"I win. Again."

Aubrey smirked as Levi twisted around on the ground, trying to get back up after she'd just knocked him down. She'd been training in her fighting style for six months now and he was getting better, a lot better, actually, but he'd still only ever managed to beat her a handful of times. Even so, Aubrey was extremely impressed with his progress. It had taken her years to get to the level that Levi was already at. She hadn't even been able to land a punch on her father until she was nine. But Levi had been able to hit her after just a few days of practice. He was unnaturally good at all things physical.

"Oi, you've had a lifetime of practice and I've had a few shitty months."

Aubrey snickered at him.

"Well, I still won and that's all that really matt-"

Aubrey's words came to an abrupt halt when she felt a hand wrap around her ankle and yank. She fell to the ground and landed on the grass with a soft thud.

Just a second later Levi was hovering over her. Now he was smirking.

"Who's winning now?"

Aubrey's expression shifted from shock to annoyance in a second and she slapped his chest.

"That's not fair. The match was over."

Levi leaned closer, a teasing look on his face.

"And who was it that told me to never let my guard down?"

Aubrey furrowed her brows and her lip stuck out in a pout as she glared up at him.

"That's in real life, not in a training matc-"

She didn't even get to finish before Levi's lips hit hers. He didn't stay there long before moving to her jaw, her cheeks, her forehead, her nose.

Aubrey felt all of her irritation melt away and she giggled at the feeling of Levi's light touches.

"Levi, quit it!"

Aubrey tried to make herself sound serious but her words came out as a laugh. She never stood a chance at being mad at him when he was in such a playful mood.

After a few more seconds, he heeded her request and brought his mouth back to her lips one last time before he fully pulled away.

He stared down at her, allowing the corners of his mouth to turn up the tiniest bit when he saw the bright grin on her face. Even after seeing it so many times, it never failed to blow him away.

Aubrey stared up at him for a moment and allowed her gaze to linger on his lips, admiring the small smile. It was still a sight that only she got to see. Usually. Sometimes Erwin or Hange would spout something that made him unable to contain himself and just the tiniest bit of a grin would slip through. Hange always went nuts. Erwin just smiled back.

Aubrey felt Levi's hand on her face and suddenly she was broken from her trance. She could still get lost in him just as easily as ever.

She took a deep breath and met his eyes.

"Let's go home. I'm hungry."

Levi nodded, moved off her, and stood, extending a hand down.

Aubrey took it and pulled herself up quickly, excited to get home. They'd stayed after training to work on hand to hand combat by themselves. They'd been at it for the better part of an hour, though, and Aubrey was starting to feel a gnawing in her stomach.

She reached for Levi's hand and her fingers locked with his immediately. It was so automatic now, almost like breathing.

Aubrey leaned in and kissed his cheek before moving back and pulling him toward the castle. They'd gone into town a couple of days ago and Levi had bought her a very nice cut of meat. Maybe a little too nice to be acceptable. But she wasn't going to let it go to waste and she was already planning how she was going to prepare it.

"Aubrey!"

Aubrey's mind was torn from a world of spices and potatoes to focus on a familiar voice.

She turned her head to see Hange running towards them, waving a hand in the air as she grew closer.

Aubrey glanced at Levi and found that he was giving her a confused look that mirrored her own. Though, his might have had a bit more annoyance mixed in.

Aubrey tugged on his hand and they walked in Hange's direction to meet her.

Finally, Hange came to a stop in front of them and Aubrey watched curiously as she caught her breath.

"What is it, Hange?"

Hange took a deep breath and spoke even though Aubrey could tell she was still slightly winded.

"It's Erwin. He wants to see you two in his office."

Aubrey's eyes flicked to Levi again and saw that he was still just as confused as her.

"Now?"

Hange nodded and Aubrey started to grow concerned. She and Levi saw Erwin almost every night for tea. If he wanted them now, it must be urgent.

Aubrey was about to ask why but Hange answered her question before she could even open her mouth.

"A messenger came into the Mess Hall and whatever he told Erwin made his face go white. He just turned to me and told me to find you two and send you to his office immediately. Then he left."

Aubrey's eyes widened and she was already pulling Levi away when she responded.

"Thank you, Hange. We'll see you later."

Aubrey rushed past, Levi at her side as they made their way into the castle.

"Do you know what's going on?"

Levi's voice was quiet but Aubrey could still hear the tone of worry.

She squeezed his hand a little tighter and shook her head. She was just as clueless as he was.

