Hey guys! Here's the latest chapter and once again, it took me less than a month to update! I'm recovering! Anyways, I made it extra long for you this time and put a little sweetness in it! Hihi!

Enjoy!

External POV

"I KNEW IT! I FUCKING KNEW IT, YOU BASTARD! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Shouted the tall girl with freckles, before throwing herself on the angel captain, her knife in her hand. Levi moved out of the way, grabbed her wrist and her arm with an iron grip and threw the ex-junkie over his shoulder. Ymir landed heavily on her back, crashing on the stone ground. Her breath got cut off and she let out chocked breaths to catch it. The angel twisted her wrist do she would drop the knife, which she did. He kept her arm twisted like that for a while.

"Calm the fuck down, freckles. I don't have time to deal with your short fuse and teenage bullshit." He said with a low yet clearly pissed off voice. "In case you didn't notice, killing me isn't going to bring back her family. So if you don't have anything productive to say, I suggest, you shut your mouth and do what your told. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to find a way to make you, got it?" He insisted on the last two words by twisting her arm a little more.

Ymir clenched her teeth. "You asshole..." Grunted the girl, but he could see tears of pain in the corners of her eyes.

Believing his point was made, the Captain let her go and turned to his first and second Lieutenants. "All right we've wasted enough time. Eld, Gunther who do you have available?"

"I've got Thomas, Connie, Armin and Sasha in one piece." Responded the blond man.

"And I have Mikasa, Samuel and Rico." Stated Gunther. "But Sir, I think it's better if they get a dose before we go. Just in case."

"It's wiser, especially if you come across those monsters again." Said Hanji. "But we gave everything we had in reserve here to the wounded. And who knows what they did with the ones up there."

"Then you've got us." Said Krista. "Well, I can only speak for myself but if you need blood, I'll give it to you."

"Count me in too." Said Marco.

"Me too." Said Jean. "What about you, Ymir?"

Ymir let out an annoyed sound before saying. "Fine."

"And with me, that makes five." Added Erwin. "We should be able to give everyone a small portion. It should strengthen your senses and your body for a while."

"Six. Count me in too."

All eyes turned to the entrance. Petra walked in, all dressed in her uniform, the holster and gun on her leg. And her expression was... unreadable. There was visible uncertainty and frustration, some of them were sure that she was still shaking and her face was still pale. But at the same time, there was an undeniable determination in her eyes.

"Petra!" Said Krista. "You shouldn't be walking around."

"I told you to stay in bed, kid."

"And I'm telling you, no." She replied immediately, frowning at the angel. "I'm coming with you. You need me for the computer anyways, Hanji told me."

"We'll manage. You stay in the infirmary and don't move from there until I tell you to."

Petra's fist clenched and she walked quickly towards the Scout's captain. She grabbed him roughly by the shirt and made him back up a step, hitting the reunion desk in the process.

"You can't order me to stay! I'm coming wether you like it or not!"

"You don't have a say in this." Growled the Captain, unaffected by his position.

"You're the one who dragged me into this in the first place! And we made a deal! I work for you, keep your secret and you let me live! Not I sit on the sidelines and look pretty until everything is over! This is my family they took! That's why I have a say in this! THIS IS PERSONAL!"

"Exactly." Snapped Levi, pushing her hands away. "Too personal for you to use your mind properly."

"It's been personal from the beginning, Captain!" She shouted. "If there is a single person here that's not motivated because of personal matters, then tell me who it is! I've risked too much, and I gave too much to go back on anything now! I'll do anything you tell me to do, I'll even put a bullet through my head when all of this is over if that's what you want! But don't leave me out anymore. I may not be an angel, but I'm just as involved as you, even if it isn't for the same reasons!" She grabbed his jacket and pulled him towards her. "So I'm begging you Captain! Don't leave me behind! Please!"

A sense of loss about everything. A single goal to attain. A single hope to keep you going. That's what those eyes were screaming. Give me a chance to take back my life. Levi knew all too well this feeling. Every single one of the brats here and himself had the same eyes when they asked help from the government and were waiting for an answer. His eyes traveled down to her leg. She had picked up the weapon and strapped it on herself. And considering the shock she was in not twenty four hours ago and her panic attack, that was some resolution the kid was showing. Kid. The nickname didn't suit her if she was wearing that face. And that plea sounded more like an order than anything else. In normal circumstances, he probably would have beaten the hell out of her. He didn't want her to go. He didn't believe she was completely recovered. It was impossible. But they needed her. They must have been staring for too long, because Erwin spoke to bring them back to their initial problem.

