STH © SEGA/Archie

Sarah & Wilson Family © Cozy Shadow

Flame, Petunia, Jeffery, and Sunny © Phantomask

Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.

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I had to split this chapter up because it was going to be way too long, so I apologize in advance if it seems like an odd place to end. Also, I could not think of a chapter title name. XD But I have missed writing to this story. This chapter has been like this for a few weeks until I decided to do something with it. Sorry for any mistakes, but I am only human. :)

Chapter Twenty:

The Dream

The thunder awoke Sarah.

She watched as the lightning illuminated the room for a split second and another boom of thunder came about. Brown eyes relaxed and tiredly looked at the alarm clock that read 5:53 a.m.

I hope the others aren't awake or scared.

Sarah could recall Tails' phobia of lightning, but she herself could fall asleep to it. That was if it didn't shake the house – only then would she get concerned.

Soft lips kissed her shoulder and she became aware of the life form cuddling up to her.

No wonder why I'm warm.

Sonic shared his heat, as Sarah was normally freezing and Sonic was normally warm to the touch. His nose twitched as he put a good amount of weight in the crook of her neck and shoulder. His ear moved with the thunder, skimming against Sarah's cheek, closer to her eye. Twisting, Sarah turned towards him and stared with a soft look.

Green eyes barely looked back. Sonic avoided looking at her, although he showed signs of being apologetic. Sarah sighed and nuzzled into his cheek before turning towards him. Sonic moved on to his back as she rested on his chest, purring.

"It's not your fault."

"It was uncalled for…" he murmured.

Sonic's arms tightened around her. His lips grazed against her forehead as another flash of lightning lit up the room. The thunder was louder now and constantly going about. He stared up at the ceiling. "It's right over us," Sonic whispered and thought about the newcomers. "I wonder if anyone's getting any sleep."

Sarah only hummed in response. He lightly smiled, knowing the sound lulled her to sleep somehow. Sonic never quite understood everything about his fiancée.

"It's a Monday," he teased, to which she growled at. "You've got to get up eventually."

"Forty-five more minutes," Sarah whined, curling up towards his longer frame. Her nose poked out as she continued to burry herself in the blankets between them. Snorting, she evidently wasn't moving any time soon.

Sonic looked at the window curtains. Lightning showed the calm expression on his face as he turned towards the door. "I wonder if Shadow got up to feed the animals."

"You and I both know he sleeps in when it's raining this much. Besides, I think the guy's a little scared of lightning himself."

Despite her tease, Sonic wasn't laughing. "He gets a little timid. Just like at the dentist's office. I suppose being mortal does that. The world shows you all of these new fears you never knew you had."

Sarah popped up out of the blankets with a raised eyebrow. "Did it not rain wherever he went?"

"Remember, he lived on the ARK."

"Yes, but Mobius had thunderstorms as well, and if I recall he's been to both Earth and Mobius," Sarah responded as she lied back down.

Sonic shrugged, or tried to, as he found himself drifting off to sleep with the pitter patter of raindrops outside. "I don't know, Sarah. Some people don't like the sounds of thunder. It might scare them or make their ears hurt. In Shadow's case, I think it just catches him off guard sometimes."

She scoffed against him. "The Ultimate Life Form is afraid of a little thunder and lightning."

"Well, I bet he's not falling asleep to it like you are right now."

Sarah hummed again in response, turning her chin to rest more on his chest. "The guy's surprised when the toast pops up in the toaster. I'm sure he's wide awake now."

~.~

The lime green hedgehog was never more right.

Shadow looked at the curtains, hoping the rain would soon pass. He was lying on his left side, trying to ignore the breathing right next to his ear. Green eyes stared at the curtains.

"It sure sounds like a party out there," Amy whispered. She took a glimpse at Shadow. "Too bad we weren't invited, huh?"

He gave her a look one would give a crazy person. "What?"

"Never mind."

The two lied in peace and quiet for a while. Shadow felt the weight on his shoulder increase as he continued to stare at the curtains – waiting for the lightning to illuminate the room again and again. The storm never ceased, it seemed. Which made him all the more reluctant to get out of bed and feed animals.

But it was a task that needed to be done.

"What time is it?"

Amy groaned and rolled over to look at the clock. "A little past six. Why?"

It was a sigh that caught her attention. As if Shadow was deciding on something.

Amy raised an eyebrow and rolled back over to him, grasping his shoulder. The scenario left her mentally blushing – she sometimes forgot they were in the same bed as one another. This particular moment made her feel as if they were romantically together.

Shadow was calm under her touch and Amy was calm upon touching him.

The tingles she had felt the first time she had touched him were quickly becoming hard to feel. She sort of missed the sensation. But it was also comforting to know the sparks were probably just her imagination. That, or Amy had touched Shadow's arm so much in the past few days that she had gotten used to the feeling that it was practically nothing anymore.

