I have a lot of the middle/end written, and I'm really sorry (not sorry) for what I'm setting up.

For the next few nights, Soul played the piano. As if it were possible, he spoke less at work and when she moved to his side of the desk he would lean onto his elbow, giving her space. He didn't refuse to hold her hand, but Maka found that he was less likely to put himself in the way of it. Being on the subway he would stand while she sat. When she read he sat at the bench, fingering through keys that were always a beautiful symphony that somehow sounded like the loneliest thing she'd ever heard.

This was it, where they fell apart. Maka was sure she crossed a line when she was about to tell him what simply holding his hand did to her, the way it made everything dull as dishwater by comparison. Now, all it would be was a slow trickle towards nothing. That's why when Sunday rolled around and he stood agitated in the doorway to the living room, she couldn't keep the shock from her face as the words gruffly tumbled from his lips. "Are you coming to Marie's or not?"

The awe followed her on the subway, where again he kept his hand as his but at least this time sat next to her, and all the way to the doorstep where Marie opened the door. She took one look at the sour face that Soul had been holding the entire ride and huffed. "Franken's in the basement, Soul." Soul wordlessly pushed past her into the house. Marie let the concern drift from her face as she put on her best hostess smile, "Hello, Maka."

"Nice to see you again, Marie," Maka couldn't attempt the same charm, but at least could offer a smile.

Marie led her in, pausing in the living room. "You didn't happen to bring a bathing suit, did you?"

"Um, no," Maka narrowed her eyes. "Soul didn't tell me-"

"Doesn't look like Soul's been saying much lately. He's in one of those moods, isn't he?" Marie let the question filter out but instantly thought better, running over anything Maka had to say in reply. "I've got a bathing suit you can borrow. Pre-Shelley suits probably fit you better than me, anyway. Give me a second!" Marie motioned towards the couch before heading up the stairs, her footsteps creaking and groaning above Maka.

In one of those moods? Maka sighed. I was pretty sure it was permanent but now he brings me here again and…? She let that wander unanswered as she waited for Marie to descend. Eventually, she did, an extra bathing suit in hand that she tossed to Maka. "Change and meet me out back."

Maka almost 'yes ma'am'ed since there was always that 'you better listen' vibe to Marie but she kept it as a nod before locking herself into the bathroom. Marie had been right, pre-Shelley size was almost spot-on and thankfully Marie wasn't the string bikini type, leaving Maka in a simple black two-piece. Maka still found herself trying to use her arms to cover her center, unsure of running headlong into Soul in the hallway as she booked for the backyard.

Once on the stoop, Maka couldn't help but let a laugh shoot from her mouth at the sight. Marie was lounging on one side of an extra-large kiddie pool, an umbrellaed drink in her hand. "Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it." Marie motioned her over and Maka gave in, ending up on the other side of the pool with her knees next to Marie's. It was just enough for both of them to stretch out their legs, the water pleasantly cool even in the summer heat thanks to the singular large oak tree in the backyard that blessed them with shade. "And I know it's early, but please," Marie insisted as she handed a second glass to Maka. "Sangria is a must when in the pool."

"Thank you." Maka sipped tentatively, instantly feeling the punch of what was one of the strongest sangrias that Maka had ever had the chance to sip.

Marie laughed at Maka's pursed lips, "I know, sorry. More than one and you're not getting out of the pool again. But enjoy it a little, OK?"

Again, a 'yes ma'am' moment as Maka took another sip and leaned against the hard plastic. There was something to be appreciated, the tenderness of Marie's smile suddenly striking her with its likeness to her mother's, that knowing acknowledgment of your pain as everything about her radiated that aura of soothing. Maka could see why Soul had been drawn to her, how he settled into this family in a way his rough edges made him unable to elsewhere.

Marie let them sip in silence for five minutes that felt more like an hour before she blew a huff of air from her lips. "Did Soul ever tell you about the first time he and Shelley met?"

