(This is another side story that takes place in the Light of Hope continuity, only this one is about Infinite).
~The Past is in the Past~
"Happy Birthday, Finn!"
Sonic and his friends, along with their children, were at the local park one sunny summer's day. They were celebrating Finn's, the son of Nyx and Infinite, ninth birthday party. The young wolf-jackal blew out the candles on his strawberry shortcake, earning cheers and applause from his family and friends.
"Sweet! Now let's cut the cake, so we can dig in!", said Turbo.
"Yeah, I want a slice of cake already!", said Speedy.
That was when the twin hedgehogs were whacked across the head by Ruby-Emerald's large fist, "Don't be rude, you two! Finn hasn't even told us what he wished for yet", she said.
That was when Kimba walked over to Finn, who still sat at the table. "That's right, Finn. What did you wish for?", he asked.
Finn looked at the cake with an expression of longing, "I wish my Dad was here. He's been gone for a whole year and I really miss him", he said.
He wasn't wrong. Last year, Infinite had left home, saying he had something really important to do. He had been gone for an entire year, and his son had missed him very much. Finn would ask his mother where his father went, but Nyx always told him that it was grownup stuff and that he didn't have to worry about it.
"Hey, now that I think about it...I wonder where our Papa is too. He told Dad to just go to the party without him because he had something important to do", said Maria.
Just then, Nyx's cellphone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered it, "Hello? Yes... really? Okay, sweet. Come over now", she said before hanging up. Everyone was confused about who or what she was talking about, that was when the sound of a car and motorcycle could be heard.
Everyone turned around to see Shadow pulling up to the park entrance on his motorcycle, but strangely enough, he was followed by a police car. Out of the car stepped an officer, a tall Mobian tiger wearing a suit and a familiar looking jackal.
"Dad!", shouted Finn as he got up from the table and ran over to the park entrance. It was Infinite who stepped out of the police car, he was wearing a blue uniform with black shoes and a golden badge on his chest.
"Hey there, kiddo! I've missed you so much", said Infinite as he caught Finn in his arms and hugged him. He placed the young boy down as the others approached him, "Hey, Infinite. Where ya been for the past year? And what's with the outfit?", asked Sonic.
That was when the tiger in the suit stepped forward, "I can explain. Firstly, allow me to introduce myself: my name is Daniel Travis, I am the chief of the Sunset Heights Police Department. I'd like you all to say hello to my newest officer", he said.
He gestured to Infinite, which allowed everyone to immediately put two and two together. Finn's eyes lit up with excitement, "Wow, Dad! You're a police officer now? That's so cool!", he said with a big smile.
"That's right, son. I am, and once we take her to get the training, Rex could become a police dog too", said Infinite referring to the illusion creature in his likeness that his son kept as a pet.
"No way, I can't believe it. You're actually a police officer, dude? Awesome, so that explains where you've been for the past year", said Sonic.
Infinite nodded, "Yes. It actually takes a year for someone to go through training at the academy, sometimes even two to four years, but I was able to make it in just one year. But don't think I'm gonna be running around catching bad guys all the time.
"In my first year on the job, I will learn how to stop crimes in progress and monitor any suspicious activity to prevent illegal activities. At any moment, I must be ready to report to a crime scene or the location of an accident.
"And sometimes, I'll be working the front desk of the police station and handle paperwork and other such things. But it's not too bad, the pay is great and I now have a motorcycle driver's license so they gave me my own police motorcycle", he said.
"Wait, why did you want to become a police officer in the first place? What about that job you had at that coffee shop in town?", asked Knuckles.
"I already quit my job at the cafe, the owner was okay with it when I explained I was going to become an officer, plus it was only part time so it wasn't a real issue to quit", said Infinite.
"Also, despite reforming and doing community service, Infinite felt as though he hasn't given back to society for the wrongs committed when he used to be evil. He felt this was the best way to do so, and he asked me to help him with everything", explained Shadow.
Chief Travis then slapped his hand on Infinite's shoulder while laughing heartily, "And he graduated from the academy with flying colors, he took his training very seriously and didn't give up no matter how difficult it was. I'm proud of Officer Jackal here, and I look forward to seeing him serve and protect the people of this town!", he said with pride.
