Hey guys! Here's a new chapter just for you. Thanks to all the people who reviewed 'cause you're the ones that kept me going. I might put a song in this chapter… but then again maybe not. This chapter is when we meet Rouge the Bat. This is also the last chapter of part 1. Oh and there's someone that wants to talk to you

Light- Hi everybody! My daddy says that I should thank everyone for readin' 'bout us. I really liked that you called me cute. Those mean ladies at school said I wasn't, well in your faces you old bats! Hahahahaha, Oh Dad's calling me. Bye Bye.

This Little Light of Mine

Ch 4: A New Life

"Are you sure this is the right place, Dad?" The little hedgehog looked up to the bigger, identical one. His large, curious eyes burned with a bright curiosity.

"Yes, this is it." Shadow spoke, glancing back at the building. His fur was blending in with the colors of the night sky.

They were standing in front of a place Light had never seen before. It was 3 stories tall and had deep purple paint covering the outside. There was a large sign above the structure that had squiggly letters that Light couldn't read. The letters shined neon pink which anybody could see on a clear evening. He could identify the big C and R but the rest was completely illegible.

"Daddy, what does that say?"

"Club Rouge," Shadow said softly.

"Daddy, don't ignore me." He begged. Don't forget about me, Dad.

"Light, it says club rouge."

"Oh… sorry Dad," Light turned his head away, embarrassed by their misunderstanding. He thought he was losing him. Mommy was already gone and dad was the only one left.

Shadow sensed his son's melancholy state. "Hey," he called. When Light didn't respond, he stooped down to the child's level and took him by the hands. "I would never ignore you purposefully, Light. You're the only thing I have left in this world." The dark hedgehog placed a kiss on his son's forehead.

Light smiled. He had the feeling that his father would always be there for him. "I love you Dad."

"I love you, too, Son." Shadow lifted the smaller creature into his arms and carried the child into the building.

Light sighed contently as his parent held him. Dad is always so warm, he thought. The young boy leaned closer to his father and nestled himself against his chest. With his head over the older one's shoulder, Light got comfortable enough to fall asleep. His eyes closed slowly, his heartbeats lining up with his father's footsteps.

Shadow entered the club in his usual graceful gait. It was extremely quiet for a Wednesday. Usually the club's 2 dance floors were packed from one light-purple wall to the other. He walked past a few tables to the "Shadow Bar" and smiled, remembering his old times.

"I'm gonna name this one after you, Shadow."The white bat spoke, pointing towards the black and cherry-wood bar.

"Why? I hardly ever drink." He said to her.

Her lips parted into a flirtatious smile. "Because, Gorgeous," she knocked on the countertop. "This is real Imperial Jet. As black as a shadow- no pun intended."

He sighed. "Do as you like. It's your club." He sat at one of the station's red spinning chairs. "It's not like it interests me."

She still smiled as she poured some dark red colored liquid into a glass. Shadow eyed it curiously as she drank. She spoke, noticing his change in demeanor. "It's a club specialty: The Dark Heart." She passed the hedgehog the cup and he took a small sip. After a few silent seconds, he answered.

"It's disgusting."

"I guess it's an acquired taste." She giggled.

Those were the days. He thought. He moved further into the building, passing the Omega Lounge. It's bright red wallpaper and buttery black leather sofas reminded him of his old partner. With one swift motion in the elevator, he reached the third floor: The Residential Area.

There was a small hallway with a door on the other side of Shadow's position. He knocked on it and waited for a response. There was very loud music on the other side of the threshold so he figured she was at home. He knocked one more time and the music lowered. He didn't know what exactly was going on in that spacious loft of hers but whatever it was, there were other people involved. He could make out a few words of their conversation. "Door…. Pizza… Maybe……. Stripper" Wait, What?!

Shadow wasn't sure he heard right. What exactly was he about to get his kid into? He wanted to turn around and find someone else to leave his child, his most precious possession, more valuable than any chaos emerald, with. But then again, she was the only one he fully trusted with that responsibility, no matter how perverted her "fun" was.

The door creaked open to reveal a tall yet extremely thin lynx. She was about his height and had deep brown hair covering one of her hazel eyes. Her muzzle was a little rosy and she wore nothing but a navy blue tank top and matching boy-shorts. Her right ear, as large as it was, was pierced 3 times whereas the left was only pierced twice. Despite her lack of decent clothing, she had on neutral shades of makeup and was still wearing eyeliner. Shadow actually would've found her very attractive if it weren't for the fact that she was half-naked and very, very tipsy. He could tell from her following sentence: "Oh you're hot." She leaned back into the living space. "It is the stripper. You have got to see this guy. He is gorgeous."

Dear sweet Maria, watch over my child and I, he thought.

It must've found its way out of him because the lynx's next words were: "Oh yeah, he's got a kid with him." She turned back to him and winked. "Thanks for reminding me but I'm sure we can work around him."

"What?" Another feminine voice spoke over the music. "A kid?"

"Who cares, send him in."

The lynx grabbed Shadow's arm and tugged him into the apartment. "Follow me, Sexy."

Shadow was unsure of what to do. He didn't remember much of his old persona but he did know he wasn't going to be dragged around by anybody. But… he needed to get into that room and following would get him one step closer. What would Old Shadow have done? Beggars can't be choosers. He followed the drunken female into the loft.

