A/N: Hey all! I'm back! 132 killed me so good, I honestly struggled to get out of my grief for Hange for a bit and actually write, but I hope this chapter came out okay in the end. Really splitting away from canon events now. Praying I can pull it off :/


A Queen's Request: The Final Arc

DELIVERANCE

'The action of being rescued or set free.'

Chapter 44: The Tenth

It was easy enough to take someone out when you had a height advantage. Especially if that height advantage was half a tree length.

Hange's heart tripped over itself when she finally spotted the hooded figure emerge at the edge of the clearing on horseback. Their cloak billowed in their wake, Wings of Freedom flapping frantically. Her own cloak, still waterlogged from the river, was pulled tightly around her shoulders, casting her in shadow. She'd positioned Levi strategically to draw any visitors they might get just to the right spot.

Just under her perch upon the thick branch.

It didn't take long for the visitor to dismount, hurrying over to Levi's eerily still form. She adjusted her grip on the makeshift weapon fashioned from stick and shrapnel, drawing a lungful of air with as little sound and movement as she could manage. Silently, she started to count. She hit three just as the figure's arm reached out towards the Captain.

The branch wobbled as she slid feet first from it, hurtling through the air towards her target. Her boots collided squarely with the soldiers shoulders, knocking them off balance. Hange tucked and rolled, narrowly missing Levi as her back smacked into the sodden earth. As predicted, though, her target had broken her fall and stopped her becoming winded.

She pushed herself up, ignoring the way her body ached from both exhaustion and the impact. She spun around with her rudimentary weapon. The hooded figure was grappling with their gun. Hange took the opening. She surged forward, managing to pull them into a headlock from behind.

Good.

They couldn't shoot her from here.

It was then that she noticed the barrel of their gun was pointed forwards. Towards Levi.

"No!"

She acted on instinct, bringing the makeshift blade in her hand down hard against her opponent's chest.

On the left side. Exactly where their fist would land, in a perfect salute.

Dedicate your heart.

The figure convulsed, crumpling forwards with a gasp. The sound reverberated through Hange sickeningly. She fell to her knees with the soldier's weight in her grip, but they struggled against her as blood began to spurt down her arm. She needed to make it quicker. Squeezing her eye closed, she brought the blade up to the soldier's throat and sliced, as quick and clean as she was able. More blood. More agonising sounds that would haunt her.

She held them until their final shuddering breaths died, before laying them against the soft ground. Her stomach lurched as she reached for the hood, ripping it back to discover the face of their foe.

Oliver Meyer.

She immediately recognised the young soldier's face, the light in his eyes already dimming. He'd been assigned to the fourth squad. Graduated little over a year ago. Still just a teenager, even though his rough beard and shaggy hair made him seem so much older.

A tear streaked through the grime on her cheek.

"I'm so sorry."

What was happening? How had it come to this? How it come to her killing her own subordinates … the people she was supposed to lead?

There was no time to dwell on it though. Hoofbeats, followed by more voices, spilled through the trees.

Hange snatched up the rifle from the soldier, clutching him by his cloak and dragging him through the undergrowth, between the trees and then out by the forest's edge. She lay Oliver's body out in the grass, before dipping back through the shrubbery.

She didn't have to wait long.

It was disgustingly easy, picking them off one by one with Oliver's rifle, until only she and a grotesque pile of her dead subordinates remained.

She managed to corral one of the horses further into the forest, before setting about searching through the possessions of the dead soldiers.

Medical supplies, camping equipment, weapons, rations. As the pile grew, so did her franticness. The most important item wasn't here … Her prediction had been wrong …

And then, finally, she found it. On the last soldier that had approached them. A tiny, wooden case with a syringe and vial.

So. The Jaegerists really did have control over everything now. This made their situation highly dangerous. But it would also save Levi's life. Or, so she hoped.

She hurried back through the trees, her limbs a hair's breadth from giving out from exhaustion.

A terrifying sound ahead of her kept her muscles working, though; horrible, rattled breaths. Not even breaths; gasps.

She knew what that sound meant. It was the death rattle.

"Levi!" Her voice shattered the eerie quiet of the forest. "Hold on! I'm coming. Don't! Don't you dare give up yet!"

