The final chapter guys! *takes deep breath* *promises myself I won't cry* Enjoy!

Oh, and yes, this chapter is in Eren's POV. YOU GUYS REALLY THOUGHT I COULD KILL MY POOR BABY EREN? *gasp*

Chapter 8: Beyond the Walls

Everything is so... foggy. I guess I'm not dead after all. Death isn't supposed to be this uncomfortable. My limbs are all so heavy, my eyelids refuse to cooperate, and... can someone please stop that incessant beeping? It's giving me a headache. Everything comes back to me slowly. I remember being at the precinct, Levi covered in blood. I remember running home. I remember Reiner getting mad at me. I remember... a knife. Reiner was trying to kill me. He stabbed me. He stabbed Titan too. My heart seizes as I remember that, the poor dog laying in a pool of his own blood. Tears burn behind my eyes. I also remember Levi, his eyes so scared, panicked. His voice was so unsteady. I've never heard it like that before.

After what seems like forever, my mind finally pulls out of the last dregs of unconsciousness. It's only then that I manage to coax my eyelids to open. The white light is blinding at first and I cringe. But my eyes soon adjust. I lift a heavy arm to rub at my eyes.

Someone is suddenly at my side, and long fingers wrap around my hand. I look up to see those blue-grey eyes that I had wished to see again. They are full of relief and... love? It makes the obnoxious beeping speed up.

"Hey..." I croak, a crooked smile pulling at my lips. I feel so... alive, so cocky right now. Maybe that's on the account of me almost dying. And maybe I'm just really happy to see Levi.

"God damn it..." he breathes, running a hand through his hair. "If you ever scare me that badly again, I'll..."

"You'll what?" I question, lifting one eyebrow. Is it the drugs making me this giddy?

He doesn't answer. "The knife came within two millimeters of your heart," he tells me. He holds up a hand, the tips of his forefinger and thumb impossibly close together without touching. "You came this close to dying."

"That's pretty damn close," I reply. "But here I am, alive to annoy you another day."

"Brat," he snorts, trying to sound amused. But then his expression grows serious and he crosses his arms over his chest. I notice then that he has changed his clothes. He's wearing a clean suit, his badge and gun still prominent. Is he on the clock? How long have I been out? "You partner has been arrested on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon," he tells me, his voice cautious.

My giddiness dies instantaneously. That one sentence brings my entire world crashing down. I know that I had been ready to tell Levi before Reiner attacked me, but it almost doesn't seem real. What am I going to do now? What's going to happen to me? The walls that have surrounded my life for the last five year are crumbling. My cage is suddenly open. And once the shock starts to wear off, I find that I'm actually... happy. I have no idea what I'm going to do now, no idea where I'm going to go, but I can figure that out when I get there. Right now, I'm starting to get a taste of my freedom, and I want to spread my wings. But first, I need to get over the top of those crumbling walls.

"It wasn't an accident," I murmur, not looking at Levi. "When I fell down the stairs. He pushed me. Every bruise you've ever seen on me, those weren't accidents either. He hit me. All. The. Time. If I didn't clean well enough, if I didn't exercise, if I said 'no' to him, if he was in a bad mood, if he was drunk, if he just felt like hitting something."

Levi's eyes are wide for a moment, but then he's pulling out a small notepad and a pen from his pocket, and he diligently takes notes.

"He used to tell me he loved me, and at first he would apologize after every time he hit me, promising he'd never do it again." I let out an annoyed laugh before continuing, "And I believed him. I'm such an idiot. I got so attached to him. I let myself become too dependent on him. I believed him when he said he loved me, and I believed him when he said he was sorry and that he'd never hit me again. I should've left after that first time. I shouldn't have forgiven him. But I felt like I owed him something for taking me in and taking care of me. God, I'm such an idiot."

"This isn't your fault, Eren," Levi says quietly, yet firmly, not allowing for any argument. "This was never your fault. He deceived you, and he broke you down. He betrayed your trust. It's not your fault."

I don't respond to that. I don't really believe him right now, but maybe one day I will, once I finally move past Reiner and everything he's done to me these last five years. "I don't know what I'm going to do now, Levi," I murmur, bringing my hands up to cover my face. "The house is in his name, and so is the car, the bank accounts are all his, I don't know a single password, a single PIN number, I don't even have a driver's license because he wouldn't let me get one."

"Well, it will be easy for us to prove to the court that you were domestic partners since you've lived together for five years. That should allow you to transfer all of his assets to your name following his felony conviction. I know you are listed as his next of kin, so that could also work in your favor," he explains to me.

