A Way Out 8

Sonic's POV

The feeling of anger I felt was nothing compared to what raged within Shadow right now. I could tell that he wanted to do something right now, but he was trying to hold himself back. His hands had clenched into fists and they were trembling. For a moment I thought he would've knocked Rouge's guilty look right off of her face.
"Shadow..." Rouge started, but never finished her sentence. She wanted to apologise, but couldn't get the right words to leave her lips.
"I... Wanted..... I... Knuckles found the tape in my old stuff and..."
"Oh, so you're not even giving it to me willingly?" Shadow stated, his eyes narrowing in anger.
"Shadow, maybe-" I wanted to try and get control of this situation before something happened, but Shadow cut me off.
"No, don't even try, Sonic!" He snapped to me. That shut me up instantly. Shadow has never snapped so easily at me before. Well, besides that argument this morning, but I did kind of pushed him.
"How dare you do this to me, Rouge! I got raped trying to get you out of there and this is how you repay me!" He yelled.
"Repay you? You weren't the only one who got initiated into Scourge's harem by rape, Shadow!" Rouge yelled back, seemingly getting angry herself.
"I know that! And I used to feel sorry for you! But frankly, I don't give a damn anymore, Rouge! Because out of the two of us, I was the only one to get pregnant three times in a row!" Shadow yelled back. I tried to intervene, but I barely got a single word in through their yelling.
"I know you're sad about the kids, but you know that Son-"
"Shut the hell up! When I came to you for help the first time I got pregnant, you were the one to tell me to leave her at the orphanage!" Rouge was cut off in the middle of her sentence as her friend continued to rage on her.
I barely got myself to pay any attention to what he further had to say. All this time I had assumed that Shadow was the one who willingly asked Doc Carthoff to leave Ebony and Mephiles at the orphanage. Now I hear it was Rouge who convinced him to do it?
Before she could even utter a word, Shadow kept yelling.
"You told me that while knowing you had the tape in possession! If you had just told me you had it, we could've handed him over to the police! Neither of us would need to continue prostituting for three more years! I could've kept Ebony! And I could've tried to go back to my parents to explain everything and move on!" He yelled.
His anger was melting down into sadness and sorrow as tears of both frustration and betrayal gathered in the corners of his eyes, sliding down his cheeks soon enough.
"Instead you kept it to yourself! And when I told you I was pregnant for a secod time, you told me to let Mephiles go too! If Sonic hadn't come search for me, I would've left Silver aswell! All because you kept your mouth shut about that stupid tape!" Shadow said, his voice breaking as he tried not to let a single sob escape.
It stayed silent for a good while as Shadow panted. He wanted to keep on yelling, but it was already late at night and people were stirring because of the noise. I had to stop him from going on possibly getting us in trouble. I had to take this as a chance to say something myself.
"Shadow, let's go home. This isn't good for the baby. And I know you want to go back to Silver as much as I do. So let's go." I said, gently taking his arm and turning him away into the direction of our home before his anger got the better of him and started yelling again.
"You're right." Shadow agreed as he followed willingly, but came to a halt when his 'friend' spoke again.
"You're pregnant again?" Rouge said, having grown angry herself after Shadow had just yelled at her like that. I wasn't sure of I was the only one who heard that slight 'Oh-You-Hate-Prostituting-But-You-Spread-Your-Legs-Again-Anyway'- mocking tone, which I only replied to by glaring at her.
"You know what. Fuck you, Rouge! You got off easy and you know it! It was a mistake to listen to you. And I'm going to correct it by getting Scourge behind bars for good. And when that's finally over, I'll be the best boyfriend Sonic's ever had and the best mother to all four of our kids!" He answered without even giving her the decency of looking at her before walking away.
Shadow just sighed as we left her there alone in the street. His anger was slowly fading away and his tears were now merely stains on his cheeks which had already dried up.
"That really put a bummer on our date, huh." I said, just trying to get rid of the silence floating in the air between us.
Shadow shook his head.
"No, our date was fine. I had fun. It was just our run-in with Rouge that didn't go all too well." He said.
"You know, for a moment I thought you were gonna slap her too." I said, half joking.
"I wanted to, but I don't like to use violence. Sorry for that, by the way. I never meant to lose my temper like that this morning." He said, apologising for slapping me so hard this morning.
"I told you already, it's fine. I wasn't exactly a gentleman this morning either." I admitted. I couldn't deny that I had called him some pretty nasty stuff.
"Mh-hm." Shadow hummed in agreement.
