Why hello! Unlike last AN, this is the co-author of this fic, TheHunterPersian! I'm glad to see that you all are liking this fic so far, and glad to see Cosmictruffle's revival into the world of Sonic and Vecpio. I will also say too that it has been a real huge blast working with him on this fic, and I never would have imagined so. Like, he was honestly my inspiration to start writing Vecpio, and I think without A Joint Venture, I probably wouldn't be here.

But hey, I think that's enough life stories about fanfiction! You're here to read some shenanigans and maybe some Vecpio included : P

Also, one thing that's made me kinda laugh is that Cosmictruffle is writing a lot of Vector's scenes and I'm doing Espio's scenes. Coincidence? : P


Vector and the kids (along with the two Chao) strode along the path to Vanilla's house. They were pressed for time, which was a shame as it would have been lovely to slow down, enjoy the warm summer sun, and explore their surroundings.

"Alrighty, kiddos, we're here," Vector panted.

They entered, looked around the house for the things they needed, and then, Vector got sentimental.

"Kids, I screwed up!" The large green reptile put his head in his hands.

"Oh, boy, here come the waterworks," Charmy groaned.

"Mommy told you not to say 'screwed', Mr. Vector!" Cream looked concerned.

Vector scrunched his face. "You just said it too!"

"I didn't-" Cream trailed off quickly when she realized that she had indeed just said "screwed".

"How did you screw up, Vector?" Charmy asked.

He flew over and put a reassuring hand on the shoulder of his crocodilian father figure. "Do you mean when you made the best cake in the world, earlier, and-"

As Charmy rambled on, Cream piped up. "That cake WAS gr-"

She put her hands over her mouth, stopping herself quickly. Cream, wanting to divert attention from her previous swear, had played her conversation cards too soon – she'd recklessly forgotten that the cake was supposed to be a lie.

Vector looked at her quizzically. "Huh? When didja eat ANY cake?"

"What?" Cream avoided eye contact.

"What?" Vector said.

"What?" Cream echoed.

"Wh..." Vector trailed off.

"-and Espio was so disappointed because it looked like a decomposed body?" Charmy finished, taking in a bit of oxygen.

Vector's tail stopped moving; he looked down at the floor, and then looked back up. "Leprosy, decomposed bodies... I think I need to have a word with yer English teacher, Charmy." He paused, considering. "Though at least ya seem to be learnin' the crap in yer class well. Nice vocab."

"Stop changing the subject! It's therapy time. Cream and I don't have all day." Charmy buzzed around the room, his aerial equivalent of pacing. Cream and the two Chao stood next to Vector, who sat on a chair and placed his hands on his face, sighing as he felt his tail slump to the ground.

"Alrighty, I'll be honest: I wanted the weddin' to be perfect. I haven't had much money to treat Espio to a good life with... He deserves to marry someone who can give him all the gold chains and fancy headphones in the world," Vector sighed.

"Money isn't everything," Cream said. "Espio is a humble person."

"And I'm a bumble-person," Charmy said. "Cream is right. Espio likes all that minimalism crap. He doesn't want many material possessions, just experiences." He looked away and had a thought he didn't want to say out loud. "Though, let's be real, money is pretty awesome, and it'd be nice if you could buy me more stuff once in a while..."

Cream smiled. "And don't you think this will make the perfect wedding story? You'll both be laughing about it forever. It's kind of funny, Mr. Vector."

"Ahh…" The bee got a distant look on his face. "I can just picture you and Espio right now; sitting on rocking chairs as old farts and laughing about your tasty ruined wedding cake."

"I- I guess it is kinda funny. That cake did look pretty terrible, but we're still on track. We can still pull this off," replied Vector, gaining a bit more confidence.

"See?" Charmy turned to Cream. "We just fixed what my English teacher calls an 'existential crisis.'"

"Screw the teacher," Vector thought. "I'm goin' to the goddamn school board."

"We shouldn't be moping around! Let's get started on getting all the things we need!" Cream cheered.

"Chao Chao!" Cheese and Chocola exclaimed, simultaneously, as they fluttered behind the kids, who set off around the house.

