Chapter 5

Rui burst from the room, falling on the floor and scrambling to her feet. She held her stomach, swaying forward from the pain. She closed the door, falling into the wall, sucking air into her lungs. She clamped her hand to her mouth, her other dangling from the chain, her body shaking violently.

"I killed him...I killed a General of the Military Police. I killed a man..."

Although she'd never breathed so fast, she still felt like she was suffocating. He had punched her stomach so hard. What if it hurt the baby? What was Levi going to say? Would he be angry with her? She choked, thinking of that possibility. She couldn't handle it. She would drop dead on the spot if he gave even a small hint of anger towards her.

She felt sick again. She crouched onto the floor, her knees up to her chest, gripping her hair. She had to calm down. Panicking would get her nowhere. But with what happened, what else could she do?

She heard footsteps coming around the corner. She needed to move away, but she couldn't budge. She couldn't lift her head, she couldn't speak. She was frozen in time.

A hand rested gently on her head.

"You feeling okay Rui? You don't look so good," a female voice said above her. She glanced up, her eyes wet with the threat of tears. Zoe Hange smiled down at her.

"I...I'm in big trouble..." She whispered. Her squad leader smiled, patting her again.

"What could you have possibly done to get in trouble? Come on now, cheer up, it's not so bad!" She said with a big grin, pushing up her glasses. Rui glanced to the door.

"He...attacked me. He tried to kill my baby," she choked. Zoe stared at her for a moment. She noticed the cuffs then, wrapped around her wrists.

"Tried to kill...your what?" She asked, suddenly serious. She glanced over to the door, reaching for the handle. She took a peek inside.

"Oh...I get it. Yes, Rui, I think you may indeed be in a lot of trouble," she said quietly. She lowered herself to Rui's face, getting extremely close.

"Don't let anyone into that room, do you understand? I'll get Levi and Erwen. We will figure this out. Also...congratulations," she said. Rui looked slowly into Hange's smiling eyes. She didn't understand the warmth behind them. She'd just killed someone. Did that mean nothing to her? She left swiftly, disappearing behind a wall. Would she tell on her? Would Erwen get angry with her? So many things were up in the air, she might pass out.

It wasn't long before Erwen and Levi came, lead by Zoe. Her squad leader lead Erwen to the door, slowly opening it for him to peer inside. Levi stood next to her, brushing the back of his fingers against the top of her head. When Erwen looked into the room, his expression didn't change at what he saw. He looked to Levi, gesturing for him to take a look.

Rui held her breath when he moved to glance into the room. Erwen widened the opening ever so slightly and Rui could tell, although he didn't show it much, Levi was surprised. He looked back at her as if to make sure it was indeed her sitting there before them.

"What do we do?" Zoe asked Erwen. Their Commander pulled the door closed after locking it from the inside.

"We go to my office immediately," he answered. Levi helped Rui up. He placed his hand on her belly, his eyes narrowing when she winced in pain.

"Why does it hurt?" He asked through his teeth. Erwen glanced back to them as they walked.

"Levi, we will discuss everything in my office and absolutely nothing else before then," he said firmly. For once, Levi listened. He held Rui's arm, giving her leverage as she walked, feeling incredibly weak. Her wrists were still cuffed together, but now, with him beside her, she felt much more at ease.

Once they reached Erwen's office, Levi lead Rui to a bench, sitting down next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Erwen opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out a small key. He moved over to Rui, reaching his hand out for her wrists.

"You have the key?" She asked. Hange giggled, leaning against the wall next to the bench.

"Pretty much all those cuffs are unlocked with the same key. The military police are too cheap to get better ones but it's a fairly well kept secret. That said, obviously we have one set aside for just this instance. It's not the first time we've had troubles with the military police," she explained. While Erwen undid her cuffs, Levi lifted Rui's shirt.

Her face went red right away. "Levi!" She gasped, but he wasn't listening. He was too busy staring at the bruises on her abdomen. His eyes burned with anger. Erwen looked up at him.

"Why would he hit her?" He asked. Hange placed a hand to her mouth.

