Trinita, JackleTheKitsune, CherrletheChicken, AutoKnight01, Tyranifex, Sonamyluver718, Jonman14, Kurdave125, holospartoi258, PhineasandFerbs1Fan-notIrving, poka, LightVsDark99, Delta 2-1, 01sonamy01, Mana the Cat Magician, Marounne, SherryBlossom:

Hey, long time no see guys. Sorry 'bout the wait, but stuff happens, you know how it is.

Chapter 10: In Her Element

The bright rays from the golden sun looming in the clear blue sky warmed the calm earth below, giving plants and trees their bold green color back into their now mature leaves. The cool, fresh days of spring had faded into the long, humid, and stuffy hours of summer, setting a haze in the horizon and making any outdoor activities limited to the evenings.

In the northern part of smoggy Central City, where the heat was especially unbearable because of all the pavement reflecting the sun, there sat a workshop. On any other day it would host just a solitary fox tinkering away on some machine, but now it held not just Tails, but also two rabbits, one chao, and three hedgehogs... soon to be four hedgehogs, once the mail man dropped by for his daily visit.

But yes, it really was crowded on this day, as Vanilla and Cream's house was still a pile of rubble thanks to Eggman, and their insurance company was still making estimates even two months after the deed. The three of them were getting used to living together in any case; Vanilla was using Sonic's old room, and Cream had taken Tails' room as the fox now slept in his living room or in the Tornado ("You're such a gentleman," Cream had told him, causing the fox to blush heavily as she smiled sweetly in his direction.)

And now that Sonic and Amy were officially engaged, the trio had yet three others coming in almost daily to share the limited space. Amy was spending more and more time over at Tails' so that she could not only use his computer for ordering wedding stuff, but also for some help babysitting while she did all of that work. Planning a wedding was proving to be stressful and time consuming, as Amy wanted the whole thing to be perfect. She'd planned out dozens - hundreds - of weddings for her and Sonic before, if only mentally. The hard thing was narrowing down exactly what she wanted. But Sonic had told her a few days ago that he was game with whatever and was going to let Amy do most of the planning. Although he had set a rather tight budget for her, as they had a lot of other expenses with the twins. But Amy couldn't complain too much.

So Amy had spent the past week or so on the computer looking up ideas and making phone calls to florists, gown stores, bakeries, possible locations, decoration stores...

... there was just so much to plan! But Amy didn't mind - in fact, the girl was having a blast. She was in her element, in all ways possible.

"What do you think Sierra?" Amy asked her daughter who was sitting in her lap. "Roses? Lilies? Freesia? Oh, there's just so many options..." she gushed and continued to scroll down that page.

Her forest green eyes scanned all of the bouquet pictures as she started softly bouncing Sierra on her leg. The baby girl looked around curiously and continued to suck on her small thumb.

"It would help if we had a date picked out so I would know the time of year better," Amy muttered at the small lavender hedgehog. "But your daddy says he doesn't want to wait any longer than a year... and well, neither do I," Amy giggled a little. "But we're not sure we want a winter wedding either... though I'm trying to convince Sonic that snow covered evergreens are very romantic... So I'm thinking next Spring, though Sonic wants it in the fall, but that's WAY too early... It's July right now, so that will give us nine months to plan... but oh my goodness there's a lot to do..."

"Aaaah baa baa oooh," Sierra 'said' back.

"That's right honey," Amy said to her daughter. "I'm going to have to buy you a pretty dress to wear, too... how does that sound?"

"Umm... Amy?" A voice suddenly drifted into the room, and Tails winced as it cracked. "I know you're busy but..."

The pink hedgehog looked up from the computer monitor towards her brother-in-law-to-be. The fox was standing in the threshold rather awkwardly, holding an innocent-looking boy hedgehog by his armpits, his yellow-socked feet dangling. Amy cringed at the way he was being held, knowing that Sierra would never let herself be held like that.

"What is it Tails?"

