Chapter 10: Down the Dumpster

"Oh, no! Breeze! You broke the pot!" Chris exclaimed from a doorway across the room. He was staring at her open mouthed with another box in his hands.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident. I was just trying to get to that cupboard and my tail hit it and knocked it off. I'm sure it will be okay, Tails forgave me for breaking that thing earlier and this is just a plant. I'll get him another one."

Chris looked around nervously and walked towards her and the plant's remains. "Um…it was a little more than just a plant, but maybe if we just clean it up and get rid of it he won't notice," Chris said and reached up to lift Breeze off of the shelf where she stood. "I'll go distract him and you get rid of the evidence, ok?"

Breeze nodded and went to get a plastic bag to put it in. Chris walked hurriedly to the back room where he and Tails had been looking for more parts. Maybe this would be a good thing, he thought as he walked back. If Tails doesn't notice the missing plant then it means he finally got over Cosmo and he'll see she doesn't mean so much anymore. On the other hand, if he does, then it'll be for the best that he just lets her go and starts something knew. Her presence won't be there holding him back. He just hoped Breeze didn't get into to much trouble. She didn't know anything about the Cosmo issue and she probably wouldn't understand.

Breeze finished sweeping the excess dirt up and was admiring her spotless work when she suddenly realized that Cream and Cheese were probably still looking for her. She picked up the bag and ran out of the shop to the dumpsters to throw the broken pot and dirt away. Once there she opened the heavy lid and dropped the bag in, only to realize she had dumped the actual plant in along with everything else. She had meant to keep the plant and repot it for Tails, but now it was somewhere in all the trash. It took all of her strength to lift the heavy lid again and lean in to see if she could get the bag back, but she leaned too far and fell in with the trash with a yell. The heavy lid slammed shut above her.

"Help! Someone help!" Breeze shouted from inside the stinky dark dumpster. She tried to stand up, but kept falling over the garbage. It was mostly old machine parts, but Tails must live nearby because she got quiet a lot of old food all over her fur, clothes, and hair as well. She finally just sat down and leaned against the wall, trying to keep her composure. The cramped spaces of the square metal dumpster she was in reminded her too much of her old prison cell and she started to get panicky. She closed her eyes and started counting to calm herself, and after a while she heard the creaking of someone opening a lid and a small crack of sunlight shot down into the darkness. She shielded her eyes and peered up to see a vague outline of Cream and Cheese looking down at her excitedly.

"Look, Cheese, you were right! She was in the trash! Hi, Breeze, we found you. You can come out now!" the excited little rabbit yelled down at her. Cheese chaoed along with her and Breeze saw that the chao was the one holding the lid open for the little rabbit girl.

"I can't get out, Cream. I'm stuck down here. The walls are too high and it's hard to stand up," Breeze shouted back and tried to lift herself out of the trash she had begun to sink into. "Please, go get help! I don't like it down here!"

"Ok, Breeze, we'll be right back. Just stay where you are!" the little rabbit yelled. She was starting to get worried and she and Cheese left right away. The lid slammed shut again leaving Breeze in darkness.

Minutes passed by and finally Breeze's ears perked up at voices coming towards the dumpsters. "I wish you two wouldn't hide in those back rooms so it's so hard to find you. Breeze has been in there for a long time and it's dark and scary!" she heard a high girly voice saying. The little chao, Cheese, chaoed sternly to add emphasis to Cream's statement.

Breeze eagerly tried to pull herself up again and listened for the lid to creak open. It finally did and sunlight poured into the dark cage she was trapped in. Chris, who had much more strength than the others, held the lid wide opened. "I'm sorry, Cream, we didn't know that Breeze would do something like throw herself in the garbage or we would have been more watchful," Chris explained and looked down into the dumpster for Breeze.

"I hope she's okay," Breeze heard Tails say and he poked his head over the rim to look for Breeze too.

"Hey, Breeze, we're gonna get you out okay. Just hold on!" Chris said when he saw the eager little vixen looking up at them with expectant eyes. She nodded but didn't leave her place where she had her hands on the wall of the dumpster and her feet standing on a piece of siding metal.

Chris turned to Tails to talk about what they could do to pull her out. "We could get a rope and just lower it down to her or if you have a ladder we could get her to climb out."

"Or, I could fly down there and lift her out," Tails said with a smile.

Chris laughed, "Oh yeah, I forgot you could fly. That would be much less complicated."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Cream said impatiently.

"Hold the lid up for me, ok Chris," Tails said.

Chris gave him a thumbs up and Tails spun his tails around and around until he lifted off the ground like a helicopter and then slowly descended into the opened trash chute. He touched down next to Breeze, stumbled around a little, trying to regain his balance in the shifting trash, and was immediately embraced by Breeze who trembled as she buried her face in the white fur on his chest.

"Thank you, Tails," she whispered into his chest quietly.

He hugged her back and felt his heart beating faster in like it always did when she hugged him. He then lifted her up into his arms and twirled his tails around until he lifted off the ground again and flew towards the lighted opening of the dumpster that Chris still held opened.

Once back out in the light and free air, Breeze started feeling better. She was a little disappointed when Tails landed because the flying had been fun. Maybe he would take her flying again sometime.

"Uh, Tails, you can put her down now," Chris suggested when Tails had landed but still held Breeze in his arms where she rested against his chest.

"Oh, yeah," he said as if realizing and gently put her down. She stood a little shakily and put her hand on his shoulder for support.

"Thanks, guys. I was really scared down there. I kind of reminded me of Eggman's cell," she said and looked gratefully at everyone.

"Ew, Breeze! You sure do smell bad!" Cream exclaimed and out a hand up to her nose.

"I do! Oh, I'm sorry. I should get cleaned up," Breeze said and stepped away from Tails.

"We'll take you back to Vanilla's house. I think you've had enough for one day," Chris told her and started to escort her back. She tried to keep her distance as they all walked back, but she was still a little weak from all she had been through the past few days and she kept wobbling and feeling faint. Tails noticed and approached her.

"Here," he said, "I'll carry you again."

"No, I'm ok," she insisted and drew back a little, still conscious of the way she smelled and how she must look.

"It's ok, Breeze. I really don't care how you smell. You look like you're about to fall over. That's what bothers me," he said and reached out to her again.

"No, really I…whoa," she put her hand on her head and wobbled again, almost blacking out. Tails caught her and picked her up again. He carried her to the workshop and she tried to stay as far away from his face as she could while he carried her which didn't work very well since they where both about the same size and she didn't have much room to maneuver in his arms.

When they approached the front of Tails' shop they found none other than Sonic waiting for them. He had a bright smile on his blue face and he chuckled when he saw Breeze. "Hey there, little buddy. It looks like you fell down a dumpster or something," he said.

Breeze giggled and struggled out of Tails' arms to greet her speedy hedgehog friend. She stumbled forward and Sonic caught her as she laughed in delight when he spun her around in a circle. Tails felt a flare of jealousy rise up in his heart, but he stifled it and waived at Sonic in greeting. Chris smiled and answered Sonic's implied question.

"She was playing hide and seek with Cream and Cheese and she tried to hide in the dumpster and fell in," he said, though he suspected the reason she was in the trash was because of the plant she had just thrown away.

As if to confirm his suspicions Breeze said, "But, Chris, I wasn't –"

"You can tell us later. We should get you home first," Chris cut in with a meaningful stare at Breeze and a motion towards Tails. Breeze nodded and Sonic looked at Chris with a question in his eyes. Chris waived him off and he shrugged.

"I'll go ahead and run her home; you guys can stay here and finish what you were doing. Bring Cream and Cheese back with you when you're done," Sonic said and lifted Breeze up into his arms where she snuggled in close as he prepared to start running. "Oh and Chris, you and I need to have a chat when you get back." He winked and then sped off down the side of the mountain with Breeze shouting in excitement at his speed, her blonde hair blowing wild.

"Bye, bye Sonic and Breeze!" Cream shouted to no avail after them.

Tails stared at the spot where Sonic had vanished and sighed, "What is it about him, Chris? Everybody automatically likes him as soon as they look at him no matter what. Did you see Breeze? She worships him and I was the one who saved her from the garbage."

"I don't know, Tails. Sonic just has that way of making someone feel safe and brave. He's a real hero and a great friend who would never let you down. He even would have stayed with me back in my world if I asked him too."

"I guess you're right, Chris."

"But hey, don't let that get you down, Tails. You're a hero too and Breeze knows that," Chris said and patted Tails on the back. Tails smiled up at him and they both went back into the workshop while Cream laughed with delight as she chased Cheese around the yard.

Does anyone know of another way to describe the way Cheese sounds? Anyways, thanks for reviews and please continue!