A week later Sonic was at school talking to Tails, Knuckles, Sally, Amy, Cream, Silver and Blaze about the orphanage now.

"It's doing fine there now. I'm still working on trusting her but she's treating us good. The others still look at me for help and see me as their guardian. She understands that they feel that way and that I'm carful with them. She even lets me keep my pills there and makes sure I take it every morning!" Sonic said and they smiled.

"I told you daddy would find someone good." Sally said smiling.

"I know but after my childhood it's not easy." he said and she gave him a kiss.

"You'll be fine."

"Yeah, she lets us come over and you to come with us and hang out. She's letting you be a normal teenager. She even gave you a curfew!" Knuckles said.

Sonic smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, she did." he said.

While they talked Shadow was looking at them and saw Sonic was actually happy even after being back in the orphanage.

He shut his eyes.

'He's happy there now. He'll never let me take him in now.' he thought and felt a tear come down.

"Shadow?" Rouge said and he looked at her.

"What?"

"You OK?"

"Yeah. It's just, after what I did I don't think he'll let me take him in. I can tell he likes the new caretaker and heard she lets him go out with his friends and let them go hang out there. She even lets him take his pill there and watches him."

"Wow."

Later Sonic was in science when his phone rang and everyone looked at him.

He picked it up and saw the caretaker was calling him so he looked at the teacher who nodded.

Then he got up and walked away.

"Hello?" he said.

"Sonic?" Ms. Cole said.

"Yeah?"

"I need you to come here. The former caretaker broke out and the kids are terrified. Most of them are crying actually."

Sonic turned pale and was a little scared.

"I'll be there as soon as I can. I just have to tell my teacher and then the principal."

"OK. I'm sorry but they feel safer with you still."

"No it's OK. I have my friends to help me catch up. I'll be there soon. I'll Chaos Control to make it quicker."

"OK."

Then they hung up and Sonic stood there scared and worried.

He knew an anxiety attack was coming soon.

Then he Chaos Controlled back in the class room getting them all to jump.

"Sorry." he said and grabbed his backpack. "I have to go. Something's going on in the orphanage and the kids won't calm down."

"What happened?" the teacher asked.

"The caretaker got out somehow."

Everyone gasped and the teacher nodded.

Then he Chaos Controlled to the principal's office getting them to jump.

He did the same thing as a few seconds ago and they let him leave.

Then he Chaos Controlled to the orphanage and was right outside the door and opened it.

"Ms. Cole? I'm here." he said and then saw her trying to calm them down.

"It's alright, he's right here now." she said and the kids went over to Sonic.

"It's gonna be fine. I won't let anything happen to you." Sonic said gently and held onto them.

They nodded.

"Good thing I gave you my number."

Ms. Cole nodded.

While he tried to calm them down Ms. Cole went to make lunch.

An hour later they were still scared but calm enough to not be held onto.

They were having lunch right now and Sonic was trying not to have an anxiety attack.

Ms. Cole noticed the look on his face.

She had seen him have a few so knew one was coming.

"Sonic?" Tasha said and tapped on his shoulder getting him to jump.

"Huh?" he said and looked at them. "Did one of you say something?" he asked.

"Yeah. Can you help me cut it please?"

"Uh, sure." he said and cut her lunch.

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome."

He sat there quietly thinking.

'How did you get out?' he wondered.

After lunch Sonic was with the kids fighting the anxiety attack wanting to come.

He was with a four year old boy trying to race him with cars.

Then he felt something on his shoulder getting him to jump, thinking he was being hit and for the first time ever in front of them had a strong anxiety attack.

"NO! I DIDN'T DO IT!" he yelled and curled up into a ball shaking and eyes watering.

"Ms. Cole!" one of the kids said while the others stood or sat there in shock and listened to what he was saying.

Then Ms. Cole came.

"What's wrong?" she asked then saw Sonic and gasped.

Then she hurried over to him and tried to calm him down.

"It's going to be fine Sonic." she said and started to put her hands on his shoulders.

"NO!" he yelled and started shaking.

"James, I need you to call his friends and brother. Call Tails and Knuckles first."

He nodded and grabbed Sonic's phone then called.

While he did that Sonic got worse and worse.

Twenty later they were there running to Sonic who was still out of it.

They had all been at lunch and sitting together so Shadow Chaos Controlled them there.

"Sonic!" Tails said and flew over to him along with Knuckles.

"It's OK Sonic, we're right here." Knuckles said gently.

Then they heard him muttering.

Shadow bit his lip but walked up to him.

"Let me try." he said.

They weren't sure if this was a good idea but had to think of something.

Then they walked or flew away.

"Sonic?" Shadow said. "It's OK, I'm right here." he said and slowly put his arms around him.

It broke his heart seeing what he had done to him.

"It's gonna be fine. I'm right here." Shadow said rubbing Sonic's back gently.

"I want mom and dad!" Sonic said and finally started crying.

The kids were shocked at Sonic crying while at the same time wasn't.

He had held all this in for them for eleven years.

"I know you do. But they're gone and you still have me. Along with Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Rouge, Blaze and Silver."

