Chapter 48 (Final Chapter): Resolution

Shadow's POV:

Tightly wrapping my arms around her small frame as she shakes in the darkness, it's been two months since Calix's defeat.

And despite the time that has passed, she still occasionally startles awake from her nightmares in a hysterical panic.

Even with him no longer here to torment her, he still plagues her dreams; And I would be lying if I said I didn't see him in my own sometimes as well. Because he came so close to making my truest fear a reality; Taking the only thing I care about.

I spent weeks trying to find a solution to her state of mind, and even her body. Her final battle with Callix ravaged her to an unimaginable extent- Enough so that she was in a coma for the first week of Mobius being rid of the tyrant. She pushed so far past her limits that she shattered any connection that she had with her sol energy, leaving her unable to ever access it again. She went through phases of feeling like a part of her was ripped away, to being glad she was rid of the powers that she never asked for.

She would go from smiling and laughing out in public to fits if hysteria and weeks of seclusion behind closed doors, and I would be right there with her through all of it.

She would even try to shut me out when she thought her episodes were becoming too much for me to bear, to try and distance herself from me; As if she could ever make me abandon her. As if I would ever choose to.

Even if she asked me for the stars themselves I would deliver each and every one of them to her. I would bring her the whole galaxy just to see her radiant smile once more.

So one day at a time, I'm going to get her back. My wilted rose will bloom beautifully once more.

I will shower her with as much, or as little, love as she needs.

I will feed her with the sustenance of foods that she has chosen to abandon, as much as it physically pains me to beg her to eat.

I will wrap her in my arms to chase away the violent dreams that flash through her mind every night, just as I would give anything to make them stop.

I will reassure her till my lungs run out of air that what happened to Sonic wasn't and never will be her fault, and when she's finally ready to visit him I will hold her hand in mine for as long as she will ever need me to.

Even when she no longer thinks she needs my reassurance, I will always be there. Just as I have been these past two months, and will forever be there in the future.

Hugging her tightly as she begins to shake, the silent plop of her tears begin to sodden my arm. My chest tightens at the sound of her sobs, wishing I could ease the pain in which she's felt for so long.

...

Glancing over to the beach towel where Amelia is laid out basking in the summer sun, there's a tranquil expression spread across her beautiful face that I have oh so longed to see.

Spreading the umbrella of our canopy, I was quite surprised when she said she wanted to get out of the house today; And I was going to be the last person to stop her sudden burst of energy.

Even though truthfully, I hate the beach. I hate how the sand chafes into my fur and rubs my skin raw, I hate how easily the sun will scorch you and the sting of the saltwater when it gets in your eyes... But she loves it. She takes the good and the bad in strides, never once complaining when she's been beat red in the face from a little too much sun. I love the little sigh of relief when the ocean comes into her view, and the way she immediately curls her toes when we step into the sand. I love the way she beams when a wave nearly wipes her out, and the way her smile relaxes when I brace my hands on her back for her to float in the shallows.

No amount of my own dislike could ever outshine her love for the things that she enjoys.

Mainly because for the first time in a long time, her smile is truly genuine.

...

"I think I'm ready." She says, face full of beautiful contempt but steadfast vigor.

I simply nod, and cup her face in my hands as I bend down to place a gentle kiss to her forehead.

She reaches for my hand, and not once do I let go. Not as she places fresh flowers by the gravestone that has not a single speck of dust, a true testament of the love of the hero of Mobius. Though rose has put off visiting him, I've been coming once every week for the past six months.

Six long, grueling months since Sonic's passing. Since his murder.

We were never the best of friends, but I owe him Amelia's life, just as I owe him mine.

And not once out of all of the times that I've visited him have his flowers had time to wilt. His grave was embellished with notes showing the appreciation of the people he's saved, even gifts and sweets have been displayed.

And the one that has been here the most out of all of the times that I've visited, is Sally. Baby on one arm, and a picnic basket and a blanket on the other.

The miracle child that they named Juniper bears an uncanny resemblance to Sonic, her fur bearing hues of his once vibrant blue. She is the perfect amount of each of them, with Sally's intelligence hidden behind her sky blue eyes and Sonic's sense of adventure on display in the way that she crawls.

And as the day begins to fade to hues of tangerine orange and lemon yellow, just as she does almost every day, Sally appears with Juniper in tow.

I glance nervously to the beautiful hedgehog by my side, and slowly the tears that I have oh so come to distain begin to fall, but this time... They're tears of happiness.

I feel a sense of relief lift from my chest as she releases my hand, a metaphor as to what lies ahead as the two embrace so tightly that I wonder if they're squishing poor Juniper.

Amelia then reaches for the baby before pulling her to her chest, and I'm now positive that she's being crushed this time.

...

I forget how many years have passed, I tend to lose track of time more and more frequently recently. The past four years have been a blur of Amelia's joy filled smile, her bubbly laugh echoing through my mind, forcing a smile to spread across my lips at the thought of her.

Looking down at her sleepily placed head, I grin as I notice her drooling onto my chest. And I grin even more as I eye the dainty crystal placed in a ring of gold wrapped around her finger.

Brushing her freshly cut hair away from her face, she was up for a majority of the night planning our wedding. She wants every little detail to be perfect; From the white lace place mats to the meticulously picked floral arrangements. And as I watched her tail bounce back and fourth excitedly with her smile beaming and her eyes sparkling when she finally found the perfect cake design, I couldn't bring myself to tell her she should get some rest.

And as much as I would love to lay tangled together with her in our sheets all day, I have a date with the daughter of the hero of Mobius; And her mother.

