A/N: This chapter of Cold Compassion was brought to you by Aces Incorporated. Where our motto is: Sincere Service with Butt-kicking Talent.

Also, this chapter may contain full-frontal Jewdity. Ha ha, ew.

Currently, I am heading to Disneyworld with six of my friends (and my adorable step-sister, Gangstalicious) So I'm about to find out what happens when you put eight retards on the open road with nothing to do but eat bean burritos...

Last time I was here, my friend tackled Daffy Duck, and he got sued for a hella lot. But luckily he's really sick and couldn't come with us this time. No, I'm totally kidding...he's dead. (Stares awhile, then claps hands together) Alrighty then! How about we get started with the chapter?

By the way, I'm thinking about changing my name. Any suggestions? My step-brother Karson wants me to call myself: Damsel of Doom and Destruction...

Yah...THAT really rolls off the tongue...

I dunno. I'm taking suggestions. I might just keep it.

Anyway, ya'll enjoy this...

I'm off. We're in Seven Eleven, if you see me, wave!

If not...then enjoy this...

Also, azngirlchibi is my G.

Dedicated to Marianne

"How did we ever go this far?
You touch my hand and start the car
And for the first time in my life
I'm crying.
Are we in space? Do we belong?
Someplace where no one calls it wrong
And like the stars we burn away
The miles..."

-T.A.T.U

"Stars"

Stroking the front of his tender head, Amy brushed away the quills that were hanging over Nathaniel's thin expressional eyebrows, as Sonic watched her from the corner of his eye. Since the incident, he seemed to be almost fearful of the little toddler.

But Amy had reached for him first, soothing the child as he squirmed in his sleep. There was a bruise on his knee, where he had fallen trying to walk for the first time. And a small cut on his finger, from where he had picked up a rose by accident, only to find that the exotic beauty was armed and deadly. His hair was ruffled, never quite laying straight, hanging over his eyes and scraping the very back of his neck.

She wanted to sing to him, to help him through this nightmare and onto a tender dream, but the silence was now a strong chokehold that made every attempt to talk a weak whisper. Feeling his gaze, her head snapped up, her stare both annoyed and curious.

As soon as she looked up, the blue hedgehog looked away. His cheeks turned pink, as if he had been caught seeing something he shouldn't have. As if he had no right to observe these small acts of tenderness, that he was not worthy of fully realizing how her heart held enough compassion to satisfy all of them.

Amy looked back at Nathaniel, wiping the small line of drool from his lips, before sighing. Settling him in her arms, she allowed herself to watch his face, scrunched up and little hands balled up into fists.

He was whimpering softly, so soft that she barely caught it. Stroking his arm, she frowned. Be well, my sweet baby, she thought, be well. If she could say anything, she would have told Nathaniel that no matter what nightmare lay ahead, in the end, she would be there when he awoke.

But this seemed like a promise too big for her to possibly make true, and the reality of it was enough to break her.

Ironic, that she had more or less gotten her wish. To be alone with Sonic all the time, to have a baby to take care of, to see each other all the time and know secrets that no one else did.

But this was nothing like she wanted. Because in the end, he still could not stand to be with her. And she no longer wanted to impress him. Usually, she had woke up at the crack of dawn to make it look like she had gotten a decent amount of sleep. She spent hours preparing a smile that she prayed would dazzle him.

But then, in the middle of the night, he would awake and leave her. He would have nightmares, and then when he came back, he would smile and lie about his troubles.

And knowing these lies, she begun to realize that she was keeping these tucked away, secret bullets for her ammunition.

When he began to drown in pity, she tried to help. But he had refused to open up to her, but demanded that this whole situation be blamed on him.

Finally, she had been through with it, she had had enough. She had shot down his attempt for self-pity, and he had taken it as a personal attack. Though he refused to believe it, she was just as lost as he was. These children were so hard to please, but he had acted as though she was supermom.

'I can't take care of the babies like you do. I can't change their diapers, or give them a bath, or even feed them without your help.'

