Rated: Fiction T (Teen) (PG-13) - English - Romance/Drama - Sonic & Amy

Chapter Six – Life as an Orphan

Sonic looked out the car window blankly and watched the rain pummel onto the scenery outside. He had remained silent since he had left the hospital and the car was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Usually, Ms. Reeves would have tried to make light conversation to try and help make a child feel more comfortable but after learning about Sonic's history she couldn't bring herself to say anything. He looked so sad and lost at that moment and she couldn't help but feel she shouldn't try to force too much onto him all at once. She looked up at her rear view mirror to see him still staring absentmindedly out the window. She sighed.

"Cold?" she asked. "I can put on the heat," she suggested, attempting at least some kind of response from him.

The little cobalt hedgehog merely shook his head as a reply. A small frown tugged at Ms. Reeves' lips. She knew that it was going to take a while for Sonic to adjust to his new lifestyle. A couple of minutes passed on by when she turned a corner and a small sign came into Sonic's view. It read "Station Square Children's Home. Since 1962."

His emerald eyes travelled to the front window where he could see a fairly large, two story white building coming closer into view. He could also make out a small shed next to it and parked off to the side was a school bus which he found really strange. By now the rain had finally stopped and Ms. Reeves pulled into a small driveway before coming to a complete stop. After turning off the car she turned around to glance at Sonic and gave him a soft smile.

"We're here." She told him.

He nodded in understanding as his eyes fell onto the car door. He felt his uneasiness returning to him and he hesitated before slowly opening the door. As he stepped out of the car he got a better look at the strange building in front of him. It almost looked like an ordinary house except much larger and longer in size giving off the impression of some kind of school of some sorts. He stared at the building in confusion. Was he going to be living at a school? He wondered to himself. He was so busy analyzing the strange building in front of him that he hardly noticed Ms. Reeves stop beside him holding both his suitcases.

"Come on, Sonic. Follow me," she beckoned him, walking ahead.

Despite his discomfort, he obeyed and followed albeit apprehensively. His eyes wandered in every direction, taking in his surroundings. As they walked inside he was surprised to see that inside the building it looked like a regular house instead of a school. His confused eyes quickly fell on random kids around his age and older wandering around as if it were the most natural thing in the world. What kind of place was this? Where exactly was he?

He followed Ms. Reeves to a small room that housed two beds and some bedroom furniture such as dressers to store clothing. She placed his two suitcases onto the bed to his right. "This is where you'll be staying," she told him, gesturing to the room. He looked around unsurely.

As if reading his mind she commented. "I know it's a little small…but I figured this room was the best choice for you," she stated.

"The other rooms have more roommates whereas this one you will only have one. He's a nice boy around your age so I'm sure the two of you will get along," she told him.

"Come. Let me give you the tour," she said kindly, gently taking his hand.

He followed her out of the bedroom where she led him into the living room. "We read stories here in the afternoons," she stated, before pulling him along to another room.

She showed him the kitchen followed by the cafeteria where all of the children would gather to eat. Sonic looked at the cafeteria with wide, curious eyes. This room reminded him very much of school. It looked exactly like a school cafeteria would with the array of round tables placed next to each other and the groups of chairs. He saw where he would stand in line with the other kids to get their meals and noticed the stack of trays, plastic utensils, and an assortment of food on metal trays that you would serve yourself.

After showing Sonic the rest of the house, Ms. Reeves began to give him a tour of the backyard. Since the rain had stopped and the sun started to come out, all of the kids were playing outside, ignoring the fact that it was still damp and muddy. "This is the vegetable garden," Ms. Reeves told him, gesturing to a small garden right behind the house.

She led him further into the backyard and gave his hand a supportive squeeze. "I know it's a little hard for the first couple of days…but you'll eventually get the hang of it," she said reassuringly, noticing his anxious expression and wide emerald eyes. She stopped walking and placed both of her hands on Sonic's shoulders, slowly guiding him forward.

"Kids! Come on!" she suddenly called, waving her one hand to grab all of their attention. The group of kids playing outside gathered around and Sonic began to feel extremely nervous.

"This is Sonic everybody. He's going to be staying with us for a while and I know you'll all make him feel welcome," Ms. Reeves said with a warm smile.

Sonic looked around anxiously at all of the other kids who were now staring at him. He swallowed and found his gaze drifting onto his own two shoes. When he looked back up he noticed the kids dispersing and going back to what they had been previously doing.

"Would you like to go out and play for a while? Maybe try to get to know everyone?" Ms. Reeves suggested. Sonic watched the other kids playing and wordlessly nodded.

"Alright, lunch time is in an hour. I'll call everyone inside when it's time okay?" she said, happy to see Sonic trying to adjust to his new surroundings.

"Ok," he said in a quiet voice.

He watched as Ms. Reeves headed back inside the house and turned his attention back onto the kids playing outside. He saw kids playing with Frisbees, soccer balls, and footballs and some kids chasing each other around most likely playing tag. The scene taking place seemed pretty harmless. It reminded him of the school playground when they went outside to play. He took in a deep breath of air as he started to wander around, trying to find something to do or someone to talk to. When nobody seemed to give him the time of day he found himself feeling really lonely and out of place. He felt his emerald eyes moisten as thoughts of his mother reentered his mind. He bit his lower lip, fighting to keep himself from crying and looked around some more. He saw a swing set not too far away from him and not too far up ahead was a tree house. He stopped and gawked at it in awe. He always wanted to play in a tree house. He ran over towards it, feeling a little bit more like his usual carefree self, and began to eagerly climb the stairs. When he reached the top, he quickly noticed some kids were already up there and were looking at him strangely. Ignoring them, Sonic leaned over the railing and took in the beautiful view as wind swept through his cobalt colored quills and tickled his face. Maybe staying here won't be so bad. He found himself thinking.

"Hey! New kid! What do you think you're doing up here?" A sudden voice yelled.

Sonic turned around in confusion to see the group of boys he had ignored earlier staring at him with narrowed, accusing eyes. "U-Um…I-I uh…just wanted to play up here…" he said shyly, rubbing the back of his head.

One of the boys stepped forward and smirked. "Oh really? Don't'cha know you can't play up here unless I give ya special permission?" he said in a cold, unfriendly voice.

Sonic stared at the male green hedgehog nervously and quickly shook his head. "N-No! I…uh…I didn't know!" he said quickly, hoping they would believe him.

The boys laughed at his response and the green hedgehog grabbed the front of Sonic's shirt and pulled him roughly towards him. "Listen, new kid, ya can't just come here thinking you own the place! There's a set of rules ya hav'ta follow! Got it?" he told the smaller hedgehog threateningly.

Sonic nodded quickly, feeling his stomach churn in unease. He hoped the boys would leave him alone. The larger boy began to pull him to the corner of the railing, his grip tight on Sonic's shirt. A mischievous smirk tugged at his lips as he eyed the smaller cobalt male in front of him.

"Ya know…there's something we like to do around here to the new kids who fail to follow the rules…" he sneered.

Sonic gulped nervously. The green hedgehog suddenly pushed him backwards and Sonic fell down onto a slide head first and slid all the way down to the bottom before falling into a big muddy puddle. Sonic lay motionless on his back for a moment in shock. He slowly looked up to see the group of rambunctious boys pointing and laughing at him. He looked down and examined himself to see his quills, fur, and clothes covered in cold mud. He felt hot tears sting his emerald eyes as he sat himself up. His earlier thoughts on this place not being as bad as he thought it would be quickly vanished from his mind.

