Hello everyone and welcome back! I apologize for the long wait but until recently I didn't really have any free time to write. But anywho, I do not own any of the characters as they all belong to SEGA. On with the story!

"Speak"

"Thoughts"

"Goodnight Sonic." Shadow spoke softly as he patted the kit's head after a long day.

"Goodnight dad." Sonic smiled as he stretched his arms for a hug and Shadow complied holding him close. But after a second Sonic whispered, "Are you scared dad?" Shadow was caught a bit off guard by the question causing him to slightly tense as he heard Sonic continue, "This whole day... You kept looking around you and you've been hugging me a bit tighter lately. Is it because of what happened at the school?"

Sonic looked at Shadow with big puppy dog eyes, his ears flat to his skull as he clenched the blanket in his small hands. Sonic didn't see any change in Shadow's behavior when he had arrived outside the classroom. But Sonic did see the slight worry of the principle when he was helping.

*Flashback*

"Sonic," the principle spoke, "can you put these folders in the cabinet that's right in the other room please?"

Sonic simply nodded as he grabbed the manila colored sheets. As he went into the second room of the office he heard the phone ring and the principle had begun chatting. His curiosity got the better of him and he began to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Yes... Yes... The police were here earlier and... No, I have no idea who it could be... Let alone which student that message was for."

"Message? What message?" Sonic leaned in a bit more.

"All we can do is wait at this point. We made sure no child entered or saw the inside of that class."

"But what's the messa-" Sonic pushed the door slightly and a creaking sound caught the attention of the principle.

"I'll call you back. There's more to discuss but I do have a little helper right now." The principle hung up the phone and sighed, "You can come on out Sonic."

Sonic pushed the door, "All the folders are in the cabinet!"

"Thank you. I'm sure your dad should be finishing up his conversation with Rouge. Why don't you go ahead and check? Just be sure to knock first." The principle smiled.

*Flashback Ends*

"Sonic," Shadow began to push Sonic down softly and the started to tuck him in. "You don't have anything to worry about. Now go to sleep." He gave Sonic a quick peck on the forehead and headed out.

Sonic stayed awake however and continued looking at the light that was on under the door. An hour would pass, then another, and when it hit 12am the light was still on.

"What is he up to?" Sonic wondered as he pulled off his covers.

He gently got down and did his best to avoid any noise as he opened the door. He slowly walked over to the small staircase and let his ears try to detect any sound, but all he could get was faint tapping. He went down the few steps and leaned against the wall, slowly creeping to where the living room light was. He peaked around the wall and saw his dad typing away on his computer then pausing. Shadow had a furrowed expression on his face and it slowly got angrier as he slammed his laptop closed. Sonic gasped and Shadow stood up quickly while putting his computer to the side in one swift motion. He faced the wall and crossed his arms.

"What are you doing up this late Sonic?" He was doing his best to hide his anger but it still managed to come through with a small growl.

"I-I-" Sonic was shaking. He had never heard his dad sound so angry, "I-" He couldn't get a word past that and started to whimper slightly as he looked down.

Shadow walked over to the little hedgehog, got down on one knee, and held his son's shivering shoulders gently, "Sonic look at me." Sonic looked up with his ears pinned down, "I'm not mad at you. I just want to know why you're up so late."

Sonic visibly relaxed when he saw his dad's neutral expression coming back, "I uh... had a nightmare." Sonic lied as he looked down and began to rub his feet together, "C-can I sleep with you?"

Shadow looked at him for a moment and let out a small sigh. Gently, he picked up the small kit, who wrapped his arms around Shadow's neck, and took him to his room. Once he got Sonic tucked in, he got in his bed and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. Sonic didn't want to be tucked in, so instead, he untucked himself and curled up into his dad's side.

"Dad?" He whispered in the dark room.

"Hm?"

"I love you." Sonic said as he finally let his eyes close and let sleep take him.

"I love you too son."