"Just so you know, I had a wonderful day today. You make me so happy lately. Despite all that Scourge put me through, I'm glad that he has chosen you. Ebony's or Mephiles' father wouldn't have come back for me. But you did. And for that I will always grateful. So thank you." He said, looking up to me with smile.
"I'm glad I came back." I said as I returned the smile.
Saving Shadow from all of this surely brought along alot of emotional, mental and physical baggage, not to mention three kids, but after all that time I spend looking for him, I wasn't just going to abandon him for some extra weight. We had already come so far. I would gladly take all of that if it meant sharing the rest of my life with someone who was truly worth it.
The smile I wore got a bit wider as I felt Shadow carefully, but surely, take my hand into his own, intertwining my fingers with his.

"About time the two of you got back. I thought you kids would never come back." My dad said as we walked into the livingroom.
"Silver." Shadow muttered as mom handed him the tired infant. He was happy to hold him again after such a long day of being apart and so was I. After all, there was always the first time away from a newborn baby and this was ours, but it still felt much better to have the kid with us.
"How was he?" I asked my parents.
"Oh, he was darling like always! A little difficult when he had to drink his milk through a bottle, but otherwise a darling like always!" My mom said with a happy smile. She loved kids and taking care of one never failed to cheer her up.
"Now did you resolve your differences?" She asked. The reason behind this date was all because of the fight we had this morning. And despites what we dicovered about Rouge and the tape, we both had a great time.
"Yeah, we did." I said, which Shadow backed up by nodding.
"Oh good, maybe we can get some sleep now." Mom said, yawning as she was so tired. Well, if you had a bakkery you needed to wake up early in the morning. I was surprised how mom hadn't gotten used to the early hours yet.
"I think it's best if we get some shut eye aswell." Shadow said as he kept his eyes on Silver, unable to look away from him as the boy had fallen asleep in his arms and snored lightly.
"Sounds like a great idea. Night, mom, dad." I agreed as I was feeling pretty tired myself.
"Good night, honey." Mom said with a light, tired smile. Dad had already dissapeared in their shared bedroom.
"After you." I said and gestured over to the door. Shadow just smiled at me and walked out of the livingroom to make his way to the guest bedroom.
Once in our temporary bedroom, Shadow carefully placed Silver down in the crib after giving him a goodnight's kiss.
"Sounds like mom had fun with him today." I said as I dropped down on the bed, sighing in content as I was glad to lie down on the bed.
My lover hummed in agreement as he watched Silver for another moment or two before dressing into his nightwear and joining me here in bed.
"Well, now that we have the tape, we can go to the police tomorrow and get that bastard what's coming to him!" I said, already feeling excited at the thought of getting Scourge behind bars and ensure my lover's safety. With that guy out of the picture, Shadow would be permanently free from all of this prostitution and abuse. I could practically taste victory!
"We'll be able to go home. I can finally pick Ebony and Mephiles up from the orphanage. And I will finally be able to face my parents again!" He said with the happiest smile I had ever seen him wear. His eyes had been closed as he, without a doubt, imagined it all in his mind. Finally this nightmare had a definitive end for him.
It stayed silent for a little while as the two of us were content trying to sleep after our short, but nice, conversation. But there was something that had been bothering me ever since we parted ways with Rouge. And although I didn't want to ruin the nice, quiet mood, I wanted to say something about it.
"I have been wondering something, though." I stated.
Shadow's smile dissapeared immediatly as he knew it couldn't be good.
"I always thought that you willingly gave your kids away to doc Carthoff. And now I hear that Rouge put you up to this?" I asked.
He sighed. He knew I was going to bring it up, but a part of him had hoped I would let it rest.
"When I first got pregnant.... You know, with Ebony... After my parents had thrown me out of their house, I was so desperate and scared. I knew that I couldn't take care of them and I didn't want them to grow up knowing what kind of job I had and be outcasted because of it. Especially not when they could be given a chance to live a happy life with parents who could actually take care of them." He started, but he took quite a pauze before he began to speak again.
"Rouge was my friend, so I thought she could give me some good advice, I had hoped she would know a way to help me. She told me that she knew a good doctor who helped people in our profession. I went to Carthoff and she told me my options and.... Well, if I'm going to be honest with you, I really didn't want to put her up for adoption. Neither did I want to get rid of her. Scourge wouldn't have allowed it anyway."
