Chapter 2 – The Wait

Sonic's stoic face leaned against the frosty pane of the Thorndykes' guest lounge window as he sat upon its sill watching the flurries dance by. The late December weather had developed a particularly nasty bite, unusual for the region. Under average conditions, Station Square enjoyed temperatures of over 60 degrees this time of year.

The snow…he longed to be out in it. He longed to run. His distant mind envisioned a fond memory from his days in Knothole., when he was 11 or 12, and a heavy snowfall had just blanketed the village. His friends were out playing and throwing snowballs together, blissfully unaware of his approach. He caught them all completely off guard, plowing through the snow bank beside them like a wayward rocket. When he looked back, every last one of them was covered from head to toe, standing motionless in shock. He'd laughed so hard that he couldn't get away before they caught him and returned the favor.

Nothing doing this year. It'd been almost two months since Shadow dealt the blow that had broken several ribs and left a hole in his sternum, and it still hurt just to cough. Along with his frustration was the fear that, when Shadow returned for round two, he wouldn't be ready. If he were to come busting into the mansion right now bent on slaying him and Amy, there'd be almost nothing he could do about it.

"Here you are!" Amy chirped as she lifted the curtain. She wore a powder blue maternity dress, compliments of the Mobian Research Team, over her very round belly. "C'mon, we're getting ready to open presents!" Sonic eased down from the window and walked with her to the twinkling Christmas tree, where Chris, his parents, his grandfather Chuck, his uncle Sam, his aunt Laci, and Ella and Mr. Tanaka sat conversing and laughing.

"Oh, you found him?" Chris acknowledged their arrival, jumping to his feet. "All right, time to hand out the presents!!" He took hold of the packages on the outer edges of the tree skirt and handed them over to the appropriate recipients, then proceeded to crawl under the Douglas fir sniper-style to retrieve the rest. The room filled with the racket of ripping paper and crumpling shrink wrap.

"Oh, wow," Mr. Thorndyke conveyed genuine surprise at his new cordless electric razor. "Self cleaning! Thanks, Son." Chris grinned widely.

"Whoever got me the sausage tray, I'm a vegetarian now," Laci announced.

"Oh, I forgot…." Sam lamented. "Can your husband eat it?"

"I'm divorced now too."

Amy squealed, "Ohhhhhh, how adorable! Look, Sonic, a hedgehog baby blanket! --And matching booties! Awwwwwwwwww!! Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Thorndyke!"

"You're welcome, dear," Mrs. Thorndyke replied as she picked through a tin of candy ribbons. "We had it custom made in Romania. The edges are genuine silk."

Chris sniffed a box from Amy. "Oh man, is this your candy cane cake?!" he asked excitedly.

"Mm hmm! Sorry it's not much," Amy's voice was meek with embarrassment.

"No, this is excellent! Thanks!!"

"Hope you gave me one too!" Sam chimed in. Amy giggled and nodded.

Sonic tilted an odd contraption in his hand. "Uhh…thanks, Chuck! …How's it work?"

The old man laughed. "It's a quill sharpener! Just fit the open end over the tip of the quill and twist!"

Sonic gave a comprehending nod. "Ohhhh! Sweet, can't wait to try it out on this one!" His hand reached behind him and rubbed a large nub on his back, new growth of a quill claimed by the MRT.

Many more gifts and comments were exchanged throughout the hour, until at last Chris pointed his thumb to the floor above.

"You two ready to start on the rest of your presents now?" he asked Sonic and Amy, who balked teasingly.

"I think we'll hold off on those," Amy laughed. She attempted to curl her arm around Sonic's, but he pulled away. He never tolerated displays of affection from either of them in front of others. Unfortunately, with the MRT's presence and the ongoing festivities, there hadn't been much in the way of privacy, which had left Amy feeling a little starved. She pouted at his withdrawal for a few moments, then lit up with an idea. "Oh, I can feel the baby kicking!" It was more of a nudge, really, but she'd exaggerated for the attention.

"Ohh, let me feel," Ella shuffled over and placed her hand on Amy's belly. "…Ahhhh, feels like it's trying to turn!"

"Come listen, Sonic!" Amy urged. After Ella finished, he leaned in carefully and placed his ear against her.

"Hm!" he snorted through his simper. Everyone watched in eager silence. "He says 'Enough of this; I'm hungry!'" The family sounded its collective amusement.

Amy's eyes squinted as she smirked. "How do you know it's a boy?"

"Pfft, count on it!" He sat back confidently.

Mr. Tanaka straightened his glasses. "Are you going to have an ultrasound done?"