"I was wrong! This place is terrible!" he thought to himself bitterly.

"Look! He's about to cry!" one of the boys said laughing, pointing at him.

"What a baby!" another boy chanted along.

Sonic tried hard not to cry but as he looked into the ice blue eyes of the boy who had pushed him he was finding it difficult. Why was everyone so mean to him all of the time? What was wrong with him? What was he doing wrong? He sniffed as he tried to wipe some of the mud off of himself. He squeezed his teary eyes shut as their laughter continued to fill his sensitive ears.

"Stop it!" a sudden and familiar voice said.

The laughter suddenly ceased and Sonic opened his eyes to see a little pink hedgehog glaring angrily at the boys standing in the tree house. "Scourge! You promised no more bullying!" she exclaimed, stomping her foot in frustration.

"…I wasn't bullying! It's a new game! See, we made it up," Scourge gestured to Sonic who was still sitting in the mud in a lame attempt of justifying his actions. Amy held her glare at him, obviously not convinced.

She turned her attention to Scourge's latest victim not yet noticing who he was. "Are you okay?" she started to ask but then her jade eyes widened in realization. "Sonic…?" she asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Sonic could only stare at her. He didn't know whether to feel embarrassed to be in such a sorry position or to be happy to see and be with her again. He was convinced he was never going to see her again. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he tried to think of what to say.

"I…uh…I live here now…" he said sadly with downcast eyes.

Amy's eyes widened. "Y-You do…?" she asked in mild confusion.

He nodded solemnly, refusing to meet her gaze. "Yeah…"

Amy certainly wasn't expecting this at all. Why was Sonic living here now when he had a mother? Wasn't he supposed to be going home with her today? Amy had been feeling really bad about leaving the hospital without getting to say goodbye to him. She didn't know that Ms. Reeves was going to be taking her home yesterday. She had gotten well enough to leave the hospital again and come back here. Her jade eyes fell on Sonic as he hugged his knees close to his chest and began to whimper. She noticed the silent tears rolling down his cheeks and immediately knew something was terribly wrong. She knelt down beside him and looked at him in worry.

"…Sonic?" she asked, only to receive no answer.

"Sonic, what's wrong?" she tried again but he didn't even look up at her.

Despite his lack of response, Amy began to rub his back comfortingly. Even though she was very happy to see him again, she was really upset to see him looking so sad.

"Alright, you guys! Time to come in!" Ms. Reeves called out from the back porch of the house.

Amy looked back down at Sonic. Maybe he'll feel a little better once he's had some lunch.

Sonic entered the cafeteria wearing a new set of clothes. Ms. Reeves wasn't too pleased to see him covered in mud and had him go get cleaned up and changed. Now he was looking around the cafeteria anxiously trying to relocate Amy. He felt a sense of comfort in his heart knowing that she was here with him and that he didn't have to be all alone. He cautiously made his way to where the food was laid out, not wanting to bump into Scourge or his buddies again. He quickly noticed that everyone here had to take care of themselves. He was so dependent and used to his mother always taking care of him. He felt helpless and also a tad bit clueless too. He timidly reached for a tray and began picking out what he wanted to eat. He grabbed an apple, biscuit, a small cup of milk, and a slice of cheese pizza. This really felt like he was eating in the school cafeteria and he couldn't seem to wrap his head around it. It just felt so odd to him.

"Outta my way, new kid!" Scourge said, shoving Sonic to the side to grab something from one of the assorted trays. He pushed Sonic so hard that he almost dropped his tray of food. He glared at the meaner, bigger hedgehog beside him.

"Scourge!" Ms. Reeves called, catching him in the act.

The green hedgehog flinched slightly and turned to face Ms. Reeves who was now standing behind him. "You know better than that," she told him sternly.

The older boy merely rolled his ice blue eyes and walked off to take a seat with his friends at one of the tables. Ms. Reeves shook her head and turned her attention to the cobalt hedgehog who was staring down sadly at his tray of food. She sighed as she placed the hot crock pot of chili she had been carrying down on the table.

"Don't pay any attention to Scourge," she told him. "He just acts out for the attention."

Sonic nodded in understanding and looked back up to examine the room once more. His emerald orbs lit up when he caught sight of Amy eating by herself at one of the tables. Ms. Reeves turned to see where he was looking and smiled.

"Don't be afraid to talk to her, Sonic. Amy's really nice," she told him, unaware that they were already acquainted.

A faint smile spread across Sonic's lips. "Ok," he muttered softly as he walked off to sit with her.

Ms. Reeves stood and watched, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. If anything, she felt Amy was the perfect person to help Sonic cope with the new changes in his life and help him feel more at home here.

"Hey, Amy," Sonic said somewhat shyly as he approached her table.

"Hey, Sonic!" she replied happily with a bright smile. "Come sit with me!"

Sonic sat down next to her and found her smile to be contagious. For the first time that day he finally smiled, even though it was small, it was still a smile nonetheless. He looked down at his tray of food and quickly realized just how hungry he was feeling. He picked up his slice of pizza and took a large bite. Amy giggled sweetly as she watched him and he felt his cheeks heat up.

"This feels weird…" Sonic commented as he glanced around the cafeteria.

Amy looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I feel like I'm eating at school," he told her. "Is it always like this?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Even during Christmas?" he asked her.

She giggled and nodded again. "Yup. How else are we supposed to eat?" she asked him playfully.

"I dunno…" he said, still feeling pretty confused.

Amy noticed the sad expression forming on his face again. "…What's wrong?" she asked him.

A loose tear slipped down his cheek against his will and he wiped it away quickly. "…I just miss mommy…that's all…" he said in a low voice, trying to fight back tears. He missed the way his mother would make him lunches. He missed the little notes she would write on his napkins saying things such as "I love you!" or "Have a nice day!" with little smiley faces. He just realized now that he'll never get a note on his napkins from her again. He choked back a sob as he tried to drown his sorrows with food, taking a large bite out of his biscuit. Amy watched him in worry. She knew something was really wrong but was afraid to say anything that would make him feel more upset. They continued to eat together in silence for a couple of minutes as Sonic composed himself. He had been crying all day and felt tired and sick. His eyes were sore and he couldn't get rid of the headache he's had since that morning. He sighed. He didn't want to think about anything anymore, at least not at this moment, and tried to distract himself with something else.

Sonic turned his attention back on Amy to see her eating a salad with an assortment of vegetables. "Ew," he muttered in disgust. "Icky stuff," he said childishly.

"It is not icky!" Amy protested.

"Is too!" Sonic argued, pointing at a piece of broccoli and making a face.

"Is not!" Amy exclaimed, eating another broccoli just to spite him.

"Yes, it is!" he continued. "How can ya eat that stuff?"

"I always eat it!" she cried, honestly.

Sonic looked at her face and for the first time that day he laughed. He couldn't help it. She looked so funny when she was angry at him. Her cheeks were puffed out and she pouted as she stabbed her plastic fork into the innocent vegetables and lettuce. He held his hand over his mouth as he tried to stifle his chuckles.

"It's not funny!" Amy said, feeling her cheeks flush.

Sonic finally calmed himself down and grinned at her. He held up his half eaten slice of pizza to her. "Want some?" he asked her.

