Still Here

by Takeshi1225

Based in Sonic X. What if in the moments that he had when falling to Earth, Shadow heard Maria's voice, pleading for him to live, giving the Ultimate Lifeform the strength for one last Chaos Control to save himself? Now with a second chance, Shadow navigates his new life with former enemies now allies and new enemies upon the horizon. No matter what happens, he will still be here.

3. Merriment

Still Here

Chapter 3: Merriment

It has been some time since Eggman had repaired the moon, and in that time, the trio of Shadow, Rouge and Omega waited patiently. They would not make their move until Eggman did. In order to pull off a master plan, you need to have your opponent play their way into your hand.

For now, the trio remained patient. Keeping to their own devices and schedules, waiting until that day would come.

As time went on, a certain special day had come around.

None other than that feel good holiday known as… Christmas!

A holiday of giving, joy, respect for thy fellow man and peace to be shared around the world!

All things the trio were not all about.

Well, maybe that wasn't exactly accurate, but they are known for their… less than heroic endeavors.

Regardless, it was still a season worth celebrating. They were just doing it in their own right.

Like Shadow.

Right now, the black and red quilled creature was standing outside under a tree with his arms crossed, silently staring off into the distance, while everyone else was inside enjoying the warmth as there was nothing but snow outside.

Amy was currently staring out the window, frowning upon seeing Shadow alone in the cold. Willingly no less.

"Why does he always have to stand out there in the blistering cold like that?" Amy questioned with a frown.

"He just seems to prefer it that way, Amy." Chris said.

"Well, I'd prefer it if he was here with us. All warm and cozy instead of cold and uncomfortable." Amy said with a small pout.

"I think he prefers cold and uncomfortable." Sonic said as he was lying on the couch with his hands behind his head.

"That's not true!" Amy argued. "I mean, sure, he gives off that impression, but I know that isn't what he likes. I'm sure he prefers the same thing we do."

"You never know with that guy." Sonic said with his eyes closed as he relaxed more into the furniture.

Amy turned back and stared back at Shadow.

"I wonder… since his life has always been on the ARK… will this be the first Christmas for him to celebrate?" Amy wondered aloud.

"Depending, if he wants to celebrate it." Sonic said, looking towards Amy with one eye open, causing Amy to moan with disappointment. "Don't worry about it, Amy. It's Christmas eve, so let him just brood for now. We can worry about it tomorrow." Sonic said, trying to comfort the girl hedgehog.

Amy remained silent as she continued to stare at Shadow.

This caused Sonic to frown with lightly somber eyes. He decided to close them and focus on his nap. He's got no reason to worry. Not about anything.

Amy will be fine. So will Shadow. There's no need for him to be so concerned or get involved.

"Hot coco~!" Ella chimed as she walked in holding a tray with several mugs of hot cocoa.

"Thanks, Ella." Chris thanked the housekeeper with a smile as he took a mug.

"Thanks." Sonic thanked her as she extended the tray to him, allowing him to take the mug.

When she went over towards Amy, the young hedgehog remained silent, continuing to stare out the window towards Shadow.

"Amy?" Ella spoke the pink one's name with confusion and concern.

"Hmm?" Amy was knocked out of her focus upon noticing the tray of hot cocoa. "Oh, thank you, Ella." Amy said as she took a mug and went back to staring out the window.

"That's a very pretty outfit, Amy." Ella said, gesturing towards the dress that was similar to Amy's original but being more like a sweater as it was a bit thicker with red sleeves with the ends having white fur, a white fur collar around her neck and two strings coming off the collar with puffballs at the ends of them.

"Thanks." Amy replied but never took her eyes away from the window.

Ella followed Amy's line of sight to see the sight of Shadow remaining still under the tree with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

"Oh. I see." Ella said with a small frown.

"Hmm~." Amy moaned with a frown.

"I sure hope he doesn't plan on staying there all day. He'll catch a cold." Ella said with concern.

"He probably might not. He was made in a lab to be the Ultimate Lifeform. Eggman's grandpa probably made him immune to the cold." Sonic suggested.

"Even so, he shouldn't be left out there all day. Not when it's warmer in here with much warmer company." Ella said, still frowning. Her eyes looked back towards Amy to see her never taking her somber eyes off Shadow. "You know, even if he doesn't wish to be warm inside, it doesn't mean he can't be warmed up." Ella said, earning Amy's attention and giving her a smile as she extended the tray towards the hedgehog again.

"You're right, Ella. Thank you." Amy said with an appreciative smile as she took another mug and hurried her way outside.

"Don't stay out there for too long!" Ella called out as the pink quilled girl headed for the doors.

Amy headed out the door and made her way over towards Shadow's spot. As she got closer, she slowed down a bit, now feeling hesitant about disturbing him. However, just seeing him there alone from everyone else steeled her resolve again as she picked up the pace.

Shadow remained silent. He was so deep in thought he didn't sense any incoming presence. He was just so engrossed in a certain memory.

.

.

"Merry Christmas, Shadow!"

Shadow snapped open his eyes, turning his line of sight from the viewpoint of Earth to Maria, giving him her lovely smile as always.

"What?" Shadow questioned.

"Remember? It's what we learned about from grandpa." Maria said as she turned her attention towards the blue planet they had been dreaming of. "A time where the people of the world come together and see each other as family. Doing selfless and kind things for one another and showing how much they matter to them. A time where everything that makes you sad in life just seems to disappear. Even if it's just only for a day. A time… where dreams feel like a possibility. The Season of Miracles." Maria said with a warm, hope-filled smile.

Shadow blinked his eyes before turning back towards the view of the planet as well.

"Miracles, huh?" Shadow said as he continued to stare at the planet for a while. "Yet we're still here." Shadow said with his tone having a hint of a layer of sadness.

"For now… but we'll get there. And when we do, we'll celebrate it with the rest of the world." Maria said, never losing her smile or the twinkle of hope in her eyes. "Oh, there's also another thing about Christmas that I really like." Maria said as she hurried over towards the side. Shadow turned his head in confusion as Maria soon came back holding a box with a red ribbon tied around it. "Here."

.

.

"Here."

"Hmm?" Shadow snapped open his eyes as turned to see Amy holding a mug out to him.

"It's for you." Amy said, extending the mug to him.

"… What is it?" Shadow asked.

"Hot cocoa. Courtesy of Ella." Amy answered as Shadow took the mug after a moment. "She makes it the best."

Shadow stared down at the liquid for a moment before taking a sip. He perked up a bit upon tasting the flavor.

"It's good." Shadow said.

"You ever had some before?" Amy asked.

"Not really a point to feeding something that doesn't need to eat to survive." Shadow said as he took another sip.

"Well, guess that means we just have so much for you to try then." Amy said with a smile.

Shadow just continued to sip on his cocoa, with those sips being the only noise he made as he remained silent otherwise.

Amy looked towards the side, feeling a little awkward. Not feeling like going inside yet, Amy decided to lean against the tree, staying under it alongside Shadow. She remained silent for a bit as she sipped from her own cup of cocoa.

"So… how come you chose to stay out here?" Amy asked, earning a look from Shadow. "I mean, you don't do things without an actual reason. So, why choose to stay out in the cold over being inside where it's nice and warm."

"I've never seen snow before. I've never even felt it." Shadow answered.

"Oh. That makes sense." Amy said, now realizing that what was an uncomfortable situation for many, was actually something new and possibly enjoyable to someone like Shadow. "So… do you like it?" Amy asked.

"It's different. I don't mind it." Shadow answered.

"I see." Amy said as looked down back at her cocoa with a small smile.

"I think Maria would have loved it." Shadow said, causing Amy to look at him in surprise before developing a warm smile.

"Since you're okay it, I'm sure she would have loved it." Amy said, looking up towards the falling snowflakes. "I know I've never gotten the chance to meet her, but after getting to know you and seeing how much she meant to you… I just know she was someone very special." Amy said, looking above, never losing her smile.

Shadow looked towards Amy for a moment before replying.

"Yes. She was." Shadow answered as he looked ahead, as Amy then looked to him with a smile. "Thank you, Amy." Shadow thanked the pinkette, causing her eyes to widen for a moment before she smiled again with a small blush.

"Anytime, Shadow." Amy said as she looked back down to her cocoa with her cheeks reddened some with her smile never leaving her face.

From inside the manor in the same spot Amy was at prior, Ella and Chris watched the pair's interaction.

"Now Amy's staying out there with him." Chris said with a bit of surprise.

"My cocoa does have a way of bringing others together." Ella commented.

"She shouldn't be out there." Sonic said, causing Ella and Chris to look at him in surprise. "Shadow is one thing, but Amy I know will catch a cold if she stays out there too long." Sonic said, trying to explain his reason.

"Sonic… are you actually jealous?" Chris asked with an almost teasing and knowing smile.

"Me? Jealous? Of what? It's just Shadow." Sonic said with a frown.

"With Amy." Chris said, causing Sonic to groan.

"Look, I can't control what Amy does as much as she can't control what I do. If she wants to stay out there with Shadow, so be it, but if she gets sick, don't say I didn't warn you." Sonic said, trying to act all nonchalant with a shrug and eyes closed.

Chris and Ella looked at one another before giving the other a knowing, slightly concerned smile.

Sonic can play it off as much as he wants, but he was as easy to read as a book.

The most they can hope right now is that it won't lead to anything serious between him and the dark blur anytime soon.

Just then the sound of a helicopter was heard, earning everyone's attention.

"What in the-?" Chris spoke with surprise.

Outside, Shadow and Amy looked up to see a helicopter coming closer to the Thorndykes mansion.

Shadow was on guard at the familiar sight, but for Amy on the other hand, though an uncommon sight, a helicopter arriving at the mansion only meant one thing.

"Is that…" Amy stopped mid-sentence as the power of the helicopter's copter blades created a small snowstorm that headed for the pink hedgehog and Shadow. Amy brought her arm up to shield her face from the assault of snow, only to be surprised to notice she wasn't being struck, because Shadow got in front of her in a defensive pose. 'Shadow…' Amy stared at the dark hedgehog, her eyes shimmering with admiration for his chivalry.

"Whoever they are, they don't seem like military." Shadow stated.

"Oh, no, don't worry. It's just Chris' parents." Amy said, placing a hand on Shadow's shoulder.

"His parents?" Shadow turned to Amy with mild surprise.

"That's right, I almost forgot. You never met them yet." Amy realized. "Well, they're very nice people. Rather eccentric. I'm sure you'll get along with them." Amy said with a smile.

Shadow just looked up towards the landing helicopter. Given their rather unorthodox entrance, he can safely say they were indeed eccentric.

Landing atop the helipad was the Thorndyke family's company helicopter. Upon landing safely, two passengers came off the helicopter. None other than Chris' parents, the famous business mogul, Nelson Thorndyke, and the famous actress, Lindsey Thorndyke née Fair.

"Ah, it's great to be home for the holidays. Isn't it, honey?" Nelson said, smiling at his wife.

"It certainly is. I always look forward to this time. We get to spend time with Chris for more than just a day or two. Something I cherish with all my heart." Lindsey said with a bright smile and eyes smiles.

"Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Thorndyke. It is a great joy to have you here with us once again, and during such a wonderful time of year." Tanaka, who had been waiting to greet them, bowed to the two with a truly happy smile.

"Tanaka! Good to see you! How have things been around here?" Nelson greeted the family butler with a smile.

"Rather exciting to be honest." Tanaka said as he stood up straight. "We have a new house guest, sir and lady Thorndyke."

"Oh, really? Is he nice?" Lindsey asked.

"Surprisingly so, even though he rarely smiles." Tanaka answered.

"Well, what matters is his actions. Just because a man doesn't have a habit of smiling doesn't mean they aren't a stand-up guy." Nelson said.

"I could not agree with you more, sir." Tanaka said with a thankful and agreeing smile. "Please, right this way. Ella had just made cocoa, and we wouldn't want you both to catch a cold." Tanaka gestured for the two to follow him inside, which they gladly did.

"Ella's cocoa sound fantastic right about now." Nelson said with an excited smile.

"Try not to overdo things this year, darling. I know Ella's cocoa is simply divine but try to control yourself or else you'll get a stomachache again this year." Linsey warned her husband.

"Oh, no need to worry, honey. I've been training myself to resist my impulses this past year." Nelson said with a confident smile.

'And yet you couldn't resist crashing my set on our anniversary.' Lindsey thought with a minor frown.

Tanaka guided the Mr. and Mrs. of the house downstairs, where they met Amy and a newcomer who had come through the front door.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Thorndyke. How wonderful it is to see you, as always." Amy greeted the pair with a pleasant smile and curtsy.

"Same to you, Amy." Nelson greeted the pink hedgehog with his ever-present smile.

"I just love your outfit, but don't you think you'll be a little too warm inside wearing that pink furred costume of yours?" Lindsey asked with concern.

Shadow raised an eyebrow at this, which Amy noticed so she decided to let him in on things.

"She thinks we're really small humans in animal costumes. We never bother to correct her because she doesn't seem to get it, no matter how many times we explain it." Amy whispered to Shadow.

"So, she's clueless." Shadow said in a low tone.

"Don't say it like that, especially in front of her." Amy said with a disapproving frown.

Nelson and Lindsey blinked their eyes in surprise to see the black and red streaked hedgehog before them. He looked eerily familiar to them.

"Tanaka, is this the house guest you were speaking about?" Nelson asked his home's butler.

"Yes, Mr. Thorndyke. I would like to introduce you both to Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog." Tanaka introduced the dark furred ultimate lifeform.

"Well, nice to meet you then. We're happy to have you." Nelson greeted the hedgehog warmly, extending his hand to him.

"Thank you." Shadow said as he shook Nelson's hand. "You… have a wonderful family." Shadow said, releasing Nelson's hand.

His words surprised Amy and Tanaka, who didn't expect Shadow to say such a thing upon their first meeting, before then smiling at him with pride in his development. All the while Nelson and Lindsey smiled warmly with gratitude.

"Thank you, Shadow. We try our best, even with the limited time we have here since we're always so busy." Nelson said.

"I have to ask, by any chance, are you related to Sonic?" Lindsey asked with curiosity.

"We are not related." Shadow answered with a slightly annoyed frown.

"Odd. The both of you could pass for brothers. Or each other's stunt doubles." Lindsey said, gently rubbing her chin with her thumb.

"Mom! Dad!" Chris came over, pleasantly surprised to see his parents.

"There you are son." Nelson greeted his only child with a joyful smile.

"My baby!" Lindsey greeted her son with an affectionate hug and kisses on his face.

"Mom, you don't have to coddle me this much. Especially not in front of company." Chris said with a bit of an uncomfortable frown.

Shadow stared at the interaction as he was once again reminded of Maria. She used to love giving him hugs.

Amy noticed something when she looked towards Shadow. There was some kind of reflection in his eyes. A… sad one. She somehow was able to tell when he was sad.

Seeing that reflection of sadness within his eyes made Amy frown. She felt a need to help, but how?

After a moment, she had an idea.

"I'll be back." Amy said to Shadow before hurrying off.

