Chapter 7.
Please Review.
No Flames.
Most people in their usual outfits.
...
Forest Hill.
Cabin.
Morning.
When Shadow woke up the next morning, he was alone in bed. For a moment Shadow wondered where Amy had disappeared to then he could hear the shower in the bathroom running and smiled to himself. Of course Amy would already be up and about.
So Shadow stretched, wincing slightly because the movement put a strain on the healing skin on his back then he rolled over to bury his face in Amy's pillow, inhaling her wonderful scent but just as he propped himself up on his hands in order to get up, he noticed something on the sheets on Amy's side of the bed. Something that made Shadow frown and anger rising up in his throat.
There, amidst the tell-tale stains of Shadow and Amy's intermingled juices, he could clearly see blood.
In an instant Shadow was out of bed and headed towards the connecting door to their bathroom, entering it without knocking. Behind the shower curtain, Shadow could clearly make out Amy's figure and paused.
"Rose?" Shadow asked in order to catch Amy attention and was successful.
Amy turned off the running water with her left hand and peeked out from behind the shower curtain.
"Shadow? What's wrong?" Amy asked and looked up at worriedly at Shadow.
Shadow crossed his arms in front of his chest and studied Amy for a moment. Amy's face looked calm and relaxed, there was no anger towards Shadow.
"How could Rose not be angry with me? I had hurt her, had made her bleed! If Sonic ever found out, he would certainly kill me." Shadow thought.
Shadow decided to be straightforward. "There's blood on the bed sheets. I hurt you last night! Why didn't you tell me to stop? I'm so, so sorry! I know Sonic told me to be gentle with you and yet I wasn't! I'm not any better than that bastard Mephiles... I-!" he asked worried but was cut off, but Amy interrupted him.
"Stop it! Don't compare yourself to that monster, you are nothing like him!" Amy said.
Amy grabbed a towel from the towel rack and wrapped it around her body with both hands and stepped out of the shower, coming over to Shadow.
"But I made you bleed!" Shadow said flinching when Amy grabbed his biceps with both hands.
"That can happen, nothing to worry about." Amy said, searching Shadow's eyes then she smiled, cupping his face between her hands and stood up on her tippy toes, kissing him sweetly.
"Nevertheless, I think we should change the sheets now and put a towel underneath next time." Amy said.
Shadow sighed, calming slowly down after his initial shock. Amy was fine, she had said so herself.
"Yeah, you are right." Shadow said, after taking in Amy's fresh and clean scent. "Are you done in here? Can I take a shower now?"
Amy nodded. "Yes, I'm done. And you are definitely in need of a shower. But hurry up! You know that we want to go to the hospital in order to bring Sonic back home!" she said and left Shadow alone in the bathroom.
Shadow enjoyed the hot spray of the water on his body, except when it came in touch with the scratches on his back and spines, a reminder of his night with Amy. Carefully Shadow cleaned his back and spines, wincing slightly. Maybe Shadow should ask Amy to take a look at them in case they were inflamed.
...
15 minutes later.
Shadow emerged the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips and entered their bedroom. While getting properly dressed, Shadow heard a commotion in the corridor. Sighing, Shadow exited the bedroom to check what was going on and almost ran into Knuckles and Blaze who were obviously having an argument.
"We can't just leave like that, it's impolite! And, by the way, I would like to stay." Knuckles said while clutching Blaze's left arm with his right arm.
"Then stay! I didn't tell you to come with me, we don't need to do everything together." Blaze said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Knuckles seemed to be flabbergasted. "But I'm your fiancé!" he said.
Blaze shrugged. "Yes, but that doesn't mean we have to be like attached at the hip!" she said then freed her left arm from Knuckles's grip and turned around, coming face to face with Shadow, which seemed to startle her.
"Hey, Blaze." Shadow said to Blaze with a uneven grin.
Blaze pressed her right hand over her heart. "I didn't notice you were listening in on us." she said and tried to get past him, but Shadow held her back.
"Woah, I wasn't listening in on you, but I involuntarily overheard your conversation with Knuckles. Do you think it wise to do a moonlight flight, without saying goodbye to your friends?" Shadow asked and was taken aback by the hostility in Blaze's gold eyes.
"First of all, it's not a moonlight flight, because the sun is already shining, second I don't think that my friends would give a damn about me saying goodbye or not and third let go of my arm! You have lost every right to touch me since..." Blaze said but interrupted herself, freeing herself from Shadow.
Shadow frowned. "Since?" he questioned.
Taking a deep breath, Blaze lowered her gaze. Blaze seemed to be fighting with herself, whether she should answer Shadow's question or not. For a moment, Shadow believed that Blaze would remain quiet, but then she looked him straight in the eyes, squaring her shoulders.
"Since you turned me down 5 years ago! Remember? I felt so cheap afterwards, practically begging you to fuck me but apparently I wasn't good enough for you! Of course I wasn't, only sluts make it into your bed!" Blaze questioned.
Immediately, Shadow let go of Blaze's left arm with his right hand and Blaze stormed off. Shadow could hear Knuckles gasp in shock before running after Blaze.
"Blaze!" Knuckles said yelling, running after Blaze.
"Was she talking about me?" Amy asked.
Shadow flinched as he hadn't noticed Amy coming down the stairs, pressing Eclipse against her chest, tears running down her cheeks.
"Of course not! She is angry with me, that's all!" Shadow said frowning then tentatively reaching out his right hand towards Amy.
Amy came over to him hesitantly. "I thought she was my friend, I trusted her with my secrets, with my babies, and now I have to find out that she despised me!" she said.
To Shadow's horror, Amy started sobbing, which, of course unsettled Coral, who instantly started crying. Shadow observed for a moment whom to console first.
"Where are Silver and Scourge, when I need them?" Shadow thought then he got his answer.
"What did you do to her?" Scourge asked.
It was Scourge, standing at the top of the stairs, holding a crying Eclipse in his arms.
"Honestly? I didn't do anything to her, I never would!" Shadow said angrily.
This day seemed to turn into one of the worst days of Shadow's life.
"But she is crying! My sister almost never cries!" Scourge said while coming down the stairs.
Scourge really looked intimidating with that glare on his face, towering over Shadow.
"Calm down, Scourge, he really didn't do anything, except from not fucking Blaze, which in turn is the reason that she hates me!" Amy said.
Scourge seemed to be confused. "Excuse me, what? It doesn't make any sense, Ames!" he said.
Amy wiped away her tears with her right hand, rocking Coral slightly in order to calm the baby girl hoglet down.
"Oh, it all makes perfectly sense now." Amy said whispering then she turned on her heel and went into their bedroom.
For a moment, Shadow and Scourge glared at each other then Shadow reached out his arms.
"Can I have my son, please? I need to get him ready, Rose and I are heading over to the hospital to get Sonic and we don't want to leave the babies behind."
Scourge hesitated then he pressed a soft kiss to Eclipse's forehead before handing him over to Shadow. Eclipse stopped crying immediately, looking at Shadow with crimson red eyes but Amy's shape.
Shadow couldn't help but smile. "Hey, little prince, you just missed your Dad, didn't you?" he asked.
Eclipse yawned, kicking his chubby arms and legs and Shadow suddenly felt so much love for this little bundle of life in his arms that it totally overwhelmed him.
"I will never let anything bad happen to you, I swear." Shadow said whispering and kissed the baby hedgehog boy's forehead.
Eclipse reached out his tiny right hand, grabbing one of Shadow's black and red quills, still wet from the shower.
"I'm sorry." Scourge said, whispering.
Shadow winced as he had completely forgotten, that Amy's brother was still with him in the corridor. That corridor. Involuntarily Shadow felt a shiver running down his spine. Shadow and Amy should leave.
"No problem. I can understand that you are protective of your sister. I'm also protective of Sonic, you know!" Shadow said.
Scourge sighed. "Yes, overprotective, I would say." he said.
Shadow chuckled. "Likewise!" he said while trying to free his quills from Eclipse's grip with his right hand, without any success.
"Hey, Eclipse, can you please unhand my quills? It's attached to my head and I can't remove us from this god damned corridor if you don't let go." Shadow asked.
"You... feel it too?" Scourge asked unbelievingly.
Shadow nodded. "Yes. There's something unsettling about it, but I can't say why." he said.
