A/N: Here we are, another week another chapter! I don't really have a set schedule of when to update this but I've been on a roll so I'm just going with the momentum! And I've been on a roll because of all your support, so thank you so much!

Additionally I wanted to say thank you for the comments so far! It helps motivate me to pump out these chapters, I absolutely love hearing what you guys think! It means so much to me so really, thank you!

Amy could not fall back asleep that night. Or, more so, that morning. By the time she finished treating Sonic's wounds it was around 7am, so she figured she might as well get on with her day as best as she could. Even if she finished at a more reasonable time she doubted that she'd be able to sleep anyways; her mind was running wild. All of the possibilities of what happened over the course of those 6 months kept going through her head. Of course during his disappearance she was already plagued by the what if's, but now that he was finally home the answers to all her relentless worrying was right at her finger tips. Maybe it wasn't even Eggman, maybe something else entirely happened to him. What if he got sucked up in a warp ring and was on another planet? Or in another dimension? And that's why he was shocked by how much time had gone by? Are they all in even more trouble than they thought? And how did he get injured so much, was he constantly fighting for his life that whole time? In an attempt to stop her thoughts she slammed down her coffee mug on the table and shook her head. She needed to distract herself.

She was now on day two of waiting for Sonic to awaken. Amy quietly walked over to the bedroom door and listened – yup, still snoring. He had been sleeping for more than 48 hours straight now. She had even snuck in at one point to remove the sandwich he never touched - from it sitting out for so long it would have made him sick if he woke up and ate it. Poor thing was so exhausted, he clearly needed his rest more than she thought. Sonic liked to nap and relax occasionally but she could never recall him being so stationary for this long, even after intense battles. The guy just needed to move, it was in his blood.

Sighing she went back to the kitchen and took another sip of her coffee. She glanced around, thinking of things she could do – the house was already spotless, she had went and gotten Sonic more clothes from his place (having a spare key comes in handy), she had prepped the necessary food to make a large meal for dinner. Amy had also already run out to get more supplies. With Tails being here so often she was used to making more frequent trips, but knowing that Sonic has a bigger appetite than most, she knew she needed to stock up. All that running meant his metabolism burned through calories like a furnace. Drumming her fingers along the countertop impatiently she tried to search her mind of something to occupy herself with.

Deciding that if she didn't keep busy time would continue to drag on, she left a small note on the counter just in case Sonic woke up, grabbed her coat and went out the door. She made her way to the HQ building and headed up the stairs, turning right this time toward the very first door along the wall. Opening it revealed a room full of computers, monitors, and beeping machines. A lot of security and research was done here, sometimes even attempted hacking but that was considered dangerous now. If it backfired Eggman could potentially find out their new location and since they had only just finished rebuilding their second home here, it just wasn't worth it.

Sitting in the middle of the room and starring at the large monitor in front of her was a grey cat wearing large glasses. She was older than the typical person to be operating in this room, but she did know her stuff when it came to technology – no one could deny that.

"Hey Marble, how are things?" Amy asked as she pulled up a chair beside the cat.

"Oh, Amy, hello hun. Things are going about the same as usual." She gave Amy a tiny smile before focusing back on the screen.

"Has the group that left a few nights ago report back yet?"

"I'm afraid not dear, but sometimes it is hard to find a good enough signal to get the 'OK 'message across. Especially with how bad the weather's been lately." Marble continued to click and type as she talked, not bothering to keep eye contact with the hedgehog beside her. Amy didn't take offense to this, she knew how busy it can be working in here.

"Oh, okay. Well, the group has Tails with them so I'm sure he'll find a way to get the message across. Keep me updated?" As Amy spoke she stood up in her chair, realizing that this conversation wasn't going to get much farther. She had been hoping they would have made contact by now, but it was possible that they estimated the travel time incorrectly. Something like that was pretty easy to do considering they hadn't traveled that way before. And it was just the regular protocol to give out the signal only once they reached the destination, not before. She couldn't help but feel a little worried, but pushed it down – she'll give it another day or so before she let the alarms go off in her head.

"Of course dear."

"Thanks!" Amy turned to leave the room when Marble spoke up again.

"Are they out looking for Sonic?" She had stopped typing, turning her head to give Amy her full attention. The cat's face expression was a mix between curiosity and pity.

Amy looked back and hesitated with her answer, she had not been expecting that question. A lot of folks around here treated his name like a taboo – too afraid to address the growing possibility of his demise, not wanting to admit their loss of hope. But before she had left the house Amy made the conscious decision to not tell anyone about Sonic yet (although Tails and Knuckles would be different, if they weren't gone at the moment).