Vector located a red rolled-up rug, betting on it to be the heaviest thing of the bunch. He ran his hand over it, the iconic carpet that would be the aisle, the tapestry of his and Espio's wedding. He thought of the chameleon. It was strange, but even now, having only been apart for a short time, Vector missed him.

Charmy went into the fridge and got some of the food supplies – refreshments, snacks, the main entree Vanilla had planned, all packed into a small cooler. They'd have to come back later for the rest.

Cream grabbed the tablecloth, handmade by her mother.

"All ready to go? We got everythin'?" Vector asked.

Cream nodded.

"Yeah," Charmy replied. "All over your wedding jitters now?"

Vector rubbed the back of his head. "I think so. I still think Espio deserves more, but I know he loves me – and I love him!"

The two kids smiled and nodded as they left the house, Vector locking the door behind them.


Vanilla preheated the oven and took out two cake pans, which lay on the kitchen counter.

"Let's get started," she said. Consulting their knowledge and abilities on making cakes, Espio and Vanilla started by putting the first set of ingredients into a bowl.

A few minutes later, Espio and Vanilla whisked the chocolate cake batter, the result of them mixing all their ingredients together. Seeing as they were pressed for time, the chameleon and rabbit knew they had to work fast.

"Espio, would you be so kind as to pass me more flour? My mix seems to continue being watery," Vanilla commented. The fuchsia reptile quickly stopped whisking and handed Vanilla the flour.

The two worked in silence for the remaining few minutes, until the mixture became heavy. Placing flour and cocoa powder onto the pans, Espio and Vanilla placed their chocolate cake batter into the one small and large pan. As it became filled up, Espio placed the pans into the now heated oven and closed the door.

Espio and Vanilla sighed, knowing that for now, they could relax. Espio leaned his back onto the fridge while Vanilla stood near the sink.

"Are you feeling fine, Espio?" the rabbit asked, seeing his uncharacteristically slumped posture and a look of unease.

"Yes… although, while I dislike admitting weakness… I will admit that I am… well, rather nervous," replied the chameleon ninja.

"There's no shame in revealing our insecurities to those we trust." Vanilla put a gentle hand on his shoulder, her voice clear and pure, comforting. "So, you're nervous about the wedding."

Espio nodded his head slightly, as Vanilla smiled and released a motherly, compassionate sigh.

"Don't worry, Espio, all shall turn out well. I felt the same way when I got married to my ex-husband. I got very nervous, and had it not been for my friends comforting me, I would have collapsed right then and there."

"I don't know… I have never experienced marriage myself, so sometimes I wonder if I'm doing things right."

"You are doing it properly, Espio. Marriage is… marriage is the bonding of love. Today, you and Vector will meet a high point in your relationship – the bond of marriage, a bond that only you two share by your perfect love for each other."

"You… you believe so?"

"Yes… you love Vector as much as he loves you, your marriage to him will be like a string tied to two fingers; nothing can break that bond."

Espio looked at the engagement ring on his ring finger. "You're… you're right… perhaps I shouldn't be stressed over this. After all, today wouldn't happen if this bond weren't made."

"That's the spirit, Espio," Vanilla smiled. "I know seeing you two getting married will be such an elegant moment to see, and shouldn't be missed."

The buzzer to the oven rang, startling them from their conversation.

"Oh! It's done!" Espio said, getting off the fridge.

"We must have been talking for quite some time then," Vanilla replied. Grabbing two sets of mittens, Espio and Vanilla pulled out the pans in the oven and placed then on the counter.

"Vanilla, can you help me get the stand off of the ruined cake?" Espio asked.

"Yes, however, we should try to find a place to put it on."

"There should be a few large plates. Try one of those."

Vanilla looked around in the cabinets and found a rather large china plate. Placing it near the ruined cake, Espio took his gloves off as he slid the ruined cake onto the plate. He grabbed the stand and gave it, plus his hands, a quick wash. Drying them both, Espio placed the stand near the two pans.

"Let's let it cool down for a bit," Espio said.

The sound of an opening door, followed by two sets of footsteps, one set loud and and one quiet, alerted the pair. Vector, Charmy, Cream, Cheese, and Chocola had arrived.

"Hey, you guys!" Charmy said, flying into the door past everyone else. He began to sniff at the air and sighed in relief. "Ohhhhh… is that cake I smell?"