"Really?" I breathe.

"Yes, but that won't be able to happen until after the trial," he says. Then he grows quiet and hesitant. "Trials are lengthy though, especially felony trails like his, so if you'd like, you can stay with me until his trial concludes. Or, for however long you'd like, really."

My momentary surprise slowly fades into relief. Levi has already done so much for me, and now he's helping me out even more. He's teaching me to how to fly on these new wings of freedom. He's guiding me over the walls. I can barely contain my happiness as I reach up and grab his shirt, pulling him into a tight hug. My chest stings at the movement and pressure, but I easily ignore it. When he pulls back slightly, I press a soft kiss to his lips.

"Thank you," I murmur.

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure you're happy," he promises me, his voice thick with determination.

His phone beeps, interrupting the moment. He straightens as he reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone. His eyes scan the screen.

"Well, there is just one small thing we'll need to work out first," he says, walking towards the door.

I frown. What is he talking about? I start to get worried as he steps out of the room, but he returns a moment later. I gasp and my eyes widen as he leads Titan into the room. He's wearing a police K-9 flack, and walks with a limp on his front right leg. The dog starts to wag his tail furiously with a small whine. I'm crying now, but I don't care as Levi lifts the heavy dog carefully up onto the bed. I hold out my arms to Titan and he whines again, curling up on top of my legs and stomach with his snout pressing into my armpit. I laugh as I pet his head and pull at his ears.

"If anyone asks, he's a K-9 dog with the 3rd Precinct," Eld says from the doorway. He must've been the one to bring Titan here. I offer him a big, teary grin.

"Well he was a bomb sniffing dog for the ATF before he broke his leg in a training accident. That's when Reiner adopted him," I explain, running my fingers through his long fur.

"He's a good dog," Eld says.

"He is. He's the reason I'm still alive," I reply, my voice soft. Titan wines again and licks my face.

Eld leaves, leaving Levi and I alone in the small hospital room.

"After the ambulance took you away, I noticed he was still alive, so I rushed him to the vet. He came just about as close to dying as you did. He had just a little more wiggle room," he jokes, holding his fingers up again, this time with a little more space between them.

"He attacked Reiner," I tell him. "Reiner picked up that knife and came at me with it, and Titan attacked him."

"Like Eld said, he's a good dog," Levi agrees. "The only thing we need to work out is how he'll get along with my cat." A smile pulls at his lips, which is how I know that it won't really be a problem, no matter my answer. We'll make it work however possible.

"He loves cats," I reply. "As long as you don't have bombs in your house, there won't be a problem."

"Good," he replies. "Unfortunately I have to get back to work, and I'm going to have to take Titan with me. As far as the hospital knows, he's our dog. I just came by to check on you and to talk to Hanji. Your doctor."

"You'll come back though?" I question, perhaps a little too desperately.

"Of course. I'll be back after my shift, I promise," he says, helping Titan down off the bed. "And don't worry too much about things, Eren. I know that this will be a big step for you, learning how to be independent. But I promise you that I will help you any way I can. So don't worry. Right now just focus on healing."

I nod, offering him a soft smile. "Thank you, Levi. For everything."

"And thank you for trusting me, brat."

...

"Aaah, L-Levi... Harder! That's it... Fuck! Ungh! Aaaah...!"

My voice echoes through the room, shamelessly loud. Levi is bowed over me, his teeth biting at my neck as his hips jack hammer between mine. His lips move up my neck to my own lips, muffling my obscene words. His hands on my thighs push my legs back, holding them apart as he fucks me. His cock hits my prostate, over and over again, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. One of his hands, the one he's not using to hold himself up, wraps around my cock and he starts to pump me in time with his thrusts. I gasp into his lips, my back arching up into his body. His lips move back down my neck, biting and sucking, most likely leaving my skin covered in red marks. It doesn't take much longer for him to bring me over the edge, and I come with a loud cry, burying my hands in his hair. He moans into my neck, giving a few more quick, sharp thrusts before his movement slows and he shudders.

"Fuck," he growls as his orgasm washes over him. He doesn't move for a long minute, and then mumbles, "Fuck," again before kissing my neck and rolling off of me.

I watch through heavily lidded eyes as he pads into the bathroom to clean himself up, watching that beautiful tattoo disappear. When he walks back into the bedroom, he tosses me a damp rag.

"Good morning, by the way," I tease, cleaning myself off.

"Good morning," he chuckles, pulling on a clean pair of black boxer briefs.

"I still think you should call in sick to work," I tell him, rolling onto my side and propping head up with my elbow on the pillows.

