LEVI'S P.O.V.

It was roughly a month later and things had died down at the corps. Most had forgotten Dilan was even apart of their ranks, apart from him, the squad, Hanji and Erwin. Not that Erwin cared she had died. He was just pissed he didn't have a soldier as skilled as her in his ranks anymore apart from Levi. At the beginning when people were told of her death, the corps seemed to be in relief, claiming it a good thing that 'the savage' was gone. Levi had to pull the squad off of random corps members a number of times as they lashed out in rage, griefing their friend. It was weird too see how much Dilan's deaths affected them, despite knowing her for only a short amount of time. Even Toby had screamed at one of them, telling the mwhat a good person she was. He had even swung a punch before Levi pulled him back. It was sobering to see and didn't help the guilt that fuelled him most nights. As annoying as it was... the brats death affected him more than he would care to admit. She had saved his life; she had saved all those children and she had helped take down a major operation while doing it.

After they regrouped and the children were sent back to their homes, the corps had attacked the base. It was empty and they weren't surprised but it was obvious that they had left in a panic. All of their 'goods' were left behind. The drugs, the sex slaves... everything of value to them. Levi knew it wasn't likely to be the end of their operation, but they had sent them right back to the beginning and crime would lessen because of it. That was all thanks to Dilan's bravery. The corps had been given medals by the royals of Sina for saving so many lives, even though Levi knew at least a few of their fat asses would have gladly brought some of those kids had they been given the chance. Levi didn't feel right taken his medal. He didn't deserve it. Dilan did. But Erwin made him, anyway, telling him to just follow orders or there would be consequences.

Despite the success of the mission it seems as though his 'shenanigans' had put him on thin ice with both Erwin and the squad. He had been forced into a room after they finally got home and made to debrief the events of the day as they transpired to Erwin, Hanji, Mike and the rest of the squad who had forced them into the room, since apparently Tabitha thought it her right to know what happened to the girl. Levi explained what happened truthfully and logically, showing them, he had no other choices. Erwin was clearly pissed he had lost Dilan but Hanji, who was still pissed at him too for different reasons, was kind enough to point out that Dilan was stubborn and that if Levi didn't help her and try to drag her back instead, the girl likely would have lost him in the crowds before proceeding to find the children anyway. Levi didn't know if the brat could have lost him but he knew she would have tried and if she had succeeded those children wouldn't have had the happy ending that they did. Those who had nowhere to go were even taken up to the surface and put into orphanages up there. They were to be given a real life and it filled Levi with relief that the brat's sacrificed was not in vain.

And so... life got back to normal. The squad grieved but eventually stopped holding it against him and training went on as usual. Well, except for Tabitha. Levi had the feeling the girl would never forgive him. In her eyes, Levi had killed her. And honestly, Levi agreed. It was his fault she was dead. If he had just been paying a little more attention, they would have both made it out of that basement. The thought haunted him, just like their deaths did. He had found himself with another regret after promising himself never to regret again. How pathetic.


"Team Leader Levi. I have a message for you, sir." A cadet brought him out of his thoughts as he walked up to their breakfast table and saluted firmly. Levi gave him a bored glance that made him sweat. It wasn't intentional, apparently, he just had that effect on people. He didn't hate the distance though. He loved the peace unsociability brought him.

"And it is?" He provoked in a monotoned voice. The cadet blinked before jolting in understanding and embarrassment.

"S-section commander Hanji wants you, sir." He said quickly, not wanting to waste any more time, which Levi was thankful for. Levi nodded briefly and the cadet was eager to scuttle off. He sighed and sipped his tea, already feeling a headache coming on. Mike snickered at his attitude, nursing a cup of coffee himself.

"Just your luck, eh?" He teased. Levi gave him a half assed glare.

"I should have killed that crazy bitch long ago; she causes half of my headaches." Levi mumbled, rubbing his forehead. Tabitha rolled her eyes subtly and Levi chose to ignore her. Mike smiled in amusement as Levi finished his tea and stood up.

"And the other half?" He questioned. Levi looked at him.

"You and Erwin, mostly." He said simply before walking away, ignoring Mike's loud protests.

Levi got to the lab and took a breath. He was not in the mood for this. He spent most of the night cleaning, his insomnia being especially brutal. He managed an hour before violent memories woke him. Despite what most people believed; humanities strongest was still human. He still had nightmares. Sometimes he thought people forgot he was human.

Steeling himself for her shit, Levi knocked his knuckles on the door and waited. Silently hoping that she wouldn't answer. His hope got him nowhere.

"Come in!" Hanji's cheerful voice sounded, and Levi sighed, entering the infirmary. He moved towards the lab, expecting that it's where she would be and crossed his arms as he found her, frowning at the mess. There was information everywhere, pinned to different boards, ties of string connecting them and even a dagger shoved into one board for no logical reason and Levi seriously doubted there was one. Hanji was frantically hopping around, ducking under ropes and narrowing her eyes at all the information she had collected. Levi blinked as he saw a sketch of the compound, they had saved the children from. What was she doing?

