"We already checked that part of town. There's no Innocence and no Akuma." Allen said, scratching the top of his head as he and Lenalee walked through the American town they were still in, Timcanpy flying loyally by his head.

"I guess that's it, then. We turned this town upside down and there's absolutely nothing here. Not even a minor trace." Lenalee sighed. She couldn't help but feel like they had wasted time here, even though it was nice to actually take a few days to breathe. Allen felt the same.

Together they walked through the strips of stores, doing a bit of window shopping here and there. "That dress would look pretty on you." Allen noted.

Lenalee smiled at her friend. "You think so?"

"Of course. You look pretty in everything." He said, smiling back at her. Then, his expression fell suddenly. "Oh, fuck!"

"What? What's the matter?"

"My pants…" Allen groaned, pressing his palm to his temple. "I forgot my pants."

"Your… Your pants?" Lenalee repeated in confusion.

"I asked Johnny to move the buttons on a few pairs of my pants since they're becoming too tight. I've been wearing Kanda's, and they've been okay, but they're too long." Allen explained. "And I forgot to get them back from him before we left."

Lenalee looked into the clothing shop they were in front of and a thought came into her mind. "You know, while we're here, you should buy a few new pairs."

"But I already asked Johnny to fix the ones I have." Allen said. "That should be fine, right?"

"Maybe for right now, but they're not going to last you for long." Lenalee told him. That kind of scared Allen. "How many weeks did you say you were?"

"Like… Twelve, I think." Allen told her. That was the last thing Komui told him. He should start keeping track of it himself.

Lenalee nodded. "You'll definitely need more pants. The ones you have now aren't gonna last you for much longer."

Allen sweated a bit, looking uneasy. "You make it sound like I'm just going to become huge all of a sudden."

Grabbing his wrist, Lenalee started to guide him into the store. "You're not gonna become huge all of a sudden, but you're gonna start growing quicker than you think."

Allen could barely pay attention as she dragged him to the men's section, Tim tucking himself away into Allen's coat. He soon found himself worrying about how he'd be able to hide his pregnancy once he really began showing. He barely put any thought into how big he'd really get.

"Allen."

"Huh?"

"Were you listening?"

"No…" He said honestly before apologizing.

"These are your size now. So start looking at the sizes that are a few up from here, just to get started." She told him before lowering her voice. "You won't need to try them on since they'll be too big right now."

Allen nodded, starting to look through the selection, his mind still racing a mile a minute. Soon, he wouldn't just have to worry about shopping for himself. The closer he got to his due date, the closer he came to having to get things ready for the baby. What kind of clothes would he get? What kind of furniture? Where would they even put furniture?

Wanting to steal another glance at his ever changing appearance in the mirror, Allen looked into one of the ones hanging on the wall next to them and at that moment, swore he saw the reflection of the mysterious brunette woman from Nea's memories. Gasping in shock, Allen whipped his head around behind him, only to find that there was no one there. He and Lenalee were still the only customers in the store. Allen let out a shaky breath, getting Lenalee's attention.

"What's the matter? Are you okay?"

"I'm feeling a bit light headed." He chuckled softly, trying to brush it off. Perhaps he was just hallucinating.

Lenalee grabbed his arm gently, looking concerned. "Are you going to pass out?"

"No, I think I'll be fine." He insisted, picking up a pair of black slacks. "I'm just overwhelmed… Again. There's a lot to think about. Stuff that I have time to figure out, I suppose."

Lenalee helped sort through more of the pairs, picking up another. "I know it's a lot and it's stressing you out. But you have support, so don't try to put everything on your shoulders and deal with it yourself like you do with everything else."

Called out again. Allen huffed, grabbing one more pair of pants. "I think this should be fine for now." He said, looking at the one pair she held. "Now, let's pay so we can get back to the hotel and check in with Komui and see what we should do from here."

While she dropped the subject verbally, Lenalee kept thinking about how Allen constantly did that. This was one thing that he couldn't take on by himself because it wasn't just his own health and wellbeing he had to take into consideration. Putting everything down, she nudged him out of the way so she could pay. She didn't notice how he kept glancing around the store.

Once they were finished, they were on their way back to the hotel, chatting back and forth, all the while not knowing they really were being watched.