"She's right Levi. All of us are a bit crippled but we don't have time to waste. Take her with you."

"Tch." He turned back to her. "If you so much as blink without my permission, you'll spend the rest of the week under sedatives. You got me."

She sighed and looked relieved. Levi frowned and turned to the Lieutenants. "Gather those who are coming here. We eat here and then we leave immediately."

"Sir!" Both responded in unison.

"I'll go get a needle for Connie." Said Hanji.

"Why?" Asked Marco.

"He's a Positive. He can't bite you directly, unless you don't mind getting infected."

'So that's why Levi gave me a shot when he bit me.' Thought the ginger.

"Wait, so they're gonna drink directly from us?" Asked Ymir.

"It's faster that way." Explained Hanji, only to get Ymir rolling her eyes at her and making a face.

The four normals and the Commander started removing their jackets, so that they would only be left in tank tops. Petra looked away when the jacket fell off the Commander's armless shoulder. It wasn't the time to think about guilt. Jean growled.

"Am I the only one that suddenly feels like livestock?" He said.

"You volunteered, remember?" Said Krista.

"If you're too chicken to do it, no ones forcing you, Horse-face." Said Levi.

"Who said I'm scared?!" Jean snapped back. "And quit calling me that!"

Petra was about to do the same but a strong grip closed in on her wrist and pulled it away from her jacket. "Not you." Said Levi with a menacing voice.

"But why?"

"Did you forget that you got bitten a few hours ago, you airhead?"

"He didn't take that much, I'm sure I can take..."

"Are you already breaking the rules of our agreement? This is an order."

Having nothing to say back and knowing that negotiating was useless, Petra closed her jacket. A few minutes later, Eld and Gunther were back with Connie, Sasha, Samuel, Thomas, Mikasa and Rico came in, soon followed by Hanji. Erwin told her to take his blood for Connie while the others paired up. The young angels were obviously uneasy at the idea of biting their comrades, especially Sasha but they didn't have a choice. Mikasa and Samuel paired up with Jean, Gunther and Sasha with Marco, Thomas with Ymir, Eld with Krista and Rico and Connie, with the Commander. Jean looked really tensed in his chair when Mikasa approached.

"Are you sure you're alright with this?" She asked as expressionless as ever.

"Y-yeah! No sweat." Stuttered the tough guy. "You need it right? For the good of the mission."

"I'm sorry about that." Said the young asian girl. "I'll be quick, I promise. Tell me if it hurts too much."

He gulped and attempted to brush it off as nothing once more. Mikasa knelt down beside the chair and took his forearm delicately in her hand. Petra could see Jean holding his breath and looking away. A sweat drop slid from his forehead to his cheek. Mikasa opened her mouth as she got closer to his wrist. It felt like her fangs were stretching out. Then, with a quick move, she pierced his skin with her fangs. Jean held back a scream but still grunted and clenched his teeth. 'Damn, hurts like a bitch!' Thought the dog trainer. When Eska and Orion started growling, he turned his head to look at them and ordered the canines to sit. They immediately relaxed and obeyed. Samuel got closer to him as well.

"Sorry about this, man."

"Just do it." Replied the normal, doing his best to stay still.

Samuel lowered his upper body to close pierce the flesh on Jean's shoulder. The teenager once more grunted in pain, but managed to stay still. Soon, Sasha was biting Marco's shoulder, while Gunther was sinking his fangs into his upper-arm. The detective boy's face was twisted in pain, but just like his best friend, he was fighting it. Thomas approached Ymir and once more apologized.

"I'll be as gentle as I can." Reassured the blond angel with a smile.

Ymir gave him a face. "Are you an idiot?" She said looking away. "It'll hurt worse if you do that. Just do it quickly. I'm used to that kind of thing anyways. I've been stabbed more times than you can count..." She mumbled. Petra could have sworn that she caught a hint of red on the cheeks of her dark skinned friend. Ymir wasn't used to be talked to like that. Thomas was doing an excellent job at making her uneasy, even though he probably didn't notice. He smiled sadly at her. "Sorry." He said one last time before taking her and roughly piercing the flesh of her palm. She gripped her chair like crazy to avoid punching him as a reflex. Ymir was used to fighting pain. Enduring it was another story. Krista sat on the desk because she was so short next to Eld. She tied her hair with an elastic. She still had that angelic smile of hers, but she was visibly shaking.

"Go ahead, Lieutenant." She said.

Eld cursed inside. He got the worst choice out of all of them. Who would want to hurt someone like Krista, so tiny, so kind? The first Lieutenant apologized to her like all the angels had done before approaching her. Not wanting to see her face, he chose to bite her at the corner of the neck and shoulder. When his fangs sank in her skin, Krista let out a small, painful sound before biting her lips together. Meanwhile, Connie was drinking from a pouch and Rico was feeding on her Commander's wrist.

Petra's POV

The sound of their fangs entering my friends' flesh. The one of their struggle with the pain. Every time I heard them, I could feel shivers traveling down my spine and something turn in my stomach and I had to fight the urge to get the angels off of them. I was griping my own shoulder, over the place where Lucifer had bitten me. I could have sworn it was itchy again. I looked away to avoid, watching my friends suffer and try to reason myself. The Scouts weren't enjoying this either. All of them were frowning and sucking as fast as they could, to get this over with. And that made themlook like greedy beats draining their prey. But they weren't monsters. They were people who had their life stolen from them. Feeding on your comrades vital red cells probably didn't feel great to them either. As expected they pulled away after a few minutes. But it sure had felt like an hour to me and probably an eternity to the guys. Hanji disinfected and placed bandages on the bite marks of the 'livestock'. All angels were visibly distraught. This was probably a burden, a reminder of what they were and what it implied. This thought brought me to think about Dok and Woerman again. What the hell could these guys want to accomplish by turning kids into monsters? And why clone Levi? All these questions must have been torturing them for the past three years. Yeah. Really personal business.

An hour later, our small squad composed of the Captain, Eld, Gunther, Connie, Sasha, Samuel, Rico and Mikasa, was going back up in the narrow and dark passages of the undergrounds. Levi had broken us up in pairs of two and everyone walked two minutes behind every pair. Just in case of danger. And of course, guess who got to be the lucky one to go with the Captain? We were the first because Levi knew the passages best. Aside from the sound of our feet walking, none of us said a word. I wasn't comfortable being this close to him. It was awkward because I didn't know if I could trust him or not. I'd seen light through his darkness, I was certain of that. I was also sure that it was still there. This guy was not a monster. He was a soldier. A soldier that did his duty. Which is why, no matter how different Lucifer and him were, I couldn't bring myself to dismiss the clone's words.

"Your father is probably already on your dear Levi's hit-list."

The angel Captain was trying to protect the secret of the Angel Project at all costs. If we succeeded in saving Tim and getting rid of Dok and Woerman, would Levi really take it upon himself to kill my father? What about Amanda? And Alec and Myra? A part of me was rejecting the idea, while another was desperately trying to make me listen to reason. However, there were two things I understood very well. First, Levi was an incredibly kind person. He could have just left after being freed from the lab, but he choose to stand with those helpless kids and find them a goal. And second, he also needed saving. That darkness, that torture... I couldn't take it. He had resolved to free everyone else of their burdens and be the only one to take responsibility for all of the Scouts, even for Erwin. And I had an idea. A very bad one that could turn on me anytime if he caught on to it. Which is why, I'd have to be extra careful.

"You're quiet." He suddenly said. "What are you thinking about?"

I swore that this guy had an alarming-thoughts radar somewhere in that head. "I, hum... I was just thinking that you should have taken blood yourself."

"I don't need it."

"After forcing everyone to take some? Yeah right." I muttered. "Seriously, I'd feel better if you did. You haven't slept since the attack on HQ. The least you could do for yourself is get some energy."

He suddenly stopped and turned off the flashlight. Then I felt myself being pushed against the uneven surface of the cavern's wall and two arms gripped my shoulders. But all I could see were those eyes glowing in the dark. I gulped when I realized how close they were and felt his breath on my neck.

