Chapter 49- Reichenbach Falls

Sonic paced back and forth on the bottom stair holding the box in his hand. He opened it once more and stared inside for a moment. "Oh God… how am I going to do this?" he mumbled.

"What's that?"

Sonic slammed the box shut and turned around. Tails was standing below him, "Sonic… was that-?"

"Shhh!" Sonic demanded glancing around, "Don't tell anybody, alright? I'm still not sure how I'm going to give it to her…"

Tails smiled, "I think that's sweet." He said, "Where did you get that?"

"Well, Komodo kind of gave it to me and indirectly told me to give it to Amy…" he mumbled, "But now that I think about it, it doesn't seem so awful."

Tails smiled, "Well, she's right over there." He said pointing over to the couch, "It's now or never."

Sonic puffed out his chest, "You're right!" he said, "I should just get it over with."

He stormed across the basement over to Amy who was staring up at the TV as she watched Hannah play SA2B. "Amy?" he said.

Amy turned around and Sonic felt his courage run like a catholic from 'The Exorcist' movie. "What is it Sonikku?" she asked sweetly.

Sonic felt his face flushing a bright red, "Um…" he felt along the box he was holding behind his back, "It's nothing… never mind." Then he turned and ran back to Tails.

Tails rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah… get it over with, huh?" he groaned.

"Come on! I have a whole other chapter to give it to her." Sonic retorted, "I'll get around to it." Then he turned and sprinted up the stairs. Tails heard the distant sound of his door being slammed two floors up. He shook his head sadly, "That guy has issues." He mumbled. Then he went out the back door and sat underneath the tree and pulled out a cigarette.

"Hey, since when do you smoke?"

Tails looked up to find Liz and Komodo sitting in the tree.

"Since we started this God-forsaken story." He replied.

"How very out of character." Komodo said.

"Well my character is young and annoying. Sure, tons of people love me the way I am but I should defiantly toughen up a little, don't you think?" he said, "I mean I can't always be the dependant fanboy, can I?"

"Precisely my thoughts, Tails." Liz said with a smile, "I'm starting to like you more and more. It almost makes me feel bad we killed Cos-" she paused mid-word, "Oh crap…"

"YOU KILLED COSMO? YOU BITCH!"

Shadow had abandoned all hopes of getting Liz off the chandelier and was about to go into the kitchen when he heard, "OH GOD SOMEBODY STOP HIM! HE'S GONE COMPLETELY INSANE!"

Shadow ran outside to find Liz trying to beat back a hysterical Tails who had, somehow, gotten a flamethrower.

The Liz upstairs was giggling to herself as she typed about Tails scorching her imaginary counterpart.

Shadow grabbed Tails and pulled him back, "What's gotten into you?" he demanded.

"That bitch killed Cosmo!" he shouted.

Liz looked over her shoulder at the hole burned into her coat, "Great job, Tails!" she said angrily, "Now I have to go upstairs and get another coat." She stormed past them and went upstairs. Komodo jumped down from the tree and followed her.

Sonic came out just as Liz and Komodo were heading in, "What's going on?" he demanded.

"I just found out that Liz killed Cosmo!" Tails shouted, "Did you know about this?"

Sonic paused and looked away, "Sorry…" he mumbled, "I wanted to say something but Liz…"

Tails just stared sadly at the ground, "I can't believe she's really gone…" he groaned.

"Oh suck it up!" Shadow said, "Eventually you'll forget all about her."

"You didn't forget about Maria." Sonic retorted.

At the mention of the name Shadow fell to the ground and screamed, "OH GOD WHY MARIA! WHYYYYYYY?" and he began to froth at the mouth.

"That reminds me of when he was in the straightjacket." Sonic said with a smile.

Shadow snapped out of it and stood up, "Hey, you guys have been talking a lot about this whole story thing and none of you have been attacked! How come it's only when I say this is a story that-"

Before he could finish his sentence he was tackled by a horde of therapists and bound in a straightjacket. "OH COME ON!" Shadow screamed once they had left.

Hannah came out the door and smiled at Shadow. She went up to him and shoved a sock into his mouth, "Try not to choke." She said simply, "I'll be in your trailer."

Shadow's screams of protest were muffled as Hannah went around the side of the house. Tails glared down at Shadow, "You didn't have anything to do with Cosmo's death did you?" he asked.

Shadow said something but it was muffled.

"He did." Sonic replied, "He knocked both of us out and hid us in the garage so we wouldn't interfere with Liz's plan!"

Tails glared down at Shadow, "How could you?" he demanded, "Especially since you know what it's like to lose someone you love!"

Shadow groaned and fell backwards on the grass.

Tails stormed past Sonic and into the house. Shadow looked up at Sonic hopefully but he just glared at the black hedgehog for a moment. Then turned and followed Tails inside. Shadow's screams were muffled but Sonic heard enough to know that whatever he was shouting contained more than the recommended daily dose of profanity.

Liz pulled off her jacket and threw it on the floor where it exploded. She seemed to take no notice of the flaming jacket and turned around and opened her closet. A small grouping of letters fell at her feet. "Komodo look!" she cried, "Another clue!"

Liz grabbed another jacket and slipped it on then fell to her knees and began to shuffle around the letters again. Komodo watched excitedly as Liz put the final letter into place, "Rouge had retired onto the bed." Liz read aloud.

