Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Sonic characters, that would be Sega and Sonic Team.

IN DUE SEASON

Chapter I

Hidden Nightmares, Open Doors

Bright lights seared his young eyes while terrifying sounds pierced his small ears. He couldn't remember when or how he got there, but he knew he was terrified of this place; he hated it. There were tall creatures, scary creatures, he'd never seen before, looming over him, poking and prodding him with all manner of terrible things he couldn't put names to. He wanted to be safe in his mother's arms again but instead, tears streamed down his cheeks, staining the laboratory table he was pinned to. All he knew was how painful this was and he needed his 'mama'. He would have cried out for her if it wasn't for the tube in his mouth, the tube they forced down his throat.

All his wild flailing and desperate attempts for escape were met with harsh opposition as the strange beings held his tiny frame down. He heard them speaking, watched them passing around bottles and tools, sensed them bustling to and fro. The sounds caused anxiety to rise in the youngster's heart with every passing minute of agony. His tears came out more profusely as he choked on the hunk of plastic invading his airway. The worst was yet to come. What he would later learn to call needles was soon to become the apex of his fear as one of the creatures held one. All the trauma up to this point didn't measure up to the dreadful moment his eyes locked onto this individual's cold reflective goggles. This person was smiling.

Just as he was about to stick in the needle, this man, the professor, was smiling . . .

"No!" Sonic started out of his hellish nightmare, shooting straight up in bed with another yelp. He was gripping the sheets with his hands so tightly his knuckles underneath the peach fur were white. With wild eyes and rapid breathing, he was in a state of true terror. As his brow began gathering sweat he looked around frantically, trying to place where he was. It took a full minute for his anxiety to subside long enough for him to realize it was the dream again. At least he hadn't finished it this time. He glanced down at Amy who was still fast asleep beside him, snoring softly and unaware of his fright. He quietly thanked heaven for her being such a sound sleeper. He really didn't feel like discussing this particular issue and he knew Amy would. If it was all the same to the universe, he'd much rather keep the disturbing topic to himself.

With that, Sonic laid a hand on his quivering heart and sighed with exhaustion. This dream had been going off and on for the last few weeks now, waking him up and bothering him for hours afterward. He had been troubled by nightmares like this before when he was younger. Back then, they were extremely vivid, almost like memories, but throughout his life, their intensity faded to nothing more than bad dreams. Now, it was as if the horror of his youth had come back to haunt him once more. It was taking a toll on the hedgehog and nothing showed it more than his dull eyes and drooping ears. Amy had asked once why he looked so tired but he quickly ascribed it to another source; the baby. He loved his child very much, but sleeping in peacefully on cold winter mornings like this had quickly become a thing of the past.

"Oh," the blue hedgehog breathed as he recognized the soft cries of his daughter coming from the bassinet next to their bed. He crawled out from under the warm comforter and tiptoed over the cold wood floor to the upset little hedgehog.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, did I wake you up," he said lovingly. He figured his short scream must have startled her as he gently reached down and collected the baby in his arms.

"Daddy didn't mean to scare you, Kimi," he whispered, rocking her softly. He still wasn't used to holding such a small, fragile life in his hands that he was willing to give the world for. It triggered the many anxieties of fatherhood he still had in his mind.

Did he really know what he was doing? Was this the right thing to do? Now? Was this a mis . . . no. He couldn't afford to think like that; they couldn't afford that. He just needed to focus on calm down his little girl; hush the cries stirring his own distress further. Slowly, but surely, little Kimi's crying subsided into burbling and soft breathing as she felt safe in her father's embrace. Sonic gazed down at her tiny face and melted in the awe of how much he loved this little gem. She settled comfortably in his chest and arms and, without even knowing it, helped wash away the anxiety of her father's nightmare and parental inadequacies.

"You got me wrapped around your little finger already, do you know that?" he smiled warmly. Kimi opened her emerald eyes and looked up intently at her dad's face as he smiled at her. She, in turn, cooed excitedly, showing a toothless grin and fidgeting a little by kicking her tiny legs and grasping with small fingers.

"See, I think you do know," her father declared, nuzzling her tummy playfully with his muzzle. He decided, since he probably wasn't going to get much sleep tonight anyway, he might as well spend that time with his daughter.