She looked at him with wide jade eyes. "But…you already bit out of it!" she told him, pointing at the slice.

"So?" he asked her, not sure why it was such a big deal.

Amy stared at the cheesy pizza unsurely. "I…dunno…I'm not really allowed to eat that kind of stuff…" she admitted.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Amy didn't answer as she continued to stare at the slice debating whether or not she should. She gingerly took the slice from his hand. "Ok…" she said shyly. "But, you gotta eat a piece of broccoli then!" she said, stabbing a piece of broccoli with her fork and handing it to him.

He grimaced as he stared at the offending vegetable. "Gross! No way!" he exclaimed.

"I won't eat the pizza if you won't eat the broccoli!" she told him stubbornly.

He groaned, giving in, and took the fork from her. "Fine…" he grumbled.

She smiled at him victoriously. "Let's eat them at the same time," she suggested.

"Ok, I'll count." Sonic said as he readied the fork.

Amy brought the cheese pizza up to her face and stared at it apprehensively.

"Ok, ready? One…Two…Three!" he said as they both went to bite into each other's food at the same time. Their facial expressions were quite humorous to any onlooker. Amy's face was one of delight as she enjoyed the taste of Sonic's pizza whereas Sonic had a look of disgust and was having a rather difficult time chewing and swallowing.

Sonic quickly drank his milk to rid himself of the after taste from the broccoli while Amy merely giggled at his actions, taking additional bites of his cheese pizza.

He smiled at her. "See, it's good! Much better than icky broccoli!" he told her, making her laugh.

She couldn't argue with him this time because now she agreed with him. The pizza really did taste yummy. The two little hedgehogs giggled at each other once more as they resumed eating their lunches. Sonic took a bite out of his red apple and stared at Amy thoughtfully.

"How come you didn't tell me you were leaving?" he asked her curiously. The truth was, he felt a little hurt and disappointed when she didn't show up or say goodbye to him and he was feeling really sad earlier, fearing he would never even get the chance to talk to her or see her again.

Amy frowned. "I'm sorry…" she said apologetically. "I didn't know I was leaving…and I couldn't get a chance to see you…" she told him honestly.

"It's okay," he said with a small smile. "We made a promise to each other didn't we?" he said.

Amy smiled and nodded, remembering their pinky promise from the other night. There was another moment of silence before Sonic spoke again.

"…Where's your mommy and daddy?" he suddenly asked.

Sonic couldn't help but notice there were no other adults at this strange place aside from Ms. Reeves. Where were all of the other kids' parents? Amy's smile faded and was replaced with a deep frown. She looked down at her tray of food sadly.

"…I don't have a mommy and daddy…" she said quietly.

Sonic's eyes widened and he looked at her in surprise. "…You don't?" he asked her, not fully understanding.

Amy shook her head. "Nope…"

Sonic watched her pushing her food around with her fork. He didn't like to see her looking so sad. He opened his mouth to say something when he was suddenly hit in the head with a pea. He looked up in confusion to see Scourge snickering from his table that was across from him. Sonic narrowed his eyes and tried to ignore him.

"…Are you feeling better now?" Amy suddenly asked him.

Sonic blinked and thought for a moment. "A little…" he said in a low voice.

A faint smile returned on Amy's face and she let out a sigh of relief. "That's good…I was really worried." she admitted.

Truthfully, Sonic was still feeling extremely depressed and lost inside but he didn't want Amy to know it. She did make him feel a little better and a little less afraid but the thoughts of his mother continued to plague the back of his mind. He really wanted to be with her. He missed her so much that it hurt. His gaze fell back on Amy who was now drinking her water. She was staring back at him with her piercing jade green eyes and Sonic felt himself almost getting lost in them. Across from the two little hedgehogs at another table sat Scourge who was placing another pea into his plastic spoon, aiming it and getting ready to shoot it at Sonic. When he launched it, it flew high into the air and hit Sonic on the top of his head for a second time. Sonic looked up and glared at Scourge for the second time as he broke into hysterics with his friend snickering beside him. This time though, the green hedgehog's laughter was short lived as he noticed the pink hedgehog staring at him angrily.

"Scourge, cut it out!" she exclaimed.

"What? I didn't do anything," Scourge said, feigning innocence.

"Yes, you did!" Amy cried, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, well…he started it!" Scourge accused, pointing his finger at Sonic.

Sonic just sat in his seat with a deep frown as his ears drooped. He didn't want to stay here with all these mean kids. He just wanted to go back home with his mother. Why did things have to be this way?

Sonic sat on his new bed feeling anxious and tired. It was nine o'clock at night and Ms. Reeves was getting everyone ready for bed. He had already washed up and brushed his teeth and now he was trying to make himself comfortable in his new room. He glanced at the small bed across from him apprehensively. He still didn't know who his roommate was. He was really hoping it wasn't Scourge or another mean boy. Ms. Reeves did tell him his roommate was nice though so maybe he shouldn't be so worried. A deep sigh escaped his lips as he slowly laid down on his small bed. After a few minutes of silence his ears perked up as he heard someone entering the room. He opened one eye curiously to see an orange fox with two tails walking over towards the second bed. The fox glanced in his direction and his cerulean eyes widened in mild surprise.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't know anyone was here," the fox said.

Sonic remained quiet as he slowly sat himself up. He wasn't sure whether or not this boy was going to be nice to him or not. When the fox got no response from the little cobalt hedgehog he began to feel a little uncomfortable.

"…I didn't wake you…did I?" he asked unsurely.

Sonic shook his head. "No," he replied.

This seemed to ease Sonic's roommate a bit as he began to relax.

"You must be the new kid," he said, walking closer to Sonic's bed.

Sonic began to feel uneasy. Was this kid going to try and bully or hurt him? He didn't know who to trust anymore. The only person he found he was able to trust was Amy. The fox held his hand out and Sonic found himself staring in confusion.

"I'm Miles Prower, but everyone calls me Tails. What's your name?" the fox asked in a friendly tone.

Sonic relaxed a bit, feeling a little more comfortable. "…It's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog," he told him quietly, shaking his hand.

"That's a weird name," Tails said bluntly.

He immediately regretted his words when he saw Sonic's small smile fall into a straight line. "Uh, I mean, it's different, that's all…I never heard of anyone else with that kind of name before," he told him quickly.

Sonic nodded quietly. An awkward silence then filled the room as the two boys stared at one another. Tails was hoping he didn't get on the new kid's bad side. He wasn't really sure what kind of personality he had and he hadn't meant to make him feel bad.

"So…uh…when did you get here?" Tails asked, trying to make conversation.

"Earlier today…" Sonic said sadly, his eyes downcast.

"Oh…" Tails said in a low voice.

He noticed how sad Sonic looked and tried to find a way to cheer him up. "Don't worry, it's not so bad here," Tails said optimistically.

Sonic felt his eyes welling up with fresh tears. "But, I don't wanna stay here! I wanna be with my mommy!" he cried, wiping at his emerald eyes furiously.

Tails was taken aback by the little hedgehog's sudden outburst. He stared wide eyed at the little hedgehog who was trying to suppress his tears.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you upset!" Tails said quickly, trying to get his new roommate to calm down.

