An hour later and Callie was cleaning up the supper dishes. Silver had indeed liked chicken, as well as carrots and mashed potatoes, although the broccoli wasn't a huge hit. Silverware was a bit of a learning curve, but he got the hang of it enough to eat two big helpings before finally admitting feeling full. He rubbed his belly, a smile on his little face.

"Wow," he sighed. "I've never had so much food before. My belly feels . . . weird. But in a good way."

Callie offered him a smile as she took his plate to the sink. "You're actually full for once in your life. Get used to it, little man. 'Cause you're never going without your fill of food again."

He looked over at her, the smile fading slightly. A pang of guilt poked at his belly. It felt wrong to accept so much food without repayment of any kind, but she seemed set against him doing anything in return. He considered asking again if she was sure there was nothing he could do, but didn't want to annoy or anger her by bringing it up so much.

She rinsed their plates in the sink, running a small square, yellow object over them before standing them up in a nearby rack. The other pots and pans were then pulled over, and she squirted some thick liquid in them before filling them with water.

"We'll just let these soak for a bit," she said, before going to the big metal box again. She pulled one door open and retrieved a small container from inside.

"You're so nice to share your food with me." He traced his finger over the lines on the table. "And . . . thank you for the hug, too."

Callie smiled over her shoulder. "Silver, you are more than welcome. No one goes hungry in my house, and you looked like you really needed that hug."

A blush climbed up his muzzle, and he turned to look out the windows. A breeze had picked up outside, and the trees swayed, waving their branches as though greeting the coming evening.

"It's so green here," he said, his voice soft. "There are so many plants."

"Yep," she said, moving back to the table with two bowls. "That's one thing Montana has a lot of. Greenery."

She placed a bowl in front of him, and he cocked an eyebrow at her. "What's this?"

"Ice cream," she said, spooning a bite into her mouth. "It's sweet and tasty and you'll love it."

He looked down, and picked up his spoon. Mimicking her, he scooped some into his mouth and his eyes went wide. "Oh! It's cold!"

She smiled, nodding. "Yep. Don't eat it too fast or you'll get brain freeze. Bad headache. Not recommended."

He nodded, and carefully worked his way through the bowl. Every bite was more delicious than the last, and he smiled as the treat melted down his throat.

Once finished, he licked the bowl clean and sat back once again. "Wow."

Callie uttered a little laugh in her throat as she gathered the bowls. "Wow, indeed. Welcome to the confectionery wonders of Earth." She placed the bowls in the sink and ran some water in them before turning back.

Silver moved to the glass kitchen door, and now stood with his nose pressed against it, open palms splayed out on either side of his face.

"Wanna go out back and check out some of the local plant life?" Callie asked, moving behind him toward the door. "I've got some weeding I need to do, and you can get some fresh air."

He turned, his brow furrowed slightly. Go outside? He pulled his arms in to hug himself again. "Is it . . . safe?"

A small, kind smile curled Callie's lips. "Yes, sweetie. It's safe. I'll be with you the whole time. Nothing's gonna happen to you. I promise."

He stood still for a few seconds, glancing back outside with a furrowed brow. After a long moment he looked back, a shy smile playing on his lips. He nodded. "Okay."

Her smile widened. "Okay. Let's go."

X~X~X

Silver stood in Callie's backyard, eyes closed and nose turned up to pull in the clean air. He filled his lungs with it, a small smile on his lips. It didn't smell bad, it wasn't smokey, and it didn't hurt his throat when he breathed. He stood still, taking breath after breath. For the first time in his life, he didn't have to take short, shallow breaths. It almost made him dizzy to actually fill his lungs.

Everything here was so green and alive and fresh. The trees towered above him, casting shadows along the ground when their leaves blocked the sun. The sound the wind made as it blew through them was strange and soothing and reminded him a little of the sizzling chicken from earlier.

Then there was the green stuff that covered the ground. Grass, Callie had called it. It felt soft and cool on his bare feet, and he knelt to run his naked hands over it. There were little yellow things sprinkled here and there across the green blanket, and he couldn't remember what Callie had called those. Deedeelons or something. She said they were flowers, but some people didn't like them.

