A/N: Hey you guys, it's me, Aces. Now I know what you're thinking, and most of you are probably pissed at me because I took so long to write this stupid chapter.

Well, I don't care, because the truth is that over the past couple of weeks I've become exhausted, hospitalized, underweight, and utterly awesome, all at once. We had our last basketball game a couple of weeks ago, since we lost first place district by three points! But what are you gonna do about that? Anyways, that means that spring sports officially started.

For those of you who don't know, the spring sports have the most activities out of all the seasons. During fall, you have cross country, volleyball, cheerleading, and football, while you do basketball and swimming in the winter. And usually it's easy for me to juggle two to three sports at a time, so I've always been able to get my writing on time. But the moment spring sports start, well, all of that changes.

You see, spring sports include: Softball, tennis, track, continuous competitive cross country, and dancing. And guess which ones I'm in? Yep, all of them. I haven't even been able to eat lunch at school because that's the only possible time I can practice my ballet with Coach G. I use my free period to try out for track events, and I have to get to school at five in the morning to do my cross country workout.

I'm up at the school till seven or eight most of the time, and I have finals coming up. The coaches and teachers have me running back and forth and now the doctor is on my case because I dislocated my shoulder. Don't worry, I popped it right back into place. But it still hurts, bad. And I've lost a total of ten pounds! That's a terrible thing! Terrible! The only day I get off is Sunday, and that's only after I go to church and volunteer down at the preschool. I'm so worn thin that I've started to bawl my eyes out when I have to get ready for school.

And I know what you're wondering: Aces, why don't you just quit a sport or two? Make your life easier?

The answer is two things: One, the coaches won't let me, and two, I love every single sport I'm trying out for. And I'm good at them too! Last year, I not only claimed the best time on the 200 for girls, but boys too. And I blow away our competition when it comes to tennis! And no one in the entire northern state is as graceful as I am when doing ballet. In softball, I'm a triple threat because I can pitch, hit, and catch like a beast! But unfortunately, doing all of them means no free time whatsoever. In fact, my teammates had to get coach to carry me out to my mom's car because I hit the floor of the locker room and just fainted, without even changing out of my track sweats. I need every ounce of sleep I can get, so I've gotten in the habit of going to sleep at eight thirty.

Is THAT a good enough explanation for ya? Yeah, and you guys think YOU have it rough. By the way, like azngirlchibi, I too have found a new anime to obsess over! My step-sis showed it to me! It's called AIR, and it's the anime that inspired the last scene between Nathaniel and Amy. Since in the anime, Misuzu and Haruko share a scene exactly like it. Well, anyways, I hope you guys find a way to enjoy this chapter. (Grabs stuffed bunny and blanket) I'm going to get some sleep; tomorrow we have our first track meet. Wish me luck! (Curls up into a ball) Goodnight…

Dedicated to Marianne

-"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick
self. Therefore, trust the physician, and drink its remedy in silence and
tranquility."

-Huey Freeman from the Boondocks
Episode 11, Wingmen

The Queen of Aces

The moment she came into the room to tuck them into bed, Nathaniel knew something was wrong.

His mother did not walk to them with her usual confident and purposed stride, her mind only set on the stories of pirates and lands made only of candy so that they could be satisfied.

No, now her walk is soft, slow, and cautious. Like how you're supposed to walk when you carry scissors, Nathaniel related, watching her carefully. Her eyes were pink around the edges, and her shoulders were shaking, so Nathaniel knew she had been crying. She wouldn't meet their eyes, and she held her arms around her as if she was in danger of falling apart. The little boy cringed as she approached them, his heart in his throat. Will they have to move again, like last time this happened?

The twins didn't say a word as she wipes at her eyes in a desperate attempt to compose herself, her resounding sobs filling the air so that it echoed around them and amplified itself ten times louder.

Naomi seemed to fold in on herself, a pained look in her eyes as she sympathetically noted Amy's hurt, holding on tight to her favorite stuffed animal like she knew what her mother was really feeling. When Amy finally did speak, it sounded like she had swallowed paste, her words separate and emphasized like it was something he would always need to remember.

