I want to apologize to my readers for taking over two months to update again. In my defense, I had more chaos going on in that amount of time than you can imagine, such as losing my job because a customer threw a fit and threatened to never shop where I worked again because I...failed to smile on one occasion (yeah, those type of customers really do exist). And that's just one of many other things throwing my life into disarray at the moment, but at least I was able to complete this chapter, and I hope it brightens your day a bit like it has mine. (also want to thank Insanity Allegra and God for getting me through all that). :)

Having been an involuntary occupant of a run down shack in the middle of a forest, Manic expected his new (old) home to be a similar size, almost feeling greedy just for hoping for a big house to go with the wonderful family he'd already been blessed with, today. But looking at the one they were pulling up to, a single word came to mind: 'whoa!'

A cream colored two story home wide enough to fit at least 3 families, with some pretty fancy looking doors and window trimmings. The place was a friggin mansion! And that wasn't counting the two car garage they were pulling into.

Manic felt a pang of claustrophobia coming over him again as the garage door slid shut behind him. The dark and dull interior reminded him a bit of the basement he'd been kept in for so long, but at the same time, the walls and parts of the floor were covered with all sorts of interesting objects, from tools to a jet ski, all of which aroused his curiosity enough that he forgot about the basement.

"Maurice?"

As soon as his gaze met Aleena's, she asked him what was wrong, noticing him being awfully still.

"That's a lot of stuff," he commented, impressed with the otherwise mundane looking clutter.

Had that been in the basement where he was kept, things might not have been so mind numbingly boring...

"There's a lot more stuff inside!" Sonia chirped, eagerness filling her voice.

That got his attention. He remembered feeling awed by the majesty of the house's exterior. Now he'd get to see what was inside.

He followed the entourage into the laundry room, shedding his coat and footwear inside a closet, then went into the main area of the house, where he was greeted by a spacious kitchen and family room, both well maintained to near pristine condition. There was big comfy looking furniture in the family room, next to a fireplace and a glass wall providing a spacious view of the lake behind the house, while the kitchen contained several bowls of fruit and packaged bread slices hinting at what was hidden away inside the cabinets and fridge. And he hadn't even seen the rest of the house. It wasn't a mansion, it was a palace!

But what stood out was the familiarity of it all. He couldn't place his finger on the exact detail, but one thing he became aware of was that here, he did not fear starvation, and even felt warmer inside. It felt like...home. Nothing at all like the shack he'd lived under. Even the atmosphere was different, but at the same time, it felt like he'd been here before.

Manic could almost hear young hedgies running through the house. He could almost see Jules and Aleena sitting together on the couch near the fireplace. He could almost smell something delicious cooking in the oven. He knew he had memories of this place, but exact details evaded him, as if scrubbed away with a wet rag, yet this the home he grew up in, all the same.

So many feelings that he couldn't trace. So many puzzle pieces that didn't fit. A sea of questions flooding his mind, while the answers seemed dammed up. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he'd forever lost something important to him. And not just important, but vital, because he desperately needed to feel like he belonged somewhere. He wanted to take comfort in his family reminding him that he was one of them, but he didn't want to tell his mom and dad that he didn't remember them. He couldn't bear the thought of his family hating him for lying, and who knows what they'd do to him in retaliation? The risk was too great.

Sonic finished putting his coat and shoes away when he noticed his green counterpart standing in the main part of the house, being very still and breathing heavily.

"Manic?" he asked calmly, remembering what his brother had told him about his amnesia, and hoping to resolve whatever episode he was having before it got out of hand.

No response.

He got closer and called to him once more, as quietly as he could.

Manic's head snapped toward him, as if startled by the otherwise nonthreatening approach from his twin.

"You alright?" he asked.

The green hedgie seemed at a loss for words, as if trying to speak, but being held back by something, and the worry in his eyes was rapidly intensifying. Putting two and two together, Sonic grabbed Manic's hand and quickly led him to the stairs, telling him, "Check out your room" and saying it loud enough for their parents to hear him.

