Geoffrey’s Burden

I sat in my hut, in my chair, watching the others pass by as they went on a mission. My heart dropped a little,

“I’ll never go with them...will I, Daddy?”

A large, burly skunk comes up to me, and looms menacingly over my little chair.

“What’re you doing up, out of your bed?”

He growled deeply, and then he scooped me up out of my chair, and carried me back to bed. He leans over and gives me a rough kiss on my cheek, and I drift off, into a deep slumber.

“Tha little Sheila finally went to sleep...she really wanted to go too.”

The skunk explained to the Princess.

“But, she shall never be being able to go, shall she?”

The French Guardsman asked, the Princess then responded,

“No. She’s much to sick...in more ways than one, Antoine.”

“More ways than one? ‘ow’s zat possi-ble?”

His eyes grew large at hearing that the little girl was so sick.

A blue hedgehog came running up towards the small throng, he stopped in front of the burly skunk, and he practically spat in his face for how he spoke to him.

“YO! What is ‘stinky’ coming with us for? Why?”

The Princess came forward and pushed the hedgehog aside,

“Sonic! Lay off him for once! He’s been through enough for one day!”

Then she got deathly quiet at him...

“Sonic, he dosen’t need you heckling him, he got enough from the Doctor today...understand?”

He realized that she was serious...and he gulped twice. He felt his own heart drop; the girl was getting sicker than before.

He looked towards the small girls hut, he saw her sitting, straight upright, but the small form seemed to be only half-aware of her surroundings. Then he gasped, the small girl slid down out of her chair onto the floor.

“Christy!” he shouted,

Then he and the burly skunk ran to the hut, they crashed through the front door, and the burly skunk, Geoffrey, started to weep.

Geoffrey leaned over and cradled Christy in his arms; Antoine, Sonic, Sally-the Princess-, and Tails came in after him, and huddled around the two.

“Iz-Iz she going to be alright?” Antoine asked a slight tremor in his voice.

The small, weakened form of the girl; it laid silent in Geoff’s great, strong arms. He dwarfed her, and he held her gently against his own chest, feeling a faint heartbeat mimic his own.

“She’s gonna be fine...I hope.” Geoffrey replied uneasily, still feeling the large lump at the base of her neck.

Sally announced that to-nights mission was canceled, she ushered everyone out of the hut; and asked Sonic to go and get the Doctor. It was not an emergency, but she would feel better once Christy was checked.

Geoffrey stood up, still holding Christy in his arms; then he went and sat down in the rocking chair, slowly rocking back and forth, singing softly to her, for she was whimpering in pain.

Sonic was at the door now, he had Doctor Eli with him.

“Geoffrey’s gone soft on us, Doc! Look at ‘em, in a rocking chair! He used to be tough as nails, now he’s as soft as a kitten! What happened?”

Eli simply shook his head and said,

“Cancer happened, Sonic.”

“Huh?”

“Christy has cancer, she’s going to die and there’s nothing we can do. Also, she’s in a lot of pain right now, so he tries to get her as comfortable as possible, as her pain is terrible in the evenings.”

Sonic stared off into the distance, thinking about how terrible he had been towards Geoffrey; taunting and torturing him for spending so much time with his little girl, and not enough time preparing for the missions...that was one reason he yelled at him for actually showing up in the group that night.

But why no one had told him that Christy had cancer? Why?

A little later that same night

Sally came into Eli’s hut, wondering where Christy is, and how her mother was as well...

“How are they, Eli? Are they doing alright...or...”

She let the sentence trail off, worried about they’re well-being, and his as well. Eli’s been very sick himself, as have most of the Freedom Fighters, lately. But Sally put that out of her mind for the moment.

“Oh, they’ve been doing okay...as far as she can get mind you. I talked with Sonic eariler this night, told him what’s been going on between Geoffrey, and Christy. Hersh’s been worried too. But, I never told her about the lump. That would break her heart in two.”

“I know it would...it certianly would”

They both looked farther into the room, at Hershey, who was laying down in a small, darkened room off to the side. Her breathing was labored, and she had the worst fever anyone, even old Eli himself, had seen in the longest time.

“How high is it, Eli?”

“About 107, I’d say. I do hope it breaks soon, or she’ll die of it.”

Sally managed a weak smile, through her heartache...she even thought of making a joke of it. Try to make the mood a little lighter, perhaps. But, no. That was too foolish, not even Sonic would have tried that at this time.

But why did he always have to be the one who messes with Geoffrey, and get’s him so angry he cannot even see straight? Ooh, that made her so mad, just thinking about it.

“I’ve got to go back, and see how Geoffrey is doing, okay Eli?”

“Fine by me...and if Christy gets any worse...get Antoine. He’ll know what to do.”

“Right”

Sally made her way back to Geoffrey’s hut, she found him asleep with Christy in his lap; her small arms wrapped around his strong chest, hugging like he was her life-force, that he was the one keeping her alive these past few days.

‘She dosn’t know the half of it. He really has been the one who protected her...kept her alive, sacrificed many hours that he could have spent with my Daddy, training, just to watch over her, while she slept.’ Sally wispered to herself.

Then she repeated it out-loud, scaring one particular blue hedgehog, over yonder in the bushes.

“WOAH! Who’s there! I’ve got a power ring, and I’m not afraid to use it!”

Sally glared over at Sonic, who was only 30 feet away from her. Then she glanced into the window, and with relief, saw that niether Christy, nor Geoffrey had awoken from their sleep.

“Sonic!” She hissed, in a low tone, “Why are you here! And not...not somewhere else!”

“I wanted to see what they’re doing...why he spends so much time with her, and not training with us!”

“You’ll find out soon enough, Sonic. Now leave. I’ve got to talk to Geoffrey about something.”

