Alternative Past Lives

Bertholdt Hoover

*I'm writing a second version of Past Lives but this one is not tied into the High School AU like the other one*

Bertholdt was abruptly woken up by the sound of his door being busted open and loud voices.

He began to panic, there was only one reason why the military police showed up in the middle of the night.

He heard the footsteps on the stairs, another door being busted open and loud voices.

"Get out of bed now!!!"

Bertholdt froze. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't strong enough to taken on grown men.

Then he heard his mom scream.

That sent a jolt through him, and he rushed out of his room down the stairs.

He looked on in horror as his mom was being pulled away from the arms of his dad.

"MOM!" He ran forward trying desperately trying to grab at her. He was met with a fist to his jaw.

"I love you both!!" His mom cried desperately.

Bertholdt was helpless as the blood dribble out of his mouth.

They hit his mom in the knee with the butt of a rifle. A sickening crunch echoed in the in the night.

One of the soldiers turned to Bertholdt.

"You don't say no to Marley"

"MOM!!!!"

Bertholdt woke with a start. The cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He looked around the bed room and reached for his jaw.

There was no blood and no swelling. He started the deep breathing exercises Ymir taught him. He did his best to keep his breathing quiet.

Bertholdt looked at his phone. It was 1:20am.

"F*ck"

He wished he didn't have to work tomorrow.

He continued his deep breathing, unlocking his phone. Bertholdt opened up his photos, it helped to look at pictures of his mom and dad. They had just celebrated his dad's 57th birthday.

As he looked through the photos, he still kept getting bursts of memories.

Bertholdt tried to focus on the present. Touching the comforter, trying to look at the furniture in his room.

But it wasn't working.

He slowly got out of bed. Looking back, he felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

Reiner was in a deep sleep, with a slight smile on his face.

"At least one of us is having good dreams" he thought.

Their three legged cat, Lucky, was sleeping on top of Reiner's pillow.

He hated lying to his fiancée, but there was no way he could tell him about this. He would think he was crazy.

Bertholdt made his way to their living room, the lapping sound coming from the kitchen let him know where Luffy was.

Bertholdt knew it was late but nothing else was working. He hit call and put his phone to his face.

It rang twice.

"Honey is everything ok?" Asked a sleepy voice.

Bertholdt felt his nerves ease at the sound of his mom's voice.

"Bertholdt???"

"I'm sorry mom, I just..."

"It happened again didn't it?" She asked softly.