"Yeah, I believe they are. Just a quick recon though, nothing serious."

Marble nodded and turned back to her computer screen, already click-clacking away at the keyboard. Amy stared at her for a moment longer, trying to decide what her lack of response meant. Was she mad they were still "wasting time" on him, as Knuckles so delicately put it a few days ago? Maybe more people than she thought had given up. That hurt her heart.

Amy left, closing the door behind her. After reaching the bottom of the stairs she ducked down and went into a room that was tucked away underneath. The door itself was tiny but the room was astoundingly large. It held all of their resources – food, clothing, parts, you name it. Earlier Amy had come by here only to grab a few things but since Sonic's sudden return, she has knowingly been neglecting her normal responsibilities. So while he was passed out, she might as well get some things knocked off the to-do list. Amy grabbed a large clipboard and started going through all the inventory to see what they needed more of and what they could ration.

While she slowly went up and down the rows, marking down things here and making notes there, her mind was elsewhere. Now that Sonic was home all she wanted to do was scream it from the rooftops, tell every person she saw, throw a big celebration! That look on Marble's face made her want to do that even more. Amy knew that even those who lost hope would be overjoyed to see their hero return. Just because they lost hope doesn't mean that deep down they don't still believe in that person. But Sonic deserved all the time he needed to rest and regain his strength before dealing with the whole village fawning over his return. As cocky as he may seem sometimes, deep down she knew he didn't particularly enjoy all that attention. Most of that was just a playful front he loved to project. Yes, he was confident in his abilities, sometimes to a fault, but he was never truly arrogant and didn't like to be viewed above anyone. He treated everyone as his equal; it could be the poorest peasant in the street or the king of the world and he would address both as the same. Which of course, for the latter, often got him into trouble - treating royalty as your equal is considered rude and could even be perceived as pretentious, but Sonic's the type of guy that just doesn't care about that stuff. Titles, rules; all that meant nothing to him as long as you're a good person. It's one of the reasons she loved him so much.

Amy knocked over a jar of sauce by accident and the glass shattered – red tomato paste splattering everywhere. Sighing she grabbed a towel from one of the hooks on the wall and knelt down to try and clean up. As she carefully avoided the big pieces of glass she heard the door open and some folks come into the room. Glancing up she saw how gloomy their faces were, how sadly they seemed to carry themselves. These last few months for everyone had felt like they were losing the war - Sonic's return would for sure boost the morale. But she just couldn't risk telling anyone yet, as much as there were constant reminders encouraging her to. She knew their hearts would be in the right place but it would be too much, not just for him but for anyone, to wake up and have everyone wanting to see you and talk to you.

She was also aware that Sonic was seen as a leader here – even if he didn't want to be. They would already be asking him questions as to what the next steps should be, what he learned while captured, what the weakest spot is going to be for them to hit next. The general consensus when this war first began was actually for Sonic himself to be the commander – a large majority of the people voted him in, but he refused it. Despite being a natural born leader, he didn't like being in positions of power. It was too much responsibility. He would rather be free to do his own thing; to still fight on the front lines without a second thought. And if he decided to act on impulse and take off for a few days on a new lead (which happened far too often in Amy's opinion – keeping tabs on him was sometimes downright impossible) he wouldn't be leaving anyone high and dry.

Amy did her best to clean the spill and made a mental note that she would try and replace it. Walking over to the sink she carefully washed and rung out the towel, leaving it to air dry on the ledge. In doing so she noticed the time on her watch – it was well past her usual dinner time, her mind was so caught up in everything she barely noticed how hungry she was. Well, the rest of the inventory will have to be done later.

Her walk home was a brisk one. She couldn't help but feel that other than her little "illegal" field trip the other day, her only destinations in the last while have been between her home and that HQ building. God, what a dull and boring routine. But now with Sonic back safe and sound, her mind can rest easy again and she can focus on other things. As she turned the door to enter her home she found herself holding her breath, hoping to see him sitting on her couch, awake. But alas, the room was empty when she did. Letting out the small and hopeful breath, she took off her coat and hung it in the closet before making her way to the kitchen. Amy figured she would cook the meal anyhow and if Sonic missed it he could always heat up the leftovers. She turned on some music at a low volume and began to sauté, flavour and cook the already prepped vegetables. While they simmered she took out the meat that had been marinating and coated it again with some juices.