"Tyki, I wanted to say hi to Allen." Road whined loudly, almost pulling the older man's arm off as she hung on it. "It's no fun if I don't get to actually play with Allen and Lenalee, you know. And with how strong Nea's presence was last night, I don't know how many more times I'll be able to have fun with him!"

Letting a cloud of smoke flow out of his mouth, Tyki tried his best to keep calm despite her irritating complaints. "We're not here to have fun, Road. We're here to try to find out what this unforeseen event is."

Road let out a small 'oooh' as she stopped hanging on Tyki's arm, merely holding onto it as she stood next to him, a hand on her hip. "The one that the Earl can't seem to figure out?"

"Yes, Road," Tyki said, a twinge of sarcasm in his tone, "that one."

"We should have brought Wisely with us." Road said. "He definitely would have been able to help us."

Letting out a chilling chuckle, Tyki placed his cigarette back in his mouth. "Next time."

Allen turned around, feeling uneasy. He didn't see anything or anyone suspicious. Then why was he feeling like someone was watching them?

"What's wrong?" Lenalee asked, turning around.

After taking one last glance around the area, Allen just smiled reassuringly at her. "Nothing. Let's get back to the inn." He said, starting to walk again. Lenalee's brows furrowed as she stared at him.

He was doing it again.


"So, how is the mission going?" Komui asked, his feet propped up on his desk.

Lenalee was occupied with packing her things while Allen spoke to her brother, even though she could still hear the conversation through her golem. Allen sighed. "An absolute flop. I don't think there's anything here, Komui."

Komui didn't seem very upset or disappointed on his end, Allen vaguely able to hear him scribble something down. "Well, not every phenomenon will be Innocence. Good work, you two."

"Oh…" Allen murmured, a bit confused. "Thank you…?"

Sensing the confusion in Allen's voice, Komui tacked on, "I'd rather you not find anything and come back safe than find something and be in harm's way." Komui didn't hear a response from either of the young Exorcist's, deciding to speak again. "Anyway, safe travels, you two. I'll see you soon."

Upon their return to the Order, they were immediately greeted by Lavi, who pulled both of them into hugs. "God, I've been so bored here!"

"You haven't been on a mission?" Lenalee asked curiously as she pulled away. Allen held the mission report in front of him as he looked to his taller friend.

"Nope, not yet." Lavi told them as the three of them started walking. "So, I've just been hanging around and stuff. Reading."

"Speaking of reading, I should drop this report off to your brother, Lenalee." Allen chimed in, holding the document up.

"Are you sure, Allen? I can come with you." Lenalee said, turning to look at him.

"You don't even want to get something to eat first?" Lavi asked, sounding shocked, watching with Lenalee as their friend walked off with the report, turning around to walk backwards for a few steps.

"I'll be fine! I should only be a few minutes anyway." He insisted, his smile widening. "Anyway, I'm sure you two were really missing each other. You could use the few minutes by yourselves."

The two of them blushed and gasped at his response, only making him laugh at how ridiculous they looked.


"Come in!"

Opening the door softly, Allen stuck his head inside Komui's office. "Komui?"

Picking his head up, the Chinese man's eyes widened. "Oh! You're back!" He exclaimed cheerfully. "How was it?"

Sighing softly as he shut the door behind him. "Hopeless. I feel like I failed because we didn't find anything. We didn't even find any Akuma." After walking over to the desk, Allen carefully placed the document down.

"Don't feel so down. I knew there wasn't going to be any Innocence there." Komui said, taking a sip of coffee while Allen threw him a bewildered look.

"Come again?"

"There was no Innocence in that town. I sent you two there on purpose."

Allen was absolutely flabbergasted, trying to find the right words to describe his shock, but he could only manage to get out one word. "Why?"

Setting his coffee mug down, Komui folded his hands on the desk. "I thought you could use a little break. With all the pregnancy stress and Kanda being gone, I thought getting away would help ease your conscience."

The boy couldn't believe what he was hearing. He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know, I would have been a lot more at ease if you would have told me what was going on."

"I'll take your inability to relax into consideration next time." Komui said with a hint of sarcasm, reaching forward to grab the document before opening it up to glance it over. "Anyway, anything else to report? How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling alright." Allen said, expression softening a bit, though he was still feeling irritated over Komui's little fib about the mission. "Still feeling a bit nauseous… And tired." He noted before he suddenly remembered something. "Oh! My pants." He watched as Komui leaned over and picked up the three pairs of trousers, tossing them to the young man, who thanked him.

