On the way back to the encampment, Addie told Jean about what happened at the house the night Floch kidnapped her. His hand tightened around hers with crushing force in his struggle to contain his emotions, but she did not complain.
Jean immediately wished he had unloaded those four shots that had served as a signal to his comrades into Floch Forster's head. He decided he should warn Addie about who waited for them at the campsite. She would be walking into an unusual and tense situation with some extremely uncomfortable allies who had been forced together in order to stop Eren. Oddly enough, in a different time and place, she had been a friend to none of them and an enemy to all. But things had drastically changed for everyone and so had the enemy.
"There's Conny, Armin, Mikasa, Hange, and Levi. Levi has been injured quite badly," he warned her. "But he's alive."
Addie made a mental note that she would take a look at his wounds. Levi was in good hands with Hange for sure, but she wanted to help. Without pressing Jean for more information, more names, she hoped and waited to hear about one individual in particular.
"We made some interesting new allies," he began, relaxing his grip on her hand at last.
"Oh?" She wiggled her fingers to get the blood flowing again then squeezed his hand seeking reassurance.
"Some people you will recognize from Marley. Gabi and Falco are there," he said, deciding to give her the names of the children first since she had tried to protect them on the airship.
"I'm so glad they're safe," she sighed with relief.
The only reason she was glad Gabi wasn't dead was for Falco and Reiner's sake. She clung to Jean's hand and his words expectantly while they walked.
"Yelena. Onyankapon. Pieck Finger and General Magath."
"General?" Well, good for him. He got a promotion.
"Reiner's there too," he added in an agitated gush of breath.
Her fingers tightened exponentially around his until he thought she might break them. He expected a far more vocal reaction from her upon hearing her beloved was there. But she did not say a word. Addie did not ask if Reiner had inquired about her, and Jean was glad.
Maybe Reiner had not asked any questions because there was too much going on. Things had been moving fast and crazy since the invasion from the Marleyans started and showed no signs of stopping. Perhaps he thought it best to keep his mouth shut about her considering he was in the company of his compatriots again, and they shouldn't know about their relationship. Forbidden did not even begin to describe the stigma of any relationship, especially a sexually intimate one, between a Marleyan and an Eldian.
However, it seemed to Jean if Reiner really loved her, he would have at least pulled one of them aside to ask if she was alive. He would like to think Reiner simply assumed they did not know her whereabouts since she was not with them. Whatever his reasons for staying quiet about Addie, the man never asked a single damn question about the woman he supposedly loved.
Surprisingly, Addie's pace did not quicken to get to the campsite but actually slowed. Did she dread seeing Reiner again? Or was she simply shocked they would soon be reunited? Either way, Jean had to pull her along until they reached the edge of the clearing where everyone still lay sleeping.
"Wait here," he told her, peeling her fingers away from his hand.
Her knuckles were white and ached she had been holding onto him so tightly. She chewed her lower lip as she watched him enter the clearing full of still bodies lying under blankets. Her eyes scanned over everyone stopping on Levi who was asleep on a makeshift cart. His entire head was bandaged except for his left eye. His right hand lay on belly. There were spots of blood at the top of the gauze covering the stumps where his middle and index finger used to be.
Wow, Levi. You really are the world's strongest soldier to survive whatever happened to you that left you in that condition, she thought. A new found sense of respect for the man swelled inside her chest along with the heartbreak of seeing him in such an awful state. The horrors of war visited upon the brave soldiers, no matter who they fought for, never ceased to hurt her on a visceral level.
"Hey, Gabi, I'm sorry I kicked you," she heard Jean apologizing to the child. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
Addie felt her heart softening toward the girl. Gabi looked so sweet and innocent wiping the sleep from her eyes making it easy to forget she had murdered people. But a this point, who was totally innocent and had not taken a life? Maybe it was pregnancy hormones or motherly instinct, but she wanted to hug her. She was also Reiner's niece so she would have to come to terms with how she felt about that brat anyway. If Jean could accept her after what she did to Sasha, surely she could.
Gabi's big brown eyes blinked then opened wide. "You're back!" she exclaimed excitedly. "So you're going to help us after all?"
"Of course I am," Jean said, before standing to walk over to Reiner.