"Oi! Shitty glasses, I have shit to do, what do you want?" He asked in a bored voice. Hanji gasped and ran over to him, her crazy hair fussed from the speed as she laughed manically and gripped onto his shoulders. Levi pushed her back immediately and she stumbled but regained her balance before continuing to laugh. Levi sighed utter annoyance and was about to speak again before Hanji stopped laughing abruptly.

"Dilan is alive." She said with a wide smile, sighing in content. Levi blinked at her, not expecting that. He felt something in him tighten. What was that feeling? Hope? He hastily pushed it down and scowled.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He hissed, not in the mood for her games. She better have not told the squad this too. They had just started getting over her death. Hanji chuckled, stepping back into the web of string and paper, her glasses glinting in the lamp's brightness.

"I had a premonition on the recent expedition." Hanji started to explain. They had been on a mission a week ago. A simple supply drop, nothing fancy. Although it still caused a number of casualties. Luckily none of his squad had been harmed. There were some close calls though. Levi wondered if they would have been less close if the brat was present. "I watched with chills as a soldier lost control of the gear and flew straight into a monster's mouth, a horrible tragedy. But it reminded me of Dilan. How she did the same thing, intentionally based on logic." Hanji continued, ghosting her fingers along the string.

"Get to the point." He ordered. The reminders of her bravery were making his stomach twist. He'd rather forget. Hanji turned to him with a squeal.

"I REALISED EVERYTHING THE GIRL DOES IS LOGICAL! I SIMPLY HAD TO FIND OUT WHETHER SHE HAD LOGICS FOR SAVING YOU TOO!" She screamed like a crazy woman. Levi swallowed hard, the scene of Dilan pushing him out of the way entering his mind. The way her face twisted up in pain, a result of his own ignorance.

"She... she saved me because she didn't care if she lived or died. We've been over this." Levi replied, his voice weaker than he would have liked. Luckily the scientist didn't notice.

"Incorrect. I don't believe Dilan was as uncaring as we once thought. How were you standing?" She asked. Levi gave her a look. He was not in the mood for this. Why drag out the grieving process with denial? He hated that he was grieving her anyway, but he couldn't describe these feelings in any other way. Still, Hanji persisted. "Were you facing the shooter front on?" She asked. Levi ground his teeth.

"Of course not! If I had seen the fucking shooter, I would have dodged myself!" He yelled. Hanji was unperturbed by his aggressions and nodded in thought, unaware of the sore spot she had just brought up. He should have been paying more attention.

"So, your back was facing them, very interesting." She mumbled, stroking her chin. Levi decided there was no way to stop her rambling, so he decided not to drag this out.

"How?" He snapped. If he showed an interest maybe she would get on with the fucking point. Thankfully his lacking effort paid off as she snapped her head round to him with a manic grin.

"Well shorty, from your report right here-" Hanji held up the brown card report he had filed after the incident. "- Dil was shot on the left shoulder. If your back was turned, then the likelihood is that if you were shot, the bullet would have penetrated your heart. However, you were there, does that sound right to you?" She asked and Levi thought about it. He was standing opposite Dilan; his back was turned. If she hadn't moved him and taken his place the bullet likely would have gone through his back and punctured a heart or a lung. Either one. Levi swallowed hard and forced a nod. He was starting to feel sick. "Excellent, my theory is correct then. Dilan analysed the angles when pushing me out of the way out that titan, guaranteeing her survival success greater than mine. She did the same thing with you!" Hanji smiled happily. Levi clenched his fists in frustration. With himself and with hanji. He remembered the first time he questioned himself regarding the brat. It was after she woke from the infirmary and he started yelling at her. She had pissed him off for ignoring his orders and being so careless with her life. But the way she explained it... it was so logical, so sound minded like she had all the time in the world to figure it out, rather than the actuality which was only a few seconds. And that crap about analysing the angle? Was that real?

"I also analysed the angle. The way Hanji was faced and angled, the titan would have hit her into the floor headfirst. Her skull would have been smash in causing a haemorrhage and a quick death. I was hit sideways which gave me a better chance of survival. So, you may think I was being stubborn and reckless, but I was just summing up the pros and cons of my life for Hanji's. Your right, I'm a little shit that no one cares about. I'm nothing. Her life is worth 10 of mine. So, I did what I did, and I have no regrets."

The memory hit him hard. Why did he always speak down to her? Like she was nothing. He had even said it, he told someone who had just sacrificed themselves to save another person that she was a nobody and that she was just a little shit that no one cared about. God, he was an ass.

"What's your point, Hanji." Levi questioned, willing his voice to stay even. This conversation was starting to get to him. The feelings of self-loathing from his failures and past mistakes were crawling around his throat, trying to suffocate him. Hanji blinked before laughing and refocusing.

"Well! The point is. Dilan is logically, meaning while preventing you from getting injuried, she would have guaranteed herself the most chance of survival. Shoulders are the best place to get shot, you know, and she most likely would have turned herself to make sure she experienced the least amount of injury." Hanji continued to blabber, looking at some medical notes she had stuck up on the board about bullet injuries and treatments.

