"Marie, is this really necessary?" Stein held his scalpel up to the light, inspecting the clear plastic cover over the tip of the scalpel.

She just glared at him, her arms wrapped around herself and one hand tapping her side. He just sighed. "I suppose you're right, Marie. I did apologize though." The woman just huffed and walked out of the lab.

Stein glanced around his suddenly bright lab. Lights that hadn't been turned on in years, and that he hadn't been sure would even work, were blazing light down on the space. Empty spaces dotted walls where just recently there had been bottles of medication. Indentations in the walls showed what had happened to said bottles. Each one of his scalpels now had a plastic safety cap on it; Marie had insisted on it after the incident.

"Hardly my fault." He muttered under his breath, tugging the cover off of one scalpel, pressing the blade against his thumb to see if it had dulled any. He stuck his thumb in his mouth sucking absent mindedly on the wound, pleased with the result, and replaced the cover on the scalpel.

He winced when he heard the crashing from the kitchen. It sounded like Marie was throwing the table against the wall, repeatedly.

'Obviously still angry.' He thought tiredly. 'I tried explaining to her, she only needs one kidney. But no, she said she'd rather be selfish and keep both than further my knowledge.'

Almost as if the death scythe could read his mind the door to the lab opened and something small, dark and red was flung towards his head. Marie's voice echoed sarcastically through the lab. "Go ahead Stein, play with that one! It's going to be you dinner later anyway!" The door slammed behind her, and Stein gingerly picked up whatever it was that she had flung at him.

It was a liver. He couldn't stop the laughter. He cleaned the piece of meat off in one of the (now well illuminated) sinks, and then removed the cover from his scalpel, painstakingly carving into the meat.

An hour later Marie stormed back into the lab, demanding the liver back so she could cut it and cook it for him. "Well, Marie, I thought that I should help, as you're obviously still angry with me over the incident." A smirk tugged on his lips and he was quite careful to keep it hidden.

"Oh, I think you've helped more than enough, Stein." Her voice could freeze ice cubes, and Stein reflexively took a step back from the woman. She stood, arms wrapped around herself as before, her right hand's fingers drumming on her left side.

'Just above the incision I made.' Stein noticed suddenly. Reaching his hand up to turn the screw he walked over to the small fridge that (once again, Marie had insisted on) held his perishable items for his experiments. Pulling out the liver he presented it to her, and couldn't help but laugh at the contorted look of rage on her face.

His levity was short lived. After all, he knew he treaded on dangerous ground provoking Marie Mjolnir; she wasn't called The Pulverizer for nothing. Her name was pounded, literally, into his head as her fist made hammer slammed into the side of his face, knocking the glasses from the face and the meister to the floor in a heap ten feet away.

Then she laughed. She dropped the liver, its message of "I warned you not to fall asleep in the lab!" facing up as she pressed a hand against her side, laughing even harder. "Come on, Franken. Dinner's done now." She walked over and extended her hand to him.

Eyeing it warily Stein took it, standing. She didn't release it, just drug him out of the lab and to the kitchen. She let go as they entered, spooning chili into a bowl and handing it to him. He looked down at saw chunks of some odd meat floating in it. Gulping he watched as Marie made herself a sandwich, sitting down opposite him and smiled sweetly.

"Enjoy, Franken!" She said cheerfully.

Forcing a smile he picked up his spoon and took a sip of the broth, nearly gagging at the taste.

"You're not the only one who likes to experiment!" She said, fighting the laughter that was bubbling up. "Now, eat it all or I won't cook for a month!"

He was terribly tempted to admit defeat, but curiosity drove him to take another sip, trying to decipher the ingredients in the broth.

'Is that… no… Marie wouldn't do that…" One hand reached up to twist the screw as he took a bite of the meat, his mind growing fuzzy. He heard Marie's laughter as he pitched forward into the chili.

A/N: She is The Pulverizer and well known for her temper!

I don't own Soul Eater :)