Hey!

I couldn't wait to update (okay, I had a moment to spare) and I wanted to get this set up. I know I mentioned posting a schedule, but I think it's easier for me to put chapters up every few days as I have been doing. I don't want to drag this out longer than I have to, but I also don't want to undermine my efforts by posting it all at once. I take your feedback seriously, and I use it to edit what I have. The story is much stronger because of all of you, and I can't express how much it means to have support from people who really care about my writing. :)

With that being said, I wanted to thank Raquel the writer, MistyVoid48, Cozy Shadow, Nouveau, and xXDarkAngelKittenXx for your reviews on the last set. Okay, I think I've wasted enough of your time.

Enjoy!

Chapter 19

It was only fitting that I got roped into setting up for a birthday party on my day off. And no, I wasn't exaggerating.

"I'm not blowing up anymore balloons," I announced after a while. Truthfully, I could have had it worse. I could be cooking for the masses or trying to distract the belated birthday girl. But then I realized that I was going to blow up. Like a balloon. I cringed.

"It looks like we have enough," said Tails. "Thanks again for your help."

"You could have given me more than a ten minute notice." I still had to buy presents. Yes, presents. And now that Cream and I were friends again, I couldn't just get her a gift-card or something.

"Sorry," Tails said, scratching his head. "Cream mentioned that you two made up, but it sort of escaped my mind with everything."

I raised a brow. "So do you mean you almost didn't invite me to her party?"

"..."

I nearly popped the balloon in my hands. "That's it."

But before I could make my dramatic exit from Tails' backyard, I ran into Blaze.

"Amy." She blinked. "How are you doing?"

I shrugged. "Okay, I guess. Apparently I'm the only one that Tails is using for manual labor."

"Tell me about it," she said, placing a bag of streamers on one of the tables. "Cream's in a horrible mood. She thinks we all hate her for forgetting her birthday."

"Seriously?" Now I really was done. The other guys were probably off picking up something fun like beer. Beer that I couldn't drink. "I can't believe I'm wasting my day off."

"If you're tired, I can take you home," Blaze suggested. "It's been a few weeks. It's probably time for you to—"

"Do what?" Sally said. She was carrying a deli platter. A deli platter that I also couldn't eat. I cursed in the air. Sally raised a brow. "Was I intruding?"

"Not you," I sighed. "Just life."

"Um...Okay then."

I started to walk off, but I could feel Blaze's eyes burn on my back. She was concerned, as always. Only now, I couldn't pretend to ignore her feelings—her progeny were on the line. But I honestly didn't feel different. I mean, the pregnancy signs were here. Missed period. Slight irritation. Constant hunger. Senses acting up. However, nothing to warrant her worry. For once, everything was bearable.

Yet, why couldn't I shake the feeling that something would wake me from this blissful dream?

"Wakey-wakey!" No amount of persuasion could make me get out of bed. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Yes," I replied, opening one eye. I closed it. "If you could go to the fridge and get me—"

"You see, I would do that," Clarissa began, "but you're dressed to party. So we're going to go party."

"But I don't want to have fun…" I whined. "And since when was I 'dressed to party'?"

"Since I put you in your favorite outfit." I looked down. Saw my emerald green ensemble. Dread rushed through me, until I realized I wasn't showing. Not even slightly. I took a deep breath before turning to Clarissa. She gave me a thumbs up. And even through the act didn't mean much, I felt washed over with sentiment. All she ever did was support me. So how was I not supposed to tell her?

My hand fell to my stomach. I felt nothing, which both relieved and saddened me. I was stuck in a state of indeterminate bliss. Where I finally felt useful, but empty. I shook my head. No need to get over-contemplative. I grinned at Clarissa.

"Did you cook for the party?"

"No, I blew balloons."

"I bet you blow Parker's balloons."

"Shut up."

By the time we made it to Tails' house, the party was in full throttle. Dancing and conversing and things fun were occurring on all parts of the backyard. I started for the food table when a figure hugged me from behind.

"Amy!" When she squealed, I knew it was the birthday girl. She hugged harder. I almost died from the lack of oxygen.

"That's enough," Blaze said, peeling the girl off of me. I looked at Cream who was clearly a little buzzed. And 'a little' was a generous understatement.

"Tails said that you helped to set up," she said, toasting her drink in the air with a wobbly hand. How old was she turning? Twenty-one? Twenty-two? Maybe she was overcompensating for lost time. I wish I had the option to get drunk as a skunk. But I was beginning to realize that being pregnant meant dealing with reality. Sober.

Fun.

"So thanks a ton!" Cream cheered, pulling me into another sloppy hug. I smiled, but I knew I wasn't a very good friend. I mean, I forgot to get her presents.

"Sure thing."

A group of people that I didn't recognize, probably from her university, came and swept her away. Then I was left with Blaze. And somehow the bustling party environment seemed to disappear.

"Have you taken a test yet?"

The DJ dropped the bass, and even though everything was almost excruciatingly loud, I couldn't hear anything. I shook my head.

"Not yet."

"We can take it together." Her expression was hopeful yet pained. Everything was awkward, and I was a fool to think that doing this would make things normal. Or maybe I was just being melodramatic. That was yet another symptom on the "You Might Be Pregnant" list.

I pursed my lips in consideration as I looked across the party atmosphere. A response found its way in my throat, but I saw Shadow before I could get around to saying it.

In the midst of dancing friends and party decorations, he stood out like a sore thumb in the flashing neon lights. The same lights must have been hypnotic, because I found myself walking toward him.

"Amy?" A hand pulled my arm backward, but it was too late. I was two feet from him. Through folded arms, his eyes hit mine. Expressionless and unwavering.

"Rose."

"S-shadow."

