Chapter Text
"How are you feeling, baby?"
Tom, nestled in a wooden deck chair and nursing a beer, raised his shades to peek at his wife as she clutched a glass of something tropical.
He winced, rubbing at his swollen eye. "Like I need another vacation to recover from this... vacation..."
Maddie grinned and nestled beside him, the lounger big enough to accommodate both of them. Originally built for human specifications especially for their visit... they had room to spare these days.
Maddie linked her arm with his, sipping at her cocktail. "Nice to finally just lay back and enjoy the sun, right?"
Tom grunted. "Yeah, sure... work on my 'tan'..."
The couple lay back and watched as, in the sand, the victorious Team Sonic happily bounced a volleyball between one another, chattering and joking just as they would normally. Tom and Maddie were happy to just watch, the forty-something year olds' appetite for excitement well and truly filled by their crazy vacation.
Maddie snuggled into Tom's side, burying her head into the thick fur of his chest. "Is this how you thought this vacation would go?"
Tom snorted. "What, magically turning into space hedgehogs, fighting an evil mastermind and his robot army and putting him behind bars? No. Funnily enough, I didn't see any of that coming."
Maddie grinned at him. "Behind bars thanks to you, mister Hero!"
Tom grunted. After being subdued, Team Sonic had scuttled the Egg Zeppelin (Tom loved that name) and held Robotnik captive until proper authorities could arrive. Tom hadn't known what to expect... but he definitely hadn't expected a wing of Mobian Army helicopters to make landfall on the beach before Sonic and Tails' home, furry soldiers flanking a black-suited female chipmunk as she approached authoritatively.
Tom, his injuries bandaged, had joined the others as the female approached.
"Well..." the chipmunk had said, eyeing Sonic without amusement, "Long time, Sonic..."
"Sally..." the hedgehog had blushed, before clearing his throat. "Uh... mom, dad? This is Sally Acorn..."
"Commander Acorn, Sonic..."
"Uh, yeah... Commander Acorn... Commander, these are my parents, Tom and Maddie Wachowski."
The chipmunk eyed the two unfamiliar hedgehogs curiously. "Hmm... Sonic never mentioned you..."
"Uh..." Tom had racked his brains, searching for a explanation. 'We're aliens from another planet currently stuck in the form of your species' hadn't seemed plausible.
"We used to live a very long way away!" Maddie jumped in. "Alone!"
"Yeah, kinda hermits!" Tom had nodded.
"And with all the adventuring..." Tails chipped in, "We just never got round to talking about our folks!"
"Yeah!" Maddie stood between both her boys, and linked her arms with theirs, "Who wants to talk about their boring old parents?"
Acorn simply looked between them, unconvinced, but appeared to let the matter slide. "I assume the doctor is secured?"
Tails nodded. "Yeah, in my workshop."
Acorn gestured to her two bodyguards. "Follow my friend here. Secure the doctor."
"Yes ma'am..."
"Yes ma'am..."
The soldiers marched off under Tails' guidance, leaving Sonic and his parents alone with the commander.
"So, Tom..." she said, Tom's ears drooping beneath her scrutiny, "I hear you are the hedgehog responsible for subduing the doctor?"
Tom shuffled awkwardly. "Uh, actually, I..."
"Yep!" Sonic interrupted, wrapping one arm around his shorter father's shoulders, "This is the hedgehog alright! Of course, my friends and I might have helped out a little, but this guy here?" the blue hedgehog gave the battered brown one a shake, "gave old Egghead a pasting!"
"Clearly..." The commander, despite her reservations, looked the brown hedgehog over approvingly. "Well, mister Wachowski, you have my severe gratitude... Doctor Robotnik has evaded apprehension for years. If it weren't for your sons and their friends keeping him in check all this time, who knows how many innocents may have been lost..." She fumbled around inside her black jacket, and produced a sheaf of paper. "As a token of appreciation, please accept this complimentary voucher for Meh' Burger."
Tom accepted the meal deal voucher with a forced grin, while Sonic and Maddie snickered behind him. "Thanks..." he had said, tucking the voucher into his belt pocket. "Means a lot, ma'am!"
"Get your filthy little paws off of m- OW!!!"
