Chapter 4 – Good Deeds and Stories.
A/N: Sorry, long chapter and work makes fics take longer. Still, I hope this chapter goes down all right with you guys:
HHH – That little scene's all about grossing Sonic out – if you read the bit just before that snippet, you'll realise Sonic's just verbally digging at the future couple and that's just their way of getting back at him. And speaking of the eight-son of Spectre, well all I will sya is watch this space.
Ri2 – Adopting Tails – he's a bit independent for that despite his age, and he's got a sort of family already. Mind you, read on and you might see more support for your idea…
TH – Cold weather getting to you huh? Well relax; this chapter has something that will banish all your cold worries right away.
As he came to, Wynmacher knew instinctively where he was and who he was with; as the realisation sank in, he knew he couldn't have been happier. Lara was still asleep, dreaming peacefully as he carefully reached over, planting a kiss on hr cheek without disturbing her rest; she didn't stir as he kicked his legs out of bed and looked around, locating his scattered clothing and seeking to put it on where it belonged; as he was doing so, he caught a look at the clock and his eyebrows raised; that tiredness bug must have been contagious. Still, it was a weekend, it didn't matter that it was much later than normal; the chef reached for his shoes and fitted them on, already thinking about what he could do for breakfast.
There was no sound in the world sweeter than freshly boiling oil; Wyn quickly lifted the frying pan and swirled the contents, ensuring an even spread around the bottom to make sure the kippers wouldn't stick when he added them. He had toyed with the idea of adding a bit of bread as well, but no, the flour might impair the flavour and stick to the fish; he'd have to add that at the finish. For now, all he added were the two kippers – he knew Tails was here and would doubtless want something to eat before he left to pick up Mighty; but after last night; Wyn frowned, more perturbed than he'd let on by the fox's ailment; he'll probably be needing it later than we will. Shrugging for a second, remembering that Lara had said it wasn't anything too serious and that of all Mobians here she'd have by far the better judgement, the chef merely shrugged and got back to what he did best.
He heard footsteps behind him, fortuitously just as the tomatoes were reaching their perfect colour to show they were fried to perfection,
"Impeccable timing as always Lara". He turned, flipping one of the cooked fish onto a plate as his partner took an appreciative sniff, eyes brightening as she did so,
"Umm, do I smell kippers?"
"You sure do", he assured her, winking as he moved back to the table, both hands full with plates of a delicious fry-up; Lara licked her lips as she raided the drawers for knives and forks,
"Just the thing for a weekend, but not too many of them you", Wyn tried to look cute as she waved a finger, fighting to keep her smile hidden, "you're leading me into bad habits; I need to watch my waistline". He raised an eyebrow,
"Nah, I've been watching it and", Lara cocked her head, arms folded as he pretended to scrutinise her midsection, "nah, all looking good there".
"Creep".
"What's that mean?"
"Oh, sorry", she apologised for the confusion; Wyn had obviously never heard the expression before, "means you're a flatterer; Rouge calls my son it occasionally, just a friendly insult".
"Lands below huh?" The brown echidna chuckled as she nodded, eyes wistful as he set down their meals, "love to visit there someday".
"As you keep saying, and as I do as well more's the point", Lara added; that was certainly true; she and Wyn both shared that desire among others, both wanted to get to the lands below and generally have a nose around. Lara knew that, if she'd asked, Tails would have been only too happy to get both her and her future husband there, but she couldn't, it wouldn't be fair to expect that from him. As it was, she and Wyn had plans to go there legitimately and were putting away for it in the future, the fund growing month by month; there would be a wait, but she was sure it would be worth it in the end.
The knock came as they were halfway through the meal; Lara paused, fork halfway to her mouth as the noise echoed around her home, looking up to see Wyn looking equally nonplussed. Gesturing for him to sit down, the echidna lady stood and moved to the front door, unlatching it as she tried to quickly think who would call at this early hour on a Saturday. The last bolt slid free and, with a tug, Lara looked out to see the answer stood right on her doorstep. Her eyes widened in surprise,
"Mighty?" She asked of the armadillo standing there, nodding at the mention of her name, "what are you doing here?"
"Sorry to call on you like this Lara", the other Mobian began apologetically, a little abashed as she spoke and looked up, eyes half-shadowed by her overhanging shell, "but have you seen Tails around at all?" The mention of the fox made the pieces click together as, with a 'oh' of understanding, Lara nodded and smiled,
"Oh, yes sorry Mighty; please come in", the armadillo stepped inside, rubbing her shoes on the mat as Lara continued her explanations, "unfortunately we've all slept in a bit, but Tails wasn't feeling very well last night; he came in half-dead and pretty much dropped off the second his head touched the pillow. I forgot he was supposed to pick you up today, I should have rung".
