"Creeeeeam, darlin'!"

Vanilla softly pounded the back of her fist against her daughter's bedroom door, which was suspiciously locked for the first time. "Cheese and I don't want you to miss our day out into the city today! Err… Why did that girl suddenly lock herself in?" She was already well-dressed and put together in a flowing cyan gown that paired well with her Spring sunhat. Rattling the door knob furiously and pounding at the door even louder, Vanilla nearly lost her patience until it swung inwards to reveal a sleep-deprived Cream the Rabbit with ruffled, mangled fur.

"Oh, darlin,'" her mother could not help herself to a small snicker under her breath. "Did you sleep well last night?"

All the little rabbit did was stare up and blink towards her mother, who she could barely face in the morning. Although everything seemed like an average morning, Cream anticipated that her guilt of secretly sneaking outside of the house would eventually come to surface. She released a large yawn from her mouth and nodded slowly.

Having not much more to say, Vanilla awkwardly smiled down at her child and walked back towards the kitchen. Resting on top of their kitchen counter laid a small woven picnic basket that had yet to be filled with the seran-wrapped sandwiches besides it.

"Oh not you too, Mr. Cheese!" Vanilla exclaimed in her Southern drawl as she poked the chao awake from his brief slumber during his chores. Before attempting to wake Cream up early, she caught Mr. Cheese in the act of trying to sneak breakfast before everybody else. He was in charge of packing the cucumber sandwiches into their basket, but perhaps he also lacked the rest required of them today. "Now what exactly is going on between you two? Just when I thought we went to bed early enough… As long as you drowsy lousies can make your way to our bike, I'll be waiting outside."

Cream's eyes finally began to adjust to the bright sunshine peeking through the curtains once her mother closed the front door shut. She was still in her usual attire from her meeting with Shadow last night. Even though there was a drawer full of clothes she could have changed into, she grew lazy and decided to stay in her wrinkled dress. Not a single peep came out from her or Mr. Cheese about last night.

Well, that was until…

"CREAM! CHEESE! Get out here, RIGHT NOW!" a scowling yell from Vanilla resonated past their front door.

By now, Cream knew better than to panic and overreact to her mother's outbursts. The rabbit and chao perked the front door slightly open, just enough to see Vanilla fuming over a letter as she stood next to their open mailbox. Her hands clutched tightly onto a handwritten letter and black envelope as her eyes scrolled through its contents over and over. Their futile attempt to hide inside of the house only irked Vanilla more as she rushed to open the door wider and soon flashed the letter in front of Cream's face.

"Darlin'... You know how much I usually enjoy receiving letters from our friends in the mail. But can you read what this letter here says? Maybe you can even explain to me why Shadow the Hedgehog is reaching out to us?" The adult rabbit's left eye twitched slightly at the idea of that damned Shadow becoming pen pals with her youngest daughter.

Cream nearly froze on the spot. Her heart wanted to drop down from the adrenaline last night to the very pits of despair. There really was nothing that could go unnoticed past her mother. Mr. Cheese, however, was not as fearful of the situation as Cream was. She turned briefly to her chao for reassurance as he motioned for her to read the entire letter.

The handwriting was beautifully written in perfect cursive, as if somebody exclusively wrote in this manner.

'To Vanilla, Cream, and Cheese,

I apologize for any worries I may have brought to your family upon Cream's discovery of me in the garden. Last night, your daughter reached out to me personally and explained to me the procedures I must take in order to continue visiting your family grounds.

An old friend who is very dear to me used to frequently visit these very same gardens with me before I can ever recall the land belonging to anybody. I have grown quite nostalgic to the gardens and I thank you for maintaining them well beyond my expectations.

I do plan on visiting again sometime soon. Cream offered for me to meet formally with you, Vanilla, over lunch.

-Shadow'

Cream bit her lip gently out of nervousness when she gathered the courage to respond to her mother. Her hands clasped together in front of her stomach and her head drooped down once she finished reading Shadow's letter.

"Mama, Iʻm sorry for looking into the garden. But I couldn't go to sleep without knowing if somebody was wandering near our home! We used to have Gemerl scout around our home, but nowadays, he's off doing lab work with Tails and-"

"Gosh, I just..." Vanilla shook her head out of disbelief after hearing her daughter confirm that Shadow spoke truthfully about meeting late at night. "I thought you promised me earlier that very day not to worry about the garden and let me take care of it. This is very upsetting for me to feel like I cannot trust you with these sorts of things anymore." She swiftly folded the letter back into its envelope shortly before kneeling down to see eye-to-eye with Cream. Vanilla's eyes were clouded with endless worry for her daughter as her eyelids drooped down. However, her eyes were not met with Cream, who was too ashamed to face her mother. A familiar look of defeat spread across the little rabbit's face. She never would have thought that wanting to help Shadow could result in so much turmoil for her mother. Gemerl, before his reprogramming, used to terrify Mama.

Cream thought to herself, 'Did Mama need even more convincing to trust an old friend like Shadow the Hedgehog?' Her voice, however, remained painfully quiet as she lacked a response. Vanilla noticed this and continued to lecture her daughter.

"Look, baby… You're my sweet Cream and Cheese." Gently placing her warm hand against Cream's cheek, Vanilla spoke in a soft whisper to her and Mr. Cheese. "I would do anything to keep you two safe. It's not that I don't trust Shadow, it's just… I get worried sick thinking about everything you've been through these past few years. You're a strong bun, hun. But Mama is always here to help you too. If you want me to meet with Shadow, then… I will. We can set a date for sometime this week. But you really must promise me! If I ask you to promise me something, especially if it's meant to keep you safe from strangers, you have to do so hun!"

"I will, Mama. Thank you for helping Mr. Shadow… He's hurting, I can feel it." Cream muttered her last few words as she buried her face into her mother's chest and wrapped her arms around for a tight embrace. Vanilla returned the hug and softly caressed her daughter's fur. With her left arm, Vanilla quietly lifted the envelope in front of Mr. Cheese. She assigned him the responsibility of placing the letter inside of their picnic basket.