Author's Note: Let me first say that I am SOOOO sorry!. This was an extremely long time to update and I apologize but as some of you might know, college is busy and this semester was exactly that for me! Now that it's done I have time to really focus on finishing this story. I would have never left it undone :).
I want to to thank all of the reviewers and those who have also favorited during my short absence. I'm so sorry about the wait! I know how frustrating it can be! The next chapter shouldn't take that long at all!
ENJOY :D
Bodies entwined, soft breaths mingling, and whispered moans filled the room.
"I love you Amy.", he breathed roughly into her ear.
"Sonic…"
She could barely say any words because she couldn't focus on anything but the pleasure that was washing over her. It came in gentle waves.
She half wondered why she hadn't decided to do this sooner. It surely would have prevented a hefty amount of arguments from happening in the first place. If only she knew it would have been THIS good…
She needed something to hold, something to squeeze. She never remembered it feeling this good and her almost virgin like body was overly sensitive.
The first time, it was quick. It was desperate and it was passionate. They had had years of on-going foreplay and the first time happened on a whim because of it. She had a hard time even reminiscing about that time because of everything that followed after.
THIS time, Amy couldn't believe how different it could be. She KNEW it hadn't been like this. It wasn't this attentive, this calculated, this exploratory. They had been at it for about an hour and a half now and it felt like they were discovering each other for the first time.
Within the first half an hour she honestly felt like she couldn't go on anymore but she was proven wrong. Within the next hour, the mood had changed. At first everything was slow and sensual. It was clear that they were making love but then it got lusty. It was then that Amy knew she liked it rather rough and it was the only time she would so willingly submit to Sonic. She felt such a new kind of thrill when he exerted his control. It was extremely sexy when he restrained her arms above her head, when he pulled on her bottom lip as they kissed, when he latched his teeth on just the right places, and when he teased her to the point of frustration.
He clearly knew what he was doing and why wouldn't he? He was a former playboy after all but that didn't even run through her mind. For a split second, she even thanked his "experience".
The waves she felt were growing into frequent spikes and she knew what was coming. With Sonic's heavenly lips and tongue attacking her neck, his skillful hands caressing her, and his pelvic bone brushing up against her most sensitive bundle of nerves every time he entered her, it was inevitable that she would reach her climax.
She couldn't scream out her pleasure because Hope was sleeping so she wrapped her legs around Sonic, holding him still. She hooked her arms around his neck and dragged her nails across his shoulders as she began to spasm against him.
He laughed lightly in her ears. Even just the brush of his breath on the shell of her ear was enough to make her cringe in more pleasure. It was almost ridiculous.
"D-Don't l-laugh at me.", she breathed heavily.
"You're so sensitive."
He captured the side of her ear in his teeth and bit down lightly.
She was still trying to catch her breath and exhaled shakily at what he was doing.
"I-I don't think I-I can go again."
He kissed her softly on her forehead.
"It's ok."
She had stopped squeezing him but she still held on to him, embracing him.
He rested his head in the crook of her neck and lightly kissed her neck.
"B-But what about you?"
He laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"I'm already done. I guess you didn't notice because you seem to finish off so dramatically every time. I'm just that damn good."
Amy had to actually laugh as breathless as she was.
"Shut up jerk. You're not that good.", she kissed him on his head.
"Wanna bet?"
Just like that, they had both gone on for another hour.
"Mommy why do I have to go to kindergarten?"
"Because you're a big girl now and big girls go to kindergarten."
"Daddy…"
"Nope, don't even look at me."
Sonic knew he would give her the glassy eye, pouty lips look and he would be caught just like that. He would even consider homeschooling her with just that look. He knew how dangerous it was when she used it on him to get him to buy her a makeup kit she saw on television. He bought it for her but faced a terrible wrath when Amy found Hope making a mess with the kit in the bathroom.
"Uncle Silver?"
"Yeah Chiclet?"
"Why do you always call me that?", Hope whined.
"Well your Daddy here calls your Mommy 'Hubba Bubba' so it would only be right if you were Chiclet."
"I don't get it… but you're so silly Uncle Silver!", she started to laugh.
This little girl praised everything he did and always thought he was funny even if she didn't understand. Ah, how he loved this girl.
Amy couldn't help but laugh along with her daughter. In reality, Silver only meant that since she was nicknamed after a brand of bubble gum then Hope should be too.
Sonic just sighed and continued to walk. He couldn't even focus on jokes because he was so preoccupied with the thought that their little girl was going off to school.
Gone were the days when she would nerve the hell out of him at his office desk, when she would somehow get him to play dolls with her, when they went out for ice cream after he tried to make lunch and failed, and when they sometimes picked up Amy from work or had dinner at her diner with her.
Now Sonic was a grown guy, he wasn't about to cry or anything but he would be lying if he said he wasn't upset.
"Daddy?"
He immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turned on his smile.
"What's wrong with you?"
Damn this girl for being able to read him so well.
"Nothing, I'm just so excited that you're finally being a big girl."
Amy looked over to him from the side of her eyes and was curious herself. She figured she would talk to him later.