"Don't worry about it; Big never specifies a time; I just try to get there early – if he's not up to scratch, we can just go a bit slower, that's all", the armadillo agreed gregariously as she took off her shoes and placed them neatly by the front door; as she straightened, her tone suddenly became a little more firm, laced with a very subtle weave of mischief, "what, er, any idea what it is?"
"Probably a cold, but it's really knocked him for six".
"Fantastic", Mighty suddenly realised how awful that must have sounded and hastily made to correct herself, "well, not the cold, but I mean I've got a cure, old homemade remedy that'll get rid of it".
"A cure for the cold", Lara's eyes widened, she stroked her chin with one hand, wondering of the possibilities, "you market that you'll be an overnight millionaire". Mighty shook her head,
"Nah, it, well, you have really see it in action to understand how it works. Got any hickory nuts?" As Lara nodded and headed for the kitchen, she failed to see the evil smirk that, just for a second, flashed across Mighty's face.
XXX
He was still so sleepy; he was sure his eyelids didn't really want to open but for some reason they did anyway, letting light flood his eyes and wake him up as it always did. Tails stifled a groan, reaching up to rub his eyes clear of what conservatively felt like a lorry-load of grit and sleep dust, stretching his body as he felt the blanket slough away. Man, I'm still tired; that was true – compared to last night he was the picture of vitality, but he could still feel the lingering hand of weakness permeating his body, stroking his mind; it took a conscious effort and a good gritting of his teeth to exorcise that ghost, reminding himself it would all be worth it just for the look on her face. Slowly dragging himself out from under the covers, the fox shook his head muggily; he was sure he was supposed to be somewhere now, but could he remember where it was, or what he was meant to be doing? Well, I'm not going to find out sat down here; he sat on the end of the bed, waiting for the dizziness from sitting up so fast to subside as he reached for his shoes with his foot, stretching for them as he attempted to bully his memory back into shape and recall why he was here on Angel Island in the first place? Still it didn't work and he was forced to admit defeat; standing up with a last long yawn, he headed for the bedroom door with a logical thought in his mind; maybe Lara knows?
XXX
They had been polite enough not to inquire about the concoction Mighty was now brewing up on the cooker, in fact they'd been impressed into silence by the way she was breaking open the hickory nuts with her bare hands and crumbling the whole sundered product, shell and all, into the saucepan, all the while humming a merry tune. However, when the odour began to slide across the kitchen, a combination of bad eggs smothered in curdled milk, the other two occupants of the kitchen were driven to act by desperation if nothing else. Just about avoiding turning a light green colour, Lara rushed to open every window she could see as Wyn buried his nose in his sleeve, choking through the fabric at the seemingly immune armadillo,
"Mighty what is that; you can't give that to anyone as a cure, you'll kill them". She turned to look at him, smiling all the while even if she never stopped her continual stirring,
"My mum calls it hickory nut vinegar, and believe me it can cure pretty much anything – I really would hate to see the disease that managed to beat this. Ah, there's our willing volunteer now". She waved as though she hadn't a care in the world; both echidnas turned just in time to see Tails double over as the smell clouted him square in the sensitive nose.
XXX
He had meant to say sorry, having now had definite proof of just what it was he'd forgotten as she was standing in the hallway waiting for him. He'd gone red, embarrassed that he'd forgotten his promise to pick her up early and drawn in a breath to apologise. Unfortunately, he'd taken that breath in through his snout.
What the…?; he reeled as though the Mobian stirring the pot had slapped him – he'd thought nothing could have beaten Sonic's breath following his part in Knuckles' stag night, but whatever was in that pot did it by a distance. Tears formed in his eyes, both hands plugging his nostrils in a desperate attempt to dislodge the ferocious reek; he spun on his heel, both tails twirling like mad to drive the foul stench away from him as he risked a shallow breath through the mouth,
"Whatever it is get rid of it; I can't share a kitchen with that".
"Hi Tails", the disembodied voice floated over to him, "heard you weren't feeling well last night".
"I was better than I am now; just flush that stuff down the drain, it's making me light-headed"; true; Mighty looked down at the concealed dose she held; makes your head light and your stomach like a rock – oh well, it worked for me.
"Don't worry, it's not going to be here long", she darted forwards, one hand grabbing his shoulder and spinning him; his mouth was open in an attempt to reprimand her, voice his shock and outrage; just the opening she needed, "open wide!"
