Chicken Canoodle Soup

Amy’s ears were ringing too loudly for her to hear Nicole’s frantic apologies – I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again, sir. Locking eyes with Sonic left her paralyzed and unable to shrug off a hand wrapping firmly around her forearm and pulling her backwards. Her ears pinned meekly, she slid out of Shadow’s grasp and stumbled.

Why was Sonic here? Why was Dr. Prower here? Why was this happening? Why her? Why now? Why, why, why?! Amy felt like her brain had been scooped out and replaced with cotton balls soaked with kerosene. The tiniest spark would immolate her into nothingness.

Questions appeared and bounced off her replacement substance without event.

The pair of hedgehogs held each other’s gaze while the world turned around them. She couldn’t see anything in the room except for Sonic, but the ambiguous shapes and colors bracketing him in his maroon hoodie had to be people milling about.

People with their own questions and concerns. People with their own problems and fears. People who didn’t matter. People who couldn’t matter. People Amy couldn’t handle mattering…They formed a faceless tunnel around Amy and Sonic, applying increasing pressure. the weight of society crushing down on them, daring them to take their eyes off one another.

After an infinite second, Sonic’s mask cracked. His eyes fell to the table, ears canting back in distress. His brow pinched, drawing the rest of his face with it on a diaspora. The sea of anger had been crossed and before the refugees of their long-standing friendship was nothing but leagues and leagues of miserable country.

Amy’s heart leapt into her throat to avoid plummeting when the bottom fell out of her stomach.

“It’s fine. Really, it’s fine.” A guiding voice brought her back from the brink. Numbly, Amy looked away from Sonic’s sagging form to Shadow. His dark visage gave her warmth, but she was staring at a campfire across a wide, foggy bay. He was addressing someone behind Amy, but he looked down at her and his brow furrowed. “Amy?”

Alpha was going to be mad at her, paying attention to another man like that. She was disloyal. She embarrassed him in front of his subordinates. She was a burden and a tease. Broken. Sickly. Why would he ever want her to bear his children? Stupid. Useless. Unworthy. She was a bad Omega and he was going to discard her.

“I have to go!” She blurted into Shadow’s confused face, pulled out of Nicole’s grasp, and bolted back down the corridor.

Amy got lost.

All the stupid generic halls looked the same. Every office door was a cookie cutter of every other and each cubicle was identical except for a few splashes of individuality. A collage of family photographs held in place by pushpins. A shrine to a collegiate football team. A collection of printed out comic strips.

And Amy blindly running through, a clusterfuck of colliding urges, collating shames, and colluding fears.

She found a bathroom and hid in it. Like everywhere in this damn place, it was nice and private. She flicked the lock closed, her fingers tingling and clumsy as she hyperventilated.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why was she like this? Why couldn’t she hold it together for a goddamned second without fucking everything up? Rouge was right, she simply couldn’t stay out of trouble for five fucking minutes.

Amy slumped down onto the toilet seat, covered her face with her hands, and screamed.

Eventually she had to stop to take a breath and in that moment her anxiety reminded her that plenty of people probably heard her little tantrum, and she should probably start crying from embarrassment at her earliest convenience.

However, before she could get a good sob going, someone knocked on the bathroom door. If it was Rouge again, Amy could just chalk this whole day off as a really bad dream and just pray she was going to wake up soon.

No such luck. “Miss Rose, are you alright?” Nicole’s muted voice permeated the door.

Amy coughed and roughly wiped her eyes. “Yes!” She croaked, hoping she sounded only half as terrible as she felt. “I just, uh…had a stomachache.” She lied. Crap! She wasn’t supposed to be doing that anymore! Ugh!

“Do you require medical assistance?”

“No!” Amy shrieked. She was done with doctors for the day. Frankly, she was done with everything. “I just need a minute.” Why couldn’t the world just leave her alone? Forget all about her and let her be…

Wallowing in self-pity felt good for about thirty seconds wherein she entertained the fantasy of just taking the first bus headed back home to her parents’ town. She’d live out the rest of her life locked away in their attic, every inch the fragile Omega they thought her to be.

Amy gripped her hands into fists and clenched her teeth. She tensed every muscle she could until she was a quivering ball of stress. Then she released everything. Her muscles, her hopes, her anger, her shame. A total fire sale, every bit of her had to go until nothing remained.

Emptied, she realized it was pretty juvenile hiding in the bathroom like she was in high school again…damn it.

Patiently, the world waited outside.

It turned out Amy needed closer to five minutes to feel put together enough to leave the safety of the bathroom stall. This was the third time she’d hidden in a bathroom in recent memory…she guessed there were worse habits to form…

Once Amy emerged, she found the lynx waiting for her, but Nicole’s normal aloof demeanor had faded. “I’m so sorry.” Her green eyes were soft under the shadow of her tented brows. “I should have stopped you. I didn’t know he’d be in the corridor and you just…took off.” She chewed her thumbclaw through her glove, her tail shifting uneasily behind her.

