Inspired by Nickelback's new single. It's amazing. Anyway, this is the unexplained event of how Scourge became a part of Silver's family. You don't need to know about either Paradise stories to understand this, just know that Ellsworth is Silver's daddy.

Contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog Comic Issue #192.

Adoption

A mysterious, unseen forced pushed him out of the portal. He stumbled forward and tripped, pulling apart a wire and causing the machine to spatter. The mixed colors faded as it shut down, unable to generate enough power. He cursed under his breath and attempted to fix the wires, with no such luck. Standing, he heard a familiar voice call his name. He glanced over his shoulder, meeting the gaze of a white hedgehog.

He was curious, wondering what the other was doing here at such a late hour. Unfortunately, he didn't have an explanation for himself. "I was trying to bring Shadow and the others here, but," He paused, turning back to the machine to stare at it, distraught. "I guess that's not going to happen any time soon." The shorter hedgehog was thankful for the effort, regardless.

"Well, since you're here, I'll introduce you to the family. C'mon." He grabbed Scourge's arm, playfully pulling him along. This world was nothing more than a red wasteland with dead trees scattered everywhere. The further into the village they got, the lusher the vegetation became. It was a weird feeling: the colors of the darkened sky made the bright greens stand out. The people of the village have tried, perhaps a little too hard, to bring out the good in their horrible situation. They've painted their houses odd shades of pink, blue, purple, and white. They've planted long stalks of corn, fields of cabbage, trees with random fruits, and various flowers. To him, it was a wonder that anything could survive under such harsh conditions. To them, it what a symbol of civilization, it reminded them that there was still hope.

He was taken to a two-story home, painted white with a small garden off to the side to accent it. The house appeared small: three bedrooms, if that. The hedgehog pulling him smiled at the sight. It was strange to actually see someone living with only the necessities. For a brief moment, he felt selfish. That is, until he reminded himself that he was a self-centered freak with cares for only himself. A tall copy of the white hedgehog was seated by the front door in a lawn chair. He stood when he noticed the two.

"Silver," He spoke up, placing his shades atop his head to get a better view. "Who is that?" He never expected the white hedgehog to have any family or friends other than Blaze or Sonic and his annoying lackeys. But, then again, he wasn't right about everything.

"Daddy! This is Scourge." Damn. He looked upward, realizing the true height of the father. He was tall, scary to a certain extent. "Scourge, Daddy." He stepped aside, giving them privacy to speak.

"A green hedgehog?" He gently tugged on one of Scourge's ears, testing to convince himself that the color of his fur was natural. Or at least appears to be natural. "That's an odd color." He didn't sound like a cruel cannibal, but he acted like an asshole.

He pushed the father's hand away, telling himself to remain calm. "It's a long story. I'd rather not talk about it." He glanced over to Silver, signaling that he wanted to go somewhere secluded, or at least away from his father.

Surprisingly, the white hedgehog understood. "Excuse us, Daddy. I want to take Scourge on a tour. We'll be back in an hour." He, once again, pulled Scourge away by his arm. "Sorry." He quickly apologized once they were out of his father's sight. They ended up by a cliff. Before them was nothing but a sea of lava. It bubbled and smoked, creating large amounts of heat. After a moment of silence, he was forced to take his leather jacket off. Silver volunteered to hold onto it for him.

"So, that was your father?" He wanted to say something that wouldn't offend his friend. Although heartless, he didn't want to cause trouble until he gained the trust of a few important people, Silver being among them. "He seems…protective." It was all he could think of to say.

"He is. And, I know he's annoying. He'll be nicer to you once he gets to know you." Scourge laughed, knowing no one would ever like him after learning more about him. Shadow was the only person that accepted him, and he didn't think such a caring person as Silver's father would ever enjoy his company.

"Right…after he gets to know me." His voice trailed off. He stepped forward, standing at the edge of the cliff. The heat was intense. He kicked a nearby pebble into the lava. It sizzled and sunk out of sight, as if the 'ocean' was hungry for more. He stepped back, unable to withstand the heat.

"So," Silver said suddenly, catching the other hedgehog's attention. "What ever happened to your father?" With that question, the world literally froze. It melted around him as he recalled his father's last attempt to save his own life. Scourge wasn't angry at him; he just committed the act to prove that no good could come from protecting people. It was a tragic incident in his life, one that he couldn't look back on easily. Noticing that he had zoned out, his friend tried to snap him back to reality. "Scourge?" He was gently tapped on his shoulder, waking him.

"Huh?" He hadn't realized what happened.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly, worried. Scourge turned away. "I'm sorry," His voice was calm. "I didn't mean to bring up any painful memories." Somehow, Silver caught on to his history. "You don't have any family left, do you?"

It was hard to hold back the emotions rising in his chest. He couldn't get rid of that lump in his throat. "No, I don't."