"She's still dead Hanji. Why does the fact that she died logically make any difference?" He asked dryly. Hanji turned to him, frowning in confusion.

"How do you know she's dead?" Hanji said bluntly, hand on her hips. Levi glared at her. The crazy shit had lost it.

"I saw her bleeding out. She passed out in front of me. No way was she able to escape before the guards found her." He replied. Hanji smirked.

"Exactly. You saw her pass out. You did not see her die. Levi, we never found her body. Don't you think that's suspicious?" She asked and Levi swallowed down his hope once more. She's being stupid. Do not let yourself be pulled into her insanity.

"You're right four eyes. They probably took her body, shot it a couple times to make sure she was dead and threw her in the dumpster. You happy now?" He snapped. Hanji looked slightly hurt.

"Why don't you believe me? I've done so much research Levi! I've even conjured a plan for how we might go about tracking her down. I believe she's weak but alive, if we spend some time-" Hanji started her plan, walking over to other boards of information but Levi cut her off.

"FUCKING HELL, STOP HANJI!" He yelled and she flinched. "This is survivors' guilt, nothing more. She saved your life and now you feel guilty that she's dead and you couldn't do anything about it. There was too much blood, she looked seconds away from death when I left her. The guards were too busy worrying about catching me to take her. Why would they patch up someone who threatened their entire fucking empire? It makes no sense and you've wasted your time on this. You've wasted my time." He hissed and Hanji opened her mouth again, but he didn't let her get that far. "You will stop this nonsense and get back to your real work. Denial helps no one and soldiers die in the field all the time. Why the hell is she different? Why the hell aren't you trying to find all the soldiers that were accidently left behind the walls on expeditions. I'm sure there were a fair few over the years that got abandoned by their squads, roaming around for help until a titan snapped them in half." He continued, anger evident in his tone. She had struck a nerve and he couldn't hold back anymore. Hanji faltered.

"B-because..." She trailed off, glancing around her with panic.

"Because she was your friend. You miss her and you feel guilty that you couldn't do anything. That's all this is." He interjected, getting a hold of himself a bit. Hanji's eyes widened a fraction and she bit her lip, defeat seeping into her posture. "Pack this away before anyone sees it. Don't tell anyone, especially the squad. They are trying to get over her death the healthy way. Let go of your denial and do the same. It's what's best for everyone." He said in a calmer voice. Hanji looked at the ground but nodded anyway. Glad his message got through to her he walked out without a word, a sticky dread in his stomach. He swallowed down the suspicions Hanji had started in him and decided to follow his own advice. It was time to forget and move on.

MAMA P'S P.O.V.

It had been a boring day in the shop. Most days were boring now. Every day was boring without Dilan. People came in every now and then, trading something for money and other times she would meet with her buyers and exchange the items for cash of her own, making a profit every now and then. It was enough to live, but nothing fancy.

Joyce Pane's life, or Mama P as her friends knew her, was modest at best. She lived in a small apartment in one of the quieter parts of the underground. It had cheap plastic wooden floor that creaked when you walked and plain white walls that were riddled with cracks, that she kept having to plaster herself. It's not like she had a good landlord. However, she knew a lot of people had it worse. Sure, she had to go across the road into the convenience store every time she needed the toilet since her apartment didn't hold any facilities but otherwise all was fine. She had a bed to sleep in, a small stove to brew her tea and warm blankets to expel the cold. So even though she owned nothing of value, she was happy with her situation. She knew she had it pretty well all things considered.

The shop had been passed down generation after generation. From her great grandfather, to her grandfather, to her father to her. She knew he was always disappointed having a daughter instead of a son. He had told her a number of times and had grumbled incessantly about 'just his luck' when showing her how to run the business successfully. Joyce didn't mind though. She was excited to learn as a kid and her fathers backhanded comments didn't perturb her. The shop landed in her lap sooner than expected when her father was murdered in the streets after coming back from a shift. With no mother or another relative to step in and take care of her she took to the job herself.

It was hard sometimes, she'll admit. Her house was repossessed after her father died and she was lucky that he had left the shop in her name in his will otherwise that would have been repossessed too. She slept in the store, kept it closed and boarded up while she figured out what to do. She knew if she opened it and wasn't prepared, customers would take advantage of her, stealing, complaining. She was only 16, too young to be taken seriously. So, she did the only thing that seemed to work. She scraped up the remaining money her father had left her and brought a gun. It wasn't hard to buy a gun in the underground, even if you were a minor.

She opened the store and things were okay again. of course, her suspicions were right. when she assessed the value of some items and deemed them unworthy of her purchase, she was often screamed at. Speaking calmly and shoving a loaded weapon in their face did the trick nicely. She built up her clientele and brought a small apartment. Meals were regular and life was decent. It was a good 20 years after that before she saw the first Church walk through her door.

