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Sonic walked through the forest, carrying his wife on his back. “Can you walk?” he asked.
“No,” Amy lied. The blue hedgehog smirked. He could tell she was no longer too fatigued to walk from their trip but just wanted to be carried. He figured he’d indulge her a little while longer.
“You could have gotten closer,” he replied.
“You know teleportation can be fickle sometimes,” the pink hedgehog said, “besides, we both know you could get us the rest of the way in no time!”
“Can’t,” Sonic replied, “being hunted.”
Amy opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted when Sonic dropped her unceremoniously and fell over. “Ouch! What was that for?” she said, getting on her knees and rubbing her behind. She looked around the tops of the trees.
“I got you!” a young girl’s voice called out. A young rabbit dressed in large, white leaves floated down with her large ears from atop one of the trees. She carried a bow and what appeared to be a round blue sprite followed behind her chirping.
“Cream!” Amy said, standing up and catching the rabbit in a hug, “it’s so great to see you!”
“You too, sister!” Cream said. The two hugged before Amy set Cream down and the two examined the blue hedgehog still on the ground. “I didn’t hurt Uncle Sonic, did I?”
As if on cue, the blue hedgehog quickly grabbed the rabbit’s ankle and stood up with her, smiling. “Down doesn’t mean dead.”
Cream, upside down, laughed and clapped. “But I got you, Uncle Sonic!”
Sonic sighed and patted her with the toy arrow she had shot him with. “Why am I uncle when Amy’s sister?” he asked.
“Because we’re both young, cute girls, and you’re a grumpy old man!” Amy teased, sticking out her tongue. She helped Cream get upright and swung her up on her shoulders. “Who’s this?” she asked, gesturing to the rabbit’s blue companion.
“His name is Cheese!” she said excitedly. “I found a group of Chao over by the pond one day, and Cheese followed me home!”
“Why ‘Cheese’?” the pink hedgehog asked.
“Because then we’re ‘Cream Cheese’, like Momma’s cake frosting!” Cream replied, Cheese chirping in agreement.
Sonic smiled softly, then frowned. “Thought you couldn’t walk,” he said to Amy as she carried Cream on her shoulders.
“Seeing my cute little sister always fills me with energy!” Amy replied.
“Fine,” Sonic said with a playful smirk, “race you to the house!” And he dashed off.
Sonic skidded to a stop as he came up on a huge clearing with a house and large workshop. A woman with green leaves for hair in a green tube top and a skirt made of white leaves was tending some plants up near the house. “Sonic!” she greeted, looking up. “It’s wonderful to see you! I take it Amy and Cream are taking their time walking back?”
Sonic nodded. “Where’s Tails?” he asked.
“In his workshop,” the woman answered.
Sonic gave her a grateful nod and ran into the large workshop. He found a yellow fox, two-tailed fox working on a truck. “Cosmo, I said I’d take a break when Sonic and Amy get here,” he said.
“Present,” Sonic said simply.
The fox turned around and saw the blue hedgehog. “Sonic!” he grinned and pulled the shorter blue hedgehog into a firm and friendly handshake. “You’re actually on time for once!”
“Always on time,” Sonic said dismissively, “especially for Cream.” He looked at the old truck the fox was working on. “What are you working on?”
“Ah, that,” Tails said, “new resident in the village brought his diesel truck with him, and I’m converting it to a fully electric system.”
“Why?” the hedgehog asked.
“Because that polluting thing is irritating!” Cosmo said as she walked in with a glass of water and a small basket.
“And because it’s hard to get diesel all the way out here,” Tails said, turning to the water from his wife, “He’s plenty far away from our land when he’s working with it.”
“It lingers in the town!” Cosmo replied. “And I don’t want to have to wear my city dress there. That, and you can’t hear the complaints the plants have about it.”
“True, true, but you are very beautiful in your city dress,” Tails said, moving in to kiss her on the cheek, only to be stopped by Cosmo holding out her hand.