In anger, Amy asked herself. 'When have you ever tried? I would have been glad to help you.' Tears pricked the corner of her eyes. For some reason, she thought of her father, who visited her once a year, only to visit his mother and make sure Rose was teaching her well so she could work for him when she was older.

Her father had not even wanted her, not once had he ever looked her in the eye. Amy bit her lip. 'You're already a better dad than mine was. You have already done so much more...' she breathed. As she touched her cheek, she was surprised to find it was soaked in her tears.

The silence was broken by his voice. "Amy," he paused, startled, as if he had not meant to address her. "Why are you crying?"

She had been so strong about this whole thing, only breaking down that time at K-Mart. Amy looked at him, and tears poured over her eyes, a waterfall of melancholy anguish that she had been carrying all along, so he did not have to be burdened. She felt like she was cutting off her own arm, like she was detaching a part of her.

"You can leave, anytime you want to..." she swallowed, eyes shining. "I'm not going to make you stay here and be with me. You can stop having those nightmares, and you can live in peace...and you won't have to..." she clutched Nathaniel tighter. "You won't ever have to take care of anyone else again."

Sonic set the plane on autopilot, before turning to her. "Amy, no..." he paused to reach out for her.

"If you think being with me is so bad, then leave." Amy was being harsh, eyes hard. But the tears were still pouring. "You keep us alive. You make sure we have food to eat, you play with them. What's wrong with needing my help?"

Everything that she had wanted to say was pouring out of her mouth, random thoughts that had brewed and was now boiling over. "I'm tired of you not talking to me, and I hate seeing you sad and not being able to tell you something you need to hear. You're being stupid! It's not that hard. Either you want to be with us, or you don't." Her tears did not falter. "Take it from me, fathers aren't necessary..."

Then, as she thought about it, she continued. "But they are wanted." her eyes then softened so, staring into his own. "They are so wanted. You know, if my father was half the person you were-" she stopped immediately, sorrow filling her features.

Sonic watched in wonderment as she withdrew herself, the words that she had not meant to say hung in the air. This part of her was new to him. A secret that he did not know.

The blue hedgehog then paused. "I don't want to leave you," he finally decided. He watched as Nathaniel stirred in her arm. "It's just..." as the little boy stopped, his features immediately relaxed, and his adorable face became a soft place of peace.

Sonic looked up at Amy. "Why can't they see what we see?" he asked, mouth wide. "Why do we have to be punished for doing the right thing? Look at us. We could die at any moment, for saving two children. I've never been hated for wanting to do the right thing. And I'm so worried that I'll mess up...and that you'll pay for my mistakes..." sighing, he added. "I just feel so useless. You've been carrying me and the twins all this time. You've had the toughest job of us all..."

After awhile, the silence was broken. Amy's eyes flickered to the sleeping girl in the back, and to the little boy in her arms. When she finally spoke, she broke the wall between them. Setting them both free with one response. "When you love someone..." Amy replied. "It stops being a job."

Sonic breathed in the smell of hospitality that only hotels could offer at this point. Taking his shoes off, he sat down on the bed and watched Amy set the twins on the other bed, before sitting down across from him.

Finally, he asked his pink companion. "Can I ask you something?" he asked, as Amy looked to him. Never had he opened up to her first. This was new and greatly accepted territory.

Nodding, Sonic sat back. "There was something Shadow said to me...I can't get it out of my head." stopping to see her reaction, he noticed her expression tightening, her eyes instantly taking on a look he could not picture. Sonic blinked, a secret coming out. "You know, he's fond of you. He might even like you."

"I know." Amy replied instantly.

"Even when he saw you with them, back there. He had a look I couldn't..." he ran a hand through his hair. "Before he even saw the children. His eyes were..."

"Soft." Amy gave him, the perfect word. Sonic realized that she had known about Shadow long before he had even sensed him. Amy swallowed. "He was devastated, when I saw you two fighting." With a smile, she turned the conversation around. "What did he say to you?" she asked, begging for him to open up. Sonic swallowed before sighing and deciding that it was time to put more trust in someone.

