I do not own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin

I'm sorry to say that this chapter is a little (a lot in my opinion) shorter than the others. I had a choice: update Friday morning, or update Friday evening (maybe). I wanted to be positive that I would give this chapter. I just means that you guess get an extra chapter in the end.

I'm going on holiday literally now. I'm going out the door as I update. It's Summer!

Lets begin!


Eren had told Isabel and Farlan of his plans. Isabel was actually quite excited to go. Farlan; less, but he didn't want to his mate to go without him. Eren felt a little left out with Levi. He understood his reasoning, but it still hurt. It was like Levi was afraid.

The Great Levi Ackerman - now Jäeger-Ackerman - was afraid to return home! Well, Eren understood that the Slums would never be home in Levi's eyes.

Levi had an uneasy expression on his face since Eren had made the plans and set the date. It had been about a week since Eren had told and they were due to go the next day. There was no council meeting tomorrow, and even if there was an emergency one, having their future Queen and one council member missing wouldn't be too bad.

Eren packed a few things for the trip. The Slums wasn't too far, so they would be walking. Levi had made sure that Roxas would be inaccessible to him until the cub was born. Eren couldn't agree more.

Levi watched his husband and mate from the bed. His legs were crossed and he had his usual dark look painted on his face.

"You make me feel guilty, shitty brat," Levi muttered. Eren froze as he was packing and turn to his mate.

"What have I done now? I'm just packing my bag and suddenly you say you feel guilty," Eren said confused. Levi hissed.

"You're going to that place without me. Farlan said that he refused to allow Isabel to go without him and here I am refusing to tag along and still allowing you to go," Levi explained, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands.

Eren half smiling, stopped packing, and waddled over to his mate.

"I'm not forcing you, Levi, you know that. You can tag along if you want, but I don't want you to feel like you're coming just because of me. We'll be fine. Come on, where is my usual scary husband that could kick me in a blink of an eye?" Eren encouraged Levi to smile. It didn't work.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Levi muttered. Eren huffed and went back to packing the last couple of items.

"You always say that," Eren said.

"Yes, and usually I'm right. Eren, people may still live there. It's abandoned and I'm guessing that bandits maybe there or other creatures," Levi said. Eren forcefully zipped up his bag.

"Well, what are you planning to do?" he turned to his mate, his voice a little aggressive. "Shall I have Erwin and Mike come along? Or do you not want the to see the place their King was born?"

"Brat..." Levi threatened, seeing that Eren was crossing the line. Eren walked up to Levi.

"Talk to me, please. You don't tell me anything anymore. I wonder if you ever told me anything," Eren muttered. Levi rolled his eyes and caressed his mate's left ear.

"I have told you things. This subject is just a little to much. You know why I don't want to go back there. You know. Even for me, it's just too much," Levi said, kissing Eren on the forehead.

Eren realised that once Levi's lips left his forehead, the conversation was over. Eren huffed and slipped into bed. He stared at Levi's back for the rest of the night. He could easily say that it probably wasn't the best sleep he ever had.

. . .

Eren woke up before Levi the next morning, which was rare. Levi was an early riser and would wake up with the sun when it was summer - that was early.

Eren sat up slowly, listening to the bird song outside his window - he could easily say that it was the most annoying thing ever. He turned to Levi, who's back was still to him, and sighed quietly, before getting out of bed and getting changed.

Levi began to shift in his sleep, making Eren freeze. It wasn't like he was sneaking out, he just didn't want to wake his mate up. He didn't want to see the disappointment in his cold eyes. Eren was going to a place Levi would rather forget.

Eren looked upon his mate for a few seconds, before grabbing his bag and departing from their room. He walked through the palace, servants bowing to him as they rushed past.

Isabel and Farlan were already waiting for him in the main entrance, talking to each other. Eren carefully walked down the steps, as he couldn't see his feet. Isabel and Farlan saw their future Queen and smiled.

"Good morning, Eren," Isabel greeted cheerfully. Farlan smiled gently.

"How is Levi?" he asked cautiously. Eren looked down.

"He's not happy. I didn't get to talk to him this morning as he was still asleep," he replied. Farlan sighed.

"Well, if we go now we can miss Levi waking up. The sun will rise soon, so he should be up any minute now," Farlan said. Eren looked puzzled.

"What about breakfast?" he asked. Isabel waved her bag around.

"In here, as well as lunch. The earlier we leave, the earlier we'll get back," she said. Eren nodded and followed the two friends of the crown out the door.

Eren looked back once he was outside and sighed. He hoped Levi would be too angry that he left without saying goodbye, but then again, Levi was Levi, and Levi would get a little pissed off.

Eren didn't really want guards to be with them. He may be the future Queen and pregnant with an heir, but he just wanted to forget all that for a day. Forget that was for married and just look around a place that would probably get him thinking.

