You survived it, reader, but you know nothing is ever over with me. I did try to keep this more realistic since you imagine both of them would be super inexperienced. It'll be fun to have them teach each other as we moved along! **sexual content ahead**

When Maka woke up she could tell Soul was still fully conscious, his fingers absently drifting over her hair in the motion he'd continued since he'd woken her from the nightmare. There was light in the windows and she couldn't imagine how many hours he'd spent just laying there comforting her. I can't do this. I can't. She sighed as she felt the tears prick her eyes again.

"You awake?" he murmured as if he could feel her entire existence and that just urged on the tears.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Soul dug his hand into her hair this time, tangling his fingers in the tresses at the base of her neck. "You had a bad night, nothing to be sorry about."

"No, I-"

The door opened quickly and Liz slammed it behind her before smacking a hand over her eyes. "I'm sorry, but we have to talk, now."

Maka eased off of him and Soul sat up. "What is it?"

Liz slowly let the hand drift from her face, revealing a frown. "Medusa was in the kitchen early this morning. Patty was listening to her talk to the girls about Maka's food, pretending to advise them on nutrition. When they showed her this morning's meal, Tsubaki watched her add a potion. Don't worry, Tsubaki made a new batch but it means she's on the move."

"Damn it," Soul cursed.

"Did you save some of what she poisoned?" Maka sighed as she rolled onto her back, staring at the canopy of the bed as the ideas raced through her head.

"I'm sorry, Maka, I didn't think of that."

"Don't be sorry," Maka smiled even if it wasn't for Liz to see. "Just, next time, since there will be a next time, save some so we can test it. She'll wait a week and try again, but ask them both to be vigilant. You all did an excellent job. Thank you."

Liz sighed, "Are you sure? Maybe you'd like it if-"

"No, really," Maka cut her off. "It's fine. Thank you again."

That didn't seem to placate her anymore but Liz turned back to the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes to dress you."

Soul cleared his throat, "Liz, make sure no one comes in here until I tell you. No one."

Liz raised her eyebrows but nodded slowly. "Yes, my prince." She was out the door incredibly fast as Soul stared down the space she'd left behind.

"What is it?" Maka murmured.

"We have to be serious about this, Maka." He angled his body back to her, hovering over her in the bed as he planted a hand above her shoulder. "If she's trying already that means we…" he sighed and let his eyes wander from her face to look at her hair spread across the pillow.

"We wasted time and now we have to start trying for an heir," she finished for him. "I know. But what you said, what you want-"

"That's not part of this discussion," he snapped. "My fucking hurt feelings don't even equate to your life. I… You dying, Maka…"

"It's not an easy thought, is it?" She murmured and his eyes shot back to her in surprise. "Will you take out your journal from under the mattress?"

"My what?" he laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry, but I found it the first night. I probably shouldn't have read it, but I did." Maka slid his hand away from above her shoulder and he followed her lead, fiddling under the mattress until he'd retrieved the book.

His eyes were darting over her face and he swallowed hard. "You read all of it?" He let the pages hang between them but even as she put her hand on them he didn't let go.

"Everything you'd written before the wedding." He barely relinquished it but as soon as it was in Maka's hands she was flipping to the end, the horrible line that had resounded through her head. "I'd die to keep her safe," Maka repeated out loud as she rested the book between them on her chest, the page open for him to read.

Soul's stare flicked between her and the page. "I was upset, Maka. I wrote that, but really I just-"

"But you won't deny that's how you still feel, will you?" Maka offered to him calmly.

He sighed, his eyes unsteadily settling on the page. "I would do anything to protect you. If that meant me dying, then, well…"

Maka let the forlorn groan break her lips as she pressed a hand to her face. "You did that once already!"

"I… I know, I remember," he murmured as the hand fluttered from her face to show wide eyes. "Last night, I guess you let me see the nightmare, but I remember the boy. I remember that you begged me."

"And that I told you then that I loved you?" Maka's lips curled and trembled in misery. "That's what the reward for love was, Soul. That's all I'd won for being in love and letting you love me. I promised myself that was the end because after losing you, I couldn't imagine doing that again."

Soul shook his head as his eyes narrowed, "But you didn't. I didn't die and even if I don't have a memory of it, I'm going to go ahead and say that's probably because you did love me. And worse, I think you're forgetting something even more important."

"What?"

"I've got you to protect me," he laughed softly. "You're not weak, breakable. For the most part, you take care of yourself. I never plan on dying and I'm pretty sure at this point it's near impossible, but that promise just really means that I'm going to do everything I can for you. So, stop seeing it as I'm planning on throwing my life away and see it for what it is, just another way of me saying I love you."

Maka pressed her hand to his chest, the tangled white scar peeking through her fingers. "And if I said the same thing to you, that I would die for you?"

"I would believe you," he let another laugh tumble from his lips. "And I wouldn't worry, because you're strong and I think you could be even stronger if you just let this go. What happened that day happened because it was going to, not as some crazy punishment for being in love."

Her fingers hesitated, crinkling against his skin, "If I… try to do that, can you promise me something?"

Soul nodded as he closed the book, slipping it to the side.

"I know I… sometimes I act rash. Most of my steps to get here have felt like gut reactions I made on the fly so will you… be my partner, help me make better choices? There's no way you don't think things through and I… need you."

"If you can promise me something," he murmured as he turned and eased on top of her, a pressure that she welcomed with her hands touching at his side.

"What is it?"

"That you talk to me," he sighed out long and slowly as his hand came to rest on her cheek. "Secrets don't work, not for us."

Maka nodded quickly. "I promise."

"Then I promise," he grinned.

She let out an aching breath, "Then kiss me because I missed you and I love you."

His only answer was a chuckle before he pressed his lips to hers, jumping in his need from those chaste presses to slipping his tongue into her mouth, stealing the sweetness and breath straight from her. There was no need to think of the advice or guidance because none of it came to mind, all of his movements spurred purely by the closeness to her. As he struggled with the ties of her dressing gown at the side Maka was busy digging her hands into his hair, encouraging those needy kisses that stole her breath away even more than their first.

Soul freed one side and slid his hand under the fabric, treasuring the softness of her skin under his fingertips. Nervous hesitation was nowhere in his mind and as his palm met the swell of her breast he grasped it, massaging into her as her moan broke their kiss. "Again," she urged as she locked her legs around him. Soul happily complied and was rewarded with a grind of her hips, creating friction that he was helpless against. "Your pants," she murmured as she began to tug at them.

"Already?" he groaned out against her neck as she managed to slip them off his ass, catching on his erection that was tightly pressed between them.

"This one has to be quick," she huffed as he took the opportunity to experiment with nibbling on her neck. "But tonight, tonight we'll spend more time on all the rest."

"Tonight?" Soul was battling with her order, technically wanting to take it slow, to find out what her body was like but knowing that time wasn't exactly on his side. "Fuck, you better mean that," he grumbled as he wrestled with his pants, getting them awkwardly to his ankles as he tried to keep up with littering kisses on her neck.

Maka laughed softly, "I swear. I'm just pretty sure we're late to see your mother at breakfast and the last thing I want is for her to come and find out why."

"Please don't bring her up right now," Soul growled while caressing her breast again, trying to produce another sweet sound from her to bring him away from reality.

"Then come here and keep me quiet." Her hand moved to his cheek, bringing him back to her mouth. Soul sighed against her lips as her hand drifted down his chest and then to his belly button, playing just below as the muscles fluttered in response. He answered her playfulness with a searing kiss that only just kept the groan from urging from his lips as she took hold of him.

"Maka," he grunted as she stroked his length.

"Yes?" She had released him just to pull aside her dressing gown that was still only half untied. Maka could remember the ghost of the fear and anxiety, the idea of a man taking her but with another sweet caress of his lips, the last of it dissolved into nothing.

"I'm sorry." Soul slowed his motions, giving time to running a hand along her cheek and clearing the hair from her face to get a good glimpse of her sparkling eyes.

"I think that should be my line," Maka murmured as she stole a soft kiss.

That same old sweet worry was eating at his smile and produced the softest of sighs from his mouth. "If it hurts, or if…"

Maka hushed him quickly with another kiss as she took hold of him again and discovered the strange sensation of rubbing him against her opening. She had heard in whispers and through eavesdropping that this could be about more than making children, that a woman could enjoy this just as much as a man and there was a fleeting turn of that in her stomach as she used him to toy with herself. They parted with a desperate pant and Maka barely whispered out, "Just tell me you love me and promise that tonight…"

"Tonight will be anything but duty," he answered hungrily as his lips touched the curve of her jaw. Those kisses trailed along her neck and dissolved into nibbling on her earlobe. At the end of his journey, he whispered softly, "I love you."