"So, besides those symptoms, everything else okay?" Komui asked, making some notes in one of his files.

Nea… Allen almost let the words slip off his tongue, but then he was hit by a small fear. What if Komui didn't let him go on missions with Lenalee anymore because he was concerned with her safety? He needed his best friend just as much as he needed his boyfriend.

Komui noticed Allen absentmindedly begin chewing on his bottom lip. "Allen? Is something on your mind?"

Snapping from that thought, Allen just smiled and waved him off. "Oh! No, everything is fine. I was just… thinking about my pants."

Somehow, Komui figured that Allen wasn't being completely honest with him, but he decided not to push him to give a different answer. Especially since he would probably be upset with him after the next bit of news he was about to share with him. "Well, if that's it, then I would like to share one more thing with you." He started off, the younger man tilting his head a bit. "Well… After your last exam with Central, they did a little bit of background on Adelina." He started out. Immediately, Allen's heart was caught in his throat, skin paling a bit. Did she get into trouble because of him? Komui seemed to notice his change in demeanor. "Relax, relax! Nothing bad happened." He said, reassuringly, waving his hands. "I don't think they got very far in their digging. I believe that they are unaware she is related to Head Nurse, who I know they feel like has a soft spot for you. She does, but that's beside the point." Komui said, earning a chuckle from the young man. "Anyway, we can use that information to our advantage in regards to upcoming exams."

Allen stood silently as the Chief relayed the information to him, although he was still a tad confused. "How is that to our advantage?"

"I'm glad you asked." Komui said, relaxing back in his chair. "Because the lovely Director Rouvelier thinks he hand-picked an unbiased nurse who will report loyally to him without question. Unfortunately for him, that's not the case."

Allen blinked as Komui talked. "... That would involve telling her that I'm pregnant, right?" He asked softly. An uncomfortable moment of silence passed. "Komui?"

Komui seemed to be avoiding Allen's gaze as the realization slowly dawned on the white haired Exorcist.

"Komui, did you tell her?" Allen questioned, eyes widening as the Chief refused to answer him. "Komui."

"I did it! I told her!" Komui blurted out, slamming his head down on the desk.

"KOMUI!" Allen yelled out in outrage. "How could you tell someone that behind my back?! Without even asking me?!"

"I had to!" Komui exclaimed, picking his head back up while fixing his glasses a bit. He knew that Allen's hormones were out of whack right now and he didn't want to make him any angrier than he could tell he was getting. "I wasn't trying to go behind your back and gossip, Allen. I was doing it for your wellbeing. I'm sorry, I should have asked you." Komui watched, satisfied internally, as the boy struggled to remain angry, his face slowly softening. "Why don't you go have dinner?" He asked. "Take your pants and go relax."

That sounded like a good idea. Allen turned to leave, his hand almost touching the handle of the door when a thought suddenly shot through his head. "Komui?"

"Yes, Allen?"

Swallowing softly, Allen wondered if this was a good idea. It could be a long shot, but maybe there was something Komui knew or could find out. What's the harm, right? Turning his head to look back at his boss, he hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Do you know of anyone who worked for the Order by the name of Agnes?"

Allen was a bit relieved to see the older man seriously ponder his question rather than brush him off or be suspicious of him. "Not off the top of my head. I don't recall anyone with that name while I've been Chief. But that doesn't rule out them working here before I came." He said, tapping his pen to his chin lightly. "Why?"

"No reason. I was just curious." Allen said, smiling.

Komui knew better than that. He had to have a reason, otherwise he wouldn't have asked. "I can dig around a little to see if I can find anything for you. Only if you fill me in if I find anything."

"An ultimatum, Komui?" Allen asked in a slightly joking matter.

"I know you're not doing anything underhanded, Allen. But usually when you try to take care of things without anyone's help, you do crazy things, like run away, or almost get yourself killed."

Making a face at the slight sarcasm, Allen let out a huff. "Fine. If either of us can find any information, I'll tell you." He said, opening the door.

As he walked out, he heard Komui shout, "You should be telling me regardless!" Shaking his head with a chuckle, Allen walked away from the office.

