OMG, you made it. I made it. It's over. Please enjoy this humble ending. I promise I have more fics in the works so you won't be lonely for that long...

They afforded Kid a room, and while he had as much allowance as any guest in the castle, there was still that distinct flare in the eyes of the princess every time they crossed paths.

The same look was lighting up those jade orbs as he entered the main hall. "Ah, I see Stein made it." He sent a stiff wave in Stein's direction and got a terse nod in return, the pinnacle of most exchanges between them. "So, princess, prince, I assume now we have things to discuss?"

Soul rested a hand over Maka's on the table, sending soft eyes to her as she smiled. "Discussion, sure, but know there's not a lot of leeway here, for you, Lord Kid."

Kid's eyebrows popped up his forehead as Soul chuckled, leaning back in his chair to enjoy the brave command in Maka's voice.

"Information from Stein will cease. I haven't talked to Mira yet but I'll give her the same directive. My mother doesn't seem to be interested in me anymore," a small relief came in the squeeze of her hand from Soul, giving her the power to barrel through the words rather than give in to them, "so I don't imagine she'll be able to relay anything either. That leaves Soul and me as your only source and that is how it will stay."

"And what am I to expect I'll be told about?" There was no jovial lilt, just cold, hard words dropping off his tongue.

"Whatever we see fit," Maka shrugged. "You may ask for information, but the end result will only be what we want to give especially when it comes to the children. Because let's get one thing entirely straight-"

"Our sons are fine," Soul stole the words from her and Maka entirely allowed it, letting a sigh of relief fill the space. "They're not monsters, and while I'm pretty sure they're going to be strong, we're responsible for teaching them right, not you."

Kid's face soured but Maka jumped right at the end of Soul's orders, "That does not mean we're against helping. Soul and I will complete missions to the same extent that I used to while living with Stein and Marie. But there's an issue with the missions."

"And what is that?" Kid shot out with a sigh.

Maka sucked in a long inhale, stretching her lungs to accommodate her words. "Medusa was a terrible witch and, to be honest, was not that much different from any others I've encountered, but… that is not all witches."

Kid scoffed as a thin smile grew and fizzled off his lips. "You're serious?"

"Completely," Maka nodded.

"We've got two here." Soul lifted a finger of warning but still managed a smirk, "Well, technically one and a half. The other's an immortal, but that's not important. The big deal is we like them both and we've been dealing with both of them as friends instead of enemies."

Kid's eyes darted to Stein. "And you're aware of this?"

"I am," Stein answered with a smooth amusement. "The girl, the full witch, saved my life."

"And I thought Yaara was going crazy," Kid muttered. "You're sure the girl's a witch, not just some healer or something?"

"What's the difference?" Maka offered quickly.

"What?" Kid snapped his eyes back to her, blinking inquisitively.

"She is a healer," Maka urged. "Witch or not, that's her skill. She just happens to be a witch as well and that leaves me wondering how many more are out there. Of course, you're not going to hear of a witch doing good, and since all we've heard about is witches misbehaving, then the assumption is that they're all bad."

Kid glanced back at Stein, waiting for movement or words and when he found none his eyes sunk to the floor, trying to read an answer in the stone. "Interesting."

"Interesting?" Soul echoed.

"Well," Kid nodded slowly as if to loosen the idea from his mind. "This has been a discussion, but… I've been mostly outnumbered," Kid laughed sourly as he shrugged.

"Outnumbered?" Maka barely caught herself from making it a scoff.

"Well," Kid flourished a hand over himself, "As you can see, I'm kind of the youngest, not exactly well listened to. Father's not exactly handing over the reins either. I think the prince can commiserate, can't you?"

"Technically," Soul grumbled before he turned eyes to Stein. "You buying this? Able to back this up?"

"I can't say I'm privy to arguments made on the counsel," Stein shrugged. "I would say if Kid is willing to offer his support then I would take it."

Fiery red orbs turned back to Maka's gently glowing green, a soft smile starting on her lips. Soul's hand squeezed gently in hers, eyes staying glued to those sweet lips as they spoke again. "Those are our terms. If I have to take them to the counsel myself I will, but dealing with you, for now, seems acceptable."

"You're not driving an easy bargain," Kid grimaced before sighing, "but I suppose there's no choice. Your sons are off limits and at least those two witches stay."

"One and a half," Soul shrugged.

"One and a half," Kid echoed with the start of a laugh."But you'd take missions? A prince and a princess as witch-hunters?"

An aching grin cracked Soul's face. "Try to tell her no. She'll always be a fighter."

EPILOGUE: Five years in the future...

The pattering of little feet was what woke him, forcing Soul to roll over quickly in bed in order to stop the horrible eruption. His hand reached out, touching a little chest and breathing out the words barely above a whisper, "Quietly. Do not wake your mother." It was too often that these mornings turned into gung-ho catapults into their bed, delicate hands clocking Soul in the face or what should be tiny feet kicking Maka in the ribs. The joys of parenthood.

To avoid the fray, Soul slowly lifted one boy after the other, first Wes, who made him hold his breath for fear that the little boy's often pounding voice would completely ignore his request, and then Crona, who didn't need an order from anyone to be silent. While Wes stared into Maka's face, Soul practically reading his mind at the urge to poke her awake, Crona nuzzled closely to his father, those little lips pressing closely to Soul's ear to fulfill their morning ritual.

