Disclaimer: I do not own Team Chaotix, they belong to SEGA. I don't own Tikal, the Chao or ANYTHING in this story except for Peace.

Actually Peace was an Espikal that SHADOWSHAUN200 (on Deviantart) and I made back when I had a DA account several years ago. So he he technically belongs to me since they designed Peace and multiple other Sonic fankids for my stories...back when my art wasn't as good as it is now. So, anyway, I hope you all enjoy the fanfic.

Waiting for you.

A gentle whirring noise hummed and buzzed as the foreign machines and devices surrounded the room and left a very cold and unappealingly lifeless presence that held no love or any emotions whatsoever as everything was mostly silent and empty, a room that was mostly void of all life.

The walls were metal, the floors were steel. The room offered little-to-no warmth and there were quite a few heartbeat monitors bleeping in a steady rhythm and all this room would make you think of is an iron chamber or even a hospital ward, which had no welcoming warmth whatsoever.

Nobody would be so desperate to be in such a cold dreary place... all except for a certain chameleon ninja, known as Espio.

Espio, member of the Chaotix trio, sat on a stool with a mediative expression deep on his face. He had deep purple scales, he had a heart-shaped patch adorning his chest and he also had a deep frown etched on his tan muzzle as his bloodshot eyelids closed over his focused yet calming blue irises.

His reasons for being in such a dark and terrible place had been sitting in front of him, resting atop a pedestal of some kind.

Stood on the top of the pedestal, huddled underneath a deep blue blanket, was an egg that was about the size of the ninja chameleon's hand. It bathed in the warming light that shone above it and it even rested inside its container in muted contentment...not that it could show it, of course.

This egg was exceedingly precious to Espio. Why? Because inside the egg was the child of Tikal the Echidna and himself...

It was the only thing Espio had left to call a family.

The chameleon didn't speak a word as he waited patiently for the egg to hatch, for days he didn't sleep or eat or do anything but wait; his slight emaciated form and the heavy bags sagging under his closed eyes was testament to that.

He just sat there and waited for what felt like an eternity so far, whilst grieving over his lover; Tikal the Echidna.

Tikal had been forced to appear in this timeline when a terrible water entity by the name of Chaos started rampaging across the whole of Station square, flooding everything in its path. It turned out that the entity was something that came out of the master emerald during some sort of foolish attempt to take the emeralds for some greedy desires or such. The echidna, being the kind soul she was, tried to protect the emeralds but to no avail.

For centuries that same creature lurked in the shadows, eventually striking only after the foolish Dr Eggman. Eventually, Chaos had gained all seven Chaos emeralds. Sonic the hedgehog somehow managed to subdue the beast eventually and Tikal convinced the creature to be at peace.

It was a long and complicated tale but, after many troubles with the Master and Chaos emeralds had arisen, Tikal's soul had been bound to those brilliant gems of wonder.

She even managed to capture the heart of ninja warrior: Espio the Chameleon.

Soon, after several years of hardships, Espio and Tikal had joined in matrimony and were happy for some time...yet it seemed that fate couldn't let that route be so joyful for so long.

One day, Eggman had managed to collect the energy of the Master emerald and it put Tikal in serious danger as her life force was being taken away. The worst part of it was that while this was happening, she was in labour with both Espio and her egg.

Espio knew something was wrong when he felt the energy of Möbius shift and knew that it connected to his wife somehow; he started to grow panicky as the egg was brought into the world, but with very little life inside. So, with her last remaining chaos energy, Tikal put everything she had into the egg that had been brought into the world.

The purple ninja could remember those last few moments so well, the last moments he spent with his beautiful wife...

Espio never felt so much shock, being a ninja he knew that he should have been in better control of his emotions. He knew that he should have been stronger than this but he just couldn't believe what was happening right now as he tried to regain control of himself.

Tikal flinched in pain, wincing as another surge of energy zapped her prone and mostly-limp-form. The orange echidna gasped and panted heavily for breath. Her eyes were heavy and she had her teeth clenched as sweat glistened and dropped freely off her bright ember fur which started to lose its colour as she smiled.

Espio gasped as he gripped her hand, his expression full of shock.