It was true, all members of his 'harem' had to fulfill some sort of fetish. Shadow's 'job' just so happened to be caring for the fetishists who had a thing for pregnancy and all that. There was no way Scourge would've authorised the so-called 'easy' way out.
"After meeting up with the doctor, I had asked Rouge that there may be a chance to get out of this if we get proof against Scourge. But she didn't agree. Instead, she tried convincing me over and over again to give Ebony up. And eventually, I agreed. It was immensly painful when I did get into labour, but I really thought there was no other option for aslong as I was tied to that place." Shadow finished as his shoulders shook lightly. It was difficult for him to tell me all of this. He was saddened by it, but he was also ashamed that he had given up so easily.
"And the same thing was with Mephiles and would've been the same with Silver if I hadn't come back, right?" I asked, a frown visible on my muzzle.
I regret asking him, but at the same time I was glad this was cleared up for me.
"Well, the future looks alot brighter now. Especially for you. Remember what you said only a couple of moments ago? You'll be seeing those two again and tomorrow you'll break all ties to Scourge and give that bastard what he deserves." I said.
My statement had made Shadow's sad frown into a slightly happier smile. It was nowhere near as bright as the one he had been wearing before, but it came pretty darn close.
Both of his hands were placed on his lower belly and I couldn't help but reach over and place one of my hands over his.
His first two pregnancies had been filled with nothing but sadness and shame. And especially the end of both of them had been extremely grief-ridden with the knowledge that he would need to seperate from both of his kids. His pregnancy with Silver didn't exactly go smoothly either. Even at the end, when he was already with me, it was difficult for him as he had believed he would've needed to let of our son go aswell.
But this one was going to be a whole lot different. This time he was going to enjoy his pregnancy for once. And this time he wasn't going to dread the moment his water breaks.
"But that's enough about me! Everything's been about me lately. What about you?" Shadow asked.
"What about me?" I asked in confusion.
"I don't know... Tell me a bit more about yourself. For example, you once told me what school you went to, how was your time in high school?" He asked, moving his head to look at me.
I hummed in thought as I tried to come up with anything to say. But I came up blank.
"I don't know what to tell you honestly. I barely remember anything from my time at high school. In fact... I can't remember anything from before I..." My sentence was cut short as I didn't know what to say. With everything that has been going on with him lately, I didn't want him to worry about me aswell.
"Before you what? You can tell me." He said, reassuring me that it was okay to tell him, his hand taking mine and giving it a light squeeze.
"Well, this one time I woke up in the hospital and... Well, I can barely remember anything before that moment.  Mom had told me that everyone went searching for me late at night when no one had seen me after school had ended. In the end, Manic had found me unconcious in the school yard and I was rushed to the hospital with this severe head injury." I began, looking over at Shadow. But he looked away, this strange sad expression evident on his face. I didn't know exactly why he wore that face, but I figured it was because of the story I was telling.
"The doctors tried their best with me, but when I woke up, I ended up remembering nothing from my childhood. Bits and pieces and some stuff my parents and siblings have told me about, yeah, but nothing else." I finished, which made Shadow look back at me.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Do they have any idea who it was?" He asked with genuine concern.
I shook my head and looked back up to the ceiling with a yawn. They never did get the guy who beat me up.
"I see..." He responded quietly as if something was the matter. He had been acting strange ever since we got home and he asked me about my past. I wondered why, at first, but soon figured that Shadow must still be a little off because of our little run-in with his former-best friend.
I wanted to speak again and ask about it, but Shadow beat me to it.
"It was Scourge."
Well, that took me by surprise.
"What?! How? I have never seen the guy before." I said, puzzled as to how Scourge could possibly be the cause behind my memory loss. I hadn't even heard of the guy before I reunited with Shadow in that brothel!
"He told me, Sonic. No, he didn't tell me, he gloated about it. He was drunk as hell, but I can tell the memory of beating you up made him happy. It's not a coincidence that he choose to set me up with you. He just wanted to screw you over again." Shadow said as he sat back up, facing me and his hands on his belly. He almost looked guilty, like he should've known all along.
I was still trying to comprehend what my lover had just told me.
Scourge was the one who caused my memory loss? He was the one who nearly beat me bloody and bruised and left me for dead that day?
Scourge of all people? The same guy who ruined Shadow's life and damn-well nearly destroyed him through all that prostitution, blackmail and threats towards his kids?
And what's even more disgusting, used Shadow as a broken tool to screw me over even more? Planning on using Silver to tie me to his brothel and pay his ass, thinking I was supporting my son and his mother just like he had done to Ebony, Mephiles' or any other guy who might've knocked one of his prostitutes up?