Finn smiled as he hugged his father, "I'm proud of my Dad, too! Now I have a police officer for a Dad and a doctor for a Mom, my family is awesome!", he said happily.
Infinite laughed as he tossed his son into the air before catching him, "Now... don't we have a birthday party to celebrate? Let's all have some of that cake", he said.
[Time Skip]
Two weeks later, Infinite was driving around the neighborhood on his police motorcycle, patrolling for any suspicious individuals or illegal activity.
Since it was still early in the morning, he decided to head over to the cafe where he used to work at to grab a quick breakfast. He pulled up to the cafe, turning off the motorcycle and taking off his helmet. Infinite walked inside, where he saw that there weren't many people in the cafe that morning.
There were two or three people at the tables and a lone female sheep with blue wool and white fur sitting at the counter.
"Hey, Infinite! Is that you? How's it going?"
Infinite smiled at the familiar voice, looking to see a chubby male raccoon behind the counter waving at him. He walked over and sat down at the counter, two feet away from the sheep woman.
"Hello, Gus. Nice to see you again, can I have the usual please?", said Infinite.
The raccoon smiled, "A coffee with half and half, two sugars, and a sesame seed bagel with cottage cheese? Got it! Also, I still can't believe you're actually an officer of the law now. It seems like just yesterday, you were behind this counter making donuts", he said.
Infinite laughed, "Yeah, definitely feels like it. Also, that stereotype about cops and donuts is only half true. I am now friends with some cops and only a few of them actually like donuts", he said.
Gus let out a laugh as he slapped his pudgy belly, "Well, I ain't a cop but my wife jokes that I could easily pass for one with how many donuts I eat! Anyway, I'm happy for ya, really I am. I'll go tell my son to whip up your order for ya, he took your place after you quit", he said before walking away.
Infinite sat quietly as he waited for his order to be made, looking through his text messages on his phone. "So Nyx wants me to go grocery shopping today, we need eggs and milk and she's gonna make steak for dinner...", he said to himself.
"You're mocking me, aren't you?"
Infinite perked up at the aggressive sounding voice he just heard, he looked around for the source until his eyes fell upon the sheep woman sitting two feet away from him. He gave her a confused look, "I'm sorry, ma'am, were you talking to me?", he asked.
She glared at him with an intense look of hatred, "Haven't you done enough damage to the world? What is a low life like you doing being an officer of the law when you belong in a jail cell!?", she whispered.
Infinite was taken aback by her words, but before he could have the chance to respond, a human woman burst into the cafe.
"Someone help me, he stole my dog!", she shouted as she pointed at a man who was running off in the opposite direction. Gripped tightly in his arms was a small white poodle that was barking loudly.
Infinite bolted up from he seat and chased after the guy, he ducked down one alleyway and raced around the corner. Just as the man reached an intersection, Infinite suddenly leapt out in front of him and grabbed him by the arms.
This caused the man to suddenly drop the poodle, Infinite acted quickly as he used his residual Phantom Ruby powers to create a basket to catch the small dog; after that, he wrestled the man to the ground and handcuffed him.
"You're under arrest for theft of personal property. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you", said Infinite as he lifted the man off the ground and pushed him up against a wall.
He then reached for the police radio attached to his hip, "This is Officer Jackal reporting in, I've just apprehended a man attempting to make off with a woman's pet dog. I'm at 110th Street, between Morris and Willow", he said.
"Copy that, Officer Jackal. We'll send a squad car to your location, so hang tight", said an officer on the other line.
Infinite hung up and then levitated the basket with the poodle so he could pet it, "It's alright, little fella", he said as the dog happily barked and licked his hand.
Five minutes later, a police car arrived as two other officers shoved the thief into the backseat. Meanwhile, Infinite reunited the woman with her poodle. "Oh thank you so much! He was a gift from my late grandma, he means so much to me!", she said.
"Not a problem, ma'am. You be careful, alright? Lots of people steal dogs this small and cute because they sell for a high price, remember to keep him close", said Infinite.
The woman nodded with a grateful smile before leaving, that was when Infinite heard the sound of applause and looked to see that a small crowd of people who had witnessed everything were clapping and cheering.
