The next morning, Tails and Cosmo were sitting in the living room, watching tv again, when they could hear a knock on the door. They looked at each other to decide who would answer the door. "...I'll get it." Tails finally said before getting up from the couch and walking over to the door and opening it, revealing Alex standing there.
"Hey, Tails. It's me. I figured I'd stop by and pay you and Cosmo a visit for a bit. Do you mind that?" The Bathuman asked the yellow fox.
Tails shook his head. "Not at all, Alex. Come in." He told Alex as he let him inside before closing the door behind him. The two of them then walked over to the living room.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Alex." Cosmo told Alex as she gave him a smile.
Alex smiled back. "Hey, Cosmo. It's great to see you again." He told the Seedrian girl. "So, how have you and Tails been the past few days?" He asked her.
"Pretty good, I think. Tails has been able to get some rather good night sleep the past few nights, so he's starting to improve." Cosmo told Alex.
Alex nodded and turned to Tails. "If that's true, then those words please me." He said.
Tails nodded back. "I have been able to get some good night sleep for the past few nights, yeah. Better than before Cosmo came back, that's for sure." He replied.
"Alright. So, did you have any plans for today?" Alex then asked him and Cosmo.
"Well, Tails was planning on taking me out for a boat trip today with a boat he's been working on lately. He said it'd be the perfect time for some quality time by ourselves." Cosmo replied to him.
Alex nodded again. "I see. Well, I hope you two will have fun on your boat trip today. I'll be sure to make the most of my day as well." He said as he sat down in a chair.
Tails and Cosmo nodded back. "Do you want some coffee? We've got plenty to share." Tails offered the Bathuman.
Alex smiled and nodded. "That'd be great. I could use some caffeïne to really jumpstart my day." He replied.
Alex stayed at Tails' place for about an hour, chatting it up with Tails and Cosmo about things before deciding to leave so Tails and Cosmo could enjoy the rest of their day. Alex then took the train from Mystic Ruins back to Station Square, where he began strolling through the city.
As Alex was strolling through the city, he could see Cream sitting on a bench together with her pet Chao, Cheese. Alex smiled and decided to go say hi to Cream. He walked up to the bench Cream and Cheese were sitting on.
"Hello, Cream." Alex told Cream with a cheerful smile.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Alex..." Cream replied to Alex. She sounded a bit down. Alex could notice this, and he frowned and tilted his head for a bit.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Alex asked Cream.
"Nothing's wrong, Mr. Alex. It's a girl thing." Cream replied to him.
Alex blinked at that. It was unusual of Cream to say such a thing, but he sat down on the bench next to Cream and Cheese. "Who's to say that a man like myself can't understand girl things?" He replied back. Alex usually acted like a father figure to the younger members of Sonic's friend group, and people like Tails, Cream and Charmy usually turned to him when bothered about something.
Cream looked at Alex for a moment before looking down and sighing. "Alright, I'll tell you only because it's you." She told Alex.
"It's about Tails and Cosmo, isn't it?" Alex asked Cream. Ever since Cosmo's return, he could notice that Cream had been less cheerful then she usually was before.
Cream silently nodded. "Yes, it is...It all started about a year ago when I visited Tails at his workshop one day..." She began to explain as a flashback from a year ago began.
Tails was quietly working on an invention in his workshop when he could suddenly hear a knock on the door. "Oh, beautiful. Just when I didn't want any visitors over, someone visits me...Damn it all..." Tails muttered under his breath before he put down his tools and walked to the door, and opened it to find Cream there.
"Hey, Tails. How's it going?" Cream asked as she went inside and Tails closed the door again.
"Had better days, Cream. Had better days..." Tails sighed. "Things just haven't been the same since..."
"Since your girlfriend died, I know. It's been about a year since it happened, and you should try and move on from it. That's what Cosmo would've wanted." Cream said, interrupting Tails.
Tails was annoyed at Cream interrupting him, but sighed. "Look, Cream. Try to answer this question with just a yes or a no: If you knew a boy that you liked the same way I liked Cosmo, and they gave their life to save everyone and everything else around them, would you be able to move on from the pain their sacrifice put you in?" He asked the young rabbit.
Cream looked at Tails with a puzzled look as she didn't really know how to respond to that question with just a yes or no. "I...I don't know..." She replied with a sad frown.
Tails sighed. "I figured so...You don't understand the grief I felt when I had to sacrifice Cosmo's life to save everyone and everything around us...Cosmo was the one for me, and I thought we would be able to make a life back here on Mobius and grow old together, but it didn't get to be...I know she would've wanted me to move on, but it's not easy to move on from the death of the only woman in the world for you..." He rambled to Cream.
Cream took in everything that Tails said, trying to find the right thing to say to the yellow fox. "I understand that it's not easy to move on from the death of a girl you loved with all your heart, but eventually you have to come to terms with the fact that she could be gone for good, and if that's the case, then you have no choice but to move on from the incident and try to find another girl in your life who can give you the same amount of attention and love that Cosmo could've given you. It might be hard, but it's not impossible. I know if it sounds weird coming from me, but that's just what Mother always says." The rabbit told Tails.
Tails was surprised at the eloquent manner of speaking coming out of Cream's mouth, but the yellow fox nodded. "I see...Well, if there really is a chance of Cosmo never returning, then I guess you're right, Cream. But I'm still keeping up hope that she'll return one day. But I thank you for your encouraging words regardless." He told the rabbit with a slight smile.
Cream slightly smiled back and nodded. "Alright, Tails. Well, I suppose I'll be going right now." She said as she turned to the door to leave again, before turning back to Tails with a look of confusion on her face. "Wait, why are you saying such positive things in your state of mourning to me out of all people?" She asked Tails.
Tails shrugged at that. "I don't know...I guess I just feel more comfortable expressing this kind of stuff to you compared to someone like Sonic." He replied.
Cream was still a bit confused, but she nodded. "Alright. Well, I suppose I'll be going now." She replied back.
"Alright. If there's anything I need to vent about, can I count on you again like today?" Tails asked Cream.
"I think so, Tails. Take care for now!" Cream replied as she left the workshop again, closing the door behind her as the flashback ended.
"As I continued visiting Tails afterwards, I began feelings things for him I've never felt before. I guess those same feelings he had for Cosmo. But now that Cosmo is back, I feel like that he'll never feel the same things I felt for him during that time..." Cream sighed as she hung her head.
Alex frowned at that and placed a hand on Cream's back. "Cream, please don't feel so down because of this. I know it hurts if a boy you like doesn't feel the same way, but that doesn't mean that Tails doesn't want you around anymore. He still likes you as a friend, so you're still in his life in some way. I'm sure that if you keep searching, you'll find yourself a boy who does love you the same way you love him. Like you said to Tails: It might be hard, but not impossible." He told the young rabbit as he rubbed her back to comfort her.
Cream turned her head to look at Alex. "Are you really sure, Mr. Alex...?" She asked, unsure if what Alex was saying was true.
Alex gave Cream a reassuring smile and nodded. "Yes, I am, Cream." He replied to her.
Cream thought about it before smiling back at Alex and hugging him. "Thank you, Mr. Alex. That's exactly what I needed. Thank you for the sweet words." She told the Bathuman.
Alex smiled more at that and hugged Cream back. "Anytime, Cream. I was happy to be your listening ear in this time of emotional distress." He replied.
Cream smiled and nodded. "Alright. Well, I'll be heading on home now. Thanks again, I really appreciate it." She said before getting off the bench, waving at Alex and left together with Cheese.
Alex smiled and got off the bench as well before continuing to stroll through the city.