A/N: Let's get to it. We've got a lot of ground to cover and little space to do it in.
Sword: Oh yeah! *sits back with popcorn* Can't wait to see this!
Pen: You have to help too. I'm not going to be stuck with all the heavy lifting.
Sword: Like you can lift anything with your noodle arms. Alright then. Silver, Blaze, and all related characters to Sega. Me, Pen, and the story belong to the guy at the computer here. Thankooo to IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE, SconnieSA, KnightofTheWind, and sad Little demon for their reviews! Don't use without permish, please, k, thanks. Hit it!
Wedding Anniversary- Part 2
It took some back and forth, but Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles agreed to meet at Rouge's house. They left Silver to sleep at Sonic and Amy's, as he was dead tired from being up early that morning and filling them in on the entire situation. Shortly after the trio arrived, Rouge returned with Blaze and Cream in tow, arms loaded down with shopping bags.
"I thought you were shopping for Blaze?" Amy said.
"We did," Rouge said, lifting a pair of sunglasses off her head and clipping them to her shirt. "But I mean, since we were there, I picked up a few things for myself."
"Did you get anything good for her?"
Rouge hummed a little note and dangled a prominent pink bag from her finger. "I'd say so. Wouldn't you, Blaze?" She cast a look over her shoulder, but the queen couldn't even meet her eye to eye. Knowing Rouge, it was something extremely revealing, extremely skimpy, and extremely outside of Blaze's comfort zone.
"Well let's see it," Knuckles said.
Rouge waggled a finger. "Ah, ah, ah. Later. First things first."
"That's right," Amy said, taking a seat on one side of the dining room table opposite from the boys. Rouge, Blaze, and Cream joined her on her side and Amy had a brief flash of a meeting between lawyers settling a case for their clients. "We need to resolve this situation."
"Seems pretty simple to me," Sonic said. "Silver was in the right and Blaze needs to make it up."
That smug grin on his face made Amy want to summon her hammer and wipe it off with one good whack. Unfortunately, as much as she hated to admit it, Sonic was completely right. Rouge looked sick to their stomachs as she had the same thought about her husband, like the fact of Knuckles being one hundred percent on the winning side tasted bad even in her head.
"And she is prepared to do so," Amy said, and looked at Blaze beside her. "Right?"
"Of course," she said. "I am sorry about what I did to him. It wasn't my intention to neglect him. I just want him to know I still love and care about him."
Sonic's face softened and he leaned in. "Hey, he does. This didn't change how he feels about you, you know?"
"That's right," Tails said. "He's just confused and isn't sure what to do. Who can blame him? Through it all, he's still mostly concerned for you."
"We're committed to getting everything back on track," Sonic said, patting her hand. "But it will take some sort of gesture on his level."
"Of course."
"Then we're off to a good start."
Amy had dreaded this part, but carefully asked away. "What else do you want?"
"Obviously love and attention on special occasions like this," Sonic said. "With effort like Silver puts in."
"Without question. What else?"
"Weekly back massage," Tails suggested.
Amy eyed Blaze, who nodded. "Done."
"No getting in trouble for a month."
Amy scoffed. "A week."
"Two weeks."
"Eight days."
"Nine."
"Deal. Anything else?"
"Meetings with foreign ambassadors, like the one yesterday," Sonic said. "He mentioned how he wished he could be excluded, as he feels it takes away from his management of the guards and castle defenses."
"He's going to be accepted into royalty soon," Blaze said. "He'll have to be there eventually."
"Then in the meantime."
Blaze groaned and Amy stepped in. "What about every other meeting?" she suggested. "This way, he gets the experience and lets Gardon handle managing the defenses and the guards during those meetings."
Sonic eyed Tails and Knuckles, who both nodded. "Okay, we can agree to that."
Amy breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have dodged a bullet. "What else?"
"I'm still curious to see what's in the bag," Knuckles said, pointing to the pink tote by Rouge's feet. "I think it's our duty to make sure he's receiving the best."
Amy shook her head. Rouge had rubbed off on Knuckles more than she figured. Rouge winked in Amy's direction, placed the bag on the table, and pushed it their way. Gingerly, Sonic pushed aside the crepe paper at the top, reached in, and lifted the article of clothing enough for the other two to see, but not pulling it out of the bag.