The ninja master had never expected such an event to occur and didn't want to know what would happen next as a painful silence flowed right after the strange anomaly. The Echidna and the chameleon didn't know what to do next as they slowly turned and stared at the newly produced egg as they let a very sickening atmosphere settle in whilst Tikal tried to sit up.

Espio, noticing his wife's struggling, asked worriedly "Tikal, what are you doing?"

Tikal didn't respond since she was still trying to muster the energy to sit up, a rather panicked look shimmering inside her beautiful blue eyes as she bit her bottom lip to try and hide the pain she was in.

Espio knew what she wanted and hesitantly approached the echidna before he proceeded to slide his hand behind her back and help her feebly prone form sit up so she could touch the egg that had lain on the ground in front of her and, whence she gently allowed her hands to feel the life within the egg, the echidna's breath hitched in her throat.

Tikal looked at Espio and announced with teary eyes "O-Our child has a weakened pulse, they shall perish unless I..." She trailed off and looked down at her hands. She stared in a way that would suggest that she just came to a sudden realisation and it was one that would more than likely break her husband's heart...but she felt that she had no other choice.

She slowly turned her gaze from the egg back to her beloved chameleon ninja and Espio stared at her for what felt like a millennium before he started to tremble and shake when he started to worry exactly what his adored echidna was about to do.

Espio frowned worriedly.

Because he was friends with Knuckles the Echidna, he had grown to recognise how the Master emeralds energy and the chaos emeralds work and he even researched them from time-to-time so he could better understand how to make things better for his dear wife, seeing as how her soul was bound to the master emerald and she even explained some things to him when a book or Knuckles couldn't provide the answer.

But, because he knew those crucial things in the master emerald's energy, he had a good idea what Tikal was planning.

The young lady echidna nodded firmly at her husband and momentarily glanced down at her wedding ring before she clenched her fists determinedly. She had to do this, she just had to.

Although, as Tikal tenderly laid a hand on top of the egg, she started to explain "This child was born from an immortal being with her only sustenance for survival being the chaos energy that flows in this world, someone seems to have tapped into that energy and my connection to it seems to have been severed."

Espio clasped one of Tikal's gloved hands and raised a brow of confusion. He knew that he should have been able to know what she was saying but sometimes he needed some clarification, and he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like this at all.

Not even all his ninja training could have prepared him for what came out of the female echidna's lips next.

She rephrased her wording for her husband to understand "Somehow someone tapped into the Master emerald and I'll cease to exist very soon."

Espio's breath hitched when he heard those words. She couldn't be with him...she couldn't stay by him anymore? He would never get to feel her fur against his purple scales, he wouldn't get to kiss her sweet lips, he wouldn't get to hold her and comfort her if she was lonely, he wouldn't get to take care of her if she was in poor health? Worst of all, he'd never wake up to see her graceful figure every morning...

Tikal lowered her weakening gaze to avoid the heart-breaking look of despair on the ninja's face as she murmured whilst she placed her hand tenderly on the egg again "...Unless I do this, our child shall perish."

The chameleon already knew what his wife was planning as he started to try and dissuade her from doing something seriously foolish.

It was clear that the infant inside the egg was in trouble too, and from what Tikal said previously he gathered that since their child was born off a spiritual entity then its survival was linked to the condition to the master emerald.

"N-No...Tikal, please, I'm begging you, d-don't do this..." Espio stammered, his whole body started to shake as tears formed inside his eyes and a quivering frown appeared on his tan muzzle.

"I am so sorry, my dear Espio, but I have to; our baby must live." She spoke softly and she smiled warmly up at the heart-broken chameleon ninja who simply choked on his own sobs as he tried not to break down right then and there.

He understood that she was just trying to fulfil her duty as a guardian...but she was also trying to do her duty as a mother, but why she had to do this and why this was happening was mysterious.

This was more than likely her first and last decision as a mother.

Before Espio could even blink, Tikal pressed both her hands on the egg and closed her eyes as a mystical green energy flowed through her body and made the oval-shaped artefact glow as the female echidna allowed all the remaining chaos energy inside her to transfer into her precious treasure.