"You guys…" she swallows and tip-toes toward them, like she is crossing a line and resisting it all the way. For a moment after she spoke, she seemed to try and take it back, but then her shoulders stiffened and she raised her head to see them fully. "I need to…" she looked away, toward the open window with a look that Nathaniel couldn't make sense of. She started to fiddle with her hands, something he has never seen her do.

"I have some things I want to tell you guys…okay?" she quieted back down, while Nathaniel and Naomi shared a look. With a sort of understanding, they both crawled out of bed and took her hands, watching her wondrous gaze turn into a heartbroken stare.

All three of them lower down to the floor, still holding hands, but his mother will not let them go. While they wait, she began to speak in a voice that was not her own. "You guys know I'm not your real mother…" but even these words seem to hurt her, she paused. "I mean, you didn't come out of my belly."

Naomi settled herself right next to Amy, like a kitten would to seek warmth and comfort, even though she was the one giving it. "You're like our second mommy." She told the pink hedgehog, smiling and presenting her with a title even better than the one she cannot have. "But you're better than a first mommy."

Amy gave a smile back and wrapped her arms around them, so that they lay between her legs while they all stared out of the open window. "Well, the reason I'm your second mommy, is because I found you." She rubbed their backs while she spoke, holding them even closer. "When you were babies, someone left you at my house, because they wanted me to take care of you."

"Who did?" Nathaniel asks, his eyes riddled with curiosity. He turned his neck to meet her face. "Who left us?"

Amy merely patted his head, lovingly cradling him. "I don't know baby." She merely tried, her fingers lacing through his hair. "All I know is that they wanted me to have you guys. So I took you in, and I promised that I would always protect you. I didn't want anything to happen to you guys, not ever." Amy took a minute to breath, tears gathering at the base of her eyes. "Back then, I was always playing with my friends."

Naomi didn't blink. "Like Miss Rouge?" And Nathaniel watched his mom nod slowly, her face looking anything but peaceful. She seemed plagued with a burden that she couldn't get rid of, and it wasn't until she started to speak again that he understood why.

"Well, one day, my friends came by…and I thought they wanted to play. But, they didn't. They told me that you guys were bad babies and that I should give you up and not protect you." Amy began to shake, her eyes glazing over while she held them close enough for them to feel the beat of her heart through her skin. "They tried to make me give you away."

Naomi frowned. "But why?" she gestured towards herself, then at her brother. "We're not bad babies." She replied, her voice laced with confusion, as if the thought of them being bad was unimaginable. She then looked back up at Amy, her eyes lighted with determination. "We're good people, aren't we?" she asked, while Amy stroked her hair.

"Of course you are." She responded softly, the tone of her voice nearly a whisper. "But they didn't think so." Her eyes turned dark. "So I ran away from home and I took you two with me."

Nathaniel smiled against her skin. "Because you love us." He clarified, his eyes burning with this pride. "Even more than all the world, right?" Amy couldn't help but hold him. "Even more than all the world." She repeated, then she went still. "But one of them found us, and he wants you two back." She watched their faces grow fearful, before Naomi looked up. "And he says that if we don't go see him tomorrow, he'll find us and hurt us really badly. And I can't let that happen to you. So in the morning, we're going to pack our stuff, and try and talk to him." Nathaniel trembled, his voice coming out strained.

"No." he shook his head, so that his bangs hung over his eye. "I don't want to see him." He backed away from his sister and his mother, looking utterly devastated. "What if they make you go away?" his lower lip trembled.

Amy frowned. "Then I'll find my way back to you." She tried to reach for him, but he jerked away. "Nathaniel, please, I promised I'd always keep you safe. And I will, no matter what happens tomorrow."

"What does he want with me?" he whined, tears already starting to form in his pupil-less eyes. When she couldn't even look at him, he knew what she meant. Because of the stuff that he kept inside him, the curse she had often told him was really a misunderstood magic. "Don't make me go," he looked at Amy, begging. Trying to convince her to keep him close.