Sonic wolf-whistled and Tails couldn't help hiding his laughter. Knuckles pushed the bag back toward Rouge and Amy, who took the opportunity to examine it herself. It was even thinner and smaller than she had imagined.
"Satisfied?" Rouge asked teasingly, clasping her fingers and hiding her toothy smile behind them.
"I think Silver will be," Knuckles said and he high-fived Sonic and Tails.
"Then if that's all," Amy said, preparing to stand up, "we really should-"
"Wait," Knuckles looked at the bag hard in concentration and then a small grin spread across his face. "One more thing." Amy plopped back in her seat and sighed. "Given that Silver has been neglected for so long, I think he deserves something special to go along with that outfit."
Amy raised a wary eyebrow, almost afraid of what he would say next. "And that is?"
Knuckles eyed his two companions with the same expression of a daredevil kid being told not to leap from the rooftop and doing it all the same, going for gusto. "Well, I think it's something that, in his situation, he should be allowed to try once. After all, it would certainly go a long way to making amends. I'm not saying it has to be done, but perhaps think about it."
"Get to the point," she said.
Turning to Rouge, Knuckles said, "You know what it is." For once, Rouge seemed visibly lost and didn't pick up on the hint. "That one thing you said you would never, ever do for anybody, anywhere."
Amy, Cream, and Blaze looked to the bat, waiting for an answer. They didn't have to wait long before Rouge's pupils dilated and her fingers tightened together harder than before. "Rouge?" Amy asked. "What is it?"
Rouge reached out, pulling all four of them together in a huddle, and quietly whispered out what Knuckles was driving at while he informed his two friends. As soon as Amy heard it, she jumped up and shouted, "No way! Are you crazy? Just," she stumbled over her words, as so many ways to say it kept wanting to force their way out, "no!"
"To be fair, it would be up to the queen to decide," Knuckles said, waving a hand at Blaze.
"The Master Emerald doesn't compare to the jewels on you, echidna," Rouge said. Her mouth was broken up, half torn in amusement, half in revulsion, but all the same, eager to hear what Blaze decided.
"Blaze, forget about it. You're already giving a lot," Amy reminded her.
"I know," she said. "Give me a minute."
Off to the side, Cream twiddled her thumbs. "It's really not that bad," she said, picking at her fingers. "Uncomfortable a little at first, but then it's..." Her eyes widened and when she realized she had been talking out loud, with no conversation masking her musings, she looked up. Everyone had momentarily forgotten the request and were staring at her like she had two heads.
"Cream," Tails groaned and this time, he joined her in hiding his face on the table.
"My man!" Sonic said, holding up his hand. A beat passed and Tails raised his hand up, allowing the high-five.
"Guess it's true what they say about young passions and loving like rabbits," Rouge said, grinning. "We may corrupt you yet."
Amy pushed aside the notion of re-considering who was the wild one of their group and turned back to Blaze. The queen actually seemed to be considering the suggestions and Amy leaned in close. "Hey, you don't have to do this."
"Yes, I know," she said. "But it's not like Silver hasn't done some things for me that are, well, how would you say, unorthodox. It couldn't hurt to try once." She looked up at the three boys across the table, who leaned in waiting for her answer as well. "I'll think about it."
"Good enough," Knuckles said.
"Then we're done with the aftermath," Sonic said. "Let's go over what you have in mind to win him back."
Rouge pushed away from the table, taking her shopping bags to the other room and walloping Knuckles hard in the back of his head for his suggestion. He rubbed the sore spot while Amy folded her hands, settled her chin on her fingertips, and said, "This is what we're going to do."
Silver slept for longer than he expected and by the time he awoke, the sun was settling low in sky. Some anniversary this turned out to be, he thought, sitting up and stretching the kinks out of his back. Although Sonic had assured him that he shouldn't, he did feel miserable and concerned about Blaze. It's not like she had wanted the day to turn out like this either.