"She's pregnant..." Zoe breathed. Erwen looked up to Levi's enraged eyes.

"Is that true, Levi?" He asked. Levi looked away, clearly distressed.

"She was this morning. I hope she is still..." He whispered. Rui felt her heart clench. His face and voice were breaking her. She sniffed, freed from the cuffs. Shakily, she wrapped her arms around his neck, knowing he didn't like public affection. But she needed his embrace. She needed his comfort.

He scooped her knees up, tossing them over his lap and holding her back. She rested completely against him, relaxing within his warmth. She listened to his heartbeat, a true evidence to him being alive and with her.

"Tell us what happened, Rui," Erwen said, standing up.

As much as she hated it, Rui recounted everything that had happened. She told them about the liquid, Erwen wincing as she said it had made it into her mouth.

"Did you swallow any of it?" He asked, Levi clenching his arms around her.

"I don't know. I tried not to. I spat as much out as I could, but he was holding my mouth and nose closed..."

"We will need to monitor that. That liquid is not for abortion, it's for eliminating fertility. You'd never have another child again. And, as you might imagine, it would also terminate your pregnancy," he said grimly. Levi's teeth ground together.

"He's lucky you killed him because if he'd been successful I would have taken pleasure in feeding him his own fingers," Levi growled. Rui sighed. Why was she so comfortable with a man who not only spoke like that, but meant every word?

"Well, I'm worried. Sometimes you swallow things even when you don't realize it. Especially with liquid. Even if it doesn't cause a miscarriage, it isn't good for the pregnancy. Then there's the trauma..." Erwen looked back at Rui's stomach.

"I wouldn't worry about that. If she just found out, she's still in the early stages. Her baby is still microscopic and behind her pelvic bone. It's pretty well protected. As far as the liquid goes, my best advice is for you to throw up," she said with a grin.

Before Rui could say anything, her body was being lifted. Levi moved her to the office window, opening it and pushing her head out. Rui was confused until two of his fingers shoved deep inside her throat. Her stomach lurched and what little she'd been able to stomach that morning came immediately up and out. Levi flicked his fingers, more than a little grossed out.

"Maybe a warning next time..." Rui groaned out the window. Levi patted her back, going back in to clean his hand. Erwen looked to Zoe.

"How do you know so much about pregnancies?" He asked. Hange smiled, rubbing her hands together.

"Well, in my Titan research, I wondered about the possibilities of reproduction early on, given their numbers. Of course they don't have reproductive organs, so I was very curious. I had to learn everything I could about human reproduction before I could compare, however and, as it would happen, I now know everything about human reproduction for absolutely no reason since we now know Titans don't reproduce. It was a fun little waste of time," she said.

Rui looked at her, pulling the window closed.

"Can you answer my questions!?" She asked suddenly. Levi looked at her, surprise on his face.

"Well, sure, what questions do you have?" She asked. Rui walked over to her, sitting down on the bench beside the woman.

"I feel sick a lot. Is that normal? How am I supposed to eat if I can't keep anything down?"

"Eating is important, but even more is hydration. If you become dehydrated it's a spiral that is almost impossible to recover from without assistance. The more dehydrated you get, the more sick you'll become, so let me know if you can't keep water down. You're in what's called the first trimester and right now water and folic acid are your best friends. You should also sleep as much as possible," she said.

"How do I get folic acid?"

"Eat lots of bread. Ideally you should have green veggies, but as of the fall of wall Maria, those are hard to come by. But at least two helpings of bread a day should suffice," she said.

Levi watched, his face blank. He knew she had been scared. He knew she was nervous about having a child. What he hadn't known was just how much went into having a child. He hadn't known all these questions and if she'd asked him, he wouldn't have had the answers. He just assumed all women knew how to grow a baby. He felt a little guilty for having gotten her pregnant without knowing anything at all.

Erwen smiled, placing a hand on Levi's shoulder.

"All drama aside...congratulations, Captain. I'll help in any way I can," he said. Levi inhaled deeply.