“Ah-ah-ah,” the dryad said, then handing him the basket, “you’re washing that grease and grime off before you get close to me, or my clean house!” Tails smiled and playfully rolled his eyes as he took the basket and walked over to his makeshift shower area.
Sonic smirked before turning serious. “Anything happen with Cream?” he asked.
“She’s gotten quite adept at flying with her ears,” Cosmo answered, “I don’t know if that’s a sign she’s like you.”
“Hard to tell,” Sonic admitted, “plenty of strange traits out there.”
“Like my two tails,” Tails said, drying himself and walking over, “yet I’ve actually aged since we’ve met 15 years ago, unlike you and Amy.”
“We were honestly hoping you would be able sense any changes in her,” Cosmo said.
Sonic shook his head. “Many kinds of Forces of Nature,” he explained, “not all register very well.”
“That’s a bit of a relief,” Tails said, “Cream’s been pestering us about going to see the city for her birthday. We’ve been reluctant since Sunset Heights is the closest city to that research facility you two rescued her from.”
“You haven’t taken her to the city?” Sonic asked. “Eight years is a long time. Long gone by now.”
“You’re the one who dropped her off with us to keep her safe!” Tails retorted. “Of course we’d be hesitant to take her back to the city.”
Sonic shrugged. “Fine, fine,” he relented.
Cosmo giggled. “This year things line up at a good time! Tails needs to go to the city to get some more parts for that guzzler, so we were planning a trip anyway. And Cream would like you and Amy to join us!”
Sonic sighed. He wasn’t averse to urban settings per se, but he knew how excited his wife could get when shopping and exploring the city life. He suddenly regretted leaving the two girls behind like he did: Cream could ask Amy on her own and she’d agree to everything the young rabbit said with no pushback from him. Sonic looked up at Cosmo and Tails’ amused smiles and realized they probably figured exactly what he got himself into. “Fine,” he relented.
“Thanks,” Tails said, “to be honest we really wanted you and Amy along in case anything happened.”
“Hopefully this trip will cure your paranoia,” Sonic teased, though he did understand. The fox and dryad have plenty of reasons themselves to be wary in urban environments.
“Momma, Poppa! Amy said yes!” Cream called as she and Amy entered the workshop. She was clearly referring to their city trip.
“That’s great, Cream!” Tails said. “But did you ask Sonic yet?” The fox shot Sonic a teasing smirk. He knew the hedgehog couldn’t turn the young rabbit down.
“Right! Uncle Sonic, will you come with us to Sunset Heights for my eleventh birthday?” Cream asked, smiling. Her wide eyes even seemed to be shining.
“Of course!” Sonic said after a little bit of a pause.
“Great!” Amy said. “Tails, I need your computer so I can help plan out our trip! I hear Sunset Heights has plenty to do! We can go shopping, check out the city square, maybe see a movie, oh, and I’ve heard of a great soft-serve ice cream shop!”
Sonic groaned but smiled sheepishly when he caught Cream looking. It was just as he thought: Amy was already running wild. “Don’t get too carried away,” he warned.
“Thank you so much, Uncle Sonic!” Cream said.
“We’ll be going tomorrow, but there are still things we need to take care of first,” Cosmo told her daughter, “Why don’t you go make sure Sonic and Amy’s room is prepared?”
“Yes, Momma!” Cream said. “And then we can have my birthday cake!” The young rabbit ran off happily, Amy in tow. Sonic talked a bit more with Tails and Cosmo, then the five sat down for the birthday cake. Sonic and Amy played with Cream and Cheese in the forest until the sun started to set, then went back to the house to retire for the night.
The next morning, the group got up just before sunrise to travel out to Sunset Heights. Cream and Cosmo had dressed into their “town clothes”. Cream wore a sleeveless mulberry shirt with a white collar and an orange, pleated suspender skirt. Cosmo wore a white dress with gold accents over green pants. She had coverings for her hands and feet and a green shawl with a hood. The layers helped the dryad hide from being gawked over and put extra barriers between her sensitive skin and the increased air pollution of the city.