XXX
Both Lara-Le and Wynmacher winced in unison as they saw the armadillo ram the spoon of the thick, black liquid, resembling treacle more than anything else, down Tail's open jaws, the hand that had turned him around now flashing down to clamp his muzzle shut, the spoon protruding like a lolly stick. Lara felt her heart strings strained as the foxboy's eyes shot wide and he began what looked like convulsions; she was about to intervene, half-standing when Mighty suddenly let go; with a clatter Tails spat the spoon out and clasped both hands to his violated orifice,
"Quick, brush your teeth now or the taste'll stay there all day"; the fox didn't need to be told twice; spinning on his heel he raced back into the hall; as Mighty sat down at the table the sound of frantic scrubbing and gargling from the bathroom was all that could be heard. Wynmacher stood, eyes hard as he demanded an explanation,
"What the hell was that; that wasn't a cure, it was torture".
"Patience; that was phase one", Mighty placated him, raising a hand for calm in the face of disbelief, "believe me, when he steps foot in this room again, it'll have worked its magic".
"It better had", Lara promised, pointing at the stove where the malevolent gloop still simmered dangerously, "or I'll have you licking that bowl clean for making him eat that". Strangely the armadillo didn't seem concerned, secure in the knowledge of her home-made remedy.
XXX
Yuck, yuck, eeeewww!; he'd brushed until his gums nearly bled but he could still taste that toxic sludge, a poisonous ghost now haunting his dental cavity as he gargled with fresh water again, trying to make his mouth feel less abused. The taste was so awful it went beyond describable; all he knew was that Mighty would have to pay for that, and pay big style. Stashing his toothbrush back into the bath roll he'd hung on the back of the bathroom door, the fox shook his head one last time, airing his stinging tongue as he made to re-enter the kitchen.
XXX
Mighty pricked her ears and fought hard to keep her face straight; the two echidnas heard her whisper,
"Phase two", under her breath before she turned to see Tails standing in the kitchen entrance again, glaring daggers at her. Using most of her resolve to avoid laughing, she affected a look of concern, scrutinising him closely,
"Hmm, you still look a little rough", she stood up, the younger Mobain's look of disgust turning to horror as he saw where she was headed, "maybe you need another spoonful, or a bit…?"
"No! Believe me", Tails had leapt back a good five feet and was waving his hands frantically, trying to ward her off; never again, never ever again; "I'm cured, I feel a hundred and ten percent, fit as a butcher's dog. Listen, I'll get packed and then we'll go, that okay?"
"Yeah, no rush though"; Mighty, Lara and Wyn held it in just long enough for a pair of bushy tails to disappear down the hallway before they each dissolved into sniggering fits. Lara looked up and pointed, scowling even if she was heaving with laughter,
"You are a cruel Mobain Michelle Armadillo".
"It works though, can't deny that".
"No, but the smell alone would have done it", Wyn wiped his eyes on his gloves, looking at the saucepan with new respect, "so that's how hickory nut vinegar does the job then?"
"Yeah, it is actually very good for you, all the nutrients of the nuts are in it and will help fight off pretty much anything, but it's also why I hate hickory nuts; mum made one bottle when I was ill and said I wanted a day off school, first time. One spoonful, then she put the rest in a jar; every time I felt a bit pickley, I looked at the jar and thought of so many things I'd rather have, you know, Ebola, the Black Death, than the vinegar, when I looked away I was cured. Been in the family for years now, but never bettered".
"Hmm, harsh but fair", Lara had to hold her hands up, impressed at the folk medicine, "you'd have a hell of a job getting it past the medical board though".
"Armadillo logic", Mighty tapped the shell covering her head, "if it works, use it; if it doesn't, use something better". Wyn thought for a second, opened him mouth, closed it, thought again before shaking his head in defeat,
"Not a lot you can really say to that. For now though", he stood up, eyeing the pan with distaste and sidling up to it as though what lay inside could have reared up and bitten him, "the hickory nut vinegar's getting a decent burial", he gingerly picked it up by the very tip of the handle and turned on the tap with his other hand, "at sea".
XXX
Rather unsurprisingly, the flight back to Mystic Ruins, or at least the first half of it, was rather quiet, Tails occasionally shooting murderous glances at the Mobian sat next to him while she tried to look apologetic at the same time as try not to grin. However, there was something on her mind, and at just past the half-way point, it just broke free from her,
"Tails?"
"What?" There was enough disgust in that single word to stop nearly any inquiry, but Mighty had to push forwards,
"Why have you been so tired recently?" She carried on rapidly as he turned to look at her, a quick-fire answer on his lips, "we all saw it a little while back, when you were giving Vec his new batteries, you looked under the weather then. But it's just got worse; Sonic's starting to get concerned because you're hardly ever home, I reckon he thinks you're letting your work get on top of you. He does…"
"I know", Tails didn't need to hear any more; he'd known this would be coming and, truth be told, better Mighty than anyone he knew in Station Square, "and I'm grateful he gives a damn, but, well, truth be told I have been overdoing it a bit, but there's a reason for it, and a good one".
