A Rose in a Fisted Glove
Prologue -
In the deep of the night, in his posh mansion, a mink lay in his big bed in deep sleep. His blonde hair cascaded over his pillow as he rolled over. His lips smacked a little as he moaned. "Sonia… Sonia, please… I need you… don't go…" Tears slips out of the corners of his closed eyes as he clenched then closed. "Sonia!" He screamed as bolted up, his eyes opening. "That dream again…" He wrapped his arms around himself as it faded and he could only sob in his loneliness.
The next morning, the mink sat in the parlor of his mansion staring at his cup of tea. He only barely registered the chinking of a spoon against china and a voice speaking to him. "What?" He asked as he realized he'd been asked a question. "I'm sorry sir…"
"What is wrong with you Bartleby?" The deep gravelly voice of the kingdom's present ruler asked again, his tone demanding a response.
Bartleby shook his head. "No sir, nothing is wrong. I just had a rough night. Too much caffeine kept me up." He lied though he turned haunted eyes away.
Robotnik eyed him suspiciously but let him get away with his obvious fib. If the boy didn't want to tell him then fine. He could find out another way if necessary. "Very well. I must go, my boy." He put a large hand on the small head. On the way out, he looked at Sleet. "Have Dingo stay behind…" He whispered. "Without him knowing."
Sleet nodded and despite Dingo's protests, he transformed him into a tiny fly and ordered him to
———————-
Meanwhile, in her bed, Sonia Hedgehog tossed as she always did. "Ohhhh… Bartleby…" She rolled over. "Bartleby, you are so wonderful… No, don't go that way… Bartleby!" She screamed and sat up sharply, breathing hard and fast as a blue blur burst through her door.
"Sonia! Are you alright?" Sonic Hedgehog asked his sister. He held a glass of water which she took gratefully. "Another nightmare?"
Sonia trembled. "Can you blame me. This war sucks!" She snapped as she set down the glass.
"No but I can worry. This is becoming a real problem. It's almost every night. I'm worried about you. Can't you tell me what they're about?" He asked. "Maybe I can help."
Sonia shook her head. "No. You can't help Sonic. I'll be fine. It's just this war is getting to me." She looked out the window. "Whoa it's morning! You let me oversleep! You know we're going to Sanctuary today!" She leaped out of bed and ran to the bathroom.
————————
Through the day, Bartleby didn't do much of anything. He watched television, read some books, looked at photos of him and Sonia. His servant-bots made his lunch and brought it but he didn't eat a bite. "Sonia… where are you? Are you safe?" He wept softly.
Dingo sat on the wall, watching as he just stared at her picture. He wondered if that was what he looked like to Sleet.
————————
Visiting Sanctuary brought a smile to Sonia's face. They gave out gifts of toys and snacks they were able to steal or acquire in some way. She handed a doll to a little girl who gleefully held the toy and bounded off.
She couldn't help but wistfully wonder what it would be like if things had gone as she'd planned. She'd be married and possibly playing with her own baby girl by this time. She sighed sadly as she found a spot by herself. She reached down into her turtleneck and pulled out a chain. On the chain hung a rose-gold ring with a large heart-shaped diamond. Four rubies were at each of the four cardinal points. She pictured Bartleby giving her the ring the night of her sixteenth birthday.
"Sonia, what are you doing over here by yourself?" A tawny lion asked her with a smile. "Whoa!" He said when he saw the ring. "What is that?"
Sonia looked up at Cyrus and sighed. "Just my engagement ring. I was just thinking how I never gave him back his ring."
Cyrus' cocked an eyebrow. "Engagement ring? You were engaged? To whom?" He sat down and marveled at the large stones.
"Bartleby Montclair, Robotnik's favorite. I had to break it off of course but… Cyrus, I loved him…" She said sadly. "But shh, don't tell my brothers. They won't understand. I just miss him."
The lion bit his lip. He reached over and hugged her. He wasn't surprised that she began to cry softly. He rubbed her back, wondering if it would be a good time to tell her how he felt. He was tempted but his conscience kicked him hard. "You know the war won't last forever. You two still have a chance."
Sonia wiped her eyes and shook her head. "No. It can never happen. He probably hates me by now. I've kind of used him a bit." A cloth appeared in front of her eyes and she smiled, using it to dry her eyes.
"Your brothers are coming." He whispered. He blocked their view of her so she could hide the ring and right herself.
"Sonia, Cyrus, what are you doing over here?" Sonic asked curiously.
Cyrus shrugged. "We were just talking about food. I was just about to ask if she'd go to dinner with me." He lied.
Sonia smiled gratefully. "And I was thinking it might be a good idea." Cyrus was sweet to her. Maybe she just needed to get her head out of the past and move on.
——————-
AN: Doing a rewrite of an older fic with a dash of new flavor. Please review.