“It’s okay.” Amy tried to assure the agitated lynx. “I couldn’t help myself.” Focusing on Nicole turned out to be a gift. Amy could more easily ignore her own distress when she was worrying about others instead. “It wasn’t your fault at all.”

“No, he’s-!” Nicole took a deep breath. “Mr. Kintobor was very clear that maintaining your anonymity was vital.” She reached up and pulled at the black tuft on the end of one of her ears.

“Really?” Amy’s brows rose. Warmth bloomed in her chest. How thoughtful was that? Amy was certain that without Nicole’s disclosure, she’d never have learned about Shadow’s efforts to shield her.

Alpha was protecting her! What else was he doing for her that she didn’t know about? Alpha wanted her! Probably best not to think about it. Alpha valued her!

Nicole nodded slowly. “On pain of dismissal.” She grimaced.

Amy frowned. “But it was my fault.” She placed her hand against her chest. “He can’t fire you over that.” That would be silly…right?

The lynx twirled one of her black locks around her finger, pulling the hair taunt. “He most certainly can.” She huffed. “Mr. Kintobor can largely act however he sees fit.”

He wouldn’t do that.

He couldn’t do that.

Amy wouldn’t let him do that.

“Well, no, he’s not going to!” Amy blew out her cheeks. She dug into her purse and pulled out her phone. This was her fault and she’d be damned if Nicole paid the price. She typed out a quick message to Shadow and sent it.

Nicole’s purse chimed. She reached inside and produced a phone that Amy realized, after a moment, was Shadow’s. “That’s really kind of you.” The lynx grinned.

“Why do you have his phone?”

Nicole’s eyes fell half-lidded, unamused. “Because he was checking it too often when he should have been paying attention to other matters.” She explained dryly. “If I hadn’t requested to hold it for him, he’d still be trying to refresh his messages every five seconds hoping something from you would appear.”

Amy flushed, a new layer to her guilt developing. Even when she wasn’t inserting herself into Shadow’s arms, she was filling his head and distracting him from his business. Was that a symptom of the amoritis she’d given him? “I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Nicole’s face softened. “Mr. Kintobor is a passionate man in all facets of his life. Sometimes he needs a little help…focusing.” She replaced her boss’ phone in her purse. “I know you don’t have grounds to trust me, but I am happy that you and he are together.”

“Uh, thank you.” Amy wasn’t sure what else to say to such a declaration.

“He doesn’t smile very often.” The edge of Nicole’s mouth lifted. “Or at least he didn’t use to. Seeing you with him…seeing him enjoy himself…well, I’m grateful. Really, I am.”

Amy felt bad for all her negative thoughts about Nicole. She really did seem sincere. “You care about Shadow a lot, don’t you?”

Nicole nodded. “I do. A lot of us do.” Her bag chimed again and she fished out a second cellphone, her own supposedly. She thumbed it open and snorted. Amy raised a brow. “Despite my best efforts, Mr. Kintobor is finding ways to text you.” She tilted the screen towards Amy.

Amy scanned the message and found herself grinning.

Mrs. Lovelace, it is under great duress and abject protest that I convey this message from my idiot of a brother: Miss Rose’s presence is no longer needed here, and she may depart at her earliest desire. Please arrange for her transport to wherever she may wish to go. She is more than welcome at Shadow’s home, but he will be held up here for a time. -Eclipse

Nicole chuckled as she darkened her phone and cocked a brow. “So how about it? Ready to get out of here?” Amy nodded enthusiastically.

The first time Amy had arrived at Shadow’s home, she’d taken a taxi from the nearest light rail station, pointedly ignoring the ‘no unaccompanied Omegas’ decal plastered to the car’s window. She was dropped off at the front gate, but a guard in a booth had informed her that the help entered via a service entrance a quarter mile further down the road. Nuts*…*

Luckily, she’d only had to hoof it about halfway before a sedan full of A/V tech crewmembers let her pack herself into the back seat for the last leg. She’d gone in the staff entrance, a small side door obscured from the rest of the property by well-maintained arborvitae and a length of tall privacy fencing. “You’re late.” Rouge’s event manager had snapped while Amy rushed to get her camera ready. “Guests are already arriving. Get to the front door, quickly!”

This time Nicole took them through the main gates, down a long, immaculately groomed treelined driveway and into the large brick paved courtyard before the set of carved double doors that served as the primary entryway into the mansion. Dusk was coloring the sky and the massive façade of the sprawling two story compound looked still and lifeless after how Amy had seen it previously.

