Predictably, even after company left, Shadow was drafted to help clean up the apartment. "It's not that bad." Apparently it was unacceptable to Sara suddenly, even though she wasn't the world's best housekeeper either.

Cleaning up the catch-all table turned out to be the most tedious and distracting of the day's jobs. "Aaa! I thought I lost this ring!" Sara exclaimed, holding up a small gold ring with a sapphire set in the middle. Shadow had given it to her for her birthday.

"Nice..." he commented halfheartedly. She didn't really gush about jewelry much, but she'd really liked it and it wasn't too expensive, but right now he had other things on his mind. Maybe if they got to the end of the cleaning, he could finally have some quality time with her. He had determined he'd find a way to do so before "Daddy" came to town.

It was hard trying to clear things out with Sara there. While Shadow would have gladly pitched a number of broken or seemingly useless items, Sara seemed to have some sentimental claim to almost everything he touched. It was starting to annoy him as the evening sun started sinking into the horizon. At least he was able to clear up the stack of outdated coupons and ads...

"Hungry?" Sara voiced with a slight yawn as the light started to slip away at a faster rate. She now had a scarf tied around her quills and thicker work gloves on with a broom hoisted over her shoulder.

Shadow coughed from the noxious chemicals he was working with in the bathroom. He had to blink a couple times to clear up watering eyes, giving her a positively quizzical look. How can she think of food now?

"Ehh?"

"Hungry? We've been at this a while," she asked again, wiping sweat from her brow. She got up on a step stool and batted the broom's bristles against some cobwebs overhead. He had to admire her balance and form.

"How can you be hungry? We just ate a little while ago." He coughed again and decided he'd better talk to her where he could breathe.

"I don't know..." She stretched a bit further and Shadow readied himself to catch her in case she fell. He kind of hoped she would. "I'm thinking pizza."

"Vinnie's again?" Shadow sighed.

"Yeah." She managed to keep her balance and came down from the step stool, only to move it to another poor, neglected corner. "Double cheese and green pepper. Good, ya?"

"I'll order it for pickup." He shrugged.

"Eh? Why not delivery?" Of course, Sara should've known as Shadow rolled his eyes exactly why. "Oh...Sonic's working tonight, isn't he?"

"Thirty minutes, or Tony's paying." Shadow grinned a bit. In a moment of playfulness, he knocked against the stepping stool while passing Sara, causing her to lose her balance. Of course he was there to catch her. The broom was quickly lost to clatter on the floor next to them.

"Ahh! Shadow!" She blushed a bit as he lowered her into a compromising position on the couch.

He smiled at having finally disarmed her. "I gotcha. Don't worry." He smiled and leaned in to kiss her forehead. He kissed her nose. He kissed her on the lips. It was good to have cleared away the resistance.

"Waaaaa!" Shit!...

Moment broken, Sara planted her hands firmly on Shadow's fluffy white tufted chest and pushed him off with a mild laugh. "Sorry, hon." Sighing, Shadow zipped out the door to Vinnie's.

"Shadow!" Tony beamed upon the black and red hedgehog's entrance. The caramel-haired human was always in a good mood, it seemed. Today was no different. "Double cheese, green peppers, right?" Shadow nodded reply. "Conversant as ever! Don't ever change."

"I try not to."

Tony checked through a stack of orders for Shadow's usual. "How's the lil' missus? Ain't seen her in a while."

"Sara is fine." He vaguely recalled having a similar conversation not more than a few hours ago.

"Good! I swore I'd beat ya to a pulp if you ever hurt her, right?" He smiled as he came around the counter and knelt down to hand off the box of cheesy goodness. "I included some free cinnamon sticks. She likes those, right?"

Shadow arched an eyebrow. "Yeah... You don't really care about my relationship, do you? I mean...that's a pretty empty threat." He accepted the pizza after trading it for a twenty he pulled from his glove.

Tony shrugged as he took the bill. "Hold on, I'll get ya change." He stepped around the counter again, the register ka-chinging after he entered the amount of the exchange. "Empty threats, huh? I dunno. I just like everyone to be happy."

The door chime sounded as a couple of men dressed up darkly stepped inside just in time to hear the happy comment. "Well you can make us all very happy if you just give us all ya money." The bigger of the two ski-capped men ordered. Of course, they had made the miscalculation of not noticing the small Mobian client who knew exactly what was going on.

