Soul sighed as he pulled up to the gate of the Evans Pennsylvania estate. Maka and Wes had talked him into visiting the estate and showing his parents how wrong they were, and how amazing he was doing with his life. He pushed the button and they heard Wes answer before the gates opened to let them in. "I'm telling you this is a bad idea." Soul told Maka.
"It'll be fine." She smiled at him and held his hand in hers. "We're just staying for a week and a half and then it'll be over. Show them that you are doing better than you ever would have here. Show them all you've gotten. You're power, your title, and your daughter." She smiled as she glanced in the back seat where their one year old had fallen asleep in her car seat.
"My wife." He said as he glanced at her with a small smile before he sighed again. "If they start-"
"I'll handle it." She smiled as he stopped the car. The two got out as Wes walked out followed by his parents and grandmother. "It's good to see you again Wes." Maka smiled as she and Wes gave a quick hug. Soul glanced at his parents standing quietly as Maka and Wes spoke. "Soul, can you get Myra?"
He just nodded as he opened the back door and unfastened his daughter. "Come on, it's okay." He said softly as he pulled her up to rest on his shoulder. He caught the shock and stunned faces of his parents before Wes walked over to his brother with a small smile.
"She's gotten big." He said. Soul just nodded. Wes had been the only person Soul had kept in contact with since leaving. After he had worked on getting Maka and her father a little closer he decided he should follow his own advice and spoke more with his brother and even his grandmother, both had come to their wedding and had made a quick trip to see Myra after she was born.
"You knew?" Their father half growled as he stepped forward. "This is outrageous. What will the people think?"
"Who cares what your people think?" Soul countered and got a death glare from the older man as he narrowed his maroon eyes.
"Wes." Maka stepped in. "Is there somewhere we can lay her down? She missed her nap and finally fell asleep on the way here." He just nodded as he led the couple into the house with the seething parents following. Once Soul laid Myra on the bed he covered her and placed pillows round her so she wouldn't fall out of bed and the three rejoined the parents and grandmother.
"How old is she now?" Granny asked earning a surprised face from the other two.
Maka smiled. "She's thirteen months. She's growing so fast."
"Babies grow up in a blink of an eye." Granny smiled as she looked at her son and daughter in law. "You should meet your granddaughter when she wakes up. She's very smart. The last time we saw her she was already trying to walk at only six months." The two stayed quiet.
"She still a handful?" Wes asked.
Maka laughed softly. "You have no idea."
"Are you two married?" Soul's mother spoke up.
Soul gave a quick nod. "Almost 2 years." He told her.
"How old are you?" She asked looking at Maka.
"Nineteen." She answered. She knew where this was headed, although instead of Wes joking with his brother it was all going to be picked apart.
"Nineteen? And you've been married almost two years?" She asked looking back at her son.
"We got married a couple months after she turned eighteen. She will be twenty in a couple months. Why is that such a big deal?" Soul shoved his hands into his pockets, a habit he had come to do when he was becoming upset.
Maka wrapped her arm around his as she smiled at her in laws. "I'm sorry if you don't approve but Soul and I love each other. We have for years longer than we admitted. We've been through school together and missions together. We've been through death together. We love each other and wanted to be together for the rest of our lives, no matter how long o short that may be. And from that we have our daughter. We decided to come here to introduce you to your granddaughter and for her and I to get to know you. And hopefully to settle some stuff between you and Soul. We came because Wes and Granny asked us to, so they could spend time with Myra. If you don't feel the same, we can easily leave and you'll never know how great of a man your son grew up to be or all the amazing things he has done for friends, for the world, for me…" She glanced at him as his red eyes locked onto her while she continued. "If you don't want that chance or the chance to meet and get to know your granddaughter, we'll go home where we are loved and cared about." The two parents stood in utter shock as Wes and Granny smirked knowing how Maka was already and watched Soul continue to watch his wife with a small growing smirk.
"Well…" His mother started as she glanced at her husband before looking between Maka and Soul. "I suppose it will be fine."
"You two must be tired, why don't you try to rest and we can all catch up in the morning." Granny suggested before the two nodded and wandered into the room their daughter was sleeping in.
Two days passed and tensions were just as tight as the first day. Soul and Wes had set up a pack and play for Myra to sleep in and Maka was just laying the fussy girl down when she turned and found Soul watching with a small smirk. She just smiled at him as they got ready for bed and fell asleep.
