

"The human should be relinquished to us." Leo marched his horse forward. Amaura started pulling harder at the hands that held her wrists.

"mon colibri," he whispered softly in her ear, "means 'my hummingbird." He squeezed her tighter, "as in mine. Those fucking pigs can't have you." He felt her chest heave and heard her breathe in and out several times. She didn't relax, but she quit fighting his hold on her and the nails that dug into his flesh pulled away.

"I've already said this was a Survey Corps mission. If the Military Police want to find proof of human existence outside the walls, then they should go look for it." Erwin's tone was almost mocking but only those that really know him would've heard it.

Leo paced his horse back and forth, and looked hard at Levi and Amaura. Thankfully, her hood was deep and she was hunched down. There was another long silence, "Zackley will hear of this."

"He already has and he's given us jurisdiction over the prisoner." Erwin signaled and the rest of the Survey Corpsman brought their horses to surround them. He thought Amaura would start struggling again when Erwin called her their prisoner, but she didn't. He leveled his gaze on Levi, "we're leaving now."

Amaura shifted and he tightened his arms around her, "trust him, he thinks steps ahead of everyone else," he whispered. She jabbed him hard in the gut with her elbow and then stilled.

"Fine, but we'll be taking Captain Levi with us." Leo nearly smiled thinking he'd won something.

"You can come collect when a warrant has been issued. His trial was delayed, and until he is named a deserter or a traitor, he remains under my command." Erwin took his horse's reins from Hanji, mounted, and clicked through his teeth so that it started walking. The rest of them followed him. "Until then, gentlemen."

They left the Military police behind and turned down the street that led out of town. "We'll take her to headquarters," Erwin informed.

Levi nodded and they both kicked their horses into a run at the same time. They rode for four hours in silence. Not just silence, but with Amaura stiffening away from him. He was worried. She had to know why Erwin labeled her their prisoner, unless her fear overruled her intelligence and good judgment. He considered this must be close to a nightmare for her, coming to the wall and facing one of her attackers immediately. Maybe he'd expected too much from her, maybe he'd pushed her too hard.

They made it to the castle just after the midday sun. Two guards rode escort with them after they walked through the outer gates and when they reached front door, several others including some of their groomsmen, appeared around them. Levi slid off his horse and held his hand out to Amaura. She dismounted on the other side, not even given him a glimpse of her face.

"So," Erwin came up to stand beside him as the horse between them was pulled away. "I'm curious as to what manner of human could nearly incite Captain Levi to attack someone in the Military Police."

"Not that it would be much of a fight with those pigs," Levi interjected.

"Regardless," Erwin stopped. "I'm Commander Erwin Smith." He held out a hand to Amaura and she ignored it.

Instead she removed her hood and looked at him with keen violet eyes. In the midday sun her hair shone, her eyes sparkled and her lips and cheeks were pink from the ride. She was stunning and anyone that looked at her would probably be caught off guard by her beauty. Erwin wasn't an exception. He could be affected by a beautiful woman. If he hadn't earned Levi's complete trust, he'd be kicking him for staring.

"Amaura Hollister, General of Freedom Colony." She leveled her gaze on Erwin and Levi almost groaned. He was so caught up by the sight of her glowing in the sunlight, that he'd missed the scowl that tightened her lips. "Let me be very clear on something. I'm not your prisoner."

"If you're a general then you should understand the politics involved."

"I'm not stupid either. I know exactly why you did it, and what your reasoning was, but now the Military Police thinks there's a 'prisoner', and one worth having. And, if they can find the right political leverage, one that they can take." She looked to Levi, "congratulations Captain Levi, you should be exonerated within the day."

Her expression had gone cold and emotionless. He'd lost a lot of her trust in the last five hours and he wasn't sure he'd be able to gain it back. Forty two hours wasn't a long time or could be an eternity.

"Jean," Erwin broke into his thoughts, "Take General Hollister inside and find her some suitable quarters."

"Near mine," Levi interjected, "she's my responsibility." He locked gazes with her and she didn't flinch or look away. He had the feeling if she could burn him to ashes with her glare, she would. Jean walked past and broke their connection.

"Ma'am," he nodded and motioned a hand toward the door. There was obvious curiosity mixed with agog written in his slight smile and softened eyes. Levi was going to end up kicking the shit out of some of the men if they didn't stop staring. Jean smile broadened, "I'll show you in."

"Fine," Amaura marched forward and inside, not sparing him a backward glance.

"I can see why you were about to wage a war on the Military Police. What a very interesting woman." Erwin looked to Levi, "Her colony must be bigger than I suspected if they have a general."