And for what? What the hell did I do to make the guy hate me that much?
"Why?" I simply asked, hardly finding any other words to say.
Shadow shrugged before answering.
"Scourge said something about you screwing him over in high school and getting him kicked out." He explained briefly.
What Shadow told me sounded familiar to me.
Out of nowhere I sat up in shock as these short flashes in my mind. Images and shouts came back to my mind.
I had screwed him over.
"I think I remember." I said as I realised that it had been quiet for quite a while now. I was so shocked and in trance because of those sudden flashbacks that I hadn't even realised how much had passed in silence.
Shadow looked at me in question.
"Yeah, I think I do. I used to be on good terms with Scourge, although I can't really remember what I was to him or what he was to me, but it became bad between us because of something with Manic." That was all I could recall. Besides that, I couldn't remember anything else.
But Shadow seemed to know.
"He told me that you caught him bullying your brother, severely I think, and you decided to tell the teachers. Because of that, Scourge was suspended from school. Permanently. After that he decided to teach you a lesson." He answered and I didn't even need to ask.
"That fucker..." I whispered quietly, knowing that Silver was in the room aswell, even though he was asleep and probably couldn't even understand a word yet.
"All of that... Just to get back at me..." I whispered angrily, my fists clenching.
My anger, while understandable in his eye, did worry him a little.
"I know you're angry, but don't do anything stupid or rash, okay? I did and look where that got me? We should stick to the plan and go the police tomorrow with that tape. They'll finally be able to get Scourge and, knowing all of the crimes he comitted, he's going to jail for a very long time. Just like we planned." Shadow reminded and placed a hand on one of my fists, making sure I didn't lose my cool and storm to the 'Desires of Mobius', beat Scourge up and get arrested myself.
I sighed and tried to relax, knowing that he was right. Such a stupid move would only result with me in trouble and Scourge free to do whatever the hell he wants with Shadow and possibly Silver too. And now that he knows I've recovered some of Shadow's self-worth and confidence, who knows what he'll do to him. Whatever it is, it can't be good in any possible way.
One stupid move could have severe consequences and not just for me. Just like Shadow's mistake three years ago.
"Let's try and get some sleep, okay? The sooner tomorrow comes, the sooner we can hand Scourge over on a silver platter to the police and the sooner we can both move on with our lives." Shadow advised as he laid back down and pulled me down with him.
'Yeah, and the sooner that bastard can pay for all of his horrendous crimes.' I thought as I lied down.
I couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.
As Shadow moved to settle closer to me with his head on my chest and on arm wrapped around my torso, I wrapped an arm around him. My lover had an easier time falling asleep as he knew what we were going to do tomorrow while I just stared up to the ceiling, troubled with a sudden thought that popped up in my mind.
I couldn't help but feel partially responsible for what happened to Shadow.
Somehow Scourge getting kicked out of school because of me was the reason why all of this started in the first place. I don't know why, but I feel like, if I hadn't tattled on him, Scourge wouldn't have gotten into such dark affairs, he wouldn't have met Rouge, Shadow wouldn't have come to her rescue...
None of all this bad stuff would've happened. Shadow wouldn't have to go through so much. In fact, I bet he would've had a high, permanent position in his father's company already by now with his kind of intellect. He wouldn't be here with me expecting his fourth child at the incredibly young age of twenty-two.
I know mom, dad, Shadow ad even Sonia and Manic would scold me for thinking that way, but I can't help it.
For some reason and in some way, all of this had started with Scourge and I.
And tomorrow it would all end with Shadow and I.

When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I noticed was Shadow's absense in bed.
I panicked immediatly, remembering that the last time I woke up without him, he had gone to Scourge's fancy little place and nearly got himself hurt just yesterday. But when I noticed that Silver was gone aswell and heard his mother's muffled voice and laugh coming from, presumably, the kitchen, I relaxed.
Shadow was just fine and he was still here.
Now that I was relaxed again, I realised how tired I was still was after just waking up. So I gave myself some time to fully wake up before joining my family in the kitchen.
When I got there, I didn't see dad anywhere, so I guessed that he was already busy opening up the bakery. But what I did see was my mom washing the dishes from their breakfast in the sink while my lover was still seated at the table with Silver in his arms and a dirty plate in front of him. Judging by the blanket draped over his shoulder and partially over our son's head, I'm guessing that Shadow is feeding him.
