Choices Chapter 1: Serendipity, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

Disclaimer: Tails, Cream, Sonic, Shadow, Amy, Vector, Vanilla, Knuckles, Rouge, and Eggman do not belong to me!

Everyone else in this story DOES!

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

A/N:

Okay, this may look familiar to some, but to others it's brand new!

lol

I used to have this posted, but I took it down cuz it was taking me too long to write up the other three parts…

But now I've finished!

First up is the Crails!

Second will be a SonAmy!

Third is a Knuxouge!

And fourth I've got a ShadOC!

All four of them are hentai fics, so if you don't like that, don't read!

Serendipity

"I didn't mean to!" he shouted, flailing his arms, fear etched onto his face. He looked at everyone, the people he had called his friends for years. None of them would meet his eyes.

No one but Sonic, his hero, his best friend ever. "Then what did you mean to do?"

Knuckles punched his fists together with a loud smack! "I don't care what he was tryin' to do! He damn near got us killed with all that!"

"It's not like you've never made a mistake, Knucklehead!"

The Echidna took a threatening step forward. "Nothing on this level, though!"

"Let the fox tell his side of the story, then," Shadow muttered, glaring at Tails.

Sonic's eyes cleared a little, hopeful that his friend would be able to defend himself. "Yeah, pal, tell us why you did that," he encouraged.

"I…" He swallowed, knowing that none of them would like his answer. He took a small step back, than prepared his tails for flight. "I can't," he whispered.

Sonic stared at him, shock showing clearly in his emerald eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Shadow scoffed and took a battle stance. "Can't tell us because he knows we'd kill him!"

Tails shook his head. "No! It's not like that! You guys just don't understand!" He took more steps back as Shadow advanced on him.

Knuckles took another menacing step forward now. "Then tell us so we will."

He looked from Shadow to Knuckles, panicking. A bead of sweat trailed down his face, his eyes widened. Sonic ran in between Tails and the other two. "When has Tails NOT had a good reason for doing something, you guys? He had his reasons, we all know it. He doesn't have to tell us if--"

"You'll stick up for little miss perfect, won't ya? But every time I screw up it's 'What'd you do this time, Knucklehead?' 'How could you have been so stupid?' 'Why'd you do that, idiot?' I'm tired of that shit!"

Sonic shifted into his own battle stance. "Sounds like you're jealous of Tails, to me."

"Heh. Why would I be jealous of your little fuck buddy?" Knuckles sneered.

"My…" Sonic's eyes narrowed dangerously. "That's it! I've had it with you!" He glared back at Tails. "Get outta here. Now."

Not wasting any time, Tails flew away. His heart pounded painfully in his chest and when he looked back, he saw all three of them fighting. I didn't mean to mess up like that…Now I can't even explain why I did it in the first place…

A few Years Later…

Tails opened his eyes at the ringing of his phone. He groped blindly for it and lifted the receiver to his face. "Hello?"

"Tails? Is that you?"

The fox rubbed his face with his free hand and yawned. "Who's askin'?" he mumbled.

"I thought you'd at least recognize my voice," came the reply. "I finally managed to get your phone number, and you don't even know who I am," the girl whispered.

"Yeah? Then I guess you wasted your time, and mine. See ya."

"It's Cream, Tails." She spoke hastily, praying that he wouldn't hang up on her.

He did not. He could not. His hand froze on the phone and his mind went blank. The last time he had seen her he had been in a mad rush…

Flashback…

"Listen, Cream, I don't have a lot of time to explain, but I did something really stupid. I have to leave, okay?" He rested a hand on her cheek and offered her a small smile. "I'll try to come back, but who knows when that'll happen?"

She gripped his hand, tears streaming down her face. "I'll wait. I swear I will…"

He pressed his lips to her quickly. "Don't, Cream…Don't waste your life waiting for an idiot, okay?"

"Creeeam!" a voice, the voice of her step-father, Vector, shouted.

Tails' eyes darted towards the door as the knob began turning. He gave her a last look, and was gone.

End Flashback…

Tails was very quiet, but he was wide-awake now. Cream, unable to bear the silence any longer, spoke. "What have you been doing, Tails?"