"No, but… Erwin's face doesn't go white. Not unless… not unless it's serious."

Levi stared at her, his sense of uneasiness growing with each passing second. If Aubrey was worried, so was he.

They moved a little faster as they finally entered the castle and soon they were jogging through the halls, receiving strange looks from anyone they passed.

Aubrey didn't even notice. She was completely consumed by thoughts of Erwin and whatever had made him order them to his office.

By the time the door came into sight, she was panicking, her entire body strained by the sense that something bad was coming.

Finally they came to a stop and Aubrey's hand hit the knob. But she stopped. She had to do something before they went in.

She turned to Levi and, without warning, she wrapped her hand around his neck and kissed him. The kiss was short, but intense. A silent "I love you" before they faced whatever was lying inside the office.

The second they broke away, Aubrey moved her fingers back to the knob and pushed.

"Erwin, what's wrong?"

The door hadn't even swung all the way open before she'd spoken, rushing into the office as Levi let go of her hand and locked them in.

Aubrey stared at Erwin's expression. Seeing him didn't soothe her worry in the slightest. He looked… sad.

He was sitting at his desk, his chin resting on his clasped hand as he gazed back at her. There was no paperwork in front of him, no quill in his fingers. He'd just been looking at nothing.

Aubrey rushed over to him, taking his hands in hers and leaning as close to him as she could over the desk. She reached for his face, her hand resting on his cheek as she raised his eyes to hers. When their gazes finally met, Aubrey nearly screamed at him to tell her what was wrong. All she could see was pain.

Suddenly, Aubrey felt Levi's hand on her back and Erwin's eyes shifted to look over her shoulder, no doubt to meet Levi's gaze.

"Oi, Erwin. What's going on?"

There were a few more beats of silence and then, finally, Erwin sighed and hung his head.

Aubrey clutched his hands even tighter as she waited for him to speak.

Erwin raised his head again but his brows were furrowed and Aubrey could see that the pain hadn't lessened in the slightest. She felt her stomach twist.

"Take a seat, please."

Aubrey's brows furrowed and she leaned even closer. She didn't want to leave his side. Not when he had such a look of agony.

Erwin must have seen the worry on her features because he squeezed her hand and spoke.

"It's alright, Aubrey."

Aubrey could only stare back at him, still not sure that she should leave him.

"Go, Aubrey. Please."

Levi wrapped an arm around her waist and he tugged gently, encouraging her to do as Erwin had said. He could tell that whatever was about to be revealed was serious. Erwin probably wanted her seated and calmed as much as possible.

"Aubrey."
Levi whispered her name and tugged on her waist again, a little harder this time. He needed to get her to the couch, to sit her down and calm her. He could tell that she was panicking.

Finally, Aubrey loosened her grip on Erwin's hands and allowed Levi to lead her away from the desk and over to the couch. She sat down and he joined her immediately, wrapping his arm around her waist again and pulling her close. She was glad he'd decided to give her more than just their usual handhold. She would need him, she was sure of it.

There was silence again as Erwin gathered his thoughts. He knew that every second of the conversation they were about to have would rip all of them to pieces. It would cut deep, more than once.

But he had to do it.

Erwin took a deep breath and met Aubrey's gaze. He could see that she was still worried for him and from the way she was clutching at Levi's arm around her waist, she was worried herself.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come, and then began to speak.

"I'm going to tell you two things, both of which will be… hard. But I need you to wait until I finish to react. Can you do that?"

Erwin's words were for both of them but he kept his eyes on Aubrey. He knew that Levi would be able to follow those instructions easily, but Aubrey would find it more difficult to stay calm.

He waited and, after a few seconds, Aubrey nodded.

Erwin's brows furrowed and he gathered himself again. This was the hard part.

He had to get it over with.

"Saru is dead."

The room was quiet, completely still. Everything seemed to pause for a second, as if nobody could process what had just been revealed. And then it set in.

Aubrey began to shake and Levi pulled her tighter into him, both for her comfort and his own.

Aubrey couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Captain Saru had left just that morning on a miniature expedition. It was a simple mission, just standard surveying and mapping. She hadn't even been gone a day. And now she was dead.

But Aubrey shook even harder when she realized that there had been a second person on that mission that she knew, that she cared about. Chris.

Aubrey could barely find her voice to ask the question she wasn't sure she wanted the answer to.

"Chris?" Her voice was already weak, coming out barely above a whisper.

Erwin closed his eyes.

"She's not among the survivors."