Usually this kind of technique was only used in public if there was no way to get somewhere private, but Shadow, with his low self-esteem, uses this kind of technique at home too, even though mom and dad really don't have any problem with the way Shadow fed our son. Mom had to do it too, after all. For triplets even!
We didn't mind one bit. But, heh, try to convince Shadow of that.
"Oh, goodmorning, honey!" Mom was the first to see me and was also the first to greet me.
Upon hearing my mom, Shadow turned his head to look at me and smiled.
"Goodmorning, Sonikku." He greeted me. A knowing smile was present on his tan muzzle.
And just like that my good mood was wiped off of the face of this planet.
"Mom, you told him?!" I asked, suddenly incredibly embarrassed.
"I couldn't help myself, honey. Since you can't remember much from your childhood, Shadow decided to ask me and your father about it. You honestly don't think we were going to keep those embarrassing stories to ourselves, right?" Mom explained, more like teased actually, as she took Shadow's dishes.
"Of course not! You and dad are my parents, It's your job to embarrass me in front of girlfriends or boyfriends, but that story? Really?!" I complained. I felt like a teen all over again!
My ebony hedgehog couldn't help but laugh a little at the situation.
"How much did mom tell you?" I asked as I took a seat at the table next to him.
"Oh she told me everything! Everything from your little misadventures to why your nickname is 'Sonikku'!" Shadow replied once his laughter had ceased.
"Oh, come on, mom!" I complained once more, turning my attention back to my mother.
"Oh don't be so mad, Sonikku. Atleast I haven't told Shadow that your real name is Maurice." Mom decided that the embarrassing story behind my nickname wasn't enough, so she 'accidently' let my real name slip from her tongue.
"Oh, so Sonic really isn't your real name. I had my suspicions before, but I never thought you looked like a Maurice." Shadow said with a look of, dare I say it, amusement.
Mom's laughter pulled my and Shadow's attention back to her.
"Both of you are in such a good mood this morning. That really must've been a nice date the two of you had yesterday." She said as she finished with the dishes.
"Yes, yesterday was amazing." Shadow replied as he helped Silver burp, a content smile present on his lips as he remembered his very first date.
I had to smile at the sight too.
Mom left us alone in the kitchen. Now that the dishes were done, she could help dad in the bakery.
In the peace and silence Shadow and I simply enjoyed eachother's and Silver's company as I grabbed something to eat for breakfast.

An hour or two later, Shadow and I were in my car once again. But I wasn't driving to anywhere in particular. In fact, we weren't on the move at all. We were parked in front of a certain building.
The police station.
"Are you sure Silver will be okay?" Shadow asked, obviously nervous and trying to stall going inside for just a little longer. He was enthousiastic about coming here this morning because we finally had the tape that could possibly lock Scourge away for a very long time, but now that this moment had finally arrived, he couldn't help but be anxious about it all.
"Silver will be just fine with my sister. And besides, it's great practice for Bartleby." I told him or the so maniest time since the two of us got into this vehicle.
Today we had decided to leave Silver with Sonia because mom had taken alot of time watching Silver instead of working in the bakery. So we thought letting Sonia and Bartleby watch our son was a good change.
"I know that, but... Can't we call him just to make sure?" He asked, his hands fumbling with the much too worn-out t-shirt he wore.
I almost sighed in annoyence because, unlike Shadow, I couldn't wait to get in there and deliver the tape to people who, according to Shadow, had been trying to get Scourge for years already.
But I stopped myself. Why? Because I wasn't the one who had to explain in colourful detail how I was raped more than once and prostituted through blackmail to complete strangers.
So being patient was the least I could do right now.
"Shadow, babe, it'll be fine." I encouraged him as I placed a hand on his leg.
"W...What if they'll... You know, see some of the blame in me? They'll take Silver and this baby from us as soon as it's born and I won't be able to get Ebony and Mephiles back." That was another thing that bothered him.
"They won't, Shadow. They'll see you as a victim as they should. As if they do try something like that, I will do everything I can possibly do to keep them with us. I promise." I promised with a reassuring smile.
That seemed to help him a little bit.
"So wanna go inside and get this over with?" I asked, to which Shadow nodded.
My smile grew wider as I opened the door of the driver's seat and exited. Shadow grabbed the tape resting on his lap and left the car aswell to follow me inside of the police station.
Once the double glass doors closed behind us, Shadow froze, even though we were just in the entrance hall.
There was a lady behind the counter typing away at her computer, but as she noticed the two visitors, she moved her attention to us.