The fox sighed, thinking over what he had been doing. "Building. Inventing." was his answer, though only partly true. Building his inventions cost money…It was how he got that money that he did not want to say because most – all right, all – of his odd-jobs were illegal.

Cream watched a tear hit the floor she was sitting on. "I know what you did," she whispered.

Once again, Tails went still. "Well, bully bully for you." His voice was harsh, making her flinch. He may not have been able to see it, but he knew she did. "I'm sorry, but…I don't want to talk about that."

"Okay…" She squeezed her eyes closed tightly. "I want to see you, Tails…Please tell me where you are."

There was a long pause, in which Tails let out a long breath. "Why don't we meet at my old workshop?" he asked. "The one at the Mystic Ruins."

Cream nodded her head enthusiastically, forgetting for a moment that he could not see her. "Okay, you mean now?"

Tails looked around his tiny, one-room apartment. "Can you get away right now?"

"Yes!" Her heart started pounding with excitement. It had been years since she had seen Tails. Finding his number had been an accident, and one that she was glad of. "See you soon?"

"Okay. See you soon…Cream." He hung up and just stared at the phone. He figured that he would have to leave immediately to get to that old place within the hour. He had not been that close to anyone since he had flown out of Cream's bedroom…

He quickly hopped out of the bed, tugged on his shoes and a many-pocketed brown vest before shooting out the window as fast as he could go.

Cream immediately ran down the stairs after hanging up, nearly tripping over her half-brother. "Sorry, Vipe!" she called.

"Where ya going?" the young crocodile yelled.

"Don't worry! I'll be back!" She opened the door and bolted out, flapping her ears for extra speed.

Soon…

Tails picked up his speed the second he saw his old workshop. He swallowed, almost afraid to be this close to where the others lived. Just a train ride away, he remembered. Well, Knuckles lives on Angel Island, but that's not far off, either. But how do I know if he still does or not…? Damn…

His worry-filled thoughts disappeared the moment he saw Cream though, sitting on a step, head in hands, smiling to herself. His heart sped up and something in him stirred, kindled to life. "Cream…" he murmured.

She glanced up at him and her smile fully bloomed, making his pulse scramble. She stood and studied the fox. He looks the same, she realized, than noticed the nick on his left ear. Or nearly the same.

He studied her in turn. The little triangle dress had been traded in for a more sophisticated, form-fitting dress that dropped to her knees. It was simple, enough so that it subtly clung to every curve. It made Tails' mouth go dry because she had certainly grown some curves.

She held out her hand to him, willing him to come closer. "Tails?"

He linked his hand with hers and brought it to his lips, making her giggle lightly. He tugged her closer, and she willingly slid into his arms. He leaned closer until their mouths were a breath apart. "Hi."

"Hello," she replied, smiling widely. She closed the distance smoothly and cruised her lips over his. The blood roared in her head, making her feel woozy, but his arms tightened, holding her steady. It was familiar, yet new, different. She brought her hands up to frame his face, allowing his tongue entrance.

His mind went blank, and then filled with her. Her taste, touch, the feel of her body against his. They fit, perfectly, just as he remembered. His hands stroked her back gently, as he allowed himself to feel what he had denied himself since leaving her.

When they finally broke apart, he rested his brow against hers lightly, tenderly, closing his eyes. "I missed you…" he admitted. "I wanted to call, but I was afraid that Vector or someone would answer and recognize my voice."

She slid closer to him, burying her head against his chest. "Sonic had your number in his address book."

He chuckled softly, content to remain like this with her forever. "You went snooping through Sonic's stuff?"

"No," she said, laughing. "He asked me to get the book for him because he was going to call someone. He was busy, so he asked me to find the name for him." She tipped her head back and laughed with her eyes. "I came across your name purely by accident."

"I'm glad you did, Cream, so glad." He smiled, his first real one since leaving her. "I still love you," he admitted.

Her eyes filled with tears. "It was worth the wait," she whispered. "It was worth it just to hear you say that."

He nodded and bent his head to kiss her again, deeper than before. "Then say it back," he murmured.

"I love you, Tails, so much."

He brushed a stray tear away with the pad of his thumb. "I feel like we're caught in a Romeo & Juliet kind of thing," he told her. She nodded, sniffling, trying to hold back tears. "It's okay, Cream. You can cry."