Sonic stood up, and crossed his arms, he was determined not to go at all. He was going to stay there, and watch them talk. Sonic then smirked at Sal, he knew she couldn’t resist his charms.

Sally stared at Sonic coldly. Her gaze would have made Robotnik tremble in his boots. Sonic started to back up slowly, then he turned and ran all the way down the the Ring Grotto as fast as he could.

“Finally.”

She went up and knocked on the door lightly, and hoped she wouldn’t scare Christy awake. The knocking on wood, which reverbated throughout the house, sometimes scared her so bad; as her skin was delicate, and she could feel the vibrations as it went through the house. She heard nothing, except the plodding of heavy boots coming up to the door.

‘Good.’ She thought, ‘At least I didn’t wake up Christy this time.’

“What’cha want?” A sleepy Geoff asked her, “Me and lil’ Christy were...-YAWN-...we was sleeping. What’cha want, Sal? I can’t do a mission, till Hersh gets back from her’s. You know I can’t leave tha lil’ Sheila alone, as sick as she is now.”

Sally almost broke into tears at hearing him say that...her mind recounted events that only were a month old in her mind...

‘I still cannot believe that Daddy wouldn’t tell you that your wife is still here in KnotHole, and probably about to die at least! He said it would be better if you not know, it would hurt your “performance” in the Secret Service...then he promptly forgot about you saying if Christy got any worse, you wasn’t going to leave for anything, unless the village as a whole needed to be moved for safety. Even then, Daddy never told you about it.’

But she kept her cool, and smiled at Geoffrey, despite her wanting to fling herself in his arms and tell him everything about Hershey and her sickness. Again, she smiled, came inside and sat down on a chair, watching Geoffrey gently place Christy in her bed, and kiss her on her forehead.

‘It’s so sad, what he has to go through now...Why couldn’t it have been me...’

Editor’s note:

Perhaps I should shed some light on this right now. What or why Christy has cancer, or a cancerous-like disease, is because she tagged along with her mother, father, and Princess Sally on one of their latest missions. And none of them knew about it. Hershey found out within 4 days of the trip though, and both of them went off on their own, looking for something that Christy had found that they could use for their mission. But, they encountered a deadly patch of bio-chemicals on the way back, and became infected from it. Niether Hershey, nor Christy told anyone about their little intrusion on the bio-chemicals. So, they became more and more sick, and Eli accounted it to Cancer for the both of them. Hershey is in better condition then Christy is, as Christy fell completely into the muck, and Hershey was only contaminated from the knees down.

Hey, you want the full story? Contact me, and ask for it! to the current story for now...

“Geoffrey, do you happen to know why Christy is so sick?”

He shook his head sadly, and looked lovingly over at Christy, who was sound-asleep now in her bed.

“Yeah...blasted cancer, is what ol’ Eli said it was. I still wonder how she got the blooming stuff too...any ideas, Sal?”

Sally bit her lip, and looked away for a second...wondering wheather to tell the burly skunk or not. Despite he was loyal to the king, she didn’t know what he’d do...if he knew all that was being kept away from him. Things that were so near and dear to his heart...it would kill him, if he knew.

She gulped, and told him.

“Most-likely it’s cancer, as Eli said it was. How is she though...?”

“Another bad night again...she hasn’t been gettin’ much sleep lately, unfortuntely.”

Sally giggled a bit, noticing Geoffrey’s testament to his late-night stay-ups with Christy...humoungous under-eye circles and bags! Geoffrey stared at her, wondering why she was laughing...and at what too?

“What’re you laughing at? Her bad nights are utterly horrible, Sal. She can’t keep food down, nor can she sleep...she gets so cold, then shakes the sheets off, when I place them on her, in an attempt to not scoffuate herself! Do you think that’s all funny? Do you?”

She looked down towards the floor...ashamed that he took it that way.

“I-I’m so sorry, St. John. I wasn’t laughing at that...it’s that way your face looks right now...it’s nothing to laugh at either, is it?”

He stood up, and went over to a mirror, which was hanging on the wall, and looked at himself. He noticed the bags, and circles, and tugged at one of them, then came back and sat down again.

“At least it was at something that should be laughed at.” He smiled a bit, then the shrill whistle of something came through the village, cutting off his next line.

“Oh no! Not now!”

Sally ran outside, and bumped into Tails, who was flying towards Eli’s hut.

“Tails! What’s that noise? I think Daddy made a new alarm again!”

“I think it’s for when someone dies, Sally. Someone must have died at Eli’s hut. I should go and help shut it off. He doesn’t know how to stop it himself.”

Sally ran alongside Tails, thinking feverishly to herself, wondering just who had died inside of the hospital, otherwise known as Eli's hut.

‘I hope it isn’t Hershey...good lord, I hope that alarm isn’t for her.’

They made their way up to Eli's hut. Sally banged on the door, then she hurled herself at it, when no one answered it. Tails shut down the alarm, while Sally ran back to Hershey's room. She was awake, no better...but awake...?

"Hershey? What happened? Why did that alarm go off? The Desceased alarm, that my Daddy built...?"

"I pulled out my...my heart monitor, Sally...then, I thought I'd leave here...but it's still going on, even though...I replaced it, eariler."

Sally stood rigid in place, and she looked down the hall to Eli's room. She leaned over and placed a hand on Hershey's shoulder. She shook as she asked a question of Hershey...

"Has Eli come down here tonight?"

Hershey didn't say anything, but shook her head slowly, and laid back on the pillow, exhausted.

"Oh, no! I'll be right back, Hersh!"

Sally continuted running down the hall, to Eli's room, he looked like he had passed out on the bed. She walked up closely to him, and called his name softly...he didn't stir. She then checked if his hearing aid was in...

It was in, and turned on as well.

Eli had died, of the same disease that ravaged through Hershey and Christy's bodies...Sally alerted Tails as to what happened, and the town had Eli's funeral the next day.

"I can't believe the old man died, Sal...who did it?"

Sally kept quiet, she couldn't tell him...she didn't have the heart too. She looked down, the nights events resounding in her head...Hersh's near "death", Eli's actual death...the apperahision of having to perhaps tell him that his wife had died of a horrible disease...she swallowed it all in and smiled at Geoffrey slightly...

"I don't know...perhaps he simply died of old age, Geoff...Quack'll have the results later today..."

She let herself out from his hut, and his pierceing gaze. He knew, that she knew something was up...but she couldn't tell him...and the suspense and heartache were killing Sally inside...she HAD to do something about it...or she'd explode from it.

Sally took the long way back to her hut, watching Geoffrey swing Christy on the swing, and she also saw Hershey watching this through tinted windows in the infirmary...with a saddened look on her face. Sal's anger rose deep within her, and she screamed to the heaven's as if they could do something about this, twisted portaiture that was presenting itself to Sally, day after day.

"Why does this happen? And I can't do a thing about it? THIS IS DRIVING ME INSANE!"

She yelled out at the heavens, in some attempt at consoleing herself that what she was doing was not so horrible, that it wasn't blasphemy to not tell when one's family is DYING in the damned hospital, while his own daughter is also dying of the same thing...then she slumped down on a large rock, by the water; and something squeezed out of her boot...more like, fell out. It was her emergency fighting knife...her silver dagger, with the engraved blade and hilt... She picked it up, and gazed at it, like it was a long-lost friend...

"This...this will ease my pain...if I can release my pain from within...I'll...I'll be better off...yeah..."

Sonic ran along the lake's edge, watching the small birds twitter in the trees, and hearing the lowers animals make small noises among the brush...something didn't seem right, inside of all this naturine beauty...His eyes picked up something brown and blue sitting on a large rock...

"It's Sal! ...She's...she's cutting herself...why is she hurting herself...?"

Thinking someone made her do that to herself, he ran out in front of her, and scared her badly.

"WHOEVER IS MAKING SALLY DO THIS TO HERSELF, COME OUT AND SHOW YOURSELF! YOU COWARD!"

Sally stood up, raggedly, and dropped the knife at Sonic's feet. She stared hard, and cold in his eyes, daring him to say something else about this that he has witnessed.

"Well, Sonic? Arn't you going to scoop me up in your arms, and rush me off to the infirmary? Hmm? Or are you going to stand there like a jackass all day, gaping at me?"

She shifted her weight to one leg, then turned around, abruptly, and slipped under the water, red pooled up from above her to skim the water's surface, it was her blood. Her tainted blood, that she had shed herself. Sonic ran to get someone to try to bring Sally to her senses, but he found no one was around within the village, it was deserted.

"She's gonna kill herself, if I don't do something..."

2 Weeks Have Passed now

Geoffrey woke up, with a raging headache, and he turned over in his bed, to see a small form on the floor beside him...Was it Christy? ...NO. It was Hershey...!

"Hershey! Honey, what..what are you doing HERE! You're supposed to be on a mission!"

The black cat merely scoffed, and turned over onto her back, to see him better, she was breathing shallowly, her face, red as a beet.

"Geoff...I...the King he...kept me from you, and Christy...I'm sick, with what Christy has..."

The skunk's usual baby blues turned vile black, he helped Hershey to the bed, and then stormed out of his hut, livid with what the King had done towards him and his family. He stomped off to Castle Acorn.

"I vow...that Squirrel isn't going to know WHAT hit him!"

Sally walked slowly towards Castle Acorn, wearing a long sweater now, to cover up her long, jagged scars all over her arms...she can't seem to stop herself from the mulitation...but, she can keep her mouth shut for longer now. A little later in the day, she stares out her window, listening to Evanesence, tired after the lecture her Father gave her the night before.

"I can't believe that Father would say such horrible things to you, Sally. I just don't believe it!"

Her brother, Elias, The Perfect One, never thinks that Daddy says such things...he never does...

"You just think Daddy is so god-damned perfect, don't you? Well, he isn't Elias. And you'll be absolutely sorry you didn't listen to me before, do you understand? GOT IT?"

Sally stood up, whirled around, and slammed her fist into the wall, frustrated at Elias, for being a dumbass as usual, and not questioning nearly everything that Father did, as she did...she drew back bloodied knuckles and a shattered spirit. Her brother had walked out of the room already, not wanting to see her break down, as she always did, after hitting the wall. Rosie, her old nanny walked by her room, and muttered to herself...

"Need to get the worker down here again...she broke another hole in it..."

Sally dropped to her knees, sobbing, rocking back and forth on her feet, quietly licking the blood off of her fingers, wondering why no one believed her when she had said that HER FATHER WAS NOT TO BE TRUSTED AT ALL!

Doctor Quack came into Sally's room, and administered a shot to her neck, something to bring her down again...she always needed it nowadays...

Geoffrey finally made it to the King, after fussing with the guards and then showing them his licence of the Commander of the Royal Guard, they let him inside. He went and found the King in his study, quietly reading over some papers, but he wasn't moving...he was very quiet in his chair, with his back to the door, a little too quiet, it seemed.

"Your Highness?"

Nothing responded to him in the dimmed room.

"Your HIGHNESS?"

Still nothing...this was HIGHLY odd...he went forward and turned the chair slightly, the King appeared to be asleep, Geoffrey knelt forward and touched the Kings' neck. No pulse. He was dead...

Geoffrey TORE out of the castle, and alerted the Guards that the King was dead. Something had happened to him, and he had gone to see him before then, and found him dead. They then took his body to Quack, he did the analysis on the King...it wasn't Geoffrey who killed him. It...was Sally...