"Can I help you?" She asked.
I wrapped an arm around Shadow's shoulder and pulled him along to the counter, forcing him to move.
"Uh, yeah, we're here for a statement because..." I took a quick look at Shadow to see how he was doing and noticing how uncomfortable he looked, I decided to continue with a whisper. The woman, figuring that it must have something to do with my extremely uncomfortable mate, leant in closer.
"He's been assaulted and we would really want to talk to someone."
"Name, please." She asked as she pulled a phone closer to her.
"Sonic Hedgehog and Shadow Robotnik." I answered.
"Okay, the two of you can wait in the waiting room until someone comes to get you." The woman told us before dailing a number and alerting a colleague of hers.
Meanwhile Shadow and I went to sit down on a chair in a large corner where a sign with 'Waiting Room' hung up on the wall. There were other people waiting here too. There was an older couple, the woman was crying and her husband was comforting her, there was also a dude with a massive black eye and there was a father with his son, the former looking quite dissapointed.
As Shadow and I sat there and waited, Shadow clung onto the tape as if his life depended on it, which it kinda did. But he wasn't the only one, I was steadily, but surely, becoming tense aswell.
After what seemed like hours, but were really no more than ten minutes, someone came to us and called our names. The person was a brown female squirrel with auburn hair. After one last reassuring smile in Shadow's direction, the two of us got up and followed the police officer out of the entrance hall and to her office.
"Well, I never thought I was ever going to see you here, Sonic." The female officer stated after she led me and Shadow inside her office.
"Do we know eachother?" I asked in confusion. Was she someone I knew?
"Oh right, your headtrauma. Yes, I'm Sally Acorn, remember? We were best friends in high school." Sally said as she gestured for us to take a seat, which we did, and took a seat behind her desk.
"That's right, Sally! Man, it's been so long!" I easily remembered her, we had such great times in high school. Well, for as much as I remember, that is. I also distinctly remember her saying that, of all the jobs to choose in this world, she did not want to be a cop.
Shadow, who had been tense and anxious earlier, seemed to calm down a little now that he knew the officer he was going to talk to was a friend of me.
"I would love to catch up with you like old times, but business goes first. So my colleague told me you wanted to report an assault?" Sally asked as she wanted to know the reason behind our visit, she was as dutyful as always.
Shadow and I glanced at eachother for a moment before Shadow handed the tape to Sally. The squirrel looked at it in confusion as she held it in her hands, but it quickly changed to shock when Shadow began to speak.
"I want to report Scourge Hedgehog for rape, blackmail and prostitution."

More than an hour or two, or maybe even three, had passed before Shadow and I were let go again. It wasn't that they treated Shadow and I like criminals, like he had feared at first, but the officers were so damn glad that they actually had some really damaging proof against Scourge that they wanted to milk this opportunity for all its worth.
At first, I had actually been a little worried as I remember Shadow and I hadn't actually checked the tape to see if it was really the one we needed, but it turned out I was getting all worked up for nothing.
After reviewing the tape, they questioned Shadow for the next two hours to get a fully, detailed statement. It was difficult for him and they did give him his space whenever he needed a break, though. But even so, now that it was over, Shadow was completely and utterly exhausted.
"I'm proud of you, you know." I stated now that the two of us were sitting in the car once again.
Shadow smiled at me as he fastened his seatbelt and closed the door to the passenger's side. He sighed as he closed his eyes and laid his head back against the seat.
"All I want to do now is get Silver, go to your parents' house and take a really long nap." He said as he rubbed in his eyes in an attempt to get the sleep out of them.
I smiled as I took his hand and squeezed it for a moment, earning a smile from him.
I understand that Shadow wants to get some sleep at home as he was exhausted on both mental and emotional level, but I had something completely different in mind as I turned the engine on.
"Did you see the look on their faces when Sally told her colleagues they actually got something really, really bad as evidence against Scourge, though? Priceless!" I couldn't fight the smirk from appearing on my face.
"It's just as I said, they've been trying to get Scourge for years." He replied.
"And now they can actually get him because, unlike his other victims, you decided to speak up instead of staying silent. Even if you needed a bit of reassurance and security." I said as I glanced at him, waiting for a moment or two before actually taking my car out of this parking space.
"I can't take all the credit, though. I couldn't have done this without you. Or Rouge..." Shadow looked away at the end when his voice trailed off.