"Perhaps Rouge has something to say about this business. She must be on her bed!" Liz shouted standing up. She ran out of the room and burst into Rouge's room, "WHERE'S THE CHAPTER BATGIRL?" she shouted.

Rouge sat up from where she was lying across her bed reading and stared at Liz, "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You must know something!" Komodo said, "The chapter left us a clue that said you would be right here and you are!"

Rouge paused in thought, "Did it ever cross your mind that these could be red herons?" she asked.

Liz paused, "No." she said simply, "Now what do you know about the chapter?" she demanded holding a magnifying glass up to Rouge's face.

"I don't know anything." she insisted, "I swear!"

Liz glared at her, "Very well. We'll be back with a search warrant."

Then she ran out of the room with Komodo close behind. As she left the room another small grouping of letters was suddenly dumped on her head, "AHA! MORE CLUES!" she screamed.

Rouge rolled her eyes and continued to read.

Sonic was sitting downstairs at the table staring angrily at the black box which he had placed in front of him. Liz was sitting at the opposite end of the room glaring at him as she typed away.

The other Liz came sprinting down the stairs and fell on her face. However, she jumped back up and ran over to Sonic, "Alright, what do you know about the eight?" she demanded.

"Just that you and Komodo are looking for it and that it was a pretty sucky chapter anyway." He replied calmly.

"Aha! So you have a motive!" she screamed.

"What makes you think I took it?" Sonic asked.

Komodo held up her notebook, "We just found letters left behind by the chapter. 'Sonic and Liz were sitting in opposite corners of the room.' And there she is." She added pointing over at the Liz in the corner typing away. She glared up at the three and continued to type away.

"How do you know it wasn't referring to her?" Sonic asked.

"Are you accusing me of stealing the chapter?" Liz said glaring down at the hedgehog, "Why, I'm the one looking for it!"

Sonic groaned and looked back to the box, "Leave me alone, Liz." He said, "I don't have your dumb eight."

Liz glared down at him, "I've got my eye on you, hedgehog!" she said. Then she turned and marched off into the kitchen to keep searching. Komodo followed close behind.

As they left Shadow stormed into the living room with what was left of his straightjacket hanging from his arms. Sonic stood up and took a few steps back, "Whoa… Shadow calm down!" he shouted when he saw Shadow's infuriated expression.

Shadow leapt at Sonic and tackled him into the table, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU LEFT ME OUT THERE?" he screamed as he had Sonic in a chokehold, "THE FANGIRLS CAME BACK YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Amy, having heard the commotion from downstairs, ran up and saw Sonic being strangled. "Stop that!" she shouted running forward. She grabbed Shadow and pulled him off Sonic, "What do you think you're doing hurting my Sonikku?" she shouted.

Shadow ignored Amy and glared down at Sonic, "I've had enough of you, faker!" he shouted, "Meet me in the backyard at twilight. This ends today!" with that he turned and stormed up the stairs.

Liz stood up from her corner and closed her laptop, "See you lot at sundown." She said cheerfully. Then she turned and marched out of the house.

Sonic stared after Shadow, "Did he… just challenge me to a death match?" he asked.

"Oh Sonikku you can't!" Amy cried, "What if you get hurt!"

Sonic glanced down at the black box still on the table. Then he looked back up at Amy trying to push it from his mind, "I can't back out." He said solemnly, "Shadow and I have been at each other's throats for too long. He's right. We have to end it!"

Amy stared sadly at him but then turned and went into the kitchen without a word.

Switzerland…

"Why are we here?" Komodo asked glancing down at the falls.

Liz glanced around, "I'm not entirely sure." She replied, "But this is where that last clue told us to go." Then she stuck her pipe into her mouth.

"How did you get 'Reichenbach Falls' out of those letters?" Komodo asked in confusion, "This place was never mentioned in your chapter."

Liz glanced out at the falls from the ledge they were on, "Well… that's true." She mumbled, "This could just be some sort of hoax…"

"You know this is the place where Sherlock Holmes was supposed to die in the books." Komodo added.

Liz ignored this statement glanced back at the path to see a young Swiss boy coming towards them with a piece of paper in his hands. She pulled her gaze away from him and looked down at the rock wall she was leaning against. Her eyes became wide as she saw another grouping of letters at their base.

While Komodo was looking out at the falls she bent over and began to rearrange them. She placed the last letter into its spot and stared down at her sentence for a moment with wide eyes, realization flooding into her mind.

The boy had reached them and went up to Komodo, "Miss! I've been sent from the hotel you're staying in. There is a sick Englishwoman there who wishes to be seen by an English doctor." He said handing her the note, "They've requested you return immediately."

Komodo stared down at the note, "How silly." She said, "I'm not English and certainly not a doctor… in fact we didn't even check into any hotel."

Liz looked back at Komodo, "Come now dear Watson," she said, "Don't deny this woman the right to a doctor from her own home country. Imagine how terrifying it must be to die in a foreign land."

Komodo stared at Liz, "You seem quite serious all of a sudden." She said, "Why's that?"

Liz looked back out at the falls, "Just go along now. I'll meet up with you later."

"Alright." Komodo mumbled. She turned and went back down the steep path towards the town.

The young boy glanced at Liz and then ran after her.

Liz turned and watched her go and then looked back out at the falls, "Now… where are you?" she mumbled.

TO BE CONTINUED ON FRIDAY!