"He told me...that they would grow up miserable. And that...it would be humane to kill them." Sonic began to quote the black hedgehog word for word. "They'll know that the only reason that they are alive is to destroy the world. They know that every creature they meet, every being that they hold dear will die, all because of them." He waited for her reaction, only to find that Amy seemed compelled by this. "He told me that they would hate themselves for being what they are."

Amy tilted her head. "And what are they?" she asked, curious. Sonic stared uneasily.

"Apparently, they're going to be murderers."

"Yes." Amy gave him a look that he could not describe. "You know. Shadow makes an excellent point."

Sonic gasped. "You're joining his side?"

Amy darkened. "No, never." her eyes shifted. "I would never let anyone kill them."

Sonic smiled. "Because it's the right thing to do?"

Amy watched his face, before smiling weakly. "Yeah," she admitted. "For the sake of justice."

What she didn't have the heart to tell him, was that her reasons were purely selfish. Because Nathaniel and Naomi were now her children, and she loved them more than she could ever admit. They were a part of her, a trait, a physical need. Somehow, she had come to need those children, like an arm or a leg.

If they were killed, not only would evil have won. But they would be killing her too. And Amy was afraid of the result. If they cut off that arm, she might just be crippled for life.

Realizing that Sonic was watching, she quickly gave him a smile. Hoping that this was the last of her emotional troubles.

A year later...

By the time Tails entered his workshop, he was nearly ten minutes late.

As he entered, he noticed the relief that instantly swept over their faces. Shadow was lost in thought, unaware of his presence, staring at the table set out in the middle of the room. His crimson eyes were watching the drink that had been provided, watching ripples form as Tails took a seat and scooted closer, bumping his knee on the wooden table.

Knuckles was sitting close to Rouge, hands clasped in a troubled look that was half filled with annoyance. Rouge herself was sighing, looking away for some source of entertainment, hands placed on her swelled stomach. Pregnant, for almost nine months now. Tails looked around.

Almost instantly, the young fox noticed something. "Where's Cream?"

As if on cue, the door opened, only to reveal the young rabbit herself. But there was no smile on her face, no gleam in her eye or sparkle in her step. Her dress was worn, the hem was frayed, her hair was untamed and long. She had a bruise on her temple, and her lips were pressed tight, and her pet chao was nowhere to be found.

She, of all of them, should have been the first to arrive. Having explored the North, there were plenty of reasons to come back. Including bitter cold through the winter months. As she sat down, her stomach growled so noisily that it snapped Shadow out of his daydream. They stared at the rabbit, who seemed to not have noticed.

Finally, Rouge sighed. "What took you, hon? We were worried sick."

Cream swallowed and simply shrugged. "I guess I lost track of time. Sorry, everyone." she apologized.

She had lived with him, for a few brief weeks. She had not said why, but afterwards, she had volunteered to work permanently up in the North. They gave her all the special equipment, they bought her a house.

And she had not been seen ever since, except in major meetings. Tails watched her face, thin and dirty, as if she had not had a chance to bathe on the way back. Her hair was now to her shoulders, and her body was so frail and sickly pale. He bit back his concern, before Cream began to play with one of her delicately sculpted ears.

Knuckles cleared his throat. "Now that we're all here, I'd like to discuss something."

Rouge nodded. "We've been patrolling around the world; we've covered every nook and cranny, everything we could possibly think of. We've even tried weaseling them out, but so far that's been useless, too," the young bat added, before looking at all of them. They were the elite five, all for their special skills and relations to the criminals.

Shadow, who was taking this all as an insult, snapped back. "Well, what do you suggest we do about it?"

Tails frowned. "It seems we've greatly underestimated their abilities."

Shadow bowed his head. Wrong, Shadow thought back, we've underestimated HER abilities.

He thought of Amy, who had haunted his mind ever since she had played HIM for the fool. He wondered what she was thinking, if she was thinking about him, or wondering when they would next meet, like he was. He wanted to slap himself, but decided that this was not the time or place.

And ever since that little brat had made a fool out of him too, his sympathy was running short. Sure, Sonic has sensed him too. But he could be easily destroyed. But the girl...Amy, she had wormed her way into his skin, into his thoughts and into his heart, so that every beat brought yearning for her.

