Epilog: The Shelter of Family

by: Mauser

Locke had never seen Knothole so busy.

From when they picked up Aleutian's limp body: everyone from St. John, Shadow, Sally, Sonic, with Knuckles taking the lead, rushing to Doctor Quack and the nurses, then to the hospital ward faster than he thought even Sonic could run, it was all a blur after that when they closed the curtains and began to work on saving his son.

A day had gone by. Then two. Locke slept in a chair in the lobby. Knuckles, nowhere to be found.

Now day three was ending with night slipping over Knothole, seemingly like a soft cloak of safety finally falling on all its inhabitants. Locke held his arms crossed, looking on through the open door of the hospital room with a large Dark Legionnaire laying in it, his vitals bleeping on a monitor that was silently. There, her head laying on his rising chest as he slept, Lar-Na, her hands tucked under her cheek.

"How is he?" Locke asked as quiet as he could.

Lar-Na lifted her head, not having to squint as the lights in the hall were dimmed.

"He spoke a little this afternoon." She smiled tiredly. "Said he loved me."

Locke smiled back, his eyes going to the floor briefly. He looked up at her after a moment. "Knothole will take care you and him. You just need to–," he paused.

"Tell them about our enhancements."

Locke just nodded.

He stood there for a moment more, then turned. He was about walk away when Lar-Na stopped him.

"Thank you, Guardian."

He looked to her. "For what?"

A short pause. "Just. For everything." She looked at Stenson, longing. "Just. Thank you."

He nodded again, then walked on.

Down the hall he saw St. John talking quietly with Doctor Quack. As he crept closer, he heard the mention of their other surviving guest:

"How's the girl?"

St. John looked over his shoulder at the elder Guardian. Dr. Quack stepped around the skunk, nodding at the both of them.

"I was able to get her blood volume back up between Espio donations and good ole' saline," said Quack with a sigh. "She's lucky to still be with his. Her road to recover is long, but this is my second Chameleon I've worked with, so I'm having to go with Espio and her husband on many things."

St. John stepped closer. "Christian was an Echidna Security Team officer before everything went pair-shape on the Island." Glances were spread, St. John watching for prying ears, mostly to not stir more rumors and panic. "He said she and her brother were taken from the work-camp Sonic, Antoine and your son, Knuckles, liberated. Espio, Shadow and Rouge filled me on the rest."

"Using their blood to make that thing?" Quack gasped. "It's beyond..."

"Barbaric," Locke finished for him.

St. John got closer to Locke. "Here's the kicker. The orders we pulled from the metal blokes–" Locke held his stare. "It didn't come Eggman."

A held breath that grew hot and came out almost like fire from an opening boiler:

"Snively!" Locke face stiffened. Saying what was on his mind.

Not again!

Another nod from Geffory.

"And after they had killed Sally and her Brother, there were off to kill Eggman."

That shook Locke sober. But he didn't utter word.

Instead, he nodded one last time, and presented his hand to St. John. The head of Knotholes security took it, shook it.

"Thank you, Commander."

"Anytime, mate."

Locke lowered his head in acknowledgment and walked away from the doctor and St. John, hearing Quack tell St. John he had the refugees to look after before retiring for the night. Ten steps down the hall, he turned left to another.

Three rooms down to his left was Julie-Su, standing with her back up against the wall, her legs barely holding on. Locke closed the space, her face meeting his. She was exhausted.

"He hasn't come out," she murmured. "He hasn't come out for two days." Her head slightly shook. Locke couldn't tell if she was angry or perplexed. "Not for food, sleep. Not for me."

Locke put his hand on her shoulder. Her face turned, this time with tears.

"What happened, Locke," her voice was even, but shaking. "This war. This fight. It feels different." She looked down. "It feels different since Aleutian–"

She stopped, but Locke softened his face for her.

"Child. We are witnessing the true evil–" Her eyes drifted to his "Evil we must not let win, or become us." He closed his face to hers. "Please keep my other son from it.

"Aleutian...I took it out of him, but it cost me. Something I'm not sure I could ever earn back."

Julie-Na nodded her head and tucked into Locke's chest. "I'm sorry, Locke."

He wrapped his arms around her. "Child. I'm happy we have you. I'm happy Knuckles has you."

He held her for a while, the hall quiet, saved from their breathing. He gently pulled her away. "Get some sleep. I'll try to get Knuckles to bed tonight, but no guarantees."

Whipping her tears away, she looked to him, nodded one last time, and turned away. Locke kept watch as she turned the hall and left the one-story hospital.

With that he opened the door.

Knuckles stirred with a jolt when light, and sound of the latch, broke his trance. The door swung slightly further open, his father entering at a even pace.

The constant, rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor was like a lullaby for him, sleeping, but waking, hoping for a sound, a word. Something.

Locke only left the door just open enough to let a fleeting sliver of light in the room. He stepped closer to him, then stopped at the foot of the hospital bed.

Aleutian lay still, wires and tubes finding avenues into and out of him. His left arm was completely bandaged up, seemingly held together with the fabric with the bed supporting his elbow, his linen covered chest holding his hand.

"I will never forgive myself, Knuckles," his father said softly, his eyes stoned still at Aleutian. "I almost–" He fought his tears. "I almost lost him again.

"Three times, I about lost him."

Knuckles didn't speak. He didn't move from his position in the chair beside Aleutian.

