A/N: Well, it's been a year since I first posted a story and I've learned so much since posting it. I really appreciate all the feedback and ways I can continue to improve! I've gone back now and edited the chapters and decided a bonus chapter would be fun to write for the anniversary; it's basically a follow up on the events that happened after the epilogue around 10 years later. Enjoy!

Bonus/Extra: After the Masquerade

"Are you almost done Professor Stein? It seems like you've been writing quite a bit down for only a routine checkup." Maka asked hesitantly, sitting up off the clinic bed.

Stein continued scribbling a few more notes down on his chart before glancing up at her with a smile. "Sorry about that; your labs and blood results all came back as normal. You're perfectly fit for a woman your age."

Maka breathed a sigh of relief at the news, pausing in hopping off the bed when another thought occurred to her. "Um, are the other results okay?"

Stein arched an eyebrow at the question, grinning in slight amusement when Maka began to squirm uncomfortably when he wouldn't immediately give her an answer.

'Come on Professor, you know exactly what I'm talking about. You just want me to be the one to say it, don't you?' Maka chastised him internally.

Stein swirled in his seat for a moment, laughing lightly when Maka eventually started to send him a scowl. "By other results, you don't mean how the baby is doing, do you?"

Maka bit her lip, meekly nodding her head as she felt her cheeks redden. It still wasn't easy to admit that she was pregnant, even if she was almost at the end of month two now.

Stein shifted through his papers and notes once more before sending her a nod of approval. "The baby is doing fine. My only suggestions are that you increase your intake of folic acid and continue to take your prenatal vitamins daily."

Maka simply nodded her head, accepting another one of the educational pamphlets Stein was required to give her for each daily checkup. 'I guess I really need to start taking his advice seriously now.'

"Oh, I have one more thing to say before you go Maka." Stein called out to her, just as she was getting ready to leave out the door.

Maka glanced back over at him and frowned when she saw the serious expression upon his face. "I also advise that you stop taking missions or at least slow down on them in the next coming months. You mentioned that you were beginning to get morning sickness and nausea throughout the day. That can impact your health and the baby's if you're not careful enough."

Maka nearly clicked her tongue in annoyance, the last thing she wanted to do right now was abruptly halt all the progress she had gotten in the recent cases Kid had given her.

"Not to go against your warning Professor Stein, but I think I'll be okay. If I can handle black blood and the poison Travis drugged with years ago, I think I can handle a few simple missions just fine." Maka mused.

Stein shook his head, not sure why Maka was being stubborn. 'She could still be in shock that she's actually pregnant and not just experiencing a case of the stomach flu. Or perhaps she's simply nervous about being a mother.'

"Maka, this isn't about only you anymore though, it's about you and your child. Knowing the abilities your child may inherit from you and possibly even Soul makes you a target for new enemies." Stein explained.

"I've been a target for people for many years now! It's not like that's something I'm not already used to by now." Maka replied back, slipping back on her black jacket.

Stein only sighed, following Maka back out of the clinic into the halls of the DWMA once more. It had already gotten late, the last peaks of the sun lighting the sky before the day headed into night.

"Anyways, my main point is that you should take it easy. I know you're already stressed by the fact you're still keeping this pregnancy a secret from Soul. I don't get why you are though; I thought you were done keeping secrets from him after that whole Masquerade fiasco way back when." Stein explained, grinning when Maka huffed and started to walk away.

'I hate to admit it, but he's right; I'm not trying to keep it a secret on purpose though. I just don't believe it would be right to tell Soul the news over phone, especially when he's busy with that death scythe mission he's been away on for the past month. I'm not going to distract him from his work by telling him this.' Maka asserted to herself, heading back home as fast as she could before she accidently bumped into someone.

"Are you in that much of a hurry to head home Maka?" Kid asked jokingly, helping Maka up off the floor.

Maka laughed, shaking her head as she brushed away some dust that had fallen onto her shirt. "Not really actually, I only a few minutes ago got out of my appointment with Stein and I wanted to head home to get something to eat while finish up on some paperwork."

Kid slowly nodded his head, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "There's no need for you to rush on getting all those reports done because I agree with what Stein told you."

Maka only blinked in confusion, waiting for Kid to continue on.

"I know it was wrong of me to eavesdrop on your discussion, but he's right Maka. You're pregnant now and I believe not as your supervisor, but as your friend that you don't need the added stress of cases in your life right now. You're already working so hard right now; taking on missions while still studying for certification exam. I want you to take it easy from now on." Kid explained.

