"Shaddy!"

Shadow didn't stir when Hope addressed him, so she grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him.

"Shaddy, wake up!"

"Hm…wha…?" Shadow opened his eyes. "Oh."

"Come on! We don't want to miss another one of Rouge's breakfasts, do we?"

"Hmph."

While not the biggest breakfast she'd ever cooked, Rouge had nevertheless cooked more than enough for everybody, barring Omega, who barely ate anything besides motor oil or other assorted lubricants and fuels anyways. Shadow took only one egg, two pieces of bacon and a piece of dry white toast, which he stared at.

"Shaddy…?" said Rouge.

"What?"

"What's wrong? You haven't really touched your food."

Shadow tapped his food with his index finger. "There, I touched it. Are you happy now, you vacuous little…?"

Rouge gritted her teeth. "Shaddy, what did I tell you about calling your mommy that name?"

Shadow crossed his arms. "Eat me. See if I care."

Rouge growled, stomped on over to Shadow and put him in a headlock.

"You snarky little so-and-so! I can't believe you'd backpedal on us like this after being such a good boy!"

Shadow flailed his arms around. "All right, you win! I'm sorry! What more do you want!?"

Rouge loosened her grip and thrust her index finger at Shadow. "I want you to sit down and eat your damn food like a good boy! Think you can manage that?"

"Ugh…fine…"

Rouge put Shadow in another headlock.

"OK, stop doing that, Mommy!" Shadow flailed his arms around again. "I promise I'll be good!"

Rouge let go of Shadow and smiled. "I knew you'd see things my way!"

Hope merely looked on at the scene with befuddlement. Even Omega was rather confused by the state of affairs, although his analogic circuits indicated that Shadow had probably seen something that really did a number on his psyche.

After Rouge got ready for her workday, she handed a small plastic digital kitchen timer to Shadow in addition to a piece of paper.

"So we're having pulled pork sandwiches for supper tonight," said Rouge. "When this timer goes off, you shut the Crock-Pot off and follow the directions on that piece of paper, OK?"

Shadow nodded. "OK."

"And while you're at it, give your mommy a big hug!"

Rouge gave Shadow a big hug, which he returned. Even if it didn't feel totally up to snuff, he still enjoyed her touch.

"Buh-bye!" said Rouge. "Have a fun time!"

Shadow nodded without saying anything further. He turned around to see Hope standing behind him.

"So, you wanna go meditate again?" asked Hope.

"I'll get to that, but first, I have something that I must do…"

"OK!"

Shadow went to his room, where he sat down at his writing desk and proceeded to write a letter to Rouge.

"Dear Rouge: By the time you get this letter, the authorities will probably have taken me away for one reason or another. I'm sorry I was unable to tell this to you in person, but maybe some things are better told this way.

Ever since I met you, I've always thought you were one of the most beautiful women I've ever met. As I've grown to know you better, I realize your beauty is deeper than it appears. One of the things I especially love about you is your motherly nature. I realize that I've criticized you for being overprotective of me, but I know you really cared about me, and in my opinion, there's nothing sexier than a woman who carries herself like a mother regardless of whether or not she's born children of her own. Another thing I really like about you is your prowess in combat. I've always admired women who displayed physical strength, and you're no exception. Please, don't ever let your skills go rusty. Also, I've always looked forward to racing with you on Extreme Gear because you look gorgeous in a sports bra. I realize you'll probably laugh at me for writing that, but it's the truth.

Even if we ever get torn apart, my feelings for you will never go away. I realize we may be just friends, but sometimes I think you're more than that to me. I couldn't ask for anything more in a woman.

-Your friend,

Shadow the Hedgehog"

Once again, Shadow put the letter in an envelope, sealed it and placed it in one of the drawers of his desk. Unlike the letter he wrote to Sonic, he felt better about this one, and it made him forget about his troubles a little. He exited his room and rejoined Hope.

"OK, let's head up to the spa," said Shadow.

