(DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of their characters and props. But I do own my OCs.)

Chapter Four: Meeting the Blue Hero

After staying up with Chris till 3 in the morning, Sonic decided not to go to sleep (by now, it was the afternoon). Luckily, Chris fell asleep without any nightmares, for that he was grateful. But he also felt bad for his friend; he never knew that Chris had such a horrid past. Sonic kept on repeating certain words in his head of what Chris had said.

"Ever since we became blood brothers, our connection altered. Not in a bad or good way, but altered. I feel as if Carrie is still living in a nightmare and that's why I'm seeing the same thing over and over again." Chris's voice echoed through his head.

"I need to clear my head," Sonic mumbled. And then he decided to go to his secret thinking spot.

"Wow…." Carrie murmured at the view before her. She surpassed the twin mountains five minutes ago and stumbled upon a empty field with a small flower patch in the middle. Other mountains surrounded the area, blocking off the view of any intruders. She felt somewhat safe here as she walked toward the flower patch.

(AN: You know the episode where Sonic gets flowers for Cream when she was down about her Mom? That little field.)

When she reached the flower patch, she noticed a small pond in the middle of it. But she felt too dirty to touch the blooming flowers. The flowers reminded her of innocence, and she lost her innocence 5 years ago. But she was really thirsty, her throat scratched from the constant dryness. So she tip toed through the flowers, making sure she didn't crush or touch any of them (which was rather difficult). She finally reached the small pond and checked to see if it was clean. It was more than clean, it was pure. She lost her purity as well with what she had experienced.

Shaking her head, she decided to quench her thirst. She knelt next to the water and delicately cupped some liquid into her hands (after cleaning her hand wounds, of course). Her sipping became gulping as she became overwhelmed with the fresh taste of the pond's water. She drank more and more until she felt nauseas from the overload of hydration (even when she was deprived of it for years). With a rush of dizziness, Carrie fell back into the flowers and laid there. She looked at afternoon sun and tried to bathe in its warmth. But her body was still cold from the night before. She pulled out her bag and took out a Snickers bar. She ate it quickly and put the wrapper back into the bag, in fear of the men finding it while tracking her down.

Her discomfort about the flowers' purity and innocence faded when her body decided to pass out. She rolled to her side to curl up in her fetal position… she felt as if she can be overlooked that way. Before passing out, she couldn't help but feel her injuries' throb. She soon fell into a deep slumber.

Sonic zoomed over the hills and mountains as the air blew through his spikes. He relaxed when he saw his favorite flower patch come into view. He jumped over the flowers and landed on a rock. He laid back and soaked in the sun's rays. He let his hand fall to the side of the rock and into the cool pond. The cool sensation relaxed him… funny, this was the only body of water that didn't scare him.

Cough.

Huh? Sonic jumped up when he heard a cough. He quickly looked around and his eyes stopped on the sleeping figure. With curiosity racking his brain, he quietly zoomed over. He gasped when he saw an injured girl, shivering because she was probably getting sick. She obviously needs help.

"Hey," Sonic gently shook her shoulder. She mumbled some words but didn't wake. "Hey!" He shook harder but jumped when she jolted out of her slumber. "Whoa!"

Carrie didn't know what to think when she saw a talking blue creature before her. Creature or not, she couldn't risk getting caught again. She quickly dug in her bag, grabbed a rock and chucked it at him. She was surprised when he easily dodged it. She threw another one, but when he was distracted with that rock, she grabbed her pocket knife.

Sonic froze when she held up her knife. "Do I look that dangerous? Listen, girl, I'm not going to hurt you!" Sonic held up his hands in attempt to reassure her that he wasn't going to harm her in any way. He raised an eyebrow when she stumbled back when he talked. Could Sonic disarm her? Of course, he could…. But he wanted to calm her down, not scare her.

"Liar…." She growled threateningly.

"What?" Sonic asked quietly. He never liked being called a liar.

"Liar!" She repeated as she stepped back. She looked like she was going to make a run for it.

"Hey!" Sonic put his hands on his hips and scowled. "Listen, I'm telling the truth. I'm not going to hurt you. And I'm not going to leave you alone cause you look like you're in need of help. So, stop being rude to your rescuer."

"Please go away," her glare was replaced with pleading. She had a single tear escape her eye but she quickly wiped it away. She used to get beaten for crying… she wasn't about to risk her life because of her emotions. But sorrow took over; she dropped her knife and fell to her knees in defeat. "Please… go away."

"Hey," Sonic called softly as he carefully walked up to her. "Like I said before, I'm going to help you. I don't know what happened to you, but I'll make sure it won't happen again."