He looked out the window of the small inn they were staying at due to the loss of their home during a blizzard a few months ago. They had been staying with Cream and Vanilla, but the hedgehog couple was very independent by nature. Considering the circumstances, Sonic and Amy decided on moving to the Philip's Accent Inn. Though the rabbits had been nothing short of nice and patient, the hedgehogs knew Vanilla and Cream were happy to see the newborn baby leave their home. Now, it had been about three months since the family unit moved into the intimate space and they were still in the process of rebuilding their own home. Winter storms and world crises kept delaying the process and yesterday had been no different.

Sonic looked to the bitter cold outside, noting the snow had finally ceased for the most part. He reached back into the bassinet and pulled out the comforter Cream knitted for the newborn. Shivering a bit himself, Sonic wrapped the baby in her blanket and carried her back over to the full-sized bed, his cold feet anticipating the warmth. Once in bed, he gently laid Kimi next to him and rolled over on his side, propping his head up with an arm so he wasn't only facing Kimi but Amy as well. As he looked at the two most important people in his life he couldn't help but smile.

The blue blur wasn't prone to the warm fuzzies often, but for the last few months, he couldn't shake them. As he placed a hand on his daughter's tummy and leaned over to rest his chin on top of his wife's head he still had trouble believing it was real. He would never have pictured this years ago. In fact, it felt like only yesterday he claimed he'd never date let alone start a family. He even recalled a bet with Knuckles over the issue. The echidna wagered the hedgehog fifty rings he'd marry before any of them. Thinking it was a sucker's bet; Sonic raised the echidna double and had a deal. Five years later and a hundred rings poorer the hedgehog was indeed married before any of them and even had a kid.

Shortly after snuggling down further into the blankets, a wave of tiredness overwhelmed him causing his eyelids to droop and a yawn to escape.

"Man, guess I'll be gettin' a few winks after all," he said, looking down at Kimi to see she had already nodded off. With a short chuckle and a well-placed kiss on both female's heads, Sonic lapsed into dreamland. What he didn't know was the weight of his chin resting on Amy's head was enough to wake her up. Slightly agitated that her sleep was interrupted, she jerked up her own chin which caused Sonic's head to lurch to the side which, in turn, freaked him out.

"What?! What?!"

"Sonic? Oh, I'm sorry," Amy apologized groggily as she slowly sat up and stretched.

"No, it's okay. I was up anyway," he said without thinking.

"You were? Why?"

Even in the darkness of the room, Sonic could see the concern on her face. He didn't want to give away the real reason he was awake, but he also couldn't help but feel guilty if he lied to her.

"Well, um . . ."

The squirming of Kimi saved him from doing either.

"Oh, there's my baby. I see. She woke up," Amy reasoned as she collected the tiny bundle into her arms.

"Yeah, she did," Sonic assured. He wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling the whole truth either. It still made him feel lousy.

"Thanks, Sonic, but I think you need more rest then I do. Why don't you go back to sleep and I'll watch her."

"Thank you, don't mind if I do," Sonic yawned as Amy giggled a bit.

"Aren't you suppose to say something like 'are you sure, honey'."

"Only if your response is 'of course dear, now get some sleep'."

"Oh, you," Amy said as she watched the blue hedgehog roll over and again drift off to sleep. Amy smiled as she turned her attention back to the violet hedgehog who was now fascinated with her mother's hand. Amy glanced at the wall clock to see it was four-forty. Not early enough to be too annoying seeing as she normally got up at five-thirty, unlike her mate who would sleep until noon if she let him. Come to think of it though, it was a new habit of his; sleeping in late. Recently, he's been looking tired and taking longer naps than usual. At first, she attributed it to the new baby, but now she believed there was just something he wasn't telling her.

"Do you know your daddy is high maintenance," Amy said jokingly. Kimi just burred at the sound of her mother's voice.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I married him, but sometimes he's a handful."

The pink hedgehog decided she might as well get an early start on the day as she stood up and out of bed. She shifted Kimi to her right arm as she flicked on the small lamp on her bed stand. The baby hedgehog was startled for just a moment by the warm glow of light but was soon back to investigating her own hands. Amy smiled kindly at her cute little girl as she wiggled her feet into some pink slippers. Believing she was in for a busy morning, Amy decided to feed Kimi early since the little one was awake anyway. However, as soon as she was done nursing, the little hedgehog went out like a light. Amy looked at the sleeping baby in her arms and then to the sleeping form of her husband.

