Okay guys, sorry for the long delay... if any one is waiting for the final chapter of this story here it is. I do not own soul eater!

Chapter 25

Miley Awakens:

What of the missing children?

Miley slowly opened her eyes. She was never confused, her eyes where blurry but she felt a very familiar fabric slide off her as sat up. She knew the fabric very well, though she couldn't understand why he had her covered with that? It didn't make any sense, not that she didn't mind but surely they have enough blankets in the dispensary that he didn't need to cover her with his coat. She found Maka staring at her.

The Scythe Meister threw her arms around her. "Miley! Thank goodness." She sighed. Every single muscle in Miley's body began to scream in agony. Her body started shaking which the older meister felt and laid her back down. "Get some rest, we'll be heading home soon." Miley just wanted to know how she had gotten away from home in the first place.

"You alright, Miles?" Mason's voice was barely a whisper. His face showed that he was in pain to. She wanted to take a hold of his hand but her crying muscles would allow her to move her arm. What was going on? How had she gotten here, where was Stein?

"I'm alright," She told him. "I'm just confused, where are we?"

"I'm not sure..." Her weapon replied.

She opened her eyes again. She noticed that she was in the dispensary again. Had everything before just been a dream? Or was the headache worst then she though, she read a book where the main character had a brain tumor, and she had hallucinations. She was worried could she have one too?

"How are you feeling Miley?" Stein asked, he actually sitting at the edge of the bed instead on the office chair.

"I'm really confused and a little scared." She admitted. She wasn't sure what was going on. "I feel like I'm missing something."

Stein had been expecting this. He really hoped that Miley did not recall that she was brainwashed. He would hate to have her remember that she had tired to kill him. He knew the small meister would never forgive herself if she found out. "Really?" He inquired. "What makes you say that?" He wanted to know what she might remember before overloading her with all of the details. Especially keeping that Dianna was behind all of it.

"I had a lot of choppy and confusing dreams." He wondered what she remembered. He really didn't want to have explain right now. "They didn't make any sense, that last one made the least of all of them." She wasn't really looked at him, he was about to press for more when she continued. "The last thing I could remember was I could barely move, and I was covered in your lab coat. How long was I sleep?" She asked.

He wasn't sure if he should tell her yet. He wanted to rest for awhile. He realized that Miley was trying to move around. He sighed knowing that she was about to get a very large shock. "Ow... what?" She let out a small whine. Stein could tell that she was in a great deal of pain. He stood to get her a pain killer. He couldn't hide it from her now.

"You shouldn't move for a while, you are going to be sore for a couple of days." He told her.

"How do I get sore muscles from a headache?" She asked. While eying the needle he was holding.

"You don't to be honest." Stein told her. He smiled realizing what she was looking at. "Don't worry Miley, it's going into the IV." It was clear she had not noticed she had one. "It's to help with the pain. Don't worry, I tell you everything later. I want to you rest for now."

"I want to know now." She said trying to move. He watched her arms shake trying to hold the weight.

"Lay back down Miley." Stein demanded. Great she was acting like him again. No, she could not act like him they weren't related. Her arms gave and out and she fell back to the pillows. "Do not try to get up again." He scolded while crossing his arms. "Is that understood."

"But," Miley stammered.

"No, buts, you try it again I'll restrain you." He told her.

"Fine," Miley pouted, she knew full well that he would do as he promised. "I just hate sitting still."

"You can sit still just fine," Stein pointed out. "You just aren't got at when you are told to do so." He said calmly, while attempting to take her blood pressure without causing to much discomfort.

"How do you do that?" She asked, flinching slightly as the pressure on her arm got tighter.

"Do what?" He asked while watching the needle go down.

"Flip back and forth like that. One minute your scolding me like I'm three years old and the next your treating me like an adult again."

"It doesn't matter." He brushed of the question, simply because he was not sure what Miley was talking about. "Now, about those other dreams?" He was wondering if they had been an effect of the brainwashing, he was sure that Miley was not aware of what happened and he wanted to keep it that way for awhile.

Miley went though all that she could remember. Stein felt particularly tense, when she started talking about her fake memories with Diana. "I knew they couldn't be real, she never acted that way." She said quietly. She hated talking about it. "Seems strange that my brain would even try to lie to me like that right." She laughed. She stopped when she saw the look on his face. "What's the matter."

"Nothing." He did not want to tell her when she would be stuck in bed with nothing else to think about. He also did not want anyone else to tell her either. It would little less hard on her if she heard it from him.

"Don't lie, I can tell, your soul seems disturbed." She said. He had forgot that she could read emotions. "You just a giant ball of feelings." She said. "Also can I ask you something."

"I just have a great deal on my mind right now." He stated. He did not like where this chat was going. "What is it about?"

"When did I..." She felt her neck warm up. "Call you daddy." She did not remember calling him that. He sighed, that was coming out now? He had been meaning to talk to her about it since she recovered her memories, that was about in July and here it was mid-May.

"It was when you had amnesia." He explained. He wondered if this was the place to be talking about it. "What do you remember?" He wondered if she knew fully or if she just had a few pieces of it.

"I didn't really see anything, and the only thing I could hear was you scolding me and I said 'I'm sorry daddy.' She sighed and her eyes start to droop, the pain medication was starting to take affect. "I was just wondering..." Her eyes closed and she opened them again. "Why I did that?"

"You wondered away when we took you to see Mason." He knew Miley would not be able to fight sleep. "I was little upset with you." He sighed. He really didn't want her to worry about anything while she was trying to get better. She always held on the bad things and wanted to make up for them by being a go getter.

"Oh, I'm" She quickly opened her eyes again. "Sorry." She was not sure how much longer she could stay awake. She wanted to apologize even though she was not sure it was needed. She really did not like the idea that she had upset him.

"It's in the past Miley don't worry about it." He said, watching the young girl trying to keep her eyes open. "I handled it, it's over. You should get to some sleep. You will not be able to fight the meds much longer."

"How did you handle it?" She asked. Stein half thought she might be asking in her sleep her eyes where closed. She wondered what other little stunts she had pulled that Stein handled. She sighed why did she always cause trouble for him.

"We'll talk about it later Miley." He added a light overtone of an order into this voice. "Now get some sleep."

A few days later both members of the Staff team where released. Stein did not expect to either member for awhile with the exception being in class, so when he opened his door to find Miley standing there on evening. He was half temped just to tell her to go home, but she was holding one of his personal files. It was the one he had given her at the beginning of this whole whirlwind.

"I know you likely sick of seeing me." She said as she enter the house. He quickly gave her a sharp smack upside the head. She flinched. "Ow, you didn't have to hit me." She muttered while rubbing the assaulted spot. "I found it while I was cleaning up, I didn't even realize I still had it." She placed it on his desk then turned to face him. "Did we ever find them?" She inquired softly. Stein knew what she was talking about.

"We did but we didn't. They were being killed shortly after being taken. You are the only survivor from what we can tell. We couldn't even send bodies home." He sighed while lighting a cigarette.

"Really how could they hide that many that well?" She asked.

"They burned the bodies," He watched Miley go weak kneed, he was ready to catch if needed. "Yes, you would have been next." Was his reply.

"How do you know?" She demanded. Her eyes widened. "You found the one who planned it?" She asked.

"Yes, it was the one who tried to take Leslie that night." Stein confirmed. He hoped that wouldn't give it away.

"I swear I knew her from somewhere..." Miley fell to the floor this time. She had covered her mouth. "Dianna..." She muttered. "That's why my memories made me think that she was..." She muttered. Stein sat on his knees and placed his hand on her shoulder. "What happened after I closed my eyes that day?" She muttered. "You promised you would tell me when I was back on my feet." She said. Her light green eyes staring into his glasses over darker green ones. He saw the Miley he has always know. Strong, bright and stubborn to a fault. She never wanted to be left in the dark even if meant getting hurt.

He sat her down on the couch and began to fill in the gap of time. He watched Miley's eye widen in shock. "I tried to kill you... I could have really hurt you and mom." She placed her head in her hands.

"You're fight skills have gotten much better since you started." He chuckled knowing Miley was going to get all worked up.

"Why do you sound so proud!" Miley standing up. "I could have killed you and mom, I would have never forgiven myself!"

"Miley," Stein started. He didn't want Marie to hear what they where talking about. "I knew what the risks where, we both did. We're leaving in the hands of that witch." He told her. "You where not in control, you came out on your own, not many people can say that." Stein told her.

"Dad, you shouldn't be so... okay with this!" Miley yelled. It was clear that it would upset. Stein knew she would be. "I tried to kill you!"

"Miley, you do not yell at your father." Came Marie's voice from the kitchen. She had been making dinner and Stein had hoped to keep his partner out of his conversation. Marie would be upset that Miley would blame herself. It was odd, Stein noticed that Marie had opposite effect on Miley that did on him. He felt his shoulders relax, while he watched hers tense.

"Sorry mom, I'm just getting upset. I mean he making it sound like me trying to kill you two are a good thing."

"That is not what I said." Stein scolded. "I made a comment on how far you come along, you seem to not fight me full on." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You need to turn the filter off."

"But," Miley said. Looking from one parent to the other.

"No buts young lady." Marie stated. "No apologize to your father or it will you behind." Stein would admit that comment was a bit much but then again, Marie's parental instinct was better then his.

"Sorry. Dad." Miley muttered shyly.

"Are you staying for dinner Miley," Marie asked while heading back toward the kitchen. "Or do you and Mason have plans." The color that rushed into Miley face made Stein chuckle. He knew the back of her neck must be beat red if the embarrassment was showing on her face.

"Where is he anyways. I know he hasn't let you out of his sight since you two where released," Stein said twisting the bolt all of the emotional seemed to set it out of place.

"His, mother wasn't feeling well, so he went home for the weekend." She shrugged, she could handle a weekend alone, she was just letting everything that had happened this year sink in. She watched Marie and Stein glance at each other. She felt horrible. They acted like it was nothing, she had attacked them. She had tried to hurt them.

"Miley, what is the matter?" Marie asked while sitting next to Miley on the couch.

"Nothing," She lied, knowing it was pointless.

"It doesn't look like nothing." Stein pointed out. So there went any hope of just dropping the subject.

"Miley you know that you can tell us if there is something bothering you." Marie wrapped her arm around Miley's shoulders. "You know that right, sweetheart" Miley loved and hated it when Marie called her that. Marie was the only one to every call her sweetheart, which made Miley feel like she couldn't hide anything from her when she said that.

"I do, but dad's going to yell at me." Miley said quietly. Stein raised and eyebrow at her. "It just don't understand shouldn't you guys be even a little upset?" She asked shyly.

Stein wondered what rule Miley thought she had broken now. He knew she never wanted to disappoint either of them. She also seemed to think if she broke the rules to often or serious enough she would lose them. "You need to be a little clearer please." He told her.

"I attacked you..." She fiddled with her hands in her lap. She watched Stein pinch the bridge of his nose. Exasperation was coming of his soul wavelength "I mean..."

"Miley, did you go out of your way to attack us?" Stein questioned. Not really believing Miley thought she was going to be punished for not being in control.

"I didn't even realized that I had." She was wondering where this knew line of questioning was coming from.

"Did you want to?" Stein asked. Still in shock that the thought Mile thought she was in trouble for being brainwashed, they might as well punish him, when he fell to madness.

"No, I would never." She said biting her lip. She felt so bad about it.

"Then I do not see an issue here Miley." Stein pointed out. "You were not in control." Stein said.

"I know, but...I should have never..." She was cut off by Marie this time.

"Honey, you don't have to be strong all of the time. You didn't want to attack us, and if you had a choice we know you wouldn't have." Marie held her tightly. She wasn't sure how to act to this, something like this hadn't happened before. "How fair would it be if we punished you for something you didn't even know you did."

Miley knew it wouldn't be fair, but she felt guilty, she could have lost them both. What if she had really able to hurt them. She shivered off the images of their dead bodies. A new emotion was coming off of Stein's soul, it was annoyance. She looked at him. It didn't show in his face at all. She knew it would bother them if she blamed herself. Suddenly a buzzing broke though the silence of their family. Marie stood up and quickly kissed Miley on the top on her head.

"I'm sorry, Dad." Miley knew this needed to be said though she wasn't sure why. "I should have listen to you instead of going off on my own." She met his eyes. "None of this would have happened if I hadn't.

At first it took Stein a few seconds to figure out what she was talking about. "You did what you needed to do. You took the risks knowing fully how dangerous it could be." He nodded. "If you hadn't been taken we would still be looking and not have any answers." He was about to go on, when Marie returned.

"Dinner is ready." Marie said happily. "Miley, honey, please stay there will be plenty." Miley and Stein looked at each other before standing and heading toward the kitchen. Miley decided that having a family dinner would be nice right now. She needed to enjoy them when she could get them.

Alright that's the last chapter of this fic! I hope you like it! Again Sorry it took so long to update, because I left my notebook at home when I went off to school. But I started working on it as soon as I got home/ As always tell me what you think! Reviews are wonderful!