She skidded to a halt beside Levi's body. His skin was grey beneath the crusted blood as she fumbled with the case in her dirty hands. "Please. Just - don't go. Fight, Levi. Come on. We're almost there!"

She drew the liquid from the vial, struggling to keep her hands steady as she readied the syringe.

This was a gamble. But what choice did she have now?

The body before her took another shuddering, laboured breath, before deflating.

Hange scrambled to find a clear area to inject him.

No further breaths came.

"Levi!" She yelled his name again, realising she'd just have to stab through the material of his pant leg. She raised the implement above her head. "Come on!"

The syringe arced downwards, piercing material and flesh with a dull thwack.

"Fight!"


Historia grit her teeth as the pain returned. It felt as though someone were twisting her insides; ringing her out like the cold, sodden washcloth George kept applying to her forehead.

She forced herself to count in her head; breaths coming short and fast through her teeth.

"I'm telling you, she needs to see a doctor." George's voice was steady as he crouched beside her, but she could sense the nervous edge to it. She knew him well enough, by this point. In some ways, at least.

They were in the sitting room of the Orphanage - her, George, and two of the Jeagerist guards; the children all still fast asleep above their heads. The clock on the sideboard across from Historia's armchair read four-twenty in the morning. She'd been down here a good hour already. Trying not to let her mind creep back to those visions. To consider what might have happened to Levi. Her belly tightened painfully, and she blew air out through her teeth again. She had to keep her sanity in check. Her child needed her.

Levi's child.

"No." One of the guards - a guy who looked to be a year or two younger than herself - was eyeing her. "Her waters haven't broken."

George removed the washcloth from her head again. He closed his eyes, as though fighting to keep his patience. "Yes. Thank the Walls. It's too soon - if they do break, we're going to need help. Maybe even a hospital …" When they reopened, he was looking at her again. Historia wanted to scoff at the concern etched across his face. A bit late for that, now. But before she could so much as blink, her stomach tightened again, and all she could do was brace her arms against the chair and breath through the pain.

"What the hell do you know about childbirth?" The second guard, a girl with severe features and hair pulled back tightly from her face, frowned at George.

"I'm a farmer, you idiot. I've some experience with birth." He was still looking at Historia, and not at the girl. She forced herself to stare straight through him, keeping her teeth clenched together. He dipped the washcloth back into the bowl of icy water at her feet.

"… So are you comparing our Queen to cattle, now?" The guy shoved his hands into his pockets as the girl raised her brows.

Finally, George twisted to look back at the pair. "What? No! But I'm sure it makes me more qualified to assess this situation than you pair." When he turned back around, the sodden cloth was lifted towards her forehead again.

Screw this.

Historia knocked his hand away. The wet cloth hit the floorboards with an ugly slap. "Stop! You're not helping at all. Any of you!"

She glared at George specifically, and she was almost surprised at the way he cowed under her gaze. She couldn't help feeling her anger at him heightened - for so many reasons. He was a poor substitute for Levi. It was the stoic Captain's unshakable calm that she needed right now, but even so, she had trusted George to be a reliable second option to go through this ordeal with her. A comforting, supportive presence in the event of Levi's absence. Now, though, every time she looked at him, the only sensation she felt was the bitter taste of betrayal.

The tears threatened at the edges of her vision again, but no. She would not cry. She'd wept openly for Walls knew how long when she first awoke, but then the discomfort had become too insistent for her to remain alone in her room and let herself break over the terrifying flashes of Levi's situation that she'd seen. So she'd forced herself to move. Forced the tears to stay put. Forced herself into survival mode, because if this child really was on its way now, they were already both at a worrying disadvantage. Right now, the only things in her power were breathing and clinging on to her composure. If she could manage that, at least, it might give them a fighting chance.

"Historia … this is the first time the pain has been this bad, right?" George spoke quietly as he retrieved the cloth, but apparently he didn't dare bring it near to her again.

She simply nodded once, fingernails digging into the armrests of the chair. There had been twinges before; but nothing that felt even remotely as though it could be contractions.

This felt very much like things were happening.

Why … why now? Please …

She squeezed her eyes shut again, forcing her inner thoughts to manifest Levi's surly voice.