"Are you offering?"

Oh no. No way. Enough of this scare-the-normal-to-keep-her-in-check game. I was not playing that anymore. "I think it's a good idea." I reply honestly. "I've already been bitten anyways. Besides..."

"Besides, what?"

"I'd rather feel your bite than his."

I felt the breath get stronger on my skin and I could have sworn something cold touched it. I shut my eyes, even though it was so dark and prepared myself to feel the pain of being bitten again. But then, I felt something go from my neck, traveling up my face until it reached my forehead... and then received a flick in the middle of it.

"Ow!" I shouted, bringing my hands up to my forehead. "What was that for?"

He turned the flashlight back on. "Think before you talk, stupid. We're close to the HQ. If one of these monsters is still there, they'll smell your damn blood from a mile away. Even horse-face would have been able to tell." He said before resuming the walk. "And don't offer your blood so easily, Petra."

I was surprised that he used my name instead of calling me kid. I followed him until we finally reached the HQ. We waited for everyone to regroup before opening the hidden door that led inside the gym.

"Alright listen up. Eld, you guys take care of the weapons. Gunther, you see if you can retrieve anything from the rooms upstairs. Petra, Rico, Sasha, you're with me. I know it's hard, but this is not the time or place to think about the dead. We'll find a proper time to mourn them. For now, stay focused. Are we clear?"

"Sir!"

Levi ordered everyone to have their weapons ready. I took a knife instead the gun. I still didn't feel comfortable enough holding this thing. Levi opened the door... and the sent of death filled our nostrils. It was especially hard for them, with their excellent sense of smell. But we all took deep breaths before walking in. The bodies had indeed started rotting. I looked away, unable to look at them. I followed Levi in the hallways, looking at his back to avoid accidentally looking at the corpses of the angels among those of the titans. We soon arrived in front of the reinforced-iron door. Levi took off his glove and grabbed the handle. A weird beep sound was heard followed by a series of mechanical noises for a good thirty seconds until it stopped. 'A door handle finger print scanner? Clever.' I thought. The door then slightly opened and we all stepped in. I directly went to Hanji's giant computer while Rico went to the drawers to fetch the Science branch's head's important stuff.

"Sasha, you stand guard for those two. I have to go check out Erwin's office. Wait until I get back."

"Yes sir." Said the angel.

Before leaving, Levi tossed me his flashlight. I entered Hanji's password and plugged in the hard drive she'd given me. I quickly entered a few codes to download the entire data. There was so much I wasn't convinced everything would fit in one hard drive, but when she gave it to me, Hanji sounded confident. The entire download time was nine minutes though. I looked at Rico. She was carefully inspecting the stuff before putting it in her bag. Sasha was chewing on what looked like a cereal bar, but had her eyes fixed on the outside and her gun ready in one hand, ready to move at any sign of suspicious movement.

"Can't you smell them coming?" I asked her.

She shook her head without taking her eyes away from the entrance. "The stench is too strong."

I didn't ask more, knowing she was referring to the rotting corpses. That's when I remembered about the core. I was too shocked last time when I saw the room smashed up and blood everywhere and I was less than excited to go back there. But there might be other unbroken computers. Maybe I could get some of there data back as well. I started heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Said Sasha, stopping me.

"I'm just gonna check if there are any intact computers in the core."

"The Captain said to wait."

"It's just down the hall, I promise it's just a peek. Besides, I'm pretty sure all of them are unusable now."

"I have this." I said tapping my gun.

"No." Insisted the brunette. "You told the Captain you'd follow orders. So wait."

I sighed. I didn't like wasting time and I liked even less staying longer than we had to in this graveyard of a base. Hanji's computer beeped, indicating the end and success of the download. I recovered the drive and put in my jacket. Rico soon got up as well, her bag full.

"Well, I've got everything. Petra's right though, we should check it out. Right after I'm done placing those."

At my big surprise, out of her second bag she started taking bomb boxes and placing them all around the room and activating them. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Captain's order." She replied without interrupting her work. "Once were done here, we'll be destroying the evidence. Letting them have easy picks on it isn't necessary. Especially on the lab and the weapons."

