Author's Notes
Finally, new content. The previous two chapters had been uploaded before, but, as I said, got deleted for no apparent reason. This chap's entirely new though! And long! o.o
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Chapter 3: Shopping and Shambles
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"Sonic," the young fox began after glancing at the clock again. "Its 10:00 already and Shadow still isn't back…"
Sonic, who was sitting in Tails' living room watching TV, feigned indifference. "Well, Tails, look at it this way: the longer he's gone, the longer we have to live."
Tails sweatdropped and laughed nervously. "I guess you're right." His ears drooped slightly as he looked at the floor. "Maybe we shouldn't have teased him like that..."
Sonic continued to flip through channels, not really paying attention to what was on. "Yeah, maybe…" he replied quietly. Though he'd never admit it, he too was beginning to feel a bit concerned.
The sound of the front door opening startled the two, and their eyes immediately flew to the dark figure entering the fox's home. Tails was frozen where he stood next to the sofa, Sonic likewise paralyzed in the middle of his channel-surfing. They stared, wide-eyed and nervous, as the black hedgehog strode past the living room. But he was oblivious to them, lost in his own thoughts as he entered Tails' guest bedroom and quietly shut the door behind him.
As he disappeared from sight, the hedgehog and fox remembered to breathe. Sonic blinked, still staring at the closed door. "Hey, Tails… is it just me, or are we still alive?"
Shadow stood at the only window in his temporary room, still lost in thought. He'd spent rest of the day running aimlessly, occasionally stopping to stare at the sky and think, as he was doing now. The clouds that had brought snow earlier that morning had cleared away by nightfall, allowing him to see the starry night sky. He wondered which—if any—of those stars was actually ARK reflecting light back toward Earth. Not that it really mattered. Gazing up at the vast expanse of space was enough to bring back a flood of memories. Some were pleasant, others were not.
It was the clash of these memories that drove him to resent the holiday season, made him vow to hate it—but then there was that child. The child that threatened to shatter his oath, bring down his walls of bitterness.
The child that he would be babysitting.
He sighed.
Tomorrow would be a long day…
At about 11:00 the next morning, Sonic carefully tiptoed down the hall, peeking cautiously around the corner before emerging into the living room. Tails looked over at him from the kitchen and laughed slightly. "It's alright, Sonic. Shadow already left."
The blue hedgehog sighed in relief. "Did he say where he was going?"
"Nope," the fox replied as he returned his attention to the toaster in front of him. "He came in, grabbed an apple out of the fridge, stared at it for a little while, and left without a word."
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Weird… I keep thinking he's spending all this time plotting ways to kill us," he joked. Tails shot him an alarmed look. The blue hedgehog coughed and decided to change the subject. "So… whatcha workin' on there?" He strode into the kitchen and peered at the counter in front of Tails. He had taken apart the toaster and was prodding it with a pair of pliers he held in his hand. The green Chaos Emerald sat on the counter next to it.
"I'm trying to figure out a way to rewire this toaster to power it with the Emerald." He smiled proudly. "Then I can make toast in half the time!"
Sonic sweatdropped. "Tails, it's a toaster. I don't think it needs Emerald power."
Tails furrowed his brow in thought. "Hm, maybe you're right… maybe I'll rewire the oven instead!" And he proceeded to attack the oven with a screwdriver, leaving the toaster parts sprawled on the counter.
Sonic slapped his forehead in exasperation.
After an extended morning run, Shadow arrived at the front of the Calico Café. He checked his watch. 11:40. Early, as usual, he thought somewhat smugly. Careful to avoid being spotted by the cat inside, he leaned up against the wall to wait. He stared at the ground with arms folded, sighing as the reality of his doom hit him. He mentally cursed Sonic again. If it weren't for his 'sense of humor,' I wouldn't be in this mess…
Shadow continued to brood over the recent past and near future in this way for several minutes.
"You don't have to wait out here in the cold, you know."
Startled, the hedgehog stood upright and swung his head toward the café entrance. Standing there with an amused smirk on her face was the café's feline owner. Shadow scowled under his breath and returned to his original position. "I'm fine. It doesn't bother me."
Cali placed her hands on her hips and gave him a skeptical look. "Well you're scaring my customers away, Mr. Sunshine!"
Shadow peered at her out of the corner of his eye, smirking. "Now isn't that a shame?"
Now it was Cali's turn to smile sourly at him. "Well, here comes the perfect way to get you off my doorstep right now," she replied tartly, looking past him. Shadow raised an eyebrow in confusion and turned to follow her gaze.
"Shadow-san!"
"Chao-chao!"
