Silver: This took you forever! Gosh, people are waiting for you to write!

SunLove: I know, I know.

Sonic: Tsk tsk.

Shadow: Maybe it's because you're focusing more on your other story. So that's how it is, huh? You like that one more than this one.

SunLove: What! No! I love all my stories the same!

Silver: I have never been this hurt in my life.

Sonic: You might as well ditch us.

SunLove: You guys give me a headache. *Turns to readers* Read the story while I go and fix this mess.

Disclaimer: Sonic and anyone related belongs to Sega. All Ocs belong to me.

Chapter 18: Where?

Silver didn't know what to do.

He was never trained for this kind of situation. When your mother was pacing around freaking out, it was kind of hard to keep yourself under controlled. The metallic colored hedgehog's eyes followed her trembling form as it zipped from one place to another. It was confusing and overwhelming to see Chelsea run around hyperventilating, crying and shouting out for any help. He desperately needed Sonic right now, but he was out looking for the ebony hedgehog.

"Mo-mom, please," he pleaded putting his hands up, "calm down. You're going to get sick."

Chelsea paid no attention to him and his words. They didn't help to find Shadow. And if it didn't help to find it meant nothing to her. Although, she didn't think having a break-down was helping but she didn't care. It was helping her; helping her from going crazy.

Or hasn't she already?

The young woman raced around putting her hand through her hair and then searching, widely, for an unknown object before returning to her busying. "We need to find Shadow," she whispered at first then as she paced her voice got louder. "We need to find him, my God, we need to find him. It's been four whole days!" She put the edges of her fingers in her mouthing chewing on the already chewed nails.

"We need to find him. My baby can't survive out there," she mumbled to herself repeatedly.

Silver looked around for someone; anyone. He silently prayed for the Lord to do something. Knocking her out would even suffice. Anything but this. She looked mad. She looked as if she were on the brink of insanity. It was awful seeing her like this. He needed to do something. Now.

"Mother, please," he begged again, "I know you're worried about Shadow but we won't find him if you're like this!"

She turned to him and glared with such malice. This was the time he really got to see his mother. Her chocolate eyes were surrounded by a pinkish-red color instead of white. Her cheeks were stained with dry tears and the above her upper lip, snot rolled down. The bottom lip was bruised and bloody from her teeth sinking in them. The black tornado, she called hair, was knotted and frizzy making it impossible to figure how she detangled her hand from it. The gray, baggy, sweat shirt she wore was crinkled and he could see wet tear stains around the collar. She wore shorts that she'd been in for three days.

A blind person could see she was not in her right mind.

Her eyes held so much hurt and worry. They held this kind of insane look that scared Silver so much. There was no trace of the love he used to see. Her warming smile was no longer existent. She never smiled anymore. It was just gone. She was, literally, a human being filled with misery. She wasn't Chelsea anymore, not in this state.

She wasn't his mother.

"You're damn right I'm worried about him," her shout made him wince, "Silver he's out there, outside. None of you know the first thing about the world out there. It's horrible, cruel. He needs to be here. Right now! Silver bring him back!" she cried. Fresh hot tears cascaded down her face as she moved in closer to him.

Silver stood there, blankly. He didn't know what to do or what to say. He just stood there as Chelsea moved closer to him and shouted her distress. When she was within a foot from him she continued, "I need him back Silver. I did this. It's all my fault. None of this would've happened if I just shut my mouth." Chelsea covered her eyes with her hands and bent over sobbing.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!" She then collapsed in front of him as violent sobs ripped from her throat. Her fragile form trembled with each sound she made.

She deserved every punishment there was. She ran one of her children off. Their own mother, the one that was supposed to love and cherish them, turned against him and made him feel as if he wasn't loved. It was sinful. So sinful. It made her sick just to be in her own skin. The feeling that her own to lips formed words that broke the ebon hedgehog's heart was retched horrible, to put it lightly. It made her want to regurgitate everything's she's ever said or done. Chelsea had even doubted her role on this Earth. Why was she here if all she did was cause pain? She needed an answer or she just might go completely insane.

As she continued her cries of woe Silver kneeled down and wrapped his arms around her. That was all he knew and could do at this moment. He couldn't say any other word but, "Pray," to her. That was all. He didn't offer any words of comfort or words of hope. He just said the four lettered word and kept quiet as she drenched his chest with tears. He'd begun to think that she'd paid no heed to his word until she started to mumble incoherent words which got louder and louder.

But that was alright.

Her prayer didn't need to make sense to him. It didn't need to make sense to anyone but herself and God. That was all there was to it. Just pour your heart out to him and he will do the rest. So, as Silver rubbed her back in comfort and tried to be that silent comforter. Chelsea screamed and pounded on his chest but he still continued to close his eyes and rub her back, soothingly.

