Silver still didn't see any sign of his father when he woke up. Is he sleeping? But, Mom said that it was usually him who woke up first... Then again, it has been awhile...

"Mephiles?" He turned to the figure staring at the ceiling. The creature's ear pricked and his left reptilian eye rested on him.

"No. Master isn't home yet...If you'll excuse me, I'll take it upon myself to see that he's okay. Please keep Leaf inside until one of us returns," he warned, before shrinking into his base, ooze-like form and disappeared. Then Leaf emerged from her room, stretching.

"Morning, Silver," she hummed, "what'd I miss?"

"Mephiles just went to go look for Dad, and you can't go outside," the young hedgehog summarized before sipping on a glass of chocolate milk. It was an inherited quirk from his mother. Then he took a bite out of his doughnut. The green girl almost skipped over to the counter. "Oh, well... I guess I can tend to my potted plants inside this afternoon."

"You brought all of them, right?" Silver chirped. She nodded, but clarified, "But I moved the trees from their pots into the soil in the backyard. They should be able to take care of themselves; it's my flowers that need constant attention. Want to help?"

Botany wasn't one of Silver's favorite subjects, but he liked it when Leaf blossomed when she talked about plants. She'd be even more bubbly around them. He followed her into her room after finishing breakfast and brushing his teeth. "I'm going to be checking my plants with my powers, so I need you to make sure I'm alright after each check."

Spot check. "Oh. Okay."

Leaf gently supported a branching flower and closed her eyes. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and a green aura from her fingertips flocked to the plant. Faintly, her palm also had a green glow, just not as noticeable as her fingertips or the part of the plant she was touching. This reminded Silver of psychometry. Psychometry is the ability to see an object's past or future (given the psychic was powerful enough) without means of time travel. It was a useful skill for a time-traveler like Silver. And learning it meant going to museums and relics and never-ending "Touch this! And this! Feel this! What are you getting? Is it working?" Thankfully, Silver's psychokinesis enabled him to trigger it without physically touching it. He could witness an era by "not touching" a priceless vase of some sort.

The hedgehog came to as Silver was recalling mornings when Miss Icicle would personally drive him to the library so he could learn. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked. She nodded, "The plant's thirsty...and so am I, now..."

"Okay. I'll be right back." Silver stepped out and returned with a glass of water for his girlfriend, and a good-sized container for all of the plants that might also be thirsty. Plant communication seemed to interest Silver slightly, as it seemed so familiar to him. It almost felt as though he had practiced plant communication before...

"What about plants?" the ten-year-old asked. "Plants have energy, too, right?"

"Well, of course," the old hedgehog replied, supporting herself on the cane. "Energy surrounds you and moves all matter. It's yours to guide and manipulate. Plants are alive, just like you and me. But they've got no brains, like objects. It's a good start for trying to learn psychometry."

"He said it was necessary. And I know how to do that with people!"

"Well, jumping from that to an object won't get you anywhere, Silver. Ah...you're so eager...Just like your mother."

"Did she ever learn psychometry?"

"Ah, no. I don't believe so. Now, come touch this ivy, here." She started laughing to herself.

"What's so funny?" the younger hedgehog demanded. She shook her head, "I was just thinking about your great-grandfather, Ed. You know, he's not as tolerant to your stubbornness as I am."

"Huh? I'm not stubborn!"

Eventually, based on the memory plant communication was very much like psychometry. A stepping stone.

I never did meet Great-Grandpa Ed. Not his spirit, at least. I'm not too sure my mom did, either. I wonder what he thinks of my father.

Shadow sat there in a semi-curled position on one of the lower branches of the tree. Not a tree, the tree. This was the tree where he would sit with Selene and they'd imagine what it'd be like for them after ten years. That was before everything changed. He had sat there most of the night, but had brought a blanket so he wouldn't freeze. Usually, Selene would appear to cheer him up when he sat there. But she hadn't... I wonder why...

"I was talking to someone," a soft voice cooed. "Someone I haven't gotten to know." His eyes moved to the voice, but his body was still. Selene walked towards him and heaved herself onto the branch. Facing him, she sat on her legs, sighed happily, and then asked, "So, what's wrong?"

"Nothing..." he lied, looking away. "I just wanted to see you."

"Don't lie to me, Shadow," she leaned in and rested her hands on his knees. "I know you're a little upset because Silver won't spend time with you voluntarily."

"A little? I don't know. Seems like a lot."

"Don't let it get to you." A warm spot formed on the dark hedgehog's forehead. "You're better than letting a rage get to you and control your life. Much better."

"But I need to tell him-" Shadow looked up. Selene's radiant indigo blue eyes still had their smiling shine to them. "And you will. When the time's right, of course. You know, he's worried about you."

"He is?" he snapped to attention. She hummed. "Yes. You know how sweet he can be, Shado. Go see him; he'll spend time with you, I'm sure." To think I would make you wait...Forever...

"Selene, I..."

"Love me? I know... I love you too. And I can wait forever..." she faded away into the air. A few crunches from afar signaled Mephiles' arrival.

"Shadow?" he came into view. "Did I interrupt something?" Shadow started to descend from the branch. "No, I don't think so."

"Silver was wondering where you were, so I thought you would be here, talking to Mistress," the demon explained. "Is it any of my business, Shadow?"

"I...I'm not sure yet. Er, has Mephisto ever had..."

"A girlfriend? No, not yet. Perhaps I should get him to an asylum or a rehabilitation facility, so maybe he'd be forced to socialize with others."

"Doesn't that seem a little...morbid?" The mouth-less one shrugged. "I don't know. We're demons. You can meet all sorts of people in a rehabilitation center, you know. A former drug addict, a homicidal maniac, a bomb manufacturer...All sorts of people that Mephisto would find interest in." Shadow wondered exactly how crazy Mephiles used to be, if his demon-spawn had inherited most if not all of the illogical, maniacal, pro-anarchy sides of his father.

"I don't know, maybe I should send Mephisto off to the nearest one so he could meet someone new, hmm?"

"Er...sure..."

Silver hugged Leaf from the side who giggled as soon as he squeezed. "Oh, will you stop that!" she smiled as he brushed past her shoulder. They were done with the plants, and wound up being cuddly and giggly on the couch. And not to Shadow's surprise his son was completely oblivious that he had come back. The part of Shadow's heart that was supposed to be patched up only burned deeper. And unfortunately, someone like Shadow can't keep holding it in; it'll just get worse.

So after Leaf went to bed, he confronted Silver in the living room.

"I'm starting to think this Vanity is some sort of sick idea to make you less guilty of avoiding me," he almost growled. Silver's eyebrow raised.

"What? D-dad! I would never-"

"I get it." That's when the branch snapped for both of them. "You didn't even think about how much I might've wanted to do things!"

"You get it? No you don't! You don't even trust me!"

"Well, my mistake! I didn't realize asking you to spend a little time with me was cutting so much time away from her!"

"And I didn't know that giving someone a place to stay was so offensive!"

"All I asked was some time to get to know you better, and you bring her along!"

"Maybe it was best if you just butt out of my life!"

"Fine, maybe I should've just forgot about you!"

"Maybe you should've looked at the job description before you got Mom pregnant!"

"And maybe I should've made her take birth control pills!"

"Fine! Let me just get out of your house before I get into a car accident and die!"

"Fine! Leave!"