Author's Notes: This chapter is dedicated to Siw16. Thank you for being such a loyal reader and your words of encouragement that kept me going. I appreciate all of my readers. Please enjoy this new chapter.


The horses plodded slowly along the rough ground. The front wheel rolled through a rut, then the back one, jostling the passengers to and fro in rapid succession inside the back of the wagon. Hange grabbed Addie to keep her from falling onto Levi whom she was leaning over checking his vitals.

"Sorry!" Armin yelled over his shoulder although there was nothing he could do about the awful terrain.

Suddenly there were several fast, rhythmic booming sounds. Despite the heat from the sun bearing down on them, Addie broke into a cold sweat and started to shiver. She knew that sound. A Titan was moving swiftly toward them. Thankfully it was Pieck back from her reconnaissance mission at the port.

"It's the Cart!" Conny called out despite everyone already having heard and seen her not so stealthy approach.

"Oh, this can't be good," Armin muttered, when she ran up the hill to stop the first wagon.

In a cloud of steam rushing out of the back of the Cart's neck, Pieck rose up to deliver her report. Her eyes were wide, fearful. The news was not good at all.

"The Jaegerists have occupied the port. There's hundreds of them. They must have brought them and their artillery in on a locomotive. They are heavily armed. Some are equipped with anti-Titan guns," she informed them. They have Thunder Spears. Lots of them."

"Shit," Jean hissed, wiping at the sweat beaded across his brow.

Reiner glanced at Annie who returned his knowing look. They already knew a lot of people would die today despite the remaining Scouts wishes to avoid killing any of the people with whom they were once friends and fought side by side. The best outcome they could hope for was the only losses would be suffered by their enemies, the Jaegerists.

During the remaining ride to the port. no one talked or made any kind of noise at all. They pulled the wagons behind a high hill overlooking the entire port area which Hange and Magath climbed to get a better look at their enemy's reinforcements using his spy glass.

Reiner made his way to the second wagon as everyone began to unload and gear up in preparation for what lay ahead. Addie was standing on the ground at the back of the wagon watching Levi who was still sleeping. She pressed her index and middle finger against his wrist, taking his pulse.

"Addie," he called to her, smiling when she turned to look at him.

She looked tired and afraid. He had seen her so obviously afraid only one time before: when she had come face to face with Zeke and him while on the streets of Marley. There was grin on her lips for his benefit, but it was forced and insincere.

"Addie you should -," he said, standing in front of her.

"You should be gearing up," she interrupted him, glancing around at everyone else strapping on their ODM gear.

"I know but - "

"Now's not the time, Reiner," she said when he took her into his arms. Her nose sounded stuffy as if she wanted to cry but was holding back the tears.

Ignoring her protests, he hugged her anyway, crushing her small body into his chest. Her arms encircled his waist, embracing him back. He felt her shudder with a silent sob.

"I'm so scared, Reiner," she confessed, her fingers grabbing fistfuls of his shirt. "I'm so fucking terrified."

"Me too," he admitted. "I just got you back. I can't lose you again."

"I feel the same way," she said, pressing her face into his chest.

"Hey! Lovebirds, break it up!" Jean yelled, walking over to them with a rifle in his hand. He thrust the gun at Addie when she stepped toward him away from Reiner. "Here. You're going to need this."

"What? No!" Reiner yelled grabbing the nose of the gun. "She can't use that. She's not going to be in the middle of this!"

"I already am, Reiner!" she shouted at him to make him stop trying to take the weapon from her. "I am already deep in this just like everyone else here," she said, glimpsing around at everyone staring at them after halting what they were doing. "I need to do my part. I have to protect Levi and the kids...and our baby."

"Reiner, come on. We have to go finish gearing up and get our plan together. Armin is waiting to talk to us," Jean said in a much calmer voice than he felt. He handed Addie a box of bullets for the gun. "That's all of the ammunition. I know you will make each one count. Stay safe, Addie."

"You too," she told Jean watching his back as he walked away.

Reiner grabbed Addie, kissing her hard on the mouth. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you soon."

Addie bit her lower lip to withhold the cry she wanted to let out watching them walk down the hill where the others were already gathered to go over the plan.

"Addie," a deep, slightly muffled voice called her name before a heavy hand landed on her shoulder.