Once again, Shadow and Hope went to the grassy patch that Shadow usually used to get to his happy place.

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" asked Shadow.

Hope nodded. "I think so."

"Then let's close our eyes and get comfortable."

Shadow and Hope closed their eyes and began the process. For the few minutes they spent getting comfortable, and for the breathing portion, things were going right. Heck, neither one had trouble getting to their happy places, or at least Shadow didn't. Hope was still new at this, so she still had issues with other thoughts. Suddenly…

"NO!" screamed Shadow.

"Huh!?" Hope's eyes snapped open. "Shaddy!?"

"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Oh my god! Are you OK, Shaddy!?"

"HELP! DON'T LET IT GET ME!"

"Shaddy, I'm right here!"

Not sure of what else to do, Hope rushed over to Shadow, wrapped her arms around him and lied down with him. Initially, he flopped around a bit and tried to break free of her grasp, but he eventually calmed down, opened his eyes and huffed and puffed.

"Shaddy, everything's OK! Just breathe!"

Shadow took a deep breath. "Hope…thanks. I thought I was gone for sure."

"What happened, anyways?"

"I don't know. One minute, I was in my happy place, and then this…this thing comes after me!"

"What can you tell me about this thing?"

"I don't know…it was like nothing I'd ever seen before. I'm not usually afraid of evil alien creatures, but this…it was indescribable. It was like I was facing a physical manifestation of everything hateful in this world and it had just turned on me."

"Oh man, that must be awful!"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You mean aside from holding onto me like this?"

"I guess…"

"I…well…don't tell Rouge I said this, but I enjoy being tickled."

Hope smiled. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm serious. Tickle me, damn it."

"OK, but I'm warning you, I can be quite merciless!"

"Oh, I can only…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Is that good for you, Shaddy?"

"AHAHAHAHAHA! YES!"

"Good, because it's fun for me, too!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"That's right! Laugh for me!"

"OH MY GOD! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"You're doing great so far!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Shadow snorted.

"Did you just snort!?"

"UH-OH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"That means I'm going to tickle you harder!"

"NOT HARDER! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"YES! You must be TICKLED!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"But wait, I've got more for you!"

"Um…"

Hope temporarily stopped tickling Shadow and reached for his shoes.

"OK, how do I get these things off?" said Hope. "Wait…maybe if I turn this bracelet like so…"

As per what she'd predicted, loosening the Inhibitor Rings on Shadow's ankles allowed Hope to pull off his shoes more easily, and then his socks.

"NOT MY FEET! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"But your feet are so cute!" said Hope. "They deserve to be tickled!"

"HELP ME! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Sorry, but nobody's gonna help you out of this one, buster!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHP!"

"I won't let you give up that easy!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Hey, you're doing great!"

"HOPE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU CAN STAHP NOW!"

"Why would I want to? This is too much fun!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Oh Shaddy, you're so silly!"

"PLEASE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Please what?"

"PLEASE STAHP TICKLING ME! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"OK, I'll stop tickling you, but you have to repeat everything I say…"

"Er…such as…?"

"Such as…'Hope is a nicer and more beautiful person than me!'"

"WHAT!? I'm not going to say that! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! OK! OK! YOU WIN! Hope is a nicer and more beautiful person than me!"

"Hope is the kindest person I've ever been blessed to meet!"

"Hope is the kindest person I've ever been blessed to meet."

"I like being Hope's personal tickle slave!"

"I-I like being Hope's personal tickle slave."

"I want Hope to cuddle and love me forever and ever!"

"I want Hope to cuddle and love me forever and ever."

"There we go!"

Hope let go of Shadow's feet, lied down and cuddled him from behind. He was still green in the face from all the tickling, but he couldn't help but smile, either.

"Hope…thanks."

"You're welcome! Feeling better?"

"Yes. The memory still remains, but hopefully, this will remain even longer."

"It's like you said: they're only thoughts; they can't hurt you."