"Radical solution much?" I commented.

When she was done, the three of us went to the core. The lights were dead so even though it wasn't a problem for Rico and Sasha, I had to turn on my flashlight. The sight was the same as before. Blood on the walls, the room completely smashed up. It was hard to navigate around the corpses without looking at them. The angels looked very uncomfortable as well. And of course, not a single computer was even close to usable. As I was still searching for one, Rico started placing bombs around the room. Sasha knelt down next to one of the bodies. From the uniform, I could tell it was an angel. The brunette slowly moved the hair out of the way to uncover the face. She slowly gasped and her face twisted, indicating she was about to cry. Two tears escaped the corners of her eyes.

"Lilly..." She said with a strangled voice.

I gripped my torchlight and clenched my teeth, as my guilt quickly caught up to me. "Sasha, I'm so …."

A hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder. I jumped and let out a scream of surprise. I reflexively threw my elbow in the air, but another hand blocked me. All I could see were two eyes glowing in the dark. "What did I tell you three about waiting for me?" Said the voice of our Captain.

Rico who was finished with the bomb set up approached. "It's my fault sir, I gave the go. I thought it was best if we didn't waste any time."

"Don't do it again. I give the orders here, Rico."

"Yes sir. My apologies." Said the short woman with a determined look.

The angel Captain turned to Sasha. She looked up at him her eyes full of tears. He knelt down beside her and placed a firm hand on her nape. "Tears are for later, kiddo. Hold it in just a bit more."

She sniffled and nodded. She quickly wiped her tears and stood up again. "There's nothing to work on here. Rico, give me the detonators."

"Here you go sir. Where are the others?"

"Already heading back. We still need to rig the armory. Let's go."

We followed the Captain throughout the hallways again. I saw him throw a last sad glare at the fallen angel's body. He was not impervious to emotions but he was damn good at keeping them inside. I stopped when a certain door caught my attention. It was Levi's office. Had he been in there? I looked inside and tried to find the light button only to see that the lights were out in there as well. I turned on my flashlight and looked around. The room was just like we found it last time. Upside down and bloody. I directed my light to the papers on the ground and knelt down to get a closer look. That is until my light went out and only the light of the hallway was lighting the room faintly. I cursed and then froze when I heard a low growling sound. My heart froze inside my chest and I stopped breathing. I very slowly turned my head to the dark side of the room. A pair of golden eyes were staring at me, glowing with hunger. I panicked and reached for the gun, but before I could even touch it, a pair of strong hand grabbed my shoulders and I felt claws dig in my flesh and I was violently pushed down. I screamed in pain before opening my eyes again. The light of the hallway, I discerned a face. A familiar face. He was breathing heavily and looked like air had trouble getting in.

"E-eren?"

"Blood! Give me blood!" He ordered with a desperate voice, before opening his mouth and sinking his fangs in my throat. I felt like I was being torn apart and screamed again.

"L-Levi!" I called out as loud as I could given the circumstances.

I heard running footsteps and the next thing I knew, the titan boy was kicked in the face and thrown back. While I was busy catching my breath and getting over the shock, Eren stood back up and growled at Levi who didn't wait for him to be completely recovered and threw himself on the boy again. The angel captain dodged a slash from the titan's claws, and sent his knee to collide with his stomach as hard as he could. The boy's breath got completely cut off and he fell on all four. Again, Levi didn't wait. He got behind him and circled his neck with his arm, forcing him up to his feet and strangling him in the process.

"Don't kill him!" I shouted.

Thank heaven, he seemed to hear me. He then passed his arms around his and joined his hands behind his neck, making it impossible for Eren to move properly. But he was still struggling like hell. Rico and Sasha helped me up. The short woman pressed a cloth against my bleeding neck.

"Petra!" Called out Levi, obviously having trouble maintaining the 'beast' in place. "Mind giving me a reason as to let him live?"

"This is Eren! The one you shot when you saved me." I explained.

"Rico!"

The short woman let Petra tend to me and ran towards the two male. She took a syringe out of her bag and stabbed Eren in the neck with it. The boy froze and blinked a couple times. His body relaxed and his eyes turned turquoise-blue again... then he closed them and lost consciousness. Levi dropped him and rubbed his upper arms.