"Oh really", the armadillo put her hands in her lap, tapping her thumbs together as she asked, "don't suppose there's any chance you telling me about it?"
"Not really, no".
"Remembering of course that I have a direct link to your brother and can let him know the existence of this secret at any time?" Tails snapped his head around to see Mighty grinning broadly, her phone in her hand as he tried to act casual, keep up the act,
"You wouldn't, would you?"
"I might", she laughed, tapping his shoulder gently, "tell you what; get it off your chest to me, and I swear I won't tell anyone else; you need to tell someone or they'll just get nosy". Tails considered that statement and, almost immediately, his massive IQ had seen a way to throw virtually everyone off the scent,
"Good idea"; really?; Mighty hadn't actually been expecting him to agree – she'd never have told Sonic, if only because she could irritate him with it later, "yeah, if I tell you, you can let them all know there's a reason why I'm stopping out – they'll never believe me if I say it to their faces. All right then", he smiled slightly, beckoning her forwards; she was halfway down when he suddenly held up a hand,
"One more thing; laugh and I'll hit the eject button, got it?"
"Implicitly"; with that promise, she leant the rest of the way, allowing the smaller fox to crane his neck and whisper into her ear. What she heard took a second to digest, and another second to verify,
"Really?" The fox nodded, "are you absolutely serious?" He nodded again and Mighty had to laugh, just a little, as she threw an arm around his shoulder,
"You little sweetheart; that's the cutest thing I've ever heard", Tails gave an embarrassed grin as his cheeks went pink, "how much longer you gotta do this for?"
"Only another two weeks, maybe two and a half; it'll be worth it though"; yeah; for a second he fondly imagined the picture in his head; really worth it. Mighty, who didn't know he was only giving her the partial truth, offered some assurance,
"Well I'll get the word to Sonic; I promise I won't say what you're planning – that's just gold Tails, there's a Romeo in you yet kid".
"Yeah well, just need the conformation and that'll be that. Anyway, enough of that", he glossed over the topic before she could read any further into it, "I've got to get you to your boyfriend's and we're running late; better think of ways to save time". Mighty saw the sudden evil glint that lit up his eye and quashed it, even her iron nerves quailing at the thought of a repeat exposure of that.
"Roll out and when I get out I'll put your lights out, got it?" The foxboy gulped at her clenched fists,
"Every word".
XXX
Everyone has their vices, even a hero; for Sonic, the main vice took the form of Saturday mornings. If at all possible, he avoided getting up on a Saturday morning at all, just lazing in bed and enjoying the sensation of immobility, a dramatic change from the constant motion he otherwise lived in. This morning was no different; by strategic planning, he'd put his phone within easy reach of his bed and therefore, when it started buzzing, he was able to scoop it up and answer without leaving the comforting confines of his bed,
"Yo, talk to me".
"Hey Smurf"; his eyes narrowed as he recognised the voice,
"Ah, shelly", he licked his lips, the revenge for letting his nickname slip all planned out and read to be put into production, "yes, I owe you one for that; telling Knuckles was the second worst thing you could have done". There was a giggle from the other end of the line,
"So what was the first?"
"If you'd have told Rouge".
"Figures", she shook herself, recalling the reason she was even talking to him now, "anyway, listen, I'm phoning about Tails", Sonic sat up, the blanket falling away partly as his interest was piqued, "had a chat with him on the Tornado, and all I can say, my words not his, is don't worry; he's working overtime because there's a very good reason for it".
"Like?"
"Sorry, my lips are sealed. Just believe me, he knows what he's doing, trust me".
"Mich old friend, I trust you as far as you could throw me, you know that", it was true; Sonic did set store by one of his oldest friends even if they did continually needle each other; the reassurance from her about his brother's recent behaviour was comforting and helped set his mind at ease, "but I'm still going to get you for spreading the ancient name around".
"You never said I couldn't".
"I also never said you could".
"Ah well, it was a fifty-fifty and I got it wrong". The hedgehog smiled slyly as he caught her out again,
"It could have been ninety-nine to one and you'd still have got it wrong", the smile blossomed into a grin as he heard her disgruntled hiss, "but listen, you're with Big now aren't you?"
"Not yet, just on the outskirts of the swamp; there's no reception in there".
"Right, well have a good weekend okay? You'll go down a storm with his family I'm sure".
"Cheers for the vote of confidence", both old friends laughed before Mighty rang off with a cheerful, "see you around Sonic".