Tom and his company had turned their attention toward Tails' compound, where a bruised Robotnik was busily being 'escorted' toward one of the waiting helicopters.
"Keep it moving, skinbag!" One of the soldiers growled, the butt of his rifle impacting the small of Eggman's back.
"You!" Robotnik's eyes glared at Tom, staring utter death. "You may think you've won, sheriff, but mark my words! I WILL be back!! And when that time comes... I'm coming for you, and that entire freak show you call a family!!!"
Tom responded with a smile and a raised finger.
With that, Commander Acorn bade her farewells and offered her thanks once again, before returning to her helicopter and joining the squadron as they escorted the good doctor toward his justice, to be incarcerated in a maximum security prison near the capitol of Mobotropolis.
"Hey, you still there baby?" Maddie nudged Tom in the ribs, bringing him back to the present. He winced in pain, still feeling his injuries from his brawl with Robotnik.
"You wanna just break them?" He muttered jokingly, his wife putting on an expression of mock-pity.
"Oh, does it still hurt? Maybe you shouldn't pick fights with guys twice your size!"
"Hey, and who won that fight and brought to justice the most evil mastermind this planet has ever seen? This hedgehog right here!"
Maddie smiled, her husband appearing uncannily like their blue son as he jerked a thumb toward himself. She reached out and lightly brushed his face with a hand. "You want me to kiss it better?"
Tom shrugged, raising his beer. "If that makes you happy, you do what you have to d-"
Tom was cut off as his Maddie leaned forward, planting a loving kiss on his lips. He initially tried to pull away, before relenting and simply accepting it. He'd missed kissing his wife like this, whatever species they were now.
"Hey mom, dad I..." Sonic and his friends, returning from their game, paused as they observed the smooching couple, the blue hedgehog's face splitting into a mischievous grin. "We aren't interrupting anything, are we?"
"I dunno…" Tails added, his own arm wrapping around the shoulders of Zooey, "they look pretty busy to me!"
"Oh..." Zooey and Amy cooed, hands clasping in adoration. "That is so cute!"
"So adorable!"
"So romantic!" Added Knuckles, joining the two girls.
Tom raised his beer in their direction and grunted, signifying that he was too busy to converse at this time.
Eventually, Tom and Maddie finished exchanging intimacy and the whole gang returned to lounging around, enjoying what was left of the setting sun. Knuckles brought out his special-brewed Echidna-juice, and soon those who partook were becoming mildly discombobulated.
"This is the life, huh guys?" Tom said, swirling his drink around inside a hollowed out coconut, "shame we gotta go home soon..."
"Yeah..." Maddie replied wistfully, "A shame..."
"How do you think people will... respond?" Sonic said, rubbing sand from his fur after being roughly deposited from Knuckles' shoulders.
Tom shrugged. "Wade's already made some progress back home... y'know, explaining stuff..."
"I'm sorry I could never figure it out, guys..." Tails mumbled, one eye half closed as he sat beside his unamused-looking future wife, "Some genius, huh?"
"It's not your fault, baby!" Maddie said, reaching out and stroking at his fur, "What happened happened, and... well..."
"Just don't worry about it, bud..." Tom chimed in, chuckling at Miles' wobbly state, "At least now we're... all the same, so there's that!"
"One happy little family of super-powered critters, huh?" Sonic added, flopping into a lounger beside his father, the two hedgehogs uncannily alike, as though they really were blood-related. "They should make a movie about us!"
"I'll stick to being a cop..." Tom muttered, "If they'll let me..."
"Why wouldn't they?" Sonic replied, "Green Hills has had a Wachowski as sheriff for three generations! Why break tradition now?"
"Can you imagine the first time he has to pull someone over?" Tails slurred, leaning forward in his seat and grinning, "Hey ma'am! I'm sheriff Thomas Wachowski the hedgehog! Do you have any idea how fast you were going?"
Sonic grinned and shot a thumbs up to his brother. "Way past fast!"
Tom pointed toward his trouble-making sons. "You boys aren't too old for a clip round the ears, you know..."
"I'm sure it'll work out fine, honey..." Maddie wrapped her hand in his, and smooched the side of his head. "No matter what!"