Maka began to sulk a bit, searching Kid's golden eyes for any signs that he would change his mind and sighed when his stance remained the same. 'So they want me to simply sit at home for most the day? I can only read and study so much before even that gets tiring…but their right. I don't want to cause unnecessary harm to the baby before he or she is even born.'

"There's no reason to be so gloomy Maka. In fact, I have some positive news to share with you that should make you feel less stressed in the coming days." Kid announced happily.

Maka's eyes lit up in excitement, leaning in to hear what he had to say. Kid smiled even more at Maka's quick change in mood before clearing his throat.

"Well, he did want me to keep it a surprise from you, but Soul called yesterday to inform me he would be coming home from his mission earlier than expected to catch you off guard for your 25th birthday! He said he would be home at the latest by tomorrow night! I think a good way to celebrate would be to invite everyone to the manor this weekend; what do you think?

Maka felt a familiar wave of nausea hit her as she took in Kid's words slowly. "Um, could you repeat all that?"

~X~

'Soul is going to be here by tomorrow night…how am I going to explain the pregnancy to him when I haven't even come up with a game plan to tell him yet?!' Maka thought woozily, trudging home much more sluggishly now at the revelation.

The scent of fish permeated the air as she soon as she opened the apartment door. Maka immediately resisted the urge to cover her nose as Blair giddily ran up to her.

"Maka, you're back to so late! I was beginning to worry you got too caught up in your studies again or a fight that you lost track of time!" Blair cried out, looking over Maka to make sure she wasn't injured.

Maka smiled at Blair's concern over her and headed into her room to take off her jacket and shoes. "I'm alright Blair; Professor's Stein appointment just went on longer than I expected it would."

Blair huffed in agreement from outside her door, following her as she went back over to the kitchen. "I'll say! Are you sure he even knows what he's talking about? You've been throwing up for the past two or three weeks now and you hardly ever get sick!"

'Oh, I still haven't told Blair or really anyone that I'm pregnant. It's not like they probably won't instantly piece it together eventually though. A baby is going to mean so many changes…will I even be a good mother? How is Soul going to react? Knowing how Blair likes to behave, how would I explain that to our child as they get older? Oh, the cat that lives with us sometimes can make herself appear human and likes to walk around naked occasionally; it's nothing for you to worry about. ' Maka mused sardonically, gaining a mild headache at the rush of thoughts.

A part of her still didn't understand why she desired to keep the pregnancy a secret so badly. It felt wrong that Soul hadn't been the first person to know, so the least she could do was continue to hide it until he came back. As far as friends and her Papa, they would need to remain in the dark for now as well.

"This apartment was already small before Blair had moved in. Is there even any space to put a baby's crib or will we need to move?" Maka continued muttering to herself, before Blair swiftly plopped a bowl of soup in front of her.

Maka stared briefly at the soup, a blackened fish head sticking straight out of the bowl in between the mix of noodles and broth. "You were making dinner for me this whole time?"

Blair nodded her head, taking a seat next to her. "Of course silly! Now hurry up and eat it before it gets cold!"

Maka warily picked up her spoon and blew away the steam, revulsion at the smell making her stomach knot uncomfortably. Still, Blair had taken time out of her day to prepare this meal for her and she managed to politely take few sips and even a bite from the fish before her lunch came back to greet her: all over the table.

"I'm sorry Blair, I...I didn't mean to throw up all the hard work you spent preparing that for me." Maka mumbled in embarrassment a few minutes later, now hunched over a toilet and pausing to catch her breath.

Blair quietly pulled her hair away from face, grabbing a nearby washcloth to wipe away the sweat from her forehead. "Maka, quit apologizing! I guess I forgot how much you detest fish; it's my fault really! I'm beginning to think though this isn't just some stomach flu…"

Maka froze at her words, hands nearly slipping off the rim of the toilet. 'She knows?'

Green eyes met gold as the two sat in silence, Blair eventually reaching over to ruffle her ash blonde hair. "Don't push yourself so hard, okay? You'll be fine alone since I have to get ready for work now though, right?"

Maka appeared dazed for a moment, before standing up alongside her with a nod. "I'm an adult now Blair, so obviously!"

Blair laughed at Maka's immature response, helping her finish cleaning up the table and dishes. "Yeah, you and Soul are adults now. It's nice being able to fulfill all those teenage lust and desires you two secretly had for each other, isn't it?"

Maka paused in her scrubbing of a plate, cheeks growing hot under Blair's amused grin. "Err, I guess?" How else was she supposed to answer that question?

