"Are you sure you're fully healed, Gary?" Miles asked as he packed Gareth's only bag in the backseat of his car.

Gareth pulled on his shirt's collar, revealing the healing remnants of his wound. What was previously a gaping cut was now a fresh but closed scar. "Yep. See for yourself." He returned the collar to its rightful place. "I'm just glad this is finally over. Living with my helicopter Mom and nosy sister for a week was really starting to take its toll on me."

Miles rolled his eyes. "Sure it has. In just a week you mean to tell me you've forgotten how to hold a gun? Or better yet, how to have sex?"

That statement brought a smirk from the squirrel. "Oh don't go there, Miles. Between you and me, we both know who went the longest without having sex."

Before Miles could open his mouth to shoot another reply, the door opened and Gareth's mother and Vicky stepped out. The former went to hug her son while the latter went to hug the fox.

"It was really nice having you over. Please take good care of yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, Mom, I know." Gareth replied stiffly.

The older squirrel tightened her hug. "I worry about you, you know. Still only twenty-one yet there you are, risking your life."

While mother and son shared a tender moment, Victoria was also creating her own with Miles.

"Only two more years, Miles, and we can officially be together."

Miles sighed. "OK, Vicky. One, keep dreaming. Two, I'm taken. Three, my girlfriend is very possessive. And four, she'll kill you if she finds out you're fawning over me."

Vicky laughed him off. "Wow, she sounds like a total bossy bitch. I'm pretty sure you won't even last two weeks."

Hearing Victoria call Fiona a bitch made Miles seethe with a bit of anger. Had it been some other person, they would be nursing a broken nose but this was his partner's sister. He gently pushed her away. "Never ever call her that."

The tone in his voice wiped the smile off the young squirrel's face. She offered a hasty apology. "I'm sorry. I went too far there." She looked down and sheepishly played with a loose strand of hair. "It's just... I look at you and I see all the qualities of a perfect life partner. I guess I'm jealous of your girlfriend."

Miles softened when she said that. "Look, Vicky, I'm not perfect OK? There are other guys out there like me. I'm sure you'll find one eventually."

"But I fell in love with you, Miles!" Vicky almost whined.

"And I love someone else." She was just going to have to live with that. As far as Miles knew, this was the first time he was confessed to. Under different circumstances he would have reciprocated her feelings but he was with Fiona. She was just going to have to live with the fact that he was not interested in her.

The sound of his car's horn made him turn his head. Gareth was already in the passenger seat. "Hey, Miles, can we go now?" Apparently the squirrel was itching to go. It would be nice to go back to independence.

-X-X-X-

"You know, your sister's crush on me is starting to get annoying." Miles said as soon as they entered Gareth's apartment.

Gareth carelessly tossed his bag onto the couch and went into the kitchen, later returning with two cans of soda, one of which he threw at Miles. "Can you blame her? She's sixteen. Even I used to be like that when I was her age."

Miles opened his soda. "And just like you, it ends in heartbreak for her. Maybe it runs in the family."

Gareth shot Miles a look. "Hey, I told you not to remind me of that." He sat down on the couch and reached for the remote, turning on the TV.

Miles sat down on a separate chair. "Sorry. You know, I've never been crushed on and confessed to before. Also I already have a girlfriend, who threatened me if I ever cheated on her again. As if I would." Miles mumbled the last part.

Gareth chuckled. "I should have known she would be the one dominating your relationship."

Miles scoffed. "She doesn't dominate the relationship, dude. Neither of us does."

"Be that as it may, I don't think a boy should live in fear of his girlfriend if she ever found out he was unfaithful."

Miles narrowed his eyes at the squirrel. "She didn't 'find out', you idiot. You're the one who snitched."

The squirrel shrugged innocently. "Well, she was gonna find out at some point. I just thought it was better that you get that off your chest ASAP."

"Jeez, thanks." Miles said with sarcasm. "You better hope your future wife doesn't 'find out' about your gigolo sex life."

Gareth scoffed dismissively. "As if I'm ever gonna get married."

Miles finished his soda and stood up, heading for the door. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure." Gareth replied, not turning his head.

-X-X-X-

When Miles returned to his apartment, he was surprised to run into a familiar hedgehog in the hallway.

"Sonic."

Sonic smiled. "Tails! Just the guy I wanted to see. Where'd you go?"

Miles unlocked his door and entered the apartment, followed by Sonic. "I was dropping Gary off at his place. He was recovering from his injury at his parents'."

"I hope he's OK now."

"Yeah he's fine. Shame they can't do the same about his personality."

Sonic chuckled.

"Not to sound like I don't want you here, Sonic but shouldn't you be protecting 'Her Royal Majesty'?" Miles made air quotes when saying those final three words.

Sonic sighed as he sat himself down on the couch. "Well, to be completely honest with you, Tails, I am bored."

Miles raised an eyebrow. "Bored? In what way?"

Sonic raised his arms in frustration. "The lack of action, Tails! Don't get me wrong, I love the peace and everything but I just feel like I'm wasting away with my job."

The fox nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see what you mean."

Sonic reclined, staring into space. "Yeah. I'm glad we put Robotnik away and all, but it's just that... I miss all the action and danger he offered when he was still in power."

"Why don't you go break him out of prison so we can do it all over again?" Miles offered sarcastically.

In response, the hedgehog zoomed out of the room. He returned a second later with a soda can. "Nah. We can only move on and deal with whatever new threat that's out there."

Miles could only reply with an "mm hmm."

"You know, I envy you, Tails. Your job offers you the thrill of dangers and risks. Sure, it's not as deep as what Robotnik used to offer six years ago but still. Anything interesting of late?"

Miles rarely discussed his work with Sonic. "Just a bunch of thefts in steel factories, and last week there was a heist on a warehouse owned by the company that Rotor works for. That was where Gary got injured."

"I'm glad one of us is having fun out there. How's Rotor, by the way?" Sonic had not been keeping in touch with the walrus recently.

"He's fine. Gary just uses him as the butt of fat jokes."

Sonic ignored that last part, something else nagging at his mind. "Another thing I should take care of: reconnecting with friends." Working at the palace had turned Sonic into a sort of recluse. Being Head of Security meant he had to devote most of his time towards ensuring the safety of the Acorn Kingdom's monarch. Times like this when he had to meet friends were few and far between. With the little breaks he got, he always focused on meeting Tails and no one else.

"Speaking of reconnections, I met Fiona." Miles said out of nowhere.

Sonic instantly sat up. "What? When?"

"I first met her a few weeks ago at Riverside Park. And again a few days ago."

"She's not staying with you?" Sonic started looking around as if he had missed a sign in the apartment that revealed Fiona's occupation.

Miles shook his head. "She's not even staying in Mobotropolis."

"Did she say where?"

"No."

"Wow, this is big." A thought crossed the hedgehog's mind. "Hey, now that you've seen her again, are you..." he trailed off.

Miles had an idea of what he was going to say but egged him on for confirmation. "What?"

Sonic took a breath before finishing off. "...are you finally going to forgive Sally?"

Miles sighed deeply. "I don't know."

"Come on, bro. Sally really misses you."

"Not as much as how I missed Fiona."

"Look, I Know Sally made an error in judgement but you can't-"

Miles interrupted him. "I can't what, Sonic?! Huh? I didn't see my girlfriend for six years because of her 'error in judgement'!" His anger receded and he took a relaxing breath. "I'll forgive Sally only if Fiona will."

Sonic did not want to argue any further and simply nodded his head. "OK." He decided to return to the original topic. "I just have one request."

"What?" Miles asked with exasperation, thinking it was still related to his issue with Sally.

"Is it OK if I join you on your next mission?"

Miles was about to say no when he remembered who he was talking to. "Sure."

Sonic grinned from ear to ear. "Wow, really? No conditions or anything?"

"Well, I was about to bring up the 'no endangering civilians' excuse." Miles also donned a grin of his own. "But then I remembered you're no civilian."

"Great." Sonic then looked at his watch. "I have to go now. I trust you'll keep me posted."

"Sure." Miles nodded.

-X-X-X-

A/N: I know this chapter is way shorter than usual. It's just a filler chapter that I wrote to let you all know that I have not abandoned this story. I just suffered a serious block with it. But I'm over it now. Still, there are also other stories I have to turn my attention to. Please be patient with me.

J.W.H. 10