I got this idea from the song "Everytime" by Simple Plan. Enjoy!

One More Day

She felt awful.

It was raining outside. It seemed that every time she was miserable, it would be raining. Wet tissues surrounded her, and a now empty box lay in her lap as she continued crying, continued feeling sorry for herself.

"I hate life," she muttered to herself, and she threw a tissue at the nearby pink wall. "I hate it. I hate it, hate it, hate it…" This only caused another wave of tears, and the rabbit growled angrily to herself as she slammed a fist into her pillow. "I hate you, Tails!" she cried out in vain. "You hear me? I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate…"

It was three a.m. She knew it was late. But for some reason, she couldn't help but pick up the phone and dial a familiar number. His number. Twirling the cord around in her shaky fingers, she listened to the static for a minute, and then began counting how many rings it would take until he would wake up and answer the phone. Sniffling softly to herself, she was surprised when on the third ring, she heard his groggy voice.

"Hello?" Her heart skipped a beat. He was actually up!

"Uh, hi, erm, Tails," she replied. She was shaking like a leaf.

"Cream?" the fox muttered. She heard him yawn in the background. "What is it? Or, better yet, what time is it?" She could imagine the fox looking at his clock before he said, "Oh my gosh. Cream, it's three a.m.!" Sensing anger, Cream bit her lip. Had this been a good idea?

"Tails, I'm sorry, it's just…" Her voice trailed off behind her. "I'm scared." She knew it sounded cheesy, but she had reason to be scared. Here she was, a twelve year old girl, spending the night at Amy's, not because she wanted to, but because she had to.

"It's about your Mom, huh?" The cream colored rabbit nodded, but, realizing that Tails wouldn't be able to see her movement, muttered a quick,

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence for a minute, before Cream heard the fox sigh on the other line. She bit her lip again.

"Cream…" The fox's voice was gentle, calming, and Cream wished she could see the fox's face as he spoke. "Your Mom'll be fine. It was just a little accident-"

"It wasn't a little accident, Tails! If it was, she'd be out of the hospital right now!" Gasping, Cream put a hand over her mouth. She hadn't expected herself to yell at him like that. And the poor fox was only trying to help. "Tails, look, I'm sorry-"

"No, don't be." His voice was quiet, and still calm, which amazed the young bunny. "I understand. Listen, why don't I come over and pick you up, and we just…hang out? We could, I don't know, get a midnight snack, or-"

"Right now? At three a.m.?" Cream asked, forgetting her manners on letting Tails finish his sentence.

"Yeah, right now," Tails answered, his face turning red, she was sure of it. "I mean, by tomorrow morning you won't be so...Oh, I don't know, Cream. I'm up now, and I could come by with the X-Tornado…"

"It sounds great, Tails," Cream answered, smiling. "But…why?"

Tails chuckled on the other line. "Maybe it'll get your mind off your Mom for a while, being with someone. Amy kept you sane while she was still awake, didn't she?" He didn't wait for a response. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Meet me in the field."

And he hung up.

A soft knock on her door aroused the bunny from her fit, and she sniffled as she watched the door open a crack. It was her mother. Smiling weakly, Cream attempted to wipe away any stray tears, but the wet moisture on her cheeks only made her stifle a sob as her mother came and sat down on the bed next to her.

Taking her shaken up daughter in her arms, Vanilla allowed her to cry in her shoulder until all the tears were gone, and only an occasional sniffle remained.

"Now…" Vanilla's voice was soft, inviting. It reminded Cream of Tails, and she forced herself to not loose control again at the thought. "What's all this about hating Tails? You're scaring the living daylights out of Cheese, you know." A small chao entered the room then, his movements cautious. Cream opened her arms wide and allowed the chao to come and snuggle next to her. "And you're scaring me." Her mother kissed her gently on the top of the forehead. "You've never hated Tails before."

Oh…that name was cursed, Cream knew it. Shivering at the fox's mentioning, Cream looked down.

