AN: Just changed my pen name FYI, if any one is confused.

Day 2

(Marie)

It's nearly 4:00 AM and I've been struggling to stay away all night waiting for the guys to return. Ever since I finished cleaning the kitchen and had my crying fit I've been sitting here on the couch, staring the front door with my "you're in big trouble!" look on my face. There's a lot to be said about having a good crying session. I went from feeling sorry for myself to angry that Spirit thought keeping Stein out all night was a good idea. Suddenly, the front door began to open. I resume my judgmental glare that I had been practicing.

"Just where in the hell have you been!?" I start off.

"Shhhh," Spirit interrupts me as he enters the house and closes the door behind him. He has a passed out Stein draped over his shoulder. I comply with his shushing but give an audible "hmmpf!" to show my displeasure before leading the way to Stein's room and opening the door for him.

Spirit gently lays Stein on the bed and I take off his shoes and cover him with a blanket. I take a moment marvel at how Stein could sleep soundly through all the commotion. Staring at him reminds me of a child that had stayed up hours past its bedtime and could no longer fight off sleep. In that moment, I felt very motherly to him; worrying about him like I did and taking care of him now.

I turn to Spirit, glaring at him, and begin to make the "shooing" motion with my hands as a signal for him to leave. I follow out of Stein's bedroom after him and to the living room. Spirit looks exhausted but relatively sober as he sat down on the couch. I sat down opposite from him on a separate chair. I continue staring him down and he returns the stare, but out of confusion. I loudly and deliberately cleared my throat, expecting an answer from him.

"Hmm? Are you worried about Stein being out so late?" he asks nonchalantly.

"Not just that! You got him drunk! Do you really think getting a borderline mentally unstable mind addicted to alcohol is safe? You won't help Stein by making him an alcoholic!" I rant like a mother concerned for her child.

"Doing a couple of shots one time hardly calls for the label 'alcoholic,'" he disputes half-heartedly.

"SHOTS?! You had him do shots?!" I stood up without thinking; holding back from pounding this moron into oblivion. I couldn't believe it. What a horrible influence this man is! I know he has some bad habits, but I really thought he would pull through for Stein.

"Shhh shhhh," he tries quieting me. "He only had five and he's perfectly OK! He's just sleeping."

"Five?!" I ask in whisper-type yell while sitting back down.

"Yeah, he was really holding his own until he had that vodka one. Phew…" Spirit responds carelessly while averting his eyes away from me and to the ceiling as if reminiscing of a wonderful memory. "You should have seen him! He seemed so relax, so happy… The way he talked with the girls, it was almost like he was a normal person!" he smiles.

I winced. It felt as though I had been surprised-speared to the gut while a lump formed in my throat simultaneously. Spirit must have noticed because he quickly added while waving his hands nervously, "Oh, Marie! You know it was nothing like that! The drinks may have taken the edge off for him, but you know he's not that type of guy. In fact, if there's anyone he's interested in it would have to be you. "

Spirit was right; except, I don't quite believe in that last sentence. It was still nice to hear, though. "You don't need to patronize me like that, Spirit," I reply while looking away since I feel a little embarrassed.

"No, I'm serious. After his third shot he wouldn't stop talking about you." I still can't bring myself to make eye contact and instead decide it was much more interesting to stare at the hem of my pajama top, but I can sense the sincerity in Spirit's voice.

"What did… he say about me?" I'm acting like a school girl. I can feel my checks filling with warmth as I fidget.

"Uhhh…" I get enough nerve to look at Spirit. He has a dumbfounded look on his face with his mouth hanging slightly open. He put one hand on the back of his neck and straightened up like he was stretching his back. "Well, honestly, nothing you probably don't already know. Just that he doesn't mind you living here and he's sorry to have caused you so much trouble. Yeah, he seemed really sorry about messing up dinner."

I feel REALLY embarrassed now; forcing a man to participate in high school girl talk. I think it's time I change the subject. I clear my throat. "So, do you really think what you did tonight helped Stein?"

Spirit sighs loudly and drops his head. His reaction makes me think he believed I was trying to make him reflect on his actions.

"I'm serious. I don't mean to sound like I'm chastising you," I respond matter-of-factly.

Spirit looks up; seemingly surprised at my comment. "Well, uh, I hope it did. He looks like he hasn't had a good night's sleep in forever. It wasn't going to be long before he looks like Sid."

I cock my head to the side, "Huh?"

"You know, a zombie." He makes a zombie-like face.

"Oh!" I chuckle, "You might be right. I hope it was enough to let him have a good rest, but not too much that he'll regret it in the morning."

"Don't worry about it!" Spirit easily shrugs it off. "It's not like he hasn't had alcohol before!"

"You're right." I smile, and then an irrepressible yawn escapes my mouth. "Well, I guess I should get what sleep I can for the night. It's late. Or is it 'early' now?" I wonder aloud.

Spirit smiles. "Alright, then. 'Night," and lies down on the couch.

"Um, what do you think you're doing? You already caused enough trouble keeping Stein out so late, and now you're inviting yourself to crash here?!" I could feel my anger returning and swelling with each word that came out of my mouth.

"Hey, hey, hey! I didn't mean it like that! I know it's my fault for keeping him out so long. And I know I worried you over it. So you get some sleep and if there's any trouble with Stein I'll take care of it." He followed up his speech with a classic fake smile. His performance wasn't entirely convincing but I'm too tired to argue at this point. I'll take the bait but he better believe he'll be the one waking up to comfort Stein if he starts puking.

AN: It was kinda weird just having a chapter with Spirit and Marie but I hope it was entertaining!