Espio, startled by what was happening, instinctively took several steps back only to trip and fall over. Upon falling to the floor he basically vanished into thin air as his camouflaging ability reacted to the sudden rush of emotion that had started to overwhelm him.

The currently invisible reptilian ninja didn't make a sound as he observed Tikal releasing all of her chaos energy and letting it flow directly into their newborn egg.

The glowing soon subsided and Tikal instantly fell limp on the floor.

"Tikal!" Espio instantly reemerged and rushed to the echidna's side so he could help sit her up...but when he tried to touch her his hands went straight through her. She was just like a holographic projection now but she fluttered her eyes open weakly and smiled up at her husband.

His heart started to break and tears flowed down his face as he looked down sorrowfully down at the echidna he loved and he could do nothing but watch as Tikal, her face full of exhaustion, reached up to feel his face.

Espio could barely feel the sensation of Tikal's hand cradling his cheek as the tears streaked neatly down his face and fell to the floor in tiny drops.

Tikal looked so angelic as she slowly started to dematerialise as she laid on the floor. Tears started to trail down her face as she just continued to smile; she also held on to her husband's cheek, only for Espio to lift a hand and keep it pressed there as if he refused for it to be anywhere else for the moment.

"T-Tikal," Espio sobbed tearfully "p-p-please don't go, our child n-n-needs you, I-I-I need you...I will do anything for you, I will accommodate anything you desire, I-I-I-I would even quit the Chaotix and take c-care of you and o-our newborn. Just please, d-d-don't leave me!"

Tikal's weak and raspy voice silenced him "You will do fine without me...Espio...I'm so sorry, but it's up to you to raise our child...I gave the last of my energy to sustain them until it hatches; please don't be sad...you are the best thing that ever happened to me during all my years of living and walking amongst you once more."

Espio sniffled and managed to stop trembling as he looked over his weakened beloved. He could see this goodwill shimmering within those enchanting blue eyes of hers; the kindness never ever dulled within those eyes, nor did the compassion she held for others.

But it was those eyes that now looked so very exhausted and needy of someone to hold as her body started to evaporate into thin air.

He softly kneeled and nuzzled her to give Tikal some warmth but his touch seemed to have gone straight through her frail form.

Espio tenderly planted a kiss on her vanishing body, although she was beginning to grow seriously pale as she finally closed her eyes and managed a few last words in her final breath.

"I love you, Espio...take care of our child..."

Espio momentarily looked towards the windows of their home and noticed some Chao floating by whilst they gave very solemn looks and some even looked teary-eyed as they observed what was happening within the house.

He recalled how much his wife had adored the floating creatures and how much they loved her back, actually whenever she got the chance she would even sit down near the Chaos favourite spot and sing to them as they surrounded her with plush cuddliness.

They probably caught wind of what was happening and went to see what had transpired with the chaos energy shift and with their best friend.

Espio finally brought himself to look back down at his wife but when he saw that she had disappeared completely, his throat tightened and his chest felt like it was being squished so he couldn't breathe. He felt like gravity was crushing him now and he could only manage to cry out for his lost wife as he punched the floor with tears flowing down his face ceaselessly.

"Tikal...TIKAL!"

Espio let out some silent sobs and sniffles as he cried in his sleep, his chest was heaving with each wrack of his body as he trembled fiercely. He had been having the nightmares of that day for so long and he even recalled the aftermath incredibly well.

Not too long after Tikal's passing had Knuckles stormed into the house and noticed his chameleon friend Espio in tears as he cradled an egg in his arms as delicately as he could, the red echidna already figured out what had happened and had explained that Eggman had tampered with the Master emerald's power while Knuckles was tending to his own wife, Shade the Echidna, placed some kind of device on the giant gem.

As Tikal's lifeline WAS the master emerald, should it have been tampered with, then she would cease to exist.

But why their egg was close to perishing was a mystery.

As Knuckles and Sonic had clobbered the mad scientist as revenge for Tikal dying, even Chaos had also given him the punishment of a lifetime. The water entity had been enraged also at the man; Espio would have joined in, but he didn't for two reasons: he didn't use violence unless he was threatened, and he had to be there for his unborn son or daughter encase it hatches.

