Too Late
'Today's the day.' The rabbit, half awake, half asleep, shifted position in her warm bed. 'These last few hours are your last chance. You going to use them?'
The alarm was going off. Moaning, the rabbit rolled over, and slammed the darn clock once, setting the room into a quiet slumber once more, only, the rabbit was definitely awake now. Her chocolate eyes opened a crack to stare outside her window, where a fresh wave a new spring hit her, and she sat up with a smile. There was something special about to day, she knew, but what it was, she couldn't quite place it, and she stood up, stretching as she allowed the sun's rays to warm her slim body. Sighing softly, she ran a hand through her eyes, and yawned, looking more like a five year old then a young adult, but she didn't care enough as she stumbled towards the bathroom, a small, blue chao, also weary-eyed, trailing close behind her.
And then she saw it, marked in red on her calendar.
Tails and Tia marry.
She smiled softly, a warmth hitting her heart as she thought of the soon-to-be couple. They worked so well as boyfriend and girlfriend; why wouldn't marriage be any different for them?
Realizing that she would be dressing more properly in just a few hours anyway, the rabbit decided to wait on getting dressed, as she shuffled into the kitchen, and poured herself a bowl of cereal, the flakes making an echo-like sound the instant they touched the bowl. She yawned in spite of herself once more, the chao following his best friends' example, before slipping in front of the TV, and turning on the box. It was early morning, she suddenly realized, maybe 6:30, and she questioned herself for a second before focusing more on the news. She could only think of one excuse for being up so early, and that, was because on special days, she was always up ahead of schedule. The house was quiet up to this time, except for the TV, and the chao's constant wing movement, for the young rabbit's mother was still sleeping; somewhere off in dream land no doubt.
"Today's the day," the square box announced, and the rabbit looked up from her bowl of cereal. "Today is when Sonic the Hedgehog's best friend, Miles Prower, better known as Tails, will marry Tia Bluntsworth."
The rabbit nearly choked on her cereal. Was the news so terribly out of interesting reports to tell the whole world what they already knew?
"Well, I don't know about you, Cheese," the rabbit murmured, "but I feel sorry for Tails and Tia for having to put up with all this…stupidity." She took a bite of her cereal, chewing it softly, in deep thought. "I mean, being famous is such a…"
"Chao chao," Cheese finished, and the rabbit smiled up at her friend.
"Exactly. It's such a waste of time." She picked up the remote again, and shut the box off. "And so is the news."
They'll be married in less than an hour…
"You look beautiful, Tia!" The rabbit exclaimed to her friend, and the fox twirled around in her white dress, giggling softly to herself.
"Thanks." Her eyes shone brightly as she grinned, the thought of finally marrying Tails seeming to be unbelievable. "I can't believe it." She turned to the rabbit beside her. "I finally get to marry him today! When I first met him, I thought we'd only be close friends, since-"
The fox stopped mid-sentence, looking down at the ground for a minute. The rabbit frowned as she put a hand on Tia's shoulder.
"What's wrong?" she murmured softly, her chao also looking concerned for their fox friend.
"You have gotten over him, right?" Tia looked back up at the rabbit and the chao, tears threatening to spill over. "I'm not stealing him away, am I?"
The rabbit rolled her eyes and smiled lightly at her friend.
"Tia, you're like a big sister to me," the rabbit explained, adjusting the veil on the fox's head. "I admit, I was a little jealous of you being with Tails at the beginning, but I got over him years ago. I mean, I am dating Sam, aren't I?" Tia smiled softly at her friend before speaking.
"It's just, you two used to be so close, and now, well, ever since I came along the two of you have kind of…stopped seeing each other." The rabbit again smiled at her.
"It's for the best, Tia," she murmured. "I needed to grow up from my childhood fantasy. And besides-" the rabbit turned towards the door, where a knock from Sonic told them to hurry it up, "Tails loves you, and not me. And I don't care if he doesn't love me, I'm glad he doesn't. Because if he did, he couldn't marry you."
"But, aren't you just a little sad that I came into this town in the first place?" The rabbit sighed, wishing that Tia would understand.
"Tia, we're best friends, are we not?" The fox nodded her head slowly. "So, where would I be without you?" Tia smiled fondly at her friend, before turning towards the door.
"You're right," the fox stated, as she opened the door. Sonic, who was in a suit for only the third time of his life, glared at them, telling them through his look to hurry up so he could run free again, and the girls smiled sheepishly at his retreating form as he went to stand in front of Tails, being his best man.
"Of course I am," the rabbit answered. "Today's the best day of your life. So don't let my old fantasy's ruin it."
"I won't." The girls hugged, and then Tia's father took the young adult's arm, and she began walking down the aisle, where Tails stood, looking nervous. Turning slightly, Tails noticed Sonic give him a thumbs-up, and he forced a weak grin onto his face, before he turned back to where Tia walked, and suddenly, his face was clouded with looks of love and adoration towards her. The rabbit, a spring in her step, sat down silently by Amy and her mother, who turned to her for a second, their looks telling the rabbit all she needed to know.
They were ecstatic.
Looking up at the church's stage, the rabbit watched as Tails took his soon-to-be bride's hand, and she noticed how frightened he looked.
'It's going to be great, Tails,' the rabbit thought to herself. 'For you two, anyway.'
The organ music stopped playing abruptly, and the pastor stood behind the fox couple as he asked,
"Does anyone have any objections to these two foxes being wed, at this time?"
Yes.
The rabbit stared fondly at the couple, wishing only the best for them for their years together. A steady silence filled the church for a second, and then the pastor turned to the couple, and he started his speech.
The audience listened quietly, Sonic tugged at his tie to make it looser, and Amy rolled her eyes at her husband before she tried to quiet down young Rose, who lay in her arms. The rabbit looked down for a second at the own baby she held, Sonic and Amy's child, Nick. The baby looked back up at her with a confused gaze, before he began to gurgle, and the rabbit jiggled him lightly in her arms, hoping to quiet him.
It worked, and when she looked back up, she heard Tails' familiar voice state, in a dreamy voice,
"I do."
The pastor turned to the female fox, his glasses sparkling from the sun's light that penetrated through the window.
"And do you, Tia Bluntsworth, take Miles 'Tails' Prower, as your lawfully wedded husband?"
The rabbit suddenly became very interested at her young friend's answer, and the fox turned to look at her, for a split second. No one but the rabbit noticed the look that the two shared. 'Can I take him? Are you sure?' the fox seemed to ask. 'Didn't I already answer?' the rabbit replied, and Tia turned to the pastor.
"I do."
"Well then, you may kiss the bride, Tails." The pastor, also excited from having married a world's celebrity, backed away slightly, waiting for the kiss expectantly.
The kiss was short, to the point, but it was obvious the two foxes were fighting away tears of happiness as the broke away.
And somewhere, in the audience, a small, young rabbit, also began to cry, and not all because she was happy, but she told herself that was the reason anyway.
It's too late, Cream. You should've said something when you had the chance.'
The rabbit stood, along with the other members of the audience, and clapped for the couple, Sonic cheered and tore his tie away, Amy again rolled her eyes, and a cry from a baby reminded the rabbit of her own battle within her heart.
This was all so bittersweet.