The following day, Shadow awoke to find a mere indentation in the bed where Sara usually lay. In a sleepy half haze, his mind questioned the lack of a mate, and he groped around with one hand, feeling the cloth void next to him. It worked its way up to the pillow, where his hand collided with a piece of paper and a small plastic-wrapped object that slid against his hand upon disturbing it. He immediately cracked an eye open.

A piece of stationary was pinned to the pillow, and the object he found to be a Lindt dark chocolate truffle (Sara's favorite chocolate, which she was forbidden to eat until she weaned Maria). He sat up in bed, folding his legs Indian-style and picking at the pin until it released the note.

Dear Shadow-kun,

Ohayou Gozaimasu! I'm sorry for leaving you alone this morning. Dad wanted to take me out to breakfast, I forgot to mention it before bed. I'll be back around noon. I already fed Maria this morning, but she'll probably be cranky around the time you start reading this.

Shadow twitched an ear as he read.

Please give her a bath will you? We're going to the Thorndyke's later today,

'We are?' Shadow blinked in annoyance. Since when was she telling him what to do?

I don't know how late we'll be staying, but expect to be there a while. Dad mentioned wanting to meet Grandpa Chuck. Ha... I didn't realize, my dad's a "Grandpa Chuck" now too.

"How cute..." Shadow muttered humorlessly.

Anyway, please accept my secret chocolate stash as an apology for now. I'll make it up to you honey, I promise!

Love,

Sara

Shadow breathed a heavy sigh. His ear twitched responsively to Maria's morning cries. At least that much was predictable. The dark hedgehog entered his little girl's room. Sara was in charge of decorating it largely, as evidenced by a sky with rainbows motif on the wall. The dresser was rainbow colors, but at least it wasn't all pink. That's one thing Shadow had insisted on, and Sara had gladly agreed to.

"Hey, babe...it looks like it's you and me this morning." He reached into the crib and pulled out his fussy little girl. She hadn't yet soiled her diaper, for which he was grateful. "You hungry?" He stepped down from the toy chest next to the crib and held her close to him. He didn't rock her much, but did gently stroke her head and play with her disproportionately large ears. Blitz's ears also seemed large compared to his head, so it wasn't uncommon. It did make him think she looked like something out of one of Sara's "Animes" she liked to watch.

He got her to settle down after a few minutes and set her in a high chair while he ate his own breakfast, a bowl of cereal. "Daddy likes milk too, ya know," he commented idly to Maria. "Supposed to make you grow tall and healthy..." He glanced at her again.

She was more alert than a human child of her age, and her eyes were definitely on her father's movements. She leaned over in fascination and reached for the spoon, which was well out of her reach. He looked on her with a small smile. He noted how bright her jewel-red eyes were. Her fur was incredibly soft and still very short, but her bangs were starting to develop. Her belly fur and her bangs were almost a blood red with a hint of brown, rather than the reddish-brown it looked like they would be at first. Not a trace of likeness to the Maria she was named after.

"You're going to fall if you keep doing that." He picked her up out of the seat; she was half leaned over the edge in her attempts to grab the spoon.

Breakfast abandoned, Shadow decided he could at least spend some time with his daughter. There wasn't much he could do with her at this age, but he went back into her room for a children's book. She had a small library already on a rainbow-colored set of shelves he'd built shortly before her birth. Sara was so proud of him, being so supportive. "Let's see...Green Eggs and Ham...blech...Color Kittens... Horton Hears a Who...The Frog Prince..." Shadow grimaced... "Goldilocks and the Three Bears...lovely." He sighed and plucked the book next to it before sitting down on a rainbow rocking chair and situating Maria in his lap.

After story time was over, he remembered Sara's mentioning a bath. His one problem was the sleeping fuzzball in his arms. Some Mobian species were not above a tongue bath, but soap and water was far more traditional. He decided a spritz of body spray and 'nobody would know the difference.' It wasn't like she rolled around in the mud at this point. Besides, he really didn't want to disturb her...small and soft... He watched her slumber and wondered how he began craving these small, peaceful moments, and how he had ever done without them.

Of course, Sara knew he hadn't actually bathed Maria, but she didn't say anything about it. He, in turn, didn't say anything about how much he really wanted to stay home today and not go anywhere near the Thorndyke mansion, especially after Sara mentioned Sonic's being there. He'd just have to put up with these "family outings" until "Daddy" went home to Mobius.

"The Thorndykes really helped Sonic out when he first came to Earth," Sara said as they walked down the street to the mansion.

"Ahh yes, Sonic's told me a lot about them," Chuck replied. "I've actually been interested in meeting them for a while. I must confess I have a bit of business with Chris' grandfather."

Sara looked up at that. "Business?"