She stepped out of Nicole’s Lexus and looked about with a mix of awe and trepidation. She knew she’d asked to be invited, but the reality of the situation was giving her pause. Having Shadow in her apartment had just felt like an extension of her nest…but here? Something deep in her brain, something that had evolved in the savage primordial past, quivered at what she was willingly about to do: step into the den of an apex predator.

Nicole approached the large doors and slid a well-hidden panel to the side. Curious, Amy peeked over her shoulder to see the lynx punching a code into a keypad. Something chimed and Nicole opened one of the doors. “I can make you your own code.” She explained as Amy followed her inside.

As the lights came on automatically, Amy saw the entryway was much larger than she remembered. She stared at the spot where Shadow had caught her. It felt like a lifetime ago. So many things had changed. She really felt like an entirely different person and just a week ago, she had thought she’d never be back in Shadow’s house, not in a million years.

“Miss Rose?”

Amy snapped out of her reverie. “Sorry, what?”

“I was saying, if you give me a code, I can add it to the system.”

“Uh.” Put on the spot, Amy suddenly forgot all of the numbers that existed and the imaginary ones too. “Could I think about it?”

“Of course.” Nicole nodded and headed to a passage leading away from the grand foyer. “Are you hungry?”

Amy’s stomach answered with a growl. “I could eat.”

Nicole motioned and Amy followed her through the massive house. She quickly lost track of the turns. Was she close to the ballroom or was this some entirely new wing?

Suddenly, they entered a large open space and Amy stopped abruptly in the doorway. “This is the informal kitchen.” Nicole gestured. Amy blinked, unbelieving. The informal kitchen was as big as Amy’s entire apartment. And the ceiling was several feet higher, too.

A massive marble-topped island dominated the center of the kitchen. A large range with more burners than anyone could possibly need spread under a professional grade hood. The countertops were wide, sparkling clean, and nearly barren. There was no need to store anything in sight with the sheer amount of cabinets available.

“There might not be much…” Nicole approached a wall with a glassy surface and pushed the edge of a panel. A whole section slid out, revealing a pantry stocked with prepackaged snacks. “Shoot, these are really old.”

Amy frowned. “Is that all Shadow eats?” She knew he couldn’t cook…but plenty of people couldn’t cook and still tried. Or at least had to try because they couldn’t afford to have other people cook for them.

Nicole shook her head as she opened another panel and found it completely empty. “Woody cooks for Shadow, but he keeps most of his ingredients in the larder in the basement and he isn’t on duty on Sundays.” A third pantry slid open and displayed its barren offerings. Nicole’s shoulders slumped and she turned to Amy, who remained in the entryway. “I can order in something for you.”

Even though Amy was hungry, she’d bothered Nicole enough already…plus, she really just wanted to be alone. “Uh, that’s okay. I’ll make do until Shadow gets home.”

“It’s no trouble.” Nicole was thumbing rapidly on her phone. “There doesn’t look to be anything quick available. I could run to the store, if you’d like.”

Amy blushed. She’d never really had anyone be this persistent in trying to take care of her. Well, except for her own mother. Oh, that’s probably why she felt so awkward. Nicole’s attention reminded Amy of how her mother reacted when Amy had presented as an Omega. Overnight, she had gone from mommy’s tough little cookie to a fragile butterfly made of gossamer strands of glass.

“It’s fine, really.” Amy moved to put her purse on the middle island. “You really don’t have to stay if-“

“Shoot!” Nicole exclaimed at something on her phone. “That’s not good.” She made a frustrated noise.

“Are you okay?” Amy’s brow tented. “What’s wrong?”

“Sorry.” Nicole didn’t look up from her phone. “Are you good? I- oh gosh, Blaze- shoot.” Amy’s anxiety spiked further. If there was something wrong with Blaze, was Silver okay? Nicole looked up at her. “Are you good?” She repeated and Amy realized Nicole had been speaking to her.

“Oh, s-sure.” Amy nodded. She bit back a cluster of questions. It wasn’t any of her business.

“I can stay, but-“ Nicole bit her thumbnail through her glove and looked at her phone again, her brow creased, “I need to go.” She said around her worried claw. “Blaze is…not happy. She...found out about Silver and…Maurice.”

Amy blinked at hearing Sonic’s birthname out of the blue again. “How do you know about that?” She asked with some edge.

Nicole’s eyes snapped up and her worried expression evaporated into a mask of professionalism. “I’m afraid that is confidential.”

Amy flushed in anger. “Shadow ran a background check on Sonic after last weekend. Did you have something to do with it?”

Nicole searched Amy’s face and remained silent, contemplating. The lack of answer was plenty answer enough, though.

Amy’s shoulders lowered. She didn’t have the energy to be angry. At least one of her questions had gotten an answer. “So that’s why Shadow wasn’t surprised to see Silver with Sonic last night.”