He wasn't sure why—they were so pretty, and he'd seen small creatures crawling on them. Beez, she had said. She'd warned him not to bother the little creatures, or to step on them, as they had a sharp stinger and could hurt his feet. But they wouldn't bother him if he didn't bother them. They were good insects, she claimed, that help make more flowers and plants. It sounded strange, but he didn't doubt her. This was her world, after all. She would know better than he.

Silver rolled in the grass, loving the way it tickled his nose and cushioned his falls and felt so nice against his sensitive foot pads. Had he just run through the ruined city this morning? It seemed so far away.

As he absorbed the new experiences for his senses, he made sure to keep Callie within sight. Sometimes a new sound would reach his ears, and he'd hurry back to her for clarification.

"Chainsaw," she had named the sound of an angry roar.

"Just a dog," was the source of the sharp barks in the distance.

"Teenager," was the cause of something that sounded a little like the music she had played inside, but it was harsher, with more screaming.

Little by little, he relaxed, feeling more confident in his explorations. He wandered around the corner of the house, just for a moment, before hurrying back. Being too far away from the woman who'd been so nice to him since he awoke here left him uneasy.

It was only his first day in a new world. Best not to push his luck.

~X~X~X~

The little drone hidden in the treeline refocused its camera. It kept a lock on Silver, and recorded every moment as the boy played outside. When the hedgehog ran back to the woman, the camera would focus on her, taking data and information about this new variable in the equation.

~X~X~X~

Callie watched the little hedgehog as he explored her yard. His face absolutely glowed with happiness, and he spent a good portion of his time just lying in the grass.

It struck her just how much she took for granted. Clean air. Abundant plant-life. Food and water. Safety. All things that were so new to him. So foreign.

It twisted her heart to think how much this child had been through in his short life. How much he'd suffered. It was actually pretty amazing he still held this child-like fascination at all. Based on how his world sounded, it would've been understandable if he became cold and hard in response. Unable to trust anyone, no matter how kind they were. Close himself off from the world in an effort to protect himself.

Kinda like you did, her mind whispered.

Callie shook her head, brow furrowed. No. That was different. Her circumstances were different.

And besides, she's gotten along fine all these years.

Just fine.

Silver was different. He was a sweet little boy who'd had a hard life. He deserved a fresh start. A home, with people who loved him, and made sure he was safe and well cared for. Somewhere he could be happy.

Obviously, that couldn't be with her. She was just the . . . temporary guardian. Foster mom. Rehabilitation coordinator. Or something like that. Whatever term fit best didn't matter. It all boiled down to one fact—she was not his last stop on this planet. She'd put out feelers and find just the right fit for him. A loving family, preferably with kids close to his age.

Where he could have a life, and be happy.

Callie spared him another quick glance before turning back to her gardening. The landscaping next to her house was little more than an overgrown weed patch at the moment, mostly because she hated gardening to begin with, and the thought of having to dig up each and every weed to ensure they didn't grow back made her want to just pave over the whole area so she didn't have to deal with it ever again.

But instead she sighed and shoved her little shovel into the dirt. A quick dig-and-tug and the offending thistle came free, its roots sprawled like a tangle of crimped wire. Into the paper bag behind her it went.

One down, twenty bazillion to go.

"Why are you digging up these plants?" Silver asked, and she jumped at the sudden break in silence. He gave her a guilty grin. "Sorry."

"S'okay," she said, smiling. "Because they're not the type of plants I want to grow here. These are weeds. They grow wherever they can, and take all the nutrients in the soil away from the flowers and other plants I want to grow."

He knelt next to her, watching her every move with rapt interest. "So these weeds are like . . . bad plants? Stealing food from the good ones?"

She tilted her head to look down at him. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. We have to pull them out, roots and all, or else they'll just keep growing back."

His brow furrowed in thought. Then he looked up at her. "Can I help?"

"Sure can, kiddo. Just use this little shovel and-"

That's as far as she got before he lifted his hands, and made that soft cyan glow appear again. The furrow in his brow deepened, and his little tongue poked out of his mouth in concentration. The glow spread to every thistle in the bed before her, and they trembled as she watched.

"C'mon," the boy whispered. The glow around his hands flickered. "Careful . . . just a little more . . ."