Addie's stomach clenched when she saw the man she loved asleep on the ground, flat on his back as if he had been knocked out. She flinched when Jean kicked his booted feet hard enough to move his entire body. Even in his sleep, Reiner looked tense and exhausted. His cheeks looked a little more sunken in since the last time she saw him, the bags under his eyes a little heavier. The burden of carrying his sins had never gotten any lighter, and he had only added to them by coming back here she was sure. This war or whatever one wanted to call it, was not even close to being over yet either.
"Hey, asshole, wake up," Jean muttered, kicking the unmoving man again.
Reiner groaned but did not open his eyes.
"Wake your lazy ass up. You've had plenty of time to heal. Get the fuck up!" Jean yelled which caused everyone else to begin rallying and waking up.
This time Jean kicked Reiner in the behind to shake him out of his deep slumber. He glared down at the man whose face has collapsed into a grimace but he did not open his eyes or attempt to move otherwise. Sleeping off the healing from the beating he had received had put him in a state of semi-hibernation and was not the easiest thing to wake up from no matter how persuasive the outside force. He regretted not one single punch and only wished he could have killed him last night.
However, they needed Reiner's big dumb Titan shifting ass. Glancing toward the forest, he knew he had to leave him alive for her as well. However, he couldn't help wondering if she would be better off without Reiner.
Jean had one thing that might get him fully awake and on his feet more quickly than another swift kick in the ass. Squatting down beside him, he spoke in a soft voice only Reiner could hear.
"You should kiss my boots and then my ass, Reiner Braun. I found someone very important to you."
Jean waved for Addie to come out of her hiding spot. All heads turned, including the Cart Titan's, riveting their attention toward the rustling and shivering foliage. Eyes widened and mouths dropped when Addie appeared.
"Addie," Conny gasped.
Upon hearing her name from Conny's lips, Reiner's eyes popped wide open. In shock and disbelief, he stared unseeing at the sky above him turning pink with the coming sun.
"Adelaide Wagner?" Magath mumbled stunned by the identity of their surprise guest more than her appearance like a ghost out of the forest.
To avoid getting head butted, Jean stood up and backed away as Reiner sat bolt upright as if awakening from a nightmare. The nightmare wasn't over yet for any of them.
Pieck, still in her Cart Titan form, almost knocked over Yelena and Onyankopon when swinging her gigantic head swiftly to get a better look at the new arrival. Annie said nothing but glanced around at her colleagues as if one of them could explain why the daughter of the infamous butcher of Liberio was here among them. She also wanted to ask why her former Scout comrades seemed to know her as well.
Reiner slowly got to his feet, wobbling on his knees which had gone spongy from shock making it damn near impossible to stand. He swayed side to side like a drunk man struggling to find his balance and steady himself. He could not believe his eyes. How could she be here? Why is she here? But she was alive. And not about to be trampled in Marley. He had been nearly sick with grief last night. If Jean had kept going and killed him, he would have welcomed death. Finally he would find reprieve from the guilt of the awful things had done and the heartache from what he had lost.
Addie bowed to everyone in greeting. She smiled shyly, her cheeks turning pink when everyone continued to stare in dumbfounded silence. Her eyes jumped from face to face until they landed on Reiner. Her face darkened to red when their eyes met. Rolling her lower lip inward, she bit down to stop it from quivering. The sting of teeth sinking into her skin did not stop her tears though. Her feet were lead weights and refused to step forward. She stayed on the edge of the circle, gazing across the clearing at Reiner who she could barely see through her tears.
In return, he stared at her, wide eyed and thunderstruck, rooted to the spot where he stood as well. His skin had gone beyond pale and looked positively ashen. He took a step forward on his weak knees, not trusting them but wanting to get to her all the same. His eyes dropped to her abdomen. Her hands pressed the sides of her rounded belly that looked as if she were hiding a child's ball under her shirt.
"Oh, Addie," Reiner gasped, taking another tentative, shaky step toward since she did come to him. "Our baby?"
"Baby!" exclaimed Magath only to be ignored by everyone. He looked pale and sick, swiping at the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. "What the fuck have you done, Braun?!"
Annie's brow furrowed as her confusion deepened, but she remained reticent. How much had she missed while she had been stuck in the prison of her own making?
The two children looked at each other. Gabi glared accusingly at Falco when he did not seem surprised by Reiner mentioning a baby. He extended his hands, fingers splayed wide in supplication while he shook his head. There just never seemed to be a good time to tell her,"By the way, Gabi, your Uncle is love with a Marleyan, and she's going to have his baby."