Scourge didn't answer but walked over to Shadow. "Let me help you." he said, first pushing Shadow's right hand away then gently stroking over Eclipse's right hand with his left hand until the baby hedgehog boy opened his right fist, releasing Shadow's quills.
"Thank you." Shadow said.
Scourge genuinely smiled at Shadow.
Shadow couldn't help but smile back.
"You're welcome." Scourge said.
Someone cleared his throat from the top of the stairs.
It was Silver.
"Do you 2 need a room or something?" Silver asked acidly.
Scourge rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Oh, please, Silver, I'm not in the mood for one of your fits of jealousy." he said then he stormed into the living room.
Shadow could see Silver glaring at him but decided to ignore it. There had already been too much fighting for one morning. Instead Silver followed Scourge into the living room only to find him sitting on one of the couches, next to a crying Knuckles.
"What happened?" Scourge asked.
"She's gone, Shadow. She took my minivan and simply drove off, after throwing that in front of my feet." Knuckles said sobbing, extending a shaking right hand, uncurling his fingers only to reveal something shiny.
A ring. A delicate, white gold band with a heart-shaped diamond. Blaze's engagement ring.
…
Forest Hill.
Sitting in her fiancé's- ex-fiancé's- minivan, driving on a bumpy road through the woods, Blaze tried to understand what had gotten into her. Never had she been so angry with anyone. Those were Blaze's friends.
Blaze had known Shadow and Sonic since her 13th birthday when her father's dealings with the Hedgehog family started and they had always been like big brothers to her. Therefore, a part of Blaze understood why Shadow had turned her down when she had made her intentions towards him clear, to him, she was like a little sister.
Yet it had hurt when Shadow had told Blaze that he wouldn't sleep with her, even after she had offered that she wouldn't mind including Sonic since she had known that the 2 hedgehog brothers were inseparable and tended to share girls and then poor Knuckles!
Knuckles had always been kind to Blaze, comforting her when she had been pining after Shadow, who had made clear that he didn't like her like that.
So, Knuckles and Blaze had become friends then lovers, even though Blaze had never felt for Knuckles the way she had felt for Shadow it was still feeling for him, actually. Yet Knuckles was totally in love with Blaze and she knew it wasn't fair to use him as a substitute for the man she couldn't have, wouldn't have.
Of course, Blaze liked Knuckles, she really did but she wasn't in love with him.
Maybe it had been a mistake to accept Knuckles's proposal, especially under these circumstances. Knuckles deserved better than Blaze, throwing her engagement ring at his feet, stealing his minivan. What was wrong with her?
Yet the strangest thing was that Blaze didn't feel as angry now as she had felt when she had left the cabin, so as if driving through the woods was calming her down. Maybe that was the reason Scourge and Amy liked to go hiking, the woods could have a soothing effect on you.
Amy, Blaze's first and only female friend. Amy with her beautiful pink quills, her gorgeous jade green eyes, and her beautiful face. Amy, who had been nothing but kind to Blaze since they had met for the first time.
Blaze knew that she had involuntarily insulted the hedgehog woman when she had said to Shadow that only sluts made it into his bed but Amy wasn't a slut. Blaze didn't understand where her sudden burst of jealousy had come from but she understood that she would have to beg the others for forgiveness because she had screwed up.
Therefore, Blaze decided to turn around and drive back to the cabin. Yes, that was the right decision, especially since Blaze didn't take anything with her, not her clothes, or cosmetics, not her purse or her mobile phone.
So, stepping on the brakes Blaze stopped the van then she put the car into reverse to make a U-turn, but while she was driving backwards, she somehow lost control of the vehicle and the minivan drove straight into the ditch along the road, even hitting a tree.
Fortunately, nothing had happened to Blaze but the car was damaged and she couldn't get it out of the ditch.
Blaze hit the steering wheel with both hands, angry with herself. It was clear that Blaze would have to leave the van here and walk back to the cabin. So, she got out of the car, walked to its booth and took out the advance warning triangle to put it on the road so that other vehicles wouldn't drive into Knuckles's van.
Since Blaze couldn't call anyone, she considered waiting for another car driving by perhaps it would even be Shadow and Amy since they wanted to go to the hospital in order to get Sonic, but Blaze wasn't sure if she had taken the right roads. Thinking about it, Blaze couldn't remember anything from her drive out here, since she had been constantly looking at the map while reading out Amy's instructions to Knuckles.
So, Blaze's only option was to walk back to the cabin.
After placing the advance warning triangle on the road, Blaze started walking into the direction she had come from. Blaze knew that it would take her a while to get back to the cabin and her friends but she didn't have any other choice.
While walking on the road, Blaze couldn't help but feeling watched.
Wrapping her arms around her, Blaze tried to ignore it telling herself that her mind was playing tricks on her. Yet, somehow it was unsettling to be the only cat being around here, especially since Amy had told them about the wild wolves and rabid foxes roaming the woods, not to forget the mountain lions which were not native to the area but had somehow managed to settle down here. But as long as Blaze kept to the main road, she was fine, wasn't she?
Blaze didn't know how long she had been following the road in the opposite direction she had driven down it before, when she noticed a young blonde hedgehog woman standing in the undergrowth, beckoning her to come over.
At first, Blaze couldn't believe her eyes. So, Blaze blinked several times but the woman was still standing there in her long white sleeveless dress, her long blonde quills falling over her shoulders. Blaze had to admit that she had at first believed the apparition to be the blonde version of Amy but then she understood that this couldn't be the case.
Yet the young blonde hedgehog woman seemed to be very insistent on Blaze coming over to her.
Could she trust this stranger? Blaze wasn't sure, but somehow, she seemed to be unable to resist the pull. Maybe this woman knew a short cut through the woods.
Blaze decided to throw caution to the winds and walked directly towards the mysterious, blonde hedgehog woman, standing in the undergrowth.
…
Later than initially planned, Shadow and Amy were on their way to the hospital, together with little Eclipse and Coral.
Shadow had tried to call his younger brother on his mobile to inform him about the delay, only to hear Sonic's ringtone coming from the bedroom, the little idiot had apparently forgotten to take his phone with him to the hospital. Well, then it was Sonic's fault that he would have to wait for them without knowing what was going on.
Amy was driving since it was her car, while Shadow sat in the passenger seat which was much more comfortable than being wedged between 2 baby carriers in the backseat, like he had been on their drive to the cabin 3 days ago, and the little ones were sleeping peacefully.
Shadow could feel his mood getting better and better the more distance they put between themselves and the cabin. Shadow didn't know why, but somehow the atmosphere in the cabin made him feel uneasy, depressed, and aggressive but not only him, as it had turned out.
Scourge had confessed to sensing this gloomy atmosphere as well and Silver's jealously, or Blaze's anger, were certainly also caused by it. Not to mention the incident with Amy 2 nights ago, when she was sitting in that rocking chair, clutching little Eclipse while claiming to not being Amy. Shadow could still feel a shiver running down his spine when he thought about the sound of her voice, the expression in her eyes and this hadn't been the only incident.
Shadow thought back to the night before when he and Amy had sex the intention of it had been to find comfort in each other to forget their worries about Sonic. Yet, it somehow had gotten out of control to the point where Shadow and Amy had hurt each other. Yes, it was true that they liked it rough, but never had Amy scratched Shadow's back that badly that he could still feel her marks the next day and never had he made her bleed, although she had claimed that it was okay, nothing to worry about. Shadow could still feel his stomach churning when he thought about the blood on the sheets.
"Do you see that?" Amy asked, raising Shadow from his thoughts.
"Sorry?" Shadow asked, looking at Amy totally confused.
Amy smiled while keeping her eyes on the road, she never let something else catch her attention while driving, something Shadow admired her for.
"The advance warning triangle. And the blue minivan in the ditch." Amy said.
"What?" Shadow asked.
Shadow's attention was focused on the road ahead. Squinting his eyes, Shadow tried to make out what was ahead of them, as much as Shadow hated to admit it, Amy's eyes were much better than his.
Yes, Amy was right. There was something blue in the ditch, half hidden in the tree line. Upon drawing near, it became clear that it was a minivan. A blue minivan, just like Knuckles's.
"Oh my god, Rose! Do you think it's the van Blaze has driven off with?" Shadow asked.
