A/N: This chapter requires a bit more reading than the others . . . in other words, it's a lot longer. All part of the fun, right? Please review!
As usual, Sonic woke up first and checked to see if anyone else was also awake. He crept up the stairs and went down the hallway to wake up Gabriel. The blue hedgehog slowly opened the door and sped to the side of the bed where Gabe was snoring with his mouth wide open. Sonic chuckled as he bent his knees, ready to strike.
"You can't be late for breakfast, sport," he whispered, trying to see if Gabe was sleeping lightly. The boy merely shuffled slightly in his sleep and gave no further responses. Sonic shrugged and lifted his arms behind him. "Well, you asked for it!"
The speedy hedgehog pounced on the bed and started jumping repeatedly. Gabriel woke with a start and drowsily yelled at Sonic.
"Hey . . ! Every morning, you . . . little-"
"C'mon, Gabe! Momma says breakfast is ready! If you don't eat it, it's mine!" The bed bounced and squeaked as Sonic continued to hop. Gabriel groaned.
"My life wasn't this difficult before you guys came," he muttered. Sonic jumped high one last time and then landed in a sitting position.
"Ahh, you know we're awesome. You just don't want to admit it."
"Frankly, I don't. I'm grumpy when I'm woken up in such an energetic way."
"You'd get along well with Shadow, then," Sonic retorted. Gabriel hoisted himself up and slipped on a pair of green socks that sat on his bedside table.
"Would I, now? Well, maybe we should wake him up, then."
Sonic thought better of the situation.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, pal. Shadow isn't just grumpy, but he gets pretty angry and might unleash some Chaos Energy on you."
Gabriel ran his fingers through his bed headed hair.
"Maybe I can hold off for now," he joked. Sonic hopped off of the bed and ran to the door, all in a blue flash. He tapped his foot rapidly and impatiently, waiting for the teenage boy to lift himself out of bed.
"Come on, slowpoke, breakfast is waiting!"
"Geez, I'm coming, I'm coming! Man, you're impatient."
Gabe shuffled his way to the door and watched Sonic scurry down the stairs. He chuckled to himself and yawned as he made his way down the staircase.
"Morning, Gabe!" came the chorus of Mobians. Apparently they all had the same amount of unbelievable energy.
"Hey, guys. How's breakfast?"
"It's great!" Tails chirped. Amy and Knuckles sat beside each other, calmly chewing their eggs and bacon.
"Always the best, Mrs. Charis!" exclaimed Cream. Her chao, Cheese, exclaimed in agreement.
"Chao, chao!"
Mrs. Charis nodded strangely as she bustled around the kitchen. She didn't say anything until Gabe entered the room.
"Hi, honey. Eggs and bacon?"
"Um . . . yes, please . . ."
Mrs. Charis nodded again and got to work making more breakfast. She wasn't as cheery as usual.
Agatha rose from her spot on the couch and lazily slid into the tile floor of the kitchen.
"Why didn't anyone tell me I fell asleep on the couch last night?" she yawned. A deep voice followed hers.
"You looked peaceful and I didn't want to disturb you," Shadow said. He sat himself down next to Knuckles, who seemed frustrated with Shadow's decision.
"Where's Rouge?" he asked simply.
"Dunno," Shadow grunted in response.
"Come on, she should be awake by now!"
"She's probably just fixing her makeup," Amy snapped.
Knuckles growled.
"Look, I'm only asking. No need for everyone to snappy."
"Everyone does seem awfully crabby today," Tails remarked. Sonic joined the conversation.
"Hey, guys, chill out! There's no reason to be so anxious. Relax a bit!"
"In case you haven't realized, faker, we've been here 'relaxing' for months, and we still haven't gotten back to Mobius."
Every eye, including the humans', turned to Shadow. His comeback was surprising and somewhat shocking. Sonic widened his eyes.
"Hey, I'm just-"
"Currently, you're just avoiding working on getting us all back home. Instead, you're spending that time creating excuses while sipping lemonade from a crystal glass and enjoying life when there's work to be done. Have you thought of that?"
Mrs. Charis, hearing the start of the debate, ran into the room and started to intervene.
"Now, hold on, you two-"
Sonic ignored the woman's plea. As he continued to argue, the poor housewife shook her head and decided that it wasn't her business to get into. Mrs. Charis hurriedly made her way back into the kitchen.
"I'm doing the best I can! Believe it or not, I've tried to think of ways to get back home, honest!" Sonic protested.
"You haven't shared a single one with us, faker."
"Well, they're all silly ideas! I can't give answers or progress when there's none to be shared!"
"I'd expect nothing less from you, faker. Just like the lazy hedgehog you are."
Sonic stood up and slammed his hands on the table.
"Well, if you're so smart, then, why don't you think of a way to get back, Shads?"
Shadow kept his cool.
"Maybe I will. Maybe you should put me in charge of this whole operation."
"Stop it, you two!" Cream squeaked, being the peacemaker of the group.
"Knock it off!" Knuckles shouted.
A rapid fluttering sound came from upstairs. While everyone was frozen and wondering what it was, a white blur tackled Shadow and brought him down to the wooden floor.
"You boys aren't behaving yourselves," said the feminine and charming voice. Shadow growled.
"Rouge, get off me."
"Not until you apologize to the nice faker, hothead."
"I will once you get off me."
Rouge stubbornly held Shadow's arms pinned against the ground.
"Just do it, and I will grant you freedom," she said promisingly. Shadow groaned and shut his eyes.
"My apologies, faker," Shadow apologized through his teeth. Rouge lifted her hands from Shadow's elbows and jumped back, heading to the kitchen.
"Now you boys be good, while I check on poor old Mrs. Charis. No more arguing. Oh, and I was adjusting my makeup, Amy," she stated with a strong air of sass. Amy crossed her arms and frowned.
"I knew it!" she declared.
Agatha and Gabriel glanced nervously at each other, not saying a word. The rest of the Mobians, including Sonic and Shadow, remained eerily quiet.
Rouge strutted into the kitchen. To her surprise, Mrs. Charis and her husband were hugging in the middle of the room. Mrs. Charis was obviously crying. Peter turned to Rouge, giving her an expression that asked what she wanted.
"Ah . . . I can come back later," she stuttered, feeling bad for interrupting. Mrs. Charis snapped her head back up and wiped her tears away. Her eyes were puffy and red.
"No, no, Rouge. Please don't worry, I'm fine. Would you like something, honey?"
"Well, I can just grab something really quickly. I don't want to intrude."
"Please don't worry about it, honey. I'll take care of you. Peter, sweetie, you can head to work now."
"Dear, are you sure?"
"Yes, I'll be just fine."
"All right. You'll have the kids to keep you company and to help you out."
"And the Mobians. We'll be fine for now. Go on. I love you, honey."
"Love you, hon. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Peter."
Mr. Charis departed through the front door and left Mrs. Charis with the Mobians and her children.
"Are you sure everything's all right?" Rouge asked uncertainly. Mrs. Charis nodded.
"Yes, Rouge, dear. Please don't worry. I'm perfectly fine. I just get . . . emotional at times."
Rouge nodded and wisely chose not to push the subject any further. She sat in a stool at the counter.
"Well, then, would it be all right if I could have a few eggs?"
"Of course, honey."
Rouge watched as Mrs. Charis cracked the eggs into a bowl and scrambled them for the Mobian guest. The bat's keen eyes caught sight of the newspaper from the previous day. The front page bore a picture of a young man in the midst of a crowd of people. Rouge tilted her head slightly to read the headline.
"New President Comes Into Office; First Action Will Be Removal Of Strangers"
Rouge looked to see if Mrs. Charis was looking, and then swiped the front page of the paper from the rest and began reading the article under the counter.
"Newly elected president, whose name has been voted on anonymity, has decided to remove all illegal aliens from this country, no matter what the case is. Debates have specifically been thrown around Congress arguing the arrival of a strange new species, the Mobians. The outcome of these debates show that a majority of Congressmen have decided that these creatures are dangerous and cannot be allowed to stay here any longer. The powers that they bear have proven to be destructive and therefore threatening to the population of those innocent people who might be victimized by attacks. Mr. President has concluded that scientists should halt all astronomical discovery to search for a way to send these aliens to where they came from. Other sources report that the Mobians will be temporarily locked up as the NASA workers research the energy that caused the arrival of the dangerous creatures."
"Rouge, honey, here's your eggs."
Rouge dropped the page of the paper, startled by the sudden breakfast offering.
"Oh, yeah. Thanks." Rouge accepted the eggs and ran her fork over them a few times. Mrs. Charis noticed the change in disposition and then looked over to where the newspaper was. The front page was missing.
The distraught woman leaned over the counter and lowered her voice to a whisper.
"You saw it, didn't you?"
Rouge stared at her eggs and put her fork down.
"This is why you're upset, then?" she asked slowly. Mrs. Charis nodded.
"I can't stand conflict. It tears me apart, you know."
"I've noticed," Rouge responded. "We can take this guy. He'll be sorry to oppose us," she stated bravely. Mrs. Charis shook her head violently.
"I wouldn't, Rouge. This man, if he takes out any one of you, could have you killed. I wouldn't live with myself if that happened!"
Rouge took her plate and fork, ready to make her way into the dining room.
"Spoken like a true mother," she said, winking at the woman. "We'll figure something out, as soon as I work this out with the others."
Mrs. Charis went around the counter to Rouge and grasped her shoulders.
"Then I need you to promise me something, Rouge."
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Please don't tell the little ones."
Rouge pondered this, frowning.
"Well, they've been through a lot before, you know . . ."
"Rouge." There was a startling sternness in Mrs. Charis' voice. Rouge was taken aback by the reply. She reluctantly agreed.
"Well, I guess I won't then . . ."
Mrs. Charis let go of the bat's shoulders.
"Thank you. Now try not to think about it now. Please go enjoy your breakfast. If you need anything, then please tell me."
Rouge nodded and went into the dining room, thinking of ways that she could face this man.
Oh, I'll give you power, she thought. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned . . .