"Mommy! I'm home!"

The happiness resounding from each note of her laughter stuck through the air as she walked over to the dark blue hedgehog playing in the front lawn, carefully rocking the baby hedgehog in her arms, her purple fur contrasting greatly with the white blankets she was resting in. Despite only being a few steps away from her, the blue hedgehog used his speed to close that gap between the two. She laughed again, bending down to her son's level, repositioning her daughter more comfortably against her chest. He stood up on the tips of his toes, reaching up to give her a kiss on the cheek, then bending down to kiss the baby hedgehog's forehead.

After completing his after-school ritual, he flashed a wide grin at her. "Is Daddy home yet, Mommy?"

She shook her head, noticing how his ears drooped just the slightest, but continued to smile down at him. "He's not home now, but he said he'd be home as soon as he finished dealing with Eggman. He's concocted another one of his crazy schemes, so Daddy's gone off to play with him again."

The two blue ears couldn't have perked up fast enough. "That means Daddy will be home really soon!"

She could feel her smile widening at the obvious affection displayed on her son's face. She stood up, mindful of her sleeping daughter, and held out her hand for her son to take. "If he's gonna be home that soon, then we should probably start dinner. Shadow went with Daddy to deal with Eggman, so he'll probably come over too."

The young hedgehog pulled at her hand, excitement clear on his face. "Uncle Shadow's going to come over, too?!"

"Yes, so, considering how competitive those two are-"

"We should be home right about now."

The three of them turned around at the voice, inciting an almost palpable wave of happiness from the little blue hedgehog. "Daddy! Uncle Shadow!"

An older version of the little hedgehog waved in greeting, the black hedgehog standing beside him preferring to convey that little sentiment through a smirk. Her son ran up to the both of them within seconds, using his speed to the fullest, and jumped up into his father's arms. The hedgehog easily caught him, settling him in a comfortable position in his arms. "Woah, there, Dash, take it easy."

The boy simply threw his arms around his neck, hugging him close. "I came home right away to take care of Mommy and Violet, Daddy, just like you asked!"

The older hedgehog gave him a satisfied smile, bringing up a hand to rub the smaller blue hedgehog's head. "Yes, you've been doing very well, thank you."

She smiled at the sweet exchange, walking over when her husband caught her eye. She exchanged a kind smile with Shadow, widening it when she received one in return. Her husband reached out a hand for her own and pulled her close, leaning over to plant a quick kiss on her lips. She smiled at the turquoise eyes as he pulled away. "Welcome home, Sonic."

---

The scream that escaped her mouth was short and shrill as she sat up in bed, her eyes snapping open in distress. It was quiet in her room, the usual darkness closing in around her as the moonlight streamed in through her window, but Amy hardly noticed, too distracted by the wave of tears streaming down her face.

Why did it have to be a dream?