"Um, Chase, he..." Tails looked away sheepishly.

Amy suddenly got a whiff of something and rolled her eyes. "Haven't I ever showed you how to change a diaper?"

Tails shook his head timidly, not wanting to invoke her wrath. It's not really my job, either...

Amy let out an exasperated sigh, annoyed to be pulled away from her wedding planning. This was a dream come true for her; why was everything getting in her way right now? Sure, she loved her kids, but still... couldn't she get just a tiny break from them? She was only going to get married to Sonic once, and wanted it to be the most romantic day of her life.

"Well, I'll show you then." Amy readjusted Sierra in her arms and then stood up. "Ugh, men, they make us do everything... here, you hold Sierra, and follow me."

The hedgehog and fox exchanged babies, and then Amy went into the living room to lay a mat on the floor. Cream and Cheese were filling in a coloring book, and Vanilla was fiddling around with her new cell phone, trying to figure out how to text that sweet crocodile detective who had promised to help get her house up and running again.

"It's really simple, Tails," Amy said as she grabbed the materials and started peeling off Chase's diaper. "It's the same thing every time. If you can get over the fact that it's poop, it's really not a big deal."

Using her forearm, Amy wiped her stubborn bangs out of her way and then took a hold of Chase's feet, even though the boy was squirming like crazy. Tails was trying hard to pay attention to Amy, but he found his cyan eyes kept drifting over to where Cream was kneeling next to a coffee table, looking very pretty as she brought her violet crayon back and forth across the blank page. Cream's chocolate eyes looked so focused as she bit her soft lower lip, trying to decide which color to use next. It really was such a simple scene, but for some odd reason her face had Tails entranced and staring. The girl brought her small, gloved hand up to brush away her long, graceful ears in a delicate gesture, and then she reached for the orange crayon, courtesy of her chao.

"Thanks Cheese," Cream said sweetly and smiled.

"Tails, did you catch that?" Amy suddenly demanded, and Tails's head snapped back in her direction immediately.

"Uh, huh, yeah..." Tails couldn't stop the pink from raising to his face.

"Good. It's something you're going to need to know how to do eventually..." Amy disposed of the old, soiled diaper and then followed where his gaze had been and gasped in remembrance.

"Oh, Cream, I've been meaning to ask you..." Amy said as she stood up and snuggled Chase closer to her body, just as the little boy gripped at her dress and cooed. "Would you like to be one of my bridesmaids?"

"Really Amy?" Cream's eyes got big. "I'd love to! Thanks!"

"Of course, Cream. You really are my best friend after all," Amy smiled and then looked over at Vanilla, who was still messing around with her phone. "Miss Vanilla?"

"Yes dear?" The older rabbit asked and looked up.

"Um, I want you to be my maid of honor... is that okay with you?"

Vanilla smiled. "I would truly be honored, Miss Amy. I do look forward to you and Mr. Sonic's wedding."

Amy let out a sigh of relief. Not that she thought Vanilla would say no, it was just good to have at least one thing decided. "Thanks." Amy looked back at Tails, and had to smile to see his eyes back on Cream.

"Hey Tails, I have a feeling Sonic's going to make you his best man."

"What - oh, he already asked me, and I said sure," Tails nodded.

"Great," Amy said with a smile. "Now, if we can only agree on a date... than I can start working on other things..." Amy started heading back to the computer, when Vanilla spoke again.

"Amy, I will tell you now that the shorter the notice the higher the price for most places," Vanilla explained.

"I know that," Amy said. "Which is why we can't have it in the fall like Sonic wants. I mean, he gives me a small budget and then says, 'I want it in three months... but you can still do whatever you want'... ugh... I have to get back to work..."

Amy shuffled back to the computer and sat down, continuing to look through the flower pictures.

"What do you think, Chase? Are you a flower fan?"

Her son didn't answer with anything but a "Goooo ga," and instead wiggled around in her arms, and Amy ran her finger absentmindedly through his spines to try and calm him down.

