A/N: Hi, eveyrone! I'm back! How have you all been? How are you loving season 2 part 2? It's been awesome I think. I love the new opening music.

Well, here goes nothing. This is a short once, so I hope you enjoy.

Hange

I press my ear to the wooden door, trying to ascertain what they're saying in the room beyond.

All I can hear are the sound of their voices, yet no words. Historia sounds particularly distressed, yet I continue to listen, regardless.

I shouldn't be eavesdropping. But I've become privy to this secret mission now since I was the one who instigated it.

I have to ensure they do the deed and get the job done...

One of the perks of being the commander of the Curvey Corps. I'm sure Erwin would have done the same thing too. Maybe not as enthusiastically as me, but the enthusiasm would have been there all the same...

Erwin, like me, never would have sacrificed Historia like the MPs, and at times I feel as if he's looking over my shoulder, along with Moblit, Mike, Nanaba, and old Levi squad.

And I'm sure that Erwin would have agreed, too, that Historia's best cause of action right now would be to delay the MPs turning her as much as possible. It's a shame she has to make such a drastic choice, but it may just be the silver lining we need.

After all, Kiyomi may bring good news still. She may just be able to gain us enough sympathy from the world's more sympathetic nations, and as a plus, we'll still have a way to maintain the rumbling without turning anyone titan.

Levi's and Historia's children will have both Ackerman and royal blood, respectively, and the prospect sends my mind spinning.

I don't mean to treat their child like an experiment, but there's no denying the scientific marvel that their child will eventually become.

It will have her genes as well as Levi's (and let's hope for baby's sake they have Historia's sweet disposition, too).

Once Historia falls pregnant, we'll need to find a stand-in Father. But we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Honestly, I was too afraid to bring it up earlier in our private meeting in fear of pissing off Levi. Whoever will act as Historia's stand-in will have direct claim over her child, but we won't have any other choice. If the MPs found out that Levi fathered a child with Historia, then they'd be hostile for sure, and the last thing we need is a war amongst our own ranks.

I finally make out words "… never asked you to become my knight in the first place… then you wouldn't feel such a strong urge to protect me, and we never would have forged a bond... You… would have had much less at stake, much less to lose…"

Heaviness fills my chest when I hear Historia's confession. Is that honestly how she thinks we see her? Like a liability? It's not true. As scouts, it is our duty to protect the lives of those inside the walls, and that goes for Historia's too.

I will not stand by while the vicious cycle of titan inheritance continues, especially after how we fought so hard to stop the old king and his regime three years ago.

No more children will have to eat their parents, and so forth. It's immoral. As Eren said: "We will not breed children to be eaten and slaughtered like livestock…"

Levi takes a moment to respond, and it appears our queen has left him tongue-tied. I've never been privy to their love life until now, so I never really gave it much thought to how they act when they're alone in each other's presence.

Maybe I should give them privacy. I've known Levi a long time now, and to say we're pretty close would be an understatement. But there are still some things I'd rather not be so privy to, and that's his love life.

I never got involved with Petra, so I won't with Historia either. My job is to guide them only as commander of the Survey Corps.

Historia mumbles something else in her heartbroken little tone, but then she's cut off abruptly by Levi, and now I can only guess what's happening between them.

Levi's deeper voice seeps through the wood of the door, and I hear his words loud and clear.

"Don't talk shit. You know I don't regret a moment we've had together, Historia. And I'm not just talking about the last few months. I'm talking about the last couple of years..."

Never before have I heard him speak with such passion, and it moves me. This is the same man who has never once said, "Dedicate your heart!" Well, not in my presence, anyhow.

I can't help but smile.

It seems my old friend has found someone else to dedicate his life to. Honestly, since Erwin's death, I've been a little worried about him. He was drifting for a while, his life's purpose seeming to be stripped from his entire persona. But it appears he found himself a new purpose now in the form of our queen…

"Commander Hange?"

I jump at the sound of the voice, coming face to face with the commander of the Military Police.

"Nile! Just the man I was looking for!"

I wasn't looking for him, but he's the last person we need right now. If he found out about Levi and Historia, then our plan would go up in flames.

Nile glances at the door that I'd just had my ear pressed to, raising an eyebrow. "Is there something interesting going on in that room that I should know about, Commander?"

