Amy's POV:

"We are glad to have you join us here," King Nigel welcomed, the golden tassels on his royal jacket fluttering as he turned around to greet Commander Tower and Team Dark. "Please, make yourselves at home. Our staff will carry your luggage to your rooms for later, and they will be happy to help if you need anything throughout your stay."

"Thank you. Shadow, will you please take the briefcase?" Commander Tower requested, and Amy watched in surprise as Shadow accepted the briefcase Eclipse had been carrying, slinging the strap across his chest. It was a polite way of avoiding handing the case over; Amy could guess it contained sensitive documents, perhaps the Commander's personal laptop. She was impressed by how civil G.U.N.'s Commander was being, but she was skeptical as to whether he was genuinely this way or merely playing a political role. Her interactions with Team Dark the past year hadn't given her the best impression of his character, but she didn't know that much about the man himself--she found herself watching him closely, having always wondered why Shadow seemed to hold so much respect for him.

"Not a moment too soon," Rouge groaned as she handed the suitcases she was carrying to one of the castle staff. Amy tried to suppress her disdain for the white bat as she watched, but she couldn't deny that, whatever her opinion of Abraham Tower, she held a much stronger dislike for Rouge. She'd always held a good opinion of Shadow's character, but she couldn't say the same for his long-running teammate--she tried to hope that he knew more about Rouge than she did, but sometimes she felt skeptical at best that the bat was anything but a bad influence on him.

Eclipse, though, she wasn't yet sure about. He seemed genuinely nice, but the sheer fact she felt herself relaxing so much around his easy demeanor set her on edge. She knew it was probably unfair to him, but she couldn't help but feel that a predator would be very good at making his prey drop their guard.

Don't think that way. That's mean, she chastised herself, watching the alien grin as Shadow attempted to adjust his chest fur beneath the briefcase's strap. Shadow's never made me feel that way. I'm just being xenophobic.

"We can take a tour of the grounds for as long as you wish, then return here before dinner to wash up," King Nigel continued, speaking directly to Commander Tower, who nodded politely. Amy felt strange, looking up at him; she'd known he was tall, but, somehow, seeing him on the television had never managed to convey just how tall he was. She guessed he was two meters, at least, tall enough that he dwarfed the Mobians around him.

King Nigel led the group toward one of the castle's main side exits, well-mannered and composed next to the rigid, stern human, and Amy felt her eyes tracking over all of their guests, watching Shadow's ears twitch at a distant sound as Eclipse studied the intricate stone flooring. Rouge was reapplying her vibrant lipstick--Amy looked away as politely as she could--turning instead to study Tower again. His features were harsh from years of occupying such expressions, much like she'd thought Shadow's were before she had realized his eyes were naturally sharpened, and she peered at him as they walked through the majestic hallways.

What an austere uniform, she thought, wondering why G.U.N. didn't have medals or other insignia like the Castle of Acorn. She'd always liked King Nigel's coat, thinking it was elegant and regal in a simple way, but G.U.N.'s uniforms were so starched and cold, even with the vivid colors that designated rank. The gray, especially, she felt was too clinical, not as formal as black and not as dignified as a classic navy blue.

"This castle is beautiful," Eclipse said in amazement from her left, and Amy was glad for the distraction, smiling at the alien as he looked up at the vaulted ceiling, covered with intricate carvings. "I didn't know there was such detailed craftsmanship on Mobius."

"Castle Acorn has had to be rebuilt many times, but we spent a considerable amount to restore and improve it recently, as we have become more sure of our ability to protect it," King Nigel answered, glancing back at the alien, who nodded. "The guest rooms have recently been renovated, as well, so I believe they will be quite to your liking."

As the group approached the doors, two members of the castle staff opened them wide, and Eclipse took an audible breath as the outer grounds were revealed, the well-cultivated gardens of the castle on full display.

The alien had taken two awestruck steps outside when the pleasant tone came to an abrupt halt.

"So, it is true," a voice said scornfully, and Amy glanced to the right in surprise to see Knuckles leaning on the side of the castle--he'd said that he wasn't sure if he'd join the welcome party, so she hadn't expected to see him until dinner. She saw Eclipse stiffen, also looking toward the red echidna, the alien's smile dropped abruptly in favor of a barely neutral expression.

