The next day at school, everyone was talking about the incident with Robotnik and Mr. Intellegente. Those that weren't cursing the scientist and his machine were praising Sonic for his heroism. Keith was rather happy that everyone was taking to his friend so well, and it showed on his face. As he made his way towards the cafeteria to get some lunch, he felt an arm loop around his shoulders.
"There you are!" Kat declared. "Come on! We're going to get lunch!"
"Uh… ok?"
To his surprise, Keith found himself being dragged out to the school parking lot, where Kat's truck was parked.
"Hang on, I thought you said we were getting lunch."
"We are. We're going out to get it. What's the point of open campus if we don't take advantage of it?" Kat then leaned in, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Besides, you and I still need to talk about your little blue friend, remember?"
Keith paused, having almost forgotten about his friends surprising knowledge of Robotnik and her nonchalaunt approach to Sonic.
"Right… that."
The two climbed into her truck, and they drove off. After a tense minute or so, Keith let out a breath.
"Alright, let's both just come clean. You know more about Sonic than you're letting on. How else would you know the name Eggman?"
"I do know more than I let on, yes. I just want to know how much you know before I let you know how much I know, you know?"
After taking a minute to try and unjumble that mess of knows, Keith just shook his head and got back on track.
"Just tell me this… did you catch one of them back in Silver Valley?"
Kat looked straight ahead.
"Yeah… I did."
"Which one?"
"Knuckles the Echidna."
That threw Keith for a loop.
"Wait, you caught Knuckles?"
"Yeah. He's been staying at my place since then, of his own free will, I promise. I'd say we're becoming friends, but I don't think he does friends." She then perked for a bit, spouting out a random fact. "Did you know Mobian Echidnas like grapes?"
"No, but I'm more surprised about the face that he's staying with you. Last time we saw him, he declared he was done with people."
Kat mulled that over, then gave a nod.
"Yeah, that tracks. But anyway, how many of them have you caught?"
Keith was a little put off by the accusation.
"I didn't… catch them. Sonic kinda… crashed in my pool after he outran my brother."
"And the others?" Kat thought back to the TV report on Missile Wrist, listing off the Mobians she recalled on her fingers. "The two-tailed fox, the rabbit, the pink hedgehog?"
"They're all staying at my place."
"Wow, you're mom's cool with that many animals in your house?"
Keith turned red, shrinking into himself as he clutched his backpack. Kat blinked, then turned to Keith in confusion.
"Hang on… she does know you're keeping them at your house, doesn't she?"
"You know how she is about animals," Keith defended desperately. "If she found out these guys were hiding there, she'd freak."
"Dude, you have to tell her! She's gonna find out eventually and then she's gonna be pissed you didn't tell her!"
"How? You know how she reacts to normal animals! These guys are walking, talking, free thinking Mobians!"
Kat pulled over, hitting her hazards. She leaned on the steering wheel, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"You… why am I friends with you?"
"Because I'm the only one who can tolerate your eccentricities."
Kat raised a finger to object, paused, then lowered her finger.
"Touché. Still, we need to figure out a way to introduce your mom to our furry friends for their own sake."
"I'll figure something out, I promise."
"You better."
Kat put her car back in drive, turning off her hazards and continuing down the street. Keith drummed his fingers on his backpack, sitting in silence for a bit before speaking up again.
"So… have you told your dad about Knuckles?"
"That's different and you know it!"
...
At the Kent house, Lindsey was flitting about the house, helping Ella with the straightening and various chores. She looked positively giddy at the opportunity to do something that wasn't acting. Unfortunately, her desire to help kept Sonic and his friends confined to Chuck's lab, much to their chagrin. Inside the lab, Sonic was curled up on a beanbag taking a nap, Tails was tinkering with some small gadget, Amy was enjoying some tea, and Cream was looking out the window with Cheese in her lap. Amy happened to look over and see Cream's melancholy face, prompting her to put down her tea and walk over.
"Cream? Is something wrong?"
Cream let out a sigh.
"The flowers are so pretty today," the rabbit replied, looking out at the dandelions dotting the lawn. "I'd love to make them into a flower crown, but I can't leave the lab..."
Amy put a comforting hand on Cream's shoulder, feeling nothing but sympathy for her.
…
That afternoon, Keith returned home, where he was greeted by the enthusiastic grip of his mother.
"Welcome home, darling!" she declared. "Ella and I made spaghetti and meatballs, your favorite! I hope you don't mind me spoiling you a bit. On my movie sets, the chefs won't let me cook a thing!"
"Thanks, mom," Keith replied, sitting down at the table.
Chuck came and joined them at the table, enjoying the meal immensely. While Lindsey was not as skilled in the kitchen as Ella, there were a few meals where she reigned supreme. Luckily, spaghetti and meatballs was one of them. Keith bit into one of the large meatballs, savoring the flavor as Lindsey continued to gush about how happy she was.
"Oh, Keith, it's so good to be home again." she suddenly clapped her hands together, straightening up. "I have an idea. Let's have a big party!"