Suddenly the light flared, and every targeted weed sprang out of the ground like a rocket. Dirt rained over them, and they cried out simultaneously.

"Aw, crud," Silver muttered, his shoulders dropping.

Callie pulled her gardening glove off to rub his back. "Hey, don't worry about it. At least they're out, right?"

He didn't respond, but leaned into her touch. He shrugged.

"It looked like you were trying really hard."

He shrugged again. "I was trying to pull them all and put them in the bag. Carefully. But it didn't work."

"Oh, c'mon kiddo. It was your first real try at controlling your powers, right?" He nodded. "Don't be so hard on yourself. That was really good for a first try." She glanced behind them at one of the rocketed weeds. "Hey, wanna give it another go?"

Silver blinked, and gave her a cocked eyebrow. Callie shuffled them around so they faced the yard, now strewn with loose thistles. She pointed to the closest one.

"Maybe you were trying too many at once. Start slower. Focus on that one and put it in the bag." She moved the bag so it was closer. "Don't worry about going fast. Just focus on moving that one thistle."

The boy gave her a dubious look, before releasing a sigh. Then he lifted his hands and tried again.

At first nothing happened. His cyan glow enveloped the weed, and it shivered in place on the ground, but did little else. Pure concentration knitted his brows together, but the weed refused to move.

Callie guessed he was being too cautious. Or overthinking it. She'd seen him maneuver his toppled water bottle not that long ago, so she knew he was capable of controlling his power, even if he didn't have much confidence in himself.

But then again, that had seemed like reflex. Maybe that was different.

She leaned close to him, lowering her voice to a soft whisper. "Close your eyes."

He blinked, throwing her a cocked eyebrow. "What?"

"You said earlier that you can move things just by thinking about it. Try that."

Silver lowered his hands, the glow fading. His face twisted in confusion. "But how am I supposed to move it if I can't see it?"

"See it up here," she said, planting a finger on his forehead, right in the middle of the five large spikes that fanned out from there. "Picture it doing what you want it to do."

"Will that work?"

She snorted a laugh. "Kid, I dunno. I have no clue how telekinesis works. But it could be worth a try." She shrugged. "Couldn't hurt, at any rate, right?"

He sat still for a moment, his face doubtful. But then he shrugged, closed his eyes, and put his hands out again.

The cyan glow flickered slightly at first, then burned more steadily. The weed before him glowed, and rose into the air.

"Good," Callie soothed, casting a glance to the boy next to her. "Nice and easy, kiddo."

Silver didn't respond, but his brows furrowed slightly as he concentrated. The weed floated to the left, where he remembered the bag to be, but he misjudged the height and the plant bumped against the side before falling back to the ground.

Opening his eyes, Silver uttered a frustrated grunt. "Missed."

"Celebrate the successes as you experience them, little dude," Callie said, reaching over to pull him to her. "You did it! So your aim was off, big deal. You controlled your power. That's a win in my book."

A slow smile spread across his lips. "Yeah. I guess I did." He bit his lip before leaning into her side. "Thanks."

"Aw, I didn't do anything except offer a suggestion," she said, lifting a shoulder in a half-shrug. "You did the rest."

He didn't respond, but pushed himself closer to her, nuzzling his face into her side. He wrapped his arms around himself, and she felt a little shiver run through him.

"Are you cold, sweetie?"

The head nuzzled in her side nodded. "A little. My world's hotter."

Callie looked up, noting the sun dipping lower in the sky. Sunset wasn't technically for another two hours or so, but the temperature was starting to drop a bit. She gave the boy next to her a little nudge.

"Okay," she said, unfolding her legs to stand. "Let's head inside. I'll find you a sweater or something to help keep you nice and toasty."

"Okay."

~X~X~X~

Silver sat next to Callie on the couch, watching something she called a teevee. It was a box that looked a lot like the monitors he saw in the doctor's lab, but it had colorful characters on it instead of vital signs and pictures of other locations.

Right now it was showing something called a 'movie' with humans and dragons. Callie had said it was one of her favorites, and he thought it was pretty neat, too.

He smiled, snuggling in his hoodie. It was dark red, with a picture of an apple on the front. She'd brought it down and helped him into it after they'd come in from outside. It was pretty big on him, and she had to roll up the sleeves to free his hands, but he really liked it and hoped he could keep it. It was so cozy and warm.