"But that's not how you look when you're excited."
"Sure your BIG Daddy is excited!"
Suddenly, Silver hopped next to Sonic and pulled his lips into what he thought was a smile. It actually looked like a smile on a bedtime monster with the way Sonic still tried to hold his (-_-) face.
"Ermm…I don't think-"
"Don't mind how funny looking his face is, he just can't help it! But he's excited, trust me!"
Sonic pulled his face away from Silver and started to pick up his pace to get away from him. All the while, both Hope and her mother watched him.
The group of hedgehogs had walked all the way into a school building and sat in a large hallway.
"Hello there Hope!"
Hope looked over to a young looking echidna. She looked friendly enough so Hope walked over to her. She remembered her Mommy telling her what would happen today and she wanted to impress her with how big she was.
"Hello, my name is Hope the Hedgehog and it's nice to meet you."
The teacher gave a look of surprise at the wonderful manners the little girl seemed to have and she looked over at the three hedgehogs sitting down. Amy gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up while Sonic nodded with a smile.
"Why thank you, and it's nice to meet you too. Would you like to come inside and play for a little while with some friends?"
Hope nodded her head but yet her face didn't look happy.
"Is Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Silver coming inside too?"
The teacher knew this question was coming and it hurt her every time she had to deal with this situation.
Amy and Sonic watched on with the same facial expressions.
"Well your Mommy, Daddy, and Uncle Silver have to leave for a little while but they will come back for you I promise. While they're gone we get to play all sorts of things and sing songs and draw."
Hope seemed to perk up when the teacher mentioned drawing.
"You like to draw?"
Hope nodded.
"I can help you draw something for your Mommy or Daddy or Uncle Silver so you can give it to them when they come back later. Would you like that?"
Hope nodded again.
"Would you like to come inside?"
Hope paused and then looked over at her family. She saw her mom's beautiful smiling face that she loved to see because it made everything feel better, her dad's handsome smirk that she would never admit was handsome because he had cooties, and her Uncle Silver's silly face that always made her laugh.
Almost immediately her eyes began to fill with tears. Then within a second, she ran into her mother's lap and started bawling.
Amy almost couldn't believe it and tried her hardest not to cry herself. She continuously blinked to keep herself from letting tears go. She embraced Hope and smoothed her quills to try to quiet her down.
"MOMMY I WANTED TO BE A BIG GIRL BUT I'M GONNA MISS YOU! I'M GONNA MISS DADDY! I MISS YOU!"
"But, I'm still here Hope."
"BUT YOU'RE GONNA LEAVE! AND DADDY IS GONNA LEAVE!"
"But we're gonna come back. I promise we will come back."
As Hope continued to cry, Amy continued to struggle with her own sadness. Silver was the quietest he'd ever been in probably the whole year and Sonic…well nobody really knew what was going on through his mind.
He sat there with a stoic face but Amy knew better.
"Hope? Look at me."
Hope picked her head up from her mother's lap and looked up at her with red eyes.
"Remember what I said about being a big girl?"
Hope nodded, crying silently at the same time.
"I want you to be a big girl for Mommy and Daddy. Kindergarten is so much fun and you'll make so many new friends and learn so much. You'll even be smarter than your Uncle Silver."
Hope had laughed despite her teary eyes. Amy had managed to smile at her success and failed to notice the look Silver was giving her. His highly unamused look had Sonic holding in a laugh and the sight of Sonic trying not to laugh made the teacher smile. They were really an interesting family.
"Your teacher is really nice and will let you call us if you really want to. So let's make a deal ok? If you go into the classroom and you don't like it after a little while then you can call us and we'll pick you up. Is that a deal?"
"Yes, it's a deal."
Amy was grateful that Hope had at least looked a little bit happier.
Hope had slipped out from Amy's arms and walked over to her father.
Sonic almost wanted to roll his eyes because the girl just didn't know what she did to him when she ran over crying and now when she was looking up at him with her red eyes. He wanted to pick her up and hug her all day. He wanted to take any pain she was feeling and bare it all on his own. He wanted to take her home and never bring her to the kindergarten class if it made her this upset. He wanted to just hold her in his arms like he used to and he didn't want to let go.
Amy, sensing his inner turmoil, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He looked over to her and she nodded her head.
"Daddy, I'm gonna miss you."
Sonic wanted to rip his quills out. How did such a cute little girl come from him? She was like an Amy Jr. She did things to him that questioned his manhood. It was dangerous how much he loved his little girl.
"I'll miss you too chunky monkey. Be good."
Sonic got out of his seat and crouched down with his arms open. Hope's eyes seemed to widen and shine with life as she threw herself into the arms of her father. She had cried for a short while. She was really gonna miss her daddy too. She kissed him on the cheek before she pulled back. She tried to smile but it was hard with left over tears falling from her face so Sonic wiped them away for her.
"No more crying ok? You don't want to mess up your pretty face."
"Like Mommy's right? You told me that remember?"
Sonic's cheeks started to feel warm and he knew he was blushing. His daughter was really something else…
Amy smirked and almost wanted to laugh when she saw how red Sonic was getting. Silver, on the other hand, shook his head in disagreement with it all.
