Hey everyone!

Missed yall's thoughts last week – but I know the site was glitching out pretty bad where yall were just as stuck as I was. I'm just happy I was able to upload at all – it literally took me hours to get in. Yuck.

I feel I should give an unfortunate heads up that after NEXT week's chapter, I'm going to take a short break from uploading? I do mean a short break thankfully - I'm thinking about two threeish weeks in total, but I've got to spend some dedicated time writing new material because I'm running out (only have like five chapters ahead at this point) I can't possibly properly write one completed, proper chapter in a single weeks' time, week after week.

I'll figure out the exact timeframes next week, and give you all a solid date as to the schedule come next Sunday. Till then though, enjoy the chapter and happy Sunday!

…

...

"What do you drink lad?" James had asked him as they walked into the small establishment, "You do drink, don'cha? Want me to get you a beer or something? Since you covered dinner that night, I'll go ahead and settle the tab here. Bar here belongs to a buddy of mine, it's a quiet place, good for talking and not too crowded. Just let me know what you want."

"Whiskey usually. I'm not picky, just nothing sweet and no umbrellas."

Her father smirked, "Well, what do you know. That's something we have in common then. You drink it neat or on the rocks?"

"Either." Levi responded simply, and James gave a nod and motioned toward a table near the corner of the floor, giving a slap on the bar as they walked further into the mostly empty room, "Hey Rodney! You've got some thirsty customers out here. Come on out and say hi."

"James!" a man came out from a small room behind the bar, a towel in hand as he cleaned a glass purposefully, "It's good to see you! It's been a while, who's this new face? He…actually kinda looks familiar. Have we met before?"

As Levi looked toward the barkeep and took a seat at the table, Petra's father gave an accommodating laugh and nodded toward him, "This is Humanity's Strongest, you know from the Scouts? What's more, this kid is actually my son in law, if you can believe it."

There was a cough, "Wait what, no kidding? Little Petra got married? To Humanity's Strongest? Well I'll be - congratulations James, and to you as well sir! Petra's quite a spitfire; never a dull moment when she's around." There was a slight pause and the man set the glass down and nodded, "What'll you be drinking tonight? Whiskey neat for you James, and for-"

"Levi's his name." James confirmed with a nod, "Same as me, another whiskey neat."

The barkeep nodded and brought them their drinks a few moments later, a tense, but not overly uncomfortable silence settling between the two men as they both sampled their drinks passively.

After a moment, James watched the Ackerman studiously and he almost smirked, "So you and Petra finally took that step huh? I'll bet you've had a spring in your step for the past few days, strutting through my house while you defile my daughter."

Levi deadpanned at the man's words and he crossed his arms defensively, watching Petra's father with a challenging stare, "Still think I'm gay?"

James gave a small chuckle at the bitter expression on the younger man's face, and he gave the Captain an amused sort of smirk, "Still angry about that one, huh? Well…maybe you're not gay, but I suppose you could still swing both ways, right?"

When Levi rolled his eyes and merely took another drink in clear irritation, James shook his head with an amused exhale, "Believe it or not, but I'm only teasing lad, so don't read much into it, alright? Granted, pretty sure I know far more than what a father should regarding his daughter's bedroom life - no thanks to you, those sounds will haunt my nightmares for weeks to come - fact of the matter is that she's married, and I suppose she really could do worse than sleeping with her own husband. I don't like thinking about it, so let me just address it like this and tell you that you'd better treat her nicely and like a real lady on that front, because she doesn't owe you a thing so don't you ever take her for granted."

Her father took a sobering breath and watched Levi seriously, "Besides, we both know that's not what's on your mind right now. I'll be honest lad, you've got a pretty vacant look on your face right now – pretty different from the serious expression you normally wear. It's my daughter, isn't it? She's gotten to you, because she's actually fallen in love with you, right?"

Levi gave a shadow of a nod, and some part of him felt like downing his entire drink in a single go, but thought better of it because an overindulgence of whiskey wouldn't help him in the least. Even if he was admittedly overwhelmed and feeling as though he were barely keeping his head above water; some instinctual, gut level impulse telling him to run for the hills because the hell did he know about being loved by a woman, let alone such an amazing one like Petra, where gods only knew that he'd fuck it up to hell by the end of the week - this was not the time to lose control and forcibly numb his racing mind. Instead, Levi merely took a small, more disciplined sip of the amber liquid and set his glass down on the table with a sigh.