Callie sat with her legs stretched before her, resting her feet on the table in front of the couch. Silver pulled his legs in to tuck them inside his hoodie, and he leaned against her, enjoying the softness and warmth. He couldn't stop smiling.

About halfway through the movie, Callie pushed a button on a little device that paused the action.

"Well look who finally dragged their butts downstairs," she said, looking toward the kitchen. "I thought you two got lost or something."

Silver followed her gaze and discovered two small animals peering over at them.

"Who are they?" he asked, leaning forward to get a better look. They were small and furry, and their eyes glowed faintly in the low light.

"Those are my cats. My pets," she said at his questioning look.

"What do they do?"

"Mostly just lay around and get hair everywhere," she said with a sigh. "They're small animals who live with me. I take care of them and feed them and keep them safe."

His ears flicked backward. That's almost exactly what she'd said about him. Was he a 'pet' too? "Like me?"

She turned back to him, flinching. "Oh, no sweetie. You're not a pet. You're my guest. They're . . . well, they're not like you or me. They don't talk or interact like we do. They're just here for companionship, really."

"Oh."

He shrank back wrapping his arms around himself. Suddenly he didn't feel so warm anymore.

"You're not a pet," she said again, her hand moving to his forehead fan of quills. They'd started to bristle in his upset, and she stroked them, smoothing them back down. "You're a little boy who needed help. It's not the same thing. I promise."

Silver gave a little nod, but dipped his head lower. "Okay."

"Besides," she said, a little smile curling her lips. "I don't share my favorite hoodie with my pets."

He lifted his head, worry painting his face and his hands grasping the bottom of the hoodie. "Your favorite . . . oh, you don't have to . . . I-I'll take it off-"

She held up a hand. "Naw, forget about it," she said with a shrug. "The thing hasn't fit me well in a while. I bought it years ago when, well, there was a little less of me to fit."

Silver wrapped his arms around himself again. "But it's your favorite . . ."

"And now it can be your favorite," she said with another shrug. "It's really not a big deal, kiddo. I want you to have it. Consider it a 'Welcome to Earth' gift."

Muzzle burning, Silver sat back, wrapping his arms around himself again. A gift? Her favorite hoodie? Her kindness seemed endless. He blinked back tears as he looked up at her again.

"You're so nice to me," he said, his voice soft. "Thank you so much."

She gave him a smile, but it held a sadness that confused him. "Oh honey," she said, running a knuckle down his muzzle. "Experiencing kindness shouldn't be so strange. I'm sorry you didn't see much of it on your world. But I promise that you'll never want for it here. Not while I'm around, anyway."

Fresh tears filled his eyes, and Silver blinked to send them trailing down his muzzle. She threw that word around with such ease. Kindness. As though it weren't something that was so rare, even rarer than water, where he was from. He'd seen so little of it for so long, he'd all but started to think it didn't exist anymore. Or that he'd imagined it.

She really didn't know how special all this was. How warm it made him feel. Not just the hoodie, but . . . everything.

With a whimper he threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her middle and burying his face into her chest. Gentle hands stroked his head, and soft words whispered in his ears.

"What a little snuggle-bug you are," she said with a soft laugh. "But looks like I've made you cry again. I just can't catch a break, huh?"

He uttered a small laugh as he pulled back, wiping his cheeks with the heel of a hand. "No," he sniffed. "I'm not sad . . . I just . . . it feels good to not be afraid for once."

She smiled, wiping the rest of his tears away with a thumb. "Good. 'Cause you don't have to be afraid. Not anymore. Anyone who wanted to hurt you would have to go through me. And I'm a lot tougher than I look." She dropped him a wink, and he laughed. "Ready to get back to our movie?" He nodded. "Good deal. Oh, hang on."

Callie stood and walked toward the kitchen, but came to a stop about halfway. She turned, casting him a cocked eyebrow. "You wanna give these brats some treats?"

His ears perked. "Your cats?"

She nodded. "C'mere."

Silver hopped off the couch and rushed over, as she pulled a container from the cabinet. When the treats rattled against the inside of the container, the two cats came running over. She sprinkled a bunch of small square things into his cupped hands.