Amy shrugged. "I'm not sure... but what are the odds that there was another van like this driving down this road today?" she asked, stopping the car.
As soon as Shadow read the license plates, he knew that this was Knuckles's minivan.
"Oh, shit." Shadow said, getting out of the car.
"Blaze?" Shadow asked, approaching Knuckles's van.
When Shadow reached the driver seat's door he opened it with his right hand, afraid of what he would find but then when he found the car empty, he felt relieved. A part of Shadow had feared that Blaze might have been injured in the accident.
"Is she okay?" Amy asked behind Shadow, almost giving him a heart attack because he didn't notice her approaching him until he heard her voice.
"Rose, do you want to kill me? Don't sneak up on me like that." Shadow asked clutching his chest over his heart with his right hand, completely ignoring Amy's question.
Yet Amy ignored Shadow's comment as well.
"She isn't here. Where is she?" Amy asked wanting to know so as if she expected Shadow to know the answer.
"Maybe she tries to walk to the next town." Shadow said, shielding his eyes from the sun with his left hand, looking ahead.
Of course, Shadow didn't see anything except from the stretch of road, meandering through the forest.
"And what if she is hurt? What if something has happened to her?" Amy asked.
Shadow shrugged. "The best thing would be we get back into the car and follow the road. Maybe we can catch up with her." he said.
"Shadow, I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling." Amy said.
Shadow wrapped his right arm around Amy's shoulders. "Don't worry. I'm sure we will find her soon... But first I'll call the rangers so that they can take care of the van. Poor Knuckles! He loved this thing." he said, pulling his mobile out of his right jeans pocket with his right hand but when he looked at the screen, he frowned. "I have no reception. And you, Rose?" he glanced expectantly at Amy.
Amy sighed and took her phone out with her left hand then she shook her head. "Me neither. What shall we do?" she asked.
Shadow shrugged. "It would be best to really drive to town. There we have reception and can call the rangers. And who knows, maybe we even run across Blaze." he said.
Amy took a deep breath then nodded. "Yeah, you are right." she said before walking back towards her car, unlocking the doors with her right hand, checking on the babies, they were still sleeping peacefully.
For a moment Shadow wondered why Amy had locked the car when there was no one else around, but then he remembered her telling them how dangerous the forest was, that there were wild animals roaming the woods. Well, maybe they were even able to open car doors.
"Shadow? Let's go, okay?" Amy asked before getting into the car.
Shadow complied.
…
Sonic was nervous as his older brother and his wife had promised to come and get him at 10 a.m. and now it was almost 11 a.m.
Sonic's first impulse was to call Shadow and Amy but then he noticed that for some reason he had forgotten to bring his phone with him. A part of Sonic was angry with himself for being so inconsiderate, the other part with Shadow for not asking him if he had everything he needed.
Shadow always looked out for Sonic, only this time he obviously hadn't. Maybe because Shadow had been too distracted by his little brother having a seriously infected wound or by the prospect of having his younger brother's wife all to himself for one night.
"Whoa, where did that thought come from?" Sonic thought.
Never before had Sonic felt jealous when Shadow had spent some alone time with Amy, which had admittedly rarely been the case. Amy belonged to both Shadow and Sonic, their babies were proof to that.
Sonic had already hinted as much when calling Coral his daughter and Eclipse his nephew while talking to Amy. Of course, without any DNA testing it was all just speculation, but a part of Sonic was convinced that Shadow had sired the dark red and black quilled and crimson red eyed Eclipse while Coral with her emerald green eyes and purple quills was his daughter through and through. Sonic didn't know why, but he had always been good at predicting those kinds of things.
On the other hand, somewhere Sonic had read that a spermatozoon carrying the X-chromosome was more resilient than the one with the Y-chromosome. Since Shadow had always been the first one to have Amy, it was likely that one of his little swimmers carrying the Y-chromosome had been the first one to meet with one of her fertile eggs, while Sonic's turn had been later.
Not to mention that fraternal twins didn't have to be conceived at the same time, sometimes the mother was ovulating again after a couple of hours or days. Maybe that was the reason he had a daughter, not a son. If Amy had been ovulating again after her first positive ovulation test, it was only logical that one of Sonic's spermatozoons carrying an X-chromosome had hit its mark later, so to speak, since they hadn't had sex daily.
Yet no one seemed to consider that Sonic could do his homework and it didn't matter, though, at least not to him.
"Mr. The Hedgehog? How is your wrist?" a young nurse asked, rousing Sonic from his thoughts.
She was very petite and pretty orange mouse with long light-blond hair tied in a mid-ponytail, and big blue eyes.
Sonic smiled at her. "Oh, much better since it's been put in a plaster cast and you increased the dose of my pain killers." he said.
The orange mouse nurse giggled, blushing slightly. "Well, it was Doctor. Chu who diagnosed that your wrist was cracked and prescribed the higher dose of pain medication, but thank you! By the way, do you need anything?" she asked slightly breathless, batting her eyelashes.
Sonic noticed that the orange mouse nurse was flirting with him. Sonic felt a pang of guilt, thinking of Amy who had been so worried about him, who now had to take care of the babies all by herself. Wait, Amy wasn't all by herself. Shadow and the others were there as well. Yet it wouldn't be fair to give the orange mouse nurse hopes of a hook up when Sonic was already taken and he had no intention of ever being unfaithful to Amy.
"No, thank you, I'm fine. My wife will soon be here to take me home." Sonic said.
The orange mouse nurse looked sad. "Oh, you're married? I wouldn't have guessed, you are so young..." she asked.
Sonic chucked. "Thank you, but I'm already 26 and I have 2 kids." he said.
The orange mouse nurse bit her lip and nodded. "Well, that's good to hear." she said but her voice sounded bitter.
"Hey, don't worry, such a kind and pretty young woman like you will certainly find someone soon." Sonic said to the orange mouse nurse because he didn't like it when people were sad and this nurse was obviously sad and lonely.
"You are very nice, Mr. The Hedgehog." the orange mouse nurse and smiled at him.
Sonic reciprocated the smile.
Of course, this was the moment when Amy chose to enter his room with little Coral in her apple red baby carrier.
"I hope I'm not interrupting something?" Amy asked, clearing her throat.
Sonic growled while the orange mouse nurse whipped around, staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at Amy.
"Of course not, darling, Nurse... Mirai just asked if I needed anything." Sonic asked, quickly reading the nurse's name tag.
Mirai had introduced herself earlier this morning but at that time Sonic had been too distracted by the throbbing and dull pain in his left wrist. To be honest the nasty wound on Sonic's left thigh had provided enough distraction for the last 2 days so that he had completely forgotten about his injured left wrist. Until this morning, when Sonic had trouble holding his cup of coffee and noticed that his right wrist was swollen to almost twice the size of his left one.
Mirai cleared her throat. "All right, Mr. The Hedgehog, if you don't need anything else... I will send in Dr. Chu so that she can condone your leaving the hospital today. " she said and almost fled the room without looking at Amy, who still looked slightly pissed.
Sonic tried to use his famous charms on Amy. "What's wrong, darling? No kiss hello?" he asked suggestively.
Amy only rolled her eyes, placing the infant carrier on the table in Sonic's room, making sure that Coral was still sound asleep before coming over to Sonic's bed.
"I get the impression that you had a really good time here with Nurse Mirai." Amy said sarcastically.
Sonic rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Ames, I only got to know that nurse this morning when I almost dropped my cup of coffee because my wrist hurt like hell... Actually, I had totally forgotten about this injury until then... But now it's all fixed, see?" he asked.
Sonic lifted his left arm to present his cast. "What do you say? You can be the first one to sign it? You know, you would make a dream come true with that when I was 13, I broke my right forearm and had to wear a cast as well. My biggest dream then had been that the queen bee of our school would sign it, yet she totally ignored me and the only ones willing to sign it had been Shadow, Mom, my uncles, Knuckles, and Silver. Shadow even offered to fake another handwriting and sign the cast with a girl's name to cheer me up, but I refused." he said.
To Sonic's surprise, Amy smiled at this.
"Well, then you are asking the wrong girl: I've never been the queen bee at school." Amy said.
Sonic raised his eyebrows. "What? Are you serious? Have your classmates all been blind?" he asked.