Placing it in the oven she began to work on the mashed potatoes. Going from drawer, to fridge, to countertop she swayed her hips to the music, humming softly as she became one with the melody that was floating softly through the room. That's when she heard it – a yell that was so loud and abrupt it cut through the air like a knife. Startled by the sudden cry she dropped the bowl that she was holding - but before it could even hit the ground Amy was already running toward the spare bedroom. Heart pounding heavily in her chest she flung the door open and turned on the light. There, on the bed, was Sonic sitting upright, his knee bent toward his chest with his foot and hands down in a position that looked like he was ready to jump out the window. His ears were pinned back in an aggressive manner, his eyes wide and wild – filled with fear and anger. He looked feral. When their eyes connected Amy was almost in a state of shock – those negative emotions burning in his eyes, his face expression that held no hint of any mask; she had to take a step back from the intensity of it.

Realizing Amy was at the door Sonic's expression was now layered with confusion as he looked around the room manically. He was panting heavily, his rigid body still looking like he was ready to jump at any second. Even though she couldn't comprehend yet what was happening she rushed over, but when reaching the bed slowly went to touch him. She didn't want to startle him more than he already was.

"Hey, hey, Sonic, it's okay, it's okay-"As her hand gently touched his arm he looked up at her, eyes still wild and confused, chest still heaving. He looked down at her hand on his arm, her touch slowly bringing him back to the present. Once she saw him relax a bit she knew it was okay to continue. She kneeled on the bed beside him and brought him into a hug, stroking his head gently and humming calming affirmations in his ear. Amy had never experienced this with him before, she had never seen him look so vulnerable and scared. Sonic was the king of nonchalance when he wanted to be, which was very often when it came to heavy emotions. She had just acted on instinct when she rushed over to comfort him and it seemed to be doing the trick, but in reality she was at an overall loss. What the hell just happened? They stayed like this for a good ten minutes as his body very gradually relaxed and his breathing slowly went back down to a normal pace. Not wanting to break the embrace until he was ready to do so, she was holding him still when she decided to speak.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly, still stroking his quills. As Sonic slowly pulled away from her, he did so with great reluctance. He didn't want to leave her warmth, her comfort. It felt the same as leaving your warm, blanket covered bed on a cold, winter's day. And for him, he felt like he's been stuck alone in a blizzard for the past 6 months.

He sheepishly looked at her, clearly not feeling comfortable with the display she just saw.

"Yeah, thanks Ames, I uh…. I dunno what that was..." He looked around the room as he continued to speak, sounding like he was still trying to work out what happened himself, "I… had a really realistic nightmare that woke me up… I didn't realize where I was…"

Amy sat down on the bed so she wasn't kneeling anymore, their height difference going back to normal as she looked up at him. "What was the nightmare about?"

He snapped his attention back to her, his eyes conveying a fierce emotion but she couldn't place her finger on what exactly it was. His guard was back up again. That emotional shield she was all too familiar with was firmly in place. He swallowed thickly and then cleared his throat, looking away from her again. Speaking in a soft tone he answered, "I'd rather not talk about it."

She lifted her hand up gingerly to his cheek, pulling his face toward her direction so he had to give her his attention. Once he was, she used her free hand to cup his other cheek, now cradling his face. She looked deeply into his eyes; searching them, hoping to break through those walls.

"Sonic, you know you can speak to me about anything, right? I'm not going to judge you or think differently of you. I'm here for you, no matter what. You know that, right?"

He brought up his own hand and rested it on top of hers, pressing his face into it slightly. "I do."

They stayed in this tender moment for a few seconds; Sonic standing his ground but silently showing her that he understood and appreciated her. Even though he was remaining stubborn, she could tell he was being genuine. Then he suddenly perked up, sniffing the air and looked out the doorway, breaking away from her hold.

"Is that… food I smell?" He glanced down at her with a grin.

"Oh shit! I forgot!" She jumped up and raced out of the room, rushing in hopes to salvage what she had left on the stove. Sonic let out a small chuckle as he watched her scurry out of the room, but didn't follow her right away. Standing up he began to stretch the best he could in his condition, embracing the familiar pain like an old friend. But once he was done he turned his attention toward the window and stood there silently, looking outside at the large bushes that protected them from the dark forest that laid beyond. His hands curled into tight fists as he glared.

That nightmare was so real. It was like he was truly back, living through the same horrors he had only just escaped from. Sonic felt shook to his core – and thankfully it was only Amy that saw him like that, although he was still embarrassed that she did. Now that the fear had dissipated all that was left was anger. Red, hot anger that was making his blood boil. Sonic was never a vengeful person - hell, half of his past enemies are now considered his friends solely on the fact that he constantly lets things go. The amount of his now friends that have at one point or another tried to kill him in the past is an astounding number. But things this time were different. Extremely different. Eggman was going to pay.