For a little more than two weeks, he tried to stay as calm as he possibly could. That was especially hard to do when his boyfriend still hadn't returned from his mission. He hated waking up in the morning without him there, and he needed him especially on one particular morning when Allen got up to get dressed. Everything was relatively okay. He had thrown up again, much to his displeasure, but he was used to it. He took a nice shower, making sure he got every part of his body, even taking a few extra minutes just to let the warm water run over his skin.

After getting out and drying off, he spent a few minutes trying to decide what to wear. Even though it was nearing the end of August, the weather was still feeling humid to Allen, which he was struggling with now on a daily basis. For a moment, he contemplated wearing only his boxers around the Order, but immediately dismissed that thought. Only when he pulled a pair of pants out and he turned to face himself in the mirror did it really hit him how much his body was beginning to change. His middle was starting to look less like a bloat and more like he was really pregnant, his belly curving gently outward.

And that was the moment he was anticipating.

The moment where it would finally dawn on him, the realization socking him right in the face.

Allen covered his mouth with his hand after letting out a soft cry, staring at his reflection in the mirror. It was somewhat hard for him to describe what he was feeling at that moment. On one hand, he was completely overjoyed to know that their baby was growing and he was finally starting to see some progress. And the other, small, part of him was scared of the realization that he was slowly getting closer and closer to becoming a parent.

Telling himself that he needed to calm down, he sat down on the bed, trying to catch his breath through his tears. He shut his eyes as his breath hitched a few times, slowly but surely starting to calm down. "Relax, Allen, relax. No need to get so worked up over this." He told himself. "This just means that everything is going the way it should. And Kanda will be back soon! Everything is fine." He whispered softly, tilting his head back a bit. He let a smile pull at his lips as he perked up and opened his eyes. "Everything is fine!"

With his sudden burst of confidence, Allen lifted himself up from the bed, pulling on the pants that he had grabbed. Once dressed, he strutted out of his room to start his day. And something he wanted to do that was on his mind for a few weeks now was taking a quick, secret glance through the Order's archives.

He had to be extra cautious. If anyone caught him entering or going through records, it certainly wouldn't end well for him. Central would have a field day with that information. So, after keeping his eye on the area for a while to make sure there was little to no chance of anyone seeing him, he made his way to the doors and slipped inside silently with Timcanpy.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. It wasn't very well lit, even with the lantern he brought. And while he knew there would be a lot of files to look through, he wasn't quite expecting the seemingly never ending rows filled with boxes. Well, he had to start somewhere. He let Timcanpy hold the lantern with his tail while he began sorting through all of the 'A' documents.

"Jesus, Tim… I really didn't think this through, did I?" Allen asked his golem softly as he stopped to rub his head after an hour or so. "I'll be in here forever at this rate."

Maybe he would have been. Or maybe he'd be caught and whisked away. That was his next thought as he heard the distinctive sound of the archive doors opening, closing a second later. Allen panicked, softly putting the light of his lantern out while Tim flew up, hiding at the very top of the wall of documents, Allen ducking behind a stack of misplaced boxes.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…' Allen thought to himself, trying to keep his breathing slow and quiet. He clamped a hand over his mouth as his heart began to race in his chest. Maybe the person would miss him and carry on their way. It was wishful thinking. Allen could soon see the dim light of their lantern out of the corner of his eye, the person seeming to walk right in his direction. His heart was caught in his throat as they stopped in front of him.

"You know this area is off limits, Walker."

For a moment, a wave of relief washed over Allen before a new wave of anxiety struck him. He turned his head to look up at Link, unable to calm his racing heart. "... Did you follow me here?"

Link closed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh before looking down at the boy sitting on the floor. "You know that I'm still under orders to keep an eye on you."

Allen felt his blood run cold, sitting there silently for a minute. "... Are you going to report me to Central, Link?"

Setting the lantern down beside the box that Allen was hiding behind, Link began trailing his eyes up the side of the shelving. "Perhaps I would if I thought you were doing something underhanded."

Allen blinked a few times, Link looking back down at him when he didn't answer. "How do you know I'm not doing something underhanded?" He didn't expect to hear Link snort at his question, the blond shaking his head.

"I know you better than you think I do, Walker." Allen's eyes widened a bit as Link went back to looking at the shelf. "Now, what's the name of the person you've been looking for for over an hour in here?"