Shadow hadn't realized it, but all the all nighters he had been pulling off for the last week were really starting to take its toll. On top of that, while Sonic was in school, Shadow still had to perform minor missions for G.U.N. But even though they were minor, the list of them was... substantial. He had let the commander know about his current situation and after some extensive persuasion, he could stay home with Sonic until his school would be up and running. His eyes were finally drooping and after a petting Sonic's quills for a bit, he lulled to sleep.

*Morning*

Shadow was the first to open his eyes, years of waking up early had pretty much trained his body to do so, and he left Sonic asleep in his room while he went to the bathroom right next door to start his day. However, what he saw in the mirror made him want to blow a blood vessel.

"SHOULD I TELL HIM?" was written on the bathroom mirror in a thick red marker. Shadow didn't know how to react, "How did they even break in?" He thought as he grabbed a towel to try to rub the message out. He noticed a line drawn towards the shower curtains and he immediately pulled them aside revealing another message. "SHADOW ISN'T YOUR REAL DAD SONIC".

Shadow was visibly shaking from the anger he was trying to hold in. His blood was running cold and his stomach felt like knots by the instance of fear he felt at the idea that someone was in his home while he and his son were asleep. He snapped out of it quickly because he had to hide this from Sonic. He closed the curtain and locked the bathroom door before he closed it when he exited. He noticed Sonic's door slightly open and when he walked up to the door knob he hesitated. He took a deep breath and opened it.

His heart shattered.

Shadow looked around the trashed room. The message, "YOU ARE ADOPTED" written all over the walls and on the sheets of Sonic's bed. His son's little macaroni art destroyed as the shells littered the carpet floor. A picture frame broken and the picture itself was ripped in half. Shadow picked up both of the pieces and realized that there was a blotch of ink on the floor where the picture pieces were. He flipped it over and saw another message, "HE DOESN'T REALLY LOVE YOU KID". Shadow was starting to breathe heavily as he clenched his fists doing his best not to yell. Internally however,

"HOW!? HOW DIDN'T I HEAR ANYTHING?! HOW DID THEY GET IN?! WHY ARE THEY TARGETING SONIC!? Wait..." He rushed to the his door and opened it.

Fortunately for him, Sonic was just starting to wake up with an over exaggerated stretch and a long yawn. Shadow walked over to him, trying to keep a calm composure, and when he was right in front, Sonic gave him his usual cheerful smile.

"Good Morning dad!" Sonic jumped straight into Shadow's arms. Shadow hugged him tight and Sonic could feel a small shiver emitting off Shadow. He pulled away slightly, "What's wrong daddy?"

"Sonic," Shadow sat Sonic on the bed as he knelt down on one knee, "I need you to stay in this room for a bit, ok? Can you do that for me?"

Sonic nodded as his cheerful expression faded. He didn't dare ask a thing after last night. Instead, he grabbed the tv remote and turned it on to some mindless tv. Shadow checked the window and made sure it was locked. Then he left the room and closed the door, locking it from outside just in case his son got too curious. He went downstairs to the living room to inspect if any further damage was done and sure enough, he found the damage in Sonic's corner of the living room. Each toy ruined, each crayon broken, each piece of paper torn with "HAHA" written over each one, and his little coloring table had the messages he'd seen on the walls written all over it.

When he looked at the kitchen there was only one thing... one thing that made him grit his teeth by the sheer mock of the message written in lettered magnets that the intruder brought at his own accord, "I only just started having fun."

Shadow was starting to feel unnerved. All this happened while they were asleep. What else could he have done in this house? He found himself shaking with every emotion he had been bottling up since the previous day. After his search he was gonna grab Sonic and leave when the door bell rang. Shadow cautiously approached and looked through the peep hole. He internally groaned as he opened the door.

"Espio."

"Hello Shadow," Espio noticed how tense Shadow was and his eyes narrowed, "May I come in?"

And we'll end it there for today. What did you guys think? Please leave a review and if you have a question, I'll give it my best shot to answer! I deeply appreciate the support! :) Also, I hope you guys are staying safe in this wild world we live in!