"Great, guess I'm alone on the early shift, huh?" She sighed, knowing full well it wouldn't be that easy for her to go back to sleep. She quietly made her way back over to the bassinet and tucked Kimi in snugly before turning to face her dilemma. What was she going to do for the forty-five minutes? She could lie back down and try to go back to sleep, but that seemed unappealing thanks to her husband who was now hogging all the covers.

'I know. I'll just take a nice bath,' she thought with glee as she quickly made her way over to the bathroom. It had been forever since her last hot bath. Originally, the issue was Vanilla's home only had one bathroom to share. Then there was the business of taking care of a newborn while maintaining humanitarian work. It was usually impossible for Amy to indulge in a soak. She was so glad to have a place of her own, even if it was just an inn, and now some time to herself. As she began to gather bubbles and soaps from the cupboards her mind wandered onto her old house. Her heart ached. It was her and Sonic's dream home. The one he carried her into after getting married and almost tripped on the threshold while doing so. Amy chuckled.

Three years of marriage, the good and tough times, Christmas', birthdays, parties, memories . . . destroyed by snow and wind. They were able to recover items from the house such as pictures, some furniture, utensils, trinkets, but the house was damaged beyond repair. She told herself it was a trivial thing and she was more than thankful her family was safe, but the day they had to tear it down, she cried. Amy sighed as she ran the hot water. Why was she thinking about such depressing things? Then again, it did give her the opportunity to think about her friends.

They had really come through for her and her family, helping out as much as they could when they could. Amy almost laughed as she remembered Tails' offer for them to stay with him. He meant well and his heart was in the right place, but a workshop with only a small living space available wasn't going to suit the needs of a small family. The Rabbits had been so kind, letting them stay. Rouge had brought things for the new baby and Knuckles helped with the clean-up of their old house along with others in the community. She poured in the soap and filled the room with the smell of strawberries, something that calmed her nerves and gave her a sense of familiarity. She decided even without her 'dream house' she wasn't going to remain upset. There was no need to. What was really important survived the storm and that was a reason to celebrate, not mope.

With that, she took off her nightgown and slipped into the tub allowing the water to fill up almost to the top before shutting it off.

"This is the life," she breathed, leaning back and enjoying the warmth, practically purring. The peace and quiet she was enjoying lasted all about five minutes before it was shattered by the short, muffled yelps and shouts of her husband. When it registered to Amy what it was, she was out of the tub, a towel wrapped around her and dripping next to the bedside in a matter of seconds. Sonic seemed to be finishing a horrible nightmare, thrashing and rolling all over the bed. Amy didn't know what to do or what was going on. In all the years she had known him, both before and after marriage, he had never behaved in such a way.

"Sonic, Sonic!" she screamed in near hysteria, honestly frightened at how distressed he appeared to be.

"No! No! No!" he voiced as if she weren't there and he was speaking to someone else. Kimi began crying again, jolted by all the noise.

"Wake up, Sonic," Amy insisted, grabbing him by the shoulders as best she could and shaking him roughly. This seemed to do the trick as his eyes fluttered open and his shouts and thrashing stopped in shock. For a few moments, they both remained frozen. Sonic looking disheveled and exhausted, Amy soaking wet and shivering; both scared. Sonic recovered first by bringing his hands up to encase the ones Amy had on his shoulders.

"I . . . I'm sorry . . ."

"No, what's wrong? That had to be one heck of a nightmare, Sonic," Amy intervened, still shaken by the screams.

"Well, I . . . Ah, you're wet!" Sonic cried out as some water dripped from Amy's quills onto his chest and sank through his tan fur. The pink hedgehog apologized and quickly rose away from him.

"Let me dry off. Will you take care of Kimi, please?"

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Sonic complied, hoping Amy would drop the incident.

"Then you can tell me what that was all about," Amy stated. No such luck.