She nodded again and pressed against him on a sob. "I don't even know why I'm crying! I'm just so happy that you're here, Tails, with me…"

"I can't stay though," he muttered. "You know that, right? Just because I made that stupid mistake…"

Cream took a deep breath, thinking. She took a step back and stared into the deep ocean that was his eyes. "Tails? I want…" Her heart was pounding fiercely, nerves dancing along her body. She bit her lip and pushed the vest from his shoulders.

His breath caught as the vest hit the ground. His body tensed, reacting to what he saw in her deep, brown eyes. "Cream…Are you sure you want to…?" He trailed off when she nodded. "Okay…You're still a…Aren't you?"

"I trust you not to hurt me, Tails." She moved closer and slid her hands up his chest to link behind his head. "I love you."

His eyes contracted when she kissed him again, and his entire body when on alert. He tried to find reasons why not to take her, but could not find them through his muddled brain. He pulled back and lifted the vest. He reached into one of the pockets and pulled out a key ring. "I still have the key to this place, Cream. But only if you're sure, okay?"

She closed her eyes and nodded after a moment, opening them again. "Make love to me, Tails, please."

He nodded and opened the door, pulling her in behind him. He re-locked it once they were inside. Nerves danced through him, than he looked at her. Seeing how nervous she was made his own fears fade away to be replaced with a tender feeling that he had not felt in years. He took her hand and led her into his old bedroom. Ignoring the dust everywhere, he lifted her and laid her gently on the bed.

"I don't know what to do," she murmured.

"That's okay," he whispered. "I do." He pressed his lips to hers when she began to speak again. "It's okay, Cream. I swear I won't hurt you." He nuzzled her neck when she shook her head. "Change your mind?"

"No, I'm just…Tails, I'm scared. I know you won't hurt me on purpose, but I'm so scared. I don't want to mess this up and ruin it for us."

"You won't, Cream. Follow your instincts, all right?" He stood and slipped off her shoes. He smiled when her eyes trailed down and widened when she saw him. "I suppose it's kind of obvious just how much I want you."

She let out a long breath, nodding. "You're just so…" She broke off when he skimmed a hand up her leg. "Tails!"

He inched the dress up slowly, making her wriggle. He stopped abruptly to pry his shoes off. He slid his hands under her and lifted her so he could pull the dress higher. He laid his lips on hers for a quick kiss. "You can still tell me to stop, Cream, but after this, it'll be nearly impossible for me to." He waited.

"Keep going." She smiled softly and he tugged the dress over her head.

He slid into the bed next to her and rubbed her back soothingly, calming her nerves. "Just go with your instincts, Cream. Trust yourself," he kissed her, "and me."

"Okay," she whispered, and reached her hand down to squeeze him lightly.

He groaned and she started to move her hand away, but he snagged it. "No, it's okay. I like it."

Eyes wide, still filled with nerves and uncertainty, she started stroking him. "Is that okay?"

He panted and smiled at her. "Yeah, it's good." Tails let out another groan when she squeezed him again, and his body tensed. "Oh yeah, that's good…" He kissed her, trying desperately to ignore her touch so he could keep control and not hurt her. When that didn't work, he shifted. She just found him again and stroked until he whimpered. "Cream, you're amazing," he whispered.

Tails reached behind her and flicked open the clasp of her bra. He drew the straps down her arms slowly, pausing to kiss her only when she trembled. Once freed, her small, perky breasts fit perfectly in his hands. He bent his head to one and teased the nipple with teeth and tongue until she was moaning, then he moved to the other to deliver the same torture. His hand snaked down to tease the little swatch of cotton that covered her.

She gasped and tensed against him. When he slipped a finger under the cotton to find her, wet and waiting, she cried out his name. Unable to resist, he tugged her panties down and pulled them over her feet. He slid up her body, only using his hands until he got to her center. He kissed her lower lips and had her body jerking. "Tails," she breathed. He teased her there until she slid over the first crest, her body going limp. There could not be more, she thought. But he showed her more until she was gripping the sheets tightly, bucking mindlessly.

He slid up her body slowly and set himself at her entrance. He stayed like that until her eyes, nearly black with passions and desires, opened and met his. "Ready?"