Despites the fact that the bat had kept the tape to herself for three years in fear of losing the one friend who actually knew what it felt like to be in her position, Shadow still had to admit that he wouldn't have gotten the tape without her. Even though they could've ended this three years ago instead of suffering for such a long time if she had just given Shadow the tape as soon as she got it in her possession.
"Well, I do like helping people. And stalking people who I paid to spend some time with me apparently." I joked, remembering how I got involved with Shadow in the first place. I had literally spend eight months trying to find Shadow.
And it turns out that I'm really bad at finding people, because I only found him when someone practically rubbed my face into him. Figuratively speaking, of course.
Shadow smiled at my terrible joke, although he really didn't find it funny for even a tiny bit.
"Let's just pick Silver up and go home." He said. I complied  and drove the car out of the parking lot to bring it onto the streets.
It stayed quiet for a couple of minutes until Shadow decided to speak again.
"I'm glad this is finally over. Scourge will finally get what he deserves. And not just for what he did to me and countless of other people, but also for what he did to you." He stated, recalling how pissed off he felt when hearing Scourge's confession. I felt the same way yesterday night.
"Yeah and we won't have to worry about him anymore. That chapter is officially done." I said and couldn't keep a smirk from appearing and Shadow couldn't help but smile either.
Scourge had no idea we had the tape and used it to back Shadow's statement up. Nor could he know that, if the police talked to anyone who could further back the statement up, it would make Shadow even more believable and make him look even worse in court. And Shadow's famous last name will serve to work to our advantage. Rich families always had some sort of an advantage in court. Always.
We wouldn't hear a thing from Scourge in a long time to come.
"What'll we do after it's all done, though?" I could hardly believe Shadow asked me that question.
"I thought we'd gone over this before? We get Ebony and Mephiles back, I'll find myself a new job, you give birth to the baby you're carrying right now and in a couple of years we can all go on a nice long trip to somewhere far, pretty and hot!" I said, my smirk growing a little in amusement.
Shadow laughed softly.
"Sounds like a plan, but are you really okay with staying with me even after I have Ebony, Mephiles, Silver and my fourth?" He asked.
Even after all the times I had said I would stay with him and help care for his first two aswell as our own, his insecurities still forced him to doubt me sometimes.
"Of course, I will! It's not any different than caring for your lover's kids from a previous marriage. The only difference is that you were never married. And besides, I've always wanted a big family." I answered, but Shadow wasn't so convinced.
"You know, you don't have to if you don't want to. Now that I'm free from Scourge, I can get a job with my diploma and actually take care of all my children without feeling ashamed that someone like me is a mother. I appreciate the thought, but taking care of someone's children, four to be exact, is a really big deal." He replied in turn.
If I didn't want to help him, he would rather want to know now so he could get prepared instead of finding out for himself the hard way later on.
"Shadow, you do realise you're talking to the guy who spend eight months of his life to search for someone he barely knew and only met because he decided to pay someone for sex because he was lonely. And all for the simple reason that he had a crush on that person." I said, chuckling lightly.
"You should know that, if I'm crazy enough to do that, I'm crazy enough to help that same crush aswell. I've always been the one to never turn down a challenge." I quickly added before Shadow had the chance to answer.
He sighed.
"Okay, if you're sure. But just so you know, I understand if you want to back out." He told me before looking out of the window on his side of the car.
I huffed as I knew myself well enough to know that backing down was not in my vocabulary.
We drove the rest of the way in silence. Only, I wasn't driving us to Sonia's house like Shadow thought I was. And as the houses we passed became more beautiful, expensive looking and, most of all, more familiar, it suddenly clicked in Shadow's mind and he understood where I was going. The thought of returning here made him nervous.
"This is..." The rest of the words stuck in his throat and he couldn't force them to leave.
I drove the car to the side to park there and turned the engine off. Shadow and I both looked at the house my car was parked in front of. It looked like any other expensive mansion in this neighbourhood to me, but to Shadow it was so much more.
"I... thought..." Shadow tried once more to speak, but he was left speechless, so I decided to talk instead.
"Now that you're officially away from Scourge, I thought it'd be nice to reconcile with your parents and finally tell them whole story. I know you had been planning on doing it on our own, but I didn't want to do that to you in case it goes south. That's why I'll be here in the car waiting for you. That way you can have some privacy with your parents and I'll still be near if you need me." I said, taking his hand into mine again and making him look at me.
Despites anxiety and nervousness wrecking his heart and mind, Shadow smiled at me.