He appreciated it, but he couldn't really focus on that because he was thinking too much about that strange sheep woman back at the cafe. He walked back to the place after explaining everything to his fellow officers.
Gus was waiting for him with his coffee and bagel, but the sheep woman was long gone. "Hey, I saw everything that went down. Nice job", he said.
Infinite took his food and paid for them, "Thanks. Say, did you see where the woman who was sitting here earlier went?", he said.
"There was a woman sitting there? I didn't notice", said Gus.
Infinite shook his head, "Oh nevermind. Thanks anyway, Gus. I'll see you around", he said as he left the cafe. As he walked away while eating the bagel, he thought back to that woman and the things she said to him.
Wonder what her problem was, he thought.
[Time Skip]
Later on that day after he got off of work, Infinite was in the supermarket with Finn since he had picked him up from school. Now, they were grocery shopping since Nyx texted Infinite earlier about it.
"I heard you took down a bad guy who stole some lady's dog, Dad! That sounds awesome!", said Finn.
Infinite smiled, "Glad you think so, son. Anywho, can you do your ol' man a favor and go find the milk and eggs? I gotta find the ingredients your mother needs to make dinner", he said.
Finn nodded, "You got it, Dad!", he said as he bolted for the dairy section.
"Remember, don't talk to or go anywhere with strangers!", Infinite called out.
"I won't!", Finn shouted back.
Infinite pushed his cart over to the produce section and grabbed some onions, peppers and mushrooms.
"Alright, now to get the steak", he said to himself. He walked over to the meat section and looked at all the selections of steak, picking up two different packs.
"Hmm, this one costs a little less than the other one but it doesn't seem big enough...", he pondered to himself.
Just then, Infinite was startled by the sound of a cart suddenly slamming into his own cart. "Oh, I'm sorry! If I was in your way, I should've--"
Infinite was cut off when he saw who it was that slammed into his cart: it was the same sheep woman with white fur and blue wool he saw at the cafe that morning.
"It's you again! You were that woman who said those hateful words towards me back at the cafe", he said.
The woman them angrily stormed over to him, "You're here too?! Why?!", she said in anger.
Infinite gave her a confused look, "Um... it's obvious what I'm doing here, is it not? I'm grocery shopping with my son. We needed more eggs and milk, and my wife said she was making steak for dinner so I had to buy the ingredients...", he replied unsurely.
The woman glared at him furiously, "What?! After what you did, you don't deserve to have a wife and son! You deserve to rot away in a jail cell for the rest of your life! It's what you deserve for ruining my life!", she said as she grabbed his cart and tipped it over.
Infinite was shocked, but he was thankful Finn hadn't brought the eggs and milk because otherwise, there would've been a huge mess. There were only vegetables in the cart and they were in plastic bags, so they were fine.
However, he was still annoyed by this. "Look, ma'am, I don't know who you are or what your problem is but there was no need to act the way you did just now. Please don't try anything like that around me again, I'm an officer now. You pull anything shady and I will arrest you", he said.
Just as Infinite got his cart back up and placed the vegetables back inside it, Finn came sprinting over, using his own powers to levitate a carton of eggs and a gallon of milk over his head.
"Hey, Dad! I've got the eggs and milk!", he said before noticing the sheep woman standing near him, "Who's that lady, Dad?"
Infinite glared at the woman before tossing the right steak into the cart and then taking the eggs and milk from Finn to put in the cart. "Nobody, son. Now let's get going, we've got what we need. Let's pay for everything and head home before your mother starts to worry", he said.
Infinite pushed the cart and walked away with his son, casting one last glare at the woman who glared back at him.
[Time Skip]
Later that evening, Infinite sat at the dining room table with his family, enjoying a meal of seared steak with onions, peppers and mushrooms, and mashed potatoes.
"Mmm, dinner tastes great tonight, Mom!", said Finn.
Nyx smiled, "I'm glad you like it, baby. I know how much you love it when I make steak", she said.
"That's actually what I was wondering...you do make excellent steak, but since it takes so long to make, you usually only make it once and a while. What's the occasion?", said Infinite.