"Don'tcha think ya had enough cake today, Charmy?" Vector questioned, crossing his arms.

"Oh, Cream! Did you finish everything with Mr. Vector and Charmy?" Vanilla asked.

"Yes, Mommy," Cream replied. "Don't worry about the food. They're sealed so they'll stay fresh. Though, about the cheese…"

"Don't worry, I can easily warm it up again," Vanilla said.

Cream nodded. "Oh, okay. And we also rolled the aisle carpet down."

"Don't forget the tablecloth we put on the table!" the bee exclaimed.

"That too, Mommy."

"That's good. That means all that's left is the finishing touches on the cake, and that's that," replied Vanilla.

Waiting around for about half an hour, Espio touched the cake to find that it had now cooled down. He looked at Vanilla and nodded to her.

"Grab a knife. Let's get the cakes out of the pans," the chameleon said. Vanilla grabbed a knife from the utensil drawer and cut around the edges of the cakes. Espio slid the largest part of the cake off of its pan, onto the stand. Vanilla did the same with the smaller piece, sliding it on top of the larger.

"Now that that's taken care of, there are still two more parts left," Espio said. "Vector, would you like to help?"

"With pleasure," he responded, grinning his trademark toothy grin. "You sure ya trust me with another weddin' cake, though?" The grin turned sheepish.

Espio reached down into one of the counters and pulled out a container of white frosting, and two pastry bags containing icing. He handed them to Vector, a twinkle in his eye. "This is the easiest part, and I'll be supervising."

Vector stuck out his tongue.

Espio also grabbed three bench scrapers, and passed one each to Vanilla and Vector. The three adults worked on getting the white frosting over the entirety of the chocolate cake.

"What are we gunna do?" Charmy whined at one point. It was then that Vanilla stopped, breaking from her cake-icing trance.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Cream, could you be a sweetie and go home quickly to grab my camera?" she asked. "As well as more of the food!"

"Okay, Mommy!" Cream replied politely. She walked out of the Chaotix Detective Agency with the two Chao following behind her and skipped back to the house of the two rabbits.

"And what about me?" the bee asked.

"Watch the fort for us; be on the lookout if anyone is coming," Espio replied.

"Aye aye, captain! I need my lucky hat and telescope, however!"

Charmy buzzed up to his room to obtain his "materials", while the adults finished smoothing the cake with frosting.

"Can I ice the cake, hon?" Vector asked.

"Sure, you can do that, while in the meantime I'll get…"

Espio walked over to the ruined cake and pulled out two small figures, placing them onto the new cake.

"These."

Vanilla looked at them in awe. "Is that you and Vector?"

"Yes, in origami no less. These took a while, but I liked them in the end. I feel they're a tad unrealistic though, as personally, formal wear isn't my thing," Espio responded, pointing to the clothes of the paper version of himself, who was wearing a tuxedo much like the origami version of Vector. "I was thinking of getting a sculptor to make the wedding toppers, but I found that making them myself was the cheaper alternative."

"Oh, they look lovely, Espio!" Vanilla was beaming.

"Why, thank you-"

"Err, hey, Espio? Not to interrupt ya, but am I doin' good?" Vector asked.

"Hm? Oh, yes, you are!" he replied, watching his fiancé spread green icing into a curved line. "However… could you please speed it up? I don't believe we have much time."

"Hold yer horses, Espio! I ain't as fast as Sonic!"

"No, but making a loop of icing isn't the same as running through a loop," Espio said, poking him.

Vector made a face and continued his work, speeding up despite his fear of messing the cake up anew.

As Vector carefully connected the line and started on another one, Espio joined in, grabbing the other pastry bag and went quickly as he spread purple icing into a curved line, connecting to the green line.

Vanilla noticed the color of the icing. "My, what a smart and cute idea! The icing is supposed to represent you both, correct?"

Espio nodded at Vanilla as he continued to ice. "Yes, I came up with the idea when Vector and I gave our thoughts on what the cake should look like."

"Shh, less talky more worky," Vector said.

"Oh you."

By the time Vector and Espio were almost done icing the bottom part of the cake, Cream had returned with Vanilla's camera.