"Sonic, I managed to save most of it! Dinners ready!~"

Amy's angelic tone snapped him out of his thoughts, his hands uncurling from the tight fists they were balled into. Feeling a small pain he looked at the palm of his hand and saw some blood. He had been squeezing so hard that his nails broke skin and he didn't even notice. Wiping the small droplets on one of his bandages he walked out of the room, trying to shake off the intense feelings. As soon as he stepped out of the doorway the delicious aromas hit his senses like a G.U.N truck. He could instantly feel his mouth watering – the excitement of having a home cooked meal for the first time in eons was doing a great job of pushing down any negative emotions brewing inside him. And not just any home cooked meal, but one cooked by Amy.

Sonic walked over to the table and as the smell got stronger so did his sudden awareness of how empty his stomach was. Amy had already made up their plates and set them down, his plate having an exceedingly bigger portion than her own.

As she spoke she started picking up her fork and knife, "Now some of it may be a tiny bit on the burnt side but-" she stopped mid-sentence as she looked over at him. He was staring at the plate like he was being hypnotized by it – his eyes practically sparkling with admiration and longing at the meal before him. She let out a laugh and touched his arm causing him to look up at her with the same expression – it was like he was star struck. "Something tells me you won't care if it's a little crispy. Well, go ahead! Dig in!"

Sonic cut a large piece and plopped it into his mouth before Amy could even start to cut into hers. He leaned back in the chair with his eyes closed, fork still in his mouth, relishing the taste with a loud moan of enjoyment. She tried to hold back a giggle – the man was practically swooning in his chair. She knew chances were that he hadn't had a good meal in a long time but it was also on brand for him to do these goofy dramatics in a normal circumstance too. It felt like old times.

Amy cut a piece and took a small bite tasting the meal for herself. Just as she started to make some mental notes of the changes she would do for the next time around, her thoughts got cut short as Sonic started digging into the meal at a fast and hungered pace. She glanced at him wide eyed, her startled expression laced with humour. He was shoveling food into his mouth so fast she wasn't sure if there was even chewing involved. Normally she would be semi-seriously scolding him – being around boys constantly was exhausting when barely any of them had any manners. Or senses! In her opinion they would all be wild animals if it weren't for her. But she let him gorge himself, giving him a free pass for the time being. She was just happy he was here.

After eating a few (size appropriate) forkfuls herself, she got up to refill their glasses with water. When she returned he was already done his whole plate and was back to slumping in the chair, one hand over his stomach. She raised an eyebrow at him, filling his glass.

"Feeling full yet? You should have slowed down, you're going to make yourself sick."

"I have fantasized about eating a meal àla Chef Rose for a long, long time." He gave her a goofy grin, "I was not disappointed. I think that's the best dinner I've ever had."

Amy laughed and playfully hit his shoulder with a napkin. "Oh stop, it was half burnt!"

He sat up straight in his seat, looking at her attentively. "No, I'm serious! That was unreal. Thank you."

Her playful smirk turned into a small, warm smile. "You're welcome…"

There was a few seconds of silence as they stared at each other, the air thick with an emotion that was confusing yet wonderful. Their relationship had changed throughout the years, both of them moving well past what the dynamic was when they first met. As Amy grew older she matured, moving past her girl crush towards Sonic and instead of focusing on love, focused on friendship. Sonic matured as well, learning to control his urge to run anytime he felt something confusing, which in the past happened a lot in regards to Amy. As time went on their relationship grew stronger but unresolved feelings still heavily lingered. They both walked the fine line between best friends and potential lovers - neither of them really knowing where the other stood. Moments of teasing and joking around often teetered into flirting and affection, but it was always stopped by one or the other before things went too far. They were both entrapped in this unspoken emotional tango, the true definition of their relationship whirling around in a complicated haze.

Amy slowly tore her eyes away and looked down at her plate, cutting another piece of meat.

"So, are you finally going to tell me just what happened to you?" She took the bite and watched him carefully while she chewed. His face flinched in the slightest way; only the beginning of a grimace starting to form before he recovered. If she didn't know Sonic so well she would have easily missed that subtle detail. His expression being relaxed once again, he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Got captured. What's there to know?" he reached for his water and took a drink. Amy gave him a look of disapproval.

"Sonic, c'mon…"

Putting the glass down he returned her look with one of defeat, putting his hands up in his defence.

