Risk: Chapter Thirty-Five

Rose watched in horror as Levi lunged toward their intruder, instantly taking him down to the carpeted ground. The intruder kicked at Levi, knocking him back, but Levi held fast to the knife in his hand. Seeming to clutch it tighter, he got to his feet and launched – with great speed – at the other man again.

Just as it appeared Levi had a leg-up on their intruder, they heard a commotion from the front room. "Everyone, get down! Get down!"

"They're here," Rose breathed into the phone. Thanking the operator, she hung up the phone, dropping it and then quickly raising her arms in surrender as three police officers entered her bedroom.

They reached for both Levi and the intruder, the former pulling at the two officers who now tried to restrain him. Levi allowed himself to be handcuffed, not saying anything as he was set against the wall catty-corner to Rose.

"It's him!" Rose called over their wrestling. "He's the one that broke in."

"And him?" asked and officer, head tilting toward Levi.

"He's my friend, he was protecting me." She gazed over at Levi, who was also watching her, not even phased by his current situation.

"Let him go," one of the officers said to another, and a female officer walked over to Levi, turning him around and unlocking the cuffs from his wrists. "Do you know this man?" the first officer asked Rose, addressing the intruder on the floor.

"Not at all." She stood up, a little wobbly, and then knelt down beside Levi, not caring about anything else but wanting to make sure he was alright. When it was clear that he was, indeed, just fine, she moved to wrap her arms around his neck – to comfort him or herself, she wasn't sure. He seemed to understand the message, as he placed a hand on the small of her back. She knew he wasn't much for reassurances, but to be honest that small touch was more than she was expecting from him.

Two officers lugged the intruder out of her home, the lead officer – she assumed, he seemed to be calling all the shots – staying behind to ask Rose questions.

"So do you think this in connection with your uncle at all?"

"I… don't know, officer, I'm sorry."

"Well, I will say, your door is kind of shot. You'll need to get your Super to take care of that as soon as possible. The city can put you up in a hotel for the next two nights." He handed her a card – upon further and quick inspection, it was a voucher to stay at a Hilton uptown. "I would ask your landlord about reimbursing you if you have to stay anymore than a couple of nights."

She nodded, affirming her understanding. "Thank you, officer."

"We barely had to do any work. Looks like your… friend held him off 'til we got here." The officer lifted his chin to them in dismissal, finally leaving them alone.

Rose slumped on the bed, knowing she should probably pack an overnight bag, but she felt so deflated.

Levi joined her, not touching her, though, as if trying to give her space in case she needed it. But she didn't want space – damn it, she wanted some type of support, and to give it in return. She buried her head in her hands, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears pricking at the brim of her lids. Leaning back, she said, "I hate seeing you in danger like that."

"You realize I'm a soldier, right?" But, despite his quip, he rested a hand on her back briefly anyway.

"But I've never had to… see it." She sat perfectly still for awhile, then she said, "Let's get the hell out of here."

Rose grabbed a small suitcase from her uncle's room – she didn't have one, she never went anywhere – and packed a couple of outfits for the both of them as well as her laptop and some toiletries before zipping it up. Levi was the one that wheeled it to her car, but not before situating the broken down door in the doorway somehow. Settling finally on it being a little crooked – it so obviously was off its hinges, Rose was certain she would return to the place robbed – they left to the hotel.

After checking in, and Rose using the keycard to get into the room – Levi was particularly fascinated with how that worked, which Rose had to admit was mildly cute – they set the suitcase against the wall near the bathroom before Rose went straight to the bed, exhausting overtaking her.

"You look like you're about to pass out," Levi said so eloquently.

"Kind of," she muttered. She stepped out of the leggings she'd worn on the way there, folding them and setting them on the small desk on one side of the bed. "Will you… sit with me while I sleep? You don't have to sleep," she added quickly, "I just want you to sit there until I fall asleep."

Briefly, she wondered if such a request annoyed him; she'd asked this of him the last time as well. If it did bother him, he didn't say anything. He came over to her, sitting at the edge of the bed beside where she slept, eyes watching her carefully. And just like before, under his soft gaze, she found it easy to finally doze off.

