Sorry for the delayed update, my internet correction went down.

Here is the other character I've missed so far this story.

9. Uncovered

"Blossom, wake up. Blossom…" a voice gently whispered. Blossom rolled over.

"Not just yet Brick… BRICK!" she sat blot upright. Although it wasn't exactly clear where upright was, as she seemed to be floating in a purple void. Brick was drifting along side her.

"Hia," he said. Blossom jumped.

"I am dead?" she asked. Brick paused for a moment, and then suck his hand through Blossom.

"Nope."

"Ah. I thought it didn't seem that bad. Then why are you here… and where exactly is here?"

"Relax," Brick put his hands behind his head and leant back to emphasise the point, "you're just in a short comma, and I'm here to keep you company." He looked up for a moment, "or I'm a figment of your imagination and you've flipped."

"Ha ha," Blossom replied, "I haven't flipped. I'd have noticed."

"Then why are you keeping Sonic in your basement?"

"Because… this is stupid! If we're together for a brief moment, surely we've got better things to do then argue!"

"Really? That's what we mostly do… did." He reached out for her, and passed his hand through again. "I miss those days," he said. "We used to spend hours arguing, remember?"

"They were debates, not arguments… what's that?"

"What's what?"

"That ring on your finger?" Blossom said. Brick looked at it.

"Ah yes. Don't you remember it?"

"No, why should I?"

"I stole it from a shop the day I first asked you out."

"Which time?"

"The time you said yes," Brick smiled happily. Blossom nodded.

"Ah yes. Why are wearing it then?"

"It's a system they use when you're dead. If you have a ring on your right hand, it means that you're waiting for someone to die, you know, sort of like being married, but separated. I suppose it's a warning that when the person you love dies, and you reunited, you are going to drop everything, and anyone else."

Blossom nodded. She'd told Brick last time they'd met that he needed to do something other than moping and stalking her, although in a nicer way.

"How's it going?" she asked. Brick snorted.

"Well, thanks to you," he jibbed, "my room mate has rolled out his 'time flies when you're having fun' philosophy! I haven't had a break since, and if I see one more board game I swear I'll…"

"What about meeting anyone?" Blossom asked. Brick shrugged.

"There are a lot of nice girls," he admitted, "but I don't think I have the heart to go out with them and then drop them. I think I'd rather keep playing Monopoly."

Blossom laughed. "You've gone soft!" she said, "before you went out with me how many one night stands did you do?"

"Firstly, Butch and Boomer had many more than me…"

"Is that something to be proud of?" Blossom asked but Brick ignored it.

"And secondly, I'm thirty two now, not a teenager!"

"Hey, how does aging work when you're dead?"

"Now that's a fascinating question," Brick mused, "but it will have to wait for another time."

"Why?"

"Because you're about to wake up." He blew her a kiss. "Love you!" and with a pop he vanished. Then the purple void vanished, and Blossom was staring at the ceiling of a hospital.

"DADDY, DADDY, MUMS AWAKE, SHE'S AWAKE!" MJ shouted. Blossom leaned over to see Eddy drop his newspaper due to the shock of his daughter landing on his lap. Edward came running over too.

"Hi, Mum, you are now the proud owner of a scar like mine!" he said, as if it were a good thing. Blossom smiled briefly and tried to sit up. Her chest hurt. Eddy found his voice.

"Careful now dear," he said taking her under the shoulders and lifting her up, "it's still going to be sore."

"You're telling me," Blossom gasped. She steadied her breathing. "You all look worried, it can't have been that bad. It was only a bullet."

"Yes, but it did penetrate. I was just worried that you might not… you know… give up and let death come." Eddy was nervous. Blossom sighed.

"I love you all," she said reassuringly, "I'm not going to roll over and die at the first opportunity." Just to be with Brick, she silently finished to Eddy by looking in his eyes. Eddy looked slightly guilt for suggesting it.

"I'll go get the doctor," he said, still chirpily though, and he left. Blossom turned to the kids.
"So MJ, it was your turn to save me was it?"

