First off, lemme just say this: MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR'S! Sorry I didn't update sooner, but while I had time to write, I lacked the internet to upload anything. I came back to my dorm Sunday, and I start classes Wednesday, but I only have two tomorrow, and I'll be done by 2:50, so hopefully I'll be able to update tomorrow as well.

Thank you so much Thunder Croft, TheDivines, jazzybizzle, and XxCrimsonShadowxX for your wonderful reviews! They are appreciated!

And I wanna give a huge thanks and shout out to my good friend adar13 for reviewing all the chapters! Like, because of her, I know have a whopping 172 reviews! I wasn't sure how popular this story would be when I originally began writing it, but I'm pleased to see how far it's come! So thank you so very, very, very much adar13 for taking the time to both read and review every single chapter as well as adding it to your favorites! I truly, deeply, and sincerely appreciate it!

This one wasn't easy for me to write simply because I had trouble coming up with something, and I think it rewrote it like, fifteen times or so before finally coming up with something I was satisfied with writing, so! I hope you enjoy it!

35. Joy

Sally stared at her reflection, her eyes instantly drawn to her protruding stomach. A smile made its way on her face, her hands softly caressing her stomach as her heart swelled up with the warm love she felt for her unborn child. It amazed her that she was soon going to be a mother in a matter of months. Her eyes then wandered to the impressive, gorgeous wedding ring that graced her ring finger; the ring was made of pure gold, and a cluster of sapphire and ruby stones blended together in the shape of a heart with diamonds outlining it.

She and Shadow had been dating for a few years, and he popped the question to her earlier this year, and it certainly was memorable and romantic. He took her out on a date, taking her to her favorite places; to end the night, they watched a fireworks display. What made it romantic was that Shadow had pulled some strings and had the fireworks spell out Sally, will you marry me? in an array of dazzling colors. Obviously, her answer was yes, and the two wasted no time in getting hitched.

The wedding itself was simply wonderful. Her parents went all out for their wedding, and they, with the help of their friends, made the wedding a lively, amazing, and truly unforgettable event. Everyone they knew had shown up, tears were shed, and vows were made. As soon as everything was said and done, she and Shadow were off on their honeymoon, consummating their marriage on the very first, and it was hardly surprising that Sally found herself a few weeks later.

When she told her husband the good news, he took it very well and was pretty excited that he was going to be a father. Likewise, her parents were excited that they were going to be grandparents again, Elias was excited that he was going to be an uncle, and their friends were excited that they were going to have another addition to their little family.

So immersed in her thoughts, Sally barely noticed the warm arms that were now wrapped gently around her waist and the chin that propped itself comfortably on her left shoulder. She did notice, however, the smooth cheek that nuzzled affectionately against her face, and the gloved hands that clasped her own bare hands. Puzzled and slightly worried, sapphire eyes met a warm and familiar golden gaze, and Sally's face broke out into a bright smile as she stared at the reflection of her close friend.

Gingerly, Silver spun her around, ever mindful of her condition, so that she was now facing him. Their gazes clashed once more, sapphire waves crashing against a molten pool of gold; Silver pressed his forehead against hers, his smile growing as he stared at the woman whom he loved like a sister and whose friendship he deeply valued and cherished.

"Hi, Sal," was Silver's cheerful greeting, and he pulled back, allowing his lips to brush against her forehead in an affectionate, but brotherly kiss. He draped an arm around her, and he ruffled her neat hair with his free hand, and Sally found bubbly, sweet laughter climbing up her throat and out of her mouth into the open as she tried and failed to get Silver to stop messing up her hair.

Eventually, the psychokinetic hedgehog slowly ceased his antics until he finally stopped wreaking havoc on her hair, laughter tumbling through his lips as he took in her appearance. Her hair resembled that of a bird's nest, and Silver found himself laughing harder. Sally punched his arm in mock irritation, though the cheerful smile on her face contradicted it.

"Hey, Silver! What brings you here?" she asked as she proceeded to smooth out her messy auburn tresses.

"I've been sent to deliver a message to you from your hubby," Silver answered as he led her out of the room and downstairs. Sally glanced at him, a curious look on her face as she wondered what Shadow could want. As if reading her thoughts, Silver answered her unspoken question.

"He wanted me to tell you that he'll be working overtime at G.U.N. with Rouge and Omega and won't be back until next week. But!" he continued, noticing the deflated look on her face, "you won't be alone, for your awesomely amazing friends are going to keep you company until they come back! We're taking turns, and today I and my gorgeous fiancé Blaze will be keeping you company," he explained, relief flooding his system at the cheerful look that made its way back on her face.

Shadow had told them all specifically, via phone call, to keep Sally as comfortable and happy as possible, as he didn't want her under any unnecessary stress to keep her from putting strain on herself and their child.

When I come back and she's not the same way I left her, there's going to be hell to pay. Are we clear? His underlined threat didn't fail in making them shiver with fear, each of them only able to stutter fearful yeses.

Sally noticed the fearful look on Silver's face and sighed, her thought straying towards her overprotective husband. While she was flattered and appreciated his concern, threating their friends was definitely uncalled for.

"Silver, ignore whatever Shadow said to you guys, okay? I keep telling him that we don't threaten friends. And at any rate, I'm in good hands. I have the best friends in the world watching out for me," she said, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Aww, I'm touched, Sally. It's sweet to know you hold us in such high regards," Blaze teased as she walked from around the corner and towards them.

"Blaze!" And before the lavender feline could even blink, she was being pulled into a hug by the pregnant female, who was hugging her as tightly and fiercely as her stomach would allow. "It's so good to see you again!" she exclaimed after she let her go. Blaze grinned at her, squeezing her hand as she and Silver led her to the living room, where they all sat down on the couch, Sally sitting comfortably in the middle.

"It's good seeing you again too, Sally. And don't worry. Silver and I will make sure you're as comfortable and taken care of as possible," Blaze assured her, and Silver nodded his head enthusiastically, giving Sally two thumbs up.

"Yup! Today's gonna be so fun!" he added, grinning like a little kid in a candy store while Blaze shook her head, the corners of her mouth pulled up into a small, easygoing smile. Sally found herself grinning like a loon, her heart filled to the brim and overflowing with the love she had for her friends. She knew she couldn't ask for a better group of friends, who she was so close to that she considered them members of her family as much as she did her friends. She looked at her stomach and rubbed it softly.

You're gonna love them, my little one, and they're gonna love you too, she thought, her eyes glowing with the love and adoration she felt for her unborn child. She couldn't wait to welcome her bundle of joy to the family she loved so dearly.