I sat down on the bench, cradling the bloodied knife in my hands; wondering what to do with it now. It was my savior now...my release from all this madness that my Father had created...a release...from it all. I raised the knife to my neck, and nicked myself on the jugular vein, letting the warm blood flow over my fingers, I licked some of it off my hand, tasting the sweet, thickness of living blood wash over my senses. I drove the knife a little deeper, feeling it slice into my neck muscles, not feeling pain anymore, just the sweet release...from this life...

"Goodbye...goodbye, all my friends...I'll see you, when you're dead..."

"Those were her last words, Quack. I saw her cutting into her neck, and she was licking the blood off of her fingers as well...I don't know what was wrong with her...she seemed...crazy...out of it, I guess."

Sonic watched Dr. Quack perform the autopsy on Sally Alicia Acorn, figuring out how she died. She died of a sucuide attempt on herself, a knife wound to the neck, slicing the jugular artery, and bleeding to death.

"Hmm...she also was suffering from a mental diease, Sonic. She has abnormal psychoses of the frontal lobe...her brain was infected with the worst diease of them all, Sonic."

He lowered his head, and continuted examining her, and Sonic leaned forward and kissed Sally's bloody cheek, weeping. He lifted his head upwards, blood on his lips, when he heard Dr. Quack give the diganous on Sally.

"Wha-What's wrong with her Dr. Quack? Is she...was she, okay? In the head?"

"I don't believe so, Sonic. She had many psychoses going on within her head, many different feelings causing her to...to basically go insane with herself, and the surrounding populace. Eli was about to diganose it, in fact...I believe that Sally might have killed him, but...I couldn't tell from the autopsy..."

Quack smiled, a forlorn smile; at Sonic, he really missed Eli himself, as did everyone, he was like everyone's Grandfather, the one who you could talk to, when you needed advice...

Sonic lowered his head once more, then he walked, dejectedly out from the Morgue, shuffling his feet in the dirt, he walked past the old man's grave, and sat down in front of it, he decided to get his advice one last time...

Eli was like Sonic's surrograte father to him, he and Chuck had raised Sonic up to be a fine-standing gentleman, although one wouldn't think it, from a first glance. Sonic sat down on the ground, and patted the grave, then placed a flower down in the pot at the head of it.

If one were to walk down by the edge of the lake, and look to the west, one would find Sonic the Hedgehog, talking to the best known physician in Mobius. And if one could see the dead, one would see that best known physician sitting on the tombstone, listening with true heart at what the young hedgehog had to say to him.

"Where did you go to, old man? Just when I needed you the most, ya left me. Did you know, that Sal was doing this? ...Might have...but you probably couldn't have done anything about it, either.. I didn't know myself...Yeah, she dosn't even tell me what's going on in her life. She goes about, living a lie, thinking that she's okay, and life is dandy in her neck of the woods. But it ain't. Probably never was, actually... ...Neck...heh, ya know, that's how she died, Eli. She...she sliced her own neck, and she bled to death...you...you probably could have saved her, couldn't you've? I...I miss ya, Eli...I really, really miss ya, old man."

Sonic broke down at his grave, crying his heart out, for him, and for Sally...he laid there, sobbing for nearly three hours, till no tears would come from within. He stood up, and walked back to his own house, and grabbed a photobook, of from when they were little, and he sat there, on his couch, reading it, till he went to sleep...

"Sonic, you never stopped me! You-You NEVER STOPPED ME FROM KILLING MYSELF, DID YOU? YOU JUST WATCHED IT HAPPEN, WITH DULLEN EYES, AND WITH A STUPOR TO MATCH A DRUNKEN MAN!"

Sonic snapped awake, to see Queen Alicia over him, with sorrow painted on her face, she was dressed in black from head to toe. She wasn't wearing her crown either, she had a black headband in her long red tresses.

"Mrs. Alicia? What are you doing here, in my house?"

She pulled back, and sniffed into her hankerchief, and his parents then looked over at him, his mother with red-rimmed eyes, as if she had been crying for hours...his father was wearing a black tuxedo, and his mother was wearing a black dress...everyone was wearing black today...

Must be for Sal's funeral...

Sonic thought, he sat up, and looked around him. He wasn't in the house anymore, on the couch with the photobook. He was in the church...with all his friends and family sitting on pews, all covered in black of some sort...this was a funeral, right?

"Then why am I in front of everyone, instead with them in the pews...?"

"Because, you died as well, Sonic...as well as ME."

Sonic turned around in the object he was in and he saw Sally, the very dead Sally Acorn, hovering in the air, beside him. She had blood all in her fur, and she had a malicious grin on her face. It sunk in to Sonic's brain what had happened to him. He started to sob and wail, loudly. Sally twiddled her thumbs, watching him cry over being dead, and not being able to say goodbye to his family, and such. Sonic finally calmed down a few minutes later.

"Someone is here to see you, Sonic...should I let him through?"

Sonic knew who she was talking about then. It was his old friend...

"Yes, Sally! Let him through! I want to talk to him!"

"Are you totally sure, Sonic? He may not want to see you"

"Get that person in here, Sally!"

A lone figure floated through the crowd of people, undetected by anyone...he stopped in front of the casket, and smiled down at Sonic through his deep, dark hood. The figure had a crooked walking stick at his side, clasped in his shaking hands. He leaned precariously on the stick, watching Sally and Sonic with soulful eyes. Sonic thought he knew who the man was, but he couldn't be totally sure.

"Who are you, sir?"

Sonic asked, afraid, it was death, come a second time for him.

"I'm Eli, Sonic. You don't remember me, do you?"

