When did you start looking at me with those eyes?

"Even now I can't believe it! I wanted so bad to be wrong for once!"

"What exactly are you fighting for?"

"Annie….fall."

There was an odd peace that came with utter failure.

It was far from the end of the road, but as she encased herself in crystal, tears streaming down her face, she was able to breathe better than she had in awhile. For the time being, there were no secrets. There was nothing more she could do. She was officially a failure, a traitor, a murderer, a treasonist, and hated by the few people she gave a shit about. Including him. But at least she could be those things openly.

Annie closed her eyes, taking in another deep breath as the world turned black around her.

"Annie," A familiar voice burned in her mind. "You could have gotten further if you'd just killed me."

His voice was the last thing on her mind before the crystal encased her, and she drifted to sleep.

Annie could only describe the moments of breaking free from that crystal as surreal.

As if she'd blacked out, and woken up in an entirely new world. Well, maybe not entirely new. It had only felt like moments before she was falling off the wall into a sea of angry soldiers. Now she felt completely limp, eyes opening to dank brick walls and panicked faces that were vaguely familiar.

Though she couldn't exactly put in the effort to naming any of them. Her eyes met the stinging light of torches as she fell onto the cold dungeon ground. With a still foggy mind and labored breathing, Annie could hear the shouts and panic from the men and women around her. Members of the Scouting Legion and Garrison who were tasked with guarding her in her crystal now turned their guns uselessly on her collapsed form.

Annie herself was the next to cry out. Or groan, rather. Her joints ached and cracked, muscles spasming as an apparent year and a half of stunted growth caught up to her slowly. Somewhat more recognizable voices entered the fray, and she felt several pairs of hands grab her by the arms and drag her to an adjacent holding cell.

I've hit the bottom.

"Cuff her, quick. She could be feigning fatigue." A man's voice spoke up. Of course, she wasn't feigning anything. Annie could barely move her hand up to her mouth. "And send for the commander at once. Tell him to bring his best soldiers."

Annie felt herself being placed on a nearby table, steel cuffs clasping onto her wrists. She could only stare up at the ceiling with blurry vision only just beginning to clear up.

The commander. Which one are they talking about? She thought to herself, her mind, though still groggy, was waking up faster than her body. The scouts, hm? For a moment, her heart stopped. I wonder who's left.

I wonder if he's left.

In her mind she had already begun to plan an escape. Even below ground, she could somehow sneak out. Perhaps cut off her hands to free herself from her restraints, and make her way upstairs under the cover of nightfall. Maybe then things could get back on track. Reluctantly, she settled on that being the best course of action.

"She's out and alive?" The familiar, eccentric feminine voice burst into the room. "Don't hurt her! We want her to give us any information she has, and we don't want you guys killing another-"

"AGH-"

Annie's body jerked forward, the immense pain forcing her into a ball as she cried out. The other voices were silenced, only to come back again with shouts of confusion and fear.

"What? What's going on?"

"She could be tricking us!"

"Stand back!" Hange Zoe called out, swatting her panicked underlings away. "Do not in any way jab at...her…"

Hange fell silent. As did the rest of the frantic military when they noticed something they thought was impossible. An obvious trick.

Wracking with pained sobs, Annie's hands clasped at her stomach. One that was swollen, and obvious at that.

Annie only wished she could join in their stunned silence. As the pain got worse, so did her own confusion and panic. How are you still-?

She jerked forward again, desperately trying to will away a pain unlike any she'd experienced.

She knew she was pregnant. She'd known for at least a week before the incident. But this? She thought the titan transformation and crystal encasement would have ended any chance, no matter how much she wanted it.

"AH-MMPH-" As everyone was too stunned to help, Annie flattened herself out, and propped her legs up as best as she could. Her watering eyes turned to meet those of Hange Zoe, who was at least intelligent and composed enough to finally make a move.

"This is...okay! Okay, Moblit, boil a pot of water and bring it back with a bowl and towels. Someone get scissors and an extra nightgown!" She spoke with an air of authority at her baffled subordinates, sighing in frustration when they remained frozen. "GO! Or else you'll have a giant angry titan mother on your asses!"