"Oh. My god..." Amy watched on, overwhelmed by emotion as the Wachowski family bantered among themselves, "You guys are so cute all together!"
"Yeah..." Sticks, having finished securing her burrow, returned and scrutinised the family. "You guys ain't so bad for shapeshifting aliens from another planet! I guess I won't have ta incinerate ya's after all!"
"Maddie?" Amy said, approaching the black hedgehog, "Can I borrow your phone? I need to get a picture of this for you guys..."
And so she did, snapping several photos on the unfamiliar Earth device for the Wachowskis to take home with them. Sonic sat off to one side, wearing his usual lopsided grin and flashing a thumbs-up, A bleary eyed Tails sat to the other with his future wife, and in center frame, Maddie nestled her head on Tom's shoulder, the brown hedgehog with shades lowered attempting to appear as dignified as he could manage.
..............................................................
"Okay guys!" Tom hefted his case, the luggage considerably lighter than when they had arrived on Mobius at the very beginning oftheir wild vacation, when they thought they were in for a perfectly normal holiday on an alien planet. "We good to go?"
Tails followed him, accompanied by a very excited Zooey, appearing slightly flustered as he fussed with his work overalls.
"I can't believe..." the female chattered, "We're going to an alien planet! This is so exciting!"
"Where's my data pad?" the male responded, barely paying attention to his fiancé, "I swear I had it somewhere..."
It had been decided that, now they were to be married, Miles would return home to Green Hills with Zooey and the two would settle down there for the time being. Miles intended to get a proper job, supporting his own budding family like any other future husband for the time being.
"I hope the dogs are okay..." Tom mumbled, referencing Tony and Bill, the two retriever pups, "Crazy Carl must think we've abandoned them..."
"Well you did literally vanish from the face of the planet for a month," added Wade, the pudgy cop having returned with Shadow from their excursion to Green Hills, the task of bringing people up to speed on the Wachowskis' return and their... new condition... having been completed.
As usual, Rouge the bat was hovering around, teasing a very grumpy Shadow.
"Oh, come on hon..." the white bat groaned, "how many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"
"All of them," Shadow grunted in response, "All of the times."
"It was just a little joke, hon!"
"You have scarred me for life, Rouge..." Shadow replied, glancing to his adopted father. Wade couldn't help but turn a very deep shade of red.
"I promise you, Shadow..." Rouge said, stroking her friend's arm, "That nothing happened between me and your dad, it was just a joke!" She turned and winked mischievously at the human. "Well, nothing that I can remember..."
"ROUGE!!!"
"Okay, guys..." Tom said, briefly rolling his eyes at Maddie, who only smiled lightly. "I'm ready to go home, now... Shadow, you coming with?"
"No," the adopted Whipple grunted, "I'm going to make sure SHE stays here!"
Rouge cackled with mischief. "Oh, I'll find a way to get up to trouble, Shadow..."
"I'm staying too, dad!" Sonic added, "Just make sure there's no stray egg-bots roaming around... and anyway, got some more adventuring to take care of!"
"Fair enough..." Tom grinned, patting his son on the shoulder. "Don't forget to keep in touch! You'll worry your old parents if you just disappear from the face of the universe again!"
Sonic's grin fell, and he awkwardly glanced between his parents. "Uh, yeah... about that..."
Tom felt a stab of concern as he looked to Maddie... and suddenly noticed she wasn't carrying any luggage.
"Mads?" Tom said, regarding her with worry, "What... what's going on?"
Maddie looked to her husband, determined brown eyes meeting his blue. "I'm not going, Tom... I'm not going back to Green Hills. I'm staying here."
Tom's world began, once again, to fall apart. "Maddie?" He croaked, reaching out for her. "We... we have to go back, Mads! I know things are different, but... Green Hills is my home! Our home!"
Maddie shook her head. "I... need to spend a little more time in this place... It's like I belong here..."
"Mads... please..." Tom reached out and took his wife's hands, looking pleadingly into her eyes. "I don't want to go without you..."
"Hey, who said I was staying forever?" Maddie replied, appearing mildly amused at her husband's distress. "I'm coming home Tom, I just... need a little more time, you know?"