Shadow frowned. "I know, but that one felt so real."

"Well, I'm real, aren't I?"

Shadow's smile returned. "And I'm glad you are!"

"I'm glad you're real too, Shaddy!"

And so, Shadow and Hope lied down on the grass and cuddled. Even if Shadow was still feeling a bit lousy, both this and the tickling alleviated his pain quite a bit. Besides, this reminded him of how happy he'd been lying down in her lap yesterday. Eventually, she let go.

"Hey, why don't we play some video games now?" said Hope.

"Sounds good," said Shadow.

Down in the game room, Shadow led Hope to a kiosk of sixth-gen consoles. Like the seventh-gen one, it had four TVs – these being Sony Trinitrons – for system link play. This time, Shadow withdrew the Xbox version of Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition.

"Are you sure you don't want to play that Executioner game?" asked Hope.

"I don't really feel like it," said Shadow. "Besides, I haven't played this one in a while, and it's always been one of my favorite racing games."

"OK."

After firing the game up and loading the game data, Shadow started things off easy: a Circuit race in San Diego at the Mission Bay Bridges course, three laps, no traffic, no computer-controlled opponents, no powerups, no bull. For his car, he picked a black 1970 Pontiac GTO with red tribal graphics, while Hope picked a blue 1981 Camaro Z28 with white racing stripes and a 1978 bodykit. The race was very close, and in spite of Shadow trying to play dirty by ramming Hope off the track, she won the first race.

"That was a good race!" said Hope. "Play again?"

Shadow nodded. "You're on."

And so, Shadow and Hope played some more. Most of their races were in San Diego, but they did race in Atlanta on a few occasions. Overall, they were about evenly matched when it came to victories.

"OK, that was really fun, but I think I wanna play around with the real things now!" said Hope.

"Suit yourself," said Shadow. "Besides, I think my Trans Am may be overdue for an oil change."

Shadow popped the game out, put it back in its case and then returned the case to the "RETURN" slot on the kiosk.

Down in the garage, Shadow took out a floor jack, a couple of steel ramps and a disposable oil drain pan. Before jacking up his Trans Am, he popped open the hood and pulled out the dipstick. Sure enough, the oil on it was dark brown in color, which indicated that it needed to be changed. After replacing the dipstick and closing the hood, Shadow jacked the front end of the car up a bit and slid each ramp – each one being a bit wider than the tires – underneath the front wheels before resetting the jack.

"OK, have at it," said Shadow.

Hope nodded and took the oil drain pan.

"Where do you keep your tools?" asked Hope.

"If you're looking for stuff to change the oil, there's a toolbox near the work bench in the corner, behind Rouge's Corvette." Shadow gestured in that direction with his thumb. "We also have special wrenches for removing the oil filter, which I also think needs replacing."

"Right."

Hope opened a couple of toolboxes and grabbed the necessary tools. She slid the oil drain pan under the Trans Am and proceeded to drain the old oil from it. Rouge had left her Corvette here today because she only really needed it if she was going to be doing lots of shopping or anything where she was going to be carrying a bunch of cargo, so Shadow popped its hood open and checked the oil. It was slightly low, but otherwise not exceedingly dirty.

"Hey Shaddy…"

"What?"

"Where do you keep the oil?"

Shadow closed the Corvette's hood. "It's in the fluids cabinet. Look for the 20W-50 stuff."

"And the oil filters?"

"They're in the cabinet below that one."

"Right."

Hope slid out from under the Trans Am and went to a white wall-mounted cabinet with "FLUIDS" on it in bold letters, which she opened.

"You really like Castrol, don't you?" said Hope.

"According to my research, they make the best oil for classic cars," said Shadow. "We have different stuff for the Kenworth, the tank and my motorcycle, but you may have already noticed this."

Hope grabbed a jug of Castrol Classic XL motor oil and an Amsoil filter before sliding under the car and replacing the filter. She then popped the Trans Am's hood and poured the oil in. Meanwhile, Shadow proceeded to check the oil in his GMC even though he hadn't really used it. It was still good, so he checked the oil in the K100 and Patton, both of which were at optimal levels and quality as well.