"Shadow?"

The male snorted and sat up as his quills shook in response to her. Amy sunk back into the bed. The look he gave her was enough indication that she wasn't going to join him in the chores this morning. The rose hedgehog was going to protest, but another sound of thunder and another flash of lightning stopped her.

On second thought… Amy curled up to the blanket and watched Shadow stand. I think I'll enjoy sleeping in for once. Before we leave, that is.

The thought of seeing Cream hit her. Silver had arrived, and Amy wasn't going to wait any longer to catch up with the rabbit. Whether Tails wanted to or not, they were going to see her today. And whether Sonic or Shadow were angry or not, Tails was going with them.

I just hope breakfast will past by smoothly.

Shadow left his bedroom within minutes of getting changed. Amy had luckily been in such deep thought that she hadn't noticed the male was changing. Not that either of them cared – they were both too tired and caught up in their own thoughts.

Amy rested her head on the pillow, pulling Shadow's closer to lean her cheek on it. The blankets seemed to wrap around her in greeting.

The lightning never fazed her.

Something was completely different that morning.

Amy wasn't quite sure what it was, but she was thinking about placing the blame on the fact that she was still embarrassed in front of Silver and Blaze. The two were strangely quiet, and Amy wasn't sure what she was more embarrassed about: being yelled at by Shadow in front of them or sleeping in the same bed as Shadow.

It's not like it should affect me so much. I'm a grown woman, goddamnit. She sighed. And yet, here I am. Using Shadow as a leaning post if not sleeping on top of him.

She had already texted Tails her decision to see Cream. Tails reminded her of their agreement, but Amy responded that she would read the book on the drive to Cream. Tails couldn't argue with her from there. He agreed to drop by around eight.

It was seven by the time the household was up and moving.

The four newcomers were obviously a little tired and still getting adjusted to the strange setting around them. But they were managing.

However, things took a turn for the worst at breakfast.

Amy was poking at her food, seated between Shadow and Sunny. Manic was squished in beside her and Sarah was at the other end of the table. Then there was Sonic, Silver, and Blaze. Shadow was, of course, at his seat.

It was silent. All anyone could hear were the clanks of forks and knives against plates.

It was annoying.

The pink female gritted her teeth, begging silently for someone to speak up. Thankfully, someone did.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Sunny's soft voice cut through the room.

Sonic cleared his throat. "Well, Sarah and I go to work."

"Where do you work?" Silver scoffed. "I've known you for a hell of a long time, Sonic, and I've never seen you work a day in your life."

"No, only fighting villains," Sonic retorted. He took another bite of the pancakes that were served to them thanks to Sarah. "I work at a parts store. It's rather boring. Sarah teaches at the elementary."

"Oh?" Blaze raised an eyebrow. "How's that?"

"They're little kids, so, you know." Sarah shrugged as she took a sip of her orange juice. "Not much teaching."

"Arts and crafts?" Manic teased her. "That's good, actually. Not many schools are funding the arts as much as I'd preferred."

"I agree," Sarah said as she rested her elbows on the table. "How's the graphic arts career?"

"You know – digital," Manic shrugged in somewhat distaste. "I'm mostly assigned to the magazine cover with a team, but it doesn't beat traditional art if you ask me."

"Not really art if you're just cropping and masking pictures," his girlfriend joked. Manic rolled his eyes in response.

"So…Shadow, what do you do exactly?" Manic brought back the conversation after a few seconds.

The ebony hedgehog had been silent until now. He had eaten most of his food and sat there, contemplating his response for quite some time. "I take care of the farmland and animals."

"Sunny was raised on a farm."

"Hmph."

Sunny laughed at her boyfriend and also Shadow's unimpressed sound. "It was a long time ago, and we certainly didn't have the same technology we have here on Earth. But, I was a country girl for the majority of my life, believe it or not."

"Well, maybe you can teach Amy here how to use a pitchfork," Shadow retorted sarcastically, although it wasn't a bad idea. "She broke mine."

Silver chortled as Amy glared. "Why don't you tell the whole town?" she hissed at the male.

"Oh, I did." Shadow leaned over as the household got to watch them bicker like a married couple. "You see, I told Frank Wilson when we went to visit him. In turn, he told his wife who told his daughter – and you met Elisa. You can imagine that Elisa called me up to chit chat and ask if it were true. And I don't normally lie, so I told her it was. And now she's probably told the entire town."

"Ooh, I hate you," Amy whispered. She went back to her food before raising any eyebrow at Shadow. "You chit chat with Elisa Wilson?"

"I normally just answer her calls and let her talk," Shadow shrugged. "She struggled with depression to the point of going to an institute for help. There's a reason she loves to talk so much – it gives people the chance to listen. Which in turn makes her feel a little bit better in this world. She's a lonely chatterbox."