And they continued to stay like that for as long as they could remember.

"Mom, you're going to go, now. I don't care what you have to say," Sonic stated with firmness. He planted his hands on his hips and his features were set with a grim expression.

"Are you crazy!?" Chelsea exclaimed.

"No, you are."

She ignored that but still continued, "You expect me to go to work while one of my children just ran away. Are you insane Sonic? I'm not going to do that, no matter what you say. I will do no such thing!"

"Oh yes you will! Mom listen," he said sternly and right up front, "I know this is hard. I might not ever understand what you're going through but this job of yours, I've noticed, makes you a bit lighter."

Chelsea's brow rose, "Are you saying that I look as if I've lost weight when I come back because that's not only rude but I know that's not true." She crossed her arms and glared warningly at the azure male.

Sonic chuckled, releasing some of his hard demeanor. He sighed and smiled a little soft one. "No, mom. What I'm saying is that, no matter how 'tired'," he made quotations around the word earning a grunt from the young woman, "you are, I can always see you're happy. You might've not realized this, but you always seem to smile when you get back."

"I don't understand, baby. What does that have to do with anything?"

Sonic looked to the ground suddenly embarrassed. His face flushed to an unbearable color and he scratched the back of his neck, chuckling nervously.

"Well, I thought, maybe, if you went, you would be happier. I just…I don't know."

And the thing was, he really didn't know. The idea sounded so good, so well-thought out in his head that he was confident in the idea. He thought it was brilliant. In truth, it really was but as Sonic said it...he didn't know. It just sounded, sappy. But the only reason he thought of this was because of what he said. He wanted to make his mother happy. Her depressed state had taken a toll on everybody in the house. He couldn't even find the strength to find the positive in things anymore; and when he walked in on Silver and Chelsea on the floor. Well, let's just say, he didn't take it very well.

I mean, he didn't go all out and freak out. No. Well, not exactly, he guessed. He just silently walked up into his room and sat on his bed. That's all he did. Sit. Sonic didn't really know what else to do. After another four hours of failure and then coming back home to see someone in pieces was a lot to take. And the thing was, it hadn't even been a week since his birthday. Since their birthday.

When you celebrate the day you were born, brought down from God's mind and into the world, it wasn't the ideal way to celebrate such a creation. They did, in fact, celebrate it the normal way, one that was filled with heavenly sugar. But it didn't end the way he, particularly, hoped.

And as Sonic sat there and thought about how his elder brother had walked out on them he got angry.

Sonic growled loudly before taking a nearby object and throwing it against his wall. Poor remote. He huffed and puffed before taking another one and throwing it against the mirror. It cracked greatly but no shards fell.

How could he? How could that selfish excuse of a hedgehog just walk out on them? How could he be so stupid? Didn't he know when he walked from the house he was going to tear this family apart? Didn't that he know that he literally took all of them away from themselves? He was angry, but he had no reason to do what he did. Sonic growled again before kicking his bed and roaring,

"YOU SELFISH BASTARD!"

Right when he put his hands on the wall and leaned over, panting, tears started to form. They slowly cascaded down his flaring cheeks and silently dripped to the carpeted floor. "Why?" he wheezed softly, punching the wall, lightly and slumping to the floor. And there, he just put a hand over his face and wept into it as it were his mother's chest.

Yeah, that was it. So, in order to keep his sanity, he needed to make Chelsea happy. If she was at least a bit lighter he thought, maybe, his heart would feel a lot less heavy. Maybe, it would bring their broken pieces in a small pile instead of away from each one.

"Please go, mom," he whispered. "I would make me…" he looked up, those shiny emerald orbs glittering with unshed tears.

Chelsea gasped silently. Why was he so emotional about this? She didn't understand but she wasn't about to say no to that face. A bit startled, she nodded and exclaimed, "Baby, don't…just don't cry. I'm going, see?" she started up the stairs, "I'll go, Sonic. Don't cry sweetie. Whatever makes you happy." She stayed for a second longer before heading to her room.

Sonic nodded smiling. He sniffled before shaking the tears away and laughed at himself. "What a cry baby," he muttered to himself. He then walked away too busy himself with something.

(0….)

Chelsea wiped the table clean with the wash cloth. She scrubbed the clean surface plenty of times but for some reason, the slick wooden table, just didn't seem right. Each time she cleaned it she looked for her reflection, and to no one's surprise, it was there. It had been there ever since the first time she'd cleaned it but, still, it wasn't right. Something wasn't right. It was as if the reflection was cloudy and gray. It wasn't recognizable. Everything about it was off. The dark-skinned girl with a high pony-tail, loose strands everywhere, and dark eyes wasn't the one she recognized. Her face clouded with misery and darkness. Her eyes dimmed with inexplicable emotions. It couldn't possibly be her, therefore something was wrong with the table.