"Here's hoping we make it through. We have to figure out what to do about Walker or they're going to prosecute her. I can't let that happen," he said softly. The girls still chatted away, allowing Levi a good look at Rui. Now he understood why he couldn't get pregnancy out if his head. He understood why she had seemed otherworldly beautiful to him these past few weeks. She had already been pregnant and somehow, he'd known it. Everything about her was intoxicating to him right now. He couldn't let anything happen to her.

"We will think of something. In the meantime, you two should keep a low profile. Hide out in the cabin or somewhere discreet. Once you have the child, we will more efficiently be able to protect it. If you need anything, let me know," he said.

"What do we do with the body?" Levi asked quietly. Erwen went quiet for a moment. That was a serious hang-up.

"We have a few options. All of which have their drawbacks. Firstly, we report the death to the military police so they know it wasn't an inside job. We tell them what happened, that it was in self defense, Rui gives her testimony, we stay in the mercy of the court. That said, they will know Rui's pregnant. Considering Walker's reaction to that news, I'm not sure what we're dealing with. They might still arrest her. They might still execute her," he said. Levi waved his fingers through the air.

"Next," he said deeply.

"Next option, we hide the body, play dumb, let them come to their own assumptions. Chances are, they are going to assume someone from the scouts killed him. We will go through the formality of an investigation and, more than likely, they will try to pin it on you. Rui will be put in the middle due to her closeness to you. She will likely be tortured for information. After which, she will likely confess and be criminalized and executed," he explained.

Levi sighed, not liking the options.

"What if we run?" He asked, looking over to Rui who was smiling now. He was happy she had made something of a friend in Hange.

"Well, if you run, you'll be chased. I doubt they will ever stop looking for you, out of principle. You would have no access to Hange for questions or a doctor to give birth. You'll be on the run constantly and, to be honest, I'm not sure how well that will work in a few months."

Levi put his hands in his on his hips, taking a breath.

000

"We're going to run?" Rui looked to Levi as they walked into the cabin. He shut the door behind them, taking off his gear in the entryway.

"Yeah. It's the only real option. The scouts will report the body in the morning. We will already be gone because we are leaving at midnight," he said. Rui fell silent.

"I...I'm so sorry, Levi. I didn't mean to -"

"Let me make something clear to you," he grabbed her, pulling her tightly against him. She flinched, feeling his crushing strength around her chest. "I do not blame you for what happened. If I had been there, the scenario wouldn't have been much different. You protected yourself. You protected our child. If anything I'm extremely proud of you and have never been more sure of my decision to have a baby with you, even if it wasn't exactly on the terms I wanted," he whispered into her ear.

Her heart fluttered. He was proud...not upset. She sighed into his chest, moving her hands up to the back of his head, combing through his hair. He leaned down and captured her lips, smoothing his fingers down her back.

"We don't have much time," he said into her mouth, "we have to decide what we're taking with us and where we're going. I was thinking we try your family's farmhouse. I actually really want to go back there, titans or otherwise."

His lips moved softly against hers, but she could feel his passion deepening. His tongue slid across her bottom lip.

"Should we move from the entryway?" She whispered, pulling at his shirt. He smiled, brushing his hand down from her collar, over her breast and around her ribs.

"Why, are you hoping for something? That's a bit bold, I'm your Captain. It's against the rules, you know," he grinned, nipping at her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him slide off her gear. He slid a hand up and under her shirt, his fingers tucking under her bra.

"I want to break the rules, Captain," she sighed. As he moved his mouth to her jaw, a heavy knock banged on the door just beside them. They stopped, both looking warily at the door.

"Levi Ackerman! Open up!" They heard from the other side. Levi looked to Rui's belly, kneeling down and kissing it gently. Rui was confused. Levi stood and opened the door as they knocked loudly again. Once the door was opened, Levi was grabbed, turned around, and cuffed immediately. He looked at her with something in his eyes she didn't recognise.

"Captain Levi Ackerman of the Scouting Corps, you are hereby arrested under suspicion of foul play in the disappearance of General Walker. He's been missing since this afternoon. His last known location was the scouting headquarters which was labeled as one of your locations per your parole. Do you have any questions or statements?"

Levi's eyes never left Rui's. He inhaled deeply.

"I killed him."