"They wanted to," Amy spoke of the MRT reps, "but I decided not to. I want it to be a surprise, for everyone!"

"Well then I guess we'll see if Sonic's prediction holds true," Mr. Thorndyke stated mildly.

Laci blinked, looking bored. "When are you due?"

"About a month," Amy answered. Her hand slid over the bulge endearingly.

Everyone pitched in to round up the mess of paper, ribbon, boxes, and bows, then cleared out of the den to celebrate the rest of the day trying out their gifts. Sam followed Sonic and Amy to the guest lounge, observing quietly as she settled into the suede couch and he returned to the window.

"Sonic," Sam addressed the blue hedgehog as he approached, "I've still got to give you my present. It wouldn't fit under the tree."

Sonic's ears perked up, curious. "Oh?"

Sam nodded. "Come with me." He took Sonic outside and had him get into his super speed-optimized police car. Sonic found it interesting that he'd driven it to the mansion to begin with. "I made some arrangements," Sam explained as they pulled out. "See, you and I are alike in that we both live on speed. We have to have it. Being cooped up with your injuries has got to be driving you nuts; am I right?" Sonic emitted a short laugh and nodded. "I thought so. Well, hopefully this little deal will be the next best thing for you."

Miles away, they pulled onto a long, winding road that had been closed to the public by barricades. Sam narrowed his eyes as he stared upon it. "Today my name is Thrill Chaser. Care to see how fast this baby can go?"

Sonic grinned. "Go for it!"

Thrill Chaser's foot mashed the gas.

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Christmas Day was unheard of in Mobius before the world became merged with Earth. Even now there were still many Mobians for whom it remained completely foreign, Maple being among them. The climate stayed warm year round in her region, so this day saw business conducted as usual. Shadow noted the date but never saw fit to bring it up.

The two had spent the day harvesting turnips and eggplants and preparing them for sale at the farmer's market, in which Maple participated every weekend. The work had gone well, but at its end he kneeled in a chair with the side of his head pressed against the kitchen table while she tweezed at a tick in his ear.

"Rrrrn!! Just pull it out!!" he growled through his clenched teeth.

"You can't just pull it out! You have to get the head!" she snapped back. "Hold still or I'm never gonna get it!!" Her other hand's grip on his face tightened as she leaned in. Several tense seconds later, she lifted the tweezers with the tiny arachnid in their grasp. "There!!" she exclaimed triumphantly. Shadow shoved her hand off as he quickly stood up, vigorously rubbing his sore ear. Maple snorted and turned to wash the tick down the sink. "Now was that so horrible?"

He wouldn't even look at her. "Hmph…I hate you," he uttered as he strode out of the room. Maple broke into a coy smile.

"You're welcome!" she called sweetly after him.

Her response didn't surprise him; it had become their routine. Over the two months since they'd met, Shadow had found that Maple was not put off in the least by his lack of social grace. In fact, she seemed to have a knack for perceiving the actual intentions behind his words and deeds. He, in turn, had developed a complementary tolerance for her offbeat personality. It had made for a unique friendship. Each interaction between them was a psychological tango in which endearment was extracted from words and tones tucked in the pretense of animosity. In a sense, he really had thanked her.

Shadow emerged from the earthen homestead and effortlessly scaled the root steps to its shady roof. Except for some mild tenderness and the superficial mark, his wound was fully healed. Even the stitches had disintegrated. He sat leaning against the tree trunk, staring across the dusk-hued span of the massive garden as he contemplated his next move.

She was due soon. He wasn't sure when she had conceived, but if she was already showing by the time he'd encountered her in the park, the baby could not be more than a couple more months off. The baby…a disgusting cross between her and Sonic…was the perfect target. He could realize his revenge against them both while minimizing risk of another injury, all in one fell swoop. A cheap shot? Perhaps…but a devastating shot nonetheless. All he had to do was wait a little longer, which suited him just fine. Revenge was a dish best served cold anyway.

"What are you smilin' at?" Maple's sass carried from just around the tree. "Didn't think you were capable."

"You're about to find out what I'm capable of," Shadow retorted, raising a fist.

"Hm! Keep it up," she stepped over and dropped down in typical fashion beside him, "and you'll be having rotten turnips for supper." She frivolously flicked one of the strands in her face aside.

"What'd you make?" He peered at her.

"Spinach casserole."

"Bleh," he expressed, turning away. It was actually his favorite dish. "…Guess I'll go suffer through some." He pushed himself to his feet and hopped off the ledge behind them.

"Uh! Thanks for waiting for me!" She staggered to her feet and made her way down after him.

Two more months would suit him just fine.