He was a scrawny boy. Tall but thin. He had tanned skin and dusty blonde hair with light grey-brown eyes. His clothes were ragged, and he was holding something tightly in his left hand as he walked up to the counter, that he was barely able to peek his eyes over. Joyce remembered blinking at him in wonder. He was such a young boy. She had never seen someone so young in her shop before. When she asked him where his parents were his eyes turned cold and he didn't answer, instead placing a small watch on the counter wordlessly. She took a moment before examining it. It was worthless, cracked and simple. Not worth her money. She was about to tell him this before looking back and seeing the desperation in his eyes. Desperation to survive. Joyce didn't have the heart to send him away with nothing. So, she took the watch and paid him for his find. She still remembered how his face lit up, holding the money in his hand.

"Thank you!" he grinned and bounded out of the shop, mumbling something about getting some food for his sister.

Joyce had smiled and shook her head, not expecting to see the boy again. But she did. He came again and again and again. Of course, she couldn't give away money for free so after that first time she plucked up the courage to tell him the find was useless. He looked upset but not discouraged and made something of more worth next time. Every day he got better and every day she was prouder of him. He opened up to her and she enjoyed seeing him every day. He brought a bit of youth to the shop and he had a very calm and logical nature that astounded her to see in someone of such a young age. Then by the time the boy was 12 he stopped coming. Joyce was worried that something happened to him and kept her eyes out whenever she was out of the shop, hoping to see him running around somewhere. Relief filled her a few weeks later. He saw the boy sitting with two other children. Another boy and a girl. They seemed to be friends. The girl was chatting animatedly, and the other boy was ignoring her while the blonde laughed along. He seemed happy and Joyce was glad he was okay.

That very same day another child walked into the shop. Joyce's heart broke at her height. She was tiny, 4 maybe 5-years-old. She had long black hair with a fringe that stopped before her burning orange eyes. She was thin and ragged with tanned skin. She plodded up to the counter, standing on her tip toes and strained her arms to push something onto the counter before stepping back and looking at her expectedly. Joyce looked down at the item, surprised to see a little wooden rabbit. It was a child's toy, no value whatsoever but again, she was a sap and her heart broke for the girl. She remembered their first conversation clear as day.

"Honey, where are your parents?" She tried, hoping for an answer she could work with. The girl stuck out her lip in a pout.

"You're a stranger. My brother says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." She huffed, crossing her arms adorably. Joyce smiled, a small chuckle passing through her lips.

"Your brother sounds like a smart boy. Where is he?" She asked. The girl blinked up at her and seemed to forget her previous statement.

"H-he's doing something. I was sup-supposed to stay at home, but I came out. Shh, you're not allowed to tell anyone." She whispered even though the store was completely empty. Joyce's heart warmed at this girl's cuteness. She nodded.

"I promise I won't." She replied and the girl nodded seriously.

"Good. My brother wants to protect me. But I want to help too." She said in a determined tone. Joyce sighed at the stubbornness of youth. Even if it was admirable to find in such a young girl. She kind of reminded her of the boy that used to come in here. Although it was through different ways.

"Well, here." Joyce opened her cash register and leant over the counter to drop a few coins in the girl's hands. She smiled brightly just like the boy had done. "You should be very proud of yourself for getting that money." Joyce started and the girl nodded happily. "But I think you should listen to your brother. That's the condition for me giving this to you. Listen to your brother, I hope you don't come back here until you're a little older or I won't sell to you." Joyce said sternly. The girl was half the age of the boy. It wasn't right for her to be roaming around on her own. It made her heart jump in panic. The girl frowned, furrowing her eyebrows.

"That's mean, lady." She huffed. Joyce chuckled.

"Perhaps. However, those are my conditions. Do we have a deal?" She raised an eyebrow. Extending her hand for if she decided not to take it and put the coins back. The girl pouted heavily, her stubbornness shining through.

"Fine." She huffed and shoved the coins in her pocket.

"You promise me?" She added. The girl scowled, her orange eyes narrowing with annoyance.

"Yes." She grumbled. Joyce smiled; happy the lesson had gone through. Kids rarely break promises at that age.

"Good. My names Mama P. I hope to see you again in a couple years." She said warmly, offering her a sweet from the jar and the girls scowl eased up. She smiled a bit and picked out an apple flavoured lollipop.

"I'm Dilan. Bye-bye." She waved and skipped away. Joyce smiled and shook her head. Kids these days.

Dilan stayed true to her promise and it was another few years before Joyce saw her again. her next item was as terrible as her first and Joyce had told her truthfully that she couldn't give her any money for it. The reaction was worse out of her than the boy which was anticipated due to her fiery attitude unlike the boy's calm nature, but she came back again. Her items got better, like the boys had and Dilan started opening up to her like he had too. It wasn't until a few more years later that Joyce discovered they were related. Dilan was 15 years old when she stumbled into the pawn shop. She had this distant expression and it looked like she had seen a ghost. Joyce had asked her what was wrong, surprised to see her. It had been a while, almost half a year. Dilan didn't answer, she just kept walking towards the counter. She came around the other side, closer to Joyce now and she felt her heart lurch at the amount of pain that was on her face, half hidden by her fringe.

