Chapter 3

Soul smirked as he looked up at the old apartment they had not been in in four years. He turned and saw Maka pull up in a little car, he smiled when she climbed from the car and stretched. "That was a long drive. I still don't see why we couldn't get a flight right to the city." She mused as he moved to her side. "I'm so tired." She sighed and turned to look back at the car.

"Go inside, I'll bring her up." He said softly kissing her cheek. Maka nodded and pulled her keys out before heading to the old apartment as Soul opened the back door of the car to find his daughter sound asleep in her car seat. "Kaia." He said softly. "Come on, it's time to go inside." He gently lifted the girl with white hair in pigtails into his arms and carried her into the apartment.

"I'm going to grab the pack and play. We can set it up in the room with us for the night so she doesn't wake up and freak out." Maka told him as she walked back out to the car. She turned around setting it on the ground only to have Soul in front of her.

He smirked as he picked it up. "I laid her on your old bed until we get this all set up. I guess we'll use your old room. Never thought we'd have to choose which room to use." He chuckled. The two went back into the apartment to set their things up for the night and deal with the rest in the morning. Soul finished the pack and play and Maka gently set Kaia down in it for the night. "Now we have to move everything, clean the place, and deal with everyone tomorrow morning." Maka sighed as she dropped onto the twin-sized mattress.

"Hopefully we have enough room until we set up the bed tomorrow." Maka said as he lay beside her with a smirk and wrapped her in his arms to fall asleep.

The next day Soul shifted when Maka climbed from the bed to smile at their daughter. He heard her whisper, "Hey, beautiful. Let's go make some dinner and let daddy sleep in today." He smirked as he let himself drift back to sleep until he smelled the aroma of bacon. Climbing from the bed, he made his way to the kitchen to see Maka holding Kaia on one hip while she cooked with her free hand.

"Good morning." Soul said as he walked over to them. He kissed Maka's check before taking Kaia. "You have a good night rest, Kaia?" The girl smiled happily at him. "Let's go get some stuff cleaned up while your mom makes breakfast." He walked into the living room and turned the TV on to a cartoon channel before he set her on the floor and watching as her attention was pulled to the TV.

"I figured after breakfast we can bring the stuff in and get everything set up. We can go see Kid and the others when were done."

"You mean I'll bring stuff in and you'll sit in here nice and comfy." He smirked as she rolled her eyes. At twenty years old, she had grown into a beautiful woman with sparkling green eyes and long ash blond hair. Soul walked over and wrapped his arms around her middle making her smile as she touched her left hand to his, running her fingers over the band on his finger. "So you decide if you want to use your room or mine?"

"We should let Kaia have my room and we'll use your room until we can get a new apartment. My room is already painted for a girl anyway." She smiled at him as she put the cooked bacon on the plate. "Here, eat up and then I'll help you move stuff and bring our things in."

"Sure you will." He scoffed as he went to sit in the living room to watch the TV with his daughter.

Maka started cleaning out her old room to make room for their daughter, leaving boxes in the dining room of her things. She then turned her attention to Soul's old room, cleaning his room out to fit the things they brought with them. She shook her head when she found Soul sitting on the couch, now with Kaia cuddled into his side. "I thought you were going to eat and then start bringing stuff in."

"Well she wanted to cuddle…" He shrugged as Kaia looked up at him with emerald green eyes. Soul sighed. "Fine. Kaia stay in here with mommy." The girl turned her eyes back to the TV forgetting that her father had gotten up to go grab things. Maka pulled the pack, play from her old room, and set her daughter in it so she could help Soul.

"I have the rooms cleaned out. We can put everything where it needs to be, I'll set everything up later." She explained as they carried the last of the things inside. "You enjoying your show, baby?" Maka smiled at Kaia who grinned at her and nodded. The couple started working together to set up their things and make their apartment home again.

A knock on the door made Maka stop helping Soul to answer it. Opening the door she found their friends all standing there. Black star grinned before he pushed into the apartment followed by the others. "Hey, where's Soul?" Black Star asked.

"He's in the room." Maka said indicating her old room, making the friends look at her.

"Mama!" They heard a cry. "Mama! Mama!" Maka walked farther into the apartment to find her daughter jumping in her pack and play, shaking the side. "Hungry!" She yelled. Maka gently picked her up and set her on her feet.

"Go tell daddy we have friends and I'll make you something to eat."

The girl ran off into Maka's old room to find her father calling out, "Papa! Papa!" She giggled as she disappeared into the room.

"Um… Maka…" Black Star and the others stared at her and their jaws dropped as Soul walked from the room with Kaia in his arms. "Okay this is freaky. Are you telling us you two have a daughter?" he raised his brow as he looked between the two friends who shrugged. "Since when? How come no one ever told us you had a kid?"

"Because it wasn't important to spread the word to everyone all over." Maka said. "If word got back here that Soul and I got married and had a daughter, my father would never have left us alone and who knows who's out there wanting to try to get to us."

"You're married too?!"

"Yup." Maka smiled before Kaia started to whine. "Okay, okay. You're worse than your father." She mumbled as she took Kaia in her arms and went to the kitchen to find something for the little girl to eat.

"Dude, you couldn't even tell me when I called?" Black star started on Soul who just scratched his head and shrugged.

"We decided to start dating when we went to take over Justin's post. We got married when I turned eighteen and we had Kaia soon after that. We would have said something to you guys but we didn't want it to be blown up and my dad… besides there are some people out there who might go after her." Maka explained

"Your dad's going to find out eventually." Tsubaki said softly with a small smile, watching as Kaia ran into Maka's old room only to have Soul follow her in and usher her out to run around the apartment. Maka sighed as she looked at Soul who reached out grabbing the back of Kaia's pants, stopping her in her tracks. He picked her up and put her back in her pack and play to watch TV while he and Maka spoke to their friends.