What would he do without her? And what exactly could his mother do without him by her side? Didn't she know that they weren't ever supposed to be separated? His dreams told him so. And he was convinced that the moment they were apart, something bad would happen, like in his nightmares. Where everything was on fire and the sky was the scariest shade of black.

He felt his eyes water, 'don't leave me', he thought in sorrow, 'don't…' He stared at his sister, who clutched at Amy's dress and was trying to hide her face from his eyes, even though it was obvious that she was crying. What if she got hurt because they had to go? Nathaniel felt a chill sweep over his body, leaving him desperate for warmth, and protection.

"Don't make me go, Mama, please. I don't want…" he paused to sniffle, at the same time Amy looked down. Nathaniel silently broke down when he saw the way she folded into herself when he called her mama. He swallowed so hard he felt his heart plunge into his stomach. "Amy…" he tried again, hoping to repair his mistake.

Amy shook her head. "I'm sorry Nathaniel." She whispered, regretfully, as she bit her lip. "I'm so, so sorry." She reached for him, trying to draw him closer to her, as if that would make a difference.

Nathaniel shook his head harder, fighting off his mother while she tried to hold him. "No!" he screamed, so loudly that it seemed to rattle the windows. "No!" Amy gritted her teeth, pulling him to her while he struggled. Nathaniel felt himself losing, felt her arms already around him. Suddenly he couldn't breathe, and his lungs were burning alive. He couldn't go, he couldn't. He wouldn't let himself. He felt his heart stutter, as he threw back his head and sobbed out a cry. "NO!"

The next thing Amy felt was open air, as she fell onto the ground. She turned her head to face where her child had been, only to see small sparkles in his place.

For a second she did not believe that her child had vanished, staring blankly before turning to her daughter. Naomi was staring with a horrified expression, as Amy felt herself begin to die away as she looked back, realization dawning.

"Nathaniel?" she managed in a choked voice. There was no reply. She started to hyperventilate, getting onto her feet and searching the entire bedroom of the apartment. "Nathaniel!" she checked underneath the bed, in the shower, only to find he was gone.

"Nathaniel!"

Amy scooped up Naomi in her arms, about to leave the room when she was suddenly face-to-face with Rouge.

"I heard you screaming." She offered, before staring at the single child in her arms. "Where…?" she asked, her voice tight. Amy pushed past her with her free hand, already looking for her lost boy, but not willing to admit what she already knew.

"Nathaniel!" she screamed in a monstrously ragged voice. "Nathaniel!" she ran throughout every room, her skin going cold.

"Nathaniel! Baby, where are you?"

She tried the last place, but came up with nothing. Amy held onto her daughter so tight she thought her despair might seep into her own skin. "Nathaniel…" she murmured, sinking down to her knees, before rocking back and forth while they both cried. Amy heard only her own voice, lost and scared without him beside her. "Nathaniel..." She whispered as she kept rocking. It faded away into nothing. "Don't leave me…don't…"

No matter what they told her, Ruby Ashley knew she was dying.

There were people at her bedside, all holding onto her in some way, be an arm or leg or even the bare landscape of her elbows, like they were all playing a game of tug-a-war and nobody was winning.

They brought things that were supposed to make her feel better, like the princess tiara she got for her last birthday, or the jar of ladybugs she caught almost a week ago. Her uncle watched her carefully as he pushed against her frail little chest, trying to find the artery in her heart that was already collapsing.

She let herself wince, not caring if she looked like a cry baby anymore.

"Mommy..." she whispered weakly, her words breaking apart. Vanilla stood at her side, stroking her head in a way that was too affectionate to remind her of her own mother.

"Soon." She recited, as the bat began to cry. The caring rabbit parted the hair that was in her face, before Ruby felt the calming touch of her fingers weave through her hair like she was trying to unravel her thoughts.