"Me and Sonic fixed it up!" called out Sonia, following them, much to Sonic's dismay.

The whole point of taking him to his old room was to give him some alone time, and Sonia tagging along wasn't helping. Though she might not be all that surprised to learn Manic had memory issues from a clearly traumatic ordeal, it was still something he wasn't ready to share with anyone else, and for him to leak that secret now might make it difficult for Manic to trust anyone, given how desperately he needed to feel secure right now.

Reaching Manic's room at the top of the stairs, the same room that made passing eyes moisten for half a decade, Sonic grew worried that Manic would have another nostalgia moment that would blow his cover, for lack of a better description, and began running through a mental list of all appropriate responses to whatever might happen, once they got through that door.

His response time was cut even shorter when Sonia darted ahead into the room, nearly taking the door with her as she opened it, immediately going into tour guide mode, introducing him to everything he owned like he'd never seen it before, which was quite appropriate in this case.

"And we kept all your toys in this big box!" she chattered like a monkey, lifting the lid and showing Manic his old items. Among them was an orange tipped, plastic revolver with a faded coat of metal colored paint that had long since lost the reflectiveness it once possessed.

Sonic's earlier fear of Manic's memories resurfacing at a bad time seemed to come true when he took the toy gun and gave it a long stare, until even Sonia noticed, and consequently went silent for a moment before asking, "You alright, Manic?"

The green hedgehog was lost in the flurry of thoughts and emotions invading his mind. The toy gun in his hand felt like something he'd held onto many times before, and though he could not place a finger on when, exactly, he knew he'd played with it. It had once been his favorite possession. It had once been part of his life.

"I remember this!" he whispered frantically.

Seeing her brother's eyes tear up, Sonia pulled him into a big hug, squeezing as hard as she could while Manic struggled with a wave of emotion hitting him like a tsunami. Despite ample proof of his true identity, it hadn't sunk in until now that he was, in fact, a member of this household, and not merely pretending to be.

Knowing what was happening, Sonic joined in and also hugged his green brother before he could say anything even more incriminating. This did nothing to calm Manic, who began to break down like a dam, his whispers giving way to muffled sobs. Witnessing Manic's pain on display was something both of his twins had been preparing themselves for ever since they found out he was alive...but that didn't mean they were ready for it. 5 years of never knowing what happened to him, what was happening to him, or if he was even alive, and then he turned up in the hospital, on the brink of death, with evidence of horrific abuse inflicted, and now, he could barely keep himself together. It was all too much for Sonic and Sonia, who both felt tears sting their own eyes as they did their best to protect Manic from his own pain.

The green teen had been on his feet, but was so deeply enveloped in his own turmoil that he couldn't maintain his balance, and finally sank to his knees, both his twins lowering themselves to stay even with him. He covered the lower half of his weepy face with the hand he was holding the gun with while the group hug he was sandwiched in kept him upright. Yet, he still felt like he was falling through a storm cloud of fear and joy that left him a sobbing mess.

"Please...don't cry," whispered Sonia, trying not to burst into tears, herself as she held him.

"No, it's ok to let it all out, now. You're in your own domain, now," Sonic reminded. Sonia meant well, but right now, Manic needed to release his burdens, and what better time to do that than here with his brother and sister?

"I want my mom," whimpered Manic, wiping his tears away.

Ok, that works, too.

"Should we get mom and dad?" whispered Sonia.

The blue hedgie worried that bringing their parents into this now would expose Manic's amnesia, causing all sorts of unnecessary problems on his first night home..

"Not just yet, give him some time to adjust," pleaded Sonic, halfheartedly.

Sonia cocked her head in confusion and asked why. As much as her brother tried, he couldn't think up an excuse, having run out of them, and it was unlikely he could convince her to simply leave the room for anything, which left him with only one option.

"Okay, don't freak out, just listen," he began.

Alarm bells were ringing in Manic's head, so he asked, half-choked, "What are you doing?" Though he already knew the answer.