Sonic's eyes' went large, he reached forward and hugged Eli tightly, tears coming up at his eyes.

"ELI? Yes, oh, yes, I do remember you!"

The old man chuckled, and floated down beside Sonic, inside of the casket. The two of them then sat up on the preacher's podium, oblivious to everyone else.

"I heard you when you were talking to me at my graveside, Sonic. I was there, but you couldn't see me."

He took off his hood, and revealed a metallic face partiton. Sonic stared at him, hard. Wondering what was up with his face.

"This is what was on my face before, it was covered with a modesty panel, but in death you are as you are."

Sonic stared out at the crowd...and he saw Geoffrey standing there, with Hershey at his side, and she was holding Christy as well. They had all lost their King, their Princess, their doctor...and their hero. All was wrong in KnotHole that night...all was so very wrong...

"Yet to me...this seems SO right..."

A sinister figure chuckled to herself, as she stood on the parapet on the farthest edge of the church; watching the funeral from the ceiling. She was hanging upside down from it, watching with deep, dark red eyes. She stayed for awhile, Geoffrey knew she was there too, but he made no motion to do anything about it.

"Yes, you know our pact, don't you, my little Mobian...?"

Geoffrey made no movement when he heard that, and she flew off out of an open window, towards Robotnik's headquarters. She fluttered down onto the overhang of the window, underneath it; and watched the glimmering spot that was Knothole, in the distance. She heard the 21 gun salute, made for the dead...then she heard some shuffling from within the hallway.

An old, ancient man walked out from inside the walkway, where the woman was hanging from the ceiling of it. He coughed slightly, his hair turned gray now; his body rapidly deteriorating around him.

"What are you looking at, my dear?" he croaked.

She dropped from the ceiling, and gazed at him with half-closed eyes, as if she didn't wish to see him; but could not bear it any longer. She sneered at him, and walked past him roughly, pushing him to the side.

"Out of my way, Doctor!"

The man walked out to where she was gazing before, another figure joined him, it was a black hedgehog, a long time friend of his; and he helped the Doctor to his feet.

"She's something, isn't she, Doc?"

The Doctor gazed out over the portait that presented itself...decimated lands, poisoned waters, and vaporous ozoned air...all of it was going to his plans...but someone else was making them real. That woman...she was making this real...

"...but she's killing me in the process...isn't she, Shadow?"

Shadow stayed quiet, as the woman knew when he talked to the Doctor, and if he wished to stay alive, he'd keep his mouth shut tight. Later Shadow helped the Doctor into his sleep suspension area, and he hooked up his tubes and his monitors. The dark lady entered again, and gazed deeply at Shadow, with hate in her eyes.

"Did you tell him, Shadow?"

Shadow bowed deeply, and shook his head vigorsily. She walked over and placed a delicate hand underneath his chin. She yanked him to her face, and with blood soaked teeth, yelled...

"I want an ANSWER, SHADOW-SAN!"

She dropped him hard, he stood up rigid, and he bowed more, nearly shouting now.

"NO! NO, MAM! I didn't tell him anything! He spoke of it...but...I didn't reveal our plans!"

She smiled, and cackled softly under her breath. This was working wonderfully...keep the good Doctor alive as long as needed, for food and sustanance...then...kill him. Shadow remained prostrate on the floor, in front of her, wondering if she remembered him there. The lady whirled around, and ground a stiletto heel into Shadow's ungloved hand. She glared down at him, that ragged form of a servent...her eyes blazing bright amber. Her face was twisted into a malicious smile.

"Do you know why I keep you around, Shadow-san?"

Shadow shook his head hard, and pressed his face down into the ground, nearly sobbing from the pain; he was hurting so much, she'd probably broken some of his bones in his hands already.

"No? Well, you'll find out soon, then...I need you...to finish something for me..."

He looked up at her, she looked calm now. That could be good or bad...he never was sure.

"Wh-What is it, Sara...Ms. Hellan?"

She stepped off of his hand, and walked to the window, Shadow followed suit, rubbing his poor hand.. She pointed out towards Knothole, a shimmering dot in the distance.

"See that town? I made it...I helped them...and...I'm going to crush them. Like little bugs...small, tiny, insignifiant bugs."

"But why? They've done nothing towards you..."

Sara turned on him, hard, her self twisted into it's true form now, large vampire teeth, white wings and body, and she pinned Shadow to the wall with her talons. Then she stratched his arm enough to make him bleed. She touched his old wounds on his neck. Her face was paler then death, her eyes bright amber with rings of blood red within them, she bared her teeth at him, her jaw dropping now, revealing all of her teeth. She screeched at him, loud enough to shatter a window beside them.

"DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU JUST SAID? You SAW them hunt me down, Shadow! They killed my child! They killed my own flesh and blood!I must have REVENGE!"

She flew backwards to the wall, still holding him in her claws, and perched on a statue of Sonic whose face was chipped away completely. Shadow's face went white then, fully realizing what she was talking about. They had killed Ixis Naugus, her only son...that she had created with the help of the three wizards...

"You-Your child, I forgot Sara Hellan! I'm sorry! I'M SO SORRY!"

She dropped him, fully satified that he remembered it. She floated over to the large black trunk, and thought of Naugus again, fondly...She smiled warmly, thinking of him...but it turned bad for her, as it always did.

"The Mobians took him in...they gave him a position...as the head wizard! But then...he...they..."

Her expression grew darker with every word that flowed out of her mouth, her face grew paler, and her eyes blazed brighter, the farther she went in talking.

"that...that HEDGEHOG! THEY KILLED HIM!"

She flew up into the rafters and howled and shrieked over the lost of her son, the only one that had been born to her, the noise could be heard throughout Knothole Village that night...