Tom, suddenly feeling very foolish, shook his head and grinned. "I still need to get back and... do some kind of damage control... hold the fort..." He rubbed her cheek. "You promise me you'll come back soon?"
"We're not joined at the hip, Tom..." she replied, "I'll be back soon... I promise!"
The couple exchanged a quick smooch, bringing a chuckle from their blue son.
"Okay guys, mushy time over..." he patted Tails on the arm. "You guys ready to go?"
Miles fumbled in his pouch, retrieving a small golden ring. "Any time!"
"Oh..." Zooey squeaked, hugging into her partner, "This is so exciting!"
Tom pointed at his eldest son. "You take care of her, you hear me?"
Sonic grinned and offered a mock salute. "I'll keep her out of trouble, Donut Hog!"
The two males exchanged a tight hug, as Tails threw his ring into the air before them. The ring bloomed into a wide circle of rippling light, through which the overgrown yard of the Wachowskis' back garden could be made out, on the other side of the universe.
"Stay safe, honey..." Tom said, reaching out to take his wife again.
She gave him another smooch. "You too, baby..."
Tom let her go, stepping back through the sand toward the ring portal, taking in another look at the creatures who had been his company these last few weeks. It sure had been a crazy adventure... but at least he was going to see home again. Even if half of his family wouldn't be there just yet.
"Okay..." Tom said, offering an awkward wave, "Bye guys!"
"Bye Tom!"
"Visit again soon!"
Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"Hey, my dad likes having fun..."
"Don't bring back any mind-sucking creatures from your weird alien planet!"
"Ooh, Tom, remember to catch up on the bills! We had the electricity to pay last week..."
With that, sheriff Tom Wachowski turned, and headed home.
...................................................................
Another day. Just another day at the speed trap, nothing to do but sit inside a hot police cruiser awaiting the non-existent speeding drivers that never failed to not show up.
"Ugh..." Sheriff Wade Whipple, Green Hills Police Department, leaned away from his seat, sweat sticking the shirt to his back. "I'm bored..."
"Get used to it..." Tom Wachowski muttered, adjusting his shades as he leaned back in the seat beside the sheriff, "Just imagine you're sitting on a beach... which Rhianna..."
"Try being original sometime, dude..."
The two males remained silent for a moment, Tom silently resenting his new status as a civilian.
But what had he expected? His condition was... unique.
"So..." the brown hedgehog, clad in an old flannel shirt and boots, fiddled with the speed gun in his hands. He didn't have to be there right now, but the middle aged hedgehog felt he needed something to do now he was... retired. "How's your first day on the job?"
Wade went bright red. "I'm sorry dude...
"Don't be. I stepped down myself. Best thing I could do, given... everything. Besides, you've been on the force nearly as long as me. You earned it."
"Still..." Wade replied, scanning the deserted highway, "ain't right..."
Tom didn't reply. It was true that he'd stepped down as sheriff of his own accord... but he'd had a little bit of... encouragement in the decision. Apparently, the GHPD had no protocol for ex-human hedgehogs suddenly returning from space.
He could have fought harder, but... he felt like it was his time. After everything, he was probably better off just keeping to himself.
"So..." Wade said, changing the subject, "How's the young couple?"
Tom laughed dryly. "Noisy. Their room's right next to mine, so..."
Wade snorted. "Little bastard... think you're gonna be a grandpa soon?"
"Don't, Wade..." Tom replied, glaring pointedly at his friend, "I'm gonna be having nightmares..."
Again, they lapsed into silence as terrifying thoughts of a house filled with tiny screaming fox-children ran around Tom's brain. He was NOT old enough to be a grandpa yet... was he?
Tom decided not to think about it. Life was a little too precious to worry too much about such things.
"You heard anything from the rest of the family?"
Tom shook his head. "No... I guess they're busy going on adventures..." He sighed, staring down at his hands. "Guess they don't need an old fart like me hanging around..."
Wade couldn't help but notice his friend fumble with something around his neck, obscured by his old oversized flannel.
"Don't feel too down, buddy..." Wade said, giving his best friend a light punch on the arm, "They said they'd be back soon..."
"Yeah..." Tom replied, leaning his muzzle in one hand and staring out of the window, "You know," he said, after a moment's pause, "It could be worse I guess... at least I got a full pension. The bastards owed me that much at le-"
Tom was cut off as the speed gung in his hand began bleeping. He and Wade peered at the device, both noting that the recording read in excess of seven hundred miles per hour.
No vehicles had passed by. Especially vehicles that could travel at near supersonic speeds.
Wade and Tom looked at one another. Wade raised a hand and pointed to the speed gun.
"Tom?" the pudgy sheriff said, "Do you think-"
Bleep bleep bleep. the two buddies checked the radar speed gun again, this time to find the reading at a paltry... six hundred and ninety miles per hour.
"Yeah..." said Tom, reaching over and opening the passenger side door with a clunk, "I think..."
The brown hedgehog hopped from the police cruiser, boots crunching into the sand, looking every bit the sheriff he had been as he tucked one thumb into his belt and adjusted his shades. He began to leave the police vehicle, steady step by steady step, before he came to a halt and scanned both ends of the highway.
"I don't suppose..." the hedgehog said loudly, "There are any joyriders around these parts?"
"Hey dad!"
Tom yelped and hopped back, curling inward slightly as his super-speedy blue son appeared right in front of him, black pointed nose almost touching black pointed nose.
"HA!!!" Sonic cackled with laughter, clutching his stomach and pointing as his father did his best to adjust himself, "You should have seen your face, dad! Priceless!!"
Tom brushed off his green flannel and approached the speedster with intent "You should see what your face'll look like if you try that again!"
The two hedgehogs fell into a rough, manly embrace, perfectly befitting two baddass rogues such as themselves.
"Missed you, blue devil..."
"Missed you too, Donut Hog!"
Tom and Sonic stepped away from their hug, awkwardly consolidating their positions as sheriff Whipple leaned against his cruiser, grinning at the reunion.
"So..." Tom shrugged widely and took a quick look around, "We had two recordings on the old speed gun... you alone here, blue devil?"
There was a brief whip-crack of displaced air, and a microsecond later...
"Hi, honey!"
Tom, for a second time, jumped almost clean out of his brown pelt and fought the urge to transform into an impenetrable ball as his wife, accompanied by their son, howled with laughter at his startled disposition.
"Hi there!" Maddie giggled, a highly amused grin stretching across her face, "Donut Hog!"
Tom set his jaw and wore his most formidable expression as he approached the two speedsters.
"Say, ma'am..." the 'sheriff' said, thumbs tucked into his belt as he adjusted an imaginary brimmed hat, "do you have any idea how fast you were going?"
The black furred hedgehog set a hand on her waist and attempted a pseudo-seductive stance, batting her eyelashes, "Why, I'm so sorry officer... are you going to give me a ticket?"
Tom finished his approach and set his hands at his wife's waist. "I dunno, miss... something like that..."
"Ew guys, gross!!!!" Sonic whined as his parents exchanged a very sloppy kiss, "You're gonna give me diabetes!!"
"So.." Tom said, pulling his wife close, "You're back..."
Maddie grinned, pointed teeth poking from the sides of her mouth, "Apparently..."
"This a flying visit?"
"I... I think..." Maddie's eyes flickered down, looking through the sand as she considered her words, "I think I've had enough adventuring..." She followed her statement with a mischievous smile, "For now..."
Tom gazed into her eyes, which despite everything remained the same as he had always remembered, "I missed you so much, Mads..."
"Me too, baby..." Maddie replied, smile falling into a sheepish grin as she held her husband, "I'm sorry it took so long... but I think I'm finally ready to come home..."
Tom's heart leapt, and he pulled her in tight to kiss her forehead. "You have no idea how much I wanted to hear that..."
Sonic allowed a retching noise to grind from his throat and nudged Wade in the hip. "So, uncle Wade?"
Wade chuckled and ruffled the blue hedgehog's 'hair'. "Yeah, kid?"
Sonic returned his attention to his snuggling parents and grinned with cheer, feeling nothing but joy to finally see them reunited. He flexed his spines and his face warped into a devilish leer as he looked back up at his uncle.
"How's Tails and Zoe been doing?" The blue hedgehog said.
Sheriff Whipple snorted with barely contained laughter. "Noisy, or so I hear..."