Pull yourself together, kid. This is not the time to lose your shit.

"Alright. Okay. So. I think we need to keep timing these contractions … it's not really regular right now, but if it starts to head that way, and your waters break …" George trailed off, and Historia made herself look at him again. His eyes were wide.

They both knew she was still a good eight weeks away from full term, and what that would mean if she really was going into labour.

The only sound was the ticking of the clock, and the slow drip of water from the washcloth in his hand. Thud, thud, thud against the wooden floor. Finally, he finished his words. "Well. I think … maybe it's best to just send for someone anyway. Just in case." The light, casual way he spoke was a poor attempt to disguise the reality of the situation. The look they'd both shared had been enough to confirm what Historia already knew.

Please, by the mercy of the Walls, let this child stay put.

The female guard folded her arms as her companion shuffled from foot to foot. "No. Eren said that -"

"Well Eren's not damn well here right now, is he? And even if he was, how many kids has he delivered single handedly?" The fire in George's voice as he spun around to address the pair made Historia physically jump. Then the pain returned. She groaned quietly, rubbing the dome of her belly. She could feel the baby squirming, and it made her feel nauseous.

"No. But … he sees things …" The girl ventured.

There was a slosh as George chucked the cloth back into the bowl. "If he foresaw this, a bit of warning would have been nice."

Right. Wasn't that the truth. At least George was still talking some sense.

"Look. If none of you are willing to go, I'll just go myself. It's only the next town. I can be there and back in a couple of hours." He began to stand up. "If I leave now, there's still plenty of time …"

He was leaving?

The last semblance of familiarity she had right now?

Her hand shot out to grip his arm. "No - please - don't go." She hated herself for how needy her voice sounded, but the panic in her was starting to rise. "Not yet, at least. Just … please. Make some tea?"

George looked down at her, his brows knitting together. "Tea?"

She nodded, doing her best not to grimace as her abdomen began to twist again. "Tea … would help … right now."


When Levi awoke again, there was no sign of any syringe, and no manic Zoe Hange looming over him.

The fizzle and hiss of moss-smothered logs and pop of twigs burning, along with the swish of leaves in a meek breeze, beckoned him gradually into consciousness.

One eye opened slowly, dry and irritated. Between the canopy of branches, an infinitely black well of sky was visible through a gaping hole in the grey cloud.

The stars blinked and flickered like minute flames, and, even after all these years, the reassurance they brought was enough to ease his mind for just a moment.

He was above ground.

A mere split second later, though, reality came crashing down around him in the form of a familiar voice.

Levi's eye grew wide at the words as they tumbled through his mind.

Eren?

There was sand again, and an infinite, glittering sky no longer broken by branches and leaves.

The Wall Titans shall trample all earth outside of this island underfoot … until all life existing there …has been exterminated from this world.

As quickly as it had come, the vision vanished.

Levi forced himself to sit upright, despite the screaming protest from every muscle in his torso. It was then he realised Hange was sat across the other side of the fire.

So she was the reason he was still alive, then?

Did that mean … that syringe …

"Levi!"

The look on her face banished the thought immediately, because by the way she was staring in horror, he knew that what he'd just witnessed wasn't another of the weird dreams that had plagued his subconscious.

She'd heard it, too.

But if Eren was using the Founder's power to address them all … to rumble the earth … then where was …

"The Beast … that piece of shit. Where is he?"

Hange's features were now solemn as she approached him. "Don't get up. Your wounds-"

"Hange," Levi grunted, unwilling to let her change the subject. "Eren … that vision … where the hell is fucking Zeke?"

She relented as soon as she was by his side. "There was … some kind of accident. Looked like a thunderspear … Zeke escaped." She knelt beside his bedroll, persuading him to lie back with a gentle nudge. His body burned with every slight movement. She must have seen this on his face, because her nose wrinkled in apology.

Fucking Four Eyes. She always could see straight through him.

"What happened, Levi? Do you remember?"

He tried to adjust, to check he could at least still feel each of his limbs properly through the constant surging pain. He realised his torso was bare, and where his naked skin met the cold autumn air, crawling with heat as though from a fever, the sweat evaporated in a faint trace of steam. When he lifted his right hand, he was met with the image of two bloody, bandaged stumps where his index and forefingers should be.

