She would come to him, like she had every night. Stein sat in his lab chair, frantically twisting the screw, fighting the impulses raging behind his eyes. He had resolved himself. Tonight he would not slip; he would not cut Charlotte open. He would stop this here and now.

Stein had a plan. His front door, for the first time in memory, was locked. Marie was gone; staying with Azusa for some reason he had heard and immediately forgotten. The lights were all off; he sat in the dark. The only indication of life in the entire laboratory was the dim illumination given off by the cigarette that hung almost forgotten from his lips.

He chuckled as he heard the first almost tentative knock at his door. He could feel her from where he sat in the heart of his lab, her madness calling to him like the sweetest of songs. Stein desperately twisted the screw, fighting the siren call, his lips curved upwards without him even realizing it. Another chuckle escaped as the second knock fell, this one louder and more pronounced, no longer hesitant. A twist of the screw reminded him that he had to keep quiet or she would sense him.

The knocking became more and more insistent, and he could hear her frantic screams even from where he sat, hidden.

'Just open the door for a second to make sure of whom it is…' A voice whispered to him, and Stein tittered, his lips curving upward even higher. 'It could be an impostor. It could be someone who just needs help. It could be Marie come home to find the door locked…. Just open the door. See who it is…'

"It's rude to refuse a guest." Stein said, a giggle forming in his throat as he rested a foot against the desk to push himself away from it.

*Click*

The hand that he hadn't even realized was still turning the screw fell away and Stein felt something slip. "I can't open the door." He said determinedly, placing his foot back down on the floor, and leaned forward to place his head in his hands. "I cannot open the door."

Charlotte screamed her frustration. She knew that Stein was in there, hiding. Where else would he be? Pounding her fists on the door in rage a plan formed in the young girl's twisted mind. A grin spread across her face and she ceased her attacks on the door. A few steps to the right was a window. It was high, and narrow, but she would have no trouble slipping into it. A grin pulled at her lips and laughter spilled from her, fear evident behind madness filled eyes.

She thrust her hand through the glass, giggling as it broke, cutting her arm deeply. She smiled, lost in the rapture that the beautiful blood brought. Feeling the weakness that was always creeping at the edge of her vision she slipped into the dark lab. She knew he was here.

Her blood left a trail behind her, her face pale in the moonlight beneath its sheen of makeup. Tears streamed down her cheeks even as she laughed, going unerringly towards the man who was simultaneously her damner and her savior.

Stein could hear the laughter echoing through the halls of the dark lab, and with a final drag, extinguished his cigarette almost regretfully. His left hand reached up again, turning the screw in his head unknowingly, madness creeping around his vision, his eyes darting to look for the scalpels he had already taken the opportunity to hide. A chuckle escaped one corner of his mouth and he bit his lips hard to suppress the next.

'It's rude to not greet a guest.' A voice teased in his mind, but Stein ignored it. 'You know you want to greet her. You want to split her skin apart and see if she's changed any since you last saw her…'

"No…" Stein whispered, grinding the palm of his right hand into his eyes, his left still turning the screw. "I do not want to cut Charlotte open again!" He hissed out.

"But you do, don't you, Doctor Stein?" Charlotte's voice came from behind him and Stein could smell the blood even before he turned to look at her.

She stood, illuminated by the pale moonlight, a twisted grin on her face. She was in a lovely dress, one that would obviously be worn on a date. Her makeup was mussed up, and blood was running down her right arm from a large cut on it. Stein felt his hands twitch and he reached up unsteadily to turn the screw, desperately fighting to suppress the desire he felt to delve beneath that dress, to remove it and see the porcelain flesh beneath it split open by his scalpel.

"We had a date and you broke it. You were supposed to cut me open and make the want stop, albeit briefly." Her voice was lilting and when she smiled at him he could see needle like teeth.

'Needle.' The word flashed through his consciousness and he grasped onto it, using it as an anchor against the growing insanity that he could feel radiating from Charlotte. Trembling hands reached into his lab coat's pockets and withdrew the syringe he had kept secreted there.

"I have a new experiment, Charlotte." Stein said, surging to his feet. "It requires you to be immobilized, do you understand?"

A sadistic grin spread across her features and she presented her arm to him, blood still dripping down it. "I do. Now hurry, there isn't much time before her Rim realizes I'm gone." She flashed those needle-like teeth at him again.

Stein fought the siren's call with all his will and stepped forward, depressing the plunger. The sedative mixture flooded Charlotte's veins and he gripped her arms in his hands, sending his wavelength surging through her even as she started to fall into unconsciousness.

The reaction was surprisingly swift. His wavelength burned away the sedative that was there only to trick the possessing demon into a lull; it activated the other ingredients in the mixture and Charlotte spasmed, a scream ripping from her. Stein pulled the girl into his arms, feeling her tremble as the mixture burned through her veins.

"Charlotte, I'm sorry. It's only a temporary solution…" She shook against him, sobbing. One hand reached up awkwardly to stroke her hair, an action that only Marie had ever seen or felt. He could feel her tears as the pain coursed through her system; he could sense the demon's screams as his wavelength resonated within her, temporarily blocking the demon's ability to influence her.

After an immeasurable amount of time, Charlotte pushed away from him, her face a mess, makeup caked on his lab coat. "Pro-professor Stein?" She asked hesitantly. "How did I get here?"

Stein stood, sorrow etched into his features. "You walked, Charlotte. You slipped away from Rim and came here…"

She looked up at him, fear etched in her eyes as she started to piece together some things. "This isn't the first time, is it?" She asked him quietly, looking down.

"No, Charlotte, but I hope it will be the last time. I… I don't want you to be hurt anymore." Stein looked over at her.

Charlotte could feel the tears coming again, and fled up the stairs to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She could hear him walking up them slowly, following her, so she turned on the water in the shower, hoping that he would leave her be. She felt the stickiness of her makeup then, and before she could change her mind, stepped underneath the hot spray, fresh tears coming as memories flooded back, long hidden from her sane mind by the demon that could not influence her for now.

Stein hesitated at the door, and then pushed it open, stepping in certain that his student was just trying to fool him. He stared in disbelief at the girl sobbing in the shower, her hair plastered to her head, long strands of it dripping water down to mix with the tears she was sobbing. He stepped into the shower, wrapping his long arms around her and pulled her close to him, feeling a strange feeling well up in his chest as she sobbed against him.

"I will protect you, Charlotte." He promised the girl. "I swear I will find a way to protect you from it all."

A/N: Happy birthday TheAUWalker! I hope that this was kinda what you were hoping for :3

I don't own Soul Eater