Chapter 10 Part II

A/N: So I went back and fixed up a couple of small details and added in a couple of extra things. I'm not in the right state of mind at the moment. If I fucked anything else up, let me know would ya?

Thanks to MercedesCarello for being awesome and helping me out and dealing with me. I owe you one big time. :)

(Pretty much owe you indentured servitude for the rest of my life.)

As he came upon Doc's house, he could hear angry voices nearby, but he didn't stop to listen. Instead, he raised on fist to knock on Doc's door. It took several moments, but eventually, the door opened for him. The old man was resting heavily on his cane once more. One of his sleeves was rolled up and had a few layers of gauze wrapped around it, though the blood had seeped through.

"Yes?"

Armin frowned hard, not understanding the cold tone in the old man's voice. "It's Eve," he answered. Doc sighed and turned his head to the side. "I was wondering if you'd speak to her."

"That girl…" Doc looked up at Armin, anger narrowing his eyes and hardening his expression. "She brought all of this on her own damn self! I won't see her- you tell her that!" Doc slammed the door with enough force to rattle the glass in the window nearby. Startled and disgruntled, Armin just gaped for a moment.

"Don't take that personally." Armin turned at the sound of the deep, tenor voice. He'd known who it was before he looked, but the actual sight of the large, imposing man didn't affect him the way he'd thought it would. He still harbored a small amount of resentment for Otho, but tried to stamp it down. "Doc and Susanne adopted Aldrich when he was just a little boy."

"I see," Armin muttered softly, his eyes darting back to the door for just a moment. It must have been difficult for Doc to watch Eve murder his own son- even if Aldrich had probably been about to kill them all. "I didn't…"

"Doc knows that," Otho said taking a step forward. "After Eve's brother Erik died, Aldrich essentially took his place in Eve's heart. She won't speak to any of us."

"Why not?" Armin frowned up at the dark-haired giant. Surely there was someone in this village Eve could talk to. If the Captain saw that hollow, dead look in her eyes, he'd probably refuse to take her along with them on the expedition. After all, they had her maps. She herself wasn't necessary.

"Because she doesn't want us to take sides." Armin felt bitter about the answer he'd received, but it made sense. "We'll either blame her or Aldrich, and she wants neither of those things." Armin nodded once and turned to leave Doc's house. He had to figure something out, but he didn't like any of the ideas that came to mind- most of which involved being incredibly mean.

"I don't know what to do," Armin whispered softly to himself. He wasn't aware of Otho's presence behind him until he felt the large hand on his shoulder. He turned to face him and an understanding seemed to pass between them.

"She pretends to be strong, but she isn't. Eve needs someone to tell her things will be okay, that she's not as evil as she believes herself to be." Otho gave a heavy sigh, his breath fogging the air before him. Armin just watched as he turned to the left and wandered through the snow towards another little cottage. Nothing Otho had said really helped him any. He still didn't know how to get Eve to actually listen to him, and he wasn't sure he wanted to take on this responsibility in the first place.

"Get the fuck out!" The shrill scream came from just a few houses away, and the door suddenly slammed open. Alois was knocked backwards over the threshold, his backside sliding in the snow. He scrambled up and went to march back inside, but the door was slammed in his face much like Doc had done to Armin earlier.

"Crazy bitch!" Alois shouted at the door. He began to dust the snow from his uniform angrily, then noticed Armin. "What is it? Where's Mina?"

"I think she's still resting," Armin answered with a light shrug. "Eve has Leo… She's not herself."

"You expected her to be okay after that?" Alois snapped. "I know you didn't know Aldrich, but he was the entire reason our village lasted as long as it did. Sure, Micah was a big help, but Aldrich was the one who know all of the useful information. She just… she killed him, and I know she had to but… It's not easy on any of us."

"Do you think we should return to headquarters?" If Eve being around her people was only going to cause even more problems, he wondered if leaving would be the better opportunity.