The dark hedgehog grimaced. Sure enough, the Rabbit family was making their way toward him. Cream waved cheerfully and quickened her pace as soon as she made eye contact with him.
Cali giggled. "Perfect timing, wouldn't you say?"
Shadow scowled again. "Are you sure you're not a black cat in disguise?" he muttered. The calico snickered in return.
"Good morning, Shadow-san!" Cream greeted, bowing in front of him.
"Good morning…" he replied hesitantly. The young rabbit beamed back at him.
Vanilla strode up after her daughter. "Hello, Shadow. I hope you haven't been waiting long."
"Oh, don't worry." Cali stepped forward with a grin. "I've been keeping him company." Shadow glared back at her.
"Cali, good to see you again."
"Good morning, Cali-san!"
Cali smiled cheerfully. "'Morning, girls."
"Chao!"
She laughed. "And you too, Cheese. You guys are gonna have lots of fun today, aren't ya?" Cream and Cheese emphatically agreed, while Shadow remained silent.
"Thank you again, Shadow, for helping us out," Vanilla said. "I feel a bit guilty asking you to do this when we've only just met…"
"Oh, he doesn't mind, do ya, Shadow?" Cali replied for him, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "You're the noble hero type, I can tell. Always willing to help someone in need."
Cream stared up at him in adoration. "Shadow-san's as nice as Sonic-san!"
Shadow inwardly cringed. "Well… shall we be going?" He was eager to get away from that annoying cat before she could do any more damage.
"Cream, do you know how long it will take you to do your shopping?" her mother questioned.
The young rabbit thought for a moment. "I'm not sure, Mama…"
"Well, shall we meet back here in a couple of hours, then?"
Shadow was none too fond of that idea. "I can… bring her home when we're done." Anything to stay away from that cat…
"Oh, that would be wonderful! Do you remember the way home, Cream?" Her daughter nodded confidently. "Good. Well I guess I'll see you later, then." She bent down and kissed Cream on the cheek. "Be good, now."
"I will, Mama! Bye!" She grabbed Shadow's hand, smiling happily. Shadow managed a small wave before he was led away by the small rabbit.
"Goodbye!" Vanilla called, waving.
"Have fun!" Cali added in sing-song.
The older rabbit shook her head with an amused smile. "You shouldn't tease him so much, you know."
The cat grinned. "Oh, but where's the fun in that?"
"So… where shall we go first?"
"Um, I don't know…"
"Well… what type of gift do you want to get?"
"I don't know that either…"
Shadow sweatdropped. Here he was, being led through town by a child who had no clue where she was going or what she wanted. Great. He took a deep breath, telling himself to remain calm. He stopped walking and looked around at some of the surrounding shops. Restaurants… crafts… candy… jewelry. "Hm…" Immediately he thought of Rouge. She was a woman, and she liked jewels… it could work. "Why don't we try there?" he asked, pointing across the street.
Cream looked at the shop and nodded. "Okay."
They stepped into the fancy store, greeted by hundreds of sparkling gems. "Wow," Cream breathed in awe. "They're so pretty…"
"Hm." Shadow looked around as well. Rouge could drool at these all day… until she pocketed half of them, anyway.
"May I help you with anything today?"
Cream looked up to see a balding salesman in an expensive-looking suit. "Yes, sir. I'm looking for a gift for my mother."
The man bent over and smiled at the child. "Ah, how nice. I'm sure we can find something for her. If you'll step this way…" He led them to a counter near the back of the store and pulled a case out from behind it. Kneeling down in front of Cream, he opened it for her to see. "This is one of our finest diamond necklaces."
The young rabbit's eyes widened. "Wow… it's beautiful!" And indeed it was. The necklace was composed of many small diamonds arranged in intricate snowflake patterns. Even Shadow was impressed with its craftsmanship. "How much does it cost, sir?" Cream asked.
The salesman smiled as if it were nothing at all. "3,000 rings."
Shadow gaped. "You've got to be kidding!"
Cream blinked innocently up at the hedgehog. "That's a lot, isn't it?"
"Much more than either of us could pay…"
"Well," the salesman began as he stood, "feel free to look around. If you find anything else you like, just let me know."
Cream nodded and began to wander around the store, peering in the glass displays. Cheese took particular interest in a set of small, multicolored gems sitting atop one of the counters. Shadow looked around as well, noting with suspicion that none of the items had price tags.
"So, shopping for the missus, hm?"
Shadow's face reddened at the salesman's blunt question. "N-no! I'm not married…"
"Oh." The man's expression shifted from a knowing smile to a look of restrained disgust. "I see." He gazed sympathetically at Cream.