“Oh, let’s go to that shop next!” Cream said excitedly, pointing to yet another store on the road. The rabbit had changed into a sleeveless, mulberry shirt with a white collar and an orange pleated suspender skirt, her blue ribbon still around her neck. Her sandals were swapped out for orange and yellow walking shoes. A more suitable outfit for a city trip.
“Of course!” Amy said. “And then we can go to that magic shop just up the road!”
“You are magic,” Sonic said with an amused smile.
“It’s still fun to look around at everything!” the pink hedgehog replied.
“I’m glad you two are having fun,” Cosmo said. She too had changed: she now wore a long white dress with gold accents split up to the waist on both sides over green pants, with matching white gloves and socks. She had a green neck shawl with a hood covering her head. The only exposed skin was her face. “But I think I need a break.” Even with her layers, the city’s air pollution had been getting to her.
“Split up,” Sonic said, “Park nearby.” The group agreed and Sonic took Cosmo to the park, a bit more natural of a space in such a concrete jungle.
“It may be small, but it’s much better here,” Cosmo said as she sat at a table. She let her hood down to get some sun.
Sonic nodded and pulled out a bottle of spring water from his cloak for her. He stayed standing and looked around, taking in the little peace the park presented compared to the rest of the city. He liked the excitement the city could bring, but hated how busy everything could be.
“Come, sit down!” Cosmo said after having a drink. “You look strange standing like that when I’m sitting down.”
Sonic smirked and rolled his eyes playfully. He moved to take a seat when he felt something off. The hedgehog frowned and looked around again. “Show yourself,” he said. Sonic didn’t raise his voice, but his tone made it clear he wasn’t messing around.
“Woah, now,” said a tall crocodile, stepping into view. He wore a dark gray leather vest and a gold chain around his neck with black boots. “Is that how you treat an old friend?”
“Vector,” Sonic said, still frowning though his expression softened slightly, “what do you want?”
“Can’t a croc stop and say hello?” Vector answered, “it’s been a while!”
“I’m sorry, do you know this person, Sonic?” Cosmo asked.
“Worked with Vector before, detective,” the hedgehog answered. Sonic felt like there was another presence but couldn’t be sure. He hadn’t visited such a large, urban area in a long time and his senses hadn’t fully adjusted. The hedgehog tapped his foot impatiently
“Mind if I have a seat?” Vector asked. Cosmo nodded and the crocodile sat at the table. “I picked up a case a couple years back, missing person. Police gave up the search, but the client didn’t.”
Sonic frowned. “Why talk to me?”
“What, is there anything wrong with wanting to catch up with an old friend?” Vector said cheekily. Sonic raised an eyebrow. The crocodile turned toward Cosmo. “And who might you be, Miss?”
“Cosmo Prower, and it’s Mrs.” the dryad answered.
“Apologies,” Vector said, “nice to meetcha!”
“The point, Vector,” Sonic said, growing frustrated. “What do you think I have to do with your case?”
“Perceptive as always,” Vector said, “the girl I was hired to find went missing 8 years ago, and I just got word you were involved in an incident around the same time.”
Sonic’s eyes narrowed. “Choose your next words carefully,” he said, “and tell your friend to show himself.
Vector looked confused for a moment before slapping his forehead. “For the love of, Espio, I told you I’d handle it!”
Next to Sonic, knife in hand, appeared a purple chameleon ninja. “You’re too trusting, Vector, you know what our source said about him.”
“Said what?” Sonic asked. He was growing more suspicious. His nose twitched at something.
“Enough!” all the boys looked at Cosmo as she shouted. “You’re all being so cryptic!” She turned to Vector directly. “From what you’ve said, you seem to be talking about my daughter, so I demand to know why!”