Purple eyes narrowing, Knuckles stood straight, crossing his arms and glaring at the alien, and Amy looked worriedly at him as the atmosphere turned uncomfortably tense.

"I've said that you keep questionable company before, but this is a new low," the red echidna remarked coolly, addressing Rouge, and Amy saw Eclipse's tail twitch, hearing Shadow's quills bristling automatically next to her and feeling the bad blood rising between her friend and the alien.

Then, as soon as it was there, it was gone, and Eclipse forced a passable smile, if not one that could be considered any form of genuine.

"Well, actually, I'm taller than Shadow," the alien replied in a light, joking tone, but the sarcastic politeness on his face showed that the joke wasn't one he enjoyed.

Please don't get angry, Knuckles, she pleaded internally, watching as the echidna's purple eyes narrowed. She knew how much Eclipse had upset him during the attack on Angel Island, and she knew that Knuckles wasn't close to forgiving him. If he let his temper get the better of him... She didn't want to see how that could split this group right down the middle.

"Both of you, get over it," Shadow interrupted, the tense silence interrupted as Knuckles glared at him and Eclipse's shoulders sulked forward in a slouch, the alien's tail curving in front of his shins in--well, Amy hoped it was a defensive posture.

"Get over it? He made me shatter the Master Emerald!" Knuckles argued, quick on the rebuttal, but the black hedgehog looked unimpressed as he crossed his arms.

"And how's the Master Emerald now?" Shadow questioned evenly, his tone conveying exactly what he thought of the echidna's argument.

"Well, thanks to Amy, it's in one piece again," Knuckles grumbled, which made Amy feel a bit touched, but he brought up an angry hand, pointing at Eclipse. "No thanks to your newest teammate."

Shadow opened his mouth to reply, but Eclipse was quicker, his spiky shoulders coming up as he raised his hands in a chest-height 'surrender' position.

"I'm sensing some hostility here, so why don't we just drop it and move on?" The alien asked with false cheeriness, and, despite the fact his positivity was clearly forced, Amy appreciated his effort to defuse the echidna's anger. Knuckles had every right to be mad, but Eclipse seemed to be genuinely trying to move past the Master Emerald incident, and Amy worried that her friend was going to give a bad showing of himself in front of Shadow, who seemed to be protective of Eclipse--and Knuckles and Shadow already had enough issues getting along with each other.

"Always looking out for your own interest. I didn't expect more," Knuckles retorted, and Eclipse let out a quiet, exasperated sigh, his glowing eyes closing for a moment as he brought his hands up to his chin and clasped them together, clearly gathering himself.

"Well, that's rather unfortunate, because I did. I had hoped that we would be able to work out our differences," Eclipse replied, his intertwined fingers giving him a diplomatic appearance as he opened his eyes. "But, I know that forgiveness isn't a thing to be forced, so perhaps we could simply agree to leave off the insults?"

"What was it Shadow said earlier? Insults aren't true?" Knuckles asked sarcastically--Amy gave him a pleading expression, but he didn't look her way. "You haven't denied anything I've said yet, so you can't say they're not accurate," Knuckles added, his purple eyes narrowing further as Eclipse looked skyward with an exaggerated eye roll.

"Am I supposed to be surprised you were following us? You're not subtle," the alien grumbled, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers on his forearm's red, stone-like armor, producing an odd clicking noise. Amy blinked in surprise--she certainly hadn't noticed Knuckles following them. "Besides, I never said they weren't true," Eclipse retorted, shifting his weight to his other leg in a manner that reminded her very much of Shadow.

"If they're true, then they're not insults, are they?" Knuckles asked sarcastically, and Eclipse's gray eyelids came together to give his eyes a slit-like appearance, making goosebumps raise down Amy's arms; he looked very predatory, though his body language was firmly cemented in exasperation.