But, suddenly, a loud crack abruptly awoke the snivelling Team Chaotix ninja with a snort as he straightened himself out. But when he opened his eyes to look at the egg he could have sworn that if he had been drinking something then he would have spat it out immediately and possibly choke.

To the untrained eye, the egg would have been fine but looking very closely one could see there was a small airline crack.

Espio could swear that his heart had jumped high up into his throat then as he realised that the egg was now hatching!

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! What should I do!? The egg is hatching!" The purple chameleon started to panic.

The crack grew even bigger, the shell gently falling apart as a tiny little yellow horn protruded from the very front of the egg.

It seemed this child wanted to come out fast!

Espio gasped as he tried to think of how to handle this, he didn't know what exactly a parent did when their eggs were hatching but he did do a bit of self-berating so he would be able to know what to do when the time was right. Eventually he decided to let his instincts guide him, seeing as he was far too busy with Charmy and Vector to read on parenting skills back then.

From what the chameleon DID know about birth, apparently it was traditional for eggs to be born by their mothers...but -for obvious reasons- that wouldn't be possible.

Alright, alright, calm yourself! You can do this, you are a ninja and you must be calm...

Espio took in a deep breath, closed his eyes and exhaled to try and regain his composure as he looked at the egg and noticed little the cracks start to break apart where the horn had previously broken the shell. The egg looked quite broken and the tiny being within was obviously trying to break out of its prison and it even seemed to give a tiny noise as it tried to break out of the egg.

Espio, unsure of what he should do, cautiously decided to encourage it "It is alright, little one, I'm here."

The purple chameleon couldn't help but stare at the rather large yet precious object with a bead of sweat running down his face. He was worried out of his mind, what would happen if the infant cut itself on the egg shell, what would happen if the baby would not survive the hatching process?

So many thoughts were racing through Espio's frantic mind and

slowly but surely, the eggshell broke apart in a domino affect and eventually the whole entire thing collapsed and revealed a very tiny orange form midst of all the broken eggshells.

The tiny Mobian infant was looking very chameleon-like, like his father, but he also had traits from Tikal. There were dark tan patches on his triangular head horns and one circular one surrounding his main horn. He had a light muzzle with a tiny black nose on the end of it and he had a heart shaped marking on his tiny chest and he even had an angled echidna-like tail that would occasionally flick its beige tip.

Espio's breath had been knocked from his chest as he examined the tiny baby and he even started to tremble. This tiny creature looked so feeble, so delicate, yet it gave a strong little cry that proved that it was healthy without a single doubt.

A shaky smile widened on the chameleon's tan muzzle as he proceeded to gently wipe the remaining eggshell off his new son with a gloved thumb.

The tiny Echidmeleon whimpered and sniffled as he flopped on his stomach, his tiny arms aimlessly reaching about for something in front of him as he sought out for warmth and comfort. The tiny bundle shuddered as the cold of the stone pedestal started encasing his tiny little furry body and his pleading mewls grew even louder when he couldn't find that warmth he sought out for.

Espio gently reached out to take the hatchling into his arms and wrapped him up in a flannel towel that instantly brought the new life some of that warmth and hugged him against his chest, worried that if he moved a fraction then he'd hurt his newborn son.

This child, this tiny frail creature, actually made the ninja's heart glow with the warmth he thought he'd never feel again after he lost his wife.

Tears formed in Espio's tired eyes and he even nuzzled the infant gently with his horn and the tiny hatchling even ceased whimpering all together as he cuddled up against his father and let out a long sigh of easement as he felt his father's heartbeat gently drum against his tiny head.

The chameleon gently cradled his son's body in his palm, the Echidmeleon being only big enough to fit into his palm. It was normal for most Mobian infants to be born tiny and they aged just like humans did, just that the babies grew bigger as the weeks dwindled by.

Espio thought that his son was the second most beautiful thing he had ever lain his eyes on -the first being his wife- and would never find a more contented feeling like the one he was currently experiencing.

He didn't have a doubt that Vector and Charmy would fawn over the baby when they meet him and he had to wonder if his son would grow up to be like him, or if he would be like his mother in some way. But he knew without a doubt that this infant was special...especially because of the chaos energy that flowed through his veins.