XXX
It was two weeks to the day after the conversation with Mighty when it happened; Tails woke up in his own bed, made to get up, had one shoe half on when it hit him like a wave of sweet relief. He flopped back onto the covers, letting all the tension seep from him slowly; he gave it all the time it needed for this was his first real day off in a month and a half. He just relaxed, concentrating on his breathing, wondering why you always took your free time for granted until you actually lost it; after nearly six weeks of virtually constant work, he was sure he'd never let a second of it go to waste again. As he lay there, eyes closed and mind resting, he began to plan the rest of his day; bank first, then if it's all in, I can make the payments; even half-asleep, he managed to smile; then I can make someone's day on Monday at the same time as…; the smile soured, turning down at the corners as part of what he was doing rankled with him – he hated using something like this just to ensure he still had the advantage of surprise, but here he had no choice. Well, at least I can make a start for it; after resting for a few more heavenly minutes, the fox stood and made to finish dressing, making to sort out town and finish his business there before trying anything else. It was as he left that he grabbed the most important bit of said business; the envelope held solemnly in one corner as he headed for the garage with the key to the Tornado in his hand.
XXX
With its traditional jerk, the bus pulled to a sudden stop, the lurch letting one of the last occupants know this was her stop. Hefting her heavy bag, laden with the promise of more French homework than she could shake a stick at, Cream huffed her way down the bus aisle and, having said her customary goodbye to the driver, slumped onto the pavement. Just my luck – why can't we live closer to school?; it was a valid question, the house she shared with her mother and two chao was right on the absolute borderline of the catchment area and as such the bus was always calling here first and earlier than anywhere else; all my friends get lie-ins, but not me. She grumbled at the unfairness of it all as she began to pace her way home, the bag on her shoulder still heavier than she remembered it.
That was what she really didn't like about school; not enough the teachers make life a drag from nine until three-thirty every Monday to Friday, they also had the brass necks to make home life less than pleasant as well. Homework was the bane of her life; there were so many other things she'd rather be doing than sat in her room pouring over musty textbooks in the vain search for some information that might just be vaguely useful at some unforeseeable point in her life. Such dire thoughts occupied her, as they always did, until she was at her own front door, pushing it open and letting such misery slide from her mind as the two chao rushed to greet her in a blizzard of wings and cheeps. Letting her bag hit the floor, she embraced each of them, letting Cheese and Chocola melt the strife from her heart.
"Hello you two", she scratched them both on the back of their heads, just where they liked it best, "have a good day?"
"Cha,cha,chao, chao"; the squeaks overlapped each other but she got the general gist as she moved into the kitchen, checking the clock on the wall as she did so; got about half an hour until mum gets home, an hour until dinner; with a sigh, she threw the bag she was dragging against the leg of the table and dove for the fridge, looking at the half-open flap, almost seeing the maleficent French verbs crawling around in the darkness as she held out a pair of chao treats for her pets and set her face; well, better make a start on this…
She'd actually surprised not only Vanilla but also herself by the time she had helped clear the table for dinner; fighting valiantly with the aid of an old translator dictionary that crowded the large bookshelf, she was over halfway through the campaign against the French, the essay getting there but needed a little more rallying of the troops to finally be overthrown for good. But that could wait until well after tea; Cream felt her mouth water as she saw and smelt the dish her mother was bringing towards the table,
"Umm, smells delicious".
"It should do", the older rabbit spoke as she set the dish on the table and lifted the lid, allowing a cloud of aromatic steam to rise over the table, "I loved it when I was your age". Cream didn't answer; she was already spooning vast servings of the meal onto her plate, mouth watering at the prospect of such a feast.
XXX
It was as they were clearing the table to make way for pudding that there was a ring on the doorbell; both rabbits paused, puzzled, unspokenly agreeing that neither had been expecting a call at this time of the day. Silently motioning for her daughter to sit down, Vanilla headed for the front door; Cream's keen ears heard the bolt slide free and a second later, her mother chuckle for some reason,
"Cream, you have a visitor". What?; the rabbit girl was mystified, her friends didn't often visit on school nights, they had their own work as well as she did; it was only when she peeked around the kitchen door that she realised, eye wide open,
"Tails", the fox in question nodded, grinning at something as his namesakes swished gleefully behind him as he stood on the front doorstep, "what are you doing here?" In answer, thankfully not noticing her slight hint of embarrassment, he held up an envelop and, without any prompting or warning, called,
"Catch!" and threw it towards her. Snatching it out of the air, not looking away from his face, she opened where the top had already been slit open and pulled out an official looking sheet of paper. When she unfolded and read from it, her world turned upside down.