They exited the palace grounds and continued up the road to the town. They did not venture in as Eren did not have any smell to mask his. Isabel and Farlan wouldn't be enough, and he didn't want people around him like he was famous.

They kept a distance from the town as they walked around, going through the forest.

The journey was a little long, but the weather was perfect and Isabel distributed the breakfast of toast that had been buttered. The winds were a little cold and Eren kept his cloak around his bump as best as he could when traveller walked passed. To them, Isabel would be the Omega, but he would be caught out if anyone saw his bump.

Isabel could see his discomfort as people walked passed.

"Don't worry, Eren. It's not like they would insult you anymore. I was amazed myself when I first smelt you," she said. Farlan frowned.

"Isabel, that did not help and sounded very wrong," he stated. Isabel thought over what she had just said, before realising and hung her head down in shame.

"Yes, Farlan. Sorry, Eren," she muttered. Eren smiled and chuckled slightly.

"It's okay, Isabel. You cheered my up slightly though," the Omega said. Isabel perked up and smiled triumphantly.

"See, Farlan? I cheered Eren up. So it did help after all," she said.

Eren smiled and looked around the forest. It had gotten so quiet and quite cold. He turned to Isabel and Farlan and noticed something under their cloaks. He reached forward as best as he could and lifted Farlan's cloak up slightly, only to find the 3D Maneuver Gear. Farlan smiled at Eren.

"Do you really believe Levi would have allowed you to go out without at least two people able to protect you, Eren? Both Isabel and I are fully trained in the 3DMG, so you have nothing to worry about," he said.

Eren stood up straight and smiled innocently.

"I was wondering for a second. You're right; Levi would never allow that. I expected Erwin and Mike to follow behind without me knowing about it," he said. Isabel turned around and walked backwards.

"Maybe they are, and Levi didn't tell any of us. Levi likes to keep secrets for people's own good," she said, her arms behind her head casually. Eren shrugged his shoulders

"Maybe."

"Guys, we're nearly there," Farlan said in a sort of urgent voice. It was like he was expecting something and wanted them to be as quiet as possible. If this was going to be that dangerous, maybe it was best not to come.

Isabel understood immediately hurried on ahead. It all seemed like a formation. Both of their expressions looked serious and Eren could tell Farlan had his hand on his sword in case someone came. What had he done?

Isabel ran back.

"It's seems the coast is clear. No one is guarding the entrance," she said. Farlan nodded and forcefully put Eren's hood up.

"Let's go," he said. Eren nodded and followed them. They walked fast to what seemed to be a cave.

They entered and Isabel immediately had a fire torch ready. It was there Eren realised the stairs that descended into the earth. Farlan stepped forward.

"Welcome to the Slums, Eren," he introduced. Eren's eyes widened as he looked further down and saw what seemed to be like an underground city. Torches were still lit, meaning that they weren't alone.

Isabel was the first to go down the steps. It seemed like a long way and Eren had to be careful where he stepped. Farlan kept an eye on him. The steps went on forever, going further and further down into the depths. That was the place Levi was born, even though he was the nephew of the late King Kenny.

They reached the bottom and there wasn't a person in sight.

"Keep your eyes peeled, Isabel. Hopefully they will leave us alone if we do," Farlan muttered. Isabel chuckled.

"When on earth has that ever happened?" she questioned. Eren nodded; it was true.

Eren sniffed around but only caught the familiar scent of a flower he knew very well; the Teria flower. They were masking their scents.

"I smell Teria. Someone is definitely here. We should have never come. I'm sorry," Eren apologised. Farlan looked back at the future Queen.

"We wanted to come here too, Eren. Besides, a bunch of people won't scare us off. Let's keep moving," he said, walking forward. Isabel quickly followed, while Eren looked uneasy before following slowly.

His hand gripped his shirt covering his stomach. No one was going to hurt this child; Eren was going to make sure of that.

The underground Slums was a lot larger that Eren had thought. They had walked at least ten minutes before Isabel looked around like she was revisiting memories.

They both stopped and Farlan pointed.

"I used to live here with my dad. He died from an illness that usually swept through the Slums. It took out Isabel and Levi's parents too," Farlan said, looking at a very run down, tiny house that looked like the roof had caved in. Eren stepped forward. He closed his eyes and took in his surroundings. Both Farlan and Isabel looked confused.

"What was it like around here?" Eren suddenly asked. Isabel stepped forward.

"Busy. It didn't smell great and there were load of gangs. No one was nice to anyone unless there was something in it for them. No one knew that Kuchel was a Princess. There was a chance that someone would have gone for help, but there was a greater chance of people taking advantage of her and Levi. This was a cruel place," she said, looking around. Farlan nodded and walked on further.

"This was Levi's house. He was born here and Kuchel died here," he said.