"Oh, goddammit, you moron," Jean muttered irritably, slapping Reiner on the back to shove him toward her. "Go to her already."
Reiner stumbled forward, catching himself just before he slammed into her and bowled her over. Standing in front of her, looming over her by nearly a foot, he had never felt so weak or vulnerable in her presence as he did in this moment. Tears silently streaked down her cheeks as she stared up at him without saying a word.
The love shining in her eyes for that damn traitor made Jean's heart hurt. He always wanted a woman to look at him that way. His eyes skirted over to Mikasa who watched the reunion with a stunningly dead eyed expression, no emotion whatsoever registering on her face.
Out of curiosity, Jean checked everyone else's reaction to the unexpected, to say the least, reunion occurring in front of them.
Conny looked bored and completely uninterested that the two lovebirds had found each other again. He stood up, brushing off his behind. He began his search for something that could pass as breakfast before they started packing everything up to be off on their journey today.
Annie was still befuddled but extremely interested in what was about to happen while Reiner stood transfixed as if the woman had cast a spell on him. She could see why Adelaide Wagner had garnered his attention. The little blonde would be a suitable substitute for the woman he could never have.
Levi observed the overall situation critically with his one grey eye peeking through the bandages. He was probably still not sure what to think of Addie, or Reiner for that matter. Circumstances and necessity had forced them all to come together, to declare a truce and fight side by side in order to save the whole damn world. No one could judge each other's intentions or even doubt anyone's motivations here.
Hange showed the most emotional reaction by tearing up. Not the reaction Jean expected from her but sometimes she did have the tendency to get a bit over emotional. Usually it was being way too excited over some experiment. Maybe she was happy her new favorite test subject for her next great research project was back.
Armin looked away, a light blush on his cheeks as if he knew he was intruding on some private moment. Unfortunately, privacy was not an option under the circumstances. His eyes moved to Annie and his blush deepened. The lingering emotions left behind from the previous Colossal Titan still affected his own.
Jean balked at the concept of being influenced by someone's emotions that were not his own. Catching one more glimpse of Mikasa, stoic and impassive as ever, his eyes went back to the couple who were still trying to get past the initial shock of seeing each other again. The only man she ever seemed to have any emotion for was Eren. Jealousy blossomed inside his chest, hot, then ice cold. His fingers formed tight fists. He wanted to hit Reiner again so damn badly.
Reiner continued to stand in front of Addie, his arms rigid at his sides. Ever the soldier, he glanced over at the stupefied General Magath seeking his permission before greeting her properly. When he received a nod and a hand wave of "go ahead" from his superior officer, he dropped to his knees in front of her. Placing both of his hands on her rounded belly, he slid them over the entirety of it to smooth down the shirt in order to see and feel exactly how big she was.
"How far along are you?" he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.
"Uhm, I'd say about four, maybe five months." She chuckled self-consciously, her face heating as he continued to rub her pregnant belly. "I'm not really sure when it happened. I never thought it would be possible. How did you know? I never - "
"Eren told me that night in Liberio. Oh, Addie," he whispered, pressing his ear against her belly. Sliding one hand around to the small of her back while the other lay flat against the side of her belly, he hugged her and the baby at the same time the best way he could.
Addie exhaled the breath she had been holding upon finding herself in Reiner's embrace at last. More happy tears fell. Her trembling fingers brushed through his silky soft hair as he continued to hold her and his child. She had dreamed about this moment for months. The last few days she had almost given up on it ever happening. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders to embrace him in return.
Reiner stood up, her arms drifting down his sides in order to avoid breaking contact with him. Gazing down at her for moment to take in her beautiful face, he lowered his head to place a chaste little peck on her tear stained cheek. He planted another kiss on her forehead, her other cheek, then lastly her lips. The kiss was hard and forceful, reclaiming her as his own right in front of everyone.
"I-love-you," Addie declared between the pecks he gave her on the lips.
"I love you too," he said, pulling her into his body for a hug. He crammed her face into his hard chest nearly crushing her nose.
They stayed locked in each other's embrace for several minutes, waterfalls of tears flowing down both of their faces. As much as they wished time would stop and they could stay like this forever, they could not. The sun had risen, and they needed to be on their way to the port.
Jean cleared his throat in order to get their attention in a somewhat understated manner rather than yelling for them to break it up already. Despite how he felt about Reiner, he did not want to be that asshole for Addie's sake.