Sonic sniffled and laid back down on the bed. He turned his back to Tails and hugged his blankets tightly. He didn't want to talk anymore. He just wanted to be left alone. Maybe if he hoped hard enough, he'll wake up to find this was all nothing but a terrible nightmare. He'll wake up tomorrow back in the hospital with his mother sitting by his bed rubbing the back of his head. She'd smile at him and tell him that everything was alright, that she loved him, and then she would take him to their new home, just the two of them. Tails stood still watching Sonic trembling in his bed. He realized now that something really bad must have happened to him. The room was silent for a couple of minutes until Tails decided to speak.

"I never got to know my mommy…" he said solemnly.

Sonic's whimpers quieted down for a moment as he heard his roommates' words.

"She and daddy both died before I could remember them," he confided.

Sonic wiped his tears from his eyes and slowly turned around. He looked up at Tails in wonder.

Tails continued. "Sometimes, I think I see them when I go to sleep and it makes me feel a little better," he told him.

"Really?" Sonic asked in a whisper.

Tails nodded. "I don't know what happened…but, at least you can remember your mommy," Tails said as he walked back over to his own bed.

Sonic laid there in deep thought. He never really thought about things like that. He had been so consumed by his despair that he felt like his very oxygen had been taken away from him. He couldn't imagine what it would be like not to remember his mother. He cherished every moment they had spent together like it was a precious treasure. His mind then went back to what Amy had said to him earlier at lunch. She told him that she didn't have a mother or father either. She looked so sad and lonely when she conveyed this truth to him.

Sonic looked back over at Tails who had crawled into his own bed. "I'm sorry…" he found himself whispering.

Tails smiled at him. "It's okay," he said, happy to see the cobalt hedgehog had stopped his crying.

There was a brief pause before Sonic spoke again. "…Do you wanna be friends?" he asked the fox.

Tails' cerulean eyes brightened and a large smile spread across his face. He didn't really have any friends. "Yeah," he whispered back, beaming with joy.

Sonic smiled too. He leaned over his bed and began rummaging through one of his suitcases. After a brief moment he found what he had been looking for and pulled it out. It was the photo of him and his mother. He hugged it close to his chest and laid back down in his bed. He stared at the photo for a couple of minutes in silence. He thought a lot about what Tails had said. Instead of crying and feeling sad, he should try to remember all of the wonderful times he had spent with his mother and cherish them. He remembered what Nurse Sophie had told him. His mother was always with him and she was always in his heart. Thinking about things this way put his heart at ease. Even though he still felt heartbroken and a little scared, knowing his mother was always with him in spirit made him feel a little bit better.

Ms. Reeves walked up to the bedroom door from the hallway. "Lights out you two," she said, flipping the light switch. "It's time to go to sleep," she told them.

Both boys nodded while snuggling into their blankets. Ms. Reeves smiled sweetly and quietly walked down the hallway to check on the other children. Sonic stared out the window looking at the full moon as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He wondered if his mother was up there watching him. He quietly placed his mother's picture on his night stand, using his lamp to prop the picture up. He snuggled back into his blankets and stared at her smiling image through the darkness.

"Goodnight momma, I love you," he whispered before closing his eyes.

Sonic smiled as Amy's bubbly laughter continued to fill his ears.

"Higher, Sonic!" she told him through her giggles.

They were currently playing on the swings. Sonic was standing behind her, pushing her higher while Tails sat beside her in his own swing. Amy and Tails were trying to outdo one another, seeing who can go the highest.

"I'm beating you, Tails!" she exclaimed with excitement.

"Only because Sonic's helping you!" he told her, pumping his legs harder to make himself go higher.

Sonic couldn't suppress his laughter as he continued to watch them banter back and forth. Two weeks have passed since he had arrived at Station Square Children's Home and he was in much better spirits than he had been when he first arrived there. Sure, he still had his moments, mostly when he was alone in his bed at night where he would silently cry and miss his mother, but thanks to his friends Amy and Tails he was coping. In some strange ways, there were moments where he even felt happier. Before everything happened he didn't even have any friends. Now he had not only one, but two friends who made him feel wanted and happy. His father was no longer around to torment him anymore and he was beginning to feel like a regular kid. Sonic and Amy were back in school again and Sonic was delighted to find that Amy was in his class. Tails also went to the same school, as did most of the other children there at the home, but they weren't in his class. Sonic did get to see Tails during lunch and on the playground though. They continued playing not noticing Ms. Reeves approaching them.

"Amy!" she called, grabbing all of their attention.

Sonic caught a hold of Amy's swing, slowing it down and helped her come to a full stop. Ms. Reeves walked over to the little pink hedgehog with an excited smile.

"Amy, I have wonderful news!" she told her.

Amy's jade green orbs lit up with hope. "You do?" she asked.

Ms. Reeves nodded. "There's a family here that wants to see you," she said with a broad smile.

Sonic exchanged a confused look with Tails whose expression told him that he knew exactly what the two were talking about.

"Really?" Amy beamed, having difficulty containing her excitement.

Ms. Reeves nodded and held out her hand for Amy to take. Sonic and Tails watched silently as the two of them began walking off into the direction of the house. Amy turned around with a big smile and waved.

"Bye guys! I'll see you later!" she told them cheerfully.

Sonic stood and watched them disappear into the house in confusion. "Where is she taking Amy?" Sonic asked as he took a seat on the swing Amy had occupied earlier.

"Amy has an adoption interview," Tails said casually.

"What's that?" Sonic asked feeling even more confused.

"You're even dumber than you look new kid!" Scourge said from behind.

Sonic and Tails looked behind them to see Scourge leaning against the pole of the swing set.

"Nobody asked you Scourge!" Tails said with narrowed eyes.

Scourge merely laughed and ignored the two tailed fox. He walked closer to Sonic, his ice blue eyes piercing into his emerald orbs. "It's where adults go kid shoppin'," he told him.

Sonic furrowed his brows in confusion, still not really understanding.

"Except, they only pick the cute ones while the rest of us are left here to rot," he continued.

Sonic didn't really like the sound of that.

"It's not like that!" Tails interjected. "It's where grown-ups come and take you home if they like you and they become your new mommy and daddy!" Tails stated.

Sonic's face suddenly paled as he understood the conversation more. He didn't want another family. He definitely didn't want another mother either. Nobody in the entire world could ever take his mother's place and he didn't want to give anyone the chance. He especially didn't want another father. That was the last thing he would ever want.

"I don't want another family!" Sonic shouted stubbornly, crossing his arms.

"Who said anything about you, blue boy?" Scourge said coldly. "Amy's the one with the ticket outta here."

"W-Will I still get to see Amy?" Sonic asked Scourge worriedly.

Scourge smirked mischievously and shook his head. "Nope! Goodbye Rosie!" he teased.

Sonic frowned and felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Don't listen to him Sonic! You still get to see Amy at school," Tails said, trying to ease Sonic's mind.

"Not if they move away or put Amy in a different school," Scourge argued, purposely trying to make the cobalt hedgehog upset.

Sonic didn't want to hear anymore. He didn't want Amy to leave him. She couldn't! They promised each other!

"I can't let that happen!" Sonic yelled as he jumped up from the swing and started running towards the house.

"Sonic, wait!" Tails shouted, getting up to follow him.

Scourge took a moment to laugh at the two of them. They were acting pathetic! All for a girl nonetheless! A smug smile formed on his lips as he started to trail after them. "This outta be good," he said, holding back another laugh. The three of them caught up with one another and began sneaking around the windows of the house, trying to find the room Amy was in.

"They do the interviews in that room over there!" Scourge said, pointing to the window on the far left.