What he saw in that building should not have been seen, especially since his son was with him, stirring in his arms.

"Daddy, why is it so loud?" He whined.

"It's nothing, Light. Just keep your eyes closed and go back to sleep. You're too young to be emotionally scarred for life." The child giggled and continued resting in his father's strong, muscular arms. He thought Shadow was joking, but what he was seeing was all too serious.

In front of the hedgehog were a cat, a fox, a rabbit, a raven, and an extremely familiar bat. There were 5 women in all, not counting the lynx latched onto his shirt sleeve. Most were adults but some didn't look a day over sixteen. Each was wearing some form of underwear or lingerie and matching makeup and they all had large fluffy pillows in their hands. Like the lynx, Shadow would've found them all very attractive, if only he had met them on different terms. Unlike the lynx, they weren't all hammered drunk.

He identified the person he was looking for quickly. "Rouge," he acknowledged the scantily clad bat.

"Shadow!" She spoke, letting shock play out in her velvety voice. "I thought you weren't coming until next Wednesday. What the hell is going on?"

"I could ask you the same question, Bat-girl." He noticed her pink lace nightgown. It was practically see-through so she wore a terry-cloth robe over it. It was very similar to Iridessa's but he didn't want to think about her. "Why the hell are all of you naked?"

Rouge would've answered but was cut off by the sound of a young boy. "Daddy, it's too loud!"

Shadow patted Light's head, "And in front of my kid, too!"

She was about to reply but was cut off again, this time by a red fox with a very long ponytail wearing a white bra and matching skirt over a thong. "So he's not the stripper?"

Rouge rolled her eyes. "Don't you guys know who this is?"

They all looked at the figure. He was obviously strong, you could see his wiry muscles through his shirt; if you looked at his face, you could tell he was intelligent beyond how old he seemed; and he must've had a good job because he was wearing a white button-down and black slacks; and he was a family man. Hello, there's a kid right against his chest.

"He does look familiar." The raven spoke. "But no, we don't."

"That's Shadow the Hedgehog: top-ranking GUN agent and my old roommate." The bat stated.

"That's him!" The cat sat up from her spot on the floor. Her ears perked up at the sound of his name.

"Back off, Kaneko, he's mine!" The lynx stepped in front of Shadow.

"I don't smell your scent on him!"

"Not yet…" the lynx wiggled her eyebrows and smiled a devious little grin.

"Uh, hello," Shadow said, tired of being ignored. "My question hasn't been answered."

Rouge sighed. "Have you ever heard of the International Huntress's Guild?"

"No."

"We're a club, so to speak, of women who hunt things: Archaeology, bounty hunting, treasure, anything. This is our monthly pajama party. I'm hosting this time. The fox there, that's Vogue. The bird is Raven Crowe. The rabbit's name is Éclair. The cat is Kaneko Hidenka and your new friend there is Jewel. "

"But if you don't like that you can just call me whatever names do turn you on." She turned back to the dark hedgehog and reclaimed his free arm.

"Uh… yea," he said not really paying attention to her. "Good evening, Ladies."

"And this must be your son." Jewel reached her hand out to touch the sleeping child.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Shadow growled. His whole body tensed up, as well as the other women's in the room. Rouge knew what that meant. If he was looking for a fight, he'd found one.

"Oh, he's feisty!" She grinned. "I love that in a man, but don't worry," she let him go and returned to her seat. "I never sleep with a guy on the first night."

"Oh my God, Jewel!" The rabbit spoke. She had a heavy French accent. "Watch your language. There's an innocent present."

The lynx just shrugged. "Hey Shadow," she said. "We were just having a pillow fight. You want to join us?"

"No thanks," he said. "I think I'm just going to get to sleep. Rouge…"

"Yeah, I'm coming." She rose from her spot on the couch and led Shadow to his room for the night.

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The black hedgehog lay awake in his bed for most of the night. Light was cuddled up next to the larger male, snoring softly. He was so cute when he was asleep. Shadow pulled him nearer, trying not to disturb his peaceful slumber. Light moved a little bit, turning to fit closer to his father's side. If his plan was going to work, he'd need to have an eye on the curious kid 24/7. He knew how Light loved to wander, learning everything he could but when you're a "spy", as he put it, wandering gets you killed. If Light died…, Shadow couldn't even begin to explain how he would feel after that. Hell, he couldn't even finish the thought. The sleeping child next to him was the only real thing he had left in this world.

The dark hedgehog looked over his son to the 3 bags they had packed. He got them out of the trunk after he laid Light down in their room. One was filled with his clothes, one filled with Light's, and one filled with Shadow's other things: his briefcase; no longer filled with papers for his job but contained 20 thousand dollars. The emergency money would be used to put a down-payment on their new place; His most important documents; some of Iridessa's old jewelry. She always hated her real things because she thought they were ugly. Whatever Rouge didn't want, Shadow would pawn, probably to get Light a new book or toy; and his old gun and badge; if he was going to be an actual agent again, he'd need them. The rest of their things had been put into storage. This was the way it was going to be for a while, moving constantly, all over the world. It was a dangerous new life, and Shadow wondered how would this affect his boy?