Together Again

Chapter 3: The Silent Child

January brought on massive snow storms; they lost power three different occasions and ended up with nearly two meters of snow by the week after New Year's Day. It took six days for it all to melt, during which Carla and Grisha took Levi outside in the cold, winter air.

Levi was delighted by the cold, white powder that would melt almost as soon as it touched his skin. He was even more fascinated by the icicles, which were hanging along the side of the roof, ranging from a single millimeter long to nearly seven centimeters. He would sit in front of them for minutes on end, his red nose nearly touching the bumpy ice as his eyes stared deep into the glimmering depths.

They had made a snowman, one nearly as tall as Grisha, and had even put his glasses on the snowman for a few minutes before Grisha had walked into a table. That had warranted the return of his glasses, albeit a little reluctantly in Levi's department; apparently 'daddy snowman' was something that should not be tampered with.

The same night they made the snowman was the same night Carla found out some very exciting news; Levi would be getting a brother or sister. But that also raised a question; when would they tell Levi that he wasn't actually their son?

March rolled around again and Carla and Grisha found that Levi seemed to be crestfallen about something. He seemed to be constantly looking for someone or something, but every time Carla or Grisha asked who or what he was looking for he stubbornly refused to tell them anything.

At one point Grisha had found Levi lying on the back of a chair, staring despondently out the window. He had stayed in that position - arms dangling over the back, legs over the front, his stomach on the back of the back – for nearly three hours before he gave up, rubbing his eyes furiously as he tried not to cry. When March passed so did Levi's strange mood. Carla and Grisha allowed their concern to fade to the backs of their minds for the time being.

It was late April when Carla and Grisha sat Levi down to tell him something that they stressed was very important. "Now Levi," Grisha said, "You're about to reach a big step, not only in your life but another child's too.

Levi blinked, cocking his head slightly to the right as he looked back and forth between the two. "Levi, in a few months you're going to be a big brother," Carla carefully explained, focusing on Levi's eyes and the slow motion of Grisha's thumb along the back of her hand. They still had yet to get married, but that could always come after the child was born.

"… Big brother…" Levi murmured, looking thoughtfully at Carla before a slow, hesitant smile broke out on his face. "Now Levi, it's a big responsibility having a younger sibling; you've got to be careful with them and treat them with love and care." Levi nodded seriously, his face set with determination and focus. "I can do it!" he proclaimed, placing his fist over his heart. Grisha chuckled at his enthusiasm and glanced at Carla, "Well then," he said, "That settles that."

June rushed upon them, bringing with it more waves of heat and rain storms, but they were the kind of storms that lasted for an hour, maybe two, and consisted of gentle rain and a bit of thunder and lightning. The world around them flourished, and Levi waited with barely contained excitement for the growing life within his mother.

Levi sat in the house, reading a book with the babysitter, whose name was Dot, but he always went by Mr. Pixis. Mr. Pixis was an old man, a good friend of Grisha's, and their next door neighbor to boot. Mr. Pixis was always bringing over books with pictures for Levi, whether they were of landscapes or animals or fairytales.

Some even had words along with the pictures, and Mr. Pixis would read aloud, his finger on the word so Levi could follow along. Mr. Pixis said that he had learned how to read that was and that it was very 'efficient,' or easy, as Mr. Pixis explained.

The book they were reading was a collection of fairytales. The book was thick and bound with a green material that Levi didn't know the name of, with golden writing on the front. They were reading about an ugly duckling, unloved by even his own mother, until he discovered that he wasn't duckling but a swan instead. It made Levi sad when he thought about it; what kind of mother would be so mean to her child?

The sound of chimes jarred him from his thoughts and he looked up. Mr. Pixis handed the big book to Levi and stood, striding quickly over to where the phone sat. "Hello, this is the Jaeger residence, how may I help you? Oh, it's you Grisha. How was the appointment?" Levi watched as the smile slipped from Mr. Pixis's face, being replaced with a deep frown full of sadness.