A small noise somewhere between a sob and a scream escaped Aubrey's throat. But before it could turn into anything more, Levi held her tighter and brought his mouth to her ear.

"Hold on, Aubrey. Two things, remember?"

Levi's voice sounded strong but she could still detect an undercurrent of horror. He was shocked, too.

But, even despite that horror she'd heard, Levi's voice had been calming enough to help her hold in her sobs. Erwin had something else to tell them and crying now would only force her to endure another round of terror when he told her whatever was left.

Aubrey exhaled shakily and Levi knew that she was going to be able to contain herself. He kissed her hair and then nodded at Erwin. They were ready to continue.

Erwin nodded back and he took another breath. This was the really hard part. This part… would change their lives.

"Do you remember the fundraiser we discussed some time ago?"

Aubrey's grief nearly disappeared for a second. He was bringing up a fundraiser? Now?

But Aubrey found herself unable to speak so she simply nodded yes. Maybe he would explain how a fundraiser could be of any importance at a time like this.

Erwin sighed and the muscles in his hands flexed as his fingers clasped together even more tightly.

"The Lord I told you about, he's made a very large donation to the Scouts." Erwin paused, bracing himself before he started again. "But it is not a donation of money."

Aubrey could feel herself growing more confused by the second. Her expression twisted between grief, horror, and complete bewilderment.

Erwin didn't wait for her to ask a question. He had a sense for what she would want to know.

"He's given us land. More specifically, land with a castle on it in the northern part of Wall Rose. We could either sell it for what it's worth, or… we could use it."

"How are we supposed to use a shitty old castle?"

Levi asked the question Aubrey had been wanting to ask and she was grateful that they seemed to be in the same place. Confused.

Erwin answered almost immediately.

"I'd like to use it as a training camp." Erwin had to pause again before he finally said the words that he'd been dreading. "And I'd like you to run it, Aubrey."

More silence. Deadly silence. There wasn't a single sound to be heard. Everyone was frozen, completely lost.

But then Aubrey found her voice.

"What?! You want me to run a training camp in the north? You want me to leave?"

Aubrey could hardly believe it when he only nodded to confirm everything she'd said. She blew up again, unable to comprehend how he could think that such a thing could ever be a good idea.

"I'm seventeen, Erwin! I can't run a fucking training camp! And why do we need one, anyway?! We train here! And you wouldn't have me or Levi on expeditions! Do you not realize how many more would die?! Shit, Erwin, I save at least twenty people every time we go outside the walls! And Levi saves plenty more! You're going to send us away to run a fucking training camp?!"

Erwin stared back at her, a hard expression on his face. His features were set in stone and his eyes were burning.

Aubrey was breathing hard. She was overwhelmed by the insanity of what Erwin had just suggested. And from the way Levi's muscles were tensed around her, she knew that he was feeling the same way.

Erwin waited a few more seconds, watching Aubrey's chest rise and fall rapidly. She was already distressed. And he knew that by the end of their conversation, that distress would be changed to torment.

"I know you're only seventeen, Aubrey, but that doesn't mean you're not capable. I'd have made you a captain long ago if you would've let me. I trust you. Look at how much you've been able to teach Levi in such a short amount of time. And this camp is in the north. It's inside of Rose, not Maria, but the terrain is similar to what I assume you grew up with. It's mountainous and cold, especially in the winters. You're the best suited to navigate that kind of climate and use it to your advantage. And, as for why we need a training camp…" Erwin took a breath. This was where things would get complicated. "I've decided that we need to make a change. The regiment isn't making progress. We aren't finding anything new or even getting any further beyond the walls. Every expedition is practically a repeat of the last. We need stronger soldiers, soldiers who have been trained to the highest level, who have spent time away from all distractions with improvement as their only focus. I want to send you the most promising soldiers we have, I want you to train them until you think they can't get any better, and then I want you to send them back. If you do that…" Erwin trailed off for a moment but he soon found his resolve and started up again. "If you do that, maybe we can make a difference. Maybe all of the comrades, friends we've lost… maybe their deaths would have meaning."

Aubrey felt a tug on her heart.

Maybe their deaths would have meaning.

Meaning.

That meaning had consumed Aubrey from the very second she'd lost her own friends. She'd screamed at Erwin as she'd sat beside their dead bodies, asking him to tell her how their deaths could possibly have had meaning. And she still remembered what he'd told her.

Their deaths will make you stronger.

One soldier can make all the difference.

Erwin was playing her, poking at all of the spots he knew would hit home. And it was working.