Grabbing the box and using it to help himself stand up, Allen joined Link in looking. "Her name is Agnes." Again, Allen wasn't expecting to hear Link chuckle at him.

"Well, that's one reason you can't find it."

Allen hummed in confusion. "Aren't they in alphabetical order?"

"Yeah. By surname."

Allen's jaw dropped as he stared at Link, absolutely dumbfounded. This whole time… He'd been looking in the wrong section. Suddenly, he was feeling light headed. "I'm gonna pass out." He mumbled, sitting on top of the box on the floor, slumping over and holding his face in his hands. Lenalee was right. He did have pregnancy brain.

… Oh, shit.

Link had been, presumably, watching him this whole time. Did he know about the baby? Did he inform Central? Breakfast suddenly felt like it was going to make a reappearance, all over the floor in front of him.

Link shook his head. "Well, what's her last name? We can start looking there instead."

"..."

A long silence fell between the two as Allen struggled to flip through the information in his brain and remember. She had told him, he knows she did. It was on the tip of his tongue… "Christ…" Allen groaned, running his hand through his hair as he leaned further over, hanging his head.

"... Her name is Agnes Christ?"

"No, Link, I don't remember what her last name is." Allen griped, sitting up straight. "It completely slipped my mind."

"Not surprised…" Link muttered, Allen shooting a glare in his direction before he stood up, turning to look at the wall.

"Hey." Allen said, Link looking back at him. "Why are you helping me?"

Link stood still for a moment, seeing Allen's skeptical look. "I would say it's because we're friends, but I know I've lost your trust."

Allen looked away. "... Kind of." He admitted. "I want to trust you, but… It's really hard when you're still acting under Central. They want to hurt me, Link. And, no offense, at this point, I don't know if you knowing any of my personal matters would be harmful or helpful to me."

The German man fell silent again. He sighed, leaning back against the shelf as he crossed his arms, looking away from the Exorcist. The two of them were alone for the first time in a long time, and who knows when this opportunity would arise again. After softly pursing his lips for a moment, Link opened his mouth. "I know about you and General Kanda."

The words struck Allen like an arrow through his chest. He started to drown in panic, his eyes trailing over to see Link making direct eye contact with him, his gaze firm. "... I don't know what you mean."

"I first noticed when the General caught me after he and Johnny Gill found you." Link said, flat out ignoring Allen's blatant lie. "I can see the way you two interact with each other. Others may not be able to, but after studying your behavior for so long, both of you, it's actually quite obvious."

So, Link knew about his and Kanda's relationship. He could feel his head begin to swim, setting his hand against the wall next to him. God, he was fucked. He was so absolutely fucked. They weren't careful enough, and now Central was onto them.

"In case you haven't noticed, it's been months. Don't you think Rouvelier would have punished you by now if I had told him what I know?"

Allen could see the slightly stricken expression on the blond's face before he turned his head away again. Link had been keeping his secret for him this whole time? This was starting to confuse Allen. Whose side was Howard Link really on? Malcolm Rouvelier's or Allen Walker's?

Pressing a hand to his temple as a headache began to form, Allen let out a shuddered breath. This was too much. "I think I'm done here for today. I'm feeling lightheaded and I'd like to go lay down."

Link silently picked up his lantern. "Well, then. I wish you well in finding whatever it is you're looking for in here. My help is available to you if you want it." He said, making his way back to the door, leaving Allen to collect himself in the archives before finally gathering himself and leaving.


Once Allen hit fifteen weeks, his mood was low more often than not. Three weeks since Kanda left for his mission, Allen laid awake in his bed in the early hours of the morning, his left arm draped over his face as he thought over their last phone call.

"Rest assured. I'm still in one piece, and I intend to stay that way."

Allen couldn't help but let a few tears dribble and spill over from his eyes despite the empty hole he felt in his chest.

"You know what Komui said about putting too much stress on your mind and body right now."

"I know, I remember. I don't want you to worry about that right now, either. Keep your mind clear for your mission, and don't get yourself killed."

"Tch. As if I'd be so reckless."