"Yes well, we'll be back ok? Remember the deal, if you don't like the class then call."
"Daaaaddy you don't have to keep telling me. I'm a big girl.", Hope whispered in his ear.
Sonic smiled genuinely and messed up Hope's quills a bit before directing her to her teacher.
Before she went into the classroom, she went over to Silver and hugged his waist while he sat.
"BYE UNCLE SILVER!", she yelled with excitement.
"Bye Chiclet, have fun!", he replied with a bright smile.
Hope bravely walked over and turned back one last time to wave at her family.
Everyone seemed to sigh as the door closed.
"So you think she's gonna call?", Silver asked.
"No.", both Amy and Sonic said in unison.
"She's a big girl.", Sonic said with a solemn smile.
Amy smiled with him.
"So tell me how I ended up going to my doctor's appointment with all of you again?"
"Well, I can't seem to function without my lovely iris flower so I needed to distract myself. Sonic will follow you anywhere because he's your bitch and the demon is here for the same reason."
Sonic closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He had developed a lot of patience over the years. Shadow, on the other hand, was already making his way towards Silver with no restraint. He immediately pulled Silver by the neck of his t-shirt, looking intimidating as ever.
"If WE'RE the 'so called' bitches then what does that make YOU?"
"Touché?", Silver squeaked.
"Good."
Shadow roughly released his hold on Silver's t-shirt, sending him stumbling backwards.
Sonic pinched the bridge of his nose but even through the annoyance, he couldn't help but chuckle a bit.
Shadow found it incredibly foolish to keep arguing and just resorted to pulling out a cigarette.
"I'll be outside obviously."
Amy had been laughing the whole time. It wasn't often that she spent the day with her boys. Tails would have made it complete but he and Cream were away with their youngster to visit Cream's parents. Blaze had a workshop to attend for her job so of course Silver felt the need to stay over with his favorite hedgehog family.
"I'll probably be done by the time you're done. Dr. Hope just said she needed to see me for a few minutes. It's probably a quick checkup or some paper work I need to sign."
"Amy! It's so great to see you again!"
"Same here Dr. Hope!"
The two hedgehogs hugged each other tightly.
"How are you doing? How's Sonic and Hope?"
"They're both excellent! And yourself?"
"Never better!", Dr. Whall said while motioning Amy towards the medical bed.
"I know this isn't just about some regular checkup right?"
"No it's not, but it's procedure you know!"
Dr. Whall proceeded to check Amy's height, her weight, temperature, blood pressure, heart beat, and reflexes.
"Everything's good?"
"Great Miss Rose, just your blood pressure is a bit higher than normal but we already spoke about that. What hobby have you taken up? The last thing I want to do is prescribe you medication."
"Well, Tuesdays after work a couple of co-workers and I go to a zumba class. I don't have much time to do a lot of things especially since Hope just started Kindergarten."
"And how is that going?"
"We just dropped her off today and…I'm trying not to think about it.", Amy smiled softly.
Dr. Whall saw straight through it. She was a doctor after all and that included psychological knowledge.
"It hurts doesn't it? I've been through it too and lemme tell you, I sat down in my living room for a few hours deliberating what I should do next. I felt lonely…like a part of me was gone and I wanted it back. "
"YES! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I FEEL! She said she would miss me but she has no clue how much I already miss her."
"And Sonic?"
Amy sighed. For some reason, she knew deep down in her heart that Sonic was taking it harder than her but he just hid it better than she did.
"I think he's hurt more than me. While I'm usually away at work, HE was the one who watched her and spent time with her. It melted my heart to hear stories about how he tried to braid her quills so she could take a nap or how he let her make his business calls or how she pretended to be his special assistant. It made my day when they came to the diner after my shift and we all had dinner there."
Amy's voice had gotten quieter and before she knew it, she felt tears in her eyes.
"I didn't think 5 years would have passed by so quickly. I feel like just the other day, we were fussing about little baby Hope. Just thinking about her birth and everything it stood for…I…"
Amy bit her lip to keep herself from crying but she just couldn't help it. The tears fell freely and she didn't even feel ashamed.
Dr. Whall had slowly walked over to her and caught her in a warm and consoling embrace. She certainly needed it and the elder certainly knew what she was going through.
"I know sometimes it's hard to believe when our babies are growing up but-"
"Dr. Whall…I'm just so proud. I still can't believe how things have turned out."
"Oh Amy, you sure do have many things to be proud of."
Amy took a deep breath and then smiled warmly.
"Yeah but…"
Dr. Whall could sense that there was still more troubling Amy.
"I think about this all the time…my mother…she would have been so proud, I just know it."
Amy smiled but yet, tears started to fall from her eyes.
"And to think, my last days with her were ignored. To think I didn't even notice she wasn't well. All because of him…and look how that all turned out. It's like something out of a movie. If I could just go back…I'd…I."
Amy couldn't possibly continue her sentence because she broke down.
"I'm so pathetic, how could I have been so pathetic.", she whispered.
