Morning everyone and thank heaven it's finally Sunday!

I hope everyone had a fantastic few weeks, and for those stateside, had a safe and delicious Thanksgiving. On my end, we're all safe and sound and trying to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, all while trying to write out this last stubborn arc. I'm making progress but this has been the hardest arc to write by far, simply because all of the other pieces are solidly in place so the 'borders' of what needs to be written aren't nearly as flexible as they were in the past.

On that note, I see the comments asking for a double update. I will…consider it. Maybe for the holidays around either Christmas or New Years, but of course that really does depend on how much material I'm able to write between now and then because as of right now, I've got…about five or six chapters written in advance? That may sound like a lot, but they aren't sequential as I write in bits and pieces so it's not as much as it sounds.

Either way, just keeping weekly updates is a struggle, but if I feel a double update week is doable where I won't have to skip a future week in result, then I'm game for it. As always, I'll just give yall a play by play at the bottom so you know when to expect updates.

…

...

"So how's it been going?" Eld asked her simply, looking toward her and taking a light sip of his coffee, "Two weeks from today we officially pack up and head towards the Outer Wall and frankly, you're still on leave and Erwin still has you doing desk work on the daily, right? Have you finally accepted the fact that you're just gonna have to hang back here and wait?"

Eld was watching Petra curiously, and he almost snorted at the way she slowly turned towards him and scowled. Not put off by her dark expression, the blonde only shrugged and nudged her shoulder playfully, "Hey, don't be like that. Even if it's not what you wanted, it's just one single Expedition so you don't have to look at it like it's such a big deal or anything. You broke your ankle and that takes time to heal, let alone being able to perform and keep up with a squad like this one. Everyone knows that Humanity's Angel has done so much for the Scout Regiment so-"

"You're gonna have to stop calling me that, Eld."

"I'm just saying that you've got nothing to be ashamed of."

Petra heard his words and scoffed with a single snide laugh, stubbornly crossing her arms and giving him an arrogant look, "And just who said anything about being ashamed? I'm not ashamed of anything, because I'm going on that Expedition. In fact, I'm actually training with you guys today and that's just the beginning! Captain says I'm ready, so there."

Eld's expression changed into one of clear surprise and he looked toward her more directly with raised brows, "Wait, really? So Levi gave you the official okay, where you're going on the Expedition after all? Gotta say, that's unexpected."

Petra blanched at Eld's obvious misinterpretation of her words, and she eventually shook her head as she tried to not look too embarrassed, "Oh well uh, no. What Captain agreed to was just today's training, so technically speaking, the jury's still out about the Expedition. For now."

At Petra's defeated mumble, Eld smirked and returned back to his cup of coffee with a triumphant snort, "Oh, I see. You're just blowing smoke still."

"No, I am not!" Petra defensively slammed her fist down on the table in a fiery outburst, grabbing the attention of her other squad mates as she continued hotly, "I'm going to do it Eld. First, I'm going to train today, and when that goes well – because it will! - Captain will let me train tomorrow, and then the next day and the day after that – and then at the end of the week, we'll talk to Erwin and it'll be official."

When she noticed the stares of all three men, Petra crossed her arms and pressed herself back into her chair with a stubborn huff, "Count on it. All of you."

There were a few chuckles, and Gunther spoke up from the opposite end of the table with a knowing, teasing grin, "That's fine, but Petra – no using your womanly wiles to make Captain sign off on anything."

At her teammates words that only caused further snorts to ensue, the ginger looked toward Eld in accusation, "Eld, you damned blabber mouth!"

Eld only returned her stare with a cheeky grin, obviously having no shame in their present turn of conversation and he leaned forward ever so slightly, propping up an elbow onto the table as he watched the stuttering ginger in clear amusement, "Oh like they didn't already know. What's wrong Petra? You object to the squad knowing that you finally got your way and seduced Humanity's Strongest? Many women have tried and failed in the past – one would think you'd be happy about it. What, are you embarrassed or something?"

"I'm not embarrassed!" Petra defended, regardless the obvious blush on her cheeks, "I just didn't think you guys would be so crass as to bring it up straight to my face like this. I mean, he and I are married so this sort of thing is fine and what's more, I distinctly remember you guys harassing me numerous times these last few months, urging me to 'just let nature take its course' or whatever. I'm honestly just surprised that you guys are giving it any thought at all."