Then why not call off that meeting with the governors? He didn't have an answer. All he knew was that it would be better if he headed home. Maybe they could talk this over, work something out where he at least got to spend a little time with her on these occasions. That and he needed to make sure the twins hadn't run Gardon ragged.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were nowhere to be found in the house, which Silver was a little relieved about. He quietly slipped out and flew back to the castle. By the time he arrived, evening had well and truly settled in, with stars beginning to poke holes in the fabric of the dark blue sky. He didn't pass many people aside from a guard here and there on patrol.
He checked for Blaze in the Council Chamber, expecting her and her advisors to still be listening to the groaning of the governors. But it was empty, with nary a person in sight. Guess the meeting ended earlier than I thought.
He went to their room, expecting her there, but again, there was no sign of Blaze. He did find a card tucked in the pockets of a fashionable black suit laid out on the bed, with Ballroom written on it in Blaze's handwriting. Curious and a little hopeful, Silver dressed and followed the card to the castle's ballroom.
The ballroom was dark and quiet when he entered and shut the doors behind him. Only the tall windowed doors that opened onto a terrace offered the smallest of moonlight for the room, castling it across the floor and creating long shadows.
In the center, a flame flickered to life in a gloved hand, illuminating Blaze's face. "Hello there," she said.
"Hey," he said, coming closer to her. She reached down her hand, setting a candle alight on a table covered in a white cloth. On it were two full plates of sautéed fish and sides of fresh vegetables, complete with two glasses and bottle of vintage white wine.
But the more stunning sight was Blaze. She had slipped into a soft red dress, with ruffles along the hem, and a deep cut in the back that nearly took Silver's mind to other places entirely. Pearl earrings dangled from her ears, accenting her beauty in comparison. Compared to her, he felt woefully under-dressed.
"What's all this?" Silver asked as she popped off the cork and poured them each a glass. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out one of the chairs for her with his telekinesis and when she settled into it, he scooted her closer.
As he sat down, she passed him one of the glasses. "This," she said, "is my way of making amends to you." She clinked her glass with his and each took a sip. He licked his lips, enjoying the taste. "I know I haven't made things easy, with always working during our anniversary or other holidays."
"Well, you are the leader of a country," he said.
"But that doesn't mean I should neglect you," she said, taking one of his hands. "You've stuck by me through it all, been supportive, more than helpful with the twins, and just a wonderful husband." His heart beat a little faster. Could it be? Was he finally going to get what he hoped for?
"I want to express my gratitude and assure you that from now on, I'm going to set aside more time for us."
His smile was too big for his face and he leaned over, kissing her. It was the best gift he could ever have received and he told her so. "But what about your duties?"
"My advisors can fill in," she said with a wave of her hand. "I'm certain they can last one day."
That was sweet music to his ears and he relaxed, enjoying the delicious meal and making small talk with her. Once they finished, he leaned back, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "That was delicious."
"I suppose I haven't lost my touch then," she said.
A muffled bit of static broke the atmosphere, drawing Silver's attention to the darkness still surrounding them. "What's that?" he asked. "Is someone else in here?"
Pushing away from the table, Blaze straightened her clothes. "That," she said, circling the table and taking his hand, "is something else for you."
He shook his head and pressed his lips to her hands. "You don't have to get me anything else or do anything. You've given me everything I wanted and done more than enough."
She tugged him to his feet and pulled him to her, chest to chest, her nose touching his. "I want to." She pecked his lips and lifted a delicate hand into the air. A flame shot out from one of her fingertips, darting into the air. The flame licked a candle on a chandelier above them, then immediately jumped from candle to candle all around the chandelier, igniting each in turn.
Once the flame finished with the first chandelier, it traveled the air as if by magic with no direction from Blaze, lighting up the set of candles on the next chandelier, and the next, and the next until the entire room was brightly lit. The marble columns shone as they supported balconies trimmed with gold artwork and draped with velvet curtains that touched the floor. The ceiling itself stretched high into a dome, coming to a center point like a firework explosion that rained down gold and silver strands onto the polished, reflective floor.
It was always a sight to see on display like this. Even more so with just the two of them there, together, alone with one another. Although he didn't recall the floor and walls looking this immaculate the last time he passed through here.