Nicole’s ears perked. “I’m sorry, what? Silver was with Mr. Kintobor last night? Is that why he wasn’t present today?”

Amy’s flush changed flavor. “Uh, I-I mean, that’s confidential!” Why was she raising her voice? One of Nicole’s brows rose, but then she erupted into laughter. “What!?” Amy demanded. Didn’t Nicole say she needed to go? Why didn’t she just go already!

“Fair.” Nicole’s canines glinted below her upturned lips. “Very fair.” She looked at her phone screen sadly. “I guess everyone knew except for Blaze…God, she must feel like such a fool right now.” Nicole’s phone went off. “Speak of the devil.” She sighed and answered. “Hey bitch, what’s up?”

Amy’s eyes were as big as saucers as she stood paralyzed, watching Nicole’s facial expressions. Blaze clearly had a lot to say because Nicole stood there silently, her face scrunching into a tighter and tighter cringe. Wait, wasn’t Blaze supposed to be on her honeymoon? That’s why Amy hadn’t needed to rush processing her photos.

Covering the microphone end of her device, Nicole sighed loudly. Pinching the phone between her chin and shoulder, she crossed the kitchen and opened a drawer. Depositing a pad of paper onto the island across from Amy, she scribbled on it.

Nicole held up the paper to Amy. My phone number she mouthed and Amy gave her a thumbs up. Next, she withdrew Shadow’s phone from her purse and placed it on the counter, face down.

Finally, Nicole was able to get a word into her thus far one-sided conversation with Blaze. “I knew.” She admitted.

“YOU KNEW?” Blaze’s voice blared so loudly from Nicole’s phone that the lynx cringed away from it and even Amy took a step back. Wow, she was glad she didn’t need to deal with any of that.

“Um, maybe you should…” Amy frowned.

Nicole nodded and mouthed I need to go before returning to her firefighting. “Look, where are you? Can I take you out to dinner?” She grabbed her purse and left the kitchen.

“DON’T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!” Blaze’s compressed voice bounced off the high walls.

“Girl, you sound hungry.” Nicole’s voice faded quickly as she was swallowed by the cavernous house.

Suddenly, Amy found herself all alone in the massive, empty home. Shadow’s home. And, her thoughts briefly flittering back to the Ten of Cups card Mrs. Vanilla had drawn, maybe in the future, her home.

As the silence settled onto her shoulders like a yolk, she looked around. The kitchen emptied into a dining area with a bare table large enough to comfortably fit a dozen. She ran her hand along the polished wood. The walls were hung with modern art. Bits of twisted sheet metal and abstract, blocky color studies. Nebulous shapes that only hinted at real things.

Beyond the dining room(?), the area opened up further and a short set of steps led down to a wide living-room-type place. Elegant black and chrome furniture populated the space. Sleek. Cold. Sharp-edged. Amy sank into a couch that seemed vaguely familiar.

She shot up. It had taken her a moment to place it, but with a flush she realized this couch was a larger version of the one she and Shadow had ruined in his office the previous night. God, there was no way she’d be able to pay Shadow back for it. She had no idea how much a couch like that cost, but it was probably something disgusting.

Amy retreated from the living room.

Against a wall, Amy found a gap that led to an ascending staircase. The second floor…She bit her thumb through her glove. Should she really be snooping around? Maybe she should just sit on the couch and wait for Shadow to get home. She did have Orion’s whole manifesto to finally read. Shadow would probably give her a whole tour anyways.

Yes. She should just turn around and sit patiently.

Amy went up the stairs.

She rose into a long hallway. Picking a direction at random (she really had no idea which way was what at this point), Amy started walking. She passed many closed doors and opened a few seemingly at random. A bedroom devoid of anything personal. A room with a piano. A room full of books. Another spare bedroom.

The art filling the walls was a completely different style. Oil paintings of landscapes and the occasional marble bust sitting in lit alcoves. Large empty vases with intricate designs seemed to mark every turn. Amy felt like she was wandering through a stuffy museum and holy crap was she afraid to accidentally knock anything over.

She came to a door made of dark-colored, carved wood and opened it into an office of some kind, with a large desk dominating the area. Dark red curtains bound with golden tasseled ropes lined the walls. Stuffy and stifling, the room was like something out of a vampire movie. She half expected some thin pale ghoul to be sitting behind the imposing desk.

Amy entered and sneezed. Clearly no one had been here in a long time because just opening the door had filled the air with dust. Flipping on the light switch revealed that a number of the recessed bulbs were out. Gosh, that wasn’t giving haunted at all.

She stood in the middle of the office and tried to imagine Shadow sitting at the large desk. It wasn’t really his aesthetic, large and elegantly carved to look like…Amy squinted. The front of the desk was made to look like a wall of twisted veiny vines and eyes with slit pupils. Creepy.

