(A/N-This chapter is going to get a little angsty, especially during Stein's part. Fair warning. There will also be two chapters today. Oh, and one more thing, thanks to all my readers and reviewers, you guys rock! I'm probably going to only upload on Saturdays and Sundays now (two days in a row) because of school starting up again. I'll try to upload as much as possible during the weekdays but I just don't know if I'll be able to. Thanks for sticking with me though this!)

Falling in love with Franken Stein was the easiest thing in the world for Marie. Even easier than becoming friends with him. It just seemed so natural, their personalities fit together perfectly.

She was optimistic, bright, always had her head in the clouds.

He was a bit pessimistic (she overlooked that), down-to-earth, his mind always on the topic at hand.

As it turned out, opposites attracted rather well.

The biggest problem with falling in love with him was being sure he loved her back. Stein wasn't one to express much emotion. In fact, after deciding that they were, in fact, a couple, he didn't act much differently around her. Yes, they went on periodic dates and celebrated anniversaries (even if he did forget some), and he did all the things a good boyfriend should do (even though Marie was pretty sure Spirit was guiding him through the whole relationship), but even after two years it still didn't feel like they were together. He showed very little affection. It discouraged Marie. Some days she just wanted to slap him.

But on the rare occasions when he was affectionate, Marie loved him even more. She loved the way he held her, kissed her, let her feel safe in his arms. She knew she loved him. She always would.

And, in those moments, she knew he loved her too.

It was part of the reason she loved him so much. She saw the way the people looked at her as she passed by in the hallways, hand-in-hand with Stein. The boys were jealous of him as they looked at her. The girls just thought she was stupid. She didn't care, but she could tell he did.

Because he was always so self-aware. So observant of everything. Always noticing when something was wrong or out-of-place.

He was a genius in his own right, but his self-esteem got in the way of everything. Some days he felt like he wasn't good enough to be with her. Then she'd wake up to a call from Spirit, saying Stein was in "that mood" again, and she'd have to coax him out of bed with coffee and kisses. He'd have serious bouts of depression, sometimes lasting up to a week. It always worried Marie.

But then he'd be back to normal, and everything would be right with the world.

Falling in love with Marie Mjolnir was the hardest thing in the world for Stein. He wasn't used to breaking down all the barriers he'd put up, everything to keep people from growing too close, getting too attached. He knew from experience that once people got close, they left. And he'd be alone. Love left him feeling vulnerable, naked. He despised feeling like that.

And oddly, he loved how Marie made him feel. She was a healing light in his life, protecting him from the memories that threatened his sanity. She made him feel calm, safe, secure.

It boggled his mind that she chose him. He knew she saw the way the boys in the hallways looked at her. She could have had any of them. But she ignored them, in favor of him. Stein. It annoyed him that he didn't have a clue what she saw in him. He wasn't very affectionate (he was working on that, honestly), he forgot most of their important dates (Was the first time they held hands really that important!), and he barely treated her like his girlfriend.

During one of their periodic "Relationship Therapy Sessions" (as Spirit liked to call them), Spirit suggested making out with her in the hall, like he did with Kami. Stein threw that idea out. He didn't want his and Marie's relationship to be like that. All sex, no true love. It wasn't for him.

An oddly, some part of him wanted to go back to solitude. A part of him wanted to draw back, to step out of the relationship. "No," he would tell himself at night, when it was just him alone with his thoughts, "I won't leave her. I love her." But then his mind would nag, "But you're a freak. Look at you. You're distant, moody, you have serious relationship anxiety, a vulnerability complex, low self-esteem, you have the compulsive need to dissect anything within ten feet of you…" his mind would go on and on until he stopped it. Listing faults. Telling him everything that was wrong with who he was. He'd lose countless hours of sleep just fighting with his mind. It would send him into a terrible depression. He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't sleep, he'd barely speak. He knew it terrified Marie to see him like that, but the guilt of that only seemed to make it worse.

But then the depression would fade away, and she would be happy again, and everything would be right with the world.

(A/N – Angst. It's much harder to write than I thought it would be.)