"Well of course we are!" Eld responded with a laugh, looking at his male peers and then back to Petra with a shrug, "What else is there to do around here anyway, beside discuss you and the Captain, shamelessly fucking like rabbits?"

Had there been any sort of beverage in Petra's mouth, she was quite certain it would have been spat out across the table. For good measure, she pushed her coffee mug to one side and blinked in surprise at her friend's purposely crass words, and she took a controlled, even breath, "A lot of things you could be doing, actually. The Expedition is coming up, and tease me all you want about sitting behind a desk, but I happen to see a lot of numbers from behind that desk. Gunther, your speed has been on the steady decline for the past five weeks and counting – a trend which should have been noticed by Eld – but he was so terrible about tracking and turning in correct data that those trending issues are only now coming to light, weeks later. Oluo, your performance is actually been on the rise and I'd say you are setting yourself up for your best Expedition yet, except for the fact that ever since Captain and I got back, you've been stagnant at best because you're wallowing and it's impacting your efficiencies on the daily."

She frowned and looked at each one of her peers respectively, "Yes, I'm sleeping with the Captain - my husband mind you - but you know what?" She took a breath and pointed toward Gunther first, then Oluo, then Eld, making a point of singling them out as she went down the line, "You're slow. You're jealous. You're worse with paperwork than even Levi himself, and that's saying something. So all of you, get off my ass and focus on fixing your own performance; you damned nosy pricks. What he and I do in the bedroom is none of your damn business."

For a small moment, her peers just stared at her in wonder, and after a pause Gunther snorted and stood up from the table, chuckling to himself at the challenging, stubborn stare she was watching them with, "Gotta say, it's good to have you back, Petra." He paused as his expression fell and he looked toward her in obvious dread and concern, "And just…how slow are we talking?"

"If memory serves, it's roughly a six percent decrease; little more than one percent each week. It may not be my place to say anything, but as a heads up I think Captain's gonna talk to you about it."

"Well, shit." He grumbled with a sort of groan, and Petra stood up from the table as well, drinking the last of her coffee and nodding towards the brunette seriously.

"I haven't seen it myself of course, and not to take any of Captain's thunder away, but if I had to guess, number wise it's probably your pivot points that are causing the trend. Remember that you're built like a brick, so stay light on your toes and ease up on the gas when you first get moving or your previous momentum will be wasted and you'll have to make up for that with your gas canisters. It's subtle, but those details can make all the difference."

Gunther grumbled a few acknowledging words, something like, 'yeah thanks mom' and eventually Eld and Oluo stood up from the table as well, the blonde motioning toward the door with a wave of his hand, "Well on that note, I think it's about time we get to the training grounds, eh? Captain will get pissed off if we're late."

…

…

When they arrived at their assigned section of the grounds, Levi was already waiting for them – that was to be expected, but what was not so expected, was the fact that Erwin was also there as well.

"Uh, Commander-" Eld was the first to speak, and he looked between the two men with obvious question, "Weren't expecting you. What's the occasion?"

The taller male gave a warm smile and nodded as the squad hesitantly lined up and gave a salute, uncertain how they were supposed to respond to their Commander's unannounced presence, "Good morning Squad Levi – at ease. Nothing too fancy, I scheduled a few hours out of my day so I could be here to survey Petra's initial infiltration back onto the squad."

Seeing Petra's eyes go wide, Erwin laughed and gave a shake of his head, "Don't worry Petra, it's not going to be all day or anything – I'm just curious to see your progress for myself. While you all do your warm ups, Captain and I will continue discussing a few details about the expedition and what options are available, I'll watch a few drills, and then I'll be on my way. As a heads up, I'm planning to do the same thing again at the end of this week so we can make that final judgement call before the weekend. For the most part, just pretend I'm not even here."

From his side, there was a low huff from Levi as the Captain crossed his arms and gave his squad a pointed stare, "Except he is here, so you shits better not goof off or make me look bad." His attention shifted toward Petra specifically, and he gave her a nod, "You ready for this? If you feel we're jumping the gun then we can always hold off. Not feeling any stage fright, are you?"

"No, sir."

