Chapter 33

We were in the courtroom. Take two.

Scourge was giddy in the manliest way possible. I tried to smile as he squeezed my hand under the table like he was the anxious one. But he had nothing to be anxious about. The judge had done Fiona a real favor by allowing us to reconvene at a later date. And unless Mr. Fox had some substantial evidence—which he didn't because he was a fucking idiot—we were going to win. We had to.

"I'm so over this." Scourge inhaled. "All this hassle for this one moment. It's hard to imagine it ending positively."

I fought the urge to bite my lip. "Well, try to imagine harder."

I shouldn't have been edging him on; I was just as conflicted as he was, if not more. And the fact that he still didn't tell me…it added tremendously to my confusion. I mean, sure, we were in a custody battle, which meant that this whole ordeal was destined to be drenched in conflict. But he filed first, symbolizing perhaps a greater desire to win. So why withhold his winning move?

However, it was understandable that he wanted to protect Fiona to an extent. She was the mother of his child. But something about the whole thing still bugged me. And my window of opportunity was quickly closing. This fact was further illustrated when Fiona walked in with Erickson. She didn't offer a callous remark, which was evidence that our encounter was not a figment of my imagination. Even Scourge looked slightly taken back by her non-meanness.

"What's gotten into her?" he mumbled. I held my breath; I wanted to ask him the same question—I should have interrogated him weeks ago. I sighed.

"Scourge, just to clarify real quickly, is there anything else you'd like me to know?"

He pursed his lips before saying, "I think I've mentioned everything worth mentioning." He smirked lightly. "You're supposed to be the confident one, remember?"

"And you're supposed to be completely honest with me, remember?" I almost retorted. I shook my head. No matter. I had made my decision, and there was no going back now.

"All rise for Judge Harriett Hippo," the bailiff said as the two entered the space. And just like that, the window was sealed. Scourge blinked at me, but I only smiled.

"I hope that Ms. Fox was able to get her emotions in order," the judge said as she settled in her seat. "One more outburst like that and I'll be taking an early lunch."

"Yes, Your Honor." Fiona sighed. "Thank you for this chance."

"I'll start with Mr. Fox to issue the concluding remarks."

The fox man nodded, before narrowing his eyes at us. "Ultimately, it would be just as unfair to ignore Mr. Hedgehog's contributions to his son's wellbeing as it would to ignore my client. As a devoted husband and father myself, I understand that the power dynamic between raising children, especially at such a young age…" He proceeded to go on a spiel about boys at Sage's age gravitating more to their father, with psychological evidence, and the need for a proper mother figure for proper development.

"But if Mr. Hedgehog is considering taking a new mate," the judge began to consider, "and if that person is who we think it is, it seems like that figure would be fulfilled quite nicely."

Erickson shook his head. "Come on now, you know that would be an unnecessary disservice to Fiona."

"Leaving the courtroom after uttering profane language in a judge's presence was an unnecessary disservice." She turned to my table. "As I said earlier, I don't like the idea of you two having unprofessional relations. However, I don't believe it has truly affected either person's judgment on this case. So I will take Ms. Rose's final statement, and then I will make a decision. Please stand."

I nodded, rising. I felt the loving glare of Scourge on me as I took a deep breath.

"First, I would like to apologize for engaging in inappropriate relations with my client," I began. "I know that it is tempting to assume that I may be a good mother figure for Sage, as I am in an engagement with his father and appear to be pregnant with his sibling…but I am not." I rubbed my stomach, sighing. "Like I told Mr. Hedgehog, I'm a surrogate for my best friend…and I know she isn't happy that I kept this relationship a secret. However, I'm not happy either."

I closed my eyes, realizing that this was going to get so much worse before even sort of resembling something good. "I'm not happy that Fiona has drifted from her son…and I don't think that putting him into primary custody with Mr. Hedgehog will help the greater issue."

