Mid-week update! And I can tease you that there is some cute Black Star stuff coming in the near future because why the hell not? This fic is just going to keep going forever, apparently.

For the first time, his fingers felt useless. Soul could run them through Maka's hair a million times, but it didn't abate her tears. Even with his soft whispers in her ear, she hadn't spoken a word, her lips buttoned tightly as she flexed her fingers into the sheets. When the small bead of blood started on her bottom lip with no sign of her teeth stopping their worrying, Soul slowed the stroke to grab into her locks, forcing her eyes back to his. "Maka, let it out."

Her eyebrows furrowed and released before she let a breath tremble across her lips. "I told them to come. I told Crona to come and they didn't have to. When I look back at it now there was no reason for them to come. I decided that on a whim, mad at my mother, and now they're dead." She shook her head as she saw his mouth start to open and one of her clutching hands moved to cover it. "What's worse is I should have just killed Medusa when I had the chance. I should have just done what I've always done and thrown caution to the wind and killed her as soon as I knew what she was. If I had done that, we wouldn't have had to have this stupid fight!"

He slipped his hand over top of hers, sliding it off so his voice could come low and scratchy, his tone still weak from Stein's hands. "Yeah, since you could have died right then. No marriage. No kids. And Crona would be crying about you right now."

Her eyes rolled desperately as she sucked in a breath, "Or I could have killed her and saved us all."

"There's a million could haves, Maka." Soul shook his head slowly as he eased his hands back through her hair. "And I bet you're not the only one thinking of them tonight. Stein's not enjoying the fact he's now at two attempts to strangle me and I don't think I've ever seen Black Star as pissed as he was after the dress had to save you."

She narrowed her eyes, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Yeah," he tried to chuckle but all it did was gurgle in his throat and he had to stop to clear it. "We all made mistakes, have been making mistakes since day one, and any one of them's the reason why Crona's not with us anymore. It's my fault just as much as it's yours."

"Stop," Maka huffed.

"Seriously," he urged. "When Crona walked into the hall I was sure something was wrong and what did I do? Nothing. There are a million things I could have done, and I did nothing."

Maka let her bottom lip tremble open but pulled it shut before rolling onto her side to press her face into his chest. "I want to go back," she murmured. "I want to go back to our very first kiss and stay there, ignore whatever sound and…"

"Crona died happy," Soul let the words rest against her ear softly. "You made them happy. We made them happy. That's something I know you wouldn't want to change, so no going back to the past, got it?" He nuzzled into her hair, planting his lips at her temple. It wasn't until her breathing slowed, no more sobbing hitches coming from her mouth before he started again, letting the fear that had wrapped around his heart leak from his lips. "Have you felt the babies move?"

She silently took his hand and moved it to the lower right side of her belly, Soul feeling his own breath come back as soon as a tiny something nudged at him through the skin. "They're fine."

Soul's fingers stroked along the swell, secretly in search of more movement, more reassurance. "And the bruise from where the knife broke? Does it hurt?"

"Just a bruise."

He sighed out the entirety of the moment, as long as the afternoon had felt to him before he let his lips linger over her skin again. "You were amazing today but you scared the shit out of me."

The compliment settled on her and she allowed a second of pride, half of a hum of pleasure coming from her mouth. "You did well today, too."

"Thanks," he laughed softly. "Watching your pregnant wife in danger is definitely a hell of a lot of motivation."

Maka managed a snort before she pulled her head from its hiding place, tired, puffy eyes blinking at him in the darkness that had started to creep into the room. "You feel alright?"

"Tired," he groaned. "Very fucking tired but… I think I've got one more thing to do today."

Her eyebrows lifted.

"Come on." It was followed by grumbling but he fumbled out of the bed, walking around to her side to help her up. He expected some kind of complaint but Maka was easily led towards the door and out into the hall. There were still servants bustling around and Soul weaved her through them, taking her in a familiar direction. It brought a smile to her face as he led her into the humid room that was already filled with the scent of jasmine.

The tub was steaming, tossed white petals breaking the tension of the water. Soul waved away the rest of the servants, leaving Maka smiling at him softly. "So you're helping me out of my dress?"