"How would you know? You've never had an interview!" Tails retorted.

Scourge narrowed his eyes at him. "Shut up fox boy!"

Sonic ignored the two of them and made his way over to the window. The three of them poked their heads up in the window at the same time to see Amy sitting on a couch next to a red and white hedgehog couple. Sonic frowned feeling worried when he saw how happy Amy looked as she talked to them. She was giggling and the hedgehog couple was smiling at her looking too happy for Sonic's comfort.

"I don't want Amy to leave!" Sonic said in worry.

"But Sonic, there's nothing you can do if they want her," Tails tried to tell him.

"There's gotta be something I can do!" Sonic said as he peered into the window.

"Fox boy's right for once, it looks like its game over," Scourge agreed, not helping the situation one bit.

Sonic actually felt tears forming in his emerald eyes. Amy was his best friend. He didn't want her to leave him. He already lost his mother; he didn't want to lose his good friend too. Why did everyone he cares about leave him? It just wasn't fair! The three boys grew quiet as they watched Ms. Reeves and the hedgehog couple get up from the couch. Ms. Reeves glanced at Amy and told her something that they couldn't hear and left the room. Amy clasped her hands in her lap with her legs swinging back and forth in excitement. Now that she was alone, Sonic wanted to talk to her. He hastily knocked on the window, grabbing her attention. Her jade orbs lit up when she saw him and an excited smile formed on her muzzle. She got up from the couch and ran out of the room to go meet him. Sonic did the same, completely forgetting about Tails and Scourge.

As he ran to the veranda Amy suddenly came into view. "Sonic! I have something I wanna tell you!" she exclaimed happily, running up to him.

She waited a moment to catch her breath before continuing. "I think I might get a new mommy and daddy!" she told him giddily.

Sonic just merely stared at her not knowing what to really say. "…That's great, Amy!" he said with a forced grin.

"I know! I'm so happy!" she said, practically jumping up and down in her excitement.

"I never thought this would ever happen!" she told him honestly.

Sonic couldn't hold back his frown and his gaze fell to his sneakers. Amy stopped bouncing around when she noticed his sudden change in demeanor.

"…What's wrong?" she asked him, her smile slowly fading away.

Sonic shook his head. "It's nothing…" he said in a low voice.

"Liar," she said, knowing full well something was bothering him.

Sonic felt his cheeks heat up and he rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "It's just that…I-I don't want ya to go…" he told her honestly.

Amy's eyes widened in surprise. "But, why?" she asked him.

"Because…if you leave we can't be friends anymore," he said sadly.

"Yes we can!" she assured him. "We still have school together and I'm sure you can come over my new house and play!" she said with a smile.

"Really?" Sonic asked, beginning to feel a little better.

Amy nodded. "We pinky promised remember? We'll be friends forever!" she said, suddenly pulling him into a big hug.

Sonic felt his cheeks burning but couldn't hold back his smile. Just as long as he and Amy could remain friends and see each other he would be happy. Tails and Scourge put quite a bit of fear into him but after talking to her he felt more at ease. She was always easy to talk to and it didn't take much for her to make him feel better.

"Amy, I'm glad we're friends," Sonic said with a soft smile.

Amy giggled and pulled away from the embrace. "Me too," she said.

"Amy, I need to talk with you," Ms. Reeves' voice called from behind them.

They both turned around to see her standing on the porch. Her lips were in a straight line and she didn't look as joyous as she had been only a little while ago. Neither of the little hedgehogs seemed to notice.

"Ok," Amy said with a smile.

She waved goodbye to Sonic who happily returned the wave and headed back inside the house. A half an hour later, Sonic was sitting at a small round table coloring in a coloring book. He decided to make Amy a picture and give it to her as a present. He was feeling a little sad that she would no longer be living with him but at least they can still see each other and play. His ears perked up as he heard Ms. Reeves' office door open and he looked up to see Ms. Reeves and Amy stepping out of the room. He immediately smiled but it faded quickly when he noticed the sad expression on Amy's face. She looked as though she was holding back her tears and her lower lip was quivering. Her moist jade eyes fell on Sonic who was sitting across from where she was standing and she found herself unable to hold back her tears any longer. Before Sonic could say anything she ran away holding her hands over her face. Sonic watched her retreating form in utter confusion and promptly got up from his seat and ran after her. He followed Amy to her room which was larger than his own and housed five separate beds. He entered her room quietly, his emerald eyes finding her lying down on her bed with her face buried in her pillow.

"…Amy, what's wrong?" he asked as he slowly approached her.

She didn't answer him and continued sobbing into her pillow. Her body was trembling and she let out a whimper as she choked back a sob. Sonic sat on the end of her bed beginning to feel worried.

"Why are you crying?" he asked her again, hoping she would talk to him.

"Nobody wants me…" she replied softly, crying into her pillow.

Sonic looked at her in confusion. Why would she say something like that? He scooted himself closer to her wanting to make her feel better. He knew what she thought was wrong. He and Tails cared about her and what about her new mother and father?

"That's not true," he said, trying to console her.

"Yes, it is!" she cried, hugging her blankets tightly.

"What about your new mommy and daddy?" he asked her.

Sonic immediately regretted his words when she started crying even more.

"W-Wait, Amy! I'm sorry!" he said quickly, not sure what to do.

After a while her sobs quieted down to small hiccups and she finally turned away from her pillow to look at him. "They don't want me anymore…" she said in a soft whisper, wiping tears from her eyes hurriedly.

Sonic looked at her in surprise. "Why not?" he asked.

"…Because I always get sick," she told him in a sad, quiet voice.

He didn't quite understand what she meant by that. She didn't seem sick to him. Whenever they were together she always seemed completely fine. Despite his lack of understanding, he didn't like seeing his friend looking so sad and he desperately wanted to make her feel better. He started to rub her back and tried to give her a comforting smile.

"Well, I care about ya…and Tails too!" he said, his cheeks flushing.

Amy smiled weakly. "I know…but it's not the same as having a family…" she admitted.

There was a moment of silence before Amy spoke again. "…What's it like to have a mommy?" she asked Sonic, looking up into his emerald eyes.

Sonic was taken aback and unsure how to answer her. His mind wandered onto his mother and all of the beloved memories he shared with her. He missed her terribly. He loved her so much. He felt his eyes moisten against his will and he averted his eyes to the bed sheets.

"…Having a mommy…is the best thing in the world," he told her softly.

"What was your mommy like?" Amy asked in wonder.

She had no idea what having parents were like. That didn't stop her from trying to imagine it though. Sonic swallowed thickly and paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say.

"My momma was the nicest person in the whole wide world," he told her.

"She always gave me kisses and hugs and she would tell me she loved me every day…" A loose tear slipped down his cheek and he wiped it away hurriedly.

"She would play games with me and even color pictures with me! And she always made me my favorite lunch," he told her, rubbing his stomach in memory.

Amy smiled softly as she tried to imagine everything he was telling her.

"We used to bake cookies all of the time…and when we were done she always let me lick the bowl…" he said with a faint smile. For some strange reason, even though he was feeling sad, talking about his mother made him feel a little better.

"Momma always read me bed time stories…and if I was scared she would always stay with me until I fell asleep," he told her.

"Your mommy sounds really nice," Amy said, clasping Sonic's hand gently.

"She was," Sonic said with a small smile.

