This is a long one people. Again, more set up, but I think you guys will like it. We are going to get into the real meat of the story after this.

Bon Appétit


Maka and Soul arranged to meet with the group separately, Soul with Kid and Blackstar and Maka with Liz, Patti and Tsubaki. It was a Sunday, a day Crona usually spent at Professor Stein's house doing a variety of things with Miss Marie, and today was no different. Soul and Maka already agreed to meet up with him again tomorrow and tell Professor Stein, Miss Marie and, unfortunately, Spirit. They figured it would be better if he found out with Stein and Miss Marie there; maybe then he would have someone to calm him down.

The plan was set in stone; their friends would be told that night, and the others would be told the next day at Stein's place. By early morning, everything was in motion and all three of them went their separate ways.


The girls spent most of the afternoon walking around the area, talking about their lives and dodging in and out of random shops. It had been quite some time since they had all been together; now that Kid was lord over death, it seemed like Liz, Patti and himself never had any free time. Tsubaki and Blackstar were almost always on missions, similar to Maka and Soul up to this point, and so a meeting with all the boys or all the girls was rare.

Tsubaki had offered up her house for a sleep over that night, which no one opposed. After buying a variety of food to bake and movies to watch, the four made themselves comfortable at Tsubaki's, and by 7 p.m., they were already in their pajamas and immersed in random chatter. Even years after the battle, most of their personalities hadn't changed a bit. The same could not be said for their looks however. Liz and Tsubaki had acquired a look of maturity. While before many might have seen young, playful girls, they were both now strong and capable women with a soft sternness to their faces. Liz's hair had a more layered nature to it these days, but Tsubaki's long slick hair and clothing style had remained virtually unchanged. Patti was as spontaneous as ever, but much of her silliness transferred over to a playful mischievousness that often got her into trouble. Her hair had grown out as well, and she often wore it in a lose spiky bun with tendrils framing her face. Maka had grown out of wearing her pigtails and now often wore her hair in a tight or lose ponytail, though otherwise, she was unchanged.

As the talking and baking continued, Maka found herself becoming more and more uncomfortable. She was dragging her feet here as well, but now the awkwardness of holding her information in was sneaking up on her. In the middle of boy talk between Liz and Tsubaki and clanking dishes by Patti, Maka spoke up.

"Hey guys, there is something I have been meaning to tell you tonight."

The girls all gave her their full attention.

"Well then spill it, what juice do you have for us?" Liz sat back in her seat at the kitchen table.

"Bet it has something to do with one of her two lover boys," Patti's tone was a tad obnoxious, and received a disapproving glance from her sister. Maka lowered her head.

"Actually, could we all sit in the living room?" Maka was becoming tense, and suddenly sitting in the kitchen wasn't comfortable enough.

"Sure," Tsubaki spoke softly and directed the others to the living room, where they all promptly sat, waiting for Maka to speak. Maka stood still for a minute before she finally sat in front of them.

"There is a reason... I got you guys together tonight," She was trying to sound firm; she was afraid her voice was wavering. She paused, head still down. "I have some news for you."

The others looked at her curiously. Maka paused again, and Tsubaki filled the silence.

"Whatever the news is, you know you can tell us. Unless it makes you uncomfortable," She extended her hand and grasped Maka's own with it. Maka's eyes met hers, and with Tsubaki's gesture, tension in Maka's chest slowly began to ease. Maka continued.

"No, I have to tell you guys. Even if I..." Maka thought about her sentence, then began to rephrase. "I found...something out yesterday." She took her hand away from Tsubaki's. She took a deep breath, focused her thoughts, and lifted her head to meet their eyes.

"I am... pregnant"

There was a silence amongst the three of them, only stares being shared back and forth. Then a snort.

"Ha... really?" Patti was clearly in some disbelief about it; they all were. To this question, Maka just stared at her, then gave a small nod. Patti went wide eyed.

"Well shit."

"Patti, seriously," Liz growled, but her eyes never left Maka's face. "Are you sure? Like, you double checked?"