"I'm sorry to break up the reunion," he declared. "But we should get going."
"Get going where?" Addie asked, peeking around Reiner to see Jean.
Jean could feel his face heating when her eyes met his. "We're heading to the port. We need to get to Marley before Eren and the Titans released get there."
"Eren is still alive? So he does plan on killing everyone else to save Paradis?" Addie inquired, gripping Reiner's wrist when he pressed his palm to her jaw to turn her face back to him.
"In a manner of speaking," Jean answered her first question without expounding on Eren's new state of existence. How could he possibly explain his new Titan form to her after Eren got his head blown off by Gabi? "Yes. That is his plan. If everyone else in the world is dead, there will be no one to threaten Paradis ever again," Jean said, turning his back to her when Reiner cradled her head in his big hand holding her tenderly against him.
"Come on everyone! Time to load up!" Conny shouted, clapping his hands to motivate people to move.
"I should go help," Reiner said, reluctantly letting Addie go. He placed another kiss on her forehead before turning to leave.
"Well, that was painful to watch," Conny murmured as he walked past her, brushing his shoulder against hers. "Welcome back."
I imagine it was. It felt painfully awkward to be watched, she thought. In her daydreams, she and Reiner did not have a gawking audience in attendance for their reunion.
Mikasa said nothing, only bowed her head in acknowledgement as she passed by. Armin did the same but blushed hotly.
Just how bashful is this man? Addie wondered.
Addie waved at Falco who sheepishly waved back before Gabi grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her away from Addie. He would no doubt have some explaining to do. Those two acted like a little old married couple already. This thought actually made her smile. Falco had confessed to her once that he had a crush on Gabi, and his whole reason for wanting to be a warrior was to protect her.
Annie Leonhart glared at Addie from where she still sat cross legged on the ground. The women engaged in a staring contest. Annie looked more bemused than angry, not sure what she should think about the presence of a Marleyan; especially one who was pregnant by her comrade which only added to her confusion. Finally, without saying a word, she stood up to leave the circle to help the others.
General Magath and Pieck Finger had disappeared, possibly to scout ahead to who and what awaited them at the port.
"Addie!" Hange exclaimed behind her nearly frightening her out of her skin.
"Good God woman don't do that to a pregnant woman!" she yelled back, holding her hand over her galloping heart to keep it from beating out of her chest.
"Sorry, I'm just so glad you're here!"
Next the excitable scientist threw her arms around Addie's neck, giving her a choking but affectionate hug. Over Hange's shoulder she could see Levi watching them. His one eye rolled, and he shook his head disapprovingly before gradually lying back down on his rolling wooden stretcher.
"I hope you will allow me to deliver the baby," Hange said, taking her by the hand to pull her toward Levi.
"Well, I'd like that but..." But who know where we will be in four months? Hopefully not dead and in the ground. Addie gulped to swallow the bile rising in her throat at that thought.
"But first, you have to come look at this stubborn man. He absolutely refuses to die."
"That's a good thing," Addie said, gazing at Levi whose eye opened and slid to the corner toward her. "Hello again, Captain."
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," he mumbled under the layers of cotton strips. He was wrapped up like a mummy.
Addie could not tell if that was an insult to show his disappointment she had returned or his weird way of saying he was happy to see her alive. Either way, she smiled down at him while taking a seat on the inclined cart to be near him so she could get a look at the wounds. She extended her fingers to begin removing the bandages then froze with her hands in mid air.
Looking at Hange, she asked, "Can I take these off? I can leave them alone if need be."
"Go ahead and take them off. They need to be changed and his wounds cleaned before we start off anyway. I'll be right back."
While Hange ran to get the medical supplies before they were loaded on the wagon, Addie slowly unwrapped the yards and yards of gauze. Eventually spots of blood started to appear on the white bandage where it had soaked it up after oozing between the stiches along the two cuts covering the right side of his face.
The one cut extended from his hairline at his forehead downward almost diagonally across his eye all the way to his lips, ending at his chin. He would no doubt be blind in that eye. The other smaller cut went from his temple down to his jaw across his cheek. It must have taken her hours to sew up these long and probably wide gashes using the tiny stitches she did in order to minimize these scars which would still be terrible.
"You did beautiful work...especially to not be in an operating room," Addie complimented Hange who dabbed at the cuts with antiseptic.
"I'm sure you've experienced emergency surgeries in the field," she returned, handing the experienced nurse a roll of gauze.