Amy softly smiled. "Look at you, Mister Ultimate Life Form." Her expression turned rather serious, however. "She dealt with depression?"

"For some time, yeah," Sonic broke into the conversation. "Wasn't ever suicidal, thank God. But she was definitely unhappy. She'd leave for days and never say where she was. Frank and Eloise were always so worried. They finally decided to get her some help the next time she visited. Fortunately, she agreed to go."

"And she's never been better," Sarah stated. "Hell, she's getting married."

"Yes, Eloise seemed to talk Shadow into going without having to bribe him," Amy slyly grinned at the hedgehog. Shadow only waved her off slightly. "At least Elisa's happy."

The rose hedgehog glanced to her friends across the table. Blaze's expression was unclear whereas Silver smiled lightly at Amy. Turning to Sunny, she caught Manic's look first. He seemed dazed and thinking for a moment.

As soon as Amy opened her mouth to say something else, Manic beat her to it.

"How's Mom?"

It was the longest silence yet that Amy had ever experienced.

She got to watch Manic look at his older brother with something akin to fear, but he was also pleading. Sonic, however, turned to glower at Manic. Sarah was giving Shadow a look, who in turn was giving Sonic a warning gaze.

"Well, you would know if you visited. Wouldn't you?" Sonic's glare was cold.

"Oh, you just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Sarah hissed under her breath at her fiancé. "He's your brother for Christ's Sake."

"Yeah, and he should have visited."

"He's an adult, Sonic!" Sarah said exasperatedly. "You can't expect him to drop everything to visit so many times a week or—"

"Look, I know you're helping," Manic suddenly turned to her with a somewhat harsh gaze of his own, "But I don't need you to pitch in. If the asshole doesn't want to respond, fine. I'll go see my mother for myself."

"Don't you ever talk to her like that," Sonic leaned against the table, standing up.

Manic matched him. Although he stood slightly shorter, Manic wasn't backing down anytime soon. "I've dealt with shit, too, Sonic. But it's not like you would care, would you? It's all about Mom."

"How dare you make this about yourself?" Sonic spat, but he also looked hurt. "Mom is in the hospital. She's suffering something that we can't even imagine. And what about Sonia, too, hm? You never visit the kids. You never visit anyone."

Amy watched with wide eyes.

She could feel Shadow's annoyance grow to a boiling point. Sarah remained stoic at the other end of the table while Sunny stared at the two arguing males. Silver and Blaze looked ready to intervene with telekinesis and calming words.

The rose hedgehog just wasn't sure if that would last.

"Guys, let's not fight," Silver droned on in a bored tone. "I don't want to go over two arguments in one day, thank you very much."

That caught Amy's attention. He could only be talking about one thing. The two were best friends; they could speak to each other through their minds occasionally. And she knew exactly what he meant by that.

"What makes you think Cream and I will get into an argument?" Her mouth spoke faster than her brain thought.

"C'mon, Amy," Silver snorted as Sonic and Manic's confrontation ceased. "It's been years. If you've listened to half the things Tails' has said over our texts this morning, you'd realize Cream isn't all too thrilled with you right now."

"Well, woopty doo for her," Amy growled in frustration. "God, she's being so stubborn and immature. All I want to do is see her—"

"You can't expect her to be that same little girl again," Silver scoffed and stood up. "You think people don't change, but they do, Amy. They really do. You need to open your eyes—"

"I need to open my eyes?" She stood up so fast that her chair knocked to the ground. "I know people change, Silver! It's just why does she have to be so impossible?!"

"Wait, you're seeing Cream?" Sonic asked in a very low tone. His eyes were slits at this point as Manic stood there very confused and very much so ignored. "And Tails is involved?"

"Yes! But get over it, Sonic!" Amy answered the blue blur before he could say anything else. "He's eighteen; he can do what he wants."

"You dragged him into this?" Sonic questioned, despite her words, and pointed at Silver. When the white hedgehog motioned to Amy, Sonic snorted at her. "When is shit not gonna be about you, Amy?"

"Excuse me…"

At this point, Sarah was practically mentally screaming at Shadow to do something. He only ignored Sarah's crazy looks at him and instead watched on.

"You heard me. We welcomed you here and then you pull that shit with Shadow?" Sonic growled and pointed at the ebony male. "You have no clue what he's gone through and you come in with the audacity to insult him numerous times? I can't even see a reason to keep you here anymore besides unpaid labor."

"Listen here, you little-"

"And then you bring Tails into the mix to go see Cream? What did Tails say?" the blue hedgehog caught Amy off guard. "Huh, Amy? What did Tails say when you asked him to take you to Cream?"

The hero proved to think as quickly as he could run.