"I have never been more sure," An awkward lump of tension began building in Maka's chest again. There was another brief silence amongst the three, which Tsubaki, sensing some distress from Maka, filled it once more. A wide smile decorated her face.

"Congratulations Maka!" Tsubaki took Maka's hand back in both of hers. "This is great. I am not even sure what to say." Her tone was cheerful and this brought Maka's mood back up.

"Yeah, congrats, Maka. What an unexpected surprise. Do the guys know yet?" Liz spoke as she inched closer to Maka.

"I told Crona, Soul, and Blair last night. Soul is going to tell the guys today, and we will all tackle my father tomorrow," As she answered the question, she became less nervous. Though the idea of telling her father put her stomach in knots.

"That's all fun and good. Who's the dad?" Patti spoke abruptly, and Liz immediately turned to her.

"Can you ever not be so blunt?" Liz spoke in a playful manner, but Patti knew she was serious about the comment. Maka rolled her eyes a bit, but a smile began to tug at her lips.

"Soul."

"Thought so. I mean, can you and Crona even have sex? Is he capable of that or-"

"Patti, sometimes you should just stop." Liz spoke softly, patting her sister on the head. Patti rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright. So when did you guys, you know, do it?" Patti leaned forward as the last words rolled off her tongue.

"It wasn't more than three months ago that we had sex, but... yeah, our protection didn't work."

"You guys used protection and it failed? Oh man-" Liz was quickly cut off by Tsubaki.

"Well, something good has come out of it though. Surely you guys must be excited about this." Tsubaki's smile widened.

"If you plan to keep it, that is," Patti wasn't trying to be blunt, the sentence came out with the hint of a question. Suddenly Liz and Tsubaki's faces met Maka's with new looks of curiosity. Maka sighed a little.

"Soul and I talked about this last night. At first I thought about it but..." She paused to think. "at one point, that was me. My parents were about this age and... I don't know, I just can't do it." She ended the sentence with a small grin. The girls smiled back, reassuring her.

"Well, geez, I wish you told us earlier. We could have bought more stuff to celebrate," Liz said jokingly. Patti turned to her.

"Hey, it isn't that late. It's like 9:15, right? We can still go out. WE SHOULD GO GET CAKE!" With the last exclamation, Patti leapt to her feet, posing like a Greek statue. Maka's smile widened.

"No, it's okay. Blair got a lot of celebration food last night. I am fine. Plus I haven't been feeling so good for a while."

"Ah right, morning sickness," Liz spoke casually, leaning back and scratching her head.

"I really haven't noticed you being sick at all. Have you been trying to hide it?" Tsubaki was clearly trying to think back and recall any time Maka was sick, but her puzzled look told that nothing came to mind.

"I guess I have been. You guys know I don't like to make a big deal out of those things." This was very true. Maka was never one to brag, make a display, or even have people fawn over her. She much preferred to suffer quietly than loudly, and she often insisted that she didn't need help with anything, regardless of whether she did or not. But the Liz and Tsubaki knew that she would need their help now whether she wanted it or not, and they had to make this known.

"You know, Maka, this is a big undertaking. We know you are going to need help with all the crap you are going to have to do," Liz left her speech unfinished, and without even a glance at each other, Tsubaki knew to continue.

"We want you to know that we will be here when you need us. You can rely on us for anything. And please, don't hesitate to ask us. We want to be here for you," Tsubaki spoke softly, calmly, and both she and Liz had on huge grins that slowly became infectious. Maka's heart swelled with contentment and warmth. She wasn't sure what to expect from the girls at first, but they were far more accepting than she thought they would be. She prepared to speak, holding back tears that had slowly been forming.

"Thanks guys. This... this means so much to me. I wasn't sure what would happen once I found this out, but you guys have all helped me see clearly. I know what lys before me, and I am ready for it, and I am... so happy you guys support me on this. Just... thank you," Maka was smiling the biggest smile of the night by then, and she quickly wiped a tear away from her face before anyone could see.

