Chapter Song Inspiration: Turning Page - Sydney Rose

AN: I accidentally stumbled over this story and after reading everyone's reviews I felt heartfelt that so many enjoyed my story so I thought about gifting you guys another chapter after so long. However, I will be starting school soon so I can't make any promises when I'll update next but your comments are really what motivate me so know that could also determine the next update.

Also, AioleSauce, if you're still reading and willing then fanart would be lovely! :)

8 — Surrender

The alcohol burned his throat.

"Gah! Gross!" He wiped his mouth in disgust after he took his shot of vodka. The taste was way too strong and nothing about it made him want to take another one. The guys around him laughed as they watched the cobalt hedgehog make a face after taking his drink.

"What's wrong Sonic?" Laughed Vector obnoxiously. "Can't handle it anymore at your age?"

Sonic gave him a glare. "Come on, man. I'm only eight—!" He stopped himself from finishing that sentence. Instead Sonic swallowed hard and corrected himself. "Twenty six."

"You're more than halfway to thirty."

"And with a kid on the way!"

That's right.

He was going to be a father.

Still finding that unbelievable, Sonic shook his head at the truth. "Well then what about you?" He mocked Vector back. "If I'm old, you're ancient."

"I'm aging like fine wine." Vector replied, taking a drink of his Vodka Martini.

"Keep lying to yourself

"Where is the lie?" Vector argued, pointing to his own face with both hands and a wide smile as he side-eyed at a certain red echidna. "Do you see any stress lines?"

Knuckles, the one with the most stress lines and bags under his eyes, chuckled and flashed him the finger. "The perks of being a single man."

The men laughed and took another shot together with Sonic trying to keep a straight face. He couldn't understand what was so cool about this but he had to go along with it.

"It's been so long since we all got together!"

"Well you guys did ruin it by becoming married men!"

"I don't know, Vector. You could easily have this too. After all, now that Cream is off to boarding school." Knuckles said, making Sonic choked at the thought. "A certain rabbit is getting pretty lonely at home alone."

In an instant, Vector flushed red as the group laughed at him.

"It's been so long and you still haven't confessed?" Sonic chuckled.

"Oh, come on. It's harder said than done!"

"You're such a catch, man. I say go for it."

Vector seemed appreciative but embarrassed as he covered his face and turned away. The group continued to hassle him. Sonic couldn't help laughing at the sight of a flustered Vector.

"Damn, man. I haven't seen you laugh in a good while." Admitted Espio,

That was just insanity. Sonic was iconically known as the most enthusiastic guy around. "What are you talking about?" Sonic chuckled, sipping his drink. "I'm always grinning!"

"Hell nah!" Vector argued, pointing a finger at Sonic with an annoyed look. "Always mad and short tempered!"

"Are you sure you're not confusing me with Shadow?" Sonic paused when he saw them all stare at him in surprise. "What?"

Vector scratched his cheek nervously. "…..I thought you said to never mention his name again."

"I did?" Sonic grinned, feeling completely out of the loop.

"Well you two did have that nasty fight…" Espio shrugged, looking equally as uncomfortable as the rest of the men at the table.

Sonic was confused. "What nasty fight?" He wondered.

"You know……." Vector was clearly uneasy as he swallowed, "that one fight from years ago."

"Shadow and I have had A LOT of fights. What's so bad about this one? Just how bad was it?" Sonic asked with peaked interest. He couldn't understand what would make them react this way to one of them.

"Well Shadow was really pissed off at you. He's always mad but I'd never seen him mad like that. It was really scary!" Vector admittered.

"When was this?"

Vector tapped himself on the chin, thinking, then said; "Wasn't it around the time Sally's daughter was born?"

Sonic almost spit out his drink. "Her WHAT?" He openly gasped.

The men at the bar seemed indifferent to his shock as they quickly began to switch over the conversation towards Sally's child. It was obvious they didn't want to talk about the fight with Shadow.

"Yeah, how old is the kiddo actually? Two and a half? Alicia is her name, I think." Vector continued.

"..…holy shit." Sonic felt taken aback.

Sonic couldn't listen to the rest.

Sally Acorn had a daughter.

The woman he had claimed to love was not his anymore. Whether he went back to the past and attempted to alter the future, it didn't change the fact that he had lost her. His closed-minded fantasy that they would always be together somehow had shattered.

Even if Sonic didn't know everything about the future, he knew one thing for certain; Sally and him had made different choices. Choices that did not involve each other being in each other's life like before.

The truth stuck like the first time he heard about Sally being engaged. This seemed to just make it more of a reality. Even though things were over between them, the really never set that he would break away from his first love but Sonic was beginning to understand that the world held different paths for each of them.

Whether he wanted it or not, his world had changed.

The love was still there but he and Sally were really over.

"So she and Khan really hit it off, huh…?" Sonic's voice trailed off as he took in the meaning of that question.

It had been a while since he somehow traveled to the future that he had thought of Sally. To him, it had not been long since he and Sally had broken up but for his future self and future Sally, it had been long ago.

They had both taken different paths.

Just like him and Amy, Sally and Khan had a story of their own.

A story that Sonic had no part in. A story that he had no right to change out of his selfishness. The two had formed their own family.

"Yeah, they did…" Vector said with an undertone Sonic couldn't understand.

"Diiid? As in used to?" Sonic's ears perked. "What does that mean?"

"That's enough." Knuckles slammed his glass down with a glare. "Big, be quiet. Stop ruining the mood."

"Crap! Sorry!" Vector said awkwardly, sensing a mood shift. "I forgot this was a bad topic."

Bad topic indeed.

Sonic wanted to ask more but the look in Knuckle's eyes told him to stay silent. It almost seemed like it was taboo to mention his future self's past. It was truly unbearable. None of it made sense.

Great. He was more confused than ever before.

It was making his head spin with questions he didn't have the answers to and he felt completely frustrated. His future was nowhere near what he had imagined. His mind felt cloudy but there was one thing he could clearly see. It was Amy. All his life, Sonic had been running from her and now all he wanted to do was run to her.

Run to the person who gave him peace and tranquility in his heart.

He needed her.

"I need to go home to my wife!" Sonic abruptly stood, wobbling on his feet, suddenly feeling the alcohol effects on his body.

"Wait, take it easy man!"

"Sonic, you're going to fall."

"Nahh, I'm goooood!" Sonic waved them off because in his mind he felt fine. "See you losers later!"

It didn't take long for Sonic to spin around to sprint off only for him to fall face first into a crowd. "Sonic!" His friends called.

And now, almost half an hour later Knuckles was walking down the sidewalk with a very tipsy Sonic. While Espio had already left, Vector was behind them only offering moral support (which really only meant teasing and taking pictures of Sonic). Knuckles adjusted his arm around Sonic and continued helping the wobbly hedgehog who would just not shut up.

"I neeeeed Amyyyy~!" Sonic yelled into the night sky.

"Yeah, well, what will your wife say if she sees you like this?" Vector snickered from behind.

"Amy is wonderful." Sonic sighed like a whiny child. "I need to go see her now!"

"We get it, Sonic." Knuckles grit out in annoyance considering Sonic practically screaming in his ear. "You've said that for the 100th time already!"

"It's just….. I just wanna be a good husband!" Sonic cried out like a child.

"Shit, he's crying again."

"No, I just have an eyelash in my eye!"

The men looked at each other with sweat drops unsure of what to do.

"I feel sick…"

"Fuck, you better not throw up on me—!" Before Knuckles could finish his sentence, Sonic had already barfed all over him.

The men were silent.

"Ugh, I feel a little better now….." Sonic finally muttered only for Knuckles to drop him at that moment and make a look of disgust and Vector to burst laughing.

Sonic barely felt the impact with how drunk he was as he made himself into a ball on the dirty ground. "Why'd I do this?" Sonic cried as tears dropped down his face. "I'm never drinking alcohol again!"

"Let's just take him back to his precious wife." Knuckles grit out as he took off his jacket, glad Rouge had convinced him to wear one, since it was what caught most of the throw up.

Luckily for them, they were just around the corner of Sonic's home and Vector finally helped Knuckles out as they dragged Sonic each by an arm. Once outside the home, the men dropped Sonic on the floor again and yelled drunkenly from outside:

"Delivery for Amy!"

"Amy, come get your man!"

On the floor, Sonic lay like a starfish and he looked up at his home when he saw the front porch door light turn on and could hear hurried steps from inside. Just then, Amy flung the door open and she made Sonic feel spellbound.

Her pink quills fluttered with the wind with her jade eyes glimmering in the night sky. She was wearing a white lace trim slip sleep dress with a belted robe. It was simple and looked comfy but she still looked so beautiful. To Sonic. She almost seemed to be resembling an angel. It did take him a moment to realize that she wasn't one but rather that woman was his wife! A dumb smile plastered over his face as he got a sudden burst of energy and flipped himself over and stood up.

"AMES~!" Sonic gleefully said as he wobbled over to his puzzled wife, tripping over his own feet.

Amy caught him before he could fall. "Gah! Sonic!" She exclaimed.

"Looks like you have another child to take care of now." Knuckles muttered with a mixture of annoyance that Sonic seemed fine now of all times but, most of all, Knuckles held peak interest and peace seeing Sonic wagging his tail excitedly as he snuggled up to his wife.

"Geez, just how much did he drink?" Amy asked, her cheeks pink, also taken aback by Sonic looking at her with puppy dog eyes.

"Two shots and a Gin Tonic."

Amy's eyes widened as if asking 'seriously?'

"Be careful, Amy! I wouldn't let him get too close to you." Vector warned. "He's covered in some throw up."

Amy blinked in surprise when she noticed that Sonic did have a smell to him and shook her head. "Gosh, Sonic. What am I going to do with you?" She giggled,

"Do you need any help getting him inside?" Knuckles asked.

She waved him off, "It's alright, guys. Thank you for bringing him home. Get home safe!"

Amy said her goodbye to them as she shut the front door and guided Sonic to the bathroom. Amy helped him undress and into the shower and assisted him so he sat in the tub. Sonic felt like a child as he obediently followed her and did as told but he couldn't help it. He still felt a bit sick to his stomach with a raging headache and Amy made him feel safe.

Despite that, he did feel guilty for showing her such a pathetic side but he couldn't help himself and in his drunk state, he didn't really care. Uncharacteristically, Sonic was grumbling, crying, and hugging his knees all while internally vowing never to drink again. Had he known drinking would make him feel this horrible, he would have never taken even a sip.

Just then, water splashed onto him, startling him as his quills stood the same way you'd see a scared cat. "Gah!" Sonic yelped, grabbing the sides of the run, getting ready to jump out.

"Relax, my darling." Amy reassured him as she sprayed the water over him and some shampoo. "I need to clean you up first." She said, scrubbing it into place.

Everything seemed to come so naturally to her. It was as if her body had memorized how to deal with a drunk like him. Something in his gut churned. He wondered how much she had put up with him.

Amy was an incredible woman.

The care she showed was already so motherly and the excitement she showed to become one was heartfelt. It broke him to think how selfish his mentality had been the moment he got here.

It was now barely starting to sink in how if he were to go back in the past now and somehow stop Sally from marrying Khan, just how many lives would he be affecting. This was larger than himself. New lives had formed and were forming from his choices up until now. How could he ever think about erasing his own child?

"Oh, my love. There's no need to cry."

Sonic reached and touched his cheek only to feel teardrops. Amy wiped them away and Sonic shut his eyes as he gave into her soft touch as she helped him clean off his throw up, which he actually hadn't noticed he had, but he could save that embarrassment for the morning. Right now all that seemed to matter was how Amy seemed to cure his body with her tenderness.

The sorrow in his heart was sobering him up.

He shook slightly.

"Stay still and lower your head, sweetheart."

Sonic watched her from beneath his quills in admiration as she guided the water over him. He gazed at her in awe and wonder. It was incredible how everything had changed between them from the past he knew. Never did he imagine they would marry and just how would unsettle his heart this much, and yet here she was….. up at night, helping him shower.

Despite how silly it sounded, this was actually very intimate but, even so, Sonic didn't feel embarrassed. Instead, he felt peaceful.

"Are you all calmed down now?" Amy smiled, drying his quills with a towel.

"I'm sorry…" Sonic apologized, for everything, for everything he had done to her, even for the things he didn't know about as he reached up to caress her face.

It was a shame how wrong he had been about her.

He was the only one to blame.

Obviously to his thoughts, Amy clasped his hand. "You are worth the trouble, my love." She said with a heartwarming smile, kissing his hand.

Her words made him sniffle. At this point, Sonic couldn't make out if it was him or the alcohol bringing out these emotions. He had never felt so emotional yet so grateful to have someone in his life.

"Come on, hunny. Everything is okay." Amy told him, putting a robe on him as well to dry the rest of his body and keep him warm.

Once Sonic brushed his teeth, Amy helped him stand and they headed down the hallway to their bedroom. Sonic was helped to bed as Amy adjusted the pillows beneath his head and a warm blanket over his body. Once done, she left the room for a moment.

Then, minutes later, she walked back into the bedroom and came to sit next to him, holding out a hand with a glass of water for him to sip. "Drink a bit of water." She urged him.

Sonic did just that as he drank as much as he could, hoping it would cure his drunk mess. He didn't feel an upset stomach anymore which was a good sign. However, he did feel that reason was out of his mind as he still felt as if he was in a dream.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him, laying next to him on her side on the bed so she could look at him.

