Huh. Normally I update so fast on the weekends. But hey, better late than never! Sorry, I'm working on getting some cosplay stuff and helping others for an upcoming convention (I'm going to be Blair ^^). So my bad if you guys were hoping for a multiple update weekend. Hopefully this chapter makes up for that with how awesome (maybe?) it is! Here you go!

Chapter 14

The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted throughout the house, so tantalizing that it caused Stein to wake up from his peaceful slumber. To his surprise, he was alone in bed. At first he thought he imagined that Evar had joined him, but he noticed that the other pillow had a small dent in it from where her head had been resting.

He climbed out of bed and threw a shirt on, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he made his way to the kitchen.

"What's taking so long?" Ragnarok whined, "I'm starving!"

Stein walked in just as Crona started apologizing for his partner's behavior, Evar simply humming to herself as she began to set a plate of food. She looked over at Stein and smiled.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she said teasingly, "Normally you're the first one up; what's that about?"

"Beats me," Stein muttered.

Evar shrugged and set the plate in front of Crona, who gave her a weak smile. Ragnarok instantly started going at the plate, Crona fighting to get some food in his mouth.

"Share, Ragnarok," Evar scolded as she poured a cup of coffee, "I can always make more."

She handed the coffee to Stein, who drank it thankfully. He wasn't used to sleeping in so late; he needed to wake up.

"Hurry up," she warned, "We need to be at the academy soon."

Stein then realized that Evar was already dressed and ready to go. How long had he slept in? This wasn't like him.

Ragnarok retreated into Crona's spine, complaining about cold food or something like that. Evar went over to take the now empty plate and put it in the sink.

"It was delicious," Crona said, "Thanks, Mom!"

Stein raised his brows as Evar looked back over her shoulder surprised. Crona's hands had flown over his mouth in embarrassment and his face had become rather pink. He hadn't meant to call Evar his mother! It just slipped!

After a moment of silence, Evar managed to respond.

"You're welcome, Crona," she said in an unusually weak voice, "And… just make sure you don't call me that at school, okay? Over there I'm your teacher, not your mom."

"O-o-okay…" Crona stammered.

He looked rather heartbroken for a moment, but was caught off guard when Evar came over to wrap her arms around him.

"But you can call me mom here as much as you want," she murmured, "I'm honored that you think of me like that."

The boy gulped nervously. Evar had always been so nice to him and he really did see her as a motherly figure. But there was Lady Medusa…

"I'm gonna get ready," he said quickly.

Before Evar could protest, he'd darted off to his room, seeming strangely nervous, even for him.

"Funny," Stein said, "I never saw you as the motherly type."

"Me either," she mumbled, "But it would be nice to have kids… don't you think?"

Again, Stein was caught off guard. Not once in his entire life had he ever thought about being a father. All that had ever really mattered to him was observation and experimentation. Raising a kid didn't fit that kind of a lifestyle.

"Possibly," he said, "I don't know if I ever would."

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm not the kind of person who understands love. Surely you've noticed that by now."

Evar sweat-dropped at the remark. Of course she'd noticed that. The memory of their kiss always popped into her mind whenever she looked at him, reminding her that there was no hope for the two of them.

"Well, the dance is tonight," she pointed out, "Maybe you'll find the love of your life."

"But I'm going with you."

She sweat-dropped again. For someone so smart, he could really be dumb sometimes.

He took a drink of coffee as she went over to do the dishes.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

At that moment, Evar was grateful her back was turned to him due to the fact that her cheeks had flushed at the question. The truth was that she slept better than she had in a long time and that she felt so safe and warm in his arms. But obviously she couldn't say that to him.

"Yes," she muttered.

"That's good. I was worried that you'd have a nightmare again. You seemed quite peaceful though… But you must have been quite tired because for a while you used my chest as a pillow."

There was a clank as the plate fell into the sink, Evar's face getting even brighter.

Oh my God, I actually did that? How embarrassing!

"If that ever happens again," he continued, "The nightmare or something, don't hesitate to come back in. Sleeping with me seemed to help calm you down."

Stein, you're trying to embarrass me, aren't you? Damn it!

"Whatever," she grumbled, "Just go get ready."

"Why are we meeting at Professor Stein's house again?" Black*Star asked in irritation.

Maka smacked him upside the head, but not as hard as she normally did. She didn't want to ruin his suit since he never actually dressed up like this.

"We're going because this is where Crona is," she said, "And so are Miss Elektra and the professor. We have to make sure they're getting together like we planned."

"This is so lame," Soul muttered.

Maka just squeezed his hand that she was holding, making him wince only slightly.

"Come on, guys," Tsubaki chimed, "This is going to be fun!"

"Yeah!" Patty cried, "Now come on! I don't want to be late for Crona!"

She grabbed Liz's free hand, since the other was holding Kid's and began to sprint forward, dragging both her sister and Meister along with her. Maka and Tsubaki sweat-dropped as they hear Kid and Liz yelling in protest.

