Hello everyone! I'm finally back :)

I'm really sorry about the big delay. I know, in the comments, I had promised I was going to publish this next chapter in January, but between school, a new fic and other responsabilites of mine (and even forgetting I had promised I was going to update in January), I could only finish it now :)

Nevertheless, I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter :D It's only a few months, until I'm free of school and my internship, and then I'll finish this story in a flash hahaha

Sonic hesitated for a moment, glancing at Tails, who was practically bouncing with excitement at the idea of playing Minecraft and making new friends. Sonic then turned his attention back to Tom, Maddie, and Wade.

Sonic's mind screamed. Desperately reminding him of what Longclaw had so long told him. All the horrible possibilities that could happen to him and especially his son. He remembered how she had sacrificed herself to save him from the Echidnas' attack and how she had told him to never stop running.

"Wade, I... I really appreciate it." Sonic began running his hand through his quills. "But I have to think about it. Exposing ourselves to you guys was already a really big risk—that paid off, yes—and while this is definitely safe, it might just be too much. You never know what could happen." Sonic finished, frowning slightly. He felt conflicted, as he wanted to give Tails a chance to have fun, but he also wanted to protect him from any danger.

"Dad, couldn't we try it, at least… please?" His son asked, his eyes pleading to accept the offer.

Sonic, even more than a decade later, knew Longclaw's advice word for word. But looking at the kid's face and remembering how welcomed he was by Donut Lord, Pretzel Lady, and Wade, he couldn't help but think that, perhaps, Longclaw was wrong to some extent.

Of course, she was right regarding most people in the world, but would it actually hurt that much to play without anyone knowing who they actually are with some of Green Hills?

Because… honestly… he also wanted to play with other people his age too.

He was at a tug of war with himself. Sonic wanted to honor Longclaw, and he truly hoped that if she were still alive, she would be proud of him. Proud of him trying to be the best parent he possibly could to Tails (like Longclaw, in his very faded memories, was to him)

But would that dishonor what Longclaw told him to do?

He didn't know.

"Sonic, we get it." Maddie said it empathetically, interrupting his line of thought. "But this could be an opportunity for both of you to connect with others in a safe space." Maddie finished, giving a small smile.

Sonic looked down at Tails, whose face was basically screaming, 'Just accept it, please.'.

Sonic sighed, briefly running a hand through Tails' head. "I want you to have friends, lil' buddy. I really do. I just can't help but worry." Tails frowned as his ears dropped slightly. He didn't want to put Tails at any risk or lose him. He loved him more than anything.

Tails frowned as his ears dropped slightly. Sonic's heart shattered slightly.

"It is 100% safe, right?" Sonic asked as he looked at Wade. He needed to be sure before he agreed to anything. "I mean, no one is going to be able to track who we are or anything, right?"

Wade chimed in, "You won't have to reveal anything about yourselves, and you can stop playing whatever you want. No one will know." Wade finished sincerely.

This definitely helped ease Sonic's anxiety and worries.

But what Longclaw told him still lingered in his mind. He wondered what she would say if she saw him now. Would she be angry or disappointed? Or would she be happy or proud?

Sonic looked down at Tails, his expression softening. He saw the hope and excitement in his eyes, and he felt a surge of love and affection. He realized that he wanted to make him happy more than anything. He wanted to give him a chance to have a happier childhood than he ever had.

"You really want this, don't you?"

Tails nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Please, Dad, it could be great!"

At that moment, Sonic knew exactly what he was going to say.

He smiled at Tom and Maddie. The desire to give Tails a chance at a happier childhood in his heart was just too strong. At that moment, he felt something deeper and stronger with Tom and Maddie… he felt like… they were family…

"Okay, we'll give it a shot. But if anything feels off, we're out. Deal?" Sonic said, leaving no more room for discussion, while he extended a fist bump to Wade.

"Deal." Wade smiled as he extended his hand for a fist bump.

Tails immediately hugged Sonic, giving as many 'Thank you's as he possibly could, melting Sonic's and everyone's hearts.

While it would make it harder for them to not stay at Tom and Maddie's house every day, it would be so worth it.

As he continued embracing his son, Sonic briefly looked up at Tom and Maddie's smiling faces… and he couldn't help but wonder if what he had wanted for so long would happen—if they could be his… parents…

But could that even be more than a dream?

Sonic didn't know…

And would that make them… Tails' grandparents?

He had always wondered what it would be like to have a real family. To have someone who cared for him and who he could care for. To have someone who would always be there for him and who he could always be there for. To have someone who would love him unconditionally. He pretended, yes.

But that was all it was—a game of pretend, a kind of weird, twisted, fake play that only existed within Sonic's mind.

Until he found his son.

But a part of him, even when he was in denial, yearned to be part of Tom and Maddie's family, too.

When Tom and Maddie first appeared in the cave and they proved to him they weren't going to call the cops on them, Sonic got so ecstatic, but as he got better of his sickness and had more time to think, he realized he couldn't just stay in their house forever.

Yes, he had dreamed of them becoming a family… but that was his dream, not Tom and Maddie's. They had become friends, but that's what they were:

Friends.

Nothing more, nothing else.

And Sonic had to stop wishing for something that couldn't possibly be real…

This was the big day.

Maddie and Tom had been looking forward to it since they had decided that Sonic and Tails would live with them. They had a plan: Tom would take Sonic and Tails to a small park at night, where no one could see them, with as many clothes to cover them as possible, and let them be kids for once, while Maddie and Wade would collect the rest of Sonic's stuff and move him into his new home as fast as they could.

At the same time, two days had gone by since Sonic had decided they were going to play Minecraft with the Green Hills' kids, and Tom and Maddie had been preparing, with Wade and his cousin and Tails (since he knew how to use a computer better than them), everything they needed.

