Hi guys! To prevent confusion, I chose not to select an image cover for this fic, mostly because I couldn't find any illustrations that I liked and I SUCK at drawing Sonic characters lol! The title of the fic is a reference to the series 'This Is England' - credit goes to Shane Meadows.

Enjoy!

~Xoxomtmodnarxoxo

Mobius: 2028

Cream

"Mom", Cream whispered as she gently placed the small bowl of chicken soup on the coffee table and primarily focussed on her snoozing mother resting in her armchair. Cream cautiously leaned forward and gently shook Vanilla's frail arm, "Mom", she whispered again.

Vanilla shot up from her slumped position, half-snorting as the adrenaline rushed through her system. She peered around the room, dazed.

"Wha…", she croaked, "What's going on? Where am I?"

"Shh", Cream reassured her, "It's okay, it's just me. You fell asleep, Mom", she walked behind Vanilla and slipped her hands under Vanilla's underarms, pulling Vanilla up gently as she did so, so that the poorly rabbit would sit upright.

"Oh!", Vanilla mumbled as tears formed in her eyes, "Oh, how embarrassing! I only closed my eyes for a few minutes… What must you think of me?"

"It's alright, Ma", Cream reassured her mother as she placed a napkin on Vanilla's lap, "These things happen. You're bound to feel very tired after your treatment; it's to be expected"

"Oh", Vanilla groaned, "I'm so sorry, darling… I'm just not used to these side-effects. You'd think that-", Vanilla suddenly choked and began gurgling in an unpleasant manner. Quick as a flash, Cream whisked out a small plastic bucket the two rabbits preserved for vomiting on 'sick days' and placed it in front of Vanilla's mouth, patting her back with her other hand. She winced slightly as she listened to Vanilla vomit through her puckered mouth into the bucket. Cream knew deep down it wasn't her mother's fault that she was so ill, but still, did she have to make it completely grotesque?

A few minutes passed before Vanilla coughed the remains out of her mouth and sank back into her armchair, pushing the bucket away from her feebly.

"Take it away", Vanilla groaned, "I know I'm disgusting!"

"Don't say that", Cream coaxed her, "You're not the first person to go through chemotherapy and you won't be the last either, Ma"

"No, no", Vanilla mumbled, "It should be the other way around; I should be tucking your ears behind and patting your back whilst you throw up… I feel like such a big baby!"

"Please don't say things like that, Ma", Cream encouraged her. Vanilla shook her head sadly and peered at the bowl of soup.

"What kind?", Vanilla asked out of curiosity.

"Chicken"

"Oh, Cream", Vanilla whispered as she rubbed her forehead, "It's lovely, but I'm not sure I can eat it just now… I'm so sorry…"

"I don't mind", Cream reassured Vanilla as she removed the bowl away, though she secretly did.

"You should", Vanilla commented, "Here you are looking after me, yet you don't have a life of your own. You should be out dancing and having fun with your friends"

"Mom!", Cream cried, "I'm twenty-eight, for God's sake! I got the partying days out of my system when I was younger, promise!"

"Yes, but I feel bad that you're here all the time taking care of me", Vanilla continued, "You should be out there putting that Social Science degree to good use!"

Cream shifted uncomfortably, feeling the hot bowl burn into the palm of her hand. Vanilla had a point; she had always been there for Cream whenever Cream fell ill, and Cream had always vowed to return the favour whenever Vanilla became poorly. Throughout her childhood and adolescence, Cream didn't need to worry about such a thing and managed to have adventures with Sonic and the gang, graduate from Junior High, Middle School, and eventually High School, and obtain a degree in Social Science at university. Yep, at that point Cream felt she had it all made and couldn't wait to begin professional work. That was, until she escorted her mother to hospital only to discover Vanilla had a lump on her breast which she had kept quiet about for months…

… and to be told to her face that it was cancer…

Cream shook her head at the memory. Yes, her mom had cancer. Yes, the statistics were quite serious. Yet, at the same time, Cream couldn't help but feel that Vanilla had deliberately ruined her plans in life; as though it was a way of punishing her, of keeping tabs on her. At first, Cream punished her blasphemy by taking additional care of Vanilla until she exhausted herself, but as time progressed, the nagging thought would appear in her mind when she least expected it.

She has a point, Cream's conscience remarked, You're always looking after her, you've given up everything to take care of her… what about you for once?

And much to her dismay, Cream couldn't help but agree. She would always be there for Vanilla, but once in a while she had the sudden urge to do things like dress up and go drinking with some friends, or book a spontaneous holiday; anything to make her life exciting once more. And Facebook didn't help one bit; all she saw when she logged on were pictures of friends on nights out in the city, with new partners, wedding photos, or simply statuses about recent achievements… She knew her life sucked; unemployed, bored, and single… but did they have to rub it in?

"Cream?", Vanilla suddenly asked, "Cream, are you okay?"

Cream shook her head, blinking away the tears in her eyes.