Keith perked up at this.
"A party?"
"Oh yes! We can invite your brother Sam, that Kathryn girl you're always hanging out with, and all your friends over. We can have dinner, dress up, oh it will be so much fun!"
"That does sound pretty fun…" An idea then hit Keith. "In fact… I've actually met some new friends recently. Think I could bring them by?"
"Absolutely! I would love to meet your friends! I'm so glad my darling boy is becoming so popular on his own accord!"
Keith chuckled a little in response.
…
Kat came walking into the apartment she shared with her dad, using the key she kept around her neck to get in. Once she was inside, she bolted the door and wandered into the kitchen. There was a note on the fridge, which she quickly plucked off.
"Kat, I have to work late tonight again. There's lasagna in the fridge, and I got some more grapes for you. Try not to eat them all at once. -Dad."
She crumbled up the note, tossing it into the trash can, which was full of similar notes and a few things of saran wrap. She then opened the fridge, grabbing the lasagna leftovers, two cans of soda, and the bag of grapes. After heating up the lasagna, she headed up to her room.
"Knux, can you get the door? Hands are full."
Knuckles then opened the door and let her inside. She handed off one of the cans of soda and the grapes, then plopped into a swivel chair in front of a book covered desk. Knuckles plopped down onto a beat-up black beanbag, opening the bag.
"My dad come home at all today?" Kat asked, opening the soda and taking a swig.
"Just once around 4," Knuckles replied, tossing a grape up in the air and into his mouth. "It was pretty quick though. I think he just forgot something."
"Sounds about right." Kat popped a bite of lasagna in her mouth. "I have some news about the others. Turns out they've been crashing at my friend Keith's house this whole time."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. We talked today and he told me he's been taking care of Sonic since he got to this world. The others apparently joined overtime. He seemed surprised you were staying with me. Something about you being, and I quote, 'done with people'."
"Let's just say the last time we got together, things got a little heated."
Kat gave a nod of understanding, eating some more of her lasagna. About that time, her phone began blaring Live and Learn by Crush 40. She scooped it up, her fork dangling from her mouth.
"'Ello?" she greeted with her mouth full.
"Kat, it's Keith. I think I found a way to break Sonic and the others to my mom."
Kat quickly spat out the fork, sitting up.
"You what? Already? Spill dude!"
"My mom's throwing a party tomorrow night and I told her I was bringing in some new friends over. She said I could invite you too, so you can bring Knuckles over."
"Dude, that was slick. Am I rubbing off on you?"
"Maybe. Now if only my study habits rubbed off you."
Kat rolled her eyes.
"Har har, very funny. Go enjoy your mom time. We'll talk tomorrow." She then hung up, dropping the phone onto the desk. "Guess what? We're going to a party tomorrow."
"I don't really do parties."
"Relax Knux, not that kind of party. This is more of a small gathering with food. Keith wants to come clean to his mom about Sonic and the others, and I think they'd probably like to check in on you."
Knuckles paused for a second, his hang tightening around the bag of grapes.
"I doubt that..."
Kat blinked, then twisted her chair around so she's leaning on the backrest, looking down at Knuckles.
"Are you… scared of attending the party?"
Knuckled suddenly snapped upwards.
"I'm not scared of anything."
"Then why do you not want to attend the party? No one there is gonna hurt you, just check up on you and make sure you're okay. Considering you guys are the only Mobians on Earth, that seems like something you'd want."
Knuckles grumbled in annoyance.
"Fine, but I am NOT riding in the bed of your truck again. I still have bruises from our last trip."
"Okay, fair enough." Kat twirled back around, plopping down in the chair properly before snagging another swig of soda. "I'll figure out a way to get you there without resorting to the trunk bed. You have my word."
They ate their food in silence after that, Knuckles glancing out the window in contemplation.
…
The next day, Keith had already left for school as Lindsey and Ella began decorating for the party. From the lab, the other could see the two ladies doing their decorating, Cream immediately catching on to what they were doing.
"Keith's mom is throwing a party!" Cream cheered. "That's absolutely wonderful!"
"I wonder who's gonna be invited," Amy mused. "I hope the party's not too big."
"I doubt it," Tails assured her. "The party's for Keith, and he doesn't seem like the type to party hard."
"I bet we could help decorate," Cream volunteered. "I loved helping my mom decorate for parties."
She went to the door to go and help, but Tails quickly stopped her.
"Bad idea Cream. We need to lay low, remember? Keith will tell us when it's safe to leave the lab, but until then, we have to stay put."
Cream sighed as her face became sad.
"I know..."
She and Cheese walked sadly back over to the window, flopping down on the ground with her ears hanging low. Cheese laid down on her head, letting out sad chirps.
"Poor Cream," Amy lamented. "It's been hard for her being cooped in the lab."
"Not to mention being away from her Mom," Tails added. "I feel sorry for her..."
