He would have revenge. The emotion was pure and easy to understand. There was no subterfuge in his desire for it. There was no question as to the why. All that was required was to figure out the method and means to deliver it.

Something that Franken Stein would not doubt excel at. Marie lay a few feet away from, unconscious on an operating table, Nygus hovering above her. Stein hadn't actually allowed Nygus to do anything for Marie, but she had still remained, handing him gauze or anything else he needed.

Delicate stitches stretched across Marie's abdomen. There were some on each of her arms and right hand, and another grouping between her fifth and sixth ribs. Stein's hands clenched into fists as he turned and looked at her, seeing his handiwork spread across her body. He shook with anger as he remembered the stitches inside her as well.

Nygus' hand rested on his shoulder briefly. "She'll pull through, Stein."

The doctor just nodded, one hand reaching up to twist the screw in his hand. It took all of his will to keep from shaking where Nygus could see it.

"Will you be keeping her here in the lab, Stein?" He just gave a curt nod.

"This is her home, Mira. When she wakes, it won't be to an impersonal hospital room. She'll heal better and faster if she is in familiar surroundings." He excused his decision.

"And where you can keep an eye on her." Spirit's voice echoed through the lab. Spirit nodded to Nygus as she left.

"Of course." His eyes were drawn back to Marie, looking at the curving line of black stitches, delicate as he could do, that crossed both her arms. He looked at the oxygen mask that was feeding her oxygen. He closed his eyes against the memory of having to delve inside Marie.

He had imagined it before; the joy of cutting her open, of seeing how her outside compared to the inside. Of touching her in a way that no one else ever could. He had never anticipated it actually happening. He had fought the urge off again and again.

Then he had to. Nothing could have prepared him for the sheer horror he had felt, cleaning the wounds, opening her up to assess the internal damage. The rage he had felt grow with each stitch he had to place. All 233 of them.

"Stein." The scientist opened his eyes and turned to face Spirit.

"What, Senpai?" He asked, even as he felt his gaze wanting to drift back to Marie.

"They know who did it."

Three long legged strides took him straight to the red headed death scythe. "Tell me."

"Stein, you can't leave her in her condition." Spirit took a careful step backwards when Stein's fists clenched in rage. "We all are angry over what happened."

"You didn't have to fix it, Senpai. You didn't see, first hand, the devastation they did to her." Stein snarled.

"I was just there when it happened." Spirit said softly, and braced.

Stein's fist slammed into the death scythe, his wavelength crackling through the man. Spirit was flung against the wall, and several items fell off shelves from the impact.

"You were there?! You were there?! It should be you on that table, not Marie!" Stein's voice bordered on hysterical, but he stood his ground, not pushing an attack against Spirit.

The death scythe picked himself up and leaned heavily against the wall. "You're right, Stein. I should be on that table." Spirit opened his coat up and Stein could clearly see the blood that stained the other man's shirt. "It just didn't seem important when we brought her to you." The weakness in the other man's voice sobered Stein quickly.

Stein stared. "How?"

"A pair of witches. Twins. Marie and I should have been able to deal with them. We didn't have a meister with us, but they were supposed to be just low level witches. They looked like children." Spirit took a deep, shuddering breath in and Stein moved over to him, shaking his head and muttering something. Spirit just nodded to accept the apology as Stein helped him remove his suit jacket and dress shirt.

"We didn't even kill one." Spirit said regretfully. Stein carefully examined the wound.

"You need stitches."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Spirit replied offhandedly, sitting down on the empty operating table. "At least I know you'll do them right, past experience and all."

Stein didn't respond to the intended jab, just pushed Spirit backwards so he'd lie down. "If you didn't kill them, then how did the two of you escape?"

"They left. One minute they were there, both focusing on Marie. I had only been hit once, but it was obviously enchanted- I couldn't transform. I still can't." Stein looked over at the other man. "They went after Marie next, at the same time. I couldn't get to her in time to even try to shield her from it…"

Stein slid the needle into Spirit's skin and hid his smirk as he heard the man hiss. "I guess sleeping through this numbs the pain, huh Stein?"

"So does anesthetic." Stein said, setting another stitch, Spirit hissing in pain.

"Thanks." Spirit mumbled.

"So they hit her and then just disappeared?" Stein asked, another stitch going in.

"Essentially, except it was in a flash of light. I brought her back as soon as I could. I was afraid I was too late." Spirit gasped as the next stitch went in, tears forced to his eyes.

Stein's voice was cold. "You nearly were."

"Listen, Stein. I did what I could. I would never let Marie get hurt if I could *gasp* prevent it. You know that." Spirit winced as Stein pulled the last stitch through his skin.

"You're done. Just lay still for a moment." Stein stood, going to wash the blood off his hands and dispose of the tools.

Spirit lay on his back, and turned his head to look at Marie. "I'm so sorry." He whispered to the woman. He turned his face back to the ceiling and blinked to see Stein hovering over him.

"Now then, you were going to tell me the names of the witches you two fought." Stein said, a sadistic smile spreading across his face.

Spirit could see the scalpel that was just in Stein's reach and swallowed. Before thinking better of it, Spirit gave the man the two names.

"Lilura and Louhi."

Stein sent Spirit home that night. Marie he moved to her room, IVs in. He made a phone call and a few minutes later Maka was standing in front of the lab with Soul.

"Thank you, Maka. I don't want to leave Marie alone right now, but I have to go do some research in the DWMA's library." Stein said when they entered.

"We're happy to help, aren't we Soul?" Maka said, elbowing the boy.

"Yeah, of course. Would be totally uncool if something were to happen to her because we didn't." He shrugged.

With that Stein left. Maka looked at Soul and they went to check on Marie, who was sleeping soundly.

Stein spent three hours combing through the library before he found what he was looking for. A sadistic grin spread across the scientist's face as he read the entry. He left the library with a purposeful step, the book he was reading left behind, the page open.

"There are few witches who are able to function only during the night hours. Most of the time these witches are hunted even by their own kind; they tend to be the most destructive and arrogant of all witches. Normally assuming a child's form they seek to lure unsuspecting people, particularly women, into their clutches. It is then that they strike, attempting to kill their victim.

A witch that does so gains a portion of the victim's power if the victim is a meister or weapon. The power returns only once the witch has been killed."

A/N: This is gonna be a 2shot. Hope you enjoyed.

I don't own Soul Eater.