Chapter 23:

AN: Finally found the time to write another chapter. Sorry for taking so long!

BTW...this is not following the plot/timeline of the regular story now. I'm staying in my own little fantasy where most characters aren't dying.

"Levi?" Hange entered the captain's office without knocking. Levi rolled his eyes at the intrusion.

"What do you need, Hange?" Levi asked.

"I need you to confirm some of this paperwork. It's about the beautiful titan that you caught me on our last expedition." Hange plopped the papers on his desk, and they splayed out in front of him.

Levi sighed. "Okay."

Hange stood uncomfortably as if she had more to say.

"Is there something else?" Levi asked, annoyance rising in his voice.

"You...know what today is...right?" Hange asked.

Levi's jaw began to clench. "Of course I do."

"And you aren't going to say anything?" Hange pushed.

"What is there to say? We've gone through this same conversation for ten years."

"Which means that it could be her time."

"It shouldn't be, Hange. You know as much as I do that it would be a death wish."

"But...we could see her again," Hange mumbled.

"Hange, I'm done having this conversation. I can't think about this right now." Levi snapped.

"Fine. I guess we'll just see tonight. Better lighten up before then." Hange muttered something else under her breath before storming out of Levi's office.

Levi sighed. He had waited for this day a long time. Ten whole years. Today would be the determining factor for years to come. Today was the day that new cadets would choose their corps, and Levi hoped and prayed that Isabel wouldn't be among the Scouts.

He and Hange weren't usually able to help out with the Training Corp. Their work was too important, and they didn't have time to help rookies who didn't have the guts to face a titan. They needed to train those who had already dedicated their hearts to the Scouts.

Hange had asked to see Isabel for years, but Levi always refused. Reminding Isabel of her past would just bring more heartache for everyone. Besides, she was safe within the Sina walls. Why would she care about the people that happened to be around for two years of her life?

Levi pushed the unpleasant thoughts out of his mind so he could focus on work. He would find out tonight whether his little girl would be joining, and he prayed that she wouldn't.

…

Levi stood quietly on the stage, hands folded behind him. He glanced over the group of children who were either idiots, had a death wish, or didn't know what they were up against: the new recruits for the Survey Corps.

"I want to thank you for your decision to join the Scouts." Erwin proclaimed; his stature as stoic as ever even after all these years. "Before we disperse, please join me in dedicating your hearts to humanity." The blonde pounded a fist to his chest, and the young recruits followed suit.

Levi looked at all of the kids, wondering how many would want to quit after the first expedition...if they even survived. Suddenly, something caught his eye. One cadet stared straight back at him, smirking. He was used to people staring, but no one ever smiled at him unless they knew him. That, or they were snickering at his lack of height.

This girl had her auburn hair tied up in a ponytail. Freckles dotted her pale skin. She seemed to have the most energy out of any of the cadets, her salute more passionate than anyone else. But the most defining factor was her shining blue eyes. They seemed to be the exact color of sapphires, sparkling in the light of the glowing torches.

Wait…

"Dear Sina, no." Levi thought, his eyes widening. This girl...she would be the same age as her. She also bore that striking resemblance. Could it be…

"No." Levi thought. "She lives in Sina now. There's no way her parents would ever let her join the Scouts. I'm just being delusional." He ignored the girl and stared at his shoes instead. He felt so stupid for thinking it was her. It was probably just some self-entitled brat who had thought that she had the right to smirk at Humanity's Strongest Soldier. The resemblance meant nothing. It wasn't her. It couldn't be her.

"We will take back the land that was brutally stolen from us. We shall eradicate the titans! We will succeed!" Erwin proclaimed, and the teenagers cheered. Levi exited the stage, ready to take refuge in his office once again. He hoped that no one would follow him.

…

That night, Levi hunched over his paperwork, trying to exclude the girl from his mind. He signed document after document, getting lost in his work until a knock sounded on his door.

"Enter." He said, not taking his eyes off of the paper in front of him.

The door opened and closed, and Levi heard footsteps approach the desk. All of the sudden, they stopped. No other noises were evident.