Dr. Whall only held her tighter to let her know that she was there for her.
"Amy…you're not pathetic. No one thinks you're pathetic.", Dr. Whall whispered.
Amy looked up at the older hedgehog with a wet face and glassy eyes that were full of question.
"So then why?"
"Why what Amy?"
"Why do I stay up at night, haunted by my life? I still have nightmares and luckily Sonic doesn't notice because he's usually out cold. The past just won't leave me alone. As happy as I can be now, it just won't leave me alone."
Dr. Whall felt Amy cry into her chest.
"Have you ever really talked about it Amy? And when I say talk about it, I mean talk about it with someone who you can trust and will listen?"
"I…no…"
"If you held everything in for that long Amy, then it's not healthy at all. And as a doctor, I might have to-"
"No Dr. Whall, I have someone I can talk to."
Though Dr. Whall remained impassive on the outside. She was actually moved on the inside. She already had a feeling of who this "someone" would be.
"I'll talk to them when the time is right. I just...I don't want to ruin anything."
"If it ruins anything, then it's not the right person."
Silence.
"I'm sorry Amy, this wasn't what I intended for this visit but what I have to tell you will definitely cheer you up!"
Amy grabbed a few tissues from the counter and wiped her face. She didn't mind some good news at this point.
"So, I am currently opening up an internship for 3 individuals. They will work under my wing and be paid generously as well. However, they must have already taken and passed a certification test in order to be qualified. Amy, I would gladly give you one of the spots. I know how hard working you are, you have a bachelor's degree in biology, and I have no doubt that I can depend on you but you need to take the test. The test is by no means easy and it is being administered in 2 weeks. The next time it is given, it will be too late. I understand that studying for this exam with only 2 weeks, a full time job, and a family is difficult but I wouldn't have told you about this opportunity unless I was confident in you Amy."
Silence.
"Dr. Whall, you're serious?"
Dr. Whall laughed a little.
"When am I ever joking?"
"Dr. Whall…I'LL DO IT! WATCH ME! YOU CAN COUNT ON ME! I WON'T LET THIS OPPORTUNITY PASS! OH YOU DON'T KNOW HOW DETERMINED I AM!"
A beautiful smile graced the said doctor's face. Amy would do great in her facility, indeed.
"I was hoping that would be your reaction because I have something to help you out. This will be our little secret but I have an exclusive study guide for the test and to come across it would cost you quite a lot. I'm giving it to you."
"NO! DR. WHALL THAT'S TOO MUCH!"
"Amy listen to me, all you have to do is pass. That will be payment enough."
Amy had a new look of determination on her face. Just one look in her eyes and one could tell that she was a lady on a mission.
All of a sudden, she squeezed Dr. Whall tightly in her arms.
"THANK YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I WON'T LET YOU DOWN! JUST WATCH ME!"
It was the smile on her face that Dr. Whall loved to see. No one would ever think that the young hedgehog had been through such turmoil with that one smile.
She had become more than just her patient over the years. She was more like a close friend or even a younger sister.
Amy Rose really did have a way of sneaking into the hearts of others.
"MOMMY!"
Amy's face immediately lit up at her daughter. She ran straight into her arms.
"I was a big girl right? I didn't even call you!"
Amy laughed.
"You were definitely a big girl."
"Where's Daddy?"
"He's right outside. Say bye-bye to your teacher!"
Hope waved happily to her teacher before taking her mother's hand and walking outside.
"DADDY!"
She ran next into her father's bigger arms. They lifted her up into the air and swung her around.
"Are you proud of me?", the girl giggled.
"Well, I think we officially have a big girl now!"
Hope's eyes seemed to sparkle when her eyes set on Shadow.
"UNCLE SHADOW YOU CAME TOO!"
She ran up to the dark hedgehog and hugged his legs. He bent down to her level and placed one of his large hands on her head.
"I missed you that's why. I haven't seen you in a while."
"I MISSED YOU TOO! CAN WE GO SOMEWHERE? ALL OF US? PLEASE MOMMY?"
"Oh, I don't know if-"
"Well we all know I'm free!", Silver said with a bright smile.
Amy sighed. Silver wasn't helping at all. If it was any other day, she wouldn't have minded going out but at the moment she just didn't feel up to it.
Of course, Sonic picked up on the sigh. He was about to intervene but then…
"Daddy? Can I whisper something to you?"
Sonic knew right away she was scheming and wanted to include him in some way but just to play along, he bent down and waited for her whisper.
"Can you tell Mommy that if we go to the diner you're gonna get her the triple chocolate cake with the hot fudge that she stuffs her face with?"
Sonic snorted a laugh and when he looked up, he saw Amy pulling Silver and Shadow by the ears. That made him laugh even more.
"Daddy don't laugh. We gotta be serious or else she won't listen and we gotta go home."
Sonic tried to compose himself before nodding to his daughter. The plan was officially in effect. Hope skipped excitedly behind him, giggling along the way.
Sonic decided from the moment that he heard his daughter's plan that he would turn on the charm. It had been a while since he gave in to his flirtatious side.