XXX
Vanilla was probably the most surprised of all when her daughter leapt vertically a couple of feet and punched the air, deliriously happy as she celebrated,
"Yes, they did it, they've said yes…" The older rabbit leant down to the fox and whispered,
"Who said yes to what?" Tails smiled,
"That's the confirmation for her ALT; the Amateur Licence Test".
"Really?" A hint of celebration welled up in Vanilla's own mind as she understood why Cream in such a celebratory mood; at the minute, as far as she could tell, her daughter was trying to air-guitar as her two chao circled overhead like spinning comets, "so she…?"
"If she passes; the date's on the letter".
"I'm gonna be a pilot!" Cream raced the length of the hall and thrust the letter at her mother; the elder rabbit took it with a little more dignity and read it more closely; right, I can manage that. As with all these things there was a fee, but she had time to get the cash together. In fact…
"Cream, one thing; okay two", she said after a second's consideration, "number one, stop jumping around like a mad thing", that took a while, but eventually the younger rabbit managed to calm down marginally, at least enough to keep both feet on the floor and hear the second proclamation, "second, this is going to cost a touch, so if I pay for it, it'll be your birthday present, okay?"
"Sorry Vanilla, I beat you to that one".
Both rabbits looked around to where Tails stood sheepishly, smile awkward as he tried to explain,
"Well, check the date; I realised it was close to the time and, ah, well, I paid for it; consider that your very early birthday present". The last few words came out in a jumble, but somehow both listeners managed to untangle them, Vanilla in particular making an immediate connection,
"Is that, that's why you were working so hard?"
"It wasn't muc…"; apparently, Cream didn't agree – Tails was rocked on his heels as the rabbit flung herself at him, almost knocking him clean off the porch as she hugged him close into her. He was too shocked to feel embarrassed, putting his arms around her out of reflex as she shouted her thanks right down his ear,
"Thank you, thank you forever; how can I ever, settle that"; her voice as becoming more strangled; no, don't cry, not now; Tails had to think of something fast; bingo.
"Well", he flicked his eyes sideways to see Vanilla raise an eyebrow, "there is that new ice-cream parlour just opened…?"
"Mum, can I?"
"Go, or I'll never hear the end of it", Vanilla agreed with a laugh; in almost the same second Cream was gone up the stairs to find her money; as her daughter left, she lent down, "sneaky one you are". Tails shrugged,
"Well, I had to do something; I was thinking about driving lessons, but", the look in Vanilla's eyes killed that idea – no more needed to be said as there was a beige blur and Cream landed, soft brown eyes open to the full and hand snatching up Tails' own.
"Right, anything you want, and I mean anything; sometimes, you are the best Tails".
"Hey, I'm the best every time"; Vanilla watched them go, shaking her head as they boarded the Tornado and she shut the door on them, smiling as she went back into the kitchen; and they say there's no love in the world anymore – that crush is turning into more of a squeeze every day.
XXX
That'll keep me covered for a few days if not the whole time; as he worked in his garage later that evening, Tails felt the logical part of his mind taking in that assumption; after all Vanilla, arguably one of the most fiscally-minded of the people he knew, hadn't seen the connection, though he had held his breath when she'd mentioned the fact he'd been working extra time. Setting down his small wrench, the fox smiled for a minute, recalling that treat he'd had with Cream; it had been as he'd driven her home that he'd had another bout of the light-headedness he sometimes felt when he was near her; it must have been the washing powder Vanilla used or something, he didn't get it from anyone else. Whatever it was, it made his head spin and his stomach shrink but in a strangely pleasant way; if it were ice-cream; he put it into a form he could more easily reason with; that feeling would be mint choc chip mixed with hickory nut vinegar...who's there?
His sensitive ears had heard a tapping in his garage; a stranger was walking on the stone floor. Mildly curious, dreamy look still on his face, the fox looked around; very quickly after one hint of the emotion in those jade eyes, his fantasies had evaporated and he was scrambling up, seeking to lock himself in the cockpit of his plane as he shrieked,
"No, no way!" It was a good try, but there was no way he was going to beat Sonic in a footrace; the blue hedgehog jumped up, snagging him out the air and dragging him down, keeping a tight grip on the squirming fox as he gleefully promised,
"Yes way", holding on, he threw his protesting younger brother over his shoulder, "you're coming to play cards Tails, and after the song and dance you made of me with Amy, you are going to sit through every second of it".
"How'd you find out?"
"A little chao told me".
"Let me guess, a chao with a large shell, no sense of direction and severe distaste of hickory nuts?"
"Yep, the very same", Sonic made ready to take off as he felt his brother give up; his ego demanded, however, he made one final jibe, "and I have to agree with her Tails, you are far too cute"; the fox slapped the hand that reached back and pinched his cheek, silently fuming and plotting a way to get back at the loose-tongued armadillo.