Maka shook her head.

"When Shelley was born, we didn't exactly have the rule yet, so the boys were still in and out as they liked. Black Star was here about fifty percent of the time and when he was here, Soul usually was too." That longing smile came to her face, a mother's wish for that innocence to come back. "When I came back from the hospital both were in attendance - I think Franken might have threatened them - but not really eager to say hello to their new sister. Black Star took a look, counted fingers and toes, and was satisfied but Soul was, for the first time that I'd ever seen, completely bewildered."

Maka tried to imagine a dweeby little Soul as awkward as any young teen, somehow mystified by a baby.

"It was one of those moments I was sure Franken was insane but I was too tired to argue when he sat Soul down and settled Shelley into Soul's arms." A wistful sigh broke Marie's story as she let her face settle into a warm smile. "He was scared to death, you could see that, but he was… I think he was happy. I think for a second he wasn't feeling like he was ruining, breaking, destroying something. Shelley didn't cry either, just looked up at him with that unblinking stare. That is until she spit up on him a second later."

Both broke into soft laughter and Marie wiped at her eyes, a few happy tears threatening at the corners. "Then he panicked, thought he'd broken her while Black Star absolutely flipped about how disgusting it was. But even after we got him cleaned up, Soul kept holding on. He was hooked." Marie paused to take a long draft, letting the liquor momentarily warm her as much as the memory. She seemed to be testing Maka with her stare, reading something on her face that Maka wasn't even aware she was showing. "And Shelley was the reason we had our first fight."

Maka tried "You and Soul fought?"

Marie took another quick sip. "How about a story for a story. I'll tell you about the fight if you tell me about why he's upset with himself this time."

"Oh, Marie," Maka sighed heavily. "He's mad at me, not himself."

"Oh, no," Marie laughed. "That's a Soul-self-loathing session if I ever saw one. Why do you think he's in the basement with Franken right now instead of out here with us?"

"To avoid me," Maka muttered.

"Nope," Marie popped the 'p' with her lips. "He goes to Dad when he feels like he has to be punished. If he was mad at you he'd be here complaining with Mom, though probably not in the pool."

Maka's brow wrinkled as she toyed with freeing the information, but, as Soul would have told her, staring Marie in the face long enough always leads to loose lips. "Someone at the club - he called her the boss's whipping-girl - took a picture of us together. I was holding his hand as we were walking home and… she just snuck up on us and took it."

"And he yelled at you about your safety," Marie nodded, taking the words and thoughts right out from Maka's mouth. "He's not wrong, her taking your picture…" she sighed, "That's not good, and I'm surprised he got that lax that someone could follow you."

It was because of me because I distracted him.

Marie leaned forward and patted Maka's knee, bringing her back from that swirling thought. "You two do have to be more careful, but it's just like I said. He's worried and blaming himself which means, unfortunately, he was bound to yell at you, not that that's a good excuse." Marie huffed as she leaned back. "OK, you've fulfilled your side, so our first fight…"

"When Shelley was a few weeks old, Franken and I made the rule. The boys got it, and Soul was very serious about it. Very careful when we met elsewhere, the park, the coffee shop, always doing his backtracking and covering up." Though Marie honestly appreciated it, she still felt herself roll her eyes at the extremes. "We met in the park one day and it was a complete fluke, an absolute accident, but Soul ran into someone from the organization. It was another young boy, Kilik, I think, who was there playing with this adorable set of twins, not even there to see him or anything, but Soul lost it."

Marie nibbled at her lip for a moment, remembering the way the boy's face turned as red as his eyes. "That meeting up at all was dangerous and stupid, and it was ridiculous to ever believe he wouldn't put Shelley in jeopardy. How dare I, as her mother, let her anywhere near him?" She huffed, "So the last part there pissed me off, and I was about to let him have it, but he stormed off first. Didn't talk to me for two whole weeks before he called Franken late one night. Thirty minutes on the phone and the next week we were back to the park and I got a soft little 'I'm sorry' while he clutched Shelley for an hour."