He waited until they all arrived at the parked car and Shadow, Silver, and Hope were seated inside. Just as Amy opened the passenger side door, Sonic shut it back with one arm while successfully trapping her with the other arm against the car.
When he saw the faintest blush on Amy's face, he knew that he still had it. They were in close proximity to each other and Amy couldn't escape even if she wanted to.
"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!"
Sonic smirked. He couldn't help but remember those days when he really used to tease her. She still had the same reactions.
Sonic brought his face even closer to hers and enjoyed her curious and embarrassed look. Then he suddenly came to the side of her face. His lips were now dangerously close to her ear.
"Sonic what the fuck are you doing? Don't you know that Hope-"
"Wants to go to the diner.", Sonic said directly in to her ear.
It twitched and he smirked again at the reactions he received. She started to squirm now. Little did both of them know that they had eyes on them.
"I can cook something at home Sonic."
"Is something wrong?"
Sonic breathed lightly against Amy's ear and then kissed it. He knew he was starting to get too into it and was starting to lose himself to lust but there was always that risky side to him that saw this all as ok.
"Well…I'll talk about it later."
That seemed to bring Sonic out of his love drunk stupor. So there was really something wrong?
He pulled his face away quickly and looked her in the eyes.
"Is everything alright Amy?"
"Yeah, yeah! It's nothing serious. Later…"
Sonic knew to drop the subject.
"How about I treat us all to the diner? I'll even get you the triple chocolate cake. It'll help take your mind off of whatever it is?"
Amy sighed. If only Sonic knew that everything was on her mind for years.
She smiled anyway and nodded her head. If everyone wanted to go then who was she to call the shots? For now, she would pretend to enjoy her time out.
"Hey Daddy? Were you playing a game with Mommy?"
"What do you mean Hope?"
"When you trapped Mommy on the car like in London Bridge is Falling Down? Is that what you were playing?"
Amy covered her mouth before she spit out her drink by reflex. Sonic, on the other hand, closed his eyes and took a sip of his own drink.
Shadow sighed heavily and decided to speak before a certain idiot did and scarred the mind of the poor minor child.
"The game wasn't London Bridge is Falling Down, it was another game that only adults can play and know about."
"PSSH! YEAH RIGHT! IT WAS MORE LIKE LET'S GET IT ON, AOW-OWWWWWW!"
Amy kicked Silver the hardest she could from under the table. She knew she hit her mark when she heard the gray hedgehog scream.
"What's let's get it on?", Hope asked in the most innocent voice.
Sonic and Shadow now shot Silver a vicious look as he was rubbing his shin under the table.
"SILVER!"
Hope kissed the boo boos on Silver's head before he stepped out of the car. He blew a kiss at her to make her laugh and then when he was sure she was too busy laughing to notice, he stuck his middle finger up at the hedgehog pair in the front seats. In retaliation, the pair stuck their fingers up.
It was an unusually quiet ride home. Hope wasn't too much of a chatterbox in the car because she enjoyed listening to the radio and looking out the window. When Amy looked over her shoulder, she noticed that her precious daughter was slumped in her booster seat, sleeping. Even as a "big girl" she looked completely adorable.
The quietness in the car was secretly unnerving to Amy. She had so much that she wanted to say but it was all a matter of time and place.
"So Dr. Whall told me that she has an intern position open at the hospital and she wants me to be qualified."
Sonic looked over to her with an honest look of surprise.
"Amy, why didn't you tell me earlier? That's great news!"
"Yeah, I have to pass an exam in 2 weeks to get the job. Some people study the whole year for this…I'm kind of nervous."
"I know that's not Amy talking. Amy is the smart ass, kick ass warrior. She's not gonna fail because she has a will stronger than anyone I know."
Amy didn't want to cry. She REALLY didn't want to cry. But before she knew it, she was crying.
Sonic noticed it right away but didn't react. He was still driving and in all honesty, he didn't know what to say.
Amy didn't cry on a regular basis so he assumed that she wasn't just crying about being nervous about the test. He had a feeling that it had to do with what was bothering her before that she said she would talk about later.
It made Sonic really curious and worried at the same time. He had a feeling that something unpleasant was coming. He hoped it wasn't a fight. It had been almost 5 years since they had their last big argument.
Sonic carried Hope up the stairs to her room. She was still sleeping. She did have a long day, not to mention a completely different day than what she was used to.
He was so proud of his baby girl.
He kissed her on the forehead before walking out, quietly shutting the door behind him.
He had another mission now and it was going to be difficult but it had to be done.
He walked down the stairs to see Amy walking into the kitchen. He quietly followed her so he could observe her for a moment.
She seemed to be frantically preparing meat of some sort. It was definitely strange that she had gone straight to that without even changing her clothes or going to the bathroom.
Sonic leaned on the wall, crossing his arms. He took the time to really study Amy's sudden behavior.
She seemed to be going through an inner conflict and rushing like she was only made it worse. She was hastily cutting up chicken and cleaning it. No doubt, she was going to marinate the chicken for tomorrow but why now?
Sonic wanted to know now. So he cleared his throat, successfully gaining the attention of his pink partner.
