Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

A/N: This is the end! Almost TEN years after I started it. This is finished. I may do an Epilogue in the future, but for now. This is complete. Enjoy.

Chapter Nine

Silence reigned over the flat grass-land as the dark furred male stared at the female and vice-versa. The bat let out a sigh of relief , she had hoped that the pink hedgehog would make it on time, if she hadn't, she, Sonic and the fox-boy would have been in a land of major hurt by Shadow's hand. Glancing back at the work-shop, she shook her head and waved subtly to Tails in a 'stay there' gesture; Rouge did not like the way the onyx male was just staring at his mate. It made a shiver run down her spine. Had that been her and her Knuxie, he would have been all over her by now - like she had seen them do in the past when Shadow had returned from a long mission - he was by her side almost every minute of the day. Something was wrong. The albino would protect Amy if she needed to; if she was fast enough to get to her first. Studying the Ultimate Life Form's face, everything looked normal apart from his eyes; they were the scariest she had ever seen. They were so deadly and cold as they stared at the mother of his child. It was like he didn't know his mate at all - What had happened to him? As Rouge went to take a step towards, it was like a switch had been flicked as a growl of pure torment ripped through the silence and his red stained hands clenched his head

"No! You're dead," his eyes hardened and before the bat could even blink, he was on the pink female, his pounce having knocked them to the floor in his rage, his hands firmly around the female's delicate throat "I have seen you plenty of times in my cell during my incarceration. Calling to me, teasing me... I will not allow my insignificant imagination to cloud my judgment of revenge with pathetic images with what I have lost... Again!" he snarled as he grit his teeth and put more pressure on her throat. It wasn't the first time he had erased an image of her like this - it was the only way for her to give him peace. As soon as he learned his beautiful mate and his child had been murdered, the visions started in his cell... Seeing her there was another reason why he remained; biding his time to escape. He would mourn all of the visions as well as his female after he had defeated these weak, pathetic heroes that failed her.

"Sh-Shadow... Pl-Please..." Amy choked out as she struggled against his hands. Why was he doing this to her? What did he mean by what he had lost? She was right her and he was strangling her!

"Shadow!" A screamed voice cut through the moment and he released her throat a little so she could finally take in a jagged breath of oxygen. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?! That is your mate!" Rouge slowly approached the couple, her ears back and a look of disbelief on her face at what he was doing to his beloved Rose

"Shut up!" he snarled to his ex-partner, who never did know when to shut her mouth, his crimson orbs narrowed on the apparition in his grasp, he would not allow it to flutter around him and distract him from his revenge. Though as his focus was on his mate, Rouge's sky blue's had traveled to the small form who had made his way onto the 'battle field' without her even noticing. Her wings extended to swoop in to action to remove the smaller hog out of harms way... When, like his father, he approached the crazed form of his father faster than Rouge could even see

"Daddy..?"

-x-x-

The room full of GUN bosses was completely silent. Every member sat in the small lack-luster briefing room, around a table that had multiple folders on it. There was one agent standing at the head of the table, who everyone was staring wide-eyed at

"I'm sorry Lieutenant," Karen, the aide to the president stuttered out "But can you repeat that for us?"

"MIA GUN agent Shadow the Hedgehog has been located. Well, we know of his last known location," Grover stated clearly

"Of his own violation?" she questioned him again

"No. As of O-Eight hundred hours this morning, with our best minds and technical experts working on the security footage, they have come across the fact that Agent Shadow was captured by this facility and told that his family were deceased," The human reached forwards and grabbed a folder from the table and held it firmly in his grasp "What I am about to share with you does not leave this room. Understood?" with the few nods and answers of agreement, he nodded to himself "The years in which Agent Shadow was missing have been entirely documented by this facility, which we closed down yesterday," he added to the shocked faces of the other humans in the meeting "They documented every physical examination and every experiment done on him; including everything they told him - we believe to keep him complacent," Opening the folder, he placed a photo on the mahogany surface "This was Lucy," Grover stated, inwardly smirking when the suits looked away from the gruesome image in front of them "She had been the one with the task of watching our agent. I can only assume he had been waiting for the right time to escape the area,"

"So where is he now?" Miller piped up from the sidelines, earning a sharp look from his commander

"Agent Shadow then traveled through the building, killing various members of staff as he went. The motive is clear - Why the remaining workforce issued a red alert concerning a Namibian is uncertain, but judging by some of the survivors, we can only make judgment on their testimonies," he paused for a moment "I personally think he is returning to Station Square,"

"If he thinks his family is dead lieutenant, why would he return to the area they resided in? Killing the scientists would have been for naught,"

"Not necessarily," the official over the meeting stated gruffly, looking over the conflicted faces in front of him "He is one of the best agents GUN has ever had - he is trained in multiple areas, including-"

"Interrogation," Palmer, a fair haired, desk job suit stated "Why would he leave there without informing us?"