He remembered how she had looked at him, there, fighting with Sonic. Her eyes had met his for a brief moment, and he had not been able to let it go ever since.

Shadow watched as Knuckles began to stand up, declaring a new plan.

"I was thinking, of adding the number of our allies." Knuckles proclaimed, as Cream's stomach began to growl again.

Rouge looked up. "Cream, do you want something to eat?" she asked, as the little rabbit blushed.

"After the meeting."

Tails piped up. "New allies? Like who?"

Knuckles paused. "Actually, I was thinking of involving...Eggman."

It was quiet, as everyone considered.

Finally, Rouge spoke up. "It could be a huge help, with all of his robots."

Cream instantly replied back. Her high pitched voice was raw. "Miss Rouge," she scorned. "Haven't you learned anything? We've lost the only two members on our team who were indestructible. Robots have never been able to handle Sonic and Amy, and they never will." She then stood up, as if this idea was outrageous. "Eggman is not a help, he will be a burden."

Tails nodded. "I agree with Cream." he sided, as the rabbit relaxed.

Shadow then looked at his team. "Well...what if you combine YOUR technology with the doctor's?"

Knuckles smiled. "Good thinking, Shadow!"

Rouge was still shocked at the rabbit's earlier outburst. "Sounds good to me."

Tails thought for a moment. "It's worth a shot." he turned to the rabbit. "What do you think?"

"Sure, fine." But the girl was already grabbing her coat and sweater. "Then, I'm going back." she bit her lip. "It was nice to see you all, but I really have to be going."

Rouge blinked. "Aren't you even going to say goodbye to your mother? I'm sure she's worried sick."

But Cream only opened the door and whispered. "No. She's better off without me." the little rabbit closed the door and started walking. Wondering what she would do if she had to keep going on like this.

At this point, she was only hurting both teams.

"Cream!" Tails called. And she paused, watching him grab her shoulders and spin her around to look into her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and she swallowed. "We're going to win. You and your mother will be safe."

Tears pricked her eyes, as she struggled to speak past the lump in her throat. She thought of her best friend, of the girl she one day hoped to be, of the only person who loved her as much as her mother used to. The girl who never blown her off for anything, even though she was just a little sister to her.

Amy had loved her, and she'd given it up. Shouldn't she have learned by now, that love was worth it? And what was life, now, without it? It was a miserable, cold and dark place.

Cream wiped her tears. She wanted Amy back; she wanted to be loved again. She wanted her mother. But as she looked at Tails, she saw that those days were long gone. She had been given the choice, and she'd chosen wrong. Now she'd be punished for it.

But suddenly he was holding her and she was crying like a little baby. She managed to stop long enough to answer.

"But...if you win," she whispered against the fox's fur as he held her close. "I still lose."

It was one of those beautiful sunny days, the kind that bathe everything in a golden light. Where even the sunflowers seemed to sing and the sun warmed your back and everything seemed so much prettier. Where the leaves on the trees were the same color as the grass and butterflies fluttered while a cool breeze would carry petals away.

He watched Amy sit down on the grass, setting down Nathaniel and smiled as he immediately started to walk away. He set down Naomi, disappointed when Amy's gaze did not flicker to him, but stayed on the little boy.

His sister immediately flopped to the floor, for she had yet to learn how to walk as well as her brother. Sonic set her up again, waiting awhile before she took off. The fight seemed like forever ago, when they had both scared each other with the possibility of leaving.

But no matter what he had said, he never left her. Though he couldn't place why, but when the thought of leaving ever entered his mind, he felt physically ill. He would get pale and start to shake at the thought of sleeping in trees again, without anyone to run to.

As he sat beside her, they watched the children play. Amy turned towards him, and gave a half-smile. "They slept for seven hours straight." Amy mused as she looked at her bare feet. "Does that count as sleeping through the night?"

"Isn't it weird that we never talk about it?" Sonic piped up, as she stilled. Before she could play dumb, he added. "About what happened with Nathaniel?"

