Okay, first thing is first. I reeeaally don't like this one shot. It's very old, and I had tried fixing it up best I could, but it didn't work out so well. Surprisingly, I found Loving a difficult theme, considering it was very vague and there are SO many options to do with the theme. Anyways, be easy on me with this one. Like I said, its rather...rusty

I mean, I think the plot was cute, but I didn't write it too well. Oh wells. Enjoy.

I don't own Sega characters.

Loving

Shadow rubbed his hands together in angst. Nerves were pricking beneath his skin, a feeling he was not used to. His steps were slow, hesitant even, a slight reluctance in his set path, yet a yearning in his foot step.

It was one thing approaching an army of aliens, or self aware destructive robot, but an entirely different subject when re-approaching a girl you had tried so hard to put behind you. It had been three years since he had seen her, and showing up with no notice or sign of warning was not a very thorough plan, but it proved to be the best, since it was the only one he had.

Throughout his time away, he had kept tabs on her whereabouts. News on the street, she had adopted a child a couple years back, after returning from a long vacation to an unknown location.

His heart ached at the thought of another guy touching her, caressing her muzzle in a way he once did. His fingers missed teasing her tail, and gliding along her thin narrow waist. The thoughts of her touch drove his feet faster until he had closed the distance, and now stood affront of her door.

Un-clenching his fist, he rang the doorbell of the light blue house, it's outside exterior kept neat and tidy. A chiming sound from the inside was heard.

"Just a second!" a familiar voice called, and Shadow neutralized his face in preparation, hiding his anxiety and excitement under a blank facade.

With seemingly slow seconds, the door knob turned and swung open, revealing a beautiful sight he'd been longing to look at for many months.

There she stood, in all her glory, pale purple fur, snow white muzzle, hair tied up and out of her face, showing all of her elegant facial features. She wore yoga pants and a midriff maroon crop top.

Golden eyes widened as they met his, blinking several times in disbelief.

"...Shadow?" she spoke in shock, her volume little over a whisper.

"Blaze," he answered, memories of their past bouncing through his thoughts.

"Y-you're back..." she stuttered, the surprise numbing her mind too much for words. She felt like she was tripping over herself, her tongue a lump of chalk in her throat.

"I am. I came to stop by and...check up on you." he hesitated, not knowing her reaction. Blaze had always been naturally independent, and often took offense to those who questioned her nature.

As he suspected, her old spunk was still the same, as she huffed and crossed her arms, "I'm very capable of handling myself thank you. But that was sweet of you." For a moment, he was afraid she was about to slam the door as she began retreating back into her hovel, but instead, she stretched the hinge further, "would you like to come in?"

Shadow nodded his thanks and stepped through the threshold, taking in the sights of furnished sofas, crystal chandeliers, and hard wood flooring. The whole atmosphere was clean, with a scent of lemon dust cleaner in the air. She seemed very well to do.

Taking his invited seat on a couch, Shadow watched as Blaze prodded over to the kitchen area, bringing out two mugs from her cupboards and asking over her shoulder, "would you like some coffee Shadow?"

The ebony hedgehog shook his head. He was already plenty on edge with the tension, he didn't need anything else shaking his nerves.

A smile stretched on his muzzle as he noticed her dump a large amount of creamer in her own, just as she had always liked it when they had their...'fling'.

Stirring her cup with a spoon, she walked casually back over to the other sofa across from him and sipped at the mug. Taking her lips from the rim, she cocked her head sideways, "so Shadow, what have you been up to these past few years?"

Shadow shrugged, "the same. GUN has me as their little running boy."

"I see..." their was the slightest bit of detest in her voice, and Shadow mentally winced at his stupidity. Of course GUN was a soft subject between them, it had been the very thing that dragged him away from her those few years ago.

"How about you? I heard you adopted a child, I don't see any sign of one..." he noted, deciding not to point out the fact that their was no sign of any guy living there either.

Blaze seemed to cringe at the word adopt, which Shadow found strange. Ignoring the slight behavior, he listened intently to her words, "Uh...yea. My little girl is napping right now in her room." she trailed off, her gaze dipping down to the mug in her hand.

Shadow raised a skeptical eyebrow. Something was off. "Would you mind if I see her?" he asked, genuinely wanting to meet her 'daughter'.

Amber eyes widened in panic as she rapidly shook her head, "no! Uh, I mean...she's napping right now and I don't want to wake her up..."

Frowning, he decided to be straight forward, "Blaze, why are you acting weird? What are you hiding?"

The lavender feline knew she was caught, and quickly clawed for a way out of her predicament. "Look, I just..."

Before she could finish her excuse, the door bell chimed once again and both heads snapped up.

"Um, could you get that please? I'm going to go check on her..." Blaze asked, setting her coffee mug on the coaster of the end table and standing.

Shadow nodded, and watched as Blaze disappeared down the hallway, rounding into a separate room and shutting the door with a 'click'.

Another ring echoed through the kitchen as Shadow snapped out of his trance and made his way to the door, thought filtering his head of possible reasons she didn't want him seeing the child.

Just as he gripped the handle, a horrible thought came to him.

'Maybe she does have a boyfriend, and lied about the child being adopted. Could it really be hers? And if it is, who would her new boyfriend be?'