"Yes," she whispered, nodding. He moved inside her until she cried out, then he stilled. She bit her lip, but nodded, urging him to continue.

Instead, he pressed his lips against hers, kissing her deeply until she only felt that before sliding the rest of the way inside her. They stayed like that for a minute, locked together, before Tails started to move.

Cream's eyes flew open in shock, than closed as his movements became slower, easier. When he started going faster, Cream moved with him, following her instincts as he had told her. When she went over the next edge, she cried out and started moving faster.

Matching her beat for beat, Tails thrusted into her, deeper each time. He shouted her name when she came, then went with her.

Soon…

Tails shifted, making Cream mumble her argument. She did not want him to move. In fact, she, herself, never wanted to move again, but she opened her eyes when he stood. "Tails?"

He grinned over his shoulder at her, then walked into the bathroom. She stretched, perfectly content, when she heard the shower running. He came out a second later and reached for her. Lifting her easily, he grinned at her questioning look. "I figure we'll take a shower, then clean up some."

"Okay," she murmured, half asleep. The shower woke her up, though, and she did not feel very clean when she staggered out nearly an hour later. "I don't think I'll ever be able to take a shower again," she commented, earning herself a laugh from him.

"It's more like you'll never be able to take one again without thinking about me." He laid a hand on her cheek and kissed her softly. "I really do love you, Cream."

"I love you too."

He smiled. "Come on, we should wash these sheets."

Once they were done, Tails went into the living room to dig out his spare key. He handed it to Cream with a sigh. "Come back here in a few days, all right? I'll have left a message on the machine by then that'll tell you when I'll meet you next, okay?"

She pulled him against her and kissed him, hard. "Okay, but when exactly?"

"In two or three days, I promise. I'm not exactly sure when though…" He sighed and drew her back, keeping his hold on her hands. "Remember how earlier I said that this is like a Romeo & Juliet thing?"

"Yes, I do. Why?"

"This line from it just came to me from it, and I think it fits what I'm feeling now." He smiled and dropped her hands. "'Parting is such sweet sorrow.' I'll see you soon, Cream, I promise." He slipped out the back and flew off.

She watched him until she couldn't see him at all. "Just don't wait so long this time," she whispered, holding the key against her heart.

Two Days Later…

Cream slipped into the workshop, smiling. She went straight for the phone, completely unaware that anyone was following her. She hit the play, delighted to see the flashing "1" that meant a message had been left. Tails voice played through.

"Hey, Cream. I should be able to see you in two days, all right? Well, from your perspective it would be one day…" There was an annoyed sigh. "If this is Monday, I'll see you Wednesday. If it's Tuesday, I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Don't know why I didn't just say that in the first place…Heh. I guess I'm just an absent-minded genius. See ya soon, Cream. Love you."

"You've seen him?!" someone shouted behind her.

Cream jumped and very nearly hit the ceiling. She spun around immediately upon re-landing and met familiar emerald eyes. "Oh my! You surprised me, Sonic."

The blue hedgehog shrugged. "Sorry, but you've seen Tails?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "If you're going to tell anyone, then no, I have not."

Sonic sighed. "I should tell Vector seeing how he's the reason I'm following you."

"What?"

"Oh yeah. He's all worried because you've been acting weird the past couple days, so he asked me to stalk you."

Her eyes reflected worry. "Please don't tell him I've seen Tails."

He stared at her for a long moment before nodding. "If you tell Tails something for me." Cream nodded enthusiastically, and Sonic muttered to himself about what could he say after this long. "Just tell him I know he had his reasons, and that Shadow and Knuckles have cooled down enough to talk about what happened rationally."

"You mean when Tails--"

"Yeah. That's exactly what I'm talking about. But how'd you learn about it?"

"When Mother found out, she told me everything she knew."

"Man, that sucks."

Cream's ears perked with interest. "What does?"

Sonic sighed and shuffled his feet. "It sucks that now I have to tell you the whole story 'cause Vanilla doesn't know half of it."

"I'd like to hear it from Tails since he knows the entire story, his reasons included."

Sonic let out a long, relieved breath. "Thanks." He flashed his normal cocky grin at her. "So, did I make finding his number easy enough for ya?"

