He stayed in the tent beside her side. Levi watched every twist of the doctor's scalpel, every stitch the needle made as it sealed up the huge, violent wound that had destroyed Mikasa's stomach - and the life inside it.

"It's a blessing that she wasn't too far into her pregnancy," the doctor sighed, staring at the blood on his hands, "or this might have been for more traumatic."

Levi looked down at the woman who lay unconscious on his cloak. She had called out many times before blacking out, asking - begging - for her baby to be alright.

It wasn't, of course. There was no such thing as miracles in this world.

"She'll survive." It was more of an order then a question.

The doctor nodded, looking tired. "Survive? Yes. She might even be able to fight again once her wounds heal, if you bastards are lucky. I know that's all you really care about."

Not saying a word, Levi stood, brushing his fingertips slowly across Mikasa's pale cheek. Fleeing the tent, Captain Levi shouldered past Armin and Eren, trying to hide the hot tears burning his eyes.

It was late and cold and Mikasa really shouldn't have been out of bed. It was only a week after the incident (she could still see the contents of that titan's stomach) and the scouts had returned to Headquarters with their tails between their legs.

But though she still ached, Mikasa was determined to find Levi.

She found him in the stables sitting on a barrel, an unopened bottle of booze in his hand. Everything smelled like piss, and a couple rats scrambled out of Mikasa's way as she stumbled forward into the captain's arms.

"Tch!" He caught her by the elbow. "What do you think you're doing, Ackerman?"

The smell of him was...comforting.

"I brought you some bread." She handed the loaf to him. "Eren told me that you haven't been eating."

"Neither have you."

"I'm injured; you're not."

Levi looked away, his eyes narrowing. He suddenly felt the urge to clean, to fix. He wanted to make everything better, though he doubted that rags and cleaning fluid could fix this mess.

His cold gaze pierced Mikasa's eyes. "You weren't the only one who lost a baby. Do you really think I didn't know?" His voice was soft with grief.

Tears sprung into the corners of Mikasa's eyes, and Levi's chest clenched tight with guilt.

"I don't abandon family, Ackerman," he whispered. Never again. Hugging her to him, the man flinched at how starved he had been for her touch. "I would never have turned my back on either of you."

Levi pressed his lips against the top of her head as she began to shiver from the cold...and other things.

"That doesn't matter now...I'm all that's left," Mikasa whispered, closing her eyes as Levi wrapped her in his cloak, the cloak that would forever be stained with the lifeblood of what might have been.

"No. We're all that's left."

For now at least, there was enough room on this barrel for two.