"She's dangerous."

"Intelligent people usually are." He looked to the door, "I've seen her before."

"Twelve years ago both her and her brother were in the Survey Corps. The pigs we just ran into threw her over the wall as a punishment."

Erwin folded his hands behind his back and considered the door. "How many live in her colony."

"I estimate a thousand."

"And they just handed over their general?"

"No, they gave us forty eight hours."

"Before?"

"They come and take her back."

"And you think they can?"

"I think it took eight days to get here on purpose. Her brother is the head of the colony and he's just as smart. If I were a betting man, I'd say he was already here."

"I think that would be a safe bet." Erwin looked down at him. "Then we need to find out what she really wants." Levi felt like a hammer had just hit him in the head. He knew Amaura had other orders, but he hadn't considered what those would be. "And, we need to know all she's willing to tell us." Erwin added, "but, Levi," he looked back to the door and then at him. "Whatever your feelings are remember the two of you exist in two different worlds."

Amaura pinned her freshly brushed and braided hair to the nape of her neck then turned on the water, dipped her hands into it and splashed it on her face. After the long horse ride, she still felt slightly nauseated. She hadn't expected to actually run into any of her attackers, and not mere minutes after entering the city. He had no idea who she was, but it would be a matter of time before the political machine got moving and then it would be a fight to see who's 'prisoner' she was. She didn't want to end up in the hands of the Military Police.

She fought back the urge to break something. If Leo was there then Kai would probably be too. Those two would never stray very far from one another. It was stupid to hope that either was dead, because they were depraved cowards who preyed on the weak, chained, or infirmed. That alone meant they'd be alive. The Military Police was a perfect fit for them because they didn't really fight. They strutted and pretended to be fighters. She could truly say she hated the lot of them, because Kai and Leo were allowed to exist in their ranks.

She felt so trapped and so far away from home fear creeped in and her stomach knotted. She steadied herself by remembering the plans and contingencies she'd made with Jasper. He had confidence that the two of them were smarter than the Military Police, and she had confidence in him, even if she didn't have confidence in herself at that moment.

Carefully she pulled the pack that she'd stowed at the small of her back, opened it, and stared at the glistening vial of fluid inside. It was a peace offering from Jasper. She would have brought some Ryget with her, but she feared if they did take her as prisoner they'd get their hands on something she didn't want them to have. She picked up the bottle of Liliak and considered smashing it into the sink. But, shame stopped her. Not because she was ashamed at that moment, but because she didn't want to be ashamed later. Her orders were specific and she needed information from the indwellers. If she smashed their peace offering before she made an assessment of whether they could get what they wanted, she'd be ashamed of herself later. She just hoped that she'd made a the correct assessment of Erwin Smith.

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts and she quickly folded up the pack and replaced it. She walked to the door and carefully opened it. Levi stood in front of her with a tray of food. "I'm not hungry." She tried to slam the door on him, but he shoved his way into her room.

"You need to eat," he walked in and set the tray on a small desk that occupied a corner in the room. A bed, a small table, and a square dresser, was the only other furniture in the room. There was also a sink, a mirror and some hooks for clothes. The room wasn't dingy or dirty and the furniture was nice even if it was plain. Somehow, it still felt like a prison.

Levi pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down. "We need to talk."

"You don't have to convince me to talk to your Commander. I came prepared to do just that." She shut the door, walked back to her sink, and looked at his reflection in the glass. She picked up the clean washrag and wet it and started wiping at the dirt on her face. "Within reason."

"That's not what I came to talk about." Levi picked up one of the cups on the tray, filled it with the liquid from a teapot and took a sip.

"I don't want to talk to you." She washed her hands and rinsed her face one last time, trying to quell the sudden nervousness she felt.

She watched him take a long drink from the cup and stare at her over the rim. His gaze was so intense she felt like it burned into her with green flames. He carefully set the cup down. "I want to know who else was there."

And just like that, memories she'd denied and suppressed for years bombarded her. They all rushed in front of her mind's eye with vivid clarity and she thought she'd be sick from it. She shook and wasn't sure if her legs would crumple so she grabbed onto the sink. She was able to get control of herself after a minute, but she was ashamed and couldn't manage to look at Levi, not even in the mirror. "Go away," she turned the water back on, scooped some up into her hand, and tried to rinse out the dryness in her mouth.

"It was Leo Johnston," he said from behind her. "I know a little about him. He usually spends his time with Kai Burg." More images flashed in front of her eyes and she could almost hear their taunting voices. The room swam and she could barely keep her grip on the sink. "Who else?"

