Author's Note:

Sorry if this is a little late—I was kind of thrown for a loop with this one, so I'm really sorry if it's not my best. D: Thank you guys so much for your reviews, favorites/follows, and kind words, I really appreciate them! Anyways, here's the next chapter, and as always, please enjoy, and if you do, feel free to review and/or favorite/follow!

Any of the characters associated with this fanfiction belong to Sega.

Shadow blinked incredulously. Did all of the 'faker's' friends cry this easily? Or was it just the rabbit? Honestly, if she was going to be a baby about being called a 'brat' (which she was!), then she was probably going to be crying a lot for the entirety that he was forced to stay here. Maybe he should just leave.

Whatever, Shads, (did he just call himself 'Shads'? Whoa, the fans must be really getting to him) he grumbled to himself. You can plan your escape later—right now, get the girl to stop crying.

"Stop crying," Shadow barked instinctively, shushing Cream's sobs with a sharp jab of his finger. "It's annoying."

Cream paused her crying for a moment, and blinked, before tears started leaking out of her eyes again. Oh, wait—it got even better—she started making incoherent screaming/sobbing sounds too when she pushed away his finger. Honestly, how old was she again?

Her loudness caused Shadow to shove his fingers in his ears to drown out the noise and groan. It looked like he'd need to be a little more tactful. What to do, what to do?

"Humph. Okay, fine," Shadow relented, crossing his arm stubbornly. He sighed. "Yes, you are kind of a brat—but why in the name of Chaos are you worried about my opinion? I'm just your one-time, forced upon, babysitter, okay? Besides, shouldn't you be wondering what the hell the 'faker' thinks of you instead?"

She didn't respond for a moment, but then whispered quietly, "I care about what you think too, Mister Shadow." Quickly, she curled up back into a ball and buried her head in her arms.

He let out an exasperated sigh as he got back up onto his feet. That kind of thinking would get her nowhere.

"And that's your first mistake." Grumpily, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her up, to which she let out a scared yelp. He payed no attention. "And your second mistake would be that you're not in bed yet. It's already 9—and past your bedtime." Heh. Maybe he wasn't so bad at this whole babysitting-shtick after all. Thinking about bedtime was babysitter-y, right?

Cream continued to sniffle, while Cheese protested loudly in Chao-speak, as Shadow literally dragged her up the staircase. It was a bumpy ride—mainly for Cream, as Shadow zipped using his ultra speed up the stairs, but he couldn't really be bothered.

As they reached the top of the staircase, Shadow was greeted with at least four different rooms, each door painted a various shade of orange. "Which one's yours?" he barked at the still-sniffling rabbit. Did he feel bad? Maybe. Okay, not really.

Cream pointed at the door farthest away from him. Of course. Obviously, it wasn't a problem at all for him, but he just needed something to complain about. Quick as a hedgehog, Shadow ran to the door and shoved it open. He led Cream into her room, and she flopped onto her bed, her eyes still wet with tears.

When she was situated, Shadow turned to leave, his finger poised on the light switch. "Now go to sleep," he commanded, his voice the epitome of grumpiness.

Cream didn't answer, and he shrugged and switched off the light. He was halfway out the door when he heard a thin voice call out, "Mister Shadow?"

"What?" he asked irritably. Just when he thought he was going to get some peace.

He heard the pitter-patter of bunny-feet as he turned around to see Cream at the door, her eyes shining. Apparently she had already forgotten about the whole 'being upset' thing. Wonderful.

She carried a small picture book in her hand, and held it out to Shadow. He squinted to read the title. Fool Me Once, Shame on You, Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me. Weird title. Cheese nodded at him hopefully. "Will you read us a bedtime story?"

Shadow sighed and turned around, massaging his forehead as he made his way down the stairs. "No."

What part of 'one-time, forced upon, babysitter', did she not understand? Also, what Ultimate Life Form would want to spend his night reading to a 7 year old?

He shook his head as he speedily reached the landing. What would it take for the kid to realize that he was not interested in becoming friends with her—friends with anybody, actually?