Soul and Maka woke up to their daughter screaming and crying. "I'll get her." Soul mumbled as he climbed from the bed and pulled Myra into his arms. As she came against his bare chest, he could feel she seemed hot. He gently swayed and bounced her as he tried to calm her, when she would not quiet down, he grabbed a bottle from the bag and started to the kitchen to warm it up. "I know." He said as he held her against him. He tried to give her the bottle but she wanted nothing to do with it. With a sigh, he had one last idea. He walked down the hall to where his parents kept the instruments and sat on the bench for the piano. He sat her in his lap and started playing a soft tone that claimed her screams to a lower cry.
"She okay?" Maka asked as she walked into the room, worried that the girl had not calmed yet.
"She doesn't want a bottle, she's not wet or anything. She feels a little warm." Soul shrugged as Maka walked over and touched Myra's head.
"She's really warm." Maka said looking at her worried. "She's probably just not feeling well." Soul sighed as he stood up and held Myra against him again. "I'll grab some medicine." Soul smirked it was a good thing Maka was such a worried mother; she was always prepared for everything. Soul walked to the sitting room down the hall and leaned back on the couch where Maka found them. She gave him the spoon with the medicine in it as his mother came to the doorway and watched Soul give the girl the medicine.
"Alright, you'll be okay." He said to the crying girl. "You should get some sleep. I'll be in when she calms down." He told Maka who felt Myra's forehead again. She just gave a nod before she left them, not noticing the woman watching from the other doorway. Soul readjusted and laid back letting Myra lay against his chest as he rubbed soothing circles on her back.
"She sick?" His mother asked making him jump slightly as she walked into the room. "I saw you give her medicine."
"Yeah, just a little fever." Soul shrugged as Myra started calming as she laid her head on his chest.
"Oh my." Soul looked at her. "What happened to your chest?"
"That's from years ago, when Maka and I were fighting a really powerful opponent. If she blocked with me I would get hurt but she wouldn't block to protect me and was almost sliced apart. I transformed and took the hit." Soul explained. "It's a weapon's duty to protect his meister. Or so I used as an excuse." He smirked before looking back at Myra and she sniffled and sucked on her thumb. He ran his hand through her growing white locks with a small smile.
"You almost died?" Soul nodded. "You really love her."
"Yeah." Soul nodded. "I'd do it all over again without a second thought. I won't let anything happen to her not because I'm her weapon but because I love her, and there's nothing that will come close to hurting our daughter with us around."
His other looked at the girl as she laid fighting sleep. "She is cute." Soul smirked as he continued running his fingers through her hair. "You said she only a little over one?" Soul nodded. "And her name is Myra?"
"Myra Izumi Evans." He said looking back at the girl. "Maka wanted some aspect of her mom so she decided to give her mom's name as a middle name since we both liked Myra." Soul explained. "She's growing up fast; she's real smart like her mama." Soul continued watching his daughter fight sleep and missed the small smile that crossed his mother's face.
"Your wife, her name is Maka?" Soul nodded. "She's very smart?"
Again, he nodded. "She's one of the smartest in the academy. She's the reason we were able to find the demon sword. With her, the new lord death and our friends Black Star and Tsubaki we were able to fight on the moon. We're part of the reason it's black now. She's the one who found a way to hold the demon sword and how to survive half the things we went through."
"You've really grown up." His mother smiled. "It's good to see you, Soul, and to meet your wife and daughter." Soul glanced at her but settled his eyes on Myra sleeping on his chest still with her thumb in her mouth. His mother watched as he shifted to lay down more. "She's beautiful."
"She gets a lot from her mother." Soul smirked.
"Has she been sick recently?"
Soul shook his head. "No, she just started this tonight. The medicine Maka brought should clear it up fast. She's always prepared."
"She's a new mother; they're always ready for anything that could go wrong." Soul just nodded. "You should get some sleep."
"I'll be fine. She sleeps better like this when she's sick." Soul looked back at Myra sleeping. His mother just nodded before she told him she would see him in the morning and left him alone.
Maka smirked as she walked back to find Soul sound asleep with their daughter resting on his chest. She heard footsteps making her turn to find her mother in law who stopped and smiled at the scene. Maka pulled a blanket from a chair to the side and gently laid it over both of them. She reached out touching Myra's forehead and smiled softly.
"How is she?" Maka heard.
"Her fever's gone. She should be okay." She answered before she left her husband and daughter sleep while she and her mother in law walked to the dining room. "Myra always sleeps best when she's with her papa." Maka smiled as she took a seat across from her mother in law.
"Soul told me a little bit about you." She said making Maka looked at her curious. "My son really loves you. He told me about how he almost died for you and that he would do it again."