The only way to combat the uncontrollable fear that made her knees shake was with anger. "What does it matter?" She breathed in and rounded on him. "You got your dick sucked and you get a free pass on a court martial because someone is here to take your place. At least when they used me, they put chains on me so I had no doubt that I was being used. Be proud of yourself, I never thought I'd be a whore for another man in my lifetime."

All at once, he grabbed the table, stood, and with a loud grunt, smashed it against the wall behind him. The sound reverberated and the window in the room shook. Glass tinkled and wood chips rattled as they scattered across the stone floor. Then the room went silent, except for his hard breathing. He breathed deeply through his nose, his hands clenched at his sides, and his stance was squared as if he was about to fight. He took a step forward, hesitated, looked like he wanted to say something and stopped. Instead, he turned, yanked open the door quietly walked through it, and slammed it behind him.

Amaura opened her eyes to near darkness. It was strange because she didn't remember crawling into the bed, or closing her eyes. Slowly she sat up and looked around the empty room letting her eyes adjust to the dim moonlight that streamed in through the window. The pieces of the shattered table were still scattered across the floor along with the ruined food and dishes.

Almost immediately her mind went on a chaotic rampage with thoughts of Levi. She could justify what she'd done, because she'd rather he never know what happened those hellish eight days. Right now he was just mad and eventually one day he'd get over it. If he had any feelings they were probably nominal and he'd eventually get over her. As much as she hated what she'd done, it was better than him hating her for being worse than a coward. She knew once she got back to the colony she'd cry over it, so it was probably best to end it as she had, before her feelings went any deeper.

She was about to stand up when the door flew open. Light from the hallway was brought into her room and it made her blink. "Get this mess cleaned up," Levi barked and several young Survey Corpsmen came in with brooms, dust pans, and mops. They were efficient and cleaned up quickly. All the while Levi stood next to the doorway with his arms folded over his chest and his back to the wall. He didn't look at her, or at least she thought he didn't, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him to know for sure. Instead she stared at the sink that was on the wall opposite her bed.

She was aware when the room emptied and then someone else came in, there was the sound of furniture scraping followed by the smell of bread and cooked meat. Her stomach gurgled hungrily in protest of the fact that she hadn't eaten in twenty four hours. Then she heard the retreating steps of boots and the soft click of the door closing. She looked up to find a small table with two chairs set with food under the glow of lamplight.

"That's a bullshit move, pissing me off on purpose." Levi said lowly. "You're lucky I didn't wring your stupid neck." She looked down at her hands but didn't say anything. "Keep your mouth shut long enough to eat something. Then you can be as fowl mouthed and throw as many fits as you want, because neither of us are leaving this room until you talk to me."

"I came to talk to Commander Smith."

"Erwin is dealing with the pigs in charge. He'll be back later. Now come eat."

She heard his boots step across the floor and the squeak of the chair as he sat down. "You forget you're not my…"

"I said eat first."

She was about to say she wasn't hungry, but her stomach growled loudly. With a heavy sigh she got up, went to the small table that had been brought in and sat down in the chair opposite Levi. He placed a bowl of stew and a piece of bread in front of her, and then slammed a spoon down next to it. He was still angry. She couldn't blame him and looked up at him only to find him intently staring at his food as he ate. "I…"

"Eat," he barked again without looking up. She watched him calmly eat staring at the strands of dark hair that fell over his forehead. There wasn't anything he didn't do without overwhelming masculinity.

Calmly, but still with a huff, she picked up her spoon and ate. The entire meal was blanketed in quiet that was only interrupted by the occasional sound of clinking dishes. She was hungry, but found she could barely eat and only managed to get down a small portion of the meal. When he finished, he looked at her with a grimace before he snatched up the tray. He walked to the door, opened it, and she heard him whisper and a voice of someone saying 'yes sir.' He came back empty handed and sat back down across from her. "Bath or talk?"

"Home," she answered.

He looked at a small clock that hung on the wall. "In thirty six hours."

She sat uncertain feeling vulnerable. He stood up, picked up the chair he was on, and placed it back down in front of her. "There were three?" She looked up into his intently staring face. He was looking for the tiniest trace of affirmation from her.

"I don't want to do this with you."

"That means yes." She made movements to stand up, but he reached and grabbed both of her hands. "If I had the time, I'd let you tell me when you're ready. But, the dick heads in power are fighting over who gets you."

"I don't belong to any of them."

"I know that and so does Erwin. But, I need to know which ones have the most to lose by your sudden reappearance. And, I don't want any more surprises." She shook her head, feeling the push of memories she'd tried so hard to forget. "No one can help you. I can't even begin to really protect you unless you trust me."

