Siren III

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Previously: Levi misses Petra. She comes on land and they talk. She says she wants to have his baby.

Fun Fact: My original take on the Siren prompt was Petra saves Levi and he falls for her. They get married and after she gives birth, he wakes up and sees her walking into the ocean with their daughter. He realizes she's left him. Depressed and wanting to be with them, Levi takes a boat out, ties a weight to his leg, and drowns himself.

"It's lovely!" Petra held up the blue and silver delicate necklace and admired it. "I've never been one for trinkets, but it's very pretty!"

"It's real silver and aquamarine," the vendor explained.

"We'll take it." Levi immediately pulled out some money and handed it to the woman.

"Oh, you don't have to."

"You saved my life. This is nothing. Consider it a token of my appreciation. And I've already paid for it."

"Very well." She put it on and smiled. "What do you think?"

"It suits you," Levi said, feeling happy and thinking he wouldn't mind buying her pretty things for the rest of their lives and making her smile like that.

Petra sniffed the air curiously. "What is that smell?"

"It's coming from the bakery. Have you ever eaten any baked goods?"

"I have not," she said. "Are they good?"

"Come with me." Levi had a feeling she was going to love sweet things. He bought a nectarine honey tart, an apple pie, and a lemon square. "There's a beautiful fountain near the center of the town. It's not far from here. There's plenty of benches around there and we can sit there and enjoy the food."

"Sounds wonderful."

Levi was delighted as she tried each of the baked goodies. He loved watching her face light up and her eyes twinkle from joy.

"If I knew there were such delicious things here I would have come on land more often!"

"You know, if you stay you can eat these any time you want."

"Are you trying to bribe me?"

"Yes," Levi answered unashamedly. "So, is it working?"

"Hmm..."

"You're the one who said you wanted to have my baby." Just saying the words made him embarrassed and giddy. He almost felt stupid just feeling those idiotic, mushy emotions.

"I suppose I should have given you a warning."

"Warning would have been nice."

Petra rested her elbow on the table, face in hand. "I'm ready to be a mother. Many of my kind just go and seduce the first human male they find attractive. Men are just a means to an end for us. The only attachment we feel—most of us, anyway—is to our progeny. To the ocean. But I'm picky about who I lay with so it's a difficult process for me."

"Nothing wrong with having standards."

"But I guess you have certain standards of your own."

He nodded. "That's right."

"Alright, what do I have to do to get you to say yes?"

"Like you said, I also have some expectations you must meet. So if you're going to be the mother of my daughter, I have to know what kind of person you are."

"Fair enough. What does that entail?"

"I just want to spend time with you. Get to know you better." Levi hoped to make her fall in love with him in that time.

"That sounds easy," she said with a dazzling smile. "I already enjoy spending time with you."

"So it's true."

Levi almost jumped at the amused voice behind him. "Erwin, what the hell are you doing creeping around at this hour?"

The tall blond-haired man joined him, placing the small candle on the table. Moonlight poured through the windows, illuminating the kitchen. "I got caught up in my paperwork and thought I might as well finish the entire thing. I came down to get coffee."

"Why not just call a servant to fetch you some?"

"I wanted to take the chance to stretch my legs."

Levi grunted, turning back to his warm hot chocolate. Normally he preferred tea but he and Petra had had some hot chocolate and the sweet memory had made him crave the comforting drink.

"There it is again," Erwin remarked at the tender look on Levi's face.

"What is?"

"I heard some rumors you were spotted around town with a very pretty redhead. Supposedly you're courting her."

"It was Erd, wasn't it? Nosy gossiper."

"You're not denying it."

Levi shrugged noncommittally. "Maybe I am courting her. So what? You're going to tease me?"

"No. I'm happy for you. You're smiling more now, less cranky. You just had that dreamy, faraway look."

"Don't say that. Makes me sound like some lovesick fool."

"A happy lovesick fool."

"It's not like she's agreed to marry me."

"She would be crazy to say no."