"It's nothing, Mother," she answered. "I'm…alright." Suddenly feeling embarrassed, she got up from her bed and walked towards her door, a confused Cheese following from behind. "I'm going on a walk now. I need to clear my mind." And she was gone.

"So, uh, how's Cheese going?" Tails asked randomly, hoping to get a conversation between the two of them.

"Hmm?" Cream looked up from her hands on her lap. "Oh, he's fine," she answered, and she stared out the window of the plane. Had she seriously woken up her best friend for him to come and talk to her through the night? What had she been thinking? The poor fox had a night of his own. He didn't need to come and keep her mind occupied.

"Cream? Hello, you there?" Looking back towards Tails, Cream attempted a weak smile. Tails smiled back, and placed a warm gloved-hand on her shoulder. "She's in good hands, Cream," he whispered. "He knows what He's doing."

"Oh, so we're back to that, are we?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and Tails frowned, removing his hand as he focused on driving the plane. Like he needed to anyway, way up here, where there was nothing but clouds.

"I just thought you'd be comforted by it, is all," Tails replied, feeling hurt. Cream sighed beside him.

"I'm sorry, Tails," she said softly. "I must be tired…I just can't be nice to anyone today!" Tears were in her eyes, but she hardly felt them as they slowly began to fall. "I was mean to Amy, and now I'm being mean to you, and ruining your night! You're right, Momma should be just fine, and even if she's not, He has a plan, but…" She was now fully weeping, and there was nothing she could do about it. "It's just," she continued, "Momma and I…If she dies-"

"I know," Tails comforted. He put the plane on autopilot, and reached out to hug the girl beside him. Cream's face flushed, and she put her head on Tails' shoulder. "Sshh…Everything will be okay. I'm here for you."

And she knew he was as she continued crying softly in his shoulder.

It was still raining as Cream made her way outside, and she vaguely heard thunder rumble in the distance.

For five minutes, the rabbit walked, to where, she knew not. She was just walking. Her mind was blank of any smiling foxes, of anything she could possibly remember about the two-tailed fox she had come to love.

But it wasn't that way for long.

Stopping in her tracks, rain poured down Cream's back as she gasped, realizing where she had been going, unbeknownst to her.

She was at Tails' house.

And suddenly, she was screaming, loudly, as if she was in trouble and had been caught by Eggman, and she kicked a stone by her feet into a nearby puddle, rage filling her.

"Cream, are you alright?"

Of course. If she was at his house, he'd end up being there.

"Leave me alone, Tails!" she yelled. "I hate you! Don't you see, you've ruined my life?"

"Cream, chill out, I'm not Tails!" Looking up, Cream gasped, and she realized that she was face to face with none other than Sonic.

Again, she knew she should've expected him. After all, the two brothers lived together, since Tails' home was still being built. Suddenly, she wondered if Sonic had any of idea about Tails' new girlfriend.

"You're gonna catch a cold out here, girl," Sonic muttered, and he pointed to the house. "Come on. You need to get out of the rain. Tails is inside-"

"No!" Cream barked. "I mean…" She sighed to herself, and looked sadly back up at Sonic. "I just…don't want to see Tails right now. I'll go back home, I promise."

He was frowning at her. Sonic the Hedgehog was frowning at her, and she suddenly felt in trouble as she looked down again. Sighing, the blue hedgehog looked away from the rabbit.

"Cream…" His voice was slightly irritated, she could tell, but yet she knew he was trying to be gentle with her. Like everyone else was trying to be. "Come on, Cream, listen!" The rabbit looked up at the blue hedgehog quickly. "Tails doesn't know what he did. And unless you tell him, you two may never be friends again. Now, is that what you want? 'Cause I'm sure that's not what Tails wants."

'He's lying. Tails doesn't care about me.'

'Tails has always cared about everyone. He wouldn't try to hurt you.'

'…Yeah? Well, he did hurt me.'