"Damn it, he's strong." Cursed the Captain.

"He wasn't himself. Just like last time." I said. "We have to take him with us. I'm sure that if we give him blood, he'll get back to normal and tell us things."

Levi made a face while throwing a disgusted look at the passed out teenager. "Rico, Sasha. Carry him back to base. Tell Hanji what happened." He then looked at me. "You're staying with me."

The girls nodded and picked him up before heading back towards the passage. Levi made a final check on the bombs. I followed him until both of us were back in the passages and closed the hidden door. We went in a little deeper before Levi pressed the detonators. The explosion of the Scout's HQ made the walls of the cavern tremble, thus also creating the grave of all the fallen Scouts. A tear still escaped my eyes in the dark. Both of us waited for the sound to die out before speaking. I had no flashlight anymore, so it was pitch black for me. I felt Levi grabbed my arm roughly.

"Ow!" I complained.

"What were you doing in there by yourself?" He said, and all I could see were his angry eyes. It was creepy.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"That's the problem with you kid, you never think." He scolded. "You're already making me regret to have let you tag along."

"I'm sorry..." I repeated not knowing what else to say. "But if I hadn't, we wouldn't have found Eren."

"Lucky we weren't top far when he decided to have you for dinner."

"I told you, he's not himself. Helped me escape their base the first time."

"And that makes him a good guy?"

"Yes!"

I felt him grab my other upper arm and suddenly felt something warm and wet on my throat. I jumped, surprised and backed up into the wall of the cavern. Again. He was licking the blood that had dripped down my neck and the bite mark at the same time. But even when I was sure the bleeding had stopped, he kept working on that wound. His breathing was loud and I could have sworn I heard faint growling as well. I suddenly started shaking. I forced the words out of my mouth.

"Honestly, Levi. Do it now. You're gonna have to at some point. You might as well get it over with."

"Shut up." Replied the angel letting go off me.

He still grabbed my hand to guide me in the darkness. But I ended up tripping and hitting my head on low ceilings more time than I could count. Levi growled that it wasn't working. He wrapped my arms around what I assumed was his neck and grabbing my legs he made me hop on his back. My face was so hot, it would have melted, but I didn't say anything, knowing this was probably the easiest and fastest way for him to take me back in the darkness. I felt us going down the passages, and the angel didn't seem to have any trouble carrying me. 'How can you be so kind … and be filled with so much darkness at the same time?' I thought. I couldn't … no I wouldn't let those hands get stained again. Without realizing, I'd squeezed him tighter and leaned my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes in the process. His warmth was heating up my cold hands and face.

"Are you tired?" He asked.

I suddenly rose my head again. "Uh...n-no! I just..."

"Don't shout I can hear you fine."

"Sorry." I said with a quieter voice.

"That's why I told you to rest, stupid. Sleep if you want. I'll wake you when we get there."

Finding nothing to say, I placed my head back on his shoulder. 'How am I suppose to sleep now?' I still closed my eyes without falling asleep for real but about twenty minutes later, I opened them when I heard Levi call out for Sasha and Nanaba. Meaning we had caught up with them.

"Hey Captain." Said Sasha.

"Any trouble with the monster?"

"Nope. He's been sleeping like a baby the whole time. Growling and drooling on my shoulder from time to time, but other than that, out like a light."

"Speaking of light, turn your flashlight on Rico." I said.

"You sure you don't want to rest anymore?" Asked Levi.

"I'll rest once were back. Thanks Captain."

He put me down. I grabbed the flashlight that Rico handed to me and we resumed our walk towards the sanctuary. When we reached the Sanctuary, almost everyone was outside the stone houses waiting for us. They all made weird faces when they saw Sasha, carrying Eren on her back. The glutton placed the boy on the ground while Hanji approached him and looked at him like she was about to eat him.

"Levi. Who is that?"

"A titan." Replied Levi. "He attacked us. But he seems to be the one to help Petra escape from them. That's the only reason he's not dead right now."

"This is excellent!" Exclaimed Hanji. "Now I can see for sure what those guys are made off!"

"Way to make it creepy four-eyes." Said Levi. "He needs a bed and sedatives. Lots of them. Make sure he's strapped tightly to it."