Chuck nodded. "I'm thinking of coming out of retirement for a while."

"I thought you ran that restaurant on Mobius?" Shadow put in. He was allowed to carry Maria for this stretch of the journey, while Sara carried the diaper bag. He was glad she was toting that heavy thing, especially since it was pink.

"Ahh, I was once a scientist. A machine expert." A strange glint lit up the corner of his eye.

Before they knew it, they stood at the front door of the mansion, Sara giving an enthusiastic knock. A heavyset lady with curly hair answered the door. "Hello? Oh...Sara, you're all here!"

"Hello, Ella!" Sara smiled in reply. "Is Sonic here yet?"

"Yes, and Tails; Sam Speed's visiting as well." Ella nodded and beckoned them inside. She promptly went about announcing their arrival.

Shadow had rarely been seen around the Thorndykes' and hadn't really been inside before, despite Sara's urgings. She'd decided to get to know Chris, Francis, and their friends since they were friends of Sonic. Shadow didn't really mind the humans, but neither did he seek their company. "Sounds like a party." He glanced up at the high ceilings. "...Big place."

Moments later, a boy with spiky brown hair and bright blue eyes appeared in the hall, smiling brightly. "Hey, guys! I'm so glad you came!" His eyes darted to Shadow before they gravitated to the hedgehog Charles. He'd seen Shadow before, sure, but he'd still yet to really interact with him socially, and seeing him with a baby in his arms seemed so...odd. "Ahh...and you must be Uncle Chuck?" he addressed the light blue hedgehog with the gray mustache and brows.

"Yes yes, though it's 'grandfather' these days." He chuckled.

Chris laughed lightly, "Ahh, so it is! Wow...you guys start out so small! I can't believe Sonic's only a few years older than me and already has a kid...I mean...I've just started thinking about having a girlfriend, let alone..."

"Chris," Mr. Tanaka the butler interjected, "perhaps you should show them to our other guests first?" His glasses gleamed.

He nodded reply. "Come on, guys!"

"Chris is a good kid," Mr. Tanaka said in a very offhand way, yet directly to Shadow, who was at the back of the furry lineup. "He's just eager to make and keep his friends." He made a slight bow. "Enjoy your stay, Mr. Shadow."

The room the gang had been ushered into was easily the size of their entire apartment end to end. It boasted not one, but three plush sofas arranged around a big circular table and giant plasma TV. A couple of pizza boxes were littered on the top of the table; Sonic and the others were eating from them. He noted a red-headed man talking very fast and making bad jokes on one side of Sonic. To the other side was a fairly gaunt, balding gray-haired man who could only be Grandpa Chuck.

"Hi, Uncle Chuck!" he was greeted by a bright orange two-tailed fox. "Hi, Sara, Shadow…." He peered at the baby in the black and red hedgehog's arms. Shadow gave him an odd look and held the child defensively. "Hey, I was just looking."

He grunted a bit, but Sara managed to make him drop his guard. She took Maria from his arms and took a seat next to her cousin. He remained standing but leaned over the edge of the couch behind her and listened.

"Sorry to make this a business trip, but I needed some info." Charles the hedgehog stroked his mustache. The rest of the Mobians became quiet and listened.

"Ahh, it's all right. Our government was able to obtain records on your time on the Science Council for the Acorn Kingdom; we thought you could help with security," Sam Speed said, sipping some coffee. "Our Mobian Intelligence Agency has reason to suspect Eggman is on the move."

Grandpa Chuck nodded a bit. "Some of the instruments I developed with Tails here have been detecting some spatial anomalies. It's not unlikely that Eggman's trying to make his own world gate, but...I could use some help deciphering the findings."

"Ahh, so would I be working as an independent with you, Chuck, or for the local government?" The hedgehog was offered coffee or tea, and accepted the former. Sara sighed slightly in envy; she hadn't had caffeinated coffee since she became pregnant and wasn't allowed more than a cup of tea's worth of caffeine on the MRT-recommended diet for nursing mothers.

"Well, in terms of weapons and defenses, the government would like you with us." Sam folded his hands and propped his elbows on his knees; he then leaned onto his hands, looking over the hedgehog in a studying way. "We know you were involved heavily with the war department at one time."

Chuck breathed a deep sigh and stroked his mustache. "While I'd like to forget those days, I do have something of a priority to the people of Mobius and the Acorn Kingdom, more than that of Station Square."

Sam nodded. "The president is willing to cut through some red tape if you've any interest in citizenship."

Both Chuck and Sam glanced over at Sara, visually citing her as reason enough. Shadow couldn't help glaring. "Perhaps a limited contract...I don't want to get too deeply involved. I retired from the Science Council some years ago." Chuck continued, "I also do not want my inventions being abused. Enough of that's been done already."