"Alright. Group hug moment. Bring it in, guys," Patti scooted forward and motioned them all in with open arms. They giggled, and raised their arms to each other, sealing each other in a loving embrace that lasted too long to count.

Before long, the four of them were back to their usual conversations, with some new topics mixed in. Men, baby names, future plans, and awkward relationships were all addressed throughout the night, and as the hours passed, conversation became more light-hearted. There were serious points of course, but overall, they stayed on the light side of topics. Before long, all were laughing and joking about their lives, and the night ended with exhaustion from laughter and a warm reassurance that their friendship was as strong as ever.


Soul was never one to beat around the bush. Even when situations were dire, it was in his nature to simple say things honestly. Sometimes, he just had to say something outright and not worry about what people thought, other times he was more careful but more forceful. Even when he thought back, he was often the voice of reason in many situations with Maka.

So with news this big, it was in Soul's nature to tell the news almost right away.

He agreed to meet Kid and Blackstar at a nearby park at around 4:00 p.m. Kid was there at exactly 4, and Blackstar was late as usual. The three of them caught up with each other for a bit, telling tales of their recent chapters in life and their work. They walked around the park leisurely, but after about 20 minutes, Soul guided them to a nearby bench and began to prepare himself mentally.

Soul hadn't changed much over the years. His hair was just as wild, and his style was similar also, with the exception of some more formal clothes. His body however had become more "manly" as Maka described it. His jaw squared, his shoulders broadened, and he became toned from head to toe. Blackstar had changed almost entirely. His hairstyle was usually a high and spiky faux hawk, though on occasion he would let it hang down. He had grown tall, being the tallest of their group now, Crona taking second and Soul, Kid and Liz almost all tied for third. His shoulders became extremely broad, his body muscled and shapely, and he had more of a natural tan than before from being outside most of the time. His style consisted of mostly athletic clothing; loose-fitting shorts, running shirts, and often colorful basketball shoes. Surpassing god was tough work, and he dressed for the training. He was less obnoxious, but bragging was still in his nature. Kid had changed quite a bit as well. He allowed his hair to grow out two to three inches, the ends of which always stuck out in spikes and usually rested below his chin. He was toned, but still imperially slim, and his light body only helped him in combat. Since becoming the new Lord Death, he had grown far quieter and far more mature. He wore more formal clothing and mostly in black and white. He was easily the most reasonable of the boys, and these days enjoyed sitting back and relaxing on the rare occasions when he could.

There they sat, the three of them could not look more different, but they shared in conversation effortlessly. Soul let the conversation run its course for some time before finally breaking in with the big news in mind.

"Hey guys, I have some news for you."

"Do you now? What about?" Blackstar leaned on his knees as he sat, looking around Kid to meet Soul's face.

"Well, uh... it's about me and Maka."

Blackstar and Kid only stared at him. Soul rubbed his hands through his hair before leaning back against the bench.

"She's... she's pregnant." There was no sign of change from Kid and Blackstar's face at this statement, and that suddenly made Soul uncomfortable. Why didn't they say anything? Then it finally seemed to register in Blackstar's head what had been said.

"Wait... LEGIT? I mean, you serious? This is a fact?" Blackstar was growing more wide eyed.

"Yeah, we found out yesterday."

"Are you the father?" Kid finally spoke, and his words were slow and deliberate. The question lingered for a second, and both Kid and Blackstar obviously grew more curious.

"Yeah, it's mine. She has to be... two and a half months along now I think, because that was when we had sex." That statement lingered too. Kid and Blackstar's faces finally twisted into expressions of shock and surprise, and silence allowed them to mull the news over until Blackstar finally spoke.

"Damn, thats crazy! You and Maka? I always thought you guys were too responsible for that." Blckstar spoke enthusiastically, his hands flailing to emphasize his point.

"We were so careful, man. I used protection, she used protection. But both of them failed."

"How does Maka feel about this?" Kid still sat up straight, but his body turned to Soul, his eyes focused and serious.