"You have class this morning too," he reminds me, pulling on a deep red button down.

"Not until nine though. Okay, at least play hooky until then," I beg.

He just rolls his eyes at me as he pulls on his black slacks. "You know I can't. Erwin is too much of a hard ass. Besides, today is the last court date for your trial, which means the verdict will be announced. I don't know what time that will be, so I'd like to finish my work as soon as possible so I can go to the courthouse."

"Oh, that's today?" I ask with a frown, sitting up on the bed. My hand moves to my chest to trace the scar there, just below my heart.

It's been three and a half months since Reiner was arrested, and I've been trying not to think about him or the trial whenever possible. Levi had warned me in the hospital that the trial would be a lengthy one, and it definitely was. But today Reiner will receive his verdict. Today, it'll all be over. There is no way they'll acquit Reiner. All of my hospital records for the last five years were presented, along with my testimony. And he was caught in the act the night he almost killed me.

Over these last few months I've been living with Levi, and I think that's the main reason why I've been able to handle everything so well. He's been my rock. When I first got released from the hospital, I slipped into a bit of a depression. Everything was suddenly different, and I was suddenly no longer under Reiner's tight control. It was hard for my psyche to adjust. But Levi held my hand every step of the way, and now I feel like a whole new person. I got my driver's license, got a part time job as a waiter, and when the semester started three weeks ago at Trost Community College I enrolled in two classes. I've also started going to therapy, paid for by the city of Trost as part of some sort of victim recovery program, and it has actually helped me more than I thought it would. I've been trying to support myself as much as I can, but Levi has helped me when I've needed it. But as soon as this case closes and Reiner is convicted, I'll have access to his bank accounts and will be able to pay Levi back every penny.

It was hard getting up on my own two feet at first. I still am trying to get used to my new wings, and not being surrounded by an impassable wall. Levi is a good teacher though, and he continues to nudge me in the right direction. It's a weird feeling, walking through town and knowing that I don't have to race home to beat Reiner there, knowing that when I get home I can talk to my partner like a normal human being. It's weird doing what I want, when I want, and not have to fear being punished for it. I had slipped up a few times at first, instinctively flinching whenever I made a mistake, expecting to be hit. Levi did his best to calm me down though and reassure me that that part of my life is over.

Levi and my relationship progressed awkwardly at first, considering he was the lead detective for my case, but it didn't take him long to pass my case off to Detective Oluo Bozado, a funny man who keeps biting his tongue for some reason. He's a great detective too, but fortunately my case was open and shut, and it was soon off to the district attorney's office for prosecution. Once that happened, the status of mine and Levi's relationship became public knowledge throughout the department, although a bunch of people seemed to have already figured it out on their own. I introduced Levi to Armin and Mikasa, and they often come visit us at Levi's house, or we go visit them at their houses. All in all, I don't remember a time when I was happier than I am now. Everything is turning around, and it's a great feeling.

"Yes, that's today," Levi says, answering my question. "The trial begins at eight. I'll keep you updated as it progresses."

I nod, stretching my arms into the air. I pull on a pair of sweatpants before padding out into the kitchen to feed Titan and Isabel. The two have already become best friends, which makes me feel like this was all meant to be. The small black and white cat follows Titan around like a lost kitten, never leaving his side. I pour their food into their respective bowls, then riffle through the cabinets, looking for cereal.

I'm trying not to think about what is going to happen today. I try not to think about how the final chapter of my life with Reiner, a life spent living in fear, is about to come to an end. Today Reiner will be convicted, and I'll finally be able to close that door behind me for good. It's a nerve wracking feeling and I'm suddenly not hungry. I head out into the family room and plop down onto the couch, grabbing my history textbook off of the coffee table. I have studying I need to be doing anyway.

"I'm taking off," Levi tells me as he enters the front room, adjusting his suit jacket on his shoulders. He walks over and presses a kiss to the side of my forehead. "Have a good day at school, and try not to worry too much."

Sometimes I forget how well he can read me. I nod, looking up at him. "Have a good day at work. Be safe. Call me when they read the verdict."

He nods and presses a kiss to my lips before heading towards the kitchen and beyond it to the garage. I try to follow Levi's advice, but I can't. I'm just too nervous.

...

When my second class lets out at noon, I check my phone for any messages from Levi. Still nothing. He said he'd keep me updated, so the fact I haven't heard anything from him must mean that the verdict hasn't come back yet, right? With that thought in mind, I look up the bus schedule and hop on the one that'll take me the closest to the courthouse.