Sonic smirked at Vector and Espio’s flabbergasted faces. Suddenly, he something in his temple. His wife. “Amy,” he said simply, then rushed off without another word.
“Cream! Get out of here!” Amy yelled, her crystal hammer already in hand. The pair decided to go to a couple more shops before meeting back up with Sonic and Cosmo when someone grabbed Cream and pulled her into an alley. Amy immediately gave chase and freed her from the people in what seemed to be a mix of white lab attire and body armor. There were no other identifiable marks on their uniform or vehicles.
“But what about you?” Cream asked, voice shaky. Cheese clung to her arm.
“Don’t worry about me!” the pink hedgehog said as she knocked an assailant back. “Sonic will be here soon, just get to safety!”
As if on cue, a dark blue arm stretched and struck one of the assailants. Sonic stood between them and Amy, Cream, and Cheese. “Leave,” he snarled.
One of the attackers stepped forward and laughed. “We don’t need the bunny when we have you,” they said, taking out a remote and pushing a button. All of a sudden, the wolf cried out in pain and fell to his knees. “The chameleon did his job! Let’s go!” Everyone advanced on Sonic, with the people Amy already knocked out getting back up to prepare something.
“Oh no you don’t!” Amy yelled, charging forward.
“Amy!” Cream yelled. The pink hedgehog turned her head. One of the assailants had recovered and got behind her, grabbing Cream.
“Choose,” he said, “the Force of Nature or the test subject.”
Amy took one last look at Sonic, promising to rescue him with her eyes. She lunged toward the man holding Cream and pulled her from his arms, running out of the alley. She looked back in time to see the researchers loading her husband into one of their vehicles.
“So that’s how it is,” Vector said. Cosmo had finished explaining Cream’s story.
“And you two were hired by her birth mother to find her,” Cosmo said. She had a pensive look on her face.
“Well, this got a lot more complicated.”
Espio didn’t seem convinced. In fact, he seemed frantic. “And why should we believe you?” he demanded, slamming his fist on the table.
“Espio! Calm down!” Vector said, grabbing his partner’s arm. “First you come along without my say so, and now this?”
The argument was interrupted by Amy and Cream’s arrival. “Cosmo! Find Tails and get out of here, I have to res-!” she cut herself short as she laid eyes on the purple chameleon. “You!” Before anyone could react, Espio was struck back by Amy’s hammer. Immediately, he found himself pinned by said weapon. “What do your people want with Sonic?” she demanded as bystanders swarmed some distance away.
“What are you talking about, Amy?” Cosmo asked, hugging Cream and Cheese close.
“S-some people grabbed me and tried to take me,” Cream said, “Amy was fighting them off when Uncle Sonic came. But one of the bad people did something to him and they took him!”
“Now things are making sense,” Vector said, turning to Espio. “Did you talk to our source alone?”
“Of course I did!” Espio said. “You ran off! He told me how dangerous the Force of Nature is and gave me something to subdue him! I just had to get close-“ He was cut off by Amy pressing her hammer’s handle onto his chest more.
“Let ‘im up, Amy,” the crocodile said. The hedgehog glared at him, but Vector met her gaze. She relented, and Vector grabbed Espio’s shoulder, helping him to his feet but still making sure he couldn’t run off. “What did he tell you?”
“He told me that Sonic was a Force of Nature, a wild beast. That he kidnapped Cream, and wouldn’t hesitate to unleash that beast on you if you questioned him about her!” the chameleon said, trying to defend himself, but he sounded less convinced the more he spoke.
“What did that guy give you?” Amy demanded.
Espio pulled out a small white badge and handed it to the hedgehog. “He didn’t tell me the specifics, but just by having this close enough to the Force of Nature would infect him.”
“You’re talking about my husband!”
“And you didn’t trust me,” Vector said.