She scrubbed and cleaned and scrubbed and cleaned. Chelsea took both of her hands and pushed back and forth making a horrible squeaking sound. Luckily she was on the side of the restaurant where customers weren't, but even if there were others around her. She could care less. Something was wrong with this table and she needed to fix it. No matter what.

So, as the young woman scrubbed with all her might, she was too busy to notice someone come up behind her. "Stupid table," she grunted. Chelsea nearly jumped when a deep chuckle split through her thoughts. She immediately turned around, wash cloth behind her. Her eyes suddenly widened as she took in the man from the other day.

Noah.

His name never left her mind. It might've been tucked away somewhere, but not somewhere where she couldn't reach it. A shaky breath left her lips as he politely waved at her and smiled. She felt her grip on the napkin tighten as his electrifying blue eyes swirled with amusement. She almost fell as he spoke.

"Is something wrong there?" he asked with a raised brow.

Her brown eyes scanned his lavender collared shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, that was tucked in his black dress pants. It was unusual that he was dress up but she wasn't going to say she didn't support it. The question almost passed by her until it finally registered, a minute.

"N-no!" she exclaimed, stuttering. She then realized she was yelling and shrunk back turning her back to him. An exhale left the girl's lips and Chelsea shut her eyes tightly.

Shadow was really messing up her mind.

At least that's what she thought.

Yeah, it was him. If Sonic would've just let her continue to look for him, she wouldn't be so jittery. She needed to find him. Who cared about this job!? It was only something for her to do. It wasn't like she needed. But if she didn't go Sonic would've probably started crying and right now, she couldn't handle that. Honestly. But it has been five days and counting. She'd realized that Shadow could, or was fully capable, of handling himself. In the anime, many fanfictions just as a character in general he was known for this. He could survive anywhere and he could go well beyond a month without food or water because he solely lived off of chaos energy. At least in the animation world. But that's just it.

She had no way of knowing if that was true.

This was the real world. A world where things like Black Doom and Eggman weren't real. The three hedgehogs she harbored now weren't even supposed to be real. None of this was supposed to be real. And that confused her. How was she supposed to know what is real and what is not? Right now, she didn't know what to think or do. Everything she's ever known has done backflips into the sunset.

How was she supposed to know if Shadow was even alive?

She couldn't even ponder on that possibility right now. That was way too much to handle. Her grip on the cloth tightened to the point where she was sure her nails had bended back. Chelsea could feel oncoming tears fill her eyes. And when she opened them they blurred her vision tremendously. She sniffled and whispered a distant, "Why?"

Why did this have to happen to her?

"Hey, are you alright, miss?"

Chelsea rubbed her eyes but it only made the tears fill her lids more. She kept her back towards the man. The tears rolling down her cheeks would probably scare him off and even though she rather preferred to be alone, there was some part of her wanting to keep him there.

"Y-yeah. I'm alright," she chirped, watery. She cursed as her voice cracked.

Noah's light brows furrowed together. He scowled. "You don't sound alright to me." He reached for her arm. When his hand locked onto her limb Chelsea felt her arm tingle with warmth. She gasped as he spun her around to face him. She tried to keep her head down but when his voice turned hard and he commanded, "Look at me," she couldn't help but to follow orders. She didn't know why, but she did and by the time she had realized what she'd done it was too late. As his blue orbs swirled with concern they also held a bit of….well, something she couldn't place.

"Tell me what's wrong so I can fix it."

The hot tears ran down faster and faster as the two looked at each other, silence surrounding them. Her arm was in a tight lock and their bodies were close together. Her other hand laid on his chest and she felt the calming rhythm of his breathes. She was supposed to feel the warmth that radiated off of his body. Well, she did feel hot but not in a way she expected. Instead, a feeling of rage filled her chest. Chelsea's eyes narrowed at Noah who's in turn narrowed.

"Let go of me," she hissed. When he shook his head she started to squirm out of hands. "Let go of me or I'll scream." And just like that, his hands dropped. Chelsea tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and wiped her face of tears. Her brows furrowed with anger and she stepped back. "I appreciate your concern sir, but it is none of your business and I'll appreciate it more if you didn't put your hands on me." She rolled her eyes before turning on her heal and as she was about to leave he said, defeated, "Look, I'm sorry."