'Blair must definitely know from asking me that question, but why didn't she call me out on it?' Maka pondered, casually flipping through channels to distract her mind once Blair left. Perhaps she should just turn in early for the night.

Meanwhile Blair's ears drooped as she gave one last look outside the apartment, loitering around the hallway in advance of heading to ChupaCabra's.

"Why won't she tell me she's pregnant? Maybe it really is supposed to be a surprise until Soul gets here." Blair grumbled aloud, smirking as another idea came to her. 'Guess that means I can prolong teasing her and Soul now at least.'

~X~

"Hiro, I don't think that's a good idea, I'm too busy to all of a sudden have a band reunion, which was really only the two of us." Maka huffed out, glancing back over her shopping list to ignore him. With Kid letting her take a leave from work and Soul coming back more than likely tonight, it meant she really needed to get the grocery shopping done, but she didn't expect to be running into old classmates in the process.

"Well, to be honest it was Rachel's suggestion, but come on Maka! Don't you remember how much fun it was being in Masquerade, sans the part involving Travis? Or are you embarrassed because you don't play the saxophone as good as you used to?" Hiro questioned with a smirk.

'He's right on the fact I haven't played much of anything since we disbanded all those years ago. The only times I've performed in the past few months were at home with Soul and for some kids at that children's fair…' Maka reminisced, frowning at the realization she had lost much of her knowledge of music in favor of other goals.

"If he's bugging you Maka, then I can get rid of him." Black Star abruptly uttered over her shoulder, cracking his knuckles for emphasis.

Hiro backed away at Black Star's menacing glare, stepping backwards to head out of the market. "Ah, let me know if you change your mind Maka!"

Maka sighed and rolled her eyes as she watched him leave before turning to face Black Star. "Why did you do that? I was perfectly capable of getting him to go away on my own."

Black Star only snorted, pushing his shopping cart ahead of her. "Well, you two were blocking the aisle! Some of us need to get our shopping done instead of idle chit chat."

Maka gained a puzzled look and gazed down at Black Star's cart, noticing it was completely void of any items. "Why are you even the one out shopping?"

"Oh, Angela came down with some cold and Tsubaki's taking care of her to make sure it doesn't get any worse. Hey, do you know where they sell the cough medicine?" Black Star questioned, glancing around the aisle.

Maka couldn't help but smile slightly at how lost he was, pointing a finger towards the back. "It's in the pharmacy section."

Black Star grinned as a sign of thanks and was about to rush off until he saw how full Maka's cart was. "Whoa, who are you buying groceries for? You and Blair don't eat that much, unless you're hiding something…"

"Soul's coming back home soon idiot. I needed to make sure there's enough food for everybody." Maka answered back casually.

Black Star arched an eyebrow as he gazed over the array of items in her cart, all the while Maka watching him carefully in case he wanted to do a further inspection. 'It's a good thing I haven't picked up the prenatal vitamins yet. I don't know how I would explain that to him.'

"Hmm, well it doesn't seem like you've got anything out of the ordinary in here. I figured you would be buying something special for Soul's homecoming." Black Star implied, a coy grin forming on his face.

Maka chose to avert her gaze, groaning softly when Black Star started to laugh at her flushed cheeks. She had been prudish about matters relating to love and sex for the majority of her teen years, but all that had gradually changed with the time she spent with Soul.

"Anyways, there are still some other errands I need to do so I'll be seeing you around." Maka huffed out, not wanting to give him the opportunity to tease her anymore.

"Heh, if you say so. Maybe you and Soul should take some tips from Tsubaki and me if you ever want your relationship to be interesting!" Black Star stated in sing-song voice, whistling as he walked off in the opposite direction.

'Why does everyone think Soul and I never do anything?' Maka asked herself bitterly, blushing when an impish thought popped into her head. 'Well, you certainly proved them wrong now though, haven't you? The last of the group to be married, yet the first to be pregnant.'

About 30 minutes later, Maka was back at the apartment putting away groceries when her phone buzzed beside her. Maka took a quick glance at the caller ID and gained a mix of apprehension and excitement: It was Soul.

~X~

'It's just Soul; nothing for me to freak out over.' Maka told herself, setting down the bread by the toaster before hitting the accept button. "Hello."

"I'm surprised you're even picking up your phone. Usually you keep your phone on silent while you're at work." Soul answered teasingly.

Maka laughed gently at that, shifting her phone to her shoulder as she finished putting away the milk and eggs into the fridge. "Kid told me to take off work so I'm actually at home."

"Huh, are you still feeling sick from last week? This might be worse than what you think it is." Soul questioned, gaining a concerned tone.

Maka shook her head, the guilt of her lie weighing on her again. "No, No I'm fine! There's nothing for you to worry about Soul."

There was a pause for a moment on the other end of the line and Maka almost assumed they had had a sudden disconnection until he spoke up again. "Since you're at the apartment, let's FaceTime."

Maka arched an eyebrow at the suggestion, but agreed to it. Soul grinned over Maka's lazy disposition, as soon as she had gotten back home she had changed into some pajamas pants and a plain green t-shirt.

"So, what things have been going on since we last talked, even though we talk every Friday pretty much?" Soul inquired, leaning back in his chair.

"Hmm, well I went grocery shopping today and ran into Black Star and Hiro. Can you believe Hiro wanted us to have a Masquerade reunion?" Maka asked with a giggle.

Soul narrowed his eyes at the thought. "Are you two having a midlife crisis to be bringing that back up?"

Maka scoffed, wishing she could hit Soul for that comment. "I wasn't the one who brought it up! Besides, you make it seem like we're old."

Soul simply shrugged, putting a hand against a palm. "So, are you taking him seriously then? Do you want to make Masquerade a thing again?"

"I wouldn't mind to be honest playing my sax again for a one night only special or something on the condition that I could have a certain teacher help me relearn some parts." Maka brought up playfully.

Soul promptly caught on to her meaning, gaining a whole new wicked grin. "That can be arranged."

'It's silly banter like this that led from one to thing to another.' Maka mused, twirling a finger through her hair at the memory.

Flashback

"Soul, why are you still here?" Maka asked, barely gazing up at him from her textbooks and practice questions.

Soul unhurriedly finished taking a bite from his apple, tossing the core into the trash bin nearby. "I came to bring you your lunch and eat with you like I always do when I'm here in the city."

"I know that, but we ate lunch over an hour ago and you're still here. Are you trying to avoid some death scythe meeting again by hiding in here?" Maka retorted back.

Soul shook his head, standing up and walking around to her desk to see what she was doing. "Still studying for that certification exam to be a forensics and criminal investigator? You'll be fine; you do well on every test you take."

"This is different from any exam I've ever taken. It will make that super exam Stein gave us years back seem like nothing." Maka muttered, continuing to go through a drill of practice questions until Soul reached over her and slammed her books shut.

"You just want me to hit you, don't you?" Maka asked with a growl, looking up to meet his crimson eyes.

"As long as it means I have your attention. You've been studying since this morning and it's already past 1 pm now. I think you can handle being away from your notes and other crap for a bit." Soul answered back cheekily.

Maka swirled in her chair to fully face him, stretching her arms out with a yawn. "What do you want to do then?"

Soul slowly peered over Maka's business attire, a simple blue button top and gray pencil skirt before smirking. "Hmm, what don't I want to do?"

Maka felt herself redden at his staring and innuendo. "Idiot, that wasn't even a proper answer."

"I'm being serious; we hardly get to spend any time alone together before one of us gets called away for something." Soul remarked, pulling her into his arms gently.

"You smell good, been trying on some new perfume or something to impress me?" Soul asked jokingly, pressing kisses along her neck.

Maka shook her head, giggling at his touch. "You know I haven't and besides, I probably smell like paper ink and sweat more than anything else."

"Guess you know how to make those two things sexy then." Soul mused back as Maka's giggling turned into laughter at his flirting.

Maka sighed contently, brushing a hand through the back of his hair as the warmth of his lips eventually met hers. Soul began to actively fiddle with the buttons of her top when Maka pulled back with a pant.

"Wait a second Soul." Maka whispered, breaking away from him to close her window. Soul watched her hurriedly close the blinds as he checked the walls.

"Kid didn't install any cameras in here, did he?" Soul questioned.

"No, they're only in the hallways as far as I know." Maka muttered, just as Soul hoisted her back up and pressed her against her desk.

"Good, if not an 'accident' might have caused those cameras to disappear." Soul chuckled, pushing her books aside.

"Hold on, one more thing." Maka said softly. Soul grunted in response, but Maka simply held up a key to silence him.

"Lock my door first."

Flashback End

"What are you thinking about?" Soul asked, startling her from her thoughts.

Maka blinked dazedly, blushing as she realized where her thoughts had gone. "About the time you were in my office for lunch around a month ago." 'It was only when we came back home that I realized I had forgotten to pick up my new pack of birth control…'

Soul scrunched his face up in thought, smirking as he recalled the memory. "Oh yeah, we can always do that again if you want. You know I should be home in time for your birthday this weekend, right? You're going to be surprised I bet."

'Yeah, I have a surprise for you too.' Maka thought, before nodding her head. "Guess I'll see you soon then. I need to charge my phone again before the battery dies."

Soul nodded his head in agreement, waving goodbye as he ended the call with a smile. 'She'll be seeing me sooner than she thinks. I'm already on my way to the airport now.'

~X~

Maka carefully blew the dust off a sealed package from the back of her closet. All of her Masquerade memorabilia had been stuffed away into a box except for her saxophone.

'This really takes me back. I wonder what I put in here.' Maka mused, tearing off the tape and peering inside. The first thing she found was her trademark verdant mask, still aligned with the jewels along the edges. Maka briefly fingered the feathered rims of the mask before picking up a stuffed envelope.

"I didn't realize we had this many fans. Hiro might have actually had a point, but then again; we didn't have much rival bands or competition when we did all this." Maka murmured to herself, pulling out leftover signed autographs of the two along with old cd's of their songs from the envelope.

'I can tell I'm giving such a fake smile in this picture. No matter how happy I was learning how to play, I was still always choosing to lie.' Maka determined at one particular photo of the two smiling after a performance, placing everything back into the box slowly.

"Walking down memory lane, huh?" Soul asked by her ear, causing her let out a small eep and inadvertently strike at his nose.

"Geez, you really were lost in thought, weren't you?" Soul grumbled, rubbing his now sore nose.

Maka rolled her eyes with a smile, standing up to greet him. "That's what you get for coming up behind me; you startled me! When did you get home anyways?"

Soul pointed over to his luggage still outside in the hallway. "I just came in a few minutes ago. You weren't responded to me calling you so I wanted to check on what you were doing. You don't even seem all that shocked that I here."

"Kid ruined the surprise by telling me about it." Maka explained, laughing at the scowl that came on to Soul's face. "Don't be mad at him though, I'm happy you're back so early."

Soul nodded his head, walking back out in the living room with Maka trailing behind him. Just as she had expected, Soul's flight had come in late with it already close to 10 pm now. Maka shifted to close the kitchen window as a cool breeze came in. The cloudy overcast obscured the moon, leaving the two in relative darkness until Soul turned on the living room lamp.

'Tonight is when I'm going to tell him. No more putting it off or waiting.' Maka resolved silently, watching as Soul flipped through a few channels before shutting off the TV and turning back towards her.

"As usual, there's nothing on. I'm sleepy anyways so I'm going to head in; you coming?" Soul asked, already getting off the couch.

Maka nodded her head, pushing back the growing lump forming in her chest as they headed to his room.

"I know I've only been gone a few weeks, but it feels like it's been forever since I've been in a bed this comfortable." Soul stated cheerfully.

Maka beamed back quietly, observing as he tossed and turned for a bit under the covers before lazily wrapping an arm around her as he stilled.

'Oh crap, I waited too long and now he might have fallen asleep already!' Maka thought in alarm, pocking his arm gently to wake him back him up.

"Soul, are you already asleep?" Maka questioned in a hushed tone, hoping he would speak up but only got the sound of Soul's even breathing as a response.

"Damn it, this was important and I ruined my chances again of telling you!" Maka whispered angrily, Soul's sleeping face remaining unchanged.

'He's had a long day though. I guess I'll have to wait until morning to tell him.' Maka decided, curling into his warmth.

"When he wakes up, it will be the first thing I-"Maka paused her muttering when she heard Soul let out an aggravated sigh.

"Okay, what is so damn important that you've been grumbling to yourself for the past couple of minutes? Is it really that crucial?" Soul asked grouchily, opening one eye sleepily.

Maka huffed at his attitude, but didn't back down as her voice softened. "I'm…I'm about 2 months pregnant Soul."

If the topic wasn't so serious, Maka would have snickered at the site of Soul nearly falling off the bed in stunned surprise, eyes now wide and alert.

"What?! You're….you're not joking with me, right?" Soul questioned, pushing back the covers and turning on a nearby light to see her properly.

Maka shook her head, fiddling the sheets nervously. "No, why would I even joke about something like this? I know I should have told you sooner, but I didn't know how to tell you and I knew you were busy with your own assignments…" Soul cut off her rambling by reaching out to squeeze her hand.

"Shit Maka, none of my work matters if this is what's been really going on with you! And I'm an idiot for not even seeing the signs…" Soul hissed out, berating himself angrily.

"You're not an idiot Soul; I was the one keeping it hidden after all. I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I first found out; I was still in shock of it all and then I realized I had forgotten about my birth control which started this whole situation. I didn't want to stress you out by adding this to your workload." Maka explained hastily.

