PLEASE NOTE - This chapter contains a scene of a nightmare which depicts physical abuse of a character as a child. If this is something that is going to make reading this chapter difficult, then I strongly advise that you skip the section which is written in BOLD ITALICS. This chapter also contains spoilers for the ending of Attack on Titan. If you haven't read the manga, I suggest either doing that first or waiting until after watching the final episode to read this chapter.

"Welcome home, Hange!"

Hange smiled warmly as they looked at each of their friends stood around the dining table. She couldn't believe that she was finally somewhere that they could call home. Armin hadn't been kidding, the village where they had all decided to settle down was indeed beautiful, and there were so many new species of plants and animals that had been seen on the journey from the train station to the house. It had taken Hange and Levi almost an hour to complete the thirty-minute walk, as Hange had decided many times that the pair had to stop so that they could look at the unique plants and flowers that were dotted around.

"Thank you, guys," Hange said as they pulled the younger scouts in for a hug, "It feels amazing to finally be somewhere that isn't a hospital room."

"I can only imagine," Connie said as wriggled free of the embrace and picked up a slice of the cake that sat on the table, "You were there for, what, six weeks? I would have gone crazy."

"Yeah, I'm sure you would." Hange quipped, quickly stepping aside as Onyankopon carried their case in through the door. She had been adamant that she would carry her own case, but Levi had refused and told them to go and sit down with the brats, as he'd put it.

"Oi, Four-Eyes!"

Hange looked up in shock as Levi limped in through the door, aided by his cane.

"Sit your ass down. I don't care that you're practically fully healed – I don't want you overexerting yourself."

As much as they didn't want to admit it, Levi was right. It had been a very long day for the two of them as the pair had flown from the Island which had been Hange's home for the past month which was a trek in of itself. And then to add the train journey and the walk on as well? She sat down on one of the soft sofas, taking in her surroundings eagerly.

They had offered to move into one of the houses on the same street as the one that Levi and Onyankopon inhabited, but Levi had refused every single idea that involved the two living separately. Deep down, Hange knew exactly why Levi was so adamant about them living together, and they knew that they couldn't judge him for it.

"Aw but Levi, I was hoping to get a little tour of the house I will be living in for the foreseeable future!"

Levi feigned a scowl, happy to see them back to behaving the way they had in the past now that the weight that came with being the Commander had been lifted off their shoulders. Still, he wanted to make absolutely certain that Hange would be in their best health.

"We can leave that until tomorrow, Hange. For tonight, I just want you to stay sat down and resting. It's been a very long day for us so just leave the unpacking to me and Onyankopon, okay?"

"Okay."

Hange gave a slight smile, thanking Mikasa as she brought a cup of hot tea over to them. They took the offered cup, taking in the floral notes of the soothing beverage. This wasn't exactly how they had imagined their retirement from the Military, but Hange would take it all the same if it meant leading a quiet life. Maybe marriage and, eventually, children could be in the future for them? The only thing that they knew for certain was that they would just keep taking life how it came to them.

"Hi guys, come on in!"

They looked up from the cup in their hands, watching as the others from the Alliance entered the house, removing coats and shoes.

"Reiner, Pieck, Annie. It's so great that you could make it!"

Armin welcomed the newcomers fondly, and Hange noticed it straight away when he embraced Annie in a warm hug with a shy peck on the cheek, his own face flushing red slightly. The older brunette smiled warmly, being reminded of the early days of hers and Levi's relationship, shortly after she had been named the 14th Commander of the Survey Corps.

"Help yourselves to the food on the table, guys. There's plenty for everyone."

Hange sighed contentedly as they sipped their tea, sitting cross-legged on the sofa as the sounds of conversation melted into the background, becoming nothing more than a buzz. It felt amazing to be surrounded by her friends and comrades once again, but it had only been a matter of weeks since that fateful day and yet it already felt like a lifetime had passed since then. An entire lifetime in the blink of an eye?

But what was that place they had seen which was just floating on the edge of their memory? What was it? No matter how hard they tried, Hange couldn't recall what it was that she had seen, and it frustrated them to no end as they stared intensely at the hardwood floor. It had been only a flash for no more than maybe three seconds at the very most, but it had been enough to feel the sand under her body and to see the stars above them. There was…this little girl…

"Hange!"

Hange was shocked out of their stupor by a strong hand clamping down on their shoulder, head snapping up in reflex as they suddenly became aware of just how much they had zoned out. Levi was stood in front of her, holding a plate of mouthwateringly delicious-smelling food which balanced precariously on the palm of his hand.

"Finally, that's the third time that I've said your name. Here, you need to eat something because you look like you're about to pass out."