"Whether something is an insult isn't contingent on the content of the statement but rather the delivery of it," the alien replied, which Amy thought was surprisingly insightful, for someone so young. "As I said, I can hardly protest the content of your statements. I caused you to shatter your Emerald; I'm the reason your friend had to help you repair it," Eclipse added, nodding to her as his tail gestured behind him. "And, yes, I am acting in self-interest when I ask that you stop insulting me, as I'd really rather deal with this another time. Overall, the only thing I can protest is being called the 'new low' of Team Dark, and I don't personally care what your opinion of me is. But, like most people, I also don't appreciate being insulted in front of my friends," he finished with a cool glare, his glowing eyes appearing a lot more intimidating than they had a moment ago.

To Amy, the words sounded like a veiled threat, and she glanced at the red echidna to see that his eyebrows had knit together, clearly judging whether the alien was threatening him or not.

"Well, now that that's settled, why don't we take a walk around the gardens?" King Acorn suggested, breaking the moment of silence, a light but clear warning in his tone that this conversation wasn't going the direction the talks today were supposed to. Relief washed across the group, and Amy watched Knuckles worriedly as he glared at the alien, his posture ready to respond to an attack at any moment.

"I'd hardly say it's settled," Knuckles grumbled, and Amy hurried to walk beside him as Eclipse scoffed, taking longer strides to distance himself from the red echidna. Knuckles jumped when she touched his shoulder, giving him a sympathetic smile, but he huffed, crossing his arms and looking away stubbornly.

Well, as long as he knew that she was there for him, it was enough.

King Acorn did his best to make casual conversation as the group walked down a scenic, stone-tiled path, but everyone was too tense to join in, only Commander Tower replying to his comments. The silence was uncomfortable, and although Eclipse appeared to be interested in the woods along the far edge of the gardens, Amy suspected he was merely avoiding Knuckles' gaze as much as possible. Even Sonic looked on edge, glancing worriedly between the echidna and the alien with a slightly frustrated expression on his face. Amy felt a bit bad for him--she could tell he liked Eclipse, and it went against the blue hedgehog's grain to have two people he considered friends dislike each other.

Walking slowly, the autumn breeze providing the only break to the silence, the Freedom Fighters and their guests nevertheless crossed a significant portion of the grounds, having entered the dappled shade that lay several meters from the treeline by the time anyone spoke at all.

"So, now that everything's 'settled,'" Knuckles began, glaring at Eclipse, and the alien let out an aggravated huff even as King Nigel sighed heavily.

"Oh, would you just drop it?" Eclipse complained, squinting into a patch of sunlight that came through the leaves above, and Knuckles folded his arms angrily.

"The fact you're not even trying to convince me that you're not evil isn't exactly conducive to 'dropping it,'" the echidna shot back, and Eclipse groaned in exasperation.

"What do you want? I've renounced my former lifestyle, and I've taken up the mantle of protecting Mobius in its place. There's not much else to say," the alien said, frustrated.

"I think there's a lot more to be said than that," Knuckles responded, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, because nothing can ever be easy with you, can it?" Eclipse spat, his claws clicking on his red crests again in annoyance.

"Well, sorry that I don't feel like trusting you just because you're doing a nice little song and dance to make everyone think you've changed," Knuckles retorted, and Eclipse's posture straightened so fast that Amy flinched, the alien coming to a complete halt on the pathway. "Just because you say you're not evil--"

"You have no idea what I've done to get here," Eclipse growled in a grating, guttural voice, and Amy was shocked at the venom in his tone, his voice distorting so much that the words sounded like they were being spoken by a monster. She knew instinctively that this was the first time Eclipse had been genuinely angry throughout this argument, his chalk white lips curling back to reveal the points of his teeth as he glared at Knuckles with a force he hadn't had before. "No idea what I've sacrificed. No. Idea."

Eclipse turned away from the group almost violently, stalking away, and Amy watched as his shoulders hunched, his fists clenching, still reeling in disbelief but recognizing the signs of deep, emotional pain regardless. Shadow had frozen halfway in the middle of reaching out to the alien, and everyone's eyes fell on him as he wheeled toward Knuckles, glaring at the red echidna.