Sonic, who had been pretending to nap, cracked an eye open at the comment. He looked at Cream's forlorn expression and felt a pang of sympathy. He rolled over, unable to bear the look on her face. That's when he noticed a poster hanging on the wall. It read "Peace Valley" at the top and showed a beautiful lake that was absolutely surrounded by multicolored flowers. An idea forming, Sonic sped from his resting spot, snatched the poster, and rushed out the window.
"Hey!" Amy let out. "Where's he going?"
Tail shrugged.
…
Kat and Keith met up at school and were talking around their lockers.
"It took a bit of convincing, but Knux is in," Kat told him.
"Great," Keith replied with a smile. "I'll let the others know."
"Aside from our furry friends, who else can we expect?"
"My brother, that's about it. Mom wanted to make this about me I suppose."
"Lucky us."
Unbeknownst to them, Mr. Stewart overheard their plans and couldn't help but see an opportunity.
"Excuse me, Mr. Kent, Miss Winters." Mr Stewart called out.
Both of them froze, turning towards their teacher.
"Hey teach, everything good?" Kat asked.
"I'm the one that should be asking that. After what happened with Dr. Robotnik the other day, I've been working on checking in with my students and their families. Considering the two of you were the ones who stuck around to face down the doctor, I wanted to make sure both of you were doing alright."
"Y-yeah," Keith said nervously. "We're perfectly fine."
"Even so, I'd like to take some time to speak with your parents."
"Well, good luck getting my dad to sit down long enough to get a word out," Kat muttered, a note of bitterness in her voice.
"What about you, Keith? I remember you mentioning your mother was home for a few days."
"Uh… yeah, she is, but she's busy with a little party we're having tonight."
"That's perfect. I'll swing by for about half an hour, have my talk, then leave you to your festivities. I'll even bring some of those store-bought cookies you kids are so fond of."
"Uh… that'd be…" Keith sighed, seeing no way out of it. "...great."
"Excellent. I'll come by at seven."
He walked off and the two teens exchanged looks.
"Well that's just great," Kat hissed. "Now what do we do?"
"I don't know..." Keith whispered.
"You're the idea guy! How do you not know what to do?"
"I don't, okay?!" Keith took a breath, calming down. "Look, we'll figure it out. Just bring Knuckles by early. He can meet up with the others and we'll just keep them hidden until Mr. Stewart leaves. Our plan can still work, I'll just need to tell the guys there's been a snag."
"I hope you're right..." Kat ran her fingers through her hair. "When did our lives get so stressful?"
"When talking animals fell out of the sky."
…
Miles away, Sonic was running through a large grassy field. As he was running, he noticed a young girl in a wheelchair, trying to get her wheel out of a mud puddle. She seemed to be at her wit's end and on the verge of tears. Instantly, Sonic ran over and grabbed hold of the handles on the back of her chair.
"Hold on," Sonic told her as he started running.
The girl gripped the armrests as Sonic sped her out of the mud puddle she was in and back to the safety of the grass. She was laughing slightly, then she turned back to Sonic.
"Whoa, who are you?"
"My name is Sonic. What's yours?"
"I'm Helen. Thanks for helping me." Helen then got a look at the poster in Sonic's hand. "Hey, is that Peace Valley?"
"Yeah, it is. I was heading there to get some flowers for a friend."
"I've always wanted to go there," Helen declared, her face falling as she looked down, folding her hands in her lap. "Unfortunately, the valley's surrounded by mountains, and there aren't any trails made for wheelchairs."
Sonic saw Helen's despair, hating that she couldn't experience the valley for herself. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.
"Helen, can you wait here for just a minute?"
"Sure," she replied. "I'm not supposed to be home until sunset."
"Plenty of time," Sonic grinned.
Sonic then sped off towards the valley, spin dashing the entire way and leaving a cloud of dirt in his wake.
…
Tanaka was going about the Kent house, watering can in hand as he tended to the various plants throughout the mansion. He paused for a moment to check his watch, then set down the watering can, walking towards the front door. He opened it, just as Keith came running inside.
"Hey!" He called out. "I'm home!"
"Welcome home, Master Keith. How was school today?"
"It was pretty good, Mr. Tanaka." He shrugged out of his backpack. "Listen, Kat's gonna be here in a minute. Could you show her to dad's lab? Oh, and my teacher is coming to visit at 7:00 today. Please make sure he doesn't see the others."
"I will do what I can," Tanaka said with a bow. "Now, I suggest you go get ready. Your mother left an outfit for you to wear out on your bed."
Keith felt a pang of nervousness hit him.
"It's not a suit, is it?"
"No, Master Keith. Merely a button down and a pair of slacks. Your mother is well aware of your aversion to suits."
"And yet I was not spared that particular mercy," Chuck muttered as he came down the stairs, tugging on the tie of the tux he was wearing. "I feel sorry for dogs. How do they stand collars? This is killing me!"
Keith sighed, trekking up the stairs and patting his dad on the shoulder before heading up to his room to get changed.
…
Ten minutes later, there came a knock at the door. Tanaka opened it to see Kat standing at the door. She had cleaned up a little bit and was wearing some black jeans without holes in them and a red button down shirt with a loose black tie. She also had a large leather satchel hanging off her shoulder that seemed to be full to the brim.