"Levi," she gasped, startled by his sudden appearance.

"You're more nervous than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs," he mumbled.

She laughed; such a horrible and out of place sound under the present circumstance but she couldn't help it.

"What's so funny?" Falco asked, appearing at Levi's right side.

"Nothing, sweetheart," she said, patting his cheek. "Absolutely nothing. I'm just really scared right now."

"Me too," Gabi confessed, placing herself between Falco and Addie, facing the woman who she just found out would be having a cousin for her. She flung her arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. "You better not die and make my uncle sad. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you loud and clear, Gabi," she said in return, putting her arms around the child's shaking shoulders. "I'll take that as an order."

"We should get into position," Falco suggested, taking Gabi's hand and clutching Addie's wrist since the box of ammunition was in her hand. "They're about to leave. We need to be ready."

"Levi," she called, looking back at him. "Do you need help?"

"No. My legs are fine," he assured her. "I can walk."

Hange told her that Levi had been leaning over Zeke when he set of the Thunder Spear in his attempt to kill them both. Miraculously, there had not been a single piece of shrapnel in Levi's legs. The upper right side of his body sustained most of the damage from the explosion.

Onyankopon and Yelena along with Pieck still as the Cart Titan were already down the hill observing the uniformed and well armed Jaegerists milling about at the port including along the piers. Addie sat down beside Levi on a semi-flat outcropping of rock along the side of the hill.

It was not long before the first shots rang out. Several loud pops like the ones she had heard in the forest. Addie wanted to cover her ears and scream. It was beginning, and it was going badly. More shots followed then two blinding flashes of yellow light; bursts of energy so bright it was like twin suns being born on earth right in front of them.

"Oh, no," Addie gasped. No, no, no, no, NOOO!, her internal voice screamed when her audible one would not.

There they were: Annie, simply known as the Female Titan and Reiner, the Armored Titan. In a very weird and disconcerting way, their Titan forms still looked just like them except gargantuan with the skin stripped away to reveal muscle and sinew.

"So much for their plan not to kill anyone," Onyankopon murmured.

"There's no such thing as a peaceful fight, is there Captain?" Yelena said to Levi. "You can never take the violence out of people."

Levi said nothing in return.

Addie watched in gape mouthed horror as Annie swung her giant leg, kicking a cluster of Jaegerists swinging through the air to send them really flying in a flurry of blood and body parts. Reiner swung his massive hand, swatting another batch of enemy soldiers like annoying flies, smashing them against a building.

"Oh, God, Reiner," she whispered, her entire body trembling.

All right, Addie, get it together, she chastised herself, glimpsing at the children watching in terror with their mouths hanging open. Just like that day when she watched her father blow her mother's brains out, she needed to separate herself from her emotions. For just a little while she needed not to feel, not to think, to simply act. Her actions needed to be calculated and quick with no hesitation in order to protect herself, these kids, and Levi.

Addie opened the box, taking out one of the large shiny brass bullets that looked like a small torpedo to load into the gun. Using the sight of the rifle like a spyglass, she looked all around to see what was going on. Annie had her hand on the back of her neck to protect the vulnerable nape as soldiers zoomed all around her. Reiner was down on all fours, his hand extended to shield a group of people from the Jaegerist's bullets. Switching to the rooftops, she could see Floch shooting at Mikasa and Jean. Gritting her teeth, she hoped that little bastard would die today.

Then the Thunder Spears came out. The Female Titan received several to the knee but kept moving, slapping at the soldiers around her. Suddenly her hand was falling through the air to the cobblestone road after her forearm was blown apart by three of the Thunder Spears when she blocked them from hitting the Azumbito mechanics Magath was herding to the ship. She was limping along when several more of the missiles hurtled toward her. Reiner appeared in front of her taking five of them to the face and one to the shoulder to prevent her from being killed.

Addie watched numbly as he raised his right hand to shield his heavily damaged face, receiving another spear right in the middle of his palm. The explosion rocked his massive Titan body back and forth but he did not fall. This was it. The others were under heavy fire and about to be pinned down and killed.

"Time to go everybody!" she yelled, standing up on surprisingly sturdy legs. Just like that day her mother was murdered, she knew there was someone she would have to kill. She was more than willing to do what she had to do in order to stay alive.