Amy chuckled and Sonic felt relieved then Amy tenderly took his left hand with both hands, regarding the cast with a serious expression.
"To be honest, I totally forgot about your wrist as well." Amy said.
It seemed that Amy had forgiven Sonic but then he frowned because something was missing.
"Amy? Where are Shadow and Eclipse?" Sonic asked, wanting to know.
Amy sat down on the right side of Sonic's bed, taking a deep breath. "Shadow is talking to the police..." she said, starting to explain but was interrupted by Sonic.
"What? Did anything happen? Is he all right?" Sonic asked worriedly, sitting up in bed.
Amy touched Sonic's left forearm with her left hand, obviously to calm Sonic down. "Yes, he is fine, as is Eclipse who is with him, by the way. But something happened at the cabin this morning..." she said.
Sonic wanted to interrupt Amy again but she gestured him to stay silent, so he waited patiently for her to continue.
"There was a huge fight between Knuckles and Blaze and she drove off with his van. Then, on our way here, Shadow and I found the van at the side of the road without any trace of Blaze. Since we didn't have reception in the woods, we needed to get into the next town. There we called the rangers about the crashed van and about Blaze missing and they said that they would start a search and rescue, but that we should also contact the police because the van had obviously been involved in some kind of accident and it is unclear what has happened to Blaze." Amy said.
Sonic nodded, feeling worried because one of his friends a girl he loved like a sister has had an accident and was missing but he felt also a little bit disappointed because his older brother and his son were not with him now. Sonic already missed Shadow and Eclipse. Thinking about it, Sonic realized that he had never been separated from Shadow for such a long time.
…
Forest Hill.
When Blaze found herself in the middle of the woods, she knew it had been a bad idea to follow the ghostly apparition. Maybe Blaze had hit her head on the steering wheel when her van had collided with one of the trees and now she was simply hallucinating.
No, not her van, Knuckles's van, which Blaze had stolen after being really mean to him and now she would never have an opportunity to apologize to him since she didn't know where she was or how to get back to her friends.
"Why didn't I stick to the road where I would have been found eventually?" Blaze thought.
Blaze knew why because of the blonde hedgehog woman who had beckoned her into the woods, the woman that had reminded her of Amy.
Of course, Blaze should have known that something was off because that woman was not dressed like a hiker, her long, white dress looked rather like a wedding dress. Yet more disturbing was the fact that this dress remained immaculately white although they were carving their way through the thicket. Blaze's own clothing, burgundy capris and a sleeveless blouse in indigo blue, were already torn and dirty due to the brambles, the skin on her exposed shanks and arms was full of scratches, leaves, and twigs stuck to her lavender fur she had pulled together in half-up, like the hairstyle Amy almost always wore.
Blaze remembered Sonic's injury after he had run into the woods 2 days ago, the tear in his left thigh that had bled badly and which she had cleaned, sewed, and dressed and although she had washed her hands several times afterwards, she still had found the residue of his blood beneath her nails the next morning.
Fresh tears welled up in Blaze's eyes when she thought back to this day. Not only because Blaze now feared to never see her friends or family again or because she was afraid that if she found her way back, her friends would reject her, but also because she remembered how good it had felt to hold little Eclipse and Coral in her arms. Although they weren't her children, Blaze wasn't even related to them she felt so much love for the babies and then Amy had told her only yesterday that she would never again let Blaze take care of them again. This statement had really hurt Blaze, especially since she hadn't done anything wrong. Blaze had just tried to get Coral to feed. However, it appeared that Amy was quite overprotective of her children.
On the other hand, Blaze could understand that, considering the fact that the other woman had already lost a child.
However, Amy should have trusted her friend, Blaze, the nurse. Eclipse and Coral weren't the first babies Blaze took care of. At the age of 10, she had already helped her sick mother to tend to her baby sister, Sticks. Later, when her mother had gotten worse and needed to be institutionalized, she had completely taken care of a 2 year old Sticks, at least in the afternoons and evenings. Blaze's father had paid a middle-aged squirrel woman living in the neighborhood who had run her own business to look after Sticks until Blaze had come home from school.
Blaze had always fetched her sister from their neighbor and had taken her home, playing with her, changing her diapers feeding her fruit and cookies and milk, until Wild Cat had also arrived home after school, he usually went to football practice or his chess club, when he was not staying at a friend's, that is then it had been her task to prepare dinner for the family while Wild Cat would look after Sticks, sometimes even unintentionally annoying her so that the little girl would come running into the kitchen, crying and clutching at Blaze's legs who tried to heat up some soup or macaroni and cheese so that her father, her siblings, and she would have something to fill their bellies with when their Dad would come home from his double shift at the local supermarket.
Blaze's life hadn't been an easy one so far, yet she had loved every second of it since in her opinion there was nothing more valuable than Sticks's happy smile as a toddler when Blaze had come to get her at their neighbor's or Wild Cat's grateful expression as she had signed one of his class tests, pretending to be their mother, when he had gotten a bad grade in math and had been too afraid to tell their Dad, not because he had feared some kind of punishment but because he couldn't stand the thought that their father would be disappointed in him.
And it was only due to these memories that Blaze didn't give up now. Blaze needed to find a way out of the woods, and somehow she was sure that this wouldn't be the case if she kept following that woman.
Blaze abruptly stopped dead in her tracks, taking in her surroundings. There were several hiking trails leading through this forest, so it must be possible to come across one of them at some point.
"Come!" a piercing voice sounded in her head and Blaze winced, almost immediately looking back to the blonde hedgehog woman in the white dress. To Blaze's surprise, the blonde hedgehog woman had somehow approached her and was standing only an arm's length away from her but something was wrong with her appearance, she didn't seem to be solid.
Blaze's heart stopped as she didn't believe in ghosts, yet there was no way that this blonde hedgehog woman was real, like her. Instinctively, Blaze took a step back, shaking her head vehemently.
"No." Blaze said, whispering.
Suddenly the blonde hedgehog woman's facial features changed, became distorted as she no longer looked beautiful but rather frightening and Blaze decided then and there that she needed to get away from this woman.
Blaze immediately turned on her heel and ran in the opposite direction, not caring about vines almost making her trip or branches whipping her face. Blaze didn't dare to turn around to find out if the blonde hedgehog woman's ghost was still following her, she just kept running until she reached a small clearing. There Blaze stopped to catch her breath and look around. The apparition was obviously gone.
Blaze flopped down onto the ground, lying down in the grass, feeling relieved about having been able to escape the blonde hedgehog woman's ghost yet still being concerned about the fact that she got lost in the woods.
…
Julayla Memorial Hospital.
30 minutes after Amy's arrival at the hospital, she was already helping her husband into her car. His doctor, a very thin and stern looking, middle aged light green rabbit woman with short fur and thick glasses had given her okay for Sonic leaving the hospital, prescribing some antibiotics, painkillers and antiseptic ointment, giving instructions about changing the bandages 2 times a day and applying the ointment and telling him to come back in 2 days because his injury still needed to be monitored.
"Are we now driving to the police station to get Shadow?" Sonic asked when Amy got into the driver's seat of her car.
"Of course." Amy said. "Do you think we would leave him here, together with little Eclipse?"
Sonic chuckled. "No, of course not. You know what, I can't wait to see him again well, and Eclipse. It felt so strange being separated from you all for almost 24 hours." he said.
Amy smiled at Sonic. "Yeah, we missed you too!" she said.
Sonic frowned. "Really?" asked, his voice sounded so surprised that Amy took his left hand into her right hand.
Only then Amy noticed something she hadn't noticed before in the hospital. Sonic wasn't wearing his wedding band.
"Where's your ring?" Amy asked sharply.
Sonic's eyes widened. "Oh shit! I had to take it off for the x-rays this morning. I think it must still be in the pocket of my sweatpants where I have put it." he said, frantically searching his right pocket with his right hand.
"You think? Sonic! Have you forgotten how much we have paid for those rings? They are custom-made, textured damask steel and titanium rings, not to mention the unusual engraving! You have to be kidding me!" Amy questioned.
"Stop nagging, it's here all right!" Sonic said, fishing the precious ring out of his right pocket and presenting it to Amy with his right hand. After putting it on his left hand, Sonic grinned deviously at Amy. "By the way, yours was more expensive than mine or Shadow's since yours is also adorned with a diamond!"