Sonic cried and for the first time in years held onto Shadow.

"I'm scared!"

"Shhh, it's gonna be fine. I'm right here and not leaving you this time."

Sonic continued to cry for ten minutes and then finally started to calm down.

"That's it, calm down and take a deep breath." Shadow said still holding him.

The kids were watching them and wondered why Shadow left him.

When he was good Sonic looked at him.

"It's gonna be fine little bro. You know what you can do and she doesn't. You have me and your friends." Shadow said gently.

Sonic nodded and looked at the kids.

"You weren't supposed to see that." he said.

Then one of the younger ones went and gave him a hug.

"You helped calm us down now it's time for us to calm you down." she said.

Sonic smiled and held onto her and the other kids joined the hug.

Shadow, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Blaze and Silver stood there quietly watching.

Suddenly they heard a door burst open and saw the former caretaker.

The kids whimpered and Sonic got up then went in front of them.

"So you stayed. Even though you're brother is here you stayed."

"I didn't trust Ms. Cole and still haven't forgiven him. Now what do you want?" Sonic said.

Shadow, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Blaze and Silver looked at him.

Now they can see what he's been through.

Ms. Cole had been tied up and was worried.

Then the former caretaker tried to hit one of the kids but Sonic got it instead after getting in front of her.

"Don't touch them!" Sonic growled.

Shadow, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Blaze and Silver stood there in shock at what they just saw.

"You still look after them huh?" the former caretaker said and punched him getting him to wince. "I would think you would've left now."

"I'm not leaving until I know they're safe!" Sonic said and for the first time raised his left hand.

Shadow smirked and nodded a little knowing what he was doing.

"What are you doing?"

"Something I should've done years ago." he said. "CHAOS SPEAR!" he yelled and got her hard.

Then he ran, kicked her and looked at her.

"You know what Shadow has. Well being my brother, I have them to and stronger!" he said. "I hid this from everyone because you made me and so they didn't get hurt or jealous!"

Everyone looked at him in shock.

The kids knew he was scared but hiding it from them being the Sonic that looked after them.

Then he was punched and smashed into a wall.

Shadow, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Blaze and Silver wanted to help him and he noticed.

"No. Look after the kids and try and find Ms. Cole. This one's mine." he said and as worried as they are nodded and did as told.

Sonic noticed Shadow standing there and saw his hand twitching but shook his head.

Shadow slowly nodded and went to help with the kids.

Sonic saw the former caretaker about to hit him but he dodged it and she punched the wall.

Then he got her himself.

"Why did you hate me? If you hate kids then you had the wrong job." he said.

"This was my grandmother's and my parents continued and then to make them happy and proud I worked here but never liked it."

Sonic looked at her.

"You could've told them and I'm sure they wouldn't mind. My dad was a teacher and my mom was a scientist. I want to be a police officer to protect people and they didn't care. They were proud of what I wanted to be!"

"You wanna be a police officer?" Shadow said.

"Yes. That's one of the reasons I looked after them. I did it to know what might happen if I were to be what I want and to protect them unlike you do for me now. Before it happened even though you're only a year older than me kept me safe. And you turned your back on me when we lost them! It's really your fault we lost them! But we can deal with that later."

They nodded.

Shadow felt more and more guilt listening and watching.

Then they saw Sonic get hit hard in the stomach.

He held onto it and went to the ground.

Then he was cut in the shoulder and winced.

The kids started crying seeing what used to happen to him happen again.

"He went through this to protect us everyday!" one of the older ones said.

That got them all to turn a little pale and some of them to quietly cry.

'I failed to be a big brother.' Shadow thought.

Then he saw all the times he protected him. The day they lost their mother he stopped. And when they lost their father he left him.

They saw Sonic get her hard then was hit by the knife again but on the stomach this time.

The kids cried holding onto each other.

Sonic winced but got back to the fight.

"CHAOS BLAST!" he yelled and got her hard.

Then she shook her head and took out a gun.

Sonic turned a little pale remembering what happened when he was seven.

He fought the want to whimper, cry and give in like last time but stood there strong and brave.

"You're scared of it again but hiding it this time." the former caretaker said. "You almost gave in last time. Then again you were only seven and new at protecting people. But you still got hit in the shoulder. That's why you have that scar on it."

Shadow, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Blaze and Silver stood there in horror at what they just heard.

Shadow was ready to pass out after hearing this.

Sonic winced and held his stomach and felt blood still coming down.

"I'll do anything to protect them!" he said and winced again.

Then he heard her get ready.

"SONIC!" he heard Shadow say and they both looked at him.

He reached behind him and tossed him his gun and he caught it.

"How did you?" Sonic started.

"I, um, kinda found it behind their pillow and took it." Shadow said a little red.

"OK then."

Then he got ready himself.

He ran, jumped and then was hit by the gun while he kicked her and fell to the ground.

He slowly looked at her and shakily and at a smirking former caretaker.

"T-this is t-the e-end of you." he said and got her in the stomach, then head then her heart.

She crashed onto the ground dead and he smirked, nodded then passed out.

"SONIC!" he heard people yell while he passed out.