"Kinda spread them between the two, otherwise Bloom—that's the black and white one—will be a little pig and eat them all. Make sure Suki has her fair share."

He nodded, and carefully turned to divvy up the treats in his hands. Bloom meowed at him, and kept pushing herself onto her hind legs to get a closer look at the incoming treats, while Suki kept a safe distance away. Silver understood her hesitation—he was a stranger in her home, after all.

"Here you go," he said, sprinkling some treats on the floor in front of the black and white cat. Bloom pounced immediately, crunching down on them as if she'd never had food before. He turned back to Callie, who was putting something into the little box above the stove. "It seems really hungry."

"Don't let her con you," she said, and she touched a few buttons, making them beep. "She eats better than I do."

Silver nodded, and turned back to offer Suki her share. The cat still held back, but lifted her head to sniff the air. Carefully, he reached forward to drop the remaining treats to the floor near her, and moved back to give her space. After hesitating a few seconds, the cat slowly moved forward and started crunching on her snack.

Bloom, having finished her treats, tried to swoop in on Suki's, but Callie snatched the cat up before she had the chance. Much to Bloom's frustration. The cat uttered an annoyed meow, to which Callie responded in kind.

"Yeah, yeah," she said as Bloom struggled in her arms. "You're so mistreated. Let your sister have her treats, you little piggie."

"What did you put in that little box?" Silver asked, moving closer. He could see a light on inside, and it made a sort of popping sound.

"Popcorn," Callie said, releasing Bloom once Suki had finished eating. "Can't watch a movie without it."

Silver nodded. He wasn't sure what popcorn was, or why you couldn't watch a movie without it, but he trusted her and saw no reason to question it.

His eyes grew wide as he thought about that.

He trusted her. He'd been here less than a day, and he trusted her. That may have been a bad thing, trusting some stranger so quickly, but really, she'd given him no reason not to. She was kind, and gentle, and generous, and treated him so nicely. She wanted to help him with his power, and didn't seem to want it for herself. She cared about his comfort, and would protect him from any harm.

Sure, she may have simply been a good liar. It was possible. He's always had a hard time identifying when someone was being dishonest. But whenever he thought back on things, afterwards, he could see there were signs he'd missed. Mostly, actions that didn't line up with words. They'd say something nice, but treat him or others mean. He wondered why it was so hard to pick up on in the moment, but easy to see after the fact.

But Callie didn't act like that. Her words matched her actions. She spoke nicely, and treated him nicely. And she always apologized if she thought she hurt his feelings. He couldn't remember anyone else ever doing that.

So he wasn't worried about trusting her. Her kindness and concern for him felt real.

At least . . . he hoped they were real.

He needed them to be real.

Because right now, the thought of being tricked and having to go back to his world—after being treated so kindly—felt like it would crush him.

~X~X~X~

Callie pulled the microwave open when the popping slowed, and the smell of fresh popcorn filled the kitchen. Silver lifted his nose, sniffing, before tilting his head.

"What's popcorn?"

A puff of steam floated up as she tore the bag open. "Light and buttery and fluffy and you'll love it." She pulled a large bowl from a cabinet, and poured the bag's contents inside.

Silver looked like he was about to say something more, when a soft knock drew their attention. They looked up to find Wade coming in through the kitchen door.

"Knock knock," he said, and he cast a smile to Silver. "Hey little guy. I like your hoodie."

The boy shrank just a little, before giving the deputy a small smile. "Thanks. Callie gave it to me."

"That was really nice of her," Wade said, and he hunkered down to be more eye level with the hedgehog. "I bet it's nice and warm."

Silver nodded, his smile growing. "So warm! But it's a little big." He held his arms out to his sides and the hoodie hung off him like an over-sized sack.

Wade uttered a soft chuckle. "Well that just means there's room to grow! Maybe it'll fit you better when you get older."

"Hey, maybe!"

"I'm Wade, by the way." he said, and held his hand out. The boy looked at it for a long second, before pulling his sleeve up to reveal his own hand.

"I'm Silver."

"Nice to meet you, Silver." The deputy took the boy's hand into his, and gave it a gentle shake.

