The construction went smoothly for the most part, and the group was set to officially move in to their new home within the next few weeks.

Queen Aleena was often busy, meeting with the President, practicing her magic in private and training Kharis and her daughter, Sonia when she so chose to join.

Manic was busy to, silently keeping tabs on their brother by checking in regularly with the guardian, Knuckles.

Kharis returned to work, and besides the training with the Queen and the weekly family movie nights, she felt dreadfully outcasted.

The secretary, sent by the Vice President to tend to all of the Royal Families needs was an exceptionally beautiful and talented woman named Victoria. Tall and slim with a knock out body and lush locks of hair that fell in a waterfall of curls, she made Kharis feel exceedingly inadequate. And she knew it to.

The woman, when it was just Kharis and herself, was dreadfully rude and cruel. Often she would verbally beat at Kharis and degraded her. The woman made it very clear that Kharis was an eyesore and shouldn't be around the Royal family if she had any common sense.

Thankfully, Kharis had her own means to escape. The young kit, Tails, had gotten into the habit of visiting Kharis at least three times a week after he found out where she had been staying. Imagine his shock to meet Sonic's family! He was sworn to silence of course, and agreed to help Kharis reunite them. Manic and Tails had gotten close, both being good with machines and Tails really liked Sonia and the Queen, but Tails stayed closest with Kharis.

Kharis often read to the kit, held him and worried over him as he would talk to her about tales from Mobius. He was so small and cute and Kharis felt a maternal instinct to the kit. Judging by how often the kit visited, it seemed he felt the same towards the young Human woman, beginning to see her as a mother figure.

Not to say that Kharis was outside the happenings either. Often she was with Amy Rose and Tails over at the Thorndike home or such when Robotnik heart was glowing softly, it's growth in size slowed as it was no longer fueled by a Chaos Emerald.

Of course, Tails and Mr. Chuck often let her use one of their Emeralds when she visited, so they could study and run tests on its powers and affects on her. She also told them about any changes she noted in it as well. Like how how when she got upset it dimmed and when she was very happy it almost glowed as bright as the Chaos Emeralds.

Though she was worried, she suspected Victoria was suspicious about it. No one had told those in the Government about it yet but she had often found the woman snooping around in her room. Without any concrete evidence however...well...the woman was very good at her job as the others didn't know about it.

If only she had worked harder to make the others understand about what Victoria was doing,...perhaps things wouldn't have happened the way they did.

"I've finally found out what the commoner was hiding, Mr. Vice President!" Victoria stated a few days later. The pathetic scum that was tainting the purity of the anthropomorphic Royal family was an eyesore for the beautiful woman, and she tried hard to subtly plant the seeds within the Queens mind to cast the commoner out.

Nothing seemed to work though, and often the red headed woman could not understand why the Queen wanted to keep the ugly little thing so close! Kharis was not very smart, had no political knowledge or power whatsoever. Queen Aleena needed someone like Victoria on her side, not some pathetic commoner.

So imagine Victoria's surprise to find the almost fist sized heart shaped diamond with Kharis' belongings as the other woman bathed. She had snuck in to the woman's room the second she had left to bathe, some comment or excuse she had already forgotten left with the royals for her departure. Quietly she spoke excitedly to her employer, who in turn told her to take various pictures of the item and send to him.

Taking the Heart would be far to risky and would potentially ruin relations between the Government and the Hedgehog Queen if they were to be found out, but that didn't mean the Vice President have an terribly awful idea to get rid of the young school teacher.

As soon as images of the Heart were secured in his phone, the Vice President made another call on a phone that was untraceable. Dealings with the Good Doctor needed to be kept hidden after all...

The next day Kharis and Tails set their plan into action, as Kharis informed him where she had placed the Chaos Emerald from before. Tails hadn't been to happy that she had lied to them originally, but he understood and forgave her.

The rest of that day, as she avoided Victoria's hateful gaze, she and the others went and had a small spa day. Aleena finally got her hair tended to, Sonia got the works and even Manic enjoyed the massage. Even Kharis admitted she felt beautiful to a degree after an Elemental facial!

Then the show began, late that evening as a bright beam of light pierced the evening skies where Kharis knew the Diamond field stadium was. Quickly she rounded the family up and they headed that way, not noticing that Victoria stayed behind a bit to make a phone call before joining them.

The proceeding foot ball game was astounding, if not a little silly. Kharis met up with Tails who led the family to the specialty box seats unnoticed and once it looked like the game had finished with Dr. Robotnik's departure, they struck.

"Now that's what I call a game! But that's not the only excitement we've got, everyone!" Mr. Butler stated into a microphone that resounded cleanly through the speakers of the stadium. Everyone looked perplexed, especially Queen Aleena and her young when Knaris picked up a similar mic beside them.

"They've all fought for so long, it's no secret about the rumors spreading about how these young Heroes have fought long and hard against that madman! Now it's time to give back!" Kharis stated, her voice soft yet strong. She had practiced with Shadow a little each night to make things perfect.

"Long ago this family was torn apart! A mother from her children! The sister from her brothers! Now it's time to give back! And reunite the Royal Family of the Planet Mobius!" The exclaimed together, as Kharis led the befuddled, and shocked Aleena, Manic, and Sonia down the stairs to the field, every screen and camera trained on them for all to see.

Sonic blinked...and the tears were welling up. It felt like an all to vivid dream. Manic was the first to get his barring as they descended, and began to run with Sonia close behind. Kharis had given them this chance to reunite, and as they lept over the wall that separated the bleachers from the field and tackled their brother, they couldn't have been more thankful.

But Kharis continued. "May I present, Princess Sonia! Prince Manic and Prince Sonic! And last but never the least, her highness herself, Queen Aleena!" She cheered, and the large crowd of the already packed stadium roared. Queen Aleena finally made it to her children, hugging Sonic desperately and tearfully.

Glancing up, as Kharis took her spot next to the overjoyed grounds keeper and the young fox, all Aleena could do was nod her head in gratitude before returning to once more hold her children close. They had stayed separated so long, they thought they would never again see be together. But Kharis, sweet sweet Kharis joined them once more.

The crowd was wild, and colorful bits of confetti fell down around everyone on the field. Even Knuckles wore a smirk before Aleena hugged him as well, thanking him for watching out for her son for so long. Everyone, although shocked about Sonic being a Prince, put those thoughts aside as they saw how honestly happy he was to see his family.

Everything was wonderful, so joyous and happy and perfect...then, Victoria struck.

Calling Kharis over while Aleena had her back turned and everyone's focus was on the Royal family, Victoria grinned maliciously as her painted nails dug harshly into Kharis' wrist. "At least you did one thing useful, you stupid fool. Guess we don't need you any more, right?" She spoke sickened sweet so only Kharis could hear.

Dr. Robotnik appeared then, laughing joyously as people screamed. "Time to come with me, my dear. And hello, Queen Aleena and her brats, good to see you alive! Now I can enjoy enslaving you." He cackled evilly as a a horde of robots appeared to keep the heroes busy.

Victoria made a good show of trying to save Kharis, turning to run away. But she had yanked a little to hard on Kharis' arm on purpose which made the young woman trip and fall, only to be clinched painfully in a metal grip.

Her screams resounded, lost in the chaos of the crowd as others screamed to escape even though the robots where only focused on keeping the Mobians busy. She could feel her rib cage bruising under the terrible grip of the robotic arm, the Diamond Heart stabbing into her side as she was lifted off and left suspended beneath the Doctors ship that held her. Tails screamed her name, the first to see what was happening.

One by one the others caught on, and the horror on Aleena's face broke everyone's heart.

"Some...one...please...HELP MEEEEE!" Kharis sobbed, but Robotnik wasn't having any of that and tightened the grip on the mechanical arm.

As Kharis' body fell limp, silent inside the raging chaos around them as the others screamed her name. But it was too late, Dr. Robotnik flew away with his kidnapped prize, his evil laugh resounding in the minds and hearts of all those that heard it.

And behind them all, unseen, Victoria silently laughed as well