She drew away, turning her head to the side and staring at the monitor and trying to find a rhythm in the beat of her heart. Vanilla frowned, before she took the child's hand and smiled so softly that Ruby felt it melt her resistance without even looking.

"Would you like something to eat? You must be awfully hungry." Vanilla took a second to reach for the bowl of noodles she had prepared. Ruby turned her head, watching the rabbit gather a forkful of spaghetti, before lifting her caramel eyes to smile at her.

When she brought the fork to her mouth, and Ruby jerked away, Vanilla felt her insides crush. "What's wrong honey? Don't you like noodles? I thought they were your favorite." She prodded further, urging. "Please Ruby…"

The little bat felt the pain of lifting her arms before she even smacked the food away. The bowl instantly shattered, and Vanilla was left to merely stare at the little girl. Ruby breathed hard, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Leave me alone!" she turned her head to stare at Tails, who was nearly as shocked as Vanilla. She threw down his stethoscope before collapsing onto her pillow in exhaustion.

"Stop," she whispered, her eyelashes fluttering as she stared at them with aqua eyes that were already dilating. "Just leave me alone," she finished in a breath, while she slipped off into sleep, leaving them to pick up the pieces of her actions.

The next thing she felt was the hands gripping her shoulders and the words that came next. "Amy," Rouge managed, sounding as if she too were hurting. "It's alright," she soothed, holding her tightly like she hoped to do to her own daughter.

Naomi curled up against the pink hedgehog, her tears mixing with theirs until it became a puddle of united grief. Rouge cocooned herself around them, trying to stop them from falling apart. "It's going to be alright." She bent down to watch Amy's face, and only saw the look of a woman in too much pain to even feel it.

Though they were never that close, before or after this entire accident, they both had something in common now. They gave their hearts away to the people most certain to break them, and this was more than enough to close the wall they had both built over the years. The simple knowing that they were both broken, was enough to fix their friendship. She watched the shapes of Amy's eyes fade until all that remained was an empty pool of callow green, and knew they had to find him.

Amy traced the silver stripes of tears that marked Naomi's face and kissed her sweetly to let her know she would not leave her. Then she buried her face in the crook of her neck and held her close enough so that she could feel her heart, and how bad it was breaking.

Rouge sensed this desperation, and slowly snuck her hands between them. "Amy," she tried, already pulling her only remaining child away from her. "You should go look for him." She spoke slowly, hoping that she would understand. Amy merely cried out in pain, before snatching Naomi back to her and shaking her head.

"I don't…" she sobbed out, heartbroken. "Tails has him. I don't…"

The bat frowned, sympathy justifying her every move as she touched her shoulder. "Not Sonic, sweetie." She explained. "Nathaniel."

It was so strange, just days before Amy had been the one in control. She had been manipulative, power-hungry, and determined to break the bat in two. But the moment Nathaniel was gone, she instantly became the Amy everyone remembered. Desperate, loving, dependant, needing a hero to save her because she could no longer save herself.

As if that special little boy held the other half of Amy capable of keeping herself together.

Rouge marveled at the way her old rival began to strengthen at her words, a light flaming inside her that seemed to defrost her depression. "Yeah…"

Rouge smiled. "Now, Amy, where do you think Nathaniel would go? Does he have a favorite place?" For a second, Amy didn't respond. Rouge tried to clarify. "Isn't there a place he always felt at home, safe? A place he knew he belonged?"

"Yes." Amy turned to Rouge, before she took her free palm and pressed it tenderly against her chest, before forming a fist as if she were really holding her heart in her hand. "Right here."

Nathaniel honestly didn't care that his adoptive mother was not his real mother.

He stared out at the vast horizon, the waves moving over his feet like the ocean was trying to draw him in, take him away from land and away from all of the troubles of this world. He took in the smell of the air, rich and laced with salt to tell him that he was not too far from his home, even if he didn't know which direction it was in.

He wondered if the world under the water was brighter, if the reason he could float in the sea was because it carried no burdens to drag him down, he faintly realized that he liked the idea of living underwater very much.