"Rosie," I heard Scourge whisper behind me. "What are you—"

"Sage is also my client, and I don't believe his relationship with either of his parents should be strained simply because they cannot work out their differences with each other. I reached out to Fiona, and was finally able to understand her side of the story. With the help of a court-appointed counselor, I believe they will be able to create a more positive arrangement for their son. That is all."

The judge was nodding, but it was hard to see much of anything. My vision was spotty, blinded by the reality of the situation—the words that I couldn't take back. My feet wanted to pick up and run as far as I could, but I stood my ground. I didn't have to turn around to know that Scourge was glaring at me, nor could I bring myself to.

"Your perspective and sense of rationality goes well beyond your years," the judge said. "You said what I was thinking the entire time. I don't know when Mr. Hedgehog and Ms. Fox had their falling out, but it seems like they had a good arrangement before, and they should be encouraged to return to that state. Therefore, I believe counseling, which I will order, will be highly beneficial. Overall, I am very impressed by your objectivity in this situation." Her green eyes lit up as they scanned the courtroom. "Thus, I am denying Mr. Hedgehog's case for primary custody of Sage the Hedgehog, as well as Fiona Fox's counter-case for custody of the boy. I encourage the parties here today not to see this hearing as a loss, but an opportunity to make amends and be proper parents to their son." She hit her gavel. "Court adjourned."

"What the hell was that?" Scourge jumped up after the judge left the room. "Were you planning this all along? Do you think you're being some sort of hero?"

"You never told me what Fiona did to Sage," I said, packing my things together. His expression didn't change. "If you really wanted custody of him, you would have told me—If you really wanted to be with me, you would have told me. Instead, you were protecting Fiona. Again." My eyes were glossy with tears, but I refused to let them fall.

"You care about her more than you're willing to admit," I continued, fighting the urge to cry. "A-And although I'm not denying your love for me, it's unfair to everyone if we keep being dishonest about our feelings." I slid off my ring, placing it on the table. "All I ever wanted was for us to be honest with each other. But we both failed miserably."

Scourge was glaring at me. It was hard to read his expression beyond his restrained anger and disappointment in me, perhaps himself. "I guess we did."

But that was all I could take. My feet finally found movement, and I left—like I should have months ago.

"Amy!" I heard a voice call after me but my pace picked up. I started to sprint when a pair of arms wrapped over my torso.

"LET ME GO, FIONA."

"Just shut up and let me hug you," she said like I had a choice. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"I didn't do it for you," I spat, breaking down into a puddle of tears. I wanted to say it was for Sage—but I knew I was too selfish for that to be true. I was obsessed with having the perfect relationship. And I couldn't accept that Scourge was a serial truth keeper anymore than the fact that Fiona still loved him.

"I know." She hugged harder.

"J-Just make sure y-you work it out." I was sobbing like a small child. The level of plead in my voice was pathetic, but for once, I didn't care. "Please."

"I will."

Promises were too fragile to take to heart. Especially when your heart was broken.

I got all the tears out of me as I walked up to Blaze's door, feeling a rush of deja vu. But I knew I had been here, in this tragic state, before.

When the door opened, she was staring down at me. Reaffirming that I could never win this power struggle. So I hugged her, burying my head in her neck.

"What's wrong?" She was concerned—she was always concerned about me, and I needed that to end. I just held on tighter, surprised that I still had more tears to shed. I shook my head.

"I'm s-so sorry." My voice was quivering when I finally drew away from her. She wiped my eyes, before I took my shaking hands into hers.

"It's over."

So this is the end of the chapters (but NOT the end of the story). Again, I apologize for the shortness, but I think everything that happened was purposeful. There will be another update before the epilogue, so be sure to have your questions in by then. I have another busy week (actually two busy weeks) ahead of me, so I can only promise that there will be an update next week probably on Thursday-Friday, and then hopefully the final one a week after that. So we're looking at the conclusion being maybe the 19th, but it could be a day earlier or a day later.

Please let me know your thoughts about everything. Good night!

~KB