"It's ok, she's our sister. I think we can trust her," assured Sonic, who began to explain what he knew to Sonia, whose expression gradually became a mix of shock and grief upon hearing that Manic didn't actually remember anything. But that was all her blue twin was able to share with her before she pulled Manic into another hug, this time nearly suffocating him. If that didn't quell Sonic's fear of her being angry, her emotional quivering certainly did.

"You...you don't remember?" she choked, tears squeezing out of her eyes as she buried most of her face into Manic's shoulder.

Though she didn't burst into sobs, the tears still fell from her eyes. Ever since Manic woke up, she'd been worried that he might not be as okay as he appeared. Perhaps it was too good to be true, after all.

Manic was too afraid to say anything, knowing that his parents could put him through their own brand of pain if they learned he had been deceptive, and Sonic had just given away a secret he promised not to tell, leaving him with no one to turn to. His own tears had not yet dried, but he was so scared that he ceased making any noise.

Sensing his indecision, Sonic reminded Sonia that Manic simply forgot a few important details, which was half true, but it did little to calm Manic, who broke away from Sonia and crawled into the closet where the darkness concealed him.

His brother and sister crept up to the half open door and would have asked if he was alright, but the muffled sobs made the question redundant. Only then did Sonic begin to wonder if telling his sister had been the right move, remembering the despair that came over Manic like a shadow. Both sibs remained by the closet, listening to Manic cry for a few moments before Sonic decided to break the silence since Sonia wasn't about to.

"You...gonna come out?" he asked, sheepishly.

Not for the first time, that day, Manic was was at a loss, and unable to think coherently beyond the tears and sobs escaping him. It wasn't enough that his life was being turned upside down over and over again since the day started, but now the one person he'd trusted had spilled the beans on him after only minimal effort to cover for him.

"Don't tell dad!" he choked.

Both sibs found it difficult to watch their brother curled up in a ball on the closet floor, in fear, when he'd been so alive and so determined just a few hours earlier when he stepped out of the hospital. Him fearing his dad's wrath wasn't a surprise, given which gender had abused him for five years, but it also hinted at the pain he'd suffered, which made the whole ordeal even less bearable for the pair, who, not knowing what else to do, crawled in after Manic, closed the door, and gave him a mini group hug.

While Manic didn't want to be touched by someone who he felt had sold him out, neither did he want to lose what little support he had outside the only boundaries he clearly remembered. Even here in the safety of his old home, he felt even more vulnerable than he did under Robotnik's roof, so he let himself relax in his brother and sister's embrace. At least they had no intention of beating him, and the darkness of the small closet hid him from any prying eyes his fear could create.

"Don't think about Mom, Dad, or Robotnik." Sonic told him.

"You're safe now," assured Sonia, reinforcing her brother's words as she held on to the other one.

None of them knew how much time passed as they sat there hugging in pitch black before they heard the door to Manic's room open slowly.

"Manic?" they heard Jules say gently, "Sonia? Sonic?"

Both of the latter felt Manic tense up and wondered if the entire conversation they'd just shared had been a bad idea. It was his first night home, and already the progress he'd made at the hospital was undoing itself. But on the other hand, it began with him recognizing his room, so just how much of the damage they themselves were responsible for was up for debate. Either way, Manic was afraid of someone that would inevitably find him, so a quick fix was in order.

Thinking fast, Sonic whispered, "Let me do the talking," and gently pushed the closet door open.

"We're in here," he told Jules, who turned around and asked what they were doing in the closet.

"Manic was feeling overwhelmed by everything in here, so we all went in the closet," Sonic continued.

A smile covered the confusion in Jules features only a few seconds before, as he told them, "Well, your mother made something downstairs to make Manic's first night home easier. Your Uncle Chuck will be home shortly, and it would be for the best if we were all together tonight."

He looked at Manic and appeared ready to say something, before Aleena cut him off.

"Hey Jules," she called from downstairs," Do we have that...special plate anywhere?"