"Better," he chuckled. "But I should be the one asking you that." He said as he reached over weakly to touch her pregant belly.

Much to his surprise, he felt movement.

"Oh, wow! Look at 'em go!" Sonic chuckled, feeling the baby inside of Amy's belly move around. "Is it normal for the little guy to be moving so much?"

"It's normal, darling." Amy giggled sweetly, her eyes squinting at him in delight. "Our baby is probably just happy that daddy's home."

Their baby.

In the past, Sonic had never even dreamed of it nor had he realized what it meant until now. Unconditional love. The child was still not born but Sonic was already madly in love. How could he ever dare imagine a life without being their father?

Sonic shut his eyes as he imagined how much he wanted this life with Amy and their child. The realization of that terrified him. He had never felt more alive than with her. He wanted to be everything she needed but, even so, that fear would not escape his mind.

He didn't want to make another mistake. He didn't want to hurt Amy or have another heartbreak if things somehow did not work out. After all, how could it be possible to fall for somehow so easily?

"Do you ever regret choosing me?" he began, wanting the pain over with as quickly as possible.

"I've never been more certain about anything than you." In the soft light, her face looked so young that she resembled the Amy from the past that his heart clenched.

He lifted a hand and touched her cheek, unable to stop the action. This small woman could hurt him far more than Sally ever had. "I'll do anything I can to keep you and our baby safe."

Amy held his hand when it dropped, clasping it between both of hers. "And I'll be here to keep you safe too. You are my twin flame. You dont need to face anything on your own."

Power was laced in Amy's eyes, evoking an emotion he had never felt before. Vulnerability. He had never felt so loved nor this strong of a desire to be with someone for the rest of his life.

He let out a shaky breath.

The feeling in his chest terrified him.

He couldn't understand the feeling inside of him. He could barely breathe. Barely think straight. And worse of all, he didn't know if it was right for him to feel this way. He had not appreciated her and rejected her for so long and treated her wrong even before coming to the future. Was it really okay for him to just love her like none of that happened? Would it be selfish of him? Wouldn't it be wrong? After all, was Amy not deserving of someone better than himself?

"Ames…" Sonic tangled his fingers with hers, leaning into her touch almost painfully. His eyes twinkled as they gazed in awe up at her. "Am I even worthy of your love?"

Amy blinked several times, and her eyes focused once more. Her full lips curved into a lush smile, drawing Sonic's gaze to them. "You've been acting strangely, my love. You keep catching me off guard with your words." Amy's brow furrowed slightly as she continued to look at him. "I don't think you realize just how deep my love is for you." She said softly.

Sonic swallowed at her earnest response and felt an overwhelming desire to be with her forever. Regardless, he chuckled at how blind his past self had been not to see the beautiful person Amy was. "How did I get this lucky to have a girl like you?" Sonic swooned as he lowered his head to press his mouth to the hollow of her throat.

"You sound like one of the heroines from those cheesy soap operas."

Amy laughed and shifted down so she could rest her cheek on his chest. "Do I? How do they sound?"

"Not sure, all I do is read the subtitles."

Amy rolled her eyes and tickled his sides. "Hardy har har."

Sonic yelped at her tickling and grabbed her arms to stop her. "Don't make me punish you."

Amy's breath caught -- something else those romantic heroines do, she supposed -- and warmth spread through her chest. "Promise?"

Sonic's eyes narrowed and his arms wrapped around her back, releasing her at the same time. Amy reached up to tangle her fingers in his quills and brought their mouths together. They didn't kiss, instead they stared into each other's eyes, as if memorizing the way they looked as if time stood still.

"When I have you in my arms like this, I know….." Sonic mumbled with twinkling eyes as he gazed into hers.

Confused, Amy looked at him with smiling eyes. "Know what, my love?"

"That I can never let you go." Sonic admitted. He wasn't going anywhere. He was already in too deep.

Amy's eyes shook at his words. She began to cry from his sweetness and love, tenderly reaching forward and kissing him on the lips. It was a soft and slow peck but Sonic welcomed it wholeheartedly, savoring the moment as if was the last, scared of forgetting it when he woke up in the morning.

He held on to her like a lifesaver.

As the night went on, Sonic continued to caress her, whispering sweet words of adoration. They lay there together, hands wrapped around each other lovingly, where they fell asleep in bliss.

Let me know what you guys think! Wether it be predictions, thoughts about the chapter, or emotions. Hope you enjoyed reading! :)