Maka removed her hand, leaving him pressed firmly against her and Soul started the slow motion of his hips. There was a small, breathless moan from her mouth and he would have stopped if it hadn't been for her legs flexing around him, forcing him to reach his depth. That feeling from his dream came back to him, the idea of being complete, that even though it'd been five years instead of just an afternoon that he thought he'd have to wait, but he was hers, he'd told her and there was nothing left but to enjoy it.

One of her hands journeyed through his hair while the other urged the motion of his hips, fingers digging into the flesh of his hip with each thrust. It was easy to get lost in her, especially as everything else quieted in him. This closeness offered more than the touch of her hand had ever given him and if his mind had the ability to wonder about something other than the need for her skin he probably would have questioned if this was another display of her abilities. Then again, she had always had power over him and that moment made him surer than ever that she would for the rest of their lives.

The sensation wasn't alien to him, but the wave that was threatening to take him was like a tsunami rather than the regular seas of being alone. He brought his lips back to hers, toying with her tongue as the last bit of sense left him. Maka trapped his groan with her mouth as she tightened her legs around him. She had expected him to pull away but instead, Soul was kissing her deeply, his body relaxing on top of hers as his hand smoothed under her gown again, clutching at her breast with the same fervor as the first time. Even if this was supposed to be duty he made it feel anything but, refusing to part from her even after he had come down from the climax.

"Soul," Maka chided softly as he finally parted from her lips just to litter a few more kisses along her neck.

"One more minute," he grumbled as he tried to encourage her legs back around him by bringing his hand to her thigh.

Maka was giggling softly, letting her legs dangle around his back again as ordered by those needy fingers. "One more minute and then-"

It was the kerfuffle that was bleeding in from the hallway that froze the rest of that playful line in Maka's throat and just as she pressed her hands to his chest to get an inch of space between them the door exploded. "My Queen!" Liz was desperately starting after Soul's mother but it didn't make a difference to the woman on a mission.

"Why is it that I'm hearing you're threatening your father's counsel…" The Queen's words drifted off as Soul desperately pulled the sheet up, tucking it protectively over Maka.

"Mother," he hissed. A few stuttering words started from the Queen's lips before Soul sighed. "I assume this is what we get for being late for breakfast," he muttered as he did his best to keep Maka covered as he finally detached from her. Soul sat up and his mother developed the decency to turn her head. "I'm sorry," he muttered, "I was taking care of your first complaint from the other morning as you can see. Would you like to check these sheets before they're changed as well?"

Maka smothered a laugh into the pillow along with the start of a blush.

"Now is there something you desperately need or can my wife and I get dressed?" he snapped.

With a huff and a few squabbling complaints, the Queen turned quickly on her heels and brushed past Liz who was desperately holding in her own cackles of laughter.

"I told you no one," Soul shook a finger at Liz as he puddled the other end of the sheet at his groin.

"I tried to tell her," Liz waved her hands in innocence. "But I think this might have been worth it," tumbled easily off her lips with a smirk.

"Well the damn order still stands," Soul waved a hand at her. "Get the hell out."

"You think you'd be happy," Liz sang out as she spun back to the door.

"I told you," Maka barely tucked her face out of the pillow to grumble at him.

"I should have just taken my time if we were going to get caught either damn way," he sighed.

Maka propped up on her elbow, taking a moment to stare at him which seemed to both unnerve and amuse him at the same time. "What did you mean her 'first complaint?'"

Soul let out a frustrated huff of air, "That morning after the wedding she wanted to make sure…"

She hummed out thoughtfully, "Why does it matter? I would almost think it'd work to her advantage if there was no chance I'd produce an heir."

"Technically," Soul abandoned the sheet as he opted to instead crawl back into the bed with her, "you and I weren't officially married until just now."

"Oh," Maka wanted to take the moment seriously but felt it melting away as she rolled over to receive him. "No consummation meant another easy reason to get rid of me."

"I guess." Soul was practically back to the interrupted position, pressing his body against hers and soaking in her warmth. "No shot now. We're together. We're strong."

"And we're late," she teased again but her fingers betrayed her and ran through his hair, bringing his lips back to hers.