"At first, it wasn't so good, but we talked things over. We are happy about it now, and we both decided that we want to go through with this... it was one hectic evening," Soul let the faint hint of a smile grace his lips before he turned his head down. Blackstar and Kid were almost speechless; this wasn't something either of them expected from any of their friends. But so many things were going through both of their heads.

"Well then, I believe congratulations are in order," Kid's shock finally dissolved, and he put an arm around Soul's shoulder. "How does it feel? Knowing you are going to be a father?"

"It's amazing, but also scary as hell," Soul spoke, half smiling. Thinking about it made him anxious.

"You guys only found this out last night? Are we the first to know of our posse then?" Blackstar was still quite wide-eyed.

"No, we told Blair and Crona last night. We are going to tell Spirit tomorrow."

"Oh shit man, Crona! How does he feel about all this? And Spirit is SO gonna kill you," Blackstar's enthusiasm still wasn't fading. But when did it ever fade?

"He seemed alright with it, but I am definitely going to talk to him about things soon. And I know, not looking forward to that," Soul again lowered his head, the thought emitting a grimace.

"Just be careful about it, you know Crona might not admit if he has a problem with it at first," Kid spoke firmly.

"I can't believe it. You guys havin' kids. This is crazy! I wasn't sure if it was yours or Crona's at first. GOD, this is something else! I had a feeling you were the dad though. Couldn't keep your hands off of her, could you?" Blackstar leaned over and elbowed Soul in the side.

"I just... it was in the heat of the moment. It felt right, I went with it. We were prepared so I... didn't see a problem," Soul sighed, and then slowly smiled. "But this is... I am going to take full responsibility for this. This pregnancy thing was a surprise, but I know I can be a great father."

"Well, we are gonna back you up!" Blackstar gave Soul's shoulder a couple of slaps.

"Soul, if you need anything, you know you can come to us. You are going to be a very busy man soon," Kid smiled at Soul, and Soul suddenly felt tension leave him that he didn't know was there. Knowing that the guys were behind him put him at ease, though in the back of his mind, he knew tough times were ahead.

The three of them spent close to three hours on that bench, talking about everything in their lives. The pregnancy, their relationships, their recent endeavours, no subject was left untouched. Before long, they made their way back to Kid's house, where they spent the night relaxing and celebrating the big news.


The next morning came too soon for Maka and Soul. The groups walked Maka and Soul to a meeting point, where they all met up early in the day. They talked among each other for a while, mainly about the news and what they had planned for the rest of the week. Liz and Patti still insisted on having a celebration at some point, which Soul and Maka finally agreed to. After final congratulations were given to both of them, and a big hug was given to Maka by Blackstar, the group all split, most heading home.

Maka and Soul began their trek to Stein's house, walking slowly, enjoying every bit of scenery they passed. Their hands were locked together in the middle of them, and while most of the time they didn't speak, loving glances were often shared.

"Quite a day yesterday, wasn't it?" Soul glanced over to catch Maka smiling.

"Yeah, it was great though. Everyone is so supportive of us. It's..."

"Unexpected? I thought so too at first. But it isn't really." Soul tilted his head back, gazing at the clouds. "We have amazing friends. I think we just let our nervousness get the better of us."

"I guess your right," Maka's smile grew wider, her head lowering to meet the ground. Soul took a moment to look at her and it was in that moment that his world began to spin. He was going to be a dad, he was going to be a dad. He kept hearing this thought and yet somewhere inside, it didn't seem to register. But in his heart it did, and he could no longer control himself.

In one swift motion, he swept Maka off her feet, holding her by her waist and swinging her in circles. She let out a surprised laugh.

"Soul, what are you doing?" Maka giggled. But he couldn't answer her. He held her up in his arms, kissing her, smelling her, taking her all in. Finally he put her down, and allowed his arms to wrap around her, pulling her waist against his. She glanced up at him and he leaned down to her, his voice a little more than a whisper.

"You are the best person in the world. The best thing in my life. You are everything to me. I hope you know that," Each statement was teeming with emotion, and he sealed the last words with a kiss. Maka returned it the kiss, taking a second to look into his eyes after.

"I love you, Soul."