"Nice, Knuckles," the black hedgehog snapped, looking more angry than Amy had ever seen him. "He just lost--we didn't want to mention--Chaos," he cursed, and he had taken a step to chase after the alien when Commander Tower's gesture stopped him.

"You explain," the grizzled man said, holding up his hand. "I'll retrieve Eclipse."

"I--alright?" Shadow replied, clearly as taken aback as the Freedom Fighters as Tower strode quickly after the alien, his long legs covering the ground quickly as the alien halted only a few dozen feet away--Amy wondered if he'd heard Tower's words. Even Rouge couldn't disguise her surprise as Commander Tower crouched next to the alien, saying something inaudible that made Eclipse shake his head in an upset manner, and Shadow ground his teeth together in frustration as he searched for the right words, whatever they might be.

For some reason, Amy had a very bad feeling about this conversation.

...

Tower's POV:

Abraham disguised a long sigh as he stepped away from the group, reminding himself to be patient with the young alien. He had hoped to get through today without an incident, but he had anticipated that things wouldn't be that simple.

With Team Dark, they rarely were.

He was disappointed in Eclipse for losing his temper, already thinking of ways the visit might recover from here and resigning himself to the fact it would take quite a bit of smoothing over. Still, he was grateful that Eclipse had restrained himself to words, fully aware that Knuckles had said several things that could have led to blows, and Eclipse lashing out physically--or even threatening to--would have been irrecoverable.

The white-haired man reached the alien, quieting his thoughts so that he could focus on calming the alien, and he crouched down to Eclipse's eye level, ignoring his aging knees' protests.

"Is this how I asked you to act?" Abraham asked in a tone that conveyed both mild disappointment and firm patience, and Eclipse, his eyes shut tight, shook his head, the alien's mouth pressed tight into a pained grimace. Judging the alien's expression, Abraham assumed the demeanor he used to employ when his daughter, Amanda, had misbehaved when she was young, gentle yet stern as his mismatched eyes looked directly at the cringing alien. "Then, why did you act that way?"

"I got angry," Eclipse replied with a slight hiccup--it was very odd to hear the alien's coarse, distorted voice hitching like a crying child's, even having seen the many times he had broken down before. Abraham shifted slightly, thinking back to incidents where Eclipse had lashed out in a similar manner and trying to determine the best way to get the young alien back on track as soon as possible.

"You did, and that didn't help solve the issue that was making you angry, did it?" Abraham questioned, and Eclipse shook his head again, his golden eyes opening; the grizzled man blinked at how the tears in the alien's eyes sparkled as they caught the yellow light, thinking the sight very strange. "Will you let yourself get angry again?"

"No. Not here," Eclipse answered with an almost imperceptible sniffle, and he snorted, as if to clear away any evidence of his emotions as the tears retreated back into his eyes.

"Good. Do you think you're ready to back and talk this over with Knuckles?" The white-haired man asked, and Eclipse's expression immediately soured, the alien's remaining emotion vanishing in lieu of a tight-lipped scowl.

"I'm not apologizing to him," the alien growled bluntly, and Abraham did not miss how his irides brightened, literally blazing with anger. "I tried to get along with him, and he refused. I won't apologize to someone who purposely provokes me."

"I didn't say you had to apologize to him," Abraham replied, raising a pale eyebrow, and Eclipse looked at him in shock, anger apparently forgotten. "The Freedom Fighters are not blind to the fact Knuckles is provoking you. An apology for losing your temper and stalking off would be sufficient, and it doesn't have to be delivered to Knuckles."

"Then, why do I have to talk with him?" Eclipse queried, his red eye ridges furrowing into a confused expression.

"We can't have him so strongly against you if we want this visit to end well. You've done a good job of admitting your faults to him, but I believe explaining some of the past months' events would do much to change his mind about you," Abraham responded, and Eclipse's face darkened, though not with anger.