"Yeah, we still have arguments over that." Maka sighed. "He always said it was the weapon's duty to protect his meister but I could never let him do that. I couldn't live without him."
"And I could?" Soul said as he walked into the dining room with a smirk on his face. "You really think I would be okay if you were killed because you were protecting me?" He cocked his brow as Maka pursed her lips.
"Where's Myra?" She asked, changing the subject before they started another argument.
"She's sleeping. I laid her on the bed." He told her making her nod as he sat next to her. "The fever seems to be staying down. She should be back to normal when she wakes up."
"Good. I hate when she's sick." Maka said.
Soul smirked at her as he took her hand, playing with the rings. "You're a worry wart over everything when it comes to her."
"Oh please, like you're not." She teased making him chuckle. "How's your back? I know sleeping like that hurts."
"I'll be fine." Was all he said as he looked at his mother. "Sorry if she woke up last night. She's got a big moth like her mother." Maka gave a small glare. "She'll probably sleep in."
"Now if only we can get her to do that every day." Maka sighed.
Soul smirked at her. "Well she takes after you after all. Of course, she's up at the crack of dawn. You should have hoped she took after me." He laughed. "Wouldn't have a crazy little girl up at all hours getting into things."
"No we would have a little girl who was too lazy to do anything but get into fights and make trouble." Maka shot back.
Soul laughed at her as she just smirked at him. His mother looked between the two as Soul gave Maka's hand a little squeeze. "How long have you been together?" She asked making both look at her.
"I was thirteen when we became partners." Maka answered. "It took a while and a lot before we started dating. So we've been partners for almost seven years. We started dating three years ago and we were married almost two years ago."
"How did you meet?"
Maka looked at Soul as she began to speak. "In the academy we are taught a little bit and then told to pick a partner. I needed someone I thought I could trust. It was more important than anything else was since I was still angry with my father for what he had done. I met Soul at one of the meet ups for meisters and weapons. I asked if he would be my partner but he refused to agree until I listened to him play."
Soul rolled his eyes. "You can't partner with someone you don't know their soul." He shrugged. "I just played what was in my soul."
"And I agreed to partner with him." Maka smiled brightly. She could not have ever been happier of any choice than the one that made him her partner. "It was the best choice I ever made."
"See I told you." They heard, turning to the doorway they found Wes carrying Myra who looked around with dark green eyes. As her eyes fell on her parents, she giggled and reached out for her father.
"She didn't wake you did she?" Maka asked softly as Soul took Myra. Wes shook his head taking a seat as Myra giggled and held onto Soul. "Even if she's sick she doesn't sleep in."
"I told you she takes after her mother." Soul smirked looking back at his daughter who stood in his lap. When she was born all thoughts of being cool went out the window whenever she was near. She held her little hands in fists, grasping his tee shirt as she pulled herself to him and kissed his cheek.
"Love papa." She giggled
Soul grinned. "Love you too." He kissed her cheek making her giggle even louder. Maka loved seeing this side of him. When they were out in public, he tried to keep his cool guy status but since they had started dating he had started to show the world what she saw behind their apartment door. This was the true Soul, the one he kept hidden away from the world. Glancing at her mother in law, she saw the look of surprise while she watched her son.
"Grammy!" The girl cheered as she pointed to the doorway where the remaining family members joined them. She started bouncing up and down on Soul's lap as he held her up.
"Good morning." Granny smiled as she gently touched the girls head. "You sleep well?"
Soul's father grumbled and glared at his son. "Myra, why don't you and Mama go get dressed." Soul said handing his daughter to Maka who gently took her.
"Soul…" Maka said making him glance at her before she stood and kissed his cheek as she reached her soul out to him before wandering from the room with Myra on her hip giggling making Maka smile at her. "We'll get ready and then we can run around making Papa crazy." They heard Maka say as she left.
"Soul." Wes said as he took a seat across from him but his brother was not going to listen.
He was angry at how his father had been acting towards Maka and Myra, he was glad his mother finally opened but he knew it was just going to be a bigger war with his father. "No Wes. I told you I'm only here because I was talked into it. I still think it's a bad idea. Myra is a baby, she doesn't know what's going on when she's sick she doesn't understand that you don't want her to be loud. You don't want us here I will take my wife and daughter home and you'll never know anything about your granddaughter."
Soul pushed from his seat and started from the room when his father's voice stopped him. "You going to run away again? It's what you're good at. It's the only thing you know how to do, just a matter of time before you run away from that girl and the child." Soul froze but he felt Maka's soul and knew she was listening. He took a deep breath as he heard her voice telling him not to get into stupid fights. He continued from the room ignoring his father any farther as he heard the others scolding him.