Shadow's face reddened even more in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "I'm babysitting her," he growled through gritted teeth.
"Yes, of course…" the man said rather snootily. He looked away and was startled to see Cheese sitting on top of the counter. "Could you please restrain your Chao? It's attempting to eat some of my jewels…"
Shadow glared at him. "Yes, of course," he mimicked. He plodded huffily over to the Chao and picked him up off the counter. "Let's see what you're getting into…" He gently pulled the stone away from Cheese's mouth and examined it. He blinked and looked at the six other gems sitting in a velvet display case. He snorted quietly. Miniature replicas of the Chaos Emeralds. How quaint. "Now now, Cheese," he said in mock scolding. "We can't have you eating this nice gentleman's merchandise, now can we?" Glaring briefly over his shoulder, he spoke in a lowered voice to Cheese. "Give it a few more licks."
"Chao!" he happily agreed, eagerly sucking on the gem some more.
Shadow smirked, placing the stone with the others. He patted Cheese's head. "Good boy." Walking over to Cream, he handed Cheese back to her and grabbed her hand. "Come on, Cream. There's nothing worth our time here."
Cream cocked her head to the side in slight confusion. "Okay…" she replied, allowing Shadow to lead her out of the store.
Once outside, Shadow immediately began to grumble about the store and its attendant. "Ignorant fool… ridiculously overpriced rocks… no wonder Rouge always steals them…"
"Rouge-san?" Cream asked, looking up at him. "Do you mean Rouge the Bat?"
"You know her?"
The rabbit nodded. "I see her around Knuckles-san sometimes." She giggled. "He doesn't seem to like it much, though."
Shadow snorted. "Well he's certainly not the social type."
She smiled up at him. "You must know them pretty well, Shadow-san."
He shrugged uneasily and looked away. "Let's figure out where we should go next." They walked down the street, scanning the buildings for anything that might be useful. After a few minutes, Shadow spotted a women's clothing store. Displayed in its front window were several beautiful white dresses. He remembered seeing Amy stare longingly through the window of a similar store. Hm, it's worth a shot… He called Cream's attention to it. "Let's try that one."
The hedgehog almost had to shield his eyes as they entered the shop. Never before had he seen so much white outside of a hospital room. Bright white dresses, shoes, and accessories were everywhere. He half-wondered if Amy intended to subdue her blue hero by blinding him.
Cream was again awed by the store's contents. "Mama would look so beautiful in one of these," she breathed. She and Cheese trotted through the store, gingerly touching some of the dresses. They ooh-ed and aah-ed, while Shadow was left feeling uncomfortably visible among the frills and glitter. It didn't help that a group of bubbly teenage girls in one corner of the store kept staring at him. He tried to ignore their giggles and whispers but failed miserably. This was a mistake, he groaned inwardly.
Before long they were approached by another human sales attendant. "Hello, what can I do for you?" she asked with a friendly smile.
"Hello," Cream greeted with a polite bow. "I'm looking for something for my mother."
"Oh, how nice," the lady replied. "Going to give her something for the big day?" Cream nodded innocently. "Well, does she have a dress yet?"
Cream placed a finger to her chin in thought. "Mama has lots of dresses, but not as nice as these."
"Alright then, let's take a look at some of them. Now, does she prefer conservative or a more contemporary style?"
"Um," Cream pondered, looking to Shadow for a prompt. Equally confused, he ran the words through his head in a vain attempt to figure out how they related to fashion. "Uh, let's go with conservative," he finally decided, hoping that perhaps this meant it would have a more conservative price.
"Okay, I think I have one you might be interested in." She led them toward the left wall, arriving at a spot that Shadow thought was dangerously close to the three teenyboppers. He hung back a little, trying to maintain as much distance between himself and the girls as discreetly possible. To him, it was still too close for comfort. The woman pointed out the target dress and began to enumerate all its magnificent qualities. Cream was enchanted by it, though Shadow found the conspiratorial whisperings of the girls terribly distracting, not to mention disconcerting. What on Earth possessed me to follow Amy's tastes? Desperation was the only answer he could think of.
"Oh, Mama loves flowers!" Cream exclaimed, momentarily drawing Shadow's attention back to the dress. Cream was admiring the rose-patterned lace adorning the skirt.
"So you think she'd like this one?" the woman asked.
"I think so. Don't you, Cheese?"
"Chao!"
"Good! Now, what size is she?"