"Yeah, I have," she sighed, thinking about the amputation she had assisted Eren with in the cabin in Marley.
Levi gritted his teeth making an audible grinding sound as the two women worked together to get the cuts disinfected then covered with clean bandages. He never made a sound, not a grunt, not a groan, nor did he pull away even when Addie started to work on his hand, covering what was left his two fingers with the stinging antiseptic.
Hange had cut the fingers off below the second knuckle, making the bone and muscle even across the top. She had cut below the skin, using the excess to fold over and cover the top of the amputated digits, sewing it together in order to close the wounds. By the time they were done, Levi had passed out from the pain which was quite merciful for him.
"He's so incredibly strong. Simply amazing," Addie marveled, brushing the sweaty hair back from his forehead.
"We should go wash up," Hange suggested, pointing toward the river beyond where the others were milling around the wagons.
"What happened to him?" Addie asked as they walked.
"Zeke, that bastard, set off a thunder spear in order to kill them both. Of course that asshole came out just fine. He was able to regenerate. But the Captain..." Her words trailed away into a deep sigh. "He's alive. Any other man would have died instantly or given up once realizing the extent of his injuries. Not that man. Not Levi."
"He is something special that's for sure. He is definitely a stubborn one, and it's that stubbornness that is keeping him alive." Seeing the worry on Hange's face, she grabbed the woman's shaking hand and squeezed it. "He'll be fine. Be happy he's too damn hard headed to die."
"Oh, I definitely am!"
Both women laughed mostly to offset the tension, the worry for Levi, rather than anything actually being funny. They dropped to their knees beside the water to wash off the blood. While they were shaking the water from their clean hands, there was a loud whistle then a shout. Jean stood by the wagons waving his arms.
"We're ready! Let's go!" Jean bellowed for everyone to hear.
The baby inside of Addie tumbled as if she were doing a somersault. She smiled, pressing her hand to her abdomen. Although she could not yet feel the baby on the outside. The movements of the tiny baby were like soft nudges on the inside.
Jean stared at her the entire time she walked toward him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm great," she responded breathlessly. "I could feel the baby moving. It's so wonderful, Jean."
"Can I feel her?" He smiled, excited and happy for her, extending his hands toward her abdomen. His smile faded when she shook her head.
"Not yet. It's too soon for anyone else to feel her," she replied, feeling sad when his arms dropped to hang limply at his sides. "But as soon as you can, I will definitely let you know."
Jean's eyes rolled upward from gazing at the ground between his boots to meet her gaze.
"What will Reiner think of that?" he questioned her, jerking his chin toward the man who was quickly advancing toward them.
"I don't know. It didn't occur to me I needed his permission to allow a friend to share in the joy of my child," she said.
The smile returned to Jean's face.
"You know, that sassy attitude and annoyingly independent spirit was two of the things I hated most about you when I first met you. But now, I think I'm starting to like it," he remarked.
"Don't get me wrong, Jean," she began, reaching out to place her fingertips along his jaw. "I love Reiner, and I want to be with him. But I also know there is another woman in his heart he has never let go of. I've never had any illusion about that. In the end, he is free to choose who to love. And so am I."
"Addie! Is everything okay?" Reiner called well before getting to them.
"Everything is fine," she replied, giving him a thousand watt smile. "I felt the baby move."
"No wonder you look so happy," he said, casting a sidelong glower at Jean as he walked past him to take her by the arm. He placed one arm around her shoulders and his other hand on her belly, leaning in close to her as they walked back to the wagon. "You'll ride with me," Reiner announced, pulling her toward the first wagon.
"Uhm, I think I'll ride with Hange to be close to Levi. In case he needs something," she added quickly when he glanced down at her, his eyebrows meeting over his nose in puzzlement.
"Uh...okay," he returned as she wriggled out of his grip.
"You all right?" Hange asked her when she stepped up to the back of the second wagon.
Addie glanced at the two men standing at the back of the first wagon glaring at each other. Neither one would get in, each waiting for the other to move first. Shaking her head, she exhaled noisily in exasperation.
"I'm not sure what kind of game those two are playing, but they're trying to put me in the middle, and I'll have no part of it."
"Oh, those two. Hmmm...lots of hard feelings there to say the least. Come on," Hange said, extending a hand to help her over the back of the cart and over Levi's feet so she did not trip or hurt him. "You will be much safer back here with us."