"Yep," she said proudly. "That's one all!"

"Yes, but you didn't save Mum from ME," Edward retorted, "I think that deserves 2-1 at least."

"Gee, you two kids are competitive," Blossom smiled. It was some what endearing.

"And I can fly and he can't!" MJ demonstrated it too. Blossom was slightly disappointed to see that Edward didn't look the slightest bit jealous. This is crazy, she thought. How can I one moment not want him to know about his powers and the next be disappointed that he doesn't want to know.

"That's very good MJ," she said anyway.

"It's not perfect yet though," said Edward in the tone that a trainer would use for an athlete who hadn't reached their full potential, "she can't turn corners."

"Really?" Blossom was confused, "then how did you get me here?"

MJ looked embarrassed. "Well, I flew back to the city, then I web swung the rest of the way. Like Spiderman does. I had a few photos taken too, they must have thought I was him."

Blossom wasn't so sure. The newspapers hated Spiderman. They were on her side at the moment, but what would they think of MJ when they found out?

After finding out from the doctor that it was only a light wound, that she'd only been out for a few hours, and once a bandage had been applied, Blossom was discharged. First thing she did was head for the SSR. She needed to work out who'd shot her.

When she got back to her desk however, she found that a lot of people had already been looking into it.

"There's no mistaking it," Tails told her with a hint of regret, "this bullet is the same type that killed Amy and Manic, a special bullet that will even penetrate superheroes." Shadow, Sonna, Knuckles, Bubbles and Buttercup were also there. (The two Ruffs were exhausted and had taken a break; it appeared that the people they'd been guiding had almost limitless energy.)

"So are you saying that Nack shot me?" Blossom asked. Shadow Blinked.

"No, we're saying Sonic shot you," he said deadpan.

SHIT, thought Blossom, I'm not supposed to know about Nack!

"But we still don't know where he is," said Bubbles, "and he could strike again at any minute!"

"We'll stay here until we get him," Shadow spoke again, but he was still looking at Blossom, his eyes boring into her, as if they were trying to read her mind.

"HEY," the black hedgehog's attention was finally drawn from her by Knuckles. "You promised me that we'd leave as soon as we found my emerald!"

"Have you found it yet," said Shadow coolly. Knuckles flustered for a moment, but Buttercup rescued him.

"Hey, we might be able too…"

"HANG ON," Bubbles suddenly, with a note of desperation in her voice cut across her sister. "I've been thinking."

"That's new." Buttercup was not happy about being interrupted. Bubbles ignored her.

"All this stuff we know about Sonic. We know he doesn't trust many people. We know he can't survive in the wild. We know he lived in his office, and we know he has no real friends. So where would he go?"

"Anywhere!" said Knuckles tetchily, "now about my…"

"He hasn't even left the state."

"WHAT!"

"He's in Townsville."

"What are you saying," asked Tails, but Shadow was now staring at Blossom again. A rye smile was developing on his face.

"He will have gone to the one person who he believes will understand him," he said. "That's what she's saying."

"Why are you looking at Blossom," asked Buttercup, who knew the answer but didn't want to believe it.

"When did he tell you his pathetic alibi?" Shadow asked Blossom. She squirmed.

"You have Sonic!" said Sonna in shock. Blossom broke.

"Maybe," she conceded. She couldn't bring herself to admit it.

"Blossom…" gasped Buttercup. Bubbles also looked worried, this confused Blossom, she should have been looking smug. The others looked nervous, (except Shadow.) Tails and Knuckles exchanged glances, Sonna looked at her feet.

"Does that mean we have to arrest him?" Tails asked. His question was left unanswered. It answered its self.

"Bubbles, take us to Blossom's house please," Shadow said.

"Okay, all link hands," she said, but Bubbles was confused. How come she'd worked all that out? It wasn't like her to be so smart, or to dump Blossom in it like that (well, not with strangers around anyhow.)

Don't worry about that, a voice in the back of her head said, capturing Sonic will distract them from their Emerald, and then it will be ours! So smiling, she teleported them away.