Alois shrugged. "I know Mina doesn't want her around. She's just shaken up right now, but she can't bear to see Eve after watching her kill Aldrich. But that's not fair to Eve or to Leo." Armin agreed, but wasn't sure about a suitable solution to this problem. Alois gave a loud huff and ran one hand through his short blond hair. "Think you two can managed a baby for a night?"

Armin balked at the idea and was about to shake his head no. He'd already raised his hands and took a step back, but then he heard Alois' name being called. They both turned to see Mina at the window of their house, waving over to him. "I don't…"

"Can't be that hard, can it?" Alois asked with a shrug. "Besides, I want a night alone with Mina. I want to take her to go see the city and stay somewhere. She deserves it. And besides, if he gets to be too much for you, you can just take him to pretty much anyone else and they will watch him." Armin wanted to say that he understood, but he couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that Alois and Mina may as well have been married- they were both still so young. His thoughts drifted back to Hannah and Franz, the lovebirds from his trainee days. Everyone he knew seemed to die before they could ever have the sort of life that included marriage and children.

Alois passed by Armin, their shoulders just barely brushing as he went. He just watched as Alois went to the window and told Mina to close it up before she froze the entire house. She sort of frowned at Armin over Alois' shoulder, but closed the window all the same. Alois went into the house, leaving Armin by himself in the cold.

He'd expected some bickering between Eve and Rosa- perhaps even a physical fight, but never this. He wasn't sure what to tell Alois. While he understood the desire he had to take Mina out for a night alone, he didn't know anything about taking care of a child and he still didn't know what to do about Eve- not to mention what he was going to say when Captain Levi finally showed up. He aimed to turn and head into the house, but stopped at the sound of horses' hooves. Looking out, he spotted Fhalz and, to his surprise, Peter.

"Yo!" Peter shouted, waving one arm. "Where's the troublemaker?"

Armin sighed. "He's dead." Fhalz and Peter came to an abrupt stop a short distance away.

"Where's Mercedes?" the shorter boy demanded.

Armin shrugged. "I'm not sure. She's fine, though. She can tell you what happened." Fhalz eyed him with suspicion for a moment, then nodded. He jerked the reins in his hands to the side and turned his horse to head off in a different direction, presumably to go find his squad leader. Peter hopped off of his horse and moved closer to Armin.

"What's wrong?"

"Eve," Armin grumbled. "One of the people from her village that she thought was dead turned out to be alive and a Titan-shifter. She killed him. Apparently, that man was like her older brother; he's the one who taught her everything."

"Shit," Peter sighed. "Where's she at? The Captain should be here pretty soon."

"Inside with Leo," Armin answered.

Peter grinned. "Awesome," he said, "I love kids! Lead the way!" Armin sighed, but his brain was running through possibilities as he led Peter to the little house. Maybe, between the two of them, they could get Eve back in the right state of mind- at least long enough for her to explain what happened to Captain Levi.

Armin knocked on the door a few times, but at the "come in" shouted from somewhere inside, he pushed open the door. He could see Alois in the little hall, about to head into the room that Mina was in. He eyed Peter with a look of confusion, but didn't say anything. Armin made his way into the sitting room and found Eve in the exact same spot he'd left her in, though she wasn't feeding Leo, just staring at him with that same hollow expression.

"So this is the little boy you talk about all the time!" Peter exclaimed, stepping around Armin and right up to Eve. She looked up at him, her eyes widening a little in surprise. She didn't resist when Peter bent over and plucked the little boy from her lap. "Well he sure as hell ain't yours! Those big ol' eyes! Leo, right?" Eve nodded mutely, just watching as Peter held him up at began making faces, eliciting a round of giggles from the baby.

"Captain Levi will be here soon," Armin mentioned to Eve. She just shrugged and wrapped her arms around herself. He sighed and flopped down on the couch beside her. "Snap out of it!" She looked a little surprised at his shout, but didn't react with much more than her eyes widening a little.

"Come on, little man," Peter said with a goofy grin, "let's go to the kitchen." Armin just watched as Peter took the boy into the next room. It wasn't much of a separation, but he was glad for it. Eve seemed so sensitive about the way Leo saw her, even though they all knew he'd never remember her like this anyway.