Cream laughed and smiled back at him. "Yes. Yes, you did. Thank you very much."

"Hey, don't peg me as the nice guy here, got it? I had selfish reasons, ya know. One of them being that I knew he wouldn't come back if I asked him."

"I'm not going to ask him to come back, though."

"I know that, but you did get him closer, and once you tell him what I said, he may come even closer." Sonic shrugged, embarrassed now. "Look, I still consider him my best pal, and I'd kinda like him to come back and help with the whole Eggman thing."

"You'd think he'd have given up by now," Cream commented.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I'm gonna give up running yesterday."

Cream started to agree, but stopped, blinking in confusion. "That didn't make any sense…How can you give up running yesterday?"

Sonic chuckled. "Exactly, Cream. Exactly." He turned and started to go out the door. "Oh yeah, one more thing. I'll tell Vector that I lost you at the Chao Garden out here, okay? He'll just think you were visiting Cheese and Chocola."

"Thank you again, Sonic." But he was already gone. Cream giggled, locked the door, and grabbed the phone. She had memorized Tails' number by that time and dialed it quickly.

Meanwhile…

Tails wrapped his arms around the weasel's neck and started flying up. He continued flying in all sorts of strange patterns until the weasel stopped struggling. He dropped the body to the ground and wiped his forehead. "If you'd just taken the deal--Hmm?" He glanced over to the phone when it rang. "Cream!" He grinned, forgetting the weasel and snatched it up. "Hello?"

"Hello, Tails."

He started to reply, but the door was kicked in at that second. "Um…Can you hold on a few minutes? I'll try and hurry."

"Okay," she responded, a little unsure. The tone of his voice scared her a little…She strained her ears to hear what was going on at his end.

"Boy, you in here?" a polar bear asked.

Tails grinned, seemingly sure of himself. "Sure am, Toss." He cracked his knuckles and glanced at the other two bears, a brown one and a black one.

The black one moved closer. "I see you've killed our friend, here." He gestured towards the weasel.

Tails did not look away from the bears. He had dealt with them before, and knew all of their tricks. "Didn't know you guys had any friends, Spade. Should I apologize for killing him in self-defense?"

The brown one clenched his teeth and growled. "Shut-it, fox! We had a deal, remember? We was gonna give youse da money and you was gonna give us da plane. Where's aw plane?"

"Where's my money?" came his response. "You know I don't give unless I get, Rock."

Cream let out a small gasp. Tails…killed someone? What had he been doing besides building and inventing?

The polar bear stepped forward, blocking Rock from attacking. He tossed a briefcase onto the table next to Tails. "Check it. We're on the level this time."

Tails, using a single one of his namesake appendages, opened the case and pulled out a wad of bills. He flicked through them, and looked at it. The second he glanced away, Toss swung a fist at Tails that would have downed a building. Having expected it, the fox ducked, flipped through the money to make sure it was real, and grinned. "You guys were on the level this time. It's a damn shame that you attacked me, though. Now, I'm keeping the money and the plane to pay for damages caused by you and your weasel friend."

"What?!" Spade shouted. "You little bastard!" He charged at Tails, but the fox slipped under him, dodging easily. Rock nearly stepped on him, but Tails managed to trip the brown bear with a single tail.

The phone fell when the bear hit the ground, making the room shake. Tails snagged it and grinned. "Cream, you mind if I call you right back?"

"Will you tell me the truth?"

"What?" He had to dodge another blow from Toss quickly.

"I can hear," she whispered.

Tails sighed. "I know you can, Cream, but…Yeah, I'll tell you the truth." He shot into the air after snagging the money filled briefcase.

"Be careful, Tails. I still expect to see you here tomorrow."

He grinned and slammed the case down on Rock's head. Once again, the bear fell to the ground. There was a lot of money in the case. "Yeah, I'll be careful. Love ya, Cream."

"I love you," she murmured, hanging up.

Tails dropped the phone onto its charger and dove to the left, narrowly avoiding Spade. "Well, hell, I expected you to help Rock, since he's all knocked out and stuff."

"Huh?" Spade, who had not noticed his fallen comrade, looked at Rock, surprised. In the next second, he was looking at nothing, as Tails had crashed the briefcase into his head.

