This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

Chapter 6: Welcome Home

Rouge regretted not being there for Randy's birth, but she met the little guy a few months later.

Ding, dong.

From behind the door, a shout was heard trying to beckon whomever was at the door. "Hang on a minute!"

After a few seconds, the handle to the door shook and the wooden panel swung away.

"Hello…"

Behind the door emerged a rather haggard creature whose fur wasn't dirty, but not well kept.

"Rouge?"

"Hiya sweet stuff, you look like you've been through the ringer."

"Everyday for the last few months now." Shadow then realized that he was inside and Rouge was outside. "Come in, come in."

Rouge stepped in and let Shadow close the door behind her. "You and Bunnie really need to cut back on the bedroom exercises, you look like you haven't slept in weeks."

"Very funny, but sleep doesn't come easy around here."

"The little tyke keeping you awake?"

"Don't you know it. Now, keep your voice down, he's taking a nap right now and I don't want to mess up the peace and quiet."

Shadow led Rouge into the den, in the middle of the room was a small pen. Inside was a small figure, a rabbit with jet-black fur and red highlights, wearing a blue wool pair of jammies. Lying next to him was a strange pink doll in a red dress, a rather perverse and familiar looking figurine.

"Ooo, is this little Randy?"

"Yep, he's actually asleep for a change, totally unlike at night."

"That explains you."

Rouge gazed on the black furred rabbit that was asleep in the pen, too tired to awaken even after the doorbell and call from his father.

"He is such a cute little guy, cute in that Anakin Skywalker as a kid kind of cute. I bet he'll grow up to be the perfect little Darth Vader." Rouge changed her tone to do the best James Earl Jones impersonation she could, complete with deep heavy breathing. "Just like his father."

"Oh knock it off."

"I'm really sorry I couldn't be here for his birth, I would love to have seen it in person. Photos just don't do the event justice."

"No, you're right. I've seen the baby pictures a lot, and they just don't cut it; not like the memories of that day."

"So, where's Bunnie?"

"She's out tending the fields; they're trying to stave off an outbreak of 'blight' or something."

"Is that serious?"

"A few crops are at risk, but most aren't. All the same they'd be better off without it."

Rouge giggled a bit.

"What is it?"

"Oh, I was just noticing what a modern man you are: Bunnie's working while you stay home and look after the baby."

"Oh, yeah."

"Goodness, you have mellowed out, such a comment would have normally sent you over the edge. And all you have to say is 'oh, yeah'."

"Yeah, I guess." Shadow winced when he realized he just answered with an equally stupid response. "Dang, I really am losing it."

Rouge giggled. "Don't be so hard on yourself, I think you make an excellent daddy, even if your hair is totally messed up."

Shadow backed away while Rouge ran her hands into his spines and rubbed, making the twisted hair even worse than before.

"Stop that, you have no idea how much work it takes to get it messed up just right. Now you've totally ruined it."

"Sorry, I had no idea you were so concerned about your outward appearance."

"And this coming from someone who dresses in leather with huge pink hearts?"

"And this coming from someone who runs around naked?"

Shadow and Rouge shared a short laugh.

"So what have you been up to?"

"I've been here, and there. I've been taking it easy, went on a cruise, did a few things that I've always wanted to do."

"Sounds like you've had it good."

"For a while it was alright, but it was getting boring. I'm sure a long vacation sounds awesome, but it isn't. I've been thinking that I need a change, something new, I need to find something with meaning for my life, something that uses my skills to the fullest."

"What, you going to become a prostitute?"

Slap!

Shadow still giggled, even after being hit.

"Now you had better watch that mouth of yours in front of your son, I don't want him to pick up such things, and I'm sure Bunnie doesn't want that either."

"O.K. O.K. I give." Shadow still spurted out one last laugh. "So what are you planning?"

"Well, I have a degree in economics, so I figured I'd start a business; I'm making up some plans and probing around for a place."

"Oh yeah, around here?"

"No, I'm just here for a visit, I've already got some lawyers working on the paper work."

"And what is it?"

"A night club, a hot little spot where people can party and have fun." Rouge's voice drifted off. "And maybe meet somebody."

Shadow noticed the change in tone. "Are you alright?"

"What me? I'm fine."

"I've been married for six months now; 'fine' does not mean fine, it means something's wrong and you have to guess what."

Rouge was very incensed by Shadow's implication. "Excuse me, are you saying I'm hiding something?"

"Could you keep your voice down, you'll wake Randy."

Rouge quieted right down. "Sorry."

Shadow leaned forward to check on the little rabbit. "Now, is there something you wanted to talk about?"

Rouge laid back in the couch. "A lot of things have been happening lately, and I've been doing a lot of thinking about how my life turned out, and about things that I might have wanted to turn out differently. Do you remember way back when we were captured by the echidnas?"

"I remember almost getting blown up when Robotnik attacked."

"Before that. Do you remember what we talked about on that park bench? About the future?"

"My mind's a little fuzzy on that."

"You told me about your family, and how you 'grew up' in a nice home; you compared that to the island and how peaceful it was."

"Oh that."

"Yes that; at the rate you were going, you were going to get all mushy on me. I swear if I didn't stop you, in five minutes you'd have proposed to me." Rouge paused. "Perhaps I shouldn't have stopped you."

"What? Marry you? Ha."

The two shared a brief laugh, trying to keep their voices down for fear of waking Randy.

"I never told you this, but I often wished that I hadn't stopped you; it was a very different you that was on that bench. When you spoke, your voice had a certain warmth to it, usually hidden by your normally gruff attitude; but when I heard it, I knew that I was speaking to someone totally different, almost decent. At that moment, I realized that you were very special, that you weren't just another jerk who was good for a wild time or a nice roll in the sack; I knew that you would be a good husband, and a great father. For the longest time, I wondered why you were helping Knothole, but they were in good hands."

Shadow sat there thinking about what Rouge was saying; he didn't like thinking of himself as a peaceful gentle soul, and always regarded himself as a gruff and vicious little bastard. In the end, he had to admit to Rouge that he really wasn't that bad underneath, and virtually all of his menacing exterior was buried deep with the birth of Randy.

"You know, you really are a kind and decent person at heart, and I often wished that we really did get married. When we were together, I felt something, a spark, a passion; I think it was true love. It was a powerful burning in my heart, a feeling that charged my body with so much life, something I thought was impossible; it could only have been one thing. I suppose I never really appreciated it, and I never understood it until that day. When I let you go, and left Mobotropolis, I felt a deep hole, something that chilled my body like a block of ice in my stomach." Rouge looked in the crib. "I knew I was doing the right thing when I gave you up to Bunnie, but it sure didn't feel good."

"Do you regret leaving, or just how things turned out?"

"I'm not sure, but I keep telling myself that if I stayed, I'd regret it all the more."

"You said you didn't want to get in my and Bunnie's way, that you wanted nothing to stand in the way of us being married. In my opinion, you wouldn't have; and if you came back to Mobotropolis, I doubt you'd totally wreck our family."

Rouge thought about it, after convincing herself to leave, this was not something she wanted to hear now.

"I don't have any real family, and Bunnie hasn't seen any of hers since Robotnik was here. You're the only extended family either of us have, and it'd be so much better if you were a bit closer."

Below them, almost as if the negative emotions were filling the air with a biting cold, Randy was growing restless and awoke from his nap with a wail.

"Waaaaaahhh!"

"Oh no." Shadow got off the couch and walked over to Randy's pen. Reaching over, Shadow pulled the small rabbit from the crib and into his arms. "Quiet now, daddy's here."

Shadow rocked Randy in his arms.

Rouge looked at Shadow standing there with Randy, the sight of a kind loving father made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside; it also brought dreams of what could have been. She saw herself as a small child being rocked in Shadow's arms, pretending that he was the father that she never knew; Rouge hoped that at one point, the man that didn't want to be her father, held her like this and that even he couldn't be all bad.

The bat couldn't stay in her dream state long; Randy's crying just couldn't be drowned out.

"Does he need his diaper changed?"

"I don't think so, I changed it a little while ago; he's probably hungry." Shadow looked down at his son. "'Cause you were a naughty little boy and didn't eat all your strained carrots, didn't you?"

Shadow started walking towards the kitchen, passing Rouge who got up and followed him to the fridge.

Shadow lifted Randy over his shoulder while he opened the fridge to find some baby bottles. He pulled one out, almost filled with a white liquid and kicked the door closed. He sat the bottle on the counter, and then opened a cupboard to get a pot out, all with one hand while balancing the baby with the other.

Rouge saw how much trouble Shadow was going through and came up to him. "Let me hold him."