“Our source told me more about Sonic than you did,” Espio retorted, “I didn’t even know you already knew him!
“Okay, I guess that one’s on me.” Vector shrugged and let go of the chameleon.
“Alright enough standing around!” Amy declared. “You!” She turned and pressed her finger to Espio’s chest. “You are going to help us get my Sonic back!”
“M-me? After everything, you’d trust me?” Espio replied, bewildered.
“Unless there’s a reason I still shouldn’t.” She glared at him and tightened her grip on her hammer.
“No ma’am!” the chameleon said, saluting.
“I’ll stay with Mrs. Prower and Cream in case any of those mooks try to make another move on Cream!” Vector volunteered.
“Okay, but no funny business! Cosmo’s married!” Amy said.
“What the hell do you mean by that!?”
“Watch your language!” Cosmo said.
“Alright! Let’s go grab Tails and get my husband back!” Amy grabbed Espio and ran off, dragging him behind her.
Cosmo held Cream as the others ran off. She needed to be told. She knelt down before Cream. “Uncle Sonic’s going to be okay, right?” the rabbit said, tears in her eyes.
Cosmo brushed the tears from her daughter’s face. “Of course he is! Your sister and father won’t let anything happen to him,” the dryad said, “more importantly we have to talk about you.”
“What about me, Momma?”
Cosmo smiled, touching the blue ribbon Cream always wore around her neck. “Mr. Vector here is a detective, and he was hired to find you.” The crocodile in question waved and smiled nervously. “He was hired by your birth mother.”
The three stood in silence. “Mommy’s… alive?” Cream finally said, breaking the silence.
“Yes, according to Mr. Vector, who is good friend of Sonic’s, so he must be telling the truth,” Cosmo said.
“Geez, you’re making me blush!” Vector said, rubbing the back of his head.
“We never meant to keep her from her birth family,” Cosmo said, turning to Vector. “Sonic and Amy rescued her eight years ago but couldn’t find her family. They brought her to me and my husband, Miles, to take care of. Even then, she was old enough to have some memories of her mother. She always wore the ribbon she gave her.”
“I believe you,” Vector said, “I can set up a meeting at our office to see her.”
“Do I have to?” Cream asked with a shaky voice.
“You’re 11, you can make that decision for yourself,” Cosmo said calmly, “but I would certainly like to meet her, and I think you want to see her too. But it is your choice.”
Cream thought for a moment. “Okay,” she said, “I want to see Mommy again.”
Vector nodded and stepped off to the side to call his client. Cosmo gave her daughter a big hug. In truth, she herself was afraid. Cream was her and Tails’ daughter. Period. Yet what kind of example would she set if she kept Cream from her birth mother? The dryad kissed her daughter’s forehead. Come what may, they would face it, and Cosmo would do what was best for Cream.
“I’ve gotten into their security systems,” Tails said. The three were perched on a roof across from the warehouse Amy tracked Sonic to. “They have him sedated.”
“You said his body would quickly destroy and eject the nanites that subdued him earlier,” Espio said, “how could they keep him contained for so long. He’s a Force of Nature!”
“He’s powerful, but not ALL-powerful,” Amy said, with a hint of worry on her face.
“They’re probably using multiple forms to sedate him,” the fox explained, “imagine you have a cold, then you get food poisoning, and then you get actually poisoned…”
“Your body may easily fight off one, but multiple overwhelms it,” the chameleon finished, “and I helped them.”
“There’s no time to worry about that now!” Amy said, summoning her hammer. “All will be fine once I reach him!” With that, the pink hedgehog leapt from the roof and crashed through the window. The people inside turned at the sudden intrusion and Amy whacked one of them with her hammer.
“Why bother having me hack the security if you were just going to charge in anyway?” Tails said, following suit. He punched one of the researchers and used his tails to attack another. The fox ducked and ran as he was fired upon. The researchers had started to regroup and picked up their own weapons.