Cream blinked, exchanging a confused glance with her Chao before turning to Shadow once again. This time the hedgehog merely shrugged—this was well beyond his realm of expertise. So the little rabbit had to do her best with what little she knew. "Well, she's bigger than Shadow, but not as big as you…" The saleswoman smiled patiently, if a bit forced. Shadow figured she must have felt just as exasperated as he.
A tap on the shoulder made him jump slightly. "Excuse me," came a feminine voice behind him. He whirled and, to his horror, found that the voice belonged to one of the three giggly girls, her accomplices standing not far behind her. He silently cursed himself for letting his guard down. "Sorry." The black and white collie before him spoke. "I was wondering if you could help me with something."
"Uh…" Shadow took a step back, eyeing the dress she held with deepest suspicion.
Urged on by her friends, the collie smiled with a blush and held the dress up to her body. "Do you think this would look good on me?"
The dark hedgehog felt as though his supersonic feet had just sped him headlong into a brick wall. "W—wha?" he stuttered. The resulting giggles from the other girls created a warm sensation that was becoming uncomfortably familiar to his usually stoic face.
One of the girls, a parrot with green and blue plumage, stepped beside the collie and grinned coyly. "Yeah, it'd make a perfect wedding dress for her, don't you think?"
The third girl, a smaller brown mouse, joined in the little game. "And it'd match a dark, handsome groom soooo well!" The three burst into a fit of girlish giggles.
Shadow, however, was oblivious to the meaningful looks they were casting him. Wedding… dress? Realization dawned on him, and suddenly he saw the contents of the store in a new light. Amy… He bit his tongue to keep from yelling a few choice words unfit for Cream's ears, his face feeling hotter than ever. He whirled back toward Cream and the saleswoman, finding that they were both still absorbed in the dress. He grabbed her hand once again. "This isn't what we're looking for," he informed her gruffly. "Let's go."
"Oh," Cream replied, voice tinged with a bit of disappointment. "Okay."
Ignoring the similar moans of disappointment from the teenagers, the hedgehog strode quickly toward the door, tugging the little rabbit behind him. He didn't slow down once they were outside, Cream having to trot lightly to keep up with him. How could I have been so stupid? he chastised himself. Of course Amy would have been fixated on a wedding store. Why didn't I see that sooner?
"Shadow-san?"
"What?" he snapped, coming to a sudden standstill and turning his glare on the child. He felt a twinge of guilt as he saw her recoil slightly.
"I… was just wondering where we'd be going next," she replied meekly.
All his pent up annoyance and frustration finally boiled over. "How should I know?" he yelled, throwing his hands up. "It's your mother we're shopping for. If you don't know what she wants, then how the hell am I supposed to?!"
He saw the tears well up in her eyes as she clutched Cheese and realized he'd gone too far. "I—I'm sorry…" She bowed her head as tears slipped down her cheeks. "You've done so much to help me…" Her voice quickly became choked with sobs. "But I've only caused you trouble. I'm sorry!" She turned and took to the air, now crying freely as she flew away.
Shadow kicked himself for being so harsh. "Cream, wait!" he shouted, skating after her.
Nearby, a blue hedgehog had a near-miss with a flying rabbit as she rounded the corner in front of him. "Whoa!" he yelped as he flattened himself against the wall to avoid collision. The girl sailed past him, her sobs drifting on the wind to reach the hedgehog's ears. "Cream?" he breathed, watching her retreating form.
"Come back!" The hedgehog whirled in time to see a darker figure round the corner, skidding to halt just in front of him. The black hedgehog stared at his blue counterpart in slight surprise. "Sonic…"
His surprise was mirrored on the blue one's face. "Shadow? What're you doing here?" He followed Shadow's gaze over his shoulder to see Cream flying into a nearby park. Turning back to the black hedgehog, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What'd you do to her?"
Shadow regained his composure and returned the glare. "That's none of your concern," he replied, stalking past him to follow the rabbit.
Sonic's hand whipped out and grabbed Shadow's arm, his voice taking on a deadly serious tone. "If you hurt her, it sure as heck is my concern."
The black hedgehog snorted indignantly, though inwardly he felt he had deserved that one. "I didn't hit her, if that's what you think."
Sonic slowly released Shadow's arm, realizing that his dark look-a-like was many things but not outright abusive. "What're you doing with her, anyway?" Shadow looked away and muttered something under his breath. Sonic leaned in closer. "Come again?"
The dark hedgehog sighed resignedly and turned his gaze heavenward, as though praying for patience. "Christmas shopping."
Green eyes widened at the reply, accompanied by an amazed grin. "Christmas shopping? This from Mr. Scrooge himself? I don't remember hearing any ghosts wandering around Tails' apartment last night."
Shadow rolled his eyes. "It's a long story."