Joyce had asked her again, what was wrong. Dilan looked her right in the eye as tears streamed down her face. She told her plain and simple that she wanted to die. In Joyce's surprise she hadn't noticed Dilan grab the gun she kept under her desk until she had held it up to her head and was about to pull the trigger. Joyce had gasped, knocking the weapon out of her hand and held Dilan against the wall by her shoulders as she scrambled for it. She had yelled at the girl, telling her to stop and watched as a switch was flipped. She looked confused and disoriented. It was the first depressive episode Joyce had witnessed in the girl and she couldn't deny it had terrified her. Dilan was like a daughter and it hurt to hear those things from her mouth. She had broken down crying telling her that her brother was taken 6 months ago by the survey corps and how he was dead. That she could feel it. That she could feel the hole of emptiness inside her heart.

Joyce had consoled her that night, listening to her talk about her brother. It was after she told her his name that she realised it was the same boy from all those years ago but decided not to mention he used to come here. Hearing about her brother was not what she needed. She needed to let it all out and try to move on. And so, Joyce helped the girl from there. They became closer, more like family and she helped her through whatever depressive episodes she found herself in. The girl was a fighter and Joyce were proud of how far she had come since her brother died. It was why she was so pissed when she found out Dilan had been taken by those monsters too. It just wasn't fair. She was finally stable, and they had thrown her straight in the deep end.

Yes, the girl was stronger, smarter and more skilled than anyone Joyce had ever met. She had to become strong to stay alive and Joyce knew the girl did a lot of unsavoury things to pay the bills, but she didn't care or ask about them. Dilan was a kind-hearted person who genuinely cared about people. She had just been through a lot of trauma at a young age and it affect her. Joyce knew that with the right guidance, she would pull through. Perhaps she would excel in the corps? Who knew? When she had told her about it, she seemed to be content. Rightly upset about being with the people that doomed her brother but content in her situation. She claimed to be in the process of escape but Joyce wasn't so sure if she would. Of course, she would miss her fiery companion around the shop everyday but if she had a life on the surface that could fill her heart in the way the underground couldn't, Joyce certainly wasn't going to stop her. Still, the woman couldn't deny that she hoped Dilan would just screw the corps and come back to her. The shop was dull by herself.

Mama P sighed for what felt like the 100th time that day as she flipped through the morning newspaper. She scoffed at a column about the survey corps. Apparently, they had saved some kids from the underground, the charge having been led by soon to be Captain Levi, humanities strongest, and some random cadet that died during the mission. What a load of bull. The corps would never do something so selfless; it was probably just fake news. No way of checking though. Unless, Dilan came to visit soon. She hoped she would. It had been a month since their last reunion. She wondered how long it would be before she saw the stubborn girl again. Her sweet jar was too full.

Pouting slightly at the thought she stepped into the back to restock some shelves she had been putting off. She heard some banging on the front door and raised an eyebrow. The banging was followed by scratching and a thud before loud footsteps ran away. Curious and a bit worried, Mama P walked cautiously to the front door and opened it, looking left and right. The streets were quiet, and she could see no one around. Annoyed at the disruption, she was about to head back inside before a flash of red caught her eye and she gasped.

Stepping outside her door and looking at the bigger picture her eyes widened in shock. She had dealt with vandals before, but this was something different. Written on her door in the unmistakable liquid of blood were the words;

'GET LEVI'

Before it looked like the person was dragged away as there were deep scratches in the wood, coated in blood. She shuddered after taking a closer look and swallowed the bile rising in her throat. She recognised the handwriting. It was Dilan.

LEVI'S P.O.V.

It was a week after Hanji's troubling presentation and Levi was glad to say the scientist had packed up her Dilan obsession and returned to studying titan's like she was supposed to. The woman had been slightly down ever since, and Levi couldn't deny he felt a little bad for snapping at her so harshly but she needed the boot in the ass to move on. Someone had to do it so he shouldn't feel bad. Levi was just glad that no one else had been infected by her denial and started questioning things too.

It had been a long day of training, long meetings with Mike and an even longer set of paperwork and the day was starting to darken but he wasn't done yet. No. He had a promise to keep. Doing this was the only thing that managed to ease his guilt.

Levi sighed as he pulled on his jacket and took the brown envelope out of his desk draw before stepping out into the cold. He got on his horse and made a brisk ride to Sina, descending into the darkness of the underground. The journey had become routine for him ever since Dilan's death. The place was starting to feel natural to him again and he hated that it did. Pulling the cloak over his head, Levi walked down the alley ways, away from the centre and into one of the quieter districts. He walked up to the orphanage door and knocked, pulling off his hood and taking a step back. Like he said, it was all routine at this point.

There was some footsteps and tiny ones following after before the door opened to frame Carrie and her entourage of orphans. When she saw it was him she smiled warmly.

"Good evening, Levi." She said kindly.