Nyx blushed as a bashful smile appeared on her face, "Well...I had some big news I wanted to tell you all day, but I decided to wait until dinnertime to tell you. Remember how after the day after you came home, I started feeling sick?", she said.
Infinite thought back to the day she mentioned, the day after the day he came home from the police academy, he and Nyx decided to have a moment of intimacy after Finn went to bed. Then, he remembered how she began feeling a little sick the next morning.
Realization hit him like a ten ton meteorite, "No way! Nyx, you can't be serious! You don't mean...", Infinite stammered.
Nyx smiled, "Yes. I had a test done earlier today, I'm pregnant!", she said.
Infinite's jaw practically hit the floor upon hearing that statement as he was speechless, Finn on the other hand let out a shriek of joy.
"You're having a baby, Mom?! I'm gonna be a big brother?!", he asked excitedly.
Nyx nodded, "That's right, baby. And since I'll only be pregnant for three months, they already know what the gender is. I'm having a baby girl", she said.
Infinite thought he couldn't be more surprised but that was proven wrong, he stood up from the table and practically leapt at Nyx, hugging her. "Oh thank you, Nyx! You've made more happy than I'd ever thought I could be!", he said as he kissed her.
"A girl? Yahoo! This is awesome!", shouted Finn.
Just then, three individuals came downstairs and entered the dining room. It was Orbot, Cubot and Metal Sonic.
"Is everything okay down here?", asked Orbot.
"Yeah, we were watching TV and heard a lot of shouting so we got worried", said Cubot.
Infinite smiled happily at the three robots, "Nothing's wrong, far from it! We just found out Nyx is pregnant with a baby girl, she's gonna give birth in three months!", he declared.
The robots were surprised but immediately started clapping and cheering. "Congratulations to the both of you!", said Orbot.
"Yeah, can't wait to meet your newest bundle of joy. I'm sure she'll be a cutie!", said Cubot.
Metal Sonic made a few beeping sounds before pointing at Infinite's pocket, that was when a loud ding was heard. Infinite pulled out his cellphone, looked at the screen and laughed.
"What is it?", asked Nyx.
"Metal just sent me a long list of baby names, in alphabetical order. I'm thinking the names that begin with "L" would be perfect", Infinite replied.
The couple shared a laugh while Finn danced around with his robotic live-in babysitters, "I'm gonna be a big brother! I'm gonna have a little sister! This is so dang amazing!", he chanted delightedly.
While the odd yet happy family were sharing the tender moment, they were unaware of the pair of hateful eyes glaring at them through one of their windows. As it turned out, that sheep woman had secretly followed Infinite when he left the supermarket, and tracked him down to his house.
And she had overheard Nyx delivering the news that she was pregnant with a girl.
The woman clenched her teeth in anger, "So not only do you ruin my life and evade imprisonment, but you have a family...and now you're having another kid?! I won't let you get away with this, Infinite! I'm gonna make sure you never get to hold that baby in your arms!", she whispered scornfully.
[Time Skip]
The next morning, Nyx was standing on line at the pharmacy so she could pick up her prenatal vitamins. As a Mobian wolf, her gestation period was only three months, so she was already on maternity leave.
Not only that, but her belly was beginning to show, which was why she was wearing a summed dress.
As the pharmacist handed her the vitamins, Nyx slipped them into her purse and left the pharmacy. That was when she bumped into the sheep woman accidentally.
"Oh no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you", said Nyx.
The sheep gave her a sly smile, "Oh, I should be sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going, allow me to make it up to you...", she said.
She took Nyx to a local coffee shop, where she ordered her an herbal tea since she couldn't have caffeine. "Thanks a lot for the tea, but you didn't have to do this", said Nyx.
"No worries, it's my pleasure. I don't think I introduce myself, my name is Selma Woolersby. What's yours?", said the sheep.
Nyx smiled politely, "My name is Nyx Snowfall, nice to meet you. I don't think I've seen you around the neighborhood before, did you just move here recently?", she said.
The woman, Selma, took a sip of her coffee. "No, actually. I've been here for a few years, I just lead a very solitary life", she said.
"Why's that?", asked Nyx.
"You see, I was just an ordinary sheep woman in my mid thirties, I was married to a handsome and loving ram named Eugene, had a good job as head of sales for a computer company and I had just discovered she was pregnant with my first child.