There isn't much activity at the courthouse on this overcast Tuesday afternoon. At least it's not raining right now, like it has been all morning, and most of this last week. Pushing though the glass doors, I walk up to the front desk. The attendant looks up at me, her expression one of absolute boredom. The court marshal behind her doesn't even look up from his newspaper.

"Is the trial for People v. Reiner Braun still in session?" I ask her.

She turns to her computer and types away lazily at the keyboard. I tap my fingers on the desk out of nervousness, and she glances over at me out of the corner of her eye before looking back at her computer screen.

"The jury is out for deliberation," she replies in a droll voice. "Courtroom 214A. Do you know how to get there?"

It's the same courtroom they've been using for the entire trial. I've been in and out of it many times over these last three and a half months. "Yes, I know where it is. Thank you," I say, heading towards the security checkpoint, then towards the stairwell. I'm too nervous to deal with the elevator right now.

When I get to the courtroom, I quietly push the heavy wooden door open and sneak inside. My heart is hammering in my chest. I can feel a slight shaking in my hands. I look around the small court room. The jury is gone, as is the judge and prosecutor. Reiner is there though, sitting at the defendant's table with his lawyer, talking in hushed voices. I look away from him quickly. He didn't notice me come in, and I hope he never does. The galley is much more packed than I expected though. It seems that everyone is turning out for the verdict. On the defendant's side, a couple of suits sit close to the front. I recognize two of them as Annie and Bertolt. They must all be Reiner's coworkers from the ATF. A few younger people sit in the back with backpacks and notebooks, probably students sitting in for a college assignment. On the prosecution side of the aisle, a few detectives and police officers sit on the benches. I recognize a lot of them as people I've grown close to at the precinct: Connie and Sasha, Marco, Ymir and Krista. Jean sits next to Marco, his arm draped over Marco's shoulders. I smile. That's my doing right there. Mikasa and Armin are even here to my surprise. They sit next to Jean, talking quietly with him. I'm honestly touched by how many people are here to support me.

Mikasa keeps glancing over at Reiner with a scary glare on her face. I'm not surprised. She was furious when I first told her the truth about what's been happening these last five years, and she really beat herself up over not noticing sooner. Armin did too. But I've finally managed to convince them that it's not their fault. It's mostly mine. I did a very good job of covering it up.

I finally find Levi, sitting in the back row, his arms crossed over his chest. He looks serious, brooding. He's just as nervous as I am, he just hides it with an unapproachable mask. I slide onto the bench next to him, and he looks over at me.

"How long has the jury been out?" I ask, my voice just above a whisper in the quiet room.

"Over an hour," he sighs, running a hand through his hair. I love it when he does that.

He catches me staring and looks over at me. He smiles slightly, but then grows serious. "Are you okay? I know how hard it is for you to be in the same room as him." He says 'him' with a gesture of his chin in Reiner's direction.

I look over at the back of that blonde head, then look back down at my lap with a shrug. "The first time I saw him in court it was much harder. Now... It'll never be easy, but it's getting better. And, this will be the last time, right?"

"Well if he's convicted there will be a sentencing trial to determine the length of his sentence. You don't have to go to that if you don't want to, but you will be allowed to speak before the judge if you chose to."

I shrug again. "I'll figure out if I want to go to that when the time comes."

He smiles at me again, taking my hand in his and interweaving our fingers. "You've been so strong these last few months. I'm very proud of you, brat."

I smirk at him and press a kiss to his cheek. At that moment, the door in the front of the room next to the jury booth opens and twelve men and women file into the room. I suddenly can't breathe. This is it. My anxiety skyrockets, along with my pulse. Levi's hand tightens in mine and I shoot him a glance. He's staring straight ahead, his eyes focused. I remind myself that he's just as nervous as I am.

The judge enters behind the jury, and the prosecutor enters from the back of the room. Everyone takes their seats and the judge calls the court to order.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asks.

The first juror stands, holding a paper in her hands. "We have, Your Honor."

Breathe. Just breathe. There's no way they'll rule in Reiner's favor. The bailiff takes the paper from her and walks it over to the judge. The judge reads it, then nods before handing it back to the bailiff who takes it back to the first juror.

"On the charge of one count assault with a deadly weapon, how do you find?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge of one count attempted homicide, how do you find?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge of twenty-four counts domestic abuse, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant..."

I hold my breath and squeeze Levi's hand.

"Guilty."