"Soul." He heard as he walked into the bedroom. He looked over and found Maka sitting watching Myra play with some toys on the floor. "Do you want to go?" He just looked at her. Maka sighed as she walked over to him. "I know you. I know you better than you know yourself sometimes." She wrapped her arms around his middle as he watched her. "You've never left me no matter what was in front of you, you'll never leave me for anything. I trust you and know you're going to be at my side. You would never leave your meister let alone your daughter." Soul looked at Myra as she swung around a toy.
He sighed as he wrapped his arms around Maka, pulling her close. "I couldn't have asked for a cooler meister or wife." He pulled her into a loving kiss. "You decide if we stay or go. This was your idea after all."
Maka smirked as she kissed him again. They had come a long way from the cool teenage weapon and meister partners. Now they both showed each other what they hid from the world. "I'll handle things and then we can go out for a bit. It's your meisters decision." She smirked making him chuckle. "You watch Myra and get dressed. Maybe we can go for a walk with her or something." He just nodded and let go of her before walking over to the one year old playing with her toys.
"Don't get into too much trouble book worm." Maka just smirked as she left the room to confront her father in law who was still in the dining room arguing with the others.
"Maka…" Wes said, being the first to see her standing in the doorway. She locked angry green eyes on the tall man with light blond hair and brown eyes.
"My son can't fight his own battles so he sends a girl to do it?" The man asked making Maka clench her fists.
Maka stormed up to stand tall in front of the man as he glared at her. "You have n idea who Soul is. He is the most amazing man I have ever met. He has stood at my side since the day we met; he's stuck with me through everything in life from my father to my problems accepting anyone into my heart. He's stood in front of a blade to protect me from being killed instead of saving himself. He would never run away. Maybe you were just too much of a jerk and he wanted to be happy." She looked into his eyes and could see the emotions swimming. "You are a pathetic man who thinks he knows everything but you are by far the most stupid man I know and that's including my father who ran around with women, cheating on my mother and leaving her and me. You think you know your son but you are dead wrong. Soul is the most kind, compassionate, loving, and smartest man. He is the greatest husband any woman could ask for and he is an amazing father. You want to treat him like that I have no problem fixing it so you never see our family again, including our daughter and any other children we may have."
"Maka." Wes said again trying to stop her as she clenched her fists again. She stood glaring at the silent man before she turned to walk away stopping with a gasp.
"Wes, watch Myra." She said as she ran from the room calling for Soul. He ran down the hall with Myra in one arm. "Kishin." She said before Soul handed Myra to his brother. "I should let it destroy you and your home but since there are people who care about Soul and our daughter, and the fact that she is here, I will protect this estate." She said before she followed Soul through the house and outside.
"What's going on?" Wes heard his other ask as she went to the window with the others watching as Soul transformed and Maka twirled him around taking her stance as a twisted beast ran through the woods. The family stood in awe as they watched the partners turn completely serious and battle the beast that threatened the household. It was amazing the way Maka seemed to dance and swing Soul around taking every opportunity to attack. They heard Soul and Maka discussing what to do as they moved as one trying to finish the fight fast. Maka was thrown through the air, hitting the ground hard as she lost her grip on Soul as he landed several feet away. The Kishin slithered towards Maka who was not standing up. In a blink of an eye, Soul was between the kishin and his wife with one arm transformed as he clashed with the beast.
"Don't touch my wife." He half growled as he pushed the Kishin back away from Maka making it back away and look at the situation in front of it. Soul knelt beside Maka but never stopped watching the Kishin. "Maka…"
"I'm okay." She said softly as he reached out and helped her back to her feet. "Just some cuts and bruises, no broken bones." She smiled at him as they both leveled their eyes on the kishin. "Let's finish this." Soul just nodded, transformed and landed gently in her hands as she took her stance again. This time as they resonated they released the black blood. Maka pulled the blade closer as she glided her fingers across the blade making the kishin shriek.
"Go Maka!" Soul called as he played his soul letting her attack. In a matter of minutes, the partners were standing in front of a red soul. "You okay?" He asked as he looked at her waiting for her to lie about her injuries.
Maka gave a nod. "I'll be okay. I just need some bandages, sleep and ibprophen." She smiled up at him before reaching out and gently touching his cheek. "You're hurt too." She mused as she found several more cuts on his arms from when he had blocked her. "Thanks."