"I love you more."

They stood there, embracing each other, sharing kisses for what seemed like hours. But after just a couple minutes, they continued on their walk, hands still intertwined.


Before long, they had arrived at Stein's place. Not much had changed about the house's exterior in these years, except that Miss Marie's small flower garden rested by the entrance to the house, giving the property a splash of color. Maka and Soul stood before the door bracing themselves until they finally were able to knock. The door was quickly opened revealing Miss Marie, as delighted and welcoming as usual.

"Hello Maka, Soul. How nice to see you guys. Crona said you would be stopping by. Come in, come in," Miss Marie motioned them inside. Soul and Maka slipped through the entrance and put their bags down by the door.

"Hello Miss Marie, how are you?" Maka spoke as she and Soul both received an embrace from her.

"Oh I am doing well, busy as ever. Here, let me call Crona for you. Do you guys want anything to drink or eat?"

"No thanks. We just ate earlier," Soul spoke casually, chalking up his lack of hunger to food and not nerves.

"Okay, I'll bring some tea out just in case. Hold on," She slipped into a back room, and before long, Crona entered through the same door.

Crona's appearance had changed very little with time. His hair was still of medium length with varying tendrils and it was its usual light pink. While he had grown taller, he was still just as skinny as before, with a backside that most people couldn't help but notice. He occasionally wore a dressrobe, but he had become a little more accustomed to regular attire, at least for every day life. He began wearing some form-fitting jeans and long sleeves with time and, with some advice from Soul and Kid, even incorporated button downs and sweater vests. He had only two pairs of shoes, his plain black battle pair, and a pair of plain black and white converse. His personality hadn't changed much, with the exception that he was more confident.

And there he stood by the door; converse, gray jeans, and a black long sleeve on his person. His eyes caught Maka and Soul at the door, and a tiny smile grew on his face.

All he could get out was "Maka" before Maka had run over to him, arms around him before he could blink. He hugged her tightly, and tensed a tad when he felt her light kisses on his neck. He returned a kiss to her forehead, and proceeded with her over to Soul by the doorway.

"How was your day yesterday? How did everyone feel?" Crona asked hesitantly. He was clearly hoping it had all gone well.

"It went great, actually, for both of us," Soul smiled, putting his hands behind his head.

"Everyone is incredibly supportive. We were a bit surprised actually. What about you? What is going on with my dad?" Maka was clearly nervous about the situation. She had become more accepting of her father as years went by, but there were many things she couldn't forgive him for, and she was still very uncomfortable around him.

"Well... I told Stein and Miss Marie what you told me to, and they thought it was a good idea to have a small get together. Spirit should be here soon...," Crona glanced nervously at the door. He wasn't very fond of Spirit for a multitude of reasons, and the thought that he would be at Stein's soon made Crona not only nervous, but almost defensive.

"Great. All according to plan then," Soul couldn't help but be a tad sarcastic. "Hey, if we sit together for this whole thing, I don't think I should sit next to you guys."

"Why not?" Maka was puzzled.

"Because I wouldn't put it past him to attack me or something. I can totally see him just lunging across the table at my throat," Soul spoke both jokingly and seriously. It was obvious that, even though he was playing it cool, he was very nervous about the confrontation. The three of them were going to continue strategizing, but Miss Marie and Professor Stein entered before they could get another word out.

"Hello Maka, Soul. How are you guys today?" Stein took off his lab coat as he entered the room. "So I hear we are having a small gathering."

"Yeah, it was my idea," Maka spoke quietly. "I thought it would be nice. I haven't seen you guys in a while."

"Well, research does keep me busy," Stein plopped himself down on one of the two sofas and Miss Marie made her way to him, pouring him tea as he talked. "You guys having tea? Crona, want your usual cup?"