Everything looked so bleak. No wonder Levi sometimes had his moments; he had grown up in a depressing place where he had to fend for himself. "Is this what you wanted to see?" Farlan asked.

Eren looked to Levi's childhood friends and nodded slowly and sadly.

"It is," he replied. Isabel gave a reassuring smile.

"You don't look like it," she said. Eren shook his head.

"I didn't expect it to be this bad. There's no ray of sunlight here," he said. Farlan then smiled.

"Isabel was kind of lying when she said that we had never seen sunlight before. Come. We'll show you the place that made things down here bearable," he said, walking passed Levi's past house.

Eren gave one more look at it before following the two. The walked to the edge of the Slums, going through another cave and coming out into a cavern.

Eren's stared in awe as he looked around. The cavern was lit up as the sun reflected off the rocks. A mini stream that through the middle and it reminded Eren of his own clearing. He had the clearing back in Shiganshina, and Levi had a cavern where he could look up and wish for a better life.

Eren looked up and notice that the cavern was a well. There was a couple of gaps in the ceiling, meaning that they could have their own way of finding the sky.

It was that moment when Eren heard a stone roll. None of them had moved, and it wasn't from the walls. They all turned around to find that the entrance to the cavern had been blocked off by ten men.

"Well, what do we have here? An Alpha. An Omega. And I'm guessing the 'Queen' of Maria," said a strong looking Alpha in the middle of the group. He had a couple of knifes equipped. Most of them eyed Eren, causing him to use his cloak to cover his stomach.

They all walked forward in unison and surrounded them. Farlan and Isabel immediately revealed the 3DMG and stood ready to protect Eren.

"Wow, that's some nice gear you've got there. It's been a while since we've had any visitor, and I think that that gear would fit me perfectly," a Beta said.

Eren tensed us and thought in his head continuously that this whole thing was a bad idea. He should have listened to Levi and never left. He had put himself in danger again. Eren seriously wasn't very good at this 'stay out of danger during pregnancy' thing.

An Alpha grabbed Eren's wrist hard, but didn't tug.

"So you're the mysterious male Omega that has the whole three Kingdoms shouting about. You certainly are beautiful. Those eyes are something special," he said, caressing Eren's cheek.

Eren glared and immediately swung his right foot at the Alpha, hitting him in the stomach. Eren lost balance and fell to the floor, clenching his stomach in pain. Bad idea.

"Eren!" Isabel and Farlan shouted in unison.

"Eren, you can't do that in that state," Farlan said. He put his swords away and walked up to what he guessed was the group leader. "We aren't here to fight. My mate and I used to live here and wanted to show our friend what it was like. We didn't mean to trespass and if you want us gone, we'll go as quickly as possible," he said, trying to negotiate.

The leader just smirked and crossed his arms.

"Why would we let you go? He may be the Queen, but she's not," he said, pointing to Isabel. "Kill the Alpha. Keep the two Omegas."

Farlan hissed and brought out his swords again, his ears on end. Isabel wasn't giving up without a fight either. Eren felt so useless. He wanted to help, but he couldn't.

It was then that they heard a loud thump and the leader fell to his face. Everyone turned to the entrance to find a short person dressed in a cloak, the hood covering their face. Eren's eyes widened. He knew that smell.

The person removed their hood.

"Annie!" Eren said, more that thrilled. She didn't look entirely happy.

"What mess have you gotten yourself into this time, Eren? God, you always need someone saving you don't you. I guess I'm glad your alive," she said, cheering up a bit. Eren huffed and nodded.

Her attention then went to the nine other people in the cavern. They were out numbered.

A stupid Beta ran forward, screaming a strange battle cry, only to be brought down in seconds. They came after that, using their full strength. It was a full fledged battle, and what could Eren do? He hissed, not realising the Alpha behind him.

He realised to late and closed his eyes, but didn't feel anything. He opened his eyes slowly and saw the one person he wanted here, but didn't expect.

"Levi..." Eren muttered in relief. Levi had his sword embedded into the Alphas throat.

"You always seem to attract trouble, shitty brat," he said, removing his sword to the now corpse.

"Levi, you bastard! You're late!" Annie shouted. Levi huffed.

"Don't lecture me now, Annie. It's not the time," he shouted back.

Erwin, Mike, Gunther, Eld and Mikasa all came down from the holes in the ceiling. They now had the advantage.

Everyone surrounded the remaining bandits. There were about six left, and the immediately dropped their weapons and held up their hands.

Erwin made sure the grab them and tie them up. Levi spoke to Farlan and Isabel, while Eren sat in the corner. Annie walked up to him and sat beside him.

"I knew you and the cub would live. What were you doing in a place like this? And without Levi?" she asked. Eren sighed.