She turned to leave and flinched back. Prominent on one wall was a large painting of her.

A shiver ran down her spine and Amy felt the urgent need to run. However, before her flight impulse got the better of her, she looked a bit closer.

It wasn’t her in the painting, thank god, Amy realized.

The pink hedgehog depicted in oil paint was a bit older than Amy and her shade of pink was a deeper red. The woman’s quills were formed and styled far more elegantly than Amy had ever looked in her whole life. But the resemblance was a little uncanny, though Amy didn’t really care for the expression the woman was making: a tight, forced smile that got nowhere near her eyes.

Once she was sure that she wasn’t in some sort of horror movie, Amy looked at the rest of the painting. There were four other figures: a large, imposing black hedgehog with a severe set face, two smaller dark-colored boys in dark suits matching the one worn by the larger, and one sunshine-yellow girl in a dark blue dress with embroidered stars along the hem.

Awestruck, Amy realized she was looking at a portrait of Shadow’s family.

Shadow, seemingly no older than ten or eleven, stared blankly from the canvas, his posture ramrod straight and face impassive, eyes…distant. His father’s hand gripped his shoulder so tightly his claws dug creases into Shadow’s suit.

Eclipse, still baby-faced with youth, smiled meekly as his mother’s arms draped around him almost possessively, his station as youngest clearly displayed in how he was dwarfed by everyone, even his brother and sister. The baby of the family, Amy thought ruefully. She knew a little bit about having a title you could never outgrow.

It took a moment, but Amy recalled the name of Shadow’s sister. Maria.

The girl seemed to glow in the gloom of the disused office. The light wasn’t just from her golden fur, but from her wide, genuine smile as well. If Shadow and Eclipse were any evidence, black was the dominant fur color by far. Her mother’s genes must have been strong for her to look so unlike her father.

Speaking of whom, looming over all of them was the imposing figure of Shadow’s father. Whereas Shadow’s fur was pitched black, his father’s was the slightly lighter shade shared with Eclipse. Shadow’s red was apparent at the ends of his father’s quills, though a bright crimson splotch blazed the middle of the man’s forehead. His eyes were a vivid hybrid of the boys, deep crimson ringed in yellow.

Amy found her ears tilting back just looking at the face of Shadow’s father. Black, Rouge had named him. What else had Rouge said?

Pick a night soon, cozy up with a blanket and a bottle of wine, and Gaggle his father Black Kintobor and Mizuri.

Amy swallowed. Yet another pressing item on her long list. There was so much she didn’t know about Shadow…about his past…about his family.

Mizuri…Liam had mentioned Mizuri-! She didn’t want to think about that! Not now, at least…

Suddenly everything felt overwhelming. The house was too big and too empty. She was too lost and too alone. The future was too obscure and too uncertain. Amy was afloat in an ocean with no land in sight. Where was Shadow? Why wasn’t he here yet? She couldn’t even call him because he didn’t have his phone!

Amy rushed from the room.

Desperately she searched for the stairs down. Every corridor and door looked the same. Except one. Amy stopped abruptly by a door decorated with many star decals swirling around a cursive M.

Maria’s room? Amy wondered. She reached for the handle and found it locked. She frowned. Every door had been open to her except for this one.

And why should it be?

Amy recoiled. Was she really thinking of invading a dead girl’s room?

She didn’t belong here. Snooping had been a terrible idea. Amy should never have climbed the stairs.

Moving quickly, Amy almost ran as she tried to find some way back to the main floor. Eventually she found herself at the top of the grand staircase that emptied into the foyer. She descended and found herself where she began her visit. Everything sat just as still and silent as it had been. Her stomach growled loudly, as if to say you’ve had your fun, now get on with it. However…could she find the kitchen again?

Amy was certain she would never grow used to such a large place. How could Shadow stand living here alone? All the large, silent space. It’s like he was a minotaur inhabiting a long-forgotten maze. Or a tomb…

As she tried to find her way to the kitchen (and her purse wherein was her phone), Amy realized this would be the perfect time to locate and throw away the slick-soaked tampon she’d stashed during her last visit. Probably throw away the old chess set she hidden it in as well for good measure.

Unfortunately…she possessed no clear memory of where that random closet had been. The house had been dark and she’d been out of her mind…was it really only like a month and a half ago?

What had her life become?

A-anyway…maybe no one would ever find it? She reasoned. It wasn’t like there were any kids living here (yet) and it wasn’t like Shadow would be playing chess by himself. Well, maybe he could. Maybe he was really into chess and he was going to find it and Amy was going to just die of embarrassment and shame and-

It was totally fine. This was fine. No one would find it. She had enough to worry about right now.

Amy was getting worked up over nothing. She repeated the sentiment over and over again, willing it to be true.

She managed to find the ballroom again, but the open space was empty and dark. Previously bustling with bodies and noise, the sudden vacuum was eerie. This whole house was eerie. It didn’t even smell much like Shadow…certainly not in the way Amy’s room smelled like her. How could he stand living in such a diluted place?

This wouldn’t do, Amy decided as she turned away and continued her kitchen-based odyssey. She ran her fingers along a bare wall. Color. This place needed some color. And flowers or pictures or something beautiful. Amy allowed her mind to wander into a pastel-tinted fantasy.

She was standing in that huge kitchen, a fine dust of flour and confectioners sugar covering her strawberry-printed apron. A magnificent (if she did say so herself) bunt cake was already rising in the oven and Amy was cleaning up.

A wall of heat and scent pressed into her back as Shadow wrapped his arms around her waist, enveloping her fully. She laughed. “It’s not ready yet!”

“I can’t wait.” He growled, his deep voice so close to her ear making her shiver. “I’m having my dessert now.” He buried his snout in the crook of her neck and licked a long strip over the Claim mark he’d given her. Amy bit her lip. Really? Were they going to do it right here on the countertop?

His arm shot out and swept away all her forgotten baking supplies. A silicone spatula clattered against the floor and a large mixing bowl teetered precariously on the edge. Amy shrieked as he lifted her like she weighed nothing and turned her around, before lowering her to sit on the counter.

She looked deeply into his smoldering red eyes and found that the butter in the batter wasn’t the only thing melting. “I love you.” He said, low and husky. Amy flushed and Shadow pressed forward, catching her lips with his in a deep, hungry kiss.

Suddenly, her imaginary bubble popped as she encountered a yawning gap in a wall. Amy, still shaking away heat that had grown in her face from her daydream, stared down a staircase. For once, the light switch was easy to find and illuminated a simple descent to the basement, probably. Should she continue snooping? That had gone so well upstairs.

Her stomach growled again, making the choice easy. The salad she’d picked at earlier hadn’t made much of an impact and she probably needed to do something about recovering all her missing blood. Eventually, she made her way back to the large kitchen.

It took her a ridiculously long time to locate everything she needed, mostly because all the food was hard to find. The many, many cabinets were either completely bare or full of sparkling clean, high-end crockery and appliances. One of the panels opened strangely and Amy stood back to find that a massive refrigerator emerged, the front of it having been disguised identically to the other panels.

Amy found that Shadow’s refrigerator was stocked in large part like Sonic’s portion of their shared space. Sports drinks, protein shakes, and quick and easy to eat snacks. There was a large collection of imported bottled water and cans of coffee(?). They canned coffee?

But not a lot of food food.

Eventually, Amy located a second refrigerator that had normal stuff in it like milk, eggs, and butter. There was no way Shadow needed two refrigerators! He didn’t even know how to cook pancakes! Whatever, fine. She could work with this. Now she had to find a bowl and pan…and a whisk.

Amy had to Gaggle how to work the fancy stove top. She learned what induction was. Huh, you learn something new every day. The whisk was a lost cause, so she ended up using a fork to break up the egg yolks in a large coffee mug (a mixing bowl had also not presented itself).

It took her entirely too long to make a ham and cheese omelet, eat it, and then clean the dishes. She welcomed the frustration, however. The arduous task of finding everything she needed (seriously, why was it so hard to find a sponge?) kept her mind off all her other troubles. She found herself checking the time on her phone a lot.

Shadow’s phone, where Nicole left it on the middle island, was chiming constantly with all sorts of alerts. Eventually, she wrapped it in a kitchen towel and hid it in a drawer. How could he stand all of that attention? Amy guessed it must come with the territory.

Just as she was drying her hands, her phone buzzed with a notification. She knew it couldn’t be from Shadow, but then again, Eclipse did have Amy’s number.

She hesitated when she saw a fresh message from Sonic. Her finger hovered uncertainly. She had run from him and let him deal with the aftermath again. Amy had let her fear overwhelmed her again and broken the promise she’d made to herself. She’d been doing that a lot today…

But, also, what the hell? How was she supposed to know he’d be there? It wasn’t some sort of crime to hug Shadow. In fact, it was a good thing because she could hug him. That was real progress in overcoming her phobia that Amy really should be giving herself more credit for.

And yeah, Sonic was mad and he had every right to be and they’d totally talk it out, but neither of them was in a good position to do that earlier. What was she expecting herself to have done? Have a deep, personal heart to heart with Sonic surrounded by strangers? That would have been absurd.

No, she decided. For once Amy wasn’t completely in the wrong. At least not in this narrow context. He could be as mad as he wanted to be, but she would stand her ground at least a little.