Before he had a chance to question or protest, Amy walked back into the bathroom. Sonic's features automatically shifted into a hurt scowl. He was upset with the nightmare itself now. The way it made him feel out of control; frightened. Now, he was going to have to at least try and explain himself to his wife. Why had he fallen back to sleep? He should have stayed awake like he always did. Then again, maybe this wouldn't be so bad. He could finally talk about this and his fears and his feelings . . . what was he thinking!? Of course, this was bad. There had to be a way out of this.

"So stupid. What's wrong with me?" he exasperated.

"Wahh!"

His thoughts were distracted by Kimi's cries for solace. For a brief moment, just a sliver in time, Sonic wanted to wail right along with her, but instead, he quickly bottled up his frustration, fear and exhaustion, corked it tightly and stood up out of bed to shuffle over to the crib.

As before, he scooped up the baby and rocked her, jostled her, made funny faces at her; anything to get her to stop crying. Nothing worked as Kimi insisted on driving her father crazy until she received what she deemed the right comfort.

"Please, Kimi, Please!" he pleaded. He caught himself becoming too discouraged and decided to take a deep breath to calm his nerves and hum an old hymn he had heard a long time ago. To his surprise, Kimi stopped bawling and allowed the deep murmur to lull her back into slumber. Sonic stopped humming and looked at her intently. This father business was down-right frustrating sometimes, but worth it all at the same time. So confusing.

"Got her back to sleep?" Amy whispered from behind him, smiling as she dried her head quills with a towel the inn provided.

"Yeah," Sonic said without turning to face his wife. It worried Amy as she watched him place Kimi gently back into the crib. Something was wrong. As she observed him make his way over to the window with his back still to her she also sensed it was serious. Knowing her husband for such a long time and on such intimate terms gave Amy the ability to not only tell something was deeply troubling him, but that it had been for some time. To anyone else, it would have been just a bad dream; end of story. But, the pink hedgehog knew better. For a nightmare to even bother Sonic it had to be pretty horrific. For a dream to deprive him of sleep and peace of mind it had to be unspeakable. And that's what she was afraid of; he wouldn't speak about it.

She had long since noticed the tired look in his eyes, replacing the usual brilliant shine with a dull glow. She had kept quiet about it hoping he'd tell her in his own sweet time.

'Yeah, Amy, don't hold your breath' she thought. She feared he wouldn't open up and suffer alone, preventing her from helping.

"Please, Sonic," she whispered, gently wrapping an arm around his waist, feeling him tense up a bit. He turned to her with a sad smile. She knew Sonic wasn't very good at sharing emotions, at least, not in the way most shared feelings and inner thoughts. Luckily, over the past few years she had become accustomed to his ways, not always happy with them, but understanding. She was sure it went both ways. With a wide grin and a twinkle in her eyes, she pulled away.

"Ya hungry?" she asked. Sonic quirked an eyebrow, but his smile was much brighter now.

"You bet. Maybe some food will make me feel better."

Amy nodded and walked over to their small kitchenette. He followed deciding to help.

"Pancakes sound good?"

"Yeah!" Sonic exclaimed as he rummaged around for two plates and silverware in the boxes they still had. Lately, they had been eating out or surviving on junk food. The thought of eating some of Amy's pancakes had Sonic excited, even though they would be of the instant batter variety. The pink hedgehog couldn't help but smile at her husband's joy. She was surprised though when he came up and hugged her from behind.

"Stop it, Sonic. I'm trying to cook," she protested, jokingly of course.

"I just want to watch," he pouted. Amy laughed.

"From over my shoulder? Kind of difficult to do anything with you all over me."

"Well, not anything," Sonic said mischievously. Amy huffed, but blushed all the same, before smacking him upside the head with her spatula.

"Cut it out, weirdo," she scowled, not meaning anything by it. Sonic chuckled.

"Alright, alright."

He kissed her on the cheek, letting her go. How he loved her so. But that brought him back to his nightmare as he sat down in one of the dinette chairs. Maybe he should tell her, but then he didn't want to burden her either. He watched Amy flip a few flapjacks as he thought about the disturbing dream and its reoccurrence. Was it just something he ate before bed or a vision of the future; a memory from the past or just some dumb, reoccurring dream? Getting lost in his reflections he didn't notice Amy had finished or that she had placed the pancakes in front of him.

"Sonic? Hello, Sonic," Amy called as she waved a fork in front of his face.

