"Welcome back."

Reason stood on the topmost floor of the Death Egg, staring up at the stars through the space station's transparent outer surface.

"I'm impressed. Did you predict I was coming, or did you conclude I'd show up the first time you said 'welcome back'?" Miles stood behind her, white and black fur glowing softly in the starlight.

"If you're asking the question then I don't tell you the answer anyway." Reason smiled faintly, patting the girder beside her.

She looked a little happier, which wasn't saying much. Now wearing simple white gloves, black and white sneakers with a loose black and white hoodie that stretched down to her knees, Miles was forced again to wonder if she had some undisclosed foresight into his current state and dressed to match. He settled down alongside her, endless tasks running in parallel as he joined her, staring up at the sky.

"We… I come up here sometimes. We always liked looking at the stars. And the Earth, when it's here."

"Me too. It's been forever since I looked up at the sky like this though."

"You look handsome."

"Thanks. Sort of feel like a zebra."

"Does it hurt?"

"All the time. But it's fine, I've had worse. You know how there are no rings up here on the Death Egg?"

"Yes?"

"Turns out I've been collecting them. All of them. At least since the Death Egg went dark."

"Ah." Reason nodded, rubbing the back of her head as she leaned back on the girder, supporting her weight on her tails. "So have you thought of a way to save your world?"

"I'm afraid to even go near Happy Days." Miles sighed. "Saved Little Planet at least. I set the inner core of the Death Egg to cycle through a day/night projection once per year."

"I see."

"Yeah, should be barely noticeable from the surface. Sky's the wrong colour though. Who knew skies were so difficult?"

The two of them fell into silence, only one of them sitting together, the other apart in every sense of the word.

"You doing okay?" Miles finally asked. He didn't need to hurry, he was already doing everything he could.

"I still haven't really processed everything. You only left an hour ago."

"Huh, really?"

Reason nodded.

"Sorry. Didn't give you much time."

"It's fine, it's my fault."

"Ah ha!" Miles grinned. "I knew it."

"Yes, you caught me." Reason sighed. "Very clever."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Miles shifted a little closer.

"Beyond saving me, twice, naming me, twice, and being the literal reason for my existence?"

"The more the better. I could use the distraction. I'm pretty sure if not for all the rings I'm collecting I'd melt." Miles grinned.

"Why do you smile when it hurts?" Reason twisted the tips of her tails in her fingers. "Am I supposed to do that?"

Miles shrugged, energy sparking from his shoulders. "I guess some people think so? You don't have to though. I'm not much, but I can at least be here for you."

Reason giggled, kicking her feet over the edge of the girder. "Not much? You must know quite the people, Miles."

"The best." Miles nodded. "If someone like Sonic was here, he'd have probably solved everything by now. Well, not like this." He tapped himself on the chest. "I think this would kill him." He smiled, staring up at the stars. "But somehow he'd pull it off, I'm sure."

"Then why not fetch him?"

"Because I don't." Miles chuckled, mirthlessly. "All this power, and I still can't change anything."

"So you were meant to save me?"

"I don't know. Have you happened yet?"

"That's an odd question."

"I spend half my time trying to answer odd questions. I- we might have an advantage in dealing with this stuff thanks to our tails, but there's a big difference between moving in 4D and thinking in 4D."

"So do you have any answers?"

"A few. It took forever though." Miles stretched a white arm out to the sky above. "But I saved you because I wanted to. Even if you're more confusing than all this time stuff put together."

"Am I?"

"Well, yeah." Even the part where he had these black marks scattered across his fur. Why did he have them? They sort of looked like letters. Or numerals. Was his Chronos state thematically linking him to roman numerals? A clock face? Why would time possibly have a theme related to a clock? Was it him? Did he have some kind of clock fixation that was manifesting in his Chronos state?

He shook himself off his tangent, literally, by the shoulder, from behind, and continued.

"What was it you said? Daughter, sister, d… soulmate? We met, what, two days ago?" It was a semi-serious question, he could have been sitting here for months now, for all he knew. "But you know more about me than pretty much anyone."

"In both senses."

"Yeah. So… What are we? I've never been 'Green-Beard'ed before, but I assume that's part of it. And having someone around that's smart enough to really talk to is… nice. I mean, generally people go cross-eyed when I mention Hamilton, but you just nodded. So I uh, guess I, uh-"

"I have loved you since the first time I opened my eyes." Reason smiled at him with Doodle's dreamy smile. "And I had a lifetime of loving you before that. Did I-" Her smile faded a little. "Did Doodle ever tell you she had a doll of you when she was very young? We don't remember our father, but we do remember that doll."

Another Miles absent-mindedly brushed away a tear from her cheek as he walked by on his way elsewhen. Miles reached over and squeezed her hand.

"It makes me happy that you're thinking of me enough to be confused, but I'm honestly not sure myself." Reason squeezed his hand back. "Does there need to be one single answer? Is it okay if every answer is a little wrong?"

"It's... okay to be wrong." Miles suddenly laughed, making Reason almost fall off the girder in surprise. "You know what? I think I have found my answer."

"Really?" Reason's ears pricked up.

"Sure have." Miles grinned, kaleidoscope eyes dancing. "I never even realised it before!"

He pulled her close, pointing up at the sky with delight. The energy radiating from his body made her fur stand on end. "It's completely wrong!"

And then he was gone like he never was. Only Reason's upturned fur was any indication he had ever been.

She smiled sadly, going back to looking up at the stars.

"Best of luck this time, my love."