"It's not about trust…"

"Yes, it is." He looked down at her hands and she felt his thumb rub over the back of one. "Either you trust me with the truth or you don't trust me."

"You know what happened, why do the details matter?"

"Because, four hours ago you called me a rapist."

"No I didn't."

"You sure the hell did. I don't expect you to apologize. I do expect an explanation."

Shame and helplessness over took her and she felt her eyes water. "I can't, not to you. Not even to Jasper. Not to anybody. And, especially not to you," she repeated. A tear rolled down her cheek and she felt her hands shaking. "I don't," she didn't want to fall apart in front of him, but she was already breaking under the pressure he was putting on her. "You're a cruel bastard."

"Yeah, I am." He reached up and wiped a tear away. "But, I'm a faithful and trustworthy cruel bastard."

She couldn't take all the pressure from him and the memories that were twisting themselves onto strange screens in her mind. "My squad leader." She confessed hoarsely. He sucked in a hiss of air but didn't say anything. The chair creaked as he scooted it forward and he took both of her hands in his. She stared straight ahead through blurred vision and her voice sounded different, distant and not her own, when it came out next.

"They took me from a night watch, Kai and Leo. I had no idea why they were there. I just thought maybe they were there to investigate something. I didn't know until I was hit and… I woke up later in a cell. With one of them on me." She tried to breathe in so that her body wouldn't shake so badly. "He said, 'I was too pretty not to fuck before a Titan ate me." She closed her eyes against the nausea that suddenly cramped her stomach only that made it worse. For a moment she gulped in air and willed herself not to vomit. "I fought them whenever I could, even when they beat me, even when they burned me. I fought them because I thought it would be more humiliating if I didn't. Even though, they seemed to like it more when I did fight. But, I couldn't stop fighting." She felt a hand on the side of her face and tears were wiped away. "They'd take turns. One would beat me and the other… Then they'd play who could make the shallowest cut, or who could make me scream the loudest." She couldn't stop a sob. "I still don't know how long, because I lost track of time. They just came and went, probably between duties. Near the end I was disgusting and covered in my own filth… and blood…. And them… and still they." She stopped, "I fought them," her voice came out in a quivering whisper.

"I know you did," he whispered and rested his forehead against hers as he cradled her face.

"But, then one day my squad leader came into my cell." She felt his hands stiffen and his muscles tense. "I thought he came to rescue me. I thought it was over and he'd take me to Jasper. I thought I didn't have to fight anymore. I actually laughed I was so happy to see him. But, then he," she stopped. "Please, don't make me tell you this part. You're going to be so disgusted." She gulped in air, "you'll hate me."

"No, I won't," he cut her off. "I can't ever hate you."

She took a deep breath. "I quit fighting." She stopped and even held her breath afraid he'd pull away in disgust. He didn't and she went on. "He was the worst of them all. Anything that the others did was play compared to what he did. And, I just let him do what he wanted. I didn't even scream any more. And, when he ordered Kai and Leo to throw me over the wall," she pulled from Levi and turned away from him. "I thanked them."

The room was quiet except for tiny sobs and she stared at nothing willing herself to melt away. "So your squad leader ordered your torture?" Levi asked and his voice was different. It was almost as distant as hers.

"Yes," she said softly. "He said I needed to be broken before I could be human." She wiped at her eyes and looked back to him. "At least, I know this, Logan Harris besides being a piece of shit, was a liability and a coward. He probably didn't live long after I left."

Levi stiffened then moved closer. He took her hands again and hunched over them. "So you don't know what happened to him?"

"It's easier not too. If I thought he was alive…" she stopped, "I'd be a murderer not a soldier."

He picked up a hand, cradled it in one of his, and massaged his fingers into it. "A rich pig can buy his way into the Military Police after serving under the Survey Corps with enough money and political leverage." He said lowly as if he didn't really want her to hear him. Then she registered what he was saying and betrayal set deep in her and she felt herself snap. There was nothing left of her but pain and anger. She acted on the latter.

She swung out wildly and he grabbed her hand, twisted her around, and wrapped her up. "You knew!" She screamed and kicked back behind her trying to dig her heels into his legs. She was further infuriated at finding nothing but air. "You knew who he was before you came in here. You knew he was still alive!" She shoved her head back trying to hit him in the face, but again missed. Both of her arms were crisscrossed over her body and his hands gripped her wrists. "She lifted up her feet so that he would fall forward only instead she twirled through the air and landed on the bed with him on top of her, still holding on tightly. Only, he had her legs pinned with the weight of him. "You fucking dog!" She screamed again. "I hate you."