Shit.

"I fucked up," he said flatly. His hand lifted to his face, and he realised a good portion of it was also bandaged. That would explain why he could only see through one eye.

Damn, had he lost an eye, too?

Hange was still looking at him, but now he noticed a trace of disbelief in the way her brows met. Almost as though she couldn't quite believe the brilliant Levi Ackerman had let the Beast Titan get the better of him.

Again.

Tch.

"What happened?" She pushed again, and it made his head throb. But if he was going to explain himself to anyone, it might as well be her.

"I never realised … he was prepared to die. Shit … that … bastard." His words came between wheezes, and it was annoying as hell that spitting the truth out had to take more agonising seconds than was necessary. "My Squad … they … drank some shitty wine. Zeke …" He stopped short at the way Hange pursed her lips, her face suddenly reflecting the pain he felt.

"I know. I know what they did, Levi. Zeke and the Jaegerists."

Fucking Jaegerists.

Levi let out a bark of snarled laughter at that. Pain flared in his side. Shit.

"I …" He might as well say it; seemed like she knew what he'd had to have done, anyway. "I cut them all down … like some fucking monster."

She averted her gaze, but her hand came to rest against his shoulder, and Levi found himself suddenly uncomfortable with the way her cold palm chilled his burning skin. Which was damn stupid, considering she must have been the one to remove his shirt in the first place.

"I … get it. You wouldn't be here now, if you hadn't. Historia needs …"

"Don't." He ground the word out between clenched teeth. "Don't say it was for her …Don't taint her with their deaths … that's not fair."

Hange looked back at him, her face pained. He wouldn't allow it to be said aloud though. The burden of their deaths was his, and his alone. Even if deep down, he knew she was partly the reason for his resolve. That and …

It's not time to give up yet. You still have work to do.

We'll be together again soon, I promise.

Her steely gaze and golden halo of hair came back to him like an arrow through the chest.

His child.

His … daughter?

He must have looked as though he'd seen a ghost, because Hange's face was suddenly inches from his, her brown iris so close that he could make out the specks of amber in it.

"Levi? What is it?"

He stared at her for a moment. Then he gripped her shoulders with a grimace, firmly but not unkindly moving her aside as he shoved himself upright again.

How had that even been possible? It couldn't really be his unborn child, could it? Probably just some fucked up way of his subconscious trying to handle the pain of his injuries. But then … all that sand

"Hange, just now … You heard Eren, right? And … all that … shitty sand?"

Hange nodded immediately, settling back onto her knees. "I saw it. Yeah."

So that had been real, then. "Where the fuck … was that?" He pulled his gaze from Hange's, staring vacantly across the make-shift campsite. He couldn't even bring himself to care about the disorganisation of it all. "I've seen …"

Something glinted in the firelight. A small, silver plunger protruding from a wooden box.

His gaze snapped back to Hange instantly. "Oi." He coughed, then cursed under his breath. "What did you do?"

Hange glanced over her shoulder, and then back at him. She didn't smile. Or speak. Which was very damn-well odd, for her.

Levi's stomach dropped.

"Hange … what the fuck … did you do to me?"


The teacup slipped from George's fingers and shattered against the wooden floor, echoing harshly between the walls of the farmhouse kitchen.

Except ... suddenly the wooden floor wasn't there anymore. Or the shards of porcelain. Or the four walls of the kitchen. There was just sand.

Everywhere.

An inky sky stretched above him, sprayed with the silver glitter of stars, and George wondered where in the hell the farmhouse had vanished to.

Then he heard him.

Eren.

The man he'd sworn allegiance to, in order to give his brother Thomas's life meaning after his death in this bloody war against titans.

But it wasn't Titans they were fighting anymore, was it?

Every wall on the island of Paradis has been unhardened. All of the titans buried within them have begun to walk.

It was starting now. But if Eren was rumbling the earth ... if he was able to command the Titans of the walls ...

George knew what was required for this to happen. He would have needed to touch Zeke Jaeger.

So ... Captain Levi was really ...

He felt her wail from the sitting room. It rattled his bones.