"Then the war with Eggman happened. My husband and I were being evacuated to one of the safe zones set up by the Resistance; while on the way there, Infinite had shown up with a small squadron of Badniks to attack the fleeing civilians.
"Some Resistance fighters tried to held them off while others evacuated the civilians. In the chaos and confusion, a Badnik fired a laser at a building and caused it to collapse. While running for my life, I tripped and fell, and a large chunk of debris fell on my left leg.
"My husband and a soldier helped me get out and we made it to the safe zone, but when I was checked out by doctors, I found out that all the stress caused her to have a miscarriage. I was only in her first month of pregnancy", Selma explained.
Nyx gasped as she placed her hand over her mouth, "Oh no, that's awful!", she said.
Selma let out a mirthless laugh, "Oh, it gets worse. After the war was over, I quickly wanted to move towards getting pregnant again, but doctors told me that at my age and after miscarrying, pregnancy was now impossible.
"Because of this, my husband asked for a divorce, saying that he really wanted to be a father but that dream couldn't be accomplished with an infertile woman.
"After the divorce, I became depressed and turned to alcoholism to deal with my pain, resulting in me being fired because I refused to come into work.
Now, at my age, all I could do to earn money is work part time at a supermarket, being forced to sell my house and rent a cheap apartment", she said.
Nyx shook her head, "I'm sorry to hear all that, that sounds just terrible. I know the feeling of loss all too well, long before the war started, my parents were murdered on the day of my graduation from medical school.
"Then, when the war started, I lost my old friends. I had dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts, I was even institutionalized for three months because of it, but despite the odds, I still managed to recover.
"I fought hard during the war, with my new friends supporting and guiding me. After the war ended, I stumbled upon Infinite in an alleyway; the Phantom Ruby had been ripped from his chest by Eggman and he was just left to bleed out and die.
"Against my better judgement, I approached him. Infinite lashed out at me, saying that he wanted to be left alone to die; in that moment, I saw myself in him and I knew I had to help him, I didn't want him to end up like me.
"I took him home and treated his wounds, he apologized profusely to me. Over time, we got to know each other and we found that we were more alike than I thought.
"Soon, I fell in love with him; my friends didn't really see eye to eye with me on it at first, but after Infinite saved me from drowning, they all realized that he had changed. After that, we were together for two and a half years, then we got married and had our first child.
"Now, I'm pregnant with our second child. Even though we have the financial means to have more, we're thinking about stopping after this one. Two kids is enough for us and we couldn't be happier", she said.
That was when Selma started laughing like a deranged lunatic, "You're such a sweet girl, but you were an idiot for giving that monster a chance or even having children with him! He was the one who brought those Badniks that caused the building to fall on me, causing my miscarriage!
"And yet, after everything he did, he gets to walk free and be allowed to start a family and become a cop?!Infinite doesn't deserve to have a happy life after all he's done, and you're a fool for endorsing this!
"But you seem smart, so let me give you some advice: abort the baby you're currently carrying, dump the other one at an orphanage, and divorce Infinite and disappear. It's not too late to cut yourself off from such filth and start over somewhere else, plus that devil doesn't need to have his spawn investing this world!", she said.
Nyx was utterly flabbergasted by what Selma said, but then her shock morphed into rage. She stood up fast and slammed both her hands on the table, startling the sheep.
"How dare you! Look, I'm sorry your life fell apart as a result of Infinite's actions, but that's all in the past! He isn't that same person anymore and you are no one to tell him that he can't be happy!
"And you especially don't have the right to tell me to abort my unborn child or abandon my son at an orphanage! Who the Hell do you think you are trying to give me orders?! My mother?! My boss?! Go to Hell!", she shouted.
Nyx then went to counter to pay for her tea, grabbed her purse and then left the cafe.
[Time Skip]
"And that's what she said to me! Can you believe that?!"
Later that same afternoon, Nyx was sitting on the couch at home and she was telling Infinite about her encounter with Selma.
Infinite let out an exasperated sigh, "I ran into her twice, both times she's said something to the effect of what she said to you. This isn't the first time I've encountered someone who still hated me because of my past actions, but people usually just stay quiet and try pretending I don't exist. They've never directly confronted me", he said.
Just then, the front door slammed opened and closed. Nyx and Infinite both stood up and rushed over to see Finn standing by the door with his schoolbag on his back, the young wolf-jackal was crying while wiping his eyes.
Nyx's maternal instincts kicked in immediately and ran over to her son, "Finn, baby? What's wrong? Did something at school?", she asked. Even though he only just turned nine, Finn's parents trusted him to come home by himself sometimes when they couldn't pick him up.
"You're not getting bullied, are you?", asked Infinite.
Finn's shoulders shook as he cried, "No...a scary lady walked up to me as I was leaving school and she said some horrible things to me!", he sobbed.
Nyx and Infinite tensed up when they heard it was a woman who had made their son cry. "What did this woman look like? What did she say?", asked Infinite.
"She was that sheep lady with the blue fluff we saw at the supermarket that one time, Dad. And she said that you were an evil man that was gonna kill me and Mom if we didn't run away and leave you!
"You're not evil, Dad! I know you're not, you're a good guy! You love Mom, you love me! You even love my little sister even though she hasn't been born yet, I know you'd never hurt us! I ran away from that lady because she was crazy and she was scaring me!", sobbed Finn as he ran into his father's arms.
As Infinite hugged his son, his anger began to boil over. "That woman... I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind!", he growled.
Nyx placed a hand on his shoulder, "Infinite, as much as I hate Selma for what she said to us and our son, you can't arrest someone for insulting you. She hasn't actually done anything to us, so all we can do is ignore her, hopefully she'll just move on. Her life can't be that empty and vapid that she has nothing better to do than make nasty comments at us", she said.
Infinite sighed, "Fine, but from now on, we're having Metal Sonic take Finn to and from school. Just because she hasn't done anything yet, doesn't mean she won't. I want to be on the safe side", he said.
[Time Skip: Two months later]
For the next two months, Nyx and Infinite kept their guards up whenever they went out. Whether it was when Infinite went to work or when they went out to run errands or have small family outings, they kept a close eye out for Selma.
Metal Sonic took Finn to school in the morning and picked him up in the afternoon, traveling by flying so as to make sure they couldn't be followed. Nyx had surveillance cameras installed on the outside the house, using a phone app to monitor them.
Nyx and Infinite hated living like they needed to be constantly looking over their shoulders, but after hearing the disgusting things Selma said to each of them, they couldn't let their guards down on the off chance she might try something.
During her second month of pregnancy, Nyx was thrown a baby shower by all her friends. At the party, she and Infinite told them all about their problems with Selma. Everyone was concerned, but Shadow told them that the best thing was to ignore her because she didn't seem like a threat to their physical well-being.
And so the best thing to do was to ignore her because it seemed like she was just trying to get their attention, and that was the last thing they should be giving her.
So, Nyx and Infinite just continued living their lives all the while pretending like Selma didn't exist. Whenever she had to run errands, Nyx would take Orbot and Cubot with her so if she did run into Selma in the streets, she wouldn't be alone.
Infinite continued doing his job as a police officer, doing things like giving fines or busting people for small crimes or returning lost children to their parents, etc. He spoke to his fellow officers about the whole Selma situation, but they also agreed that ignoring her was best.
All she did was say insulting things to him and his family, she hadn't actually committed any crimes and the fact that Infinite was now an officer meant she definitely wouldn't dare to do anything stupid unless she wanted to get arrested.
Soon, it was the third month of Nyx's pregnancy and her due date had approached sooner than she expected. So, Infinite had taken time off work so he could be by her side; even though he hadn't been working that long, his superiors were very understanding of the same and allowed him to be by his wife's side.
The morning she went into labor, Infinite had left Finn with the Chaotix and took Nyx to the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, they were surprised to Shadow sitting in the waiting room.
"Huh? Shadow, what are you doing here? Not like you ever need to see a doctor", Infinite joked.
Shadow smirked, "My daughter Maria is upstairs getting her vaccinations, she's already a teenager so she doesn't need me to supervise her, though she knows not to answer any serious questions without me.
"Anyway, I can see you have more important business here, so you might want to get a doctor because your wife looks ready to pop at any second", he said as he gestured to Nyx who was beginning to experience contractions.
Realizing this, Infinite quickly ran over to the receptionist desk and told them that his wife was going into labor. Soon, a group of nurses came with a gurney, placing Nyx onto it and wheeling her to the delivery room.
Infinite stood by Nyx's bedside, holding her hand as the doctor and nurses in the delivery room were prepping themselves for the birth. Then, the contractions started to get more intense and Nyx groaned in pain.
"Take a deep breath, Ms. Snowfall. Now, I want you to give us a big push. Don't strain yourself and relax, alright?", said the doctor.
Nyx groaned and grunted as she pushed, Infinite held her hand tightly and gently stroked it. "That's it, Nyx. You're doing great, just a little more", he said encouragingly.
After a long and grueling hour, Nyx gave one more mighty push and the sounds of a baby's cries could be heard. She and Infinite looked up to see the doctor holding their newborn baby girl. She looked like a carbon copy of Infinite, she was a tiny jackal with long white hair and she had blue and yellow heterochromic eyes just like him.
The only difference was that instead of jet black, her fur was actually a soft lavender color just like Nyx. The doctor cut the umbilical cord and then let the nurses clean off the newborn baby before putting a diaper on her and wrapping her in a blanket.
"Here you are, little one. Say hello to mommy and daddy", said a nurse as she placed the newborn baby into Nyx's arms. She and Infinite gazed lovingly at their second child, tears running down the former's face as she cradled her daughter.
"Infinite, look at her. Look at our baby!", said Nyx.
"It's our baby girl, Layla. Nyx, darling, I'm so proud of you. You did a wonderful job, Finn is gonna be so excited to meet her", said Infinite.
The couple shared a kiss before looking down at their baby girl, who started opening her eyes so she could see them. Suddenly, Shadow burst into the delivery room, panting like he had just run a million mile marathon.
He startled everyone in the room, Nyx let out a shocked scream which scared little Layla and made her cry.
"Shadow, what the Hell?! You can't just--"
"I'm sorry, but you two can't leave the hospital! You and your baby are now in danger!", Shadow shouted cutting Infinite off.
The jackal looked at him like he was insane, "What the Hell are you talking about?", he asked.
Shadow took Infinite by the arm and led him over to the window, he pointed outside to the front entrance of the hospital. Standing out there was Selma, her eyes were crazed and bloodshot and her fur was extremely unkempt.
And in her right hand...she held a gun!
Infinite gasped in shock, "What the...? What the Hell is going on? What is she doing?!", he said.
"She suddenly showed up, screaming your name. She must've followed you to the hospital, but since she's clearly not within her right mind, the hospital staff automatically locked the doors to keep her from getting in. Then she suddenly pulled a gun out of her purse, screaming even more!
"I quickly ran up here to warn you and Nyx while the staff were busy calling the police. They should be here soon", explained Shadow.
Infinite huffed angrily as he headed for the door, "Where are you going?", asked Nyx.
"I'm going to finally put an end to this madness!", said Infinite.
"Not alone, you're not. I'm coming with you!", said Shadow as he followed him.
"Be careful!", Nyx called out.
Infinite and Shadow made their way downstairs and to the front door, where they saw Selma through the glass. She glared at Infinite with a fury that burned hotter than the sun.
"There you are! Your wife had her baby, didn't she?! You deserve to have another child! Get out here now so I can kill you! If you don't, I'll kill myself!", she screamed.
Infinite glared at her with equal amounts of fury, "What the Hell is wrong with you? Look, I understand that I'm partly responsible for your life being ruined, but that doesn't give you license to try and ruin my life!
"You're not the only person who still hates me for my past actions despite my reformation, but you're the first and only one to go this far! What do you hope to accomplish by doing this all? Whether you succeed or fail with your plan, it all ends with you rotting in a jail cell for threatening people in a hospital with a gun!", he shouted.
Selma let out a shout as she slammed into the glass door, but it held since it was made of shatterproof glass. "Be quiet! You ruined my life! What did I ever do to you?! What do you have against me?!", she shouted.
