A/N: *cracks knuckles* Okay, let's do this. What are you doing, Pen?

Pen: Looking for a present for Sword.

Oh, saved your special someone for last too, eh? Get gifts for everyone else yet?

Pen: Who else would I get a gift for?

…Anyway, Sonic and all related material belong to Sega. The story, Sword, and Pen belong to me. Please enjoy.

Sword: Hey, Pen! Whatcha doing?

Pen: Nothing!

Chapter 3- Take the Hint

Sonic rushed into Tails' house and shut the door. As he shivered and warmed up to the heat inside, he saw Tails and Cream huddled on the floor, wrapping presents. Their heads were leaned close together and they hadn't noticed him yet. He was surprised when their hands touched when tying a bow on one present and Cream kissed the kitsune's cheek with a smile. Tails blushed and turned, catching Sonic's widening grin.

"Oh, hey, Sonic," he said.

"Oh, Mr. Sonic! Hello," Cream said.

"Hey," he said, the grin continuing to spread until it stretched ear to ear. "And what are you two up to? Wrapping gifts?"

"Yeah," Tails said.

"Okay. I have some of my own to wrap. I'll leave you two alone," he said, placing emphasis on the last word. He started to walk down the hall to his room, but stopped. "Oh, and Tails?"

"Yeah."

Sonic barely bit back a chuckle. "You're supposed to turn into the kiss, not away." The two became as red as Knuckles and he gave them a thumbs up. Then he jogged down the hall to his room, shutting the door and laying out the package and yarn on his bed.

He tore open the package and dumped the materials out, sorting through them for the instructions. He unfolded the paper when he found it, glancing over the diagrams of how to crochet clothes. Sonic picked up the two plastic sticks among the materials and held them out in one hand between his fingers. He tapped their ends together. Like giant chopsticks, he thought.

Sitting on the bed, he grabbed the red yarn and unraveled it as he read the directions.

"We're home!" Amy shouted from below. Blaze left her dress alone and came downstairs. She helped Amy and Silver put their bags away in the hall closet. "Did you take the food out?"

"Yes, it's all ready. Find everything you wanted?"

"Yeah," Amy said, hanging up her coat. But Silver looked troubled and nervous. Blaze wondered if something had happened. The phone rang, interrupting their conversation. "Can you answer that?" Amy asked. "I need to start laying out the dishes."

"Sure," Blaze said. Silver was already heading upstairs with a bag in his hands. She watched him as she picked up the phone. "Amy Rose's residence." She leaned to the side, catching him disappear around the corner at the top of the stairs.

"Blaze?" Knuckles asked. "Is Amy there?"

"She's a little busy. Can I give her a message?"

"Uh, yes." He sounded rushed and in a hurry. "Something came up, last minute with Shade and the Chaotix. Won't be able to make it tonight. Oh, and can you ask Tails when he shows up to check on the defenses for the Master Emerald up here? I think one of the traps is down and he isn't answering his phone."

"Sure thing," Blaze said. He hung up and she relayed the message to Amy.

"That's too bad," Amy said. "I was hoping they could come."

"Do you need any help here?"

"No, thanks." Amy grabbed some large utensils and stuck them into the different dishes. "I got everything under control here. Go enjoy yourself."

Blaze headed back to the living room and picked up her present to Silver. She wondered if she should give it to him now. She didn't want to have him open it in front of everyone. Blaze wanted it to be special, private, a moment shared only between them. She had planned to bring him up to her room during the party, turn down the lights so he wouldn't see her devolve into a jittery mess, and give him the present.

The more she thought about it, the more she worried someone could interrupt them. People might realize they were missing and intrude. Therefore, Blaze carried the present upstairs and knocked on Silver's door. There was a loud yelp, followed by a crash! She tried to open the door, but it was locked. She pounded on it. "Silver?! Are you okay?"

"Fine, fine," he said. "Just tripped. Don't come in. I'm wrapping presents."

She left him alone and returned to her room. The guests would be arriving soon and then the party would begin. Blaze faced down her dress, steeling her resolve to make it through the evening wearing it. She shut her door, put the present on her bed, and started to undress so she could slip into the confining gown.

Shadow trudged through the snow and freezing weather, his mind too lethargic and cold to want to dwell on the present under his arm. But the growing unease in his stomach as the sun set was growing. He had stopped at his place to pick up his gifts for everyone else. He toted them in a sack in one hand and had taken the long way to Amy's house to think.

Rouge often told him that Maria wouldn't have wanted him to isolate himself from everyone and he knew that was true. Maria had been a social butterfly, pleasant, approachable, and encouraged Shadow to reach out to other people. However, his mind and the version of Maria it created wouldn't let him be, torturing him nonstop. They refused to stop stonewalling him at every juncture.