"Ahh...some of Eggman's technology having started with your involvement in the war ministry?" Sam inquired. He was being quite serious for a change, but managed to stay light enough that the tension wasn't as thick as it could have been.

Chuck nodded gravely. "You have good informants."

"Ah. We hope so." Sam shrugged. "They chose me as an emissary since I've had more dealings with Mobians, and your nephew here, than anyone else on the force." He leaned back on the couch and threw his hands behind his head. "Of course, I can't force you into anything, I'm only relaying what information and offerings they gave me. I do know also..." he glanced at Tails first and then the others, grinning, "your people do what your conscience dictates. Such strong wills are admirable."

Chris' grandfather cut in while a silence settled over the group, "Well, regardless of what the talking heads in the government want, I'm very interested in your opinions on a few things." He scratched the back of his head and his eyes glinted like a kid in a candy store. "I think I could learn a lot from you if Tails is anything to go by; he says he's not half as brilliant."

"I must admit the spatial anomaly interests me more…." Chuck sipped his coffee.

"Ahh well…." The human Chuck paused in thought. "Earth and Mobius are on a parallel. We exist side by side... However..." His face scrunched up slightly as he thought how best to explain it. "Both our dimensions are synchronized. The tilt of our worlds, the spin, the lunar cycles...in almost every way we are directly parallel. Almost. The composition of the continents is different, but the volume of water and distribution is about the same. Now...I've been picking up a third...echo, if you will."

"Another dimension?" Shadow asked, catching onto the conversation quickly enough.

He nodded. "I think so…but it's...skewed. There's something not right about it. It doesn't match up to the kind of echo I get from detecting Mobius, say, through the world gate."

The hedgehog Chuck started to mull it over. "I would like very much to look over these readings you have." He paused, thinking. "This may be more important than you think."

"It won't affect the world gate. will it?" Chris asked. He always worried that the gate between worlds would close and his friends would be on the other side.

"At present, it doesn't look like it, but I can't be sure." His grandpa shrugged.

"So, Charles. What do say?" Sam took another sip of his coffee, which drove Sara nuts. Shadow idly stroked her behind her ears to calm her, having done so out of reflex.

"Hmm...I think I may extend my stay here. Can I have a look at the contract they want? I think I'll submit my own changes if they're serious." He took a look at Shadow comforting his daughter and had to smile a bit at that.

The main business was out of the way, but the stay at the Thorndykes' had hardly begun. Chris busily explained every detail of the things he and his friends had done since Sonic's last visit. He also took great interest in Blitz, Maria, and Sara. He commented about the wild color differences from "Grandpa Chuck" to his granddaughter, though little was said concerning Maria's father. Chris' friends Francis, Danny, and Helen also showed up, lavishing even more attention on the baby hedgehogs and their respective mothers.

Tails had holed himself up with the two scientists, and Sam excused himself, saying he had to get back to work. Shadow kind of wished he had work that day. Nobody seemed particularly inclined to talk to him. Sara was considered the oddity of the group that day, and now that she had Maria in her arms, he was no longer focused on at all. Oh wait, he did have Maria for a little while, since she helped Ella in the kitchen later on.

Most of his day, however, was spent on a couch watching the news on the big plasma TV. "Two Mobian shrews were in a battle to the death on the streets of Station Square's Regal Plaza district today..." Shadow reached for a piece of pizza. "...Mobian authorities say this was a fight over a mate, and as such, no charges are being pressed." The anchor woman continued to talk about how Mobian relationships differed from humans, particularly the possessiveness of it. Some psychologists were also consulted, some calling the age-old practices barbaric, opposed to female rights, demeaning...while others praised it for devotion to spouse. Shadow wished his mate could just devote a bit of time to him today.

"Ahh, we've been seeing more stories like that lately," Mr. Tanaka said from behind Shadow, causing him to jump.

"Where the hell did you come from?!"

"My apologies, Mr. Shadow." Somehow, the light reflected perfectly off his glasses so that his eyes were completely obscured from the hedgehog's view; it was...honestly unsettling. "Love is often a fickle thing, isn't it?"

"I guess." He sat back on the couch, giving a glance to Amy and Sara, who were bragging up their babies at the moment on the other side of the room.

"Hard to tell what a woman wants at times, isn't it?" Shadow twitched an ear but said nothing. "Men know what they want," he continued. "It's a shame they often misread the subtle poetry women communicate on a daily basis."

Shadow remembered Sara saying something about having the heart of a poet once. She knew him well enough to finish off his thoughts; he wondered why he couldn't see hers so well. As the hours ticked on, he wondered also, if "Grandpa Chuck" would ever be leaving.