Author's Notes: Hi! Welcome to the 4th story involving my fan character Sara, and canon character Shadow the Hedgehog. For those of you who just stumbled in, I strongly recommend reading Flirting Shadows first. Flirting Shadows, Ups and Downs and Raising Maria are all connected. This story actually spans from the end of Flirting Shadows to beyond Raising Maria.

Sara lay in bed, resting on her stomach with her arms folded over the pillow. She yawned softly and took note of the door opening behind her. "Finally come to bed?" she asked quietly.

Shadow looked over her with a critical eye before sitting on the edge of the bed. "Why are you laying like that?" he asked as he kicked his shoes and gloves off. The gold bands stayed on, though, as did the friendship bracelet which was a twin to hers.

"Hnn? Because I want to." She rolled onto her side and looked at him curiously. "Why?"

"You're pregnant." He lay back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Yes, so?" She scooted in closer to him and began brushing her fingers through his chest fur. That drew a bit of a smile from him.

He pointed to the computer sitting against the wall. "You were looking at some pages on babies, right?"

"Yes...but I'm not even nearly close to term yet...it hasn't even started to show." Sara blushed a bit.

"It's not good for the baby," he said softly, putting an arm around her and lightly stroking her quills.

Sara laughed. "Oh my, you're concerned already?" She shied away from his harsh eyes, though they seemed to have lost their power when trained on hers. "You shouldn't read too much stuff like that, you'll get paranoid."

"You're reading it," he retorted.

"Yeah." Sara nuzzled against her mate and lightly kissed him on the lips.

"Is it really dangerous?" He put his hand to her belly. It didn't feel any different.

"Eh? Well, yeah...it's not like it hasn't been done for generations, though." She smiled a bit and put her lips to his again. "My momma had me, and Sonic's mom had him, and Tails' mom had him, and everyone I know was born just the same way as babies have been born forever."

"I wasn't." Shadow frowned a bit. "My being here had no…no real risks."

"You're unique." She smiled encouragingly and ran her hand down his belly fur. "Mm hmmm! Just as I thought."

"Huh?" Shadow gave her the oddest look.

"You have no bellybutton," She whispered in his ear.

"Ehhh?" Shadow found Sara moving his hand once again to her belly, though this time he could feel a small depression beneath her fur. "Bellybutton?"

"Mmmhmm. It's where the umbilical cord was. Proof I was in my mother's womb." She smiled softly and lay back on the bed. Shadow didn't know what to say to that, but his hand stroked over her belly several times, feeling the little dimple he'd never noticed before. "I'm an innie."

"Huh?"

"Innie. Bellybuttons are either innies or outies. I think innies are cuter." She chuckled at his perplexed expression. "It depends how the umbilical cord comes off. In my case, it's like a little inward twist...an outie has a bump for a bellybutton."

"Oh..." Shadow was sure this wasn't vital information. It was totally unrelated even to the dangers he'd been stewing over moments ago. Yet it was something Sara felt like sharing with him, and somehow the bizarre conversation was strangely relaxing. "You're weird."

Sara chuckled. "So are you." She lay there in the dim lighting, looking away from Shadow, but making her body somehow inviting by its prone pose.

"So...why do you want to do something dangerous like having a kid?" He'd caught sight of her and recognized the pose; she was feeling needy. Normally he wouldn't have hesitated, but knowing she was pregnant….

"Because I love you." She smiled and tilted her body a bit into a more alluring pose.

"That it? ...Umm...Sara?" He looked up at the ceiling.

"Yesss?" Her tone had taken a decidedly sultry note that made his quills stiffen.

"It's just...you...like that...we can't...right?" Shadow swallowed. His eyes dared another glance at her, the moonlight filtering through the curtain giving a soft outline to her body. She was no longer in heat given her condition, but she was no less inviting at this particular moment.

"I told you, I'm not that far along." She smiled back at him, her eyes half hidden by her bangs.

"I hate it when you do that," he said softly.

"Do what?" she returned as innocently as possible.

He brushed her bangs out of her face. "Hide your eyes. Drives me nuts."

"I know." Her lips met his again, though this time they lingered a bit longer.

"You brat." He gently ran his fingers through her quills, drawing a satisfied smile from her.

"What? You don't want to?" she said softly, her body now half laid on his chest.

"You're sure it won't hurt the baby?" He embraced her gently. He could have done anything to her and she wouldn't have minded. She was a perfectly willing mate; it must have seemed comic to her that he was being the cautious one.

"I'm sure," she whispered gently. Sara had no reason to deny him any pleasures, and she rather enjoyed being the instigator for a change. It was nights like this that had set her at ease with her choice to take him as a mate. His awkwardness was rather endearing given the right circumstances, and for the next few months, she'd have plenty to make him feel awkward about.