Amy rolled her eyes. "You insisted on the diamond for my ring and were willing to pay the additional 207 dollars for the 0.03 carat white brilliant. For me, the diamond on my engagement ring was already enough." she said.
Sonic shrugged. "Well, I thought this way the wedding band would fit perfectly to your engagement ring with the star-shaped diamond for you are my star our star, Shadow's and mine and will always guide us home, like the North Star!" he said.
Shaking her head, Amy giggled. "Oh my, I think you might have overdosed on your painkillers!" she said then she started the car's engine, left the hospital's parking lot, and drove onto the main road.
...
10 minutes later.
Police Station.
After parking her car, Amy helped Sonic getting out of the passenger seat then she opened the door to the car's back seat, taking out Coral in her baby carrier before the 3 of them, Sonic leaning heavily on Amy's left shoulder while she was also carrying their little daughter, made their way into the police station.
Shadow was already waiting for them, sitting in one of the plastic chairs they provided there, rocking his crying son in his arms while the sapphire blue baby carrier was placed in the chair next to him, on his left.
"Shadow!" Sonic said, freeing himself from Amy and half running, half stumbling to his older brother, sitting heavily down in the chair to Shadow's right, throwing his arms around the older male hedgehog.
"Oh, Sonic!" Shadow said.
Shadow reciprocated the embrace with his right arm while still holding little Eclipse, pressing his forehead to his younger brothers then, to everyone's surprise, Sonic briefly pecked Shadow's lips, totally ignoring the disapproving snort coming from the police officer sitting at the reception desk.
Shadow cleared his throat. "What was that for, Sonic?" he asked.
Amy chuckled. "Well, I think he just overdosed on his painkillers." she said, walking over to the 2 hedgehog brothers and her son.
Shadow smiled at Amy. "Time to go home?" he asked.
Amy nodded. "Yes, let's go home... By the way, what will they do about Blaze?" she asked.
Shadow sighed. "First, they will tow the minivan to this station. Then, the police will join forces with the rangers in order to find Blaze in the woods..." he said then interrupted himself, frowning.
Amy drew her eyebrows together, sitting down in the chair next to Sonic on the right side, putting the baby carrier on the floor between her feet with both hands, looking at Shadow.
"What's wrong?" Amy asked, wanting to know.
Shadow sighed. "The police mentioned that Blaze might have gotten into another car, someone who drove by the site of the accident, offering her to take her to the next town... Somebody with bad intentions." he said.
Hearing about this possibility, Amy's stomach dropped. Yes, there had been some dissensions between Amy and the other, younger woman, but Blaze was still her friend, even though the girl was obviously desperate for being fucked by Shadow but Amy didn't want to let her thoughts wander into that direction.
"I hope they'll find her soon, safe and sound." Amy said.
"Me too." Sonic said then he took Eclipse from his older brother's arm, kissing the baby's forehead. Immediately, Eclipse calmed down.
"Ha! See? He likes me better than you, Shads." Sonic said.
Shadow simply rolled his eyes but then he frowned. "Why are you wearing a cast on your wrist?" he asked.
Apparently, Shadow had also forgotten about this injury and so Sonic told the whole story about almost dropping his coffee again. Amy couldn't help but smile at her little family. Yes, this was Amy's own little family and she loved them dearly.
"Let's go home." Amy said, grabbed Eclipse's baby carrier with both hands, and stood up
Sonic looked at Amy with a raised eyebrow. "Home? Or back to the cabin?" he asked, wanting to know.
Amy sighed. "Of course I mean back to the cabin. We are supposed to be on our honeymoon." she said.
Sonic snorted. "Yeah, some kind of honeymoon!" he said then he passed Eclipse back to his older brother with both hands, who put the infant into his baby boy hoglet carrier before following Amy's example of getting ready to leave, carrying his son in the baby carrier with right hand, supporting his younger brother with the other.
…
1 hour later.
On their way back to the cabin, Shadow, Sonic, and Amy had to stop 3 times.
The first time was still in town because they needed to get Sonic's medicine and Amy also remembered that they had to buy supplies for the next couple of days since the things they had brought with them on this trip were almost all gone by now. So, while Shadow and Amy went to the pharmacist and afterwards did some grocery shopping, Sonic stayed in the car with the babies. Sonic had even insisted on sitting between the baby carriers on the back seat because he had really missed their son and their daughter, although it wasn't quite comfortable for him with his injured left leg.
The second time was when they passed a gas station on the country road on their way to the forest because Amy's car needed refueling and Sonic needed to use the bathroom. Shadow helped Sonic to get out of the car and accompanied him to the men's lavatory in case Sonic needed assistance due to his handicaps, the cracked wrist, and injured left leg, while Amy filled up her car.
The third time was after they had entered the forest because the babies got hungry and needed to be fed. Again, Amy noticed that her milk supply was decreasing since the baby hoglets were suckling at her nipples rather aggressively so that it slightly hurt and Eclipse and Coral were pressing their little hands against her breasts as if they tried to squeeze more milk out of them and then they still appeared to be hungry after feeding, crying and fussing.
It was no wonder, however, because over the last couple of days, Amy had forgotten to take her supplements regularly and not eaten enough and thinking about not taking the supplements regularly left her with a bad feeling, almost as if she had forgotten something else. Maybe Amy should have bought some formula in the supermarket, just to be on the safe side.
For a moment, Amy considered telling her husbands that they needed to drive back to town, but after one glance at Sonic, she decided against it. Sonic still looked sick, his face pale and there were dark circles beneath his eyes and driving back to town would cost them another 45 minutes to an hour. So, Amy just had to take better care of herself, eat regularly, drink more especially water and her special tea for breastfeeding moms and let her babies latch onto her breasts more often.
"What's wrong with them?" Shadow asked, gesturing towards the crying and fussing baby hoglets.
Amy sighed. "I fear I'm not producing enough milk to feed them properly." she said.
Shadow frowned. "Are you sure? What shall we do?" he asked wanting to know, taking Eclipse from Amy holding the baby close to his chest, rocking him gently.
It appeared as if being near his dad was calming Eclipse down for now.
Amy closed her nursing bra then the buttons on the front of her light green, sleeveless blouse, still holding Eclipse who was especially clingy today then she turned towards Shadow. "Well, there are only 2 options: On one hand, we can drive back to town and buy some formula, on the other I can take better care of myself and nurse them more often." she said.
"What are we waiting for, then? Let's drive back and get the formula for our babies before they get malnourished or will starve!" Sonic asked from the back seat, panic evident in his voice.
Amy rolled her eyes.
Shadow chuckled. "They won't starve that quickly, Sonic. Yet you also got me worried, there, Rose. What do you mean with not taking properly care of yourself?" he asked.
Amy shifted Coral's weight so that her baby's head was now resting on her right shoulder and Coral could look around, something which the baby normally liked since she was a very lively and curious child and, indeed, her crying subsided almost immediately.
Amy cleared her throat. "The usual, eating regularly and the right foods, drinking enough to avoid dehydration, nursing the babies regularly or pumping milk." she said.
"It's our fault then. Shadow's and mine. Especially mine. I have totally screwed up your schedule with my idiotic behavior and the consequences resulting from it!" Sonic said.
Amy turned towards Sonic, opening her mouth to appease her husband, but Shadow beat her to it. Extending left hand and putting it on his younger brother's right knee.
"I think we have all screwed up, Sonic. Nobody has behaved rationally or been on their best behavior... I think it's the cabin. Rose, what do you know about it?" Shadow asked, hesitantly.
Amy shrugged which led to Eclipse making a displeased noise. "Not much. I told you that while we were planning this trip and I had already checked different cabins at different locations that were suitable for our needs, the ad for this cabin was suddenly in my mailbox. And it was a special offer! You know that we are a little low on money at the moment, all of us, and since we had decided to go together, the whole gang, I had to find something that was affordable. This cabin seemed to be ideal for our needs." she said.
"I think Coral is asleep." Sonic said whispering, leaning towards the driver's seat, extending his arms. "Can I hold her please?"