Allen's breath hitched softly as he inhaled. He moved his arm away so he could cover his face with his hands, letting out a frustrated groan. "Kanda would kick my ass for being so whiny and sad like this." He grumbled softly. He let his arms fall, letting out a huff before he puffed out his cheeks. The clock said it was five in the morning and he noted that it was still too early to get up. Exhaling deeply, Allen carefully rested his hands on his stomach, glancing down to see Tim still asleep on top of it. "I wonder what you would think of my moping…" Allen murmured softly, moving his thumb along his skin softly. A small smile appeared on his face as he continued talking to his baby, finding comfort in it. "I think about you a lot. I wonder what you'll be like, what you'll think of me…" He said, staring up at the ceiling. His eyelids were beginning to feel heavy again, finally able to relax enough to get a few more hours of sleep in.

He vaguely remembered humming a familiar song as he drifted to sleep, the lyrics dancing through his mind even as the humming died down once he was fully asleep.

Upon walking into the cafeteria later that morning and up to the window to order, Allen was greeted as he normally was by Jerry. "Good morning, honey! How are you?" He called out, throwing a look over his shoulder at the young boy.

"I'm fine, Jerry! I'm starving." Allen said, smiling at the older man.

"Any special requests with your usual?"

Special requests… Allen lightly tapped his chin, thinking over his options. There was one thing that was on his mind quite a bit lately. "Can you make me soba noodles? The ones that you make for Kanda. With a boiled egg on the side. And a few skewers of dango, please."

"You got it." Jerry told him. "But I'm not going to make you sweets for every meal, you know!" He exclaimed as the young man walked away.

"Sorry, Jerry, can't hear you!" Allen insisted. "Be right back!"

After taking a small bathroom break, Allen returned to the cafeteria to get his order and sit down with Lavi and Lenalee, who had just arrived. "Hey, buddy! I didn't think you'd be in here this early!"

Sitting down, Allen shot the redhead a look. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you've been sleeping in the past few weeks, and I didn't think you'd be in here this early." Lavi repeated, Allen giving him a fake smile as he pulled one dumpling off its stick with his teeth. Lavi got a good look at the mountain of food around him, his eyes landing on one thing in particular. "Is that soba?"

Slowing the chew on his dango, Allen looked to his right. "... Yes. Why?"

"Yuu is gonna be so pissed when he finds out you're moving in on his territory." Lavi chuckled, shaking his head.

"Why would he be pissed?" Lenalee asked, Allen waiting for an answer as he popped another dumpling into his mouth.

"Because that'll be less soba for him. You might eat it all and then what?"

"I'm not gonna eat it all." Allen huffed, cleaning off one of the three skewers completely. "I've just been really craving it lately, that's all."

Lavi snorted biting into the apple that he had sitting on his tray. "That made it sound like you're pregnant." He said, snickering like a child, chewing the fruit. That was a funny thought. Allen, being pregnant. Although, it stopped being funny when he noticed Lenalee looking between the two of them with wide, violet eyes and Allen's head drooping the slightest bit as he let out a heavy sigh. "... Allen, you were supposed to laugh at that."

Allen ignored him, sliding over the bowl of noodles, digging into them quietly. That wasn't exactly how he wanted Lavi to find out.

"Allen, buddy, you're freaking me out." Lavi chuckled nervously, keeping his voice low. "Why aren't you saying anything? You're not really pregnant are you? You can't be, you're a guy."

"I'm fifteen weeks… Due in February…" Allen mumbled under his breath before shoving a forkful of noodles into his mouth, refusing to look at his friend.

Lavi slumped in his seat, staring at his friend from across the table with a wide, single green eye. He would have called Allen out for lying to him about something so dumb if all of the symptoms didn't line up. "A-Allen, how-"

"I don't know! I don't know how!" Allen suddenly blew up, raising his voice slightly. "If I knew, I'd tell you. So stop bombarding me!"

Lavi flinched slightly from Allen's sudden change in tone before he looked to the woman next to him, trying to find any inkling that this was just some prank they were trying to pull on him. From the look Lenalee gave him, he slowly began to come to terms that they were telling the truth.

After eating in silence for a few minutes, Allen picked up his empty trays and got rid of them, walking out of the cafeteria without saying anything to his friends. He stormed into the training room, finding some form of relief that he was in there by himself, though he didn't know how long that would last for. He made his way over to the back of the room. Running his hand down his stomach and resting it on his lower abdomen, Allen carefully sat on the floor and crossed his legs, exhaling. The mood swings were starting to frustrate him. He didn't mean to snap at his friend like that… Even though he was being a bit annoying. He tried to clear his mind of those thoughts, resting his hands on his lap as he closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling softly.