While her response hadn't cut him off, there was an obvious eagerness to her words, causing Erwin to chuckle at her predictability. Levi's expression didn't change and he waved a hand dismissively toward his squad, "Very well then. You heard the Commander; get started on your warmup routine and I'll see you back here for some drills when you're done."

Giving a salute, the team began the day's training, and Petra couldn't help the large grin of anticipation that came to her face as the men of her squad began running toward the track and she moved beside them step for step, finally training with her teammates for the first time in over two months.

The warm up had been simple, routine as ever, and Petra tried not to let herself become unnerved once they lined back up in front of Levi and the Commander – the latter of which was looking her up and down with a critical, calculated stare as though he were looking for even a single hair out of place.

She gave a nervous gulp as she avoided his deductive stare and she tried to force her breathing back under control, straightening her posture and hoping she didn't look taxed by the simple warm up. From in front of them, Levi took a step forward and watched them with an irritated sort of glower, "The lot of you took your sweet ass time in warmups, and I don't know if it's because Petra's here or what's going on, but you need to get your shit together because the Commander doesn't have all day. Thought I told you not to make me look bad."

He took a breath, seeming to allow the matter to drop and the Captain looked toward the forest with a focused expression, "Let's start with some basic rotation drills so Erwin can see what he needs to see – that is, if you shits aren't too tired of course. I'd hate to make you work up a sweat or inconvenience you by making you do your damn job. Was the warmup too much where you brats need a break? Maybe a nap to recuperate after that strenuous run?"

"No, sir!" came the collective reply of the squad, and Levi gave a small 'hmph.'

"Good. Let's get to it then. We'll start off in a one two two block; I'll lead, Petra and Eld flank the left and right, and Oluo and Gunther, station yourself in the back. We'll make a few rotations and try to shake off some of the dust now that we're a five man team again. Any questions?"

"No, sir!"

"Then let's get to it." As his squad began moving toward the tree line, Levi remained rooted in his spot and looked toward Erwin flatly, "You coming in for a closer look, or you staying down here?"

Erwin grinned, always amused by the crass mannerisms that Levi used when directing his squad, because strangely enough, regardless his insulting demeanor and persistent bad attitude, the squad's results were nothing short of outstanding. The blonde shook his head, "I think I'll watch from here so I can get a full picture, and maybe at the end of the week I'll join in directly so I can get a more detailed view."

"Suit yourself."

"And Levi? You've got fifteen minutes. I am here for Petra of course, but naturally I am curious to see how your team handles itself, after you've been gone for a month. You know what they say about when the cat's away."

At the Commander's words, Levi shrugged as though outright bored by the mere notion that his squad may have fallen in skill or discipline in his absence, "They're elites, Erwin, all of them. If you're expecting a shitshow, I'll tell you now that you're going to be disappointed. For the record, Petra isn't the only one that should be expecting a positive end of year review – you know full well that my squad has done everything I've told them to and more, so you better be willing to loosen up those purse strings a little because they've earned it and should be given some compensation to reflect that."

From some distance away, there were sudden whispers from the squad, and Oluo's voice could be heard, "You guys hear that?"

"Sure did!" Eld's voice chimed in, an obvious tone of excitement to his words, "Sounds like we're all getting raises this year. Petra, did he tell you how much we're getting?"

"What makes you think he'd tell me something like that? He wouldn't even tell me what I'm getting, and believe me I tried!"

"Well if you ask me-"

Hearing their hushed whispers, Levi almost groaned because the last thing he needed was for his team to be distracted even more than they already were, "Oi, all of you mind your own damn business and get into position! I haven't given any official recommendations yet, and rest assured I have no problem giving you all shitty reviews if it turns out that you can't even get through a basic formation like this. For the last damned time, focus on the training so we can move the fuck on!"

The whispers got even quieter, and much less enthusiastic at the Captain's gruff and unamused tone of warning. At the drop of a hat, his team had gone from bubbling excitement to sullen expressions and mumbled complains.

"He's always such a grouch when Erwin is around; man takes everything so seriously."

"Eld wasn't this much of a hardass – Captain is such a killjoy."

"Petra, how you can stand to be around him all day is beyond me. Man's had a stick up his ass for longer than you've been alive."

Ignoring his team's bitter words, Levi looked back to the Commander and rubbed his forehead, certain he was going to have a headache before training let out, "Alright, I've got a team to run and you've got a schedule to keep to. I'll run basics until you've had your fill, and I'll plan to stop by your office after lunch break to discuss your initial thoughts."

Both Erwin and Levi could hear the squad's hushed complaints, and Erwin gave a chuckle and nodded toward the forest in amusement, "Good luck, Captain."

…

…

Petra wanted to make a good impression. She knew she needed to make a good impression because the Expedition was hanging in the balance where Erwin would likely use any slip up against her and yet…

She forced herself to blink, struggling to pay attention as they made yet another simple, basic loop around the training grounds. It was obvious that the Captain was intentionally picking easier formations and drills – just to make sure that no accidents would happen and that her return to the squad wasn't overly difficult right out of the gate, but she couldn't help but feel he was overcompensating because as they casually moved through the trees without any changes to their formation, without any orders to follow or any Titan cutouts to interact with…

She bit back a yawn and tried to shake the sluggishness out of her mind.

Damn. It was boring as hell.

As they moved down the forest path, each executing their directed moves in perfect synchronization come the rare moments that adjustments were even required in the first place, Petra eventually found her mind wandering and she began watching Levi more closely than before; somewhat lazily noticing years of detail that had always gone relatively unseen until now. In the years of being on his team, she had frequently watched the way he moved many times over, even outright studied it as she attempted to best recreate his actions in her own ways, but now – seeing how he held his body, the way his feet all but tapped on the tree branches as though he were light as air, while simultaneously holding his blades in that strange way that spoke of his commanding, yet uniquely personal nature…

They changed direction then, and while the movement was no more than a single tilt of his head, it didn't escape her notice that Levi had taken a small glance behind him, out of habit – habitually checking on his team regardless the fact that this was just a simple training exercise that even the most basic of cadets could execute with little difficulty.

The way he moved, his natural discipline and his ability to lead a squad like this one, regardless the fact that he didn't have the people skills that were often required in a leadership setting…gods, he was just amazing – an obviously gifted prodigy, and at once Petra found herself blushing outright.

It wasn't that she was trying to let her mind wander, no she was trying to keep her mind focused on training, but she found that watching him at a distance like this, seeing him lead the team and knowing the sort of man he was in the work setting, and more recently in the…not so work setting – Petra gave a slow shake of her head as she was once again reminded of just how truly remarkable her husband was, not just to her, but to humanity itself.

Gods, how long had it even been now, since she had spent any of that sort of time with him? Maybe after training, if she could just convince him to be even the slightest bit late for-

"Oi, Petra."

The Captain's voice grabbed her attention and she jolted in surprise, looking up toward the head of the formation and seeing Levi looking over his shoulder toward her expectantly.

"Sir."

He gave a single nod and looked forward again, "Stop focusing on my ass and focus on the training. I can feel your stare and at this rate you'll run into a tree or something. I don't care how long it's been – none of us here get it as often as we want and we still get through the day just fine. But I suppose if it's that fucking bad where you truly cannot function, when we land I can have a chat with Erwin and tell him my schedule needs to be rearranged because you're too damn horny to get through the Expedition."

Petra's mouth fell open, a cold, disbelieving feeling washing over her, and much to her horror, there were a few snickers from the guys at the Captain's chiding as he continued, "Something tells me that you don't want that."

"Uh, no sir…" she responded in absolute embarrassment, and Levi continued leading the formation undaunted, as though he had been correcting form, or inconsistent speed, or any other behavioral issue that sometimes surfaced throughout their training sequences.

It seemed that the Captain was so focused on their training that, even though his observation of a clearly distracted subordinate hadn't been without validity, it was clear that he hadn't thought about the repercussions of having such a conversation in front of the whole squad, nor the awkward spot it might place himself and Petra in as a direct result.

After a few moments, a smirk already pulling at the corner of his lips as though already enjoying himself thoroughly, Eld spoke up in a remorseful tone, "I have a confession Captain. You may have to have that chat with the Commander after all, because I've also been watching your ass this whole time, and now Petra's not the only one who's distracted. I'm not too proud to beg. Please think about it, Captain."