"That is a very simple answer," he laughed at all the confused expressions around the room. Had they not studied the different species living with them on Earth? "Mobian families and significant others - mates - are vastly different from a human union. They mate for life,"

-x-x-

The small innocent voice shot through his concentration and he couldn't help but look over to the source of such a little voice calling him such a term, though he made sure he still kept a hold of the vision beneath him. Ruby eyes widened as he stared at the hoglett and before he knew it, or could stop it, he was on his back with the child clinging to him with a whimper

"Daddy..." Cole started, lifting his crimsons to meet his father's for the first time that he could remember "Mommy and I have been waiting for you for a really long time," he sobbed sadly, clutching onto his father as tightly as he could, ignoring the way his mother was gasping for air, she must be so excited to see him too!

Amy sat up, heaving oxygen into her lungs. Any tighter or without the interruption, she doubted she would have survived the hands of her mate. Her emerald gaze went straight to her son after catching her breath and tears began to cascade down her muzzle from their catastrophic reunion. What was wrong with him? She wasn't expecting a huge outward display of emotion from him because that wasn't her mate - but neither was this!
"Cole," she warned and no matter her pain, when she saw the older male's hand lower, a protective growl rattled from her sore throat, she immediately crawled over to her son to get him away from his dangerous father, but when the hand met the child's head with such a soft caress - with a whole bunch of hesitancy, she paused in her approach... And as she saw a tear trail down Shadow's muzzle, she felt a fresh batch of tears build up in her own "Shadow...?"

As his hand met with a solid form, ruby eyes studied the form against his chest intently, he had never had this kind of hallucination before. What was happening? Was this... His son? Another tear followed the first as he held on to the little hedgehog to his chest. Overwhelmed with emotion, he guessed he could indulge if this was in his head. Crimson iris' moved to the pink female watching him closely, her throat puffy from his hands and he instantly felt guilt and fear creep up his spine "...Amy?" he asked in a broken voice, using her name for the first time in years

"It's me Shadow," she replied, still ready to snatch her son from his arms at the slightest sign of danger, but the way he was right now and completely broken and lost look on his face... But she was the mate of the Ultimate Life Form, she was no coward! Crawling up to him, she could see the raw pain in his eyes, just before he grabbed her and brought her to him; she could feel him shaking and she began to cry openly now, both from being in his arms again and relief that he was here with them. Alive.

"I-I... I don't understand," he grumbled from within his embrace with his mate and child "How are you both alive? They told me they came for you and killed you on sight. How did I not know you were alive?" he mumbled to himself moving a hand to rub his face "If I had known, I wouldn't have waited so long to escape... I waited until... Revenge would be swift and would have taken them by surprise," his gaze turned distant as memories flooded his mind, time from the facility and his anguish at them reminding him every day that his family was gone... Focusing back on the emerald's of his female, he blinked the past away

"No one ever came for Cole and I, we've been worried sick. I...I was losing hope that I would ever see you again," she sobbed "I missed you so much,"

"I looked after mommy for you daddy," his chest with the small tuft of chest fur puffing out in his proud stature, earning a smirk from the older male. It was hard for the Ultimate to grasp that all this time, all his plans of revenge, all his anguish and mental issues that had come with losing his life mate... All for nothing. They were alive!

"Amy..." he started, eyes bearing into her green ones "I apologize for my lengthy absence. I had been imprisoned in an isolated facility north of Empire City," he began to explain to her, attempting to avoid eye contact with her, in fear she would vanish all over again

"Holy shit Shadow," the pink female gasped when the ivory bat interrupted their moment. Looking over, she nodded for her to help the hero, who was still face down in the dirt from his beating

"Carry on dear," his mate soothed, making sure the bat was doing as she requested with her friend out of the corner of her eye

"A new human female started working and I took that as my opportunity to escape. The previous female was an old hag, this one was young and overzealous," his hands were shaking as they slipped from his son at realizing what lengths he had gone through to be free to come back home and kill them all "I... I, Chaos... I killed a lot of people to get back here Rose, they relayed the fact that they came to our home, killed Cole in front of you and told me - even allowing me to read a report on how you attacked them for destroying our family," he shuddered as his mental stability began to waiver in his explanation "They described your favorite pajama set..." he took in a deep breath to calm his raging thoughts "I apologize for believing their deceit, not believing you were alive. I should have known... Should have felt you were okay and well... Chaos Rose... I am so sorry,"

The pink female stared at her mate in horror, not about what he had done or the things he had done to get home, but what these people must have done to him to make him like he was right now. Her strong, handsome mate was a wreck. Lifting her hand to his muzzle, she moved closer to him and her lips met his cheek "It's okay Shadow, I love you. I never stopped hoping for one second you would come back," her soft hand went to his to try and coax him into standing up with her; but he would not move. In guilt or instability she did not know "It's okay. Let's get you home and washed up, hmmm?" her neck was sore still, but she was more concerned about the dark male, her heart was breaking for him and what he had gone through over those years... Sonic would be okay - he always was and knowing him, he would want to come and see how Shadow was doing in the next few days, which she would have to decline. Rouge could visit, she had come to terms long ago that she and her mate came as a package, they had been friends since he was awakened. She could visit after her Echidna had calmed down enough to allow her some freedom. But her priority was Shadow as well as helping him along the road of recovery of whatever they had done to him. Amy had already forgiven him since he explained the basics, she was sure she would get the rest from him later. However, when he looked at her she smiled and nodded "We will get through this as a family," it might take a while, but she knew her mate would make it through and rise above it with her and Cole by his side.