"How has she been?" Spirit sighed, shuffling in place awkwardly by the front door of Stein's lab.

It was no secret that being there alone made him uncomfortable. Stein could see the urge for him to run away even from a distance, yet he was forcing himself to stay for Jennette's sake. He'd come to check on them both; to make sure they weren't cutting each other open.

"She's…difficult. At times. Getting her to eat something is nearly impossible. If it weren't for a fork I might have lost a finger by now," Stein sighed retrieving his cigarettes from his pocket. It had taken exactly seven washes to clean the coat of her blood.

"Biting now, huh? I guess she's really gone off the deep end."

"It would seem so."

"And how are you, Stein? Are you still able to keep a handle on yourself?"

"So far so good. It's not as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I suppose that having to focus on helping her has giving me something to think about aside for the madness trying to creep in."

Spirit nodded lightly as his eyes darting toward the door next to his desk. He knew that if he didn't see her at least once before he left that there was no way he could just take his word for it that Jennette was fine. He was insane too and just him saying she was fine wasn't good enough. He had to have proof.

"You want to see her? I've removed anything from the room that she can throw. I've had to chain her restraints to the bed to keep her from trying to crush herself under the bed frame. That was a pleasant morning…"

Stein was up out of his chair in an instant, vanishing through the door to his left without even waiting for Spirit to answer him. He could hear the Death-Scythe's steps behind him close enough to know that he was following at just enough distance to make a run for it if things started to get weird. Stopping in front of Jennette's room, he took a deep breath before he turned the handle, pushing it open to step into the room. It was still difficult for him to look at her. Bloodshot eyes and matted hair. It had only been two days since her incident at the Academy but somehow he thought she looked thinner than before. Maybe it was just the way that large white shirt he had forced on her didn't adhere to her curves like her real clothing. She looked like a shadow of herself. A dark shadow, like the grayish circles under her eyes, a shadow that he had created.

"Evening, Jennette. You have a visitor," Stein mumbled refusing to let himself look at her directly. It hurt to much.

Spirit poked his head into the room and out of the corner of his vision he could see the cruel grin that spread across her face. Someone new to torment, she certainly liked this turn of events. She had quickly learned that taunting him did nothing in the face of her appearance. Knowing that he had caused this to happen to her was more hurtful than anything she could ever say about him.

"Hey there, Jen. How are you doing?" Spirit wheezed stepping into the room once he saw that she couldn't reach him in anyway.

"Spirit…there you are. I was wondering when that lazy good for nothing God was going to send around his henchmen to collect information. Come to see if I'm still crazy, have you? Shouldn't you be paying more attention to that little daughter of yours than me? Or did she shun you again?" Jennette cackled, her voice a hallow shell of the bright vibrant tone it had once been.

"Maka is doing perfectly fine. She's worried about you, honestly. So is Crona. I'm sure you miss them, somewhere in there."

"Miss them?" she laughed, mockingly, shifting against her restraints. "Miss those lunatics? You wanna talk about people with real problems, most of them go to that Academy. There's another one standing behind you. Let's see, we can sum it all up with a single word : Parents. Maka has 'daddy' issues, Crona has 'mommy' issues. Emily doesn't have a mom so she's turning into a lesbian and Evan has been so coddled by his mother that he's a huge pussy."

Spirit didn't respond, which honestly surprised Stein. He was sure that the Maka bit would have effected him in some way. But then again, Spirit had to realize that she wasn't really there, it wasn't her talking.

"And lets see, what is Stein's problem? I bet he doesn't have any parents. You were born in a lab, weren't you, Steiny? Is that why you are the way you are, no mommy or daddy to give you gold stars on your animal dissections?" she giggled, lurching so violently against her restraints that he was sure she shifted the bed.

"And that's pretty much the extent of it. When she's not trying to find some way to undress me with her feet. Honestly, I didn't realize she had that much control with her toes. Managed to unbuckle my belt the other day," Stein sighed, hearing enough of her hallow voice for one day.

"I see. And there's been no getting through to her, nothing at all?" Spirit mumbled still staring over at her.

