Chapter 13: Makin' Bacon Pancakes

Amy Rose slowly opened her eyes, observing the dimly lit room, the sunlight finding its way between the cracks in the blinds. Turning her head to the right, she found Cream sleeping to her side in the bundle of blankets left out on the floor for the Mobians to share. The young rabbit was wrapped around the pink hedgehog's right arm with Cheese nestled comfortably between the two Mobians.

She gently crawled to the opposite side of the makeshift bed and pulled herself up. The young bunny was undisturbed, rolling over as she hugged her pet chao in her sleep.

Running a gloved hand through her hair, Amy stretched her back before observing herself in the mirror hanging on the bedroom door. The pink hedgehog was in a set of pajamas Doug and Alicia pulled out of storage: a blue shirt and pants with cartoonish bubbles of various sizes covering the oversized outfit.

Carefully observing her face, she nearly shrieked at the lipstick, mascara, and blush. It took the young hedgehog a few moments to remember the late-night beauty session she had with Cream, Cheese, and Helen, where they were far too tired to clean themselves up before venturing off into dreamland.

Chuckling to herself, the pink hedgehog crept to her neatly organized, folded pile of clothing and stepped out of the bedroom. Glancing at the nearby living room clock, she found it was seven in the morning. The pink hedgehog made her way to the restroom, where she washed the beauty products from her face, changed into her normal attire, and brushed her hair before making her way to the kitchen.

"What's this?" The pink hedgehog picked a note up from the table.

Hey Helen, we were called into work again. The store and clinic were short-staffed and begged us to come in. Looks like we'll need to postpone the trip again, but we'll make it up to you!

Love

Mom and Dad

"O-ohhh…Helen's not going to be happy about this." Amy sighed as she set the note aside and approached the kitchen counters. Placing her hands on her waist, she peered up at the cabinets above. "Why do humans have to be so tall?" The pink hedgehog pushed a chair to the counter and climbed up, allowing her easier access to the cabinets above.

"There's gotta be something here for breakfast…let's see…aha!" Amy grabbed a box of instant pancake mix. "Success! Nothing like a sweet, homecooked meal. That'll make Helen feel better for sure!"

The pink hedgehog got to work, gathering up the various supplies stored away throughout the kitchen. In a mixing bowl, Amy cracked an egg and combined the instant powder before pouring some over a large pan atop the stove. A few minutes later, she was flipping pancakes while cooking bacon and monitoring the toaster, putting her cooking skills to good use for the first time since arriving on Earth. To make things easier, Amy pushed several chairs together, allowing her safer access to the stove top, toaster, and what little counter space was afforded to her in Helen's modest kitchen.

The first one lured out of sleep by the tantalizing aroma of breakfast was Cream, who rubbed her eyes and yawned into her palm. Sleepily resting between her ears was Cheese, whose drowsiness nearly dissipated at the sight and smell of the breakfast Amy was preparing.

"Good morning, Miss Amy," Cream greeted cheerfully.

"Chao, chao!" Cheese added.

"Morning!" Amy transferred some pancakes to a large serving dish before pouring the remaining mix into the hot pan. "I hope you're ready for some mouth-watering breakfast!"

"Am I!" Cream exclaimed as she balled her fists in excitement before climbing up the row of chairs to join Amy next to the stove. "Amy, this looks delicious! I can't wait to eat!"

"Chao, chao!" Cheese agreed.

"I'm sure it'll taste even better than it looks!" Amy replied as she flipped the bacon over with her tongs. "One can never go wrong with pancakes n' bacon."

It was while Cream was helping bring the tall stack of pancakes to the table when Helen arrived, rolling in with a loud yawn not unlike Cream's from earlier.

"Morning," Helen greeted as Amy carefully climbed down from the chair next to the stove, balancing a plate of crispy bacon in her hands. The human girl reached for a piece and took a bite. "Oh wow, this is really good, Amy!"

"Thanks!" she replied as she ran one hand through her hair. The plate wobbled in her other hand, but she quickly secured it before depositing the dish on the table.

"You know if mom and dad are up?" Helen asked as she rolled her way to the table.

"Ohh, about that…" Amy scratched her hair once more.

"Don't tell me," Helen replied as she peered around the kitchen until she found what she was looking for: the all too familiar sight of a hastily written note from her parents. "Yep, called it."