"Good evening, Callie." He replied politely. After promising the brat to take care of the orphanage, Levi had kept to his word. He had his team reinforce the orpahange to prevent a future break in and set aside a decent porition of his paycheck to them. He delievered it every week on a Friday. Callie had protested at first, claiming that he shouldn't give away so much of his well earned money and that he had done enough. Levi had insisted, explaining that it was Dilan's last wish and he wanted to do it right. Callie had teared up at that, mumbling something about how stupidly selfless the girl was under her breath and Levi had to agree. But the blonde woman hadn't resisted the weekly donation since and Levi was pleased to see the kids looking a bit healthy with every visit.

"LEVI!" Nifa yelled happily and ran to hug him around his legs. Levi tensed a bit, like he always did when one of the children would hug him unexpectedly and it would always make Callie chuckle. Levi sent her a minor glare before sighing and patting the little redhead's head as a hello. He had become fond of the children at the orphanage, he couldn't deny it. They were good kids and for some reason they werent scared of his grumpy exterior. Perhaps it was because what Dilan had told them.

"Oh him? That's just Levi. Grumpy but harmless." She shrugged with a smile.

Levi ignored the guilty pain the memory brought on him and refocused, extending his arm to give the woman the money. She took the envelope, smiling gratefully, relief in her eyes.

"Would you like to come in for tea? I just brewed some?" She asked and Levi was about to politely decline. He could handle the children in small doses but children were messy and he disliked mess. However it seems he had no choice.

"Come on, mister Dilan's friend." Johnny grinned, frowning as Charlie stumbled into him.

"Yeah!" He added and the rest of the children started agreeing. Levi cringed internally and Callie covered her mouth with a hand to hide her amusement.

"Your letting in the cold." Nifa huffed, grabbing his hand with her small one and pulling him inside the house. Levi sighed but followed anyway, not wanting to be rude. They were good kids after all.

"Why don't you all finish your drawings before bed." Callie suggested. The kids smiled and nodded before scuttling off. Callie chuckled and walked into the kitchen. Levi followed her. "Please, take a seat." She said, guestering to the kitchen table while she prepared the tea. Levi did so, only slightly uncomfortable. Callie was nice and he didn't mind her company but he felt bad being his usual blunt self around her so he had to watch what he said. It was straining, if only slightly. The shit jokes were definetly off the table in a place like this. "Milk? Sugar?" She asked.

"Black, thanks." He said simply. Callie smiled and nodded.

"Dilan used to have it black. But that was a long time ago." She mused. Levi raised an eyebrow. There were still so many questions about her. It kind of hurt but he wanted some answers.

"She lived here; I assume." He asked as she sat down and passed him his mug. Callie sipped her's and nodded.

"Dilan and her brother lived here for a while. Their parents were merchants and travelled a lot, so they placed them under my care while they were too busy to take care of them." She explained. Levi nodded, trying to keep his surpise to a minimum. It felt weird to finally receive a direct answer from someone about her. So she had a brother? Was that the person she lost? Was he the person who taught her how to fight?

"Her brother?" He asked casually, taking a sip of his tea. Callie smiled sadly.

"Yes. They were very close. I'm unsure what happened to him. When Dilan was around 3, their parents picked them both up again. I hadn't seen them for a while after that. Dilan dropped by when she was 13 and came a few times. The kids loved her, I'm not surprised that they remembered her. But when she was 15 she disappeared. If I'm honest, I thought she had passed on. I had no idea it was her that brought us money every week. Without that money... we wouldn't have survived." She sniffed, getting slightly emotional. Levi froze, unsure of what to do. Luckily Callie composed herself before he needed to say anything. "She was a beautiful person. I wish I had the time to thank her for everything shes done for us. For everything she sacrificed to get my kids back." She smiled glancing behind Levi. Levi turned to see the kids chatting happily, drawing on some paper. Happy, as kids should be.

"She was a good person." Levi mumbled, more to himself than Callie, the guilt twisting again. Callie smiled and nodded.

"As are you. You don't know how much we appreciate you coming here. Not only the money but the kids love to see you. Dilan's death took them hard but you coming everynow and then helps." She informed. Levi couldn't deny he was surprised.

"How?" He asked before he could stop himself. Callie chuckled warmly.

"They say you remind them off her. Nifa claims that Dilan lives through you now since you were friends." She explained, smiling in amusement. Levi tried to ignore his surprise as well as the warm feeling in his chest.

"Friends would be pushing it a bit. She didn't like me very much." Levi admitted, tapping his finger on the mug. Callie chuckled.

"Yes, Dilan was a fiery kid. She takes a long time to warm up to someone. Me included. Back when she lived at the orphanage, she only stuck by her brothers side for the first month, I asked her why she wouldn't talk to the other kids. I remember she glared at me and told me people need to earn trust, not expected it and that I needed to earn her trust too. I was shocked from such mature words from a child. So I did, I earnt her trust and she became comfortable here. The thing about Dil, is that once she cares about someone, theres no going back. She'll do anything to protect them, trade her life for theirs if she has too. Sometimes I wish she was more selfish but I guess that's what makes her Dilan... sorry. Made her Dilan." She sighed, remorse clear in her tone. Levi swallowed, not sure what to say. It was his fault she was feeling this way. It was his fault Dilan was dead. How was he supposed to tell her that? "But I think you were well on your way." She added, snapping him out of his thoughts. Levi blinked at her.