For a second there, Levi considered telling Erwin the truth. Compared to him, the commander was definitely more knowledgeable in the romance area and had a good head on his shoulders. He could surely give him proper advice. But it did not feel right, revealing Petra's secret like that. So he decided to hold back some details. "Mind if I ask for some advice?"

"You're not about to ask romantic advice from the fool who picked a self-imposed mission to root out corruption in the government over a wonderful woman and pushed her into the arms of his best friend, are you?"

"When you put it like that..."

Erwin shook his hands. "No, no, please, go ahead. I'd love to listen and offer an words of wisdom I can."

Levi went over the story in his head. "The woman I'm courting, she's not from around here. She's a free spirit. She likes to travel. Move from place to place and enjoy the journey."

"A nomadic soul."

"Yes. She's been receptive to my advances and I think she's genuinely starting to think about our future together. But... Now I'm being plagued by doubts about the certainty of our future. What if I can't keep her happy and she leaves? Or worse, what if we get married and she feels trapped by me and suffers in silence because she doesn't want to hurt me?"

"I can understand your concern," Erwin said after a pause. "All I can offer you is this: you've got to trust her to make the best decision for herself. Maybe it will work. Maybe it won't. You'll never know until you try. Worrying about what may or may not happen will do you no good now. Do you think she knows herself well enough to make the best decision?"

"Yes."

"Then like I said, trust her to make the right decision for herself. And you do the same. Do what you believe is best for you."

Levi turned over, arm reaching out. His eyes opened when he felt no body lying next to his. Out of habit, he sat up, immediately listening for the sound of a crying infant. Confused at the silence, he checked the empty house. His daughter was sleeping peacefully but his wife was nowhere to be found. Odd, where could she have gone at this hour?

He glanced out the window. Grabbing a blanket, he stepped out and joined Petra. She was sitting on the steps of the back porch. Her gaze was focused. Past the green, grassy field and the trees, she was staring at the ocean, looking almost hypnotized.

Levi had a feeling she wasn't watching the sunrise. Despite knowing she wasn't cold—she didn't get cold easily—he sat beside her and wrapped the blanket around both of them. A second later, she appeared to break out of her dazed state.

Guilt covered her face. "Levi, I..."

"Why do you look like you just got caught with your hand in the cookie jar? Which has happened," he said, chuckling. She'd claimed the hormones made her do it.

She turned her gaze down, hands bunching up the fabric of her nightgown.

"I told you, didn't I? You're free to miss your home and it's okay if you want to take a few days whenever you need to go lose yourself in the ocean." They'd even come up with an excuse, just in case, for her disappearance every month if she wanted to go swim for days in the cold depths of the high seas. Levi wasn't worried she'd never come back. She loved him. More than that, she loved their child and knew that pull was stronger than anything. "Remember our plan? About you being such a devoted daughter and 'visiting your hermit parents every month?'"

"It's not the thought of being unable to swim freely in the ocean for weeks at a time that's unbearable. It's the opposite, actually. How can I just abandon my baby? Who will care for her and look after her if I'm gone?"

It stung that she felt so horrible about leaving their daughter. That she equated it to their child being abandoned and unloved even though she would be arround. But he knew it was not a reflection on him, but merely a byproduct of the differences between humans and sirens. "Well, I suppose I can't blame you for your thinking. Sirens are solidarity mothers and raise their daughters alone. But I'm here, too. We're partners."

"You're hurt, aren't you?" Petra hugged him, kissing his cheek. "Oh, Levi, I didn't mean it like that! I know she's your daughter just as much as she is mine. It's just so hard." Her voice wavered from unshed tears.

"It's okay," he said, holding her tight. "I know you can't help it to some extent."

"Still, I don't want you to feel like I value you any less in our daughter's life."

Her words warmed his heart. "Thank you for saying that. I know that's how you feel but..." Sometimes it was nice to hear it out loud.

"If I go," she said softly, "are you going to get a wet nurse?"