Callie watched the exchange with a small smile. Was this really the same hedgehog who had hidden behind her couch this afternoon? The same kid who was so terrified of, well, everything? The same little boy who told of such horrible treatment in his young life? It hardly seemed possible.

"You were here earlier," Silver said, taking his hand back. He dipped his head. "Sorry I froze you."

Wade shrugged with a smile. "Hey, you were scared. I get it. Don't worry about it. So how are you liking Earth?"

Silver's face lit up with a huge grin. "It's so different from my world! It's green and there's no fires and the air is so clean!" He turned to Callie, his smile turning shy. "And the people are a lot nicer."

Wade looked up at her, a small smile on his lips.

"Yeah, some people are really nice."

Callie's smile faltered, a blush rushing to her cheeks. She cleared her throat. "Okay, popcorn's ready. Silver, why don't you take it into the other room and get back to the movie? I want to talk to Wade for a few minutes."

The boy arched an eyebrow. "But don't you wanna watch?"

She waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, I've seen it about a bazillion times. I'll be okay if I miss a few minutes. I'll join you soon, 'kay?"

Silver looked uncertain for a few seconds, before nodding. "Okay."

Callie handed the bowl of popcorn to the little hedgehog—minus a few kernels that Wade snatched up—and gave his forehead fan a quick stroke. "It'll just be a few minutes, kiddo. Just press the little button that has a triangle on it to start the movie again."

The boy nodded before turning to head back into the living room. The popcorn bowl was almost comically large compared to him, and he walked carefully to prevent any lost kernels.

Wade stood and moved closer to the kitchen island, and opened his mouth to say something when Callie held up a hand. They waited until the movie started back up again before speaking.

"He seems like a good kid," Wade said, his voice soft. "Really friendly."

"Yeah," Callie said, pulling her braid to the front and giving it a squeeze.

Wade's eyes flicked to the hand on her braid, brow furrowing. "Something wrong?"

She didn't respond for a few seconds, and gave her hair a little tug. "It was so much worse than I originally thought."

"What was?"

"His world."

"How much worse?"

"Like post-apocalypse worse. Like make him earn the right to eat worse. Like . . ." She glanced toward the living room to ensure little ears weren't tuned to them. "Abuse a little boy and turn him away to roam the ruined world all by himself if he doesn't earn his keep worse."

Wade hissed in breath through his teeth. "Wow. That's bad. But hey, good thing he's not there anymore, huh?"

Callie gave another yank on her braid. "What is going on in whatever universe these kids come from? Every one we've met has some sort of trauma, and none of them have parents. I mean, what are the odds of four different kids showing up here to begin with, and every one of them with a traumatic past?"

The deputy twisted his mouth. "Well, I mean, technically Sonic showed up first, then Knuckles and Tails came looking for him specifically, so it's not like they just showed up for no apparent reason like Silver did." Callie gave him a look, and he shrugged. "I'm just saying, the odds of at least two of them showing up were pretty high."

"Okay, the Sonic connection is a fair point," she said, with another yank. "But that doesn't explain what Silver's doing here. He doesn't seem to have any mission, or overall reason to be here at all. He just . . . is."

Wade shrugged. "Maybe it's just coincidence."

Callie wrinkled her nose. "That'd be a pretty big coincidence."

He gave another shrug. "Yeah. But, like, does it matter?"

Lips pulled tight, Callie gave her hair a little tug. She supposed he had a point. Did it really matter why Silver was here? Did it make any difference at all? As long as he wasn't here to put anyone else in danger, his presence wasn't technically bad, was it?

"Maybe it was, you know, destiny or something," Wade said, glancing toward the living room. Silver was fully engrossed in the movie, munching his way through the bowl of popcorn. "Fate, or the universe, or whoever's out there decided he shouldn't be where he was, so they put him here. With someone who'll take care of him."

Callie chewed her cheek as she considered this. She didn't really believe in some higher power moving these kids around like playthings, especially since there would have been much better people he could have appeared to, were that actually the case. Actual child psychologists, or counselors, or, you know, anyone better suited to dealing with kids with trauma.

So why here? And why her?

She shook her head. Ultimately, they were pretty unlikely to get any answers. Fretting over it wasn't productive. Wasting time wondering why he was here didn't change the fact that he was. And that's what she needed to focus on.