"What?" He asked. Carrie smiled.

"To earning her trust. The fact that she asked you to take care of us, knowing you would do it, proves that." Carried explained kindly. Levi felt relief from her words, if only a little. But he also felt sadness. He wished things were different.

"Thanks." He replied simply. Callie nodded. They drunk their tea in silence for a bit before Callie spoke up again.

"Levi, I have been trying not to ask but... how- how did Dilan die? Was it painful?" Callie asked, hesitantly, her voice wavering with emotion. Levi grit his teeth, tensing subconciously at the question but forced himself to answer. She deserved the answer.

"She had rescued the children by herself. One of the guards had grabbed a kid at the back of the line she had formed trying to get all of them to safety and they started screaming. Dilan... she rushed to help them. I followed. We saved the girl after dealing with the guards and... we... we were about to leave when a guard turned up out of no where. The bullet was aimed for me but Dilan took it. She died because of me. Because of my ignorance." Levi explained, the words tasting bitter on his tongue as he stared into his mug, unwilling to look the kind woman in the eye. He didn't want to see the hatred.

Levi waited in silence for her to tell him to leave, to shout, to even slap him but none of it came. He tensed in surprise as a warm hand was placed over his and he looked up to see Callie smiling warmly as always. He couldn't deny he was shocked at her reaction. So much so that he must have let the emotion be displayed on his face as the woman chuckled.

"It's understandbale to feel guilt but you must understand, Levi. It's just who Dilan is. I'm not surprised really and I'm glad she died saving antoher. It's such a Dilan way to go. Don't feel guilty, it wasn't your fault." She smiled sadly, squeezing his hand for comfort before pulling away. Levi swallowed down his emotion, which was hard. He didn't know how much he needed to hear that. With himself and everyone else at the corps blaming him for her death it was hard to handle sometimes. He still felt regret and he knew he always would but knowing Dilan wouldn't have did help.

"Thank you. I can see why the brat liked it here." He replied, giving the woman a very small but genuine smile. Callie smiled back, chuckling a bit at the nickname.

"Levi! Levi! I finished my drawing, you wanna see!" Amber ran up to him, followed shortly by Nifa. Before Levi could even answer the pieces of paper were shoved at him and he looked down at the horrendous drawings. One was a blob of different colours which ended up creating a sort of brown smudge. The other one was two smudges with a green smudge around them then loads of tiny smudges hovering around the bottom of the original smudges. Levi forced his awkward response.

"...very... good." He guessed that was the answer they were looking for. Callie snickered at his horrible acting skills and he sent her an annoyed glare which made her laugh even more. Amber smiled happily taking her picture, which was the brown smudge before running back to the others.

"You think so!" Nifa grinned. Levi sighed.

"Sure. What is it?" He replied, trying to sound interested. Callie tutted from across the table, smirking a bit and Levi raised an eyebrow at her before he was lightly punched on the leg.

"Don't be mean! It's obvious." He girl huffed, pouting. Levi cringed, looking to Callie for help. She guestured he talk to the now enraged girl.

"Sorry kid. It's definitely obvious, I was just joking." He replied, holding his breath. He was not good with children. Nifa narrowed her eyes at him before cracking a smile.

"I know. See, theres you and Dilan and theres us!" She grinned, pointing to the different parts of the picture. Levi's eyes widened a fraction and he smiled before he could stop himself. "Wow, I haven't seen you smile yet! Dilan was right, you are pretty grumpy most of the time." She pointed out with a cheeky grin. Levi frowned as Callie burst out laughing.

"She's right, Levi. You're rather grumpy." Callie choked out between loud laughs, covering her mouth as she shook with hysterics. Levi sighed and rolled his eyes as Nifa started giggling too. He was getting roasted by a 5-year-old.

"You should smile more often. It's nice!" Nifa added. Levi sighed and ruffled her hair.

"We'll agree to disagree on that. But it's a good picture kid." He praised, handing it back. Nifa smiled happily but shook her head.

"For you!" She said simply before skipping back to the group. Levi blinked before looking down at the paper.

"See, they like you." Callie chuckled. Levi supressed another smile, folding the drawing and slipping it into his breast pocket, having no where else to put it.

"They're good kids." Levi replied simply and Callie nodded. "Thanks for the tea. I should be getting back now." He added. Callie smiled and nodded, collecting the cups and putting them in the sink before walking him out. The kids all jumped up to say goodbye and he got a few more surprise hugs from different members of the gang before he was allowed back outside. The children waved and Callie smiled as he walked away, feeling oddly lighter than when he arrived. It was nice to hear about the brat. He was able to get a few things off of his chest too.

Levi got to the bottom of the stairs, surprised at the commotion. A woman was yelling at the guards, in hysterics, demanding she let them up and repeating something about a message. The woman was wide and short, short blonde hair and it took Levi a second to place her as the owner of the pawn shop Dilan was so fond of.

"PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO LISTEN! HER LIFE'S IN DANGER!" She yelled, tears spilling down her face as she begged. The guards grimaced.

"Underground scum. For the LAST time! Go back to whatever bridge you crawled out of and stop wasting our time. We're not letting you up and we're not delivering this message." One of them hissed. Levi frowned, pissed off at the way they were talking to her. Like some sort of animal. Although this was the military police so it was to be expected. They were more close minded than the people at the corps.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" She screamed, getting a little too loud for their liking as one of them raised a fist to deal with her. Levi was quick to intervene, flipping both the men on their asses before they even had time to comprehend what happened.

"Were you just about to harm a civilian?" He asked in a terryingly calm voice, grey eyes glaring. They flinched and scuffled backwards, their eyes widening recognising him as humanities strongest and they scrambled to stand up and salute him.

"Yes sir! We were using force to secure the gate, sir!" One of them replied, both of them sweating under his gaze. Levi clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"What you were doing is being pathetic. This woman is of no threat to you. Using force on those weaker than you is pitiful. Grow some balls and do your duty with some honour or the next time I see this I will report it to your commander." Levi hissed the warning and they flinched again.

"Yes sir!" They replied. Levi rolled his eyes, bored with them and turned back to the woman who was rightly shocked. She had probably never been defended by a military officer before. He was about to ask what the problem is when she spoke first.

"Please, sir, you have to help me. I need to send a message to someone, that's all I want. I don't want to escape, you have to believe me." She begged, trying to wipe away her tears. Levi nodded, feeling compelled to help. This woman was a friend of Dilan's after all. He still wanted to make it up to her.

"What's the message, who's it from and who is it to?" he asked, straight forward. The woman's eyes widened in absolute relief and she let out a breath, calming down.

"M-my friend. She's in the survey corps but I think she's gone missing." The woman explained and Levi's breath hitched. Was he going to have to tell her Dilan is dead? "Someone wrote a message on my door today and I know it was her!" She added. Levi sighed, not wanting to drag this out.

"Ma'am if you are talking about Dilan, she passed away a month ago during a operation in the underground." Levi informed. The woman gasped slightly in shock before shaking her head firmly.

"N-no it was her, I know it was." She said stubbornly. Levi sighed, not this again.

"Ma'am-"

"The message was written TODAY in blood. There were scratch marks on my door where she was fucking dragged away. It was her and I know it was because I taught her how to write. She always does this little loop at the start of her 'L' even though its pointless and I tell her it's a waste of time. Who the fuck would waste time like that if they were writing a life or death message in their own blood before they were physically dragged away? Dilan! That's who. It's an OCD thing, she cant help it!" The woman cried and Levi was starting to get edgy. He couldn't find a logical way to respond. She seemed to believe it was dilan with her whole soul. Perhaps... no. It was impossible, wasn't it? Although Hanji was right. They never found the girls body.

"What did the message say?" He asked, going with his gut. The woman wiped her face again and tried to stay calm.

"Get Levi." She replied and Levi's stomach dropped. All of the evidence piled up leading to the underniable statement that made him feel physically ill. Dilan was alive and had been a captive for a whole month. The missing body, the confirmation of handwriting and personal message. No random drunk would write that... no claw that onto her door. It made it all the more likely since it was this woman, Dilan's friend, that she clawed the message onto. Dilan was smart. If she managed to escape for a moment to send for help she would make sure to ask for someone who had ties to the underground and could actually pull it off. The brat was alive. She was alive and probably being tortured in some underground lab. "Sir! Sir, please you have to believe me. I don't know who Levi is but I assumed he's from the scouts. I don't know why Dilan wants him but please, you have to get the message to him. My baby girls missing and injuried!" She cried, anguish in her tone. Anguish of a mother missing a child.

"Calm down ma'am. My name is Levi. I got the message and I am going to find her; you have my word." Levi promised and the woman's eyes widened in surprise and relief. He shouldn't have promised but it didn't matter. He was going to find her.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" she said gratefully. Levi nodded and turned back to the guards.

"If this woman gets any more information, it must be sent directly to me at the survey corps, understood." He said seriously and they nodded quickly.

"Yes sir!"

"Thank you. Please find her." She sniffed. Levi nodded.

"I will. Go home, it's dangerous here at night." He replied and she nodded, giving him a grateful smile before walking off. Levi ascended the stairs and raked a hand through his hair. He couldn't believe it and yet he had no choice but to. The facts were irrefutable. Dilan was alive. Fuck, brat. You might not care if you die but you might be unkillable. He thought with a rare burst of happiness. He could make it right now. He had to.


A/N: Yo! First of all I'd like to say thank you for the comments on the last few chapters. Ya'll are so nice!

This chapter is a little slower than the others but important to the storyline. We see how Levi deals with his guilt with what happened and regrets the way he treated Dil when she was 'alive'. Some background on Mama P too. The next few chapters are gonna pick up so get ready! Thanks for reading! X