Amy was panicking. She had no time for anything!

First, she woke up late. Second, she had to drop Dash off at Vanilla's place and the traffic was absolutely abysmal. Whose bright idea was it to start road work on a Saturday?

Once back at the house, she took a deep breath and hurried upstairs to see her dress for the gala laid across her bed, ironed- looking crease-free. Sonic had Tails drop it off this morning and she was almost scared to look at it.

But when she eventually did and wore it, it took a while to process the fact Sonic actually bought and chose this for her.

It was a beautiful dark blue strapless gown with a slit to show off her leg. It had a sweetheart neckline, fitting just a little snug around her chest area. The silver heels she chose were those she hadn't worn in years and went perfectly well with the dress, giving her a little more height.

It probably would've been better if she had Tikal help do her hair and make-up, but the echidna was already making her way toward the venue with Shadow, and, well, she didn't really trust anyone else doing her hair unless it was her friend.

An up-do would've been fine on such an occasion, but Amy decided to be a little more different tonight and let her hair down. Usually, she'd tie it up because she was on her feet almost every day at the diner and the only time she'd ever let it out was when she was home. It had grown as well, her pink quills reaching just above her shoulders.

She looked at herself in the mirror, admittedly feeling the nerves in her stomach start to grow. When was the last time she was this glammed up for something? She never dressed extravagantly whenever Sonic took her out on dates, nor did she ever think twice about her outfits when he took her to other company events back in the day.

What made this one different?

Amy rolled her eyes at herself. Because she was in love with him again, of course!

Only minimal make-up was put on her face, just a blush here and there with some strawberry-flavoured lip-gloss for-

She felt her eyes widen as she caught herself and yelled, "For nothing, Amy!"

Blushing at the stupid delusion that was making up a story in her brain, Amy groaned and went ahead to get out her blue broach. She carefully clipped it against her hair and did a few twirls as she smiled in approval.

Her phone rang and she felt her heart flutter just a little when she saw it was Sonic calling her. She swiped her screen across. "Hey."

"Hey, Ames. I'm outside your door. Want me to come in?"

"You got the key?"

"Pssh, yeah! Always gotta carry it around in case Dash wants something and you're not in."

She let out a light laugh. That was indeed true. "Okay, you can come in."

"Sweet."

After giving herself a spritz of perfume, Amy put her phone away and stared at herself in the mirror one last time, taking a deep breath. The last thing she needed was to pass out because she was so nervous.

Compose, Amy. Compose yourself.

She nodded, not completely satisfied with how she looked but enough to finally go downstairs after an internal struggle.

As she went down, she saw Sonic talking on the phone. Even though his back was facing her, she could see that he was fully dressed in a tuxedo, walking back and forth as he continued talking on his cell phone.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, Knux! You and Tails can stop getting on my butt for it," He said with a groan following after, "They can wait! It's not my fault that they all decided to come ahead of schedule-" He stopped for a second and sighed, "Can you please at least make sure they're seated with some drinks? That should keep 'em occupied!"

Once Amy reached the bottom, she stopped, leaning against the wall to try and keep steady as she waited for Sonic to notice her. He obviously hadn't heard her come down the stairs, for after several moments of listening to Tails and Knuckles on the other line, he started to go on, turning idly, "...Well, how would that mess up the time we got lined up with-"

Their eyes met and neither of them said a word for a moment.

Sonic dropped his phone, his hand still up to his ear but he was silent as his eyes looked her up and down pensively. For a while, he stayed like that, just staring at her until he finally blinked, realising his phone was on the floor whilst he picked it up and carried on the conversation with Knuckles.

It didn't stop Amy's beating heart from threatening to rip out of her ribcage, and even though Sonic was still on the phone, his eyes never left hers and she could've sworn she saw his cheeks being decorated with a tint of pink he was trying to hide.

"Right, okay. See you guys there," Sonic hung up the call and slid his phone into his pocket as he looked at her. "Hey."

"Hey," Amy managed to reply, her voice coming out a little breathless. She pushed herself off the wall and took a few steps closer to him, her heels clicking softly on the floor.

Sonic seemed momentarily at a loss for words as if struck by her appearance. Amy felt a rush of self-consciousness, her thoughts racing as she wondered if she looked alright or if he approved of how she looked in the dress he bought her. She brushed a strand of pink hair behind her ear, trying to maintain her composure.

He cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "You... you look amazing, Amy." His words were sincere, and his eyes held a warmth that made her heart flutter even more.