So as I carefully peel my fiancé away, I slowly inch to the edge of the bed before sliding off so as to not disrupt her peaceful slumber before I get ready.

Slipping on my shoes, I place a note on our bedside table for her when she wakes up; Letting her know where I've gone so she doesn't fret.

Freezing as she groans, I worry that I've woken her until she simply rolls over to where I was laying. Cozying up under the blankets, I simply chuckle before placing a gentle kiss to her forehead and chaos controlling to the familiar wooden door way. And within seconds, the little blur I've come to know as Juniper comes flying out, Sally running to catch up with her in a panic before she spots me. I watch as her expression from before melts away, soon turning into a smile as her offspring clings to my leg.

"Uncle Shadow!" She exclaims, her tiny tail wagging in excitement.

"Hello, pipsqueak." I say back, lifting her underneath her arms to my eye level. She giggles and kicks her legs, the tiny speeder moving her little legs as fast as they can go.

"Put me down! I'm faster than you this time, I swear!!" She squeaks out. Rolling my eyes, I set her down as her still moving legs dig into the ground before launching her face first into the dirt.

"You sound just like him. And I'll tell you the same thing I told him," I say, leaning down to pick her out of the ground. "In your dreams."

Pouting as I brush the grass and dirt from her quills, Sally laughs in the background. Juniper is so much like Sonic, maybe more so than Sally bargained for. But she takes it in strides, with the occasional help from me when it comes to chasing the tiny hedgehog down. And, teaching her how to use her speed.

With more aunts and uncles than she knows what to do with, Juniper is one of the most loved children in Mobius. But for me, sticking around the little brat has more than one purpose.

"Ready for another baby 101 lesson?" Sally teases, seeing right through the reason for my visit. "Only if you have the time, of course. It seems like your hands are quite full right now", I add, eyeing the tiny blur running circles around their tire swing.

Grinning, her eyes soften as she looks to the now five year old hedgehog. "I've got all the time in the world." She says, looking to me with a mischievous gaze. "Besides, from what you've told me it sounds like your time is running out. I believe 'I want babies right now' is what she told me the last time she visited." She adds, laughing as I awkwardly turn my head to the side; A most likely noticeable red tint rising to my cheeks.

Lets just say Amelia has been... Less than discreet about her wants and needs as of late. Children, and the need to make them, being one of those wants. And whatever Rose wants, she gets. Hence the need for me to know how to take care of said children, and the play dates I've been having with Juniper and Sally one every week.

But of course... What Amelia doesn't know can't hurt her. And the real reason behind my visits is one of the things that she doesn't know yet.

...

The date of our wedding came and went, and it was as dazzling as I knew that it would be. With Rose making all of the sweets because she refused to trust anyone else with it, Cream making her dress, and Rouge decorating the venue, it was more perfect than I ever could have imagined. Amelia was more perfect than I ever could have imagined.

She chose to have our ceremony at the beach, and although I would never admit it to anyone besides Rose; My eyes did become a tad bit blurry through the tears when she rounded the corner.

She was absolutely beaming in her beautiful dress, walking barefoot down the isle of sand while all of our friends looked teary eyed. Yes... That's right, our friends. I suppose they've grown on me over the years. And speaking of growing, Rose finally had her wish come true. She's pregnant with twins, and I don't think I've ever been both so nervous and so excited in my entire life. One year after our wedding, and she has the tiniest little baby bump. They've only just begun growing, but I'm the one growing more and more impatient by the day to meet them.

...

"Rosealie, put them down!" I say in a state of panic, knowing full and well that it's her own magic that created the object. And she can create... Quite literally any object. Even at the young age of two, Rosalie developed the powers of energy manipulation. Much like me, she can create barriers, surges of energy, and teleport. But unlike me... She does all of this by pulling atoms from the air and manipulating their anatomical nature, much like how their mother did when she possessed the power of sol energy.

And right now, she's chosen to create a small, very pink hammer... Like mother like daughter.

"Rosealie, please--" I beg, the end of my sentence cut short by the sound of her scream as Amelia snatches her by the back of the shirt. Looking to me, our pair of matching red eyes meet before she glances at her mother's unamused expression. The tiny hammer disappears in an instant, her equally tiny pink ears drooping as she's lowered back to the ground.

"Listen to your father, Rosy. He spent all day making your favorite ice cream, and you repay him by not listening?" She says, her mini me cowering down in front of her before she lets out a sigh. "Apologize to your dad please, my love." She says in a now calm tone.

"Sowwy daddy", she says, my heart melting as she runs to give me a hug.

And before I know it, my girls have grown more than I have the will to keep track of.

They went from straining on their tippy toes to reach my waist, to Rosealie towering proudly over Amelia; And Maeve being eye level with her. Rosy looks more and more like Amelia every day, from her bubbly persona to her pink fluffy quills, the only way to tell them apart is her striking red eyes.

Maeve on the other hand, I have no way of denying that she's my daughter. With her black fur and dark cherry colored quills, her forest green eyes and kindness are the only things she inherited from Amelia.

And as I sit back and watch my girls argue over who stole who's sweater as my wife tries to break up the cat fight, I sigh. A very happy, very full-filled sigh.

Because I'm at peace, with everything I ever could have asked for being right in front of me. And as Amelia's eyes look to mine, the same look is reflected in her gaze.

A look of love.

A look of contempt.

And a look of pure happiness.

__________________________________Welcome to the end of Broken 🫶🏻

Thank you for sticking with this series for so long, I hope everyone enjoyed the ride! As a final bonus, here's some pictures :) Don't forget to go look at my new Shadamy series: To Wilt or to Bloom!

Rosealie, in her teens:

Maeve, in her teens:

Juniper, in her teens: