(I DO NOT OWN SONIC AND COMPANY! They are owned by Sega and Sonic Team.)

Shadow dragged Johnny off to the side.

"I almost wanna see him get ripped to shreds."

My fangs showed a little more that usual.

"Hey Guys! It's such a surprise to see you! Well, I guess it's not. But Hi!"

I turned around to see Rouge.

"Whoa."

Rouge stopped running toward us and stared at Stella.

"Who's that?"

Stella looked at me.

Stella may be 14 but she's always kept the same sort of innocence a 4 year old has.

"Hi, Rouge what's up?"

Rouge walked the rest of the way.

"Who's the kid?"

Rouge looked at Stella.

I had been holding her.

(She's a few feet small for her age.)

I put Stella down.

"I'm Stella!"

Stella was cheery and bright.

"I never expected your kid to be so optimistic. You adopted I see. So where's Shadow?"

"What! Why does everyone think she's my kid!"

"Well, she's Shadow's too, I would assume."

"No! She has parents! I'm just her team leader!"

"But why were you holding her?"

"Because her legs were tired."

"All of me is tired."

Stella grumbled.

I heard laughter.

I looked at Shadow and Johnny.

"She wouldn't tell anyone to get rid of me! She's my girl, my main squeeze ya know?"

Johnny was blabbering on about his annoying fantasy life.

"Maria isn't anyone's anything."

Shadow only glared.

"She told me to get rid of you and that's what I'm gonna do."

"Who's that guy?"

Rouge looked at Johnny in utter hatred.

"Meet the horror that is Johnny."

I rolled my eyes.

"Will you leave?"

Shadow asked directly.

"No."

Johnny replied.

"All right."

Shadow took hold of Johnny's arm and twisted it.

"Agh! Dude, what was that for?"

Johnny shrieked.

"Will you leave now?"

"No!"

Shadow smacked Johnny's head up against the rock next to them.

I giggled.

Stella looked up at me.

"What's with the giggle?"

Rouge smiled.

"I can't help but laugh when I see him get hurt. One time he fell off his bike and twisted his ankle and I couldn't tell his mom 'cause every time I got started I start laughing hysterically."

"Will you leave now?"

"I'll leave Maria alone if that's what you mean."

Shadow looked at me.

I was laughing remembering the bike incident.

I couldn't talk so I just gave Shadow a thumbs up.

"Okay."

Shadow came over.

"Hey Rouge."

"Hi Shadow."

"Good times."

I wiped tears from my eyes.

"So… we're gonna go find the rest of our caravan. Wanna join us?"

I said regaining my sanity.

"Ah, what the heck. Sure."

Rouge joined us although she and Petite glared at each other the whole time.

I left Shadow and Johnny to become acquainted with one another.

(With Shadow)

"So… you're Maria's boyfriend?"

Johnny asked.

"What! No!"

Shadow looked away so Johnny couldn't see him blush.

"Oh. Well I'm her next door neighbor."

Johnny smiled.

"You mean, you were her next door neighbor."

"What do you mean were?"

"Maria's not moving back. She lives with the Black Hearts. She has an obligation to her team."

"Oh. Well then. I guess I'm her nothing. But that's okay. I know her anyway."

"Hey, Maria. Could Stella come back here with me for a sec?"

I looked at him coldly.

"What do you want with Stella? Best Friend of not, I don't trust you with my youngest."

"And you ask why everyone thinks you're her mom? You just called her your youngest."

I looked down at Stella.

Stella looked up and smiled at me.

"You can trust Shadow, Maria. Remember the time there was nothing on TV and you and Breeze started talking about TV mom's and how stupid they were. You said Shadow's great with kids and that he would make a wonderful father."

"I did not!"

"Yes you did, I remember!"

"You're not supposed to be eavesdropping on my conversations with Breeze."

I grumbled.

Shadow was giving me the "I can only hope that's not true" look.

"Alright, you can have her."

I let go of Stella.

Shadow picked her up.

"If it makes ya feel better, I'll buy her some ice cream when the ice cream man comes around."

I gave Shadow a dirty look but couldn't help myself from getting in the last line.

"Make sure tuck her in at night."

Shadow laughed.

When I faced forward again I found Rouge was smiling brightly at me.

"No comment…please."

I groaned.

"Alright… oh, come on let me say it."

"No."

"… You forgot to tell him her bedtime."

She said really fast laughing directly afterwards.

"Sorry."

Rouge flipped her hair.

"You'd better be."

I snarled.

We caught up with the group about ten minutes later.

"Carlos!"

Jwan screeched.

She ran up and kissed him on the cheek.

Shadow leaned over.

"Doesn't it sicken you?"

He whispered in my ear.

"Well, only that they only knew each other for a few months before going out."

I whispered back.

"It's not that bad."

Rouge glared at me.

"You're so strict about everything. Look at you. You're 21 and you haven't had your first kiss. You deny ever liking anyone. Anyone."

"So I'm picky. At least I don't have to feel my heart shatter every two seconds."

Yeah, that right there was my worst excuse ever.

"I wouldn't be sure about that. You look heart broken quite a lot."

Rouge raised an eyebrow.

"I need to talk with you."

My angry little brother grabbed my arm and dragged over to a tree.

"Why are we talking under a tree?"

I asked, admiring the apples that grew on it.

"I don't know we just are. Tails showed me a tape of what happened yesterday."

"So?"

"So, you almost kissed Shadow."

I looked around and found there wasn't a single thing in the world that could possibly explain that.

"So?"

I said again but this time my voice was softer.

"SO!"

I was that I controlled fire not him.

"Maria. You know I don't trust Shadow. With anything. At all."

The sky darkened and it began to rain.

(Sonic's power is weather)

"I know. But, I do. You'll see, he's not that bad a guy."

I twiddled my thumbs.

"Maria. If he breaks your heart I'll rip his out."

I smiled.

Sonic had never been so much like a brother.

"You won't have to. I know what I'm doing."

Although the truth was, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into.

It's stated to rain harder.

I gave my little brother a hug.

"How 'bout some chilly dogs for lunch?"

"That sounds good."

That's about as close as it gets to him thanking me.

So we had an indoor cookout.

Or, um, in I guess,

I went to see if my room still existed.

Sure enough it did.

I sat down on my four post bed.

"Boo."

Stella walked in.

"Eek, a monster."

I wasn't even looking at her.

"You could at least act like you're scared."

Stella came and sat down next to me.

"Sorry, just lost in thought.'

"A lot of memories here?"

"More than you know."

Hey, the few people who read this. I have a movie I'm making with my friends and I have a script that I am totally not done with. It takes place two years before this. I could post it if you wanted.