"Historia!"

He couldn't let her lose herself because of this. If she allowed herself to disappear into panic and despair, there was no doubt in his mind that her labour would start in earnest. And if that happened, the chances of her child surviving were extremely bleak at best.

Eren's final, rushed words the last time they'd laid eyes on one another replayed in his head on a loop.

"The fate of our world rests upon the survival of Historia's child. Whatever you do, you keep that child safe at all costs."

Had he foreseen all of this?


"Look … listen … things were desperate. You were bleeding out. There was no way for me to get you any sort of medical help any time soon."

"Hange. Stop waffling."

"Right. Yes. Right. So I had this hypothesis …"

Levi clenched his good fist in an effort to remain calm. His ribs hurt too much for him to let himself get this wound up. The image of the syringe poking out of the box behind Hange, bathed red in the firelight, was like a damn warning beacon in his line of sight, though.

"What the fuck … did you inject me with?" He tried to keep his voice even. He was pretty sure the words came out low and dangerous, instead.

There was an obvious sheen of sweat on the Commander's forehead now as she pushed the frame of her glasses up her nose. She sighed, before pulling her legs from under her to settle cross-legged in front of him on the mossy earth. "Do not explode; I don't know how that will impact … your recovery. But I injected you with titan serum."

The wind seemed to die around them.

Levi stopped noticing the leaves stirring. The sound of the fire crackling became quiet. Even the stars, for just that moment, didn't dare flicker.

Titan serum.

Fucking titan serum?

"Eh?" He must have misheard her.

Hange stared at him for a moment, then licked her lips. "Uh, I injected you. With titan serum."

Suddenly the world around him roared into life again, and the colours, the sounds, the smells seemed to come at his senses tenfold.

She'd made him into a fucking titan.

Did that mean …? Had he been a mindless titan? But who the fuck did he eat? Wait, was that what all the fucking sand was about that he kept seeing? Where the fuck had she even gotten shitting titan serum from in the ass end of nowhere? He was pretty sure the one vial they'd had back at the camp would have been destroyed in the chaos of Zeke's escape.

He could feel what little colour remained in his face draining away as he looked at her. She fumbled, hesitating.

"Don't stop there … idiot," he bit out, his jaw squared in the effort to not yell at her. "Explain."

Seeming to understand, Hange cleared her throat. "When Eren consumed that armor serum, those years back, in the Reiss chapel cave … because he already possessed the power of a titan shifter, well … it didn't turn him into a mindless titan. It only made him stronger. It got me thinking. Annie sealed herself in that crystal using the same sort of hardening technique we've seen from Eren since drinking the serum, but she doesn't possess armor like Reiner's titan. What if she had done something similar to Eren after obtaining her titan? What if other titan shifters could obtain abilities like this, by drinking special titan serums?"

"What … the hell does this have to do with me?"

"Alright, I'm getting to it. So, I'd normally base my hypothesis on more observations than this, but I don't have the luxury of additional information, so admittedly this was all a little risky. That said, desperate times call for desperate measures. Anyway … my prediction is that titan serum of any kind given to someone who possesses the power of the nine titans will result in a very different reaction compared to that of a normal Eldian."

Levi merely grunted, too frustrated at this point to even form words. Why couldn't she just get to the fucking point? Who had he eaten? Zeke? But she'd said he'd gotten away …

Armin? Oh fuck, please no.

"I think it may work a little differently for Ackermans, but the principles are still the same."

Finally, he pushed himself to words again. "But … Ackermans aren't titans?"

Hange tapped a finger to her chin, head tilted as she observed him through lenses which flashed in the firelight. "Well, technically, you are. This is why you should have read the whole of Freya's diary. You might not look like a titan, but you're a derivative of the Attack Titan. Remember when we discussed how your enhanced abilities and access to Paths stem from the same source as the Founder? Ackermans are collectively sort of like the tenth titan shifter, except … you don't shift. At least, not as visibly as the others do."

Levi stared at her, his blank face a contrast to the maelstrom of emotion he currently felt.

What the hell.

"So … I haven't eaten anyone?"