"One that'd be great for some fireside storytelling, I'm sure," Sonic added, his grin widening. "Anyway, need some help tracking down Cream?"
Shadow considered having to apologize to her in front of Sonic and decided he'd never live it down. Bad enough as it is… "I don't need your help, faker."
Now it was Sonic's turn to roll his eyes as Shadow walked on towards the park entrance. "Fine, fine. Just remember: if all else fails, chin up." Shadow glanced over his shoulder to see Sonic jerking a thumb upwards, grinning cheekily. He skated onward, nevertheless making a mental note of the advice.
"Cream! Cheese!" He scanned the area near the entrance for any sign of them. After a bit of searching, he detected the sound of quiet sobbing. Stopping and looking around again he still couldn't spot them. Puzzled, he thought back on Sonic's words. 'Chin up'… Tilting his head upwards, his eyes were met with countless barren branches. Trees… of course. What better place for a flying rabbit to hide? It didn't take long for him to spot the little rabbit in red among the leafless trees, sitting atop a large limb. She watched him approach warily, rubbing at her teary eyes.
"Cream, come down," he called up to her, though his tone was neither harsh nor demanding.
She sniffed and hugged Cheese close to her. "You hate me."
A bigger pang of guilt. "No, I don't hate you." He paused to swallow his pride with a very conscious effort. "I was being a jerk. I'm sorry."
The rabbit girl rubbed her nose. "You're not mad at me?"
Shadow smiled reassuringly. "No, I'm not. It's just…" He stopped to think of how to explain his actions. "I'm not very experienced with this sort of thing, and I got frustrated. That's all." Seeing her slowly nod brought an immediate sense of relief. He extended an arm to her, smirking. "Now, why don't you come down? I hate leaving any task unfinished."
Face brightening, she jumped off the limb and flapped her ears to gently descend toward the hedgehog. However—much to his surprise—she didn't land in front of him but instead flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Shadow-san."
Initial shock wearing off, the black hedgehog gently returned the embrace. He smiled at the sense of warmth he'd nearly forgotten after 50 years. No, thank you, Cream.
After a moment, the girl released him and slid to the ground. She had a concerned look on her face. "Where should we go now?"
The hedgehog thought about it, mentally blocking out the horrors of their failed attempts. Well, Amy and Rouge weren't very helpful sources of inspiration, so who—The answer struck him like a bolt of lightning and he nearly smacked himself for not thinking of it sooner. "Maria!"
"Hm?" Cream cocked her head sideways, obviously wondering what kind of a place 'Maria' was.
Catching himself before getting lost in another flood of memories, he explained. "She was… my family, I guess you'd say." A sad look crossed her face as she remembered what he had told her earlier. He smiled reassuringly before continuing. "We lived in a place where flowers were especially hard to come by. But every Christmas her grandfather made sure to give her a type of flower she'd never seen before in hopes that eventually she'd get to see them all." If only she could have… "Anyway," he continued, shaking off the sadness that threatened to overwhelm him. "You said your mother liked flowers, right?"
It was as if a spotlight had suddenly shone down on her face—she positively beamed. "Oh, Shadow-san! That'd be perfect!"
"Cha chao!" Cheese danced around midair, infected by Cream's excitement.
Shadow exhaled in relief. "Well, that's half the battle, then. All we need to do now is find a flower shop."
"I can do that much!" she cried happily. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him toward the park entrance. "Let's go!" Cheese further encouraged him by pushing from behind.
The hedgehog laughed, also infected by their renewed cheerfulness. "All right, all right. Lead the way."
Within ten minutes Cream's eager tugging led them to the doorstep of a small floral shop. As they stepped inside, they were greeted by a cozy warmth and sweet aroma of flowers and other plants. The shopkeeper—an aging tabby cat—approached them upon hearing the tinkling of the entry bell. "Why, Cream, back again so soon?"
"Yes, ma'am," the girl replied. "I decided to get some flowers for Mama, too."
The feline smiled. "What a lovely idea! I'm sure she'd like that very much." She looked at the black hedgehog, a sly twinkle in her eyes that was somehow familiar to him. "And who might this charming young man be? Not a new boyfriend, I hope."
Shadow sweatdropped, Cheese made a disgusted face, and Cream blushed furiously. "No, no! It's nothing like that!" the rabbit insisted, shaking her head fervently.
The older woman laughed "Oh, I'm only teasing, dear." She extended her hand to the hedgehog. "Tabitha Cat, not-so-humble owner of this little nook."
"Shadow the Hedgehog," he replied, shaking her hand. "Temporary escort," he added with a smirk.
"Of course," the cat smiled back. "Pleasantries aside, what did you have in mind, Cream?"
The child smiled and looked at Shadow out of the corner of her eye. "Something we've never gotten before." Shadow returned the smile, no words needed to communicate their shared understanding.
"Well, I think I can manage that. This way."
She led them to a cluster of large, white flowers set apart from the rest in her shop. Each star-shaped blossom had five large petals surrounding three golden stamens. Their aroma was subtle, but still quite pleasant.
"These are called Luna Blossoms," Tabitha explained. "It's said that they glow when under the light of a full moon."
Cream gingerly touched one in wide-eyed awe. "They're beautiful!" Cheese hovered close to sniff one and let out his own cheerful exclamation.
"I'm glad you like them," the cat replied warmly. "I think your mother would, too."
"Oh definitely!" Cream beamed up at her. "Could you make a crown out of these for her?"
"Certainly." Tabitha bent down to her level. "Would you like to help me?
The child's eyes lit up even more. "I'd love to!" And so the older cat began cutting some of the flowers and handing them to Cream. When enough were collected, they traveled over to the counter to begin arranging them.
Shadow, however, remained behind. Turning so his back was facing the others, he also gently fingered one of the blossoms. Its milky white petals reminded him of the moon he and Maria had gazed at from the ARK's windows.
The way it used to look, anyway, he thought with a pang of guilt.
He could imagine just how beautiful these flowers must be in the light of the moon. He wondered briefly if they would glow even more brilliantly without the Earth's atmosphere to diminish the moon's reflected light. Perhaps…
"There! All finished!"
Shadow looked over his shoulder to see Tabitha, Cream, and Cheese admiring the completed crown before placing it into a red cardboard box. The elderly cat topped it off by wrapping the box up in a green ribbon.
"Now, make sure you keep this in the refrigerator until Christmas so that it will be nice and fresh when you give it to your mother," the cat instructed, handing Cream the box. "Is there anything else I can get for you while you're here?"
"No, ma'am," Cream replied. "This will be fine. Thank you very much!"
Tabitha smiled back at her. "You're very welcome." She turned her gaze to Shadow. "And how about you? Anything you need?"
The hedgehog started, and realized that he was still touching one of the flowers. He drew his hand back almost instinctively. "Ah…" He was about to refuse her offer, but gazing at the flower again changed his mind. "…Yes, actually. I'd like three of these."
The cat smiled knowingly as she walked over to him. "I thought you might." She clipped three of them with a pair of scissors and carried them back to the counter. "Would you like me to arrange them in any special way, or just box them as they are?"
He thought for a moment as he approached the counter. "Hm… could you tie them together with some of that ribbon?"
"Of course." She did so and carefully placed them into a rectangular box. She was about to tie a ribbon around the box as well when Shadow stopped her.
"No need for that," he explained. "I'll be presenting the flowers directly."
She nodded and handed him the box. "Very well. Anything else?"
"No, thank you," he assured her and began to pull out money to pay her. Cream did likewise, and each handed the cat the appropriate amount of rings for each gift.
"Thank you for your business!" Tabitha replied after accepting their money. She walked them to the door, sidling up to Shadow as she did so. "You know, Shadow, I have a granddaughter about your age," she said coyly. "I think you two would get along nicely."
Shadow blanched and stared at her as alarm bells sounded in his head. His suspicions were confirmed by Cream's cheery response.
"Oh, he's already met Cali-san."
That cat… is her… oh boy.
"Oh really?" Tabitha replied, a cheshire grin that was now all-too familiar forming on her face. "Well then, perhaps I'll be seeing more of you, hmm?"
Gulping down his mortification at the thought, Shadow sped up their departure. "Uh, well, thanks again for everything, but we really should be going…" He quickly ushered Cream out the door.
The old cat chuckled. "Oh alright. But do come again! And Merry Christmas!"
Cream turned and bowed once outside the shop. "Merry Christmas, Obaa-san, and thank you!" Cheese likewise bowed and offered his own farewell. Shadow bid a brisk farewell, as though expecting Tabitha to spring some trap at any moment.
As they moved off down the road, the old cat chuckled to herself. "Yes, he's definitely met my granddaughter."
Once they had safely rounded a corner, Shadow breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad that's over with…" he looked down at Cream in mild annoyance. "Why didn't you tell me she was Cali's grandmother?"
The rabbit looked up at him, he head tilted innocently. "You didn't ask, Shadow-san," she replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
He sighed again and shook his head, a small smile forming on his face. "No, I supposed I didn't." Guess I'll have to be more alert in the future.