Her back arched up, head digging into the tables hard wood as she cried out. The pain and her thoughts were the only things Annie could focus on. Every frantic voice around her blended, like a cloud over her that made her head pound. She wanted so badly to run, but it was impossible. Any previous plans for escape immediately became moot the moment she accepted what was going on. She wasn't dreaming. The immense pain made that clear.

"Ahh, just breathe for me, Annie!" Hange called over the noise, her voice surprisingly stern if somewhat excited.

She closed her eyes, squeezing her fists tight as she tried in one last ditch effort to wake up for real. The power of denial only got her so far.

Even a deep breath couldn't slow down time. Before Annie knew it, there it was.

There she was.

A shrill, healthy cry pierced through the atmosphere, silencing almost every voice in the room. The few moments of silence were jarring to Annie's ears. The baby was calming down, and it hit her hard. You're alive. You little warrior. How?

Hange held the child in her arms for a moment, an excited smile and laugh bursting out of her as she lightly bounced the rather wiggly newborn.

"Well aren't you a little surprise, hm? Little…miss. Definitely a girl!" She turned to a frantic Moblit, who already had a warm towel unfolded in his hands. "Be gentle, Moblit, normally I wouldn't allow someone to handle a child if they've just been drinking!" Hange let out a hearty chuckle, before handing the crying infant off and turning back to finish things up on the resident titan shifter. "My, my, you are full of surprises, Female Titan."

Annie, slumped down and practically limp again, found herself far too out of breath to even think of a response. Her own trembling and cuffed hands pushed back her sweat-dampened bangs. From there laying down, she could make out the shape in the other soldier's arms. Tiny, squirming, and a hell of a working set of lungs. Moblit looked about ready to drop her. A couple other soldiers came over with soft rags, wiping the child clean as Annie finally got a glimpse of her small face.

Furrowed brows met wide eyes as she almost forgot how to breathe.

Eventually, Hange stood back, clapping her hands together almost triumphantly. She pushed her glasses up, wild hair falling around her face. "Always messy business, but luckily I am just about the closest thing to a doctor we could get. Now, Annie, there is the matter of what to do. We were originally going to have some fun in interrogation, but we wouldn't want to do that in front of a sweet innocent, hm?"

Don't you dare- With a surge of panic, Annie tried to prop herself up on her elbows. An icy, glass cutting glare that many were familiar with rested on her face. Many, including the man holding her baby, flinched and stepped back, comforted only slightly by her shackled arms. Hange, however, was unimpressed and stood firm, even going so far as looking at the un- expectant mother with some type of sympathy.

Eventually, their thirty second long staring contest came to an end that Annie hadn't quite anticipated.

"Free her arms. Let's go to a cushier cell."

"What?! S-Squad leader, that's way too risky!"

"Ohh, come now Moblit, that's what this job is about!" With oddly gentle hands, she grabbed the baby out of his arms and motioned for her underlings to do as she asked. "Besides. She's not going to do anything. She can't. She's too weak. And even if she had some strength...I still don't think she'd be in a hurry to break free. Not now." With a pleasant grin, Hange turned around to leave. Before she could, another of her subordinates grabbed her by the shoulder.

"She...she could be faking. We don't know what lengths these things will go to."

Annie's glare now rested on the man who spoke.

"Don't worry, trust me on this. If she was faking you'd know." She gave them all oddly reassuring smiles, before motioning them to follow her with Annie in toe. "She's an awful liar."

She never imagined being a prisoner could be quite so luxurious. And perhaps had fate not said otherwise, she would have been strung up in a cold, damp dungeon, tortured in one way or another until she finally gave them what they wanted. Answers, rather than an apology. Not that she could blame them. Even then, she never felt the need to ask for mercy or pity that she honestly didn't deserve.

There was no rationalizing. She was a murderer. No doubt many of the people who had been in the room with her almost an hour ago had witnessed it first hand.

Yet there she sat on a freshly made bed, changed into a clean nightgown, hair braided and pinned back, and holding the one thing keeping her alive. Something she couldn't quite figure out no matter how long she had to think.