All that night, through Sonic's various jibes, Shadow's more subtle, biting sense of humour and Amy's alternating between stern protector of her younger sister and star-struck romantic, Tails was sustained by a single thought, one certainty that kept the fixed smile anchored on his face; this will be worth it in the end.
The time rolled on very quickly, exceeding even Tails' most fervent hopes as, after completely mortifying him over the course of three and a bit hours before finally running him back to Mystic Ruins, where he had silently swore a long, violent and extremely painful revenge on a certain member of the Choatix, no-one mentioned his overtime again. Soon, though not soon enough for those on Angel Island, the time had almost arrived.
XXX
"Oh God", Lara reached up and adjusted her tiara for what felt like the thousandth time; I've got to get everything just right, it's got to be a perfect day for Wyn – this time I'm not going to be let down; she swept her eyes over the other Mobians in her household, seeing how they seemed to be coping with nerves. To her utter chagrin, they appeared at ease; Rouge, noticing her scrutiny, gave a supportive smile, Amy was smoothing the last few wrinkles out of her dress, Mighty stooped to lace her shoes and Cream was just looking around in wide-eyed delight, enchanted by the magic of the day as only a child could be.
"How do you do it?" Each of the other girls looked up at the bride's sudden question, "how do you all look so relaxed; I'm going to pieces here, and I've already done this once before".
"Then you're just the same as I was Lara; don't worry, it's natural", Rouge added with a smile, "Knuckles told me something Charmy said on our wedding day; in two hours it'll start, in four you'll be married, in eight you'll be sloshed and in twelve you'll be on your way to the best holiday you've ever had".
"Charmy came up with that?" Mighty raised an eyebrow, chuckling slightly as she remembered the bee's occasional flashes of verbal brilliance; sure as hell makes a change to Espio's constant lemon sucking.
"And he was right, except for the sloshed part", the bat's smile widened into a chuckles as Amy looked away, grinning,
"After what happened the first time I'm not surprised; that was a mean trick by Tails".
"He deserved it though", Cream said quietly, careful not to act too defensive just in case someone tried to make some lurid claim of a relationship between Tails and herself; yes, he paid for my test, yes we had an ice-cream together, and I wanted him to come to the Boxing Day Bash, and…; she cut herself off, fighting hard not to blush as, thankfully, Lara agreed with her,
"Yes, he did after that, but anyway", with a sudden lurch she was reminded of the occasion and adjusted her tiara again, massaging her temple as she demanded, "I need something to take my mind off things; Mighty, you said you…?"
"Yeah, we had a great time", the armadillo had told this story an awful lot over the past week or so to paper over Lara's fraying nerves, but the events of the recent past were pleasant to her; she smiled as she recounted her journey to the heart of her partner's family, "they live a way away, way out of Station Square", Amy leant forwards, as did Cream to a lesser extent; the chance to learn more about the third member of what had once been Team Rose not an opportunity to be missed, "took us about four hours on the trains, but luckily we weren't delayed. Got in at around four-ish; Big let us in, typical fur-ball still knew where the key was kept".
Like he'd never been away; again, she tried to picture what it must be like to live as Big did, a perfect memory a blessing and a curse, his damnation and, as she had been forced to demonstrate using two of the Mobians before her, his salvation as well. She realised she had paused and shook herself; not wanting to keep her audience in suspense, she carried on,
"His mum was the first in; she'd just been into the shops. Tia, her name is, and she's one of the friendliest Mobians I've ever met – just hugged the Big guy like he'd never been away. Hugged me as well, once Big introduced us; I reckon she'd have roasted an ox if I'd have said I was feeling peckish, and her daughters", the armadillo shook her head, chuckling and pointing to her left, "just imagine floppy a bit older and bigger built; you can get the picture right?"
"Good family then; they're twins right?" Amy chipped in, recalling that detail from one of Big's earlier admissions to her. Mighty had no hesitation in assuring her of that,
"Yep, identical to the last hair; they're both tortoise-shell like they're mother, Big takes after his dad as a tabby".
"Only girl cats can be tortoise-shell", Cream suddenly piped up, explaining as she recalled one of her recent lessons, "the genes for coat colour are on the X chromosomes in cats, and you need one of each for a tortoise-shell coat – they told us about it biology. So Big has to be tabby 'cause he's only got one X chromosome". Rouge shook her head, looking at the rabbit anew with respect,
"What are they teaching you in schools these days?" Mighty laughed as she gently rubbed the rabbit's ears, not seeing the slight glower the younger Mobain sent her way, a plan of revenge hatched and nurtured in her mind; oblivious, Mighty carried on,
"So anyway, these two are identical, except for one thing; when they were kittens, Tia took one of them and dabbed the tip of her tail with a bit of peroxide to make sure everyone knows who's who. So Sophie's got a white speck on her tail that she keeps dyeing to making sure she can be told apart from Chloe, who's light purple all over. And believe me, they were both, ah, more than happy to see their big brother again". Picturing the scene, Lara smiled,
"Sent the fur flying did they?"