Maka's mind was gripping at the parallels almost as tightly as her fingers on the glass in her hand. "Did Franken say…?"

"No," Marie shrugged. "And he didn't have to. You get close to him, he gets scared, he lashes out because protecting is the only thing he's ever been good at and he's afraid he's failing at it. He thought he failed Shelley that day. A few nights ago, he failed you."

"I made mistakes, too," Maka murmured.

"I'm sure you did," Marie laughed, "but don't let that excuse him. You better believe that I followed his apology with an earful and you should give him one, too, after he's done with Franken."

"Maybe," Maka muttered against the lip of her glass as she took a long draft.

The door clicked behind them and Maka's soul left her body for a moment as she whipped her head around, thankfully only seeing Shelley standing on the stoop. "Ah, and here's our spy now! How goes it in the basement?"

"Daddy kicked me out," Shelley whined as she stomped down the stairs.

"Oh," Marie's voice undulated. "What were they talking about before you left?"

Shelley's eyes darted from her mother to Maka before turning up her chin. "Nothing."

Marie rolled her eyes. "Fine, one last question, since you're the resident Soul-expert: on a scale of 1-10, how mad as Soul today?"

Shelley finished her journey to the side of the kiddie pool, plopping down outside the rim next to Marie. "He's not mad. He's sad. He wouldn't even talk, just hugged me for a while before Daddy told me to go."

"You heard it from the authority," Marie motioned towards Shelley. "Shelley, babe, you want some time in the pool?"

"No," she murmured dejectedly.

"Give Daddy time with Soul," Marie leaned in and kissed her daughter on the cheek. "In the meantime, keep our guest entertained while I start dinner."

"Momma," Shelley whined.

"Be polite," Marie chimed as she pinched the cheek she'd just kissed. "Maka, no need to help with dinner tonight, so just relax." She stood up slowly, letting the water dribble down her legs before exiting the plastic pool.

Maka watched as Marie grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her waist before making her way back up the stairs. Her attention slowly turned back to Shelley, catching those light green eyes watching her carefully. "Shelley, your mom was just telling me you're probably the closest to Soul."

Shelley narrowed her eyebrows warily, "Black Star's my big brother but Soul's like another big brother."

"And he's only my friend," Maka shrugged. "So I don't know all that much. Would you… well, your mom was telling me stories, so will you tell me your favorite story about Soul?"

"Hm," Shelley hummed as she pursed her lips in thought. "When I was six, at my party, Mommy and big brother got in a fight and big brother and Soul left early. I was so mad and I told Soul I'd never forgive him but last year, when I turned seven, Soul promised it'd be different. And he made sure it was."

"What did he do?" Maka murmured as she leaned against the plastic, taking another sip.

Shelley grinned, "He took me out, just me, to this big pretty house. It took a while to drive there but it was worth it. We had tea, and he held out his pinky like I told him to. He didn't tell Mommy that all we had was cake and treats."

"He does like just eating cake, doesn't he?" Maka laughed.

"Yeah," Shelley giggled. "Then he took me to this park where there was music, a big band on the lawn, and he made sure big brother was there, too. Big brother would never have tea, but at least he came to the park. And when big brother wouldn't dance with me, Soul did."

"Oh?" Maka raised an eyebrow. "Soul told me he never dances."

"He's not good at it," Shelley shook her head forlornly.

"Good to know," Maka nodded as she took another drink, trying to calculate her next step. She had Shelley laughing, at least, and that was a tiny win from the girl who last time wanted nothing to do with her.

"But you're friends?" Shelley tilted her head.

"He made a deal with me." Maka leaned forward as she smiled at Shelley. "He'd be my friend if I helped him."

"What are you helping him do?"