The house was empty. Sonic knew this because he'd heard Eddy leave with the kids. They were planning something to welcome Blossom home with. It seemed stupid to Sonic. She'd only been gone for a few hours! You'd have thought she'd been shot or something.

Sonic sighed. Maybe it was this sort of thing that had prevented him from understanding family life. Maybe he should experiment on what ever planet he landed up on next. Earth was a nice planet though. And he had had a great job. It was sad to lose it all.

To distract himself from such depressing thoughts, he focused on the fact that he was hungry. When was Blossom coming with his next meal? Perhaps he could pick the lock and help himself…

The door at the top of the basement stairs opened. Sonic looked up.

"Well it's about time!" he shouted. Blossom looked in.

"Sorry I'm late Sonic. I got shot."

"Really, who by and when's dinner."

"Five o'clock. On death row." Shadow pushed his way past Blossom. Sonic was aghast.

"You…I…"

"They guessed," Blossom said, looking at her feet. Shadow was grinning broadly.

"Okay Sonic, don't make a move. Lets not do this the hard way," he said, as Buttercup started taking Blossom to task about this. But Sonic wasn't listening to any of them. He'd spotted someone.

"Why did you lie to me Blossom?" he said coldly. Blossom looked up. Buttercup stopped.

"Sonic?"

"Why didn't you tell me Sonna was here?" he sounded crushed. Sonna looked at Sonic, and then stepped in behind Knuckles. Blossom hesitated. They were now all down in the basement in a ring around Sonic.

"I thought you might do something rash. I didn't want to get any false hope up."

"False hope," Sonic said miserably. "False hope that she might still love me."

"No, Dad, I…" Sonna stuttered.

"Don't worry about that girl," Sonic overrode her, "I know my place. Come on, let's get this over with."

Shadow gestured at Tails for him to handcuff Sonic to himself, and as he did, Blossom walked up to Sonic, and bent down to him.

"It's okay," she tried to reassure him, her heart filled with pity. "We've got legal teams, lawyers, rights of appeals, it's not over yet."

Sonic had never looked so defeated. He looked up at Blossom, will his huge single eye, and said mournfully, "I'm glad you think that too."

He swung his arm and sent Tails arm smacking into to Blossom's chest, right where she'd been shot. As the pink Puff rolled backwards in pain, everyone tried to jump out of the relaxed poses they'd been in. Sonic had timed it perfectly, the only person who had a chance of stopping him was Shadow, but Sonna slightly impeded him and it was enough to give the hedgehog the time he needed. Sonic whipped his former sidekick fox round, and in a moment, was using Tails left hand (handcuffed to Sonic's right) to choke him. Sonic was now behind Tails, he had him as a perfect hostage.

"Alrighty!" Sonic's confidence was back like a flash, "back off, or I'll kill him!"

"DAD NO," Sonna tried to get to him, but Shadow cut her off.

"Back down!" he ordered. Bubbles and Buttercup didn't feel obliged to obey.

"If you lay one finger on him…" Bubbles started as they approached.

"Back down you two," Blossom said as she stood up. Her sisters looked reluctant, but they did. Buttercup still took a cheap shot.

"See what you helped!" she spat as Blossom gingerly picked her self up. The bullet wound was stinging like crazy.

"Right back, up against the wall, that's it," order Sonic. Tails coughed slightly as everyone backed off. Well, nearly everyone. Knuckles stood at the bottom of the basement stairs, completely unmoved.

"Come on Sonic, your not going to kill Tails! You're too soft."

"I murdered my wife," Sonic yanked on Tails' throat for a moment, "or did I?"

"Lets not get into that," said Knuckles grimly, "just release Tails."

Sonic chuckled. "Always to the point Knuckles, just like old times." He gripped Tail's wrist gently yet firmly. "Yes, just like old times…"

"NO DAD," Sonna recognised the wrist grab before anyone else, "DON'T…"

There was a blue flash and Knuckles got trampled.

"…run," she tailed off.

Okay, please review. Thanks. Not long left now…