"…thanks, shorty."

They took the offered plate of food, slowly starting to eat their fill as Levi silently sat beside them. The voices of their friends were still just background noise to them, as she had managed to tune everything else out.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Levi. You've gotta stop worrying about me all the time, ya know?"

They were smiling as they spoke, but when they turned to look at Levi, it quickly disappeared when they noticed the expression on his face.

"I know when something's wrong, Four-Eyes. I think that, sometimes, you forget just how well I know you."

Hange inhaled deeply, not knowing how to respond as they quickly stripped the meat from a chicken drumstick. How could they even voice the question that they had in their mind if they didn't know what it was that they were asking about in the first place?

"It's nothing Levi, just something random that I've got on my mind. I'll tell you about it later, okay?"

"Tch…As long as you do, I don't care. You don't have to bottle up anymore, so to speak, you know that."

"I do."

She leant against Levi, and his gaze softened.

"Come on, you'd better finish your food. There's cake waiting."

…

Hange groaned in exasperation as they tossed and turned, unable to even get close to falling asleep. They were no stranger to this, as they were used to staying up for multiple days in a row whilst collecting vital research on Titans; but for some reason, that night felt different to them. As they had expected, Levi had been just as stumped as them when they had explained the memory, with the only conclusion being that the pair had both agreed that Hange had been in the paths for some reason.

They could hear the snoring from Levi and Onyankopon down the hall, each in their own rooms. She had preferred to take a room of her own for the time being, a decision which they realised was indeed the best due to the fact that it was likely her incessant movements would be keeping Levi awake otherwise. They sat up and slid out of the bed, cautiously trudging over to the door. The house was dark, but there was still enough light for Hange to make their way down the stairs.

They adjusted their glasses on their face, taking in just how quiet the house was. Hange was used to the hustle and bustle of both the Scout Headquarters and the Hospital – the quiet was peaceful, yet also disconcerting. The wooden chair scraped against the floor tiles as they pulled it from under the table, sat at the table while waiting for the kettle to boil, deep in thought. There were so many unanswered questions; flashes of memories that didn't make any sense. They had seen Erwin, it had that just been a figment of their imagination, brought on by the agonising pain of the burns.

They looked down at their arms, seeing the light scars from the flames as well as other blemishes too. The fire had consumed her entire body when the gas tank strapped to her waist had exploded – she remembered the excruciating sensation of the ignited fuel melting her skin. They remembered the chunks of shrapnel digging into her flesh…the blood that boiled when it found wounds to escape from…But from the healed skin, she couldn't tell if those were memories or cruel tricks. How could injuries have actually happened if the scars from their burns were so insignificant?

The sudden sound of footsteps shocked them from their thoughts, and as they looked up, they saw Levi standing in the doorway, supported by his cane. Hange rose from her seat to greet him, and Levi's cheeks flushed as his gaze fixed on the clothing that she was wearing – a plain oversized shirt and a pair of black shorts that clung snugly to the curves of their lower body; their russet hued hair that hung around their shoulders, tangled by hours of restlessness.

They wordlessly strode over to the kettle after hugging him and placed two cups on the counter, placing a tea bag in each before adding honey to her own cup. She felt his arms snake around her middle as she poured the hot water into the cups.

"Levi?"

"Mmm…?"

Hange turned around, seeing Levi's tired face staring up at them. His grey eye shone in the glow of the overhead lights, and Hange couldn't help but smile slightly as they leant down to kiss his forehead.

"I thought you were asleep."

Levi grunted, arms wrapping tighter around his lover as he glanced up at them. So much warmth in their gaze, he could see the love they felt for him within.

"Just woke up…Thought I'd check up on you to see how you were…I just wanted to make sure that the past few weeks haven't been…you know…"

"A dream?"

"Yeah…"

Levi sighed, his eye slightly closed.

"I was scared…Your room was dark and you weren't in bed…"

Hange sighed slightly, holding the older veteran close enough for him to hear their heartbeat which served to quickly soothe him.

"I couldn't sleep. I thought some tea would help me settle." She said as she picked her cup up, taking a delicate sip of the hot beverage. There was no way that they were going to tell Levi the reason why they couldn't sleep; he didn't need to know about what was bothering her so badly that she couldn't rest.

The pair were silent as they both slowly drank their respective cups of tea, revelling in the peace of each other's company. Eventually the cups were empty, and Hange just sat staring down at their hands with contempt. After everything that they had prepared to do that day, and they were still here by some miracle? It irked them severely that they couldn't remember anything except what little small flashes they already knew of.

"Come on, you're tired."