"Was there a reason…" Levi looked up and saw...her. The girl at the ceremony earlier. She was smiling at him again, her fist against her heart in a respectful salute. What was her issue?

"Yes?" Levi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hello, Captain. It's been a while." She said, smiling all the more.

Levi winced. It couldn't be her. He didn't want it to be her.

"Well, I saw you during the ceremony today, so it wasn't that long ago." Levi scoffed, returning to his paperwork.

The girl's smile faltered. "You...really don't remember?"

"What should I remember?" Levi asked, praying that this wasn't her.

"Gee, and here I thought you would give me the same reaction Auntie Hange did."

Levi's eyes snapped to the cadet. Her blue eyes sparkled, and Levi felt his own well with tears.

"I-Isabel?" He gasped.

"Hi, Papa. I missed you." She said, her smile somehow widening even more.

Levi launched himself from his chair, engulfing his little girl in a hug. Well, not exactly little. She was a couple of inches taller than him now, which he hated, but he hugged her anyway. He couldn't stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks.

"It's really you?" Levi asked.

"It's me, Papa. I'm home." Isabel replied.

All of the sudden, Levi pushed her away, letting out a slew of curses.

Isabel's eyes went wide. "Dang, I've never heard those words come out of your mouth." She chuckled.

"No," Levi muttered.

"What?"

Levi looked at her jacket for confirmation. Sure enough, the Wings of Freedom were stitched on it. "You shouldn't be here."

"Wha-What do you mean?" Isabel's eyes widened.

"The whole reason you got adopted was to get you away from this place, not to send you back."

Isabel winced. She certainly didn't expect this kind of reunion. Not with the man she had looked up to the most. "Well, I'm here now. It's official and everything." She said, gesturing to the Wings of Freedom on her jacket.

"No, it's not," Levi said, rushing back to his desk and taking out a blank piece of paper. "I can transfer you. Garrison will keep you safe."

"Papa, I finished in the top 10. I'm needed here." Isabel pleaded.

"Top 10? Even better. Now I can send you to the MP's. Sure they're self-entitled...individuals, but you'll be far away from the titans." Levi sat down at his desk and started to write a new report: a reassignment.

"Papa…" Isabel muttered.

"How do you spell your last name again? It has been 10 years."

"CAPTAIN LEVI ACKERMAN!" Isabel grabbed his wrist and forced him to stop writing. Levi met her gaze, and his heart dropped. They were no longer the innocent eyes of the little girl he once knew. They were the eyes of a determined young woman, cold and commanding. She was...grown up.

Levi dropped the pen.

"I made my decision. I want to fight the titans. Don't take this away from me. Please." Isabel growled.

"But...I don't want to lose you."

"And you won't. But I'm 15 now. I can fend for myself."

Levi paused. "Is it because of us?"

"What?"

"Because of all of us? Hange, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, me...did you join because of us?" Levi whispered.

Isabel scoffed. "Wow, that's the best you can come up with?"

"Does it hurt to know?"

"I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for me. For my family. In case you forgot, I almost got killed by a titan. My parents were killed by a titan. Your entire squad was killed by a titan. Everyone I love is tortured by these monsters and I'm sick of it! I want to be a part of the solution. So throw that paper away and let me make my own decision because whether you like it or not, I'm a Scout!" Isabel snarled.

Levi glanced at her jacket once again. The Wings of Freedom seemed to taunt him; they gave him a hard slap of reality. Isabel wasn't going to back down. There was nothing he could do to stop her.

"Fine." Levi sighed.

Isabel's expression softened. "Thank you."

"I hope you know what you're getting into."

"I'm one of the only kids who have seen a titan." Isabel scoffed. "If anyone knows what is going to happen, it's me."

"Good. The road ahead isn't pretty."

"I'm counting on it."

"Okay then." Levi took a deep breath and tore the document in two. He promptly threw it in the wastebasket.

Isabel sighed with relief. "Thank you, Papa."

"Don't go dying on me, okay kid? Promise me you'll be careful." Levi said, his slate eyes pleading.

"Don't worry, Papa. I'm not going anywhere." Isabel said, giving him a big hug as a tear rolled down her cheek. She was finally home.