She snuggled the baby close to her chest. A little pink face poked out of the blanket, eyes squished closed as hands moved to touch her. She winced at the pain of the baby's gums, but she brushed the little tiny hairs back. "You're so beautiful."

Her voice was at a practically silent whisper, as by then it was only her and Hange in the room. Though the other woman didn't bother her. Annie was too focused on the wiggling infant that was really starting to wake up. Gingerly, Annie stroked her soft cheeks with her index finger, booping her nose when the baby opened up her mouth to yawn. She stretched her little arms, barely making a noise. Annie found herself particularly grateful for that. Like she'd even need to lose more sleep than she was already about to.

As little fingers curled around her index finger, she smiled, and felt a familiar warmth in her chest she hadn't felt in a long while. Armin…

She took in a deep breath. His voice still burned so clear in her mind, as if he had never left. As if she never had to leave him. Bright blue eyes smiled at her, talking so hopefully of a future she always knew they'd never be able to have.

Well, parts of it. As she stared down at their daughter, she wondered how he would have felt if he'd known. Before everything had gone down. If she'd sent a letter or two. Would he be excited, frightened, panicked? Perhaps a mix of all three. His heart was always with his cause. He certainly wouldn't put the Survey Corp aside so soon.

"A cottage by the sea!" He said, eyes bright and curious as he showed her the map he'd kept under his pillow for years. "Maybe big enough for me, you, and…"

"I know where that sentence is going."

"C-Can you blame?" Armin snickered, scratching the back of his neck. "It's something to think about. Of course I'd drag you with us when me and Eren and Mikasa see the world. But when we settle that's what I picture. Calm, a little rustic, far away from the walls. A real sense of freedom."

"Is that what you want?"

"Yeah...more than anything."

Her stomach sank at the memory. It wasn't too long after that she destroyed it all. And he was the one who brought her down in return. There was a certain justice to it, and she could never blame him for ratting her out. He may not have been good to her, but he was a good person.

Far better than she'd ever be.

There was a knock at the cell door, and the baby started to fuss.

"Ah! Come in!" Hange called, jumping up from her seat as another woman walked in.

One she was much more familiar with. Annie's face remained neutral, her surprise more evident in how she clutched the baby close.

"Annie...so it's all true?" Hitch was slow to walk over, and hesitant to speak. You certainly haven't aged , Annie thought, eyebrows raising with her increased suspicion. "I...I-I thought you were dead! I believed that more than you being that titan, and yet…"

She'd never quite seen Hitch cry before. It was almost enough to break her own composure.

"Annie, we thought you'd like to have someone a little more familiar and trusted at your guard, yeah?" Hange placed a hand on Hitch's shoulder. "Better than some crummy middle aged veteran man, I figured!"

"...Thank you for the consideration." What are you playing at?

She sat up a bit, still holding her baby close. The chain that linked the one cuff she wore clanked, again causing the infant to fuss. The bundles movements caught Hitch's eyes, and Annie could see just as much confusion festering as was in her own.

"Wait, Annie, that's not-?"

"It is." She answered curtly, taking in an audible gulp. "She is."

Hitch moved closer. "Hah...HAH you're kidding right. This is a joke?! That's not possible, even for you!"

"Well, let's just say I thought the exact same thing a couple hours ago." Annie lifted the baby up, holding her against her chest with one arm as she pulled the small sheet under the baby, covering herself. "I don't understand everything either, apparently." Unlike some people.

The other woman practically sneered, not completely sure whether she should laugh, cry, or be pissed at her former roommate for a multitude of reasons.

"Wow! Annie here hasn't talked this much since she face-planted out of the crystal!" The third, bespectacled woman in the room cheerily spoke up, patting Hitch on the back. Annie shot her a glare, once again easily ignored by Hange. "Far cleaner than torture, I will say that." She tapped her chin, momentarily looking off in thought. "Though I'm not so sure what the commander will say about that. Luckily for you, I can't do anything unless ordered."

"How kind." Understandable, none the less.

