"I don't understand… I'm not like Sid… did you-"
He cut her off. "No, Marie. I didn't. I can't even tell you who did."
"But… I…" she pushed herself into a sitting position, "I don't remember dying!"
"What is the last thing that you remember?" Stein's hands ached to reach out and touch her, to prove to himself that she was real, but he forced himself to remain still, to study the soul that was as familiar to him as his own.
"We were on a mission… there was a witch… and then there was a flash of bright light. The next thing I know, you're carrying me to my bed, telling me I had died. I don't remember it at all!" There was anger in her eyes as she looked down, "I certainly don't remember being naked!"
His response was automatic, "Marie, I did not experiment on you."
"Then at least explain what's going on!"
Painstakingly, in as much detail as he could, he told her everything; the sudden appearance of the creature, the comments about how she was etched into the building, the appearance of her soul and the rebuilding of her body.
The day time limit, but not the cost. He would not have that on her conscience.
Death forgive him, but he wasn't going to lose her again. He didn't want to lose Spirit either, though, so he would have to find a way to save them both.
"So… after a day…" tears welled in her eyes, "I die again?"
His hands wrapped around hers of their own accord. "I'm not going to let that happen, Marie. I swear."
She fell asleep while listening to the tale of her own death. He sat there watching her sleep for a long while, memorizing the rise and fall of her chest, the slight parting of her lips, the way her gentle breathing sounded. He was absorbed with memorizing every detail of her, and missed the creature's presence until it spoke nearly in his ear.
"She is beautiful, you know. You're lucky one like her loves you."
Stein looked up at the feral grin, at the sharp teeth that were bared in the smirk. "She doesn't love me, and even if she does, it is no business of yours."
"You're trying to find a way around the rules of the contract. You believe that you can outsmart me. You love her and she loves you." The man… the creature, stepped to Stein's side, looking down at the slumbering woman and Stein felt a possessive urge rush through his body.
"And what if there is no one that means anything near to what she does to me?" Stein asked.
The grin on the creature's face grew, stretching impossibly wide on its face. "There's always someone else important to you. An old flame, a parent… a senpai."
Stein's blood ran cold.
"I'll be back, doctor."
The creature dissolved into blackness again, leaving him alone with the slumbering death scythe. Pale hands wrapped around hers, and Stein forced his clinical instincts to kick in. Long fingers gently turned her hands over and pressed against her wrist, counting the delicate beats of her heart. He left the room just long enough to retrieve a stethoscope, gingerly placing it on her chest and listening to the sound of air moving in her lungs, the beats of her heart.
She sounded and seemed healthy.
Stein cranked the screw in his head, trying to figure a way out that didn't involve losing either Spirit or Marie.
Stein sat by her bed, his head in his hands. He had rotated the screw in his skull so many times that he was worried if he did any more he may actually damage something. His mind was locked in a circle; he simply couldn't figure out a way to save them both.
He wondered fleetingly if he could sacrifice himself.
He dismissed the notion. The creature had been specific- it was someone close to him, not himself.
The feel of Marie's hand on his brought him out of his musings, and he looked at the woman that was sitting on the edge of her bed, she had his lab coat wrapped tightly around herself and there were tears in her eyes.
"Franken... I don't want to die."
He hesitated. He didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't want to tell her the truth.
"I'll find a way to stop that from happening, Marie. I promise you…" his voice trailed off as he was caught up in his internal debate again.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. "You're not telling me something… you're keeping something from me…"
His green eyes met her gold, and in that moment he knew he couldn't keep the truth from her.
"Marie… I have to choose. The creature I told you about? It promised to bring you back to me, but at a cost. It gave me a day with you to prove its power."
"What cost?"
"A body for a body, a soul for a soul. The person closest to me other than you."
Marie's mouth fell open, and she stared at him in horror.
"Marie-"
"No! I won't let you give someone else's life away for mine!"
Something snapped in him; something broke past the barriers that he had maintained for so long. His hand grabbed her arm forcefully and she looked down in surprise.
"I would give anyone's life for yours! I would give my own if I could!" Her eyes met his again and saw the commitment in them, the desperation as he continued slightly quieter, his hand relaxing on her arm. "I will do everything I can to prevent having to give up Spirit, but I will not lose you again!"
Her voice was small and she looked down at her knees. "I'm not worth taking his life away from him, Franken."
"You're worth more than anyone. I won't lose you, not when I have you back."
'Delicate, pale warm skin and all,' the words echoed in his mind, the creature's voice causing him to turn his head to look over his shoulder as a shudder went up his spine.
For a moment when he turned back to her, he didn't see her. His heart caught in his throat thinking that the creature had taken her from him. When he blinked she was there, looking at him with concern in her eyes.
His hand reached out to her, his fingers brushing against her skin, reassuring him that she was actually there.
A/N: Again, sorry for the late updates on this. I don't own Soul Eater.