The tugging on my arm resumed, but I didn't blame Blaze. I didn't answer her question, and now I had dragged her into an awkward encounter. My fists clenched. Was that all we'd ever be? A mistake?

"As fun as it is watching you two stare at each other," Blaze began, moving between us, "I need to talk to Amy."

"Do as you wish."

My brows furrowed. Do as you wish? I didn't know why I was so torn up. We were over before we started. I had no reason to feel anything, yet I felt everything. I gritted my teeth. Stupid hormones.

Before I could explode, the stage at the corner did. Lights and streamers shot into the sky; smoke filled the stage. When it vanished, a glitzy Mina appeared with a band.

"Can I have the birthday girl to the stage!?" she called out. There was high shrieking—Cream—and the bunny approached the stage. A birthday ballad ensued.

"So you and Amy were really an item?" Blaze looked like a bored person trying to peak their interest by causing trouble. I wanted to shoot her a dirty look, but I couldn't blame her. I didn't know whom to blame for how I was feeling. When Shadow didn't respond, Blaze moved closer to him. "If you're not going to be social, you might as well go home."

"Unfortunately, the fox boy requested my presence to fix the amplifier." He frowned. "Whenever I try to leave I'm pestered by people like you asking me questions." His eyes shifted to mine briefly. "Or girls staring at me."

Blaze scoffed. "You can be a bit of an asshole, you know that?"

"I thought pregnant women weren't supposed to deliberately stress themselves." Harsh eyes pierced hers. "You should focus on matters that concern you."

"Fair enough." Blaze shrugged. "But Amy's my best friend. I don't know what's going on with the two of you, but don't do something you might regret." Her tone was hardly passive now. "Take advantage of what you can control."

Shadow's expression didn't shift. "Thanks for the pep talk."

"Hey, I've been looking all over for you," Silver said out of nowhere, shifting the dismal mood to a not much better one. He nodded at Shadow before wrinkling his nose at me.

"Amy."

"Silver."

Blaze gave me an apologetic look before fading into the crowd with her husband. Then I was left with Shadow. I never imagined I would dread it so much.

"I'm sorry about that," I said, brushing a hand through my quills. "Things have been weird lately. Especially since...you know."

"I am aware."

"But I don't know what to do," I said, trying to be honest and not uncomfortable. "I just want us to have a normal relationship." I paused before sighing. "If we ever were normal."

"We weren't," he replied. "We only communicated when your romantic antics were concerned. We don't need each other."

I glared at him. "Are you forgetting that you're the one who confessed to me? You can't just take it back," I spat. "Feelings don't work like that."

"Feelings change," he countered. "It would be a shame if you didn't grow from your past experiences."

I clenched my fists. "Why are you bashing me?"

"Because Shadow lives to infuriate people." She emerged out of nowhere. Mina. She was grinning a wild, exhilarated smile. It almost hurt to look at her. Perfect and all. She turned to the stoic hedgehog. "Did I miss something?"

"No," he replied.

"Good," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. I forced my eyes from the sight, turned to the audience. But all I could see were dancing couples. I turned away from them too.

Mina blinked. "Where's our friend Clarissa? Don't tell me she's not here."

"She's busy dry humping Parker over there," I said dully, pointing to the two doing the dead only with clothes. I rolled my eyes. They better not do the actual thing at the apartment tonight. Again.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed Mina smirking. I frowned. "What?"

"I think someone's jealous..." she teased. Just then, I swear her grip on Shadow tightened. "If you're in love with Clarissa you should tell her. I might be off base, but I could sense some vibes between the two of you."

I never had the urge to murder as much as I did now.

And because I was an insane, potentially homicidal, masochist, I was grinning again. "I actually think they make a beautiful couple," I found myself saying. My brightened gaze met Shadow's. And for once, I think it caught him off guard. "You guys make a great couple, too."

Mina grinned harder. If I didn't hate her for no reason, I would have fallen in love with her. Maybe that's why Shadow did. Maybe that's why he couldn't tell her that he loved me so much that he couldn't bear to break my heart or something else admirable. That I was the prize he didn't want to claim. But why couldn't he?

"You hear that?" she said, moving her face closer to his. "Maybe it's time to put a ring on my finger."

He said something, but I didn't hear it. She kissed him, but I pretended not to see it. Instead, my feet found movement and I disappeared into the crowd.

I told myself I wasn't running away from my problems. But it wasn't like I was running toward a solution.

It was around two in the morning when I decided to get it over with.

"You couldn't wait until morning?" Blaze said, rubbing her eyes. I ignored her, stepping inside.

"It is morning."

Blaze shut the door. "Sure, why not." She motioned toward the restroom. "Let's make this quick and quiet, shall we?" I nodded; last thing I needed was Silver ruining this brilliant operation. But truthfully, I didn't know what I needed. I guess I needed to do this for Blaze. So I would focus on that for now.

She handed me a magic stick. "Good luck."

A slight smile found its way on my lips. "I should be saying that to you and the ogre you married."

Blaze rolled her eyes before shutting the door. I did the same with my mind; I shut out all emotions and allowed my body to perform the motions. My mind turned back on long enough to process the results, and then I opened the door.

It was funny seeing Blaze so anxious. Okay, I guess it wasn't funny. She was the most beautiful person I knew, inside and out. She deserved good things, yet somehow she was stuck with me. And when her eyes fell on me, I knew I had just complicated everything.

"Why are you crying?" she said, pulling me into a hug. This shocked me—the fact that I was in tears.

"Because I'm sad," I sniffed, holding on to her tighter. "And happy."

Her expression shifted as tears lined her eyes. "You mean?"

I nodded and burst into a sob.

Darn my cliff-hangers. But hopefully the results are a little obvious. Read on!

~KB