"Yo Tanaka." she greeted with a two fingered wave.
"Welcome, Miss Kat. May I take your bag?"
"Sorry, but the bag stays with me. It's got something rather important to me inside."
Tanaka gave a nod, catching on quickly.
"I understand. Master Keith wanted me to show you to Mr. Kent's lab."
"Ah, so that's where they are. Gotcha. No need to escort me. I'm sure you've got a ton of stuff to do."
Tanaka gave a small nod as Kat slipped past him and out the back door. She approached the lab, giving the door on the knock.
"I'm coming in," she announced. "Don't worry, I know about you guys."
She then walked inside, where she found Tails and Amy sitting around. Both looked up as she closed the door behind her.
"You must be Kat," amy deduced. "Keith said you'd be coming around. I'm Amy Rose, and this is Tails."
"What's with the bag?" Tails asked.
Kat smirked, then set the bag down on the ground and opened it. Knuckles pulled himself out of the bag, stepping out and dusting himself off.
"The leather smell was a bit overwhelming, but at least I wasn't tossed around the truck bed this time."
"Knuckles!" Both Amy and Tails cheered, rushing over to him.
Knuckles looked shocked by the sudden attention, crossing his arms and looking down.
"I can't believe you actually came!" Tails exclaimed. "Are you feeling better?"
"I'm sure he is now that he's had time to cool off," Amy insisted before smirking. "Though I have to admit, I'm surprised you found yourself a human to stay with."
"Yeah, yeah," Knuckled dismissed. "Just don't make a big deal about it. I'm just sticking around until we find all seven Chaos Emeralds."
"And after that?" Tails asked.
"Then I'm going back to Angel Island, and I'm staying there. End of story."
"Ok," Amy replied sarcastically. "If you say so."
Kat then looked around, a bit confused.
"Aren't there supposed to be more of you? Where's Sonic? Or the rabbit?"
"Sonic ran off earlier this afternoon, but Cream and Cheese should be here," Tail answered.
"Well, obviously they're not," Knuckles pointed out curtly. "Where could she be?"
Kat happened to glance out the window and her eyes went wide.
"Found them..." she said, pointing
The three Mobians looked outside and through the window of the living room. There, they could see Cream standing on the coffee table, putting a paper garland onto an overhanging lamp.
"What are those two doing?!" Knuckles let out.
"I think they're helping decorate for the party," Tails reasoned.
"But Keith's mom is decorating for the party," Kat reminded him.
"She really wanted to help out," Amy elaborated.
"Well, she's gonna get herself caught before Keith has a chance to make proper introductions. Stay here, I'll go get her."
The three nodded as Kat went off.
…
Back in the valley, Sonic finally returned to Helen, who was patiently waiting for him.
"Hope I didn't take too long," Sonic replied.
"Nope, you were really fast," Helen assured him. "What were you doing anyway? You made quite a mess."
"I'll show you." Sonic sped behind her and took hold of her chair once more. "Hold on tight."
Sonic started running as Helen held on, laughing the entire time. She soon realized that they were on a freshly carved trail, one that was headed right into the mountains where Peace Valley was located. Realizing what was going on, her laughter became even greater, which was music to Sonic's ears. He smiled in response as the two continued moving down the path.
…
Cream was humming to herself, putting the finishing touches on her garland. At the time, Keith was coming down the stairs, adjusting the collar of his shirt. He glanced into the living room, stopping short when he saw Cream and Cheese. Panicking, he quickly ran forward and scooped her up, just in time for Kat to come running in.
"Keith!" she exclaimed, quickly snagging the Chao.
"Cream, what are you doing here?" Keith asked, hiding behind the couch. "You know you're not supposed to walk around the house alone."
"But Cheese and I wanted to help decorate for the party."
Cheese chirped timidly, as if trying to defend himself and Cream. He also began reaching out for Cream, prompting Kat to hand him over to the rabbit.
"Keith?" Lindsey's voice came from the stairwell. "I heard Kathryn. Is she hear already"
"Uh… yeah! We're…" He turned to Kat desperately, a panicked expression on his face as he silent begged for help.
"Helping Ella with the decorations!" Kat supplied. "I uh… found some old paper garlands my dad kept and figured they'd make a nice addition!"
Lindsey came walking in, prompting Keith and Kat to hide Cream and Cheese behind them.
"Oh my, how quaint," Lindsey commented. "Such a lovely little addition. Thank you, Kathryn."
"No problem ma'am..."
"Hey Mom!" Keith blurted out. "You'd better hurry up and get ready! Ella, Kat and I will take care of the rest of the decorating"
"Are you sure?" Lindsey asked, glancing over at a large grandfather clock situated in the corner of the room. "It's still early."
"Yeah, but you know how time flies when you're putting on your makeup," Keith pushed.
"Not to mention all of the food that has to be prepared too!" Kat added.
"That is a good point. Alright, have fun you two."