I produce a nervous laugh, trying to edge Nile back down the corridor. "Oh, it's nothing... I was just testing the... ambiance of the room..."

"By pressing your ear to the door?"

"Of course! That way I can determine how many titans it would take before the room got too full. By my estimation: two Beans, one Sawney, and a mini Jaw Titan."

Nile narrows his eyes, and it looks as if I've said the wrong thing. My days of capturing titans are long gone, but that doesn't stop the vein forming on his forehead.

"I see you're eccentric as ever, Commander Hange. Living up to the Survey Corps name…"

"You bet!"

He folds his arms. Meanwhile, I maintain my crazed smile, a sweat drop dripping down my temple.

"They're in there, aren't they?"

My heart pounds as his words don't quite sink in yet. But when they do, I step closer, edging him further down the corridor. He has no business being here. "Who? Bean? Sawney? I'm afraid they died long ago, Commander Dok. By the hand of someone in your ranks, coincidentally enough..."

I fix him a pointed stare now, fixing my glasses. Yeah, I'm still pretty pissed about that. Annie Leonhardt had joined Nile's regiment after stealing a member of her fellow training squad's ODM gear, then killed Sawney and Bean!

Nile sharpens his eyes. "I'm talking about the queen and the captain. I'm aware of what's going on between them, Hange. So you can cut the act. Not that it was convincing anyway."

I cringe, scratching the back of my head. "So, I guess I could have saved myself from some real embarrassment back there." I drop my arm, fixing my eye on curiously. If he does know, then he's obviously kept the news of their secret love affair to himself. Hopefully, he doesn't go blurting anything to his fellow MPs.

"So… how long?" I ask.

He sighs, turning up the corridor, and I follow after him— best to give the two lovebirds some privacy. "A few months. I cornered the captain about my suspicions a few months back when I was living at the palace. Those two weren't exactly subtle. Don't worry. I don't plan on ratting out your friend to the rest of my regiment."

I relax my shoulders. Well, that's a relief. At least he doesn't suspect what we're planning in the least.

It just means that once the deed is done, Nile will be the first to suspect Levi. There's a good chance many will suspect him since rumours spread, after all, but if we play our cards right and find our stand-in guy, then we should be convincing enough.

"I can't say I agree with their actions, but I also believe that Historia has every right to fall in love and marry whomever she likes. We're already asking too much of her. We could allow her some freedom."

I hang my head, stopping in the corridor. I've never felt so useless. It's like being stuck in a constant catch 22.

How do we prioritise the life of one person over tens of thousands? I do not want to sacrifice Historia. I was the first to listen to her after she reclaimed her old name after the events at Utgard Castle, and I knew from the start she was an honest girl.

We cannot shorten her lifespan just for our own sakes, and that goes for her children too. It's just plain wrong.

That's why I am staking a lot on this pregnancy. I want to save her as well as her children, but I want to save the island, too.

Hopefully, Levi gets the deed done quicker than we previously planned. I'm not privy to his sex life either, but let's just hope he knows what he's doing...

Nile stops, turning back to face me. "Hange?"

I straighten up, following him down the corridor. "Sorry, just… reflecting…"

He takes a moment to consider my wilted form. "I can't say I envy you. Not even Erwin had so much responsibility back in his heyday, but just know that you're doing a splendid job. I'm sure he'd be proud."

Nile wanders down the corridor, leaving me to deliberate his words. I have never considered the man a friend. More like a colleague, so his words come as a shock.

Before I can give him my thanks, he goes on to say, "Also, Zackley's man is waiting to escort Her Majesty back to the orphanage, hence why I came down this way to investigate. I had my suspicions after all. I didn't want them getting caught now. So you may want to tell those two to hurry up."

I nod. "Right. On it..."

I turn back up the corridor. It looks like I'm going to have to cut the reunion short.

It seems getting Historia pregnant will be harder than we thought.

A/N: Thank you so much! I will aim to get chapter 18 up next week, so bear with me. I'll admit my inspiration to write for this fandom had waned over the last few months, but it has come back after season 2, but I plan on getting this fic finished this year at least.

But thank you all for your patience.

See you next time