Shadow stood a little straighter as he waited for Vanilla the Rabbit to open the front door to her home. Once open, a sweet and motherly voice greeted him, though, a subtle air of trepidation was heard in her voice, hidden but not fully disguised. "Mr. Shadow, so good of you to visit. Please step inside."

Shadow thanked her curtly and stepped inside her home and was escorted to the living room where they both took a seat opposite one another. As Shadow sat down Vanilla offered him some tea and cookies. He accepted the offer.

A black, grey, yellow, and red robot stood in the corner. Not moving so much as a millimeter. If Shadow did not already know him he might be slightly intimidated by the sleek robot. Now? He just found his existence a massive waste of its potential.

"Hmph," Shadow frowned, "So, does Gemerl stand there all day doing nothing? Or does he at least help with the chores?

Vanilla replied with that same innocent, all-knowing, motherly smile, "Gemerl? He is most helpful for taking out the trash and other chores that need to be tended. Though his greatest value is the fact that he is a good friend to Cream, and a wonderful protector for her."

"It just seems like a waste. You have a robot that is comparable to Omega acting as a butler and babysitter. Soon Cream will be able to protect herself. I just hope you consider the good he can do in the world when that time comes. Should you wish for it, I could easily get Gemerl a role working for G.U.N."

"That is a very kind offer Mr. Shadow but Gemerl serves a very important role here at home."

Shadow furrowed his brow, "Mrs. Vanilla. Do you mind if I speak bluntly? I've wanted to speak with you for some time now about an important topic. Though, I'm certain you will detest the conversation."

"Go right ahead Mr. Shadow. You never need permission to speak your mind."

"Hmph, you might walk that statement back after this conversation. Regardless, I know you love your daughter more than the world itself. I know you are afraid of losing her. Please understand though, Cream is not a normal girl. She has immense potential. If she got training from Knuckles, Rouge, and I, I am of the belief she would have no equal. She is six years old and already she has gone on many adventures. She has the headache, vomit inducing, optimism of Sonic, the intuitive creativity under pressure of Tails, and when the chips are on the table she has proven herself to be able to keep up with Amy Rose and Big the Cat against the likes of Dr. Eggman and his robots."

At those words, Vanilla's smile disappeared, replaced with a furrowed brow, creases shown on her face as her muscles stretched and contorted involuntarily to show her displeasure and worry. Her normally kind words had a blunt and threatening edge to them, "What are you trying to say, Mr. Shadow?"

"I'm saying that Cream is not a normal six year old girl. She is special. You need to be ready to let her go someday, to let her leave the burrow as it were. She can go places and achieve great things someday. To be blunt, I am concerned you may hold her back. I would urge you to consider her happiness as well as the good she can do for the world.

"It's her choice. I trust her to do what makes her happy."

"You mean to say when influencing her final choice you will be able to remain unbiased?" Shadow said.

"Have I not been? So what if I'm against it in my heart of hearts. She is my little girl after all. How dare you lecture me of all people. She's my little girl. Of course I want her to be safe… she is all I have left."

Shadow clenched his fists and stared at the ground, feeling he may have crossed a line, then decided this was bigger than the two of them. Shadow then raised his head and looked Vanilla dead in the eyes and spoke, "I sorry, I just… she could save a lot of lives… as can Gemerl. If… you let them leave. If they are given the proper guidance."

Vanilla was quiet. She sat unmoving like a robot. Deep in thought and worry.

"I know I have no place in either of your personal affairs, I only say this as I know how much sway you hold over influencing her direction in life, and how much you must worry about her safety and well being."

"I will think more about the matter later. At the end of the day it is Cream's decision and hers alone. I trust her to live her life her way. Now, let us put this conversation far behind us and focus on the present moment. " Vanilla said.

"Very well then." Shadow said.

"Now, Mr. Shadow," Vanilla continued as she interlocked her fingers in front of her on the center table, "Cream said you would be arriving to both escort her and to attend a tea party. I was not aware you cared for tea parties. Normally that is the expertise of Cheese and Gemerl."