The older hedgehog's eyes widened, and he hurried out of the room, giving Sonia a chance to demand to know why Sonic had given away their hiding spot, to which Sonic replied, "He was going to look in here, anyway."

"But what if he hadn't? What if he'd gone elsewhere?" asked Sonia.

"Then we'd have had to explain why we'd hidden from him, since he'd never believe we couldn't hear him calling us. The house isn't big enough for that!" explained Sonic, trying not to lose his temper.

Manic, who'd been silent ever since Jules entered the room, asked, "shouldn't we go downstairs?"

That came as a bit of a surprise to the other two.

"Weren't you afraid of dad, a second ago?" asked Sonia, an eyebrow raised.

He had been, but having seen the man looking so happy to see him brought the green hedgie back to earlier in the day when that same man was helping him get around the hospital and telling him how proud he was of him being so strong despite what had happened to him. Hardly the image of an abusive father.

"He looked happy to see me. He's not like Robotnik," explained Manic, drying his tears and sounding more calm.

That left both his sibs with more questions than answers, but they weren't about to reopen old wounds- certainly not tonight- so they nodded and helped him to his feet. Upon reaching the door, the smell of cookies coming out of the oven reached their noses, instantly solving the mystery of what their mother had made for them, and making all three completely forget their worries.

Aleena pulled a metal sheet dotted with chocolate chipped discs out of the sweltering oven and turned to see three pairs of eyes peeking at her from over the island counter-top, which sent her into a fit of joyful laughs. Nothing made her heart soar like seeing all three of her babies safe at home, waiting for cookies to finish.

Jules came back to the kitchen with the plate Aleena wanted- a crystal platter with a mixture of green and blue hues- and saw all three triplets crouching behind the kitchen island, and chuckled a bit, himself. It was just like old times, which was more than he could have hoped for just a month before when Manic was still missing. Now, the whole gang was back together...well, almost everyone.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

"Looks like Chuck finally decided to join us!" Jules pointed out, setting the plate down on the counter top for Aleena, then heading to the front door.

Outside, Chuck Hedgethorn waited for his younger brother to open the door, but was surprised to also see Manic accompanying him.

"Cookie?" he asked, offering a chocolate chipster on a napkin to the older policeman.

Jules couldn't resist.

"We were out of donuts," he snickered.

The cop just smiled as he accepted the cookie and replied, "Just one more reason he's my favorite nephew."

"Cookie?" offered Sonic and Sonia, appearing from the kitchen with more of the chocolate dotted goodies.

"I like this place," laughed Chuck, entering and removing his shoes, "Anyhow, sorry for lagging behind. Was making a few rounds in the neighborhood until the other patrol showed up.

"Your arrival couldn't have been more timely," replied Jules, "Let's go share the rest of the cookies!"

The officer quickly finished all three of the "sacrifices" brought to him, and joined the three hedgies in the living room, which consisted of green carpeting, yellow walls, red leather furniture, and a stone themed fireplace.

There was something about this room that comforted Manic, though he suspected it was because he liked the mixture of colors. But on the other hand, it could just as easily be the familiarity of a place as memorable as this. After all, who could forget a room as pretty as this mixed with the smell of fresh cookies?

Aleena set the oh-so-special plate she'd requested down on the coffee table in front of everyone sitting down, while her husband brought in milk.

"Fiesta!" whooped Sonia, making V signs with both her hands and raising them above her head.

Sonic placed his hands over the platter and declared, "Mah Cookehz!"

Sonia wilted like a flower.

"Is that legal?" Jules asked Chuck.

The officer reached for the cuffs on his belt. Sonic gasped dramatically, grabbed two of the sugary discs, said, "You'll never take me alive!" and disappeared with them behind the couch, making everyone laugh, including Manic.

Rejoining the rest of the furry litter, Sonic glanced at the platter and his eyes went wide. Before Manic could ask what the issue was, his twin leaned over and whispered, "That's the plate you and I got mom for mother's day, a few year's back."

