Cream sat happily at the table with her friends. Even though she was now 9 years old, she still enjoyed having these tea parties, which she'd been holding ever since she was 4. It was even better now, though, because now her guests could eat the tea and cookies she served, too, instead of her just pretending.
She'd managed to convince Tails to join in, and he looked just darling in the pretty cornflower blue dress she'd picked out for him. Admittedly, he hadn't known about the dress when she had invited him, but for some reason he had a really hard time saying no. It's like Mom had always told her, put your heart into asking nicely, and people will want to please you.
Next to him sat Amy, in her usual pink outfit. At first she had a hard time not laughing at Tails in the dress, but Blaze - who sat next to her, in her normal outfit, having come from her own dimension to join them - had commented that that might lead to Amy wearing something similar. Rouge, who Cream had also convinced to join them, had laughed at that. ...Cream had managed to find one of her Mom's old outfits - a fuscia and gold dress - that looked lovely on Rouge. Rouge had asked Cream to pass a request on to her Mom for information regarding where she'd gotten the dress.
As they sat, sipping tea and eating cookies, idle chatter passed between them, and Cream was content. "How is your mother doing?" Blaze asked Cream after a time.
"SHe's doing quite well, thank you," Cream replied, lifting her cup to her lips. "She's been considering dating, you know."
"That's wonderful!" Amy said happily.
Rouge set her cup down. "Cream, there's something I've been meaning to ask you, but I'm not sure if I should, but...what about your father?"
Silence fell at the table, and Cream quietly set her cup down. "...we don't talk about him," she said at last.
"Oh," Rouge said, willing to drop the subject.
Unfortunately, Tails had always been to curious for his own good. "Why not, Cream?" he asked, concern in his voice.
Cream reached for a cookie. "Because I'm the result of my Mom being raped," she said blandly. She munched on the cookie as the others stared at her. Seeing their stares, she picked up the cookie plate. "Forgive my rudeness. Would you like some?" She offered the cookies to everyone. They all took one, seeming without thinking, as they stared at her.
Blaze finally spoke up. "How...how did you learn of this?"
"I asked Mommy one day who my Daddy was, and she told me. She also told me how it happened, and about her decision to keep me. She said she told me the story so I would always know, no matter how awful an event might come to pass, if you know where to look, good can always come from it." She smiled. "I know that's true. When Dr. Eggman kidnapped me, I was more scared than I ever was in my entire life. But because of that, I met all of you."
Amy spoke up. "Your father...did he face justice for what he did?" she asked, gripping her hammer tightly.
Cream nodded. "I believe so. Mom said she was always a firm believer in poetic justice, so she made him a soprano." She tilted her head in thought as everyone's eyes went wide. "I never understood that part. What exactly can you do to a man to permanently raise the pitch of his singing voice?" She didn't notice Tails covering his lap reflexively, or the way Amy and Blaze scooted back from her ever so slightly.
Rouge, however, laughed. "I knew there was a reason I liked your Mom," she said with a smile.
Cream smiled happily. "Mom always taught me to be polite, considerate, and friendly, and to mind my manners. She said it was because she didn't want to risk me following in my father's footsteps, or becoming at all like him." She picked up her tea. "Part of that is why I'm not allowed to visit Tails in his lab," she said before taking a sip. Setting her glass down, she held the pot out towards everyone's wide eyed, staring faces. "More tea, anyone?"