At Eld's words, Levi's previous pace slowed down ever so slightly, and he stole a suspicious, irritated stare over his shoulder toward the blonde with a wordless, threatening scowl - only now realizing the error in his ways and the resulting shitstorm he had unintentionally walked into by bringing up their sex life in front of the entire squad like this. Before he could even attempt to regain control of the situation and confirm that he didn't need to hear his squad's two cents about the matter, Oluo gave a long sigh of his own.

"What can I say, I'm an ass man myself and I may be guilty of a stolen glance or two. It's just so hard to focus on anything else when you're up front like that, so if you're offering your services Captain, I could make you a very happy man."

"Likewise, Captain. Like you said, we don't get it as often as we want, but there's no reason that can't change. You're a little short for my tastes, but I'm game if you are. Between the three of us, we could work something out."

For a long moment Levi watched his team with wide eyes, watched as Petra chewed on her bottom lip – not from embarrassment so much as an obvious attempt to stifle her laughter – and with a sudden snort as though unable to hold back any longer, the ginger began laughing hysterically, and his entire team joined in not a moment later.

"Captain thinks pretty big of himself, doesn't he?" Oluo laughed, and there was an amused grunt from Eld.

"Right? Hell, if I said half of those things to Emily, she'd laugh right in my face! Captain takes himself too seriously!"

"You've got your work cut out for you with that one Petra," Gunther added in smugly, "You ask me, the reason he's in front like this is because he'd be even worse off if the tables were turned and he knows it. Someone so much as brings up your name and his eyes light up – he's really enjoying the honeymoon phase, that much is obvious."

"Piss off, all of you." Levi responded darkly, though his words were completely buried by the raucous laughter of his squad, and Levi gave a grumble and shook his head in defeat, deciding to let his squad have the victory this time around and ignoring the sudden heat creeping up his neck, because try as he may to deny it, he was thoroughly embarrassed.

From behind him, Eld's voice sounded off once again, "Honestly Captain, as your second in command I feel the need to tell you that this is hardly a valuable use of our time, even if Petra's doing a bit of a test run for the Commander. If she's wanting to make a strong impression, we'd be better off doing something that requires actual skill – not this basic cadet snoozefest that's gonna put us all to sleep. If Petra's trying to show you both that she's ready, then that means she should be ready to function with this unit, at our collective skill level as we are now. Not to be a pain, but I don't see why we're all holding back like this? Either she's ready, or she's not. Either way though – let's give the Commander something worth watching, you know? This approach just puts the Elite Squad to shame – we're better than this and you know it."

Levi looked over his shoulder, noticing his team was smirking and nodding in obvious agreement, and admittedly, Eld's words weren't without truth because babying Petra with basic material wouldn't help her out in the long run – if anything, it would only prolong the inevitable because fact of the matter was – if she wasn't ready, he himself would put his foot down long before the decision even got to Erwin in the first place. Thinking it over, Levi looked toward Petra and turned around to face her directly, watching her studiously as he allowed the 3DM gear to continue to pull him onward, "It's your call, Petra. I wanted to start with easier material to help ease you back on the squad, but Eld's right. If you're going to try and participate, it has to be up to par with the performance of everyone else. I don't want to push too much onto you to the point of arrogance, but…maybe our approach could be improved a bit. Are you ready to train with us full out, or do you want to call it a day? No bullshitting me either; what do you want?"

She gave a slow nod, a serious expression tightening her lips as she gave a confident nod of her own, "I want to train, Captain."

"Very well." Levi agreed easily, turning back toward the front of the formation and announcing to his team, "If that's how you want it, we'll pick up where we left off, starting with the Omega Formation. I want to see real focus this time – no mistakes or injuries, are we clear on that?"

"Yes, sir!"

…

…

The rest of the week had passed by in a hectic sort of blur as Petra tried desperately to keep up with the squad while making sure she wasn't pushing herself so hard as to reinjure or tax her body. Erwin's initial assessment had gone well enough, and she was approved to join her squad for daily training, instead of having specific material written out for her instead.

She would start the mornings off and train with the squad, and while the Captain was still a bit more lenient with her as she worked on adjusting her speed or accuracy that had fallen in skill, for the most part he expected nothing but perfection and was every bit of a hardass as ever, consistently nagging her about form because her lack of training for two months had caused her to become sloppy.