Soul scooted over to brush away the stray tears falling from her eyes. "I'm not mad about it; I mean if you had told me earlier, I could have been home even sooner. "

Maka softly groaned at her foolish decisions, leaning against Soul's shoulder for comfort as the two sat in silence.

"Who else knows?" Soul eventually asked.

Maka moved her head off his shoulder and smiled sheepishly. "Only Stein and Kid, I swear. I mean Blair probably suspects me, but she hasn't prodded me for questions yet."

Soul leaned his head against his palm, eyes moving towards Maka's still relatively flat stomach. 'So, our child is really growing in there?'

"This is some surprise you had for me. I can only imagine your old man will want to castrate me when he finds out." Soul chuckled lightly, rubbing her stomach absentmindedly.

Maka blushed at his behavior, feeling a little less tense at his words. "Soul, what exactly are you trying to accomplish by touching my stomach?"

Soul immediately halted his motion, meeting her curious eyes. "Err; I was just trying to see if I could feel the baby."

Maka stared at him blankly for a moment, biting her lip to hide her smile until she eventually broke into a fit of giggles when she could no longer contain it. "I'm still too early in my pregnancy for you to really feel anything!"

"…You could've told me that instead of letting me look like an idiot." Soul muttered in embarrassment, about to turn over in the bed when Maka reached for his hand once more.

"I'm so relieved." Maka said softly, pressing the warmth of his palm against her cheek. "I figured you would be freaking out more over this."

"Who says I'm not?" Soul responded back, pressing her hand towards his rapidly beating heart. Maka sighed, turning the lamp light back off.

"You don't have to face this alone Maka; we'll handle this together." Soul continued on.

Maka nodded her head, snuggling in closer towards him once more. "I've settled it now; tomorrow morning is when I'll start again."

"Start what?" Soul inquired, unsure if this had to do with the pregnancy or something else entirely.

Maka smiled against his chest, looking back up to meet his eyes. "I'm going to relearn the steps to playing my saxophone once more; it will make for the perfect way to de-stress."

~X~

"I think we should be getting ready for that party." Soul mused, listening as Maka played a few more notes off key.

"I feel like I should be better than this. What's wrong with me?" Maka huffed, setting her sax against the couch tiredly.

Soul handed her a glass of water which she accepted with a smile. "You aren't going to be great because you're rusty at playing. Hiro never said he immediately wanted you guys to perform again, so there's nothing wrong with you taking it slow, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose. It seemed like it came so easy to me before though." Maka grumbled, cleaning off the keys and reed of the sax.

Soul smirked as Maka flipped through the pages of her old music notes once more. "Things are going to be different now that I'll be the one re-teaching you. It's going to take longer than just a few months to master everything, especially when you have other stuff to do."

Maka waved him off as she placed her sax back into her case and gathered all her sheets together. "Whatever you say, Mr. Evans; now come help me pick out a dress."

"We could always stay here if you want." Soul offered over her shoulder, causing her to lightly elbow him.

"I highly doubt Kid would appreciate the main people he's throwing this party for didn't show up." Maka said with a smirk, causing Soul to snicker before he headed off for his own room.

Maka hummed peacefully as the two strolled to Kid's manor an hour later. Even though she had mildly been against the idea of having a party for her 25th birthday, Kid had continued to insist it would be a great way for everyone to meet up again which she had to admit, was true. 'The timing is even perfect since Soul is here now too.'

"I was thinking, maybe we should ask Stein and Marie for advice." Soul stated, breaking the silence between them.

Maka turned to send him an odd look, not sure what he was talking about. "Why do we need to go to them for advice?"

"For the pregnancy of course! They're the only stable people we know who have gone through a pregnancy and had a kid." Soul answered back.

"I don't know if we should qualify Professor Stein as 'stable' and did you forget my Papa has me?" Maka questioned with a snort.

Soul rolled his eyes as they both began to laugh. "I said stable, you're dad isn't stable. Besides, you hardly ever even talk to him."

'But at least I'm sure he could give me some advice. After all, I'm sure he'll want to be a part of the child's life…perhaps Marie is the only person I can ask for motherly advice though.' Maka considered, beginning to frown.

Soul picked up on her change in mood and ruffled her hair gently. "Hey, don't start getting all mopey before we even get to the party."

Maka shook her head, pushing the negative thoughts away. "You know, the only thing I'm concerned about is that somebody might try to give me alcohol; namely Black Star or Liz."