The only odd piece that stuck out like a sore thumb was a computer hidden behind a curtain, along with a set of speakers. Blaze left Silver a moment to look at the screen and mumbled to herself. "Okay, Tails said...This should be it." She tapped a few keys and soft music started to play through the speakers.
Returning to Silver, she explained, "I had a little help setting all this up." That explained the computer and the ballroom. "You can thank everyone else, especially Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. They were quite your advocates in our meeting."
"Meeting?"
She shook her head. "I'll tell you later." She folded her hands behind her back, waiting for the next obvious step.
Clearing his throat, Silver bowed low, taking her hand in his. "Might I have this dance?" he asked, kissing her wedding ring.
"You may," she said. He pulled her close and they spun into the center of the dance floor, letting themselves be carried away by the music. Song after song played, some faster, some slower, but each blurred into the next with Blaze's warm body against his. He was just so happy and content that it wasn't until Blaze dug her claws into his arm that he realized he had been a bit too swept away by the music.
They were floating high in the air, at the level of the balconies, held aloft by his telekinesis. Blaze was looking up at the ceiling, refusing to peek at the floor. By her blanched face, this didn't seem to be helping since the ceiling was much closer than before.
Silver concentrated a little and formed a thin, opaque circle of light beneath them, setting their feet on it. He stomped it, testing its rigid form, and showed Blaze the safety of their little platform. She dared to look and tried tapping her foot into it herself. It held firm and he expanded it a little, guaranteeing that she couldn't see the floor below them.
He wasn't sure if the mint green platform would be enough. Blaze might decide to move their dance back to solid ground, which he would gladly accommodate. After a moment, she smiled at him and pulled him along. She trusted him and his power, and that was enough.
They continued their dance, the platform shifting, expanding, even breaking into separate sections for each foot, as they continued and danced long into the night.
Silver couldn't remember the last time they had such a wonderful night. When they had finally worn each other out, they shuffled off to the nursery to check on the twins. Gardon was exiting the room, carefully pulling the door shut behind them. Once the old koala noticed the pair, he left the door open a little longer, offering them a peek inside. The twins were sleeping sounding, both snoring light and soft. They said their good-nights to the babies and let Gardon shut the door.
"Thank you again," Silver said.
Gardon waved the gratitude away. "It's no trouble. Take care now. Your Highness." He bowed to Blaze and left them alone.
Once they reached their bedroom, they were interrupted by an advisor rounding the corner. The same advisor from this morning. Silver knew what was coming and tried to stir up anger, but couldn't. It was too late and he was too tired.
"Your Highness," the advisor said. "I'm afraid I have urgent news. The governors have reviewed the changes you proposed this morning. They wish to speak with you further about them."
"Isn't it a bit late for that?" Blaze asked.
"That is what we told them, but you know how persistent they are."
Blaze looked to Silver and he put on his best fake smile. "I'll be fine. If you need to go, go."
"If I needed to, I would. However," she turned back to the advisor, "tell them that if they wish to speak with me, they can schedule time for next week. Otherwise, they are free to speak to you and the rest of the council."
"B-But Your Highness-"
"It is still our anniversary. Therefore, you can let the governors know that we are not to be disturbed. Do I make myself clear?" She said it in such a definitive tone that there was no room for argument and that there was only one appropriate answer from her advisor.
"Yes, Your Highness," he said, taking his leave with another bow.
She noticed Silver staring at her and cocked her head. "What?"
"Nothing, just that was a little, uh, you know," he said, trailing off. Arousing. "Thank you for staying."
"Like I said, it's still our anniversary," she told him, opening the door and picking up a pink bag inside. "We still have to celebrate."
"What's in there?" he asked, pointing at the bag.
She smirked, a red tinge brushing her cheeks. "You'll find out soon enough. Another little token from the meeting."
Silver would have to remember to thank everyone, as he shut and locked the door behind him. After all, this would certainly be an anniversary to remember.
A/N:
Sword: And then—
Ah, ah, ah! No "and then".
Sword: Aw, c'mon! I do it all the time!
What? When?
Pen: When you're not looking. Her shelves are full of those sordid stories.
We're getting off-track. Thank you, you lovely, lovely people for reading this. We hope you enjoyed it and please let us know what you thought. As well, we love to hear from you all. Take care.