"I'm fine", she croaked and marched into the kitchen with the soup. As she carefully poured the soup back into the container, she thought it was safe until Vanilla broke the awkward silence between them from the other room.

"I've been thinking", Vanilla piped up, "We could hire a carer for me so that you can go out with your friends once or twice a week?"

"We can't afford it", Cream pointed out flatly. A brief pause followed.

"Well", Vanilla continued, "I could apply for benefits. I mean, we're entitled to it… and then I could hire a part-time carer to help me"

Cream paused. In all honesty, the idea wasn't too bad; Vanilla would have a professional carer to take care of her whilst she got the chance to go out once more, but…

… it seemed ridiculous. This was what Cream had wanted all along; more help around the house so that she could finally have the chance to relax and enjoy life, yet at the same time, she couldn't help but feel that her own mother was rejecting her affection, as though her company wasn't good enough for Vanilla…

"… My company not enough for you?", Cream attempted to sound calm and collected, but her voice cracked. She kept her head bent whilst she washed the bowl at the sink as she felt tears form in her eyes once more, and gasped when she felt a hand rest on her right shoulder. Cream hadn't realised Vanilla had been behind her the whole time. Vanilla put her arm around her daughter.

"No!", Vanilla soothed her, "No, baby, I don't mean that at all! It's just that… I don't want you missing out on life, y'know?", she hugged her daughter, "I know you're trying your best, but I've seen how unhappy you've been for the past couple of weeks", Cream opened her mouth to protest but Vanilla stopped her, "Don't think I didn't notice! I know you're trying to help, honey, but you need some time for yourself, too"

"Mm", Cream murmured. Vanilla gently touched Cream's chin so that Cream had no choice but to look at her mother.

"You should not worry about me!", Vanilla reassured her, "Just because I have cancer, doesn't mean I've turned into a porcelain doll, yeah? We can get the money and hire somebody to look after me. I just want you to be happy"

Cream couldn't help but allow a small sob to escape her mouth. Vanilla hugged Cream closely.

"Why don't you phone some of your friends?", Vanilla suggested. Cream groaned; that was another thing that bugged her.

"I don't think so", Cream mumbled as she wiped her tears away.

"Why not, baby?", Vanilla asked curiously, "What about Amy? I'm sure she'd love to catch up with you. Or what about Sonic? What about that nice boy, y'know, the fox?"

"Tails"

"Ah, yes! He was a nice young boy", Vanilla smiled fondly, "You should phone them and see if they want to meet up"

"I don't think so"

"Well, why not?"

Cream found it difficult to explain why. It sucked being the youngest member in the old gang; the rest were always ahead of her, doing exciting things and exploring Mobius. Nobody took her seriously since she was the 'baby' of the group. As they got older, it got worse; as Cream finally became old enough to go to nightclubs and drink and drive, the majority of her friends were married off and were too busy to hang out with her. True, she had friends in university, but it just wasn't the same. As if that wasn't bad enough, Cream tried her best to initiate plans with her old friends, but they were always too busy to catch up with her. Her old friends didn't know a thing about her life or Vanilla having cancer; they never asked, which really hurt Cream's feelings in the end. After a while, Cream finally gave up and tried to move on with her life… but that still didn't stop her from feeling lonely. She didn't know if they remained contact with one another; all she knew was that they somewhat refused to talk to her, at least from her point of view.

Yet that simply raised further questions; what had Cream done wrong…?

"Because", Cream attempted to swallow the lump in her throat, "They're never available to see me"

"Oh honey!", Vanilla cooed, "I'm sure that's not true"

"It is!", Cream cried, "Every fucking time I try to make plans to hang out with them, they either can't make it or bail out at the last minute! It's just not fair!"

"Have you tried phoning them recently?"

"Well… no", Cream admitted.

"You should try once more", Vanilla advised as she began to shuffle out of the kitchen, "You never know, they might be desperate for a night out, too"

As soon as Vanilla left the room, Cream exhaled sharply and hid her face in her hands. Her mother had a point; Cream would never know if her friends wanted to see her if she didn't put in enough effort, and it had been a while since she last tried to contact them… but then again, what was she supposed to say to them: 'Hi, how are you doing? I'm fine, but my mom has cancer and I need to get out before I lose my mind'? It sounded like she would be putting on the sympathy factor just to force her friends to hang out with her, and she would never do that.

… But still…

… if she didn't get out and relax, she really would completely lose her mind…

Cream suddenly found herself reaching for the phone. The first Mobian that popped into her mind was Amy. As far as she could tell, Amy's phone number was still the same since she got married, but it would be worth a try, regardless. Cream desperately dialled the number into the phone, and cautiously listened into the other end of the line.

The phone began to ring.

Cream held her breath. What would she say? Would Amy be happy to hear from her?

There was only one way to find out…

A voice suddenly appeared at the other end of the line.

"Hi, Amy?", Cream asked, "It's me, Cream", and as she heard her friend greet her warmly on the other end, Cream felt a true smile forming on her face for the first time in months.