"What are you going to do?" Patty asked. "You have to tell Kid."

"We were setting our stuff up and then we were going to talk to Kid. Besides he knows about us and Kaia already." Maka explained. "We just have to set up her crib and we're done."

"When you're done talking with Kid, why don't we go to the park and catch up. It looks like we have a lot to catch up on about." Liz smirked, glancing back at Kaia in her pack and play. "Pictures do nothing to show how cute she is."

"You knew?!" Black Star yelled as Tsubaki shrank a bit. "Tsubaki? Did you know and not tell me?"

"I'm sorry, they didn't want anyone to know but I found out when we were talking on day and Liz found out so we promised to keep quiet." Tsubaki explained.

Maka sighed before cutting in to save her friend. "We'll meet you at the park when we're done. It's probably going to take a while especially since my father will be there too." Maka sighed thinking about having to deal with Spirit. The friends agreed and left to meet them later, waiting to hear the full story of what they missed.

Once they were done setting up the crib Maka picked Kaia up and held her on her hip as they walked to the academy. Soul watched Kaia look around curious about everything she saw. Maka eventually set her on her own feet to let her walk between her parents. Once they got to the academy she looked stunned at what she saw as they climbed the stairs and wandered through the academy to find Kid. As they rounded a corner, they found Spirit walking around with his clipboard. As soon as he set his eyes on her, his clipboard dropped and he called out to her as he started running to her. "MAKA!" Maka gasped before quickly knocking him to the ground.

"Kaia Evans gets back here!" Maka called out as she spotted her daughter trying to run into a classroom. The little girl stopped and looked at her. "Come here." She slowly walked over to her mother as Spirit stood up and looked at Maka.

"Maka! It's been so long!" He cried making Kaia back up scared.

"Come on princess." Soul said picking her up. "I know he's scary looking. He's just old."

"What did you say?!" Spirit cried out glaring at Soul only to have Kaia start to cry.

Maka reached out taking the girl as she cried. "Look what you did. Come here, baby." She soothed.

"Mama!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around Maka's neck. She glared at her father before walking passed him.

"I'm going to calm her down, play nice for a bit." Soul shrugged as Spirit continued to stare at her.

"Did… she just…." Spirit mumbled before his eyes snapped to Soul. "She called her Evans! What did you do to my little Maka?!"

"Maka is a big girl. She can make her own choices." Soul said pushing Spirit off him.

"My little Maka! My poor Maka!" He cried as Maka walked back with a calmer Kaia. "Maka!"

Kaia squirmed in her arms. "Go to daddy for a bit." Maka said as the girl reached for Soul. As Spirit started on another crying spree, Maka rounded her green eyes on him. "I am an adult. I can and will make my own choices. Soul and I love each other and have a daughter together so you better grow up and start acting like an adult." Soul smirked as he held Kaia close to him as he whispered to her making her start to giggle. Spirit was transfixed on Soul talking to Kaia. The little girl looked up at him with bright green eyes and a big smile across her face. Maka glanced over at what her father was looking at and smiled. "She's a daddy's girl."

"She's really… and you're really…" Spirit asked and watched Maka nod.

"Soul and I are married and Kaia is our daughter." Maka smiled.

Spirit watched as the girl looked at her mother and smiled brightly and laughed. "Mama!" Maka smiled and walked over to take her into her own arms. "Play now?"

"No, not right now. We need to talk to some people and then we can go play at the park. Now be a good girl for mama and papa and we can have all the fun you want until its bedtime."

"Kay!" She smiled as Maka put her onto the ground. Maka started walking with Soul following only to have Spirit stop him.

"You hurt my Maka and I swear-."

"I'm not you." Soul shot at Spirit. "I won't run around and leave Maka alone with our daughter. I'm not a womanizer like you. You have no idea how hard it was to get Maka to look past what you did to her and her mom. I won't hurt her or Kaia." Was all Soul said as he pushed passed to catch up with Maka and Kaia.

Tsubaki smiled as she looked at the little girl sleeping in her arms. "She's very cute, much more than in those pictures." She looked up at Maka who was leaning against Soul's side with a smile. "She really does look like a cross between you."

"She looks sweet and innocent now that she's sleeping." Soul scoffed looking over at his daughter. It was an hour after sunset and the group was still sitting on the courts, all of them worn out by the little girl.

"Yeah but she's a daddy's girl." Maka smiled looking over at him as he rolled his eyes. "You know it's true."

"She's still a little terror when she's awake." Soul chuckled.

Maka sighed before looking at her watch. "We better get her home." Soul just nodded as she sat up and gently picked Kaia up. The girl mumbled as she shifted and got comfortable on her mother's shoulder. "We'll see you tomorrow." Maka smiled as she turned to start walking home with Soul beside her. The friends still could not believe the two were together and had a child.

Soul opened the door and watched Maka walk into her old room to lay their daughter down in her crib. He had seen her do it repeatedly but for some reason it never got old to watch Maka with their daughter. He loved his meister; he had for many years before he told her now back in the original apartment, now married to his meister and a child together. Maka turned to find him at the doorway and she smiled at him. "Still watching like it's all going to disappear?" She asked.

"I never know when I'll wake up." He shrugged making her smirk and walk to him. They took one last look back at Kaia sleeping before they shut the door and went to Soul's old room, their new room.