#This intermission was needed for a slight passage of time 😁

[pccyouthleader]

Hedgehog Hodgepodge: A Story of Espionage, Confusion, and an Evil Plan Gone Haywire

~Intermission~

Little by little, Aurora packed her things and slowly moved them to the apartment next door to Shadow’s. Sonic had begrudgingly agreed to the arrangement as long as the two promised to behave and stay in their separate “corners.” 

Aurora wanted to leave her room at home in much the same condition, as it was comforting to know that she could come and stay whenever she wanted. She decided to take her solar dancing figurines, bobble head collection, taco-themed joke book, and Kit-Cat clock, but decided to leave her posters. She could swoon over “Bran Baker and the Beefcakes” and “The Phantom of the Rock Opera” whenever she came to visit.

Much to Shadow’s frustration, the evidence trail from the trophy and orb had grown cold. Knuckles and Rouge couldn’t tell him anything more about the orb. And Tails was so preoccupied with prepping his old plane for the antique iron show that he had all but forgotten about the trophy. 

Everyone’s lives had pretty much returned to normal since the disappearance of the two items. However, some of Shadow’s contacts had started receiving strange communication signals. The contacts could neither pinpoint the location of the transmissions nor decipher them. 

Amy was overjoyed at the development of a small baby bump on her abdomen. After finding some cute maternity wear, she enjoyed standing in front of her full-length mirror admiring her new look. She still couldn’t believe she was experiencing the miracle of new life all over again!

The nursery - one side of Amy’s in-home office - was coming along nicely. Aurora had worked closely with her mother to pick the perfect light yellow paint and soft materials to suit a brand new baby hedgehog. Amy’s morning sickness was finally tapering off, and so the mother-daughter duo could often be found going through Amy’s design portfolios looking for ideas.

It wasn’t long before the whole village was abuzz with the news that Sonic and Amy were having a “surprise” bundle of joy. Soon their friends were happily showering them with all sorts of baby-related items.

“I am bushed!” Amy said as she walked in the door one day with a double armload of gift bags.

“Geez, Ames!” Sonic exclaimed, jumping off the sofa. He had been enjoying an afternoon siesta. “Let me get that stuff!” He took the armload of presents and ran them up the stairs. Amy had taken his place on the sofa when he came back down.

“There’re about five more loads where that came from,” she said when Sonic returned.

“From what?!” he asked. Had Amy hijacked a delivery truck?

“My coworkers gave me a surprise baby shower at work today. I forgot just how much stuff you need to take care of a baby.” She propped her aching feet on the coffee table. 

“Be right back,” came Sonic’s reply as he zipped out the door. He returned a few minutes later with a staggering load and a shocked expression on his face. “What are we gonna do with all this stuff?!” he asked when he came back downstairs.

“Worry about it later!” Amy said. She didn’t have the energy to deal with it right now. But she did stand up and move over to place a kiss on Sonic’s cheek. “Thank you for getting everything.”

“No problem, Babe,” he replied, pulling her into a much-needed embrace. Amy relaxed, almost melting into her happy place.

When he released her, Amy grimaced as she remembered an earlier conversation. “If one more person finds out about the baby and asks, ‘You know what causes that, right?’ I just might pound them in the ground with my hammer.”

A devilish grin played across Sonic’s lips. He just had to do it. Placing a hand gently on her ever-growing tummy, he gave her a sly look and said, “Hey Ames, you know what causes this, right?”

But instead of bashing him to bits, Amy got a romantic look in her eyes. She moved a little closer, put her arms around his neck, and raised a brow. “Hmm… actually I do know what causes this. Would you like me to demonstrate?”

“EWWW! MOM! GROSS!!” came a voice from the top of the stairs.

“Crap!” Sonic whispered. “I forgot Tiny was upstairs!” He and Amy dissolved into hushed laughter.

Meanwhile, Aurora had run back into her bedroom with her hands over her ears. Shadow, unbeknownst to the couple downstairs, was sitting in her windowsill, convinced he had just thrown up in his mouth.