On the path to Amy's alone, he spotted Maria several times through tricks of the eyes: women with a similar feature of two of hers sporting a downcast expression, seeing her in the clouds, and even one snowman that resembled someone with her figure, its frozen face hard-set and disapproving of him and what he wanted to do. Everywhere he turned, there was Maria, haunting him, tearing at his soul.

Leave me alone. He paused by a tree and leaned against it, banging his noggin into the bark. He made the mistake of raising his head and saw clouds like two eyes staring at him. Stop it, he told his mind and smacked his forehead.

Rouge's words echoed inside and he repeated them to himself. Maria would want this. Maria would want me to be happy. The clouds above lazily drifted away. He pushed off the tree and tightened his grip on the gifts. I have to overcome this. He would push through, give the bracelet to Rouge, and beat this.

As Amy's house appeared in the distance, he hung his head and closed his eyes. Give me strength. When he looked up, he saw a blonde girl in front of a house with striking blue eyes. She stopped playing in the snow and frowned at him. Shadow quickened his pace, gritting his teeth.

'A few hours', it said. The crochet hook slipped out of his hand again and the mess of a sweater fell apart, destroying several minutes work. 'Anyone can do it,' it said. Sonic flipped through the instructions, running his fingers down the lines. Maybe I missed something. It can't be this hard.

He grabbed the large needle firmly and wrapped the purple yarn around it. Before he could start to recreate his work, Tails knocked on his door. "Sonic? We're heading over to Amy's now."

"Okay, cool. I'll be there later," he said. He heard the workshop door shutting outside, then the front door open and close. Sonic looked at the directions again. I need to hurry. Quick as could be, his hands moved at a lightning pace, hooking, pulling the needle through, and creating the sweater piece by piece. Within minutes, his ever famous speed had him a sweater with violet swirls against a red and blue background.

Sonic held up the sweater, admiring it. "Hah! Too easy!" Yet as the words left his lips, the sweater unraveled into a bundle in his lap. He grunted and swept it aside.

Should've bought Amy something else. Maybe there's still time to find her something. He looked at the setting sun outside, almost gone beneath the horizon. Guess it's a no go on that. He eyed the crochet kit, wondering if he could stuff the materials back inside the package and present that as a gift since he had failed at it.

Then he thought of his scarf and how hard Amy always worked on his gifts. They couldn't be easy to make, even for someone with her skill. That didn't seem to matter to Amy. She always poured her heart and soul into the smallest token to Sonic, her love and passion always present in everything she gave him. It was one of the many attributes he liked about her.

He wouldn't give up on her gift. Whether or not he failed, he would give his best effort. It was what Amy deserved. How could I give up now? He picked up the needle and yarn again. There has to be a way for me to do this. The instructions hadn't helped, so he was left to figure it out on his own.

Who could help me make this? His mind trailed to Amy. Can't exactly ask her to make her own gift, now can I? he sarcastically thought. But the more he stayed on her, the more an idea began to take shape in his mind. Amy does know about crocheting. She might have some books or notes on it. I could sneak in and use those to make this thing.

It wasn't the best idea, but he saw no better option. So he gathered up his materials and other presents into his shopping bag, slipped into his jacket and scarf, and dashed out the door. Time for another sneaking session.

Blaze gasped, the dress digging into her ribs. She barely had room to bend over and straighten out the hem. I'm going to burn this dress after tonight, she decided. Its vice grip kept her from moving fast. She examined herself in the mirror, turning this way and that. All that was left for her to do was apply light touches of make-up. She was dreading the stiff, awkward movement she would have to fight with for that.

Knock, knock! "Blaze?" Silver called outside her door.

"Yes?"

"May I come in?"

Blaze grabbed her present and swiveled back and forth. Should she hide it? But she wanted to give it to him earlier. I'm not sure I'm ready. She thought of her other choice of presenting him the heirloom at the party. Better do it now. "Yes, come in," she finally said.

He entered, holding a lumpy package, and shut the door. "I wanted to—" He stopped when he saw her, his jaw dropped slightly. She grinned. It was always the same reaction from him when he saw he dressed nicely, especially in this gown. He tried to hide it, but she had the following sequence memorized.

His mouth rapidly closed and opened, as if he were stammering. Then his cheeks took on a rosy hue and he diverted his eyes to the ceiling or the ground. He rubbed one side of his neck, then the other if particularly affected, like he did now. Finally, he cleared his throat and tried to return to the topic at hand, beginning with an "Um." Blaze found it silly and adorable, her heart melting at his embarrassed behavior.

All this Silver did, before holding out his wrapped package. "Um, I wanted to give you this. Figured it might be more useful if you have it now."

She set aside her present and accepted the gift. Blaze pulled the ribbon off the top before tearing apart the wrapping. Inside, there was a carefully folded silver dress that glittered in the light. She took out it and let it fall to full-length in her hands. "Do you like it?" he asked as she noticed the cut back.

"Yes," she said, smiling. Not only was it a stunning dress, it was the perfect excuse to abandon her current one "Let me go try it on." She nearly skipped to the restroom, kicking the door closed and ripping off the red gown. She slid into the silver one and was surprised how comfortable it was. Blaze could actually breathe without anything gouging her chest, and her legs and arms had free range once more thanks to the sleeveless design and knee-length end. She stepped out of the bathroom and Silver ran through his routine of flustered nerves again.

"Wow," he said just loud enough for her to hear. She chuckled as he shook his head. "Um, do you like it? Does it fit?"

"Yes and yes," Blaze said, spinning around to show him. "I finally feel free. It's a lot better than that other one."

"I liked the other one, too," he said, shrugging. "I thought you looked good in it."

"I know," she said. She picked up her present and handed it to him. "This is for you."

He opened the box and pulled out the heirloom, cradling it in his hand. His eyes widened, blinking hard in disbelief, and he tripped over his words. "I don't know what to say. This is-is—"

"One of my family's treasures," she said. She plucked the heirloom out of his hand and unclasped the pin on the backside. Blaze attached it to his glove for the time being. "This has been passed down through the generations and I want you to have it."

He marveled at the pin, his mouth agape. "I-I can't accept this." He held his hand back out to her. "This is too important. I don't have anything like this to give you."

"Silver," she said, pushing his hand back to chest, which she stole a quick feel of. "I want you to have it. It's a sign to let everyone know how important you are to us, to me." She hoped the hint was obvious enough.

He looked unsurely at the pin. "I wish I had something like this to give to you though. I don't have any special family heirlooms or anything."

She smiled and came closer to him. "Silver, I don't care about that. You've already given me so much more. More than I could ever ask for." Well, except for one thing, she thought.

"Thank you," he said. "I don't know what to say. You're important to me, too." Her heart rose. Was this it? "I just wish I had bought you something better to show that."

Guess not. She sighed, but kept up a happy appearance. "I like the dress though. It's very thoughtful of you."

"I had a lot of help from Amy," he said.

"I'm not surprised."

"But there is something I can give you. Something that's all my idea." Suddenly, his hands were cupping her cheeks. He took a deep breath and leaned in, planting a long kiss on her lips.

Blaze could scarcely believe it. It seemed so unreal, a dream that had only been part of her imagination for all these years that now came true. Her heart leapt for joy and she nearly jumped onto Silver. Instead she bounced up, pushing into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then she kissed back, leaning her head to the side and melding her lips into a perfect form and sync with his.

The doorbell rang and Amy shouted from below, "I'll get it!" The interruption brought the two out of their kiss, but Blaze kept her arms tightly held around Silver. She laid her cheek on his shoulder and panted lightly. Her head spun and she thought if Silver didn't slide his hands around her waist, she might've fallen over. He seemed pretty dazed himself, a lopsided toothy smile adorning his face.

"That was a pretty good idea," she said.

"Thanks." He buried his mouth on top of her head and kissed there. "I have some more just like it."

"I'm very interested to hear them." She grinned cheekily at him. "But we should head downstairs for now."

He nodded and opened her door. Before they left, she pulled him back in her room for one more kiss. Then he offered her his arm and she accepted. They walked downstairs to greet Shadow, who was standing in the living room talking with Amy.

Nightfall and the perilous snow around the Mystic Ruins had forced Sonic to be careful running through rising and falling landscape. The city was no better, as hundreds of pedestrians were out doing last minute shopping, and the streets were packed with cars, their headlights blinding him. When he arrived at the suburbs where Amy lived, he figured things would be easier. But as he slipped on a patch of black ice and barely managed to recover, he abandoned that notion.

In the distance, he spotted Amy's house. He dove behind a nearby trash can when he saw Tails, Cream, and Rouge greeted by Amy and welcomed into the house. The inside looked so warm and toasty that Sonic wanted to run up there and join them. I can't yet. It'd look pretty bad and last minute if I went in and let them know I was still making it.

He observed the house, searching for some way to enter. There were only two doors, one in the front and one in the back. Since the front was out of the question, he snuck around to the rear one. The screen door on it was closed, but the wooden door was wide open. Unfortunately, standing outside on the back porch were Silver and Blaze, talking to one another and holding hands. They were positively beaming and Sonic was surprised when Silver pecked her cheek. Man, is everyone getting together today? Guess Christmas makes love pretty infectious.

Sonic crept to a leafless tree in the backyard and peered past the pair. Even if he slipped past them, the door led to the kitchen. Amy was bustling around at the stove. So much for that.