"Hey Shaddy…"

"What?"

"What do you want me to do with the used oil?"

"There's a disposal depot on a road that turns off of the route between here and Quartz Village. I'll take it there soon."

"Wow, you must really care about the environment!"

"Well, Rouge and Sonic told me that it was responsible to recycle, so I'm only being fair."

"Still, it's nice that you don't just dump it on the ground!"

"If you'll excuse me, I still have to check the oil in my bike…"

Shadow did so. It was only half full, so he added some more.

"I think it's about time for lunch now," said Shadow.

"Yeah, I'm starving!"

For lunch, Hope made a roast beef sandwich with mayonnaise and spinach on multigrain bread, while Shadow grabbed another box of Swiss rolls.

"Are you sure you should be eating all of those?" said Hope. "That doesn't look too healthy."

Shadow brought a fist down on the table. "I DON'T GIVE A CRAP!"

"Hey, there's no need to get upset with me like that!"

Shadow sighed. "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't let my emotions come out like that."

"I was just concerned about your eating habits, that's all."

"Look, I know you love me and everything, but you seem to forget that I'm the Ultimate Life Form. Consequently, I can eat as little or as much as I want and my body won't care one way or the other."

"OK, I do love you, but you're so weird sometimes!"

"Hmph."

After lunch, Shadow went up to the rooftop observation deck, looked up at the sky and crossed his arms. There were quite a few clouds in the sky, but not enough to obscure the sun. While up here, he reflected on all the bad things he'd done since Ferdinand Rozmiarek's shooting. Consciously, he knew he hadn't been a totally unredeemable person in that time, but still, with the attack on June Ave, it was hard for him not to reflect on such things.

"There you are!" said Hope. "I've been looking for you!"

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? I wanted to watch some TV with you!"

"Look, I'm not feeling well at the moment. By that, I don't mean 'sick', it's just an emotional thing."

Hope frowned. "I see. If you need some time alone, I'll be glad to give it to you. You can always come back to me when you're feeling better."

Shadow nodded. "Yes, thank you. The TV downstairs has an Xbox One X that we use for Netflix and Hulu."

"You're welcome."

Hope went downstairs, while Shadow continued brooding. He hadn't done so in a long time, and he realized it wasn't exactly the healthiest thing to do, but the weight of the killings really bore down on him. While not ordinarily one to ask questions later, he was in no ordinary times, and he was no ordinary hedgehog, either. He prayed that the therapy session that Rouge had scheduled for him this coming Wednesday would have some appreciable positive effect. Granted, he realized that this would be no quick fix, but still, a little progress was better than none. Eventually, Shadow went to the living room.

"Decided to join me?" said Hope.

"I couldn't keep it up." Shadow sat on the couch next to Hope and wrapped an arm around her. "It gets really lonely up there sometimes, and I'm not usually the type to feel lonely."

"Hey, if you ever need me, I'm always here! Well…when I'm not at work, that is."

Shadow nodded.

Meanwhile, Hope proceeded to watch a few episodes of Cherry Bombs with Shadow. He had only seen bits and pieces of the show before, but now that he was watching full episodes, especially with a girl he really loved, he wondered why he hadn't done so before. Even if the concept wasn't entirely original, the way it was presented was very appealing to him. After the third episode they watched, Shadow heard a beeping noise, so he dug around and pulled out the kitchen timer that Rouge gave him.

"What's that?" asked Hope.

"That's a reminder from Rouge to take tonight's supper out of the Crock-Pot."

Shadow went to the kitchen and shut off the Crock-Pot. A few minutes later, he took the pork shoulder out and put it into a large bowl, after which he took the excess fat out of the liquid in the Crock-Pot according to the directions Rouge had given him. Using two large forks, he pulled the meat apart until it was well-shredded. Then, he took the pot out of the Crock-Pot, poured the extra juices over the pork, put in ¼ cup of ketchup, stirred and then seasoned with a bit of pepper and Himalayan salt. Shortly thereafter, he heard the doorbell ring, so he answered the door.