"Cream?" The rabbit looked back up, noticing for the first time since she began her walk that she was shivering, and she noticed Sonic's concern gaze on her. "Amy will kill me if I don't make sure you're alive by the end of the day, and you know she will." This cracked a smile on the bunny's small lips, and Sonic smiled softly back at her. "Come on. We don't wanna worry your mother either." Hoping she would follow him into the house, the blue hedgehog walked off, and Cream followed slowly and silently behind, much to Sonic's relief.

She pulled away from the warm embrace slowly, and sniffled one more time. Smiling in a reassuring way at her, Tails focused back on driving the plane.

"So, wanna go get some ice cream?" he questioned, his eyes twinkling. "You'd like that, wouldn't ya?" Cream nodded.

"That would be very nice, Tails," she replied, and she smiled politely at him.

"Alright." The fox changed the plane's course. "We'll have to go to some fast food restaurant. There won't be any ice cream parlors open this time of night, but…" The fox stopped his sentence there, and a comfortable silence filled the plane.

"Can we go somewhere far away?" Her voice was barely audible, but somehow, Tails managed to hear it, and he blinked in surprise, before smiling softly.

'Just get her away from everything, Tails,' he told himself. 'That'll be good for her.'

"Sure, why not?" he answered, and he again changed the plane's direction. "How far away?"

"An hour," she replied. She stared up at Tails, hoping she wasn't asking too much. "If that's all right with you…"

"We can go anywhere you want to," was Tails' quick answer, and Cream smiled to herself, before looking back out the window. Tails was such a good friend. He was always there for her.

"So…" Tails didn't want an hour of silence. He knew it would allow time for Cream to think of her mother's condition. "How's Amy? I haven't talked to her in a while."

The conversation was never an issue after that for the rest of the night. An hour later, when the two got out of the plane for some ice cream, the conversation was still going strong, and they talked about family, friends, wishes and more over their two cherry-dipped cones. Laughing at all of Tails' jokes, no matter how lame, sent warmth through both of the young teenagers. Neither remembered a better time with each other.

"Cream?" She instantly recognized the voice as Tails', but she tried to ignore it as Sonic closed the door behind her.

"I'm callin' your Mom, Cream," she heard Sonic announce from behind her. "Just to let her know you're safe."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate it," Cream answered. Tails walked in front of the rabbit.

"Cream, please," he pleaded. "Just tell me what I did wrong. I want to be friends with you again." Tears came to Cream's eyes again, and Tails began talking again. "I saw you out there a minute ago…being, well, upset. I knew you wouldn't listen to me, so I sent Sonic out." There was an awkward silence, as if Tails expected her to reply. When she didn't, the fox turned from her, and sighed, rubbing his aching forehead. What the heck had he done to make her not even reply politely? "Cream, you're not acting right! You're not…"

"Being polite or my usual kind self?" the rabbit spat. She covered her mouth and gasped. How many times had she done that recently? Regretted what she had said? She looked down, pretending not to notice the warm hand on her shoulder.

'Ignore it.'

'No. He cares.'

'Not in that way, stupid rabbit.'

"I'm sorry, Cream." Not expecting those words, the stunned rabbit looked up at Tails, who looked just as confused as herself, only in a different way. "I'm sorry for whatever I did. I certainly didn't mean it, and I wish you'd tell me what I did so I could say without a doubt that I truly mean what I'm telling you now." Cream blinked, too surprised for words, and suddenly, Tails was hugging her. Blinking back tears, Cream hugged the fox back, suddenly wondering for the first time since this had all begun; had he met to hurt her?

"Do you forgive me, Cream?" Tails questioned, breaking away. The rabbit nodded, waiting for the fox's next question. "Can you tell me what I did?"

Ah. There it was. As promised.

"Thank you so much, Tails," Cream murmured, smiling shyly up at the fox. Tails shrugged.

