Tails, Cream, and Cheese snuggled up in their beds in the TV room. Sonic and Amy covered them up and bid them goodnight.
"Just like married couples and their kids!" Amy exclaimed excitedly. Sonic rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah . . . just like that," he said awkwardly. He shut off the lights and walked into the living room, where a fire was peacefully crackling and letting off smoke. Agatha laid on the couch, reading as usual. Shadow wandered around the house, coming into the living room, circling the kitchen, and then through the dining room. Rouge was staring out of the window next to the staircase.
"Hey, guys," Sonic whispered. Agatha gave a pleasant smile in return, and Rouge and Shadow simply ignored him. Amy skipped up to Rouge.
"You and Shadow need to lighten up!" she said playfully. Rouge glanced at her from the window.
"We'll work on it," replied the bat, shrugging and looking back out the window. Sonic shook his head.
"I just try to live in the moment," he mumbled.
Shadow continued his pacing, while stroking his chin and muttering to himself. Agatha watched as he walked into the living room and circled twice. The black-haired girl set down her book and stood up before Shadow stopped circling.
"Shadow?"
No response.
"Shadow!"
"Huh?" The black and red hedgehog snapped up his head as the daze broke.
"You've been pacing for hours, Shads. Why don't you relax for a bit?" Sonic interjected, trying to get involved in conversation. Shadow glared at him.
"My mind is never relaxed, faker."
Sonic shrugged and sat in front of the fire.
"Well, suit yourself, then. Hey, Agatha, did Gabriel go to bed?"
Shadow began pacing again. Agatha sat back down and answered Sonic's question.
"Yeah, I think he did. He's pretty tired from playing games with you guys all day."
Amy crossed her arms and protested.
"He was napping right before dinner! How could he be tired?"
"Guys like him tend to tire out easily, you know."
"Oh, fine. I think we're all too tired, anyway."
There was a short pause. Sonic stayed in front of the fire and shut his eyes, happy by doing nothing in particular. He had a sudden thought.
"Where's Knuckles, then?"
Agatha lifted her eyebrows.
"Excellent question. I have no idea."
"I'm right here, guys. Geez, I can't even go into the kitchen without everyone getting all worked up, can I?" The red echidna stepped out of the kitchen and finished chewing something. Sonic chuckled.
"Who's getting worked up? We're just wondering," he responded quickly. Knuckles, who seemed too tired to reply with a smart remark, sat in a red armchair near the bookshelves. It was quiet for another few minutes, save for the anxious sound of Shadow's air shoes hitting the ground and an occasional sound from the kitchen as Mrs. Charis finished up the dishes. It was a quiet evening for all.
Rouge and Amy went off to bed first, then Knuckles, and then Sonic. Shadow, Agatha, and Mrs. Charis were the only ones awake.
"Shadow, honey, would you like anything to drink?" Mrs. Charis asked sweetly, though she appeared incredibly exhausted. Shadow stopped in the kitchen where he was pacing.
"No, don't trouble yourself. I'll be okay," he mumbled.
"Well, then come and sit down. Doesn't that restless pacing make you tired?" she asked as Shadow sat down in a stool in front of the counter. The hedgehog shook his head.
"Not in the least."
Mrs. Charis nodded and decided not to bring up the subject any more. Shadow always seemed different from the others, even Rouge. He was darker and seemed to always be deep in thought. However, the housewife didn't bring up the thought and instead quietly fixed a glass of ice water and slid it down the counter to Shadow, who caught it.
"I said you shouldn't trouble yourself," Shadow grumbled. Mrs. Charis smiled.
"It's no trouble, dear. Drink up!"
Shadow shrugged off his stubbornness and took a sip of the cold drink. Mrs. Charis scurried around the kitchen and warmed up some more food for her husband, who she was expecting to arrive at any moment. Shadow knew the routine well: Mr. Charis always came home from work late. He worked as a bookstore owner, selling the rich treasures bound with tight story lines to the eager customers. Shadow sipped his water again.
The sound of a key turning in the doorknob interrupted the deep silence. Mrs. Charis shuffled to the front door to greet her husband. Shadow's ears perked up as he heard the deep voice.
"Hi, honey."
"Hello, dear!" came the ecstatic voice of Mrs. Charis. There was a brief silence. Probably kissing, Shadow thought, disgusted. The silence ended after a moment.
"Well, how was work, Peter?"
"It was great. Nothing unusual, really. Same old bookstore, same old smell of the books."
"I have dinner warmed up for you."
"Thanks, honey."
Mr. Charis stepped into the room, taking off his hat and kicking off his shoes. He was a tall man with a similar appearance as Gabriel, except for older features and less hair. He wore a green polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants. Peter had a clean-shaven face and very few wrinkles. Peter, though very friendly, always struck those who saw him first as rather intimidating, considering his large build and gut.
"Oh, hello, Shadow! I wasn't expecting to see you up at this hour," he said, jovially smiling at the dark figure in the stool. Shadow waved his hand once as a greeting.
"Good evening, Mr. Charis," he replied grimly and shortly. Peter sat in the stool next to Shadow as his wife set up his dinner. Peter, with his friendly and social characteristics, tried to converse with the hedgehog.
"So, Shadow, why aren't you sleeping like the other Mobians? Shouldn't you be in bed?"
Shadow turned to the big man and answered bluntly.
"Long story short, Mr. Charis, I often have a lot on my mind. It isn't very easy for me to sleep."
Peter nodded and accepted his dinner from his wife, mumbling a quick, "Thanks, hon", and then began to eat his chili dog messily. Shadow took another small swig from his glass and swirled it around, creating tiny whirlpools with the ice. Mr. Charis dripped chili on his plate from his chin.
Mrs. Charis handed a newspaper to her husband.
"Here you are, Peter. Today's paper."
"Oh, great. What kind of shenanigans are going on today?"
"There's still a lot of political nonsense going on, I see," remarked Mrs. Charis, looking over her husband's shoulder. Shadow, who was still sipping his drink, pretended that he wasn't listening. Peter breathed heavily through his nostrils.
"Who's this guy now?" the man inquired with a full mouth, pointing at a young man on the front page. Mrs. Charis opened her mouth to speak, but then noticed Shadow playing with his empty glass.
"Oh, Shadow, would you like some more?" she asked politely, "I'm so sorry for not offering you something earlier."
"Oh no, I'll be fine. Thanks for offering, though." The hedgehog jumped off of the stool, which was only a little shorter than he was. "I'll go to bed now."
"Okay, honey. Have a good night's sleep!"
"Thank you, Mrs. Charis. Good night." He nodded to Peter. "Mr. Charis."
" 'Night, Shadow."
Shadow got into the living room, where Agatha was sound asleep on the couch with the book next to her head. Shadow decided to let her be, seeing that she looked very peaceful. He sat in the armchair next to the fireplace and let himself drift off into a restless sleep.