"No, I am fine. Save me and Ragnarok some though..." Crona tried not to show his nervousness, but it only somewhat worked. Crona, Maka and Soul made their way over to the couches, but they all paused before sitting. Soul's words were being tossed around in their heads, and the idea that the scenario told earlier could come true made them take their seats carefully. Soul sat on the couch with Professor Stein, leaving a seat open between them for Miss Marie. Maka and Crona took the other couch, with Crona sitting on the end. They hadn't been sitting more than five minutes when there was a knock at the door. Crona, Maka, and Soul froze, but Miss Marie was quick to answer the door.

"Hello Spirit, long time no see. How is everything going?" Miss Marie said cheerfully. Spirit entered the room swiftly and made his way over to Maka.

"It goes well, Marie. Stein, good seeing you too. And my Maka," He sat next to her, his eyes growing wide before he pulled her into an embrace. "I haven't seen you in so long! How is my darling daughter?" He let go of her once she began to squirm, but now had her right hand in his.

"I'm fine dad, just fine," Maka tried to show more of her annoyance than anything, and it seemed to work. As minutes went by, Spirit began to calm down, and easy conversation started up among them all pretty quickly.

A half hour in was long enough, and Maka spoke above the talking crowd.

"Excuse me. I ...have some news for everyone."

"News? Well, let's hear it," Stein spoke casually.

"Yes, what is it, my little flower?" Spirit chimed, directing all of his attention to her.

Maka took a deep breath. She began shaking, but she could feel Crona giving her hand a light squeeze. She looked to him briefly, his eyes watching her, reassuring her that he was there for her. She looked to Soul too, but he was facing the ground, most likely preparing for whatever happened next. It took her some seconds, but Maka opened her mouth to tell the news for the fifth time.

"... I'm pregnant."

There was a moment of silence, perhaps the worst of the silences yet. Miss Marie and Stein were prepared to speak, but their attention shifted to Spirit. Spirit at first remained motionless, but his face suddenly twisted into a weird mess of rage and frustration. Unexpectedly, he jumped out of his seat.

"WHAT? WHO DID IT? WHICH ONE OF THESE TWO DID IT?" Spirit yelled, almost blinded by fury. Maka and Marie attempted to force him to sit, but Soul jumped up before anything could be done.

"I did it. It's my kid."

Whether this was the right thing to say or not in that moment didn't matter, for the damage was already done. Spirit began curling in on himself, some form of rage taking him over. Miss Marie grabbed his arm.

"Spirit, calm down, be reasonable!" Marie frantically tried to reason with him. Stein stood up next.

"Spirit, sit down. Let's talk about this."

"Talk about it? TALK ABOUT IT? YOU!" Spirit pointed his finger at Soul, who stood firm. "HOW COULD YOU? What were you thinking? You little BRAT!"

Spirit tried to grab hold of Soul's shoulders from across the table, but was stopped mid-way by Stein. Arguments started among everyone, and before long, Soul, Spirit, Miss Marie, and Stein were all yelling at each other, trying to settle one another down.

Crona hadn't moved from his spot on the couch. He couldn't speak, couldn't breath, he just watched wide-eyed as the arguing continued. He wanted to stop them, but he didn't have the slightest idea how. Then he noticed that Maka was still next to him, but something was wrong. She was shaking, her breathing was irregular, and while one hand gripped his, the other had a death grip on his arm.

"... Maka? Are you alright?"

"I... don't feel too good," Her voice wavered, her hand slowly making its way up and covering her mouth. Before Crona could say anything, Maka was on her feet and bolting for the door to the bathroom, which she closed and locked with a clink behind her. Crona got to his feet and tried to follow her, but stopped mid-way, realizing he couldn't enter the bathroom with it locked. He wasn't sure what made her sick; morning sickness, the arguing, or a mix of both. Whatever was the case, Crona's frustration at the situation was slowly turning into a building anger. He wanted them all to stop; none of them had even noticed that Maka had left the room. He didn't know if Maka was upset about all this, but he was sure it didn't help. He had to stop this now.

"ALL OF YOU, STOP IT!" The yell was so unlike him that everyone immediately stopped. They stared at him, and in those seconds of staring, they realized what they were doing. Spirit's eyes went from being focused slits to wide and confused.

"Maka... Where's my Maka?"