"No huh? I guess I should look at the cakes then..." Amy clicked away and typed in the search terms with one hand. "Angel food... strawberry... buttercream... ganache..." she started muttering when a familiar voice broke her thoughts, and the girl was up in an instant.

...~...

"And how's my little princess today?" Sonic asked as he took his daughter from Tails and started swinging her around and playing with her.

Cute laughs escaped the girl as she enjoyed her father's love and silly faces that he was making down at her. Sonic found his own self laughing; there was nothing better than running around for a while and then getting to see his kids.

"Hey Sonic, three things," Amy suddenly appeared in the doorway and regarded her fiance.

He winced as he heard that tone. The first few days after he'd proposed, Amy had only wanted to snuggle and cuddle and kiss with him and do nothing else... and now all she did was bombard him with a ton of questions when he so much as looked at her. The girl had been downright obsessed with her planning.

"Ames, you know I said I'd be cool with whatever you want to do," he said with a shrug.

Amy let out a frustrated sigh. Why was it that Sonic hardly seemed to care about anything having to do with the wedding? "But Son-ic, this is our wedding! I want us to plan it together, and I want it to be perfect; we're only going to be married once! Now c'mon, I need a day that you can stay home and watch Chase and Sierra while I go pick out my dress."

"I have every Sunday off, Ames-"

"I know, but hardly any bridal stores are open on Sunday."

"Aw, I'm sure there's at least one... you know I can't just take a day off randomly. They'll be an outrage if there's no mail bein' passed out."

"C'mon Sonic, this is important. The ones that are open on Sunday are for only six hours... I don't know if that will be enough time for me... and I need a wedding dress!" Amy insisted, a small scowl forming on her face.

Sonic sighed, knowing it was better to just give in then argue. After all, he wanted Amy to get the wedding that she wanted and deserved and dreamed about for so long. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. Now what're the other two things."

"A date," Amy insisted. "I need one. Because everyone that I've called asking about stuff has asked me for a date so they have some idea of how long they have and I have to tell them I don't know yet. Plus if I have a time then I can choose the colors and catering better."

Sonic sighed again. "Well, look, neither of us really wants a winter wedding, so don't we just have it in October?"

"Because that's not long enough!" Amy wailed. "These things take time, Sonic. Now c'mon, let's just have it in April, please? Spring is the perfect season!"

"But that's so long away," he whined. "There is no reason to drag it out; planning doesn't take that long! Why don't we just get it over with," he muttered the last sentence under his breath.

"There is a reason, we need time to plan and order everything!" Amy hissed, wondering why Sonic just wasn't getting this whole thing. It was as if he knew absolutely nothing about weddings. "C'mon, April isn't that far away... or maybe we could do it in March?"

"Hey!" Sonic snapped his fingers as an idea suddenly struck him. A grin grew up his muzzle and he chuckled. "What about February, Ames?"

Amy crinkled her nose."February? That's still winter... and it'll be cold... I thought you said you didn't want that!"

Sonic ran a finger under his nose smugly. "Yes... but I think we could make do... on February fourteenth... whaddya say?"

Amy's face lit up immediately, and her mood instantly flipped. "Valentine's Day?" the girl squealed and ended up giving Chase a very tight hug while she pinched her cheek with her other hand. Fortunately, the boy didn't cry. "Oh Sonic that is SOOO ROMANTIC~!"

"Heh, somehow... I just knew you'd say that..." Sonic said, and rolled his eyes a little as Amy raced over to squeeze and kiss him.

"That's perfect! A Valentine's Day wedding! And... and..." the wheels in her mind were turning at a pace that made Sonic proud. "We can have lots of roses... and... everything be red and pink and... silver. Yes! EEEP! Do you mind those colors Sonic?"

"Well, ya know red is my favorite color... and pink'll just be perfect for you..."