"We should hurry after them," Maka sighed, "Who knows what Patty will do when she's so determined like that."

By the time they had gotten to the house, Patty was squeezing Crona as Kid and Liz were attempting to catch their breath.

"Hi, guys!" Crona gasped

"Patty, don't wrinkle his tux," Liz warned.

"Oh!" Patty squeaked as she let the boy go, "My bad!"

Crona just smiled at her. He'd been really nervous about asking her in the first place, but after all the guys had told him to go for it, he'd somehow managed to work up the courage. He was surprised that she accepted, but now that he had, she seemed to show her affection for him a lot more.

"Hey, kids," a voice said.

They all turned and saw Stein coming over to join them. He was wearing a white tux with stitches, though he seemed to have ditched the lab coat for this occasion.

"Hi, Professor," they all said in unison.

Maka noticed that all the men were wearing different colored tuxes: Stein's was white, Crona had on a gray one, Kid's was brown, Black*Star had gone with blue and Soul stuck with black. They really weren't alike at all, not even in how they dressed.

"Where's Miss Elektra?" Tsubaki asked curiously.

"Getting ready," Stein answered, "She's pretty slow."

"I heard that!" an annoyed voice called.

Evar then came into view, hopping forward as she tried to put one of her heels on. If Maka hadn't been standing there, Soul probably would have had a nosebleed. The dress fit her perfectly and with her bent forward like that, there was a clear view of what was underneath it. She quickly noticed this and stood up just as her shoe slid on.

"Don't you all look cute!" she said smiling, "Let me get some pictures, okay?"

There was a unanimous groan from the teens, but Evar ignored them and pulled out a camera and beckoned them to get close. She took a picture with all eight, and then several with just each couple or two.

As she was about to put it away, Black*Star snatched it from her.

"Your turn!" he declared, "Get over there with the professor!"

Stein, who had been taking the opportunity to smoke, looked over with a raised brow. Evar shook her head and attempted to take the camera back.

"That's fine, Black*Star," she said trying to hold back her annoyance, "We don't need one."

"Come on, Miss Elektra!" Patty pleaded, "We did, so you do, too!"

"It's not very fair if you don't," Kid added.

"You're going to want to remember this, right?" Maka asked, "So come on!"

After a lot of arguing, the kids had managed to get their teachers to agree to take only a few pictures. They all sweat-dropped when the two adults just stood shoulder-to-shoulder.

"Wrap an arm around her," Soul instructed, "You have to at least look like you like each other."

Without protest, Stein wrapped an arm around Evar's waist and pulled her close, causing her to catch her breath. Mechanically, she wrapped her arm around his waist as well, not liking the looks the girls were giving her.

Black*Star took what seemed like hundreds of pictures, jumping around from angle to angle. Stein looked out of the corner of his eye at Evar, who seemed slightly irked with the situation.

"Alright, Black*Star," he said, "One more, and make it good."

With that, he brought Evar even closer and tilted his head a little so that it almost rested on hers, but was too tall to actually do so. Evar blinked in surprise, but tilted her head towards his as well, resting it on his shoulder. Both smiled just as Black*Star let the flash go one more time.

"Alright!" he cried, "Now let's get this party started!"

"Maka! Come dance with your papa!"

"Get away from me!"

Evar couldn't help but giggle at Death Scythe's behavior. It was fun to make fun of him, but it was even better when he was making a fool of himself.

She turned her head back and looked back out over the balcony. Despite the fun everyone was having inside, she'd felt like coming out here. It'd been too noisy and cramped for her liking. Besides, Stein didn't really to have any sort of an interest in her, so it wasn't like there was anything to do. He was too busy talking to Lord Death.

"I never got the chance to tell you that you look nice tonight."

Evar whirled around, surprised to see Stein standing there, his hands in his pockets.

"Oh," she breathed as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear, "Thanks. So do you."

He looked down at himself, unimpressed. It wasn't like he was dressed very special.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked as he walked over to join her.

"It was cramped in there," she sighed, "And mostly filled with teenagers… plus you were busy, so I just thought I'd stay out here."

"Why does it matter what I was doing?"

"Well it is Valentine's Day, so I'm supposed to be with my date."

He made a small sound of surprise and caused her to look at him.

"What?" she asked.

"I've never been on a date," he muttered, "I'm surprised you referred to me as your date, that's all."

"Well, you are. You did ask me."

"I couldn't let Spirit ask you."

"Why not?"

He looked at her as if she'd just asked the most pointless question ever.

"He's not right for you," he replied.

"Oh?" she inquired, "And how do you know what is right for me?"

"I don't. I just know that Spirit isn't right for anyone really."

"You can't be positive."

"Do you wanna dance?"

Evar was caught off guard. She'd been prying, trying to get him to express his feelings, and now he'd turned the tables on her. Damn, Stein.

"Fine," she mumbled.

