A/N: Here's the next chapter of "Cold Compassion." This chapter's by The Queen of Aces :)

Edit: Sorry, the quote dissapeared so I added it back on... :P

Dedicated to Marianne

"A religious man is a person who holds God and man in one thought at one time, at all times, who suffers harm done to others, whose greatest passion is compassion, whose greatest strength is love and defiance of despair."

-Abraham Joshua Heschel

"Bye and bye, by and by," Amy sang as she poked at the little girl's small round nose. "The moon is half a lemon pie." The baby stared at the finger, simply memorized as it trailed down her subtle, small, and developing features. "When the cow jumps the moon, ring the bell. And you'll have a new story to tell." Amy giggled as the girl seemed to tilt her head in an almost questionable manner.

Naomi, she tried it again, before deciding that with a first name came a middle name. She thought, at the same time, wondering how peculiar it was that the girl had yet to show any signs of discomfort. She had hardly ever cried, except to be changed, to be fed, and to be held. Never because she was unhappy, just simply out of a need to be tended to.

Amy took her small wrists in her hands, waving them while still thinking both thoughts. She knew about her real mother, the one who had died while giving birth. She'd introduced herself as Mary, in her will, just Mary. And then, she knew about her grandmother, the one who raised her for eight years before she ran away. Her real name had been Rose, and she'd been the closest thing she'd had to a parent.

"Naomi Rose-Mary," she thought, and it sounded sweet, right. Deciding, it would please everyone, except for her mother, who had hated her grandmother with a vengeance, and her grandmother, who would never be able to stand the fact that her name would be defiled by its combination to the name of her late mother.

Amy decided she'd ask Sonic about it later, keeping away the reasons why of course. "Naomi Rose-Mary." she said again, smiling as she said it. "Rose-Mary." She couldn't keep the giggle out of her voice.

With a sense of finality, she set Naomi down gently, placing a pillow underneath her small head to help her neck support the weight. Then, she picked up her obnoxious brother, who seemed to cry just because he felt the need to.

"Nathaniel," she smiled, kissing his forehead and setting his head so it rest in the crook of her arm. "I've been thinking about yours." she told him, surprised when he stuck out his tongue and made a small but effective raspberry.

She laughed, smoothing out the small cowlick on the back of his tender head. "Nathaniel Oliver. How does that sound to you?"

The little boy only blew another raspberry; face lit with delight at the sound, then began to repeat his newest discovery. As Amy stuck out her own tongue at him, his face grew bright, and he unleashed a happy toothless grin, mouth a wide open gaping hole.

Then, she paused, remembering. "What in the world is taking Sonic so long?" she asked the little infant, as though he might hold the answer. She received another raspberry. She smiled, picking the child up. "Let's go check up on him, shall we?"

Managing to pick up both children without fault, she made her way to the front door. She was surprised when she saw that he was nowhere to be found. Anger and hurt rose up in her chest like wildfire.

"That no good double-crossing-" she stopped as she looked from the window, only to see he was right in the front yard, talking to someone. She tried to look past the snow, but only saw a few blurred colors. "Wonder who he could be talking to?" she shrugged. "Oh well...come on you guys, I think it's naptime."

Nathaniel blew a loud and quite impressive raspberry. In between fits of laughter, her ear perked at the sound of the doorbell. She looked at her full arms, laughing. "Come in!" she yelled, as she made her way back to the living room. When she saw, not Sonic, but a very cold Rouge and a shivering Cream, she smiled. "Oh! It's you guys!"

Cream looked at the pink smiling hedgehog, and her brown eyes shook a bit. "Oh," she breathed, like she was choking, her words constricted. "Hello Amy." she was holding onto Cheese, but she still sounded as though she was about to cry. Amy paused, raising an eyebrow while voicing her obvious concern.

"Are you alright Cream?" she asked, as the little rabbit shrunk, as if she'd called her a harsh name. Amy looked at the older bat, hoping for some sort of explanation, but found that the bat, too, seemed upset.

She blinked. "Is it...my hair?" she asked, knowing it was ruffled up and not nearly as kept as it always was. She watched as they fell silent. "My dress?" she asked, knowing it seemed to be wearing her, and not the other way around.

Rouge finally spoke up. "No, Amy, you look fine." She looked up. "It's just...um... we have some things to talk about. If you don't mind, maybe we can sit down and discuss it?" she asked, and Amy nodded, watching as they walked to the living room. She sat on the couch, taking immediate notice that they both sat across from her, away.

While she watched Rouge, it was actually Cream who made the first conversation. "Miss Amy, am I your friend?"

Amy wondered why the little rabbit had returned to formal titles, but said nothing about it. She merely smiled and nodded. "Of course you are, Cream." She answered, as the little rabbit tucked her legs underneath her, fidgeting and refusing to meet her eyes.

"And...you'd do anything to protect me, right?" she asked, as Amy paused, but only for a moment.

"Absolutely."

"Even if it meant sacrificing something you cared about?"

Where was she going with this? Amy nodded weakly. "Without a doubt." She replied. "In a heartbeat."

"What if I asked you to give up those babies?"

The sentence was deadly; she felt a knife being twisted in her stomach, a sharp, acute pain. Her eyes flew to the two children, to Naomi, who was simply watching her, and to Nathaniel, who was staring at his hand in a wondrous fascination. She looked back up at the rabbit, who was now looking at her, awaiting her answer. Finally, Amy's voice came, wavering. "Well..." she paused. "I don't...I couldn't..."