The following morning, Rose awoke, and she searched frantically around for Levi. He was sitting in the armchair, staring at the ceiling, the television on but he wasn't at all watching it. He obviously was lost in thought about something, and Rose so desperately wanted to know what was on his mind.

"What is it?" she asked, fruitlessly finger-combing her long hair.

"Nothing," he answered, a little too quickly, making her rather suspicious.

So she pushed. "That's not true – what's going on in that head of yours."

"You won't like it," he said matter-of-factly, icy gaze meeting hers, hands folded before him.

"When has that ever stopped you from telling me the truth?" she returned, now becoming a bit worried. What was such a big deal that he couldn't bring himself to outright tell her? That wasn't like him at all.

"Fine." He sat up a little bit, but his eyes never moved from hers. "I was thinking about if we'd never met. Or if we had, but in a different timeline or something. You in mine or mine in yours. How different things would have been." He shrugged. "I don't know, I just wonder if you would have been better off not meeting me at all."

She didn't say anything at first. Not when she was too distracted by the sound of her heart breaking; it was like a whooshing sound in her ears, like waves crashing against the shore, hard and fast and relentless. Her mouth was slightly open, like she wanted to speak her mind on the matter, but – she had no thoughts on that.

Because she couldn't imagine a world without Levi.

"I told you, you wouldn't like it." He groaned, pushing himself off the armchair and joining her on the bed. "What are you crying for?"

"Do you not want to be friends anymore?" was the first thing that she asked him, though, to be frank, it sounded like a boy breaking up with his girlfriend, which was why she felt so heartbroken.

"Why would you ask something so stupid?" His hands turned into fists at that, and he was openly glaring at her.

"It's not stupid. Answer the question." Despite her determination to hear the answer, she was still crying.

"Yes, I want to remain your friend, Rosemary." He had crossed his arms now, averting his gaze. Was that the truth, then? He had no reason to lie to her before.

"Then, why –"

"You're always in danger. And I feel like that has something to do with me." He shook his head, dropping his arms and standing up. He seemed done with the conversation, going to the bathroom. In the next moment, the sound of the shower could be heard through the door.

Rose sat there, utterly confused and lost, wondering what she could do to ease his worries. She didn't like the idea of him believing that he was the reason she was always in potential danger. That simply wasn't the truth.

With new resolve, she found herself getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom door. She turned the knob slowly; it wasn't locked. It was just her, after all, why would have locked it? She sat on the floor beside the door, curling her knees up to her chest and holding them tight, listening to the sound of the water run for some time, before she finally grew the courage to speak.

"I'm in danger because I'm a time traveler," she called through the crack she'd created in the door. "It has absolutely nothing to do with you. If anything, I'm safer with you – and Hange, and your Squad – than I am with anyone else. You guys don't try to exploit me like anyone else that has discovered that I can do… this." She waved her hand in front of her, as if he could see it, for emphasis. "You treat me like I'm normal – whatever that means. And I… I don't think I thank you guys enough for that. Or for saving me as often as you have when I've been put in eminent danger – not because of you, but because of other terrible people." One of which were people that were supposed to care about her, her Uncle Joseph, but she didn't want to think too hard on that right now.

"Levi, despite what you think, I'm safest with you. So I don't want you to ever worry about that ever again, okay?"

He didn't respond, and she thought that maybe the water was too loud for him to do so. However, after a few moments, he'd shut it off, and she heard him slide the glass door of the shower and step out. He then exited the bathroom, in nothing but a towel around his waist, and bent down to be eye-level with Rose on the floor.

Rose's cheeks pinkened at the sight of him, but her eyes focused on meeting his, searching his as his did hers. Finally, Levi said, "I'm going to take your word for it, you know."

"Does that mean… that you'll let me stay by your side?" As she then added quickly, "By everyone's side?"

"I'm going to leave that up to you," he answered, still gazing at her, as if trying to find some falsehood behind her previous words. When he seemed to find none, he averted his eyes to the floor, running a hand through his damp hair, saying under his breath, "You are truly a stupid woman."

She found herself smiling at those words. "Well, good for you then – this stupid woman plans to stick around for awhile."