Soul nodded his head, the two now approaching the entrance of the manor. "We'll both need to be on the lookout then."

Maka grinned as all her friends stood up to greet them as they entered the main hall. "Happy Birthday Maka and welcome home Soul!"

"You guys seriously didn't need to throw all this together." Maka mentioned, beaming as their friends threw confetti at them.

"Stop complaining and just enjoy yourself! Some of us haven't seen each other in person in a long time, especially you two!" Black Star yelled out from the crowd.

"Come on Maka, I'm sure there's plenty of stuff we need to catch up on!" Liz said from her side, dragging her off to where the rest of the girls were.

Maka refrained from pouting as Liz shoved a glass of wine into her hands. "Liz, I'm not in the mood for drinking."

"Oh Maka, there's no need to be so modest for your own party! I'm sure Soul wouldn't mind any new lively behavior that came from it." Liz countered suggestively.

'Actually, I'm sure he would.' Maka speculated, discreetly pouring her drink into a plant behind them when Liz turned around to stop Patty from jumping onto the furniture.

"Any reason why decided to pour that wine into the plant?" Tsubaki asked from beside her, raising an eyebrow at the action.

Maka flinched for a moment at being caught, relaxing when Tsubaki began to send her a smug smile. "I think you have an idea of why."

Tsubaki nodded her head, smile growing even wider as she did a sweeping glance around the room. "Are you and Soul going to make an announcement or wait a bit longer?"

Maka shrugged, not even sure where Soul was as at the moment. "I'm going to go find him and ask him."

Maka blinked in confusion when she finally came upon Soul talking to Hiro unusually. 'How many people did Kid invite to this? Everyone we knew back in the EAT class?'

"Listen, I don't want you bothering Maka about anything Masquerade related for at least the next couple of months or so. She may want to do a reunion show, but she's not at the same level she was at years ago. Plus, she's going to be distracted with other things." Soul explained seriously.

Hiro slinked back warily, noticing Maka was watching the scene from behind them. "If that's what you two want, its fine. I'm sure I need to work on my own skills too, if you want; you could even play with us."

"Yeah Soul, become our third member." Maka said jokingly from behind them. Soul scrunched his face in annoyance as he turned to face her while Hiro sauntering off back into the crowds.

"I think I'll stick to being your teacher." Soul grumbled, pausing in speaking again when he noticed Spirit giving him the stink eye from across the room.

Maka followed his gaze and sighed. "I don't understand his behavior sometimes; he still likes to treat me like a child."

"You two don't need to be so clingy to each other. There are other people you can mingle with here." Spirit argued, walking up to them.

"Maka hasn't been feeling that well, so I'm just making sure she's okay." Soul replied back easily, ignoring the irritated look Spirit sent him while he gained a worried expression over Maka.

"Why did you let Maka come here if she wasn't feeling well? Do you need me to find someplace for you to lie down?!" Spirit asked her in concern.

Maka shook her head, gaining a mischievous look that didn't go unnoticed by Soul. "I'm fine Papa; I'm just pregnant is all."

The color slowly drained from Spirit's face as he took in her words and realized what she had said. "I-Is that true or are you messing with me for fun?"

Soul simply nodded his head, half of him enjoying taunting Spirit while the other half worried if he was going to be okay with how pale his face had gotten. "Maka is at about the end of month two, but you can't really see it yet."

Spirit gazed between the two of them silently; waiting for one of them to announce it was a joke and brushed a hand through his hair shakily when he realized they were being serious.

"I-I think I need to lie down."

~X~

Maka groaned quietly under her breathe, applying a new washcloth to her father's head as they sat in one of Kid's many guestrooms. "I wasn't expecting him to faint."

"Well, he could have either thrown up or attacked me. I think this was the best outcome really." Soul mentioned, earning him a punch to the shoulder.

"But is it really true though, you two are going to be parents?! Ah, I can't believe my own students are going to be starting their own family; now I really feel old!" Marie asked excitedly from across the room.

Soul and Maka blushed a bit at her enthusiasm; Spirit's reaction had caused the whole party to come to an abrupt halt, with everyone questioning why the man had suddenly fallen to the ground in shock until they revealed the truth.

"Black Star said he is going to be the Godparent as we brought him up here." Soul pointed out, helping Maka gather some ice from the nearby bucket.

"He can't just declare himself that, but that sounds like something he would say." Maka laughed. 'This wasn't exactly how I wanted everyone to find out. I wonder what everyone thinks of us being soon to be parents.'

"If you two need any help, feel free to come to us for advice! I bet you two don't even know how to change a diaper." Marie exclaimed.