"You already knew?" Amy asked as she set the table.

"Yeah, I'm used to it, unfortunately." Helen sighed as she grabbed the note from the counter and read it. "Oh no!" she gasped, dropping the note on her lap. "We were supposed to visit the flower island today! We've been planning this trip for months. Looks like that's not going to happen…"

"Don't be sad, Helen…" Amy patted the human girl on the shoulder. "I'm sure it'll work itself out soon."

"Where'd your parents go, Miss Helen?" Cream asked from the table.

"Oh, to work," Helen sighed once more. "They're always so short staffed, so they turn to my parents to pick up extra shifts, and they always accept, no matter what."

"No matter what?" Amy tilted her head. "Why do they work so much?"

"As you can tell," Helen gestured around the modest kitchen and adjoining living room before turning her sights to the note on her lap, "we're not really made of money. Plus, my medical condition is expensive. Mom and Dad can hardly afford my appointments." She peered up at Amy and Cream at the table. "I know they work a whole bunch for my sake, but sometimes…it'd be nice to just have some time with them, you know?"

The three sat in silence. Helen quietly thought back to the last true family vacation she had with her parents which felt like ages ago. Cream, meanwhile, was thinking about her mother, Vanilla, who was left behind when Chaos Control brought her and her friends to Earth.

"It's…just not fair," Cream said in a whispered voice as tears started forming in her eyes. "Parents should be with their kids all the time, like with me and my mum…" The young bunny sniffled as she wiped a tear drop away.

"I bet you miss her a lot, don't you?" Helen asked as she rolled closer to her seat. Cream nodded slowly in response, staring blankly at the tall plate of pancakes in the center of the table. "I'm sorry, Cream…" The human girl placed her hand on Cream's own, locking their fingers together gingerly. "I shouldn't really be complaining. I get to see my parents every day after all."

"We can be sad together, Miss Helen," Cream said with a smirk as she wiped the tears away from her other eye.

"Yeah, I guess we can." Helen returned the rabbit's smile with her own as Amy observed the moment, shaking herself out of it when she noticed the notable absence of the other Mobians.

"Hey, where's Sonic and Tails?" Amy asked. "It's unlike Sonic to sleep in whenever I'm cooking breakfast!"

"I didn't know you two lived together!" Helen exclaimed.

"Oh, we don't, unfortunately…" Amy grumbled a bit under her breath, a small blush appearing across her face. "Trust me, I've broached the subject with Sonic loads of times, but he says he'd rather live with Tails."

"What's wrong with Tails?"

The group turned to the entryway to find the blue blur himself, standing casually with his back resting against the wall and his arms folded as the wind whooshed in. Moments later, Tails swooped in after, riding on the wind's current with his rotary namesakes before plopping down on the carpeted floor below.

"Oh, hey guys!" Helen waved from her wheelchair. "Up early?"

"Yep!" Sonic replied as he stretched his legs. "Me n' Tails went on a morning jog."

"The trails around her are super nice!" Tails added. "We had a little bit of a race, too."

"Who won?" Helen asked as she itched the base of her chin.

"Do you even have to ask?" Sonic gestured his arms. "The winner was obviously m—" he stopped mid-gloat as a familiar pain flared up near his abdomen.

"Sonic!" Launching herself out of her chair, Amy dove to the blue hedgehog's aid. "What happened?"

"Nothin' serious," Sonic reassured, "jus' my injury actin' up is all." He chuckled lightly as he placed a gloved hand over his stitches.

"Sonic overexerted himself," Tails said as he scratched the back of his head. "I had to remind him the doctor's orders."

"Yeah, yeah," Sonic replied as he pulled himself up and stretched his back, "take it easy 'n all that. I remember."

Amy approached the orange kitsune and lowered her head towards his. In a whispered voice, she said, "You're telling me he can't run that much?"

"Yep," Tails replied, equally quietly, "also, why are we whispering?"

"Oh, no reason," Amy replied in her normal voice followed by a nervous laugh. "I'm not planning a surprise date Sonic can't escape from or anything…"

"Ohh, well, okay then…" Tails sniffed the air and, within seconds, started drooling. "Is that breakfast?"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Amy ran to her spot at the table. "Come sit! Breakfast is ready!"