"What? No! While you were unconscious, I injected you with normal titan serum. I know it was a big gamble, but I was positive it wouldn't turn you. And I was right. Because you already possess the power of a shifter, just in a different form. Mikasa will be the same. Injecting you with serum … only heightens your abilities. And one ability every titan shifter has, is regeneration. It's been difficult, as you don't tend to get yourself injured a whole lot, but I already noticed a while back that you heal quicker than others. Your leg, after the confrontation with Annie in the forest four years ago. Your nose, after the fight with Mikasa before the Banquet. Your body repairs itself remarkably fast. It's just a watered down version of titan shifter regeneration. The explosion you were caught up in with Zeke … my thunderspears are designed to do massive damage up close. You should have been dead when I found you. You weren't, but by my best estimations, you were bleeding out quicker than you could heal. Without intervention, you'd have died within a day at most. Healing abilities or not."

Healing abilities.

Memories flashed through Levi's mind. All those fights with Kenny as a boy. That time he got stabbed in the chest by the bouncer on a job, leaving him with that crescent shaped scar right below his heart … Kenny reopening the wound by beating the shit out of him afterwards …

You should have been dead.

Fuck.

He lifted his bandaged hand, staring at the stumps where two of his fingers should be.

"Where did you stab me with that thing?"

"In the leg."

Shit. The sudden shooting pain in his leg, when he was lying in all that sand. Just before he saw her.

Hange wasn't shitting him here, was she?

"If I can heal, why are my fingers still gone?"

Hange shrugged. "You still seem to keep scars, so you're not quite at the stage the other shifters are. But with the serum … my educated guess is, they will grow back. It just might take a little longer. Your vital organs are most important. Your body will focus on repairing them first. Fingers are a luxury right now."

He took a deep breath in. It made his ribs hurt, but he needed the air to try and clear his buzzing head.

"You had this on you the whole time?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunately no. The Jeagerists … they've taken control of everything, including the vials brought over from Marley by the volunteers. It was a long-shot, but I surmised that it would make sense for some of them to be given syringes to carry in case of emergencies. Zeke dying, for example, would be disastrous to their goal of having him and Eren touch, but losing the beast titan to a random Eldian baby would be even more so. At least with these, they could be sure to keep the powers to themselves …" Levi didn't miss the way her face fell suddenly. Despite the direness of their situation, Hange couldn't help but get excited when it came to talking Titan Science. But now, she looked full of despair. "When I found you, I was detained by a group of them lead by Floch. I managed to get us into the river, but I knew they'd follow."

Floch.

I know how to take a pulse. Let me see him.

Levi had recognised his voice. That little shit head. And he'd dared to detain his own commander? He was going to pay for his little mutiny.

"We were extremely lucky. I managed to take the first of them by surprise by hiding in a tree. Once I got his gun, the others were easy enough to take out."

Hange's gaze fell to her hands in her lap. Levi realised how much it must have destroyed her to kill her own subordinates in cold blood like that. Killing your enemies was one thing, but when they turned out to be the kids you'd tried to lead through all this bullshit …

"Only one of them had serum. But that was all we needed."

"You took them all out … by yourself?"

Hange shrugged, her gaze averted from his again. "I didn't really have much choice."

His anger and astonishment at being injected with the serum dimmed somewhat as he looked at her, dark shadows beneath her eyes and her face gaunt, while her clothes were damp and dirty. He should have been disgusted. Instead, he felt a swell of gratitude.

She'd saved his life.

"Oi. Thanks … Four Eyes."

He couldn't bring himself to say much more. By the look she gave him, he didn't need to.

"You'd have done the same for me."

He raised a brow, which made pain shoot up the side of his face. But she was right. "So … we're fucked, then. Eren and Zeke … they touched? And that idiot has started the rumbling?"

Hange rose to her feet and began tending to the fire. "Yeah. Seems that way." He noticed her shoulders sag as her back was turned to him.

"What about the stuff you realised … about that royal brat's diary? Do you still think … Eren saw her memories, before the king's vow?"

She was silent for a moment as she busied herself with something at the fireside. "Well … we can hope. Only way to find out though, would be to ask him."

Tch. So they were gonna have to find him first, then. Levi coughed again. He spat blood onto the mossy earth, his lips curling in disgust.