Amy stared off into the distance for a few moments, before she closed her eyes. Her hair had gotten so long; it floated around her bare shoulders, tickling her skin. She had gotten taller too, and her face was thinner, a certain grace in her movements.

"Let me ask you something," Amy turned to him, opening her eyes and stunning him with their beauty. "What if Nathaniel grew up, and he told you he was gay?"

Sonic blinked. He was surprised at his immediate answer. "So what?"

"What if he decided to devote himself into Jewish faith?"

"That's his decision."

"What if he killed our friends?" Amy asked.

Sonic looked at her. "It's not the same. It's different..."

Amy looked away and found her little boy, currently watching his sister pluck flowers, before wrapping his arms around her. Her protector. She thought about the startling green of his thick hair, of the mess of freckles on his shoulders, she thought about his eyes. She thought about the way he felt in her arms, how he liked to sing along to the radio and the feel of his skin against her lips as she kissed him goodnight. Amy smiled.

"Not to me."

Before he could reply, both picked up a sharp cry. Their heads turned to the children, who had fallen. Pollen was in their hair and Naomi was crying, while Nathaniel seemed to whimper. As Sonic and Amy approached them, they turned to Nathaniel first, who had scraped his knee. Droplets of blood colored his bronze skin, and as he held onto the wound, his hand was smeared with blood.

Sonic bent over to him, ruffling his hair. "It's okay, Nathaniel. It's just a scrape." At that moment Nathaniel turned to look at him; he realized that he had never fully addressed the little boy. And he was hurt when confusion passed over the boy's face.

"Hurts," he mumbled out, blowing the locks of hair out of his eyes. He needed a haircut. He would have to remind Amy later. Amy smiled and took a band-aid from her purse, before planting it on his knee. As she kissed the bandage, his eyes brightened as he jumped onto his feet and threw his arms around her neck.

"Done!" he smiled and tried to lift up his leg. "Done!" he declared to Sonic, as the blue hedgehog studied his face. His cheeks were stained with streaks of dirt, but he was so open and loving that Sonic merely laughed and nodded.

As Nathaniel beamed at him, they heard something behind them. It was Naomi. "Hurts."

Amy smiled as they started to turn. "I know, we're..." both hedgehogs stopped as Naomi lifted her leg from her place on the ground.

Though it was only a simple cut, there was blood everywhere. It was on her dress, on her shoes, her whole leg dyed in crimson blood. Amy gasped, as Naomi stared at them with sad eyes. Her leg was gushing with blood, as her little hands were trying to stop it, clamping over her knee as she winced.

"Hurts." she whispered again as her eyes turned towards Sonic. As she lifted her leg more, some blood dropped onto the crown of flowers Amy had made for her yesterday. Naomi looked at him.

"Ow..." she said again, the blood seeping over the white color of the flowers. It tainted the bottom of her curls, over her other leg, on her cheeks and streaking over her eyes.

The whole observation was made in seconds, but it was Amy who rushed to the child, tearing off the bottom of her dress, she wrapped it around the child's leg. "Just hold on," she whispered. "Just hold on."

Turning to look at the commotion, Nathaniel's eyes widened. Sonic lifted the little boy and shielded him from the horrible sight. But he had seen it, and as he looked at Sonic, the little boy stared blankly. "Hurts inside." He replied, matching all of their emotions with two simple words.

A/N: This is azngirlchibi, with a piece of advice - Don't play badminton with your dad if he is over 50, unless you want him to pull a muscle.

Well, can't say my vacation time was the best I'd ever had in my life... but I guess it could've been worse. I mean, I only sat five freaking hours in the car with my mom re-telling embarassing stories of my childhood with my aunt! NOBODY NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I WAS FIVE, MOM!

(ahem) I had to get that out.

Anyways, let's have a moment of silence as we mourn over the fact that the last Harry Potter book is out, and we will never hear about Harry's adventures ever again.

(mourn)

Done. Now I can look forward to Sonic and Mario at the Olympic games, and Sonic RPG :)

Thanks for reading!

There are no Anonymous Reviews :(

The Queen of Aces

azngirlchibi