She'd do her paperwork after lunch, sending copies of her daily performance to both Levi and the Commander, and then after dinner, she'd spend hours conditioning her body – soaking in an ice bath or stretching out her limbs to help keep her limber for the upcoming day of training because she couldn't deny that she was out of practice and incredibly sore as a result.

It was hard, and more often than not she all but collapsed into her bed at the end of each day, but even still she was confident that her efforts were paying off. Today, after an entire week of training successfully with her squad, Erwin had returned again to see her progress. She had been hoping that he would have given her his approvals then and there, but instead he said they'd all have a meeting about it after dinner, because with the Expedition only a week away, he had much to think over.

In some ways, she couldn't deny the truth to his words, because even she herself didn't have time to sulk or laze about. Her own workload had been increasing day by day, and – not that she wanted to bring it up – but she had been using what little free time she had in desperate attempts to catch up the Captain's paperwork. She had overheard Erwin discussing their upcoming schedule, and it seemed that he planned on giving all of leadership the weekend off, so they could use the time to prepare and put any personal business in order, should the worst happen while outside of the Walls.

Of course, it wasn't likely that Levi had many personal affairs to see to of that sort – no, if anything, he would likely use the time off to catch up on all of his paperwork instead, and Petra was hoping that if she worked hard enough, that perhaps she'd be able to free up his schedule, where he'd actually have some true time off for a change.

She was actually in the Captain's office, working on finishing up a document as she made note of the time and tried to suppress the flock of butterflies that had been released in her stomach.

It was time to visit Erwin – well, Petra glanced at the clock and gave a contemplative frown, noting that she would be a good fifteen minutes early if she left now, but even still, she wasn't really sure if she could wait any longer because this was the moment she had been waiting for now, since her cast had been removed.

It wasn't a crime to be fashionably early, right? Surely Erwin wouldn't mind – considering it was his first appointment that followed after dinner, it wasn't like she'd be interrupting someone else's scheduled meeting or anything. Honestly, the man was someone who enjoyed punctuality, and perhaps her eagerness would make it that much harder to deliver any unfavorable news.

With a decided nod, Petra flipped through a few folders, reorganizing the documents back to their proper place before setting them back in Levi's desk and moving down the halls toward the opposite end of the compound.

Eventually, she reached his door and took a breath of preparation, reminding herself that whatever the outcome was, be it good or bad, she needed to respond professionally and give herself grace because she had worked her ass off. There was nothing more she could have done and the outcome was, at this point, out of her hands. Whatever happened, she had nothing to be ashamed of.

Nodding to herself to bolster her confidence, Petra grabbed the door handle and moved into his office with a forced, nervous smile, "Hey Erwin," she took a step into the office and continued, "Hope you don't mind that I'm early. I'm not sure where the Captain is but either way-"

At once her voice died on her tongue, because as she stepped into the room, she was not prepared for what she saw.

As admittedly innocent as it was, even still…

Hanji was leaning forward, standing up on her toes – and with arms wrapped around her was none other than the Commander himself; their lips still pressed together for a split second as the trio seemed to freeze, clearly uncertain of what to do.

"Oh, Petra uh…" Hanji mumbled as she stood flatly back to the ground, and from behind her, Erwin gave a gruff sort of sound, clearing his throat as though trying to find his words or come up with an explanation for what she had just walked into.

While it was only a few seconds, the tension in the room was palpable, and from behind the still gawking, horrified ginger, there was a sudden deep groan as the office door creaked open for a second time.

"Oh gods, you two at it again? Don't you have a damned lock on the door or something?"

The sound of Levi's voice from behind her almost caused Petra to jump right out of her skin, and she took a wide eyed glance over her shoulder as Levi closed the door behind himself with a sigh, "I know we've got an Expedition coming up where you're feeling those itchy little hormones – but I think we'd all get a lot more accomplished if you were thinking with what's in your head, rather than your pants."

Levi walked into the office without missing a single step and he waved a folder into the air with an irritated expression, "This is what you wanted, right? I got here early like you asked so we could look it over together, but it seems you had other plans in mind."