Several ninja stars embedded themselves in the arm of the researcher attacking Tails. It wasn’t enough to cause severe damage, especially with the thick, protective outfits, but it was enough to make the researcher drop his gun. Espio appeared from seemingly nowhere and grabbed the weapon with his tongue, tossing it to Tails. “Hopefully this will help.”
Tails took cover and inspected the gun. A laser rifle, with the setting set to nonlethal. Were they planning to capture them as well? Tails turned the power on his up. It was the best way to get through that protective armor. He took well placed shots at the researchers’ limbs, mostly providing cover for Espio to disarm them and knock them out.
Amy needed no such cover. She dodged and used magical cards to block incoming shots with ease, knocking a researcher down one by one on her way to Sonic. Finally, she reached the pod he was being kept in and smashed it open. “I’m here, Sonic,” she said, caressing his face. She kissed him and felt some of her own energy flow into him.
Sonic felt his wife kiss him, and he woke up. Indulging a moment longer, he wrapped his arms around her before lifting her out of the way. It was his turn. He climbed the rest of the way out of the pod, ready to fight the people who tried to take Cream.
“You can settle down, we’ve finished up here,” Espio said. True to his word, the rest of the researchers were on the ground. Sonic pouted a moment before transforming into his hedgehog form.
“I was so worried!” Amy said, jumping on him and hugging him. Sonic barely managed to stay standing.
“Nothing to worry about,” he said, resting a hand on his wife’s shoulder.
“I’m not ready to leave yet,” Tails said. He sat down at one of the computers and plugged connected his tablet he always carried. “I’m taking all their files and leaving their systems open for when the police arrive.” After a couple minutes, he disconnected his tablet.
“We’re all ready then?” Espio asked. Tails nodded.
“Don’t think I haven’t forgotten what you did to Sonic!” Amy chastised Espio as they left the warehouse. “You still need to apologize!”
“Amy, not now,” Sonic said. The pink hedgehog huffed but stopped when she saw Sonic’s face. With these goons taken care of, the blue hedgehog’s mind went back to his and Cosmo’s meeting with Vector. “We need to get back with Vector.”
“Why?” Tails asked.
“You didn’t tell them?” Sonic said to the chameleon with an accusatory look.
“Everything was happening so fast!” Espio defended himself.
“What are you talking about, Sonic?” Amy asked.
“Espio and Vector hired for missing person’s case,” the hedgehog said. He let his two friends come to the same conclusion he already came to: Cream’s birth mother was found. And it might be time to say goodbye.
Ten minutes later, everyone regrouped at Vector’s detective office. Cosmo and Tails sat at a table with Cream and Cheese on the dryad’s lap. Sonic, Amy, and Espio stood off to the side. Sonic kept a hold of Amy’s hand for support. He knew what she was thinking: just taking Cream and Cheese and running off, not even entertaining the possibility of having to say goodbye to her. He felt similarly. But they had no right. Tails and Cosmo were her parents, and Cream was her own person.
“Here we are!” came Vector’s boisterous voice as he opened the door. In walked a rabbit woman, the spitting image of Cream. She was slightly taller than Tails, making her taller than both hedgehogs but shorter still than the crocodile. She had orangish-brown bangs and floppy ears hanging back, though not nearly as large as Cream’s. Even her outfit was similar to her daughter’s, the same colors but instead a dress with puffy sleeves and a vest. “This is Vanilla, everyone. Vanilla, this is-“
“Mommy!” Cream interrupted, jumping off Cosmo’s lap and rushing to give the taller rabbit a hug. “It’s really you!”
“You-you remember me!” Vanilla replied, embracing her daughter. “You really remember me! And you still have the ribbon!”
“It’s my favorite!” the younger rabbit cried. “I don’t remember everything, but I remember some!”
“That doesn’t matter, I’m just so happy to see you again!” the older rabbit cried too. Sonic and Amy, despite their own mixed feelings, couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
“I want you to meet Cheese!” Cream said, pulling away to pick up her pet Chao.