Petra had looked like he stabbed her in the back when he first mentioned getting a wet nurse for their daughter whenever Petra would leave for a few days. She'd sobbed uncontrollably and he'd had to scramble to assure her it was a common practice among humans and he didn't mean to upset her. But she had still hated the idea of another woman nursing her baby with a fiery passion. They'd decided to cross that bridge when they got there.

"I've already found someone," he confessed. "I wasn't looking for one," he added quickly. "But Gunther happened to mention it. She's his neighbor and she just gave birth a couple of weeks ago. She's always looking to make money since her eldest is prone to sickness."

"I guess," Petra agreed with great reluctance.

"It's okay. It doesn't mean she can take your place. No one can do that."

"It just feels so wrong," she said miserably.

Levi didn't say anything, knowing she just needed to feel bad about it. It was better than letting her bury it deep inside and let the resentment build.

Finally, she sighed and said almost grudgingly, "How soon can you hire the wet nurse?"

Levi always loved watching Petra come back and pick up their daughter. The sheer look of delight and joy on her face and her laughter one of his favorite things in the world.

Once she was done lavishing the infant, she would launch herself into his arms and he would welcome her back with a kiss.

"How was it?" Levi asked as they laid on their bed, Petra lovingly watching the sleeping infant between them.

"It was wonderful!" Her cheeks were flushed, eyes wide and bright from happiness as she told him about her weekend.

While he couldn't really relate he did like seeing how happy it made her, sharing what she had been up to with him. But her words did get him thinking. It had occurred to him before in passing but now he couldn't stop thinking about it.

"You look troubled. Is something the matter?" Petra asked, concern clear on her face.

"She'll become a siren if she submerges completely in the ocean, right?" Levi said, remembering what his wife had told him when he asked if their daughter would be born human. "And the change will be permanent. So like with you now, she won't be able to stay on land without submerging in water a few times a day and staying extra hydrated."

"With pregnancy being the only exception, yes," Petra said. "I didn't need to do that then or feel the pull of the ocean for nine months. Being pregnant changed my biology temporarily."

"What if she decides to leave?" Levi watched the baby worriedly, suddenly feeling anxious about her being far out of his reach.

Petra gave him a confused look. "Where is this coming from?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, just listening to you now I started thinking. If she decides to become a siren instead of staying human, what if she can't resist the call of the ocean once she changes?"

"It's a possibility, yes. But even if that does happen, it doesn't mean she'll forget you completely and you'll never see her again."

"Are you sure?"

"Levi, stop being silly. She loves you."

He stared at the tiny hand clutching his finger. Weak as the grip was, it was so easy to focus on and it kept him firmly anchored to his spot. He was unable to bring himself to leave. Everything else seemed to matter very little and the world could have fallen away and he wouldn't have noticed. It still amazed him how much he could love this tiny person. "I love her very much, too," he said.

"Trust me, she'll always love you." Petra sighed, laying on her back. "I wish I could have sons," she said longingly. "But alas, that's just not meant to be for my kind."

"I would have liked to have a son."

"Yes, it would have been nice."

The baby kicked her leg in sleep and Levi's attention immediately went to her. He stroked her hair, wondering if it was getting too hot and he should fan her a little.

Petra began to giggle.

"What?"

"She's already got you wrapped around her little finger. Wait till she's older and figures it out. You won't be able to say no to her and spoil her rotten."

"Maybe." Levi couldn't even deny it.

"You better start practicing then. I will not have a spoiled brat."

"Seeing that you're the only person I have a hard time saying no to, are you saying I should start telling you no more often? Because I bought your favorite chocolate cake and—"

"I'm a grown woman," Petra declared, sitting up. "You don't have to worry about me being spoiled."

"Uh-huh."

"Now if you'll excuse me, there's a cake with my name on it," she said, hurrying to leave the room.

Petra was gone before he could tell her to save him a piece. "Are you going to have your mommy's sweet tooth?" Levi asked his daughter. "I'll buy you all the chocolate you want," he said, kissing her hand. "And I promise I'll hide it so your mother doesn't eat it all first."

Gonna try to update every few days. Got RW 2013 and some other prompts lined up next.

Please Review~