Chapter 7
"Leviiii!" Hange burst through the door to his office. "How ya doing?"
"I'm fine, Hange. What do you want?"
"Erwin was just at the experimentation yard and told me to come get you. He had a...mission of some sorts. He didn't explain."
Levi sighed. "I'm guessing I have to go right now?"
"Yes...why?" Hange raised an eyebrow.
"I was going to make some dinner for Isabel, but I guess I'll tell Petra to do it. I don't want her getting too hungry."
"Right. Where is Isabel?" Hange asked.
"Currently playing outside. The squad is taking shifts watching her while they practice combat."
"Good thinking. Well, ya coming?"
"Yeah, yeah," Levi said, standing up from his desk. He followed his comrade outside and hopped on his horse, taking off with Hange at his side.
They made it to the experimentation yard and entered Hange's office. Erwin sat at the desk with his head in his hands. The pair saluted to their superior.
"I need to ask a request of both of you."
"What do you need, Erwin?" Hange asked.
"I'm assuming you know about a special individual that helped during the Trost invasion. His name is Eren Jaeger, a training corp graduate who has the ability to shift into a titan."
Hange immediately gushed. "Who wouldn't know about him. He's such a treasure! Oh if I could just ask him a couple of questions…"
"The Military Police wants to get rid of him," Erwin stated.
"WHAT? They can't do that! This is the closest thing we have to a lead! Erwin, we have to do something!" Hange proclaimed.
"I'm with Four-Eyes. The MP's would make a stupid mistake letting that brat die." Levi added.
"That's why I called you two here. I believe that if we put our heads together, we can convince the judge to place Eren in the hands of the Scouts rather than the Military Police."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll do whatever needs to be done." Hange said.
"Levi? Are you up for this?" Erwin asked.
Levi sighed. "Sure. Let's make this titan brat a Scout."
…
"So...Erwin also told me the situation with Isabel." Hange said as they entered Squad Levi's barracks.
"And?"
"Are we really up for it?" Hange asked. "After all, we Scouts get pretty busy. I don't want little Isabel feeling like we don't have time for her."
"Everything is taken care of. She'll be fine." Levi replied.
"Papa!" Isabel burst through the door, hugging Levi tight. Her clothes were covered in dirt.
"Papa!?" Hange exclaimed, glancing back and forth between Levi and Isabel.
"Isabel, what happened to you? You're...filthy." Levi winced.
"She was running around and took a tumble. We were a little too occupied with training. Sorry, sir." Eld said, coming in with the other members of the squad.
Levi sighed, prying the dirty child off of his once pristine uniform. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. She is a child." He knelt down to her level and looked straight into her eyes. "As long as you live under my roof, you need to keep things as clean as possible, including yourself. Do you understand me, Isabel?"
"Yes Papa," Isabel said, her head hung low.
"I'm sorry, is anyone going to explain this whole Papa thing to me?" Hange asked.
Levi rolled his eyes. "Petra, go get Isabel cleaned up. I'll get Hange up to date on what's going on."
Petra obliged and led Isabel to her room to get a fresh change of clothes. Levi sat Hange down at the table and explained the situation, including the evidence of her trauma and her connection between her father and Levi. Once he was finished, Hange stayed silent for a few seconds.
"So...Isabel only remembers the titans?" She finally asked.
"For right now. She remembers a couple of other things, but it always leads back to that. She can't get the image of her dead parents out of her head. Can't say I blame her." Levi said.
Hange sighed. "That poor little girl."
Levi nodded.
"So...you're basically a father now, huh?" Hange smirked.
Levi rolled his eyes. "I couldn't get her to understand that I wasn't her new dad. Someone else will be, not me. So, I'm letting her call me Papa until she starts to understand more."
"I just think it's precious, that's all." Hange giggled.
"Shaddup," Levi growled, making Hange laugh even more.
"Can I be Momma?" Hange taunted.
"Absolutely not!" Levi snapped.
Right then, Isabel burst into the room, hugging Hange with all her might.
"Hello, sweet Isabel! Have you been behaving today?" Hange smiled, ruffling the three-year-old's hair. Isabel nodded in response.
"I'm so happy to hear that. Can you sit down for a minute sweetie?" Hange pulled up a chair and helped Isabel crawl into it. "You know that Levi and I have work to do right?"
Isabel nodded. "At desks."
"Yes, we do work at desks. However, we also have to do some work far away. Even though we hate being away from you, it's just the way it has to be."
"You're...leaving?" Isabel's gaze drifted to Levi, and he tried his hardest to stay strong.