She physically jumped and turned around.
"Why are doing that now? You haven't even changed your clothes or used the bathroom yet."
Instead of responding like Sonic had expected, Amy just looked at him. Her facial expression was blank and it was almost as if she was looking straight through him.
Amy was apparently calm on the outside but on the inside she was basically sweating bullets. She didn't know how to begin.
"Did something happen?"
"N-No…Sort of…"
"So what's up?"
Amy sighed heavily. This wasn't going to be a casual conversation. What could she possibly say? Just come out with it? There was so much to say.
"How about you put the stuff down, go change, freshen up, and meet me in the living room so we can talk."
It was times like these that Amy really appreciated Sonic's personality. He was making this just a bit easier.
Amy didn't say a word though. She finished up the chicken first before she followed Sonic's instructions.
Walking into the living room was like walking to a funeral. She felt so many feelings at once that she just wanted to scream and cry in frustration.
She sat down on the couch facing Sonic. He looked her straight in the eye and didn't look like he planned on speaking first. However, Amy had time to think of how she would start the conversation.
"Sonichowdoyoufeelaboutyourpast?"
Amy seemed to exhale heavily as if she was holding her breath the whole time.
She felt embarrassed when she finally looked at his face, only to see him laughing.
"You'd have to repeat that."
"Umm…how do you feel about your past?"
Sonic didn't immediately answer and it was then that Amy just wanted to throw this whole plan out the window. Part of her deeply feared that either she would hear things she didn't want to hear, or Sonic would finally get fed up with her and leave.
"My past huh? Wasn't so great. I mean you have an idea. Mom died because of my bastard father. Said bastard father is probably gonna rot in jail. Fended for myself all the rest of my life. Lost my first girlfriend because of my own decisions, bless her soul. Did my share of messing around but somehow finished school and here I am."
Sometimes Amy forgot just how rough Sonic had it. She immediately felt discouraged.
"Sonic…you know I'm here for you whenever…but sometimes I can't help but wonder about the past. If you haven't noticed, I've been-"
"Indifferent and agitated, yes."
"Yeah well, it's because I kept thinking about my life and…"
Sonic now looked at her in concern. Sure he didn't have the best past and moved on nicely from it but that didn't mean that others took it the way he did and he knew from years ago that Amy had been troubled. Even now he knew it, but he just hoped that he could help her to make her present and future brighter.
Right now, it looked as if Amy was having a mental battle. He didn't want her to cry either but it seemed inevitable.
"Why did you pursue me?"
Sonic sighed heavily. Yep it was definitely going there tonight.
"Well…"
The more Sonic hesitated, the harder it got for Amy to hold back her need to let go of her emotions. Her eyes watered over and over but she kept blinking. Sonic was having a hard time answering.
"J-Just be honest."
"I…Amy why does this matter, it's in the past."
"Please just answer Sonic. Was it because you thought I would be easy? And when it wasn't that easy, it became a fun game?"
She wasn't yelling and she didn't even sound angry. In fact, she sounded weak and defeated over anything else.
"I wouldn't go as far as to say it like that."
"Then how would you say it?"
"I-I did think that I could get you easily but you have to believe me when I say that same night when I thought that, was the same night I knew you were different."
"S-So what? That didn't change how you were."
"Believe it or not Amy, I didn't want to have sex with you just like that. I knew from the start that you weren't like that. I admit you were fun to mess with but-"
"Was it fun to lead me on constantly only to move on to the next girl? It was fun to flirt endlessly with me and make me pay attention to you just so you could have gone off with someone else? It was fun to go in the pool with me and then say you didn't want to be together when you clearly knew you were never ready for a relationship? It was fun to follow me all the way to a club just to knock me up and then cheat on me?"
Sonic mentally slapped his forehead. Just the wrong choice of words and this conversation was going nowhere fast.
"Amy can I just explain?"
Silence.
"I'm going to be honest with you. It was fun to mess with you in the BEGINNING. And by messing around I mean the way I used to joke around with you and flirt with you. I didn't think of it seriously. I didn't know that you had actually become attracted to that. You acted like you hated it and I know how girls can be but the truth is that you were intimidating. I really came to believe that you hated me. No girl had ever so blatantly rejected me or snapped at me the way you did. It was refreshing and I decided that I wanted to keep you around."
Sonic was inwardly relieved to see Amy listening to him.
"Yes, I knew I didn't want a relationship any time soon but that didn't stop my curiosity about you and my attraction to you. Your beauty, intelligence, independence, innocence, and personality had me hooked and I didn't want to lose you so quickly. I guess you can say I wanted to have my cake and eat it too but I was foolish back then so please forgive me."
Sonic looked at Amy to see some sort of reaction but she simply kept looking at the carpet, so he sighed.
"Amy if you don't believe me then just think of the things that don't make sense in your way of seeing the past. Why would I have opened up to you about things that even some of my closest friends don't know? Why would I have made it my mission to find you even if it was just to see you? And the list goes on. I didn't want a relationship but goddamit Amy I couldn't stop myself from liking you. Even years later it never went away and I kept wondering what could have been if I had just said yes that night in the pool. That's why I followed you to the club Amy. I was finally ready and I hoped you wouldn't have still been angry with me but we all know how that night turned out."