"I don't think I can do that, Commander," the alien replied softly, and Abraham heard his voice roughen with emotion, the gravelly distortion becoming increasingly audible beneath the alien's words. "I--I can't talk about everything that happened. It's too much. I've said--I've made mistakes, speaking about it with Shadow. I can't afford to let my insecurities speak for me. I--" Eclipse faltered, his glowing eyes sweeping distressedly over the grass at his feet, and the aged commander felt a small amount of sympathy for the alien, having seen this exact emotion in many a good soldier who'd lived through a great tragedy. "I don't even know that I could bear to be around while someone explained it. I'm--I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Then, will you wait out of earshot while Shadow and I explain what's occurred?" Abraham questioned, and Eclipse's eyes flicked up to meet his, the alien looking shocked that he wasn't being reprimanded.

"You're--you're not going to ask if it's can't or won't?" Eclipse asked, so surprised that he'd stilled completely, even his tail freezing behind him.

"I'm assuming you're being truthful with me. Is that not the case?" Abraham raised an eyebrow as Eclipse hastily shook his head.

"No, I am. But, I didn't think you would believe me. I thought..." The alien trailed off, scratching a small furrow in the ground with a prehensile toe, uprooting blades of the lush grass. "I thought that you'd think I was just being weak. I'm not entirely sure that I'm not."

"Don't underestimate my ability to empathize with the difficulty of facing trauma. Causing soldiers undue distress is not a leader's job," Abraham answered, finding this worry, at least, easy to address. "You have been through a large amount of grief in a very short period of time. I expect many things of you, but to be unaffected by the same emotions that all intelligent beings are has never been one of them."

He hadn't intended the words to be weighty, but Eclipse's eyes watered, and Abraham realized that, intentionally or not, he'd moved the alien greatly. The aged man wasn't entirely sure how to react; somehow, he felt that Eclipse was coming to adopt him as a father figure, and he worried such an association would make commanding the alien all the more difficult. If everything Abraham said and every gesture he made was interpreted through such a lens... Well, it would put even more pressure on him to consider his every motion, and he privately believed that he had more than enough pressure to do so already.

"On that note, I should return to the group and help Shadow explain these past few months. If you could lend an old man your shoulder, it would be quite appreciated. My knees aren't what they used to be," Abraham said, hoping to distance himself from the alien with the reminder that he was an aging mortal with many obligations--hardly the ideal person for Eclipse to imprint on.

"Do you need help?" The alien asked, concerned, and he lifted his arm for Abraham to use as leverage, the Commander's joints complaining vehemently as he straightened his knees, rising with effort to his full height.

"No, I'm quite capable of walking on my own," Abraham replied, unable to completely hide the hint of humor in his voice. Never in his fifty-six years of life had he anticipated a Black Arm expressing worry about his health, but here he was, surreptitiously stretching his legs as Eclipse lowered his helping arm, the alien's glowing eyes scanning him shrewdly.

"I'll come with you. I should apologize for my behavior," the alien grumbled, as if in admission to himself. "If you're going to describe everything that's happened, though, I won't stay."

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Abraham answered, striding back toward the assembled Freedom Fighters, and Eclipse sighed in relief. "Please attempt to keep yourself together in the future."

"I will, Sir," Eclipse replied heavily, resigning himself to whatever methods he'd have to employ to follow the order. Abraham suppressed a rare desire to smile as Eclipse's posture slumped forward, even his tail dragging on the grass for a moment before he gathered himself, straightening his spine until he looked confident and put-together. It was precisely the display of putting on a public face that Abraham had been told about shortly after Eclipse had joined Gibbous Unit as a temporary agent, the very same exaggerated shift in emotion that the alien's assigned psychologists had worried about before they determined that the unceremonious throwing off of negative feelings was merely how Eclipse dealt with pain in general.

It reminded Abraham of how he'd had to put on such a face for decades, before he'd merely grown into his public persona, stern and unwavering. Eclipse seemed to be growing into his persona, as well, transitioning back to it with more grace than he had a month before.

Abraham could only hope the alien got at least a little better about keeping his persona consistent before the press conference; otherwise, he had the feeling that public politics were going to get a lot touchier. But, that worry was for tomorrow. Although he'd ensured to impress on Team Dark how important it was that they keep their best feet forward while visiting the Freedom Fighters--he found it ironic that Eclipse was left-footed, in lieu of today's mishap--he did value the chance to have a few relaxing hours away from the endless work and ceaseless stress that made up his everyday life, in the fantastic architecture and hospitality of Castle Acorn, no less.