Cream looked at the box in Shadow's hands as they walked. "Is that for Maria-san?"
He hesitated as he looked at the box as well. "Yes… for my family."
The little girl smiled and grabbed his hand, tugging him along. "Good! Then we're halfway done!"
Shadow blinked. "Halfway? But we already got your mother's gift…"
She looked back at him with a look of exasperation. "We still need to finish your Christmas shopping, silly!"
"Mine? But I told you--"
Suddenly she stopped and whirled to stand in front of him, folding her arms. "Shadow-san," her tone was almost patronizing now. "If you know Sonic-san, then you definitely have friends!"
That simple statement struck him to the core. Loathe as he was to admit it, the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was true. Despite his past crimes, Sonic had accepted him as an ally and even… a friend. This, in turn, had led to Sonic's other friends accepting him as well. Though they were certainly annoying at times, he could not deny that they cared for him and—he was surprised to realize—that he, too, actually cared for them at some level.
Cream grabbed his hand again and turned forward. "So we're going to go shopping for your friends now, okay?"
He sighed. "You're not going to take 'no' for an answer, are you?"
She grinned over her shoulder at him. "Nope!"
"Well, let's get this over with then," he said, smirking down at her.
She beamed up at him and began tugging him forward once again. "Alright! Let's go!"
Four hours and many stores later found hedgehog, rabbit, and chao tired and in need of nourishment. So it was, at Cream's insistence, they ended up back at their starting point.
"Well hello again," Cali greeted them as they entered. "Didn't expect to see you guys back here today."
"We got hungry after so much shopping," Cream explained, setting down her bags and plopping herself tiredly into the nearest booth.
Cali eyed the many bags all three carried. "Boy, your mom's gonna be happy this Christmas."
"Oh, these aren't all mine. They're mostly Shadow's."
Shadow flushed as Cali turned a wicked grin on him. "Oh really?" she replied in a tone that was almost identical to her grandmother's.
The dark hedgehog huffed as he set his bags down and sat across from Cream. "Can we get some service here or what?"
"Sure thing," she replied, still grinning. "What would you guys like?"
"A club sandwich and two CaliCocoas, please," Cream asked politely.
"I'll have the same," Shadow added.
"Okay, be back in a flash." The cat trotted back to the kitchen to prepare their orders.
Once she was out of sight, Shadow leaned back in his seat and sighed. "We're finished now, right?"
Cream pondered and began to count off names on her fingers. "Let's see, we got Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Rouge… yes, that should be everyone."
Shadow nodded, but mentally noted that there was one name missing from that list. "Good."
"Shadow-san," she began after a few moments of silence. "What sort of things did you do with your family every Christmas?"
He looked down at her. She seemed hesitantly curious, probably worried that she was hitting on a touchy subject. He leaned back again and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. Reminiscing briefly, he replied to her query. "Every year, Maria and I would decorate parts of our home." He smiled. "It always made everything seem so much brighter."
"I bet it was beautiful!" Cream declared, supporting her chin with her hands.
"Yes, it was." A moment later he added, "Maria also read Christmas stories to me every Christmas Eve before we went to sleep."
Cream's eyes lit up at that. "My Papa used to read me stories too! Mama still does, but… it's not quite the same, you know?"
Shadow nodded thoughtfully. "I guess we have some things in common."
"Yeah!" she agreed happily.
"Heads up," Cali warned as she approached with a tray of food. "Dinner is served!"
Cream and Cheese both cheered as she placed the food before them, prepared just the way they liked it. "Thank you, Cali-san!"
Shadow noted with distaste that his cocoa was accompanied by not one, but two packets of marshmallows this time. "Yeah. Thanks."
She grinned and winked at him. "No problem. Enjoy, guys!"
Cream split her sandwich with Cheese and both dug in hungrily. Shadow ate his sandwich at a more sedate pace, pondering what he should do about the last person on his Christmas list. So absorbed was he in his thoughts that by the time he finished his sandwich he found that Cream and Cheese had already finished theirs and were now soundly asleep.
"Aw, out like a light, aren't they?" Cali noted as she walked over and gazed affectionately at the two.
"Looks that way," Shadow replied. He began to fish out some rings. "Guess that means I'm paying."
"Nah," Cali countered, holding up a hand. "This one's on the house." At Shadow's puzzled expression, she continued. "Call it compensation."
"Hmph." The black hedgehog folded his arms and lifted his nose indignantly. "Hardly enough, I'd say." He peered at her from the corner of his eye. "But I suppose it'll do… for now."
Cali placed her hands on her hips and smirked back at him. "Don't push your luck, Grumpy."
