"Speak"

"Thoughts"

"First we can play on the swings! Then we need to go on the slide!" Sonic cheered as he and Shadow walked towards the park.

"There's that feeling again" Shadow thought as he continued walking with his son in tow. He did his best to look around without Sonic noticing, "But where could they be hidi-."

"DAD!" Sonic yelled for the second time.

Shadow picked up from the last thing he heard his son say, "Yes, I'll push you on the swing as high as it can go-"

"Not that." Sonic stopped walking in front of him knowing he had caught his dad off guard again. He crossed his arms and pouted, "You've been spacing out a lot lately."

"It's nothing." Shadow denied as he grabbed Sonic's hand, "We're almost there."

Sonic had noticed that Shadow was observing his surroundings so he decided to look around to try to see what his dad was looking. For a split second, he thought he saw a flame on a leather jacket, but when he blinked to clear his vision he could no longer find it.

Later that Evening

"Struggling with your homework?" Shadow asked as he looked over his son's shoulder.

For the last 30 minutes Sonic would start drawing and then stop. He would hear him grumble something incoherent and then erase his progress.

"Yeah," Sonic grumbled, "We're supposed to draw one of our happiest memories, but I can't choose!"

Shadow made a small grin as he rolled his eyes, "Well, how about we make a list?"

"That's a great idea!" Sonic gave his dad a pen and paper, "Can you write it down for me?"

Shadow nodded and began to jot down everything the little hedgehog said. After writing a page of them down, Shadow stopped as he continued to listen to all of Sonic's stories. A small smile appearing as he thought, "Guess I've been doing alright so far."

The following Morning

"Something smells great!" Sonic yelled as he came downstairs and saw his dad sitting on the table with a stack of pancakes.

"Hurry and eat son." Shadow spoke as he sipped his coffee.

For a couple minutes they stayed in silence as sonic chewed quietly and observed Shadow.

"Dad?"

Shadow flicked an ear to show he was listening.

"I was wondering..." Sonic got nervous and Shadow looked at him wondering what his son would ask, "... Why don't you ever use a different mug?" Sonic looked in the cupboard and saw a variety but he always noticed him grab the same one every morning.

Shadow let out a small sigh of relief, thinking his son would ask about his mom again, "This mug was given to me by a close friend before she had to leave. I use it every morning to remind me of her and the promise I made."

Sonic nodded no longer pushing the subject since his dad stood up to put the dishes in the sink. Shadow then grabbed Sonic's backpack that was placed on one of the dining chairs and had his son put it on.

"Let's go." Shadow said as he walked towards the door.

"OK!" Sonic raced with his dad to school. Both were neck and neck as the trees and pavement blurred around them. When they were close Sonic accidentally stepped on some broken glass and stopped. Shadow checked Sonic's foot to see if it was ok and once he confirmed he looked at the glass. Finger paint was on the surface and it looked like a piece of the letter "s". Shadow tossed it in the trash can nearest to him but once they turned the corner and reached the school, Sonic let out a gasp as his ears flattened on his head, "What happened?"

Broken glass shimmered as the sun's rays hit the pieces and it was scattered all over the grass that surrounded Sonic's class. Sonic clutched his dad's hand tightly when he looked up and saw Shadow's eyes narrow. When they arrived at the entrance, Rouge was outside explaining classes would be suspended for a few days. As everyone began to leave she saw Shadow she headed over to them quickly.

"Good Morning both of you." Rouge smiled and leaned to Shadow's ear, "Any idea who did this?"

Shadow shook his head as he looked at the damage outside and noticed the curtains had been brought down to hide the classroom.

"I need to show you something." She sighed and look down at Sonic with a smile, "Sonic sweetie?"

"Yes?" Sonic's ears perked up stepping out from behind Shadow's leg.

"How would you like to help out the principle for second while I talk with your dad?"

"OK!"

"And don't go into the classroom! It's full of glass!"

Sonic was off and Rouge's smile disappeared. She looked straight at Shadow and began to walk inside. Shadow followed and took note that the only real damage done to the small school was Sonic's classroom. Shadow's shoulders, however, turned tense, his eyes narrowed, and his lips parted slightly in disgust when he entered the classroom. Written all over the walls was, "Does he know he's adopted?", "Should I Tell Him?"

"Based on your expression you and I are on the same page." Rouge commented.

Shadow's mind raced through who it could be, "Could it be someone with G.U.N.? No, after the ark incident that would be foolish of them to do. Someone from the orphanage? No, that wouldn't make any form of sense." He began to think about that constant feeling of being followed, "I'll have to keep a higher guard."

Rouge put her hand on Shadow's shoulder and whispered, "It may not be my business but, please consider telling Sonic about this sooner rather than later."

"He's only 4 Rouge, still too young to be able to accept it." He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I will tell him, but not for another year or two."

Rouge sighed, "You realize there's a chance that whoever is doing this will probably tell them before you, right?"

"I won't let that happen!" Shadow was starting to get stressed.

Rouge felt sympathy for the Hedgehog. He was stuck in a hard place and someone was trying to force his hand. She walked over to her chalk board and started erasing what was written. "I'll have all this cleaned up in a few days. Until then-"

"Dad!?" Sonic's voice sounded behind the door.

She gave Shadow a warm smile, "Enjoy the time off with Sonic."

Shadow exhaled but nodded as he stepped out of the classroom quickly and closed the door, "Let's go home."

Sonic was about to complain that he wanted to go inside to see the classroom, but Shadow anticipated his request and picked him up to leave. His embrace slightly tighter than usual.

With Scourge

"Aw! The brat didn't get to see my message on the walls!" Scourge wiped his sun glasses as he leaned against the side of a far off building, "And here I am trying to be the good guy and help stripes tell him the truth!" He laughed out loud as he crossed his arms, "Trust me stripes." His tone became serious, "You humiliated me that night when you threw me out and I'm just the guy that wants to repay your actions." He started walking and saw Sonic in Shadow's arms in the distance, "Making the kid miserable is icing on the cake." He grinned, "So much icing."