"Climb on," Pieck said in her deep masculine Titan voice. "We will get there a lot faster."

Although she was on all fours and crouched down, it was still a bit difficult getting on the Cart's back. Onyankopon climbed up first with Yelena. He reached down to take Gabi's hand to pull her up. Next went Falco. Then Levi, facing backwards but securely strapped onto Pieck's wide back using several of the ropes. Lastly, up went Addie to sit behind Levi, supporting his back with hers.

In just a few seconds they were in the middle of the battle, close to the Armored Titan. The Cart paused between two buildings, peeking around the corner so everyone could observe the scene and get a gist of the situation.

Addie raised the rifle to take aim at the black uniformed Jaegerists zipping through air around the severely injured Armored Titan. Falco pushed down the barrel, shaking his head vehemently.

"We don't want to alert them to our position or they will attack us. We need to be back up. Not casualties," he said.

He was right.

"They need the Jaw Titan," Falco said aloud but as if talking to himself. "I need to use this power to - "

"No. The battlefield is not the place to test it out. The first transformation is unpredictable and never goes well," Pieck warned him.

"But I have to do something or - "

"I'll get you to the ship then I will join the fight," Pieck assured Falco.

"If Galliard were here instead of me, he would not sit around wondering what to do. Neither will I!" he shouted with determination, letting go of the rope that held him onto the Cart Titan.

"Falco, no!" Addie shrieked, reaching for him as he slid down toward the street.

"Falco, wait!" Gabi cried, attempting to stand up to jump off and go after him.

"No!" Pieck exclaimed, throwing back her head to knock the girl back down onto her butt. "I have to get all of you to ship then I can go help them."

Addie put her arm around Gabi's waist to hold her securely to her side.

"Trust me. I know how you feel," she assured the girl. "I don't want to see either one of them die. You have to trust them that they know what they're doing and they will make it out alive."

"But Falco doesn't know what he's doing. He just got his Titan powers and - "

"Gabi!" Addie yelled to nip the girl's hysterics in the bud. "You have to believe in him."

With tears in her eyes, she nodded and pressed her face into Addie's shoulder.

"Everyone hang on tight!" Pieck cautioned them as she galloped toward the water. "Hold your breath!"

The Cart Titan jumped into the water submerging her passengers briefly before rising back above the water. The people sputtered and coughed as she paddled toward the dock where Magath was rushing the Azumbito people onto the ship.

Conny had just deposited a seriously but not lethally wounded Armin into Magath's arms and charged back down the dock when Pieck climbed up the side of the pier so her passengers could get on board ship.

"General Magath, Falco has gone to help Reiner and Annie. I have to get back to them," she told him as Gabi and Addie helped Levi down from the Titan's back.

"Go! Hurry! I'll take care of them," he assured her, putting Armin's arm around his neck in preparation to haul him up the metal ladder.

Addie saw Jaegerist's who had bypassed Conny running toward them and took out the first one with a shot to the chest. She quickly reloaded and took aim at the second one, the bullet entering through his eye and exiting through the back of his skull to continue on to hit the third person behind him knocking her backwards to land flat on her back and dead after the bullet entered her heart. Two for one. She was indeed making every bullet count.

"Hey! Get up here!" Magath yelled down at her since everyone else had scaled the ladder and was onboard the ship.

Once on the ship, she found Gabi, shoving the gun into her hands and handing her the wet box of bullets. They might be a little damp, but they still did the job.

"Take this and shoot anyone that gets near the ship," she ordered her. "I'm going to set up an infirmary."

Addie ran through the narrow hallway, peeking into rooms to find first aid boxes, clean sheets, towels, and anything else that would serve the purpose of creating a field hospital. She found a room that looked like it might be the cafeteria with several tables in long straight rows, but there were no chairs in the way which was good. They were all stacked against the walls. The tables would do as beds and with a the kitchen nearby, she would have a convenient source of water as well as improvised instruments for wound care.

Rather than worrying about what might be happening to her friends still fighting outside, she set about preparing the makeshift hospital for incoming patients. When Levi staggered in, he became the first to be treated. She flung a sheet over a table, pushing him onto it to lie down. By the time his wounds were dressed with clean, dry bandages, Armin was brought in.

