Levi helped Imelda into the carriage but didn't make eye contact with her, he couldn't; how could she have done this? Didn't she know the consequences of doing something like that? He shut the door and climbed up onto the driver's seat, Erwin followed behind him.

"You seem concerned Levi" Erwin stated, "you don't need to keep the act up, she's safe."

Damn Erwin and his observant eyes, Levi cursed as he cracked the rains causing the exhausted horse to move at a slow trot, back down the dirt track.

"I know, but" he lowered his voice, "why did she cause such a scene? What made her do it?"

Erwin nodded looking up at the brightening sky, he wondered that too, but he doubted Imelda did it for the fun of it.

"I guess she'll give us an explanation once we get back; I must admit I regret this decision completely, I thought they would be skilled enough to handle this."

Levi clicked his tongue angrily, like they would know anything. According to his document brief, Shardis had been in the Garrison before becoming a trainer, he had worked on Wall Rose; yeah really skilled, his mind spat.

"The letter we received wasn't very descriptive, all it said was that Imelda had gotten into a fight and was in serious danger."

Erwin continued and Levi's brow softened a bit; Thank fuck for the person who wrote that letter, if they hadn't…well Levi didn't like to imagine what could have happened.

Inside the carriage Imelda was silently crying, her cut lips, now steaming, were glued firmly together, relief and fear swam around her mind. She couldn't believe it, she was safe, and her Daddy and Papa had saved her life again. But, the look Levi had given her before he'd untied her had been full of anger and disappointment; and her gut told her that that hadn't been an act. Why had he looked at her in that way? Why were they both in the driver seats and not with her? She tried to move her legs onto the seat, but the bullet which was still under her skin even after the wound had healed burned harshly and hastily it was brought back to the floor.

"…Why did she have to cause such a scene…?"

Levi's voice came through the wood and fabric of the carriage and Imelda sat up straining her ears; what did he mean by scene?

"….she'll give us an explanation….I regret this decision…"

An explanation, why would they need one? They couldn't possibly think she'd done it on purpose; and what did he regret? What decision…it wasn't keeping her in the Scouting Legion was it? They weren't going to get rid of her were they?

"No" she hissed glaring at her bare feet, "no don't be ridicules, they said I was important to them and no one would take me away from them."

Nodding to herself Imelda leaned back again, wiping her eyes with her dirty hands, the blood of that girl was still on her knuckles and she grimaced; she really had done it, hadn't she? Groaning loudly she placed her face in her hands, why couldn't she control it? Probably because the environment she'd grown up in hadn't showed her the world of fear and judgment.

Finally the carriage ended its journey and Levi hopped down from the driver's seat, his lower half completely numb. Hanji and Petra were waiting for them; the small red head's eyes were brimming with tears.

"Is she alright?" Hanji asked seriously and Levi grunted as Erwin appeared with her in his arms; her wounds had healed but Hanji could tell that not everything was alright.

"She's okay Hanji, I just need to talk with her for a moment, could you get her something to calm her down?"

Erwin asked as he went past them; something in his voice told Hanji that she should wait longer than a moment before getting what they needed.

In silence Erwin, Imelda and Levi went through the headquarters; nobody past them in the hallways, the noise from the mess hall explained that. Imelda wanted to look at her family but she was too nervous to, Erwin's arms were tense and Levi was glaring into nothing. Finally they reached their destination; Erwin's office and Levi opened the door. Imelda was set down on the leather sofa and she felt cold as both their eyes set on her.

"Well then?" Levi asked tersely, "are you going to explain?"

Imelda flushed, her brown eyes widening; they really wanted an explanation? She didn't know really where to start, her mind was too scrambled from that morning.

"I-It wasn't my fault" she mumbled.

"So what?" Levi interrupted, his voice getting louder with each word, "You could have killed those people Imelda, if that had happened they would have killed you on the spot. Don't you see the damage you've now caused through these actions?"

Levi words stung; she hadn't meant to any of those things, she hadn't wanted to do it. He made it sound like she was a three year old who had broken a plant pot.

"Levi please" Erwin sighed, "Imelda I thought we told you to control your anger, acting like this will cause the corps a great lot of trouble…"

But Imelda didn't hear the rest; her mind was spinning with questions. Is that all they cared about? She had nearly died and all they cared about was the idiots who provoked her and that they might get a letter of complaint. Where were the men she'd left half a year ago?

"Are you even listening?" Levi's voice knocked her out of her mind as she glared at them both, forcing back the tears that were threatening another appearance.

"It wasn't my fault" she growled, "I didn't mean to hurt those people, they provoked me okay? They said the Survey corps were mad for taking me in, they said I should be in chains that I was a monster; do you know how it feels to be called that?"

Her glare hardened as she gripped her sofa, "Almost every day I heard at least one person say it, and then people said that you were a weirdo," she looked at Erwin, "and a freak," her eyes flashed to Levi's, "All I was doing was standing up for you, but then it just went to hell from there, I can't control myself alright? I never have and I probably never will."

She finally stopped and stared at the ground, too angry and ashamed to look at her parents anymore. Levi and Erwin shared glances, guilt creeping into their stomachs; they knew they had a reputation in the walls but Imelda had never known.

"Stand up" Levi muttered and Imelda looked at him in confusion before standing up shakily. With one step Levi pulled his little girl into a hug; Imelda's body froze before she wrapped her arms around him to. She could feel her whole body shaking as tears of utter relief fell onto Levi's jacket; then Erwin came into the hug was well.

"You need to clean your jacket Imelda, it stinks" Levi mumbled and Erwin chuckled. It was good to be home.