Her feet stopped and she crossed her arms. She turned around, body leaning on one leg. Chelsea felt her heart hammer against her chest when Noah ran a hand through his messy blond hair. She took the time to study it and noticed he was a platinum blond. Actually, she narrowed her eyes, his hair almost seemed to be white. Her head titled as she gazed upon the hair and was snapped back to reality after he had said, "I just, don't like seeing others upset. I apologize for my behavior."

His cerulean irises focused on the floor and a sigh escaped his lips. Noah's hand rubbed along the back of his head. The self-disappointment on his face willed her to drop the attitude. It might've been her state of mind but she let go of her anger. Her arms dangled at her sides and she sighed also. She shook her head before going up to him and bowing. Noah hummed in confusion.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Excuse me sir. I'm sorry," she stood straight and smiled tiredly, "I have a lot going on in my life and, well, as you can see, I'm not in the best shape of my life," she referenced to her dirtied uniform and messy hair. "I know I was rude and I'm so very sorry for that. I shouldn't have talked to you that way; especially what you did for me the other day."

Noah shook his head and a tiny smile appeared on his lips. "No problem. And don't worry about it. It wasn't in my place to ask anyway. And it was out of line to touch you. My mistake. I'm impulsive," he started to scratch his chin, "Maybe that's why I don't have a girlfriend."

The two shared laughs. Noah smiled brightly as Chelsea held a hand to her mouth to contain her giggles. Next, she put a hand out and he raised a brow.

"It was nice meeting you. My name's Chelsea."

He took her hand pulling his mouth to her ear. The touch of his skin on hers caused her hand to tingle.

"You said that already."

(0…)

"Ok, we need to really find him. This has gone on for way too long," Chelsea stated in front of the two hedgehogs who nodded. "Let's go," she went to grab her keys but Silver reached out and grabbed her forearm.

"Hold on mom. That's why we haven't found him."

"What do you mean?"

Sonic stood up. "We need to think of places Shadow's most likely to be. We can't just go out and search for him effectively. We need guidelines."

Chelsea nodded, "You guys are right. We won't get anywhere if we don't search properly." She sat down and folded her arms. Her left leg started to bounce rapidly as she thought of places the crimson striped hedgehog would go. She rubbed her temples.

"If I were Shadow the Hedgehog, where would I go?" she quietly asked herself. Silver and Sonic also hummed while they thought. Suddenly Silver snapped his fingers. "I got it!"

The other two opened their mouths with excitement, their lids open wide with expecting eyes. "What is it!? Where?" cried Chelsea.

"He would go someplace dark because, ya'know, he's all emo and whatnot. So, maybe we should go to an alleyway or something," the silver furry said. He crossed his arms smiling, proud at himself for thinking so brilliantly.

It was silent until Sonic came out, bursting with laughter. He held his sides as though they would split while Silver's eyes widened. "What's so funny," he asked, confused. He turned his golden eyes to his mother who glared him down. His ears lowered. "What!?" he exclaimed.

Chelsea rubbed her forehead. She sighed and clenched her teeth. "We are going to forget you said that, alright?"

"But what did I-"

"I said," she shouted, then lowered her voice, "we are going to forget you ever said that, okay?" Silver just shrunk back blushing terribly. He played with his fingers completely avoiding her gaze.

Chelsea's eyes averted to the azure hedgehog who was still laughing, giddily. "Sonic," she warned. Said hedgehog covered his mouth, shoulders shaking. He wiped away a tear and stumbled, "O-okay, okay. I'll stop," he chuckled, "Good one Silver."

The young woman rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "If you two don't mind, can we please get serious? I don't know if you two realize this but this is a serious situation," she growled. She waited, irritant, for everyone, or Sonic who still chuckled, to calm down. When all was quiet she sighed and sat back.

"Now, really, where would Shadow go? He's never been anywhere."

Silver scratched his chin. Where would he go? It wasn't as if Shadow had been driven around the town. None of them had. They had lived inside their entire life. There was no possible way they could narrow down the search. The only places they've been are the backyard. That's about it and there couldn't…

Wait….

Wait a gosh darn minute!

Silver stood up quickly, eyes wide, teeth showing in a full blown smile. He slammed the table they sat around causing the other two to jump. Sonic was the first to react.

"Jeez Silver, what's your problem?" he exclaimed, the fur on his neck rose from the slight scare.

Chelsea tilted her head, "Silvy, what's the mat-"

"The beach, mom! The beach, maybe that's where Shadow is!"

Silver: Well, I just think we should drop this before someone gets hurt.

Shadow: I agree.

Sonic: Dido.

SunLove: WHAT! YOU GUYS ARE THE ONE HOLDING ME OVER A FIREPIT!

Sonic: No need to yell. Sheesh.

Thank You. R&R

~God Bless You~