Christy looked out the window that night, hearing the shrieks and wails from the vampire...though no one thought it was her, for they had forgotten she had existed...and they knew not what was going to happen to their tiny village soon thereafter...

"Daddy, what's all that noise?"

Geoffrey walked over to the window, and gazed out of it, hearing the wails as well. Although he did know what it was.

"It-It's just the wind, darlin'...let's get to bed...Your mum's tired, and so am I."

Christy and Hershey went to bed, but Geoffrey stayed up. Watching the night sky for the return of...them...he saw none, and ended up going to sleep at 2 am.

"Where are you going, Sara? Do you need any help?"

Shadow was fawning on Sara at that point, desperately showing that he cared for her, and wanted to help her. She swatted his thin hand away from her arm.

"I need no help, Shadow-san. Keep out of this."

She walked over to a table, her pants' light fabric fluttering about her, her shirt's excess fabric, that created her wings were of a shimmering kind, and Shadow's weak, rail-thin body kept getting tangled up in them. She loaded a small bag, with a potion and a syringe as well. Shadow watched her intently while she did this. She sighed, and stared at him. He looked up at her with eager eyes.

"...damn it. Shadow-san?"

"YES!"

Her eyes grew large, and she looked quizzically at him.

"I want you to watch over the Doctor, and have him ready for my meal, alright?"

"Is that all?"

She sighed some more...and thought of something...she might need back-up this night.

"Get the Weregi ready...Understand?"

Shadow saluted Sara, and ran off to get the Weregi ready to be sent out and to protect the castle if needed. Sara picked up the small handbag, and flew off towards the small, lustrous, dot in the distance.

Sara landed in the midst of a near ghost town; with the exception of a few castle guards now, there was no one in the city that was awake. She walked near the castle, and gazed up at the guards...maybe everyone was asleep at this time of night, those guards were dead-asleep too.

"Heh. Always had the poor security, this damned town...so, where is my little skunks' place...hmm?"

She floated up in the air, and looked around some more...there it was. She zoomed down to the window, where she saw Geoffrey at. She tapped at the window. He nearly fell off of his chair when he saw her. He bounded outside to face her.

"SARA Hellan? What the HELL are you doing here?"

Sara leaned back against the tree beside Geoff's hut; picking her teeth, she had stopped and drained a cow before she landed in Knothole. She didn't even regard him, when he asked that of her.

"...damn leather getting in my teeth...probably got enough here to make a jacket..."

Geoffrey noticed that she wasn't paying attention to him, he went inside and got a large vial of blood and placed it on the stump beside the tree.

"Is this good?"

She picked it up, uncorked it, and sniffed it delicately, then placed it between her ample breasts, like a hooker with money. She smiled at him, that unnerving smile. He shifted uncomfortablely in his green boots. She then walked over and stroked his chin lightly, her hair falling over her face, and she leaned in, and was about to kiss him, when he lifted up his cross-bow and pointed it at her heart.

"Silver bolt, ya' know."

Sara's face paled, and she stared at him, her eyes turning amber to red.

"You-You wouldn't!"

He smiled, courageously, and drove the bolt a little deeper at her skin, through her shirt. She got the color back in her face quickly, and she summoned her own courage, realizing just what kind of hold she had on him. He didn't see her expression, underneath her long, brown hair. Geoffrey chuckled, about to let go of the trigger on the silver bolt in his crossbow.

"Oh, yes I would, Sara. Queen of the Vampires."

"You wouldn't...not after what I did for you, Geoffrey..."

He then turned pale, and he backed up a step, positioning the bolt over her heart, ready to take a blow on her. He remembered it...

"I'll shoot you, Sara...if you don't leave! I'll-I'll kill you!"

"Try me, Geoffrey...and I'll turn your heart back to the quivering jelly that it is so quickly, you won't have time to gasp out!"

He seemed to be thrown against the hut, by some unknown force; his face going deathly pale, his hand traveling to his heart, and grabbing it. He was gasping hard, in deep seated pain.

"Oh...you don't like this, do you, my dearest friend? Having your heart reduced to what it was before you met me? You said you were doing just fine! ...But, you must remember? I helped you, Geoffrey...for that...we have a pact!"

She twisted her hand in the air, grabbing something it seemed, Geoff gasped out in dire pain, his head between his knees; though no one heard him...he writhed in anguish, his face growing more and more ghastly with every second, she was making him go through exasperating pain, to make a point...to never cross her.

"You...You'll...never get...away...with this Sara!"

Sara cackled loudly in his face, just wondering how long the old skunk could go on, shouting obsentites at her, and singing hymns out loud, trying to ignore the throbbing, thrashing pain in his chest.

Three Hours Later

Sara watched with boredom, waiting for him to ask for forgiveness from her...she was keeping him alive while she did this to him...it was so tiring for her... He then decided to sit up some more, and he stared right at her face, sweating profusely, and panting hard.

"...I...I want to ask you...uugghh...for...forgiveness...Sara..."

"Yessss...?"

"Please! Please...forgive...me..eenngghhhh...I'm...I'm begging...I'm begging for...forgiveness..."

Sara looked down at him, and she smiled again, lifting the curse from him once more. He stood up, and gripped the side of the hut, still panting; twinges of the anguish still within his poor, strained body. His heart was beating sluggishly again, at a normal pace, once more.

"So, you finally gave up, Geoffrey?"

He said nothing, but started to walk inside the house, to see how Hershey and Christy were. It was nearly morning already. Sara dropped down in front of the hut, her teeth bared at him.

"Oh, you're not leaving YET! I didn't say you could..."

"I have a family to look after, Sara. I can't stay with you, I can't...I..."