"Oh my god..." Said a familiar voice.

Everyone turned to see Armin and Mikasa staring at the titan, eyes wide open and jaws dropped, as if they were in shock state. Levi frowned. He obviously didn't like what was going on. "What is it you two."

"This is... this is..." Stuttered Armin, never taking his eyes off the titan. "How can you... still be alive?"

"Eren..." Finished Mikasa. She approached the unconscious boy quickly took him in her arms and observed him for a long moment. As if to convince herself that it was real. When he groaned a little, the girl's eyes filled with water and a river of tears escaped her eyes. She pulled his body into a hug and sobbed. Levi walked up to Armin and snapped his fingers in front of his face which made the blondie jump.

"Armin! Explain, now."

"This is Mikasa's foster brother and... my best friend. We thought he was dead. He was in lab when it exploded. How could he have survived?" He wiped the tears that had started appearing in the corner of his eyes. I was just a stunned as everyone else. That was one hell of a coincidence. Armin continued. "His name is Eren Jaeger."

"Jeager?" Repeated Levi and Erwin at the same time. The Captain then turned to me. "Did you know about this?"

"N-no. All he told me is that Dr Jeager was dead."

He turned to Hanji. "Four-eyes! Take care of him. And no dissections or observation of any kind without my permission."

"Alright, alright. Rico, Sasha come with me." She ordered. Sasha took the boy from Mikasa's arms (who reluctantly released him) and the two of them followed the head of the Science branch towards the pseudo-lab. Mikasa stood up and didn't blink while watching Eren being taken away. The tears on her face were still not dry. But Levi got there attention again.

"You two." He said, meaning Armin and Mikasa. "Reunion room. Now."

The two nodded and started heading there. Levi ordered the four Lieutenants to do the same and the rest to scatter or go take care of the wounded. And before he and Erwin headed towards the reunion room, Levi pointed at me and then to the pseudo-infirmary house. I nodded and headed there without complaining. The second I got in bed, I fell asleep, exhausted and praying that my family was safe.

When I woke up, I sat up and rubbed my face and replayed in my mind what I knew. I stayed seated a long time just thinking. And thinking and thinking and thinking. Until I finally came to a decision as to what I should do. I got dressed and attached the holster to my leg again, wondering if I would ever have to gut to actually shot this thing. The time was one in the afternoon. Meaning everyone was probably resting. I saw a couple of them up in the infirmary, taking care of their comrades. I asked Hanna if I could find the Captain anywhere. She didn't even look at me and ignored my question and Thomas had to reply for her. The whole thing was like a small village and I had to walk up some carved stairs to go to Levi's 'house' which apparently served as his office in the sanctuary. When I finally reached it, I hesitated a while before finally knocking on the door. Half expecting him to be asleep, I was about to walk away when...

"Come in." Said a not so sleepy voice.

I entered and saw that even though there weren't as many shelves and books as the one the HQ, this small room was impeccably cleaned. The smell of tea filled the air and I spotted a cup filled with the steamy liquid on a low table. As for the Captain, he was sitting in an old armchair, a book in his hand.

"Didn't I tell you to rest kid?"

"I did. I woke up just now."

"And you came here because..."

"What did you talk about with Armin and Mikasa? Did they tell you anything interesting about Eren?"

"Apart from the fact that he's Jeager's son and has serious anger issues? Nothing. We'll have to wake for him to wake up to get more info."

"Anger issues?"

"He killed three people when he was nine. To save Mikasa from kidnappers, apparently."

"Holy shit!" I let out. I wasn't one to curse easily but this was too much to take in one second.

"Why are you really here?" Asked the Captain, finally closing his book and looking at me. I sat down in a chair facing his. "I want to ask you something. It has nothing to do with the job. It's personal. Will you listen?"

"I'll listen. That doesn't mean I'll answer."

"When all of this is over, if you manage to get rid of Dok and Woerman and keep the Scouts' secret. What will you do?"

"... You want an honest answer?"

"Du-hu." I said annoyed.

"Disappear."