"I know that you blame yourself for what happened," Armin said softly, "but you can't let it consume you. He transformed. He was probably going to kill all of us, but you stopped him. And if you hadn't killed him, then Mercedes would have." The words felt bitter, but he said them for her sake. "You don't get the luxury of wallowing in self-pity!"

Eve gave him a shadow of her usual smirk, then lowered her head. "Would you feel the same if you'd just killed Eren?" Her words cut him deep because he knew she was right. It wasn't quite the same situation, but it was close enough. "Or what if you'd just killed your own brother? He might not have been blood, but he was my family. I didn't even think about it- I just killed him."

"He was a threat," Armin muttered. "You would have killed Eren for doing the same thing."

She gave a hollow chuckle. "You're right, but that doesn't make this any easier."

"I know," Armin sighed. He stared down at his hands and frowned. "I can't make this easier for you." Looking over at her, he found her close to tears. He remembered Otho's words. "You did what you had to do, and you shouldn't feel guilty for it." She barked out one harsh laugh. "He isn't the same person you knew back then. You have to realize that."

"Do you really think that matters?" she snapped. Her hands clenched into fists in her lap. "He was my brother! I looked up to him! And then he goes and…" Her voice broke and the tears spilled from her eyes. "I can't believe he was a fucking Titan."

"But he was," Armin said softly, "and if anyone from the Military Police finds out about that, then you and all of your people will be forced back outside of Wall Rose."

There was a knock at the door, and Peter answered it. "How's it goin', Cap'?"

"What happened?" Levi demanded.

Armin sighed and stood up. He stepped toward the kitchen, but didn't bother with a salute. Eve wasn't in the right state of mind to go through the necessary explanation. He could do it in just a few words. "Someone from Eve's village that she thought was dead showed up and turned into a Titan." Levi's expression tightened, but he said nothing right away.

"Don't worry," Eve stated, appearing behind Armin, "I killed him."

"Why did I have to come?" Levi bit.

"Not my call." Armin could feel the tension forming like a thick cloud between the two of them, and he was caught right in the center. Eve's fists were tight, her knuckles turning almost white from the pressure. Levi's eyes were boring into hers. Neither of them would back down unless someone intervened.

"Hello~!" came a loud, sing-song voice. Hange burst through the door with her absurd grin.

"Shut the door!" Peter barked, gesturing to the baby in his arms. Hange gasped, slammed the door with her foot, then made a beeline for Leo, taking him from Peter's arms and dancing around with him. He glanced between Levi and Eve. They seemed to have calmed a little: Levi wasn't glaring at her like he wished she'd just burst into flames already, and Eve's fingers had fallen into a loose curl around her palms.

"Oh what a cute little boy!" Hange sang. "Those big eyes!"

"Yeah, that's Eve's kid," Peter remarked casually. Armin sighed, frustrated. He didn't want to deal with all of this silliness right now. Levi was still eyeing Eve every few seconds. Hange began making faces at the boy, and he giggled. He reached out one hand and grabbed at her glasses, leaving little fingerprints all over the lenses.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a baby?" Hange demanded of Eve, her eyes wide and accusatory. "Especially such a handsome little man!" She pressed her cheek to Leo's as she held him, cooing and humming at him.

"He was my best friend's child," Eve answered without much inflection. She was trying to push everything away again. He wanted to shake her! "What are you doing here?"

"I just followed Levi!" Hange said brightly. When she focused on Eve for a moment, her grin faded and her eyebrows knitted together. "What's wrong?"

"I had to kill a man I considered my brother," Eve said.

"Well I'm sure you didn't have a choice," Hange attempted softly. Eve bit down on the inside of her cheek and turned her head to the side. "We've all done things we didn't want to and aren't proud of."

"Have a drink and get over it," Levi remarked with a half shrug. "Just make sure you can do what's expected of you when we leave." Armin's eyes narrowed just a little and he pursed his lips. That had been a warning.