"Hey, this is goin' real great!" Vector commented. "At this rate, I bet when we're done, we'll still have time to spare!"

All of a sudden, Vector, Espio, Vanilla, and Cream heard Charmy go "Uh-oh…"

"What's wrong, Charmy?" Vanilla asked.

"Err… would you believe me if I told you Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are coming up this way?"

Vector froze as he dropped the pastry bag onto the ground. "WHAT?! Lemme see!"

The crocodile ran to where Charmy was and grabbed the telescope from his hands. He peered through it, and true to his word, Team Sonic was coming up the dirt road to the Chaotix's home. Tails was holding a small present while Sonic and Knuckles carried something that looked large and heavy.

"AWH CRAP! ESPIO, COME ON, WE GOTTA HURRY!"

Vector ran back to the cake. Realizing he'd just sworn, in front of the kids no less, and seeing Vanilla's slight frown, he mumbled quickly, "Sorry, Miss..."

Vector rapidly iced the cake, not caring if his lines were perfect. Espio tried to make them as curved as possible, but found it difficult knowing he had to rush.

"Alrighty, alrighty, it's done!" The crocodile was even speed-talking. "New change of plans – Miss Vanilla, please open the back door so me and Espio can take the cake outside. Charmy, Cream, yer gunna be the most important people here. Stall the hel- stall the heck outta Sonic, Tails, and Knux, just make sure to say a bunch of nonsense so we have enough time to get this outside-"

Knock, knock knock knock knock, knock knock

"Oh crap, here they are! Espio, Vanilla, c'mon, c'mon!"

Vanilla stayed still for a moment, lip pursed.

Vector wrung his hands. "S-sorry! I mean oh crud!"

She sighed and went to get the back door.

The two reptiles grabbed the stand of the wedding cake and slowly walked out of the kitchen and to the backyard, careful not to drop it. Charmy, hovering above Cream, opened the door only slightly to see the blue hedgehog, the two tailed kitsune, and the red echidna on the doorstep.

"Hey there, Charmy! And you too, Cream! We aren't late for the wedding, are we?" Sonic said.

Cream looked behind her to see the adults still taking out the cake. She felt a sweat drop form on the side of her head as she put on a smile.

"Oh, no! We…. err… we're ready actually! No one else has come in fact! Well, besides me and Mommy."

"By the way, guys, I thought you would dress up," Charmy said, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh, you wanted us to dress?" Tails asked.

"O-oh, uhh, no! It isn't mandatory, I just thought you guys would have because, you know, you're friends with Vector and Espio, and you know how important today is."

"Well, I told Sonic and Knuckles that we should probably do it, but they told me formal wear isn't their thing."

"Huh, funny, Espio is like that too," Charmy replied. He and the fox slightly chuckled.

"So, can we come in?" Knuckles asked.

Charmy and Cream looked at each other.

"Well… uhh… I dunno what Vector and Espio are doing right now…"

"You don't?" Sonic questioned.

"Y-Yeah… you know how… mysterious they are! Eh?"

Charmy gave a fake grin, watching the trio give each other weird looks. Knuckles looked like he was trying to hide a smirk. "Ugh… damn, they're not buying it…"

It was then that the bee and rabbit turned their heads and noticed Vector, Vanilla, and Espio by the backdoor. They all gave a thumbs up as they walked back to the backyard.

"Oh hey, there they are! They were in the backyard! C'mon guys, follow us!"

Charmy and Cream beckoned Team Sonic in, the latter of whom wiped their shoes on the doormat and followed after the two kids.

As the bee buzzed ahead of them through the house, with Cream beside him, he heard Knuckles behind them, whispering to Sonic and Tails, "I wonder who was in whose backyard."

"Knuckles, children!" Tails hissed.

"Yeah, shut up, Knucklehead!" Sonic whispered.

"Whatever, they dunno what it means," complained Knuckles.

"I'll just ask Vector and Espio," Charmy said, not looking back to hide his smile.

"Uuuuuhhhhh-" Knuckles began stammering.

"Relax," Charmy said. "I have no idea what that joke meant, and I'm not gonna embarrass you by doing it. I assume it was something dirty, though, because I'm not stupid and you're a loud whisperer."

The echidna let out a nervous chuckle. "I'll tell you when you're older."