"Okay, okay. I ventured a little too far and I got ambushed. Badly. I didn't go down without a fight though, it was a close call but Eggman won in the end. I tried escaping more times than I can count but he thought of everything. I only managed to get out this time because there was some sort of malfunction that happened for a split second that I took advantage of."

"So he just kept you for 6 months? Without flaunting his capture of you to us? That doesn't sound like his style."

Sonic nodded, "Not his style at all. He's… different, Ames. Somethings changed. He's always been over the top but this time around…" he looked away, shaking his head slightly. "He's completely lost it."

Amy was about to reply when Sonics head shot up with intensity, a sudden realization dawning on him.

"Where's Tails? Is he back yet?"

Amy shook her head, "No, I just checked today if they sent the OK signal. They should be just reaching the east-west region any day now though"

Sonic shot up, the sudden movement making his chair fall down behind him with a loud clatter. Looking alarmed he bee-lined it to one of her cabinets, opening the drawer and looking through it manically.

" 'OK' signal? What are you talking about, where's your communicator?! We need to try and contact him right now! Or Knuckles, he'll have his communicator with him too-"

Amy hurried over and tried to stop him from tearing through the once organized contents in her cabinet. "Sonic- What're you- Sonic, stop!" Finally she was able to grab his hands and held them firmly, forcing him to stop his panic induced search.

"We had to stop using the communicator's shortly after you disappeared, Eggman was able to trace the signal back to us – Tails is working on a way around it. Now, what are you freaking out about?!"

He tore his hands away from her grip and placed them on the side of her shoulders, holding her tightly while his eyes reiterated his urgency.

"The east-west, that's where I was held captive Amy, that's where I escaped from! Eggman's going to be looking for me and he's going to find them! I-I gotta go." When he let her go she realized just how tightly he was holding her and winced a little. This panic, this losing his cool so easily, this was not like Sonic at all. She was witnessing a lot of firsts with him and it was making her worried. She ran after him, blocking his path before he could open her door.

"Go WHERE?! Are you insane, you only just got back and you're barely in one piece! You aren't going anywhere! "

Sonic narrowed his eyes at her, "Amy. Move."

"No! What has gotten into you!? They only went on a simple recon mission, they won't be anywhere near the base, I promise you they are fine!" As she said this she felt a pang of guilt. She couldn't promise that - even she was a little worried earlier today about the lack of contact. She remembered her conversation with Knuckles, about how there was a chance the Intel was a trap…

No, she was doing the right thing. Sonic was being reckless (surprise, surprise) and would get himself killed if she let him go now.

"I need to make sure! I can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"And what exactly are you going to do, huh? Can you even run? You could barely take off your shirt two days ago without re-opening your wound. You aren't thinking straight!"

Sonic remained unmoving as he towered over her, his tense body language showing that at any moment he could make the move to forcefully open the door. Amy's body also remained tense guarding said door, showing no sign of yielding to him. She spoke again, her firm tone of voice easing up slightly.

"They've done this type of thing countless times without you and you know that… Why the sudden lack of faith? You've always believed in their abilities." She was saying this to both herself and to Sonic as she fought the doubt starting to form in her mind.

Sonic let out a frustrated huff of air and spun around on his heels, walking away in the other direction with his hands brought up to his head in an exasperated way. He didn't know how to tell her - he didn't know how to let her know the things that he's seen, the things he had experienced. It was flooding to him all at once; bit and pieces of memories from his imprisonment, the psychological torment he was subjected to flashing in his minds eye. He didn't know how to admit how terrified he was for his little brother right now and how helpless he was feeling about it. This was all too much. He shut his eyes tight, gripping his head harder as he fought the urge to punch a hole in the wall while all these thoughts and emotions bubbled at the surface, threatening to spill. Just then he felt hands move up his chest as Amy's body pressed against his from behind in a backwards embrace.

"….First thing tomorrow we can check again if we've heard from them. If we haven't, then we can figure something out. We will go and find them. Together." She held him close, feeling his body start to ease up almost as soon as she made contact with him. Just feeling her touch and hearing her voice seemed to keep him grounded; all of that overwhelming trauma running rampant through his brain going back down to a manageable level. For now.

He couldn't see her face, but it was etched with extreme worry and concern as she nuzzled her head into his back, making her embrace tighter. Something terrible had happened to him, if it wasn't obvious before it definitely was now. She knew she needed to get him to open up in order to figure out how to help him.

Sighing, he gently turned around so he could return the hug, but his eyes remained on the door.

"Alright. First thing tomorrow."