There was still a gaping hole in his right cheek, but his tongue had repaired itself and he could speak. Blood no longer leaked from the hole through his chest.

"I'll be fine. I just need a little time to heal," Armin said when she began her examination, color rising up his neck to his cheeks.

"Take off your shirt," she ordered him.

His blush deepened to a crimson red, but she ignored it. Now was not the time for modesty. After he removed his shirt, she wiped the blood away from the entrance wound just a little to the right of his heart. Next she cleaned the dried blood from his back then covered the exit wound which was twice as big in diameter as the entrance on his chest.

"That bullet narrowly missed your heart. I don't think even a Titan shifter would have survived a shot to the heart. You would not have been able to heal before you bled out," she said, taping the square of gauze over the wound in his chest. "Open your mouth."

"I'll be okay," he argued. "I just need - "

"Yeah, yeah, open," she commanded him.

Armin grunted in protest then did as he was told. He grunted again, this time in discomfort as she scraped the hole in his cheek with a spoon to remove any dirt and debris hidden in the caked on blood.

Levi and Armin both were moved to rooms to lie down so they could rest. Armin was lucky he would heal within the hour. Levi's recovery would take much longer.

Falco was brought down from the deck to be laid in a bed in another room. He was okay besides being exhausted. The only damage he incurred was the typical lingering minor injuries from his transformation. He too would heal quickly since he had received Titan powers.

Addie ran her trembling fingers along the strange wavy lines extending from the corners of his mouth across his cheeks to the lobes of his ears. It looked as if his jaw had unhinged, splitting his face open. What had he looked like as a Titan? Honestly, she hoped she never finds out.

Addie continued to go from person to person, checking them for physical wounds then tending to easily met but equally important needs such as requiring water or food. When she came to Jean, he grabbed her, hugging her tightly like he had that night in the woods. This time, however, he did not try to kiss her. Most likely because Mikasa stood nearby watching.

"Now, you should lie down and rest," he said, taking her by the arm to pull her down the hallway away from the cafeteria where people were starting to regroup.

"But I need to - "

"You need to rest. Besides, there's one patient you haven't seen yet," he said.

"You mean..." Anything she might have said next died on her tongue as she turned to look at him.

Jean's eyes softened as he gazed at her.

"Yeah," he said, opening the door to her left. "Reiner is in there waiting for you."

"Oh, Jean, I - "

"No thanks necessary," he cut her off, pushing her gently into the room. "Now go. You two have one or two things to talk about I'm sure."

Addie stumbled into the room to see Reiner sitting on the bed. When he saw her, he slowly unfurled his long legs to stand up. Without a word, he reached out to her, running his thumb along the side of her face and jaw.

Looking into his golden eyes, she recognized that emotionally mortally wounded warrior she had encountered so many years ago at the hospital in Marley. The hurt was deeper than it had been back then and fresh, still bleeding as surely as if it was an injury on his body.

Her chest ached with the intense emotion welling inside of her. The pain bubbled up through her throat nearly choking her. Her mouth dropped open but no words came out. The only sound she made was a strangled cry as the dam of tears broke loose in her eyes and flooded down her cheeks.

The tears that had been gathering along Reiner's eyelids were pushed out when he blinked. He gathered her into his arms to hold her together as she broke into pieces. She had always been the one to catch him when he fell, this time he wanted to be there for her.

Cradling the back of her head with his hand, Reiner held her close despite her howling sobs. His arms tightened around her when the shudders bordering on convulsions ran through her body from her head down to her toes. His tears fell onto her shoulder, soaking the material of the hooded jacket of Eren's she still wore that had only recently dried after Pieck's swim to the ship.

"Oh, Addie, Addie," he repeated over and over, swaying her body gently in an effort to calm her.

"I can't be apart from you again. I never want to be without you another day in my life," she bawled,

"You won't have to be. Not ever. I will always be with you and our daughter," he promised her. "There's not a whole lot to look forward to in this world now except that we can be together. We don't have to hide or sneak around in the dark anymore. We don't have to worry about either one of his getting killed just because we fell in love with what some would say is the wrong person."

Addie leaned back, raising her red rimmed eyes still leaking tears to look at his face.