Shadow raised an eyebrow at this behavior. He could never predict what that girl would do next. At least, when he's concerned. He then heard someone clearing their throat making him turn to see it was Tanaka, extending a towel to him.

"Forgive my intrusion, but you look to have been out in the snow for quite some time, Shadow. Use this to dry yourself off." Tanaka said, handing the black and red hedgehog the towel.

"Thank you, Tanaka." Shadow said as he proceeded to wipe himself of the wetness from the melted snow around his fur.

"So, Shadow, how do you like your stay here?" Nelson asked the black and red hedgehog with his ever-present pleasant smile.

"It has been enjoyable. It still surprises me how welcoming everyone has been, despite certain things I have done." Shadow answered.

"Oh, I know what you mean. One of the most difficult things in life is managing to see the person everyone truly believes you are, but I assure you, after some time and managing to stick to it and giving it the effort to see through their eyes, you'll find not only are you exactly that person they see, but that you are capable of so much more than that." Nelson said with a bright, confident smile.

This caused not only Shadow's eyes to widen in surprise, but also his wife, child and Tanaka.

"Whoa, dad. I never knew you were so insightful." Chris admitted in surprise by his father's almost sage-like advice.

"I wasn't just one of the best moguls because life was easy, Chris. Even those whose future already seems set in stone have much to learn about the world and themselves, and I was no different." Nelson said to his son.

"Ain't that the truth." Everyone turned to see it was none other than Chuck walking in with a cup of cocoa in his hand. "I have stories. Many, many stories. Nelson himself was quite the project growing up." Chuck said with a bemused smile as he sipped his cocoa.

"Hello, father." Nelson greeted his dad with a smile as he walked over and hugged him.

"Good to see you made it, son." Chuck greeted his only child back as they separated from the embrace.

"Mm hmm! Ella's cocoa smells as delicious as ever. Do you know where she is?"

"She went off to make more in the kitchen. She'll be out in a second." Chuck answered.

"Thank you, dad!" Nelson said with child-like excitement as he powerwalked away.

"Darling! Remember not to overdo it this year!" Lindsey called out to her husband, only for him to already be out the room, causing her to sigh.

"We better make sure he takes it easy, huh, mom?" Chris said, giving his mom a smile but showed signs of worry with nervous eye smiles and a sweat drop.

"We best." Lindsey responded as she and Chris walked after Nelson. "It was wonderful to meet you, Shadow! Do stay a while!" She called out before exiting the room.

Shadow watched as the mother and child left, before looking downward as he started to ponder over the words of the Thorndyke patriarch. He definitely did not think the man was capable of such advice, not from first glance.

His words held weight though. Enough for Shadow to think them over. To understand and someday see through the eyes of those who see you as more than what you see yourself as. It strangely felt comforting to hear them.

Still though… would he be able to?

Just then he heard footsteps coming his way, making him turn to see Amy had returned, holding a present in her hands with red wrapping paper and red and black striped ribbon that was tied in a bow at the top.

"I know it's a little early, but… here." Amy extended the present to Shadow.

Shadow blinked his eyes before taking the present. Raising an eyebrow he looked at Amy to see her smiling at him. Deciding not to keep her waiting, he opened the gift, only to be surprised by what he pulled out.

It was a hand-knitted scarf that was red with the ends being black with red thread hanging off the edges of it, and on one of the black ends was the image of a red rose knitted into it.

"This is…"

"I made it myself." Amy said, causing Shadow to look at her. "Since this is your first Christmas on Earth, I wanted to make something special… for you." Amy confessed with a warm smile as her cheeks heated up a bit.

Shadow blinked his eyes before looking down at the scarf. He held it tenderly in his hands as he was losing himself to the past once again.

"Do you like it?"

.

.

Shadow stared down at the red scarf in his hands.

"You made this?" Shadow asked, looking up at Maria.

"It's not my best work, since this is the first time I knitted, but it's something special. I made it special, just for you." Maria said with a bright, warm smile and eye smiles.

Shadow stared down at the gift once again.

'Just for me…'

.

.

"Shadow?" Amy spoke, earning Shadow's attention again. "I-I asked… do you like it?" Amy asked, a little nervously this time, worried if he had reservations against it.

Shadow remained silent for a moment before looking back down at the scarf. He undid it and wrapped it around his neck, securing it properly, enjoying its warmth.

"I do." Shadow admitted, causing Amy's smile to brighten up. "Thank you, Amy."

"Anytime, Shadow." Amy said with an even warmer smile than before.

"Amy! Ella made cookies!" Cream called out to the female hedgehog from the other room.

"Oh! Christmas cookies! How wonderful!" Amy said with a bright smile. "We better hurry before they run out. Sonic's not only fast on his feet, but he's a fast eater too. He'll finish half of them off if we don't hurry." Amy said to Shadow as she hurried off.

Shadow watched her run off before looking back towards his scarf. He gently grabbed the end of it and stared at the little black rose knitted onto the end of it.

"One of the best things about Christmas is to give gifts to one another. It shows how much they truly mean to you." Maria's voice echoed within Shadow's mind.

'How much they mean to you, huh?' Shadow thought to himself as he stared at the rose design.

He then heard someone making their way into the room, causing the hedgehog to look up to see it was Nelson again with three mugs of cocoa in his hands, two in one hand being held by their handles by his fingers and the third he was currently sipping on right now.

"Oh, hello again, Shadow. Nice scarf." Nelson complimented the hedgehog with a smile.

"Amy gave it to me." Shadow said.

"Really? That says a lot, especially coming from a lady." Nelson said as he sipped some more cocoa. "Say, you don't mind not mentioning me taking three cups worth of cocoa to my wife, do you? I had to slip away so as not to upset her."

"Hmm." Shadow nodded in response. After a moment, Shadow gained an idea. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Nelson said with a welcoming smile.

"You're married so… what do women like?" Shadow asked.

"Well, every woman is different, but a lot of them tend to love three simple things, and my Lindsey is no different. Jewelry, chocolates and flowers." Nelson answered.

"Hmm…" Shadow thought it over. Amy isn't Rouge, so he doesn't see her loving jewelry that much, and Ella and her can make chocolate, but the third option however… that was something to think about. 'Flowers, huh?'

.

.

Rouge was flying through the air, getting in some fly time since she was off from work today. She was wearing an extravagant red strapless dress that stopped halfway across her chest with white fur lining, revealing a good amount of her cleavage, and it had a slit down the side to reveal her right leg to reveal her dark brown high-heel boots that stopped halfway up her thighs. She even had red mascara on instead of her usual violet color.

She had decided to stretch her wings and head off towards a certain place. A certain place she wanted to dedicate a little of her time to.

"I wonder how ol' Knucklehead is doing this holiday season?" Rouge wondered to herself. "Oh, who am I kidding? He's no doubt guarding that, Master Emerald. As if he does anything else in his free time." Rouge said with eye smiles as she giggled to herself. Just then she got a call on her communicator, and she had a feeling on who it was. "What's up Topaz?"

"I need a favor from you." Topaz said on the other line.

"And what's in it for me?"

"Can't you not be self-serving for once!" Topaz exclaimed with annoyance.

"I wouldn't be me if I did otherwise, honey." Rouge said with a playful, confident smirk. "What is it anyway?" Rouge asked, dropping her playful nature, for now.

"I need help with some last-minute shopping." Topaz answered.

"Seriously?" Rouge said with dull frown.

"Look, I've been busy and unlike you I have more than just a few people to shop gifts for. Depending on if you do buy gifts for someone other than yourself that is." Topaz retorted.

"How very rude to say to someone who you're asking a favor towards. Even if you are right." Rouge countered with a shrug.

"I just need an extra pair of hands and someone to help with finding the gifts on my list, okay?"

"Sorry, can't help you. Last minute shopping is super stressful, especially when it's Christmas shopping." Rouge said.

"How would you know? Do you have Christmas where you come from?!"

"As a matter of fact I do. There's even a whole island named after it." Rouge shot back.

"Okay, so you know what you're talking about… and you are right. It is super stressful, but that's why I need the help of a friend. Please, Rouge." Topaz pleaded.

"Hmm~… while I do feel for you, I don't know if I can make that much of a difference. I may be able to see things from a bird's eye view, or should I say a bat's, but I doubt I'll be able to do much when it comes to crowds, especially when things are nearly sold out. I'm not big enough and I can't tell what places that'll still have the things you're looking for like a supercomputer." Rouge said, and upon that final phrase she gained a much better idea to help her friend. "Actually, I think I know who might be able to help you out better than little ol' me."

"Who?"

"Omega." Rouge answered with a smirk.

"Omega?! You have got to be kidding me!" Topaz exclaimed.

"Think about it. He's big so he'll be helpful when pushing pass crowds of people, he's got bigger hands than me and is stronger so he'll be able to carry much more than I ever could, and he literally has a supercomputer for a brain, so he'll be able to find what you're looking for and in what order works best to get them. He's a far better shopping partner than I am." Rouge listed.

"You say that, but…"

"But what?"

"He's a literal killing machine! I doubt he would even have any interest in doing something that doesn't require putting holes in them, and I don't want him putting holes within people just to help me get my gifts!" Topaz explained her worries.

"Omega wouldn't do that. I'm pretty sure he'd consider that a waste of ammo anyway." Rouge said with a shrug.

"Rouge~…"

"Look, there's more to Omega than just being a big superweapon that has a vendetta against Eggman. He's an ally, and friend in fact. If you talk to him, you'll see that he's more than just a gun-toting battle bot." Rouge reasoned.

"And in regard to the shopping?"

"You just have to find the right words. I always do and look where I am. One of G.U.N.'s top agents and someone the President trusts as much as you, and I've shown my sneaky side enough times to put him and the others on their toes." Rouge said with a smirk.

"I hate it when you're right." Topaz said, pouting on the other line. "Alright... I'll give it a shot."

"Atta girl." Rouge said with a smile.

"But if he says no and I'm stuck doing this on my own, you're going to owe me big time, you hear that?!" Topaz shouted.

"Deal." Rouge said, never losing her smile. "Well, good luck, Topaz. Merry Christmas." Rouge said before hanging up and continuing her flight. "I love her, but I love going after that Master Emerald most of all." Rouge said, even though she actually is more interested in the one who guards said jewel.

.

.

Topaz stared at her communicator with a frown before then sighing.

"Alright… time to give it a shot." Topaz said as she headed for the one place that she could only think Omega would be.

G.U.N.'s shooting range.

Low and behold when she arrived, she found the battle bot firing away upon targets designed to look like Eggman's robots.

"EXTERMINATE ALL EGGMAN ROBOTS!" Omega stated as he continued unleashing hell upon the look-a-likes.

"Oh boy…" Topaz said with an unsure frown. She decided to wait until Omega was finished with his exercise, which didn't take long as he was so accurate that he made the top record, outdoing his old one, again. "Well, here we go." Topaz said as she headed over as Omega had finished up.

"TRAINING EXERCISE: COMPLETE." Omega stated as he deactivated his weaponry.

"Impressive as ever, Omega." Topaz said to the robot, complimenting him a smile. However, when he turned his gaze towards her, she flinched a bit. It's going to take a while until she can get used to seeing those red eyes and hulking frame turn to her without immediately being on the alert. "Anyway, I, uh… wanted to talk to you about something." Topaz said, glancing towards the side nervously.

"GIVEN YOUR CURRENT APPROACH I HAVE CONCLUDED THAT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PUTTING DOWN EGGMAN." Omega stated.

"Astute as expected." Topaz grumbled with a pout. "Anyway, I talked on the phone with Rouge to get help with some last-minute shopping." Despite the war machine unable to make physical expression thanks to a lack of facial features, she could just tell he was already very disinterested. "And she suggested that you would be better to help with that."

"SHE IS CORRECT." Omega stated, causing Topaz to perk up. "ACCEPTING THE TASK IS A DIFFERENT STORY."

"Look, I know you're more into destroying things and getting revenge on Eggman, but I was just hoping that since we're allies that you could extend a hand to someone who is a friend of a friend." Topaz suggested, practically pleading.

Omega just stared at her for a few moments before answering.

"WHAT WOULD I GET OUT OF ASSISTING YOU WITH YOUR HOLIDAY NECESSITIES?" Omega inquired.

Topaz blinked her eyes before taking a thinking posture.

"How about a new state of the art weapon G.U.N. has been working on?" Topaz suggested with a smirk.

"IF YOU HAVE THE CLEARANCE THEN I AM LISTENING." Omega answered, causing Topaz to smile.

.

.

Tails was working in his workshop minding his own business, focusing on how he could advance the X-tornado for future missions.

"Hello, Tails." A female voice spoke, causing the two-tailed fox to stop and turn to find a smiling Cream holding a book in hand with both Cheese and Shadow with her.

"Hi Cream." Tails greeted the bunny with a smile, only to realize the last person he'd expect to see with both her and her chao companion. At least, on their own without a group of others. "And Shadow? What are you guys doing here together?" Tails asked with confusion.

"Mr. Shadow wanted help with something so he came to me, and I suggested you could help too." Cream said as she walked over towards the young genius.

"Help from us?" Tails questioned with surprise as Cream placed a book on the nearby table and flipped through the pages.

"Here." Cream pointed at a certain page making tails look to find it was a picture of a flower. "Mr. Shadow wanted to get Amy a flower for Christmas, so I showed him this one."

"Whoa, wait… a flower? For Amy?" Tails questioned as he turned towards Shadow. "You? But why?" Tails asked.

"Because she gave me this." Shadow showed off his newly gifted red scarf. "You're supposed to give gifts to those who care about you, isn't that right?"

Tails blinked his eyes in surprise by this before soon smiling.

"Of course. I read you loud and clear." Tails said with a proud, supportive smile and nod. "But why do you need my help for this?" Tails asked looking back at the photo of the flower.

"This flower is from a place called Alaska and Mr. Shadow wants to get it for Amy, but he wants to make sure it lasts forever." Cream informed.

"You can make something that can sustain it similarly to how I was put in stasis, correct?" Shadow asked Tails.

"Oh, so that's it. Yeah, I can accomplish that." Tails said, smiling towards the both of them. "Do you need a ride on the X-tornado to get there?" Tails asked.

"I'll be fine." Shadow said as he took out a Chaos Emerald. "Chaos Control!" He then proceeded to vanish from sight.

"I never thought I'd see the day where Shadow actually tries to get someone a flower as a gift." Tails commented.

"Mr. Sonic hasn't even thought about getting Amy a gift like that." Cream pointed out.

"Y-Yeah, that's true." Tails had to admit with an uneasy smile and eye smiles.

"How come he doesn't?" Cream asked, truly curious as to why.

"Well… I guess because his relationship with Amy is just much different than it is between her and Shadow."

"But he's known her longer."

"True… but like I said. It's different." Tails said with a shrug.

"Hmph." Was all Cream said in response as she turned back towards the page of the flower that she had helped Shadow choose for Amy. "I'm sure that Amy will enjoy the gift that Mr. Shadow is going to bring for her." Cream said, now possessing a warm smile.

"Why this one in particular?" Tails asked as he looked at the picture as well.

"Because it's pretty, and it's a rose just like Amy." Cream answered with a jolly smile and eye smiles.