She gave her braid one last yank before tossing it back over her shoulder.

"Right," she said, moving around the island. "Doesn't matter why he's here. The important thing is he's away from that horrible world, and can start a better life."

Wade gave a little nod, a small smile on his lips. "So does that mean you're-"

"No," she said, pegging him with a look that she hoped got the point across. "I'm just fostering him. Until we find him a better home."

Wade nodded, that smile still on his face. She frowned.

"What's with the grin?"

He shrugged. "He just seems to really like you, that's all."

"You two seemed to get along pretty well," she said, brow furrowed. "Maybe you should take him."

A blush climbed up the deputy's neck, and he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I dunno if my mom would like that."

Guilt blossomed in Callie's chest. It was common knowledge that Wade still lived with his mother, and that she babied him a little too much. Especially since his father passed a number of years ago. It seemed to be something that Wade both accepted, and felt slightly ashamed by.

Now he curled in on himself, much like Silver had done when confronted with something he preferred not to think about.

Callie breathed out a heavy sigh, which ended with a frustrated grunt. She just seemed to keep snapping at this poor guy.

"I'm sorry, Wade. I tend to get snarky when I'm stressed, and today . . . well . . ." She sighed, lifting her glasses to rub her eyes. "It's just been a long day."

The man uncurled, the blush receding. "Yeah, I know. Pretty weird, right?"

Callie readjusted her glasses, and braced an arm on the counter to lean on. "So how was your day as acting sheriff? Other than the whole alien hedgehog thing, of course."

He shrugged. "Just as quiet as ever. Carl seems to think Bigfoot was rooting around in his trash, and the Wilson's had a little toilet paper run-in with some teens with too much time on their hands. Nothing major. I just got off work and thought I'd swing by and see how things were going with you."

She threw him an arched eyebrow. "Swing by? Wade, my house isn't exactly on your way home."

The blush reappeared. "Well, maybe I wanted to check in with the little guy. See if he was ready to talk to me. I've never been in a . . . first contact kinda situation before."

She smiled. "Well, I'm glad you had a chance to meet him. Officially, I mean. He really is a sweet kid."

"Callie?"

The two turned to find a small gray hedgehog standing in the archway of the kitchen, a guilty look on his face, and an empty popcorn bowl in his hands.

"Wow, you ate it all? Already?"

The boy looked into the bowl before flicking his eyes back to her. He bit his lip, nodding. "I'm sorry I didn't leave you any. It was just so good and-"

"Hey, it's fine, kiddo," she said, moving to take the bowl from him. "Let's get your hands washed and then we'll finish the movie. Sound good?"

Silver furrowed his brow. "You . . . you're not mad?"

"Nope." She paused. "Well, I'm a little concerned about bellyaches, but we'll deal with that if and when it comes up. But I'm not mad."

He stood quiet for a few seconds. "Oh."

"C'mon, little dude." She dragged a small step stool to the sink with her foot. "Wash up."

The boy nodded again, moving toward the sink. "Is Wade gonna stay for the movie?"

Callie raised her eyebrows, and looked over at the deputy. A small smile curled his lips.

"Really? Um . . . I dunno, it's getting kinda late . . ."

"What part is it at, Silver?" Callie asked as the boy rinsed the soap from his hands.

The hedgehog furrowed his brow. "Uh, Hiccup was going into the thing to fight the dragon."

"Is this right after they flew to the nest and saw the big one?" Silver nodded, and she turned to Wade as she handed the boy a towel. "We're about, oh, 20ish minutes from the end."

Wade's face lit up. "Oh, you're watching How to Train Your Dragon? That's a really good movie!" He flinched, before a blush moved up his cheeks. "I mean . . . uh . . . even though it's a cartoon . . . and, you know, for kids . . ."

"So?" Callie asked, brow furrowed. "Nothing wrong with an adult liking cartoons, Wade." She pushed the step stool back to its spot once Silver hopped down, and they started walking toward the living room. "C'mon, Acting Sheriff. Let's watch Hiccup and Toothless take down the Red Death."

Wade stood where he was for a few seconds, before following after with a smile. "Yes, ma'am."