"Sonic…I understand all of that. I believe you when you say that. And that's what makes my next question so hard to bear with."
Sonic's eyes got a little wider when he noticed a stream of tears falling from Amy's face. If she believed him then what more was left?
"I understand what you did when you first found out about the pregnancy. I've accepted that but if you cared about me that much Sonic, if you couldn't leave me alone or couldn't stop yourself from liking me…if you felt that way for years…if you even pursued me again years later…why? Why did you still need another girl?"
Well fuck! Sonic knew he was in for it.
Silence.
"I-I don't want you to be upset or angry Amy…why do we have to go through this? It's only hurting you."
"IT HURTS WORSE NOT KNOWING THE TRUTH! YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW HOW DIFFICULT I CAN BE? YOU THINK I WANT TO BE SO FIXATED ON EVERYTHING BAD IN MY LIFE? FOR THE LIFE OF ME I CAN NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DID THAT!"
"Amy-"
"I KNOW YOU DIDN''T ACTUALLY HAVE SEX WITH HER OR WHATEVER BUT WHY DID YOU NEED HER FOR THAT KIND OF THING?"
Silence.
"AND ON TOP OF THAT, YOU HID IT FROM ME SO YOU OBVIOUSLY KNEW IT WAS WRONG.
YOU'RE JUST LIKE HIM! HE TOOK ME FOR A FOOL AND I WAS STUPID ENOUGH TO GO ALONG WITH IT! HE WOULD CHEAT ON ME RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE AND MAKE IT SO IT WAS MY FAULT!
HE WOULD SAY, "YOU WANT IT TO GO BAD BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE LIES YOU MAKE IN YOUR HEAD? IT'LL BE ALL YOUR FAULT!"
Sonic was shocked, plain and simple. So this was it? This was what Amy was working up the nerve to let out. He completely understood now and he felt horrible. He couldn't apologize enough for what he did because the damage was already done. She had been going through a lot and it had been building up until this point. He decided he would listen. He would help her. He would save her.
"HE MADE ME BELIEVE IT WAS REALLY MY FAULT! HE USED ME! I HAVE HIM MY ALL! AND WHEN I NEEDED SOMEONE THE MOST HE WAS WITH SOMEONE ELSE!
MY MOM DIED BECAUSE I DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO HER. I COULD HAVE HELPED HER! I COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING!
THEN HE JUST WOULDN'T LEAVE ME ALONE!
HE BEAT ME WHEN I TRIED TO DEFEND MYSELF! I DIDN'T DESERVE IT! I NEVER DESERVED IT!
HE STILL DIDN'T LEAVE ME ALONE! WHY COULDN'T HE LEAVE ME ALOOOOONE!"
Amy was screaming now and crying. An alarm went off in Sonic's head, telling him that Hope might wake up and see her mother like this. Not only did Hope not need to see her strong mother broken but her mother also needed to do this once and for all.
"HE ALMOST TOOK HOPE'S LIFE! HE'S FUCKING CRAZY! I HOPE HE DIES! I HOPE HE GOES TO HELL! I CAN NEVER DAMAGE HIM THE WAY HE DAMAGED ME AND THAT KILLS ME!
IT'S ALL MY FAULT! I SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN SO NAÏVE!"
Sonic watched sadly as Amy pulled on her quills. He hoped that she wouldn't have a panic attack or anything. He vividly remembered the last time she got worked up like this and had to go to the hospital.
"I CAN'T EVEN GET A DECENT JOB! EVERYONE CAN FULFILL THEIR DREAMS BUT NOT ME! I WORKED SO HARD, SO FUCKING HARD ONLY TO BE A FUCKING WAITRESS! I TRY TO BE HAPPY FOR EVERYONE BUT I CAN'T HELP FEELING LIKE A FAILURE AT THE SAME TIME!
AND YOU! YOU CONFUSE THE HELL OUT OF ME! SOMETIMES I REALLY CAN'T TAKE IT! WHEN MY MIND TELLS ME NOT TO FORGIVE YOU AND NOT TO TRUST YOU, I JUST CAN'T DO IT! I CAN'T DO IT!
Sonic actually felt his heart beat faster when he saw Amy get up from the sofa and pounce for him.
She held a strong grip on his shirt, already in the process of being soaked with her tears.
"I LOVE YOU! I FUCKING LOVE YOU SONIC! THAT'S THE PROBLEM! THAT'S ALWAYS THE PROBLEM! NO MATTER WHAT, I LOVE YOU! IT MAKES ME CRAZY! I WANT YOU NEAR ME! I DON'T WANT YOU TO LEAVE ME! I NEED YOU!"
For a faint moment, Sonic even felt tears prickling in HIS eyes. Of course he would never show weakness at a time like this. He couldn't stand to see Amy so raw and open with him. For as many years as they had been together, love had been an unspoken thing especially on Amy's part. She never admitted it so openly.