Spirit sluggishly began to sit up as the commotion in the room got louder. "Ugh, what happened?"

"You passed out after Maka informed you she is pregnant." Stein explained with an amused grin.

Spirit groaned as the memory came back to him, casting a glare at Soul until Maka began to glare at him. "Sorry, I kind of startled you like that, but Papa will be here to help you in any way he can!"

"Yes, we're sure you'll be a good grandpa." Soul brought up; smirking at the dirty look Spirit sent him once more for making him feel old.

Maka relaxed back into her chair as their friends slowly littered into the room to congratulate them and ask them mix of questions on when exactly she knew she was pregnant and where they did it.

'Thank goodness our friends will be here to help us throughout the pregnancy, even if they all are a bit perverted…'

~X~

Months later, a whine followed by a cry pierced the air, waking both Soul and Maka from their sleep.

Maka's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, noticing Soul was already shifting out of bed. "It's okay Soul; I can get him since you already got him the last time."

Soul was about to shake his head sleepily in disagreement, but Maka casted him a stern look that she wouldn't take no for an answer.

'I wonder what's bothering him this time…We just fed him and changed him.' Maka thought nervously, heading towards Christopher's crib and found he was already sitting up waiting on one of them.

Scarlet eyes lit up as Maka approached him and reached out to lift him out the bed.

"Chris, what's bugging you this time? Can't get back to sleep?" Maka questioned, calling him by his nickname as she smoothed out his disheveled blonde hair.

Chris let out a babble of noises, leaning into her chest while Maka pressed a hand against his cheeks. 'He does feel a bit warm; perhaps this is a teething fever?'

"Chris, open your mouth for a moment. I want to check something." Maka asked gently, seeing that indeed his front teeth were coming in; tiny bulges at the top of his gums.

Maka smiled slightly, rubbing Chris's back gently as he began to fuss again. "I wonder if you're going to have sharp teeth too. Anyways, we'll fix this with some cold washcloths you can chew and suck on!"

A soft melody came through the air as Maka carried him to the bathroom. Recognizing it was Soul's classic tune.

Christopher turned curiously towards the noise as well, chubby hands reaching out towards Soul when they approached the room.

Soul grinned at Chris's calmer behavior, pausing in his playing to allow him to smash his fingers against the piano keys wildly to release his excess energy.

"Sounds like you if you attempted to play." Soul mused, scooting over to allow Maka to sit.

"Yes, because I'm sure you could play the saxophone like a pro." Maka scoffed.

Christopher eventually settled down, leaning back into Maka as he blinked drowsily. "Masquerade will be having its reunion performance this weekend now that I think about it."

Soul frowned, closing the piano case slowly to avoid startling Chris. "Are you sure you're ready? I mean you and I haven't been getting much sleep with Chris's fussiness."

Maka nodded her head, emerald eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yes, I did learn from one of the best after all."

Soul still wanted to voice his disagreement, but Maka continued on. "Soul, 10 years ago when we were teenagers, I wanted to learn about music so much so that I could understand and love it the way you do. 10 years later, I lost some of the knowledge I had, but I haven't lost the love I gained for it. I still want to play at least a few songs; it would make all the training you did with me over these months go to waste if I didn't try."

"If that's what you want, I'll be in the audience. I never thought music would become something so important to you." Soul stated.

"It's not just the music, but you, Chris, and all our friends and family. You've all played a big impact in my life that I don't feel bad about my weaknesses anymore or jealous of others." Maka explained softly.

Soul leaned over to gently kiss her forehead. "Don't think I'll let you immediately head back into work though. Kid said he had no problems with you taking maternity leave and your exam is still not until the end of next month."

Maka nodded in agreement, laziness having taken her with the ups and downs of adjusting to motherhood along with the sleepless nights. "That's fine; I don't think I could come back in when I don't feel at 100% yet."

"Yeah and I'll be here too regaining back my own energy." Soul continued on.

Maka narrowed her eyes amusingly, gently holding Chris as she stood back up. "I don't recall Kid saying you get a maternity leave too in case you have forgotten."

Soul shook his head, following her to the bathroom with a grin. "Don't worry about that minor detail; I can always create an excuse to spend time you and Chris."

"In other words, you're going to make up some crappy story again, right?" Maka mused while Soul chuckled.

"It will sound better than the way you put it, but thinking about it aloud makes me sound like a bad influence." Soul considered.

Maka simply shrugged, smiling as they both gazed down at their son. "I guess I am too since I wouldn't prefer it any other way."

~x~

Thanks once again for reading!