Finally, in attempts to enjoy his well-deserved peace, Shadow sauntered back to his carrot-embroidered armchair by the fire, propping his legs up on one of the armrests, trying to get comfortable on such a soft seat. It was quiet, and everything was calm. The rabbit must've been out for the count, and he didn't have to worry about anything (not that he was before). Perfect.

It was then in his moment of peace that he remembered his Hover Shoes sitting by the fireplace. They'd be drying for nearly three hours now, and should be ready for action. To his delight, when he went to go check on them, they were crisp and dry, not at all sodden as they had been before. Quickly, he slipped them on; it had been mildly embarrassing to charge around Cream's house in just his bare socks—he felt so...underdressed.

"Ah," Shadow sighed to himself happily as he settled back onto the armchair. "That's much better." Oh great, now he was talking to himself. What was with this house?

As he tried to get comfortable again in order to take a nap and brood, Shadow realized something.

I have my shoes back, he thought deviously. I could leave—right now. I could go back home, away from all these obnoxiously cheery lower life forms!

But even as the thought crossed his mind, Shadow knew that was impossible. He just couldn't do that to Cream—not that he cared or anything. He just didn't want to be plagued with that weird guilty-feeling for the rest of his life if you know, anything happened to her if he left. Seriously, it was in his own self-interest—not because the weird brat was growing on him or anything. Heck—he just met her three hours ago—for like, the second-ish time! And she was so cheerful—it sent shivers down his spine just thinking about her.

It was settled then.

If Cream couldn't be alone, he would have to find a replacement instead.

Well—maybe after a quick catnap...

"Mister Shadow?" called a voice into the night hours later, effectively scaring the stripes off of Shadow. Well—he wasn't scared or anything. Just mildly startled. You know, so mildly startled that he fell out of his chair and straight onto the carpeted floor.

"What do you want now?" he demanded Cream sleepily, as he dusted himself off. He turned towards her with daggers for eyes and his arms crossed.

Cream stared at the ground shyly as she dug her foot in circular movements into the carpet. Her brown eyes were round and she looked thoroughly spooked. "Well, I—I had a nightmare."

Oh great. How wonderfully, wonderfully, cliché.

"That's good," Shadow grumbled absentmindedly, as he clambered back onto the armchair. He was in no mood to play 'comforter'—but was he ever? He glanced at the clock, which blinked an effervescent 12:30 (A.M). Too early, even for the Ultimate Life Form.

She stared at him in surprise—probably weirded out by his callous reply, before muttering into the ground, "But—I—I can't go back to sleep."

Perfect.

"Well," Shadow mumbled dangerously, already half-asleep. "That's not my problem."

He was suddenly shaken awake by Cream, who asked quietly, "Can I sleep here—on the other chair? With you, Mister Shadow? I'm scared."

Shadow immediately bolted up in surprise by the question. What kind of brainless fool would ask such a thing? Heck, he was probably already burning from the inside out because of the excessive lower life form contact just in these few hours, and spending the rest of the night with that kind of presence would probably kill him. Probably (you know, if that was actually possible).

"Humph," was the answer that she received, as he tried to be civil with her. Well, as civil as an Ultimate Life Form could be after he was just woken up in the middle of the night. "No."

"Um, excuse me, Mister Shadow?" Cream asked, poking him politely in the eyes when he began to doze off again. She stared at him sadly, and he had to force himself to look away. "But, then, um, what are Cheese and I supposed to do if we can't sleep?"

Shadow groaned disbelievingly. "Your Chao had a nightmare too?"

"Oh yes," Cream nodded seriously, patting Cheese on the head. "We always have the same exact dreams—and nightmares."

"Pfft," Shadow moaned. He had a feeling that the little rabbit wouldn't leave him alone until she was satisfied with whatever answer he would give her, and he was too tired to argue. If she didn't get enough sleep, that was her problem. "Why don't you go and color or something? Or play with matches? They're under the bathroom sink." Don't ask him how he knew that.

"Okay, Mister Shadow," Cream replied cheerfully, hopefully to the former. "Cheese can go find a coloring book, while I'll find the crayons." Her Chao gave her a firm salute before zipping off in the other direction in search of a coloring book.