He just hoped he could stop stressing long enough to enjoy it.

...

Amy's POV:

"I--" The black hedgehog started to say something but stopped, looking incredibly frustrated, and he looked at Knuckles with piercing red eyes, glaring.

"You... what?" The red echidna asked, unfolding his arms uneasily; Shadow looked ready to punch him, if not worse.

"I have a lot of things to say to you," the black hedgehog grated, and Amy saw Sonic surreptitiously move forward, ready to intervene if Shadow struck at Knuckles. Amy couldn't believe how ready Shadow looked to do exactly that, realizing now that Shadow was far more protective of Eclipse than she'd thought. "You can have your doubts about Eclipse's loyalty--you can choose not to believe anything he says, choose to ignore anything we tell you. But, I'm telling you this:

"You weren't there when he gave up his freedom for a mere chance at a better life. You weren't there when he chose to stand by as the last, twisted hope of reviving his species was torn from him. You weren't there when he cried and told me that he cared more for a friend than his own father. You weren't there when he forgave me for all the pain and anguish I've put him through because he finally understood what it was like to choose his friends over his family. You weren't there," Shadow growled, absolute silence falling over the Freedom Fighters at the strength and darkness of his words. "You haven't seen him cry, haven't seen the grief he's gone through. You haven't seen him push past it all to smile, to laugh, to hug and love and forgive. But I have. I was there. And I would sooner trust him than you."

For many, long seconds, the silence went unbroken. Amy's heart felt wrenched--she'd never heard such an emotional speech from Shadow, nor heard one that made her regret her caution more. It was a long moment before Knuckles, whose mouth was moving silently at the revelation, was able to form a reply, and there was an air of anticipation as the red echidna looked at the dark agent.

"Even if all of that is true--"

"It is," Shadow stated, his eyes narrowing as if he was daring the echidna to argue further.

"Well, then, even knowing that that's the truth, you're right--I wasn't there. And, until I am, I can't forget the only side of Eclipse I've ever seen. When he shattered the Master Emerald, he was violent, sadistic, and evil, and I'm not one to forget that easily," Knuckles responded, likewise daring the black hedgehog to deny the claims.

"Then don't," Shadow said shortly, the two glaring at each other for a long, tense moment.

"Okay, I know you two are having a lot of fun digging your heels in, but can we just accept that you both have valid points and stop arguing about this?" Rouge asked, stepping forward and raising her hand to each of the glowering Mobians.

Amy had never felt more grateful toward the white bat--she resolved to try to see Rouge's better sides more often.

"Look, I've seen Eclipse as a villain as much as you, handsome," Rouge placated, looking at Knuckles with her teal eyes, her blue eyelids for once not visible with her apparent seriousness. "In fact, I've seen him in far worse lights than you have. But, I've also worked with him for the past month and change, and I've found that I trust him.

"He's a right idiot when he wants to be, and sometimes he says something unfathomably stupid or insensitive, but that's usually rooted in his own fears and worries. He used to be a villain, yes. But, the important distinction is that he was never truly evil. Evil in action, yes; evil in thought, yes. But, never evil in nature. Violent? Occasionally. Prone to rage? Yeah, sometimes--and so are you. But, I think everyone who's worked with him at G.U.N. has come to the unanimous conclusion that, if he hadn't been raised to be a superweapon by a man-eating monster, he would have grown up skipping through fields of daisies and making flower crowns."

"Well--maybe not that," Shadow said hesitantly, and Rouge huffed, turning to her teammate with a relieving amount of dramatization.

"Hon, I'm not emasculating him. He's not even male," the white bat snorted, and Shadow shook his head, his quills swaying as they relaxed from their stiff, defensive bristle.

"No, but you think he'd have the light touch needed to make a flower crown?" The black and red hedgehog retorted, and Amy blinked at the almost surreal change from wondering if this conversation would end with Shadow and Knuckles brawling on the ground to wondering if Shadow had just admitted to knowing how to make a flower crown. "If we're talking pure, unadulterated Eclipse, he'd spend all day flying with Cregal and master blasting pebbles at 100 meters--he'd probably make a game out of it with any neighborhood children."