"Well, I'll leave it to you, soldier! I'm sure we'll be meeting again very soon when the rest of the corp arrives in a bit." Hange waved goodbye to the other two women, before turning to leave.

The door closed slowly, and the women were left to themselves.

"..."

"..."

The awkwardness set in fast. It was easy enough for her to read the confliction in Hitch's gaze.

"You don't have to stay here." Annie spoke up, bouncing the newborn on her shoulder. "I've been a little compromised."

"...he's in the survey corp, isn't he?"

Annie froze completely, tensing at the very mention. Her anxiety must have been contagious. The baby was quick to make a none-too-pleased noise.

She didn't need to respond. Hitch was already backing away toward the door. "He...wait a second."

Annie furrowed her brow. "Don't."

"He needs to know. This could put him at risk and he needs to know."

"..." She was at a complete loss for words. Before Annie could protest, Hitch fled fast, and she was left alone with her baby in the holding cell. Possibly meant to be guarded at all times. Unforeseen circumstances notwithstanding.

When she heard loud, hard footsteps coming from the upstairs, it hit her. She started to feel sick. I don't need this, I don't need any of this.

Annie was almost afraid of crushing the infant from how hard her fears made her hold on. Her heart thudded uncontrollably in her chest as she felt increasingly dizzy. Thoughts spun in her head, ranging from "What the hell am I supposed to tell him," and "How long will it take for them to schedule my execution already?"

One thought in particular managed to stick out. Will he even want to see me?

She took a deep breath, and tried staring down at the baby for some sort of comfort. After all, she took every bit of comfort in the fact that even if Armin completely and understandably shut her out, he would never do the same to his own child. She'd have love in her life. None that Annie ever knew in her own childhood.

Father. Perhaps it was best he never found out about this. Did he think she was dead? Annie couldn't help but wish he did. Even if part of her yearned for home, yearned for one last hug from the man she still held so much resentment and affection for.

Though she couldn't imagine he'd take too kindly to finding out that she rather intimately fraternized with the enemy, with some completely unintentional results.

Great, she thought, if going home was now impossible than she officially had nowhere. And only a small, hours old baby girl to think of besides herself. One that would surely be taken away, and for the better.

For what seemed like an eternity she sat there pondering. Would they hurt her? What would they do to her? Is she even safe? If I could escape could I take her with me? Would they use her like they used me? Or is she better here….with him?

She slumped down, covering her tired face with one hand as the other held her daughter close. I'd rather they'd just killed me back then at this point-

For the second time that evening, Annie forgot how to breathe.

She shot up, holding the baby girl with both arms as her heart practically leapt from her chest.

Bright blue eyes, filled with hope in a world full of shit. God, how she'd missed them.

Said eyes were blown wide, completely in shock as his mouth fell open. Fingers combed through his unruly blond hair as he slumped against the doorframe.

If she couldn't breathe, he was absolutely suffocating. She'd never seen him quite so muddled.

For a moment, she swore the air in the room became thicker. Anxiety built in her stomach, sending chills across her body as their gazes met.

He looked...older. Not by much. Maybe an inch or two taller, but certainly filled out more. Hair was certainly cut shorter, perhaps for practicality's sake. As if she needed more of a reason to be speechless.

Finally, his gaze fell on the bundle in her arms. She lowered her hold, revealing the infant as she slept.

No matter how long she pondered it, the words wouldn't come out. And the silence was draining. Finally, when Annie spoke, there was only one thing she could say.

"I'm sorry."

A/N:

Originally posted a couple months ago on AO3

Writing this chapter, I pretty much had Lifeform by Daughter playing on repeat, fun fact.

Wow this is. The fastest I've EVER updated a fic. It helps that I already had half this chapter written a month ago lol. Anyway, writing childbirth is a pain because dddddddamn son it is a beautifully disgusting process. Really gotta pick and choose how detailed to go. Personally, I chose the more vague route, especially in regards to the aftermath, because wow it is nasty and I would subject y'all to reading that.
ANYWAY feedback encouraged, especially comments and kudos and the like. I do hope you enjoy. 3

-Katie