"You get more amazing by the minute, you know that?" He said as he undid his seatbelt to capture me in a heartfelt embrace, his eyes closed and his arms tightly around my neck to hold me close.
"Anything for you. I mean it." I whispered to him as I returned the hug just as genuinely. And it lasted for quite a while, neither one of us wanting to pull away until we figured we probably should break away now.
"Now go. I'll be right here if you need me." I reassured him. Shadow smiled at me for a brief before exiting the car, closing the door softly behind him as if afraid to make a sound.
With every step closer to the house he had once called home, the more the anxiety inside his heart and mind grew. He took a look around him and noticed that absolutely nothing had changed. Both the front garden and the front of the house still looked exactly the same. He wondered if anything had changed on the inside.
After a walk to the porch that was, in his oppinion, much too short, he came to a stop in front of the front door. He lifted one hand to ring the door bell, but just as his finger was about to make contact with the plastic surface of the button, he hesitated.
"How dare you?! Didn't your mother and I teach you anything?!"
"How dare you go out at night and prostitute yourself to complete strangers!"
"What's wrong with you?!"
"You spoiled ungrateful brat!! I'm ashamed to even call you my son!"
"Don't come home."
The last painful memories Shadow had of his parents came flooding back to him, their enraged voices and faces still clear in his mind. His shoulders started shaking and the memories made salty tears gather in his eyes. He desperatly tried to keep down the sobs that threatened to escape.
It had been three years since he had last been here.
Three years since he had been welcome here.
And now here he was.
Would his parents welcome him or would they send him away, furious that he dared to show his face here again.
Shadow just stood there. He was about to break down. He needed me.
I hurried to undo my seatbelt, which did not want to work with me because of my rushed actions, but just as I pretty much lunged for the door handle to escape my car and rush to Shadow's side, the ringing of a door bell reached my ears.
My head turned to look back at Shadow. His chest was heaving as he took deep breaths to try and calm himself down.
He wanted to do this.
Both of our hearts skipped a beat when the door opened, but it wasn't Black Doom nor Lexi who answered, it was a maid. It was one that couldn't be any older than me or Shadow.
"Yes?" She said quite rudely without even as much of an hello.
It threw Shadow off a little.
"I'm Shadow Robotnik, Black Doom and Lexi's son." Shadow had to introduce himself because this maid wasn't working here when he still lived here.
"Oh." The maid simply replied. And here I was, thinking I would never have to see such a bitchy expression ever again. The last time I saw such a bitchy face was in high school.
Shadow was speechless for a moment. He wasn't expecting such a reaction either.
"Well... Are they here?" He asked. His habit of fumbling with the hem on the bottom of his shirt when nervous resurfaced.
"Hmmm... I don't know if that's any of your business. All I hear about is how much of a dissapointment and a sad excuse for a son you are. You do go around whoring yourself out and crapping babies out every nine months, right? I don't see how they would want you to appear on their doorstep after all this time. They don't want your slutty ass dirtying their threshold. So why don't you leave and return to your corner of the street instead of ruin our day." Her voice gradually got louder with every sentence she spoke. She was practically shouting before slamming the door in Shadow's face, making him jump.
My fists clenched on my lap. I had seen the whole scene occur. Who does that woman think she?! Insulting my mate when she had no idea what he had gone through! She had no right. She didn't even live here! All she did was clean the place! Who gave her the right to decide who enters the property or not?!
I tried to fight the anger I felt and leant over to the passenger's side of the car and opened the door with a little bit of difficult. I wanted nothing more than storm up on the porch and bang my fist against the door to demand Shadow be let in and listened to. But after our visit to the police station, Shadow was already exhausted and vulnerable on every level. Listening to that urge would only make things worse.
It was better to return some other time. And if Shadow's parents refused to see him then, he and the kids could had atleast still count my mom and dad.
Shadow turned around to face my car and smiled, trying to keep up a brave face and not show how heartbroken he was. He walked back to the car.
I sighed in defeat. Dad and I were so sure that Shadow's parents wanted him back. I honestly hadn't thought it would go this badly. Shadow didn't even get to see his parents.
I should've just stuck to the original plan. Pick up Silver, drive home and help mom and dad in the bakery while Shadow took some time to rest up before helping them aswell.
I fastened my seatbelt again and waited for Shadow to come. But as soon as the bottom of one of his worn-out shoes touched the stone ground to walk of the porch, a big surprise hit the both of us.
The front door to the fancy abode flew open and a pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around Shadow as his name was suddenly called along with a beg not to leave again.