There was a short, surprised gasp from Silver. He figured the green hedgehog had at least an annoying sibling back in Moebius, but he didn't. He was completely alone. Other than Shadow and himself, no one really cared about Scourge's well-being. No one but himself, of course. "I'm so sorry." He was curious as to what happened, but was afraid he might hit a sensitive nerve and get some undesired results.

Neither of the two said anything for a long time. Scourge stared out over the horizon of the lava, the heat no longer bothering him. Silver's gaze was cast to the ground. He was trying to imagine what it must be like to be without someone's loving care. He received hugs from his father daily…maybe that's what he was missing. Quietly, the white hedgehog snuck behind his friend, wrapping his arms around the other's shoulder in a tight embrace.

Scourge was surprised. He tensed up, but didn't retort. It only caused tears to well up in his eyes. He wouldn't let them fall – He cried over it once, there's no need for a second time. "Thanks Silver," He said quietly, trying to mask his emotion. "You can let go." It had only been a few seconds, but Silver could tell he didn't feel comfortable. He stepped back, taking the leather jacket that had been suspended in the air.

Before the two could exchange any desired words, the chunk of earth they were standing on made a terrifying sound. The soil cracked yet again, and Scourge noticed that the lava appeared to be closer than it was a second ago. They whirled around, meeting the dead gaze of Mephiles. The cliff they were standing on had been partly separated from the main island. Soon, it would break off and sink into the lava. "Silence is deadly." The demon laughed with an unseen grin and slowly melted into a black puddle, disappearing in a trail of black smoke.

Silver tensed up, frightened. He didn't have a chance to do anything – The earth broke apart and slowly started sliding downward. Scourge reacted quicker than the white hedgehog, grabbing him and latching onto the side of the cliff just as the slab of earth they once occupied disappeared into the molten rock. "Hang on!" He shouted, feeling his grip loosening.

It was over as quick as it had stared. Silver's father felt something wasn't right, and decided to go looking for them. He arrived just in time to grab Scourge's wrist and pull them to safety. Although he wouldn't admit it, without the green hedgehog, his son would've surely perished. He didn't have good reflexes whenever he was caught off guard or frightened, it was something the father had learned in his younger years.

"Daddy! Perfect timing." He smiled, trying to make a joke out of their near-death experience. "Are you alright?" He asked, giving Scourge a reassuring smile.

"Yeah," He was out of breath. "I'm fine."

Scourge was given a place to stay in their small home. He enjoyed having his own bedroom in a house where he felt like part of the family. Two dreadfully silent weeks passed by. At this time, he had gotten bored with this world and wanted to return to his present Mobius. He decided to announce his move in the morning, that way he and Silver would have one last day to spend together before his leave. Father and son were at the kitchen table, happily talking about a few new additions to the house. They wanted another bedroom and bathroom, an outdoor patio, and a bigger family room. He wasn't paying attention as to why.

"Hey," He spoke abruptly, trying to catch their attention. "I need to tell you two something." He took a seat across from Silver's father, who he had become to know as Ellsworth.

Silver was overly happy, more so than any other morning. "Wait, let me go first!" He stood and made his way over to Scourge, smiling brightly. "We want you to sign this." Ellsworth slid a document and a pen over to him. "Everyone wants to feel like someone cares. I know you don't want to be alone. We're here for you, Scourge."

His eyes glanced over the bold print at the top. It immediately caught his attention, resulting in him reading the entire thing. It was an adoption paper. If he signed it, he would become Silver's brother and Ellsworth's second son. At first, it all seemed ludicrous to him. He was old enough to be by himself, why would he want to be taken into a family at this age? But, the more he thought about it, the less ridiculous it sounded. He would no longer have to worry about his next meal, or where he would sleep, or who he would go to when injured.

On the other hand, he couldn't subject this family with everything he does. All the crime and bounties placed upon him were too much for this family to deal with. Silver was too innocent to be involved with such atrocities. Ellsworth would surely punish him, perhaps far worse than what the actual law would.

Then again… He paused his thoughts, picking up the pen and making his final decision. That punishment and worry is what he missed from his teenage years the most. He knew he would never be able to get back that lost time with his real father.

He signed it, causing Silver's smile to widen. "That's what family is for."

He would never admit it, but he wanted to be a part of a family. He wanted to be scolded by his father, be cooked homemade meals, be teased by another sibling, be the one that would stand up to a bully, feel loved, and he wanted ever so much to be looked up to as a hero. As much as he wanted to deny it, that part of him would never change, no matter how different he was from Sonic.

He finally had what he so desperately wanted.

He finally had someone who cared.

He finally had a family.

Who says good things don't come from hope?

End

Scourge the Hedgehog belongs to Archie/SEGA
Silver the Hedgehog and Co. belongs to SEGA/Sonic Team
Ellsworth belongs to The Lotus Black
'Gotta Be Somebody' belongs to Nickelback