Infinite looked at her incredulously, "What?! Lady, I don't even know you! I have absolutely no idea who you are and if I'm being honest, if you were in that town the day I attacked it with a horde of Badniks, then I don't remember ever seeing you!", he shouted back.
At that moment, something inside Selma finally snapped. She started spasming out, she ripped apart her purse and throw her accessories everywhere. She took off her shoes and threw them at the door, then she picked up her lipstick and started writing obscenities on the glass before stabbing it into the door.
By this point, she had devolved into a complete mental breakdown, that was when the police finally showed up. One of the officers stepped out of the car to tell her to get down on the ground, but she had already dropped the gun and was now just smacking her head and body against the shatterproof glass door.
Confused and deeply concerned, a couple of officers ran over to her and managed to wrangle her to the ground so they could handcuff her. Realizing that she had been caught by the police, Selma stopped screaming and was now just hysterically crying.
Seeing that the threat was neutralized, the hospital staff unlocked the doors, allowing Infinite to walk outside to confront Selma one last time.
"Look...I know that I was indirectly responsible for the misfortune that fell upon you, but it was your choice not to try and move on and live a better life. There are many other people whose lives were negatively impacted by my past actions, but they were able to move on.
"You were the only one that let yourself be consumed by hatred and become so unhinged that you've devolved into...this mere shell of the person you once were. I know I can never undo what happened to you, but I want to know that I am truly sorry for it all. I hope you learn to move like I have", he said.
Infinite then turned around and walked back inside the hospital, just in time to see a nurse wheeling Nyx over to him in a wheelchair, baby Layla being cradled in her arms. Infinite smiled when he saw both of them.
"I'm so proud of you", Nyx whispered to him. He smiled and kissed her on the lips; Selma saw the whole thing and cried even harder because it reminded her of how happy she was when she was still married to her husband, they were the perfect couple in her mind before she lost her chance to have children and he divorced her.
Selma hung her head as she was placed into the back of the police car, her spirit having been completely broken.
[Time Skip]
It had been a whole year since the incident, Infinite and his family were able to return to a life of normalcy.
They still left the security cameras up around their house and they still had Metal Sonic take and get Finn from school sometimes, but for the most part, they no longer had to live like there was something or someone watching them.
Since Infinite wanted nothing to do with her case, he avoided asking his fellow officers what had happened to Selma, even though he felt sympathy for her, he honestly couldn't care less what happened to her.
Though one day, he had gotten a call from Shadow who explained everything. As it turned out, Selma was not in a fit state to stand in trial so the lawyer assigned to her had pleaded insanity. Due to that, Selma was placed in a mental institution abroad, where she spends her days sitting quietly in her room staring at the wall.
Infinite was relieved because it meant that she was far away from him and his family, where she could no longer trouble them, not that she was ever getting out any time soon.
Little Layla was now a year old and she was growing up happy and healthy; Finn absolutely loved his baby sister, whenever he wasn't doing homework or helping his parents with household chores, he was playing with her.
He even helped Nyx take care of Layla by giving her milk in a bottle or taking baths with her, he just didn't helped with changing her diaper because he thought it was gross.
Outside of that, Finn absolutely spoiled his baby sister, to the point where he gave her his old baby toys to play with or pushed her on the baby swing when they were at the park.
Nyx and Infinite loved their baby girl too, they showered her in just as much love as her older brother did. When she took her for walks, Nyx dressed her in the cutest clothes and Infinite would always tickle her little feet or give raspberries on her tiny tummy.
Infinite was very happy and grateful for the life he had, but the incident with Selma really put things into perspective for him. Before he met Nyx, his life was less than ideal: he had no parents, he lost his foster mother who had once abused him before having a change of heart, and he was forced to grow up all alone.
His only solace was his squad, but then he lost them when he had joined Eggman. Granted, two of his squad mates were actually still alive and leading happy lives, but that didn't change how badly their lost had affected Infinite.
After Nyx saved him and he turned himself around, Infinite had promised he would work hard to become a better person. He couldn't guarantee that anyone who was negatively impacted by his past actions would forgive him and move on, but the most important thing was that he was eventually able to forgive himself.
I have a wonderful life now, Infinite thought, and I will never take it or my loved ones for granted.
[The End]