"Oh, wowie!" Tails ran to the free spot next to Helen. Sonic took his time, however, finding the only remaining spot to be next to Amy, unsurprisingly.

"Let's dig in!" Sonic exclaimed.

After passing around the food, and filling their plates with pancakes, toast, and bacon, the group enjoyed their delectable feast. Sonic forgot about his wound, and Cream and Helen's parental woes dissipated like a smoke cloud, as they were all surrounded by the comfort of delicious food and loving family.

"What in chaos is taking Rouge so long?"

Within the command center of his island fortress stomped Eggman, pacing back and forth as he made several circles, the doctor's robotic assistants watching from their posts.

"How many calories do you think Eggman has burned?" Decoe asked his mechanical brother.

"I don't know," Bocoe replied, "but it must be several times more than usual. This is a new exercise record!"

"Enough with your commentary!" Eggman barked. "I happen to be perfectly happy with my current lifestyle, thank you very much!" Robotnik sat down at his chair and stared into his console, not detecting anyone or anything approaching his base. "Absolutely ridiculous!" Eggman slammed his fists against his desk. "Rouge said it herself this job would be a piece of cake! Did she allow herself to get caught, or did she just run off with the Chaos Emerald?"

"Doshtor, doshtor!"

"Hmmm?" Eggman, Decoe, and Bocoe turned their attention to the small messenger robot near the corner of the command center, who was busy flipping through American programming on one of the evil doctor's many explosive television bombs.

"Lisbten!" Bokkun washed down his mouthful of mini marshmallows with a gulp of Mountain Dew Baja Blast. "Turn it to CNN!"

"This better be good…" Eggman grumbled as he projected the news channel to a large, retractable display.

"This is Scarlett Garcia reporting live from the scene of the new renovation project at the Station Square Mall." Surrounding the reporter was the sight of several large construction vehicles. "With me is the foreman in charge of construction, whose workers discovered something miraculous. Sir, tell us what they found."

"Welp," the large, portly man with a handlebar mustache replied, "I reckon' it was a large emerald if I do say so myself, but it was blue, you betcha! And it glowed, too! Can you believe that?"

"What an incredible story!" Garcia opined as she returned her attention to the camera. "The area has been closed off for the day as federal investigators study the gem on sight to determine if it's dangerous and where it may have come from. This discovery comes amidst government leaks of a similar emerald under study at a military science facility."

"My, my…"

Eggman fell off his chair in surprise, rolling to his side to find Rouge the bat leaning against the wall, her arms folded and a smile across her face.

"Rouge!" The evil doctor scurried up and pointed at the jewel thief. "And where have you been? What took you so long?"

"Oh, you know," she replied nonchalantly, "I took a stroll on the beach, got my nails done, went sightseeing in the big city…"

Eggman facepalmed. "Did you at least retrieve the green Chaos Emerald?"

"Oh, you mean this?" The bat withdrew the gem from her hammerspace, glowing in the sunlight streaming into the command center.

"Ah yes, very good!" Eggman swiped the emerald from the thief's hand and placed it in a central console near his computer. There were seven slots in total. "A bit tardy, but you're proving to be a valuable asset!" The evil doctor returned his attention to the television.

"Civilians are asked not to stick around the area. The police department issued a statement asking citizens to be aware of the fact this is still a construction zone, which is already dangerous even when the machinery is off. The police will be on patrol and have advised that anyone caught trespassing will be subject to criminal penalties."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Decoe asked.

"I know exactly what you're thinking," Bocoe replied.

"Wait…what are we thinking?" Bokkun interrupted as he rubbed a gloved finger over his head in confusion.

"Eggman is going to retrieve the emerald!" Decoe and Bocoe yelled.

"Ohh…I knew that!" Bokkun declared unconvincingly.

"How is he even our brother anyway?" Bocoe whispered to Decoe.

"Beats me." The two shrugged their shoulders.

"No, you two have it wrong," Eggman pointed to Rouge once more. "I will be monitoring things from home base while Rouge here collects my second Chaos Emerald."

"And why should I do that?" Rouge asked. "I already fulfilled my end of the bargain; I stole the green emerald, and in exchange, you will provide food, a room, and a hacking computer. What else could you offer to sweeten the pot?"