"You sure this shit … is working, yeah? Cause I feel … like ass."

When Hange returned to him, she held a slightly battered mug between her palms, steam curling upwards into the brisk air. "Yeah, it's working. If it wasn't, at this point, you wouldn't be feeling a great deal at all. You were dying when I injected you. That was almost eight hours ago."

Levi grunted in acknowledgement as he took the cup from her. "S'this?"

Hange sighed. "Just hot water. Unfortunately no-one was carrying tea, or anything else for that matter. We have a few ration bars, but that's it."

Tch. What he wouldn't give for a decent cup of tea right now.

"How long 'til I can walk?"

Hange bit her lip, then shrugged. "My best guess is in another eight hours, we might be able to get you back on your feet. Even then …" She sighed heavily as she slumped down beside him. "Honestly? It may take a while. I've no idea how effective the serum is for you, or whether there will be any side effects."

"We don't have a while, though." He swallowed down the hot water. It felt good against his cracked lips and parched throat, at least.

"Right." Hange was studying her fingernails intently.

"You expect me to just stay here and wait, while I regrow a couple of fingers like some kind of freaky lizard?" At least he could manage to string sentences together now without feeling like he was going to cough his guts up. "That's not happening. I need to find that bearded bastard and take his head off. And we need to stop Eren. And …"

He coughed, then cursed. Maybe not.

"Historia?" Hange ventured.

He took a steadying breath, closing his eyes for a second. "Yeah. She still at the Orphanage?"

Fuck. He'd been on his way there with Zeke. Had they really exhausted all their options?

Well, it didn't matter at this point anyway. He could already feel the tremors beginning in the earth beneath him.

"Yes, unless the Jaegerists have moved her." He felt Hange peering at him over the rim of her lens, as though studying his reaction to her words. "I imagine they have a vested interest in her, so it would be safe to assume they have her under guard at this point, especially if Eren has told them she's carrying your child."

The mug shattered in Levi's grasp, soaking his bandaged hand and making Hange jump.

"Fuck," Levi muttered, trying to scoop up the fragments.

Those bastards. If they'd laid a finger on her in any way, they'd be loosing all ten. Shit, this really wasn't the situation for her to be in while heavily pregnant. A thought suddenly occurred to him; if she'd seen Eren's communication as well … then she'd know he must have touched Zeke. Would she think Levi'd …?

"Well. Looks like the serum is working quicker than we thought. I'll need to change those bandages, and I can check your fingers in the process. Then, I'm going to leave you here, while I head to Jean and the others in Shiganshina. We need to regroup and strategise. They may know where Eren is now, or at least have some idea where he's headed."

He narrowed his eye at Hange, quickly making up his mind. "I'm not sitting around in this shitty forest … like some sort of invalid."

Hange took the pieces of broken mug from him, frowning. "I know I said things might be improving quicker, but even so, you're looking at at least several hours before you can -"

"Pull me on the back of a horse like a sack of shit, tie me into the saddle with you … I don't give a fuck, Hange. I'm coming with you. It's over an hour's ride away … right?"

She hesitated, before nodding at him.

"Fine. I'll be healing … on the way … won't I?"

He couldn't just stay sitting around with his thoughts. He'd be driven to madness if he had to contemplate what Historia might be going through right now, without him. He needed to figure out a way of at least letting her know he was alive. What if she went into labour thinking he'd died? Fuck.

"Well, not as effectively as if you stayed put and rested, I would assume, although I see your point. But … Levi, as your Commanding Officer right now, I'm telling you, I don't need you for this mission. You'd be more valuable to me if -" She stopped, and he realised she must have recognised the emotions painted on his face. Shit. Maybe he wasn't so good at hiding them since the explosion fucked him up.

"Hange," he said, and it was the closest to pleading he thought he'd ever come.

She took an agonisingly long breath in, her gaze fixing him like a hawk. Then she sighed. "Fine. But if your condition stops improving …"

Levi shrugged his aching shoulders. "You can just dump me in a bush somewhere … and I'll wait, fine. Let's just hope that big-ass brain of yours … got it right as usual, and I'll be more useful … than a shitty millstone around your neck."


Eeeek ... bye bye canon.