"Yes, Isabel. But we won't be gone for very long. We...we have to help a boy. He's in a lot of trouble and Levi and I are going to get him out of it. We'll be back before you know it."
"Okay." Isabel pouted.
"After you're all done, you need to come to my office to play. It's so boring without you there." Hange added, gaining a small smile from Isabel.
Hange turned towards Levi. "I hate to go, but I have to go prepare for the case. Maybe I can take some of my work to convince the judge." Hange got up and left after giving Isabel one last hug.
"I have to go get ready too, Isabel. Do you think you can go play for a while?" Levi asked.
Isabel frowned. "Go with you? Please?" Her blue eyes pleaded.
Levi sighed. "Okay, you can come. Can you help Papa get ready to leave?"
Isabel nodded and joined Levi, taking his hand and walking to his room. Like the rest of the barracks, his room was spotless, if not even more so. Everything was in its place and not a single speck of dust littered any surface. He walked over to his drawer and pulled out another clean uniform, setting it down gently on his bed.
Isabel went over and sat down on a chair, playing with her toy as Levi continued to pack. She stayed quiet for the most part, making sure Levi got his work done.
"Papa?" She finally said.
"Yes, Isabel?"
"I...remember."
Levi whipped around to face her. "You remember what?"
Isabel's eyebrows furrowed. "Aunt...Aunt…Aunt Lila."
"Wait…you remember your family?"
Isabel nodded.
"Do you remember anything else? Did she have a husband? Kids? Is there anything else at all?" Levi asked, kneeling down beside her.
Isabel paused and then shook her head. "Just her. She...wanted a husband."
Levi shook his head. So her aunt was single but obviously boy-crazy. It may have been a small memory, but it was enough. "What did she look like?"
Isabel put a finger to her chin. "Brown." She said, pointing to her hair. "Brown." She said again, pointing to her eyes. "Small." She brought her hands close together, signifying that she was short.
"Anything else?"
"...Black dot," Isabel said, pointing to the edge of her cheek. A beauty mark. It may have been a little feature, but it might just be enough to find her.
"Thank you, Isabel. I'll do my best to find her."
Isabel nodded. "You're leaving?"
"Yes, I have to leave. I have to go help a brat get away from the police."
"Come with you?"
"No, Isabel. You can't come with me. No debate. You have to stay here with the squad."
"I wanna go." Isabel pouted.
Levi sighed and looked into her bluebell eyes. "I'll come back soon, but Erwin and Hange need me to go, okay? But I assure you, I'll be home in a couple of days. Until then, you need to keep out of trouble. Promise?"
Isabel nodded. "Promise." She stuck out her pinkie. She truly was remembering more.
Levi interlocked his pinkie with hers signifying their deal. She quickly jumped into his arms, giving him a big hug. Levi reciprocated, holding on tight. He would miss her, even if it was only for a few days. He just hoped that this titan brat was worth it.
…
The next morning, Levi and Hange mounted their horses, ready to follow Erwin on their trip to Wall Sina. There, they would defend Eren Jaeger, a trainee who could transform into a titan with an act of self-harm. Their plan was already settled; they only had to go to the courthouse.
"Come with you?" Isabel's eyes pleaded.
"We've been over this, Isabel. You cannot come." Levi replied
"Please?"
"You have to welcome us back. We'll only be gone for a couple of days. I'm sure you can manage."
Isabel stuck out her bottom lip.
"That trick is not going to work this time." Levi shook his head, and Isabel gave up, retreating into the arms of Petra.
"You'll keep her out of trouble?" Levi looked at his cadet, who held the little girl tightly in her arms.
"Yes sir," Petra replied.
"Bye Isabel! I'll miss you!" Hange yelled, waving frantically to the three-year-old.
"Bye Auntie Hange!" Isabel smiled and waved back.
Levi quickly whipped his head around to look at his comrade. "Auntie Hange?"
"Hey, if I can't be Momma, I can at least be Auntie Hange. Has a nice ring to it, don't ya think?" Hange shrugged her shoulders. Levi rolled his eyes in response.
"We have to go now or we won't be able to question Jaeger before the trial." Erwin reminded them.
"Right. Goodbye." Levi said before snapping his reins. Hange followed suit. As they looked back, they saw the little girl waving back at them, her goodbyes emanating through the field as they rode farther and farther away from the compound.
AN: Hello everyone! I am so sorry that this chapter isn't as entertaining as the others. I promise the next one will be better since Isabel will finally get to meet Eren! Thank you so much for reading and feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism!