He'd always known he was different, from a very young age. He knew that the madness locked up inside him could be released at any moment, turning him into a raging machine with no concept of humanity. He knew that he had never been very personable. He knew that his wild talent had a price.

To be perfectly honest, Doctor Franken Stein knew a lot of things.

But there was nothing that could have prepared him for this.

He sat, dumbstruck, staring at the walls of his apartment. The apartment he had shared with her.

He'd grown to expect her presence in such a way… and now she was gone. Marie-freakin'-Mjolnir, his world, had just packed up and left. And, even though he'd had plenty of notice, it still hurt like nothing else. It was like somebody had ripped out his very soul and torn it into pieces. Sure, he'd gotten it back, but a piece was missing.

Marie was missing.

"Stein, Stein!" she bounded through the door, a wide smile on her face and a letter clutched in her hands.

"What is it, Marie?" he asked with a chuckle and a smile, expecting some little news that his girlfriend had taken such joy to.

"They chose me!" she exclaimed. Stein's face dropped.

"Stein… Stein, are you alright?" Marie asked. Stein knew what she'd been accepted for.

The Oceanian Deathscythe.

"I mean, I know it's not optimal, I don't really want to go at all… but it's a great opportunity, if you look at it." Marie smiled, her eyes wide with expectation.

"When do you go?" Stein managed.

"I… I don't know, Stein…" she looked away wistfully.

"Oh." Stein said, before shaking his head and standing up, framing his arms about Marie.

"What am I kidding? I'm… I'm happy for you, Marie."

That was a lie.

He wasn't happy that the one woman he'd ever managed to truly begin to love was leaving him.

But he had to grin and bear it. He had to watch as his Marie left him.

Unusually, Spirit Albarn was the one who noticed Stein's condition.

"Stein… I know it sucks. Marie leaving and all." Spirit looked at his ex-technician.

"Mmhm." Stein groaned.

"Look, man, what's bothering you about it? I get that it sucks, I do, but…"

"Don't but me. A year ago, there wasn't a single goddamn mention of her going anywhere. And now she's gone. Like everyone else." Stein turned around and stormed off.

"Stein, wait!" Spirit would have chased after him, but a small, sandy-blonde haired girl tugged at the leg of his pants.

"Papa?" she gurgled.

"Maka, honey, what is it?" Spirit asked, trying to put on a smile for his daughter.

"Mama wants you." the four-year-old quipped.

"Okay, honey." Spirit kissed the girl on the cheek, taking her hand and proceeding to walk back to his wife.

"Papa?" Maka asked.

"Yes?" Spirit replied.

"Is Uncle Stein said because Aunty Marie leaveded?" Maka asked. Spirit glanced back, the silhouette of the silver haired man no longer visible.

He had seen them grow from awkward teenagers glancing at one another from afar to a viable couple; two people who seemed that they had been put on this Earth for the very purpose of finding each other. Spirit looked down at his daughter.

"He's very sad. Because… because Uncle Stein loved… no, loves Aunty Marie. Uncle Stein and Aunty Marie love each other. Very much." Spirit sighed, glancing down at the floor.

He really thought they were going to last. But, nobody could have known about Oceania. Nobody.

Out of the blue, she returned. Out of the blue, she came back, and those feeling stirred in Stein again. She moved in with him, and that connection began to grow again. But, before it had even begun, they had a fight. A big fight.

"Give me one good reason, Franken! One good reason why I shouldn't leave again right now, because, Death help me, I an't think of any!" Marie balled her fists, her uncovered eye welling up with tears. When the scientist did not respond, when he simply stared gormlessly at his computer screen, his back turned, she saw it as apathy. In actual fact, it was because a million and one thoughts were running through his head. Emotional thoughts, thoughts which his brain could not comprehend.

"That's what I thought." she hissed, turning around and heading for the door. Her hand grasped the handle and the door began to creak.

"Please don't leave." an unusually small voice called. Marie stopped. Stein was never one for formalities. The last time he'd uttered a 'please' was… well, never.

"What?" Marie asked, turning back around. Stein cranked his screw backwards, but the emotional thoughts did not disperse. Marie couldn't stay mad at Stein, and her face turned compassionate once more, wiping her eyes of the tears that lingered there.

"Stein… what did you say?" Marie asked. Stein blinked furiously, turning around and not making eye contact with the hammer, looking much more like a scared teenager than a grown man.

"I… I… you can't go." he muttered. Marie crossed her arms.

"Why not?" Marie asked. Stein wrung his hands, looking up at Marie but only making eye contact for a second.

"I just… I… You… I'm not… I…" Stein stammered once more. Marie walked over to the scientist, placing her hand on the side of his face and pulling his head up so that their eyes met.

"Tell me, Franken." Marie said, gently. Stein blinked and sighed.

"I… Marie, I've grown to… I need you," Stein said, shakily, "Without you, I'd be too far gone to be saved. And if you go, I'm going to get worse. I… I need you, Marie. You can't leave again." Stein finished, his pride taking a massive hit. However, the look in Marie's eyes changed and she wrapped her arms around the meister, shaking.

"I won't leave. I'm sorry." Marie said. Stein shook his head.

"No, I should be the one apologising. I'm sorry, Marie, I-" Stein stopped talking at Marie's shocked expression. He'd never apologised to anyone that she knew of.

"Did you just… apologise?" Marie asked. Stein gave a small nod, and before he knew it, Marie's lips were on his. When they eventually pulled away for air, Marie pressed her forehead to Stein's.

"I'm never going to leave you. Never again." she whispered.

"Promise?" he asked, in a voice so small it took Marie a while to convince her that Stein said it. She nodded and ran her thumb across the scar on his face.

"I promise." she whispered.

A/N: Hopefully I'm going to get back to posting one-shots again, I stopped for a while, but I'm back :)