The clever fox dropped to the floor and looked up at Toss. "I'd leave if I were you." Toss narrowed his eyes, but lifted Rock and Spade into his arms and left. "Take the weasel with you!" Tails shouted, throwing the corpse out the door. He quickly lifted the door and drilled it back in place. He knew he would have to hide his important things away before leaving for the Mystic Ruins to see Cream. Cream! he realized. "I said her name out loud," he whispered. "Shit!" He grabbed the phone and called her.

She answered on the first ring. "What was all that about, Tails?"

"Well…" He sighed, unsure how to explain this to her over the phone. "Give me an hour, will you? I should be over there by then."

"It takes you that long to get here?"

He laughed a little. "No, but I'm thinking about staying at my old workshop. Permanently again, you know? I don't want to be so far from you, so I'm going to gather a few things up. I can't explain over the phone anyway; it's just too complicated."

"All right. An hour then." She took a deep breath. "I love you, no matter what, Tails. I do love you."

He closed his eyes, picturing her in his mind. "I love you, Cream. More than anything." He hung up and stared at the far wall, deciding what he would leave behind, and what he would take. He ended up opening the hole he had dug in the ground and pulling out his old photo album. He grabbed a large bag and dumped his more expensive tools, some newer inventions that he'd have to really work at to duplicate, blue prints to planes and other inventions and a few pairs of shoes and some vests. I can't believe that I'm actually going back…Okay, so it's not all the way back, but after…what I did, it's a major leap. He slung the bag over his shoulder and flew out, checking that no one was following him first.

Soon…

He unlocked the door with a smile, glad that she had locked it behind her. "Cream?" he called, then felt foolish. It sounded as if they were married, something he found rather appealing. He rounded a corner and saw her dusting the living room. He grinned and walked into the bedroom to drop his stuff off. Now, that was a marital image. He grinned wider and walked back to her. He grabbed her and pressed his lips against hers when she let out a startled gasp. "What are you doing?" he asked once he let her go.

"If you're going to live here, it needs to be clean," she explained, pushing an ear out of her face.

He chuckled at her. "So you've taken it upon yourself to clean it?"

"Yes." She smiled at him, relieved that he did appear hurt at all. "But now that you're here, you're going to explain everything to me while I take a break."

"Okay, but you won't really like it, Cream." He sat down in an old chair and tugged her into his lap. "Okay…" He closed his eyes. Where to begin? At the start I guess… "You already know what I did, don't you?"

"Not the whole thing, no."

"All right…I'll start there, then. It was supposed to be easy," he started, remembering.

Flashback…

Sonic grabbed Tails' hand and jumped onto the wing of the Tornado 2. "Okay, so all we gotta do is grab Knux and Shad, then we can get 'im," Sonic explained.

"What's he planning on doing, anyway?" Tails asked, though he already knew.

"No idea, but we can take ol' Eggy, whatever he tries."

Soon…

Knuckles punched his way into the metal building. Shadow, Sonic, and Tails all followed behind him. "Tails, you got that Chaos Emerald tracker, don't you?"

He nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I got it."

Shadow nodded. "Good. Use it. I feel a lot of Chaos energy in here."

Sonic gave Tails an odd look. "Why do you have the emerald tracker? Normally you leave it in the plane. Why'd you bring it out this time?"

"Um…I dunno," he lied. "It was just a feeling, I guess."

"Hey, slowpokes!" Shadow growled. "Let's go!"

They all moved warily, slower than normal. It was an eerie feeling that they all had. Something bad was going to happen, and they all knew it. Tails just thought he knew exactly why he felt that way, so moved with more ease than the others…It nearly got him shot when one of Eggman's robots came out of nowhere. "Crap!" he shouted when its light beam locked on him.

Sonic used Triangle Jump to scale the wall and spindash into it, knocking the thing down.

Knuckles punched it a few times until it was destroyed.

Shadow cursed when the red alert sounded, informing Eggman of their presence. "Now, let's go, you imbeciles! Stop wasting time gloating over the destruction of a single 'bot."

Sonic pouted a little at him. "We weren't gloating," he muttered.

"Maybe not out loud," Shadow hissed. He turned and started running down the hall, destroying robots as he went.

The other three followed close behind until they reached a forked path. "Damn it! Which one do we choose?" Sonic wondered, annoyed.