Was this her chance to make a difference? Was this her chance to give her friends' deaths meaning?

Aubrey's head was spinning and she knew that without Levi's support, she would have fallen to the ground by now. She looked back at him, seeing that he was glaring at Erwin, just barely containing the explosive anger beneath the surface. His face didn't show his fury… but his eyes did.

Erwin could see that he needed to finish his speech quickly. Both of them looked ready to shatter.

"And as for how your absence would affect our fatalities… I have no doubt that it would. But it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. If more deaths now means we can move forward in the future, then that is something I will have to accept. But…"

Erwin felt his throat close up as he was about to say the words that would hurt the most. There was no doubt that his next suggestion would be the most life-changing, the most painful, the most heart wrenching. It would change everything for Aubrey. And for Levi, too. Erwin sucked in a long breath but he had to avert his eyes from Aubrey's face as he spoke. He wasn't sure he'd be able to bear her expression.

"But I wouldn't be sending both of you away."

There was just the slightest pause and then Levi spoke.

"What?"

Erwin heard Levi's voice cut through the air like a knife. He was already catching on to his plan.

Erwin hurried to finish what he had left to say. If he didn't do it now, he wouldn't get the chance.

"Saru is dead. That means the Special Operations Squad is without a captain. And with Aubrey gone, you would be the only one fit to fill that position, Levi. If Aubrey goes, I need you to stay."

Silence. Again.

And then a growl.

"Absolutely not."

Erwin looked up to see Levi seething, his lips pulled back from his teeth. For a moment, Erwin thought he might break something or even attack.

But then he saw Aubrey's body slide into Levi's lap and Levi turned his attention to her fully. He wiped silent tears from her face and held her close. Erwin could hear his whispers of "it's alright", "you're not going anywhere", "we're not going anywhere", and countless other reassurances.

It was… horrifying.

In just a few minutes, he'd caused them so much pain. He'd never seen two people more fit for each other and now he was pulling them apart… all for the tiniest hope that maybe they'd all get their questions answered, get the future they deserved.

Eventually, Erwin couldn't take it anymore and he said his last piece.

"I won't force you to go, Aubrey. The decision is yours."

Suddenly, Levi's head snapped to look at him, the soft demeanor he'd been using with Aubrey completely disappearing.

"We've already made our fucking decision. She's not going anywhere."

"If that's what you want."

Erwin nodded but his eyes were caught on Aubrey's face. Tears were still flowing from her eyes. If she'd decided not to go, then why was she still crying?"

Just a second later, Erwin watched as Levi lifted Aubrey into his arms and headed for the door.

"We're leaving and we're going to pretend this shit never happened. Never mention this again. It's not an option now and it never will be. Quit playing with people's lives and find another way to train your shitty regiment."

Levi's hand reached for the knob and he looked back at Erwin one last time. When he got the nod he was waiting for, he yanked the door open and walked out, not even bothering to close it behind him.

Erwin watched as they disappeared around the corner. All he could do was sit, his chin resting in his hands as he thought about what was coming. From the look on Aubrey's face… he knew she'd made up her mind. She was going to go. The only question was whether or not Levi would kill him when he found out.

A/N: Okay, so, um… sorry. Big sad. Crying. I know. It's bad. I'm the worst. I guess this explains the ten year gap between this book and the next, huh? But I PROMISE it has a reason. Aubrey has to become a good teacher so she can teach a certain someone a certain set of skills. Is that too vague? Idk. Plus, this is AOT… I can't just let everyone be happy lol. I'm still sorry :(

Lots of angst in the coming chapters. But it will be over soon y'all.

I hope this ending doesn't seem too cheesy or far-fetched. It's definitely not part of the canon AOT universe but… neither is Aubrey lol. I felt like this was a good way to work her into the plot of AOT. I needed to explain why Levi was captain of Special Ops and not her and I needed to set up characters that she's going to have on her own squad.

And, like, I know ten years is a long time but… (Spoiler Alert lol) Book 2 is going to skip ahead to when they're together again, so… I guess we won't have to endure the pain of their separation for too long? I hope that makes it a little better lol.

Okay, that's all I've got. If you think this ending is too cheesy please leave a comment and tell me. It was alright in my daydreaming brain but as I was writing I was starting to doubt it. But I do that a lot lol. I just don't want to ruin the story with a bad/unrealistic ending, ya know? I don't know. Maybe I need a beta reader or something lol. Anyway, leave a comment. Thanks :))