Licking her lips, Amy backed up a step in hesitation. Sonic continued to stare at her with a look that said he couldn't believe he was even friends with her.

"He said no, didn't he? And yet you made him," Sonic's voice cracked. It never cracked. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Everyone around you is like some goddamn slave that you just—"

"That's enough."

As the words calmed down, Shadow finally stood to stop the talking. It was starting to get a little personal – he could tell. The Ultimate Life Form stared at each and every one of the people under his roof.

"Amy?"

She was silent. All she could think about was how hard her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Amy?"

Her ears twitched to Shadow as she shuffled closer to him, lowering her head submissively. Shadow towered over her like usual with his height, making her feel even worse. "Are you really going to see Cream today with Silver and Tails?"

"Yes."

Shadow huffed. "Well, we can't stop you. And if Tails eventually agreed to it, I'm assuming it has to deal with your bet you mentioned earlier."

"Yes."

"Well, then," he stood closely to her, practically touching her. "You wouldn't want to keep him waiting, now would you?"

Red eyes looked throughout the room and everybody was sent back into motion. Sunny was grabbing the plates along with Blaze. Manic was getting out of the way. Sonic and Sarah were headed towards the door to go to work. Amy left to get changed and ready.

All that was left was the white hedgehog. He remained in Shadow's way to the garage door – Shadow's usual escape from situations like this.

Amber eyes hardened as Shadow moved to walk past him. Silver suddenly gripped Shadow's arm so tightly that it actually surprised the ebony male.

"If you ever do that again—"

"Do what?" Shadow hissed into his ear. "Stop an argument?"

"That was only stopping it for the moment," Silver clenched his jaw in obvious hatred towards his host. "But I'm talking about something different. And I think you know it well enough too, animal."

The word caught him off guard.

He didn't have enough time to ask Silver anything else or say anything for that matter. Silver had already brushed past him and into the living room. Shadow stood there for a long moment or two. He was still surprised Silver had stopped him like that to begin with.

The hedgehog had guts.

Even more so, Silver caught on to the behavior going around in the room. And he wasn't talking about the normal kind. It was something more…animalistic – something that sent bad vibes throughout the room, except to the person giving the vibes.

With the word replaying in his head – the sharp disgust of the tone lacing through – Shadow left the house in search of some much needed solitude.

The book wasn't actually that bad.

Amy just never imagined herself to be one to care about the behaviors of Mobians – or their animalistic side. But the car ride was so silent that Amy was willing to do anything to keep from going bored.

"Tails, how much further?"

"I told you guys, it's a long ways. Hence why we started somewhat early. We'll get back pretty late, but that doesn't matter."

"How late?"

"Depends what time you wanna leave."

"Depends what time we get there."

Tails sighed. Silver was proving to be a very difficult Mobian being. He hadn't seen the hedgehog in a hell of a long time, and it was good to catch up. But he wasn't used to someone actually talking back to him – he was used to planes and farm equipment sputtering at him.

"It takes six hours to get there. We'll be there around two. It's a Monday, so it's a shortened schedule for Cream's school – she told me she gets out at around two – which'll work. Vanilla wanted to invite us to dinner and stay if we want to, but I'm okay with just dinner. Honestly."

Silver could sense the fox's hesitation to even go. But the fact that he and Cream were texting made Silver think the rabbit was more excited to see Tails than Amy. The sad truth hit him as he looked back at the reading female. All Amy wanted to do was see her once-best friend. Unfortunately, Silver could tell where it was going to go. It was the only reason he was going.

"So if we leave by six that gets us back at home around midnight to one. Closer to one, though. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all," Silver reached for his water. "In fact, I wanna get in and out of that hellhole as quick as possible."

Tails gave him a look that said he agreed. Looking back in the rearview mirror, he could see Amy was listening to music as she read the book. Relaxing, the fox glanced at Silver.

"She asked to hang out."

"What?"

"Cream. She wants to hang out."

"With you?"

Tails thinned his lips in an unhappy smile. "Yeah. I get why she did what she did. I mean, we were young and foolish, but I honestly…I'm just getting happy without her being in my life. And there's this girl in town that's…you know. More available."

"Cream is underage," Silver snorted. "I can't believe she's going to be selfish and ask for alone time with you."

"Technically she already did ask for it. She said she'd just use some excuse – figured Amy would want to shop or something."

"I doubt it."

"Exactly what I said. Those two think they know each other."

"Aren't they in for a surprise?"

"No kidding."

They were silent as Tails drove. The interstate was busy as ever that morning with early risers. It didn't make it any easier that it was a Monday and everyone was in a sour mood.

"So, what did you say?"

"Hm?"

"When Cream asked to spend time with you…What did you say?" Silver kept his voice down as he didn't exactly know how loud Amy's music was. But after a few seconds, even he could hear the beats. Wanting to tell her to turn the music down in case she blew her eardrum, Silver selfishly decided against it to learn more about what Tails had to say.

