Hey!

I just wanted to thank Raquel the writer, MistyVoid48, Cozy Shadow, Nouveau(2), Fairlyoddme, LadyMiioh, and all the guest reviewers for reading and leaving your thoughts! These two chapters (15-16) symbolize the end of the first part of the story. Although a few of your hunches might be right, I can assure you that there are quite a few twists coming up that I hope will blow your mind. ;)

In general, it seems that many of you are concerned that Amy won't have a happy ending/will end up alone, that I'm knocking her down too much, and that her friends don't really seem to be helping her situation. I think the beauty of a more character-based story (over premise/plot-heavy) like this one is that you get to see a lot of back and forth with the characters' interactions. For example, some might say that Clarissa getting with Parker breaks girl code, but it is both mentioned and heavily implied that Amy is not interested in him (and Parker very well could have informed Clarissa that he and Amy had closure), and her current behavior toward her could really make it hard for Clarissa to continue considering her feelings when she essentially stepped all over hers (and her Christmas party lol). Another interesting thing about the story is that there are really no significant issues for Amy at face value, but the plot exists because she has created them both in her head and between her friends. I never wrote this story with the intention of exploring the importance of social/emotional growth as well as mental illness (i.e. depression), but I have come to realize how important it is to take these concepts seriously. The story wouldn't exist if we didn't have a main character really struggling with these issues despite how oblivious she can be about what really matters - doing what makes her happy, not what she's been conditioned to think will make her happy. It also doesn't help that although her friends mean well, they are sympathetic rather than empathetic. It's sort of ironic that characters like Rouge and Phil and maybe even Shadow may seem more empathetic than the others. Their support isn't blatant cheering or humoring her feelings. They're really brash and straight-forward, but they also see the big picture, which is a perspective Amy is seriously lacking.

Drat, I didn't want to go on a spiel, but I love spieling. Overall, creating natural interactions between the characters is REALLY hard to do. So I really appreciate it when you offer your views on it. I know you're not going to love (or like) everything, but I've tried to make sure that everything that I do put in is perfectly justifiable. I'm saying this now because of the nature of the following chapters.

Also, if you might have noticed, the first part of the story was called "THE END" which I hope illustrates why it was somewhat depressing. I also hope you can guess what the second part is called. ;) I can definitely say that part two is more goal oriented with two specific conflicts Amy is going to have to deal with. But that's all I'm saying. Don't worry, it's not going to be that bad. Hopefully. But I suppose I've teased you all enough.

Enjoy!

Chapter 15

I probably should have just killed myself. Yet somehow I was here.

I gulped as I looked at a home that was hardly homely. Despite the beautiful architecture and the fragrant flowers that lined the porch, this still was Blaze's and Silver's lavishly humble abode. Which was enough to make this mission impossible.

After all, it wasn't like I could just waltz up to the door and give Blaze her dumb scarf back. Nope, Blaze wasn't like the others. I had crossed her in the worst possible way, literally slapped her in the face when she offered me the most compassion during the dark, unfortunate storm that was once my life. And even if my life was still sort of pathetic, what right did I have to intrude on hers—her undoubtedly Amy-less happiness?

But she came to my apartment, right? Granted, Clarissa invited her to the party. Maybe she didn't know that the two of us were roommates. My eyes widened when an even scarier thought dawned on me.

Maybe she didn't care.

Could the grudge only be in my head? I bit my lip. It seemed like a lot of relationships in my life were one-sided. Shadow didn't love me, for starters. Cream and Rouge were also quick to forgive me—so quick that I questioned if they were ever mad at me in the first place. So maybe Clarissa was right about this; returning the scarf could be the start of a peace offering.

I'd like to say that I didn't miss Blaze, but she was my best friend. And I was the one who ruined everything.

I took a deep breath. "I guess it's time to fix it."

But time was not on my side. There was no car in the driveway, and the curtains were drawn down. My eyes fell to a second-floor window. It was open.

Okay, so Blaze and Silver didn't go on a huge trip or anything. I gazed at my watch—noon. The day was still young. They'd probably be returning home soon and I could bother them then. Yup, I was leaving now.

But my eyes couldn't leave the window. I pursed my lips. What was I going to do? Jump inside it? But for some reason my brain didn't immediately reject the idea. I had no purpose in the house, no business intruding. And despite the fact that I could just make friends with Blaze by giving her the scarf, a sick part of me didn't want to. If we were meant to be friends, wouldn't it have happened already? Blaze didn't need me, and I had no right to complicate her life with my presence.

