A/N: I've been having a really tough time at work recently, so I wrote this to comfort myself. Besides, we need more fics about Vanilla being Shadow's mom.
A Checker taxi pulled up to the mansion of Rouge the Bat, and Vanilla the Rabbit stepped out after paying the fare. It was a gray, cool, foggy day, but that didn't bother Vanilla. To her, it was just another weather pattern. She pressed the button on the intercom next to the wrought iron gate.
"Who is it?"
"Rouge, it's Vanilla."
The gate opened, and Vanilla strode up to the front door. Rouge the Bat opened it as soon as Vanilla got there.
"Hi, Vanilla! How are you today?"
"I'm doing well, and how about you?"
"I'm all right, but I'm worried about Shaddy. Ever since he got back home from work, he's been giving me the silent treatment. I've left him alone because I know he likes his personal space."
Vanilla frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. I was hoping I could visit him today."
Rouge frowned. "OK, I'll let you go up to see him. Just don't be surprised if he decapitates you or something."
Vanilla smiled. "I'm not worried. I know he'd never hurt me."
Vanilla entered the mansion, and Rouge shut the door behind her. Having visited the mansion before, she knew exactly where Shadow's bedroom was. She knew that the Ultimate Life Form didn't exactly have the happiest upbringing, so she wondered what it was that was bothering him. Nevertheless, she was confident that he would open up to her. When she got to his room, she heard crying inside, which made her frown. Nevertheless, she knocked on the door.
"Whoever it is, go away!" yelled Shadow.
"Shadow, it's me, Vanilla."
Shadow sighed. "Fine…come in."
Vanilla entered Shadow's room, only to find him lying face-first on the bed, crying into his pillow. She gasped at the sight of this and put her hand up to her chin. Nevertheless, having dealt with her daughter Cream crying before, she knew how to handle this:
"Shadow, why are you crying?"
Shadow sat up. "I'm sorry, Mom; I…I've just been having such a difficult time at work lately and I don't know how to handle it."
Vanilla smiled. "It's OK, Shadow; I'm right here if you need to talk."
Shadow nodded weakly. "All right…I'll talk."
Vanilla walked over to the bed and sat down next to Shadow.
"Well, what's on your mind?" asked Vanilla.
"So usually, it's not too much trouble for me to keep up with the workflow, but for the past few weeks, the lines have just been running at maximum speed and it's difficult for me to keep up. I try my best to keep up, but my coworkers keep bitching about how I should go faster, and one time, one of the supervisors acted like it was my fault and I swore at him, so he wrote me up. Don't get me wrong, I still like working there, and I understand the need to get the product out, but I'm NOT a robot! I have feelings, and even I can only do so much!"
Vanilla smiled. "Ordinarily, I would tell you to watch your language, but I can tell this is really bothering you, so I won't judge you for that, nor will I judge you for snapping at your supervisor. I will, however, tell you this: all things are temporary. Even if this is bothering you now, you get to choose how to react to it. Please, do try your best not to let it bother you, OK?"
Shadow crossed his arms. "Hmph, easier said than done. Try putting yourself in my Hover Shoes for a change."
Vanilla put a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "I may not know what it's like to be in your situation, but I want to let you know that deep down inside, you're a very good boy, and I'm proud of everything you've ever done for Cream and all of us. I promise I'll always be here to talk, and I believe in you."
Shadow gazed deeply into Vanilla's eyes. He didn't want to believe that things could get better, but with a woman like this showing him the love and compassion that only a mother could give him – even if she wasn't his biological mother – he truly believed he could weather anything.
"Thank you so much, Mom."
"You're welcome, Shadow!"
Shadow gave Vanilla a big hug, which she gladly returned. He was largely done crying, but continued to shed a few tears as he held on to her. On one hand, he felt so horribly messed up from crying so much, but on the other hand, he felt warm and snuggly from having her give him a hug. Sure, she could never replace Maria, Rouge or Amy Rose, but it meant so much to him that he had somebody that would love him unconditionally like only a mother could, even if many people thought he was just a heartless killer, which was one of the furthest things from the truth. Plus, she was just so soft, warm and cuddly like no other woman he'd ever held, and he would gladly stand up to protect her.
Even if Vanilla hadn't known Shadow for too long, and even if she had heard stories about his past wrongdoings, she could easily look past those. Besides, considering not only the way he'd treated Cream, but also the way he acted towards her, she was proud to have him as her adopted son. Besides, ever since the death of her husband Chocolate, she lamented not being able to give Cream a sibling. On the other hand, even if Shadow wasn't her biological son, she loved him enough that he helped her to feel better about everything, and it made her think back to when he first told her about Maria. Ever since then, and especially after he started calling her "Mom", she just wanted to give him her love, and hugging him definitely filled that void. Eventually, she let go, but not without leaving a smile on his face.
"Feeling better, Shadow?"
Shadow wiped away his tears and blew his nose. "Almost. I just want you to get one thing for me…"
"All right."
"Please, get me a glass of warm milk. Whenever I cry, I feel better after I've had a glass of warm milk."
Vanilla frowned. "But won't that make you sleepy?"
"Trust me on this one, Mom."
Vanilla stared at Shadow briefly. Then, she smiled.
"Well…all right. Please, stay here and I'll bring it to you."
Shadow smiled. "Thank you."
Vanilla headed for the kitchen/dining room, poured some whole milk into a pot and heated it up. She hummed "Camptown Races" to herself while waiting for the milk to warm up. Then, she gasped when she felt someone hug her from behind.
"Shadow, I thought I told you to stay in your room!"
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't help but express my appreciation for the best mother in the world!"
Vanilla chuckled. "That's very sweet of you. Now please, let me go and allow me to finish warming your milk up."
"Of course!"
Shadow let go of Vanilla and let her finish warming up the milk, which she poured into a glass.
"Here you go."
"Thank you!"
Shadow proceeded to drink the milk, purring and blushing as it entered his throat. Vanilla couldn't help but smile at the whole thing.
"Feeling better, Shadow?"
"Much better! And Mom, I wanted to tell you something…"
"Yes?"
"You're a very beautiful woman. Your whole family is lucky to have you."
Vanilla clasped her hands together. "Oh, that's very sweet of you! You're a handsome boy yourself!"
Shadow giggled. "Oh, stop! Seriously, though, I can't tell you how glad I am that you accept me as your unofficial son. I'll always love you, Mom."
"I'll always love you too, Shadow the Hedgehog."
Vanilla gave Shadow a quick peck on the cheek in addition to another big hug, which he gladly returned. Between having his cute pink girlfriend Amy, his best friend Rouge and his adopted mom Vanilla, he felt blessed to have so many wonderful women in life. However, a certain someone couldn't help but take notice of the whole thing:
"Awww, look at my little Shaddy baby getting along with his Mommy!" said Rouge. "How adorable! Mind if I get a picture of you two?"
"I don't suppose why not," said Vanilla. "Would that be OK with you, Shadow?"
Shadow nodded. "I'm fine with it."
"OK!" said Rouge.
Vanilla stood next to Shadow and wrapped an arm around him as she smiled, and he rested his head against her as he returned the gesture and smiled.
"OK, mother and son, say 'cheese'!"
"Cheese!"
Rouge took the picture. Shadow was definitely looking forward to seeing his adopted mom again.
Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.