"We found him!"

For nearly five years, we'd waited to hear those very words, to know that Maurice Hedgethorn, who'd been taken from us had finally been found. If nothing else, it would at least bring us closure to know the fate of the son and brother we'd lost. But the next part of the phone call defied everything we'd come to expect: "He's alive."

Almost five years of wondering where he was, fearing he was dead, and despairing of ever seeing him again, and he'd survived! We wasted no time getting to the hospital he'd been brought to, hoping to bring him back home and put this nightmare behind us, at last, only to discover he was in a coma after losing blood from a large gash in his chest, likely from a knife. There were also many cuts and bruises all over his body, visible after his fur had been trimmed shorter to make washing him easier.

The most devastating part, however, was how much thinner and weaker he looked, compared to me. Except for my blue fur, I was his identical twin! Or at least, I had been, but while I had kept myself in good shape, over the years, and built up plenty of muscle, Maurice- or "Manic"- looked thin and weak, like he'd barely been fed anything since he was taken.

Watching my mom, Aleena, cup his face in her hands, trying to coo him awake, while choking back her tears made it so much more painful. My dad- an older version of me named Jules- hugged her from behind. My sister, Sonia, could only stand back with me until dad finally got mom to sit herself down, allowing the two of us to see our long lost brother up close.

Sonia touched Manic's face, feeling his button nose and cheek bones, as if to make sure he was real, but holding herself back, as if afraid that touching him too rough might harm him. Laughable in retrospect, but given how frail he looked, even I felt cautious around him. I couldn't tell how badly he'd been hurt, but it was clear he hadn't been fed regularly, which was probably why seeing him hooked up to an IV was the only time I felt good about seeing needles inside someone. That, and seeing his chest slowly rise and fall were what reminded me that this was Manic's hospital visit, and not his funeral. Even so, I found it hard to get that image out of my head. I would have reminded everyone else that we weren't paying our last respects, but I didn't want to risk burdening them with the same unpleasant thought

That was two days ago. Since then, we'd stayed by Manic's side, watching over him like Guardian Angels, though Dad still had to go to work during the day, but the rest of us remained. It was hard enough waiting for someone who'd been lost for so long to simply wake up from a coma that could last months, or even years, but even worse was the fact that his kidnapper, a man named Robotnik, was still on the loose. That carried the risk of him simply walking into the room, which was probably why Mom had a .45 caliber handgun strapped to her hip. She'd never been the violent type, but she'd do whatever it took to protect her babies, like any good mother would. If the fat man came through that door, he'd get a third eye before he could lay a hand on any of us.

It was saturday, so Dad didn't have to go to work, but it was still early in the morning, and everyone else was snoozing in their sleeping bags, which dad went home and brought back when we'd all decided to stay. I'd been up all night, "guarding" Manic while everyone slept, and I did feel tired, but couldn't fall asleep, so I pulled out Manic's old Gameboy Color and started a new playthrough on his favorite game, Pokemon Silver. Both were presents he'd gotten for Christmas when he and I were 4, so it carried a lot of sentimental value for me. I'd already played through the game I got that same Christmas, which was Pokemon Gold, so Manic's game wasn't anything new, but nothing kills time like handheld games. By the time the sun started to shine through the hospital window, I'd gotten a Storm Badge AND a Ninetales that I'd become well acquainted with. But as the others began to stir, I decided it was time to save and shut down.

"Is he awake yet?" asked Sonia sleepily as she awoke from her sleeping bag on the floor.

I just shook my head as I set the gameboy on the table next to me.

"Not yet, but it could always be worse," I replied, reminding my sister of the dread filled question that plagued our every waking moments for half a decade. I could still remember wondering if we'd ever see him again, as recently as the week before, though I couldn't dwell on such memories for long since we'd all had 5 years to wonder about his fate. Having him here was something entirely different…even if he wasn't awake yet.

"I just want this to end," whined my eggplant colored counterpart, "I just want to go home and start over again. Haven't we been through enough?"

"We're much closer to doing that now than we were when Maurice first went missing," I replied.

Sonia slumped a bit where she was sitting, now robbed of her reason for complaining, for all the good it did in making her feel better.

"I guess, but…it's taking too long."

The persistence in her whining was matched only by her lack of imagination.

"You could go somewhere with Mom or Dad. I could call you guys if anything happens," I offered.

Right about then, Dad began to stir from his sleep.

"No," replied Sonia, "I want to be here when he wakes up."

"I think we all do," said Dad, sitting up, "But your brother has a point. Maurice is closer to rejoining us than he's ever been, and the least we can do is have patience while we wait."

Sonia shrugged, not having much more to say.

"I know this isn't easy, but once he wakes up, we can all go home and start over. He'll need to adapt more than any of us after what he's been through, so it'll be like raising up a toddler again, which means that means you get to be the older siblings for a while," smiled Jules.

Sonia chuckled, which made me feel better, now that everyone's mood seemed to have lifted a bit. It would need to stay that way once Manic came to since moods tend to feed off each other, for better or worse, and dwelling on the bad things that had happened wasn't going to help anyone get past them.

"We'll have to reintroduce him to all the 'finer points of life' like camping, boating, and game night," I added, wanting to give everyone something to look forward to.

Sonia's head almost turned 180 degrees as she turned to look at me like I'd committed blasphemy.

"You left out pizza!" she bellowed, her eye size defying her sockets.

Dad scrambled over to the door and blocked it.

"He can't escape now. Make him pay!" he said in a very sinister voice.

A couple of kidders. But the last time we'd all goofed around like this wasn't recent. The fact that we could do so now was telling.

"It would be a shame if Maurice were to wake up and see us all fighting."

We all looked down to see mom getting up from her slumber, appearing sleep deprived, half crazy, wasted, and ultimately a lot better than she had for the last few years.

I shrugged and replied, "He can't keep us waiting much longer with everything the doctors have been doing for him, he should come around any day now."

As if in response, Sonia snapped her gaze in Manic's direction.

"What is it?" asked Aleena, looking at him.

"Manic's arm just moved!" hissed the eggplant hedgie, pointing to her unconscious brother.

All eyes turned to the green hedgehog laying on the hospital bed, watching for signs of life, but noticed nothing inconsistent.

"What did his arm do?" asked Dad, wanting details.

"It just shifted a little, but I really did see it," Sonia replied defensively.

"I believe you, I just wanted to know the details," said Dad.

"Just give him some time, he'll come to," I chipped in.

"No, this has gone on long enough!" declared Mom, as she got on her knees in front of the bed and began praying, having lost all patience now that she was this close to seeing her baby boy again.

I thought she was overreacting just a bit, but then dad joined her. Even Sonia buried her face in folded hands, asking the supreme father to bring back Maurice just a little bit faster. I myself wasn't the most devout person, but it couldn't hurt to try, so I joined them at my brother's side to petition for his speedy recovery. I silently asked God to bring back Manic, and in return, I promised to watch out for him, my sister, my mom, and even my dad. No more fights, I just wanted us all back together again, and would do everything to help us live and love as we always should have. Sitting around waiting for Manic to return to life left us all with very little to do, for the time being, but the difference in everyone was noticeable. Sonia gained a new spark I'd never seen in her before, mom got hers back, dad looked a lot less exhausted than he typically did (and a bit younger, too), and, as a result, I found myself with far less to worry about than I was used to. 5 years of having to hold the family together almost single handedly, of having to keep mom and dad's heads on their shoulders, help Sonia grow up normally, and convince everyone that everything would be alright, and it all came to a screeching halt when Manic turned up. The nightmare would finally end for us, and we could all start over again. Things weren't perfect before Manic was taken, but I would not wish that sort of travesty on any family. And who said we couldn't come out of this stronger than before? The affair had taken its toll on everyone, and we certainly weren't emerging from this unscathed. I wanted to put this whole thing behind me, but deep down, I knew it wasn't over. Manic would still need to recover from something far worse than what the rest of us had gone through, and he'd need our help. At least this time, I had experience under my belt, and a good idea of what to expect, but the best part of all was that I'd have help in this. I wasn't the only one waiting for Manic to come back, and neither was I the only one who would get him back on his feet. Mom, Dad, me, and Sonia would all be there for him. We would give him back the life that was taken from him and help him relearn what he'd forgotten. No one had bigger disagreements with him than me before he was taken, but even I knew that no one loved him more than us. We were his family, and we'd always be there for him. We'd all been through hell, but now we could finally help each other get out. The family that suffers together heals together.