I clenched the thing in my hands. If I put it in her room, she'd never have to know I was here. She probably forgot she lost it in the first place. I nodded at my absurd idea, and pulled out something I thought I'd only have to use for more catastrophic emergencies.

"Okay, piko-piko hammer. Do your stuff!" I dashed for the home, aimed the hammer at the pavement and hit it swiftly. The impact catapulted me through the air and I shifted my body toward the window, entering it easily. With a somersault, I landed in a crouch.

Rising to my feet, I couldn't help but feel a little bit too proud of myself; I was in better shape than I thought. I blinked around the space, noticed that I was in the hallway. It looked the same as it did years ago, only more organized and Blaze-like; it was no longer a former bachelor pad. Feelings of exhilaration were replaced by caution. I had to remember that the mission wasn't complete yet. I had to put this thing in her closet. Then I'd be home free.

I walked slowly but briskly to the end of the hall. I opened the doorknob to the master bedroom as quietly as I could. Was surprised that I was surprised no one was in here. I took a light breath. I moved past the main room, ignoring portraits of friends that didn't include me on the dresser. Two doors were adjacent to each other on the left wall. Closet or bathroom? After a quick mental game of eeny-meeny-miny-moe, I decided on the left one.

I saw a blur of clothing and reveled in a mini-victory. But before I could envy how large the walk-in closet was, I saw Blaze.

"What the?" She stole the words from my mouth. I glanced at the weird, padded mesh in her hands. Her exposed, flat belly. My mouth opened to respond before Blaze lurched toward me.

Then there was darkness.

I woke to darkness. My face shifted from whatever surface I was on, and it took me a moment to register that I was on the floor.

Pain jolted my brain as I tried to remember were I was. Was I at Rouge's? No, I left her house. But why would I go back to sleep? Why the floor?

I tried to shift from my position, but my arms were restricted—my feet were bound as well.

"The hell?" I wiggled around some more, but it was no avail. With a groan of defeat, a realization hit me. And with it, the lights. I squinted.

"Look, I'm sorry I broke in, Blaze," I said, sighing into the carpet. "I just wanted to return your scarf."

"Did you try knocking on the door like a sane person?" I couldn't see her, but I could tell she was standing over me. I scoffed.

"Did you try NOT tying me up like a sane person?" I mocked. "Let me go, Blaze. I'm not gonna tell anyone anything." I paused. "Wait, what am I supposed to keep a secret?"

"Why did you have to trespass in the first place?" Her voice was brimming with an unsettling mix of irritation and sorrow. It was almost enough to actually make me feel bad. I say 'almost' because I was tied up. And by the look outside, it was almost evening. I could tell she was shaking her head, trying to convince herself not to kill me. Hopefully.

"It's humiliating enough already."

"What's humiliating?" I shot back, turning over onto my back. But when I saw my former friend, my expression fell. She was crying.

Of course, she wasn't ugly crying or anything. If tears could be referred to as graceful, that's how they looked-that's how she looked. However, there was something more devastating than usual about the act. Blaze didn't cry. In fact, her emotional disposition reminded me of the man who didn't love me.

There was regret in her eyes, as if she was responsible for something horrible. As if she lost something dear to her. My eyes widened.

"Oh my God," I whispered. "Blaze."

She shook her head. "This is wrong. I'm sorry. I'll untie you."

"How long has it been?" It was wrong to intrude, but I had come too far. I made this my business, and now I was hurting Blaze even more.

"... A month." She shook her head again, more tears spilled. "...We've been trying...but I can't."

"Does Silver know?"

With a long sigh, she shook her head.

"Shit."

"...He knows I've had some complications with this one; he was at the hospital some time ago. I thought he figured it out, but I guess the doctor must have thought he knew."

"Not to be insensitive, but you know you can't keep this up forever, right?" I hated how blunt and unsupportive I was being. But I was remembering that I wasn't in a good mood before this. And between the blow to the head Blaze probably gave me and the whole tied-up thing, she needed someone to be real with her. And Rouge wasn't here.

"If you're just going to ridicule me, you can leave."

"Said the girl who tied me up!"

"Said the girl who doesn't tell the truth." She began to untangle the knots. "Well, it looks like I became you."

"If I had half of the things you have, I wouldn't have lied," I retorted, hitting her golden glare. "I'm still alone. But I guess I'm a lawyer, so that makes it better. Only I just lost my job. Yeah, I get to work at a shitty firm out of town because apparently I'm 'disinterested'. And I am, because you were right—I never resolved what happened with Scourge, and I pushed Parker into the arms of Clarissa.