"Hmm~." Tails decided to read more about said flower from its very page. "The Prickly Rose. Part of the Rosaceae family. It is a species of wild rose with a Holarctic distribution in northern regions of Asia, Europe and North America." Tails read aloud as his eyes scanned through the writings until he found something intriguing regarding its symbolism. "Wait a moment… did you tell Shadow about that part?" Tails asked, pointing towards the symbolism of the flower written within the text.

"Hmm?" Cream read what Tails was referring to only to gasp with a blush. "Oh no! I didn't even notice!" Cream said in shock with her cheeks heated up. "Do you think we should tell Mr. Shadow?" Cream asked the fox.

"Well… he's already off to find it, so it might be a waste of time." Tails said with a blush of his own, as Cream then moaned with disappointment. "But I'm sure things will turn out alright."

"I should have read the page more. I didn't want to create any trouble." Cream said with a disappointed frown.

"It's alright, Cream. It was an honest mistake. In fact, not even that. I don't think it'll cause that big of a deal. Whatever happens, happens. You don't need to worry yourself, okay?" Tails said, offering the bunny a comforting smile.

"Well, okay… but only because you say so, Tails." Cream said, feeling a little less worried thanks to her genius friend.

'I doubt Shadow would care that much anyway. A gift is a gift, after all.' Tails thought with a small smile.

.

.

Knuckles was busy spending his time doing the same old, same old. Guarding the Master Emerald as his forefathers have done for generations before his birth. The last thing he wants is for it to be taken away by Eggman again, regardless of his so-called 'turning over a new leaf' schtick, and of course, that irritating treasure hunter.

Speaking of said treasure hunter, she was perched upon a tree in the distance with her eyes on him.

Rouge couldn't help but smirk as she watched Knuckles doing his things, as usual.

"He never gets tired of just standing there, does he?" Rouge said to herself as she continued to watch the echidna. "That can't be fun for him." She commented as she watched as he did nothing but stand in front of the giant emerald. She sighed as she hopped off the tree she was on. "It can't be healthy for him to just stand there all the time. No fun. Always on your feet all day. No social interaction. That is just no way to live." She said with her arms crossed and shaking her head. After a few moments, she gained a little idea on how to liven things up for the both of them. "Hmm~… well, now won't that bring a little enjoyment."

Meanwhile, Knuckles was just standing in front of the Master Emerald with his arms and eyes closed. He was minding his own business. Or at least he would be, if he hadn't had noticed that screwy bat who had been hiding within a tree in the distance. He figured she believed he didn't notice her, but he did. He just doesn't want to bother making the first move. He had a feeling that doing so would play into her hands. He won't fall for her tricks.

Admittedly, despite how irritating her little attempt at hide-n-seek is, he'd rather she'd stay in one place than come over here and try to get her mitts on the Master Emerald as she tends to do.

Unfortunately, those hopes went out the window.

"Hey, handsome." Rouge said, fluttering above Knuckles with a smirk on her face.

"Just great." Knuckles grumbled with annoyance, not bothering to open his eyes to see the bat. "Don't you have someone else to bother?"

"Don't be like that. That kind of comment hurts my feelings." Rouge said, still smirking as she landed before him.

"You're one of the last people who should be concerned about harming others' feelings." Knuckles retorted.

"Aw~. Am I to assume that I hurt your feelings whenever I take your Master Emerald?" Rouge 'asked' as she lightly tapped Knuckles' snout, irritating him more.

"Like you would ever stop trying if that was the case." Knuckles said with his brow furrowed, never opening his eyes.

"Mm~. True. You really do know me so well, Knucky." Rouge said as she rested her hand on Knuckles's shoulder.

"Don't call me that."

"How about Knucks?"

"No."

"Knuckington Bear?"

"If you dare-"

"Sir Knucks-A-Lot?"

"For some odd reason, I am having a very serious and irritating case of déjà vu!" Knuckles said, finally snapping open his eyes as his fangs grit.

"You're way too easy." Rouge said tracing a finger against his shoulder as she strutted right by him.

"Hold it!" Knuckles quickly grabbed Rouge's arm.

"Getting fresh, I see." Rouge said turning her head the red brawler.

"Don't take me for a fool! I'm not letting you anywhere near the Master Emerald!" Knuckles said with a glare.

"Mm~. Fine." Rouge answered with a shrug.

"… Fine?" Knuckles questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Not like I was here for it anyway." Rouge said confusing Knuckles. "Being close to you is more than rewarding enough." Rouge said as she suddenly leaned against knuckles, tracing her finger against Knuckles' chest, causing him to blush red with a startled look on his face before he leaped away.

"Enough! I've had it up to here with your games!" Knuckles shouted with annoyance as he pointed at Rouge accusingly.

"As if you could match me at my own game. Or any game for that matter." Rouge said with a nonchalant smirk and shrug.

"What are you getting at?" Knuckles asked with suspicion and growing irritation.

"I'm saying that you can't match my pace." Rouge said as she walked pass Knuckles, who went from irritated to angry.

"Hold it! Don't think I'll let you get away with that!" Knuckles shouted out.

"That a fact?" Rouge 'asked' glancing towards Knuckles, who now had a look of determination. "Then how about a race?"

"A race?" Knuckles questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"One lap around the island. A test of speed, endurance and when the occasion calls for it, flight. Sound good?" Rouge suggested, still smirking.

"What are you trying to pull?" Knuckles questioned, hesitant over the idea.

"Nothing. I'm just offering a fair challenge." Rouge insisted, never losing her smirk.

"What in the world would you get out of it?"

"Bragging rights." Rouge answered with a shrug making Knuckles frown. "What's the matter, Knuckles? Realizing I already got you beat before even starting?" Rouge teased, causing Knuckles to growl with his fangs showing.

"That's It! You asked for it!" Knuckles shouted with anger causing Rouge's smirk to widen.

"Ready whenever you are." Rouge said as Knuckles walked over to her side. "On your mark." Rouge started as she and Knuckles got into their running position. "Get set." Rouge snapped open her wings while Knuckles furrowed his brow and leaned forward. "Ah! It's Eggman!" Rouge said with a look of shock.

"What? Where?!" Knuckles asked, quickly looking around for said doctor.

"Sucker!" Rouge called out with a taunting tone as she flew away, effectively get herself a head start.

"You Rat!" Knuckles shouted out with immense agitation.

"Bat, honey! Big difference!" Rouge responded with a laugh as Knuckles chased after her.

.

.

Crowds of people were parting out of wariness and a semblance of fear. Their reason being that no one wanted to be in the way of the nearly one and a half red and black killing machine.

Topaz was traveling through the mall with Omega by her side, who happened to be carrying several boxes in one hand like it was nothing while Topaz handled the bags. She tried to act natural, but all she could put up with an embarrassed smile as all eyes were on her thanks to her shopping partner.

"THE NEXT ITEM IS DIRECTLY 57 FEET AHEAD OF US." Omega informed.

"That's good." Topaz said in response. 'The faster this gets done, the quicker we can get out of here.' Topaz thought to herself, not liking being the center of attention. Especially this kind of attention.

A young boy suddenly started running by, playing with a superhero action figure by pretending it was flying. All of a sudden, he came colliding with something hard.

"Owie~." The light brunette boy said as he rubbed his head in pain. He noticed that he dropped his toy, so he went to grab it but when he did, he finally noticed the shadow looming over him. He looked up only to see a large robot staring down at him with glowing red eyes. "AH!" The boy cried out in fear at the sight of Omega.

"Hiro!" The brunette boy's mother who had the same hair color done up in a ponytail ran over and grabbed her son. "Leave him be, please!" The mother begged the robot.

"I HAVE NO INTEREST IN HARMING A CHILD. MY TARGET FOR TERMINATION IS EGGMAN." Omega stated, causing the mother to flinch a bit in fear of the automaton's direct and rather cold nature.

"He's not dangerous, I assure you." Topaz said, trying to alleviate the situation.

"THAT IS INACCURATE. I AM ONLY A DANGER TO EGGMAN AND HIS INFERIOR MODELS." Omega stated.

"We're sorry for the trouble." Topaz apologized with a bow.

"APOLOGIES ARE UNNECESSARY. THE CHILD IS THE ONE WHO MADE THE ERROR. IF HE CONTINUES TO LACK AWARENESS OF HIS SURROUNDINGS IT WILL NOT END WELL IN HIS FAVOR." Omega stated, being direct as always.

"Omega!" Topaz scolded the robot with a disapproving look.

"Someone should call the police on you." The mother said with a disapproving frown.

"I TECHNICALLY WORK WITH THE POLICE." Omega stated.

"Well, they should have known better. Letting a killing machine like you walking around free like this." The mother said as she hurried away with her child.

"Hey, hold on!" Topaz said with an offended frown as the mother was already a distance away. "That was just rude. Calling you a killing machine like that." Topaz said with a frown.

"SHE IS CORRECT." Omega stated as he marched forward, ignoring the shocked look on Topaz's face. "THAT INTERACTION HAS COST US FIFTY-SIX SECONDS AND COUNTING. WE MUST INCREASE PACE." Omega stated, continuing forward as he started to move a bit faster.

Topaz just stared at the robot with surprised eyes. Sure, he was indeed a robot design for destructive purposes, but to say it without hesitation like that just didn't sit well with her. Especially since he's the only good thing Eggman has ever created in her eyes, along with Rouge and Shadow.

When thinking over her earlier discussion with Rouge, she sounded no different when it came to talking about the red and black bot. She called him a killing machine as well. All while Rouge argued that he was more than that.

Despite the bat being the grayer area of the two of them, she'd be the more empathetic one.

If Rouge, a self-serving thief, and Shadow, an emotionally and mentally scarred science experiment once bent on destroying the world to avenge his closest friend, can be more than meets the eye then why not Omega, a robot built for destruction rebelling against his evil creator?

"Hey, Omega!" Topaz called out to the robot as she hurried after him. "You know what that woman said isn't true. You're not a killing machine."

"I AM." Omega stated, causing Topaz to subtle flinch.

"Not entirely." Topaz said looking to the side with a frown.

"I AM SOLELY MADE FOR THE PURPOSE TO DESTROY." Omega stated, causing the surrounding people to gain looks of urgency and fear as they quickly got farther away from the robot.

"What I mean is, even though Eggman has made you for the sole purpose of destruction, it's not the only thing that defines you." Topaz reasoned.

"WHAT I WAS CREATED FOR AND WHAT DEFINE ME ARE NOT ONE IN THE SAME." Omega rebutted, surprising and confusing Topaz. "EGGMAN HAD CREATED ME AS THE ULTIMATE WARMACHINE WITHIN HIS ARMY. HOWEVER, I AM DEFINED BY MY OWN PREROGATIVES. THAT IS WHAT HE HAD COME TO FEAR AND HE WAS RIGHT TO."

"That is true, but… are you really okay with being called a killing machine?" Topaz asked.

"I AM A KILLING MACHINE. I DESIRE NO ALTERNATIVES." Omega stated. Noticing Topaz's troubled frown and somber eyes, he chose to remedy that. "G.U.N. USES TANKS, MISSILES, AIRSHIPS, HEAVILY ARMED ARTILLERY AND ADVANCED ROBOTNIKS FOR COMBAT. THOSE ARE DEEMED KILLING MACHINES JUST THE SAME AS I. HOWEVER, THEY ARE USED TO ASSIST THE MASSES. THAT IS WHAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT FROM ANY OF EGGMAN'S."

"Omega…" Topaz was shocked by the robot's words of wisdom.

"MORALITY IS DESIGNATED. ITS CONNECTION TO CREATION IS IRRELATIVE. ONE CANNOT CHANGE THEIR CREATION. ONE CAN CHANGE THEIR ALIGNMENT. I HAVE DONE SO. I AM EGGMAN'S ENEMY. THAT IS WHAT I DESIGNATE FOR MYSELF AND HE IS RIGHT TO FEAR IT. WHETHER EVERYONE ELSE DOES IS IRRELEVANT TO ME AS I WILL NOT CHANGE MY PARAMETER." Omega finish stating, now focusing on the path ahead for the store.

Topaz stared at Omega with widened eyes with a glimmer of awe in them. She never took the robot to be so insightful and to understand such reasoning on an emotional level as equal to a logical level.

Rouge was right. There is more to Omega than just a killing machine, and he just proved that with his own logic.

"You're right." Topaz said with a smile as she looked ahead. "But I am too, and so is Rouge. You are more than just a killing machine. After all, not all killing machines can think for themselves. Not like you at least."

"THERE WAS ONE." Omega stated, recalling Gamma through his databanks.

"Did you ever wish you could have met him?" Topaz asked.

"NO." Omega stated, causing Topaz to frown a bit. "HOWEVER, I WOULD NOT BE AS EFFICIENT WITHOUT HIS EXISTENCE. HIS CREATION IS ACCEPTABLE." Omega added, causing Topaz to smile again.

"And so is yours." Topaz said, looking ahead with a smile as Omega actually took a subtle glance at her. "Looks like we've arrived." Topaz said as she and Omega walked into the store, causing the people inside to make way out of fear of the robot. "You really know how to clear a crowd."

"THIS WILL GRANT LESS DIFFICULTIES IN ACHIEVING THE NECCESSITIES." Omega stated.

"You really are the perfect shopping partner." Topaz said with an amused smile and eye smiles.

.

.

Amy was humming as she made herself a sundae. It was a vanilla soft serve one complete with strawberry syrup topped with sliced strawberries and whip cream. She even added red and white sprinkles to top it off.

She continued to hum as she made her way back into the living room to watch T.V.

There she only saw Sonic, who was lying on the sofa with his eyes closed getting some R . She walked past him, grabbed the remote and changed the channel as she sat down.

Sonic noticed this, despite having his eyes closed. He opened an eye to see Amy just sitting on a loveseat as she changed the channel to something more of her taste. He decided to remain silent. Mainly because he expected her to talk to him, but after a while, nothing. Amy, who had a habit of never leaving Sonic alone, was actually leaving him alone.

Amy just hummed a little festive tune as she continued to eat her sundae while enjoying some programming that caught her interest.

Sonic actually groaned in annoyance as he closed his eyes again. He decided to just lay there and rest as he was doing before, but now every second was getting more and more agonizing. All because Amy didn't say a word to him.

Unable to handle this any longer, Sonic decided that he would be the one to say something.

"I really don't know how you can enjoy eating that when the weather is already so cold." Sonic said to Amy, looking at her with one eye open again.

"It's never stopped me before. Besides, I like having cold deserts, even if we're in cold weather." Amy said in response as she continued to eat her sundae.

"Your tongue could get stuck." Sonic warned.

"Well then, I'll take that chance. After all, I like to live dangerously." Amy teased with a smile as she continued eating.

"Hmph." Sonic couldn't help but chuckle with a smile. "Mind if I get a bite?" Sonic asked.

"Hmm~… I don't know. You aren't a fan of strawberries." Amy pointed out.

"That's not true. I like strawberries." Sonic rebutted.

"Even strawberry shortcake?" Amy asked.

"Nah. I'm not a fan of that." Sonic admitted.