"I told her the truth. I said I was seeing someone."

"Are you?"

"Not really. I haven't told anyone. For the most part, everyone assumes I'm lonely as can be. But I get out."

"This girl…she nice?"

"Yeah. Her name's Camelia. She's nineteen."

"And how'd you meet her?" Silver asked out of curiosity. "Considering it seems like you're self-employed and never get out much."

"Oh, ha." Tails smirked but it faded quickly. "Look, um…I'm going to school. Like college, school. My IQ is obviously good enough to get in, despite no high school education."

"Congrats, man," Silver lightly punched his shoulder. "Well, what are you going in?"

"Business. I just wanna take a class or two and learn some more things to benefit my shop. I figure if I can get enough workers for the summer, we can run the other guys out."

"Shops? Like parts – like Sonic? Wouldn't that put him out of a job?"

"Well, Sonic's the only one that really knows about my schooling besides Shadow and Sarah. But what the other two don't know that Sonic does…is that Sonic gets to be assistant manager. Anyway, I met Camelia during one of my classes and things just…clicked, ya know?"

"Really?" Silver huffed. "Things didn't click with Cream?"

"I mean..." Tails looked at the horizon as his grip tightened around the steering wheel. "It was always like this thing in the back of everyone's mind that Cream and I were supposed to be together. It might have been because we were both the youngest, but I just never truly felt…"

"In love?"

"Yeah. It felt like an obligation to be with Cream. But with Camelia, it's just something I can enjoy. I enjoy being around her."

"You didn't enjoy being around Cream?"

"Well, I certainly didn't get the time to be around her. When Amy was out of her life, I guess she changed into someone that wasn't like Cream at all."

"How bad can she be?"

Tails raised his eyebrows and heavily exhaled. "It's more or less the fact that it's her choice in friends. She's not bad, per se. But, I didn't feel happy around her. Camelia…Camelia's different."

"Are you two dating, then?"

"Not officially. She said she wants nothing more than to date me, but something's holding me back."

"Like what?" Silver narrowed his eyebrows. "Cream?"

"No. Not that. It's like a gut feeling that tells me something's not right. And let's face it, with everyone coming for the wedding, I figure it'll be hell having everyone around and overwhelming everyone. I wouldn't want that negativity to brush off of me and get us into some stupid fight that we'll regret."

"Smart man." Silver smirked. "So, she's your date to the wedding, then?"

"Probably."

"And Cream?"

Tails sighed. "Well, when I said I was seeing someone, she grew pretty silent. She still said she'd like to talk. I think she thinks she can change my mind."

"And can she?"

Blue eyes met amber for a split second. But it was a split second to know the truth. Silver smiled genuinely. "I'm glad one of us has matured out of all this."

"Cream needs to grow up a bit more. I'm happy with where I'm at now in life."

Silver quirked an eyebrow up for a moment. "And Shadow?"

"What about him?"

"Something's obviously going on. I mean, I was getting hints and stuff from Amy that made it seem like something's going on between them."

"Well, Sonic has it in his mind that Shadow and Amy would be perfect together."

"Hm."

Tails chuckled as he continued to drive. It was going to be a long six hours. "He doesn't want to marry Sarah and leave Shadow all by himself – the way things started. Sonic feels obligated to make sure that Shadow isn't alone. So when Amy called, Sonic saw it as an opportunity of a lifetime. Granted, Sonic wanted to see Amy. He just wanted to play matchmaker a lot more."

"He hasn't really succeeded."

"He's not really trying." The two laughed as Tails continued, "Sometimes it seems like Sonic regrets even making the decision. I mean, you've noticed, haven't you?"

"Noticed what?"

"Despite Amy waltzing in," Tails looked in the rearview mirror and saw how enthralled Amy was with the book, "and saying some unnecessary things to Shadow, they've managed to work things out. And for someone to do that and still be in Shadow's life is something of a new thing to us."

"He definitely acts more…animal towards her," Silver grunted at the thought. "He used a domineering tone this morning. And she actually submitted to him."

"Really?"

"Really. I was pissed that he'd actually do something like that. I mean, I've read parts of the book," Silver motioned towards the back with his head to not catch Amy's attention too much. "Shadow has the signs of being more animalistic than most Mobians."

"Probably because of the way he was artificially engineered. Maybe his DNA contains more animal than human," Tails shrugged. "It's a part of Mobian life, really. We are animals when we get down to the root of things. Shadow does show signs of it more, though. Hence why I'm making her read the book. I figure I can try and help Sonic with this matchmaking deal."