Amy looked up at Sonic thoughtfully. "What's your daddy like?" she suddenly asked.

Sonic's smile immediately evaporated from his face. He frowned and rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. He didn't want to tell Amy anything about his father. He didn't even want to think about him ever again.

"U-Um…I…I didn't know daddy very much…" he said lamely, averting his eyes elsewhere.

Amy looked at him in confusion. "Why not," she asked.

"I just didn't," Sonic said quickly, wanting to change the subject.

He looked back at Amy and gave her hand a supportive squeeze. "I don't want ya to feel sad, Amy," he told her.

"You might not have a mommy and daddy…but, you'll always have me," he told her bashfully.

Amy smiled and pulled Sonic into a big hug. He was always able to make her feel better and most importantly, loved.

"Thank you Sonic," she said, squeezing him tightly.

He felt his cheeks heating up, something that seemed to always happen only around Amy. They slowly pulled away from each other and giggled.

"Do you feel better now?" Sonic asked.

Amy nodded and Sonic helped her up from bed.

"I made you a picture, do you wanna see?" he asked, still holding her hand.

Amy smiled and nodded. "Yeah!" she said, sounding more like her usual self again.

He smiled and began leading her out of the room. Amy looked up adoringly at him. She was so happy that Sonic was her friend. She was so lonely before she met him. She knew that as long as she and Sonic were together, she would always be happy.

Sonic sat angrily in the main office of his elementary school. His arms were crossed and he was staring at the floor in deep thought. It's all those mean older boys' fault he was in trouble right now. All he was doing was protecting Amy. He grumbled and clenched his teeth at the memory.

"What's wrong little girl, don'tcha got any parents?" one boy sneered.

"You shouldn't even be here, little orphan girl!" an even bigger kid chimed in.

"Leave me alone!" Amy cried with teary jade eyes, hugging her bear Franklin close to her chest.

"No, maybe we don't want to!" the big kid, a purple echidna, said with a smirk.

"Parent's Day is for kids with parents! You shouldn't even be here!" he told her coldly.

He shoved Amy roughly, almost making her fall over. The other two boys standing beside him started to laugh. Amy had been standing off to the side under a willow tree watching the other kids doing events with their parents. Even though she had no parents of her own, she still had to go to school, so all she could do was watch.

"Stop it!" she cried, wanting them to leave her alone.

"No!" the echidna continued, shoving her a second time.

This time he shoved her so hard she fell backwards onto the grass. She looked up at the boys with hurt in her eyes. They were only just getting started though. The echidna grabbed her bear Franklin right out of her arms before she could react.

"What's with the stupid bear?" he sneered. "He looks like a rag!" he continued, chuckling as he held the bear by its arm.

Amy's eyes widened and she tried to grab Franklin. "Give him back!" she cried, tears rolling down her rosy cheeks.

The boy continued to dangle the bear in front of her and lifted it up higher when she tried to reach it. "Give him back!" she cried again, desperately trying to save her teddy bear from the mean boy.

He tossed the bear to his friends and the three of them began to throw the stuffed bear to one another whenever the pink hedgehog got close to them.

"Leave Franklin alone!" she exclaimed, trying to save her stuffed friend. Before Sonic came along, Franklin was her only companion and source of comfort.

The mean boys only laughed at her futile attempts of getting her bear. She managed to grab onto his leg and held on for dear life. The boys refused to let her have the bear though and began trying to pull him away from her.

"Let go of him!" Amy shouted angrily.

"No!" the three boys yelled in unison.

They continued their game of tug of war until a loud rip filled everyone's ears. Amy fell backwards onto the grass and in her horror saw Franklin had been ripped in two. The three boys were silent for a moment as they stared dumbfounded at the torn stuffed animal. Amy's eyes filled with tears as she stared dismally at what remained of her friend.

"FRANKLIN!" she started to cry.

She covered her face in her hands and began to weep in despair. The bear was torn from its midsection and was beyond repair.

"No! Franklin!" she sobbed.

The three boys shook themselves from their temporary shock and began snickering at her trembling form.

"Stupid bear, it's not our fault he was a piece of trash," the echidna said coldly.

Amy was too heartbroken to listen to them anymore. She's had Franklin ever since she was a baby and she had taken him everywhere she went. There were times where she would be at the hospital in a really bad state feeling scared and Franklin was always there to comfort her. Now he couldn't be with her anymore. Neither Amy nor the three boys were aware of the little cobalt hedgehog who had witnessed the whole scene. He was standing a few feet away from them with clenched fists.

"Leave Amy alone!" Sonic shouted angrily.

The three boys looked up in surprise at the sudden voice. The purple echidna smirked at the little boy attempting to stand up to him.

"What ya gonna do about it, ya little runt? Tell on me? Oh, I'm so scared!" he taunted, laughing.

His friends started to laugh along with him. Sonic had never felt such a fury before in his entire young life. Usually, he would be afraid to be put in such a situation, one that seemed all too familiar to him, but at the moment all he could feel was pure anger. Nobody messed with Amy and got away with it. He tossed the candies he had left Amy briefly for onto the grass and approached the bullies fearlessly. Amy lifted her face up from her hands to see Sonic approaching them. She had never seen Sonic looking so angry before. The purple echidna stepped forward so he and Sonic were face to face. He smirked at him finding his bravery hilarious. He could easily hurt this little boy. He was such a little weakling.

"Uh, oh, looks like you made him mad!" one of his friends said through a laugh.

Sonic gritted his teeth. "Leave Amy alone," he repeated in a warning tone.

"What if we don't want to, tough guy, what are you gonna do about it?" the echidna taunted, shoving Sonic roughly.

Sonic's eyes became fierce as he stared at the echidna angrily. His adrenaline began to pump through his veins and all he thought about was getting these boys away from him and Amy. He shoved the echidna back with as much force as he could muster.

"Go away! Or I'll make you!" Sonic said, feeling his anger steadily growing.

The echidna scowled at the little hedgehog. "You're gonna regret doing that!" he said in a dark tone.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Sonic said bravely.

"Hey, wait a minute, I've seen you on T.V!" one of the boys said pointing at Sonic.

"You're a little orphan too!" he continued.

The purple echidna smiled viciously. "That means you're just like her then!" he said, pointing at Amy. "You don't belong here either!"

Sonic ignored their words, not fully comprehending all of it and stood his ground. He narrowed his emerald eyes and glared daggers at the purple echidna.

"That's right. You don't have any parents. Your parents are dead!" the echidna said coldly.

Sonic was taken aback by his latest comment and hurt suddenly filled his eyes. It disappeared as quickly as it came though, when he was suddenly filled with rage. He raised his little fist up and before anybody could react he punched the mean echidna right in the nose. The echidna fell backwards onto the grass holding his now bleeding nose in pain. His friends stepped back looking down at their friend in pure shock. Sonic was unable to control his raging emotions however and got himself on top of the echidna continuing his attack. Amy's eyes widened fearfully as she watched her best friend beating the mean boy up.

"Sonic, stop it!" she cried, trying to get him to stop.

Tears filled Sonic's eyes as he continued hitting the helpless boy beneath him who was now crying himself. The echidna's friends watched in horror before running away to go get help.

"Stop it!" the echidna cried, trying to keep from being hit.

"Please, leave me alone!" he whimpered as he tried to push the little hedgehog away from him.

