Chapter 1: Watching

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic. Or Tails. Or Knuckles. Or anything or anyone else for that matter. If I did, this would be aired on television already, Tails and Cream would have professed their love for each other, and something else that I can't think of would have happened.

Everything seemed to be off balance for some reason. Sonic couldn't really explain. He thought that once he and his friends defeated Dark Oak and the Metarex, life would return to normal. But the opposite happened. Life seemed more distorted and erratic than ever. Sonic did not like how things turned out in his adventure; two people dead in body and three others dead in spirit. He tried to think back to a happier time. But all he could think of was when he first fought Dark Oak. Dark Oak was too strong for Sonic. Without thinking, Sonic scattered the Chaos emeralds across the galaxy. Then, Sonic plummeted to Mobius as an organic meteor.

Wait a minute, thought Sonic. As the memory played in his mind, he heard something. When Sonic crashed on Mobius, he fell unconscious. But before he did, he heard a low and gravelly voice say:

"Respiration 60%. Pulse at 75 BPM. Consciousness at 2%. Looking good Sonic."

What the heck? Thought Sonic. He shook his head and thought, No; I'm just letting all this doom and gloom go to my head. I'm just bored because Egg-head hasn't come up with any plans to stop and toys to wreck. I'm going to see if I can cheer Tails up. Sonic sped off into the horizon. It felt good to run again. He hadn't run since the last fight against the Metarex. That was five weeks ago. As Sonic ran, he sped past someone in a black and silver hood and robe. The person flipped five times in the air and landed on his head. His robe slipped down and revealed a pair of tighty-no-longer-whities.

Tails became a broken person ever since the last fight against the Metarex. Cosmo's death had affected Amy and Cream. But it most profoundly affected Tails. He didn't want to go anywhere, didn't want to see anyone or do anything. He wanted to stay in bed and let hot, wailing tears stream from his eyes. Amy and Cream were visiting Tails in an effort to help him get over Cosmo. But he didn't like it. Unless whoever at the door was Cosmo, he wanted to be alone.

Tails heard the door open. "Tails," called a soft, high-pitched voice. "It's us, Ms. Amy and Cream." Tails said in a side voice, "Oh. Hey Cream and Amy." A small rabbit in an orange dress adorned with a blue ribbon and a pink hedgehog wearing a red, sleeveless dress stepped into his room. "How are you, Tails?" Asked Amy. "Terrible," Tails gruffly responded.

"Tails?" Asked Cream, "I made you something."

Tails peered at the hand basket Cream held in her hands. It held a collection of sweets and cards, each saying Get Well Soon.

"Any flowers?" Tails asked.

"No," Cream answered. She made the mistake of bringing flowers to Tails once, and she regretted it. Flowers reminded Tails of the plant girl he lost, and that set his recovery back by a few hundred years or so.

"Okay," Tails said.

Tails, Amy and Cream left the room and sat at a dining table in the kitchen of Tails' workshop.

"I'll make breakfast," Cream said cheerfully. Because of her mother, Cream became a master of several homemaking skills. That included cooking. She was good at it too, and sometimes she saw Tails smile when he ate her food. So Cream always made breakfast. While Cream set forth to cook, Amy tried to start a conversation with Tails.

"So how did you sleep last night?"

"Actually, I haven't been sleeping well."

"Have the nightmares been returning?" Early in Tails' grieving, Tails would have horrible nightmares that he wouldn't discuss with anyone. In the five weeks Sonic and his friends returned, Tails had made significant progress towards recovery. Amy's question was bent on watching out for any sign of regression.

"Yes," answered Tails.

"Will you be okay for the night?" Asked Cream as she was holding a pan full of eggs. "Do you want me to stay here with you?"

"N-no," Tails said. Amy looked at Cream and gave her an odd look.

"What are the dreams about?" Amy asked.

Tails clenched his fist under the table, not because he was angry, but because it pained him to remember. "You remember how we defeated Dark Oak?"

"Yeah, you shot Mr. Sonic and Mr. Shadow out of a cannon at Cosmo," Cream said, but then she stopped in her tracks.

"Cream!" Amy scolded.

"Don't worry, I'm a little more comfortable about that fact," Tails lied to stop Amy from getting angry at Cream.

Tails continued, "Well, the dream shows what happened there, and how depressed I've become. But I hear something I didn't hear before."

Amy and Cream listened intently as Tails explained the new part of his nightmare. "When the dream ends, I hear someone say 'Heck of a thing I'm putting you through, but it is necessary to help you face what is coming.'"

Amy asked, "Does it sound like Cosmo is saying that?"

"No," responded Tails, "the voice sounds old and gravelly."

"What does an old man have to do with this?" Cream asked as she brought the breakfast food to the table.