"Like I would let anyone get to you." He smirked as he pushed his hands in his pockets with a lopsided grin. They turned hearing his family come from the house. "Thanks, Wes." Soul said taking Myra from his brother.
"What was all of that?" Asked his mother.
Maka was the one to answer. "That is what we do. At the academy we partner, a meister with a weapon. We learn about our abilities and how to fight and we travel the world protecting people from monsters like that. They collect innocent souls to become more powerful but in the end they just become a monster."
"Weapon and meister?" She asked.
Soul nodded as he wrapped an arm around Maka, letting her lean into him. "That's what we're called. I'm a weapon and Maka is my meister. She can use me to defeat those monsters called Kishins." He looked at Maka as she stood, leaning against him as she spoke softly with Myra. "You need to get fixed up."
She looked up at him and nodded before he led her into the house and to the room they were using. Wes looked at his parents who stood watching the two retreat to the house. "Do you understand who Soul is now?" Wes asked as his parents looked at him. "Soul isn't meant for our life style. I've seen it since we were children. He's not meant for the fancy dinners and proper edict."
"You stayed in touch with him all this time?" His mother asked.
Wes gave a quick nod. "Mostly because Maka either made him call or she called. That's how we knew how happy he was and how well he was doing with his life."
"He was beyond excited when he called to tell us Maka was pregnant." Granny laughed as she walked over to them. "He said Maka made him call but you could tell."
Wes watched as his father crossed his arms and his mother turned to glare at her husband. "Are you happy? We've missed out on so much of our son's life because you wouldn't let him be himself." Her husband just looked at her as she stormed into the house to see if she could help her son and daughter in law with their wounds.
Soul sat back as Maka finished bandaging his small cuts. They heard their daughter giggle before taking off through the room to run to her grandmother. Soul looked at his mother who stood shocked before picking the girl up with a small smile. "She likes you." Maka smiled softly as she glanced at her mother in law while Soul gently cleaned her wounds and began bandaging them.
"She doesn't even know me."
"She's a good judge of character." Maka giggled looking from her daughter to her husband. "She takes after her dad for that." Soul just gave a small smirk as he continued his work. "Myra gets a lot from her father, although not all are good traits, she's a daddy's girl."
"You'll both be alright?" She asked.
Maka smiled and gave a nod. "We've had much worse. We'll be healed up in no time." She looked at her mother in law, holding Myra who giggled looking around happily. "I'm sorry you missed so much."
She shook her head looking from Maka to the little girl in her arms. "I understand now." She smiled at her son and daughter in law. "Soul, I'm sorry. We should have listened to you and spent more time to know you, I'm sorry everything happened."
Soul shook his head. "I wouldn't have met Maka if none of it happened." He gave a smirk as he continued his work on her arm.
"Well now that it's all settled." Maka smiled as Soul just shook his head. "We can move on and start new."
"I'd like that." His mother smiled looking from Soul and Maka to her granddaughter in her arms. "I'd like to get to know you more and to spend time with my granddaughter. And I would like to get to know the real you, Soul." Soul just gave a nod as he looked back at the smiling Maka. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"No, we're pretty much patched up." Maka smiled.
"Actually." Soul said making his mother and Maka look at him. "Could you watch Myra for a bit?" His mother nodded happily as Maka raised a brow. He stood and held his hand out to her. "Come on." Maka took it without a second thought.
"If you need anything her things are all over there." Maka said pointing to the bags by the pack and play. "Be a good girl." Myra nodded with a smile as her parents left. "Soul, where are we going?" She asked as he pulled her with him out the front door and off into the woods, never noticing the eyes of the three other family members.
"Just shut up, would you?" He smirked as he pulled her with him until he reached a clearing with what looked like a little shelter made of bushes. He turned to look at her as she took in the scene. "I thought you'd like a little get away."
Maka smiled as she moved closer to him. "It's a beautiful place." He smirked at her before he bent slightly to capture her lips in a sweet loving kiss. They parted, resting their heads together with smiles on their faces. Maka could not help but remember where it all started, two students trying to find a partner.
"I love you Maka." Soul said. He knew he was always a cool guy but after he had told Maka that he loved her and found out that she loved him he couldn't keep the cool guy attitude all the time with her. She could not help but smile when he dropped his cover and was sweet and romantic, completely out of character.
Maka smiled at him as she rested her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating beneath the scar he earned saving her. "I love you too, Soul." The two kissed taking in the silence in their time alone. They were together and opening up not only to each other still, but also in their visits they were gaining more family and love.