Sonic continued hitting him completely blinded by his own rage. "You didn't leave Amy alone when she asked you to!" he exclaimed, continuing his assault.

"You're nothing but a big bully!" Sonic yelled, beginning to slam the echidna onto the ground repeatedly.

The echidna was terrified and sobbing as Sonic continued to go wild on him. Amy struggled to stand up wanting to stop Sonic from hurting the boy. Tears filled her jade colored eyes. She's never seen Sonic like this before and it honestly scared her.

"No more!" she cried helplessly, hoping he'd listen.

Her words didn't have much effect on the cobalt hedgehog though as he continued slamming the crying echidna into the ground. By now the two boys had attracted a lot of attention from other students, parents, and teachers. Sonic's teacher, Mrs. Kennedy, ran over to them horrified and tried to stop their violent behavior. She grabbed ahold of Sonic and began trying to pry him away from the other boy. Sonic continued to swing his fists even when being pulled away. Mrs. Kennedy began to shake him roughly.

"Sonic!" she yelled, trying to get him to stop.

"Sonic, that's enough!" she told him sternly, shaking him harder.

Sonic finally turned his attention away from the bully and onto his teacher and his hands dropped to his sides. Almost instantly his rage disappeared and was replaced with hurt. Tears threatened his emerald eyes as he hugged his teacher, desperate for some form of comfort. She held him tightly, looking down at him wide eyed. She knew what this boy has gone through and could understand his violent outbursts but this was too much. She slowly stood up, taking hold of Sonic's hand and began leading him away from the scene towards the principal's office.

Sonic frowned as he recounted the memory. He didn't know what came over him. He was just so angry he couldn't control himself. He was already angry they were hurting Amy but the moment they mentioned his parents he just snapped. Now he was starting to feel guilty over what he had done. He never in his life did something so bad before.

"Sonic Hedgehog," a familiar voice called.

Sonic looked up to see his principal Mr. Watson waiting for him in the hallway. He slowly rose from his seat and hesitantly made his way over to his principal. The bear led him through the hallway and into his office. Sonic took a seat in one of the chairs and crossed his arms. He refused to look at his principal and stared out the window. He was still angry. He was also angry with his principal. He lost his mother because of the very conversation they had in this same room. He vowed to never tell anyone anything again. He couldn't trust anyone except Amy and Tails. Mr. Watson frowned as he stared at the moody hedgehog slumping in his seat. He felt incredibly guilty over the turn of events that had taken place since that day he spoke with Sonic and his mother. He never would have imagined things would have turned out the way they did. If he had known…if only he had known, he would have done so many things differently. He didn't blame Sonic for his anger but his anger also worried him a bit. He didn't want Sonic to grow up having anger and trust issues nor did he want him to have the same violent tendencies as his father. He was his son after all…that alone was enough to make anyone worry.

"Sonic, do you know why you're here?" he asked him.

Sonic refused to say a word or even glance at his principal. He continued to stare out the window instead.

Mr. Watson sighed. "I know you're angry Sonic and I don't blame you one bit," he told him. "But you can't just go around hitting other students, you know that," he said.

The room fell silent as Sonic refused to say anything in his defense. He just wanted to go back home or what he thought was now his home. Mr. Watson began fiddling around with his blue pen, trying to think of ways to get Sonic to speak to him. He didn't want to punish Sonic for his actions, having a strong feeling there was more to the story then met the eye.

"Can you tell me what happened out there?" he asked him, hoping he'd comply and explain the situation.

When he still received no answer he sighed again. "Sonic, if you don't tell me what happened…I can't help you," he said.

Sonic finally turned his attention to his principal. The last time Sonic told him what was happening in his life he had made everything worse. He made him lose his mother.

"I don't wanna tell you anything…" he said, his emerald eyes beginning to moisten.

Mr. Watson frowned. He could understand perfectly why Sonic had no interest in telling him anything ever again. Just as he had suspected, the little boy now had trust issues. Even if it wasn't him and somebody else, he wouldn't confide in them and tell them anything.

"I understand how you feel Sonic…I want you to know how sorry I truly am about everything…" he told the little hedgehog. "I never wanted things to turn out the way they did."

Sonic's expression softened the tiniest bit as he took his principals words in.

"Sonic, I know you're a good kid. You always were and I know there's more to what happened today. Please, tell me what happened. I don't want to have to punish you for something that may not have been your fault," Mr. Watson said.

Sonic looked thoughtful for a moment but still said nothing. Mr. Watson sighed, feeling defeated. Sonic wasn't going to tell him anything.

"Alright Sonic, I'll give Ms. Reeves a call and tell her to come pick you up," he said.

Sonic's ears perked up and he looked at Mr. Watson in confusion.

As if reading Sonic's thoughts he said, "I'm not going to try and force you to tell me if you don't want to."

Mr. Watson decided he should back off. Sonic was still obviously angry and needed time to cool down. He'll have to try and decide Sonic's punishment later. He decided to wait to hear the other boys' stories, Mrs. Kennedy's, and any other witnesses who may help him piece the puzzle together. He knew deep down that Sonic wasn't a bad kid. He was always playful, outgoing and adventurous, and somewhat shy at times. He knew he must have been provoked to do such a thing but he needed answers and if Sonic wasn't going to tell him, he'll have to try and find them elsewhere. He didn't want to punish Sonic if he was innocent so he was going to give Sonic an extra day to find out what exactly happened. He grabbed a paper cup and poured it with some cold water and handed it to Sonic.

"This will help you feel better," he told him.

Sonic looked apprehensive at first before gulping the water down. After he finished drinking his cup of water, Mr. Watson escorted him out of his office and back into the main office where Sonic would wait for Ms. Reeves to come and pick him up.

That night Sonic couldn't sleep. His mind kept replaying everything that had happened earlier. He was feeling really guilty about everything. He felt guilty for fighting with those boys, guilty for not talking to his principal, and mostly guilty for hurting Amy. He hadn't spoken to her since everything had happened and he was wondering if she was mad at him. He was just protecting her. Those boys were hurting her and being mean to her and he couldn't help but be reminded of himself when his father had done similar yet worse actions to him. He didn't want to see his friends get hurt especially if it was Amy. He sighed and sat up unable to sleep. He looked across the room to see Tails sleeping soundly and quietly got up from his bed. He picked up Charlie from the bed and began sneaking out of the room. He wanted to talk to Amy. Sonic walked through the dark hallway blindly, trying to remember where Amy's room was. He walked around the corner and stopped when his eyes fell on a familiar room. He could see Amy sleeping in her bed along with her four other roommates. He quietly walked into the room and climbed into bed with her.

"Amy," he whispered, softly shaking her.

Amy mumbled before opening her jade green eyes to see Sonic's emerald orbs staring deeply at her. "Sonic…?" she asked in a daze, still half asleep.

She sat up rubbing her eyes and yawned. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a whisper.

"I wanna tell you I'm sorry," he said sadly.

She looked at him in confusion. "Why are you sorry?" she asked.

"Because…of what I did today…I made you mad at me," he stated with a frown.

Amy tried to fight the wave of dizziness that was starting to overcome her. She placed an unsteady hand on Sonic's shoulder hoping he wouldn't notice. "I'm not mad at you," she told him honestly.

Sonic's face brightened. "You're not?"

She shook her head with a small smile. "No."

"I thought you were ignoring me," he told her.

"No…I was just…resting," she said, looking away from him.