Every window on the bottom floor was shut and locked. He thought one on the top floor might still be open, but the question was how he could get up there? Running up the wall would alert everyone to his presence and there was nothing attached to the house to climb up to the second story. His gaze trailed upwards and he noticed the tree he was under possessed long branches. Long branches that ended within jumping distance of the shingled awning hanging over the back porch. Sonic slid his bag up to his shoulder and started to climb the tree. He stayed to the far side where the shadows were greatest and moved quickly.

When he reached the top of the trunk, he sat in the little crook where all the branches originated. It was an uncomfortable seat and he was poked in his sides by smaller branches. But he had a clear view of the surrounding houses and neighborhood.

Only one of the branches was thick enough to carry him close to Amy's house. Sonic stood with one foot in the crook and another on the base of his chosen branch. With both hands, he pulled himself forward and wrapped his legs around the wood. He shimmied his way along, careful not to shake the branch too much.

He stopped when he heard a peculiar sound. It was like plastic tearing and many items shifting around. Sonic glanced at his bag and saw the crochet needle poking through it. Great. He hefted up the bag and tried to push the needle back in. But the movement caused the needle to tear a wider hole and fall out.

Immediately, Sonic let go of the branch with his hands. He dangled by his legs and caught the needle. With his other hand, he bunched up the bag, closing the hole before anything else could tumble through it. The branch wobbled up and down, threatening to loosen his legs' crossed grip. The blood was already rushing to his head.

He looked at the bag, examining the hole. It was bad. One more rip like that and everything will fall. It was a poor predicament to be in and he thought he would seem absolutely silly to anyone who saw him. A cold wind whipped up, urging him to continue. Can't stay out here for long. He stuck the needle between his teeth and turned his attention to the branch. Swinging his torso back and forth, he grabbed ahold once more and clung to the branch.

Now Sonic was upside down. He stayed that way, pulling himself further toward the house. When he was at the end of the branch, he climbed back to the top. He was sitting right-side up, but now faced a difficult task. The branch's width could only accommodate him standing sideways and the jump was greater than he had estimated. He couldn't back down now though.

Sonic stood up on the branch and swung his arms, bouncing his platform. "One," he whispered. "Two, th—"

Crack! Ker-rack! Sonic jolted down and leapt for the awning. He caught it with his arms, the lip rammed into his chest and knocking the wind out of him. Grunting, he scrambled onto the awning and steadied himself on it to prevent sliding off the snow-covered shingles. There was a dull whump below. He gazed over the side and saw the end piece of the branch lying in the snow.

Silver and Blaze were investigating the fallen piece. "What was that?" she asked, examining the tree.

"I don't know," he said. "Guess it just fell off."

When Blaze looked up, Sonic pulled back, slinking against the wall. Thankfully, Amy suddenly called out to them. "Silver! Blaze! We're about to exchange presents!"

"Okay, we'll be right there!" Silver said. He wrapped his arm around Blaze's shoulder and guided her back inside. She took one last look at the branch and then they were gone.

Sonic breathed a sigh of relief. Thank you, Amy. He checked the windows. One of them slid open, so he crept inside. Unfortunately, as he was lifting his leg over the windowsill, he stepped on a pair of shoes beneath the window and slipped, falling into a nightstand and banging his head on a bed's headboard. He dropped his bag, scattering the contents onto the floor.

"What was that?" someone asked below.

"Do you think it's Santa?" a younger person asked.

Rubbing his head, Sonic grumbled and shoved the shoes aside with his foot. He froze when he heard footsteps on the stairs. He scooped up his bag, supplies, and presents in his arms, threw them under the bed, then straightened the nightstand and shut the window. As the person opened the door, he rolled underneath the bed, trying to stay completely still and silent.

Amy's red boots, just visible under the bed sheets, walked by him. She checked the nightstand and the window, locking it. She stood there and Sonic willed her to leave. C'mon. Just go. The bag was ruffling from his short breaths, so he shifted away from it, hoping Amy wouldn't hear.

She started to walk toward the door, but stopped by her closet. Hurry up! A strand of yarn was tickling Sonic's nose, creating an itch. He brushed the yarn away, but the damage was done. He pinched his nose shut, groaning in his hand and fighting the urge to sneeze.

Amy looked through her closet, pushing clothes aside. As Sonic was on the verge of giving in to the sneeze, she shut her closet and left the room. He waited until he heard her footsteps descend the stairs before he let loose, sneezing into his arm. "How does Santa manage to sneak around so easily?" He crawled out from under the bed and grabbed his things. "Now, time to learn about crocheting."

A/N: So there's the third chapter. Looks like everyone is getting gifts now.

Sword: I still need to get Pen something. I've shopped for everyone else.

Oh, everyone?

Sword: Yup. Myself, my family, and some out of town friends.

Are you forgetting anyone?

Sword: Hm, nope!

…Anyway, let us know what you think of the story so far. I'm off to guzzle down some eggnog.