"Oh thanks."

Shadow placed the pot next to the bottle, then with both hands hefted Randy up and into Rouge's arms; the baby hadn't stopped crying the whole time.

Rouge rocked Randy in her arms, holding him above the level of her breasts instead of lower like Shadow was. She figured if she held him in that position, he'd either be smothered under her glands; or if he was hungry like Shadow predicted, might try to take lunch from her, despite not being his mother.

Shadow had filled the pot with water and brought it to a simmer on the stove with the bottle inside it.

"It'll only take a minute."

"And you've gotten good at cooking too."

"I'm not that great, but I have gotten a fair bit of practice with Bunnie working. I suppose that if we got married, my cooking would be phenomenal by comparison."

"Yeesh, if I was going to have to put up with bad humour like this, I'm glad we didn't get married."

Shadow chuckled. "Seriously, how's your cooking now?"

"Improving, but I still have trouble with anything more than 'open box and place in microwave'."

"Uh huh." Shadow turned off the pot and picked up the bottle; grabbing a dishrag, he wiped the water off the bottle. "There we go."

Shadow walked over.

Rouge cradled Randy in her right arm and reached out with her left. "Let me."

Shadow handed the bottle over.

"Here you go little guy."

Randy reached up with his little hands to the bottle to try and pull the bottle to his open mouth; of course, his hands were simply too small, so Rouge had to do it for him.

"You drink all that up and you'll grow big and strong, yes you like your milk, don't you." Rouge glanced at Shadow. "He likes this; is it a formula?"

"Nope, it's Bunnie's."

Rouge was stunned, as she looked down at the bottle and the baby suckling on it, strange ideas danced in her head. She saw Bunnie walking into the barn with a pail, sitting down on a stool, reaching over to milk a cow, that wasn't there… Rouge shook all that nonsense out of her head, and continued to nurse Randy.

Shadow was watching Rouge as she held his son, he grinned when he saw Rouge's reaction, but he too ignored it and admired how motherly Rouge looked holding Randy in her arms.

"You look real good like that, I bet you'll make a good mother someday."

"Thanks, but my arms are getting a bit tired."

"You're just not used to holding him, let's go back to the couch."

Shadow led Rouge back to the comfy chair and they sat back down.

"So, have you thought about settling down and having a family?"

"I've thought about it, sometimes I just can't imagine myself staying at home and raising children, but there are times that I want to settle down and have a family of my own; seeing you again just reminds me of how lonely I am. I envy you, you and your perfect little family."

"Perfect? If this is perfect, why am I so tired?"

"As long as you keep your sense of humour, you'll do fine. Just think, in a few years, Randy will be growing up and becoming an active tot and you'll be able to play with him: playing catch, building sand castles, reading to him at night. Shadow, it'll be something magical. Don't miss it for anything. This may be the greatest challenge you'll face, the biggest test of your life, but the rewards are immense. Don't let it just slip away."

Rouge looked over, Shadow had fallen asleep and was sprawled over the couch; his head was tilted right back on the back of the chair, and his arms and legs seemed to ooze into the cushions.

"Then again, maybe you can have too much good reward. Good night, Sleepyhead."

Rouge turned back to the rabbit in her arms. "I don't know if you realize this, but your daddy is a very special man. He's done a lot of great things, and he's had to overcome some serious hardships; but for all his accomplishments, his greatest feat was overcoming himself. He was born into this world as a truly dark and twisted creature, forged with an evil intent; but he was able to overcome his own creation and become something better, and broke the mold he was made from. That is not an easy task, and it is not one can accomplish by oneself; he needs help, he needed the help of those around him to get over his terrible secret, and he'll need all the help he can to keep from falling back to the depths. Now you're his son, and you care about him; so you're gonna look after him, right?"

The infant looked up, although he didn't understand what Rouge said, somehow he could tell that she was very serious, and what she said was very important. But it didn't matter, he was hungry, if it was that important, she'd repeat it later, when he could understand.

Rouge thought about how long ago it was that she saw little Randy, he was probably starting to walk and talk, a lot cuter; and if Shadow was any indication, a little terror. She visited them on his first birthday, a small consolation for missing his birth, but even then he was still very small and still a baby. Rouge wondered when would be the best time to go back and see them again, she so wanted to watch Randy grow up, and she had so much to tell him.

To be continued