“Like ‘cream cheese’!” Vanilla noted.
“How did you know? Normally people ask me about that!”
“Well, I named you so we’d be ‘vanilla cream’!” The mother and daughter laughed and hugged again while Cheese chirped happily.
Cosmo stood up and cleared her throat. Vanilla stood up in turn. “My name is Cosmo, and this is my husband, Tails,” the dryad introduced herself.
Vanilla grasped Cosmo’s hands. “Thank you for taking care of Cream all these years,” she said. “And thank you for saving her all those years ago.” She looked at Sonic and Amy, who nodded and smiled.
“We really have a lot to discuss,” Tails said.
“Cream is your daughter,” the rabbit finished for him, a sad, regretful tone in her voice though she maintained her smile.
“She’s your daughter too,” Cosmo said. Both mothers knelt down next to the young rabbit.
“Stop!” Cream yelled. “Stop talking like I’m never going to see one of you again! I love Momma and Mommy!” She turned to Tails and the others. “And Poppa and Uncle and Sister! I don’t want to say goodbye to anyone!” Cheese chirped in agreement. “But I do want to keep living in the forest…”
Vanilla smiled. “Is that all? Then I’ll just have to move out to the forest with you!”
“Wh-what?” Vector finally stammered. “You can’t just invite yourself into someone else’s home!”
“You can live in the village!” Cosmo suggested.
“But are you sure you want to uproot your life here like that?” Tails asked. “And can you afford it?”
“There’s not much here for me anyway,” Vanilla answered. Vector looked down at that admission. “And Mr. Vector was so kind! He agreed to find my daughter free of charge, so I have some savings!”
“What do you mean ‘free of-‘ oof!” Espio started to object but was elbowed by Amy.
“Yay!” Cream exclaimed. “I’ll stop by every day!” With that, the decisions were made. Tails and Cosmo talked to Vanilla about helping her move and settle in. They would first have to make sure there was a vacant spot to build Vanilla’s new house. The suggestion flattered Vanilla, but Tails explained that the village was small but always willing to help out a newcomer. Vanilla would divide her time at Tails and Cosmo’s home further in the forest and here in the city while her house was built.
Vector stepped outside while discussions were made. He leaned against the wall and looked out at the street.
“You like her, don’t you?” a feminine voice said. Vector turned to see Amy, Sonic, and Espio join him outside.
“Please tell me you didn’t agree to do this job for free because you have a crush,” the chameleon groaned.
“Vector always does that,” Sonic explained, “pretty lady just a bonus.” He smirked at the crocodile.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough!” Vector said, blushing. “Maybe she is easy on the eyes, and really kind and great to talk to too.” He sighed. “Doesn’t matter, she’s moving away anyway, and a small village in the forest ain’t good for a detective business.”
“Don’t be so pessimistic!” Amy said. “If you love her, you’ll find a way!”
“You are the ‘Karma Collector’,” Sonic teased, “collect some for yourself.”
The group stopped talking when they heard the door open. “Ah, Vector!” Vanilla said. “I wanted to thank you again! I really didn’t expect things to turn out like this, but you brought me and my daughter back together!”
Vector couldn’t help but smile. “I’m happy for you both,” he said, “you take care of yourself when you’re settled into your new home.”
“It won’t be for a few weeks yet,” Vanilla said, “but when I am gone, I hope I can still visit and catch up with you! And my home will always be open to you if you come out and visit!” She stood on her toes and gave the crocodile a peck on the cheek. Vector’s mouth dropped open. “I have to go and start getting things ready now!” She called as she ran off back home!”
Vector stood there, mouth still hanging open. “Well, I hate to say I told you so!” Amy said. Vector turned to look at the three smirking individuals. He yelled at them, telling them to wipe their smirks off their faces, but he was absolutely giddy.