"What?!" Maka's voice was filled with happieness and surpise. She stared at her teacher with wide eyes.
Marie only nodded with a smile too big for her face. "Wow! I can't believe Professor Stein said he loves you!" Marie knew he wouldn't want the news of their relationship spreading through the school, but Marie had to go girl for just one moment about it. And she trusted Maka, she is a good, loyal student. But she would soon find out that even Maka needed to flip out with other girls also. "So when did he say it and what drove him to it?"
Marie froze. Oh God, what do I tell her?! "Oh ya, we had sex then he told me." Idiot! "Uhh, hehe. We uh... Were doing stuff... Together." Marie muttered as her mind searched frantically searched for an explanation. However, she was too late, and Maka caught on.
"Ms. Marie! You didn't!" Maka's jaw fell to the floor. Marie looked to the ground as the blond-haired girl continued. "Wow! I guess I should have expected this sooner or later... But I was thinking later!"
"Please, Maka, don't tell anyone! If word gets out..." Marie's eye filled with worry.
Maka shook her head quickly. "No, no! I promise I won't tell anyone about that. It isn't my place."
Marie smiled at her student and pulled her into a hug. "You're such a good student, Maka Albarn." Maka hugged her back and giggled.
"So, if you just reach your two fingers in here," Stein indicated to a spot on an unconcious bird's chest where a small cut was made, "you will be able to feel the subject's heart beat. You need to take caution, however. Putting too much pressure-" Stein was cut off with the sound of someone knocking on the doorway of his classroom. "Oh, Marie. Do you need something?"
Marie simply nodded as she asked, "Can I see you outside for a moment?" Maka looked down at the couple from her desk and tried her best to suppress her fangirling. However, Liz and Patty easily saw it.
"What's got you so girly?" asked Liz.
"Oh, um, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on, Maka." Patty added in. "We know you know something. What is it?"
Maka only stared back at her team mates with a smile that she was trying to hold back which only made dimples. She shook her head in refusal. "Maaaakaaaaa tell uuusssss," Liz pleaded.
Finally, Maka caved. She couldn't take it any longer, she needed to tell some one! "Professor Stein said he loves Ms. Marie!" The twin pistols' jaws dropped to floor in the same fashion Maka's had earlier that day. A few rows of desks away, Soul and Black Star watched as Maka and the Thompson sisters giggled and jumped up and down in their seats.
"What's got them all worked up?" Soul asked. He had never seen Maka act that way before.
"I have no idea," Black Star replied. "But it's starting to wierd me out... I wonder what they're looking at." The two boys looked around the room for some evidence of what the girls could be so giggly about. But all they saw was two of their teachers stopping class just to talk to eachother. Nah, that's not it... Both of the boys thought at the same time.
"So, what is it, Marie?" Stein asked as he came into the hallway.
"Can I ask you something?" Marie said with her head turned to the side slightly.
"Yeah, sure." Stein put his hands in his lab coat pockets.
"This morning when we woke up together, you said you couldn't feel the madness anymore. Was that true?" Her words were firm, but they were slow to come out.
"Yes," Stein nodded his head slightly.
"Do you feel it now?"
"Well... Yes. Why do you ask?" His voice now seemed to have a bit of curiosity to it.
"Oh, I'm just trying to... uh.. Figure some stuff... Out." Marie shook off her nervousness. I really don't want him to know what I am guessing until I am at least a little sure about it. "Another question." Stein dipped his head a bit in agreement. "Crona has a class with you, correct?" Again, he nodded without a word. "Did you speak with him today or get close to him?"
Stein now had a confused look on his face. "Marie, why are you asking me this?"
"I... I think I know what is causing your madness to increase so rapidly." She said quietly. He had an intense yet smooth look in his eyes, as if he were telling her to go on without even saying a word. "I think it's Crona..."
"Well, yes. When Soul cut him, Crona's blood could have got in my coffee. I finished the cup after they left, so that must be how I digested it." Stein summarized quite simply.
"It doesn't have to be injected?" Marie asked curiously.
"I know, I thought the same thing. For blood to transfer, it happens through a cut or injection. In this case, however, just digesting it could get it in your system. Furthermore, it seems every time I get near Crona, the madness reaches out and grows. It's as if the blood reacts to its origin."
"And when it loses contact for a certain amount of time, it grows weaker... That would explain why the madness in Crona has died so much. Medusa is the one who gave him the black blood, and without its origin, his blood is weaker." Marie felt a thousand other thoughts rush over her, but she didn't want to take the time to go over them with Stein. There was a brief moment of silence before she continued, "So... What are you going to do?" She sounded as if she were afraid of the question. Or perhaps she was afraid of his answer.
Stein leaned his back up against the hallway wall and crossed his arms as he stared up at the tall ceiling. "I don't know... I can't drop Crona from my class, I need to keep an eye on him. We don't know if the madness in him would react to mine at any time."
"Then maybe you should stop teaching." When Stein gave her somewhat of a sad look, she quickly added, "But only for a little while."
The scientist shook his head. "No, I need to learn to just deal with it."
At this, Marie almost seemed angered. "Franken! You know what happens if it becomes too much for you!" Tears began to swell up in her eye. Her voice began to get shaky. "I can't... I can't see you like that. I hate it." The trapped tears finally broke free and fell down her cheek.
Stein stood straight up from the wall and pulled her into a comforting hug. "Shh, it's going to be alright..." He let her cry into his chest for a little while. Marie... Her sobs made his chest ache, and it made him want to do anything to make her tears stop falling. The affect you have on me is amazing... I never thought I would ever be able to feel this much emotion, let alone for another person. Stein sighed and looked around the hallway, then at his classroom door about five feet down. He saw several of his students staring at him the woman he held in his arms in awe. When they saw him look at him, most of them ran back to their desks. The only students that stayed were Maka, Liz, Soul and another girl. While the three girls' expressions were fangirly and giggly, Soul's jaw was dropped to the floor.
Great... Well I guess they would have found out sooner or later. And I shouldn't just wait for them to leave because they won't unless I throw a scalpel at them. He thought drly.Stein looked down at the sobbing woman and lifted her chin so she was looking straight at him. "Listen to me, Marie. I will not hurt you. I can tell that is what you are afraid of." Marie began to shake her head slightly in refusal, but he pressed on. "Stop. I know you are, I can see it in your soul... Marie, I need to be able to control it. If I stay away from the black blood's origin then just go back, I won't be able to handle the madness growing again so quickly. I need to fortify my mind and just learn to deal with it. Now do you understand why I can't back down?" Marie closed her eye and nodded silently as Stein moved his fingers away from her chin and put his hand on her waist.
"I'm sorry... I don't mean to be so emotional. I just don't want to see you get hurt..." She said as she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. It was a useless effort, however, because more tears escaped.
Stein picked his hand back up from Marie's waist and put it to her cheek, then he wiped a tear away with his thumb. "It's all right. By doing so you are teaching me how to express emotions, so I thank you for that." he fell silent for a moment before he continued, "Marie, I know you are afraid of what could happen. But I am going to find a way to make this better. I promise you that." Stein stared into her amber eye and waited for some sort of reply. When none came, Stein looked back at his classroom door. The four students were still standing there watching and giggling. Well, Soul actually just stood there in even more shock than before. Crona was also standing in the doorway.
Damn it! I know he doesn't know what he's doing, but he certainly does know the right time to come around me. What if the madness becomes too strong? I can already feel it growing... But I can't leave Marie right now... What do I do?! Then, Stein knew the perfect thing to make sure the growing insanity in the back of his head is suppressed. God, am I really going to do this in front of them?! A small, low growl escaped from him. Screw it. Stein lowered his head and pulled Marie's face toward his at the same time in a quick motion. Then, their lips met in a gentle kiss.
Soooo what did you guys think of this chapter? Please tell me if I need to add something or take anything away. Like is there too much romance and not enough madness? Please tell me so I can make this better! Btw, I don't think I added this in the last author's note, so I'll tell you now. The song that Marie sang to Stein is called Hymn for the Missing by none other than the band Red (I think a lot of their songs fit Stein and Marie.) If you want to know any other of the band's songs that I think fit them perfectly, just PM me :) -Mikshizels