"Ah-ha! Last week you said you thought strawberry shortcake was yummy!" Amy uttered, pointing at Sonic accusingly.

"I-I said it was yummier than coffee cake!" Sonic quickly said in defense.

"While I agree with that, I at least wouldn't say I'd prefer a cake I didn't like." Amy said with a pout as she went back to enjoying her strawberry sundae.

"Okay, you win." Sonic conceded as he sat up.

"So, you only said that to antagonize Shadow. Why is that?" Amy asked, causing Sonic to flinch.

"I didn't antagonize him. I was trying to point out that coffee cake isn't all that good." Sonic said, turning away with his arms crossed.

"It was good to Shadow. That's what matters." Amy said with her head held high as she took another spoonful of her sundae.

"What's with you lately? You've been getting really close with Shadow." Sonic pointed out with a frown, causing Amy to flinch with her cheeks reddened.

"I-I've just been trying to be a good friend to him." Amy said, turning her head away to hide her blush.

"Well, you succeeded, but you've been doing a lot of stuff like dragging him around to places, cooking for him and giving him stuff like that hot cocoa and spending time outside with him in the snow." Sonic said.

"So? I've done that stuff with you! What about it?!" Amy argued.

"Well, I mean…" Sonic was now tongue tied as he didn't know how to respond to that. He felt his chest getting heavier when thinking about how accurate Amy's statement right now was.

Being an onlooker from the outside he couldn't help but get mixed feelings about it.

"Look, Shadow's a different case, alright? He's been through a lot. Everyone he knew… isn't here anymore. Between the incident on the ARK, being sealed away for fifty years, meeting Eggman and everything else afterwards, he just needs somebody to make him feel welcomed. You know, bring some positivity into his life." Amy said with a more softened tone.

"Well, I think you've made him feel more than welcomed." Sonic said.

"Are you saying I should stop?" Amy asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"No… but maybe you should ease up a bit." Sonic suggested.

"Shadow doesn't think I'm going too far." Amy gave her rebuttal.

"Well, maybe he's just being nice." Sonic said.

"Then it shows my charm is working." Amy said, smiling with pride and her head held high.

"Please don't say charm." Sonic said with a frown.

"You don't think I'm charming?" Amy questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't say that." Sonic said with his hands raised up in defense, only to squirm a bit when Amy gave him a victorious smirk with half-lidded eyes.

Just then Cream came walking into the room humming as she held a book in her hand.

"Hello." Cream greeted the pair with a smile.

"Hey Cream, what'd you reading?" Sonic asked, trying to change the subject before things got any more uncomfortable for him.

"Just this book on flowers." Cream said with a bright smile.

"Oh, that sounds lovely. What were you reading on?" Amy asked with intrigue.

"Oh… um… just… teaching Mr. Shadow is all." Cream told a half-truth.

"Shadow was interested in flowers?" Amy ask ed with major surprise.

"You think you'd know a guy." Sonic said, absolutely flabbergasted.

"Mr. Shadow said that he used to learn about them but that he wants to brush up." Cream said.

"Shadow used to learn about this stuff?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah. He said he used to study back on the ARK along with his friend, Maria." Cream answered with a smile.

'Maria…' Amy thought with a small frown before then looking out the window. 'This will be Shadow's first real Christmas without her… and his first one on Earth.' Amy couldn't help but feel for the dark quilled hedgehog. "Hmm~." Amy put on thinking posture, which caught Sonic's eye.

'Don't tell me…' Sonic thought with a frown, having a feeling on what Amy was thinking.

"I have to make a call." Amy said as she hurried off.

Sonic sighed with a frown. He just knew this was another Shadow-centric idea in Amy's little noggin. He just didn't know how it came to this. She went from thinking about him to thinking about that black and red quilled faker. Not like he's saying he wants her thoughts to be focused solely on him, but it was still heartwarming to know she thought about him, at least here and there.

Not wanting to have himself a pity party, Sonic decided to look for something to occupy his thoughts. When his eyes landed back onto the book in Cream's hand, an idea came to mind that might be able to solve his little problem.

"Hey, Cream. Mind if I look at that book for a moment?" Sonic asked.

"Sure, Sonic." Cream handed the blue hedgehog the book with a smile on her face.

Sonic skimmed through the book at a blinding speed until he came upon a certain page with a flower that piqued his interest.

"Hmm~." Sonic couldn't help but smirk as he read about the flower with a decision now made.

.

.

Knuckles rushed through the land of Angel Island with an intense look on his face, all while Rouge was just flying above him with a smirk.

"Ready to give up? I still got the high ground. So to speak." Rouge said, smirking down at Knuckles.

"Like being higher can provide you with any sort of advantages in a race!" Knuckles shouted out with annoyance.

"Oh, it certainly can. For example, I save time just flying over these trees." Rouge said.

"What trees?" Knuckles questioned before hitting one.

"See you at the finish line, Knucklehead!" Rouge said as she flew over the forest they had reached. "Oh, and by the way, the finish line is the Master Emerald!" Rouge called out as she increased speed.

"So, this was all a trick! I should have known!" Knuckles yelled out in anger. He growled before unleashing a mighty roar as he then proceeded to break any tree that stood in his way. "I'll Get You!"

"Well, now didn't that bring a little pep in his step." Rouge said, still smirking.

Rouge continued to increase speed as she made it over the forest, but the following second that she did, Knuckles broke through the forest and increased his own speed, managing to catch up to her.

The two were neck and neck as they saw the shrine of the Master Emerald in the distance.

Seeing a sizeable chance that she might actually lose, especially with Knuckles increasing speed at a scary pace, Rouge decided to put the one skill she totally had over Knuckles.

"What the-? Is that Eggman!?" Rouge 'asked' putting on a shocked look upon her face.

"What? Where!?" Knuckles stopped and looked around with his fists up, ready to fight.

"My mistake~." Rouge said as she increased in speed, laughing all the way.

Classic deception.

"Grr~, You Dirty Bat!" Knuckles screamed out in anger as he chased after Rouge.

Knuckles snarled as he ran at his highest speed. Upon arriving at the Master Emerald shrine, he ran all the way up the flight of stairs only to find Rouge sitting at the top with a smug smirk.

"I win~." Rouge chimed with playful superiority.

"You cheated!" Knuckles accused the bat with his bare fangs.

"My eyes were playing tricks on me." Rouge said 'innocently' with a shrug.

"Your eyes were simply on the Master Emerald." Knuckles said with annoyance before immediately worrying about said omnipotent massive jewel. "The Master Emerald!" Knuckles quickly leap high up and landed before the Master Emerald, quickly turning towards Rouge in his fighting stance. "Keep your hands off the Master Emerald!"

"I didn't even lay a finger on it. Honest." Rouge said as she got to her feet.

"You're kidding." Knuckles said, not believing Rouge's words.

"I'm serious." Rouge said having a more cool and honest expression on her face with her hands on her hips.

"… Why?" Knuckles asked with a suspicious glare.

"Tis the season." Rouge said with a shrug.

"Huh?" Knuckles raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Well, it was fun. I guess I'll leave you back to your jewel." Rouge said as she started walking away.

"Hold on! You're serious? You didn't come here for the Master Emerald?" Knuckles asked with surprise.

"I'm shocked myself." Rouge admitted.

"Then… what did you come here for?" Knuckles asked, confused by Rouge's sudden generosity.

"I wanted to see if you were still here." Rouge said as she turned to the echidna.

"What for?" Knuckles asked, feeling suspicious again.

"You know what time of year it is, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Knuckles said with his arms crossed.

"Then why are you choosing to be alone?" Rouge asked, catching Knuckles off guard.

After a moment of silence, Knuckles turned away to face the Master Emerald.

"Someone has to guard it." Knuckles answered, staring at the Master Emerald.

"And it has to be you?"

"It's what I was trusted with… by the echidna before me." Knuckles said with his eyes closed as he thought about the echidnas before him. Before he became the last.

"And who's supposed to come after you?" Rouge asked.

"I… I don't know. Never thought that far ahead." Knuckles said, looking down in contemplation.

Rouge stared at the Echidna for a bit before looking towards the Master Emerald.

"As much as it would be nice to spend such quality time with such a treasure, even I know it can't replace the company of a living breathing person." Rouge said, causing Knuckles to turn to her.

"Is that… the reason you came here?" Knuckles asked, surprised by Rouge's sincerity.

The last person he expected her to share some care for was himself.

"Just came to cure a curiosity. I figured you'd be spending time with your friends down at that manor of theirs." Rouge answered.

"I don't really have that luxury. I just told you why." Knuckles said.

"Yeah, yeah. I get the drill. Although, I doubt Eggman is going to want to get his grubby mitts on that thing for a while now." Rouge said with a dismissive wave.

"What do you mean by that? How would you know?" Knuckles asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's just say I know and leave it at that." Rouge said with a smirk.

"Say I do believe you… there's still one more person to worry about." Knuckles pointed out with a frown.

"I can take a wild guess on who." Rouge said with her hands on her hips. "Hmph. Well don't worry. I won't steal it. Not until the new year that is."

"Is this a trick?" Knuckles questioned, not all that convinced.

"No trick. It's my present to you." Rouge said with a genuine smile, which caught Knuckles off guard. She turned and spread open her wings, ready to fly but not before saying one more thing. "Merry Christmas, Knuckles. Don't spend it alone."

And just like that, Rouge took to the sky, flying off to wherever the wind took her.

Knuckles watched the bat fly away, blinking his eyes in surprise and confusion.

"I'll never understand that woman." Knuckles said as he went back to his guarding duty. As he stood there in silence, he couldn't help but mull over Rouge's words over his lack of company. Just then he sensed the luster of the Master Emerald calling to him, causing him to look to it. "You too, huh?" Knuckles said as now he was left with more to think about.

Meanwhile, Rouge was flying through the sky aiming for homeland when she got a call on her phone. When she took it out, she noticed it was a number she had never seen before.

"Now who might this be?" Rouge wondered aloud as she then answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Rouge." Amy's voice was heard on the other end.

"So, it's you. How did you get my number?" Rouge asked, getting a little suspicious.

"That's not important."

"It is to me." Rouge said with a frown and a hand on her hip.

"Listen, I have a favor to ask. Since you work for G.U.N. do you have access to anything like files, video or anything of the sort from the ARK?" Amy asked.

"Well, now this is a surprise. You're asking me to abuse my position to get something you desire?" Rouge questioned with a smirk.

"Like you wouldn't do the same." Amy retorted.

"Guilty as charged." Rouge admitted with a giggle. "Let me guess, this has something to do with a certain hedgehog, and I'm not talking about Big Blue."

"W-Well…" Amy stuttered with embarrassment on the other end before sighing. "Look… this is Shadow's first Christmas on Earth, and, well… it's also his first without… you know…"

"I see. Very sweet of you, doll, but you don't have to worry. I'm way ahead of you." Rouge said with a warm smile.

.

.

It took a while, but Topaz was finally finished with her last-minute shopping, and it was all thanks to her metallic companion.

Omega was carrying the heavy load while Topaz held as many bags as she could. She reached into one of them and pulled out a specific black box that likely carried some sort of accessory to put on oneself.

"INQUIRY: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF AFFORDING A GIFT FOR THE THORNDYKE FAMILY'S BUTLER?" Omega questioned, not seeing the logic.

"W-Well, see, he saved my life during the ARK incident. One of Eggman's robots, who happened to be a giant golem, nearly squashed me but he came to my rescue." Topaz explained, recounting the day that handsome butler saved her life.

"REPAYMENT THEN." Omega stated before glancing towards Topaz. "OR PERHAPS THERE IS MORE INFORMATION YOU ARE KEEPING TO YOURSELF."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Topaz questioned with a defensive tone. Just then, Omega got in front of her, causing Topaz to stop only to notice the kid that bumped into said robot running pass them. "Oh, it's that kid again." Topaz said as she watched the child, Hiro, run by, playing with his action figure without a care in the world. "I guess he never learned his lesson." Topaz said with a frown.

Omega's sensors suddenly picked something up. Turning his head, he sensed an incoming object.

"WARNING." Omega stated.

"I can see that! The kid is heading into the streets!" Topaz yelled out with worry, only to notice Omega quickly placing the boxes he was carrying onto the floor. "Omega?" Topaz looked at the robot in confusion. Just then the sound of screeching tires was heard, as she and everyone else noticed a runaway driver heading towards the street where Hiro ran into. "Hey, Look Out!" Topaz screamed out.

"Hiro!" Hiro's mother ran over towards her son, but she was too far away.

"Huh?" Hiro turned to see he was about to be struck by a speeding car.

The brunette child screamed out in fear, bring up his arms for cover.

Before anyone knew what had happened, something sped over at high speed with jets of fire coming from behind it as then collision was made.

"Hiro!" Hiro's mother screamed out in terror as she and everyone stared in horror.

However, after a moment, everyone noticed a shocking yet extraordinary sight.

Hiro had his eyes closed with his lips quivering. However, upon noticing that he was just fine, he opened his eyes and looked up only to see none other than the large red and black robot he had bumped into earlier.

Omega had gotten in between Hiro and the speeding car, stopping the now dented and slightly crushed vehicle with his own claws.

"THREAT NEUTRALIZED." Omega stated as he pulled his sharp hands back before making his way over towards the driver's seat. He proceeded to rip off the car door, scaring the man inside who he then grabbed and pulled out from the car before slamming him face first against the side of the vehicle. "SUSPECT DETAINED." Omega stated.

"Hey! Let me go, you tin can!" The man shouted with his teeth grit.

"REGISTERING IF LETHAL FORCE IS NECESSARY." Omega stated, causing the speedy driver to squeal out in terror with a look of fear.

"Hiro!" Hiro's mother ran over towards her son, hugging him for dear life. "Thank you, Mister Robot."

"I DID WARN THAT LACK OF AWARENESS WILL LEAD TO TROUBLE." Omega told the mother.

"You're right. I am so sorry for earlier. Please forgive me. I'll make sure it never happens again." Hiro's mother apologized to Omega with a bow.

"Wow. Nice work, Omega." Topaz said with amazement as she walked over.

"THERE ARE STOLEN GOODS IN THE BACKSEAT, AGENT TOPAZ." Omega informed, surprising Topaz, who then proceeded to open the back door only to notice a large, hefty bag.

"What the-?" Topaz pulled it out and opened it only to gasp in surprise. "There's jewels in this bag!" Topaz said as she stared at all the diamonds, peridots, emeralds (non-Chaos ones) and many other fine cut jewels inside.

Just then a formula 1 race car pulled up.

"Well, this is a sight to see." Said the driver of the race car, who happened to be none other than Chris' uncle, Sam Speed. Climbing out of the vehicles he made his way over towards the now wrecked car and took his helmet off along the way. "I only just got the call of some jewel thief racing around this way, and already I missed all the action. Guess I wasn't fast enough." Sam said with a smirk as he looked towards Omega, who already had the culprit detained.

"YOUR VEHICLE HAS EXCEPTIONAL SPEED. HOWEVER, IT IS IN NEED OF FINER ADJUSTMENT TO ATTAIN EVEN GREATER VELOCITY." Omega stated after scanning Sam's car.