"How do I know you are not like them?" she whispered as she looked up. She became scared when he gasped and started to move close to her face. She scooted backwards and held up her hand (palm out). She shut her eyes tightly and waited for a hit… but nothing happened. She opened her eyes and saw his shocked face.

"That scar on your hand… where did you get that?" Sonic asked as he gently grabbed her hand and examined it. She froze in fear at the sudden contact. Sonic noted that she had a fresh wound too, she actually had a lot of fresh wounds and bruises. "Calm down, it's just that my friend, Chris, has the same scar."

"Chris?!" Carrie eyes widened as she heard his name for the first time in years. Then glared dangerously and whipped her hand back. "How do you know Chris? You better not have hurt him!" she growled.

"Whoa, settle down there!" Sonic again raised his hands. "Chris is my friend! Actually, you look a lot like him."

"I do?" Carrie looked at him skeptically.

"Yeah, you guys have similar features and your hair is the same color. But his eyes are blue, not green."

"Oh…. What's his last name?" Carrie asked hopefully.

"Thorndyke. Chris Thorndyke." Sonic confirmed but felt uncomfortable when tears started streaking down her face. With his suspicions sky-rocketing, he decided to solve this little mystery. "What is your name?"

She looked at him unsure. Should she give her name to him or should she run away? But before she could decide, her mouth decided for her.

"Carrie," she whispered. "My name is Carrie."

"You're his sister, aren't you?" Sonic asked quietly and knelt down to meet her eyes. "You're Carrie Thorndyke."

"Yes," she barely choked out as she met his vibrant green eyes.

"Wow," Sonic blinked surprisingly. "I can't believe it…. It was just last night we were talking about you, and now… damn, here you are!" He looked at her and shook his head to get over the shock. "We gotta get you back!" He went to pick her up but stopped when she flinched backwards. "Don't you trust me by now?"

"I'm not sure who to trust anymore…." She looked down in defeat.

"Hey," he lifted her chin and surprisingly, she didn't react. "It's ok. I'm going to take you to Chris and we're going to fix you up. But for me to take you, I need to carry you… which requires touching."

"I can walk."

"You are too injured to be walking and by the looks of it, you're getting sick. You can trust me, don't worry. Can I have your permission to carry you?" he asked carefully. He smiled softly when she reluctantly nodded. "Ok, thank you." With that, he picked her up bridal style while being cautious of her wounds.

"Before we go," she said quietly. "What's your name?"

"My name is Sonic the Hedgehog. But just call me Sonic," he smiled. "Now, hold on…. This is going to be fast."

"Fast?" she questioned. She was answered when Sonic zoomed quickly toward the other mountains. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck as she buried her face in it. She whimpered as he jumped over some rocks and cliffs.

"It's ok," he comforted. "I may be fast, but I'm careful. Especially when I have fragile cargo on board."

Some time passed and Sonic was about to make it to the mansion. Carrie couldn't help but feel nervous when she was about to see her family again. Honestly, she wanted to change out of her dirty clothes and cover up her body. She felt ashamed and unworthy for some reason. With the tension building up in her chest, she did something she didn't expect herself doing.

"Sonic," she whispered. "Stop."

"Huh?" he cocked his head as he obeyed her request. She crawled out his strong arms and gazed at her home, which was right on the horizon. "What's wrong? We're practically there."

"I can't…." she put her head down and she hugged herself with her tattered arms.

"What do you mean? Don't you want to see your family again?" Sonic asked as he faced her.

"I do… but what if…." She sighed as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She collapsed onto her knees as she continued to hug herself.

"What if what?" he walked up to her and met her at eye level.

"I've changed… I'm not my parent's little girl or Chris's big sister. That Carrie was innocent and not tainted. I'm not her anymore. I don't know if I can handle any more hurt." More tears started to fall as she opened up to the blue hedgehog. Why? She wasn't so sure.

"Hey," he started softly and laid his gloved hand on her shoulder. "They loved you then and they'll love you now. It doesn't matter how much you have changed… it wasn't even your choice to. They'll understand, Carrie. I know Chris definitely will."

"But I'm endangering them. Those men are looking for me and how long do you think it will take for them find me? What if they kill them when coming back for me?"

"More than likely, they will come for you. But you don't have to worry about that." Sonic replied with a cocky grin. "I'll take care those jerks if they come anywhere near you or your family."

"I feel bad that you are a part of this mess…."

"Carrie… I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. I save the day like… everyday! It's nothing new and it's no burden. I like being the hero!"

"You sure?" she looked at him with glossy eyes.

"Positive. Now, stop stalling and let's start this family reunion!"