So, true story…

When I tried to post the previous chapter, I was so over joyed that FF let the document upload that I totally forgot to actually post the chapter… I only realised three days later that I made a mistake, after sitting around like an idiot waiting for the confirmation mail that the chapter was up. So sorry about that, my head is clearly not on right…

"Petra, I'm so sorry about all the clothes I have destroyed. I mean, first it was the food fight and then Annie – well, you know what she did, and then I started bleeding from my back and I'm so sorry for all the trouble I have caused-"

"You idiot," her hand collides with the back of my head. She had arrived earlier this morning so that she could do damage control regarding my clothes. I'm currently standing with my bare, bandaged back towards her while she holds an ice cold measuring tape over my rib cage.

"Ow, what was that for?" I rub my head before she pinches me and tells me to stand still.

"Stop apologising for the clothes. They are just clothing, it's not like someone depends on them staying whole. Not even Erwin could have predicted this turn of events so stop your nonsense. I have to get you new clothes anyway because you have out grown the things I had brought you in the first place,"

"I have?"

She sighs audibly and drops the measuring tape. I turn to face her as she rolls it up. "Your muscles have rearranged themselves, so you are about ten centimetres wider around your chest and fifteen centimetres over your shoulders. Your calves and thighs are bigger too, so it's easier to just get you an entirely new wardrobe,"

Now it's my turn to sigh. "So I shouldn't bother trying to put my sweat pants on, should I?"

It was pretty embarrassing when Petra chased Levi and I out of bed so that she could take my measurements, especially since I was just in my underwear. At least Levi had been wearing a shirt too. He was not impressed with Petra at all.

She, of course, completely ignored him after she chased him into the bathroom because he had some sort of meeting with Erwin. Apparently Pixis is back in Japan for a full report.

It seems no one knows exactly how Annie got into the building, so security measures are being checked and rechecked. According to Petra, while I was in my six months of pain induced delirium, everyone on security the night of the attack was questioned and checked.

It soon became clear that either no one knew anything at all or someone was playing everyone like a cow bell. The second option scares me too much to even consider as a possibility, and from the look on Petra's face as she talks I can tell that it scares her too.

"It's different for you; you have only been here for little over seven months. I grew up with these people. They are practically my family. Yes, we don't get along and we have different everything, but we trust each other with our lives. It's how we survive, how we fight and how we raise the next generation. To think that one of us just let Annie in here so that she can kill you, it's unthinkable,"

She bows her head and looks at her feet. I watch her as her eyebrow suddenly shoots up and she catches my eye. "How did Annie know about you anyway?"

"Huh?"

"Don't you find it strange that of all the people she could have come here to kill, she chose to attack you?"

"Don't remind me, please,"

"No, Eren, I don't think you understand what I'm asking. Annie came here to kill you. Erwin was in the same room as you, and he is the head of this Tower. If he dies, the entire population of the Tower needs to be relocated until a new head is elected. Why would she go after you if she could temporarily cripple Japan's Tower? We wouldn't be able to fight the Creators off if that happened and we would lose Japan. So why did she choose you?"

I frown and look down at my feet. Why me? What did she say that night? Something about being the weakest link in the chain- the weakest link in Levi's chain, wait, Levi!

"Levi," I breathe.

"What?"

"Levi. Annie said that Levi was basically indestructible and the easiest way to get to him was to use me,"

"But how did she know about you and your relationship to Levi?"

"Because she was there the night Levi saved me. She was in that fire, I saw her. But that wasn't the first time I saw her,"

"You saw Annie in the fire where your skull was cracked open? Why didn't you say anything, Eren? We needed to know that!"

"I didn't realise that she was there until I saw her that night!" I can't help my voice increasing in volume. "What does it matter that I saw her in the fire, anyway? She's dead now,"

"But her friends aren't. Come, we need to talk to Erwin right now,"

She grabs my wrist and starts dragging me to the door.

"Umm, Petra, I'm still just in my underwear,"

She stops dead in her tracks, glances over her shoulder and gives me a once over. It's as if she is checking to see if my clothes won't just reappear out of thin air. She sighs for the umpteenth time.

"That won't do, now would it?"

"I don't particularly want to sit in front your council and talk about Annie in just my underwear,"

"Our council, Eren. You are an angel now,"

"Right, our council,"

"I will bring you clothes as quickly as I can,"

I shiver when she releases my hand and heads for the door again.

"And Petra," I call out.

"Yes?"

"Could I please get a new coat?"

"Sure,"

"Oh and Petra?"

"What, Eren?"

"Thank you,"

She stops to turn and look at me again. Her eyes wide as she searches my face. "You're welcome,"

We stand, facing each other, awkwardly.

"Shouldn't you be going?"

"Right, bye, Eren,"

"See you soon, Petra,"

And the plot thickens. Gasp, there is actually plot :-D 5 reviews for the next chapter.