"No you don't," he retorted close to her ear and she tried to buck him off. His hold was steadfast, like iron shackles.

"You knew, he's still alive." She tried to yank her hand away but it was useless. It didn't stop her from trying to hurt him. His upper arm was close enough to her mouth that she sunk her teeth into him.

"Dammit," he wrenched his flesh from her teeth and twisted her so that she lay on her side and he lay on top of her. She was so effectively pinned she couldn't even maneuver to try and jerk him off of her.

She screamed again, "You happy now that you've humiliated me? You knew I gave up." She shook her head in denial. "You knew I let them do awful things. I HELPED HIM! I helped him take away all that made me human. I helped him turn me into FILTH." She yanked at her hand and was vaguely aware of the snap in her wrist and the bite of pain.

"Fucking listen to me," he shook her and she screamed her frustration at him and tried to get away again. "You stupid idiot. You're only hurting yourself."

"You can't hold me forever." She screamed.

"When you're like this, oh hell yes I can." He shook her again, "Erwin only gave me the report an hour ago. It was only a guess until you confirmed it."

"None of it has anything to do with you."

"What hurts you has a lot to do with me."

"Why?" Angry tears flowed down her face and soaked into the bed.

His chest heaved against her back. "When it hurts you, it hurts me," his voice cracked when he spoke. "It hurts me," he repeated low in her ear and his words settled deep into her and broke through the anger and pain, because she knew he wasn't lying.

For long moments the only noise was her small sobs. "Levi," she sniffed and her voice filled with her tears. The room seemed to calm along with her raging emotions. "I…"

"Call yourself filth again and I will wring your neck."

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she took a deep breath. The storm of pain and rage had passed and there were nothing left but tears. Slowly his grip on her loosened. He adjusted his position so that he fit to her, wrapped his arms underneath and around her, and rest his cheek against hers. She relaxed into him and her breathing settled despite the continued flow of tears.

The world seemed different to her because she felt she'd come through something dark. And, on the other side of the darkness was Levi. Really, he'd been with her all along. Suddenly, she grasped how deep her feelings for him ran. So deep, it seemed like they'd always been there, as if she'd been born with them. A strange sort of catharsis happened, one that seemed out of place for what had occurred. For a moment, time stopped and she felt her breath catch. And, a different kind of warmth spread through her.

She loved him.

Tears fell anew, happy tears and tears of wonderment. Time stood still and passed to quickly all at once. Then she reached up with her uninjured hand, ran it over his stubbled cheek, and fingered his hair. It silk strands glided through her fingers in a comforting familiar way.

"mon colibri.' He soothed in her ear turned and kissed her palm.

She smiled, surprised that she could so easily, but then she knew she wouldn't have been able to without him. She considered telling him of her new discovery, but somehow was afraid. Confessions of love could be a burden and he had responsibilities, duties, and the honor to fulfill them. She was here now, and that was enough. She pushed aside thoughts of the future and breathed in musk and midnight. "I should quit doing things to you that I have to apologize for."

"You should, but you won't."

"I'm sorry."

He sat up. She felt a hand on her shoulder and he rolled her to face him. "You're going to make it up to me." He settled himself on the edge of the bed and lifted her hand. Pain shot up her arm and she hissed, but it still seemed small because he was next to her. "First, you're going to stop doing stupid shit." He cradled the wrist in his hand, "after that, you're going to let Hanji look at your wrist and then go bathe. By then Erwin will be back and you're going to talk to him." He bent over, put a hand on the opposite side of her head, and leaned over her. "Then, you're going to eat some more." He looked down at her with dark hair falling around his green eyes and a strange smile playing at his lips. He gently let go of her wrist and traced his fingers up her jaw, over her cheek, and around her eye. "And, before you fall asleep next to me, you're going to tell me that you love me."

Okay, so this 7,000 words didn't want to be separated. It told me no and smacked my hand, then forbade me to apologize about it. I honestly hope you like it. And, for those of you that are worried that justice was not served here, don't worry it will be.

So is anyone else out there hoping that Levi has Mustang luck? (If you're an FMA fan you'll know what I mean.)

For those of you that are wondering, I did have some art done for this fanfic, but well it was too X rated to publish. Sorry about that.

I don't own AOT or get any money for my works. I mean really if I could draw even a little yes I'd have a comic, but it would be a girl lead/guy harem one with lots of violence and some squishiness. So, it is probably by divine design that I can't draw.

And, as always the good reviews are so appreciated. Thank you with all of my heart.

Just an FYI, when I wrote this scene, I was listening to 'La Luna,' the version sung by Sarah Brightman.