You Are In Love by Taylor Swift.
Paradise by Coldplay.
~~~

For someone so fast, he was surprisingly slow at showing up on time to certain things. Amy huffed and watched the resting fox and snoring Chao lazily on the muted red sofa. He'd wondered out in search for his brother and just shortly came back inside- seeming more focused and at peace. She would've asked, but decided the conversation between the brothers was that of a private nature.

Besides, it didn't take long for her to wonder outside herself. Hands in fists, she groaned when the rapid rainstorm made quick work in soaking her. Still, Amy became puzzled as to why Sonic would still be outside, for he'd avoid this weather whenever possible.

Her frustration dwindled when her eyes fell onto the pacing hedgehog. His form was tense, no doubt due to the downpour, and he held one hand behind his back- the other rubbing his chin (it was unnervingly similar to Eggman).

"Hey! What're you doing out here still?" She called, hopping up the cracked stairs.

"Knuckles is ready to decipher what Cheese saw!" She frowned, receiving silence.

"Are you listening-?" Was he mumbling to himself?

Amy slowed and more warmly approached his side, holding a hand over her eyes to block the droplets. When he turned, emerald eyes widened and he stumbled to prevent crashing into her. Hand on hip, she watched him nervously smile and squeeze his neckerchief.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Me? Yeah, 'course! Just tryin' to think up a plan- we can't stay here forever."

"Well, why don't we listen to what Cheese has to say and think of something after, together?"

Sonic's head turned and ears sprung up, as if listening to something else. His eyes looked guilty all the same. Amy frowned, of course he blamed himself. Stepping closer, she craned her head to consume his entire focus and held his hand.

"Hey, we're gonna fix this."

"I-I know."

"As a team."

"I...yeah."

"So stop kicking yourself, okay? I mean, can you explain what happened?"

Sonic dryly chuckled. "Not really."

"Exactly. We'll try and understand it together. A burden shared is a burden halved, after all." She winked and Sonic swiftly looked away, hands abruptly clammy.

"Y-you said Knucks is ready?"

"Yeah, we're just waiting on you, Slowpoke."

He grinned and flicked his nose. "Don't make a challenge you can't win, Ames."

"With this track record, it sounds like a breeze." Amy shrugged and turned, only to squeak when he grabbed her hand and twirled her back.

Her cheeks flushed, having stumbled to lean against him. Her heart reverberated through her ears and she held her breath. His other hand was on her waist and she couldn't look away from low green eyes, no matter how hard she tried. She was in such a daze she hardly acknowledged the growing blush and rapid heartbeat of his.

"Hold on, are you okay?"

Amy shook her head (was he always so warm?). "M-me?"

"I didn't scare ya too bad, did I? And the whole Tails getting shot thing?"

She snickered at his wording (maybe she could stay here forever). "I was worried, but Tails is tough- more than we give him credit for. He's pulling through. And I'm always going to worry about you."

"You don't need to."

She softly smiled (was his heart always so loud?). "I know. And you don't have to do this all by yourself, Sonic. I'm always gonna be there. I'll always be at your side and protect you from anything- even yourself."

They may be in the midst of the beginnings of a thunderstorm, G.U.N may have it out for him, Eggman may have returned, but Mobius always seemed more beautiful with her in it anyway.

"Uh, Sonic?"

He straightened, nervously massaged his scruff and swiftly stepped back. "Ha-! I'll er...I-I'll keep that in mind."

Real smooth, Sonic.

Amy giggled. "By the way, you didn't scare me." She reddened.

"After everything, no matter what, it's still you."

—————

Having given Amy a large towel, comfortable enough for her to curl up with, Sonic obtained a smaller one and roughly drilled out the water from his quills. He could feel Knuckles standing behind him with a cheeky grin.

"Conversation with your girlfriend over? Have we been bestowed a minute of your time now?"

Sonic huffed, throwing the echidna the towel (making him grumble). "Very funny, Knucks."

Purple eyes observed Amy chat with Tails and Cheese, with the Chao sitting on the fox's lap. He hummed and looked back to his blue best friend.

"Don't hurt her, okay?" His voice was surprisingly soft.

Sonic's eyes widened and he watched the guardian sit with the three. Even when the thunder started, Tails was kept distracted by the others (although, his namesakes were tensely still).

"I...."

'Keep them at a distance, and that won't be a problem.'

Right. He couldn't lose them. He'd tipped the first domino, and if it kept going like this it was the kind of race he couldn't outrun.

Shrugging on a smile, he joined his brothers side and leaned, arms across the back of the sofa. "So, we ready to play detective?"

—————

She hummed along with the music, delicately setting down a pretty set of tea. Light blue flowers adorned the cups and pot and hedgehog shaped cookies with blue icing neighboured them. She chuckled at the sight, knowing her visitor would squeal upon discovery. Large ears raised when a door creaked open and she turned to see her daughter busily typing away on her Comlink, a little Chao sitting on her shoulder.

With blue scrunchies around her ears, a fluffy orange tuft of fur hung almost over her hazelnut eyes. She adorned fingerless gloves, orange skirt and hoodie and light blue vest beneath. Black leggings finished just above her knees and a bandage twisted up her arm. Similarly, the mother equipped white wrappings circling her ears, a shorter version of her favourite dress, maroon leggings and dark pink boots. Being reminded of the orange tie over her waistcoat, she fondly squeezed it before smiling at her daughter.

"Leave that poor boy alone, Cream." She teased.

"Mother!" The eleven year old's cheeks heated up and she left her unfinished message as such.

"Tails- oh! Mr Tails has a new invention he wanted to tell me about." She explained, perching on the armchair and hugging Cheese.

"I don't quite understand everything he's saying, but he sounds so excited!"