"Do whatever," Shadow said as he tried to go back to sleep. He may have been the Ultimate Life Form, but every so often, even he needed his rest. Or, he tried to get it anyway, until the lovely, shrill sqeaking of drawers woke him up.

He searched the living room, only to find Cream opening every single drawer on the tables that littered the room, trying to find coloring utensils. Apparently the metal drawers slides hadn't been used in awhile and were screaming in protest. Someone needed to lubricate them.

"I know they're here somewhere," Cream muttered quietly to herself. "Mama put them here last time we colored." Another squeak echoed loudly through the room as she opened another drawer.

Shadow cringed and covered his sensitive ears as the sound reverberated through the room. What in the name of all things Chaos Control did that rabbit think she was doing? And in the middle of the night, for speed's sake!

Getting up quickly, Shadow rushed over to her and grabbed Cream's hand as soon as she reached out to grab the handle of another drawer. "That's enough."

Cream turned towards him in worry. "But—Mister Shadow! How else are Cream and I supposed to color if I can't find the crayons?"

"Don't use crayons," he answered, his voice low and dangerous. It wasn't a good idea to interrupt his rare sleeping time.

"But—but, then what are we going to color with?" Cream asked, her voice shrill and scared. Scared? Of not using crayons? What kind of kid was Vanilla raising?

Shadow sighed in exasperation. He was never going to get back to sleep if this went on. He knew what he had to do.

His form becoming a black and red blur, Shadow scoured the entirety of the drawers in the living room in less than 3.356 seconds, the unattractive squeaking becoming lost as he sped around the room.

Without even breaking a sweat, Shadow handed Cream the box of crayons he'd retrieved, and gave her a somber glare. "Now. Go. Color."

"Yes sir, Mister Shadow!" Cream giggled as she took the box from him. She settled down in front of the coffee table across from his appointed armchair, just as Cheese arrived with various coloring books.

Shadow sweatdropped. When he told her to color, he didn't mean right in front of where he was sleeping!

As Cream and Cheese got busy coloring, Shadow walked up behind her, intent of defenestration in the case that she didn't listen to him. Okay, he really wasn't going to throw her out of a window, but he'd always wanted to use the word. Defenestrate. What a pointless verb.

"Oh, Mister Shadow!" Cream gasped, as she turned around to look at him, not at all surprised to see him standing right behind her. She waved a crayon at him. "Do you want to color with us too?"

Shadow did a double take. Okay, refresh his memory—how many times had he taken an interest in what she was doing today? More importantly, how many times had he told her that he didn't care? To sum it all up, what in the world gave her the idea that he wanted to color with her?

"No," huffed Shadow as he crossed his arms grumpily. "I was just going to tell you to color somewhere else. I'm sleeping here."

Cream's eyes widened and she turned to him, tears welling in her eyes. "Oh please, Mister Shadow! Let us stay—we're still scared!" She grabbed her Chao and hugged him tightly. "We promise we'll be quiet!"

He gave the pair a half-lidded stare. "No. Get out."

Suddenly, Cheese turned to whisper something into Cream's ears. She looked nonplussed, and shook her head adamantly. Cheese continued to encourage her, and with a sigh, she turned to Shadow.

"Okay, Mister Shadow, we'll go to the kitchen," Cream sighed, but made no move to pick up her supplies.

Shadow nodded, "Good," and pivoted back to his beloved armchair.

"But you'll have to color with us."

"What?" Shadow howled. Coloring with them would defeat the entire purpose of them leaving! For them to leave was for him to rest! For him to color was for him to lose that rest! Besides, not only his rest—but his manliness! Or um, hedgehoginess! "Absolutely not!" He turned to glare at Cream for even suggesting the very idea.

But try as he might, he could not protect himself when the legendary puppy dog eyes hit, as Cheese cackled from behind.

I gotta stop doing this, Shadow realized, even though he knew he was entranced. Otherwise I'll be succumbing to Cream's puppy dog eyes every chapter!

"Wow, Mister Shadow, that's a great, um—what is that you're drawing? Is it a cat? Or a clown?" Cream asked exuberantly as she turned to Shadow. She and Cheese had been coloring in coloring books at the dining table, while Shadow had situated himself far away at the kitchen counter, armed with nothing but crayons and a few blank sheets of paper. According to him, he was too old for coloring books, and he may just have been right.

"No," Shadow huffed in disbelief as he reached for a red crayon. Honestly, was that rabbit blind? "That's me."

"Oh," Cream laughed nervously as she turned back to her coloring book. "That's what I was going to guess next."

Okay, maybe Shadow wasn't the greatest artist out there—okay, and yes, maybe his rendition of himself looked mildly like a sea urchin on steroids, but there wasn't any need to criticize him! Grr, maybe he should've just taken the coloring book. "Humph."

"We're done!" Cream singsonged a few minutes of silence later, as she began to put away the coloring book she and Cheese had been working on.

Finally, thought Shadow. They had been coloring for a good fifteen minutes and he was already bored—even though he had to admit, there was something about the freedom in drawing that he liked. Not that he'd ever say that out loud—he had a reputation to maintain, after all.

He nodded, "Good," and began to hastily shove the crayons Cream had shared with him haphazardly into the box. "Now you can go to sleep and never bother me again until 10 AM tomorrow morning."

To his surprise, she began to laugh. Again. Loudly. "Silly Mister Shadow! I meant Cheese and I were done with the coloring book! Now we're going to draw—with you!"

"No, no you are not," he replied dryly, as he began to fill in the outline of his quills that he had drawn boredly. Cream apparently payed him no mind and with Cheese's help, began to clamber onto one of the barstools pushed up against the kitchen counter, paper and crayons at the ready.

When Shadow noticed that she had trouble climbing up to one of the high stools—let us remember that she is 2 feet and 3 inches tall and that the average barstool is 2 feet and 5 inches—he rolled his eyes and helped her up. Watching her flail around like that was pretty pitiful.

"Fine," Shadow relented, even though he was none to happy about it. "But you have to sit over there," and he pushed her seat to the far end of the table.

"Okay, Mister Shadow," Cream chirped happily, although she enunciated the 'kay' part in a way that made her sound annoyed. Huh, Shadow didn't know that she could have feelings beyond 'extremely cheerful', 'annoying', and 'sad'. He didn't know if he liked it, but decided not to say anymore.

They drew in silence for a few minutes, Shadow making random and brusque strokes with his now black crayon to finish his self portrait, while Cream, albeit being young and messy, made deliberate and thoughtful marks on her paper to finish her drawing. She kept her left arm cupped around her paper, as if Shadow would peek at her drawing, but it was tragically pointless. Shadow was too enamored by his masterfully (as if!) drawn portrait of the Ultimate Life Form to even spare a thought at what Cream was drawing.

As Shadow added the finishing touches to his halfhearted drawing, bright gold Inhibitor Rings around his ankles and wrists, Cream poked his gently in the elbow, trying to get his attention. This action only ended up in successfully making his left arm Inhibitor Ring look more like an Inhibitor Trapezoid.

Shadow turned to glare at Cream grumpily, bur she ignored his fearsome countenance. "Look, Mister Shadow!" she exclaimed, shoving her finished drawing in her face.

It wasn't well-drawn per say, but anyone with half a brain could see that every stroke on the paper was intentional, and well thought out, placed in its location with care.

There were three pale orange globs with weird twigs sticking out of their heads, holding hands, each wearing an extremely cheesy smile. Next to them, holding the hand of the smallest orange glob, was a black anemone-looking thingy with red stripes. Floating between the anemone and the smallest blob was a bloated blue puffer fish.

Ick, Shadow grumbled. Anemones.

Shadow cocked his head in attempts to figure out what the drawing was. Had there been more fish, he would have guessed she had drawn some 'ethereal' underwater world, but since the only ocean creature seemed to be the odd anemone creature and puffer fish, he honestly couldn't guess what had been going through her head—not that he could before.

"See?" Cream asked, her fingers pointing to each of the different blobs as she named them. "That's Mama, Papa, me, Cheese—," she turned to smile at Shadow as she pointed to the anemone, her brown eyes glittering proudly.

"And you."

Author's Note 2:

Don't forget to review (constructive criticism is welcome) and/or favorite/follow! Hope you enjoyed! :)