Silver raised an eyebrow in question. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Shadow's kept Amy around this long – it must mean something. Now, I've read those books twice. Once when I heard Amy was coming, and the first time was when Sarah came along. Sonic didn't show animalistic signs over her at first, but I think putting Sarah in the same house as Shadow kind of set off something in Sonic. Over the years, Sonic's gained control. Plus, Sonic didn't lose it when Amy was on her monthly. Shadow did."

"Yeah, I heard all about that," Silver grumpily stated. "Did he try anything?"

"No." Tails gave Silver a smirk. "Shadow's got more self-control than we think. But it was noticeable and he was trying his damnedest to fight it, too."

"Meaning his animalistic side finds Amy attractive."

"Not just that but suitable as a mate." Tails chuckled to himself as he made the observation in his head. "In all the years that the Wilson's have tried to set Shadow up with dates, I've never seen him act like this. Something about Amy has Shadow's animal side awake. Did he act harshly towards you or Manic when you guys arrived?"

Silver shook his head. "Not that I can recall. But he definitely wasn't friendly this morning. Or during our Skype call."

"Self-control again," the fox explained. "Shadow's civil and logical side is the side we see most often. But I wanted Amy to read that book because-"

"Because she's the one that sees the most of his other side," Silver finished with a nod of his head. "I get it. And you think it'll open her eyes a bit more or get her animal side out?"

"It's one way to play matchmaker, that's for sure. Get their animalistic side out and let instincts take over – then their logical brains will start to produce feelings towards one another. Simple but it might take a while. With a person like Shadow, it'd be a wonder if he would ever settle down."

"Have you ever seen him be romantic?"

"He didn't really try with the girls the Wilson's would set him up with. Most took off upon seeing him – which makes me think Amy's a better choice for him. She already knows his past, and despite what she's done and apologized for, she's accepted him. Maybe that's why his logical, normal side is keeping her here."

Suddenly, and abruptly, Amy sat up from her laying position. The book was partially closed but her finger held her spot. Her other hand ripped the earplugs out.

"Hey, if a male rubs himself against you while you're on your period to make you smell like him and not attract other males, does that mean he subconsciously likes you?"

Silver and Tails stared at one another. The white hedgehog twisted back around to Amy. "Did…Shadow do this to you?"

"Maybe once."

The smirk across Tails' muzzle was too much for Silver to ignore. Something was going on between Shadow and Amy, even if the two didn't see it. Silver saw it. Something was bound to happen. He just wasn't sure if he wanted it to or not.

"It's a weird way of phrasing jealousy, but yeah," Tails noted. "I'd say so."

Amy hummed before shaking her head and placing the book on the console. "No more, Tails. I can't handle this. There's too much to even figure out—"

"Would that be because Shadow's done half the things in the book?"

"Shut up." Amy twisted around to face the seat as she lied down again. "I'm going to take a nap – don't disturb me." She put her earplugs back in.

And just like that, Tails was back to smirking knowingly. "See what I mean?" he whispered. "Amy's the one for Shadow. Shadow just doesn't see it himself yet, but thankfully, his animal side is already starting to claim her as his mate. Now all we need is for both to actually fall in love. Ya get what I'm saying?"

Silver stared back at Amy softly. "Yeah, I get what you're saying."

All he could think, however, was if Shadow was an appropriate fit for Amy.

It was pitch black.

Reaching out, Amy knew what she was looking for – the bed.

'What's going on?' She thought as she took an uneasy step. 'Ugh…Am I dreaming?'

No. It felt so real. Except for the added weight.

A hand flew to her stomach. Amy's eyes widened as she placed both hands on the enlarged stomach. A small nudge from within responded.

'I feel light headed…'

Oddly, Amy didn't feel worried that something was moving inside her.

Suddenly hands skimmed from her hips to her arms before wrapping around her. Amy froze as a familiar scent wafted around her. The lifeform behind her nuzzled into the crook of her shoulder and purred.

"What do you think you're doing up so late?"

His voice was smooth and laced with humor. Quills quivered in a warning way to her, however. Amy felt helpless in that moment. Her ears pinned back as Shadow tugged at her body until she fit against him snug. The feeling of her supposed mate nipping at her neck left her shivering. Amy bit her bottom lip and leaned against him.

'What is happening…Why can't I move?'

Something in her brain told her this wasn't the normal routine between her and Shadow. They weren't intimately together – she wasn't the mate of Shadow the Hedgehog! It just couldn't be.

Amy seized control of her body, knowing it was all just a dream. She had to wake up. Pulling away from Shadow, she moaned tiredly.

Instinctively, his hands flew to her stomach and he stood straight. Towering over her now, Shadow made Amy feel smaller than before if such a thing was possible. Amy could feel the calculating stare directed at the back of her head.

"Amy?"

"What?" she found herself having complete control of her voice, too.

'This is different. Normally, I can't control anything in my dreams…And this dream is a little out there.'