"Grisha, if you and Carla need some time alone I can watch Levi while you sort things out. Alright… okay… alright, we'll see you in a few." Mr. Pixis placed the phone back in its cradle and slowly turned around, his face grim. "Levi," Mr. Pixis said, "You're mom and dad will be home soon. However," he continued before Levi could say something, "They've just had some very bad news so be on your best behavior."

Levi blinked before nodding vigorously; he could do it! If Eren could manage it, then I can too! Although, I'm not sure who Eren is… the last thought ran absently through Levi's mind, accompanied by a pang of sadness and longing. When his mother and father returned home Levi could clearly see the emotions on their faces; pain and despair on his mother's, while his father's was tight with sadness.

Carla picked him up and cried into his hair, her entire body shaking with sobs. Levi wrapped his arms tight around her neck, not quite sure of what else he should do. He could hear Mr. Pixis and his father taking in the background, only bits and pieces audible to him, and fewer bits of the conversation actually making sense. "Horrible news," his father murmured, "Stillborn… considering a C-section…"

In July the storms came, hard and heavy, as if they were unconsciously reflecting the emotions of the Jaeger household.

The change was obvious; the house was suddenly quieter and less cheerful now that they knew that they were living with death. Carla and Grisha had sat Levi down, explaining slowly and carefully that no, he wasn't going to be a big brother this time and that no, he wasn't going to get to meet them.

When they told him as gently as they could that the child had died Levi had merely stared at them for a few minutes before stumbling off somewhere, emerging a few hours later with a puffy face and red eyes. That had been at the beginning of the month.

Carla went through the C-section and they buried the child, dead before she had even taken her first breath.

Dot Pixis came over for Levi's birthday that year, along with their new neighbors, Jasper and Meredith Smith. The Smith's had a three-year old son named Irvin; he was blonde, with bright blue eyes and a calm personality. They had moved from America when Jasper's job had required them to relocate to England in order to retain his position.

Irvin and Levi had sat together in the living room floor, slowly putting together a new puzzle with the help of Mr. Pixis. The four parents watched their respective son's, smiling as the two managed to interact in a strange but friendly manner; for the most part the two boy's faces were blank but they still communicated well with each other.

Levi looked back and forth for a piece; it was the very last one, a piece from the center part of the puzzle. "Crap," Grisha muttered softly, "Why is it the puzzle that we buy the one that's missing one piece." Carla shrugged but before she could reply Mr. Pixis produced the piece from behind Irvin's ear and pressed it into place.

Both boys perked up, eyes widening at the new trick. "Magic," Irvin said, looking eagerly at Mr. Pixis, who grinned in return. "Magic," he said, "And maybe one day you two will also learn it. But in the meantime I'll show you a few other tricks."

Grisha tucked Levi in that night, smiling in amusement as he carried the sleeping boy from the couch to his nearly outgrown crib. Eventually they would get around to getting him a bed, but for now the crib would be suffice.

He cracked the door when he left and Levi opened his eyes, staring at the dark ceiling as his sleep-fuzzy brain adjusted to consciousness. He sat up slowly and looked around; there was nothing in the room out of the ordinary.

Perhaps he had just been imagining the giant person that had been holding him in his palm, only he was all grown up and had swords in his hands. But still, the imagination had seemed so real, especially the smoldering green eyes hidden behind the long brown hair of the giant person, who was so familiar yet so strange that it was painful.

Chapter 3: End

Ah, another chapter is out! At a little after 12 o'clock in the morning too~ Wonderful... I'm kind of half asleep in my chair right now to be honest. That's not the point though!

Thanks to all of you wonderful people for your wonderful reviews and for even bothering to click and read! The story is slowly picking up so don't worry your pretty little heads about it.

Anyways, so long as my cat stays healthy (he had emergency surgery on Tuesday T.T), there should be an update later today. Possibly. It depends on how long I can retain consciousness after school. So yes, thank you for reading and stay tuned for more! (Now I feel like a radio person.)