"Ahh…. Happiness is a fleeting thing...ya know they say a fool and his money are soon parted," Tony replied with a forced grin, even under pressure.

"Yeah. And fools like you don't got no security," the second thug retorted.

"Ohh...I got security." Tony grinned. "Know Jesus?"

The two robbers started laughing until Shadow's icy tone spoke up behind them. "Excuse me...I think you overlooked something." He'd set the pizza on one of the waiting chairs and was now cracking his knuckles. Much laughter ensued. "Chaos...Control!" Less than five seconds later, the two punks were knocked unconscious with an annoyed Shadow snorting at their feeble attempts to rob a pizza place.

"Ey, Shadow!" Tony grinned. "Thanks, man." He was already dialing the cops while the other pizza chef, Carlo, looked for something to tie up the thugs with.

"Not a problem…." He shrugged and turned back to his pizza.

"Hey heya! Hold it, I need to give you your change!" He started addressing the police on the other end, but handed Shadow back two twenties. A brief visual exchange, and Shadow nodded and left with his pizza...and free bread.

Vinnie's Pizza was always received gladly by Sara, whom he found playing with Maria when he got home. At least she was through cleaning for the time being. He decided not to tell her about the robbers or the brief meeting with Sonic as he left the place.

After all the cleaning and playing with Maria was done, Shadow finally felt like it was his time now as the two readied for bed. Sara's body was certainly appealing to him, and now that he could smell something other than Mr. Clean, he certainly enjoyed her aroma. He slipped into bed before her, waiting expectantly. His eyes followed her silently as she unlatched her beaded necklace and set it on a hook for the night. He watched her discard her clothing, actually stopping to put it in the basket where it belonged for a change. He spent a lot of time watching her, he realized, but she'd told him before his eyes on her were actually a comfort. Good thing, or she'd be calling him a "creep" again.

At last, Sara slipped under the covers with him, though she rolled to the side facing away from him and drew part of the blanket with her as she did so.

"...Sara?" he called softly and nudged her shoulder.

"Nnn...?" she replied lazily, though she did roll over so she could look up at him.

"Well... it's just..." He lightly ran the back of one bare hand along the length of her arm from the shoulder down, "...we're alone...and it's the end of the day…."

She smiled a little. "...Yeah…." She turned back to looking at the window, her quills toward him.

Shadow heaved an audible sigh. "We're not going to be alone much when your father gets here..." Well, if she wasn't going to turn to him, he'd just have to be careful. He put an arm around her and nestled his head on her neck. "...so..."

She couldn't be that naive, though she sighed a bit. "Hnnn...think you've earned it?" Shadow bristled a bit at the implications. He was about to spout out how he'd saved her favorite pizza owner from being street pizza, until she spoke up again. "Ahh...I guess we could." Shadow knew enough not to act on impulse when her quills were still turned to him and he sensed a "but" coming. "It's just...I'm kind of tired...that was a lot more work than I was expecting, you know."

He kissed her neck and gently stroked her side, trying to get her to relax. Just a little more... "Yeah well, we don't have to do everything in one day...he's not coming for a week."

Sara chuckled a bit, "I guess you're right." She rolled over to her mate, her fingers once again stroking his silky chest fur.

He didn't know what it was about that white tuft, but right now, he was sure glad he had it. "Thanks..." There was, however, a chest he was more interested in than his own, among other things. He was still of the opinion women were crazy and love was some kind of disease, but if so, he wasn't presently interested in a cure.

A knock at the door around 6 AM the following day told Shadow his morning was starting off about 2 hours too early for the coffee pot to be on. This meant little to Shadow personally, who preferred tea, but to his caffeine-addicted mate, it meant life or death. The knock sounded a second time. "Just a minute!" he shouted.

The lump in bed next to him made a quick "I'm up!" statement followed by a groan, and then a pair of hands stretched out from under a cocoon of bed sheets. "Nnn...who is it...?" She nestled up aside Shadow; that part of the morning he liked, but she was still half asleep. "...Make 'em go away..." she yawned.

That, he could do. "Just a freakin' minute already!" Shadow barked as the knock became more insistent. He slipped his socks, shoes, and gloves on, smoothed out his fur, and set off to the apartment door. "Yeah, yeah who the hell is it?!" He cracked the door open and his jaw slackened.

Before him stood a light blue hedgehog with gray brows and brown eyes. A couple of suitcases were at his side. "Hello, Shadow..." he coughed lightly, "Nice way to greet your father-in-law."