Chapter 1: A Love Supreme

"How did it go, honey?"

He couldn't bear to look at her when she asked him that all too familiar question. They had already been married for six months and the two-tailed fox was finding it harder and harder to find a job as an accomplished scientist. It seemed that whenever he thought he had them by the throat, whenever he had a marvelous new invention to showcase for them, something wrong would always happen. In turn, this caused the "officials" to turn him down, leaving him disappointed, broken, and distraught over yet another failure.

He struggled to meet her gaze, as his ears slowly drooped down,

"No, Cosmo. I… they're not interested in what I have to offer."

The seedrian could only nod in response, as she too bowed her head, feeling sorry for her deflated husband. But, as she always did, she found another reason to smile.

"Tails," she began. "It's okay. They don't know what they're missing. You're an incredible inventor and brilliant mind. Just keep working at it and you will get there. I'm sure of it."

Tails could only shake his head. He had heard that same reassurance from her for a long time now. While he deeply appreciated her support, her words only seemed to become less and less motivating as the fox received letters upon letters of rejection. But, he was so grateful to have the seedrian in his life. He loved her with all of his heart and soul, and would never stop loving her. Her smile, her laugh, her love… no matter the circumstance, she always found a way to make him feel even a little bit better.

"Thank you, Cosmo." He replied gratefully. "I love you."

Cosmo smiled warmly, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked him on the cheek, causing his facial fur to form a reddish glow.

"And I love you, Tails." She said sweetly. "Now come on, let's eat before dinner gets too cold."

Tails nodded, as he followed his wife to the kitchen table. The table showcased four steaks with a plate of baked potatoes and a bowl of Caesar salad.

The fox sniffed and smiled warmly,

"Dinner smells wonderful, Cosmo."

The seedrian smiled as she sat down across from Tails.

"Well let's eat it before it goes to waste!"

The couple laughed as they began to pick and eat their meal. While Tails was still in deep disappointment over his recent failure, he still found happiness in the fact that he got to come home to this everyday. A loving wife whom he had loved since he was just a shy child, a stable and healthy household, and the relief in knowing that he and Cosmo were both working hard at their respected jobs, with Tails being a high school physics teacher and Cosmo being a gardener at a home appliance store.

"So how was work today for you?" Tails asked as he bit into a juicy piece of steak.

"Oh, the usual." Cosmo replied. " Just taking care of those lovely plants as best as I can."

Tails smiled contently. He was very happy that Cosmo was both passionate and skilled with her work. But, for Tails, being a high school teacher had really taken a lot out of him. While he was very happy with teaching children the complex world of Physics, he recently discovered that most of his students were not in his AP class for the love of science. In fact, the majority of the students were only taking the course to improve their resume for college. This only added to the stress of making it through the day for the fox, as he constantly balanced his work as a teacher with trying to make it as a professional scientist.

Tails bit his lip in frustration at the thought of it, as he took off one of his white gloves and rubbed the side of his temple with two fingers.

"Tails?"

"Yeah."

Tails brought his attention to his concerned wife, as he could see the worry on her face.

"You can't get so down on yourself. I know that times have been rough for you, but you have to keep pushing. Don't give up!"

The Fox could only sigh as he looked out the window,

"I know, Cosmo." He began. "But what if I'm losing that passion?"

The seedrian's eyes widened, as she could not believe her ears.

Is he… tired of science?

"Honey, what do you mean?" Cosmo asked, perplexed.

"It's just that… I feel like a need a break from all of this. I mean, being a teacher is great and I really do enjoy teaching science to those kids. But, I'm starting to feel like I need a new hobby. Something that can help get rid of all of these stress. Something that can give me something to look forward to…"

Tail's attention was completely fixed on the mahogany tree that rested in the backyard. It was so beautiful and elegant to him. Its light brown wood gave it a powerful aurora and its leaves were healthy and green, thanks to the early stages of summer.

"Cosmo…"

The seedrian responded,

"Yes, Tails?"

The fox turned his head to his wife with a look of determination in his eyes,

"I want to be like that." He demanded. "I want to be like that again. Like that tree we have in our backyard."

Cosmo giggled softly as she took a sip of milk,

"You want to be a tree?"

Tails chuckled and shook his head,

"Not physically." He replied. "I want to look as lively as that tree. I mean, have you ever noticed how beautiful and reassuring it is?"

"What? I'm not as beautiful and reassuring?"

The seedrian put on a fake look of hurt as she crossed her arms.

Tails, noticing that he hadn't chosen his words correctly, stuttered,

"No! No! Cosmo…I mean…uh."

Cosmo broke into a fit of laughter as she patted her husband's soft, furry arm.

"Tails, I'm only teasing!"

The fox blushed and chuckled, as he once again turned his attention to the tree.

"I know that it's a little strange." Tails muttered. "But, you have to admit, it is a marvelous tree."

Cosmo smiled at her husband's fascination with the tree, as she got up from her seat and let her arms fall over his shoulders while placing her chin on top of his head.

"It truly is, Tails." Cosmo agreed. "It truly is."

"Well, you know that you are the most beautiful woman that I have ever met."

Cosmo blushed at his kind words. She always loved it when Tails could overcome his shy exterior and compliment her like this. It only showed how much he loved her, and according to them, what they had was a love supreme.

"Thank you, Tails." Cosmo whispered delicately in his twitching ear as she pulled him in for a quick kiss on the lips. Tails loved the feeling of Cosmo's sweet and comfortable lips on his own. He truly was lucky to still have her; since at one point in his life, he believed that he would never see her again.

"I'm so glad we're together." Tails said softly as he got up and wrapped his wife in a loving embrace. " You don't know how happy I am to have you back in my life again, Cosmo."

Cosmo smiled at his words, and replied,

"You know that I love you, Tails. What we have is very special."

"Mmhmm."

The couple continued to hug and kiss until they had to get a move on by clearing their plates and cleaning up the kitchen. Finally, it was time for the couple to sleep together and prepare their bodies for another long day ahead of them.

Tails slipped in to the right of Cosmo, whom was on her side while looking dreamily at the man she loved with all of her heart and soul.

Tails saw her expression, as he scooted over to her and pecked her on the lips.

"Goodnight, Cosmo." He whispered softly as he motioned to turn off the lamp by his bedside. "I love you."

Cosmo smiled as she yawned and returned the kiss and cooed,

"Goodnight, Einstein. I love you."

The couple shared one last chuckle before drifting off to sleep.

However, the fox just couldn't do it. As his wife lay quietly to his side, Tails was looking at the ceiling, wondering what he was going to do to feel motivated again.

"I have to find something." Tails thought to himself. "But…what?"

Tails decided that he should take a walk downtown the next day, in hope that he would find some type of inspiration.

He looked over to his side and watched his wonderful wife sleep contently, releasing soothing breathes from her cute nose.

"I don't want her to see me unhappy like that again." The fox thought determinedly. "I'm not just doing this for me, I'm doing this for us."