"I'm pretty good at it," he teased as his hands started the work of untying and pulling threads from eyelets to get her undressed. Once bare he helped her step into the tub, even being so careful as to brace her as she descended into the water.

"What are you going to do?" She looked up at him with eyes half-lidded in the pleasure of at least part of the tension washing away from her.

"Stay," Soul said with a sharp surety as he pulled a stool over to her side. He started to roll up his sleeves as she watched and as soon as he was no longer in danger of a wet shirt he grabbed a sponge and soaked it, trailing it softly over her shoulder and onto her back.

Maka's smile revived as she leaned forward, giving him more of a canvas to scrub. "You know, for a prince you're awful good at servant's work. Don't tell me you did this for Black Star as well?"

"Ha," Soul pronounced sharply as he used his free hand to flick water at her face.

She scrunched her nose and found the grin eating up her cheeks. "And you better be careful, I might expect this every time I fight."

He smirked as his shoulders rolled easily. "Don't mind it."

Maka hummed happily in reply, breathing deeply with each stroke of his hand. His other was still playing aimlessly at the water's edge and she grasped it, bringing it to her cheek to steal the warmth. "You're a good husband."

"It helps to have a good wife," he laughed.

"I don't know," she murmured. "Am I? I-"

"Stop that," he grumbled. "I said it. I meant it. Don't doubt it." Each sentence was punctuated by a tap of his finger against her cheek before he used his hand to pull her close enough to plant a kiss on her bare one.

Maka nodded softly before turning her head to catch his lips before they got too far. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"I'm enjoying it," a laugh trickled from his throat to punctuate. "So you should try to."

"I am, but…" she tried to hide her smile against his hand. "Why don't you join me?"

He eyed the water before turning a smirk back at her. "You think I'll fit?"

"I'm big but not that big," she grumbled.

Soul resisted a laugh, knowing the danger that posed before standing slowly. He threw off his shirt and then his pants, nakedness the last thing on his mind but finding a yearning for the heat the steam in the room promised. "Scoot." He tapped her back and she slid forward before he stepped in behind her. "Fuck, this is hot. How can you even stand this?"

"So sensitive," she chided.

He shot her a glare before hissing as he settled down into the water. "Boiling off a layer of skin," barely grumbled off his lips. "And I bet Black Star will never let me live down the smell."

Maka managed a short laugh before his arms wrapped around her, pulling her back to his chest as he eased back against the rim of the tub. "That's better," she murmured.

Soul grunted in agreement before he drifted soaking, warm fingers over her shoulders and neck. They steeped in silence for some time, only measured in his sure heartbeats that she could feel thumping against her back. She should have known his thoughts would run and after some time his voice came back rumbling in her ear compared to the quiet. "Crona's a good name, Maka."

"Boy or girl?" she barely got the words to quiver out as the heat came back to her eyes.

"Either," his whisper was soft but his kiss against her neck was even more so. "It's up to you, but that's my suggestion."

Her fingers glided through the water, meeting the soft swell, feeling the babies still turning, always in reply to her touch like they waited for her. "I think when I see their faces, I'll know for sure." And I want so badly to see them.

It was a small ceremony, even with all in attendance.

Marie had a proper place put aside in the family burial plot because that's what Crona was - family.

Maka wasn't sobbing anymore, hadn't since the bath, since Soul rubbed them away with jasmine soaked fingers. Instead a few fell in sad streaks down her cheeks but her breathing stayed calm.

Soul's arm was carefully curled around her shoulder while the other hand clamped on Black Star's shoulder, keeping them steady even if he didn't feel that staunch himself.

It was Stein and Spirit that spoke soft words, not necessarily of the afterlife but the time that had passed between all of them, the memories they'd always share.

Black Star drove them all away and proceeded to toss the necessary earth over the casket.

Free watched from a distance, concerned with but not afraid of mortality.

"Papa?"

Spirit had been sitting in front of the hearth baking, letting his skin feel as raw as his heart. He knew the inevitable had come, listened to Stein make every necessary travel arrangement for the entourage about to leave. The child he had taken care of was dead and the one he'd lost was about to go again. Fuck, do I want a drink.

"Papa?" Maka repeated, louder this time and with the old fear that his eyes would turn to her glassy and bloodshot.