"It seems that way."

Her father caught the Ackerman's eyes and he watched him almost bemusedly, because the boy didn't quite seem all the way there and it was perhaps a bit on the amusing side to see the usually serious man so clearly out of sorts, as though taken entirely off guard and still mentally coming to terms with her confession, "You didn't know?"

At the way James watched him with a sort of twinkle in his eye, Levi felt very defensive and he sat more rigidly in his chair with sudden irritation, "…You did?"

At his simple question, James gave a hollow, quiet and bitter chuckle, "Of course I did lad; I knew it within the first ten minutes of meeting you."

Levi couldn't deny his surprise from hearing the man's tense words, though he made a point of watching her father with an even stare and eventually James responded with a defeated shake of his head, "I've never seen my baby girl watch a man the way she watches you. No, not even Tim, and she thought he was pretty great too. Hate to state the obvious here, but…I'm her Dad. It's my job to know these things. She really, really likes you boy, and as much as I don't like it, it seems I'm stuck with you as my unwanted, unsociable son in law."

Levi found himself almost smirking bitterly at the man's pointed words, because Petra's father wasn't the first man that hadn't wanted him as a son, and Levi dismissed the thought and merely took another drink. "All due respect, but I didn't exactly picture someone like yourself as a father in law either. To be perfectly frank, for the most part you're a decent person, but you're manipulative as fuck. I'd say it's a wonder Petra isn't more like you, but we both know she takes after her mother in that sense. Honestly, it's a shame you have Petra convinced that her mom was some perfect little housewife; she'd feel a lot less shitty if you didn't hold that glorious lie over her head all the time."

Her father's brows rose considerably, and the older man watched him skeptically, "You speak as though you know her. How do you figure?"

Levi smirked at the man's obvious offense, and he merely shrugged, "Simple logic. Traditionally speaking, opposites attract – and there's no denying you are a very traditional, strait laced individual where you prefer structure and order and predictability. That being said, I'll bet your wife was a lot more free and spontaneous in a way that helped balance you out a little. She's gone now, and so those traits of yours have had nothing to counteract them for so long, where now you're just overbearing and forceful with your will and ideologies. It wouldn't help your cause if you told Petra that her mom was just as spirited and willful as she is, so you've fed her an altered image that best fits the version of Petra that you want to see."

Levi paused and crossed his arms, "To some extent, I'll admit you're a better liar than Petra, but that isn't saying much because she's always been a piss poor liar to the extent that it's downright pathetic. While I get the logic behind it, that doesn't mean it's not extremely fucked up. I've learned a lot about Petra during this trip, and the more I've learned, the more fucked up it all becomes. I used to wonder how a good girl like her came to the Scouts, but now that I've seen this place, it's no wonder she's in the Scout Regiment. It's the catch all for fucked up, miserable shits that would rather face the Titans than their own homelives, and in that sense, she fits right in."

The older man shook his head, very slowly and in admitted surprise at Levi's perceptive, yet ruthlessly callous words, and he gave a long exhale as he prepared to take a drink, "Honestly boy – and I don't say this lightly – you really are an asshole."

"Yeah." Levi gave a single nod, "So I've been told."

Regardless Levi's previous decision, it seemed both men had had enough of the posturing, because as if simultaneously, they each downed their drinks and almost scowled at the burning sensation that resulted from the strong liquor.

"Oi, another round." Levi called out toward the general direction of the bar, and there was a muffled 'coming right up' from the back room.

The next round was soon delivered, and after taking yet another long drink, James gave a loud sigh and relaxed into his chair, "So it sounds like you've put a lot of the pieces together on your own by now, but honestly, I never really saw myself in this position lad, I'll tell you that for sure. Thought it would all be different. Thought Petra would come home, knew she'd be pissed as hell, but I figured that in her frustration, Tim could just sweep in and keep her grounded, just like he used to before she left. They grew up together, and after the whole Camille thing happened, it was Tim that really came in and patched her up. They got close, started dating, but then he went off for school and Petra became so set on joining the military because after losing Camille and then Tim in the next breath, her heartbreak was tangible and it really made me worry for her. I would have fought her on it a little harder back then, but I thought it might give her some peace about it all. I figured it was something she'd do for a year or two, where she'd get through training, join the Garrison, then get bored and come back home once it was out of her system. More than anything, she was heartbroken and just needed something to fill her time, and maybe even some part of me thought the added structure would help her with the heartache while she waited for Tim. To this day, I'm certain that if he had just stuck around even a little bit later, that things would be different. I had hoped that if we just got her back home, things would naturally reset and somewhat pick back up from where they had left off. I know you don't want to hear it, but her and Tim get along really well. They've had natural chemistry since the beginning, and they could have been happy and had a really nice life together."

Levi gave a slight acknowledging tilt of his head and exhaled, "This whole thing was actually Timmy's idea, wasn't it. He came to you with a general plan, and you just went along with it because it was better than doing nothing."

James took another long drink and nodded, "Yeah, I suppose that's the jist of it. Tim graduated and moved back, said that he was finally ready to properly court Petra, and when I told him he'd have his work cut out for him because she was in the military and liable to die any day, Tim got right to work and…well, you know the rest. When the original plan went south, that's where he got to work on the whole annulment thing, all while sending all those forms back and forth to the Commander because he was so certain that if he just got to see Petra face to face, he'd manage to win her over again. Without the marriage, there would be nothing holding her to the military and she'd come back home. He was going to marry her, you know? He's been obsessed with her since they were kids and on some level, I really just assumed it would work out between them - they make a good match and if after eight years he's still pining for her, I figured it must be the real deal."

Levi almost snorted, "How romantic."

Her father smirked at Levi's comment and shrugged, "You can criticize all you want, but I don't think anyone – not even you two – were prepared for the fact that there were actual feelings involved. Made the whole thing a lot more frustrating and convoluted because it's hard to split up two people that don't want to be split up. Worse still, it wasn't just a simple crush or sheer lust - it was obvious that she was legitimately in love with you. What a damned headache."

Her father paused, watching in dark amusement as Levi seemed to pale and take another long, long drink from his glass, and the older man shook his head, halfway speaking to himself in quiet admission, "Tim couldn't see it; he was blinded by the fact that Petra was finally back home where all he wanted was just at his fingertips, but I knew it was a lost cause. Of course, I still wanted to let him try – it really would be a lot easier if Tim found a way to marry Petra instead, because that boy is a brown-nosing cog and does whatever I tell him to-" Levi gave a dry smirk at James' subtle chiding, and the older man sighed, "But she wants you, and like you so rudely made a point of earlier, her mind is made up. If I overheard correctly, it seems Tim did get all the annulment forms in line and after all that work, you negated to sign it. Typical. That happened while I was gone, I presume?"

Levi nodded, "Yeah, but as a heads up, next time you see that scrawny shit, you may notice that his face is a little busted, courtesy of myself. He tried to force himself onto Petra, so it is what it is and I'm only sorry I didn't hit him harder considering that punk still comes around on the daily looking for her. I'm not sure what version you may hear by the time it gets back around to you, but if you have any questions or think that my actions were ungrounded, you can ask Petra directly. She's still pissed, and it was days ago now."

James almost laughed at Levi's account for what had happened in his absence, "Is that right? Honestly, Tim had it coming. Complicated or not, he was knowingly pursuing after someone else's wife – it was a risky game from the start and he knew that going in."

There was a pause, and when it was clear that Levi had nothing further to add to the conversation, James leaned closer toward the table, allowing his elbows to rest against the wooden surface and he nodded toward the Captain pointedly, "So, that's my side of the story lad. I'm just a dad who's protective of his little girl, who sure, may not need the protection, but has it none the less. It seems she's found herself married to a guy that, lets be real, no father would ever want to find his daughter married to. Even still, it is what it is because it's a done deal and there's not much else to do but grin and bear it."

Levi almost grumbled, "Look, if this is the part where you threaten me or tell me that you'll break my bones if I break her heart or some shit like that, for one, get in line because my whole squad will kick my ass long before you reach me, and for two, I never really wanted this either. It's just…Petra…"

The boy's words trailed off, a conflicted expression coming across his face, and the older male gave a smile because his silence and sudden guilty expression spoke volumes, "Trust me lad, I know. She treats those she loves well, too well at times, and if her natural charm doesn't get to you, your own guilt at not being able to return her devotion will. She's too good for you lad, but don't take that as an insult, because she's too good for me too. What I want to be sure of in all of this, is that you'll be doing everything you can to keep her alive out there. Frankly lad, I had it all worked out to where she was going to come home – that's a fact - so if she dies out there now, I hope you realize that it really is your fault, because it's only through you that she's able to be outside of the walls and on the battlefield at all now. Her blood is on your hands, and I will hold you accountable for all of it. Not that it will mean anything to you, but if anything happens to her, I'll never forgive you."