He looked down at the ground, and clasped his hands over each other; behind his back, covering up his golden wedding band from her sight. He stood there, wondering what she'd do. She walked up near him, pressing her immense bosom against his chest; he felt like reaching up, and squeezing the vast globes of taut femanitiy, they were nearly the size of his head! But she pulled him away from her, and gazed at him, her vamperic teeth drawing inward again, her eyes going from dark red to a warm umber...she smiled, not a merciless, distorted smile, but...a longing smile...

"Sara? Are you...are you alright?"

She smiled again, and giggled too...she...giggled? Now he was confused...very confused. He reached closer to her, and he hugged her tightly, then he realized why she was giggling before.

"...You...You're..."

He drew back, knowing what this meant...more of them to eradicate...more of them to hunt down...more of them to be bothered with...more of her kind to be dealt with.

"What's the matter, Geoffrey? You do have family, right? Do you not wish to feel the family within me? Our family?"

He backed up against the hut, shaking with utter fear...his thoughts raced within his head.

I-I-I created something...WITH HER? But how? How could I have...Oh, dear gods no...I've...I'm a new father...of a vampire...!

Sara watched his expression with idle expections, and she saw him back against the hut's wall, and slump down against it, when he must have realized what had happened, with them. She picked up the bag, and dropped it in his lap, there was a letter inside of it, stating that the syringe was to cure them, and the potion was to repair whatever damage had happened to Christy and Hershey. It also stated that she would die when she had the children, and she wanted him to raise them as his own.

He woke up later that morning and picked up the bag, and read the letter again...a little later that day, he administered the medicines to Hershey and to Christy...they got absolutely well...as if nothing had happened. He walked back to his job as the Commander of the Royal Guard of the House of Acorn...although there were no Acorns left to look after...except for Alicia. Who was in a deep depression, ever since her husband was killed brutally by their own daughter. Geoffrey expected the same old day for him...but he was vastly wrong. A familiar figure, clothed in a blue military suit, came up and greeted him, jovially.

"Hello there, Geoffrey! How are you doing, this morning?"

The King welcomed Geoffrey into his office...and slapped him on the back, for doing such a great job sending out that brown haired Overlander to save them...although no one sent anyone out...niether did Geoff.

"Who? Who did you say rescued you, your Highness?"

"Some brown haired lady...she told us her name, and that you had sent her...now what was that wonderous woman's name?"

Geoffrey realized what or who he was talking about...his eyes went large and lurid, and he gazed at Sally, and Sonic who were about to make out in the corner, for they had been imprisoned in different cells for months...

"Her name was SARA! SARA Hellan! Her name was Sara Hellan, your highness!"

Max smiled up at Geoffrey, and clapped him on the back again, his eyes shimmering brightly with happiness.

"Ah, thank you! That was her name, my good boy! She's the one who saved us; from Naugus, who had us imprisoned for so many months. She banished him, within herself...somehow..."

"She what?"

Sonic walked up, looking haggard, and emaciated, he glanced weakly between the stricken Max, and the vibrant Geoffrey. He coughed loudly, to get their attention.

"I saw what happened, Max...I was them when it happened...she was fussing at Naugus...kind of like a Mother would, for some crazy reason...and she stated to Ixis...'I made you, and I can demolish you!'...so she did, she demolished him, and banished him to be reduced to a small winged bat."

"So, she didn't banish him, within herself, Sonic?"

Geoffrey asked cautiously, wondering what was going to be born from Sara's womb...

"Nope...she turned him into a bat, of some sort..."

Max shook his head, sadly, remembering how the woman looked after the battle...she was torn and exhausted, nearly ripped limb from limb, by Naugus. Geoffrey left for his post, after he figured everything was fine again, in the Kingdom of Acorn...but Max, he looked towards the spires of Castle Hellan.

He remembered exactly how she looked...when she went and got the keys from Naugus's clothes...she was nearly crawling to open the cells...her stomach was largely protruded...she must have been pregnant...he wondered how she is now...and how Geoffrey is taking her being their saviour. Alicia walked up beside Max, and tapped him on the shoulder, worried about him greatly.

"Max? You look like you're a million miles away, honey...what are you thinking about?"

"An old friend, Alicia...an old friend; who kept her part of the bargain...after all these years..."

"Who is that, dear?"

"Sara Hellan...the queen vampire...that my Great-Great-Grandfather had dealings with, in the old battles with the humans...she helped us become what we are today...she's helped us once more..."

Alicia looked at her husband quizzcally.

"If she had helped in the battles, on our side, wouldn't we owe her something?"

"Alicia...we helped her, by saving her kind, when we first came to the planet...immemorial time had past since then, honey...she never forgot...despite we had forgotten that she had owed us greatly. Her kind owed us...and now...she has repaid it, in full...by saving Sally, Sonic and myself."

Alicia said nothing, but smiled at Max, and then kissed him, not totally understanding what he had said, but she understood that a debt had been paid...and it helped her get on with her life, properly.

Geoffrey got off of work later that day, and he was helping Hershey in the kitchen, when he and the whole village heard a loud, piercing scream, reverbate from the heavens to strike the ground. Everyone was terrified that something was going to come down on them, but Max and the rest of the active guard, got everyone calmed down. Geoffrey's family was and always had been calm during that moment...Geoffrey stopped cooking for a moment, and hung his head low, praying under his breath, Hershey and Christy did the same.

"Hershey, get a new room propped up in here. 'Kay?"

Hershey nodded sharply and went and got the construction crew to finish on the hut...to get it ready for the new arrivals. Geoffrey sent Christy over to the playground; so he could be alone for a moment. He went and opened the letter one more time, and read it over and over.

"Please, Geoffrey, I have helped your King, his Daughter and her consort, and the elderly doctor...I desire one more request from you, before I go.