"I don't, but I promised Cream I would, and I always keep my promises. For the record, I personally couldn't care less for tea parties."

Vanilla's facial expression still kept that all knowing, now somewhat ominous, motherly smile, "I see. Well, After our nice… chat, I don't need to tell you how much my little girl means to me, but I likely will anyway before you leave. While I do not know you as well as I would like, Mr. Sonic and Cream both have your complete friendship and trust. So you shall have the entirety of my friendship and trust as well. A friend of a friend is a friend, after all. TMy only concern about you Mr. Shadow, is from your so-called… tea parties… are a little more intense than Sonic's outings. Is that fair to say?"

"Tea parties… yes, that is correct." Shadow dead panned.

"I assumed as much. Trust is the most valuable and rare of all resources in the world, Mr. Shadow. As rare as love. Should you lose my trust… it will be no easy feat to return yourself to my good graces. Now, I am giving you an opportunity to prove yourself and to honor the trust Cream and I place in you. As her Mother I hope you do not disappoint us."

"I won't. I'll keep her safe. You have my word."

"Good. Now before you go, I want you to understand what my expectations are for your visit with my daughter. You must ensure that Cream is safe and kept out of harm's way to the best of your abilities. You, as her chaperone, are to ensure she is not left unattended in public. Lastly, understand that I am no fool. I know of the danger Cream has gotten herself into on her adventures since she first saved me from Dr. Eggman in the past. Like Mr. Sonic, Cream has a thirst for adventure. I expect her to inevitably receive some minor injuries throughout her journeys. With that said, you are responsible for ensuring no life altering injuries befall her."

Vanilla stood up and walked around Shadow, the latter craning his neck to keep his eyes on her until she roughly put her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them almost hard enough to shatter bone.

Vanilla put her mouth right next to Shadow's ear and whispered. "Mr. Shadow, I'm sure you could imagine how hard it is for a Mother to see their child in pain. Believe me when I say there is no greater power in the world than that of a parent's love toward their child… and no greater thirst of vengeance toward the one who knowingly or not brings harm to their child. My late husband worked very hard so we could have a comfortable life in the rare chance some poor fate befell him. Sadly that fear came true. I myself labored to bring my dear Cream into this world and I, as my late husband had done, sacrificed much for her happiness. If anything happened to Cream, I would be beside myself with guilt, awake, night after night. All I would think of would be what kind of monster could harm my precious little girl. I don't need to tell you what a parent does to the one who threatens the well being of their kin. Do I?

"No, Mrs. Vanilla." Was all Shadow could say. To Shadow, at this moment Vanilla was far more terrifying than the Commander, Mimic, or Dr. Eggman ever could be.

"Good. Do we have an understanding, Mr. Shadow?"

"Yes ma'am. You have my word. I will ensure her care and safety during our… tea party."

Vanilla let go of Shadow's shoulders and clasped her hands together in joy "Wonderful! Oh, and call me Mrs. Vanilla, I'm not that old." She then turned and yelled upstairs. "Cream! Mr. Shadow is here to take you to your tea party."

"Yay! I'm on my way down, Mother."

Vanilla turned to Shadow as Cream reached the bottom of the stairs, showering them with a genuine and loving smile, "You two have a great time. Stay safe and have fun!"

Cream sat behind Shadow on a motorcycle, arms wrapped around the hedgehog. She wore light blue sweatpants with her cotton ball tail poking out, and a pink cotton t-shirt that hugged her body. Completing her ensemble was a pink motorcycle helmet that said "bad bunny" on the back.

Shadow wore gloves.

The two rode in silence as Shadow drove aggressively, weaving through traffic as Cream giggled and laughed as they sped down the highway.

"Having fun?"

"Very much Mr. Shadow, If it would not cause you trouble, could you maybe go a little faster?"

"Faster? I'm already going twenty over the speed limit."

"Oh, nevermind then-"

Shadow grinned. "Hang on tight."