For a moment, Amy was tempted to say 'No' because over the last couple of days her daughter had become very dependent on her even last night, when Scourge and Silver had volunteered to babysit Eclipse and Coral, her older twin brother had to bring Coral to her every couple of hours since the little girl still refused to be fed with the bottle and only calmed down in her mother's arms even thinking about this made her blush, considering the fact that she and Shadow had been clearly naked beneath their blanket as Scourge had woken her up the first time to tend to Coral.
"Yeah, of course, she is your daughter, after all." Amy said, handing over the baby to her husband.
It was a cute sight, seeing Sonic with the baby. Sonic was such a loving father, to both babies, actually. Unlike Shadow, who unconsciously seemed to prefer Eclipse, the child that looked like a replica of himself, except the quills were the opposite, Sonic treated Eclipse and Coral equally.
"So, you don't know anything about the cabin's history? Or our landlord?" Shadow asked.
Amy shook her head. "Sorry, no, I didn't know that I should have done some research before booking the cabin." she said.
"Whoa, I wasn't criticizing you, you know, just asking." Shadow said, defensively.
"Well, it almost sounded like you were." Amy said, angrily.
This time, it was Sonic who interfered.
"Guys, stop it, all right? It was fighting which led to all this shit!" Sonic asked, vehemently.
Shadow and Amy sighed.
"You are right, Sonic. We should stop accusing each other or feeling attacked for no reason... Nevertheless, I think it's time to continue driving back to the cabin." Shadow said.
Sonic nodded. "Yeah, let's put the babies back into their carriers. But when we're back at the cabin, I'd like to take a nap while holding Eclipse and Coral. Unlike you 2, I couldn't hold them yesterday or last night or this morning." he said while placing their daughter in her baby carrier.
Shadow and Amy exchanged a glance before Shadow handed Eclipse over to his younger brother so that the little boy hoglet could also be put back into his carrier.
…
Forest Hill.
Cabin.
Of course Silver, Knuckles, and Scourge were relieved when Shadow, Sonic, and Amy returned with Eclipse and Coral. Yet, the joy of their reunion was overshadowed by their worries about Blaze.
After reaching town, Shadow had first called their friends in the cabin, telling them that he and Amy had found Knuckles's van but not Blaze and he had wanted to know whether Blaze had maybe returned to the cabin, which she hadn't, and despite their fight, Knuckles still cared for his ex-fiancé. So, Silver and Scourge had been busy to calm Knuckles down, coming up with best-case-scenarios why Blaze hadn't been in the proximity of the van.
When Shadow, Sonic, and Amy arrived with Eclipse and Coral at the cabin, Knuckles was sitting on the front porch, his head in his hands and flanked by Silver and Scourge. Sonic's report about his medical condition had been a short distraction for Knuckles, but after Shadow had helped his younger brother into the cabin and to their bedroom so that Sonic could lie down and rest while holding his babies, who were now sleeping peacefully, Knuckles had continued brooding.
After Sonic had been taken care of meaning that Amy placed a bottle of water and his medicine on the bed side table, Shadow and Amy joined Knuckles, Silver, and Scourge outside.
"Maybe it's all my fault." Knuckles said.
Shadow raised an eyebrow, "Why would you say that?" he asked.
Knuckles just shrugged. "Well, she wouldn't have called off out engagement if I had made her happy. Apparently, I wasn't able to do so." he said.
Shadow hated how depressed his younger cousin sounded. Shadow thought back to the evening when Knuckles had proposed to Blaze. It had been last New Year's Eve and they had all celebrated together. Blaze had seemed quite happy at that time, at least to Knuckles. Maybe Blaze was just a good actress.
"That's nonsense, Knuckles. I've seen how well you've always treated her, trying to indulge her every whim, renting the apartment she preferred though it was more expensive, watching the movies she liked, going out whenever she was in the mood, although you were tired, staying home whenever she wanted to, no matter what your own plans for the evening were... So, don't try to blame yourself for her unhappiness." Amy said.
Shadow raised an eyebrow, "Wow, Rose, you make it sound as if Knuckles is a really good catch... Maybe I should reconsider my commitment to you and start wooing him." he said, joking.
However, Silver was the only one who chuckled. Knuckles stared wide-eyed at Shadow whereas Amy looked angry and Scourge appalled.
Shadow groaned, "It was supposed to be funny, you know? I was trying to lighten the mood, guys!" he said.
Yet, the others except Silver still stared strangely at him.
Shadow sighed, took out his cigarettes and a lighter. Of course, Silver took one from him, yet when he offered the others to Knuckles, he declined.
"Oh, no, thank you. I quit smoking around Easter when Blaze and I moved in together. She didn't like it." Knuckles said.
Silver just snorted whereas Shadow shrugged and put his cigarettes and the lighter away. For a while, the 3 young animals sat together in companionable silence.
"It's such a beautiful day and except for searching the woods for Amy's wayward husband and his brother, I wasn't able to go hiking. Yet that was the reason why I agreed on going on this trip. Silver, what do you say? Care to join me for a hike in the forest?" Scourge asked.
Silver shrugged. "Why not? We haven't done anything on this holiday so far, except for worrying and babysitting." he said, finishing his cigarette then standing up and offering Scourge his right hand.
The taller green young male hedgehog took it and let Silver pull him to his feet. "We won't be long just following one of the trails for inexperienced hikers to the lake. We should be back for dinner." he said.
Shadow frowned. "Well, make sure that you won't get lost, I think one more incident and the rangers will kick us out. Somehow I imagine that they are already referring to us as the most troublesome group they have ever met." he said trying to joke again and, of course, nobody seemed to get it.
Shadow sighed, finishing his cigarette as well.
After Scourge and Silver were on their way, Knuckles declared that he had to inform Blaze's family about her disappearance and went into the cabin in order to call Blaze's father. So, Shadow and Amy were the only ones remaining on the front porch. Since Shadow was bored, he lighted another cigarette, regarding the lush green meadow with different wild flowers surrounding their cabin and the woods encompassing the property.
"Shadow, what was between you and Blaze?" Amy asked.
Shadow almost dropped his cigarette with his right hand as he had totally forgotten that Amy had been witness to his fight with Blaze in which the younger woman had revealed something about their past. Something which Shadow had almost forgotten and was certainly not proud of.
Shadow cleared his throat. "She had a crush on me as a teenager. I knew about it, of course, and must admit that I flirted a little bit with her. Of course, Blaze thought that I was also interested in her, which I wasn't, not really, because she was too young. Then, on her 18th birthday, both of us got a little bit drunk and we started making out. Later, we ended up in her room. I didn't sleep with her, though." he said.
Shadow could see that his words hurt Amy since she drew her eyebrows together and lowered her gaze, fiddling with her wedding band. She took several deep breaths, then she turned towards him.
"How far did you go?" Amy asked, wanting to know.
Shadow drew on his cigarette, inhaling the smoke deeply. "She gave me a blow job, her first one, as she claimed. And I went down on her." he said.
Amy nodded slowly. "Yet you didn't sleep with her, as you said before. Why not? According to Blaze, she was practically begging you to fuck her!" she asked.
Shadow could hear the bitterness in Amy's voice. On the one hand, Shadow understood. Blaze and Amy had grown close over the last 18 months. Of course, Amy felt somehow betrayed. On the other hand, it had all happened long before Shadow and Sonic had met Amy, so, why was it bothering her so much?
"I couldn't. Believe it or not, but it felt wrong. I suddenly sobered up and told her that I wouldn't sleep with her and she grew desperate, suggesting that I could go and get Sonic, that she wouldn't mind to have sex with him as well since he and I usually shared girls. Her only condition was that she wanted me to be her first." Shadow said.
Amy laughed, shaking her head. "That doesn't sound like her at all, at least not like the Blaze I got to know! Tell me, Shadow, did she despise me the whole time, always thinking that it should have been her in your bed, not me? Just pretending to be my friend?" she asked.
Shadow didn't know how to answer this. Shadow didn't believe that Blaze had consciously deceived Amy, only pretending to be her friend. Blaze wasn't like that. Yet, attacking Knuckles, throwing her engagement ring at his feet and stealing his van didn't sound like her either. Shadow somehow felt as if he didn't know the cat girl he almost considered a sister at all.
….
Evening.
Shadow stood in the doorway leading into their cabin's kitchen and watched Amy preparing dinner: 2 baking tins of pizza. Amy's quills was tied back into a low ponytail and she was wearing black leggings and an olive-green, oversized t-shirt, revealing one of her creamy shoulders.