"Thank you," Amy replied, her cheeks turning a shade of pink that matched her quills. She glanced down at her dress and then back up at Sonic. "Tails dropped it off this morning. I wasn't expecting..."

Amy stopped when she noticed he wasn't looking at her in the eye anymore. Instead, his gaze had traveled down much lower and was in line with her chest area…

Something pooled inside her stomach and for a moment, she felt a little warmer than usual. Her knees were on the verge of buckling down from the sheer receptiveness of his stare.

She was chewing on the bottom corner of her lip at this point, feeling speechless. Was he really looking at her like that right now?

She fought to suppress a nervous giggle, hoping to regain his attention on her face as she stepped forward, gently lifting his chin. "Eyes up, mister."

Sonic's eyes snapped back up to meet hers and he quickly cleared his throat again, looking off to the side in slight embarrassment with the back of his palm covering his mouth. "Right," He scratched the back of his head in somewhat of a sheepish manner. "Sorry about that, Ames. You're just…" He gave her his dazzling smile, "You look beautiful."

Even though she could feel her heart racing, even though half of her brain short-circuited from his comment, even though she felt like she could pass out at any given moment from his smile alone, Amy managed to keep her cool and couldn't help her own smile from coming up onto her lips. "Thanks," she said and gently adjusted his tuxedo, "You clean up pretty good yourself."

Which was true. He always looked good in a tux.

Sonic chuckled, his confidence seemingly returning. "Yeah, well, you know, gotta keep up with the occasion."

"Mhm."

They stood for a moment, not saying anything. Amy was still in the process of realising this was really happening, that she was really spending the evening with Sonic. There was a rush of nostalgia running down her body, and it made her tummy do flips she hadn't felt in forever.

Nervous… She was nervous.

And from the way he was shifting in his feet and putting his hands in and out of his pockets, she wasn't the only one.

Sonic smiled at her. He reached out, his fingers lightly brushing against the back of her hand, before he left a small kiss between her knuckles. "Ready to go, Ames?"

She blushed, her heart fluttering into a steady beat of swooning at the gesture. He was being a gentleman and being polite, she knew that. Still, she was practically melting like that young teenage girl she once was when we first fell in love with him.

Nodding, Amy smiled up at him. "Ready as I'll ever be."

His gaze remained locked onto hers before giving her a toothy grin as he teased, "Shall we, m'lady?"

Amy playfully rolled her eyes and laughed, feeling a little more relaxed. Leave it to the blue hedgehog to lighten up the mood with his silly acting. "We shall."

.

.

.

That's a lot of people.

Was the first thing Amy thought when they pulled up in front of the gala hall. There were many businessmen and women with their dates wrapped in their arms, many people entering with their coworkers, and many going in alone. They were all dressed elegantly and ready for the event.

For some reason, she looked down at her own dress and the mild second thoughts started to creep into her head. Was she even suited to be here right now? Her body definitely wasn't the same after her pregnancy with Dash, so her curves weren't complimenting well like before. Or were they? Was she just overthinking it? Was she-

"Ames?"

Sonic's voice pulled Amy out of her internal turmoil. He was already at the other side of the back passenger seat with the door open, his hand out ready to help her get off the car. He looked at her, concerned. "You okay?"

"Huh?" She blinked at him, "Oh, right. Sorry. I-I'm just a bit… overwhelmed, that's all."

She took his hand as she got out of the car, adjusting her dress once she did and making sure her heels weren't caught at the hem. She saw Sonic tip his Chauffeur before he made his way around next to her.

"Still nervous?" Sonic asked her, giving her a reassuring grin.

It did thankfully help that he was so understanding about her insecurities, even when she didn't completely voice them. "How can I not be?" Amy sighed, giving him a small smile, "I'm with the man of the night, after all."

He rolled his eyes. "C'mon. You know you shouldn't be nervous 'cause of that. I forgot I was even the main host for this thing!"

"Yeah, I know. And you're going to be late to your own event, so we should head inside."

"Amy," He said seriously, his hand circling around her own with a gentle squeeze, "If it gets too much, you gotta tell me."

She knew she shouldn't have been surprised or touched by his concern, but she was- and it made her feel slightly guilty that she was getting worked up over nothing. "I-I will, don't worry, Sonic. I'll be fine, really."

"Take a deep breath for me."

"What?"

Sonic chuckled and repeated, "Take a deep breath for me. Here, I'll take one with you!"

Amy laughed at him but took a deep breath as he suggested, and as she exhaled she felt the tension leaving her body. Sonic mirrored her actions, his gaze fixed on her all the while.

"See? Nothing to it," he said, his smile warm and encouraging. "Just remember, we're here to have a good time. And you've got me by your side, 'kay?"

She nodded, smiling at his reassurance. "Thanks."

He winked at her as he offered her his arm. "Anytime."

Together, they walked into the gala hall. The venue struck Amy – the sparkling chandeliers, the elegantly decorated tables, the buzz of conversation and laughter. It was a lot.

As they made their way through the crowd, they were met with admiring glances and nods of recognition. Sonic greeted people with his trademark charm as the cameras went crazy around him. The press was here, of course, asking questions and yelling at both of them to face the cameras for a good shot. The flashing lights were unbearable and Sonic practically had to drag her further inside the hall so she wouldn't have to endure it any longer.

"Just like the old times," Amy muttered once they began heading into the main hall.

Sonic sighed, chuckling as he shook his head. "Some things never change."

When they arrived at the main hall, the setup left her in absolute awe. The room was beautifully decorated with shimmering drapes, elegant floral arrangements, and a massive dance floor at the centre, where there was a nice jazz band playing. The tables were adorned with fine china and sparkling glassware, and the soft glow of the chandeliers added a touch of glamour to the whole scene.

"Amy!"

She turned around and saw Tikal running up to her in small hurried steps, with Shadow holding one side of her to make sure she didn't have the potential of falling.

"Tikal!" Amy laughed and gently pulled away from Sonic to give Tikal a hug, "You made it! And you look beautiful!"

"You do as well! " Tikal smiled when she looked down at her dress with smitten approval, "We would've arrived a lot earlier but she had other plans."

When Amy saw the echidna rubbing her stomach, she immediately put two and two together and beamed. "You guys are having a girl? Congratulations!"

"Thank you!" The echidna laughed and looked at Shadow fondly, "We settled on the name Hope after all."

"At least try to look happy, Shadow," Sonic chimed in as he looked at the black hedgehog with a sly grin, "You're gonna be a daddy soon."

Shadow shot an annoyed glare at him. "Don't start."

"Wasn't gonna."

"Hey," Amy gave the blue hedgehog a soft nudge, "Civil, remember?"

Sonic looked at her and then groaned a little before smiling at the other couple. "Congrats, Tikal! I know you're gonna be a great mother to your girl. Shadow, you want advice from a dad?"

"No," Shadow said bluntly and started to lead Tikal to the front table, "We need to sit down."

Amy stifled her laughter against her hand, to which Sonic nudged her back.

"Congratulations on the merger, Sonic!" Tikal gave him an apologetic look for the rush and for Shadow, "Send my regards to your team as well."

"Thanks, Tikal," Sonic smiled at them as they walked to their table, "Enjoy the rest of the night!" When the couple went, he turned back to face her and lightly poked her in the head, "I swear, being civil is so boring."

"Well, this is your own party," Amy playfully rolled her eyes at him, poking him in the nose back, "Nobody wants to see Mr. Hedgehog Holdings in a catfight."

"You saying that makes this whole thing real and I already wanna go home," he said and let out a yawn before he grabbed her hand again, "Let's get to the front before Tails and Knuckles get on my case again."

Amy made sure to keep up with Sonic's pace when they walked. As they did, she traced her eyes around the haul of guests sitting at the tables to see if she recognised anyone. She did, and some of the women she knew smiled at her in kind recognition, and she only did it back- knowing that they were one of the few who were ever nice to her when she was with Sonic in the past.

The envious looks from other people didn't go unnoticed by her, and she trained her eyes away from them, noting to herself that it wasn't anything new. She felt Sonic's hand squeeze her own, indicating that he knew what was going on as well.

Staring down at their hands, she suddenly felt secure.

Once they got to the front with everyone else waiting, Sonic gestured her to the table where Shadow and Tikal were sitting with Tails and Knuckles accompanying them.

"Hey, Amy," Tails greeted her as Sonic pulled out a chair for her and sat down, "Looking good!"

"Thanks, Tails," Amy smiled at him, her gaze wandering over to Knuckles, "Did Rouge not come with you?"

Knuckles finished his drink and shook his head. "Nah. She's caught the cold."

"Knuckles, you should've stayed with her," Tikal told her brother with a disapproving stare.

"That's like asking for a death wish," Knuckles said, groaning as he rubbed his forehead, "Trust me, she'd rather I be here than look after her back home," he rolled his eyes and squinted at Tikal, "Besides, shouldn't you be at home relaxing? You're pregnant!"