"Well why didn't ya say so!" Peter said cheerfully. He slipped the strap of the bag from over his shoulder and plopped it on a small space of counter. After a few seconds of him rifling through the contents, he pulled out a rather large glass bottle full of a rich amber liquid. "Where's a cup?"

"No," Eve said flatly. "Not here. This is not my house. You people are not staying here."

"The more the merrier," Alois came in with a contradiction, still standing mostly in the sitting room. "Mina and I are leaving as soon as she gets her things together. Eve, you could use all the help in the world when it comes to handling Leo for the night. As long as you clean up the mess, I don't care. And this is my house."

"You lucky dog!" Peter shouted a little too loudly. Armin frowned and looked from Peter to Hange- both bearing erratic grins, to Eve and Levi- each with similar expressions of exasperation, but Eve's was tinted with sadness. "You gotta introduce the lucky lady before you leave."

Alois chuckled a little, then stepped to the side, revealing a slightly smiling Mina. She looked a little shy, sort of tucking in her chin to hide her face behind her hair. "Mina, this is Captain Levi, Squad Leader Hange, and Peter. Everyone, this is my fiancée, Wilhelmina."

"It's nice to meet you all," Mina said softly, attempting a smile.

"We're going," Alois said, taking the bag from Mina's shoulder. "Don't burn the place down and clean up after yourselves." With that, he took Mina's hand and they slipped through everyone in the small kitchen and headed outside. Eve followed them, but stopped at the threshold of the open door.

"I'm sorry, Mina." Her whisper was so soft that Armin almost didn't hear it over the cooing sounds from Hange and the sharp whistle of the wind outside.

"I just… I need tonight, okay?" Mina tucked her head low. Alois brought her hood up around her face for her and tucked it down by her shoulders. "I love Leo, you know I do, but he's too much for me sometimes." Eve nodded once. Alois pushed the door shut once she stepped back. She returned to the table, her hollow eyes unfocused and unseeing.

Peter had snatched one of the teacups from the little set on the table that Armin had set out so much earlier and poured some of the liquor into it. "Drink up!" He shoved the cup at Eve. To Armin's surprise, she accepted it and downed everything in the cup in a few gulps. She grimaced, but sat the cup back on the table for Peter to fill it once more. "Might wanna take it easy there, Eve. I know you haven't eaten."

"Shut up and pour," Eve growled.

"Yes ma'am." Peter quickly poured out another cupful, but rather than knock it back, Eve sipped on it. "Gonna need more where this came from. You guys stayin'?"

"No," Captain Levi said. His gaze drifted over to Hange. "Give him to Eve. Let's go."

"You're no fun." Hange still had a smile on her face. Armin was the closest to her, so she sat the baby in his arms and spun to follow Captain Levi out of the door. "See you later!" She gave a friendly wave, then the door shut behind her.

Leo gave a big yawn and Armin frowned over at Eve. She took another sip from the cup on the table, then stepped around it to take the boy from him. She cradled him in one arm and grabbed the cup with her free hand before passing into the sitting room.

Armin sighed and looked to Peter. "Do you think this is a good idea?"

Peter just shrugged and poured two more cups. He picked them both up and held one out for Armin. He took it, but didn't drink right away. "Better than just letting her stew. Maybe she'll get some of it out of her system."

"I can hear you." Eve's flat, annoyed voice filtered through from the sitting room. Peter laughed a little, then downed his cup of liquor. He held up the bottle before pouring another cup.

"Gonna need more of this," he mentioned again. He looked around the kitchen for a moment, then at Armin. "I'm gonna go get more. And some food." Armin sighed, but said nothing as Peter grabbed his bag and pulled open the door. "I wouldn't let her have any more of that until she eats." Then the door was shut and he was left staring at the bottle on the table.

A/N: I can't promise when the next part to this little finale will be written or posted. It all depends on how fucked I am between college, work, and fucking (amazing) jearmin thought bubbles (which I love) that disturb my precious sleep (sleep is a crutch, anyway, right?).

If that last sentence gives you any indication as to the state of mind I am in a the moment, well… You understand.

Hope ya liked it, anyway.