Stand By You.

Chapter 16

Eren groaned as he awoke the next morning, his pounding head the only evidence he'd been out and had a few drinks. Definitely more than a few, he thought as he sat up.
"Morning. How do you feel?"
Looking up, Eren found Levi stood before him, two cups of tea in his hands as he looked at his husband. He held one of the cups out to Eren, the brunette gratefully taking it.
"Like I've been hit by a bus." He mumbled.
Levi gently rubbed his shoulder, sitting beside Eren. "That's what comes with a hangover, babe."
"Levi?"
"Yes Eren."
"Did I call you last night?"
Levi was silent for a moment before he answered. "You did."
"I take it that the conversation wasn't very nice?" He asked though he had a gut feeling he was right.
"No, it wasn't but you were drunk and I don't blame you for what you said. I'm a little angry but don't worry yourself over it." Levi said standing up. Eren reached an arm out, wrapping it around Levi's waist and pulling him close. Smiling, Levi gently placed his hand that wasn't holding his tea on Eren's head, running his fingers through the brunette locks. Eren looked up at Levi as he gently placed both of his hands on Levi's belly before softly kissing his husbands bump.
"How's my little one today? Are you being nice to your mother?" Eren said to their baby, smiling when he felt a kick against his palm. "Good. We must be nice to mommy mustn't we? He's doing so well to protect you and, between us, me as well."
Levi let out a small laugh as he husband continued to talk to their unborn child, placing gentle kisses to his bump as he did every so often. Eren stopped when a knock on the door echoed into the living room, a loud almost urgent knocking.
"Who's that?" Eren asked, standing and pulling Levi behind him out of protection.
"I don't know. I'm not expecting anyone. Are you?" Levi asked as he looked up at his husband.
"Not that I know of." Eren answered.
He walked over and looked through the key hole at who was there only to be taken aback. He opened the door, frowning.
"Michael? Michael Courtney?" Eren said in shock.
"That's me." Michael said.
"What are you doing here?" Eren asked as Levi joined him.
"Eren.. he's the one you were out with last night." Levi said.
"What? No, I wouldn't have gone out with him for a few drinks." Eren said, standing back with Levi as Michael stepped in.
"Eren you did. Why wouldn't you?" Levi asked, crossing his arms.
"Because he hates me, he always has." Eren explained.
Michael smirked. "Oh, Eren I was so worried about you especially when I heard the news but someone had to tell Levi."
"What news?" Levi asked.
"Tell Levi what?" Eren growled.
"That his dear husband Eren can't save him this time." Michael laughed.
"What?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Eren will always be-" Levi was cut off when Michael kicked his legs from under him, knocking him to the floor and causing him to land on his side.
"Levi!" Eren screamed, turning to help his husband. As he did, Eren didn't notice Michael reveal a crowbar until he felt a sharp shooting pain flare in the back of his skull and he fell on top of Levi unconscious. Through his blurred vision Levi could make out Michael reaching down before he felt the weight of Eren being lifted off of him, watching as his husbands hands were tied behind his back and he was gagged. Before he left, however, Michael reached down beside Levi's neck, the smaller male feeling a sharp prick followed by a stinging as he felt something be injected into his body.
"Marco wasn't the target, silly. He was simply given the wrong drink. Sweet dreams.. Levi."
The next thing Levi registered was a blinding pain in the side of his head before his world went black...
~*~
Erwin and his team were going over some reports from a previous case they'd had when Armin, Mikasa and Marco burst in, panic and worry etched into their features.
"What are you guys doing here?" Erwin asked, not liking the way the three of them seemed to be shaking.
"Eren and Levi were attacked in their home. Eren was found on the other side of town and Levi's in hospital." Armin answered, voice shaking.
"What?!" Erwin shrieked, jumping up with the others. "What do you mean Levi's in hospital and Eren's on the other side of town?!"
"Eren was taken from his home and drove there after being knocked out." Mikasa told him. "And as for Levi we don't yet know. He's still in intensive care."
"Intensive care?!" Mike repeated, jaw dropping and eyes bulging. "Why intensive care? What happened to him?"
