When We Meet Again

**Chapter 2**

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Time stopped completely. The only sound evident to my ears was the sound of my heart beating rapidly in my chest as I tried to run faster.

Images flashed before my eyes as I descended upon my broken house and fell to my knees.

The memory surfaced painfully as I picked up a piece a shrapnel.

It was right after my father had been discharged from the corp and my mother's new squad had just come back from another expedition.

Eren was standing at his usual spot on top of a balcony -of which he climbed frequently. I stood in the front of the crowd with my father standing protectively close behind me.

He had been on edge since the week before, when mom left. I could see the beads of sweat forming along his brow as he gripped my shoulders out of a nervous tick.

The gate rolled open with a loud screech, revealing the Scout and their entirety.

My face immediately brightened up and I turned around to see Eren staring at them hungrily, but his smile soon faded. I looked back around and felt my father gasp.

The look on the soldiers faces said it all. Despair. Loneliness. Defeat. They had lost a lot of men and women during the mission.

I looked around the crowd, searching for my mother at the head of the Scouts -where she usually was. Only, she wasn't there...

I stepped forward from the crowd and went right into the center of the Scout line up.

"(F/N)! Wait!" I heard my father half shout.

I ignored him. I didn't care. All I cared about was being able to say my traditional, "Welcome Home" to my mother as she picked me up and let me ride on her horse, Blackberry, for the rest of the way home.

Scout after Scout passed me -not even so much as looking my way- but none were my mother. 

"Where is she?" I heard my father say from behind me. I whirled to find him talking to a man atop his horse. He was handing something to dad, something small and metallic. I ran over to where they stood, a million question roaming through my head.

I felt my Dad's hand on my shoulder then, squeezing it as the man said softly, "I'm afraid that that," he indicated the object encased in my father's grasp, "is all that's left. I'm so sorry." he said, tears rolling down his face as he trotted away.

I turned to look up at my father then, just as he opened his hand to reveal a simple golden locket. My mother's locket.

I had always adored it when she wore it -in fact, it never left her neck. It had a tiny portrait of me on one side and one of my father on the other. She said she would always wear the locket when she was separated from me so that she could always remind herself of what she was fighting for.

I felt my dad release his grip and fall to his knees beside me with one hand covering his mouth and the other clutching the precious locket, as he quietly sobbed.

"Daddy?" I said to him, shaking him by the shoulder.

He sobbed even harder as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I returned the embrace hesitantly as the full impact hit me too.

"S-she's not here, (F/N)..." 

I remember just staring into nothingness for a moment, taking everything in, words spinning in my head over and over. 'Not here' 'So sorry' and 'All that's left'...

Hot tears ran down my face as I simply stood there, embracing my heartbroken father -trying to be strong for the both of us.

 -Suddenly, I was snapped back into reality when I felt the shooting pain that was coming from my hands as I tore through all of the broken wood and pieces of rubble that was once called my home.

The pain had come from my torn and bloody fingertips. I was screaming for my dad hoping-praying that he was still alive.

"I don't want to be alone! I don't want to be alone!" I screamed repeatedly. 

A pair of strong arms encircled me and I was hoist from the ground forcefully. I screamed and kicked at whoever it was carrying me, "Put me down! My dad is still in there!"

Suddenly, I was released and whirled around to find my dad standing in front of me. His face flushed from running and his eyes full of worry.

I sighed in an overwhelming feeling of relief as my knees buckled from beneath me. Another wave of sobbing came over my body and I felt my father embrace me tightly.

"I thought I-I lost y-you." I sobbed into his familiar muscular shoulder.

"I know, my little cadet, I know but I'm still here. You can't get rid of me that easily." he said quietly, stroking my (H/L) (H/C) hair in an attempt to calm me down.

He liked to call me his 'little cadet'. I used to salute him whenever he got home from a mission with my mother... but after she passed away, it took a lot a time to get my 'old' father back. He used to drink all night then sleep all day, not wanting to face the world in front of him -literally drinking his sorrows away. He was constantly clutching Mom's necklace and became depressed, but I helped him through it as best I could and so did Eren and Mikasa, until he became himself again.

"Now let's go," he said, picking me up hastily once again and started to run towards the river where the docks were stationed.

The docks were packed to the brim with people frantically running about, shoving others to the ground while the earth still shook at the Titan's terror roaming throughout what was left of the village.

The boats themselves were pretty full as well. People were shouting and crying for their spot aboard, but alas there was barely any room left.

Dad set up down and knelt in front of me, tears welling in his eyes.

"Dad, what's wrong? We can still get out of here, right? They'll let us on -we'll climb on."

 He simply just shook his head and then slowly reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a golden charm attached to a thin gold chain. Mom's locket.

"I want you to have this, little cadet." He said quietly, placing it in my tiny hand.

"Are you sure? This is what has helped you all these years -why give it to me?"

He simply shook his head and cupped the side my of face with his hand, "No, this little piece of metal wasn't what made me hold on -it was you. (F/N), I appreciate all that you have done for me. You helped me get through the pain and I just want you to know that I love you very much."

'Why is he telling me this now? We have to get on the boat.' I thought.

"I love you too, Dad." I breathed.

He pecked a kiss on my forehead and embraced me once more before someone in the distance shouted, "Captain (L/N)! We need you over here! They're closing in by the minute!"

My eyes widened in realization, I pulled away from his warm embrace and looked at him with incredulous eyes. "No," I demanded, "we're staying together, I'm not leaving you here!" I shouted.

My father's eyes filled up with tears as he said, "I know and I'm sorry." He nodded up to someone standing behind me and they picked me up from behind unexpectedly.

Clutching my mother's locket in one hand and the other outstretched to my father, who stayed kneeling on the ground, his eyes locked with mine as the figure carried me over to one of the docks.

I was hauled onto the boat, kicking and screaming.  

"That's all we can fit! Close the gates!" A voice shouted. 

People shouted and tried to jump over the railing to save themselves. But I ignored them - trying to find my dad. I felt betrayed and mislead.

I didn't fully understand that it was my father's duty to help his fellow soldiers and deep inside my heart, I ached at the fact that he lied about not being able to get rid of him.

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