"Think so, huh?" Sam said, grinning with pride.

"AFFIRMATIVE."

"Buddy, you're speaking my language!" Sam said as he let out a boisterous laugh.

"Guess we'll leave the rest in the hands of the Speed Team then." Topaz said with a smile as she brought over the bag of jewels toward Sam.

"I'd appreciate it. Thanks again for all the help." Sam said with a grateful smile.

Omega brought over the culprit, setting him down onto the ground where Topaz then dropped the bag of jewels onto his back to make sure he didn't get any ideas of running away.

Just then the sounds of applause were being heard causing Topaz to look around to see everyone clapping and cheering for Omega's efforts.

Said robot just made his way back to the boxes he had laid aside in order to keep them safe while he handled saving that clueless boy.

Topaz followed close behind, smiling with pride in Omega's efforts.

"Looks like you're finally seen as one of the good ones." Topaz said to the robot.

"I DID WHAT WAS NECESSARY." Omega stated as he picked up the boxes and walked away.

Topaz's smile widened as she felt nothing but pride in the ex-Eggman robot who she now trusts with her life and the safety of the people they were sworn to protect.

.

.

Tails was focusing on putting the finishing touches on the little invention he was preparing for Shadow's gift.

He had a round headed cylindrical glass casing ready. All he needed to do was focus on finishing the base, which with his technological know-how, would work as a statis module.

"Just need to make a tweak here and there and~…"

"Hey Tails."

"Ah!" Tails jumped in his seat as he turned to see Sonic behind him with a proud smile on his face. "Oh, Sonic. You startled me." Tails said.

"What're you making?" Sonic asked with curiosity.

"Oh, just a small project is all." Tails said, putting on a smile to cover up his true intentions about making it for Shadow. Just then, Sonic pulled out a pink lily from behind his back. "Uh… what's with the flower?" Tails asked with confusion.

"It's for Amy." Sonic answered.

"For Amy?!" Tails spoke in shock as he definitely didn't see this coming.

"Yup. I'm going to give it to her tomorrow. I'm sure she'll like it." Sonic said looking at the lily with a smile.

"I'm sure she will, but why?" Tails asked with genuine curiosity.

"I read in Cream's book that you give this flower to your best female friend. It's meant to be a little confidence booster. I figured it would work well." Sonic explained, still smiling. "What do you think?"

"I think it might." Tails said with an impressed smile. "You need me to make you something to hold it?" Tails offered.

"No thanks. I'll just ask Ella if I can borrow a vase." Sonic said as he started walking away. "Wish me luck, pal."

"Good luck." Tails said, waving his friend good luck. Now alone, Tails couldn't help but think over the situation. "I've never seen Sonic act this way before. What's gotten into him?" Tails wondered to himself as he went back to working on the stasis module. As he worked on his small machine, he instantly recalled his early conversation with the other male hedgehog of the house. "Wait a minute!" Tails' eyes widened in realization. "Oh boy… things are going to be very awkward tomorrow." Tails said with a frown.

.

.

Deep within the frosty land of Alaska, an anthropomorphic black hedgehog with red streaks stood atop a snowy mountain. Looking down upon the serene landscape of snow, snow covered forests and clear blue bodies of water with numerous patches of ices floating along its surface, he couldn't help but take in the image.

It was simple but admittedly breathtaking.

He remembered a sight like this within the many books Maria had on Earth. However, the difference between a picture in a book and the real deal is greatly immense.

This is a sight Maria had always dreamed of seeing with her own eyes.

If only fate wasn't so cruel.

After a moment, he refocused his mind. He would never forget Maria, but right now there was another girl who he had to focus on.

He was here just for her after all.

Dashing down along the mountainside at high speed, Shadow made his way deeper into the land to find his objective. The cold wind blew around him with snow picking up from the jet propulsion made by his air shoes.

He travelled around to find a spot that was brimming with green more than snow.

After some quick searching around, he stumbled upon a nice area filled with green life. He searched around some more, this time at a calmer pace, until he found what he was looking for.

A flower with five vibrant pink petals that became a deeper shade as it got closer to the center where the golden stigma was.

As Shadow knelt down and stared at it, Maria's words echoed within his head again.

"One of the best things about Christmas is to give gifts to one another. It shows how much they truly mean to you."

Shadow blinked his eyes before gently brushing his fingers against the underside of the flower's petals.

"I hope this is enough."

.

.

The next morning came.

Christmas morning.

Everyone greeted one another at the Thorndyke residence with happy smiles.

Excluding Shadow that is. He wished everyone a Merry Christmas in return, just not with a smile. He didn't see the need to force one.

After everyone got in their greetings, Nelson and his wife, Lindsey, had an announcement to make.

"A party?" Chris asked his parents with surprise.

"That's right! We're holding a private party at a lovely banquet hall down in Station Square's best resort!" Nelson said with a wide smile on his face.

"That's great!" Amy said with a chipper smile.

"A party sounds wonderful. I love to cook but a break on the holidays sounds nice." Ella said with a smile.

"Will uncle Sam be there too?" Chris asked with excitement to see his cool uncle.

"Of course. In fact, you can all invite any of your other friends to join." Lindsey said with a smile.

"Awesome!" Chris cheered as everyone was up in joy over the festive surprise.

"It also sounds like a perfect opportunity to exchange gifts later today." Tanaka brought up with a smile.

"That's a wonderful idea!" Amy said with a bright smile in full agreement.

Shadow was simply leaning against the door frame leading into the room with his arms crossed watching everyone cheering with excitement over tonight. The mention of exchanging gifts later tonight at said party causing Shadow to look towards Amy. If this was the plan, then he'll just wait until then.

"Oh, Shadow." Lindsey spoke, finally noticing the dark hedgehog.

"Hmm?"

"If you have any other friends outside of our home, they're more than welcomed to join in as well." Lindsey said with a polite smile.

"Are you sure?" Shadow asked.

"Positive." Lindsey said with a brightened smile and eye-smiles.

"Hmm~." Shadow thought over her words.

He wasn't sure if Omega and Rouge would be the best company, but this time of year is about spending time with friends and family, and so far, the two have become more than just his partners. He supposes so long as they weren't busy.

.

.

"A party?" Topaz asked in surprise.

"That's right. Thorndyke and his family rented out the banquet hall of Station Square's best resort and Shadow just invited us. If we weren't busy." Rouge explained with a smile.

"That does sound like fun. Still, I have family to visit." Topaz said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"The party isn't until tonight. You'll have plenty of time if you visit now." Rouge said with a shrug before fluttering up to Topaz's ear. "Plus that butler of yours will be there. Perfect time to give him that gift." Rouge said in a low tone in Topaz's ear, causing the pixie-cut woman to blush red.

"H-Hold on a moment! Don't just assume that he's mine like that! We're not even in any kind of relationship!" Topaz quickly said in a defensive tone.

"Then consider this a first date." Rouge said with a teasing smirk as she landed upon the ground.

"You make this so infuriating at times!" Topaz complained.

"I'm just looking out for a friend." Rouge said, still smirking but this time one conveying more sincerity towards her first partner and friend.

Topaz thought it over for a bit before coming to a conclusion.

"Well, alright. I'd be a fool to pass up this opportunity anyway." Topaz relented with a shrug.

"Great! Now let's go tell Omega."

"He's invited too?" Topaz asked with surprise.

"He's Shadow's friend also, remember?" Rouge said, earning a smile from Topaz. "Now where could that big lug be?"

"Same as always." Topaz said with a bit of a nervous yet amused smile.

"Predictable." Rouge said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't let him hear you say that." Topaz said with a giggle.

The pair of female agents where they saw Omega with a new weapon that was sticking out the top of his arm.

It was a long cylindrical barrel with purple lining running along the sides of it. A humming sound was heard as the purple lining glowed a bright purple before the gun unleashed a purple laser that left a sizeable hole through the metallic target across from him before it exploded from the intense heat it was struck with.

"THIS WILL BE BENEFICIAL IN ERADICATING EGGMAN'S ROBOTS." Omega stated as he retracted the new weapon back into his arm.

"Glad you're enjoying it." Topaz said with a bright smile as she and Rouge walked over towards the large red and black battle bot.

"So, that's the new toy Topaz got for you after helping her out yesterday." Rouge said with a smirk.

"IT IS NO TOY. IT IS A PORTABLE ASSAULT RAILGUN THAT UNLEASHES HIGH INTENSITY HEATED SHOTS OF PLASMA." Omega corrected the bat.

"You sure are giddy over it like it's a toy." Rouge countered, still smirking with a dismissive wave.

"WHY DO YOU INTERRUPT?" Omega inquired.

"Shadow just invited us to a little get-together tonight." Rouge answered.

"The Thorndykes rented out a banquet hall at the best resort in Station Square and we're all invited." Topaz elaborated.

"INVITATION DECLINED." Omega stated as he focused his attention back on his target practice.

"Oh, come on. Staying here and blasting things to bits can't be all fun for you." Rouge said with a pout.

"IT IS." Omega stated as he took aim.

"Come on, Omega. It won't be the same without you. You're our companion after all, and we don't like the idea of leaving you alone on the holidays." Topaz said with a frown and pleasing tone.

"She's right. Friends stick together." Rouge said with a smile. "Plus, I'm sure you wouldn't mind showing that new weapon of yours to Tails and that old inventor Thorndyke."

Omega halted and looked towards the pair of women, seeing their pleading eyes and hopeful smiles. After a moment of consideration, Omega answered.

"INVITATION ACCEPTED."

"That's the spirit!" Rouge said with a bright smile and eye-smiles.

"WARNING: I DO NOT DO WELL IN CROWDS. AS EVIDENCED BY YESTERDAY." Omega stated.

"I think you'll do much better in this one." Topaz said with a smile and dismissive wave.

"Great. Now that just leaves one last person to convince." Rouge said with her arms crossed.

"Huh?" Topaz and Omega looked towards Rouge with the former blinking her eyes in confusion.

.

.

It was later into the evening and down in Station Square the Thorndykes were holding their small party at the best resort within their home city.

Chris had invited his closest friends from school, Danny, Francis and Helen, who all happily took the invitation.

"Wow! This place is big!" Helen said with amazement.

"I'll say." Francis said with a smile.

"Your parents really are the coolest, Chris." Danny said to his best friend with a smile.

"They really did want to make this a holiday to remember." Chris said with a smile as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey, by the way, is it true that Shadow guy is here too?" Danny asked with curiosity.

"Yeah, is he?" Helen asked.

"I really want to get a look at him." Francis said with a bit of excitement.

"He's here. Although, he's not really the social type." Chris said.

"I did hear he's like a dark version of Sonic." Francis brought up.

"Well, I can't say that's totally true, he and Sonic are pretty opposite in personality." Chris explained.

"I can imagine so given his color scheme and the actions he had taken." A male voice spoke, causing the kids to turn to see none other than their former teacher.

"Mr. Stewart?" The kids were shocked to see their teacher at the resort.

It's like he was everywhere you least suspected him the most.

"Hello, kids. Merry Christmas. It's good to see you all again." Mr. Stewart greeted the four with a warm smile.

"What are you doing here?" Chris asked with confusion.

"Oh, well I was passing by earlier when I noticed your parents were coming in here. I had a little discussion with them, and they invited me to the party. Hope you don't mind." Mr. Stewart explained with a pair of eye smiles.

"I see. Well, it's nice to have you here, Mr. Stewart." Chris said with a smile.

"Hey, Chris, didn't your parent say earlier that they were having a buffet ready?" Danny asked.

"Let's go see if it's ready!" Francis said as she and the others then hurried off.

Mr. Stewart smiled warmly to see his old students enjoying some fun on the holidays, but he was here on a bit of a mission. Opening the top of his communication device disguised as a watch, he spoke for those listening on the other line to hear.

"Calling Homeroom. This is Chalkboard Charlie. Infiltrating Thorndyke family's holiday party to keep tabs on Shadow the Hedgehog." Mr. Stewart spoke in a low tone into his communicator.

"Roger." The person on the other line responded before the call was cut off.

"So, I get to come face to face with the Ultimate Life Form. What an opportunity." Mr. Stewart said as he followed after his students.

When entering the banquet hall, Mr. Stewart heard some loud buzzing sound that was coming his way.

"Look out!" Charmy screamed out, causing Mr. Stewart to scream and fall to the floor, managing to evade being rammed into by Charmy. "Sorry, Mister." Charmy apologized, flying above the secret agent.

"A-A Bee! A Giant Bee! My worst nightmare comes to life!" Mr. Stewart screamed out in fear as he pointed up towards the buzzing detective.

"Charmy! I told you to watch where you're flying! The stuff around here is expensive!" Vector called out to his black and yellow associate.

"Not to mention the likelihood of bumping into people." Espio said with a frown.

"Sorry~. At least he dodged." Charmy said with embarrassment as he gave a smile and rubbed the back of his head. "Here, let me help you." Charmy hovered down and helped Mr. Stewart back to his feet.

"Uh, thanks. Wow, you are huge." Mr. Stewart said, still in shock to meet a bee bigger than his head.

"I eat healthy." Charmy boasted with a proud smile as he flexed his biceps.

"A crocodile, a chameleon and a bee. I've heard of you three. You're those new detectives who came from the same world as Sonic." Mr. Stewart said, still in shock.

"That's right! We're Team Chaotix! Best detectives in the biz. We handle any case, so long as it pays!" Vector introduced his team with a wink and thumbs up.

"Is that so." Mr. Stewart said with a bit of a nervous smile. "So, you're friends of Sonic?"

"We know him, but I wouldn't say we're really friends." Vector said with his arms crossed.

"We're more closely associated with Knuckles the Echidna." Espio said.

"That so? Then what are you doing here?" Mr. Stewart asked.

"We were invited here by our previous client and her daughter. As a thank you for the help on reuniting them in our case." Vector answered, gesturing to Vanilla and Cream along with Cheese who were having a fun talk with Ella.

"More just keep coming." Mr. Stewart said to himself. He then noticed something in the corner of his eye, or should he say someone. None other than his target of interest, Shadow the Hedgehog, who was just leaning against a wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed. "Hey, is that who I've been hearing about on the news?" Mr. Stewart 'asked' with an intrigued smile.

"Yeah, that's that new hedgehog the papers have been going on about. Keep your distance from him. He may be on the side of good, but he's still a scary guy. You don't know what he'll do." Vector warned.

"I'm sure he's not that bad." Mr. Stewart said as he headed his way towards Shadow.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, mac." Vector said as he, Espio and Charmy watched the former teacher walking towards the dark hog.

"Hey, you don't think that robot and bat girl will be here too, do you?" Charmy asked.

"I hope not!" Vector said, rubbing the top of his head with his finger as thinking about his clash with the red and black bot gave him a headache all over again.

Shadow just stayed by his lonesome, away from the group of people to be with his thoughts in silence. However, his ears picked up the sounds of approaching footsteps, causing him to snap open his eyes to see a blonde-haired man with glasses making his way over.

"Hello. You must be Shadow the Hedgehog." Mr. Stewart greeted the artificial being.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Shadow questioned, now on his toes as this man had an aura of suspicion.