He lowered his head to look at Cream's sleeping form. "Now comes the question of how I get her home—I don't know where she lives."
"I can help with that," the cat answered, pulling a notepad out of her apron. She began scribbling out directions, along with a rough map, which she then handed to Shadow. "Think you can find your way?"
Reading over the directions, he nodded. "I think I can manage." Now it was his turn to grin wickedly. "But if I get lost, I'll know who to blame."
She smirked back at him and jerked a thumb toward the door. "Just get out of here before I have you arrested for loitering!"
"Happily," he responded, sliding out of the booth. He picked up Cream, who was holding Cheese in her own arms, careful not to wake her. Stepping back from the booth, he eyed the bags sitting on the floor. "Hmm, I don't think I can carry all those and her…"
"You can leave them here and pick them up later, if you want," Cali offered.
Shadow mulled that one over, not particularly wanting to come back here, but not really seeing any other choice. "Alright. If you could hand me that small bag with the square box—that's Cream's."
The cat complied, picking up the bag and slipping the handle over Shadow's outstretched hand. "You sure you don't want me to call a cab? I doubt you'll make it there before dark on foot."
Shadow merely smirked confidently. "You don't know me very well."
She rolled her eyes as she held the front door open for him. "Whatever you say, Mr. Sonic the Hedgehog."
He snorted as he walked past her. "Don't insult me!"
The cat turned to re-enter her café, shaking her head. "You are so full of--" She was cut off mid-sentence by a sudden gust of wind. Turning back toward the street, she looked around to find the hedgehog nowhere in sight. "—hot air…?"
A few minutes later, Shadow was awkwardly rapping at what he assumed was Cream's front door. It was located outside Central City, at the edge of Leaf Forest. The cottage-like home had a very rustic feel to it and seemed to blend well with the nearby woods. It wasn't huge, but its two floors seemed sizeable enough to house a small family comfortably.
A few moments later, Vanilla opened the door. "Oh, Shadow! Come in, come in." She quietly ushered him in, careful not to wake her daughter. "I was getting a little worried—I didn't expect her to take so long." She gently took Cream from his arms and gave him an apologetic look. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble."
Shadow shook his head. "No. Actually, I suppose I should apologize. The reason we took so long is because she wanted to help me with my shopping."
"Oh, that's quite alright," she assured him with a relieved smile. "I'm glad she could help you. Please, have a seat." She indicated the living room. "I'll just go put her to bed. I won't be but a minute."
He nodded and walked into the living room as Vanilla headed upstairs. In one corner sat a beautifully decorated tree, with already a few gifts under it. Against an adjacent wall a fire blazed in the fireplace, around which a sofa and chairs were arranged. Oddly, there were over half a dozen stockings hanging from the mantel. Atop the mantel were a few framed pictures. Shadow moved toward the fireplace to examine them more closely.
There were a few of Cream and Vanilla, a few more of Cream with Sonic and the others, but the central picture was one of Cream and both her parents, when she was just an infant. He father's fur color was darker than hers, as were his eyes. But even in the picture, Shadow could see the same warmth and love in the man's eyes as his daughter's. It was evident that he was proud of his family and loved them dearly.
"My late husband, Hazel."
Shadow's head whipped around to see Vanilla standing in the doorway. "Sorry," he apologized, returning the picture to the mantel.
She shook her head and strode over to join him by the fireplace. "He passed away about three years ago. We still miss him, but we carry on. It's all we can do."
The hedgehog nodded mutely, fully understanding her words.
Vanilla smiled down at him. "Would you like some tea or something to eat?"
"No, thank you. I should really be going…"
"I see. Well, thank you again for taking care of Cream for me today." She bowed her head slightly. "I really do appreciate it."
"You're welcome," he replied with a small smile. "I… enjoyed it."
"I'm glad you did." She smiled back at him. "You know, we're having a Christmas party tomorrow night at six for some of our friends. Would you like to come? I'm sure Cream would be delighted to have you here."
Shadow mused over this suggestion. No doubt Sonic and his friends would be coming to this party, so it was as good an opportunity as any to exchange gifts. "Okay. I'll be there."
Vanilla beamed. "Wonderful! We'll look forward to seeing you."
"Likewise." He smiled back at her and headed toward the door.
"Good night, Shadow, and travel safely," she said as she held the door for him.
He stepped out into the darkening night and waved farewell to her. "I will. Good night!" And then he was off like a bolt of lightning.
Vanilla closed the door and hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps he really is faster than Sonic."
Author's Notes
One more chap to go. Hopefully will be uploaded soon!