Dreaming that she was the Ultimate Life Form's wife wasn't a normal dream for her. She hadn't even thought – well, okay, maybe she had thought about the idea of being Shadow's wife in reality, but it was purely out of disbelief. That notion would never happen.

It just wouldn't.

Even if the sparks were undeniably stronger between them right now in this reverie.

"No need to snap," his voice droned and he was soon nudging her towards the bed. "It's late. You should be resting."

Amy bit her tongue as a sarcastic response made way. She had to remember she wasn't in real life at the moment. Who knows how the Shadow in her dream would react – especially if they were married and she was pregnant with his child.

Just the thought should have sent Amy Rose hurling or at least shivering in distaste. But the small kick from within made her thoughts stop abruptly. And her feet.

Shadow sighed in annoyance. "Amy," he warned. "You've been on your feet all day."

The rose hedgehog bit her lip and moved towards the bed. Letting Shadow pick her up, she was gently placed under the covers. Soon, he added weight to the bed and was moving closer towards her. Amy could feel his warm breath graze against her ear as he tugged her closer to him gently, minding the belly.

Amy reluctantly curled up towards him.

'This feels…oddly normal.'

It was strange to feel Shadow's touch in such a gentle way. In such a way that only a lover would do. Amy couldn't help but let the butterflies flutter in her. Or maybe it was the baby. The thought of a child still hadn't seemed to bother her.

'Am I really dreaming?' Amy tiredly thought to herself as she shut her eyes.

Soon, the world went dark again.

~.~

When Amy opened her eyes again, it was like time flew by.

She barely recalled falling asleep next to Shadow while she was heavily pregnant. As soon as the memory hit her, it was gone.

And she was walking through the kitchen. A familiar kitchen, yet a different color and the cupboards were white instead of brown. The kitchen table in the middle was gone and replaced with a white table as well.

'Perhaps…I redid it.'

Amy pursed her lips in thought but was cut quickly from her thinking when something latched onto her legs. She was supposed to be unsure, but some motherly instinct told Amy who exactly it was.

Glancing down with a warm gaze only a mother could give, Amy smiled at the black hedgehog that had stuck himself to her legs. He peered up at her with familiar red eyes and a happy look. A little purr from her son, and he was gone in a flash.

Her heart was the thing to flutter this time, not her stomach. Quickly, the child came back and watched her. Amy was about to kneel and speak to him when the garage door opened. In came Shadow. Her supposed husband standing before her supposed son. The two were completely identical – matching stripes and all.

"Good morning."

The boy seemed unfazed by his father's entrance. He kept his eyes fixated on Amy and waited patiently for something. Amy raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

Shadow chuckled as he was suddenly standing closer. Their child stood between them – all within a few inches of each other. The ebony adult male reached out and kissed his wife's forehead.

"You forget about breakfast, Amy?"

Yes. Those small red eyes did show off a little hunger. The boy only chirped to agree with Shadow. He clung onto Amy's legs again. With a little wag of his tail, he purred and rubbed against her sweats.

Amy smiled softly and combed through his quills.

'It's like he's real…' A small pang went through her because the reality wasn't here. This was all a dream, wasn't it? The boy didn't exist. The wedding band around her finger wouldn't be there when she'd wake up.

And to think such an innocent child wasn't real…her child…

Amy couldn't help but frown. She had to wake up from this dream that was becoming a nightmare. She didn't want to live this.

She wasn't married to Shadow. They weren't a family.

Why on Earth was she dreaming it then? Was it some sort of sign?

'No. No. Don't be ridiculous, Amy. Dreams happen with normally the last things you think of. What were you doing before?'

The pink female tried to think, she really did. But she could only tell that this was a dream. She didn't remember anything else. The stuff in the dream was false compared to reality – she knew that much. Her and Shadow weren't together.

"Mammmma," the little boy held out the m's to catch his mother's attention.

The big, red eyes were almost too much for her to bear. She could feel Shadow's curious gaze as he stood nearer.

Amy smiled softly down at the child. "Of course…"

~.~

Waking up this time, Amy felt the cold cement against her cheek.

The swinging lamp gave off the only light in what seemed to be a basement. She rolled over on her back and rubbed her eyes.

'Where…Where am I?'

Sitting up, Amy was greeted with red paint – or what she hoped was paint – on the walls. The capital letter words spelled out 'WORTHINGTON.' While trying to get her bearings and remember what the hell happened, Amy stood.

'I was…with Shadow, wasn't I? Or was I in a car? No, I had a kid. Or I was going to see one…What's happening?'

Staring at the wall some more, the word was the only thing Amy could focus on. The entire wall was covered in the name. Over and over again. All four walls were.

'Worthington…I've heard it before, but where?'