"Hey, what're friends for?" he replied, smirking for a second before he reached out and hugged his friend. Stunned, the rabbit hugged him back, enjoying the warmth the fox's body brought to her. She wanted to stay in his embrace all day, but suddenly, he was breaking away, and she bit her lip from crying out to him to keep hugging her. Instead, she said,

"I don't know what I would've done without you, with me, tonight. It was…really kind of you, to come and…hang with me." She smiled as she realized that Tails' face was flushing, and the two-tailed kitsune looked away.

"It's not like I had anything better to do," he whispered. "'Sides, I had fun. We-erm, should so it again sometime." Cream beamed.

"Really? You enjoyed it too?" The rabbit blushed at her word choice, but continued staring up at Tails, who nodded quickly back at her.

"Definitely! I had a blast! Best night of my life…" The fox stopped short. "You- you're a lot of fun…"

"You too, Tails…" By now, Tails was grinning ear to ear.

"You think I'm fun?" He chuckled softly and scratched the back of his neck. Cream smiled. He'd been hanging with Sonic way too long. "I'm nothing more than a two-tailed freak."

"Well," Cream started, and she reached up and kissed him on the cheek. Tails backed away a bit, confused, but he smiled like a dummy anyway, and Cream almost couldn't contain her laughter. He was so cute when he was nervous. "You're a cute two-tailed freak." Turning, the rabbit opened the door to Amy's home, instantly hearing a running shower. Amy must've woken up, and had decided not to check on Cream yet. She turned back to Tails. "Thanks again."

"N-nn-no problem, C-Cream," the fox stammered. He was still in shock. Cream giggled.

"See you later?" she asked. "At the hospital, with my Mom?"

"Of course," Tails answered, getting a grip on himself. Geez, it hadn't been that big a deal! Cream smiled again. Oh, how he loved her smile.

"Bye, Tails," she said, and she closed the door.

"No," Cream whispered, much to Tails' dismay, and he lowered his ears. "I can't tell you."

'If I told you that I was jealous of your new friendship, soon to be, relationship, with Tia, you would only laugh at me and then the secret about me liking you would definitely be found out.'

'It's already out, Cream.'

Taking a deep breath, Cream stood up on her tip-toes and kissed the kitsune on the cheek quickly, and then turned away, not wanting to see if Tails was embarrassed or not, to see if he cared about her the same way she did. Instead, she turned to Sonic, who had been watching the whole thing on the sidelines, and, ignoring the hedgehog's grin, looked at him sadly and said,

"I'm going to walk home. You can call mother, if you want. There's no need to follow me."

"Cream?"

'What is it, Tails, my darling?'

"What was…that for?"

'Don't you wish you knew…?'

Cream turned towards the door and opened it, surprised to see the rain had stopped and that the sun was shining. Feeling lighter all at once, the rabbit bounded down the porch, ignoring, once again, Tails' stammering behind her. Today was a new day. She didn't need Tails all the time, now did she? That time with her mother in the hospital had only been an exception. Never again, she figured.

'But, don't you wish you could be with him like that, just one more day?'

'Hmph. He doesn't.'

'He seems to want your attention right now.'

'So?'

'Where are your manners?'

'Not with him, apparently.'

The rabbit continued walking away.

"Cream! Come back! What's going on?"

'Nothing you'd care about.'

"Cream, please!" He was running towards her now, but he stopped for some reason, on the porch. Hesitation showed on his face.

'I've been replaced.'

"Cream?" He called to her one last time, and for some insane reason, the rabbit turned.

"Don't you have other things to worry about?" she asked. Tails blinked, surprised.

"What's going on?" he questioned, and Cream sighed. How many questions did she have to answer today?

"Nothing," she lied, and she winced. "Nothing you'd care about, at least."

And she turned around again, and walked off, not at all surprised when Tails didn't follow her.

'Now if only they had one more day,' the blue hedgehog figured, as he watched from a window inside. He frowned to himself and sighed, thinking about how he could already hear Amy's scream when he told her about the friendship between the fox and rabbit tearing apart. He dropped the curtain back to the window, and stalked off, his head down. 'One more day could've at least saved their friendship.'