"Reiner Braun, I love you so much. I have never loved anyone like I love you. I'm so happy I don't have to live without you anymore," she said, smiling up at him as he wiped away her tears with the hem of his shirt.

"You've held my heart in your hands for a while now Addie Wagner. I'm glad you have decided to cherish it and not to break it," he said, lowering his head to kiss her lips tenderly and briefly.

"But what if - "

He smashed his lips back to hers to cut off her words.

"Shut up," he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers and keeping his lips in close proximity should she try to say something else. "I don't want to talk about what could happen now. I don't want to what if. I don't want to think about what happens three hours from now when we reach the mainland. I don't even want to try to guess what will happen in five minutes. I just want to live minute to minute with you."

"Oh, Reiner," she sighed, embracing him with her arms around his waist.

He enveloped her in a bear hug, resting his cheek on top of her soft, still slightly damp, hair. It felt so good, so right to have her in his arms again. Childishly, he wanted to stay like this forever. When he was skulking through the back alleys of Marley either running to or from her house, praying he would not get caught, he never would have guessed things would get worse than that. But they did, so much worse. Although they were free to be together at last, the entire world was in danger of dying as they tried to stop Eren from wiping out all of mankind to save a small handful of people on an island.

"Eren saved me you know. He kidnapped me and took me to Paradis. The whole I time I thought it was so he could kill you," she said, loosening her arms from around his waist.

"If I had stayed in Marley, if we had not mobilized an attack, I would soon be dead, Addie. Before we reach the mainland, hundreds of thousands of innocent, truly innocent people who have no idea what kind of hell is coming their way, are going to die."

"As an Eldian who was forced into the Internment Zone, coerced to become a Warrior to save yourself and your family, how can you say anyone in Marley is truly innocent? The Eldians themselves aren't much better than the Marleyans who oppressed them," she went on her, her voice low and strangely tranquil giving it a menacing tone. "Even you hated the subjects of Ymir in Paradis. Does the name island Devils ring a bell?"

"Do you agree with what Eren is doing?" Reiner asked her, gazing down at her in offense and a little bit of anger. He could barely believe his ears. "Did he get to you somehow? Convince you that this is right?"

"No. That's not it at all. But I'm saying I do understand why he is doing what he is doing. People do the wrong thing for the right reasons all the time," she said, flattening her palm over his heart. She could feel it thumping hard and fast against her hand. "Don't they, Reiner?"

Her words stung, but she had not meant them maliciously, only as a plea for understanding as to what she was saying about Eren's motives.

"Yeah, they do," he reluctantly agreed. "This is what Eren meant when he said we were the same."

Reiner pulled her toward the bed, sitting down and pulling her down with him. He cuddled her into his arms.

"Yes, I went to Paradis to wipe out the Island Devils because I had been taught the subjects of Ymir were evil and a danger to the entire world," he said, feeling her press her forehead into his neck under his chin. "But can you tell me I was wrong after what Eren has done? After what you saw at the port today?"

"No," she admitted, pressing her chest into his. "I can't argue with you at all on that belief now."

"Tell me something," he said, stroking her hair that hung long and unfettered down her back. "What is the deal between you and Jean?"

Addie liked the way his chest vibrated against her cheek when he talked. His question did not bother and almost made her giggle. Jealousy seemed like such a petty and pointless emotion, so normal, at a time like this. Strangely, there was some comfort in knowing he felt that way during this time of upheaval and terror - and after seeing him as that monstrous Titan. He was still so very human after all.

"Jean knows things about me you don't," she stated in a purposely vague manner to tease him.

"Such as?" he prompted her, curious to know exactly what she meant and withholding his anger until she explained.

"Such as I can shoot a gun, and I do it very well."

"Oh."

Addie smiled picturing his gaunt cheeks turning flame red with embarrassment after assuming the worst in his jealous mind.

"There is no deal between me and Jean I assure you Reiner. I became friends with both him and Conny because they often visited me on the farm where they took me after I came to Paradis."

"A farm huh? What was it like for a pampered Marleyan city girl having to work on a farm?" he inquired, genuinely curious.

Reiner could never imagine her doing the disgusting work of shoveling horse shit or getting dirty digging in the fields. However, being elbow deep in blood and guts everyday was not exactly glamorous or easy. He had assumed too much about her, and there was still so much about her he never bothered to learn.