"When she starts to fall asleep, that's when I can talk to her the most and get some kind of response that actually resembles Jennette. Though, she only takes brief naps before she's awake and yelling again."

Stein stepped back out into the hall, unable to take her staring at him anymore with that grin. It reminded him so much of Medusa that he was afraid he was going to start hating her in some way. When Spirit realized that he was no longer in the room he followed him out into the hallway, pulling the door closed.

"This has to be hard for you. I wish there was some way for me to help, but I don't think I could put up with her when she's like this. I was thinking about calling in…Vincent," Spirit whispered, as if she could somehow hear through walls now.

"Her Weapon? Do you think it would be best for him to see her this way?"

"They had a connection, Stein. They still do. She's like a sister to him, it doesn't matter that their not related. He has a right to know what's happening to her."

Stein nodded slowly, maybe it would be a good idea. Maybe Vincent would be able to reach her in a way he couldn't. Reach out to her through the connection that they had once shared to bring her back around. Never mind the fact that he would certainly be angry that Stein had let this happen to her, he was sure he'd probably throw a few punches. With the risk of losing Jennette forever, he could have punched himself in the face if it would somehow make it better.

"Look, I'll be back in a couple of days to check on you two. If you need anything, please contact Lord Death immediately. I'm on permanent stay at the Academy, so if you need me, I'm there," Spirit demanded, gripping Stein's shoulder tightly.

"I will. Though I doubt there's going to be much change in the near future. If anything, she seems to be getting worse."

"If anyone can help her, it's going to be you Stein. You know more about the madness than anyone else…"

As he watched Spirit leave, part of him dreaded going back to being alone with her. The sadness and helplessness of being so close and unable to help her was starting to wear on him. He was going to have to try to get her to eat again and he knew exactly how that was going to turn out. Starting off with a simple glass of water and a few slices of bread he made his way back into her room, hating the fact that he had to look her in the eyes.

"Gone home already? Some friend he is, can't even stay to help you try and force feed me," Jennette scoffed as he inched closer to the bed.

"You have to eat something or I'll eventually have to hook you up to an IV."

"You would like that, wouldn't you? Sticking me with something. It's about the only thing you'd enjoy sticking me with."

"I think that it might be the other way around, I'm afraid. You would enjoy me putting an IV in just to have the contact with me. So why don't you just behave and eat something. I have to touch you for that too."

"Would it make you happy if I ate something, Franken?"

It was one of the rare occasions when she somehow managed to make her voice sound normal. So normal that it made his heart constrict in hope that he might have found a way through to her. But the look in her eyes told him that she was still as far away as ever.

"It's not as if it brings me pleasure for you to eat something. You need to eat to live. As a Doctor, I am obligated to-"

"Don't give me that obligated bullshit. You don't want to cut me open and you don't want to fuck me. What do you want to do with me Stein? You have me here all to yourself, all tied up, and yet you keep you distance. You are the most infuriating man I have ever met."

"I want you to be well, Jennette. That's all. I want you to get well."

He held out the bread to her at arms length but it was obvious she wasn't going to eat. But he refused to back down, if it took all night, he was going to stand right there until she ate something. He didn't care if he had to shove it down her throat while she was half asleep, she was going to eat. He would wait for hours if that was what it was going to take to get a chance to get some kind of nutrition in her. He knew that if he hooked up an IV she would just find some way to rip it out. It all came down to who had more willpower and somehow he was afraid the madness was going to win.

Beakers were not made for coffee. Lab equipment wasn't a proper substitute for kitchen utensils. Walls didn't need stitches! Vincent had to work very hard to ignore the many things that had stood out as off-putting from the moment he'd stepped into the one place he swore he would never go. He wouldn't be there if Spirit hadn't been adamant about Jen's condition. She was ill and needed all the help she could get. Though he still did see why the Death-Scythe couldn't have gone with him to the mad scientist's lab.

"I'm sure it's not what you're used to," Stein muttered pulling Vincent out of his thoughts.

"I'm sorry? I'm too busy checking for razor blades in my beaker to hear the words you're saying…" he mumbled swirling the coffee around in the beaker still frowning at it.

"I can understand the reluctance to be here, but I'm sure Spirit explained what happened?"

"Yeah, he did. In some detail too. My Meister-"

"Ex-Meister."

"Right, my Ex-Meister, came to help you cope with your madness even though you shunned her throughout her teenage years. Then you attack her causing possible internal damage, then she starts going insane from the very same Kishin that you and your Ex-Weapon failed to prevent a witch from reawakening. That about all? Oh of course there's the part where she mutilated herself to prove a point to you…"

"More or less."

"And now you think that I can somehow help? You meant more to her than anyone else in the world even if she never admitted it. She's always loved you most. If you can't get to her, what makes you think that I can?"

"Spirit and I just thought it would be fair to inform you on what was happening. Since the two of you were so close, we didn't think it was right to keep it from you."

Vincent nodded taking a swig of the coffee that had been offered to him, no matter how unconventional the container was. He could see the moment that Stein opened the door to let him in that someone was troubling the Meister. Not like the deranged looks he was use to seeing, he was actually in pain. It was a little more than obvious that the entire situation with Jen was eating away at him and it made him feel slightly bad for the man. Sure he'd been creepy as hell in school, but he couldn't recall him ever doing anything that warranted this kind of torture.

"Can I see her?" he asked sitting the cup down on the desk, his eyes scanning the mountain of books stacked up next to the monitor.

"Certainly. I warn you though, she's developed a bit of a temper."

"Developed? You've never really seen her fight, have you? She's always had a temper. I guess with you she could never be angry in the face of the adoration that blinded her."

Stein shook his head lightly, leading Vincent farther into the dark lab. He would never be able to understand who could live in a place like this, so void of color and light. But then again, Stein had never seemed like a very expressive person. When he stopped in front of a bland looking door, pushing it open he went to take a step in and Vincent grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him.

"Can I see her alone?" he asked, watching carefully as Stein looked down at his hand like he had attacked him.

"Sure. I don't see why not. Keep your distance though, she'll bite you," he said with a shrug, stepping out from under Vincent's hand back into the hallway.

"She wont hurt me."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

He waved his hand at him before he started back off down the hallway they way they'd came. Being alone in Stein's lab wasn't something that would ever feel safe, but he would brave it to see Jen. Taking a deep breath he stepped into the room, searching the surprisingly barren surroundings for his dearest friend. He was met with a pair of teary hazel eyes, a tired looking smile, and the sound of chains clinking.

"Vincent! You came for me! Thank Death, you have to help me!" she gasped, her voice sounding just as tired as she looked.

"Jen… I'm here for you, tell me what I can do to help," he gulped, taking a small step closer to the bed.

It was obvious that he had her chained to the bed frame, the mattress didn't even have a sheet on it, and the white shirt that she wore covering her down to her knees was several sizes too large. It looked like he was holding her prisoner, he didn't understand how this was suppose to help her in any way. Seeing her in such a state made his chest ache, she just looked ill, not insane.

"You have to help me get away from him, Vincent, please! He keeps me chained up here, I don't even know what day it is. I can't sleep because I'm afraid if I do he's going to cut me open. Please, save me…" she sobbed, hanging her head

"And you didn't do that to your arm?" he hedged still inching closer as he indicated to the bandages covering her left forearm.

"No! It was him, he tried to make it look like it was me. Vincent, you know me, I would never do this kind of thing to myself. Please, believe me…"

"Spirit tells me that you went insane. That this is the Kishin's fault. Jen, you're ill."

"No, he's going to torture me in here! He's manipulating them all, he just wants to experiment on me. I was foolish to think he would ever see me as anything more."

All of the warnings Spirit and Stein had given him were useless in her presence, all he could do was sink onto the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her bound arms. She was his Meister, his best friend.