"Well, that's good." Vanilla Rabbit smiled. "Perhaps you ought to visit him?"

"Really? Thank you, Mother!"

"Before then, Amy's coming to visit today. In fact, she should be here soon."

"Chao chao!" Cheese fluttered.

"It's been too long! I'm glad she's coming!" Cream clapped. "Explains the cookies." She giggled.

——

Amy hid behind the fluffy towel, groaning. "I don't think we need to hear every detail, you two."

Looking oh so happy and calm, Sonic adorned a cartoonishly wide grin. "Oh come on Ames- we might miss something important."

"Jerk."

Knuckles snickered and nodded to Cheese. "Alright alright, back to it."

——

Taking a sip of her tea, Vanilla hummed in pleasant surprise when the front door knocked. Cream excitedly jerked her head towards it's direction and the mother moved to answer.

This couldn't be right. This definitely happened?

Focus, Knuckles.

Amy Rose was nowhere to be seen. Not her chirpy voice, her brilliant smile or tremendous hammer. Instead, shiny red shoes glimmered in the afternoon light and red eyes- no- optics bore deep into her soul. Dagger like claws slowly moved and a bolt for a nose replaced what should've been an organic black one. Glistening, blue metal-

Hold on. Wait a minute. Back up.

——

Knuckles blinked, staring at his mitts. "I dunno what to say, that's what Cheese said."

Sonic shook his head. "We destroyed him. 'Sides, I haven't felt-."

"We destroyed the connection, pal." Tails murmured.

Amy laughed, startling her friends, and scrambled up- biting her claws as she paced. "No no no. Cheese has to be wrong-."

"Chao chao!"

"H-he can't be back. I can't...it's not...it's-."

Sonic stood but Knuckles was closer, so large mittens took hold of trembling arms.

"Amy, breathe."

She laughed again. "Breathe? Breathe?! Oh yeah great Knuckles, like I-I'm not already trying!"

He frowned. "He can't hurt you. You're way tougher than you used to be, for one. And you've got us. We have each other's backs- you'll be fine."

Amy swallowed, rubbed her eyes and deeply inhaled. "R-right. Sorry."

"Don't be." Tails assuringly smiled.

Even when she sat, Amy couldn't quite entirely focus. Was this how Sonic felt when Eggman came back?

——

Metal Sonic purposefully treaded inside, optics unwavering. He watched Vanilla step towards Cream, bringing her daughter and Cheese behind with narrow eyes.

"I don't know how or why you're here, but you're most definitely not welcome."

"Mother?"

"Don't worry, dear. It's going to be-."

Metal Sonic lowered and readied his claws, engine whirring.

"Move!" Vanilla shoved her daughter as the robot charged, taking her down.

Cream rolled and lost hold of Cheese. "No!"

Scrambling up, she whirled to see her mother kick against the heavy machine. Panicking, the young girl took flight and bolted across the house- barrelling into Metal's side. He reached, but Vanilla blocked and took a violent hit to the stomach. She wheezed but grabbed Cream's hand and hurried to the door- only for the blue robot to reach it faster.

Stumbling back, she rushed behind the sofa and took a breath. "We just need to last long enough for Amy to arrive."

"R-right."

Still, Metal barrelled to them in deadly silence- claws outstretched. Cheese came in at his left, but was roughly smacked away. He pulled on the curtains to swerve, stumbling when he tore straight through the material. He didn't falter. Optics darkening, he charged over the armchair and crashed into the sprinting mother, separating the two rabbits.

Tears in her eyes, Cream crawled behind the sofa where Cheese met her.

"You need to hide!"

"Chao!"

"I know, but you can help by telling Miss Amy what happened." She froze, hearing her mother's pained yell.

Cream hiccuped. "Please! We'll be okay, but only if Miss Amy and the others know where to look!"

Cheese paused, whined and nodded prior to disappearing into the kitchen. He shut his eyes and put his paws over where his ears would be, trembling. Still, he could hear the gasp of his friend and sobbed as Vanilla and Cream were taken.

A couple hours later, and he heard the call of Amy Rose.

——

The four didn't know what to think, but when Tails took to pacing with shaking fists, Sonic cradled Cheese for comfort.

"That was brave of her. Of them both." Knuckles offered.

"She- they shouldn't of had to." Tails grumbled, quickly stopping. "We need to save them."

"And we will." Amy replied, doing her best to remain calm. "But we don't even know where Metal could be."

The young inventor whirled to his brother. "Actually, we do."

Cheese's whimpers seized and Sonic sunk. "You mean Christmas Island."

"Right! How could I forget." Amy smacked her head.

Knuckles raised an eye ridge. "Hold on, I'm missing something. How do you guys know about that?"

"How do you?"

"Rouge told me when she came to 'visit'." Purple eyes rolled.

"Well, after Spagonia, Towers told me and Sonic to go with Team Dark- check the place out. Obviously, following events...prevented that."

"Nothing's stopping us now." Amy grinned. "And if Vanilla and Cream are there, so could the other missing people."

"You're implying not just Metal, but Eggman are behind the kidnappings."

"Well duh. I mean, how didn't we see it before? It's kinda Eggman's thing." Forest green eyes met emerald.

"What do you say, Fearless Blue Leader?"

"I don't...."

'Not again.'

Sonic's eyes screwed shut, he stood and furiously shook his head. With Cheese on his shoulder, he rubbed his nose.

"Our friends and those poor folks have been there long enough. Towers' arrest can stuff it. So, let's crack a fat rotten egg."

Knuckles grunted and punched his mitts together, Amy summoned her hammer and gave it a spin and Tails' namesakes swooshed with a grin.

But a crackle of blinding golden light prevented them from doing anything else.

"-Chaos Control!"