List: IHeartSonAmy, Zeldaskeeper, silverdawn2010, SoNiCrOxMaIsOx, SonamyRules159, GodsSonicGirl, GalexiatheChao, ZehHyperactiveAuthor, Sonic5521, and, Flare The Hedgehog!

Thanks for the reviews everyone! I love them all! But alas, now we have a four-way tie in the poll! So ha, I got away with coming up with my own chapter again…well sorta. Actually, this chapter is based off of the song "Time in a Bottle", by Jim Croce, and I first learned of the song in Shizuku Tsukishima749's own drabble series "Two Tails and a Blur". Seriously, if you haven't read her story, you're missing out! Go read it! (Well, after you read my chapter, haha). Anywho, so I'll re-make the poll, 'cause that seems to be the only way to do it now, so all of you who have already voted…heh. Go vote again, please? I'll give you some cake…anyway, enough chatter! Onwards, march!

Chapter eighteen

Time in an Album

'If I could save time in a bottle…'

It seemed to the blue hedgehog, that every parent's worst nightmare was seeing their beloved children grow up. When he was younger, he didn't understand why parents would cry when a child headed off to college, or when I child headed from the first grade to the second, or so on, and so forth.

But he understood now.

It was a simple birthday party, really. Rose, Nick, and Flash were all turning seven, and the whole family was there, as were the Hedgehog family's close friends, like Tails' family.

But as the family and friends all gathered around the dining room table, singing happy birthday to the triplets, the blue hedgehog allowed himself to tune out, just for a second. Glancing first at Rose, he saw for the first time not a four year old, but a maturing little girl, who was growing out of the phase of princesses and growing into the phase of boys. He blinked in surprise, and he watched as her smile increased, a smile that he had always loved, but one he knew a boy would fall for someday, and soon.

He pushed away those negative thoughts of loosing his little girl as he looked next at young Flash, who wore cocky grin. His eyes held vacant space, which the blue hedgehog knew would someday soon be filled in when the boy took up exploring the world by himself. A pain etched its way into the father's heart as he thought that, for he had always gone on runs with the boys. Never had Flash gone further then three miles by himself. Dash had, sure, but Flash hadn't yet broken away from the almost daily runs with his father. And Sonic didn't want his son to stop running with him.

And lastly, just as the song was about to end, he stared at Nick. The boy, embarrassed by all the sudden attention, scratched the back of his neck nervously, one of the few traits that he had actually received from his father. The blue hedgehog bit his lip. Nick, his son. It was sometimes weird to Sonic, having Nick for a son. Even though the child loved exploring and being taken on runs by his father, Nick wasn't as enthralled by adventure as Sonic's other two sons were. He was harder for the blue hedgehog to understand.

But even though there was a vivid space between the father and son, there were days when Sonic couldn't help but smile at young Nick, who had just painted a picture for Amy, or who had just discovered how to say a new hard word. Some days, Sonic would walk into the house and see Nick reading to his younger sister, Samantha, and the blue hedgehog would stop in the doorway, apparently frozen in place, and just watch, thinking to himself the whole time on how when Nick got married, he'd be the most patient and wonderful husband and father in the world. He wouldn't even be able to move, because it was that heartwarming, seeing his son act mature and not tease Samantha about being the youngest and put up with her dolls.

"Happy birthday, to Rose, Nick, and Flash!" sang the group loudly. "Happy birthday to you!"

And as the cheers rang out and the three children blew out their candles, Sonic stared down at his three kids, seeing them a year older, seeing them maturing and growing. And he hadn't even seen it before.

Blinking away some sort of unwanted moisture in his eyes, the blue hedgehog looked towards his wife, who stood next to him, Rose blocking them from touching as she and her brother's blew out their seven birthday candles. And a look passed between them. A look that said, 'I understand.' He smiled sadly in her direction, as did she, but the moment was soon lost as Rose turned to Amy, telling her to cut the cake quickly, and Amy chuckled at her daughter, Sonic ruffled her spines, and the two carried on with their responsibilities as they tried tuning back into the world.

'If I could only save these moments,' Sonic mused to himself. Flash handed him a piece of chocolate cake. 'If I could spend all day with them…if I could stop time.'

A warm hand was suddenly in his, and the blue hedgehog didn't even have to look down to know that it was Amy's. Squeezing her soft hand in his course hand, he turned to her slightly, smiling gently, thanking her without words.

"I wish we could save time too," she murmured silently, so that no one could hear, as everyone else, oblivious to the couple, talked and laughed over their cake. "I wish we could save time in a chaos emerald, or a bottle, or…something." He squeezed her hand again, reassuring her, thinking to himself how he wished he could freeze this moment in time too, just like so many others.

Little did the father know, but his teenage daughter was thinking the exact same thing as she snapped a quick photo of the pair, smirked triumphantly, and continued blending into the scene as she melted away into the crowd. A habit of hers.

And as she walked off towards her little brother to wish him a happy birthday for the millionth time (blending in is blending in), she figured this was as close as a person could get to freezing time. This being photography. She smirked to herself. Her parents would thank her someday.

'…is to save everyday, till eternity passes away, just to spend them with you…'

Haha! Anyone catch the reference to drabble 11, Photographs of Love? That's what the last few paragraphs were about, 'case you missed it. Anyway, thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote in the new poll!

~Ksonic~