"Hey, Shaddy!" said Rouge.

"Hello, Rouge."

"So, did you take the pork out of the Crock-Pot like I told you to?"

Shadow nodded. "And I prepared it as per your directions."

"Good boy!"

Rouge hugged Shadow, and he returned it. Given his actions, he felt that "good" was a bit of a misnomer for him, but he figured Rouge and Hope might eventually forgive him for what he did. In any case, the three went to the kitchen/dining room and each grabbed a bulkie roll, which they put their pulled pork on before sitting down to eat.

"So Rouge, how was your day today?" asked Hope.

"Pretty average, I'd say. I didn't really do much besides paperwork, but Captain Hoffman said I have to re-qualify with my service weapon this Friday. How was your day?"

"It was good, but I have to talk about Shadow…"

Shadow paused in the middle of chewing.

"Why, what about him?" said Rouge.

"Mostly, he's been alright, but today, some of his behavior worried me…" said Hope.

"Such as…?"

"When we were meditating, he just broke out screaming and said he saw some kind of horrible monster."

"Are you OK now, Shaddy?"

Shadow swallowed. "Mostly, but I'd hate to think about it happening again."

"You do know that you can talk to me or Hope if you're feeling scared, right?"

"Of course."

"So, what else happened today, Hope?"

"Well, we also checked out the vehicles and watched some TV," said Hope. "Oh, and we played more video games."

"And my little Shaddy behaved himself otherwise?"

"He did, but he seemed oddly withdrawn much of the time and also lashed out at me when I told him that eating an entire box of Swiss rolls wasn't healthy."

Rouge put down her sandwich and walked over to Shadow.

"Please, come with me for a moment," said Rouge.

Shadow put down his sandwich and followed Rouge to a corner outside the room.

"What's gotten into you?" said Rouge. "After the remote incident, you were really well-behaved up until today!"

Shadow sighed. "If you must know, the ongoing protests and violence are really unnerving me."

Rouge wrapped an arm around Shadow. "I realize that this is a sensitive issue for you, but I want to let you know how much everybody loves you and how sad we'd be if you kept pushing us away."

"I know, it's just…I love Hope and I want the world to know that if we can love each other, then there's no reason that animals and humans shouldn't be able to get along."

Rouge smiled. "And that's very sweet of you! I'm sure that if you and Hope continue to treat each other with love and respect, then others will get the message! Just remember, Sonic's turn at the big concert is tomorrow, and your appointment is this Wednesday, so I'd be looking forward to how good those will be for your mind!"

"I'll try, OK?"

"I know you will! Now come on, let's finish up our supper!"

Aside from sandwiches, Shadow, Rouge and Hope also had some fruit salad. After supper, Shadow retreated to his room, fired up Karen, and after adjusting a few sliders, he played the March from "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary". He found this particular piece soothing to his ears, mind and body.

"Hey there!" said Hope.

Shadow messed up. "WHAT!?"

"Jeez, there's no need to be so jumpy!"

Shadow crossed his arms. "Well, if you hadn't snuck up on me like that, then maybe I wouldn't have snapped at you. Does knocking not exist in your culture?"

Hope frowned. "OK, I'm sorry if I made you jump, but I would appreciate a bit of politeness from you."

"I'm sorry, Hope. I promise I won't snap at you like that again."

Hope smiled. "Apology accepted. That was an interesting piece, by the way!"

"It's the opening march from Henry Purcell's 'Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary'."

"Keep playing it!"

"As you wish."

And so, Shadow played the March for a few more repetitions before he'd had his fill and shut Karen off.

"You really are good at that, you know?" said Hope. "You should record one of those Switched-On albums!"