Meditating seemed to do him well. At least for a few minutes. Did he overreact? Lavi didn't deserve to have him blow up at him. He was just shocked, as he should be. There was no obvious reason why he should be able to carry this baby the way he was. In all honesty, Allen wished the mood swings would just go away. Groaning softly, he relaxed his posture and held his head in his hands.

He didn't know how long he sat like that for before the doors opened. His head snapped in that direction, watching as Lavi and Lenalee walked in.

Lavi looked a bit sheepish as they approached him, a hand on the back of his head. "... Hey, Allen."

Letting out a soft sigh, Allen looked up at him. "Lavi…"

"Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. You weren't ready to talk and I put you on the spot." Lavi said, plopping down next to him on the left, leaning back a bit. Lenalee sat next to Allen on his right.

"No, I'm sorry." Allen said, shaking his head. "I should have kept a level head, and thought of a better way to tell you. You're basically the baby's uncle. I think you deserved more than a slip of the tongue."

"... Me? An uncle?" Lavi asked softly, clearly touched by Allen's statement. "Really?"

"Yes, of course." Allen said, smiling. "Lenalee is her aunt, you're her uncle."

"Her?" Lenalee repeated, eyes sparkling. "Is the baby a girl, Allen?"

Allen's smile widened a bit as he moved his hands to cup his belly before looking down at it, lidding his eyes. "I'd like to think so. There's really no way to find out until she comes, but… It's just a feeling I have."

Lenalee couldn't help but flash a beaming smile at her friend, so happy to hear that. "Can you imagine a little girl running around the Order? That would be so nice!"

Allen chuckled softly, turning his head to look at Lavi, who had a sudden thought. "Can you imagine a little Yuu running around?" He muttered, almost shuddering as he contemplated the idea. His words threw both Allen and Lenalee into a fit of giggles.

"I've already seen that first hand from Kanda himself." Lenalee reminded them, sitting up on her knees. "He was very much like he is now. He tried to keep to himself as much as possible."

"Yeah, when he wasn't beating the shit out of people, I bet." Lavi grumbled, propping his head up on his hand. "So… Wow. I really can't believe this whole time… The symptoms were pretty obvious, now that I think about it." He muttered, rubbing his chin. "Just never considered this as a possibility!"

Allen breathed in for a moment before he got himself up off the floor, stretching his arms to get loosened up a bit before jumping into his exercise. "Me either. The only reason it came to my mind in the first place was because I was having strange dreams about being pregnant."

Lavi soon followed suit in regards to stretching. "That was a pretty big conclusion to jump to, Allen."

"It was either jump to conclusions or find out the hard way and let them cut me open to find out the tumor they thought I had was actually a baby." Allen replied plainly, giving a small shrug. He didn't catch Lavi's horrified expression.

Their session was quickly interrupted when a speaker blared to life, Bridget's voice echoing through the system. "The following personnel, please report to Chief Komui's office as soon as possible. Lenalee Lee, Lavi, Noise Marie, Miranda Lotto, and Allen Walker. Thank you."

"Jesus, I hope it's a mission. I'm tired of being cooped up in here." Lavi griped annoyingly, making Lenalee roll her eyes a bit as she grabbed the redhead's arm. Allen caught sight of Lavi's profile as he looked down at the woman next to him, smiling warmly at her. It made Allen think of Kanda again, his heart beginning to ache all over again. As the three of them met up with the other two on the way to Komui's office, Allen really started to think about his lover's absence.

It had been three weeks since Kanda had left with Chaoji and Christine. Panic started to overcome him as his throat and chest tightened. Were they okay? Is that why they were being called to Komui's office? Were they being sent out as back up? Were they struggling so bad that they needed five additional Exorcists to be sent to their location?

Allen masked his panic as they arrived to Komui's office, Marie opening the door for the other four. The older man himself seemed a bit more alert than usual, like he was listening in to something. Allen couldn't help but notice when he began to lift his hand to his right ear as Allen walked by him, entering the office. Perhaps he was picking up on the dead giveaway that was the youngest of the five's racing heart.

