Well everyone, this is the second to last chapter, I hope you all have enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for the nice reviews. Honestly, I didn't think of how it might not make the most sense for Finn to react to his mother's death by becoming a mercenary himself, kinda wish I'd delved into his thoughts a little more. That may happen in the future;) as for Keelie and Gadget's age difference, I've been trying to base them off of canines in the real world, age doesn't matter to them, so I didn't incorporate it into this world. I do have plans for an epilogue so stay tuned. Gaia isn't living with Gadget and Keelie anymore. And as for Finn meeting Keelie's family, we'll just have to wait and see.

"I still say this was a dumb idea boss," Jay said with a frown. He folded his arms across his chest.

"That's why you're not in charge," Finn replied with a scoff. Even though he hated to admit it, Jay was right. Agreeing to work for Dr. Eggman probably wasn't the smartest decision, but he just had to get his hands on that stone. The small taste of destruction he'd gotten just from holding it wasn't enough for him. With its power, everyone would pay.

Currently, they were guarding some bases in the jungle casino for the doctor, which wasn't very exciting.

Lance and Pierce sat cross legged on the ground. They were playing a card game. Tempest was watching them.

As dusk fell, they heard an explosion. Jay jumped to his feet, "finally, some action!"

The communicator the doctor had given Finn beeped. He answered it.

"Jackal squad," said the doctor, "Shadow is infiltrating the base. Stop him!"

"Let's go!" Jay exclaimed as he darted forward.

Finn grabbed his arm, "no. I'll go. The rest of you stay here." Before anyone could protest, Finn ran off.

Tempest shook her head. "I swear. Finn is going to get himself hurt one of these days."

As she turned back towards her place, she came eye to eye with a black hedgehog. His red eyes held no emotion, and he quickly struck her down. The rest of the squad soon followed.

"No," Finn gasped while staring at the communicator. His squad wasn't answering. They were gone. His family. He looked down at his hands. He was shaking. "No, I'm not afraid. I'm. Not. Weak!" He shouted out into the air. This hedgehog, this Shadow, would pay dearly for this.

The jackal boss raised the communicator to his mouth, "doctor, tell me more about this experiment of yours, I want in."

"Shadow, "Rouge's voice came through his watch, "we've got a situation."

He was skating through the dense jungle. The last few robots were following him. "Not now Rouge," he snapped.

"No. Get yourself over here." Her bossy tone slipped out. "Those jackals are hurt, and we're going to help them."

Before he could protest, she hung up. He rolled his red eyes and headed back to the place.

Jay groaned as he opened his eyes. He was in a bedroom. As his eyes adjusted, he saw the black and red hedgehog sitting in a chair in the corner.

He sat up with a gasp, "where's Tempest?" The hedgehog came over to him as he scrambled out of the bed. "You stay away from me!" He growled, fur bristling.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Shadow tried to calm him down. He still wasn't good at social interaction, but he was trying.

"No!" Jay cried as he backed into a corner, "you're lying! What have you done to her?"

Shadow moved closer to the jackal, but all that did was frighten him more.

Rouge came in the room to see Shadow standing over the jackal cowering on the floor. She pushed him out of the way, "you're not helping." Then the bat knelt down, "hey. It's ok. You're safe now."

"What about my mate?" Asked Jay with anger in his eyes, "what have you done with her?"

"She's resting," said Rouge. "She's going to be all right."

He visibly relaxed, "I need to see her."

Rouge gave him a small smile, "follow me."

When they reached the other bedroom Jay hurried over to Tempest. She was sleeping. He gently ran his hand through her hair, mumbling soothing words.

After a moment, she slowly opened her eyes, "Jay?" She asked.

"I'm here baby," he whispered.

She threw her arms around him in a hug. "I was so worried," she said through the tears, "I thought you were dead."

He hugged back, "no. I'm fine love. I was worried about you." He placed a soft kiss on the side of her head.

The two of them didn't say anything more, they just held each other.

Ace ran in the house, slamming the door behind him. He heard his mother call his name, but he ignored her.

He ran upstairs to his room, slammed the door, tossed his backpack across the room, and threw himself in his bed.

The jackal clutched his pillow to his chest and sobbed. Why were the kids at his school so mean?

The door opened a crack, "Ace?" Aurora asked quietly, "are you ok?"

"No." He sniffled.

She padded across the room over to his bed. Then she lifted the blanket and looked at him.

He wiped the tears from his face and looked at her golden eyes. She was concerned about her big brother. The red furred jackal climbed up in the bed with him. She didn't say anything, but hugged him.

Ace's eyes widened, then he hugged her back.

"I'm sorry they're mean to you Ace," she said sadly, "they just don't know how cool you are."

"Thanks Aurora."

"Come on Ace," Reagan yelled, "hurry up!"

"Can we race to the park mama?" He asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. The whole family was going.

Keelie smiled, "sure. Have fun. We'll catch up." They grinned and ran ahead.

Fortune turned to Gadget and reached up to him, wanting to be picked up. The youngest pup still didn't talk, despite being six years old. His parents had taken him to a few specialists, but they didn't know why he didn't speak. He just seemed to have no desire to.

Gadget smiled and scooped him up, placing him on his shoulders. Then the family headed for the park, not knowing that trouble was brewing.