He looked at her in confusion, not really understanding.

"Thank you…for earlier," she whispered, pulling him into a hug.

He felt the heat rising to his cheeks as he hugged her back. When she pulled away from him she frowned.

"I just miss Franklin…" she said sadly, tears forming in her eyes. "This is my first time trying to sleep without him…"

Sonic frowned as he saw how sad she looked. He understood exactly how she felt. His emerald orbs fell onto his stuffed Chao Charlie who was sitting in his lap.

"Amy," he said, holding Charlie in his arms. "This is my best friend Charlie."

Amy looked at the stuffed Chao and smiled softly. "He's cute," she whispered with a small giggle.

Sonic smiled at her and looked back down at his stuffed animal. "My mommy got him for me for my birthday," he told her.

He held the Chao up to her. "I want you to have him now," he said.

She looked at him in surprise. "…You wanna give him to me…?" she asked unsurely.

He nodded with a smile, handing the stuffed animal to her. She looked down at it in wonder.

"Whenever I felt sad or scared, Charlie was always there to make me feel better," he told her. "Now, he can be there for you."

Amy smiled happily and pulled Sonic into another tight embrace. "Oh, Sonic!" she exclaimed a little loudly. "Thank you so much!"

Sonic blushed as she lightly kissed him on the cheek. The two little hedgehogs were oblivious to one of Amy's roommates almost waking up from all of the noise they were making. Amy hugged Charlie tightly with a big smile and Sonic found himself smiling too.

"I love him!" Amy said sweetly. "I promise I'll take good care of him," she told him.

"Do you pinky promise?" Sonic asked teasingly.

Amy nodded. "I pinky promise!" she said taking her pinky and linking it with his own.

They both burst into a fit of giggles as Amy laid back down in her bed. She snuggled into her blankets and hugged Charlie tightly. Her cheeks were flushed and she felt her headache coming back but tried her hardest to focus on Sonic who was sitting next to her. As he tried to get up to leave she gently grabbed his hand.

"Please don't go," she pleaded.

Sonic wordlessly crawled back into bed with her and snuggled close beside her.

"But what if we get in trouble?" he asked her, feeling a little unsure.

When they did this at the hospital the next night when she never came he was worried he had gotten her into trouble. Even though that wasn't the case, he couldn't help but worry about Ms. Reeves getting mad at them.

"Just until I fall asleep…" she whispered, closing her eyes.

"Ok," Sonic agreed.

He snuggled closer beside her with a small smile. Her eyes were closed and she was already almost asleep.

"Goodnight…Sonic…" she whispered weakly.

"Goodnight Amy," he said, his own eyes slowly closing.

"You're it!" Tails said, laughing as he tagged Amy.

"Aw," Amy whined as she stopped her running.

She watched as Tails quickly rejoined Sonic and ran away from her. The three of them were currently playing tag in the backyard. The two boys were laughing as she started chasing after them.

"You can't catch me!" Sonic teased as he ran around her quickly and made his way towards the swings.

"Yes I can!" Amy exclaimed through her giggles, determined now to catch the little cobalt hedgehog.

She chased after him as he zigzagged his way through obstacles trying to make a bigger gap between the two of them. As she chased after him she started to feel funny. Her breathing was becoming more labored, she felt light headed, and her body was starting to feel weak. She stopped running momentarily when her vision suddenly went black for a split second. Amy immediately knew what was wrong but every time it happened to her she would feel really scared. Her illness was picking up again in full force. She had started feeling the symptoms yesterday afternoon and Ms. Reeves wanted her to stay in bed and get some extra rest. She felt much better this morning though so she didn't think going outside to play would be a bad thing. Amy felt a stabbing pain in her chest and stopped running. The whole world was spinning around her as she clutched her chest in pain. She couldn't breathe and she felt her heart pounding painfully in her chest. Tears threatened her eyes as she tried to cry out for help but found she had no voice. Unable to stand any longer, Amy collapsed to the ground and passed out. When Sonic and Tails turned around they no longer saw Amy chasing after them. They looked at each other in confusion and at first thought she was trying to trick them but as they back tracked further her limp body lying on the ground suddenly came into view.

"Amy!" Sonic cried in a panic as he ran over to her.

Tails stood in place too shocked to move. He watched the scene taking place in horror.

Sonic knelt down beside her and began to shake her. "Amy, please wake up!" he cried, beginning to get scared.

When he got no response from her tears began to fill his emerald eyes. By now the scene had attracted the attention of all the other children playing outside and they started to watch anxiously. Tails broke out of the stupor he was in and began running in the direction of the house.

"I'm gonna get help!" he yelled to Sonic.

Tears were now rolling down Sonic's cheeks as he tried to get his best friend to wake up. "Don't leave me!" he sobbed, feeling helpless and scared.

"Please…W-We promised!" he whimpered.

Moments later Ms. Reeves came running up to where Sonic and Amy were with Tails trailing close behind. "Oh no! Amy!" she panicked as she knelt down to inspect the unconscious hedgehog.

Sonic was now sobbing as Ms. Reeves gently picked Amy up into her arms and rushed her into the house. Minutes later the kids could hear sirens coming up the road where Amy was then taken to the hospital.

Sonic sat in the tree house with his arms wrapped securely around the railing. He leaned over the edge as his eyes stared blankly at the scenery around him. It was a beautiful sunny day but he wasn't in a cheerful mood to really enjoy it. One week has passed since Amy went to the hospital. Ms. Reeves had to sit down and explain to him that she was going to be fine but will be staying at the hospital for a little while. He was starting to understand now why she had told him she sometimes lived at the hospital. He hoped she was okay. He really missed her. This entire week he had felt very lonely and empty inside. He quickly realized just how much she meant to him. When she had collapsed he was afraid. He was so afraid he was going to lose her just like he had lost his mother. He couldn't handle losing Amy too. He sighed sadly as he kicked his dangling feet back and forth. He also felt terribly bored without Amy around to keep him company. Sure, he still had Tails to play with but it just wasn't the same without Amy.

"Hey Sonic, we're gonna go get some ice cream. Wanna come?" Scourge asked as he and his friends were about to go down the slide.

Sonic shook his head. "Maybe later," he replied sounding bored.

"Alright, suit yourself," Scourge said before going down the slide.

When Sonic was alone again he let out another sigh. He missed Amy terribly. He watched Scourge and his friends down below walking and making their way back into the house. It was almost lunch time and he was starting to feel a little hungry. Maybe he should have taken Scourge's offer and left to get some ice cream. Ever since that day Sonic had gotten into a fight with that bully Scourge and his friends' attitudes changed towards him. They were now nice to him and treated him like a friend and equal. He had apparently earned their respect. Scourge said he had witnessed the entire thing and was surprised to find that Sonic wasn't such a wuss after all. Sonic felt bad when Scourge and his gang still teased Tails though and wouldn't let him up in the tree house. But Sonic found out that in some strange ways Scourge wasn't all that bad under that tough exterior of his. His antics are nothing like what the mean bullies Sonic had stood up to were. Sonic was also surprised to find he didn't get in trouble for what he had done. Mr. Watson had gotten the whole story from someone who had witnessed the entire scene even before Sonic had come to Amy's aid. One of the bullies even came clean and told on their echidna friend much to Mr. Watson's surprise. Sonic slowly stood up and stretched. He yawned and walked leisurely to the slide, deciding to take up Scourge's offer after all.