"Huh?"

They looked up, watching as Levi rose to his feet before placing the cups into the sink.

"Hange."

"Alright, I'm coming…"

Hange sighed contentedly at the warm weight of Levi's body beside them, their arms wrapped around his chest. It had been a very long time since the pair had been able to lay together this closely, the last time having been that night on the boat. Hange cringed inwardly at the memory, wishing that they could just forget the argument that had happened that night. Hell, they didn't want to remember anything about the following day, but they knew there was no way they would forget about it.

"Levi?"

His only form of response was the sound of his soft snoring, and they couldn't help but smile slightly. Levi always seemed to sleep better when he was being held in her arms, and so she wasn't about to try to disturb him further. Hange closed their eye, grateful for the second chance they had been given…

"Zoë! Do you even understand what you've done?"

Hange trembled in fear, trying to staunch the flow of blood which was freely trickling down their face and dripping off of their chin, mixed with the tears that fell. Their glasses were cracked, only serving to make their frightened state get worse as they now could see barely anything but a blurry form where their stepfather was stood.

"DAMN YOU, ZOË! ANSWER ME, YOU STUPID BITCH!"

They cried out in shock at the hand which roughly seized a handful of their hair, tugging their head back and forcing them to look into his eyes before he slammed their head into the hardwood floor. Hange tried desperately to form an answer as she pushed herself to her hands and knees, words tumbling over each other as fresh tears welled up in their eyes and stars danced in their vision. This seemed to only serve to make him madder, and the sting of the harsh, strong slap across her face which sent them sprawling over the floor registered before they even saw him raising his arm.

"Daddy! Stop it, you're hurting her!"

"Alex, go to your room!"

Hange only managed a glance over at her youngest half-sibling before a fist connected with her stomach. They cried out in pain, trying to curl up into a ball to protect themself as much as they possibly could. Rough hands grabbed her wrists, and she kicked out at anything her feet could reach; their heel connected with the juncture of his legs, and their stepfather gave an agonised yell as he gripped that most sensitive area of his body and fell to his side.

"Hange, it's okay…"

Hange took the opening and pushed themselves to their feet, taking off over the wooden floor and making a desperate beeline for their bedroom. They slammed the door shut behind them and made sure to push their chest of drawers in front of it for good measure, heart pounding behind her ribs as she hurriedly tied her hair back into a messy ponytail. Taking their school bag from where it lay on the floor, they quickly tipped it over and emptied the contents onto her bed.

"ZOË!"

The door flexed in such a way they were scared it would break as their stepfather pounded on the wood.

"Hange…"

"YOU LITTLE RAT! OPEN THE DOOR!"

Hange sobbed as they quickly packed whatever clothes they could grab into the small bag. This hadn't been the outcome that they had expected from the situation earlier that day, even if her overly religious stepfather had caught her kissing her girlfriend, Rosie. Hange had always been so careful about it, making sure to introduce Rosie as her best friend and keep the relationship secret from their family. Oh, if only their stepfather hadn't have come home from work early that day.

The sound of splintering wood split the air, and Hange felt their body go cold – they were out of time. They wiped at the blood that continued to seep from their nose with their sleeve, before racing over to the open window as the door finally flung open. Heart in her throat, Hange made a desperate leap from the window, grateful for the fact that her bedroom was on the ground floor.

"ZOË! Get back here!"

The rain soaked through the thin shirt that they were wearing, the chill of the night cutting straight through their body. The only guilt that they felt was that they had not had the chance to say their farewells to their half-siblings.

Her mother wouldn't realise that she had left. That thought made them stop in their tracks, feet sliding slightly on the wet cobbles…

Hange's eye flew open as she gave a strangled cry, sitting straight up and practically choking on their own tears. They could feel someone rubbing their back as they gasped for breath. They could feel it all; the pain of the broken nose, the bruises that the man left on her…The hands that were on her body right now…

"Let go of me!"

They panicked. It felt like the walls were closing in on them, and all they could make sense of was the vicious thudding of their own heart in their chest. It hurt; they couldn't breathe. Their throat…It felt like it was closing up. They were fully aware of the layer of sweat that was now coating their body, but the nausea was something else altogether.

"Hange, it's me. It's Levi. You're fine, I promise. You're with me."

Hange glanced down, seeing Levi's concerned face staring back at her. It still didn't do much to calm them, but the horrific feelings eventually subsided and left her feeling like nothing more than a wreck.

"Are you alright? What was that about?"

Hange didn't reply at first, merely sitting staring at their hands in their lap.

"…Just a shitty memory I thought I'd buried…"

They felt Levi pull her towards him, and her head was resting against his chest in no time as he rubbed soothing circles into their back.