Her father's words had been harsh, and yet Levi could only give a nod because there was an undeniable level of truth to her father's assessment – a sort of responsibility that did uniquely fall on his shoulders considering he had intervened in the manner that he had, and Levi gave a pensive exhale. "I've never taken that job lightly, and that's not about to change."

James shifted in his chair, resting a single elbow against the table as he spoke casually, "Well boy, I'll tell you what I'm thinking. Tomorrow after I'm done working for the day we can all sit down and just…lay it all out there. It'll be ugly, and I can't promise that there won't be high tensions or raised voices, but it's high time we sat down and faced it head on like…well, like family."

At the man's words, Levi couldn't help the sudden smirk pulling at his lips, and a slight chuckle left his throat as he shook his head at the admitted irony, "You know, Petra would have killed to hear you say those words about a week ago. Hate to tell you this Ral, but you're a little too late."

James gave a smile and merely shook his head, "Nah, I know lad. She's pretty mad at me, but I know my daughter and-"

Levi shook his head again and made a point of holding the man's gaze more seriously, "James – we're leaving in the morning."

The older man's smile fell at once, and he watched the Captain with a disbelieving, uncertain frown, "You're…what?"

Levi sighed and he explained passively, "Petra. She asked me to tell you that, while you and I were out like this. We've got about two weeks left before we have to report back to the base, and Petra said that she feels she's said everything she needed to. In summation, she told me that you've had some good moments together, and she finally feels that she can leave on good terms for once, and so she's ready to go." Levi paused, and he gave a simple, unashamed shrug, "As you can imagine, I didn't exactly object to the idea."

Her father gave a dry, unamused snort, "No, I imagine you didn't."

A silence fell between the pair and her father gave a long shake of his head, lifting up his glass and downing the rest of that drink as well, all while watching Levi with a bitter and displeased frown, "You know I'm trying boy, I really am, but Maria as my witness I really, really just can't stand you."

Regardless the man's words, regardless the fact that Levi knew there was no sarcasm or humor to what he had said, Levi found a half grin pulling at his lips and he nodded towards James in amusement, "Not too fond of you myself, Ral."

James found himself grinning in return, both men admittedly amused by their mutual dislike of the other, and the older man sat back in his chair with a defeated sort of slouch, "But Petra's involvement makes it so we're more or less stuck with each other, so perhaps in the end it evens out. You're really leaving tomorrow? That's a fact?"

Levi gave a nod, "First thing in the morning, right after breakfast. I'd wager that Petra's probably packing up our things as we speak. I know she wants to say her goodbyes and take the time to eat together, but after that we'll head out. I'll spare you the details, but to be honest, Petra's had it rough for a while. Our marriage started out admittedly a little on the rocks, there's been a lot of difficulty with her position in the Scout's regarding her future position because she is doing so well, then with her ankle and how stressed she's been about trying to make you happy…"

Levi paused and finished off the last of his drink, "Petra said she wants to use the time to actually relax, just her and I, where there's no drama or deadlines, and in truth, I think it's the best thing for her. I intend to support her decision, so if you have a problem with it, you'll have to take it up with me personally."

James frowned and rubbed his forehead in sudden dismay, "I see. Well isn't that just my luck. I finally tell myself I'm really going to give it a good effort, only to walk in the door just in time to hear the things that I did, and after keeping my cool and not making a big deal out of it all, now you tell me that she's got her mind made up and you're leaving just the same. You stole her once already lad, and here you are stealing her away again when you already get to see her every day and I haven't gotten to see her once in almost two years. You're a damned piece of work, kid."

James gave another long, frustrated sigh as he stared into the table; a true remorseful and bitter, angry tension filling the space between them, and for a moment, Levi had to wonder if the man was going to either get up and leave, or move across the table and punch him. Oddly enough, the Captain wouldn't have been all that offended by either one because though his time at the Ral household had been long and miserable, perhaps he – to some extent – had somewhat deserved it after playing such an unexpected role in Petra's life.

Instead, her father stayed silent for another few moments and finally, he spoke softly, his voice sounding completely and utterly exhausted, "Fine, Ackerman. At least tell me you have a plan, lad?"