"Probably nothing," Amy said to Cream. "Excuse us Tails, Cream and I have to have a little chat."

"Okay," said Tails.

Amy picked Cream up in her arms and placed Cream in between Amy's forearm and armpit. Amy walked into another room and sat Cream down. Cream started coughing and gagging from Amy's body odor.

"Ugh," Cream said between gasps and coughs, "Ms. Amy, could you please-"

"Enough," Amy said, "that's not important. What is important is why we keep coming here." Cream was shocked.

"I get the feeling Tails doesn't want us here. Maybe we shouldn't come back here."

"YOUR FACE! I mean, NO!" Yelled Cream. "I LIKE coming here to see, err, help Tails! He needs us and I won't abandon him!"

"We're not abandoning Tails. He just needs time to work things out on his own." Amy eyed Cream. In Cream's drown eyes, Amy beheld more than simple unwillingness to give up on a friend. Amy saw something more. "Cream? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No, why I…yes." Said Cream.

"What is it, then?"

"Well…Ms. Amy, could you keep this secret?"

"Sure, but I don't see why-"

"I'minlovewithTails," Cream quickly said, "there. I said it."

"What?"

"I am in love with Tails," Cream said more slowly.

"You are?" Asked a surprised Amy. "I mean, I know you liked Tails, but the only person I've ever known to love Tails is dead."

"I know," Cream sighed, "and that's why I've kept it secret from everyone else until now."

"Until now? How long have you been-"
"Ever since we arrived at Chris's mansion."

"That was months ago," Amy said.

"I know."

"Why did you keep it secret?"

"Well, I was going to tell Tails, but I got scared, so I didn't tell him. By the time I decided to tell him, Cosmo came, and she and Tails formed mommy-daddy like bond. I was in the process of giving Tails up when the Metarex attacked and Cosmo died. When Cosmo died, I almost had no feelings for Tails, not because I hated him for offing Cosmo, but because I was giving him up. When we came back to Mobius five weeks ago, my feelings for him came back, but this time the love was stronger." Cream then looked at Amy with a hard face. "YOU may leave Tails, but I won't abandon him. Not then, not now, not ever. Even if the world doesn't want him, I want him. Because I love him."

Amy's eyes widened as the secret feeling Cream had hidden from everyone pour out of Cream's mouth as soup pours out of a ladle. Cream apparently loved Tails so much she was willing to let go of him when he and Cosmo fell in love. It was why Cream was helping Tails through his depression. And it was why Cream just stood up to her.

Amy gave Cream a quick whack with her Piko Piko hammer. "OW!" said Cream. "Sorry, Cream but that was preventative medicine. I didn't want you to go crazy on me and I'm angry that you didn't tell me. Me! We're like sisters, Cream. You can trust me with anything. Even secrets." Amy looked at Cream. "It's obvious you have strong feelings for Tails."

"What does that mean?" Asked Cream as she rubbed her head and ears.

"Cream, I want you to tell Tails how you feel about him."

"What?!" Exclaimed Cream as she blushed immensely.

"I know it seems odd, but telling him how you feel may help him get out of his depression."

"But, what if he doesn't like me? What if he doesn't want to be friends anymore because I love him? What if he rejects me?"

"If he rejects you, I'll give him a nice bump on the head. Just knowing that someone cares for him just as deeply as Cosmo did may give him hope."

Cream rubbed her head and said "I hope you're right, Ms. Amy."

"Don't worry, Cream," said Amy, "I am. And don't worry, I'll wait here while you take the heat."

Cream took a deep breath before going back into the kitchen. When she walked in, Cream went over to Tails. Tails was gazing out the window.

"Tails. We need to talk."

Tails turned his head to Cream. "About what?"

"Tails, listen," Cream started, "I know that because Cosmo is gone, you think you're alone in the world. But you're not. There is someone else who loves you. I-"

"Lost my meds?" A voice asked.

Cream and Tails both jumped back. "That voice-?" Tails' face lightened a little. "Its-"

"Hiya Tails," Sonic said as he leaned against the wall with one foot. "Heard you're not doing too well."

"I'm better now that you came." Tails went to great Sonic. Amy dashed out of the room adjacent to the kitchen and yelled "SONIKKU!" And Amy gave Sonic the biggest glomp of his life. Cream sighed and put on a smile for Sonic.

Meanwhile, a figure surveyed the scene. It was the same man with the silver and black robe. As he watched the glompfest, he muttered to himself, "They're still not ready for what is coming. They're on the right track, but they're changing too slowly. I need a catalyst to speed up the process. I know just what to use." The man turned in a 90º angle and walked in a direction where he could find a certain Echidna and eight emeralds, immense in size and power.

"Let the test begin," muttered the robed figure.