"And the rest; first time I've ever seen anything nearly knock Big off his feet, and that's with me trying as well. Just fifteen now; goodness knows what they'll be like when they're full grown if they can do that already. Big was over the moon, one on each arm and happy as a clam; they teased him something rotten when he introduced me though, little swines, but they stopped when I picked Big up and threatened to throw him at them if they didn't". Amy giggled as the image of the Mobian in front of her hefting Big over her head like the world's furriest weight bar titillated her fertile imagination,
"Bet that shut them up".
"I'll say; their house if fairly big, but he's one cat I wouldn't want to swing around in there. But how I'll never know; his dad's tiny, he's only around here", Mighty held a flat palm about level with her eyes, "nice guy is Bill, but even he can't explain why Big's so big, even though", she snickered a little, leaving Amy and Cream guessing what the punch-line was before she winked, "he told me why he called his son Big".
"Really?" Both the cat's former team-mates listened in closely, Amy asking the telling question, "come on then, don't keep us in the dark, what's the reason?"
"Well they wanted to call him Bill, after his father, but the typist at the registration office was a bit deaf and her hearing aid batteries had run low; she misheard them and no-one noticed until after it had all been made official. It would have been a devil to try and change it, so they didn't bother; Tia always said it was the luckiest mistake she'd ever made, and she wasn't the one who made it".
A second later, the comedy of the story brought all four listening Mobians to their knees laughing, the tension of the moment banished for a while as Lara was able to laugh at the slight quirk of fate that had given one of her other guests a name to be remembered by.
On the other side of town, however, the scenario was slightly different and, for the groom in particular, a lot more foreboding.
XXX
It had started well enough; Wyn already had the Choatix and his future step-son in his flat getting ready when the bell had gone and the second wave of Mobians had crashed ashore; Sonic, Shadow, Tails and Big had quickly joined in getting ready for the ceremony, little over three hours away. All was going well until Jose, the Mobian whom Wyn had asked to be best man, laughed and pointed at the groom himself,
"Look gentlemen", he quickly rushed over and held the brown echidna's hand as Wyn realised what he was getting at, "the ice Mobian thaws". There was scattered sniggering as Wyn pulled his hand free, glaring at his friend as he wiped the bead of sweat away and Knuckles clapped him on the shoulder,
"Don't panic Wyn; it was coming off me in buckets on my big day".
"I don't want to know", the older echidna groaned, moving as Vector dodged clumsily out the way, "but if you excuse me, the melt-water's trying to flow away". That statement got the crocodile moving,
"Stay away or we'll all go down together"; most of the assembled laughed as Wyn headed for the water closet of his apartment.
When he'd re-emerged, trying hard to keep the butterflies in his stomach under control, the sight that had greeted him had been enough to make him smile,
"Hey", he called to the black hedgehog slouched against the wall, "none of that; if anyone's going to be fainting here it's me". There was no response; Wyn felt the skin of his palms prickle with worry as he cautiously crept closer,
"Shadow?" The black hedgehog didn't speak, but somehow turned his head towards the echidna, his half-shut eyes betraying that something was amiss before his knees buckled and he slumped to the floor, out as if someone had smacked him with a club. What's going on?; a little panic welled up as Wyn rushed over, gently holding the skin of his forearm to the black hedgehog's face and breathing a sigh of relief as breath ruffled the fur on his arm; how the hell is he asleep? With increasing disbelief, the future husband rounded the corner, and walked into a scene that a second ago he would have barely credited as possible.
Everyone here was sprawled around, unconscious, dead to the world as he took a pace forwards, not registering what had happened; they were all asleep just like Shadow was. His gaze travelled around, a single question burning in his mind; what's done this, and why am I okay? It was a sound that alerted him, a slight creak and mechanical grating sound that normally would have passed beneath his notice; now it made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Turning slowly, eyes drawn magnetically to the twisting door handle, Wynmacher stood transfixed as the door pushed open; oh Christ, what does he want here? Twin shards of blue ice locked onto Wyn, the mouth beneath them curling into a tight smile,
"Hello Wynmacher". With dry lips, the brown echidna managed to croak,
"Locke".
A/N: What's Locke's game this time; where are the rest of the Brotherhood? Can he stop the wedding even at this late stage, and what can he do to make it so? Would Locke really break Lara's heart again?