Amy opened her messaging app.

im sorry

What? Sonic was apologizing? She hadn’t been expecting that. No, that wasn’t right. Amy was who needed to apologize.

i know ive been a jackass, ames

but like wut is even going on??? plz amy i dont no wut to do

can we tlk whn i get hom? i rly ned tty

Amy froze as her stomach twisted. She wouldn’t be coming home tonight.

But, she might could though, right? Shadow wasn’t home yet, and she’d hadn’t actually told him she’d be here. He’d probably assume she was, but she had plausible deniability. She could summon an Unter and be home in just-

Her ear twitched and she lowered her phone.

She’d heard something.

Someone.

And that meant-!

Amy rushed from the kitchen.

Somehow, she knew the exact path to take.

“Amy?” His deep timber reverberated through the cavernous halls.

“Coming!” Amy called, her heart racing. He was home! Shadow was here! By some magic, she proceeded directly to the foyer and found him freshly arrived.

Shadow froze as she entered, his hands in the process of folding his suit jacket over his arm, and his eyes lit up. “Amy.” He breathed as if he hadn’t believed she really be here. His ears perked forwards and tail slowly swishing.

“Welcome home.” She smiled, her tail whipping back and forth with excitement and her chest swelling. Amy moved towards him but paused.

Shadow looked…diminished. His quills sagged and his eyes, normally so vibrant they appeared to glow, were dull. His broad frame crumpled in on itself, making him appear shorter.

Amy searched his face, every detail driving her concern. “What’s wrong? Why do you-!” Her nose twitched. She shot forward and seized the lapel of his shirt, lifting herself on to her tiptoes to press her snout into his neck.

“Wait, Amy…” He weakly protested.

It was wrong.

Shadow smelled wrong.

“Your scent…” Amy released him and stumbled back a step. Her body vibrated as her instincts urged her to panic. Something was wrong! He was sick. He was dying! SOMETHING WAS VERY WRONG! “What happened? Are you okay?” Her lip trembled.

“Please allow me a moment to explain.” He extended a hand towards her. She took it, her sanity holding on barely. “I am fine, I promise.” Amy frowned, wanting to believe him, but her instincts were still in uproar.

Shadow led her to the large living room and sank into the plush couch, drawing her down with him. “I…” He attempted to start but quickly lapsed into one of his long ponderous silences. “I’m unsure how to explain clearly. I supposed I shall just have to come out and say it.” He sighed. “My rut is imminent.”

Amy’s eyes grew wide. “Oh.” She said. Oh, indeed. Oh, shit, more like.

She really shouldn’t be surprised. With how many times Shadow had already seen her through her heat, it was only fair she return the favor. The idea was exciting and terrifying. All of her experiences with ruts in person were violent. What little she was taught in Health class was all very frightening and the portrayal of ruts in the movies was worse.

“But now is not a good time. So, I asked Dr. Quack…for some medication. To delay…my rut.” He was struggling to speak, breathing heavily. “The side effects are…stronger than I had anticipated. I suppose the change in my scent is one such side effect. Fatigue is…another.”

Amy found herself trembling. A confusing concoction of feelings and thoughts mixed inside her. The idea of his rut terrified her with uncertainty, and yet she craved it, craved to soothe him in the ways he had soothed her heat(s). Part of her was disappointed he was tired or that he didn’t trust her with his rut and chose to suppress it with medication. Part of her was immensely ashamed and embarrassed for causing all the turmoil that led him to be so wrung out.

Too much. Too much. Too much.

Shadow noticed her distress. “Amy.” He said quietly and shifted slightly, opening his arms. She pressed into him, melting into his warmth and altered scent to which she was quickly growing accustom. This was where she belonged. This was where everything made sense. Inside Shadow’s embrace, the world could not touch her. “Everything is going to be okay.” He reassured her.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered.

He gently pushed her away. “You have nothing to apologize for, my dear.”

Oh, how that wasn’t true at all. “I embarrassed you in front of all those people.”

Shadow’s shoulders sagged. “Ah, yes, well…I don’t think you meant to and I was happy to see you, if only for a moment.” That was true enough. She certainly hadn’t meant to make a spectacle of herself, but it kept happening anyway.

“Nicole was afraid you’d fire her.”

Shadow’s brow pinched and some sharpness returned to his eyes. “What? Why the devil would I do that?”

Amy looked away. “Because you told everyone to keep stuff about me private.”

“Oh…yes.” He looked away. “I suppose that is true.” He shook his head. “But I’m not going to fire Nicole because you gave me a hug. That would be…foolish.”

“Thank you.”

Shadow tilted his head. “Why?”

“For...protecting me. For taking care of me. I think Dr. Quack and Dr. Ginger actually found out what’s been wrong with me.” Amy smiled. As terrible as things had been, she was so relieved to have an explanation finally. It wasn’t great that she’d been unknowingly dosing herself with inducers for months, but at least that was something she could just stop doing.

“Yes, I wasn’t made privy to all the details, but Dr. Quack seemed certain that your condition was artificially induced.” He took her hands in his and stared sorrowfully into her eyes. “I’m sorry, Amy. I should have insisted you stop your meds sooner…then maybe none of this would have happened.”

It was Amy’s turn to look away, but she squeezed his hands. “But then…you wouldn’t have the evidence you need to stop Starline.” Shadow could stop Starline right? Who knows how many Omega’s were suffering just as Amy had been and having no idea why.

“I suppose that’s…true,” Shadow returned her gentle squeeze, but his grasp felt weak, “but we would…have found another way. You…didn’t need to go through all that…danger and stress, and for that I am so very sorry.” He swayed, as if a moment away from pitching over.

“Are you arguing about who is the sorriest again?” Amy grinned.

“I think…I’d rather be arguing about whether…we are arguing or not.” He smirked.

Amy pulled him forward gently, and he slumped into her without much resistance. “Amy…” He breathed. He was heavy and larger, but Amy shifted them both so that his head lay in her lap. Black and red quills fanned widely, and he stared up at her with clouded eyes. “You’re so beautiful…”

His hand lifted to cup her cheek and Amy pressed hers against his, feeling his warmth through his gloves. Her eyes closed and a wave of relaxation passed through her. The tightness and tension that had been haunting her body was cast out with such a small gesture. “Je ne te mérite pas.” Amy opened her eyes.

Shadow stared up at her, but he was struggling to keep his eyes focused. They closed as he tried to stifle a yawn, covering his muzzle with his free hand. Amy took the opening to shift and slip her phone out of her pocket. She set it on the couch arm, out of Shadow’s sight, and navigated to her translation app.

“My general counsel tried to resign today…” He blinked slowly.

“Blaze?” Amy asked.

Shadow furrowed his brow briefly. “Yes, Blaze. Right…I suppose you know her from…the wedding…” Amy felt the urge to correct him, to tell him she’d met Blaze chaperoning Sonic and Silver’s first date, but that extra information probably wasn’t going to help anything…not right now at least. Shit, was she lying via omission again? Amy was so tired. “I refused…to accept her resignation…though.”

Blaze had seemed incredibly upset on the phone with Nicole. Was this the reason? “Why?” It was an ambiguous question. Why did she try to resign? Why did he not accept it?

“She was…trying to make up for not reporting the relationship between her brother and…Sonic.” He growled the blue hedgehog’s name like a curse. “She hadn’t known…obvious conflict of interest…not…great, given the situation…” Shadow’s words came slowly and slightly slurred by his exhaustion.

“Why was…he there?” Amy asked.

“Dr. Prower brought him in…” Shadow’s eyes closed again and he grimaced. “I hadn’t known…I was…blindsided.”

Amy threaded her fingers through his quills and smiled as he began to purr softly. “That’s…nice.” He mumbled.

She wanted to ask more questions, but he seemed so peaceful. Had Blaze really been the only one to not know about Silver and Sonic? If Shadow had known, why hadn’t he done anything about it? However, she wasn’t keen on returning to many of the topics that might come up as a result. For instance, why she had been taking pictures (even though she hadn’t actually been doing that) of Shadow in the first place.

Shadow mumbled something that Amy didn’t catch. But her app did.

I fucking hate that blue rat*.*

Amy stiffened. Shadow’s eye shot open. “Amy?” Sometimes it was really obnoxious how tuned into her body language he was.

She shook her head. “Nothing. Just adjusting.” She lied.

“For…give me…I find myself…” He blinked slowly, “rather tired.”

“Then rest.” Amy leaned down and gently kissed the tip of Shadow’s nose. “I’ll be here when you wake.” A small smile spread across his lips and his face relaxed, his eyes slipping close. She continued to stroke his quills and his purring grew louder.

Quickly, Shadow’s breath evened out, growing slow and steady. The severe cut of his face relaxed, the worries of the present slipping away if only for a short time. He was so handsome, Amy’s heart ached. Devastatingly handsome and so strong in so many ways, but here he was, falling asleep in her lap. In her arms…

She couldn’t help smiling. The moment felt perfect in ways Amy couldn’t explain. This was the first time she was seeing him without all the rigmarole of maintaining an image or running a company. Shadow, free of responsibility. Shadow, at peace.

An overwhelming sense of pride ballooned inside her. Like the wags of his tail, this, too, was a privilege just for her. Only she could give him comfort like this. Only she could see him like this. Shadow was hers and hers alone. Now and forever.

Amy watched his peaceful face and slowly traced the shell of his ear with her fingertips. Millions of questions fought for a place on her tongue, begging to be asked, but she refused them all. There was time enough for the world later.

Now was just for them.