"I've tried to persuade her," Shadow added, shaking his head with his eyes closed and arms crossed, "But I'm not one to argue against a woman's pregnancy hormones."

"You got that right," Sonic muttered when he sat down next to her. Amy turned her head to him and narrowed her eyes, clearly unimpressed with the comment. He noticed and gave her a cheeky grin before whistling away in the other direction.

"Hate to be in the middle of multiple couple spats but," Tails said as he threw his thumb back at the main stage, "Sonic, Mariko is going to arrive soon. You should get your speech ready."

The sole mention of that name quickly sent Amy spiraling down into a hole that she didn't want to come out of.

Her joyful smile depleted every so slowly, but she masked her discomfort by taking a small drink from her glass to clear the sudden clogging in her throat. The last thing she wanted was to change everyone's mood because of her own battle.

Just what was she expecting anyway? She knew she was going to make an appearance, hopefully, and preferably with someone else in her arms instead.

Who was she kidding? Amy wasn't stupid enough to actually believe that was going to be the case. Mariko was going to set her eyes on her ex for the umpteenth time.

However, now wasn't the time to get jealous. Now wasn't the time to be selfish. This was an important night for Sonic, and she refused to ruin it by letting her inner demons run wild. Even if she was just bottling it all up.

"Amy?"

She jumped at the sound of Sonic's voice. "Yeah?"

His eyes furrowed at her in concern again, but he didn't say anything.

Dang it. She was worrying him.

"I'm fine," Amy reassured him with a faint smile, "Really, I am."

He wasn't convinced, but she decided to reassure him again by squeezing his hand.

After some time, the lights dimmed, and a hush fell over the room as a spotlight illuminated the stage. Sonic, with his usual flair, stood up and winked at Amy before he made his way to the stage. The crowd erupted in applause and cheers, and Amy couldn't help but smile at the sight. Sonic had always been a charismatic, natural leader, and seeing him command the attention of the room was a familiar but still impressive sight.

"Thank you all for joining us tonight," Sonic began, his voice projecting through the microphone. "It's been quite a journey for Hedgehog Holdings, and I'm happy to be celebrating this milestone with all of you."

She watched him with a mixture of pride and fondness. She knew how much he had worked to get to this point, and how many challenges he had overcome. Despite everything, he remained humble.

He continued with his speech, highlighting the successes of the company and expressing gratitude to his team and the attendees. As he spoke, Amy spotted someone from the back coming up onto the stage, and to her dread, it was the woman did not want to see tonight.

Mariko Niyaga, in all her glory, was met with a round of applause when she stepped up onto the stage next to Sonic. She was gracious in her appearance, a shimmering dark green gown enclosing her body. The grey hedgehog clearly didn't hold back on anything.

Sonic's speech seemed to stretch on, but Amy's focus had shifted. She watched as Mariko stood confidently next to the blue hedgehog, occasionally speaking into the microphone to also mention how much the merger meant to her.

Amy focused on her glass, her fingers tracing the rim as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. She told herself that she could handle this, that she wouldn't let her own insecurities get the best of her.

But it was hard. It was hard to see Mariko standing there, looking so confident and comfortable by Sonic's side. It was hard to ignore the somewhat connection that seemed to linger between them. And it was hard to ignore the voice in her head that whispered, You're not enough.

As the applause erupted at the end of Sonic's speech, Mariko took the microphone and began to speak. Her voice was smooth and composed, capturing the attention of everyone in the room. Amy tried to focus on her words, but her thoughts were a whirlwind of anxiety and self-doubt. She couldn't help but compare herself to Mariko – her appearance, her success, and the way she seemed to fit so effortlessly into Sonic's world.

"...and I want to thank Sonic for his dedication and hard work, for his vision that has brought us all here tonight," Mariko's voice flowed, and Amy could feel the weight of her words. "Working alongside him has been an absolute pleasure, and I look forward to the continued success of Hedgehog Holdings."

The applause swelled again, and Amy joined in, her hands clapping mechanically while her heart felt heavy. She stole a glance at Sonic, who was looking at Mariko with a smile.

Did he ever look at her like that? Did he ever hold her in that high regard?

She was just a mother with his child, after all.

"I need to use the restroom," She announced to nobody in particular, standing up from her seat.

Tikal was the first one to turn her head around to see her, and immediately, the echidna knew what was up. "Amy?"

Amy just feined a smile at her and shook her head. "I won't be too long."

She took one last look at Sonic as he shook his hands with Mariko, which was enough to turn her away and start walking.

Two steps forward, Amy. And you've already taken a hundred back.