A/N: Just a little transition chapter. Deepest thanks to the wonderful readers. For those lovely people who've left comments, there are individual responses at the end 3
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"I'm feeling not just the physical pain, but all that I have lost, and it is profound and catastrophic and will leave a crater in me that nothing will ever fill."

- Gayle Foreman, If I Stay

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Maka stormed into the hall like a vengeful Valkyrie.

"Fucking Reapers. Fuck them. Fuck them!"

Alarmed, Spirit got up and followed her, finally catching up to her in the Steins' living room

"Honey, what happ-"

He tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but his daughter whipped around out of his reach.

"You knew, didn't you? You knew where Mama was the whole time, and you never told me. You've let me wonder for years. Why didn't you tell me, Papa? WHY?"

Fury practically radiated from her and Spirit took a step back.

"Because your mother made me promise not to. It wasn't my secret to tell. And I probably don't have to explain that it was highly classified information. Only five of us knew about your mother's mission, knew that Sophie was still alive."

"And she left me for HER," Maka snapped, gesturing toward Sophie's room, "Left me so she could babysit that woman? Why would she do that?"

Spirit sank onto one of Marie's fluffy chintz chairs, looking defeated.

"I'm sure it was partly my fault. Maybe she wouldn't have taken the position if it hadn't been for the divorce."

"Well, I'm pretty sure she didn't just volunteer," Maka insisted, "I'm sure Lord Death asked her."

"He did, honey, but please don't blame him. And don't blame Kid, either."

"Why shouldn't I?" Maka demanded, "I don't care. He asked, and she went. And as for Kid, that crazy bitch attacked me, and he didn't even try to protect me. Look what she did to my finger!"

Maka held up her hand and Spirit inhaled sharply at the sight of the swollen ring finger. It was crooked and already turning black and blue.

"She hurt me, and then he did. I don't see him out here apologizing or asking if I'm okay. He picked her over me."

She'd been betrayed by almost everyone she knew, and that fact sent another shockwave of furious misery through Maka. She felt like one big ball of pain, and it had nothing to do with her broken bone.

"He didn't pick me," she said quietly, and fresh tears welled up in her eyes.

"I'm sure there's some misunderstanding," Spirit soothed, "It'll be okay, sweetheart. We'd better get that finger looked at, though. Nygus should be here by now. Let me help you find her."

He didn't understand at all. There was no misunderstanding; she'd been lied to by people she trusted. Hurt and abandoned by Kami and Kid. Betrayed by two of the three people she loved without reservation. And Spirit was not one of those people.

"I don't need you to help me. I'll handle it myself. Like I've been doing." she snapped, "Like I've been doing for years."

"Please calm down," Spirit begged, "I-"

Maka cut him off, "Can you call me when Mama is out of surgery or is that going to be a secret, too?"

"Of course I'll call you," Spirit said weakly. His daughter marched out, and he dropped his head into his hands, feeling emptier than he had in a long while. Since the battle on the moon, he'd been making some progress with his daughter. He'd not only lost that, but she was angrier with him than she'd ever been. This time, he realized, she might never forgive him.

His wife was temporarily calm, but Lord Death knew it wasn't going to last. He'd been forced to seal her off with the same spell he'd used on his son only a year before. Since she lacked the strength of a born Reaper, it knocked Sophie into limp unconsciousness. Kid was finally able to extricate himself from her grasp, and his father steered him into the chair next to the bed. He was concerned beyond measure that his son was almost as comatose as his mother, but he had no idea what to say to the boy yet. He was in shock himself, and fearful that his son's mental illness was going to flare in spite of the bit of Maka's Grigori soul he possessed. His anger was already off the charts. If he added insanity to that, well, he didn't even want to think about the result.

"I…," he stammered, "I'm going to…I'll get Liz."

It was horribly inadequate, and he knew it. Not that it mattered anyway, because Kid's wavelength was utterly flat, and he didn't acknowledge that he'd been spoken to. With a worried glance, Death left his shattered family to search out Marie before he returned to his office. He found her in the medical supply room, fussing over Maka while Nygus set the girl's finger. Maka didn't even flinch when the bone was popped back into place, remaining silently burrowed against Marie while her injury was splinted and taped. She was almost as bad off as Kid, and Death added Soul to his list of things to fetch. Marie threw him a questioning glance, and nodded in understanding when he gestured toward Sophie's room and pantomimed that he was leaving, but would be back. He knew that Marie was probably the best person to help Kid and Maka until their partners arrived. God knew, with utter certainty, that he was no good to either of them.

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RESPONSES!

Guest - I wouldn't want to disappoint a puppy! 3