Levi thought his question over and eventually nodded, "Yeah I think so. Nothing is set in stone of course, but there's this hotel we stayed at that she really liked. As simple as it is, it's got this cake that Petra described as 'spiritual' so I'm sure she'd enjoy going back, if only for that reason alone. The town in and of itself is pretty big, but if I recall it has a few scenic spots surrounding it – landmarks and such that I figure Petra would probably like seeing. Obviously, it has no value or resources in terms of training, but I'm kind of thinking that…maybe you were right. For some of it at least, and that became pretty evident especially in these past few days while you were gone. Petra…she really needs torest, so I want to pick a place where she'll be able to unwind and really enjoy herself. We'll worry about training when she's back on duty. Considering how little progress we've seen so far, that's probably how it should have been this whole time."

James gave a bitter shake of his head and almost laughed at the irony of the Captain's subdued, quiet words, "Is that right? Well, it seems my hands are tied here so there's no point in getting upset about it all." The man played with his empty glass for a few moments, then looked back toward the bar and spoke up, "Hey Rodney, keep 'em coming, okay? The lad and I have a lot more to talk about so you better do your part!"

James turned back toward the table and watched Levi with an expectant stare, "So boy, where exactly does that leave us? I put an order in to get my daughter back, but instead, it seems that all I really got in return was an ill-tempered son in law that dislikes me almost as much as I dislike him. That's not all it seems, because here's where it gets interesting - when you originally got married, it was strictly to keep my baby in the military, but apparently that's not the case anymore. You could have gotten the marriage annulled and gone back to however it was your team functioned before Tim and I got involved, but you didn't. Instead, you chose to stay married, because my baby fell in love with you and you're just selfish enough to keep her. In fact, if I recall, you actually asked Petra to stay with you instead of me, even after she retires, right? That's big talk coming from someone who lives in the military barracks."

Her father's expression grew suddenly serious, and he watched Levi with a knowing, long stare, "You're trying to give her a future, and I'm wondering if you actually have what it takes because while you can talk the talk, you and I both know that you've never had to 'settle down' before, but to actually play the part as her husband, to actually care and protect her, you'll need to use a different set of skills than the ones that have gotten you by thus far."

Levi didn't have the right words to respond, and James gave the man a half smirk because that odd, almost lost expression was back on the Ackerman's face once again. "No offense kid, but I can tell that you aren't exactly playing to your strengths when it comes to your relationship with Petra. What's more, if you're actually in it for the long haul like you so claim, then you and I are gonna have to figure out how to get along, because it'll break her heart if we can't somehow find a way to put our differences behind us." James eventually sat back in his chair, waiting for Rodney to come and go with their next round of drinks, and both Levi and James took a moment to sip at their amber liquid passively, as though needing to recharge for the remainder of the conversation. James cleared his throat and nodded, "Alright Ackerman, even if you don't like me, you're going to have to work with me a little here and tell me what your intentions are regarding my daughter. Bad situation, my 'fault' or otherwise, say what you will but you're the one who chose to marry her, and I'm going to be a thorn in your side until the very end because that's my daughter."

Levi watched James for a long, long moment, and he eventually gave a slow nod of his own because it seemed there really would be no avoiding this conversation after all, "Alright, that's fair. Maybe…maybe there are a few things you could stand to know."

And so Levi began talking, sharing his plans, answering her father's many demeaning and belittling questions, and trying as best as he knew how to be open and speak candidly with the man who was apparently his father in law.

Not for his sake, certainly not for her father's sake, but for Petra's alone.

It mattered to Petra…and so he'd try.

…

End of Chapter

…

This is such a good chapter – in my opinion of course. I love this just exhausted, sit down conversation between the two men that really want nothing to do with each other, but are stuck together anyway and trying their best to work it out because of Petra. Levi finally got to ask some questions, have some answers, and get to speak his mind without the fear of Petra having her feelings hurt because of what was being said to her father – or visa versa.

Strictly my opinion, but I can't help but feel that Petra was unknowingly putting on a bit of strain between the two men that made things even worse, because maybe it would have been better for them to just have it out at the beginning, whatever that would have looked like, but instead she insisted they get along so it turned into this cold, passive aggressive distance instead because their man could really address their disdain properly so it just festered between them. *shrug* I dunno, just my thoughts I suppose.

Either way guys, next week is business as usual as I do have next week's chapter ready to go - I'll see yall next week same as always! Thanks

~Midnight