"YAY! Oh Sonic, I love you! Valentine's Day is soooo romantic! Oh, I have to make a ton of calls now..." the girl turned frantically to get back to the computer, but not before turning back to look at Sonic. "Now that we have the date, I'll try and get some invitations printed ASAP and then you can hand deliver them yourself, Mr. MailMan... oh, so much to doooo... bye Sonic, and thank you soooo much!" And with that, the girl blew her fiance a kiss and ran back to the computer, a very bewildered Chase the Hedgehog in tow.

"...glad I could be of service," Sonic joked, and then looked down at his daughter and a thought hit him. He really should be getting back to work, but...

"Ames! Mind if I take Sierra with me?" Sonic suddenly called out.

He waited a few seconds and got no answer, and so he turned back to the other's present, just now acknowledging them.

"It's okay, she might not even notice," Tails said honestly. "She's been holed up in there all day, without eating hardly anything. We've had to take care of the kids most of the day."

Sonic looked back towards the doorway she'd just run into. While it was true that he wanted her to have a memorable wedding, was she really over-exerting herself with this?

Ah, don't be silly... Amy can handle this. She's in her element, she deserves it. And the kids'll be fine... I'll pick up the slack if need be.

"What're you gonna do, Mr. Sonic?" Cream asked him.

The father shrugged. "Nothin', really. I gotta get back to work. I'm sure Ames is gonna have a lot more for me to see when I get home, heh..." he started heading for the door, still holding Sierra. "You guys take care, and thanks... but make sure Ames gets something to eat, okay? And Chase, too."

"We will, Mr. Sonic," Vanilla said and looked up from her phone.

"Thanks, I'll be seein' ya...Alright Miss Sierra, are you ready to juice?" Sonic looked down lovingly at his daughter as he cradled her close to himself, trying to get her into a comfortable position as he left the workshop.

She gripped her father's chest fur and looked up at him with wide jade eyes. "Baaa!" she exclaimed.

Sonic chuckled and felt his heart skip. "I'll take that as a yes. Hold on then honey... we're gonna go fast..."

With that rather mild warning, Sonic pushed off against the ground with his feet to continue on the mail route. Since they were on the northern edge of Central City, he didn't have to go far until the next mailbox, resulting in just a tiny burst of speed. Sonic stuffed the bills into the mailbox and then looked down at Sierra. The girl didn't seem to be having any adverse effects, and so Sonic continued to weave his way around Central City to distribute the mail. Once that was finished, Sonic started heading back towards the nearest post office to gather his next batch. But in order to do that, he would have to run a good 30 miles nonstop. Once again, Sierra still seemed fine, and so the hedgehog had no worries as he sped his pace up.

The surroundings, which before had been large, stationary buildings blurred together to form an indistinguishable palette of colors. Sonic felt a grin grow up his face as he felt the rush of air ruffle his quills and whistle in his ears. Really, running his heart out like this never, ever got old. He'd been doing it for nearly twenty years now... and still loved it. Sonic looked down at his daughter, hoping that she was taking this okay.

And then... a wild, happy giggle suddenly burst out of the infant's toothless mouth. Her jade eyes were still wide as ever as she took in the full running experience, clearly loving the whole thing. And if there was ever any doubt, Sonic was now certain that this was his daughter.

"Miss Sierra, one day you'll be running around like this," Sonic breathed down at her, a tender smile on his muzzle as he made his way back to the post office. "One day..."

...~... A/N ...~...

Yay, da plans are coming together, finally! Yes, Amy's going nuts with the planning... as would be expected, to the point where she's neglecting her kids a little... which is a bad thing. But hey, that's what friends and fiances are for, right?

I swear, I just got the idea of a Valentine's Day wedding a few days ago. But I honestly think it's super duper uber romantic and plus the timing was PERFECT. :3

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Go ahead and eat too much. ;)

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, hopefully Chapter 11 won't take quite as long... it shouldn't, because I have it planned out and everything. :3