As Levi walked toward the back of the room, he moved past Hanji and pressed the folder straight into her face as he walked by, causing the Scientist to give a surprised yelp as Levi deliberately pressed the material into her skin and kept right on walking as he spoke in a scoff, "Oi, Four Eyes. If you're going to be in here anyway then I'm putting you to work. Take a look at the numbers, will ya? Petra's been working hard so think about it long and hard before either of you just give her some default answer."

Erwin gave an obviously flustered nod, stealing one last glance toward Petra, and then he reached toward the folder with a sigh, giving Hanji a chance to adjust her glasses so they rested properly across her face again.

"Alright Petra, let me take a look at your numbers and how you've progressed during these last three weeks. I know we can't leave you guessing forever, and it's high time we look at this matter more seriously so we can all prepare for what to expect in the weeks to come."

Erwin took a few minutes to look over the pages of data, Hanji soon coming to leer over his shoulder as he reviewed the folder page by page. As the silence fell across the room, Petra looked between Levi, then Hanji and Erwin, then back to Levi, not sure what she was wanting them to say, but amazed they weren't going to say anything at all about the fact that they were – well, that there was clearly something going on between them!

As she looked between the two of them, their expressions were as focused as ever, as though she hadn't just caught the Commander and his lead researcher in the manner that she had, and after stealing yet one more glance toward Levi, Petra almost scoffed at the blank, composed expression across his face as well, and she mentally grumbled to herself because her sudden onslaught of questions were apparently going to go unabated. Even still, Petra followed his lead and allowed the matter to take a temporary hiatus in her mind. For now.

"We leave for the Expedition in eight days." Levi stated simply, his attention turned to the blonde directly, "Not to state the obvious, but it's now or never. If she's going to be back on my team, we'll need the time that's left to fully reacclimate as a five-man squad. If she's not coming, we'll double down on the four man drills instead – either way, adjustments need to be made."

Erwin gave a shallow nod but remained silent – a mere confirmation that the Captain's words were noted – and he handed the folder to Hanji with a studious exhale as he rubbed his chin in thought, "These numbers are excellent Petra - well above that of an average Scout to be sure, and yet not quite matching the level you were before you went on leave." He took a breath and looked at her with a pointed stare, "To speak frankly, I'm not sure if you'll be able to keep up with a squad like Levi's, because you know as well as I that the numbers aren't quite there yet."

Petra frowned at his accurate statement and from behind the Commander, Hanji took a breath and continued flipping through the pages with narrowed eyes, still scanning the data over as he spoke, "If you don't mind my asking, what do you think, Captain? I wasn't there to personally see how Petra was doing this week, but it stands to reason that if anyone has a good feel for her capabilities – it's you. I understand she's been training each morning with your squad this entire week – was she able to keep up well enough, and more than that, but show signs of improvement each day?"

The Captain considered the question and eventually responded, "Well obviously it wasn't perfect and the numbers reflect that much – but if I myself had those sort of doubts, we wouldn't be here in the first place. Overall, if I had to look at it from a black and white position, I do think she's ready to return to active duty. My only concern is, with the Expedition being just next week…"

Erwin gave a half smile at the obvious hesitation in the Captain's voice and he finished his sentence off with a sigh, "The fact that she's not at one hundred percent is a very real problem."

Levi gave a simple nod, and Petra tried not to groan at the Captain's assessment, because if her own Captain had doubts, that didn't bode well for her.

Erwin's attention drifted to Petra and he gave her a long stare, "And that's not all I'm afraid. As you know full well, the military as a whole is very interested in Humanity's Angel. Of course the matter of your performance is a very real discussion, but that's only half of it. If we permitted you to go on the Expedition while it's public knowledge that you are recovering from an injury – if the worst should happen outside the Walls, to say we would look 'negligent' would be a vast understatement. I'd likely be issued a court marshal for intentional misconduct and the Scouts would be in hot water for the rest of the year – something I'd very much like to avoid. Pragmatically speaking, your participation comes with a lot of risks, and minimal benefits. My better judgement leads me to want to take a cautious approach here, considering it's not just the future of the Scouts that would be impacted should the worst happen. The Scouts would be heavily criticized, the military as a whole would lose your advantageous skillset, and not to mention a certain Captain would lose a valued member of his squad as well as his life partner – something I'm sure he would very much like to avoid as well."