She then finally left, leaving the two teens to breathe a sigh of relief before turning around to see that Cream and Cheese were gone.
"What?!" they both let out.
"Where'd they go?" Keith asked.
"She was in your hands! How could you lose her?!"
I-... it doesn't matter. Let's just find them."
…
Elsewhere in the house, Ella was bringing food out to the dining room, laying it out in a magnificent spread. She smiled at her handiwork, then went back into the kitchen to continue. There, she saw Cream and Cheese admiring some of the sweets that were being prepared for dessert.
"Wow," She marveled. "Everything looks so good."
Cheese chirped in response as Cream reached for a bowl of whipped cream. Ella quickly came over, gently picking up the bowl.
"Sorry Cream, but I need to take care of the whipped cream myself."
"Can Cheese and I help with anything at all?" Cream asked, giving Ella her best innocent eyes.
"Well… I could use help putting sprinkles on the cupcakes."
Cream and Cheese both cheered, heading over to where a large array of cupcakes had been set out. The two then grabbed some sprinkle shakers and began decorating. Ella gave the two affectionate pats on the head, then got back to work.
…
At the valley, Sonic and Helen arrived at their destination, with Sonic skidding to a stop as he saw a massive field of flowers. Helen looked around, gasping in absolute delight at what she saw.
"Oh my… it's even prettier than I imagined!"
"Man, Cream's gonna love these."
"Cream?" Helen repeated. "What kind of cream needs flowers?"
"Not that kind of cream. Cream is the name of a friend of mine. She loves flowers too."
"Is she a hedgehog too?" Helen asked.
"No, she's a bunny."
Helen's face became almost unbearably cute.
"I love bunnies. They're so adorable and fluffy. My family occasionally gets some rabbits in our flower garden and the babies are just so tiny and cute. Sometimes, I even get to hold them."
Sonic paused for a moment, considering a possible idea.
"Hey Sonic, would you mind picking some flowers for me?" Helen requested. "I want to bring them back for my mom."
Sonic quickly snapped out of his trance, turning back to Helen.
"Sure. After that… would you like to meet that friend I was telling you about?"
Helen brightened.
"Yes! Yes I'd love to!"
"Great!" Sonic shot her a thumbs up before speeding through the valley and getting some flowers.
…
Back at the Kent house, Lindsey had just finished her make up and was choosing some jewelry to go with her outfit. Once she secured the last piece, she looked herself over before nodding.
"I think this works perfectly," she declared.
Suddenly her phone began ringing. Sighing, she reached over and picked it up.
"Hello?" she listened for a moment, then let out a gasp. "The starring role? Are you serious?" She rose to her feet, absolutely ecstatic. "That's wonderful! I'll be on the first plane tomorrow morning!"
She listened some more, and her face fell. Unbeknownst to her, Cream and Cheese happened to be walking by, stopping when they heard Lindsey's voice.
"Oh, I didn't realize on location shooting started tomorrow morning..." her face grew grimmer. "I see… of course, I understand… I'll head out immediately."
She hung up, setting down the phone. Her hand shook as she brought it to her mouth, stifling a small sob.
"Keith will be so disappointed… Why am I always doing this to him?" she wiped her eyes. "I'm a terrible mother..."
Cream clutched Cheese, watching Lindsey with concern and sympathy.
…
Meanwhile, Sonic had volunteered to take Helen back home, with the two arriving just as the sun was starting to set. He looked at the modest home, marvelling at the large garden with various types of flowers. The door then opened, and a familiar face came out to greet them.
"Helen!" Dr. Birnbaum called out. "There you are! Did you have fun at the-?" She cut off when she saw Sonic, gasping in shock. "It's you… the blue hedgehog."
"You're the doc from the lab," Sonic recalled. "Well, fancy meeting you here."
"Mom, you know Sonic?" Helen asked.
"I do, yes. Though I will admit, I never expected to see you again, much less bringing my daughter home from the park."
"I ran into her while looking for Peace Valley. I was picking up some flowers for a friend."
"It was beautiful mom!" Helen gushed. "The pictures don't do it justice! I can't believe I actually got to go!"
Dr. Birnbaum looked surprised, then her face melted into a smile.
"Thank you, Sonic. I can't remember the last time I saw Helen this happy."
"I was happy to do it. Hey, I promised Helen I'd bring a friend by. The bunny you met at the base."
"Yes, I remember her. How is she doing? Much better I hope."
"Much, though she's been a little down at the moment. I was thinking her and Helen could hit it off pretty well."
"She did remind me a lot of Helen when we first met."
"Can she come over?" Helen asked, turning in her chair and clasping her hands together in a pleading gesture. "Please, please, please?"
Dr. Birnbaum laughed.
"Alright, she can come over."
"Yes!" Helen cheered. "Thank you, mom!"
"Yeah, thanks for this," Sonic told her. "Be back soon."
Sonic then sped off to get Cream, grinning that he would soon be making two young girls very happy.
…
Back at the house, Lindsey had just collected her things and had them brought out to the limo waiting outside.