A part of Shadow wanted to walk over to Amy, wrap his arms around her waist and kiss her bare shoulders. Yet Shadow somehow felt that this gesture wasn't welcome. After their talk in the afternoon, their talk about Blaze, Amy had turned cold towards him.
Shadow observed how Amy was kneading the dough Blaze had already prepared yesterday since, according to her, pizza dough had to rest for 24 hours before it could be spread onto the baking tin and then covered with all the ingredients they liked. Otherwise, it would become too dry and hard. If Blaze had been here, preparing dinner would have been her task. Of course, Shadow could also cook a few easy meals but nothing special. Unlike Blaze. If Shadow was honest, Blaze was as good at cooking as Chuck and his mother, although she was so young.
Thinking about Blaze and watching Amy made his heart sink. 2 of the most important women in Shadow's life were obviously angry with him and yet he didn't even know if one of those two women would ever return to them.
"What do you want, Shadow?" Amy asked without looking at Shadow.
Shadow winced. "How did she do that, knowing that he was standing there?" he thought.
Shadow cleared his throat. "I... I'm just." he said but actually didn't know what to say.
Amy turned towards Shadow, her hands covered in flour and her eyebrows drawn together. "You what?" she asked.
Shadow just shook his head.
Shadow remembered the Amy from last night, the Amy he had sex with, the way her long pink quills had been spread out on the pillow, the way she had moaned and screamed his name, the way her nails had scratched his back. Somehow, Shadow felt that this Amy was gone, that the Amy in front of him wouldn't let him touch her ever again. Yet, Shadow did nothing wrong. The little episode between Shadow and Blaze had happened about 5 years ago, so why was Amy so jealous? Amy had sexual relationships before as well, and neither him nor Sonic had been pissed about that fact. Well, maybe except Amy being with Mephiles since that asshole had treated her badly.
Instead of apologizing, Shadow said something completely different.
"You know that I love you, don't you?" Shadow asked.
Amy frowned. "Yeah, I know. What's going on?" she asked.
Shadow sighed. "Well, you tell me! I somehow have the feeling that you are rejecting me since I told you what had happened between me and Blaze. Honestly, Amy, it was ages ago!" he said, trying to argue but she interrupted him.
"Well, it might have been a long time ago, yet Blaze still feels something for you. Something which is more than just friendship." Amy said.
Amy turned back to the pizza dough, spreading it on the baking tins, grabbing the pot with tomato sauce, distributing it evenly on the dough and totally ignoring him.
Shadow hated it if Amy had beef with him she should tell him to his face, not get hurt.
Growling under his breath Shadow walked over to Amy, grabbed her left upper arm with his right hand and spun her around so that she had to face him.
Amy's eyes widened. "Shadow! Let go of me, now!" she said, yet Shadow only increased the pressure and Amy gasped.
"No, I will not let go until you tell me what your problem is!" Shadow said.
Amy tried to free herself and Shadow immediately grabbed her right arm as well with his left hand. Amy dropped the cooking spoon with her right hand which she had put the tomato sauce onto the pizza dough and it fell clattering to the ground.
"Shadow! Let. Go. Of. Me. Now!" Amy said again, louder this time and her eyes flashed.
Shadow could feel his manhood stir, seeing Amy like this, trapped between the counter top and him angry, her eyes wild. For a moment, Shadow considered kissing Amy but then he decided against it. There were too many dangerous objects, like sharp knives and heavy pans, within Amy's reach.
Yet, Shadow moved closer to Amy so that their bodies were touching. Amy's eyes widened when she could feel Shadow's hardness.
"Shadow, I swear, if you don't release me immediately, I'll scream bloody murder!" Amy said.
Normally, Shadow would have snapped out of it but he could feel something, some dark force, urging him on, testing Amy's limits, provoking her.
"Oh yeah? Fine, do it! I like it when you scream." Shadow questioned and didn't even know where the words came from.
Shadow could see Amy opening her mouth and taking a deep breath, preparing to scream, when a well-known voice interfered.
"What's going on?" a familiar male asked.
It was Sonic.
Instantly, Shadow let go of Amy and spun around to face his younger brother.
Sonic stood in the doorway to the kitchen, clutching one of their baby hoglets to his chest, glaring at the scene in front of him. If the pink blanket with the yellow stars was any indication, it must have been Coral.
"Sonic!" Amy said then she put some distance between herself and Shadow.
It appeared as if Sonic didn't hear Amy, the way his eyes were glued to his older brother.
"What were you doing with my wife?" Sonic asked calmly.
Shadow laughed humorlessly. "Your wife? I thought we agreed that she is our wife." he asked.
Sonic frowned. "Of course she is our wife, as long as you treat her well... I just got the impression that you were trying to harm her." he said.
Shadow snorted. "Honestly, you should use less painkillers, they seem to affect your brain! I would never do her any harm!" he said at his younger brother, balling his hands into fists.
Shadow's raised voice must have startled Coral since she started crying. In an instant, Amy was at Sonic's side, taking the baby from him.
"Oh, I think you were trying to harm me, Shadow!" Amy said then left the kitchen, pressing Coral to her chest.
"See, Shadow? It's not the painkillers that make me see things. Amy also got the impression that something was wrong with you." Sonic asked then he limped over to his older brother and put his hands on his shoulders. "Talk to me, brother. Something is definitely bothering you... What's going on?"
For a moment, Shadow looked into his younger brother's pleading eyes, almost answering that it was the cabin affecting him but then he lowered his gaze and brushed Sonic's hands off with both hands, too overwhelmed by the sudden urge to punch the younger man, something he had never done before and something he would never do, rather cutting his own hands off!
So, without another word, Shadow went over to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of beer, and left the kitchen through the patio door.
For a moment, Sonic didn't know what to do. A part of Sonic wanted to follow his older brother onto the patio, another part wanted to go to Amy and make sure she was okay. Amy was his wife, after all. Yet, Shadow was his older brother.
Guessing that maybe Shadow needed a moment to himself, to come back to his senses, Sonic decided to go to Amy.
When Sonic entered the living room, Amy was sitting in an armchair, breastfeeding Coral. Sonic could see that Amy was crying, yet, as he approached her, she wiped the tears away.
"Sonic!" Amy said, smiling shyly.
"Hey." Sonic said, limping over to one of the couches, sitting down on the right side, pretending that he hadn't seen Amy's tears since he knew she didn't like to cry in front of others.
For a moment, Sonic and Amy sat in companionable silence, the only sounds coming from the greedily drinking baby, their baby, Coral.
"Care to tell me what happened in the kitchen?" Sonic asked.
Amy frowned. "I don't know how much you witnessed." she said honestly, focusing entirely on the child in her arms, his child.
Sonic shrugged. "Not much. I only saw Shadow pressing you against the counter top, holding your arms in a vice like grip while there was definitely fear written upon your face." he said.
Amy laughed humorlessly. "Oh, I was terrified, believe me! I've never seen him like this before." she said.
"Me neither. Shadow has always been a gentleman when dealing with women." Sonic said.
Sonic and Amy fell silent again, watching their daughter drink and though it was a peaceful picture, Sonic suddenly felt a sense of fear.
When Shadow and Sonic had registered on the website for co-parents, they had just wanted to become fathers. None of the women they had met in real life had been mother material and since men couldn't get pregnant, they had to find a woman they liked and who was willing to carry their child. Shadow and Sonic had never dreamed about finding love in the process, yet they had. Amy was a gift from the heavens above, accepting Shadow and Sonic as a duo, Sonic and Shadow, brothers who would never be separated, not even by marriage or fatherhood.
However, now it seemed that it was all going down the drain, the unique relationship Shadow, Sonic, and Amy had forged.
Why? Sonic didn't know.
When Amy had gotten pregnant again after her miscarriage, with twins nonetheless, Shadow and Sonic had been more than happy and now they were the fathers of 2 wonderful babies. So, what was wrong with them to jeopardize all that?
Yet Sonic didn't have time to finish this thought since Coral had obviously finished drinking and Amy re-adjusted the baby's position to burp her.
"What about Eclipse?" Amy asked out of the blue.
Sonic needed a moment to understand what Amy meant with that.