Not long after, the two were dancing, staying in the corner to avoid the eyes of the teens and other staff.

Since it was a couple's dance, practically every song was slow, limiting Evar to how much she could space herself from him. Despite the fact that she wanted him to explain his feelings, she wasn't sure what hers were to begin with.

He just kept bringing her closer, not even really meaning to. It was just easier to dance that way. Eventually it got to the point where her head was on his chest and his arms were completely wrapped around her waist. Her hands were shaking against his neck, though she hoped he didn't notice.

"I guess you're right."

Evar looked up at the sound of Stein's voice.

"About what?" she asked.

"I don't know your type," he replied, "So I really didn't have any right to ask you just to keep Spirit from doing it."

"It's fine. Don't tell anyone, but I'm actually enjoying myself."

He smiled faintly at her taunting.

"So am I," he mumbled, "Not bad for a first date."

"Date?" she squeaked.

"If I'm your date," he explained, "Then this has to be a date, doesn't it?"

"Well… I guess so."

"You sound upset at that."

"No, I'm not! Don't jump to conclusions now, Stein. I just told you I'm enjoying myself after all."

"Why are you so nervous? I'm only scary when I want to be."

She reddened and pressed her face against his chest again in hopes of being unseen.

"I need to use the restroom," she breathed.

With that, she ripped away from him and darted out of the room. Why had she freaked out like that? She'd known it was a date the whole time! But to hear him say it… why did that confuse her so much?

As she walked down the hallway, she caught a blur of… something. It was small and moving quickly along the floor. No, not moving. Slithering.

"You!" she gasped.

The snake made a hissing sound and began to slither off again, quicker than Evar thought possible. She ran after it, determined not to let it get away this time. But it wouldn't allow her to catch up. It kept going and going, until it finally went out onto one of the balconies. Evar rounded the corner to follow it, but was caught off guard when she realized the snake had transformed into a woman.

She was sitting on the railing, a devilish smirk on her lips. She wore a black one-piece outfit, with white arrows over it. Each of her arms had what looked like a snake tattoo wrapped around the entire length. Her hair came down and tied in a braid in front of her, resting between her breasts.

"Hello, Evar," she hissed, "How nice to meet you at long last."

"How do you know my name?" Evar demanded.

"I have my ways. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. At least not right now."

She stood up on the railing, Evar gritting her teeth. This was a witch; it had to be. And it was probably the one making her and Stein see the snakes considering her tattoos.

Evar blinked for only a hair of a second, but when her eyes opened the woman had disappeared and in her place was her sister, who looked to be only seven years old.

"Sister," she murmured in Kage's voice, "It's me. Won't you come play with me?"

It felt as though Evar's nerves had been frozen. She couldn't move. It was her baby sister, her baby sister wanting to play with her. She moved closer, reaching for her outstretched hand.

Kage floated backwards slightly, hovering in the air. Evar didn't question it; she just wanted to be with her sister again.

"Please come here," Kage said sweetly, "Please, big sister."

Evar climbed up on the railing as if in a trance, completely fixated on her sister. She was going to accept her at last. After all these years she could finally have her sister back. Her arm reached farther, straining to take hold of her sister's. But she kept floating back just slightly, probably by accident Evar presumed. She brought one of her feet off the railing and extended it forward to take a step.

"Evar!"

The woman caught her breath at the new voice, her body stiffening in shock. Her sister's face contorted into a look of disgust, terrifying Evar. A snake poked out of the little girl's mouth, making Evar scream in horror. She lost her balance, the shoe on her free foot falling off over the railing's edge.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back onto the balcony. Her knees went weak and she crumbled against Stein, clinging to him tightly as tears began to stream down her face.

"What were you doing?" he demanded in an unusually serious voice.

She just kept clinging to his suit, her nails digging in deeply.

"Evar!" he snapped.

"M-m-my s-sister," she whimpered, "I-I-I j-just w-w-w-wanted her t-to love m-me again…"

Stein looked at her confused. He didn't even know she had a sister… was she going mad? If so, she seemed to be pretty shaken up about it.

He tightened his arms and pressed her close, resting his face on top of her head.

"You're okay now," he mumbled, "Don't… don't scare me like that again."

It was then that Evar realized that she wasn't the only one who was shaking. But why? He hadn't been in any danger. There was nothing for him to be afraid of. In reality there was. Seeing Evar like that had reminded Stein of when he'd dreamt of Marie in the same position, though he hadn't been able to save her. He didn't want that to happen for real.

"Don't scare me like that…"

Black*Star: This dance is awesome!

Soul: I know! But where'd the professor and Miss Elektra go? I hope they're okay.

Black*Star: I'm sure they're fine! Besides, the spotlight should be on me not them!

Soul: Right...

So, yeah, there you go. At first this wasn't going to be an intense chapter, but then I threw that ending in. Gosh, such a mixture of emotions! It's a roller coaster! Is that two words or one? Grr... Well, please review! Means a lot! Bye for now!