Tails racked his brain for the blue prints he had managed to find. "The left one!"

Again, Sonic gave him an odd look. "How do you know for sure? You didn't even look at the tracker. What's with you today?"

Tails stared at him blankly for a minute, than looked at the tracker. It said that a Chaos Emerald was down the right path, but his memory said the opposite. "Um…"

"What the devil does the tracker say?" Shadow demanded.

"It says go down the…left path," he fibbed.

"Then let's go!" Knuckles barked, running off.

Shadow shook his head at Sonic. "Stop questioning the boy. He's never lied before." He nodded once at Tails and followed Knuckles.

Sonic narrowed his eyes at Tails. "I know you haven't, so you'd better not be now. We need those Chaos Emeralds, pal."

Tails nodded and they ran after Shadow and Knuckles.

Soon…

"Where the hell is the Chaos Emerald?!" Shadow shouted, rounding on Tails. "Did you just tell us to go left because you didn't want to admit that you were wrong?"

"No!" Tails defended himself, even though Shadow was completely on target. "It's what it said!"

"What does it say now?" Knux asked, annoyed.

Tails swallowed hard and stared at the tracking screen, searching for any way to get to the Chaos Emeralds without going back. He found one and grinned. "Come on!" The others followed him, almost sure that Tails was not leading them on a wild goose chase…

Flashback Interruption…

Cream snuggled closer against Tails and kissed his cheek. "You shouldn't have lied to them, Tails."

"I know that, but…at that moment in time…I don't know. I guess it was just growing pains or something…" He shifted her into a more comfortable position for both of them and kept talking…

Flashback Continuation…

"That was a pain in the ass!" Sonic muttered, annoyed at all of the traps and badniks that had been in their path.

Tails flinched. "Sorry, but it's the only way I saw to go."

"Besides going backwards," Shadow stated, glaring at the fox.

"Well…I…No, going back wouldn't have worked…"

Knuckles growled at him. "Save your pride, kid. You've always managed to do it before, so what's wrong with today? Are ya PMSin' or what?"

Tails flinched again, embarrassed.

"At least he led to the Emeralds this time," Sonic decided reaching for one. When he closed his hand around it, a red alert sounded.

"Crap! I forgot!" Tails shouted. All of them snapped their attention towards him, and he sweatdropped. Umm…Yeah…I'm in trouble…

"What do you mean, you forgot?!" Shadow roared. "Just what did you forget?"

Before Tails could answer, an army of robots burst through the walls. Knuckles glared at Tails. "This was supposed to be a 'get-in, get-out' sorta thing, and it ends up being an 'oh crap, we're gonna die' thing. Just how does that happen?"

Sonic glanced at Tails. "Tails, what didn't you tell us before we came here?"

"Well…Shadow, Look out!"

The hedgehog quickly darted out of the way, closer to the Chaos Emeralds. If I can just get close enough to use Chaos Control… "Ouch!" he shouted as another robot slammed him into a far wall. Shadow jumped back to his feet before it could cause him any more trouble, and helped Knuckles take it down.

"Damn it, Tails! This is your fault, you know!"

The boy flinched away and moved closer to Sonic to help with the Chaos Emeralds. The hedgehog threw the green one to Tails. "Shadow works best with this one! Give it to him!"

Tails grumbled under his breath, annoyed for a reason he could not even explain, but still managed to give Shadow the green emerald. The hedgehog snatched it from him and held it above his head. "CHAOS CONTROL!" he shouted and the four animals were engulfed in light.

As soon as he realized they were outside, Knuckles rounded on Tails. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Shadow crossed his arms and glared at the kit. "You knew just what was in store for us didn't you? Traitor," he muttered.

Tails narrowed his eyes. "I am NOT a traitor!"

"Then how could you have forgotten what would happen when Sonic grabbed a Chaos Emerald?"

Sonic stepped between them, eyes on Tails. "What did you do?"

The fox tossed his head, grumbling to himself. "Look, all I did was figure out how to hack into Eggman's main frame computers, okay?"

"And you didn't tell us?!" Shadow snarled.

Knuckles' eyes flashed with anger. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He took a step forward. "You almost got us killed!" he shouted, raising his fists.