"I loved being there. I loved the people on that homestead. The children were..." Addie inhaled a shaky sigh. "Everyone on that farm died because of me. They were shot or burned to death simply because I was with them. Those women and children were truly innocent ones. Their only crime was accepting me and loving me. I loved them back," she said, her voice dissolving and threatening to liquify into more tears.

"The people on this island have a tendency to do that to you. The people you are supposed to hate the most somehow get into your head, your heart, and you can't help but become attached them. They become friends. Some like family," Reiner said, taking great care not to squeeze her too hard. "You die inside, over and over, when something happens to them...even though that was your job...your mission...to begin with."

"Oh, Reiner," she sighed, flexing her arms around his big body despite the ache in her muscles from hanging onto him so tightly already.

Silence stretched between like the vast ocean under the ship. All that could be heard was the beating of their own hearts, the next breath they took which was not always steady.

"So when this shitstorm is over, what do you see in our future?" Reiner asked to break the deafening silence and steer away from sad and depressing topics.

"A wedding. In a field of wildflowers."

"Wildflowers?" He wondered where they would find that field of wildflowers after the hoard of Eren's Titans razed the land destroying everything and everyone in their path, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Wildflowers," she repeated wistfully. "It's going to be beautiful."

"Okay," Reiner said, squeezing her affectionately. "A wedding in a field of wildflowers."

"I'm wearing a pink dress. Just a plain dress nothing fancy. I'm barefoot."

"And pregnant?" he teased her, laying his hand on her belly.

"Yes, barefoot and pregnant. I'm huge because time has passed and all of this," she said, waving her hand in the air," is over. We want to be married before the baby arrives."

"Yes, we do," he agreed, rubbing his cheek over the top of her head.

"Our friends are there. Jean and Mikasa are going to get married next," she whispered as if sharing a secret.

"Oh?" he gasped in mock surprise, playing along. "I suppose we shouldn't be the only ones with a happy ending."

"Exactly! So we get married, settle down in a nice little house in the middle of nowhere. Maybe a log cabin built with your own hands. I want a nice little vegetable garden. Chickens. Cows. Horses. Dogs. Cats. I want five of them, Reiner," she said, gathering fistfuls of his gray shirt into her hands.

"Cats?"

"No. Children. To run and play with the cats and dogs. Two girls and three boys. The boys can be in the middle, book ended with a big sister and a baby sister."

"What will I do?" he asked her, tears coming to eyes. But they were happy tears. She was painting such a beautiful picture for him.

"Well, you'll be a farmer of course. We will have fields as far as the eye can see. Corn, wheat, oh, I don't know, whatever you want to grow that will support our little family," she said excitedly not wanting to get bogged down in the details of a future that might never happen.

"Our little family huh?" he chuckled.

"Yes. And all of our friends will have families and live nearby. All of our children will play together and grow up together. We will celebrate birthdays and weddings and..." Her hoarse voice trailed away to nothingness. She gulped loudly to push down the lump in her throat. "And we'll even celebrate deaths together after a long happy life lived well."

Reiner kissed the top of her head, sniffling and swiping at the tears about to drip from his chin onto her head. He could feel her shaking again, her fingers clutching onto his shirt. His arms enclosed her shoulders as if to warm her to stop her trembling. He was sure she was only crying.

"I want to grow old with you, Reiner," she said, her voice slightly garbled and thick with tears. "I want to sit on the front porch of our log cabin in rocking chairs. We can talk about the children and how proud we are of them. I want to hold our grandbabies as we sit in those rocking chairs. I want to spend our days holding hands and watching sunsets from our porch when until we're so old we can barely hear and can no longer see the beautiful colors. I want..." Her voice broke, a little sob followed by a hiccup and sharp inhale. "I want to die with you, Reiner, in our sleep, peacefully, painlessly, held tightly in each others arms."

He wanted everything she wants - even the bittersweet ending. He would rather die held in in the arms of the woman he loves years from now, even two years from now, instead of tragically on a battlefield somewhere, alone and scared, wondering but hoping Addie was alive and safe with their daughter.

"It will be wonderful, Addie. Simply wonderful."