"Oh, forgive me. My name is Mr. Stewart. I was Chris' homeroom teacher. His parents invited me here upon a chance meeting today." Mr. Stewart introduced himself.

"Hmm~." Shadow furrowed his brow as he felt his suspicions being more confirmed upon the mention of this coincidence.

"I know it may not have been in my place to tag along, but I couldn't help but want to see my student. It has been a while after all. I just wanted to make sure he was doing alright." Mr. Stewart said, making his concern for Chris known.

"Hmph. His safety is no longer your concern. Nor am I." Shadow said with his eyes closed.

"Huh?" Mr. Stewart at Shadow with confusion.

"I don't know how you managed to fool the others, but I'm not so naïve. You were sent here to make sure I stayed in line." Shadow elaborated, causing Mr. Stewart to get nervous.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just a schoolteacher." Mr. Stewart said with a nervous smile and his hands up in defense.

"A former teacher accepting an invitation coincidentally when the party was just about to begin. It's odd when you say it aloud."

"Well, I didn't want to be alone for the holidays. See, I'm originally from out of town, so my family is in a different region of the country. Plus, who could pass up a party at this resort with the hosts being the famous Lindsey Fair and mogul Nelson Thorndyke! Who can pass that up?" Mr. Stewart quickly said.

"A decent cover-up. I'm sure you planned for such a coincidence." Shadow said, causing Mr. Stewart to flinch. "Your communicator is still active." Shadow said, looking towards the 'teacher' causing him to let out a surprised and worried yelp.

"Oh, that's…" Mr. Stewart quickly looked towards his watch comm, only to notice that it wasn't active.

"You're far too easy to read." Shadow said, causing Mr. Stewart to sigh in defeat.

"You really are impressive." Mr. Stewart said with his shoulders slumped.

"I have nothing planned against humanity. You can inform your superiors on that." Shadow said looking ahead.

"Believe me, I know very well that you don't. After all, it's clear that Chris and the others have a lot of trust in you. That's more than enough evidence. For me at least." Mr. Stewart said with a smile.

"Is that right?" Shadow said in response.

"I'll just let them know that everything is alright. Just as I expected." Mr. Stewart said with a smile. "Just please don't tell anyone about who I really am." Mr. Stewart pleaded with his hands together and a worried smile.

"So long as you don't cause any trouble for me. Or the others." Shadow said, still keeping the spy at a distance.

"You have my word." Mr. Stewart said with a more relaxed smile. "Enjoy the party." Mr. Stewart said as he walked away, waving Shadow 'so long'.

Shadow blinked his eyes before closing them.

Even now with him under the ranks of G.U.N. and all the help he provided against Eggman he was still untrustworthy in the eyes of the world. He already figured that was the case, but it didn't make the fact of it any less aggravating.

He made a promise to Maria to protect this world regardless of what happens, even if the world saw him as a potential threat… but was there more than just that promise that is keeping him from going rogue again?

"Here you go."

"Hmm?" Shadow snapped open his eyes to find Amy with a plate of food in her hands, extended to him.

"They just rolled out the buffet, and I wanted to make sure you didn't miss out." Amy said with a smile.

Shadow blinked his eyes before taking the plate from her grasp.

"Thank you." Shadow said as he took the plate from Amy's grasp.

"Anytime." Amy said with a pair of eye smiles as her smile widened.

Shadow stared at Amy's smiling face directed at him. It was all the answers he needed.

"Hmph." Shadow decided to take a bite of the food Amy brought him, all to hide the smile that was creeping up on his face.

"I see you're wearing the scarf I made for you." Amy said looking down at the red scarf she gave Shadow yesterday.

"It's useful. Especially in this weather." Shadow said.

"Glad to hear it." Amy said with a joyful smile.

This time Shadow couldn't fight off the smile from his face.

"Wow! So this is him." A young girl's voice makes Shadow and Amy look to find a freckled redhead along with Chris and his other friends.

"Hey, Francis!" Amy greeted the redhead with a smile.

"Hi, Amy." Francis greeted the pink hedgehog with a chipper smile.

"Hi, Danny. Hi, Helen." Amy greeted Chris' other friends. "Shadow, these are Chris' closest friends."

"Nice to meet you." Danny greeted the black and red hedgehog, extending his hand to him for a handshake.

"Hmm." Shadow responded by accepting the handshake.

"Strong silent type. You really are the opposite of Sonic." Francis said.

"I prefer it that way." Shadow said, causing the other to laugh.

The sound of heavy footsteps was heard causing everyone to turn to see a large, bulky robot of black and red wearing a Santa hat atop its head.

"Ah! It's that metal palooka!" Vector said with surprise, feeling a bit worried in the former Eggman robot's presence.

"Whoa! A robot!" Danny exclaimed in shock.

"Hey, it's Omega!" Chris said with a surprised smile.

"Omega?" Helen asked looking at Chris in question.

"He's Shadow's new friend and works with him at G.U.N." Amy answered.

"Whoa, that's cool!" Danny said in amazement.

"Hi there~. Hope we're not late." Rouge greeted everyone with a smile as she flew on in with Topaz following.

"Took them a while." Shadow said.

"We had to stop by to pick someone up." Rouge said landing upon the ground as entering the room was none other than Knuckles.

"Knuckles!" Chris made his way over to greet the Echidna. "I'm glad you made it."

"Thank me for that. He was all prepared to stay on that island of his. All alone on the holidays. Couldn't let that happen." Rouge said with her arms crossed.

"I don't intend to stay long. I still have a duty to the Master Emerald." Knuckles said.

"Having you here with us for a little while is still more than enough. I'm just happy to see you." Chris said with a smile, causing Knuckles to smile in return.

"TOPAZ." Omega addressed the G.U.N. agent who was dressed in a black single-strap evening dress and had a matching spaghetti strap purse. "YOUR TARGET IS THERE." Omega pointed towards Tanaka, who was talking with the patriarch and matriarch of the Thorndyke family.

"O-Omega, don't just call him that." Topaz said with minor embarrassment.

"Oh~, I see. So, you came here to mingle with that well-dressed butler alone, huh?" Rouge said as she flew up towards Topaz, causing her original partner to flinch.

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Topaz scolded her partner.

"Is that little box you had gotten earlier for him? I do wonder." Rouge teased with a smirk as she rested her arm atop Topaz's shoulder.

"AFFIRMATIVE." Omega answered.

"Omega!" Topaz directed her disapproving gaze upon the battle-bot.

"HE HAS NOTICED YOU." Omega stated, pointing towards Tanaka, causing Topaz to turn to see Tanaka's eyes on her with the butler flashing her a smile that showed his sparkling teeth that made the female agent blush red. "IMMEDIATE ACTION IS REQUIRED." Omega insisted.

"Huh?!" Topaz looked at Omega in surprise.

"My sentiments exactly." Rouge said with a smirk as she started pushing Topaz forward.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Topaz said as she was quickly pushed forward by the bat. Topaz stumbled forward only to be caught by none other than Tanaka, who had walked over to meet her halfway. "Oh!" Topaz looked up in surprise.

"Hello. I am very happy to see you here, Miss." Tanaka greeted Topaz with a charming smile.

"Uh… I, I'm happy to be here." Topaz replied with a captivated smile and blush.

"Go get him, partner." Rouge said with a satisfied smirk and arms crossed.

"PROCEEDING TO FIND TAILS AND PROFESSOR THORNDYKE." Omega stated as he walked away after detecting Tails and Chuck, who were conversing with one another.

"He's excited to show off his brand-new toy to those two." Rouge said to Chris, who was clearly curious on Omega wishing to meet with his grandfather and Tails specifically.

"Let's hope he doesn't get too excited and use it." Chris said with a nervous laugh, while Rouge had a more amused one.

"I wonder how strong that robot really is." Knuckles wondered aloud.

"He's tough enough to bring you trouble." Rouge said with a smirk.

"Hmph. I'd like to see that." Knuckles said with a scoff and turning his head towards the side.

"I can always arrange a little 'play date' between you two." Rouge said with a joking smile.

"If you even try, make sure it's away from the Master Emerald." Knuckles said, causing Rouge to laugh at Knuckles being Knuckles.

Topaz had reached into her purse and took out the gift she had gotten for Tanaka.

"Here." Topaz extended the small little box that was now topped with a red ribbon to Tanaka.

"For me?" Tanaka asked with surprise.

"Mm hmm." Topaz nodded. "It's a thank you for saving me from that golem some time ago."

"I… I am so moved!" Tanaka said as he shook with a frown. "Forgive me!" Tanaka bowed to Topaz apologetically, surprising her. "If I had known I would meet you here, I would have gotten you something as well. I feel so ashamed!"

"Don't be." Topaz said with a gently smile as Tanaka stood up straight. She grabbed Tanaka's hand and placed her gift into it. "When you give someone a gift, you shouldn't always expect one in return. What matters is that the person you're thinking about gets it, and hope they'll enjoy it." Topaz said to Tanaka with a warm smile.

Tanaka's cheeks became flushed as he stared at Topaz with shimmering eyes, absolutely touched by her generous soul. He then opened the box, only to gasp in awe as brooch of a red-crowned crane with the red and white part of the bird being embroidered with jewels.

"It's… beautiful. The symbol of my homeland. I… I don't know what to say." Tanaka said with tears in his eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Tanaka." Topaz wished the Thorndyke's butler with a warm smile.

"Thank you, Miss… forgive me, I don't think I ever caught your name."

"It's Topaz."

"Ah. Like the jewel. How very fitting." Tanaka said, causing Topaz's smile to widen as she blushed from his flirting.

Shadow had seen the interaction from afar. He instinctively grasped onto his scarf, holding it gently between his fingers.

"Aw~, how sweet. I'm happy for Mr. Tanaka. There's nothing stronger than love." Amy said with a bright, heartwarming smile, finding the moment touching.

Shadow blinked his eyes as he mulled over her words in regard to what he was and still is willing to go for Maria.

"Yes… it is." Shadow said as he turned away, missing Amy's surprised expression.

After a moment, Amy gained a smile as her cheeks were then tinted pink.

"Whoa! Amazing!" Tails shouted out in awe, catching Amy and Shadow's attention.

"I'd say so as well! Who knew G.U.N had been making such a marvel of engineering in the works." Chuck said with fascination as Omega showed off his new portable assault plasma railgun to him and Tails.

"IT MAY NOT BE ON THE SAME LEVEL OF EGGMAN'S WORK, BUT ITS EFFICIENCY IS UP TO STANDARDS AND WILL ASSIST IN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE DOCTOR'S ROBOTS." Omega stated as he twisted his arm side to side to show off his new weapon from every angle.

"Agreed. Eggman won't know what hit him!" Tails said with an impressed and confident smile.

"HE WILL ONCE HE SEES IT IS I WHO HOLDS THE INSTRUMENT OF HIS DEMISE." Omega stated.

"It's a good thing you're on our side." Chuck said causing Tails to chuckle nervously.

"Omega seems to be getting along well with Tails and Chuck." Amy said with a smile.

"Hmm." Shadow nodded in agreement.

"I like it when our friends get along." Amy commented.

"Friend, huh?" Shadow said.

"Yeah. Omega is your friend after all, isn't he?" Amy said, looking towards Shadow.

Shadow stared at the E-series robot. After taking the time to think over the interactions he had with Omega so far, he has proven his meddle as an ally, but what of as a friend?

When thinking about it, though it's never been said, Omega has been understanding even when it impeded his desire to destroy enemies, he is responsible for helping Shadow be rid of that wretched factory that made those loathsome second-grade android copies of him, and he has put his trust in him when it came to G.U.N. He had even helped when they thought Team Chaotix were enemies, even though they were trespassing.

For the brief time that he has known him, Shadow can definitely say…

"Yes. I suppose he is." He answered, causing Amy to smile.

"I'm glad." The pink hedgehog said causing Shadow to look to her to see the joy and care reflected in her eyes.

"Hmm." Shadow responded as he turned and fought this weird feeling in his chest.

"I guess that's your favorite word today, 'hmm'?" Amy teased with a pair of eye smiles, causing Shadow to blush in embarrassment.

"Hey, can I see that?" Danny asked as he, Francis and Helen made their way over towards Omega, who granted his request without hesitation. "Whoa! Cool!"

"AND EFFECTIVE." Omega stated.

"I'll say. It looks like you can blast through a house with that thing." Helen said.

"I CAN BLAST THROUGH SEVERAL WITH ONE SHOT." Omega stated.

"Awesome!" Francis said as she, Helen and Danny marveled at Omega's weaponry.

"He's not going to demonstrate that while we're in here, is he?" Amy asked Shadow with a bit of a nervous smile.

"… I hope not." Shadow replied, causing Amy to flinch with her eyes widening.

"Make way, because the fastest man on the planet is here!" Sam Speed came rushing in, dressed in his S-team gear for the party.

"Uncle Sam!" Chris hurried over, excited to greet his uncle.

"That's his uncle?" Topaz questioned in surprise to see the man from yesterday again.

"Yes. He is Master Chris' maternal uncle and Lady Lindsey's brother." Tanaka explained.

"What a family." Topaz said, surprised that the Thorndykes had such a cast of characters.

"How ya been, Chris?" Sam greeted his nephew with a smile, happy to see him.

"Hello, brother." Lindsey greeted her baby brother with a smile as she and her husband made their way over.

"How you doing, Sam?" Nelson greeted his brother-in-law with a smile as well.

"Hey, it's been ages! How have you two been?" Sam greeted his sister and brother-in-law with a smile.

"I see you're flashing your S-team uniform any chance you get, as always." Nelson pointed out.

"I'm all flash! After all, you can't be flash without speed and I'm the fastest guy around!" Sam said with a confident smirk, holding his head in pride.

"I could have sworn people have been saying that Sonic is the fastest around." Lindsey said, tapping her chin in thought, recalling the news she heard on TV about the blue blur.

"Well, he's the fastest thing alive, but I'll soon change that. He may be number one, but I'll change that!" Sam said with the upmost confidence, only to hear a woman's laughter.

"Sorry pal, but that won't come as soon as you think." Rouge said, earning Sam, and by extension his family's, attention.

"What was that?" Sam questioned with an unamused frown.

"See, I'm afraid you've been bumped down to third." Rouge said with a nonchalant smirk and shrug.

"What did you say?!" Sam exclaimed as if he had heard heresy.

"Oh, yeah that's right! I totally forgot about Shadow! He's just as fast as Sonic!" Chris recalled with surprise.

"Perhaps even faster." Rouge mentioned, still smirking.

"No way! That can't be true!" Sam shouted out in shock.

"It is." Rouge said with a dismissive wave.

"Well then, I'll just get faster than him!" Sam said with a seriously determined look.

The prospect of being the third fastest on the planet not even deterring his drive for an iota.

"Good luck with that." Rouge said, smirking as the enjoyment she was getting from teasing the fastest human alive.

"Where is he anyway? Is he here?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, he's right over there with Amy." Chris answered, pointing towards the male and female hedgehogs.

"Wait, with Amy? I thought that she'd be hanging out with Sonic. What's the deal?" Sam said, very much surprised to see the pink hedgehog choosing to hang out with some other guy instead of Sonic.