Swinging the hinge open, standing on the welcome mat was a face he desperately didn't want to see.

"Shadow? What are you doing here?" Silver asked, trying and failing to keep clear disdain out of his voice.

Hands forming fists, Shadow locked his jaw tightly.

Of course...it all made sense.

She had a kid with Silver after he left. He knew they had been close, he just always hoped she would wait for him to return, as folly as the dream was. Now, Blaze moved on, settled down with her own child and husband. And out of the entire planet, she had chosen Silver.

Anger boiled in his veins as the white hedgehog stepped through the doorway as he stood glazed over in furious thoughts.

"Uh, hello? Earth to Shadow? What are you doing here?" Silver repeated, waving his hand in front of ruby eyes.

Annoyed, Shadow's hand whipped out like a cobra, snatching the wrist of the younger hedgehog's and twisting it painfully. Silver's face contorted into a grimace as he yelped in surprise at the sudden movement, but before he could call out, received a solid punch to the nose, sending him on his back to the hardwood floor.

"Ouch! What the heck man!?" Silver yelled, clutching his nose that began bleeding swiftly.

Upon hearing the ruckus, Blaze came running to the scene, eyes wide as she noticed Silver on the ground with a bloody nose, and Shadow standing over his form in absolute fury.

"What the heck?!" she frowned, rushing over to help Silver sit up on the hard wood floor, only making Shadow fume more.

Standing firmly, Blaze whipped around and snarled up in Shadow's face, "what's your problem!? Why did you just freakin' punch Silver!?"

Shadow, despite being slightly distracted by her closeness, growled right back, "I can't believe you hooked up with that white punk as soon as I was out of the picture! I bet the reason you won't let me see your 'supposedly' adopted daughter is because it looks a lot like him doesn't she?!"

Blaze, becoming confused in her fury furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, "what are you talking about?! Silver was stopping by to pick up his son's toy truck that he forgot yesterday when him and Tikal came over for dinner!" she shouted.

The information rang in his ears, and slowly he processed the words and what exactly they meant. Looking down at the white hedgehog that still sat planted on the ground, groaning over his swollen nose, he realized he had jumped to conclusions in his anger, and instantly knew he had made a big mistake.

However, one thing still didn't add up, why had she become so flustered over the subject of her daughter?

Frowning, he crossed his arms and narrowed crimson orbs, "then why else wouldn't you want me to see the kid?!"

"Mommy?"

A young voice interrupted the quarrel, and the two arguing adults turned to see a little girl padding her way slowly, stumbling off balance down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"Maria, I told you stay in your room!" Blaze exclaimed, walking over and scooping her daughter up in her arms.

Shadow stood stalk still, his mind and eyes registering what he was seeing.

"Maria...?" he whispered.

Blaze's daughter was a cross breed, that much was obvious. She had large amber eyes with thick long eyelashes, just like Blaze, and a long cat tail with a white purple tuft at the end. However, every other trait was different. Maria adorned quills just like his, only the streaks were lilac, and her muzzle was the same tan peachy tone of his own.

Maria...

Blaze watched as Shadow stared at her daughter who was looking around curiously at the scene that had taken place.

"Mama, why is unky Siv-er on the fwoor?" she asked, blinking her innocent eyes cutely.

The young cross-breeds eyes then roamed to Shadow.

"Who's dat?" she asked, pointing a tiny finger at Shadow.

Blaze sighed, crouching down and setting her daughter down, stroking her quills as she pecked her cheek motherly, "Maria. This is Shadow."

Maria scanned her eyes over the tall male that stood shell shocked in the kitchen. Padding lightly over the hard wood floor, Maria approached the new person with searching eyes.

"Mama, he wooks a wot wike the pick-ter you haff of Daddy."

Blaze grimaced. Her secret was out, in one of the worst ways of leaking possible.

Shadow bent down to Maria's line of vision, his heart throbbing in his chest as he took in her tiny and innocent form. "Hello Maria," he spoke softly.

Maria stumbled forward and poked him, giggling childishly.

"Wih you be my Daddy? I don't haff a Daddy." she asked, fluttering her eyes and rocking on her heels innocently.

Shadow glanced up at Blaze, who was watching the scene with anxiousness and a deep sadness.

Turning his eyes back to the young hedge-cat, his eyes began to sparkle in adoration. A soft smile grazed his features as he plucked the child gingerly from the ground, steadying her with one arm. "I am your father Maria. And I plan to stay around and be just that if your mother will let me," he stated softly, causing the young Mobian to giggle in happiness as she craned her head to look at her mother.

"Mommy! Can he stay? Pwease?" she exclaimed, her eyes growing to round pleading plate size.

Blaze shuffled her feet, her eyes darting about anxiously. This was Shadow's way of promising to be with her, to be the father of their child, and also asking if she still reciprocated past feelings. It wasn't that their relationship had ended badly, it had been the opposite. They had agreed to a clean break, and that was that.

Now he was back, asking for permission to enter her life once again.

A small smile stretched her muzzle, as she nodded. "Yes Maria, he's staying," she complied, and watched as the young hedge-cat bounced out of Shadow's hands and jumped about the room happily.

Turning her gaze upward, she met Shadow's eyes and soft smile.

They would reform what had been broken long ago.

Yet both knew in their own way, the feelings had never dissipated in the first place.