In this light, with the sun setting at just the right angle, the ripples in the water were the same honey pink as his mother's hair.

'Mama...'

He never cared that Amy did not give birth to him, never cared that sometimes she couldn't stand to be called mama because it reminded her that she wasn't. He never gave two thoughts about his real mother, or the life they could have had if he would have never been given away.

Because when it came down to it, there was no one who loved him like Amy.

No one else who lived her life just to see him play in the park, who denied her own needs for new clothes just so that he could have new Air Jordan basketball shoes that no other kid had.

No one else could make cookies with nacho cheese in the middle and turn a dish towel into a bandana that let him believe he was really a pirate. There was no other mama who blew a flurry of kisses on his tummy when he was down and lifted him so he could try and touch the sky, who never ever wished for anything else but more days with him. That kind of love was immeasurable, and certainly irreplaceable.

Nathaniel often wondered how she could even think to separate them. It would be like trying to undo the knot that connected two strings without letting them part. It was impossible, and it would only kill the both of them, who were so intertwined that he believed they were the real set of twins in the family.

His mother was probably the only person in the entire galaxy he loved more than his dear sister, who seemed to be getting sicker and sicker all the time. And right now he wanted nothing more than to hold Amy close and apologize. Because as bad as this plan was, a part of him knew that she would protect him from anything that even tried to harm him.

Nathaniel uncurled his hand, watching the valley of his palm. If he didn't have this magic, they wouldn't even be here. They would be like all the normal kids, who only had to worry about preschool and lunchtime. He felt the cool breeze of the ocean and let his hand catch the wind, his eyes filled to the brim with sadness that he could not be what he was supposed to be.

"Sorry Mommy." He whispered, as he closed his eyes and let his hand drop to his side.

"Nathaniel!"

The little boy gasped as his eyes snapped open, for a minute simply transfixed on the shell that had washed onto shore. He turned his head slowly, before his eyes caught the image of his mother, on the other side of the beach, standing too far away for him to see the expression on her face. He could make out the shadows of her form, the image of her hair being carried by the ocean breeze. He turned even more to face her, his face bewildered and his body numb.

They stared at each other for the longest time, while his face took on a look of tranquility. She found him, she found him just like she said she would if he ever got lost. Suddenly all the fear Nathaniel had been controlled under pooled out of his body, as he found himself sobbing and taking a step forward.
"Mama." He whispered, even though he knew she could not hear. He broke out onto a run toward her, tears cascading and tasting just like seawater. "Mama!" he kept running towards her, crying hysterically.

"Mama!"

Amy mirrored his movements, running to her son with a flurry of tears. When he came to her, Amy dropped to her knees, holding out her arms while he plunged into them. They hugged each other so tenderly it was as if they had not seen in other in years, rather than hours, both of them unable to hold in their emotions. The sound of the ocean was their song, and Amy had never heard anything more beautiful.

"Nathaniel," she whispered gently, never letting go for a minute. "I was so worried…" she trailed off to choke down a sob. "I really thought…"

She didn't finish, just settled her face in the landscape of his shoulder and clutched him tighter. She thought about the reason she believed he was brought to her. When she had first seperated herself away from Sonic, she had believed that they were truly star-crossed lovers now, and Nathaniel and Naomi were sent to her to bring them back together. They would be the bridge to connect her back to where her blue hero would be waiting.

And it happened so fast, Amy could have never even hope to remember the exact moment she thought of Nathaniel as more than a gift and her bridge. But rather, her other half. She felt his head rest on her shoulder, and she smiled. This is where you will always belong, she thought.

Tails could not possibly understand, Amy thought with a spark of pity. He may have called her a hypocrite, claiming that he loved Cream. 'Oh how wrong you are,' Amy held onto her son while he cried, 'you do not know what love is. You think that what you feel is equivalent to what I feel? What you're doing for Cream is not out of love. You're just trying to save her in a way that you couldn't do for Cosmo. You hate the idea of being alone, you want her back to be there and tell you it's going to be okay. Everything I did, I had to do. Not just for me, or even for my babies, like everyone assumes. You cannot possibly know the truth of my actions.'