"Now that you mention it, Amy has been focusing her attention on Shadow a lot as of late." Chris said, looking towards the pair.

"You don't say. Wow. I lose girls faster than he does." Sam said as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"That's because you refuse to change, little brother." Lindsey said to Sam with a frown.

"What can I say? I love living fast more than anything else. I wouldn't change a thing." Sam said with an embarrassed, yet proud grin as he rubbed the back of his head a bit nervously.

"Hmph. You know, I can see Sonic saying something like that. You both sounds like birds of a feather." Rouge said with a small frown.

"Yeah, I guess so. I can see how we get along so well." Sam said with a more relaxed grin.

"If that's what you call it." Rouge said with a shrug.

"Anyway, I'd go introduce myself, but I don't want to disturb them. Something tells me I'd give off a bad first impression if I did." Sam said as he looked around the room, only to find a familiar metallic figure. "Whoa, no way!" Sam said with a surprised smile as he made his way over. "Fancy seeing you here, big guy." Sam said to Omega, earning the robot's, and by extension Tails, Chuck, Chris and his friends' attention.

"I WAS INVITED BY SHADOW." Omega brought up.

"Is that so? I take it you're both friends." Sam said, causing Omega to stare at him in contemplation over the concept of 'friends'.

"Uncle Sam, you know Omega?" Chris asked with surprise as he had followed after his uncle.

"Sort of. I actually bumped into him yesterday because he caught a perp I was after. Saved a kid in the process too." Sam answered.

"No way! Really?" Chris said in surprise.

"I didn't know you saved a child's life Omega. That's great!" Tails said with an amazed smile, really proud of the ex-Eggman robot's display of heroism.

"HE WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN IN DANGER IF HE HAD CAUTIONED SELF-AWARNESS AS I HAD WARNED HIM AND HIS MOTHER." Omega stated.

"Nelson was no better when he was younger." Chuck mentioned.

"Yeah, neither was I." Sam said as he let out a laugh.

"So cool! How'd it all happened?" Danny asked Omega with new excitement.

"I WAS FULFILLING A FAVOR FROM TOPAZ. IN RETURN I EARNED MY NEW RAILGUN." Omega started as he regaled the tale of the foolish boy and jewel thief.

Sonic was happily enjoying a chilidog that they apparently had at the buffet. Sure, it was a build your own hot dog, but the fact he could make a chilidog, or several, for himself was an opportunity he could not pass up.

"Man, how long has it been since I've had one of these?" Sonic said with a smile.

The blue blur then looked around the room seeing everybody getting along.

He saw Omega telling Tails, Chuck, Sam, Danny, Francis, Helen and Chris a story about a shopping spree he had with Topaz that led to saving a child from a hit and run from a jewel thief. Mr. Stewart even joined in, interested to hear Omega's tale like the others.

Tanaka was introducing Topaz to Chris' parents.

The Chaotix already grabbed their plates with Vector bringing food to Ella, Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla, with a blush on the crocodile's face as he handed a plate to the mother rabbit. Clearly there was something going on there.

And Rouge was bugging Knuckles, but surprisingly the echidna wasn't really getting heated over what the bat was saying. Apparently, they were actually getting along. Now that was a sight to see.

All seemed fine until he finally noticed the last two in their core friend group were actually hanging out with one another, alone, away from everyone else on the other side of the room.

The moment he saw them, all other things lost his interest. His focus was on the pair, conversing and… were they laughing?

Amy was laughing while Shadow… smiled?

Okay, now he was way too curious! Without a second thought, Sonic super sped his way over towards the pair.

"Hey guys." Sonic greeted his fellow hedgehogs.

"Sonic!" Amy was pleasantly surprised to see her favorite hero.

"What are you talking about?" Sonic asked, more to be involved than actual curiosity.

"Oh, I was asking Shadow if he celebrated Christmas back on the ARK. He actually has this funny story where Maria won a bet against him in a game of chess." Amy said with a bright smile.

"What was the bet?" Sonic asked, looking at Shadow.

"It doesn't concern you." Shadow said, turning away with an apathetic look.

"Okay, now I got to know." Sonic said with a grin.

"You won't from me." Shadow said with a stern tone and look.

"Amy?" Sonic looked towards his biggest supporter for an answer.

"It's not my story to tell." Amy simply said with a pair of eye smiles.

"Aw, come on." Sonic said with a frown.

"Hmph. Deal with it." Shadow said with a smirk and his eyes closed. Just then he picked up a whiff of the chilidog Sonic had in his hand. "What is that?"

"Chilidog." Sonic answered, bringing his half-eaten dog up. "Want one?"

"It smells wretched." Shadow said, scrunching up his nose in disgust.

"Well, it's delicious." Sonic said, furrowing his brow with an offended frown.

"It's unappealing." Shadow said with a frown.

"Don't knock it until you try it." Sonic said as he took a bite, causing Shadow to scowl in disgust at how he could eat that thing.

Amy suddenly giggled, causing the pair of male hogs to look at her.

"Sorry. It's just that you both act like brothers to me." Amy said with an amused smile.

"He wishes." Sonic said with a frown.

"Anything else but that." Shadow said with his own frown.

Unfortunately, this caused Amy to laugh, which made the blue and dark blurs moan with dissatisfaction.

From a distance, Chris noticed this interaction, along with his uncle.

"Well, now that's a sight." Sam said with a smirk.

"What? They're just talking." Chris said, looking up at his uncle.

"You have a lot to learn, Chris." Sam said, confusing his nephew. "Let's just say the term 'love is a battlefield' was coined for a reason." Sam with a wink.

"Huh?" Chris was now even more confused but was also shocked when he looked back at the blue, black and pink trio. "Love? There's no way." Chris muttered to himself in disbelief at the idea of a love triangle between the three hedgehogs.

The rest of the evening went without a hitch.

It soon got to the point where Chris' mother suggested that everyone who brought a Christmas gift for a certain someone should give it now before dessert arrived.

Nelson wasted no time in giving his wife the present he prepared for her.

"Oh, Nelson! It's gorgeous!" Lindsey said in awe upon her new ring with was golden in a floral design with one large diamond in the center and several smaller ones surrounding it.

"When I first saw it, I knew I just had to get it for you. I couldn't help but think of you when I look at it. I hope that you think of me when you do the same." Nelson said to his wife with a charming smile.

"Oh, darling!" Lindsey hugged her husband, who returned it wholeheartedly.

"Here you go, Ella." Cream gifted Ella with a bracelet that had a golden charm, those being a lion, and a heart.

"Thank you, Cream." Ella thanked the little bunny girl with a bright smile.

"I thought of you when I got it. You have a big heart and you're one of the strongest people I've ever known. I'm happy that we met and that we're friends forever." Cream said with a bright smile, bringing a tear to Ella's eye.

"Oh, Cream. Thank you!" Ella knelt and hugged the bunny who returned it with one of her own, with Cheese joining in.

"Merry Christmas, Ella." Cream wished the woman she saw as a second mother with all her love.

"Chao, chao!" Cheese chimed with a bright smile.

Vanilla couldn't help but smile at the scene between the two. She had come to respect Ella greatly for all she did for Cream, and her daughter's friends. Seeing the golden hearted caregiver so very happy from Cream's gift brought to her a wide, warm smile.

"Uh, Ms. Vanilla." Vector spoke, earning the mother rabbit's attention. The crocodile had a blush on his face as he then pulled out from behind his back a beautiful white and red cake with a design of mistletoe on it. "I got this for you. As a gift, you know?"

"Oh, detective… it's lovely!" Vanilla said with a bright smile.

"It's my way of saying… I'm glad I managed to help bring you and your daughter back together." Vector said as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment with a dopey smile on his long face.

"What help? Sonic brought her to the house." Charmy said as he buzzed over.

"Buzz off, Charmy." Vector said to his cohort in a low tone.

"Oh, wow! That's looks yummy! Can I have a piece?" Charmy asked, looking at the cake with an excited smile.

"Say what?!" Vector questioned with annoyance.

"Sure. I don't mind sharing at all." Vanilla said with a smile and pair of eye smiles.

"Yay! Best client ever!" Charmy cheered with delight.

"I have to agree." Espio said with a smile as he walked over. "Wouldn't you, Vector?"

"Well… yeah. Absolutely." Vector admitted with his cheeks and snout turned red.

A bit away, Chris had gotten each of his friends a gift. The one who most enjoyed theirs was Helen.

"Oh wow, Chris! This is so cool!" Helen said with bright smile as she held her gift, which was an accessory to put on the top of her wheelchair's lever, which was in the shape of a chaos emerald.

"I thought you would like it. I had it custom made." Chris said with glad smile.

"Thank you! I love it!" Helen said with a small blush as she immediately put it onto her mechanism.

"Guess that makes eight chaos emeralds now." Danny said with a smile.

"Let's hope Eggman doesn't come for this one." Francis joked with eye smiles.

"If he does, he's in for the fight of his life." Helen said causing her and the rest of her friends to laugh. "Thanks again, Chris." Helen said, smiling to the Thorndyke heir.

"Anytime, Helen." Chris said with a smile of his own.

"Ah, young love." Rouge said with a small smirk, watching from a distance.

"Here." Knuckles spoke as he tossed something towards Rouge, catching the bat's attention as she managed to catch it in her hands.

The second it fell perfectly into her hands; she immediately knew what it was from the weight and durability of it. Her years of treasure hunting trained her to instantly tell the texture and mass of anything by touch, and she immediately was able to tell the value of what Knuckles had handed her before her eyes even laid on it.

"Is this what I think it is?" Rouge asked with her eyes widened as she stared down at a diamond almost as large as a chaos emerald.

"I found it around Angel Island. I've never cared for anything like this aside from the Master Emerald, so I figured I'd hand it to you. Originally, I planned on trading it to not be bothered with your thievery for a bit, but since you decided that on your own, I decided to return the favor. Merry Christmas." Knuckles said with his arms crossed as he avoided eye contact with Rouge.

Rouge stared down at the diamond with a warm smile before looking at Knuckles.

"Thanks, Knuckles."

"You're welcome." Knuckles replied, still avoiding eye contact.

"Two weeks then." Rouge said, looking back at the diamond.

Knuckles turned to Rouge with surprise before smiling in appreciation.

From the looks of things, everyone was enjoying their time giving gifts for one another.

Amy couldn't help but smile at the show of everyone's care for one another. She had already gotten a gift from Cream, and even Francis, and she is very thankful. However, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe a certain blue hedgehog had gotten her something.

However, upon the thought, she couldn't help but sigh.

'I doubt Sonic would get me anything. Even if it is Christmas.' Amy thought to herself with a dejected frown. 'Well… having him here should be enough.'

"Amy." Shadow spoke, causing Amy to look to the only other male hedgehog she had ever known.

"Yes, Shadow?" Amy faced the black and red quilled hedgehog.

"I wanted to thank you again for the scarf." Shadow said gently holding and caressing the end of his gift.

"No problem, Shadow. I wish I could have surprised you with it today, but I felt like it was more important for yesterday." Amy said with a warm smile.

"I… have something for you as well." Shadow said.

"You do?" Amy asked.

"I'll be back with it in a moment." Shadow said as he pulled out a Chaos Emerald. "Chaos Control." Shadow then flashed away from sight.

"He got me something?" Amy whispered to herself in surprise.

"Hey, Amy!" Sonic spoke, causing the pink hedgehog to turn to him to see him smiling at her and wearing a blue scarf.

Sonic's scarf was a hand-knitted blue one with each end having a pair of white lines with a small rose stitched and red threads hanging off the edges of them.

"Sonic, you got my gift!" Amy said with surprise.

"Yeah! It looks sweet on me. Thanks, Amy." Sonic said with a wink and thumbs up.

"I just wished you could have let me have the chance to give it to you personally." Amy said, but still happily smiling about her longtime crush being happy with what she made for him.

"Sorry about that." Sonic said with an embarrassed smile as he rubbed the back of his head. After a moment, he managed to find the guts to say what he wanted to say next. "Hey, Amy… I got you a little something."

"You did?" Amy asked with widened eyes, actually surprised that Sonic actually got her a gift.

Sonic sped away and came back the next moment with a pink lily within a thin vase.

"Ta-dah." Sonic said with a smile.

"A lily?" Amy spoke with surprise.

"Yeah. I read in Cream's book that it's a perfect gift for your favorite female friend." Sonic said with a grin.

"Oh, Sonic… it's…" Amy couldn't find the words as her eyes sparkled. Just then she heard someone clear their throat, making her turn to see not only had Shadow come back, but in his hand was a glass case with a prickly rose within it. "Shadow… is that…"

"It's for you." Shadow said, extending the case to her.

"I… I don't know what to say." Amy said with widened, shimmering eyes and a light blush on her cheeks.

While Amy was so enamored by the fact that both hedgehogs had actually gotten her a beautiful flower for Christmas, both said male hogs were looking towards one another with stern stares.

What the three didn't notice was they had the attention of everyone else in the room.

"Am I seeing things?" Chris questioned as he stared at the scene with the upmost shock.

"I don't believe so." Chuck said, also in disbelief.

"Like I said." Speed said with a smirk.

"Flowers. Always works." Nelson said with his own smirk.

"Perhaps a little too well here, darling." Lindsey said with a wary frown, recalling how scenes like these in her movies do not end well.

"This should be entertaining." Rouge said with a smirk.

"This will end in a fight." Knuckles blatantly said with a frown with Rouge giving a nonchalant shrug.

Shadow glared at Sonic who glared back at the dark hog.

"Of course you'd copy my idea, faker." Shadow said to Sonic.

"Your idea? I got my idea from reading Cream's flower book." Sonic retorted.

"She had that book because I asked her first to help find the best flower for Amy." Shadow said.

"For me?" Amy spoke as she was in shock, along with Sonic.

"Here." Shadow handed Amy his gift. "It will last forever."

"Aw~. It's beautiful." Amy said, looking at the flower with a warm smile. "Although, I'm not sure about the 'last forever' part."

"This one will. I had Tails make this case in the same fashion as the stasis pod that held me. So long as it stays inside that case, it will never age." Shadow informed, causing Amy to look in astonishment.

"So that's what he was working on." Sonic said to himself, now realizing that not only did Shadow plan this first, but he had his best friend in on it.

"Shadow…" Amy was at a loss for words. She had never been more captivated in her life. A flower that lives forever… what more could a girl ask for? So enthralled by a flurry of emotions, she suddenly hugged Shadow, shocking both the Ultimate Life Form and everyone watching. "Thank you, Shadow." Amy thanked him with a warm, utterly grateful smile.

Shadow's eyes were wide. This warmth… he had only felt it by one other person. Slowly but surely Shadow raised both his arms up until he finally managed to wrap them around the female hedgehog.

This… was unexpected.

He didn't know how to feel at the moment… but what he didn't feel was displeased.

He had been hugged by Amy before but that was a mistake of identity. This time it was on purpose.

He was… fine with this.

More than he had ever been with anything for a long, long time.

This was… nice.

"Huh…" Was all Shadow could say as he just enjoyed the first real hug that he ever had in what felt like forever.

Something he never thought he'd experience again.

All while Shadow was entranced by this moment, Sonic had been staring at both him and Amy with an actual distraught look.

Witnessing Amy hugging Shadow, who returned it no less, brought a heavy feeling to Sonic. He felt so heavy that even with the desire to run away as far away from this sight as he could, he wasn't able to. His legs were being weighed as if by an invisible ball and chains. The heaviest was his heart which felt so overwhelmed to the point that the load was too much for it as just then the sound of shattering was heard.

"Huh?" Amy pulled back and turned to notice that Sonic had dropped the vase he had held in his hands. "Oh, Sonic! Your gift!"

"Huh?" Sonic was knocked out of his stupor to finally notice that he had dropped the present he had for Amy. "Oh. Sorry." Sonic said with a frown.

Amy knelt and picked the lily up from the floor with a warm smile on her face as her eyes laid on it.

"Thank you, Sonic. Your present is wonderful as well." Amy said, giving the blue blur a warm, considerate smile before giving him a hug as well.

Sonic eyes had widened a bit, but they then softened with a gentle smile on his face as he returned the hug.

"Merry Christmas, Amy." Sonic said with a low, calm tone.

Shadow stared at the scene before him with a frown. Right now, he was feeling a bad itch. A very, very irritating itch. Worse than any bad rash. Without realizing it, he was letting out a low growl as he furrowed his brow. For him, it took a lot of strength not to move, and he had a feeling moving right now would not be for the best.

For everyone watching the interaction between the trio of hogs it was like watching a soap opera, and one thing those soap operas can tell you is that when a young lady gets involved in some sort of way with two young men tends to invite so much more conflict.

"I thought one of them would do something by now." Knuckles said.

"Believe me, Shadow is doing something right now. Making sure he doesn't take a slug at your friend." Rouge said to Knuckles in a low tone.

"I would have." Knuckles responded, causing Rouge to smirk.

"This is awkward." Chuck said with an uncomfortable frown.

"Yeah…" Chris said with a frown. Wanting to avoid the situation right now, especially for the party, the young Thorndyke noticed that the resort employees had brought in the desserts. "Hey, everybody! The desserts are here." Chris quickly mentioned in the hopes of veering attention away from the hedgehog drama.

"Oh, thank heavens." Lindsey said with a relieved smile.

"I'm first!" Charmy said as he quickly flew over.

Everyone decided to make their way over towards the dessert table, except for Cream, Cheese and Tails who still had their attention on the trio of hedgehogs.

"Did we do right, Tails? Because I'm worried that we might have made more problems." Cream asked her two-tails friend with a concerned expression.

"We did all we could, Cream. The rest is between them." Tails responded, only to get an unsatisfied moan from a still saddened Cream. "Buck up. Everything will turn out fine one way or another. I'm sure of it." Tails said, offering his rabbit friend a smile as he gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I hope so." Cream said looking back to see Amy pulling away from Sonic, never losing her smile, in fact it got brighter. "But at least Amy is happy." Cream said now with a smile.

"That's the spirit. Now how about we get some dessert?" Tails said with a widened smile.

"Chao, chao!" Cheese said in excitement.

"Okay." Cream agreed with a nod, still smiling happily as they headed off to where the others were. "I wonder, should we tell Mr. Shadow what we found out about what his flower means?" Cream asked.

"I don't think he really needs to. I'm sure he only cares about Amy being happy with it." Tails replied.

"So am I." Cream said with a pair of eye smiles.

Though Tails pretty much left things at that, he couldn't help but recall the little tidbit they had found out after Shadow left to retrieve the flower.

'Immortal love.' Tails eyes glanced back towards the trio of hedgehogs to see Amy talking to the pair of boys with Sonic chuckling while Shadow kept his eyes on the pink hedgehog herself. However, his line of sight was more focused on the dark and pink hedgehogs of the three. 'I don't know how they feel, but I do know that the lengths they both went to for each other really does says a lot.' Tails thought with a widened smile as he and Cream soon rejoined the others.

"I'm sorry about the vase, Amy." Sonic said to his pink friend.

"Don't worry, Sonic. What matters is the flower." Amy said, giving the blue hog a smile. "Where'd you find it?"

"Oh, you know. Just out somewhere a bit from Station Square." Sonic said with a proud smirk as he rubbed the bottom of his nose with his index in a sort of cocky manner.

"What about yours, Shadow?" Amy asked the other male hedgehog.

"Alaska." Shadow answered.

"You went all the way to Alaska to get me this?" Amy questioned with surprise.

"You gave me something special. I wanted to do the same." Shadow said as he gently grabbed his new scarf.

Amy couldn't help but smile again with a blush on her muzzle.

Sonic frowned at this. Not wanting to see any more of this mush between the two, he decided to take attention away by bringing up something else.

"Hey, look. They already have the desserts here." Sonic pointed out.

"Oh! I-I better get some. I'm not the only one around here who likes strawberry shortcake. I-I'll be right back." Amy said, quickly hurrying off more out of embarrassment as she felt herself heating up a moment ago.

"Alaska, huh?" Sonic looked towards Shadow in question.

"It's farther than you went for her." Shadow said, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed.

"The distance you travel doesn't matter. It just matters that you get there." Sonic said with his fists against his hips.

"Enjoy your half-truth." Shadow retorted.

"Hmph. Well, I'll be at the dessert table. You need anything?" Sonic offered.

"I'll manage." Shadow said with his eyes closed.

"Your call." Sonic said with a smirk and shrug as he sped away.

"Hmph." Shadow just then focused on his own solitude for the moment. A literal moment as soon enough someone had come to bother him. He opened his eyes to see it was none other than his bat pal. "What is it, Rouge?"

His answer came in the form of a small, thin square present wrapped in red wrapping paper and topped with a golden bow.

"Merry Christmas, partner." Rouge said with a smirk.

Shadow blinked his eyes before taking the present. He decided to open it and when he did, he found it was a case with a disk inside, but what caught his attention was the small tape attached to it with something written on it. His eyes widened when he read the title on the piece of tape: Maria's Video Journal.

"This is…"

"This way you won't ever have to worry about missing the sound of her voice." Rouge said with a gentle smile, causing Shadow to look at her with a more appreciative glance.

"Thank you, Rouge."

"What are friends for?" Rouge said with a wink as she headed off to leave Shadow back to his alone time.

The black with red streak hedgehog watched as the bat walked away, who also happened to be passing by Amy, who in turn was heading her way back towards Shadow.

"I see Rouge gave you her gift." Amy said as she stopped before Shadow.

"Yes." Shadow said looking back towards the disk in his hand. "Did you have something to do with this?"

"Nope. It was all Rouge. Although, I will admit that I called her hoping she could get something like this for you, but she was one step ahead of me." Amy said with a bit of a bashful smile before extending a plate of cake to Shadow. "Here. It's chocolate coffee cake."

"Thank you." Shadow thanked the pink hedgehog as he took the plate. "Sometimes, I think you're took considerate of me."

"Says the man who went all the way to Alaska to get me a flower." Amy rebutted with a smirk.

"Hmph." Shadow couldn't help but smirk back at her jab. He saw Amy take a bit of her strawberry shortcake with a delighted moan, causing him to smile as he took a bite of his own cake. However, he then noticed that said girl hedgehog's eyes were widened greatly, looking overhead with her cheeks burning red as she was frozen in place with her spoon in her mouth. "What is it?" Shadow asked before following her line of sight, which happened to be over his own head.

There above his head was a small plant with several leaves and tiny red berries with a ribbon tied at the end of the stem, which was taped against the wall he was leaning on.

Shadow was confused by this. First off, he didn't know where it came from and secondly, he didn't even know nor understand the reason for why it would make Amy look like this. Was it embarrassing? Did it have to do with Christmas? He didn't know much about the holiday aside from giving gifts for people you care about and little other tidbits, but whatever this was it wasn't part of the curriculum he had learned from Maria on the ARK.

After swallowing the spoonful of cake, Amy pulled her spoon out and noticed the confused expression on Shadow's face.

"I-I-It's mistletoe." Amy said after managing to find the strength to speak.

"So?" Shadow questioned, still confused.

"Well, um… when… two people… are under mistletoe, they… do something under it. It's tradition." Amy explained as she kept her eyesight looking downward to avoid eye contact with Shadow.

"I see." Shadow said, still confused on why it was so embarrassing for Amy, but he couldn't ignore tradition. "Then we should honor tradition, right?"

"Huh?!" Amy looked up with a super shocked expression and mouth agape as her cheeks were burning red.

"Do you have anything against it?" Shadow asked.

"N-No! It's just…" Amy looked downward for a moment before looking back up to lock eyes with Shadow. "Are you… okay with it?" Amy asked.

"Will I regret it?" Shadow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know." Amy said as she looked downward again.

After a moment of silence, Shadow sighed.

"One way to find out." Shadow said, causing Amy to look up at him with widened eyes.

Amy then gulped but after taking a moment, she finally gained some courage to respond.

"O-Okay." Amy responded. "H-Here I go."

"Hmm?" Shadow blinked his eyes in confusion. He became even more confused when Amy took a step forward and leaning closer to him. All of a sudden, she placed her lips against his cheek.

Shadow's eyes widened in utter shock at what had just happened. In that instant, he finally realized Amy's hesitance. However, it was too late now. The deed was done.

The pink hedgehog pulled back as she looked downward again with her cheeks still red but now having a small, embarrassed smile on her face.

"T-There. Done." Amy said, embarrassed by what she had done, but had no feelings of regret.

Shadow blinked his eyes as gently brushed his fingers against the cheek Amy kissed.

"I see… good work." Shadow said, also embarrassed.

"No problem." Amy said, still avoiding eye contact. After a moment, she felt a kiss upon her cheek as well, causing her eyes to widen again as to her surprise, Shadow had returned the courtesy.

After done, he pulled back and looked into her widened eyes.

"I'm supposed to do it back, aren't I?" Shadow asked.

"Y-Yeah. I mean, only if you wanted to. Doing it once was enough." Amy said with her cheeks burning red.

Shadow blinked his eyes in mild surprise that returning the gesture was voluntary.

'This custom is exhausting.' Shadow thought to himself as he closed his eyes with a blush, missing the smile on Amy's face, which widened upon seeing Shadow's reddened muzzle.

Again their interaction had been seen, this time not by everyone. Just by Chris, Tails, Cream, Rouge, Knuckles and Sonic.

"Where'd that mistletoe even come from?" Chris wondered to himself with a worried frown.

"Good question." Tails said with a surprised expression.

"It doesn't seem like Amy and Mr. Shadow seem to mind. Maybe they're happy about it." Cream said.

"Y-You think so?" Chris questioned with a look of disbelief.

Sonic just stared at the scene, frozen in place with widened eyes. He was so in shock that he dropped his plate and cake. Good thing the former was plastic.

Tails noticed this and gave his friend a comforting smile and pat on the back.

Sonic just moaned with a frown and his eyes closed.

Rouge meanwhile was smirking at not only the moment between her favorite, red-striped hog and pinkette, but also Sonic's reaction to it.

"Well, now there's no doubt on how Big Blue feels about all this." Rouge said to herself in a low tone, smirking with amusement.

"Don't think I didn't see what you did." Knuckles said to Rouge.

"Hmm?" The bat looked at the echidna with a 'questioning' glance.

"You were pretty fast with that slight of hand but not fast enough. You took advantage of Shadow's surprise from your gift and placed that there. You saw all this coming." Knuckles pointed out with a stoic frown.

"How bold of you to accuse me, but if that was the case, could anyone blame me for wanting to give those two a good memory. Maybe even push them in the right direction." Rouge said with a playful shrug, never losing her smirk.

"Hmph. Just try to keep your tricks to a minimum. There's no need for conflict, especially for the sake of your entertainment." Knuckles said with his eyes closed, only to suddenly feel a pair of lips peck him on the cheek, causing them to snap open in shock.

"Well, look at that. I had an extra on hand." Rouge said with a teasing yet satisfied smirk as she held a mistletoe over Knuckles' head.

"You rotten trickster!" Knuckles shouted with an embarrassed blush, causing Rouge to laugh in response.

Sonic groaned as he gave Rouge and annoyed side glance. Looking back at Shadow and Amy, he saw the two simply enjoying their respective cakes with Amy smiling at Shadow, who had a calm aura, and from Sonic's intuition it has to be because he's with Amy right now.

That same heaviness from before came crawling back but not to the same degree. Especially because he was going to fight against it. Sonic was determined to cure himself of this heaviness.

There was only one way to do it and it was to get Amy's attention on him again.

"You okay, Sonic?" Chris asked as he extended a new slice of cake to his blue friend.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, Chris. Sorry." Sonic said as he took the slice of cake.

"You sure?" Chris asked, still concerned.

"I'm sure. Thanks, buddy." Sonic said, giving Chris a smile of genuine appreciation for the young boy's consideration.

Sonic can worry about his problems with Amy later. For now, he should just focus on his time with the others. Unwind and enjoy the rest of the day.

After all, it is Christmas. The one day a year where you should feel no worries.

Why spoil it?

For the rest of the night, everyone enjoyed themselves and their time with one another.

After all, tis the season.

.

.

Eggman stood across from a large spherical device in the center of his base with a cup of hot chocolate in his hand.

"Merry Christmas, my creation. It's been a while since you've been last active. Soon enough you will be ready to finish what you've started and rid us of that troublesome hedgehog, but for now, rest and recover. Then we can finish what we've both started, together." Eggman said with a smirk as he sipped on his hot chocolate. "First though, there's still one more plan to hatch before your time comes." Eggman said as he turned and walked away. "Sleep well, my greatest creation."

Within the spherical device was a robot being reassembled by mechanized arms that had claws, melders, blow torches and all essential tools for reconstructing automatons.

The robot being was 3' 3" with a blue paintjob. Its eyes were black lenses but for a moment they flickered with a menacing red light as it then spoke.

"S-Sonic…"

End of Chapter 3

Happy Holidays!

Well, at the time of this post anyway. Originally, I was going to post this the day before Sonic 3 hit theaters, which was the 19th of December. Well, the day before public release. I'm going to see it on the 19th in RPX thanks to a Fan Event!

However, I decided that would be too late. Especially since I plan on releasing the next chapters on New Years since that's when the Egg Moon arc in the anime begins.

Personally, I am proud of this one. Mainly because my birthday is on Christmas, so as you would expect, I love making Christmas content, and it's super fun when you involve the Sonic characters. Especially Shadow, or as Sonic called him on TailsTube "Scrooge the Hedgehog". To be honest though, I figured that Shadow would at least have some form of connection to Christmas thanks to Maria. After all, like I wrote, it's the Season of Miracles. I figured it would be something she would adore, and Shadow wished those miracles had come true for her.

Anyway, I won't keep you all. I hope you all enjoyed it and at this time of post, I not only want to wish you a Happy Holidays but also a Happy Fearless Year of Shadow. I'm sad that is has to end, but all good things must. It was a fun year for me, and I hope it was the same for you.

So, until next time, Sayonara! See you in 2025! Post Year of Shadow.

Takeshi1225, Out!