Almost on cue, the faint sound of sickness came from the bathroom. Spirit's eyes filled almost instantly with tears, and he collapsed to the couch, his cries growing louder by the second.

"Oh god, I'm sorry," His cries were slowly turning into loud wailing noises, to which Miss Marie and Stein just sighed. Stein sat next to Spirit and began a quiet conversation with him while Miss Marie silently approached Soul, who still stood watching Spirit.

"We are going to have a talk with him," Miss Marie spoke in low tones so Spirit could not hear her. "He is going to want to talk to Maka after no doubt. I suggest you guys stay for a while. You can go in the other room for now. Help yourself to anything."

Soul simply nodded.

"Soul, I am sorry about this. It should not have got this out of hand. I will be back in a bit to talk to Maka about it. We want to talk to you guys later too. Congratulations are in order," Miss Marie gave Soul her best smile before seating herself across from Spirit. Soul then soundlessly made his way over to where Crona was standing.

Crona had his head down, his choppy bangs hiding his face, his left arm tightly gripping his right. Soul stood right in front of Crona and used his one hand to slowly lift Crona's face by his chin. To his surprise, tears streamed Crona's face. Soul's heart sank.

"Oh man, I am so sorry," Soul pulled Crona into a tight hug. Crona shook in his arms, but managed to speak among the sniffles.

"I... I just don't want her to be sad," Crona tried to stop himself, but to no avail. He continued to tear and shake, and Soul felt himself slowly tearing up too.

"I know. I didn't mean to... I just... I didn't want him to get riled, but I only made him worse...and I..." Soul released Crona from the hug and began to wipe away his tears. "Shit, I screwed up."

Just then the bathroom door opened, revealing Maka, looking somewhat disheveled. Upon glancing out on the scene, her face became somewhat bewildered.

"Did he calm down at all?" Maka looked about, then noticed that Crona and Soul had been crying.

"Are you... okay Maka?" Crona came forward, and Maka took his face in hers hands.

"I am alright, I just felt a little sick," She looked over to her father. "He didn't help either." Her hands dropped to her sides, and Crona and Soul both embraced her.

"I didn't mean to do that, Maka, I just wanted him to calm down" Soul's words were muffled by Maka's shoulder. Maka sighed.

"It's okay. I can't blame you..." She closed her eyes and listened to the two of them clearing up their sniffles. Soul eventually detached from the hug.

"Miss Marie told me we could go into the other room for now, but we should stay," Soul's voice was still a little shaky. Maka nodded.

"Yeah, let's do that. I know I am going to have to talk to him later. He just..." Maka looked to the floor in her pause. "I know why he was upset. I can't... blame him in a way. He's always been like this."

"Yeah, but..." Crona held back a sniffle as he detached from the hug. "I.. I don't want him upsetting you."

Maka simply sighed again. Her father upsetting her was nothing new, he had done that her whole life. With age, she had learned to emotionally defend herself by becoming somewhat detached from him. She was still hurt, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be when she was a child.

"It's okay, let's just go in the other room," Maka took both of them by the hand, and led them into a side room, where they sat together and talked about what had occurred.


The rest of the day improved slightly. Spirit eventually calmed down, and was able to talk to both Maka and Soul about how excited he was and how he would support them no matter what happened. Professor Stein and Miss Marie also congratulated them, and offered their help in any shape or form. They were all able to sit back on the couches and talk, this time without arguing, and their discussions about the pregnancy led them into the early evening. At one point, Stein even offered up giving Maka an ultrasound. Maka agreed but at a later time. The evening was ending on a good note, but this didn't change that it began on a bad note, and Maka felt uncomfortable for at least half of the time. She felt that getting her first ultrasound that night would have been too awkward, plus she wasn't too keen on Spirit being there for it anyway.

Thus the night ended far better than it started. Maka, Soul and Crona all said their farewells by sunset, and started their walks back home. Maka walked between the two, holding each of their hands as the three of them talked. They chattered the whole way, letting the stress of the day drift away, and only hopeful thoughts of future plans linger.