"And I don't–" Locke began, his emotions winning through his tears, but his voice still firm. "I don't expect you to forgive me either."

Wind pawed at the window, the moonlight of the fading crescent began to seep through the open curtains.

"I should have done more!" Locke's knees buckled, but Knuckles nearly flew out of his chair to catch him. "I'm a horrible father!"

"No, dad," Knuckles nearly shouted. His own tears began welling in his eyes.

But Locke shook him off, grabbing the rail to Aleutian's bed. His shuddering reverberated through Knuckles grip. "My boy! What happened to my boy!?"

And knuckles couldn't answer. He didn't know either.

"I wasn't even able to shake the man's hand who raised him–who raised him in my stead!"

"Dad," Knuckles began. He waited till Locke regained his breathing. "Dad, you've done right for us."

Locke turned his gaze, his eyes gnawing with grief and contempt. Knuckles was having none of it.

"Dad, you've raised us as best you could while our world–this world has burning around us! Aleutian–"he stopped, inhaling his tears. "When I met him, dad, I saw you in him. And...And over the past weeks with him, I've seen every generation of Guardians in him. But his path–the path he took when he left us..it's been his. Like your's and mine have been. It's been our own.

"You taught us that."

A long silence filled the room and them.

Locke squeezed Knuckles arm, his head nodding slightly. "Son, get something to eat. Get some sleep. Julie-Su is getting exhausted standing at the closed door waiting for you."

There was protest, but it was fleeting. Knuckles nodded, his last gaze drifting to Aleutian. He wasn't on a respirator. They took him off of it the day after they brought him here. He was breathing on his own.

Strong. Our family is strong.

"He will be fine." Locke grabbed his son's hand, gave one last look to Aleutian, and guided him and his son to the door. Knuckles followed, his mind numbing, his voice trailing with questions that he wanted answered, but he could wait–

Alleeuutiann–

Knuckles halted just before he stepped through the threshold of the door, his father stopping suddenly with him.

"Dad," he began, his voice tempered, but reserved. "Dad, I heard girl call out to him."

Locke turned to Knuckles. His silence said it all.

Knuckles cleared his throat. "When I was running through the castle I heard a girl calling to him. Shouting. Demanding, that I swear, she was telling him to fight."

Locke's eyes fell to the floor. "I heard it too. It was what got me to come too."

"Who was it?" Knuckles asked. "It didn't sound like Aurora."

"Because it wasn't." Locke took a long pull of air. "It was Emi-La." His face turned , his eyes to his son's. "It was his equal.

"And I can't, honeslty, explain it."

"He was asking for her." Knuckles continued. "Asking for–us–to find her. Asking if we heard her."

Locke's face firmed, then softened. "Before you had grabbed Aleutian's hand...his was holding her face."

Knuckles' eyes widen before turning them back to the room. To his brother. "He–"

"He loved her, Knuckles. And she him. There is a power that I don't you, I, nor Aleutian understands. But what I am sure of, it's more powerful than all of us."

Knuckles just stood, his stare still on Aleutian.

He finally took in a breath:

"Dad, I think I'm going to stay."

"Son?"

A slight shake of his head, his voice firm this time. "No, I don't him waking up alone. I don't him waking up in the cold, by himself this time."

Father and son locked eyes. Nothing was said, only Locke embracing Knuckles.

"I'm proud of you, my son. I'm proud of both my sons."

He pulled away, nodding one last time before acknowledging:

"I will be here in the morning...and the next, if need be."

Knuckles watched his father leave, taking the same path Julie-Su had done. And when it was just him in the hall, he stood there in the door. Only the monitor was beeping from the room, the halls quiet, saved his even breathing.

He turned and–a crash come from the room, something moved in the dark. Knuckles inched forward.

Aleutian nearly fell on him, his tube laden right hand grabbing Knuckle's shoulder, his bandaged arm held tight against his chest.

"Knuckles..."

The younger Gaurdian's voice filled with panic. "Aleutian. Stopped. What–What–"

"Knuckles!" Aleutian stammered out, his breathing labored.

Knuckles was about say something. To stop him. But Aleutian pressed further into him. Knuckles grabbed his chest, holding him up. But his brother grabbed the wall with his right arm, steading himself.

"Knuckles..."

"Please–Aleutian–"

"Knuckles!..."

For a moment their eyes locked, Aleutian's pleading to him.

"Knuckles..." His mouth hovered, saying nothing but looking on. His scare began to bleed through the bandage. But his eyes...they were burning, but not of rage..but fortitude.

"My name is Aleutian. I'm the Sixteenth Guardian of Angel Island...My father is Locke." He took in a deep breath, tears streaming now from his eyes. "My mother is Lara-Le!–" His eyes narrowed in pain as he gasped in a sip of air. "I had promised myself my all to girl a loved...her name was Emi-La!"

He lost his balance, sending his right hand to Knuckles' shoulder, gripping it hard, almost collapsing on to him.

But his stare never wavered:

"And I was father!"

Knuckles at this moment held his eyes to his, tears raining from them.

"And I am your brother..."

Aleutian went limp in his arms with his breath releasing as a cry. Steadying his feet under him, Knuckles pulled his brother up.

And it hit him. At that moment he held his crying brother in his arms, the one thing he had been saying to himself in the sunflower field of the dead, in the prison huts on the plains. And on the Plunger.

And in this moment, with the cold gone, and the warmth welcomed.

I have brother.