After the door was closed and the five of them were seated, everyone could soon see how stressed and agitated their Supervisor looked. He silently opened the document in front of him as Bridget handed out copies to the Exorcists. That's when Allen heard the news he was dreading for the past three weeks.

"General Kanda and his team have been ambushed near the border of Austria-Hungary and Germany. We'll be sending the five of you out to assist them in their fight and reduce casualties." He explained as calmly as he could. "You'll be entering through Germany. I understand this is late notice but it would be appreciated if you could get out there as soon as possible."

As Marie, Miranda, Lenalee, and Lavi stood, Allen made no effort to move, staying frozen in his spot with his head hanging. Komui's sister and Lavi both looked to him, but the older man merely nodded his head and waved them off silently, the two reluctantly leaving their friend. Bridget left them as well to continue with work.

Komui sat forward in his seat with his elbows propped on the table, inhaling and exhaling deeply as he folded his hands together in front of his face. "He's not dead, Allen."

"How long have you known about this?" Allen asked in a soft voice, eyes staring blankly at the floor in front of him.

"Only about half an hour or so. I needed a little time to think about who I'd like to send out." Komui told him. "I didn't want to send you out."

"Then why are you?"

"To be completely honest," Komui started out, leaning back and crossing his arms, "I needed to send someone with a General's strength."

A General's strength… Allen would feel flattered if he wasn't feeling overwhelmingly crushed with anxiety.

"On top of their abilities, I figured you'd all have an advantage due to both Miranda and Marie knowing German, and also Marie's hearing. That's why I'm sending them. Lavi and Lenalee are going because their attacks are strong. Don't tell her, but I'm also sending Lenalee just so there's someone extra so you don't put too much strain on yourself." Once Komui finished, he noticed that Allen wasn't responding to him, still staring at the spot on the floor. He tried to think of something that could comfort the boy, if even a little. "Oh, I thought you'd like to know that I've been working on something to amplify the sound of the baby's heartbeat."

It worked. Silver eyes looked up from the floor, shining with curiosity. "You what?"

Smiling, Komui sat up straight. "If I can just get the mechanics and design right, there's a strong possibility that this machine would be able to amplify the sound loud enough where you'd be able to hear it. I thought it would be a lot more helpful than continuing to use the stethoscopes."

Allen's hand carefully curled around his stomach while his mind mulled over the words he heard from Komui. "I'd be able to hear the heartbeat?"

"That's what I'm hoping for. Both you and Kanda would be able to hear your baby's heartbeat. But you have to bring him home first. Him, Christine, and Chaoji." Komui said softly, offering the boy a warm smile.

Suddenly feeling a determined fire lit within him, Allen nodded confidently and stood, taking his file with him as he began to prepare for the mission in his room, pulling on his uniform. "Kanda, please hang in there… I'm coming."


Talking was kept to a minimum as they arrived through the Ark gate, tensions high. Still, Miranda tried to lighten the mood, smiling at Allen and Lenalee. "It's been quite a while since the three of us have been in Germany, yes?"

Returning the smile, Lenalee remembered. "Yes, it has, hasn't it? Last time the three of us were here, we'd found you, Miranda."

Much to both of the women's pleasure, they saw Allen smile at them, though they couldn't do much for the troubled look in his eyes. "We'll have to come back sometime when things calm down."

"I don't mean to interrupt, but are we certain it's just the five of us here?" Marie asked suddenly, turning his head to the group behind him.

"Yes, it's just us." Lenalee said after taking a quick glance at the group. "Why? Do you hear something?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just getting things mixed up from all the Akuma's machinery I hear. It just sounds like there's an extra person with us."

Allen looked with concern at the blind man. An extra person so close ruled out Link following them or a Noah creeping up on them. Breathing out softly through his mouth, Allen stepped forward, turning to look at the other four members. "Right. Miranda, be ready to activate your Time Record once we get close enough."

Miranda barely had time to nod before an explosion went off in the distance, right where Kanda and his team were located.


Remember when I said writing chapter 10 kicked my ass? That had nothing on this chapter. Halfway through I really tried to put more effort in, so I hope it's not too bad. I'm really gonna sit down and focus for the next chapter. Thank you again for all the support and being patient..

I also forgot that during this time period, Austria and Hungary were merged. All those years of Hetalia, wasted.

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino