Soul transformed back into a human and reached out to take the red soul floating in front of him. He closed his red eyes in bliss as it slid smoothly down his throat. He opened them again to see Maka leaning against a wall holding her head.

"Maka are you ok?" He asked, worried she'd gotten injured in the fight.
"I'm fine Soul, just a little dizzy" she said, shrugging off his concern as she always did.

She pushed off the wall and started heading back to their apartment, loosening her green striped tie as she went. Soul followed, slouching along behind her with his hands in his pockets. Suddenly Maka fell. Soul lunged forward and grabbed her trench coat before she hit the ground.

"Maka? Maka!" he shook her lightly, but she was unconscious. "Damnit woman!" he muttered, picking her up and running towards Steins' lab.

Soul was grateful they had a mission inside Death City for once. Normally the home missions were given to students and he and Maka had graduated several years ago, so it was rare to be hunting on home ground.

When they reached the lab, he set her down briefly to pound on the door. Soul could hear the squeaking of Steins' chair and was briefly reminded of the night they'd met the crazy professor. The lab still gave him the creeps with all the stitches on the walls.

"Soul? I haven't seen you in a while." Stein said, stubbing out his cigarette when he noticed the small body in Souls' arms. "Bring her into the lab."

Soul mutely followed the professor, looking with interest at the feminine touches Steins' partner Marie had brought to the grey stitched building over the years. He gently set his partner down on the bed and stood back to let Stein examine her.

"What happened?" he asked as he took he pulse.
"We were on a mission. I'd just eaten the soul when she said she was feeling dizzy. A few minutes later she fainted." Soul told him quietly.
"Has she been taking her medicine?" Stein asked.

"What medicine?" Soul asked. "Is she alright?" A shiver ran down his spine. Was it possible that Maka hadn't mentioned it because it was serious and he didn't want him to worry? No, he assured himself, much more likely it was something small enough that she hadn't thought it worthy of telling him.

"It's just a slight anaemia. It's quite common in her condition." Stein said calmly.
Maka chose that moment to wake up.
"Soul? Where am I?" she asked groggily.

"Apparently you fainted. Have you been taking the medicine I gave you?" Stein asked.
"I kinda ran out a few days ago." Maka admitted, looking guilty and twisting the edge of her skirt. "I was going to come get a refill but I forgot. Sorry."
"This isn't going to go away if you pretend it isn't happening. You're an adult now so start acting like one." Stein went to a cupboard and retrieved a pill bottle. "It isn't just about you anymore Maka."

"Er . . . Can someone tell me what's going on?" Soul asked from where he had been coolly leaning against the wall.
"I'll give you two a minute." Stein turned his screw a few times and rolled away, falling over as he tried to get through the door.

"Maka, what's going on? Why didn't you tell me you were ill?" Soul asked.
"I- I'm not exactly ill, Soul." She said quietly, not looking at him.
"Stein said you had anaemia. He said . . " Soul paused. "He said it was quite common in your condition. What is your condition Maka?"

For a moment Maka didn't answer. Soul tried not to panic as she started fiddling with her skirt again. He had learned a long time ago that skirt fiddling was a bad sign.

"I'm pregnant" she whispered. Maka couldn't bring herself to look at Soul. "I'm sorry. I should've been more careful. I'm sorry Soul." She tried desperately not to cry but a solitary tear rolled down her cheek. "If- if you don't want it-" Maka's arms unconsciously banded across her stomach protectively as she tried to tell him that she would be ok raising the baby on her own.

"Why wouldn't I want it? Maka, why didn't you tell me?"

Maka risked a glance at him. Her partner, her boyfriend, her lover, her world. He wasn't shunning her, she realised.
"You're not mad?" she asked in a hopeful whisper.

"Maka." Soul grasped her chin and lifted her face so she had no choice but to look at him. "Why would I be mad?"
"I- I should've been more careful. We haven't talked about kids or a family or anything. And we're still so young-"
"Maka, we're 23. We're hardly students anymore." He paused and released her chin. "How long have you known?"

"A few weeks" she said with a shrug. "Stein says I'm about two months along."
"If you want to keep our baby then I'm with you." he said, drawing her into a hug.
"I want to keep it." She whispered, her head resting against his collarbone. Soul could feel the longing and the relief in her wavelength.

"Think how cool this kid is gonna be with us as parents." Soul said with a smirk. "Who else knows?"
"Just Professor Stein." She replied with a small smile, so happy he hadn't rejected her. "I didn't want to tell people until I'd worked out what I was going to do."
"Can I tell people?"

Maka smiled. He was so excited. It was sweet to see him let down his wall of cool.
"Yes, you can tell people."

Soul paled as a terrible thought occurred to him.

"You're dad's going to kill me. We never even told him we were dating and now you're pregnant. He already hates me! I'm going to die!"
"Oh Shinigami. Can we leave him till last?" Maka asked, dreading the thought of her creepy dad's reaction. "Maybe if we're lucky someone else will tell him first!"

Soul hugged her again. He couldn't quite get his head around the idea that he was going to be a father. He didn't know what he's done to deserve this but he was so glad he'd done it.

Maka returned the embrace and allowed herself to relax for the first time in weeks. Soul hadn't pushed her away; he wanted the baby too! Now she could finally have a proper family, just like she'd always wanted.