Shadow sped up and popped a wheelie, causing Cream to giggle and cheer as she held onto Shadow for dear life. Shadow smiled for a brief moment before the front wheel touched ground again, his smile having vanished as quick as it had appeared "You're becoming quite the adrenaline junky."

"Maybe. I just really feel alive when my blood is pumping, and it's great for the heart."

"Or maybe I'm just a bad influence." Shadow gently elbowed Cream in the side.

"You, Mr. Shadow? Never. Well, except for when you speed, or say bad words, or jaywalk, or teach me how to burp or spit."

"Hey, that last one is an important skill. It can be a useful combat technique."

Cream giggled, "I would say you are a mostly good influence."

"Well then, you should consider hanging out with me more and Sonic less. My life is way more exciting than that boring blue blur." Shadow said.

"That's not fair Mr. Shadow. Both you and Mr. Sonic are very dear to me. I couldn't ever choose between two friends."

"Really? Never?"

"Never ever."

"Never ever… ever?"

"Never ever ever ever!"

"That worries me greatly, Cream. I expected differently from you."

"Differently? What do you mean?"

"I say that because life is full of binary decisions that require a choice. For example, if there was an end of world disaster and you could only save one person in the world, who would it be?"

"I would save all my friends at the very least, with the power of friendship." Cream said confidently.

"You can't, as I said, you can save only one. Who do you save and why?"

"But I don't want to just save one person, I want to save everyone."

"No. You cannot. You can only save one person. Who do you save?"

Cream pouted angrily under her helmet. "Mr. Shadow, that's not a fair question at all!"

Shadow turned on his motorcycle turn signal, rapidly slowed the motorcycle down, and turned into a nearby vacant parking lot. He hit the brakes causing the bike to narrowly avoid flipping over itself while sliding forward to a stop, the rear tire landing harshly on the parking lot concrete. Shadow turned off the engine, and sat there for several moments in silence until Cream took off her helmet then spoke.

"Mr. Shadow, did… did I say something wrong? Please don't be angry with me, my tone was a little rude now that I-."

"-I'm not angry at you Cream. I just had to stop and think for a moment. This is an important conversation. With an important lesson to be learned here. It deserves to be held in a calm and quiet environment."

At that moment alongside the road parallel to the parking lot they were in, one car cut off another car, causing the pair to loudly honk their horns at one another as they narrowly avoided a wreck.

"Well, relatively quiet environment." Shadow said.

"Are you sure you're not mad at me Mr. Shadow, this isn't the first time you've told me not to say what is and isn't fair. I suppose I don't understand what you mean just yet. You say I can't save everyone. Well, that isn't fair, Mr. Sonic saves everyone all the time. As did you when aliens invaded."

"I didn't save everyone Cream. I… nevermind. Forget it."

"What? What is it, Mr. Shadow? You can talk to me. I'm your friend after all. Friends listen and help one another."

The pair sat on the motorcycle in the parking lot silently for half a minute when Shadow broke the silence with a question.

"Cream. Do you really want to be a hero like Sonic someday?"

Cream thought for half a second and smiled as she replied, "I want to be someone who can help make the world a better place. To give everyone a chance to live their life in peace and be happy. I hate fighting but I've come to understand that sometimes, violence is the final and only way to resolve a disagreement or problem, especially if a mean bully like Eggman won't listen to reason. I guess when I think about it… I want to be a hero like you, Mr. Shadow."

"I'm… I'm no hero Cream." Shadow said quietly, his words being drowned out by a speeding car amidst the roaring traffic.

"What did you say Mr. Shadow?"

Shadow turned his body ninety degrees in his seat after propping up the motorcycle with the kickstand so he could face Cream and look her in the eyes.

"Cream, before you become a full-fledged hero someday. You need to understand the tragic reality that you won't be able to save everyone."

"But… you and Mr. Sonic saved the world so many times. You've saved so many people."

"Not near enough. A great many people died during the Black Arms invasion of the planet. Sonic and I are fast, we can save a lot of people Cream, but we cannot save everyone. We couldn't save everyone."