"Would it help to tell me about it?"

Hange turned to look at him, her expression pained. All they could manage in way of response was to shake their head, fresh tears welling up in their eye. How could she tell him about that part of her past? Levi was incredibly quick to become angered, and hearing about what their stepfather had done to them would only serve to make the older veteran go on the warpath.

"…maybe one day, but not right now…"

"Okay…But you know that I'm here if you ever want or need to talk about anything."

Levi gently kissed the top of her head, feeling her body shiver slightly in response to the soft affection. Even when the stress was getting far too much for them to deal with, that was always the best way to get Hange to relax and Levi knew that perfectly. It wasn't very often that the pair would manage to get a private moment like this, held close in each other's arms. The last time had been the night before the battle against Eren.

"Hey, Hange?"

They looked up at him, brown eye shining in the light of the lamp. He smiled slightly, gaze softening.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think," he began, rubbing small circles into the backs of her hands with his thumbs, "About maybe getting married one day?"

Hange was silent at first, making Levi second guess asking the question as the pair lay back down against the pillows. However, she soon looked at him, a relaxed expression on her face as a smile formed.

"I'd like that."

"That's good then."

Hange shifted slightly to make space for Levi's arms as they wrapped around their body, revelling in the closeness of the moment.

"Can I ask you something though?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

The brunette sighed deeply, trying to ignore the tears which welled up in their eyes.

"How can you still love me?"

"Hange…" Levi groaned in exasperation as he turned his lover over to face him, "You know the answer."

"Those four words aren't enough. I love you isn't always an answer. I was burned severely during the Rumbling. How can you love someone who should realistically be dead? What about Sasha? Moblit? Erwin? They gave their lives in much the same way that I did and yet it's me who got the second chance at life? I'm scarred from my past, Levi…I'm surprised that you can even look at me…"

He could see the tears welling up in their eye, and it felt like his heart was caught in a vice. He knew exactly what Hange was going through as he had suffered much the same thing after the Rumbling had been defeated – survivor's guilt.

"Hange, you deserved that second chance. It doesn't matter why or how you survived the Rumbling. What you did in Odiha was incredibly heroic…I just wish I'd have had the strength in me to stop you and join you."

Hange didn't respond, their expression difficult for Levi to gauge.

"We need to talk about what happened in Odiha eventually…"

"…talk about what? There's nothing to talk about regarding that day. I was just doing my duty as the Commander."

Levi groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

"I had to spend three weeks in emotional turmoil, trying to figure out how to live my life in a world without you by my side…"

"Please don't…"

"I wanted to die, Hange. I literally didn't want to live in a world without you in it."

Hange was shocked into silence upon hearing this, tears slowly trickling down their cheek. They had no idea that had been the way Levi had been feeling while she was in the hospital before sending the letter. It had felt like torture for her, and they couldn't even begin to imagine what hell Levi must have been through whilst they weren't there.

Without uttering a single word, Hange placed their hand on top of Levi's, entwining their fingers together before raising them up to their lips, kissing his hand gently.

"I'm certainly glad that you didn't."

She smiled softly as she felt Levi's fingers lazily tracing her cheek, and she eagerly leaned into the gentle touch. Being careful not to hurt him in any way, they gently lowered themself down so that they were resting on his chest, listening to his heart beating beneath her ear.

"I've missed this…" Hange mumbled lazily, relaxing as she felt Levi's fingers tangle into her hair, trying to fight off the feelings of fatigue that washed over them.

"So have I…"

…

The water trickled down their back as they stood under the shower, trying their hardest not to look down at themselves. Hange hadn't been able to bear seeing her own body after the Rumbling, hating the way that the burns had scarred their skin. Yes, the skin was surprisingly well-healed and neat, but they were a shade dark enough to show up against the paleness of the rest of her body. The creams that the Marleyan doctors had prescribed to them had worked miracles on preventing the itching, but nothing against the appearance. Hange gently washed their hair, fingers meticulously working the shampoo into the strands as she sighed. Being able to shower felt nice and the hot water soothed her aching muscles.

Hange…

The voice startled her out of her thoughts, and she peered around the shower curtain – they could see through the mist that the bathroom was empty, but they didn't know whether to be relieved or scared. The voice had been clear, but if there was nobody there then who…?

Hange!

Hange turned, shocked out of their wits at hearing the voice calling their name. The dizziness that struck was sudden, and they clutched their head as their ears rung. It was disorienting and their head was thumping, the pain overwhelming her senses as she reached out to steady herself; there was nothing there.