"Oh, sorry," he said sheepishly as he took the fork from her. Amy felt a bit frustrated by his attitude. He still wasn't talking. She was starting to believe she would never get an answer until . . .

"Ames?"

She glanced back at her husband's features. He appeared sad and hesitant; not the typical 'oops, I forgot our anniversary' look, but more of a distant, unapproachable dread in his eyes. He was aching inside and she could feel it. She let go of her irritation and sat down next to him.

"I love you, Sonic," she said wrapping an arm around him and planting a kiss on his cheek, "It will help if you talk about it."

He smiled slightly and returned the gesture of embrace.

"I know. I know," he whispered. They sat for a minute in comfortable silence, Amy knowing Sonic would eventually open up and he knowing she was the safest person to open up to.

However, their quiet moment of intimacy was shattered by a rapid knock on the door. After getting over the initial shock of the interruption, Amy's temper flared. Who had the nerve to bother them at such a forsaken hour? Grant it, they were already awake, but still. She was just about to get to the bottom of what has been bothering her love and someone had the gall to interfere!

Sonic, sensing this turmoil, quickly reacted before things got out of hand.

"Don't worry, I'll get it. I said, I'll get it!" he exclaimed as Amy had gotten up and started marching towards the door. Being Sonic the Hedgehog, he got there first and pleaded with his scowling wife that it was alright. She huffed but allowed him to answer.

As he opened the door, Amy crossed her arms and stood just behind him. To their surprise, a shivering two-tailed fox stood smiling sheepishly.

"Tails?" Sonic blurted.

"What are you doing here and so early?" Amy asked as the good hostess in her began to win out over her temper. She pushed past her husband and pulled the poor young fox inside.

"I'm sorry to bother you guys, but I need your help with something at the workshop," Tails said as he shook his namesakes free of some snow.

"Well, whatcha need help with," Sonic asked, always willing to help out. Amy sighed.

'This is just the excuse he needs to get out of talking,' she thought. But then again, if Tails really needed help . . .

"I can't get my heater to kick on and I'm not done with the furnace either."

Both Sonic and Amy stared at him.

"You can't fix it?" Amy inquired skeptically, anger cropping back up. Tails blushed and looked to Sonic. It sounded silly, him being a mechanical wizard and all, but it was the only thing he could come up with at the moment. He just needed Sonic was all. He nodded to Amy's question. She folded her arms, more than suspicious and upset. Sonic shrugged.

"Well, it's an odd invite, but sure I'll help ya," he finally said, grabbing his coat off the hook next to the door. Tails beamed, but Amy frowned. She had really wanted to know what was wrong.

"But, Sonic, what about your breakfast?" she inquired, hoping his stomach would convince him to stay. It appeared to be working as the blue hedgehog looked back longingly at the table of hot pancakes, tummy grumbling in anticipation.

"Well . . ." he began with hesitation, glancing back over at Tails' hopeful face then to Amy's irritated features. He just couldn't win, or could he?

"Why don't you stay for breakfast Tails, then we can head over to your place?"

"Ah, well, I guess, if that's okay with you guys," he replied, looking more to Amy for an answer on that. She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at this. It would figure her husband would come up with a way to make both sides 'happy' and still benefit himself. Feeling somewhat defeated, for now, she sighed and waved the two males to follow her over to the table.

There were a few moments of quiet chatter and eating before Tails and Sonic got up to leave. It was still dark outside, but the route was familiar to them and Sonic reassured Amy he was alright now. She waved goodbye to the two companions as they made their way out into the snow. The young woman watched on from the doorway for a while, tightening the robe she had on for warmth.

With a light breath, she stepped back in and shut the door with a soft click. For some reason, she felt lonely. Her feet shuffled across the floor as she walked to Kimi. Her love for her daughter was very strong, but with a pang of guilt, she didn't want to lose the adventure in her life. Before, she would have been able to accompany Sonic, but now someone had to look after Kimi. The couple had talked about it and came to agree on a 'case by case basis'. If she were the one needed, he would stay and she would go and vice versa; at least, until Kimi was older.

With a sad smile, she glanced out the window to the restarting flurry of snow.

"Something tells me the world's gonna need you a whole lot more, sweetheart."