"It's not fair." Cream said as her eyes welled with tears. "All those poor people."

"Life isn't fair. Some people are born deaf. Others are born blind. Some are born with a terminal illness. No one is equal in the circumstance of their birth nor in their ability or their ambition. Life is fundamentally unfair. You won't always be given good options either and life likes to kick you while you are down, make you question your purpose, and test your resolve. Sometimes, you'll need to make decisions where there are no good outcomes and no clear answers, and you have to live with the choices you've made. You must understand this or you will be destroyed from the inside-out for failing to live up to your own impossible self imposed standards and ideals."

Cream was silent, listening and accepting the reality of the hard truths Shadow shared with her about life, about being a hero.

"If you could only save one person in the world from dying. Who would it be? Be honest with yourself." Shadow said.

"My Mother."

"Hmph. How predictable. Well, now if the time ever comes, you can act without hesitation."

Shadow began to turn away from Cream to face forward with a self satisfied grin. When Cream asked, "Who would you save Mr. Shadow?"

Shadow turned back around and looked Cream dead in the eyes.

"You really want to know?"

Cream nodded her head.

"You. I would save you, Cream. Not Sonic. Not Rouge. You. Now enough of this stupid conversation."

Shadow faced forward and was about to turn on the motorcycle when Cream reached forward and gently touched his arm. "Why me Mr. Shadow?"

Shadow slammed his eyes closed, his breathing stopped momentarily, his grazed arm reflexively recoiled at Cream's touch. "You… you remind me of someone who was very dear to me. That's all. Don't think too much about it."

Cream flapped her ears and lifted herself off the seat then landed on the ground, standing next to Shadow and the motorcycle. Her facial expression was deathly serious, her voice stern, "Mr. Shadow."

Shadow looked away from Cream. Finding the traffic that drove past them was suddenly very interesting.

Cream rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Shadow, causing his entire body to stiffen and freeze in surprise as Cream gave the red and black hedgehog a massive hug, "What was her name?"

"Her name was Maria." Shadow said.

"I wish I could have met her. She must have been an amazing person."

"She was. There is not a single day that goes by that I don't think about her. I wish I could have saved her. I… I could have saved her. But I ran with her to the escape pods instead of fighting to protect her. I was such a fool. If I had fought she might have lived. She could have lived. She would have brought the world so much joy. It's not fair Cream. She shouldn't have had a terminal and incurable disease. She shouldn't have been shot. She was the best humanity had and she was gunned down like a fleeing animal. It's just not fair. Damn it. It's just not fair. I'd exchange my life for hers if only given the chance."

Cream hugged Shadow tighter as she fought back her own tears. "I'm sorry Mr. Shadow."

"Haven't I told you, don't apologize for things you did not do or have any control over."

"I… I don't cause you pain by reminding you of her, do I?"

Shadow ruffled the bunny's hair, "No you silly bunny, you give me hope for humanity."

"Mr. Shadow?"

"Yes?"

"You're my Hero." She gave Shadow a peck on the cheek.

Cream ended the hug, returned to her seat on the motorcycle, and held her helmet in her left hand.

"I want to feel the wind in my hair." Cream said.

"I can't have you wear nothing…" Shadow said.

Shadow reached into a small compartment and grabbed two pairs of sunglasses, handing one of the two to Cream. Shadow then put on his pair of black sunglasses and Cream did the same.

"If you speak to anyone about what we have discussed I will make Sonic's life unbearable."

"Cross my heart and hope to fly." Cream said.

"Good. Now enough of this sentimental, emotional, garbage. We have a tea party to go to. Then some stuff for you to unintentionally blow up in bomb diffusal training."

"I'm so excited. Wait. What?"

Shadow revved the engine then shouted, "Omega is very excited to see you later today."

Shadow sped out of the parking lot and back onto the highway before Cream could have any chance to protest. As the pair continued on their way to the Central City Research Center's Chao Garden, Shadow thought to himself…

Cream the Rabbit was a treasure worth protecting. More than that, she was a hero worth believing in.