"Thank you, Mr. Tanaka," She told him as he placed her suitcase in the trunk. "Were you able to find Keith?"
"No, Mrs. Kent," Tanaka lamented. "I will be certain to inform him of what happened and offer apologies on your behalf."
"Thank you. Please let me know if he needs anything."
"Of course."
Lindsey then got into the car, driving out of the driveway.
…
Back in the lab, Keith and Kat made their way towards Chuck's lab in a last ditch effort to locate the wayward rabbit. As they opened the door, they only found Knuckles, Amy, and Tails inside along with Chuck.
"Mr. Kent, have you seen Cream and Cheese?" Kat asked.
"I thought they were with Keith," Chuck replied.
"They were, but we lost track of them," Keith explained. "We can't find them anywhere and Mr. Stewart's gonna be here any minute."
"Then we'll have to split up," Chuck declared. "Each of us will search a part of the house until we find them."
Everyone nodded, then headed out of the lab to continue the search.
…
Meanwhile, Mr. Stewart was driving down the street towards the Kent house. He had two boxes of store bought cookies in his passenger seat, all of them covered in blue icing. He also had a small bug in his hand, which he planned to plant in the house in order to learn more. Finally, he arrived at the house, coming to a stop in the driveway. He got out of the car and walked up to the door, knocking on it. Mr. Tanaka answered the door, giving a small bow.
"You must be Mr. Stewart, Master Keith's teacher. He informed us you would be coming."
"Glad to be here. I know Keith's family has a little get together going on tonight, so I'll try to make this a quick visit."
"Thank you for your consideration." Tanaka stepped to the side, ushering Mr. Stewart in.
As he entered, Keith and Kat happened to pass by, nearly running into him.
"Mr. Stewart?!" Keith let out. "Is it seven already?"
"Time certainly does fly when you're busy," Mr. Stewart replied. "Now, I do hope I'll get a chance to speak with your mother. We have quite a lot to talk about."
"Uh, yeah…" Kat began scrambling for a way to buy time. "Unfortunately, Mrs. Kent is..."
"I'm afraid Mrs. Kent is no longer here," Mr. Tanaka informed him
"What?!" Keith let out.
"Yes, she received the starring role in an upcoming film and had to leave immediately. She wanted me to apologize to both Master Keith and to you on her behalf."
Kat winced, putting a hand on Keith's shoulder.
"Sorry Man..." she said softly.
"It's… it's alright." Keith plopped down onto the couch, sighing heavily. "I'm used to it."
Tanaka walked off as Mr. Stewart glanced down at his student, feeling a pang of sympathy for him.
"I'm sorry, Keith," He tried to comfort.
Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound, causing everyone to turn and see that a vase had fallen off of a pedestal. Ella came out of the kitchen, broom and dustpan already in hand. As the teens went to investigate the cause, Mr. Stewart took the opportunity to pull the bug from his jacket, looking around for somewhere to put it.
"How'd that happen?" Kat asked.
"I'm sorry," Ella apologized. "I was bringing out some snacks and I knocked the vase over."
With her head, Ella gestured over to the living room window. There, everyone could see a child-sized lump in the curtain, as well as a familiar pair of shoes peeking out from under the edge. Mr. Stewart seemed oblivious, his focus on his task. He slipped the bug under the frame of a painting, pretending to admire it.
While all this was going on, Cream and Cheese huddled behind the curtain, both of them feeling bad for having broken the vase. Around that time, a familiar blue blur appeared on the branch of a nearby tree. Cream looked up, gasping in delight when Sonic gave her a wave, holding up the large bundle of flowers he had picked for her. He motioned Cream towards the back of the house before leaping away.
"Wow, thanks Sonic," Cream let out before stepping out from behind the curtain. "I can't believe he went and picked me all those beautiful flowers. That was so nice of him. I'll make enough flower crowns for everyone."
Mr. Stewart turned towards the voice and Kat acted fast. She grabbed Cream, picking her up and holding her like she was a stuffed animal.
"So sorry!" she hastily apologized. "It's this toy I got at the arcade the other day. I guess the voice box in this thing is touchier than I thought."
Mr. Stewart glanced over at Cream, who wisely stayed still and acted like a doll. He, of course, recognized the rabbit instantly, but decided to play along.
"I never pegged you for the stuffed rabbit type, Miss Winters."
"It's a… secret passion of hers," Keith supplied, getting him a glare from Kat, to which he gave a desperate shrug.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Seeing an out, Keith rushed towards the door to answer it. To his immense relief, it was Sam, his brother.
"Hey little bro," Sam greeted, pulling Keith into an affectionate noogie.
"Hey!" Keith let out, trying to free himself. "Yeesh, you'd think you'd grow past those after all this time."
"Never." He then walked in, taking a look around. "Wow, mom went all out I see. I feel underdressed."
"You know mom. She goes all out on everything."
Mr. Stewart approached Sam, looking him up and down.
"Excuse me, but would you happen to be Sam Kent of the S-Team?" he asked.