All of the air leaves my lungs in one large gust. That's it. It's over. I'm completely free. I'm only half aware of the people starting to surround me, clapping me on the shoulders, ruffling my hair, congratulating me, as if I just won an award. I'm further reminded of exactly how many people care about me and support me.

"The defendant is remanded to Rose Federal Prison pending sentencing. The jury is hereby dismissed. The court thanks you for your service," the judge says, then slams the gavel, officially ending this long trial.

I still can't get to my feet. The congratulations continue and Levi stands. "Give the brat some space," Levi demands of them, but it's light. He's smiling. He's as happy as everyone else is.

Reiner hears the commotion in the back of the courtroom, and turns to see me sitting there. My eyes meet his, and I see something in those blue eyes that makes me stand. As the court marshal takes his arm to lead him out, he pulls back against the marshal.

"Eren," he says to me and I suddenly can't breathe again, but for a whole different reason.

"Get him out of here," Levi snaps, moving to block my view of Reiner. But it's really just a gesture, because I can still see over his head.

I move aside from Levi though. I'm feeling really strong right now. And he's been convicted. He can't touch me anymore. There's nothing he can do to hurt me now.

"Eren, I'm sorry," he says, and I see actual sincerity in his eyes for the first time since we started dating.

I don't know why Reiner is suddenly so apologetic. He had been hurting me for five years. Why is he sorry now? Is it because he's now facing prison time for it? Is it because it's not our little secret anymore? Maybe now he finally sees how wrong he was. Whatever his reason though, he seems genuine, and he's watching me with worried eyes, as if he's praying I will accept his apology. My hand comes up to trace my scar through my shirt, and I remember the look of shock on Reiner's face when he stabbed me. I have the strongest urge, the strongest desire to not accept his apology, to blow him off and walk out of this courtroom without another word. He's had five years to realize that what he was doing was wrong. He's had five years to apologize and stop hurting me. I want him to sit and suffer in prison, thinking that I hate him and that I will never forgive him.

But I can't. Despite everything we've been through, there was a time when I loved Reiner, and I can't deny the very small part of me that will always care for him. It might be Stockholm Syndrome, or whatever the hell my textbooks talk about. I might be brainwashed. He could be completely shitting me, just toying with me in the only way he can now. But whatever the reason may be, and whether he is sincere or not, I do care for him, so I can't just walk away from him like I so desperately want to.

I take a few deep breaths, then look him straight in the eye and say, "I accept your apology." I take another deep breath. It's ridiculous how hard it is for me to say this, for me to say what needs to be said. This is the first time since he was arrested that I've actually directly talked to him. That also means that this is the first time we've talked as equals, without me being afraid of him hurting me, without me being under his control. "And maybe one day, I'll forgive you."

He looks relieved as the marshal drags him out of the courtroom. And as hard as that was to say, I feel better for it. It feels like that was our little bit of closure. Now, I can fully move on with my life. I don't even feel the need to speak at his sentencing trial.

"That was strong of you, Eren," Levi says softly. He takes my hand and leads me towards the doors. "Erwin gave me the rest of the day off, so let's go home."

"Yeah, home," I smile, letting him lead me out of the doors and into the rest of my life.

*tries not to cry* *fails* *bawls like a baby* It's over guys! I know this one is pretty short, but I'm really sad to see it end. I really enjoyed writing this one and sharing it with you guys. I might write a sequel to it one day, focusing more on Eren's life with Levi after Reiner, but I won't make any promises. I'd want it to show his recovery process, because it's not an easy thing to get over. It takes a lot of work, a lot of patience from loved ones, a lot of therapy, and a lot of time to get over domestic violence, and I think that's an important thing to show. But whether or not I actually get around to writing it, we'll see.

I want to thank all of you for reading this, and I want to give an extra thanks to everyone that commented and shared your opinions/feelings of this story. It was a very emotional story and I know it really touched me to write it, and I was happy to see that it touched a lot of you as well. So thank you for reading and commenting and giving kudos! They meant a lot to me.

As a final note on this story, to any of you who are suffering through domestic violence now, just know that there are people out there that care about you and that want to see you safe and happy. Also, you can call the national domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) (United States). Or message me on tumblr (zoey04ereri. tumblr. com). I can't promise that I'll be able to help you as much as I want to, but I will listen if you need to talk. Nobody deserves to live through abuse. And if any of you know anyone who is living through domestic abuse, please be patient with them, and let them know that they have loved ones that care about them and their safety.

Again, thank you all for reading! If you like my writing, feel free to check out my military AU ereri fic I'm working on. I also might have another ereri fic up soon, but we'll see if I can stop changing things long enough to post it XD