Feeling her grab so desperately on to his shirt and the tears falling like rivers down her face, Sonic felt depressed. This was not the Amy he always knew and he wished he noticed how sad and upset she really was all this time.
He did the one thing that came instantly to his mind.
He took Amy's wet face firmly in his larger hands and kissed her. She immediately grabbed on to his quills tightly and put her all into the kiss.
He didn't hold back either. There was nothing sexual about it. It was about feelings. It said everything that needed to be said.
I love you, I need you, don't leave me, understand me, please
I love you too more than you know, I need you just as much as you need me, I would never leave you, I want to understand you, forgive me
When the pair finally let go because they needed to breathe, they stared into each other's eyes.
Sonic's hands were still on the sides of Amy's face and her hands were now lightly caressing his quills.
Tears were still falling from her eyes so Sonic used his thumbs to wipe them away.
"I'm sorry for everything Amy, believe me. I'm done making mistakes. There is no explanation that I can give you that would explain my actions in the past. They were wrong and I know they were wrong. You and I both know I've grown and changed since then. All you have to do now is trust me."
Amy brought her hands up to Sonic's and squeezed them. She was at a loss for words. She did trust him and deep down she knew he really did change and she fell even more in love with him.
"Your mother didn't die because of you Amy and it wasn't your fault that that fucking bastard did what he did. Your mom is probably smiling down at you right now, proud of you and you don't have to worry about him anymore.
I love you, I'll always protect you. Nobody will ever hurt you again, not if I can help it. Do you understand me?"
The next thing Sonic knew, he felt lips on his own.
Something brand new overcame Amy. At that moment she had never felt so extremely attracted to Sonic. Aside from the obvious physical attraction and even personality attraction, Amy felt such warmth inside her from Sonic's words that she couldn't contain herself. The way he said it, the seriousness of his tone, and the way he looked straight into her eyes gave her so much reassurance.
In that one moment, it all went away. All of the stress, all of the past, all of the problems just went away.
Sonic pulled away first, kissing Amy on the forehead first. He pulled Amy into the seat next to him and held her close to his side.
"I'll help you get through it, all of it. You just have to let me know. Please don't keep it in anymore Amy.", Sonic whispered.
Amy still cried out of the shock of the whole situation and the release that she finally had but she still smiled and nodded.
"Mommy…"
All attention was directed to the top of the stairs. Amy hurriedly wiped her eyes while Sonic didn't falter in his behavior.
Hope ran down the stairs and straight to her mother.
"Mommy what's wrong! Why were you crying? What happened?"
Hope seemed to panic. She was now on the verge of tears.
"I-I'm fine Hope, I just…"
"Hope I'll help you set your bath."
"But Daddy I can't take a bath now! What happened? Please tell me!"
"What happened is between adults. Come now, let's go."
Hope's lower lip seemed to tremble and judging from the sternness in her father's voice, what happened was bad.
She ran into her mother's lap, burying her face there.
"Don't cry anymore Mommy, don't cry.", she cried.
The sight broke Amy's heart. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. She made Hope look at her.
"I promise I won't cry anymore sweetheart. I love you."
Amy kissed her forehead.
"I love you too.", Hope whispered.
"Chunky monkey, let's go. I'll race ya and even give you a head start but only if you start running now. This is your chance to finally beat me."
Hope seemed to ponder this for a second but then when she saw her mother smiling happily at her like she always did, she quickly wiped her eyes and decided to run. Her mommy was happy again and she always wanted to beat her daddy at a race.
She would do it now once and for all.
"Maybe you should have let her win. She was pouting all night.", Amy chuckled.
"It's gonna take some real skill for her to beat her old man. Plus she'll feel twice as better if she won fair and square.", Sonic replied.
Sonic slipped into the other side of the bed, automatically pulling Amy close to him.
"She reminds me so much of you sometimes, so competitive and determined."
Amy snuggled close to Sonic's chest.
"That's funny because when I look at her, I can't help but see you in her. And when she starts getting all bossy? Oh boy!"
Amy pushed Sonic playfully, laughing at the same time.
"That's my girl what can I say."
There was an odd silence.
"You think she'll forget about what she saw?"
Sonic sighed and held Amy tighter.
"As long as you act as you always did, she won't worry."
Amy wrapped her arms around Sonic.
"I hope you're right. I didn't want her to see."
"Don't worry about it. She'll be fine, I already spoke to her."
Amy took a deep breath, appreciating the clean smell of the person she held close to her heart.
"Thank you…for everything. It won't happen automatically but I WILL move on from all of this."
"I know you will."
Amy looked up to see green eyes shining right back at her. In the darkness, his eyes looked even more marvelous. They looked best in the sunlight and moonlight, each with a unique glow.
"I love you", she whispered.
She looked right into his eyes as she said it and he knew that she meant it. He knew she sucked up all of her pride to say it. He knew that she would have only said it if she was sure of it. He couldn't deny that for once in his life, he felt wanted, appreciated, and truly loved.
He bent down and kissed her softly on the lips.
"I love you too Hubba Bubba, always."