"Okay, one, good point. Two, I never want to hear the phrase 'pure, unadulterated Eclipse' again as long as I live," Rouge replied, holding up a warning finger. "And, no, we're not exaggerating," she added, glancing between a very skeptical Knuckles and the Freedom Fighters. "Eclipse has a weekly movie night with Topaz--who, you should know, is his bestest friend in the whole wide sparkly world--"

Shadow cringed visibly at the sentence, and Amy was glad to suppress a laugh at his expression.

"--and, let me tell you, you don't know the vastness of the universe until you watch an alien sob himself through two boxes of tissues watching a marathon of My Hero Academia."

"I love that series!" Tails exclaimed in surprise, catching everyone's attention as he quickly tried to make himself smaller. "I--I mean, it's a really good series..."

Even Shadow looked amused by the young fox's embarrassment, but the black hedgehog glanced up as Commander Tower started to walk back to the group, everyone's gazes following his to see the grizzled human and alien returning.

Knuckles looked like he had something to say as the two reached the group, but Eclipse beat him to it, clasping his two-fingered hands together and giving a small, stiff bow.

"I'm sorry for losing my temper. I ask your forgiveness, as it won't happen again. I understand that Commander Tower wants to discuss events that I would find distressing to remember, so I will be taking temporary leave until that discussion is finished," Eclipse stated, turning away before anyone could reply and striding away again, this time in visible relief. Amy watched him leave in surprise, not having expected that, when Shadow's voice interrupted the mildly-bewildered atmosphere left by Eclipse's apology.

"Tails, why don't you go with Eclipse, as well?" Shadow offered, looking at the young fox, whose namesakes fluffed up in nervousness at the suggestion. "I don't doubt that you're mature enough to talk about dark subjects, but I also think it would be better for you to learn about them later--not to mention, I imagine you have many questions that Eclipse would be happy to answer."

"I--I suppose..." Tails said quietly, clearly hesitant at the idea, even knowing what they now did about Eclipse's character.

"You and Eclipse are both brilliant; I'm sure you'll get along. Ask him about some of the Black Arms' technology," Shadow proposed kindly, giving the young fox a small smile. Amy felt slightly surprised at his uncharacteristic demeanor, having forgotten that Shadow would, of course, be good with children.

"Okay, I will," Tails answered, hovering off the ground. Amy could see that he was still nervous, but he was hiding it well, and she didn't want to embarrass him by offering to escort him--even though she wasn't sure that she wanted to hear all the details about Team Dark's apparently very dangerous last few months, either. "See you later!"

Sonic returned the young fox's wave as Tails flew off to pursue the alien, and everyone turned their attention back to the black hedgehog, anticipation of his words stilling the cool, autumn air.

"In that case..." Shadow trailed off, glancing toward the two as the alien's back shrunk into the distance. "I guess I'll start from the beginning."

Author's Note: I'm honestly amazed this update is getting out on time, since I had to rewrite almost all of it within the month, but I hope the result is worth it! Eclipse's conversation with Knuckles has been through more drafts than anything else in this story, no exaggeration; I have 5 discarded chapter drafts for it. 5. Insane, right?  All very different drafts, all with their own flaws. They'll probably get their own "chapter" when the deleted scenes come around xD I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I reread a lot of Brothers in Arms today, and I still can't believe it's come so far. The character development in the mission and post-mission chapters has to be my favorite in all of fiction, and I wrote it!! Sometimes, it still feels unreal to me xD

I think I'd like to include some annotations in the final author's note of this story, after the final chapter. A lot of the phrases said by characters in this story are ones that have legitimately changed my life, and I would love to share some of the thoughts and feelings behind this story, which is as much based in my own experiences as in Shadow and Eclipse's. I hope you guys stick around for that! After such a long journey with you all, I can't wait to have a Meet the Author at the end! If any of you have questions for me, please comment them, and I'll either answer here or save your question(s) for the final chapter!