It was a secret, every morning, whispered carefully in Soul's ear from his lesser heard boy. How that had started was a complete mystery, but Soul cherished it as he rustled through the white-blond hair with his fingers. Sometimes it was innocuous, Crona may have seen a dog in the yard or had seen a maid bake bread, but other times reminded him just how little and precious his boy was, worries about something he'd said to Maka or how he'd accidentally killed a butterfly.

While he waited for the secret of the day, he reached his other hand out, rubbing into Wes's back, watching thankfully as those eyes that had been shining with mischief just a second ago almost instantly started lulling back into the siren's call of sleep. It wasn't music that tamed that savage little beast but touch, Wes almost always falling into surrender as soon as a warm hand massaged over his spine or into his hair. Twins they definitely were in looks, absolutely, but a mirror in personality they were most certainly not. Secretly, on more than one occasion, Maka and Soul had whispered thanks for this.

"Daddy," Crona's voice finally piped with a wriggling excitement that made Soul grin. "I'm very excited about the babies."

His grin faltered, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Whose babies?" They're nosy, so they might have found out about Black Star and Tsubaki's news, but… who knows with Crona. It could be that or a stray in the yard and he'd be excited.

"Mama's," Crona cooed.

Soul instantly propped himself up, the little boy's face looking up expectantly from the pillow. "Who told you Mama's having another baby?" A laugh started on his lips, incredulity saturating the smirk on his face.

"They're there," Crona balked before he reached over to Wes and shook him awake. "Wes, tell Daddy, aren't the babies there?"

That had riled him, making Wes toss around in the bed to squash Crona between them. "Yeah! And they're girls, too!"

He was still trying to firmly grip the humor of it, his eyes blinking in disbelief as he let another trembling laugh pass his lips. "But how do you know they're there?"

"You can't see them?" It was practically a scoff from Wes's mouth, something definitely learned from too much time with his godfather. "See?" He scooted back over without consideration for Maka, pressing a firm hand against her stomach with his best showman smile.

Maka's eyes popped open as she grasped the little hand. "And what trouble are you two getting into this early in the morning?"

"Nothing, Mama, we were just telling Daddy that-"

"You broke the rules," Soul sighed out over the secret that he knew shouldn't feel like one but clung to him all the same. "I told you no waking your mother. Come on, both of you, out of bed." To a chorus of complaints, Soul maneuvered each boy back the way they came. Little feet pounded in protest but Soul eased himself over the edge of the bed, the best stern face he could manage glowering at them. "Get a move on."

"You didn't have to," Maka murmured.

Soul waited for the boys to slam the door behind them, leaving the room oddly silent before he turned over. "I kinda had to. We need to talk."

"Oh?" Maka was clearing the sleep away from her face as her hands rested on her cheek. "What's wrong?"

He leaned over her, grasping over one of the hands on her cheeks. "I've got a wicked case of deja vu, Maka, but… I know it's early, we've only been trying a few weeks, but you think you could be pregnant?"

Maka blinked at him, "Why, are we sending me away again?"

"No," Soul snorted a laugh. "Just… you can't see anything?"

"No," Maka shook her head, "or really, I haven't tried in a few days, but before, no."

"And you…" Soul worked it over on his tongue before releasing it from his lips. "You didn't tell the boys, right? That we're trying."

"No…" Her eyes narrowed at him. "I know your mother's been a little pushy, Soul, but we can't speed up the process, if the process is even going to happen again, and I don't want to get the boys' hopes up just in case nothing happens."

"Hopes are already up," Soul muttered.

"What?"

"Crona's secret this morning," something fluttered to life in Soul's chest, his heart taking flight in a way he couldn't quite name. "He said he's excited for the babies. Your babies. That they're there, two of them, and Wes said they're girls."

Maka's head started to swivel against the pillow, the disbelief barely fulfilled by the motion. "Wes and Crona said they saw them?"

"Wes was trying to show me when you woke up," Soul sighed. "I guess it could just be their imagination…"

"I doubt it," Maka murmured as she let a hand drift down to her stomach. "Are we really going to fool ourselves that our sons aren't special?"

"'Course they're special," Soul grimaced. "Just… maybe I was hoping for a little normal, too."

Maka snorted a laugh, "Normal like the time Wes broke his arm, definitely broke his arm since Free was in a panic, but it was magically set an hour later? Totally fine by the next day?"

"Maka…" that frown on his lips deepened.

"Or Crona," Maka traced a line over her right eyebrow, "who should have a giant scar right about here because he took that fall down the stairs while chasing after Jason? But all we had to do was wipe away the black blood, didn't we?"

"But they're still just little boys," Soul sighed.

"Of course they are," Maka shot back. "The same way you're just a man and I'm just a woman in a lot of ways but then in some ways definitely not. Like black blood or soul perception." She worried at her lip for a moment, trying to concentrate every last ounce of energy she could muster to gaze that watchful eye over her and find just the faintest of glows. With a shaky breath and his hand tightening on her cheek, Maka smiled, "Which apparently our sons have inherited from me and are already better at than their mother. I can't say I'm not a bit jealous as well as being proud."

"You mean…?" Soul raised his eyebrows.

"I don't see two, I don't see girls, but there's something there," Maka answered pertly. "You'll have to ask your sons apparently for the finer details."

Soul laughed sharply before tangling up with her in the sheets, his arms clutching her and forcing her into each bend of his body. He was memorizing each curve, all the dips and crevices of her smooth skin since one thought had occupied his mind above all others when they finally came to the decision of another child, another pregnancy: I'll get to be with her for every change, for every ache or movement, for every tear or smile, from the first moment of these babies at least I can be with her. I'll always be with her.