"Welcome, my son. I have been waiting for you..." Espio whispered softly to the swaddled being in his arms.

The purple chameleon smiled softly as he let his son's tiny digits wrap around his index finger. Even though this little hatchling was only a minute old, he was quite strong for one so little. Espio felt a smile creep across his muzzle as he sat down on the floor beside the pedestal in a meditation position.

His legs crossed and he made sure the blanketed bundle was resting in the crook of his left arm while his right one was brushing the child's cheek in featherlight strokes.

But then he decided to think on the second most important thing about this moment: a name.

Espio and Tikal had tossed name ideas back and forth like a game of tennis but no name really clicked within their minds.

True, there were some names that truly stuck out amongst the list and since their egg hatched into a boy then a name should be much easier to pin down.

He wracked his brain for a solution and he even glanced down at the Echidmeleon and gazed deeply into those blue irises that mirrored his mother's exactly, when a specific word came to his mind: Peace.

It was a word which Espio and Tikal had associated with how their lives had been, how they had wished for such a pleasant state of environment. It also represented what Tikal had brought after Chaos' destructive rampage in station square...and now it was a word that represented what it brought Espio just after losing one close to him by gaining something as equally precious.

Peace.

Espio smiled tenderly as he held the mewling hybrid tighter, but not enough to completely crush him as to make him feel uncomfortable. He leaned down and kissed the furballs forehead affectionately with his eyes shimmering with pride.

"Cute kid, Espio..." A sudden voice whispered.

Espio knew who the owner of that voice was, and he smiled because of the familiarity.

That gargled voice could only belong to one person, or more accurately, one crocodile. Vector grinned as he softly glanced down at the bundle the chameleon held on to and he even smirked when he saw how exactly the tiny hybrid looked so much like his father and he couldn't help but shed a small tear while he held his hands behind his back.

"Can I hold the baby? Can I, can I, can I?!" Another voice piped up.

"Charmy!" Vector yelled, much louder than he had meant it to be "you'll disturb the kid!"

The young pre-teen bee simply pouted when the crocodile scolded him. Vector grabbed him by the wings but made sure to keep his hold gentle yet firm as an insects wings were paper thin and very fragile and he didn't wish to make Charmy lose his wings just yet.

But, to everyone's surprise, the echidna/chameleon hybrid didn't even stir when the two adults yelled at each other. This made Espio even prouder since this just proved that his son was very resilient, resilient to even Vector and Charmy's constant bickering. That took a seriously focused mind and the ninja even grinned even wider.

"Hm, it seems that my son is very intelligent. He's even immune to stupidity!" The new father joked softly and he even felt a soft glowing spread throughout his heart...but there was one part that still grieved over the loss of Tikal. Oh, how he wished that she was there to see their son...he would have given anything for their little Peace to meet their mother.

Vector noticed Espio's attitude shift and let go of the bumble bee before he gave the worried father a reassuring clap on the back "Don't worry, Espio, you always got us."

Charmy seemed to sense the atmosphere of sad happiness in the room too and hugged the purple chameleon ninja by abruptly wrapping his arms around his chest but he seemed to mind the infant, too.

He nuzzled into Espio's chest lovingly and, for the first time in ages, the chameleon felt truly and sincerely happy to have such good friends/teammates.

Never had Espio felt so thankful before.

He smiled tearily at the Mobian croc and the bee before he glanced back down at the sleeping Echidmeleon. He now knew that as long as he had his best friends then he would never be properly alone and now there was a fourth member on team Chaotix and the trio knew that they would have to work together to look after the little hatchling.

The chameleon, heart glowing with a loving warmth, grinned happily and kissed the tiny Peace's forehead whilst he murmured something warmly to the child he adored.

"...Peace, my son...sleep well..."

A/N: Heres a new Sonic one-shot fanfic...about the Chaotix. I don't think I have seen a fic that centered on our fav detective team. I hope you all like this fanfic and please review because I ADORE reviews...especially positive ones. I also ship Espio and Tikal because they are somewhat cute together even if they never really met.

...And please don't hate me for killing off Tikal.

PS: This takes place in the FUTURE. So Charmy is around 10 years, just letting you all know.

Please enjoy it, anyway.

-Chloemcg