"We don't yet know exactly what happened to Levi but we do know for sure it was severe." Marco said softly.
"And you know that how?" Jean asked as he gently rubbed his husbands arm in an attempt to soothe him.
"Because the doctors fear Levi could lose the baby by having a miscarriage." Marco said, wiping his eyes as he looked down.
Silence fell upon the family each trying to process the given information in their own way, not wanting to believe what Marco had just told them. Levi couldn't lose the baby, not after all he'd gone through to protect them. He just couldn't. It wouldn't be fair on him or Eren. Why would someone do this to them?
"The police haven't yet found out who did this or why they did it. Levi's still unconscious." Armin said as if answering the question they were all thinking.
"Unconscious?" Petra asked as she softly sobbed.
"He was found upstairs on his bed, unconscious, his head was split open and bleeding badly but that's not the worst. He was injected with something." Mikasa answered.
Jean stiffened whilst Marco looked down, shuddering at the memories of how badly ill he'd been after someone had drugged him.
"Do they know what with?" Erd asked.
"No, only that it was homemade and will most likely cause him to be severely ill." Marco answered quietly.
Everyone fell silent when Erwin's phone rang. "Eren! Eren, oh god, are you okay? Where are you?!" He asked.
Erwin was silent as he listened to Eren before his expression changed, turning to look of pure horror before it softened. "Eren, listen to me, we'll be right there okay. Just try and calm down, for Levi's sake."
The call ended and Erwin turned to face his family, a distraught but angered expression on his face.
"It's not good.."
~*~
Eren gripped Levi's hand tightly as he sobbed, tears of anguish streaming down his cheeks as the hand that wasn't gripping Levi's gently stroked his cheek as if the soft touch would wake Levi.
"Please, honey, please wake up." He begged.
After Eren had been found and taken to the hospital he had continuously asked if they could contact his husband and let him know that Eren was safe and well. After making sure that Eren was physically alright they agreed. After Eren had told them his husbands name the doctor who had been treating Eren said that a man was rushed into the ER under that exact name and when given a description of Levi the doctor confirmed that it was Levi who had been rushed in. Eren had demanded to know why and what had happened but even the doctors didn't know, stating that they were doing the best they could for Eren's husband and child. But the best they did was all for nothing after Levi fell into a coma. The doctors had told Eren it was temporary, two weeks at the most, and that Levi would definitely wake up but they weren't sure if their baby would make it, fearing it may end up stillborn after the trauma Levi had suffered. Eren was beyond distraught, feeling himself slowly begin to fall apart piece by piece.
"Eren.."
Lifting his head and looking to the door Eren found his family, their sorrowful expressions enough indication that they knew what had happened.
"Come in." He said, voice croaky as he turned his attention back to his husband. The last thing he wanted right now was for people to be telling him it would be alright but he couldn't just tell his family to go away.
"How are they?" He heard Erwin ask.
"Levi's going to be okay they think, traumatised possibly but okay. The baby.. they don't think.. will survive." Eren whispered, heart hammering in his chest.
"Eren, if there's anything you need we're here for you and Levi." Marco whispered. He felt bad for what had happened to Levi, especially after they'd discovered Levi had intentionally been targeted. The drugged drink at the mall was never intended for me but Levi, he thought miserably as he mets Eren's eyes.
"I know. Thank you Marco, guys, I really mean it but I just.. this isn't fair." Eren sighed, wiping his eyes.
A daunting silence fell upon the room, the reality of the situation sinking into their minds, like an anchor being dropped into the ocean, heavy and dull. Levi may never be the same again and to make matters worse, especially for Levi, the baby may not even live...
~*~
"How the fuck am I supposed to know who she is?" Eren muttered in annoyance as he looked over the folder of a dead unknown female. A knock on his door had Eren placing the folder down and looking up. "Come in."
Isabel walked in with Petra behind her. "Erwin's calling a meeting regarding our latest case." Petra said.
"Good." He grabbed the folder of the unknown victim, standing up. "Maybe he can give this FBI to run through their database for any hits."