"Why bother? Today's consumers would ignore it and buy some slick, manufactured crap instead."

"Hey, you never know! Based on what I heard, there's gotta be a market for that!"

Shadow stroked his chin. "On second thought, I heard that the soundtrack for The Miracle of Plantasia is doing quite well, so I guess you're right."

"Anyways, can I sit down with you on the bed and read?"

Shadow nodded. "Go ahead. There are plenty of books here, and if you can't find anything good, there's more down in the library."

"Nice!"

Hope perused the selection of books, which included everything from comic books to scholarly texts. She settled on a copy of Quantum Electronics, 3rd Edition by Amnon Yariv. Shadow grabbed a few issues of GP&P's The Executioner comic series. He'd already read these a number of times, but they never got any less interesting to him. Up until it was time for them to shower and get ready for bed, they read without any complaint. Once again, Shadow wrote in his journal:

"Dear Journal: I still feel like crap for shooting those humans down with my M16. In the past, I couldn't have cared less, but the past is the past. Speaking of which, I wrote a letter to Rouge about how she's been a really good friend and mother figure to me. If there's any one person I could never leave, it's her. Also, I faced a horrible monster when I tried meditating today. I'm just thankful I had Hope by my side when it happened. Speaking of Hope, I let her tickle me and it felt so GOOD. I'm not totally sure why I enjoy tickling, though. I think I just enjoy it when a woman touches me that way. That aside, we played video games and checked the fluids in the vehicles. My Trans Am needed an oil change, and my Dark Rider needed more oil, too, but everything else looked good.

After that, I decided to be alone on the rooftop for a while. However, I couldn't keep it up for too long because I love being with Hope and she's one of the few sane people in this insane world. That aside, Rouge made this really good pulled pork for supper. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and I think that's true. I accidentally snapped at Hope when I was playing Karen, but thankfully, we're over that. I loved reading with her, too. Hell, I love her, and I know this sounds wrong at this point, but I hope we get married someday. She'd probably look beautiful in a wedding dress."

That night, Shadow dreamed he was in Soleanna. People were carrying on with their daily business, but something was…off. Shadow couldn't quite place it though, and elected to go on and explore the city.

"So, you've elected to revisit this habitation…Shaddy."

"Huh?"

Shadow slowly turned around to see who the familiar voice belonged to.

"Mephiles!"

"Yes, it is I, the Dark Prince of Soleanna himself! And I must say, your aroma is quite alluring, my dear. Is that the blood of the innocent I detect on your breath?"

Shadow raised his fists. "And why do YOU want to know?"

"My, such enmity! I was simply giving you an accolade for the endeavor you carried out at June Ave."

"Look, I feel bad enough about that without YOU rubbing it in my face."

"You may not think so favorably of it, but I got laughs. I sincerely enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, I got what one would deem 'lulz'."

"Lulz!?"

"Yes, my dear Shaddy. 'Lulz' is a corruption of 'LOL', which stands for 'Laugh Out Loud'. As you and your compatriots have…"

"I know what 'LOL' stands for! Why would you think that's even funny!?"

"Spare me the mendacities. You seemed to have attained your own lulz at the time, and I covet a taste of that blood that you so coldly spilled that night."

"Not on your life, Mephiles!"

Shadow turned around and attempted to run away. However, Mephiles extended his arms to reach him and pulled him in.

"Running is such an ineffectual instrument of egress," said Mephiles. "Now, I will have your taste."

Shadow attempted to wriggle free of Mephiles' grasp. "No…Mephiles…PLEASE!"

"On no account shall I do so. Demon lives matter too, you know."

Mephiles leaned in closer to Shadow.

"NO!"

Shadow sprang awake, trembling a bit. He'd heard stories of people who committed crimes and later came to regret it. He didn't want to turn himself in to the police, but on the other hand, he couldn't go on living with murder on his mind. Not knowing what else to do, he held on tight to Hope and tried to get back to sleep.

(Hope…please don't leave me.)

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.