"But the only thing I wanted after all this time…was Shadow." I clenched my fists. "I wanted him to see that I'm better now—that I'm independent and ready to be with him. But Shadow doesn't want to be with someone like me. So you're right. You're always right about everything. And I am truly sorry that this happened to you, but even you know that this whole issue is just one roadblock to your reign of perfection. You're going to get what you want," I said, soothing my previously bound wrists. "So deal with it."

"I've miscarried three times in the last year." Blaze sighed. My eyes widened. "Not to try to top you or anything. The doctors kept saying nothing was wrong with me until they realized that my womb is toxic. Since I'm pyrokinetic, I can't house a normal child."

"But your child wouldn't be normal." I shook my head. "What about Silver, doesn't his abilities make the fetus more viable or something?"

"Maybe if I was carrying the Ultimate Lifeform or something." A more sincere glance reached mine. "Sorry. But Silver's kind is normal until birth. I'm unique, and passing on my recessive abilities to my children is virtually impossible."

"That's horrible."

Blaze nodded, biting her lip. "It really is."

I half expected her to cry again, but watching her help me up was even more tragic. I didn't know that is was possible for devastation to manifest itself physically. She looked like she was cursed, and that all she ever thought about was how to reverse it. But how could you reverse nature?

"I'm really sorry about you and Shadow," she said, leading me into the kitchen. "If I had known that you were with him before, I wouldn't have said all those mean things about him." She shook her head. "Regardless, I shouldn't have said them."

"No, he sort of sucks," I replied, trying to lighten the mood. "But I can't make him love me. I tried that with Sonic, remember?"

She smiled lightly. "Yeah. Hard to imagine that he's a father now."

I fought the urge to punch myself in the face. Why the hell did I bring that up?! My worried gaze found Blaze. "I'm sorry."

"No," she dismissed, bringing out some snacks from her pantry. "I'm not some grieving widow or something. I still have Silver. And you unfortunately."

I rolled my eyes. "Speaking of him, where is he?"

"On some global ambassador's trip. I think Sonic's there too." I watched Blaze pull out a container of pills. Prenatal vitamins. She signed before putting them back in. "I guess I don't need those anymore..."

"Are you going to be okay?" I felt like an idiot for asking her that. Of course she wasn't going to be okay! There was basically no chance in hell that she was going to get what she wanted. Unless it involved insanely good luck or adultery. "I mean, you could dump Silver and get with Shadow. But I guess he's too busy with Mina."

Blaze blinked at me. I would have felt mortified but it was safe to say nothing could faze me anymore.

"Maybe I should be asking you the same question," she replied, pouring me a glass of poison—I mean tea. "Don't worry, it's not poisoned."

"Thanks for the warning," I said, taking a sip. "But it's getting late and I still need to email my new boss and assure Clarissa that I didn't kill myself."

Blaze nodded. "I'm really sorry for holding you hostage."

"And I'm sorry for trespassing in the first place."

"Don't be," she said. I pulled her into a hug.

"Are you really sure you'll be okay?"

"I've gotten this far, haven't I?" She smiled, but it was laced with pain. She shooed me out. "Go, I've taken up enough of your time already. I'll let Silver know when he gets back. Stop by whenever."

"You sure?" My heart was racing and swelling and I had no idea why. Then it occurred to me that I was finally getting my best friend back. The circumstances were a little unsettling, but that meant I could be there for her. No one had to be the victim. And I welcomed this feeling.

"Positive." Her grin was genuine now. "I'm just sorry it took so long to get to this point."

"I'm sorry that we can't stop saying sorry." I hugged her again before walking to the door. "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will."

And just like that, I was free. I didn't have the man that always seemed essential in my life, but I finally had all of my friends back.

So why did something else seem missing?

I couldn't put my finger on it, but as I approached my car, I instantly felt burdened. Was it because the tables had turned in the worst possible way? Blaze was the pinnacle of everything I wanted in my life. So why was she being punished?

Unease consumed me as my hand latched onto the car door. No, Blaze wasn't being punished—she couldn't be. But I was being tested.

My feet found the front porch before I could tell them to move. My fist found the door before I could tell it to knock. And my mouth found words before I could tell it to speak. And I think Blaze could tell.

"I want to have your baby."

WHAT?! Please review!

~KB