"That's me," Sam confirmed. "When I'm on the road, they call me Sam Speed."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Mr. Stewart, Keith's homeroom teacher."
"Ah yeah, the guy who tried to stand up to Robotnik. That took guts man. Props."
"Thank you. I just did what I had to to protect my students."
Sam smiled again, then glanced around. His face fell when he noticed that someone was missing.
"Hey Keith, where's mom? Don't tell me she flaked again."
"I'm afraid so. She got offered this big part in a movie and just took off." Keith's tone dropped, becoming bitter and resentful. "She's always doing this. Running off, caring more about her next film than her own family… She even ditched a meeting with my teacher."
All of a sudden, Cream broke herself free of Kat's grip. She jumped down onto the ground and, in full view of everyone there, started berating Keith.
"What a horrible thing to say! Your mother was really sad that she had to go and was crying badly! She's a very kind mother and doesn't deserve you saying all these bad things about her! You should be happy you get to see or talk your mother at all! Some of us aren't as lucky as you!"
Cream then ran off, crying heavily. Everyone just stared blankly, then Knuckles, Amy, and Tails came running through the room.
"Cream, come back!" Amy called out.
"Cream!" Tails shouted.
"Ugh, that kid is fast!" Knuckles grunted.
They soon disappeared after her, leaving everyone in stunned silence. Sam blinked, then he turned to Keith.
"Were those… more of those talking animals? Like the blue hedgehog that outraced me?"
"Uh… maybe?"
"I don't suppose I could convince you this was part of an elaborate ventriloquism act," Mr. Tanaka proposed. "Because I have been dabbling."
"Not a chance, Tanaka," Sam replied. "I'm not an idiot."
"So all of them are here..." Mr. Stewart said under his breath.
"All of what are here?" Kat asked, causing Mr. Stewart to turn pale. "Did you… know about those guys?"
"Uh… rumors mostly," Mr. Stewart dismissed before turning to one of the paintings on the wall. "That's a lovely painting."
Kat's face scrunched in suspicion, then she got up and went over to the painting, which was the one Mr. Stewart had been 'admiring' all day. She felt along the frame, eventually pulling the bug off.
"What's this?" she asked.
"What's what?"
"This." she held out the bug. "Did you plant this? Keith, was this here before Mr. Stewart arrived?"
"No… " Keith replied, looking at the device. "Is… is that a listening device?"
Sam took the device from Kat, looking it over.
"It is," he declared. "Pretty high tech too. Only high level government officials have access to this kind of tech."
Everyone turned to Mr. Stewart, who looked just about ready to disappear into the couch.
"So wait, Mr. Stewart…" Kat pieced together, "is a teacher-spy?"
Keith conked himself on the head.
"Of course! The day after Sonic fights Eggman, we suddenly get a new teacher. More than that, he faced down Eggman without even blinking. A normal teacher would have bolted."
"Unless he'd been in high stress situations before," Sam added, crossing his arms.
Realizing there was no way out of this, Mr. Stewart let out a long sigh.
"Okay, yes," he admitted. "I was assigned by the government to keep tabs on Keith Kent. We wanted to make sure that he was safe with the animals he was harboring. Kathryn Winters ended up on my radar after the Intelligente incident, so I thought I could use this party to learn more about these creatures."
"So, what happens now?" Kat asked. "We seem to be at a bit of an impasse. We know about you being a spy, and you know about our friends."
Mr. Stewart nodded, then laced his fingers together. He brought his index fingers to his lips in contemplation, then seemed to come to a decision.
"How about this? I have to continue monitoring you all and keeping tabs on you. However, perhaps this can be a two-way street. Your animal friends seem keen on keeping Dr. Robotnik at bay, and that makes them good in my eyes. So, allow me to continue doing my job without ousting me to the school board or your classmates, and I'll do what I can to provide you all with intel on Robotnik and his schemes."
Everyone there mulled it over, then the teens nodded.
"I think it sounds fair," Kat admitted. "Mr. teacher-spy could be a serious help."
"Just as long as he doesn't try to take Sonic and the others away, I'll be happy."
Mr. Stewart gave a nod, then glanced over at Sam.
"And how about you?"
Sam held up his hands.
"I had my go at the hedgehog and failed to catch him. I'll admit, I'm surprised he's crashing in my childhood home, but I promised I'd let him run as far and as long as he wanted, and I am a man of my word. As for you, as long as my little bro is getting a proper education under your tutelage, I'll be happy."
With the details worked out, the deal was made and everyone shook hands.
…
Knuckles, Tails, and Amy managed to find Cream and Cheese after a bit more searching. She was in Ella's room, the maid gently holding her and drying her tears. Tails and Amy immediately went over and tried to comfort her while Knuckles held back, knowing he wasn't the best in the sensitive department.
"Ella, what's wrong?" Tails asked.
"Mrs Kent had to leave for a new movie and Keith got upset. He started saying things about his mother that Cream didn't like and she yelled at him."
"Oh Cream," Amy responded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he didn't mean it."