I was expecting that kind of answer. So that was his plan. Taking everyone of the Scout's darkness upon himself and disappear for ever. Make it as if none of this ever happened. Let them return home ready for a fresh start. And not let anyone in. Ever. I closed my eyes for a moment. It had to be like this? Fine. I'd play this new game... and I will win. I stood back up.

"Thank you for answering, Levi." I was about to turn around and leave but then, remembered something. "What about you, have you slept at all?"

"Four hours."

"Four? You have to rest more than that."

"It's normal for me, don't sweat it."

"You should really drink blood." I insisted. "You look a lot paler than usual."

He rolled his eyes. "You're not gonna let this go are you?"

"No."

"Rhetorical question." He said putting his book down and getting up. He walked towards me and only stopped when he was a step away. "You're still offering."

I gave him a determined look before taking off my glove and rolling up my sleeve to confirm it. He slightly frowned and pushed me gently to make me sit back in my chair. He knelt down on one knee and grabbed my hand and with a swift and quick move, bit down on my wrist. I flinched and my whole body tensed up. I gripped the chair with my free hand. Goose bumps appeared everywhere on my body and a chill travelled down my spine. Ironically, my cheeks were burning hot. I thought about these old vampire romance novel for teenage girls were they talk about a state of ecstasy when you get bitten. And the best word to describe that right now was... bullshit! Because first off, it's hurt like hell to have fangs as sharp as razors sink in your flesh like a knife in butter. Second, the dizzy feeling from knowing someone is taking your vital fluid isn't particularly pleasant either. My teeth were clenched and I was shaking. I didn't know if it was discomfort or the cold. I risked a glance at the Captain, expecting to find him eyes closed...except not. He was looking straight at me without blinking! I immediately looked away and suddenly, my whole face turned crimson. Why was he just staring like that? I suddenly felt sweat form on my entire body. Like the embarrassment was spreading. 'Why am I feeling like this? It's not the first time we've been... this close! Why was he making it weird like that? This was not necessary! Was he enjoying this? My voice was also paralyzed and I couldn't even bring myself to force words out of my mouth. I could feel his eyes stuck on me like glue. My own heartbeat was resonating in my head like crazy and it felt like an eternity had passed. He finally pulled away and licked his lips.

"Thanks for the food." He said before standing up and heading towards his desk. He took something out of a box and came back towards me. He disinfected my wounds and bandaged it without a word, while I was still in shock and my face wasn't getting it's normal color back anytime soon. When he finished, he put his stuff away and turned one last time to me.

"Happy now? Go rest some more, Petra. I'll wake you when we need you."

All I could do was nod and quickly exit. As I ran down the stone stairs, I tried to forget what had happened in there. This guy was just... so mysterious. Impossible to grasp fully. But I was certain that that was on purpose. Now that I knew his goal was to 'disappear', I knew what I needed to do. But instead of returning to the infirmary, I went to the stone house that served as my friend's room. I made sure no one was around before entering and closing the door behind me. I shook Jean.

"Hey wake up!"

"Five more minutes, mom."

"Jean! Wake up!"

He blinked a few times. "Hmm? Petra? Do you know what time it is?" He said rubbing his eyes.

"I know, I'm sorry. We need to talk." I whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Said Ymir yawning.

"Keep your voices down." I went to Krista's bed. "Kris wake up. You too, Marco."

Once all my friends awake completely (mostly), the five of us sat in a circle on Jean's bed.

"So, what's your good reason for waking us up?" Said Marco, rubbing his eyes.

I sighed and cleared my throat. "I need your help with something for this you guys. I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was necessary and I'm sorry but... I won't force you into anything"

"Stop that, ginger." Interrupted Ymir punching me in the shoulder. "We're already in a huge mess together, I doubt you can make it worse. Besides, we're your friends. We signed the contract to help each other out."

"Yeah, whatever crazy idea you got in your head again, we're already in." Continued Jean.

"100% approved." Said Marco with his usual goofy smile.

"Go on, Petra." Encouraged Krista.

I smiled before getting my serious face back. "Alright, listen up." I took a very deep breath. "We're gonna betray the Scouts."

I apologize for that hell of cliffhanger but I couldn't help myself! ;) Anyways, what are we going to learn from Eren? AND WHAT IN THE WORLD IS PETRA THINKING?! Stay alert for next chapter if you want to find out!