Hange gave a startled cry as she fell, landing hard on the ground before rubbing their eyes. Confused, she glanced up as her good eye opened and what she saw had her blood running cold in her veins – an endless plateau of white sand that were interrupted by random dunes and rock formations that stretched out as far as the eye could see, met by the ink-hued sky on the horizon. The Paths, Hange thought in disbelief as they looked around themself, but it's different this time? How can I be here?

"You're probably very confused as to why you're here right now, Hange."

Hange's eyes widened in shock as she turned around, seeing the tall, long-haired figure stood a fair distance ahead of her. But it couldn't be, he was dead.

"Eren?"

The brown-haired teen turned to face the ex-Commander as she cautiously approached him, stumbling slightly over her own feet. He held out his hand to help them up the sand dune that he was stood on top of, looking out over the rest of the horizon.

"It's been a long time, Hange."

Eren looked down at the woman as she stood beside him, also staring out at the Coordinate that loomed in the distance. The expression that Hange wore on their face was difficult to read, but Eren could tell that it was mainly one of contempt.

"How are you still alive? How is any of this still here? We theorised that everything here in front of us would disappear when the Rumbling was stopped."

"The Paths, as you know, are frozen in time. My physical body may have perished after the Rumbling was halted, but I will always live on in this realm. It was me who saved you, you know…"

Hange looked up at him then, sensing an answer to the question that had plagued them for weeks on end.

"I was supposed to die that day, wasn't I?"

Eren didn't respond, but his silence and the sad gleam in his eyes was all that Hange needed to see in order to know the truth.

"…I see…"

"I can't tell you much, but I convinced the Founder Ymir to reconstruct your body and bring you back from the brink of death after you fought against the Wall Titans. The continued survival of the Alliance depends on you, Hange. They need you to guide them through the challenges to come. The Yeagerists are going to come for you and they won't stop until they have you in chains. They're already hunting down supporters of the Alliance who stayed behind on the island. The threat won't be for a good few years yet but you need to be ready for them."

"Why me, Eren? If you could convince the Founder to bring me back, why not Erwin?"

"Because the only reality in which everyone survives is one where you are brought back. You are the key, Hange. You are very intelligent and you think rationally. Armin is going to need you by his side for guidance."

"What the hell do I tell them, Eren? How do I even explain something like this to them? How are the Yeagerists going to be able to find us, we're literally living thousands of miles away from Paradis."

Eren's gaze softened as he looked at Hange apologetically, green eyes glowing like emeralds in the light of the Coordinate.

"I can't tell you how to, Hange. That's something that you've got to figure out by yourself. It will be a lot of weight on your shoulders but you have Levi and Mikasa to help you. But you have to protect them, Hange. Just one last time, you have to protect them all…"

The ringing in their ears was the first thing that they became aware of, along with the horrible throbbing pain in their head. Hange groaned and struggled to open her eye, her body cold and damp. They blinked, trying their hardest to clear their vision but to no avail.

"Onyankopon, she's coming round…"

She blinked at the loud sound, recognising it as Levi's. He sounded incredibly worried, his voice fraught with emotion and Hange felt a square of cloth pressed against the back of their head.

"Wha…Where…?"

"I found you passed out in the shower. I honestly thought you were dead, there was blood everywhere…Turns out that you just whacked your head really hard on the floor when you fell, you idiot."

"Oh…"

Hange tried to push herself up, but groaned at the ache in her muscles. They knew immediately that there would be bruises from the way they had fallen.

"Levi, I was in the Paths."

"What?"

They took a deep inhale, steeling themselves for the discussion to come as she forced herself to sit up with Levi's help.

"Eren was there…"

"Tch…that brat…"

"God, Levi, where do I start? He told me so much. Shit, everyone is going to have to be there. It needs to be heard by the entire Alliance."

Levi sighed, and Hange noticed the tears that brimmed in his good eye. Had he really been that worried for her? Saying that, she had no clue exactly how long she had been unconscious for but judging by his behaviour, it had been a fair while.

"We can start making the calls for a meeting after the doctor's checked you over. That was quite a nasty bump you took and that cut on your forehead won't stop pissing out blood."

"Huh?"

Her hand automatically moved to her forehead, coming away slick with her own blood. Damn, they thought, he wasn't kidding. That's a lot of blood…

But even with the wound nagging them with pain, they couldn't stop thinking about Eren's warning. Protecting the Alliance one last time? The Yeagerists coming after them? The fact that she was supposed to be dead but Eren convinced the Founder to bring her back…

Hange glanced down at their hands, tears welling up in their eye. How were they supposed to explain that one?

~~~ TBC ~~~