"You haven't found any?" Petra asked.
"No, our database isn't as big and I can't access the FBI's one. I ran her face through our systems to see if she's been reported as a missing person but nothing's come up." He sighed.
The women nodded. "Let's go and see what Erwin's decided to do."
The three walked to the briefing room, Eren noting they were the last ones to arrive. He couldn't help but to notice how his team looked at him differently ever since he'd found out his child might not survive. He didn't blame them.
"You alright?" Erwin asked, noticing Eren's blank stare.
"Yeah."
Erwin nodded, not wanting to press Eren any further. "I've asked you all here because I understand the latest case we've been given is rather hard especially considering that most of our victims remain unknown."
"I've gone through all our known databases and found nothing. The next step is to go through the FBI but that could take weeks." Eren said.
"And we don't have weeks." Farlan said. "We have two days before the killer strikes again. All we know is that our victims are never from Maria and are found within our jurisdiction sometimes right on the edge of the border of another towns jurisdiction."
Eren's phone ringing had everyone falling silent, the brunette quick to answer the call. "Hello?" He asked as calmly as he could.
"Hey, it's me. Can you put your phone on loudspeaker?" Mikasa answered.
"Sure, hold on." Eren put his phone on loud speaker and set it on the table. "Okay Mikasa, you're on loudspeaker."
"Good because I think I know how you guys are going to solve this case." She answered.
"You do?" Erwin asked.
"We do." Marco said through the phone.
"Wait, who's there?" Jean asked.
"Me, Marco, Auruo and Armin." Mikasa answered. "Oh and Levi."
"Is he okay?" Eren asked, fearing they'd say he'd gotten worse.
"Why don't you ask him?" Marco said, the sound of the phone being passed echoing before Eren heard what made his heart beat ten times faster.
"Eren?"
"Levi! Sweetheart, you're okay?" Eren asked, a large smile plastered on his face.
"I'm fine and so is the baby."
Eren sat down, tears of joy falling as he let out a small laugh. "You're both okay, oh god, honey you honestly don't know how much that has made my day."
"I can't tell if you're laughing or crying or both." Levi said, letting out a small laugh.
"Both. You're sure the baby is fine?" Eren asked.
"Doctors checked. They still have a heartbeat and are still kicking around like there's no tomorrow." Levi said, making everyone laugh.
"Good." Eren said, wiping his eyes.
"Good? Good! Why don't you let me constantly poke you and then we'll agree it's good?" Levi teased.
"No, my bad." Eren laughed.
"Damn right it was now would you all like to hear some good news?" Levi asked.
"We would." Erwin smiled.
"It's regarding your case which I think I've got your missing piece." Levi answered, flicking through the file to the right page.
"Don't stop tell us!" Petra said quickly.
Levi let out a small laugh. "Okay. Bodies found with the faces destroyed beyond recognition and always dumped just within our jurisdiction. Correct?"
"That is correct." Erwin said, grabbing a file.
"So within two days you should have a new body?"
"Correct again."
"Right, you're looking for a sociopath especially from the images I've seen. Male, mid to late forties, unstable job but something that might not look suspicious, a plumber or something. He will most likely have a criminal record but it won't be serious, most likely stealing or petty theft. He'll also live within Maria. He believes that by putting the bodies on the jurisdiction line it'll put the police off his trail which it did but that was before I came on scene."
"Levi, you're a life saver! Isabel just ran as much information through our systems and we have three hits with only one who lives in Maria. Thanks kiddo!" Erwin called.
"No problem now go catch this guy before you have another body on your hands. Don't make me come out there." He teased.
The others laughed before the call disconnected and Levi leaned back against the pillows, arms folded.
"How do you do it?" Armin asked.
"Look at a case and know what they're dealing with?" Levi asked.
"Yeah." Armin nodded.
Levi simply smiled as he looked at his four friends. "I'm just good at doing what I do."
"Catching killers." Mikasa smiled.
Levi smiled softly, shrugging slightly before he looked up at her and answered. "Protecting my family."