An image of Scourge flashed through her brain. But she couldn't connect the pieces to the puzzle.

Turning, Amy caught sight of the stairs that led up and out of the basement. Amy was on her way out, hurrying up the stairs, when a soft cry stopped her. A motherly instinct told her to go back down.

And she did.

Tucked away in the corner of the room was a small bundle of blankets. Picking the light weight up, Amy widened her eyes. A familiar nose poked out and little red eyes stared at her with fear. Her child, He was tired and shaking, but his scent matched hers.

'Oh, no. What the hell is going on?'

She clung to her baby as she raced up the stairs. Pounding on the steps, she grabbed the knob of the door and swung it open, ready to leave this fantasy and wake up.

Only, something blocked her.

"It seems someone's awake."

The voice sent a chill down her spine. Staring dead ahead, Amy was met with Samwell Turner. The bat outstretched his wings and blocked her only escape from the old house that gave off a terrible vibe. Something about it was sick.

Amy swallowed as Sam took a step. The baby in her grasp whined, and she clutched onto him tighter.

"I must say, Shadow is a persistent mate. He's destroyed two of my best warehouses in hopes of finding you."

Just the mention of Shadow's name made Amy's heart skip a beat. He was looking for her? He was trying to save her? What about the others? Did they care? Why was she here?

So many questions and yet she felt no one would give her any answers.

Amy tightened her hold on the baby. The thought of Shadow risking life and limb for her made her heart flutter still. It was all a dream though. She just knew it.

Still, the baby in her grasp felt so real.

'I've got to get out of here.' A warning went off in her brain the moment she saw Sam. Dream or not, he was probably dangerous either way. 'But how? He's in the way.'

Sam took another step. Amy narrowed her eyebrows and hissed. "Why waste your time, Samwell? Shadow's going to kill you for this."

"Maybe so."

The slow approach of his steps made her uneasy.

It was worse when the lights went out.

Amy let out a gasp as her heart pounded against her ribcage. She reached for the wall and leaned against it, walking backwards. She managed to carry her baby in her free arm. Sam continued towards her.

'No!' her mind was sent into panic mode as she felt something creeping towards her, dangerously close.

"But I want him to come," Sam's voice was everywhere – bouncing off the walls as Amy clenched her teeth. "I want to see the look on his face when he sees you dead."

Sam's breath was right in front of her face. She scrunched her nose in disgust as her foot almost slipped. The stairs back down to the basement were right behind her. Sam was right in front of her. There was nowhere to go.

Fear clutched onto her.

"I want to see the Ultimate Life Form in pain."

Amy bit her lip. She ignored Sam. She hoped that Shadow would rescue her in time, instead. As if he would waltz in any moment. That's what happened in the movies. Why couldn't it happen in her dream, too?

"It'll be the sweetest revenge on the Sonic Heroes – plucking them out one by one," Sam suddenly whispered and broke her from her thoughts. He leaned closer. "But don't worry. I've chosen you to be first so you don't have to watch all your friends die."

She didn't register what happened next.

Amy could only scream as she tumbled down the stairs. The baby was no longer in her grasp, but the wailing cries that came from him shook her eardrums.

The last thing she could see was the red paint dripping down the white cinderblock wall.

And the familiar words racing towards her until her mind went blank.

Worthington.

"Amy?"

A slap on her cheek awoke her from the horrific nightmare. Amy panted heavily as Silver raised an eyebrow at her.

"You okay, Ames?"

The rose hedgehog nodded and waved Silver off. "Yeah, where are we?" She lifted herself up quickly to catch her surroundings.

It was daylight. She was in the truck. They were at a high school.

"Cream's standing over there with her friend," Tails motioned. He unbuckled and glanced at Silver and then at Amy. "You sure you wanna do this still?"

"Yeah," Amy responded. "Just give me a minute, will ya?"

Tails shrugged and got out of the vehicle.

Silver sighed. "This should be fun, hm?" He left too without giving Amy the chance to respond.

It didn't matter anyway.

Amy leaned against the window as the guys did as she had asked. They both figured she was trying to muster up courage to walk up to Cream after all those years. When in reality, Amy was still panting over the dream.

She reached to her stomach. No child. Nowhere. No innocent child growing inside her and no innocent child clutching onto her legs. No Samwell Turner pushing her down a flight of stairs, either. And yet, everything – every little moment had felt so real.

Never have I experienced something like that…

The hedgehog put her head against the headrest and focused on breathing evenly.

Staring out the front window, Amy saw Cream standing at the front of the school with another girl. For once, Amy didn't care about the situation or even about herself – or anyone but one being in that moment.

The baby in the dream was gone and it terrified her to not know if he was alive or not.

At that moment, Amy didn't want to talk to Cream, Tails, or even Silver. She only wanted to find Shadow.

For some reason.