"Be better," Soul croaked from the stoop, making both girls whip their heads around. His hands were jammed into his pockets and Maka could swear his eyes were rimmed as red as his pupils. "Shelley, Mom wants you in the kitchen."

"But I was talking to Maka," she groaned.

"And Maka'll be here all night," he urged back. "Get going."

"Fine," Shelley huffed before climbing to her feet and padding over to him. She hesitated at his side, putting a hand on his arm. "Be nice."

"Be nice?" he grunted. "When am I not?"

Shelley rolled her eyes at him, an exact replica of Marie at the moment even with the green eyes, before pushing past him and back into the house.

Soul waited for the clack of the door before clearing his throat. "Seems like she's warming up to you."

Maka let out a short laugh, "Well, we were talking about her favorite subject."

"Which is?"

"You."

"Ah." He took a few steps down onto the grass. "You, uh, out here soaking with Marie?"

"Well, didn't have much of a choice, but I'm not complaining. The sangria is good." Maka slowly eased out of the pool to her feet, holding the cup out to him. "You want the rest?"

"If Marie made it, it's too strong for me," he chuckled. "And you better stick to the one glass or I'll have to carry you home."

Maka let her feet touch the grass, walking over to the small table that Marie had thrown the towels on. She let her glass down before picking up one of the towels and wrapping it around herself. The pilling was easier to look at than him. "You seem like you're in a better mood."

"Stein usually sets me straight," Soul sighed. "Not that I feel better about what happened."

Maka gripped the towel tightly at the knot. "How do you feel?"

"Sorry," he murmured. "I was… well, Shelley's right, I have to be nice, and I wasn't. So, mostly I'm feeling pretty damn sorry."

"But what else?" Maka turned her eyes to him. "Sorry didn't make you snap at me, so what were you feeling then?"

Soul's jaw worked as he pulled a few breaths through his nose. Her eyes were too purposeful and he found himself hiding from them, focusing the blades of grass at his feet. "Scared. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt. That's… the whole point of our deal, Maka. I teach you to be smart because I want you out of harm's way. I…" He stumbled with no hope of filling in the gap.

"I know I didn't listen," Maka took a step closer hoping it would bring his eyes but he wasn't willing. "I know that what happened, well, it may cause problems for you, for me, so I get that you were scared."

"But?" Soul sighed.

"If you ever yell at me like that again, I'll slap you twice as hard as I did at the club," Maka made the threat firm.

Soul breathed out a quick laugh, "Got it." It was unfortunate that he chose to expel his air because there was no hope of sucking any more in because the next instant she was cutting into his vision, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling herself to his chest. Soul's hands anxiously hovered as he felt the cool dampness of the towel pressing against him as her body fit to his. "You're all soggy," he croaked.

"Then let go," she murmured back.

Instead, he let one arm circle her waist while his other hand touched to the bare skin of her upper back. This was a moment etching itself deeply into him, the way her hands felt clutching into the back of his shirt, her breath hot against his neck as she let her cheek rest on between his chest and his shoulder. His hand drifted, sliding to the nape of her neck where his fingers were tickled by the fine hairs that didn't make it into her ponytail, tempting him to dig into the rest and experience how that would fire his nerves. "I'm sorry."

"I got that," Maka squeezed a little tighter. "Punishment is ten more seconds in this hug."

It wasn't a punishment, and he didn't set a timer.

"Blond = Maka Albarn. Works with him."

Medusa may have looked disinterested but she was anything but as she stared down at the screen while typing, "Been seen together much outside of work?"

"NG Club, spotted at Kim's shop."

She noted this with added displeasure as Kim's spot was for them, not interlopers. "Ask his little posse: Kim, Kilik, Black Star."

"They'll lie. Too loyal."

"Tell me if they do." Medusa scrolled back up to the picture, examining the blush on cheeks she'd only ever seen red with rage as that aggravating girl clasped tightly to his hand. "He does have a thing for blonds."