"He's gone!?"

"Yes."

Vector looked panicked. "What are we gonna do?"

It wasn't like the crocodile to be asking for directions; normally, he'd be the one giving them out. Obviously he was really shaken up from everything that had happened.

Espio sighed. "We must go look for him. He can't have gotten far."

"Yer right." Vector grabbed a jacket off the coat rack and handed it to Espio, grabbing one for himself as well. "I ain't goin' out into the freezin' cold unprotected again."

The pair locked the door behind them and headed downstairs. Exiting the apartment building, their jackets did little to warm them.

"Charmy!" Vector called into the night.

"Where do you think he went?" Espio said, a worried look on his face.

"Hrmm..." Vector suddenly blinked. "Do ya think he got the same idea as you?"

"You mean... the shack? But he would have passed us..."

"Not necessarily. Maybe he got lost. He's only a kid, after all, and it's the middle of the night."

Espio nodded. "Right. I keep forgetting about his youth; he's so articulate and intelligent..."

"Yeah..."

Espio and Vector trudged through the cold night, eventually reaching the forest path that lead to their old hut.

"Charmy! Where are you!" Espio shouted.

"CHAAAARRRRMYYY!" Vector yelled.

It was then that they heard a small sound coming from within the forest. Like a yelp.

"That way," Espio said.

The pair headed into the woods, barely able to see their own hands in front of them. They could hear a continuous noise... it sounded like shivering.

"Charmy!" Espio called once again.

"O-over here..." a squeaky voice answered.

With some effort, they managed to find Charmy sitting on the ground, inside a bush. He was shivering violently. Vector gingerly picked him up, hugging him close.

"Yeh scared the livin' daylights outta us, Charm. What were ya thinkin'!?"

"I... I wanted to get away from the fighting." They could see that Charmy had been crying.

"Oh, Charmy... We're so sorry." Espio frowned.

"Why do you two have to fight!? You're best friends! Why would you want to hurt each other?"

Vector and Espio looked at one another.

"I-I don't know." Vector replied. "It was all my fault, though. Don't be mad at Esp."

Espio felt a knot in his stomach.

Charmy sniffled. "Promise you won't ever fight again."

"We promise," both reptiles said at once.

"Now let's get home, before you freeze to death," Espio said to Charmy.

The trio made their way out of the woods at last, and were finally all together again. The sun was breaking the darkness as they walked home.

Heading back to the apartment, they turned the thermostat to its maximum and cuddled up on the couch together, all sharing the same blanket. Vector was sprawled on the bottom, Espio was lying on his chest and Charmy was curled up in Espio's right arm. They turned on the television, wanting to forget all about their horrible night.

All three sighed at the same time, a sigh of relief, of pent up frustration finally dealt with.

Espio snuggled against Vector's broad chest, sharing his warmth. He looked up at the crocodile. Vector looked back, smiling down at him. The crocodilian wrapped an arm around Espio and held him tight.

After a while, Charmy broke the silence.

"What were you guys fighting about, anyway?"

The reptiles exchanged nervous glances.

Vector stuttered. "U-um... Espio was mad because... I didn't save him any pizza."

"Y-yeah," Espio agreed.

"That's it? That's a stupid thing to fight about," Charmy said. "Why didn't you just buy him another pizza?"

Espio and Vector exchanged another glance.

"Um... because I was selfish." Vector looked away.

"You're not selfish, Vector. You probably just didn't know what to do. I know you would never want to make Espio upset." Charmy hugged Vector as well as he could.

Vector looked... sad.

"You're right, Charmy," Espio said suddenly. Vector perked up. The chameleon continued, "Maybe Vector wasn't thinking straight when I said I wanted more pizza. He probably didn't realize how hungry I was. Maybe he wanted more pizza too, but was too embarrassed to ask, because he thought someone would make fun of him for being a pig."

"Espio..." Vector swallowed.

"Yes?"

"Do ya want some pizza?"

The chameleon smiled. "I'd love nothing more."

Vector kissed Espio on the lips, making sure that Charmy wasn't looking. Then he grabbed the phone next to the couch and dialed the 24-hour pizzeria.

Later, the deliveryman would spend the rest of the day wondering why Vector gave him a $50 tip.

The Chaotix watched TV until noon, eating pizza and laughing together. Eventually they all fell asleep on the couch, their stomachs full and their hearts happy. Espio would stir every so often, waking up to see Vector's face next to his. His heart stopped every time.

Finally...

Ohh... it's so nice to have things back to normal... I was getting depressed :p