That explained the green and blue coloring. Now that Sonic had told him, he could pretend he remembered, which would make things a bit less complicated. It was good to know his brother still had his back.

Sitting down with the family he'd always wanted, enjoying some tasty treats with them, and knowing he really was one of them all made for an experience he would never have believed himself worthy of, but once again, he found himself facing an undeniable reality that had changed in his favor- in so short a time, no less! It all felt like a dream; warm, soft sweetness in his mouth, cold milk washing it down, soft cushioning at his back and underneath him, friendly talk with parents who weren't mad at him, all in cozy living room lit by a nearby fireplace.

A far cry from the cold hard cellar with no company except beatings, and only table scraps to eat, that he was used to. Perhaps he didn't have anything to worry about, after all.

Regardless of what had happened upstairs, and what might happen in the days ahead, he allowed himself to forget all of it and enjoy this night, because tonight was the best night of his life.

(1 mile away...)

A camper van sat secluded in a heavily forested area while two occupants listened to a radio, taking note of what they heard. Once the chatter on the other side dimmed to silence, one of the van's occupants, a wolf with bedraggled hair and a goatee, opened a box and pulled a cell phone out that he dialed a number known only to himself and his cohort, a shirtless dingo sitting against the wall who looked eager to call it a night as soon as the call was completed, unlike his wolf partner, who seemed to be a thousand yards away as he counted each ring coming from the phone against his ear, until a harsh but familiar voice broke the torturous pattern.

"This is the only call you get on this phone. You'd better have something to report!"

To avoid being tracked, the two had to use phones that their client delivered to them, and even then, they had to dispose of it afterward, in case the call was picked up by someone. Needless to say, their client would not appreciate them wasting that phone. Not wasting time with composure, either, given how impatient the man on the other end was, the wolf shakily replied, "The uh- er- bugs have been planted as you ordered, sir! I'm calling now that everyone has gone to bed."

"And...what did you find out?" spat the client.

"From what we heard in his bedroom, the brat doesn't remember anything," reported the wolf.

"...did he actually say so?" asked the client.

"We heard his brother tell his sister about it. He told her that Manic had told him he couldn't remember."

"Good...exactly as planned," chuckled the client deviously.

Relieved that his report had been received favorably, the wolf allowed himself to relax a bit while the dingo seemed only mildly interested, still waiting for the call to end.

"What are your orders?" the wolf asked.

"They remain the same. Continue monitoring the little fuzzball, and report to me again when the next phone arrives," replied the client.

"Yes sir. Thank you, sir," thanked the wolf.

The conversation was abruptly ended by a hangup from the other end, and the wolf smashed the phone against the wall just as abruptly.

The dingo laughed and mockingly asked, "Wussah matta? Wolf afraid uh the doctuh?"

"Only because I know what he's capable of doing to us at this very moment if he so chooses!" growled the wolf.

"Thas yuh problem: Ya worry too much!" chuckled the Australian accented dingo, fluffing out his sleeping bag.

The wolf had several snappy comebacks ready, but knew the rest of the conversation would go nowhere, no matter what he told the dingo, because he did have a point; there wasn't much they could do about a mad scientist whose location was a mystery to them, and who could kill them with the push of a button if they displeased him.

"Maybe I do," muttered the wolf, slumping into a corner, "but I'm also the one who keeps us a step ahead of the authorities. Never forget that."

Lying down, the dingo replied, "Ah might be thick, but not that thick! Compared to me, you're Robotnik himself."

The wolf snarled, "I'd watch my words carefully. He might be listening to us like we're listening to the Hedgethorns."

"Thas what ah mean. You're way ahead of me on that stuff," complimented the dingo, beginning to nod off.

"Thanks, I guess," thanked the wolf, reaching for the lamp.

"Anytime," replied the dingo, "...goodnight, Sleet."

"Yes, goodnight, D," said Sleet, switching off the lamp.

How am I doing?