Erwin paused and gave a grim smile, a sort of dry amusement in his tone as he watched Petra with a sarcastic half grin, "In light of this, what course of action might you recommend, Mrs. Ackerman?"

At first she had merely returned his stare with a stubborn sort of stare down of her own, but when it became obvious the Commander had no intention of responding further, Petra gaped and looked between the trio of Commanding Officers with an offended, impatient huff, "Okay Commander, that's not fair! My ability to rejoin the ranks should be solely based off my performance as is, right now."

She tried to sort her thoughts and admitted with a shrug, "Sure I'm not completely back up to my previous numbers, but I'm pretty damn close, and Captain even said that I wasn't hindering the squad so I don't get what the big deal is. I know the whole job review thing is a future hurdle, but to be perfectly frank, my present role right now is to be an elite Scout on Squad Levi. I'm not an analyst, I'm not a project manager, and for you guys to keep me locked up behind a desk like the decision's already been made for me just isn't right. Even with where I am today, I'd still be an asset on the battlefield, a fact none of you can deny, and based off that fact alone I feel I should be allowed to participate. If we must take a cautious approach, I don't know maybe…well, I uh…maybe put me on probation or something?"

"Probation?" Erwin repeated with sudden interest, and Petra gave an uncertain shrug – not even sure herself what that had meant; merely grasping at anything that might just open a few doors for her because it was obvious that her window of opportunity was slowly getting more and more narrow by the minute.

She bit her lower lip, "It's…just an idea, sir." she mumbled softly, her gaze shifting to the floor as she mentally prayed that she hadn't just shot herself in the foot. She picked at the ends of her sleeves and bolstered her courage to look back up and give the Commander a serious stare, "I feel I have put the work in, and I feel my numbers solidly reflect that I am capable of doing the job I have been commissioned to do. If adjustments need to be made then so be it, but Commander, I am a Scout and my place is on the battlefield with my team. I deserve the right to fight for those I care about."

Erwin seemed to think her words over for a few more minutes, and he nodded, "Alright Petra – a compromise. To be frank, I'd feel more comfortable if you were to remain here at the base while the Expedition is carried out, however to your point I agree that you are useful out on the battlefield and that you have certainly put the work in. My proposition is simply this: you participate, but your role is kept minimal. When strenuous or overly dangerous situations present themselves, you are to allow Captain Levi or your squad mates to care for the situation and act as backup in the event that more advanced actions are required. As for what is or isn't too advanced, I'll leave that judgment call to your Captain. This should placate your desire to participate, while at the same time bolstering the odds that you'll survive without issue."

The Commander looked toward Levi directly, "Captain, your thoughts?"

Levi nodded and crossed his arms, looking back toward Petra with a flat, appraising stare, "Works for me. We'll have our work cut out for us, but I know we'll be ready in time."

The Commander's attention turned back toward the front of the room, "And for you, Petra? What are your thoughts? Unfortunately, this is the best offer I am willing to provide you, so you may accept it and the role of support that comes with it, or you may simply choose to stay here and we will see you when we return in a few weeks. Either option is acceptable to me, so you may choose your preference."

Petra gave a half smile and shrugged, "Perhaps not the outcome I wanted, but at the end of the day I'm still participating, so I won't complain. I want to go, and support my team."

"Very well Mrs. Ackerman." Erwin turned his attention back to his desk and began writing a few notes into the folder, "As of today, I am hereby approving your leave to be rescinded as of this coming Monday. You will train with your squad full time – so no more paperwork for the time being – and come when the Scout's pack up for the Expedition, you will join us."

He continued writing a few notes on the page, eventually looking up and giving her a smile, "Congratulations, Mrs. Ackerman, and well done."

…

End of Chapter

...

I love this chapter, and almost hate that all these great conversations happen in the same chapter like this, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Oh and Erwin and Hanji? I get it's not the central plot but I've been building up that once since…what, the banquet? Ah, how glorious to finally present that debut to yall! In other news, I also love that the squad finally got to have their moment to make a few jabs at Levi and Petra's expense now that it's somewhat 'public' knowledge that things have progressed all the more between them.

Either way, that will do for this week! I will give my next update Sunday – yall cross your fingers and pray I can get material written out so that we can keep this ship sailing :) See ya next week!

~Mid