The next morning, Vanilla got up early and made pancakes for breakfast. Cream was already at the table, scarfing down pancake slices. Tails, however,
wasn't feeling hungry. He was still tired from a horrible nightmare he had the night before. He'd dreamt that Cream was standing over his body. His body,
with his tail and back sharing burn marks. He lay unconscious as she got down on her knees and put her hand on his face.
"I saved you," she said softly, "that means you belong to me now. Tails, you're mine. I won't let anyone hurt you. And you won't hurt me either, right?"
She raised a crowbar above her head and laughed. "Yes...you WON'T!" The crowbar cracked on his head and woke him up.

Now sitting at the table, he cursed silently as he watched Cream eat the last bit of pancake on her plate.

Look at that nutjob. Eating...acting like yesterday never happened. Bitch.

"Tails?"
He looked up from his half-eaten plate of pancakes to Vanilla. She wore an apron over her dress that was covered in splotches of syrup.
Through the splotches, you could make out the lettering: KISS..THE...COOK. Without meaning to, Tails read it out loud. This made Vanilla laugh.
"You may certainly NOT," she said jokingly, "kiss the cook!"
Then she whisphered in his ear, "..at least not until tonight. I think you'll find plenty of places to kiss, then."
Tails felt a flush of heat take over his body. But his heat turned to frigid cold when Cream said...
"Wait, Mama! Are you and Tails going to spend time together, tonight?"
Vanilla nodded. "Yes, we're...going to play a game tonight. It's a game only adults can play, right Tails?"
Tails threw a smug look at Cream, feeling a boost in confidence from Vanilla's support. "Oh, yes. It's NOT for kids like you, Cream!"
Cream looked like she was about to explode, maybe into tears, Tails hoped. Instead, her face contorted into that creepy smile.
"But tonight," she said with an innocent voice, "is the night Tails promised he'd play checkers with me!"
Tails scoffed, thinking that her words had no power now. But Vanilla sighed and said, "Oh, I didn't know that! Well, I suppose we'll have to play our game
another night, Tails."

Tails was dumbfounded. He did not think that Vanilla would buy that fake story, but..she did. And now he had a play date with Cream tonight.
"Y-yeah! That's...too bad. But I promised Cream I'd spend time with her! I gotta keep my word!" He didn't want to agree with Cream, but he didn't want
to come out as the bad guy to Vanilla. He was beginning to think that he'd never be free to get ahold of Vanilla's perfect butt. At least as long as Cream
was around, anyway. Unexpectedly, Vanilla gave Tails a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," she told him, "for spending time with Cream for me. You're a real sweetie!"
And she walked off to the sink to wash the dishes. That kiss recharged Tails hopes. He finished up his pancakes real quick and got up, raring to go.
He went to Vanilla and said, "Hey, Ms. Rabbit! I'm going out for a walk!"
"Oh? Okay, Tails. Don't go too far in the woods. I don't want you getting lost out there!"
"Got it, Ms. Rabbit!" He gave her an affectionate hug and ran out of the kitchen, just in time to see Cream give him a nasty look.
Once he got outside, he shut the front door and went down the path leading to the Sunset Hill Zone.

Vector stood atop the giant loop at the edge of the forest. He looked out at the sunset, not thinking anything in particular. He rubbed his belly,
feeling his stomach grumble. He was hungry last night too, but he'd lost his appetite after seeing those photos. As of now, he couldn't stand the hunger anymore.
He was about to get up and head to a burger joint he saw a little ways off from Sunset Hill Zone, when his ears picked up on the sound of wings flapping.
He looked up to see Tails hovering above.

He landed next to Vector and wagged his tails in the air. He was getting better, but his back still gave him a stinging pain.
"You look well," said Vector. "Hey...do you smell pancakes?"
Tails nodded. "Yeah, Ms. Rabbit made them for breakfast."
Vector rubbed his belly again. "Maaan! I gotta get something to eat!"
"Enough about your stomach! Did you get the dirt I needed?"
"Oh, I sure did."
Vector told Tails what had happened, in excruciating detail.
"She was AWAKE? What the heck!"
"Yeah, that's what I said!"
"But how? Were my calculations off? Was my pill not strong enough? Doesn't matter. Point is, are you sure she's a psycho?"
"I got the proof right here."
Then Vector handed him the photographs. Tails was convinced at last. Cream was a psycho bunny.
"Damn it. What's Vanilla going to think about this?"
"You mean Ms. Rabbit, right?"
"That's what I said, man!"
"Sorry, yeesh! Oh, and here's the razor she used on their faces. It's got some red stuff on it. Think it's blood?"
Tails observed the stains on the blade.
"Yes sir, that is most definitely blood."
"I knew it! Hey, what do we do with this stuff, Tails?"

Tails honestly hadn't the slightest idea. He could tell Vanilla about it using the photographs and bloodied razor as proof. Or maybe he could confront Cream,
threatening to tell Vanilla about her psychotic tendencies if she didn't back off and let him have her mother all to himself.
Wait a second. These feelings of concern and consideration, rage and craftiness...was he developing actual feelings for her?
Was it right to try and take down Cream using this evidence? His conscience told him no. But his heart told him yes.

"We got to expose Cream for the nutbag she truly is. Here, take these photos back. The razor, too."
"Uh, why?"
Tails shook his head. "To convince the authorities that Cream's dangerous as you'll claim her to be once you get down to the city."
"You mean Station Square? Awww, but it's so far away! It'll take hours to get there on foot!"
Feeling agitated by his whining, Tails pulled out a five dollar bill. "Here, take the train. Get the cops and get back here...fast."
"Right."
Vector took off, but not before saying, "And what will you do, Tails? Cream saw me last night, so she's bound to ask you about it!"
Tails shrugged. "I don't have anything to fear from her. She is just a kid, after all. What is she, like 10? 15? Doesn't matter. I can take her.
Ooh, it's getting late!" Tails got his bearings and flew up, up, and away. Vector watched him go. But out of nowhere, a thought occurred to him.

Huh? Oh, no!

He'd forgotten to tell him about Cream's unnatural strength! Crap! Too late now. He decided the best course of action now was to hurry on to Station Square.
He leapt off the giant loop and landed on the ground. Then he broke into a run. And as he ran, he chanted,

"Got to get the cops! Got to get the cops! Before that rabbit chops...poor Tails up into pieces!" He gulped, fearing the worst for Tails.

But pressed on, thinking that Tails' life was now in his hands.