"Ready to go?" Tom asked Sonic and Tails, who in mere weeks meant more to her and his husband than they ever had expected. Tom was waiting by the door, with Ozzie by his side, as the last traces of the sun's warm colors faded away.

"Uh-huh!" Sonic replied, nodding his head eagerly. It was those moments that reminded her, and probably Tom, that Sonic was just a child raising a child. Not that they needed that remainder to begin with. Sonic was very playful and definitely acted like a teenager his age, for the most part. But it stood out more sometimes.

Where are we going?" Tails asked, even more excited than his dad, as he gazed at Tom with his green eyes. He was holding Sonic's hand and wearing a hoodie and other accessories to cover him.

"That's a surprise, kid. Just hop in the car- I'll be right there." Tom said, grabbing his jacket and keys. He barely finished his sentence before he heard the car door slam. Sonic and Tails were already in.

Maddie and Wade waited a few minutes until they were sure Tom, Sonic, and Tails were out of sight. Then they got to work, packing Sonic's belongings from his cave. They had to be quick and careful, as they didn't want to attract any unwanted attention…

Tom had driven to a nearby park, where he parked his car and turned off the engine. The area was deserted, but the street lamps illuminated the park rather nicely.

"We're here." Tom said as Sonic and Tails were sitting in the back seat with Tails, both of them wearing hoodies and sunglasses, among other pieces of clothing to hide their features.

"Isn't this... like those parks we've seen on TV?!" Tails asked as his eyes shimmered with excitement and anticipation. He had always wanted to see a real park with swings, slides, and trees.

"Yes, bud…" Sonic looked dazzled at the prospect of being, for the first time, at a park. "It sure is…"

If Tom had any doubts about whether or not both had been in a park before, he sure didn't have them now. Seeing both of them so excited for something so trivial for any human child was saddening.

"I thought you might want to burn off some of that energy you have. And this is the perfect place for that." Tom said, smiling. He knew how much Sonic loved to run and how Tails wanted to play, and he wanted to give them a chance to do that without worrying about being seen.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" Tom said, opening the car door, as Sonic and Tails, who looked like they were in some sort of trance, got out, followed by Ozzie. They took off their sunglasses and looked around, amazed by the sight.

"Thank you for bringing us here, Tom. It's going to be so much fun!" Tails said it sincerely as he smiled at the park. He felt a warm feeling of gratitude and affection for Tom, who had been like a big brother to him.

"This is going to be fun! Thanks, Donut Lord." Sonic exclaimed happily while looking simultaneously at Tom and at the park.

"Let's go, dad!" Tails said as he started running to the park, holding Sonic's hand. He looked back at Sonic, who smiled and nodded.

"I'll get right on it, bud! I just have to talk with Donut Lord first, okay?" Sonic said as he let go of Tails' hand and walked towards Tom. He had something important to tell him.

What did Sonic want to talk with him about?

"Tails told me today you helped him a few days ago with his nightmare." Sonic said as he looked directly at Tom with a serious expression. He felt a feeling of gratitude and concern. "I… really appreciate you taking care of him, Donut Lord. He went… through a lot before." Sonic said as he looked down.

"Yeah… he told me, Sonic." Tom smiled sincerely. "And if you need anything, bud. You can tell me and Maddie, okay? We want to help you." He and Maddie wanted Sonic to feel comfortable talking about his issues, too.

Sonic had been alone for so long… He still wasn't very comfortable with physical contact, besides with his son. He always avoided talking about his past, changing subjects to whatever topic he, or his son, wanted to talk about.

They just wanted to make sure Sonic could heal from whatever he had to go through… and, hopefully… become their parents.

Sonic stopped for a second as he processed what he had said. The Blue Blur looked rather touched by what he had said. "Thank you, Da-Donut Lord! I definitely said Donut Lord! Why would I say anything else?" Sonic asked rhetorically, looking suddenly nervous and anxious.

Did Sonic... almost call him dad?

A feeling of happiness infiltrated Tom's whole being as he laughed softly at Sonic's poor excuses.

Maybe… it could've been an accident… but nevertheless…

He was definitely going to tell Maddie about this later.

"Anyways, gotta go. Bye!" Sonic ran immediately to where Tails was.

Tom walked to the bench and sat down. He watched Sonic and Tails play. Sonic and Tails were having the time of their lives. It was so clear that they wanted to try everything. Seeing so much joy and excitement from them made a smile form on his face.

Suddenly, Tom's phone vibrated.

It was Wade's cousin, Michael, who had sent him a message.

'Hello, Tom! I've already notified all the parents, and your kids can start playing Minecraft with them very soon :) And since Wade told me you were seeking some help for your kids, I have some contacts that I trust with my son Jake. I'm going to send you some names of counselors and support groups. I highly recommend them. Hope you don't mind :)'.

Tom read the message and saw links to two different clinics and four different specialists and support groups. He saved them all on his phone. He was glad Green Hills was such a welcoming, loving, and united community.

But would it be enough to accept Sonic and Tails?

Tom decided to cast away those thoughts that wouldn't go anywhere (at least for now) and started going to the links Michael had sent.

While he did that, Tails was having a blast (and Sonic, too), and his eyes were gleaming with joy as Sonic, smiling, pushed him gently, making him go higher and higher on the swings. Ozzy was right behind Sonic, randomly barking and wagging his tail.

Eventually, Tom left his seat on the bench and joined Sonic and Tails. He helped Sonic swing on the monkey bars, while he kept pushing Tails gently on the swings. As an hour passed, Tails and Sonic played with everything they could. Even Tom joined on the swing, amusing Sonic and Tails with the size difference.

Everything was going well…

Until someone who no one would ever expect appeared...