"Well, I…" The evil doctor pulled out his wallet, containing an outdated Mobian driver's license with a photo of himself with a full set of hair, a few Mobian dollars, and cobwebs. "…maybe an I.O.U. would suffice?"

"Nuh uh, no way!" Rouge shook her head. "Count me out. Now if you excuse me, I think I deserve a bit of rest and relaxation…" Eggman grumbled once more as Rouge left the command center.

"I hate that pesky bat!" Robotnik returned to his desk. "It looks like I'll need to get my hands dirty this time."

"Your capsules, sir." Decoe brought his master's small case to him, which Eggman yanked away.

"Hmmm…" He massaged his moustache in thought. "You know what, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today!" Pulling out one of the capsules, he threw it forward, exploding seconds later in a cloud of pink smoke. They were greeted to the sight of an older-looking model of the Egg Mobile, complete with a wrecking ball connected to a metal chain at its base. "The Egg Mobile H, the first one I brought into battle!" With a snap of his fingers, the large windows of the command center retracted.

"Keep an eye on Rouge while I'm gone," Eggman ordered as he pulled himself into the Egg Mobile. "I still don't trust her. If she does anything suspicious, report it to me right away!"

"Aye aye, doctor!" Decoe and Bocoe replied as Robotnik flew away through the retracted, oversized windows of the command center.

"Now that Eggman is gone," Bocoe began, "should we work on monitoring Rouge and making sure she isn't getting into any trouble."

Decoe pondered this suggestion as he scratched the base of his metal chin. "Ehh, what's the point? Eggman will just find another reason to berate us even if we do find her snooping around."

"You make a sound argument," Bocoe added as he scratched his chin as well. "Knowing Sonic, he'll probably catch wind of this emerald sighting and beat Eggman to the punch."

The two mechanical brothers laughed as Bokkun watched SpongeBob SquarePants on his television bomb while slurping down the remainder of his Baja Blast.

It was this laziness and silent protest of their master that allowed Rouge to easily initiate her true mission. Waiting a few minutes after the robotic trio left the command center to play some videogames in Bokkun's room, the bat dropped down from the air duct directly above and peered around, verifying nobody was left inside.

Rouge brought her wristwatch communicator to her lips. "Spy to gem, do you copy?"

"Spy to gem?" asked the voice on the other line.

"Well, yeah, Topaz, I had to come up with some cool spy names for us."

"Rouge, you know that's only a thing in the movies, right?"

"How would you know anyway?" Rouge asked as she approached the windows.

"Hello, I'm special agent Topaz, remember?" she angrily replied.

"Hold it." The jewel thief jumped up, swooping around the room with the aid of her wings before finding a good vantage point where the large windows and metallic walls met. She removed a small, pea-sized device from her pocket and affixed it to the wall. "How's the feed?"

"Looks like it's coming in clear," Topaz said as she stared into her monitor at home base. The bat waved at her, eliciting a giggle from the human agent.

"Looks like you're easy to entertain," Rouge replied with a smirk as she kept herself suspended in midair, her hands on her hips.

"Oh, shut it," Topaz replied before mumbling to herself.

"In any case, it looks like my work here is done!" Returning to the floor, the bat wiped her hands in accomplishment as she headed to the door.

"Remember the second phase of your mission."

"Yeah, yeah, don't need to remind me," Rouge replied with a shrug. "I'm the mole on the inside, yada yada. Now let's see…" The bat stepped out the front door, flying over the sandy beach to the unmarked police boat she commandeered. "With my new government debit card and ID, where should I stay? Have any five-star hotel recommendations, Topaz?"

"Do you think I'm made of money or something?!" Topaz exclaimed. "I don't have the luxury of being a subsidized criminal!"

"I have a feeling you wouldn't be interested in a political career, then," Rouge quipped as she started the engine. "I know! I'll order a cab with this new phone the president gave me! I'll ask the driver to take me to the nearest fancy hotel."

"You do you, sweetheart," Topaz replied sarcastically followed by a scoff.

"Sounds like someone's coming onto me," Rouge commented with a smirk.

"Wha, wha, nooo!" Topaz's face turned crimson red as she yelled into her microphone. "Who do you think I am? I am a consummate professional!"

"I'm sure you are, sugar," Rouge replied with a giggle.

"Okay, ending transmission," the human agent grumbled as her finger hovered over a button on her dashboard.

"Love ya, toots."