Cream's voice came slightly harsher than before. "Would you sacrifice those two, for the lives of everyone you know, and love?" she asked, and Amy found her eyes trailing back to the children. Nathaniel was now uncurling and curling his fist, watching, while Naomi blinked those pretty eyes back at her. Unlike her brother, Naomi had pupils in her eyes, and they seemed like bottomless pits of love and trust meant only for her.

Amy didn't answer, after awhile, Rouge stepped in. "What she means, is..." she pointed to the hedgebabes, aqua eyes filled with something Amy didn't expect. Fear, mixed with hate, and anger. "Those children, you're holding," her finger shook a little, unsteadily, as she breathed. "Those are the key to the end of the universe, as we know it."

And Amy knew, by the look in her friend's eyes, and the way Cream began to cry, that her whole world was just turned upside down.

"A prophecy?" Sonic's surprised voice came as the harsh wind reddened his face, hardly able to see the person who was standing across from him. "Hold on pal, just what are you getting at?" he asked, as the red echidna pinched his frozen face, trying to bring back the feeling.

His black counterpart remained still, though he would shiver occasionally. Beside him, the orange fox had both of his tails wrapped around him; rubbing his mittens together and watching his foggy breath dissolve into the freezing winter air.

"Those two monsters in there," Knuckles spoke, voice ragged from lack of sleep and exhaustion and bitterness. His finger was pointed at the cozy little house, accusing. "They're the children from a prophecy, it's old and it's timeless, but it's as real as the Master Emerald itself." he blew into his gloved hands, dreadlocks blowing in the wind and flying into his face. "They're going to cause the destruction of the universe, not the world, Sonic, the universe."

Sonic turned to his best friend. "What in the world is he talking about?" he asked, surprised when the orange fox replied in a grave tone.

"I really hoped this day would never come. Really, Sonic, I'm sorry. If I only knew..." his voice cracked, but he dare not cry, not at the risk of freezing his face. "I might have been able to do something...gotten to them before they reached you and Amy." he sighed. "But I'm just glad we found them before it was too late."

Sonic, by now, was getting fearful. "Wait a minute. What are you going to do to them?"

Knuckles blinked, taking a shocked expression. "We're getting rid of them." He replied, cool and calm as though it was perfectly natural. "No children, no problem."

Sonic held out both arms. "Hold on a second! Can we go at a slower pace, please?" he turned to Knuckles. "You're saying you want to kill those kids?"

"Yes."

"Because...of...a prophecy?" he asked, awed and appalled. "That may or may not even come true?"

"It's going to come true." Knuckles replied, stubborn and unmovable and unconvinced. "We're at a risk even now."

Shadow, who had not spoken since arrival, nodded. "They're going to be the death of us all."

"You want to kill them because of who they might turn out to be?" Sonic asked, his eyes trailing to the black and red mixed hedgehog. "You, Shadow?" he asked, a secret message hidden there somewhere. The hedgehog stared with ruby red eyes, before looking away harshly.

The hardcore hedgehog closed his eyes in pity and sympathy. "We've been talking it over. We knew about it for a month, now." he opened his eyes and looked down at the ground. "It's not right, yes, but it's necessary. I won't let the whole universe fall because it's just unethical."

Sonic's face fell, showing no emotion. Tails sighed. "You have to understand it both ways, Sonic. Think about it, just think." he spoke soft. "It's either those two, or everyone else."

Sonic shook his head. "No, I just...I need to think..." he looked at the others. "Just give me a few days to-"

"Don't you get it?" the echidna was nearly screaming. "Those things could go off any second and when they do, there's nothing we can do to stop them."

Sonic growled. "One." he looked at them. "Just give me one day, then. I have to talk about this, with Amy. I...I just have to talk to her." he looked beyond them now. "Please...just one day."

Finally, the trio nodded. "Alright." They called the girls, who excited with grim faces. As they left, Sonic felt his insides go numb. He waited, before entered the house once more. When he found Amy, she was on the couch, cuddling two crying babies. Her cheek was tender, red, as though it had been slapped. She was near tears, but she didn't make a single sound.

The pink hedgehog began to rock them, cooing and nuzzling, keeping them close to her. Then, she began to whisper. She leaned over to Nathaniel, who was whimpering, her mouth pressed against his warm skin. "Don't be afraid..." She then looked up. "I won't let them take you. Everything will be alright."

The blue hedgehog frowned, before stepping towards Amy. He faced her, green eyes bearing into a different shade of the same color. Amy held them. "I'm not going to give them up." she decided, fierce.

Sonic nodded, as if his head were too heavy for his neck, before giving her a look that she couldn't uncode. "I know." he told her, before reaching our and stroking the side of Naomi's head. "That's why I'm with you." As she looked up, he gave her a smirk. "All the way Ames." He breathed. "They'll be here by tomorrow. That doesn't give us much time." He sighed. "I'm not going to let them take Nathaniel and Naomi."

Amy was shaking. "What are you saying?" she asked, her voice tight.

"I'm saying," Sonic smiled, kneeling and touching Nathaniel's astonished face. The voice that came next was filled with emotions neither one of them could ever hope to decode. "Amy, we're going to run away."

A/N: Gasps! Yes, they're going to run away! There's fantasy-type stuff in it! Hey, it's by The Queen of Aces and Azngirlchibi, meaning tons of drama and fantasy.

Anyways, the next chapter's actually done... so it'll be up very, very soon :)

Oh, and you might or might not noticed this, but the story's genre is now "Romance/Friendship."

Thanks for reading!

Anonymous Reviews:

None again. What happened to them all:(

The Queen of Aces

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