"Oh, he is sleeping peacefully in his crib. As soon as I woke up from my nap, a slightly snoring Eclipse greeted me, I swear he got this from Shadow and a happily gurgling Eclipse. So, I put Eclipse in his crib and decided to walk around the cabin with Coral. If she takes after me, she'll get easily bored and I wanted to entertain her." Sonic said, implying again the assumed paternity of the twins.
Yet, Amy's reaction unsettled Sonic. "You left our baby boy alone in the bedroom?" she asked sharply.
Sonic drew his eyebrows together. "Yeah. Why?" he asked.
Amy didn't answer, just got up from the armchair and Sonic briefly wondered how she could do that so gracefully while holding a baby.
"Amy?" Sonic asked calling out to Amy, getting up from the couch as well.
Amy turned towards Sonic. "It's just something that Shadow said." she said then stormed into the direction of the corridor and their bedroom.
Sonic followed Amy as fast as he could.
"He... he is gone! Sonic, my son, he is not in his crib! What... what did you do to him?" Amy asked, screaming.
Sonic stared open-mouthed at the empty crib. He knew that he had put the baby into it!
"Nothing! Amy, I swear to you that I placed Eclipse in his crib after I got up... Do you really think that I would hurt our son?" Sonic asked demanding to know, looking into Amy's eyes.
After a while, Amy averted her gaze, sighing. "Of course not. But where is he? Where is Eclipse?" she asked, looking frantically around the room.
Amy's panic unsettled Eclipse again, who started crying heartbreakingly. It wasn't the first time that Sonic noticed the strong bond between their daughter and her mother. A part of Sonic wanted to believe that it was due to the fact that Amy was his and that his love for Amy was stronger, purer than his older brother's love for her, but his love for Shadow prevented him from really acknowledging those possessive thoughts.
"Sonic, where is he? Where is Eclipse?" Amy asked wanting to know, looking at Sonic desperately while rocking Coral.
"I don't know... I put him into his crib, I really did!" Sonic said, "Maybe he started crying and Knuckles or Scourge and Silver took the baby with them to calm him down?" suggesting, not really believing it.
Amy shook her head. "After talking to Blaze's father, Knuckles went straight to the room he shares with Blaze, claiming to have a terrible headache, needing to lie down. And Silver and Scourge are hiking in the woods." she said.
Sonic teared his quills. "Then... I don't know, but maybe Shadow... I mean, Eclipse's his son... so maybe he took the baby?" he asked and saw relief washing over Amy's face.
"Yeah, of course... I mean, why not? So, where is Shadow?" Amy asked.
The first thing that came to Sonic's mind was that his older brother must have taken the baby boy hoglet outside with him. Sonic hoped that Shadow did.
"The patio! After you have left the kitchen, Shadow went onto the patio. Maybe we'll find him there, with Eclipse!" Sonic said.
So, Sonic and Amy went back to the kitchen and from there onto the patio while Amy was still holding a crying Coral.
…
Shadow was pissed, really pissed, yet he didn't know why or with whom, maybe with Sonic and Amy, maybe with himself, maybe with Blaze.
No, Shadow couldn't be angry with Blaze as she was still missing, nobody knew what had happened to her, if she would ever come back to them.
Poor Knuckles. Shadow didn't envy Knuckles. First, Shadow had to find out that he had only been some sort of substitute, then he had to inform Blaze's father about her disappearance. No wonder the guy got a headache. Knuckles has always had a delicate condition, being constantly ill as a child, missing school for weeks on end. Sonic, on the other hand, had been prone to accidents, breaking his arm, twisting his ankle, skinning his elbows and knees, getting a concussion and while Silver had been the daredevil of their group, Shadow had always been the boring, responsible one, taking care of everyone and everything.
That was Shadow's role, not only regarding his friends and little brother, well actually brothers since Manik was also his little brother but also with his wife and children. If Shadow could still call Amy his wife . Maybe Shadow finally fucked up and Amy would only be his sister-in-law from now on.
Of course, Amy was angry with Shadow, considering the fact that he had almost forced himself on her. Shadow still felt sick when he thought about what had transpired in the kitchen. If Sonic hadn't walked in then, Shadow didn't know what would have happened. How should Shadow ever gain Amy's trust again? Shadow knew what that bastard, Mephiles, had done to her.
What was wrong with Shadow? How could Shadow have lost control like that, almost harming the woman he loved?
Shadow took another sip of beer and noticed that the bottle was empty. To distract himself, Shadow took out his cigarettes with his right hand and lighted one.
A part of Shadow wanted to go get his younger brother so that they could get drunk together like they had done a billion times before. Yet another part was convinced that Sonic was with his wife, with their wife, and certainly Amy had already told her husband that Shadow had made her bleed last night.
Had Amy really wanted it that rough? Shadow wasn't so sure now. Thinking about it, Shadow had been rather dominant. Maybe Amy hadn't scratched his back in the agony of passion but because Shadow had hurt her and she had tried to defend herself?
But Amy had said that she was okay this morning.
Sonic didn't know what to believe any more, to distinguish reality from fantasy.
Shadow noticed that he had almost finished his cigarette yet the smoking had not quenched his thirst for another drink. Sighing, Shadow crushed out his cigarette in the ashtray which was still sitting on the table and went back into the kitchen to grab another bottle of beer.
Everything was still the way Amy had left it, the unfinished pizzas on the counter top, the chopped ingredients ready to be put on the pizza, the cooking spoon on the floor.
When Shadow leaned down to at least pick up the cooking spoon and put in the sink, he noticed a smear of tomato sauce on the hem of his beige t-shirt and the front of his light-blue jeans. It was probably from when Amy had dropped the spoon as Shadow had spun her around.
So, Shadow decided that he needed to change his clothes and after placing the cooking spoon in the sink, he went to the bedroom he shared with Sonic and Amy. As soon as Shadow entered the corridor he could hear a baby crying. Frowning, he quickened his pace, entered the bedroom, and walked over to the cribs. Eclipse's crib was empty, as he had expected, but little Eclipse was lying in his crib, crying heartbreakingly, flailing his chubby arms and legs.
Shadow felt angry again.
Of course, Sonic and Amy would forget about Eclipse, focusing all their attention on Coral since she was their daughter, completing them and their perfect relationship. Eclipse was no one to Sonic and Amy, just like Shadow, just the third wheel.
"Shh, don't cry, my precious, your Dad's here." Shadow said cooing, lifting his son out of the crib with both hands, cradling him in his arms. Immediately, Eclipse stopped crying, looking up at Shadow from his big crimson red eyes. So, the baby boy hoglet wasn't hungry, just lonely, and bored and sulky. Well, that would make 2 of them.
Suddenly, Shadow didn't feel the urge to get another drink any more, he would rather like to go outside with his son and explain to him the different trees and plants, growing around and on their property, like his uncle Charles used to do with him, before Sonic was born, of course. Then Charles had bestowed all his attention on his younger nephew. Thankfully, their other uncle had still been alive at that time and he had taken care of him. Until the other uncle had died.
Yes, Shadow would go outside with Eclipse, just the 2 of them, he and his son.
So, Shadow wrapped the light blue baby blanket with the green stars tighter around Eclipse with both hands because it was already evening and the heat of the day had been replaced by a light chill. Then Shadow left the bedroom, walked through the creepy corridor, unconsciously pressing Eclipse closer to his chest then going back into the kitchen, checking the fridge for baby bottles with Amy's breast milk, just in case Eclipse got hungry, and finally leaving the cabin.
It was a nice, peaceful summer evening. The air smelled of wood and grass and herbs, crickets were chirping and birds were singing. Shadow couldn't help but smile and his anger was suddenly gone.
"See, Eclipse? Those trees around our property are called birch trees, they usually grow in northern temperate and boreal climates. I'm also pretty sure that there is some swamp hiding behind the tree line." Shadow asked.
Eclipse looked up at Shadow interestingly, making some noises that could be interpreted as confirmation then he gurgled and smiled at him.
Shadow could feel his heart melt.
This was Shadow's son he was holding in his arms, the child he had wished for since his mother had given birth to little Manik, the child that only existed because Amy had been generous enough to distribute her love between the 2 hedgehog brothers who were inseparable. Amy, the mother of this child. Amy, the woman he had treated badly.
Shadow started crying.
End of Chapter 8.
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