"We'll find a better way to help you than this. I'll see if Lord Death will allow me to keep you at your apartment. Anything has to be better than being in this prison cell. I think you just need-"

His voice cut off in a strangled gasp as a sharp pain bloomed over his shoulder. He jerked back away from her quickly, gripping the place where she had bitten him, blood shining on her lips. She was smiling at him, cruel and empty. This wasn't Jen in any way.

"Ha-ha! You're so gullible. Oh, please Vincent, help me. He's so mean to me," she cackled.

"You, bit me? Who the hell bites someone?" he snapped sliding off of the bed.

"Didn't he warn you before you came in here? Or maybe he just wanted to see you suffer as much as he's suffering."

"All right, I get it. You're not yourself right now."

"Oh, did you figure that one out all on your own? So smart…"

He nodded lightly, still gripping his throbbing shoulder as he slowly backed out of the room. Her cackles were a little unnerving. If the madness did something like this to his generally docile Jen, he couldn't imagine what Stein would have been like if he'd ever fallen into the madness completely. If Jen hadn't come to help him, there was no telling how many people would have died under his blade.

"You didn't listen, did you?" Stein sighed as he marched back into the main room of the lab gripping his shoulder.

"Maybe not? I didn't think she would actually bite me!"

"What part of, keep your distance she'll bite you, was difficult to understand? Let's have a look at it," he mumbled pulling what looked like a bandage from his desk drawer and a bottle of clear liquid.

"What? Have you take a look at it? I don't think so. I'll go to the Academy and have Naigus take a look at it. Her I trust."

"Suit yourself. Don't complain if it get's infected…"

"Infected? She's not a rabid animal! It's not like a need a rabies shot…" he snapped glaring down at Stein who's face hadn't changed from his normal blank expression. "Do I?"

"No, you don't. Still it would be best to clean the wound as soon as possible. I can't even get her to eat, let alone brush her teeth."

Groaning, Vincent pulled the shoulder of his shirt away from his neck making the bite mark easily visible. He could see the perfect outline of her teeth engraved in his flesh. Stein worked quickly pouring a large amount of the clear liquid onto a clean patch of gauze, the smell of rubbing alcohol instantly burning Vincent's nose. The second he wiped the gauze over the wound Vincent hissed lightly but didn't budge while Stein cleaned the blood away. The moment the alcohol was dry he nearly slapped the bandage over the marks with a small smile.

"Would you like a sucker too? Maybe a sticker?" he chuckled tossing the bloody gauze into the trashcan next to his desk.

"Laugh it up. I bet you love freaking people out just as much as you love cutting them open."

"It has a certain novelty to it, I have to admit. The look on your face was priceless."

Scowling, Vincent took the opportunity of Stein cleaning up his desk of his first aid supplies to steal his trademark computer chair, sitting on it backward, leaning over the backrest despite the pain it caused in his shoulder.

"So we obviously need to find a way to get through to her," he muttered spinning around in a circle slowly.

"If you have any ideas, I'm open to suggestions. Talking to her rationally doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere. She just turns it into mockery."

"Suggestions? Why not go in after her?"

Stein turned to stare at him, eyebrows pressed together in confusion. It was one of the few times that he'd seen a different look aside from his normal deadpan expression.

"What do you mean, go in after her? Into her soul?" he asked, twisting the bolt in his head making Vincent cringe. It just wasn't natural.

"Yeah, she's got to be in there somewhere. If we can reason with her like she is now, we have to get right to the heart of the problem, so to speak. Our Jen is in there somewhere…"

"Going into her soul would subject whoever makes the journey to the madness. They could both be lost if something were to go wrong."

"You're used to the madness though, aren't you? You've lived your entire life with it. You could navigate the insanity and find her."

He watched as Stein's eyes darted toward the door that lead down the hallway to her room. He could see the fear so clearly that it was a little daunting. Stein, afraid. He was sure there had been a time in his life where he was certain Stein could never be afraid of anything. Yet when it came to Jen, he seemed to be having trouble hiding what he really felt.

"She would do it for you. In a heartbeat," Vincent sighed, rolling his sore shoulder, trying to work out some of the pain.

"I know she would, but I'm not so sure I'm that strong…"