She thought of the last time she had seen her friends before she shot them. 'If you kill someone who is already dying, does that count as murder?' There is was again, the faded auburn of Cream's eyes that were forever etched into her memory. Hadn't she sensed in that moment how much she wanted what Amy could give her? How much the little rabbit wanted her to do the unthinkable for a way out?

'Oh Cream,' Amy thought to herself sadly. 'If only he knew what we had to do. If only Tails could understand that I hurt you, because I loved you.' She thought of Knuckles and Shadow, the moment before she struck in what was only supposed to be a harmless attempt to get away. Relief and hope, so harsh and impossible that she realized at that moment what she would have to do. 'If you shoot your best friends because they asked you to, is that manslaughter? ' Her hands trembled.

'Is it okay to kill someone to save them? Tomorrow, will I have to convince him of the answer? Will I be able to say what I couldn't say all this time? When he asks me why I did it, and I'll tell him, simply: Because I love them too much to let them suffer. To let anyone suffer, even you. Will I be able to finally explain that at that moment, I was not a murderer, but a friend.'

Nathaniel watched his mother fight an internal battle, tears never faultering. Slowly, he slipped his hand into her own, squeezing easy at first until he began to use force. He felt the dimmenions of her bones, felt the soft skin of her palm. He continued to crush her hand until she drifted away from her daydream.

And in a way he had always done, Nathaniel Oliver brought his mother back to the real world.

A/N: So yeah... back to azngirlchibi. Hope you've like this Air-inspired chapter (by the way, it's a really good anime/manga, so go check it out on onemanga or crunchyroll!). I'll try to speed the next chapter your way, since it's my turn to write the next chapter (YAYZ!)

Oh, and if any of you remember our question from the last chapter, it was if you had a choice of who's side you'd be on, which one would you choose. I honestly couldn't believe how many people chose to stick with Sonic. I thought that most people would follow Amy, and a few people would choose to side with the rest of the world, but actually, I kept on hearing, "I'd side with Sonic - the poor guy didn't do anything wrong." The second most chosen "side" was actually that you'd probably want them dead. Not saying it's a bad thing - but I'm really surprised by how honest most of you actually were.

But whoa... I think only one or two of you said you'd side with Amy, but only half-heartedly, as in, you support her ideals, but not her methods.

Well, it's nice to know that you guys can be very opinionated, and it'd be hard to warp your minds with propaganda. I didn't think that so many people would choose Sonic - it blows my mind away XD And the views you guys have about the legend were interesting to read about (by interesting, I mean it ranged from, "That really different. Cool," to, "That's really different... (backs away from computer))."

Alright, done with that... now I'll just have to drool over SSBB... Sonic ftw!

Thanks for reading! (heartz)

Anonymous Reviews:

Ytin: Actually, I'm really touched that you read through twelve chapters to catch up... (sniffles) That's so sweet of you, and I'm so happy that the story seems to have caught your attention. Nathaniel and Naomi will probably never truly understand, to be honest, being as young as they are... which makes it even more sad. Tails's schemes are evil, but they do keep the story going along nicely XD Thanks for reading!

Cake the Crab: Whewt, two reviews from you to answer, yay! Your favourite authors? (blushes) Thanks! Hmm... we'd probably have used the yin-yang concept if it wasn't so overused and cliched. So probably not here. And of course we'd reply to your reviews (besides, it's not really like you get 300 reviews per chapter... my mind boggles at the very thought!), and even if we did get 300 reviews per chapter (sighs wistfully), we'd still at least try to answer them all. Moving along to your second review... Hmm, I guess you can be on Amy's and Sonic's side at the same time. I think you're basically saying that you'd be on Amy's side, with a few behaviour modifications. I kinda pity Sonic myself too... Poor guy... Anyways, thanks for the double-review!

... Me likes the anonymous reviews XD

The Queen of Aces

azngirlchibi