"I wanted to see the place of Levi's origin. I didn't realise it would be this dangerous, but Farlan kept saying that it would be alright. I wish I had never come," he muttered. Annie softly smiled and rubbed Eren's shoulder.

"Don't say that. Levi is your husband now, so it's in your nature to be curious," she said. Eren nodded, before wondering something.

"Oh yeah, why are you here, Annie?" he asked.

"Me? I was planning to make my promised visit, but I spent the whole night travelling thinking I could sleep at the palace, but got too tired to keep on going. I was going passed and thought I would stay in the Slums for a bit and heard voices and caught your scent. Followed them and found you. Aren't I lucky?" Annie explained. Eren smiled.

"I never got to thank you for saving me that time. Grisha's dead, but he died with a clear conscience," he said. Annie nodded.

"I'm glad. You don't need to thank me, Eren. I'm free now and have seen so much in these few months. I travelled around Sina for a bit and then to Rose, and back to Maria. You should be five months along by now, shouldn't you? How's it been?" she asked. Eren looked down.

"Horrible. I can't do anything. I kicked one of those bandits and fell flat on my arse in pain in my stomach. I'm useless," he replied. There was silence for a bit, until Annie sighed.

"You're not useless, Eren. You're reckless and seriously need to now where you can and can't go. You're pregnant and everyone has those problems. You tried, that's the main thing. You didn't just give up and let yourself be taken," she said. Eren nodded slowly.

It was that moment when Levi came over. He did not look too happy, but he didn't look to angry either.

"Annie, it's good to see you again," he said. Annie stood up and huffed.

"Enough with the formalities, Levi. I'm tired and hungry. Do you mind if we could have our heartwarming reunion back at the palace?" she said. Levi nodded.

"Of course. You go on ahead. I need to speak with Eren," he replied. Eren mentally gulped. Annie smirked and it looked like she skipped away.

Levi did not take his eyes off his mate as the Beta skipped passed.

"You always seem to get into trouble," Levi commented. Eren looked down.

"It's not my fault. I actually realised that this may have not been a good idea, but Farlan said it was fine. I just wanted to see this place. This cavern is beautiful," he said. Levi looked around, taking in the memories.

"It is, isn't it? I spoke to Farlan and he said he takes full responsibility, so you're off the hook. You could have told me you were leaving this morning," Levi muttered. Eren shrugged his shoulders.

"You seemed so disappointed the night before. I didn't want to see that look on your face again. You said you didn't want to come here, so why are you here?" Eren asked. Levi smiled and sat down next to Eren, watching everyone leave the cavern.

"I knew you would get into trouble, even if Farlan and Isabel were there. Besides, I was a coward to be afraid of this place. I guess I forgot about the cavern. It hasn't changed," Levi said, looking up at the wall the surrounded them. "This was a place where you could see the sun or feel droplets of rain. The sun would reflect off the rocks, making everything glow. It was really...pretty." Eren looked to his mate, who looked like he was in deep thought.

Eren smiled and rested his head on Levi's shoulders.

"I'm glad you came," he muttered. Levi breathed out a laugh.

"Brat..." he murmured, resting his own head on Eren's.

They stayed there for a couple of minutes. Everything was silent, apart from the sound of dripping water that echoed throughout the cavern.

"We should go," Levi said, snapping Eren out of his trance. He nodded and used the wall to get himself up. Levi smiled and grabbed Eren's waist. "Isabel told me how you tried to defend yourself. I know you're upset that you couldn't do much, but I'm proud of you. You protected yourself in this state. You've done more than most people could."

Eren smiled and nodded, before kissing his husband on the lips and savouring the feeling. The kiss was short, but was enough.

Levi went ahead first, exiting the cavern. Eren followed, looking back and smiling.

It truly was a beautiful place.


There we go. Chapter 42 is now up. I hope you guus enjoyed it. It brought Annie back, and she's hungry. I partly forgot about her and then realised that I needed to bring her back. Well here you go.

I would like to thank these people for the following:

Reviewing - KamuiSuou, Ern Estine 13624, BerryMary096, mymilkshakebringallzeboyz, YokaiAngel, Melyway, A World Made Happier With Yaoi, xXMelonsXx, Sapphire-inks, alonealexabluerose and Pinkii Fangirl.

Favouriting - hh. vxnne. mm, horsegrl2000.

Following - hh. vxnne. mm, horsegrl2000.

Thank you for the lovely reviews! I appreciate all the support and your opinions on how Eren should feel the cub. You people really are weird.

Oh, I also set up a Poll on my profile. It's to do with the gender of the cub. It's only guessing, so no matter what wins, that may not be the gender. It's a blind poll, so no cheating ;).

Im going to go now and I will see you guys next week with a longer chapter. It's holidays now, so I don't have to worry about getting up the next morning. Hurray!

Well, until next Friday.