"Go fuck yourself."

Click.

"Yeah…she's totally into me." Rouge laughed as she headed back to the mainland, where she'd spend the rest of the day lounging around her gold-plated hotel room.

Emerging from his basement to the smell of breakfast, Chuck dragged himself to the kitchen.

"Morning, Grandpa!" Helen called as she was wiping the table.

"Mornin'," he greeted before yawning loudly. Peering around, he found Amy and Sonic washing the dishes, standing on top of chairs next to the sink, laughing as they enjoyed each other's company. Meanwhile, Tails was reading a science fiction novel borrowed to him by Helen while Cream and Cheese enjoyed a television program featuring a blue cartoon dog and his owner sitting in an oversized chair discussing the mail they recently received.

Chuck peered back at his granddaughter with a pouty face. "Did I miss breakfast?"

"Oh no, we saved you a plate!" The human girl pointed to the microwave. Opening its door, Chuck smiled widely as the smell of semi-fresh pancakes and softened bacon permeated his nostrils.

"Now I jus' need a fresh pot o' coffee and I'm ready for the day!" Setting his plate down on the recently cleaned table, Chuck prepared the coffee machine and watched as the liquid slowly dripped into his mug before taking his beverage back to his breakfast. He saw his son's note on the counter, but instead of bringing it up with Helen, he simply shook his head disapprovingly before scarfing down his breakfast, finishing rapidly.

"So Tails," Chuck began as he approached the young fox, taking a seat in his reclining chair as the orange kitsune placed his book on his lap, "I was thinking maybe we could head down to my workshop and give the Tornado a little tune-up." Tails' ears perked up in excitement as his namesakes fluttered from behind.

"Sure, Chuck! That'd be awesome! I haven't given her a good inspection in a long time, and after everything she's been through, she deserves it."

"Mr. Tails," Cream interjected as she unglued herself from her cartoon, "is the Tornado a she?"

"Oh, well…" Tails scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I…don't know, to be honest. That's just how I've always referred to her. Is that…weird?" The orange kitsune blushed at the thought of appearing cringe to his friends and those around him over the years when describing his baby in detail.

"Not at all!" Cream replied with a beaming smile as her small tail wagged from behind. "I think it's adorable."

"Ah gee, thanks." Tails chuckled nervously before returning his attention to the elder human. "When would you like to leave?"

"Why not right now?"

"Yeah!" Tails jumped out of his seat, the hardcover book toppling to the floor below.

"We goin' on an adventure?" Sonic asked as he stepped into the living room as he dried off his gloved hands with a towel. He was followed closely behind by Amy.

"I own some farmland a few miles away where I have my workshop," Chuck replied. "Tails and I were going to stop by and fine tune his plane. Anyone else wanna come along?" The other Mobians raised their hands simultaneously. "Looks like it'll be a party! Tails can fly his plane over, and the rest can take my rental van there."

"Yeah, let's g—" Tails' declaration was interrupted by a breaking news bulletin, cutting off the arguably less important discussion the blue dog and his owner were having about their freshly delivered mail.

The party listened in awe as the foreman described to Scarlett what appeared to be a Chaos Emerald.

"The humans already found one?" Tails wondered out loud.

"Sure looks like it, lil' buddy," Sonic replied. "The only question now is how to take it back."

"Knowing the U.S. government," Chuck noted as he folded his arms, "they won't just give it away freely. If you're going to take it, you'll need to be careful and strategic."

"Does being fast work?" Sonic asked as he scratched the base of his nose. "I could zoom in n' out like there's no tomorrow!"

"That's all well and good," Amy replied as she placed her hands on her hips, "but sooner or later they'll find us. Do you think it's a wise move to make the humans mad?"

"You have a point," Sonic replied as he scratched his chin in thought. "It's only one emerald, two if that leak is correct, but as long as Egghead doesn't steal it, there's no real harm in the humans holdin' onto it."

"But still…" Tails scratched the back of his head. "I agree we shouldn't try taking the gem just yet, but we should still be close by in case Eggman tries any funny business."

"That place is swarming with police, though," Chuck replied. "How would you ever get close enough without giving away your identities?"

"I know!"

The party turned to Helen, who swiftly rolled out of the living room, returning moments later with an oversized box in her lap.

"These disguises should do just fine."