"...Amen," I whispered, opening my eyes to see Manic's chest rise as he inhaled more deeply than usual.

(Scourge's Point Of View)

He remembered being stabbed, watching his own blood cascade out of him, and the cold void of death taking him, shortly after.

So why did he suddenly feel warm and comforted?

He wanted to open his eyes, but became aware of intense exhaustion weighing down every inch of him. Even his eyelids felt like lead, but his curiosity was just as overpowering, so he continued his struggle, working whatever muscles controlled eyelid movement, until the blinding light went from flutters to full blast, burning his vision as he attempted to take in his bright surroundings. But despite the intensity of the whole thing, all he could muster was a soft gasp.

"Manic?"

That name. Someone was calling to him…no, someone was calling to the boy he was impersonating. He turned to look at where the voice came from, and as his vision slowly came into focus, the brightness gave way to a brightly colored room with four very distinct figures standing and kneeling next to the bed he was in. Seeing them more clearly, he recognized them as Manic's family. The two younger hedgehogs were obviously Sonic and Sonia, while the blue hedgehog was Manic's dad, Jules. Scourge's focus, however, was fixed on the purple furred woman knelt in front of him. He knew she was Manic's mother, Aleena, but he was unprepared for the acceptance he felt from her, no fear or anger like he was used to.

"It's over, Maurice," she cooed, "You're safe with us now."

Hearing her call him that name, like he was her son and she was his mother was beyond what he could describe. Scourge couldn't remember being accepted by anyone, and even now, he felt something inside him pulling him back, cautious hesitation warning him against letting anyone get too close. But at the same time, he knew he needed her.

Feeling somewhat stronger, Scourge still had to put considerable effort into raising his arm so he could extend it to Aleena, but soon found it resting in hers. She didn't wait for him to come to her, she came to him, and held his hand in hers, which was joined by Sonic's, Sonia's, and Jules'. Scourge felt his heart flutter as their warm palms engulfed his hand, but then the man named Jules said something else that he wasn't ready for.

"So long as my lungs draw breath, Manic, you will never have to worry about him reaching you ever again," he practically growled.

From the way he gently squeezed Scourge's hand, he felt nervous about what the man was capable of doing, but at the same time, the sincere protectiveness his voice carried wrapped itself around the green hedgie like a thick, warm blanket. He knew Jules meant what he said, which made most of his fear melt away.

"Good," he sighed, still exhausted.

His now relaxed state made him aware of how tired he still felt. Scourge would finally have the perfect family to look after him and keep Robotnik away, IF he ever found out where he was, which would be pretty hard to do with his new name. It all felt so dream like- appropriate, as he felt himself drifting off again, since he wasn't quite ready to wake up. Then he felt a hand touch his cheek.

"Hmm?" he mumbled as his eyes opened to see Aleena gently touching his face.

"It's alright," she assured him, that intense look still in her eyes, "just rest now."

How he wished he wasn't tired and wired to IVs. For the first time, Scourge actually wanted to feel close to someone else, to feel so much more of that warmth that she radiated. If only he could figure out what it was called. But the hospital room and everyone in it faded as he drifted back to sleep, so many worries that once plagued him now just a memory...