At that moment, Sonic came speeding in with flowers in hand. When he saw the scene in front of him, his face fell.
"Uh oh..." he walked over to Cream, gently rubbing her head. "Hey Cream, don't cry. Everything's gonna be alright."
Cream turned towards Sonic, rubbing the tears from her eyes and seeing the flowers he was carrying. She brightened, reaching out and taking them. Sonic continued rubbing her head, everyone just watching.
"Listen Cream, I know that staying here hasn't been easy for you. I know you miss your mom and all your friends back on Mobius. I know that nothing I say can make that pain go away, but I think I know something that might make your time here a bit more enjoyable."
"Really?" Cream asked. "What?"
"You remember that nice doctor that helped us when we first got here?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, she has a daughter that's about your age. Her name's Helen, and she loves bunnies and flowers."
Instantly, Cream's face brightened up, with a smile that would make even the grumpiest of people crack a smile of their own.
"So, guess that means you'd like to meet her?"
Cream started nodding enthusiastically, Cheese chirping wildly as he circled around her. Sonic scooped her up, holding her close as she took the Chao in her arms.
"Then hold on tight!"
Sonic then immediately took off, disappearing out the window.
…
At the front door, Keith, and Kat were showing Mr. Stewart and Sam out.
"I'll see you tomorrow, you two," Mr. Stewart spoke.
"See ya, Mr. Teacher-Spy," Kat replied.
"See ya around Sam," Keith told his brother.
"Sooner than you might think," Sam replied, giving him a two fingered salute. "And tell your hedgehog friend I said hi."
"Will do," Keith promised.
The two adults drove off, Sam heading on home as Mr. Stewart activated his communicator watch.
"This is Chalkboard Charlie to Homeroom. There's been another development in my observations."
"What sort of development?"
"They know who and what I am. However, they've agreed to keep quiet and allow me to continue my work, provided I occasionally provide information on Dr. Robotnik."
"I see… very well. Maintain surveillance and report any further developments."
"10-4 Homeroom. Chalkboard Charlie out."
The second the communication ended, Mr. Stewart let out a sigh of relief.
"That… went a lot better than I thought it would."
…
At the Birnbaum house, Sonic approached the door, setting Cream down and helping her flatten out her dress. Once she was presentable, he gave a knock on the door. After a few seconds, Dr. Birnbaum answered seeing him and Cream standing there.
"Hey Doc."
"Hello," Cream greeted. "It's nice to see you again."
Upon seeing Cream, Dr. Birnbaum smiled.
"It's nice to see you too. Won't you come in?"
Cream nodded, walking inside. Sonic watched her go, then turned to Dr. Birnbaum.
"Hey, I kinda have a huge favor to ask," Sonic admitted.
"What is it?"
"The thing is… my friends and I have a lot of enemies to face. The others can handle themselves, but Cream… she's just a kid. She can't fight, and I don't want her to. So… I know this is a lot to ask… but can she stay here? Please?"
Dr. Birnbaum paused for a moment, unsure of how to respond. Then, she heard a delighted squeal coming from the living room. Both she and Sonic turned, seeing Cream and Helen embracing. Both girls were smiling happily, embracing one another. Cream's ears were sticking up all the way, a sign that she was truly happy while Cheese flew around them chirping happily. Both Sonic and Dr. Birnbaum couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"It seems there's no decision to be made," the doc declared. "She can stay."
"Thank you."
He turned to leave, glancing back one last time. He walked over to Cream as she and Helen talked.
"Hey Cream," He spoke, getting her attention. "I want you to stay here with Helen. She and her mom will take good care of you, and you can still come visit us at Keith's house as often as you want."
"Alright," Cream replied as Sonic turned to leave. "Wait! Don't go yet!"
Sonic paused.
"I want you to take something back for me, please."
…
Back at the Kent house, Keith and Kat both flopped onto the couch in exhaustion, the latter removing her tie.
"Well, that could have been a disaster," Kat let out.
"It might as well have been, with how Cream reacted," Keith muttered.
Kat glanced over, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, don't let that get to you."
"I just- I didn't even think about how she had to be feeling. She probably hates me right now."
Suddenly, Sonic sped into the room, stopping right in front of him.
"I wouldn't bet on that," He reassured. "Cream's never been one to hold a grudge."
"Took the words right out of my mouth, Sonic," Kat quipped.
"How can you be sure?" Keith asked.
"Because of this," Sonic replied, holding up a flower crown. "Cream told me to give this to you."
Keith looked surprised, then he took the flower crown from Sonic.
"She only gives these to people she really cares about."
Keith smiled at that, sliding the crown onto his head. Kat then snapped a photo with her phone.
"New wallpaper."
"Yeah yeah, just wait until she makes one for you."
"Oh, she made one for everyone," Sonic added, quickly placing one on Kat's head. "She just wanted to make sure you got yours first Keith."
Kat turned red, just in time for Keith to take his own picture. Sonic just smirked in response before heading off to deliver the rest of the crowns to the others.