Instead, Spirit let clear green eyes that mirrored her own finally glance away from the flame. "You alright?"

"Fine," Maka nodded softly. "Nothing new, just busy babies." She moved to sit next to him, feeling the pleasant glow of the flame against her skin. "I guess I wanted to ask if you were alright."

"I'm fine," he murmured as he shook his head at her. "Nothing for you to worry about."

Maka sighed as she let a hand drift over her stomach. She had practiced this for much of the night while she watched Soul sleep, had considered each word carefully, and the weight of what it brought with it. There was a scared little girl somewhere in her that didn't want any of it to be said but if Soul was to have her past, then she had to accept that it all existed. "When I was little, you couldn't talk to me, I know that. You were good like that, Papa, and never made me think for a minute that things were as wrong as I can now assume they were, but I'm older, and keeping your feelings from me isn't a protection anymore."

He narrowed his eyes at her for a brief moment before turning them back towards the fire. "I'm not sure I have the right-"

Maka sighed desperately, cutting the words straight from his mouth, "If I am asking, Papa, then I am asking. Tell me, before you do something stupid, before-" She caught the tremble in her lip, forcing it stiff as she clenched her jaw in place and waited.

Spirit swallowed hard, feeling the arid click in his throat as he almost choked on the words before he could release them. "I miss Crona. I guess that probably goes without saying, but it's partly selfish. I'll go back home to nothing now which I know is just about what I deserve, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. And your mother…" that finished with a heaving breath, useless air that couldn't create what he needed.

"She's gone again," Maka finished softly. "Or at least I think so, right? I'm going to guess you can't feel her and that there was probably no right way for you to tell me."

He had never imagined how much more it would hurt coming from her mouth rather than the pain he guessed would split his heart to tell her. It was still so difficult to destroy the effigy of Yaara he'd try to build over these years, whether she deserved it or not. "I haven't felt her since the battle. She helped me kill that witch, watched you survive, and I guess that was enough for her." He shook his head slowly, trying to free the rest from his lips. "I asked Free if maybe they'd fought, if… but, no, he said her scent was even long gone. And he made a promise to you that he plans to keep, apparently."

"Play nice until the babies are born," Maka added mournfully with a smile that was threatening to crack with each ticking second. "I'm not surprised that he kept it. And I can't say I'm surprised that she's gone."

"I'm sorry, Maka." He let a hesitant hand float between them before she grabbed it, pressing it to the warm stone between them.

"If anyone should be sorry it's her," Maka murmured. "I was going to listen to Soul, you know? Actually give in and not be stubborn for once," her laugh threatened to become a sob but she sucked in air to stop it. "I was going to ask her to… try, I guess. Do something, be something, but… fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." That came devoid of song, nothing but a long bitter note.

"Don't blame yourself," he muttered. "Your mother leaving-"

"Is her own fault," Maka replied steadily. "I… what you did I'll never understand but I am sure that is because I have a husband who will never leave me, who never makes me doubt his love. I have not felt lonely ever, in any of the time we've been together, so I won't judge what loneliness, unhappiness makes a person do. I've realized that I don't have to forgive you for that because it's not mine to forgive or not. I don't even have to understand it."

"Thank you," he murmured before squeezing her fingers in his. While he attempted to bring his hand back after the pressure, Maka refused to let them get away and the two sat for a few heartbeats with fingers clutched tightly together. "Don't repeat this, but I don't mind him, your husband, Soul."

"Don't mind him?" she let the ghost of a sweet laugh pass her lips. "High praise, Papa."

"The night he met your mother," Spirit was nodding slowly at the memory. "I could tell I was wrong. He wasn't just some spoiled little brat of a prince that gets his way."

"I certainly won't tell him you said that," the giggle strengthened this time as she tugged on his hand to bring his eyes back to her. "But if you don't mind him and if you swear that you're not going to go back to what you were, I'd like you to visit us whenever you'd like. And I certainly am not the boss of you but I've already suggested to Stein that perhaps you should stay here, with him and Marie. Nothing formal, but… closer, in good company."

Spirit brought his free hand to his face, pressing his palm into his lips because his face didn't know whether to grin or grimace and the result felt almost as insane as the words from her lips. It was not necessarily forgiveness, but it was opportunity.