Take care of my offspring, teach them the ways of vampirism as I had taught you, many years ago...you remember well. Teach them who is good, and who is bad; who to kill, and who to save. Teach them to fly, far into the heavens, so I might meet them one day. Hold funerals, if one dies. Hold birthdays, when they come of age. Treat them as your own children, my old friend. You shall be the father that none of my offspring could ever have.

Ask the King for forgiveness on my part...I still abhor the thought of bringing Ixis Naugus into this world. I am forever saddened for what he did to you and your people. I shall be dead, when my children are born. And they shall flock upon the village, they will darken the skies, and I have told my lov--...my, helper to run with them, to tell them not to hurt anyone, in their flight.

And please, alert the King and the Guard that this will be happening soon, and not to shoot when the sky darkens; for it is my children, coming down to live with your kind.

Thank you old friend. Thank you so very much."

A large bolt of lighting pierced the castle in the distance; a bright wave running through the walls, and the sound of many sacs were heard, bursting wide open...

Geoffrey wept, when he read the letter again, and he looked towards Castle Hellan, as another scream pierced the sky, followed by the wailing of someone not of a vampire; and the sudden accented howling of many small voices...then the sky darkened, and many winged creatures swept down from the skies. Hershey had alerted the Guard, and they were standing there, waiting when they came. There were 18 of them, the largest one, a tall, emmense black skunk, with demonic black, skinned wings; he swooped down in front of them, he was carrying a body, made small in his grasp. The King walked up to the head of this ragtag group of demons, and vampires, and half mobians. A cold expression graced his face.

"Are you Hellan's offspring?"

The tall skunk bowed low, and laid the body down softly in front of him, still bowed low. He spoke in deep, gruff tones, accented with a mild unidentifible accent.

"Yes, we are, your Highness...this is...was...our mother. The one who we were born out from."

Max kneeled down, in front of the body, and turned the woman's head towards him; her expression was of pure bliss...she had completed the circle. He nodded sharply, and a guard came in and lifted the body in his own grasp.

"We shall hold a funeral for your mother, son. What is your name?"

"Our mother didn't give us names...the Hedgehog that was to lead us here...he was supposed too..."

The boy turned towards the throng of other children, and one of them walked forward, carrying Shadow's limp, shallow form in her arms. He looked to be near death already, his face sunken in, and his eyes pale and lightless. Another brought forward the ancient form of Dr. Robotnik, finally drained completely of blood, and of life.

"What has happened to the two of them?"

The young man nodded and exhaled softly.

"Our guardian, Shadow-san...he collapsed on the way here, we know not why."

The young girl, holding the form of Dr. Robotnik, smiled slightly, revealing bloody teeth. She talked in a small, infantile voice, tinged with an evil undertone.

"Him...we...we drank him all up. We drank him dry."

The King shuddered. He nodded again, and another guard came and took Shadow to the Doctor, and then threw Robotnik into the garbage heap, with not a care at all.

Sonic and Sally came forward, and gazed at the children, wondering why they all looked so different, although they all came from the same mother. The tall skunk, gazed back at Sally, and then he reached forward and touched Sonic's shoulder. Sonic drew back, slowly from his touch.

"What's the matter, man?"

The skunk bowed low in front of Sonic, and he touched his head to the ground, his wings folded upwards against his back now.

"You are the one who saved our Mother, Sonikku...You are the one...who helped us to BE."

"Sonikku? What are you guys calling me?"

Sally smiled, and walked near Sonic and whispered in his ear, he did save her, and she had bit him lightly on the neck too, when he held her in his arms.

"Was she the one, with the long red dress on?"

The skunk stood up, and shook his head sadly.

"I wouldn't know, Sonikku...We wern't born yet at the time."

"Oh, yeah, right...but why do you all look so different. And why do you look like the devil incarnate of Geoff over here?"

The young man bowed low, and the children spread themselves out far, so everyone could seem them from the front...one of them resembled Sonic, and another Sally...and two of them looked like Shadow...and the eldest one like Geoffrey, for the other 14 of them, they were random mobians that no one recoginized. Except for one more, he was even older then the skunk, and he walked forward. He bowed low, his dreads brushing the ground, his nose nearly doing so as well. Sonic stood back from them and counted them again, there were supposed to be only 18 children here...

"And who are you? I thought there was only 18 children..."

The young man, he smiled, and walked up to the eldest doctor, Eli. And he knelt in front of him.

"Father...we have come, finally..."

Eli nodded sagely, and the children flocked to him, as he was the only father they knew. Max stared and looked like he just swallowed his teeth, if that was possible...

"ELI! How is this--How is this possible!"

Eli smiled largely, and bowed to the King. He cleared his throat as he explained it to him.

"Many years ago, Max, I was in your father's army, before I retired and went into medicine, remember? Well, we were trying to infiltrate the humans bases, and I got off track...away from the others...well, I was always have been a better doctor then a military man myself. But to get to the point, I saw the lights of Castle Hellan, and I went inside, for refuge; I was greeted by a black/red hedgehog, who lead me up to Sara's chambers, she helped me dry off, and she stated that I wouldn't leave till daylight...I told her our prediciment, and she agreed to help us. I was the one who got her to help us, Max. I asked for her help in the battle. And she gave it...in return for something...from me..."

Max gazed at the old man, who was smiling as he told the story, he wondered just what was it she wanted from him, back then...

"Well, what was it, Eli?"

"...Well, to put it in nicer terms, she wanted to procreate with me. She wanted me to help her have a child. And he..."

Eli clapped the young echidna/vampire on the shoulder, who then hugged him.

"...is the result. And apperently all she had to do is lightly bite someone, and she obtains their DNA, so she created more children from doing that...he is the only one who was made...the old-fashioned way, I guess.."

The young echidna, walked up towards his brother, and he smiled slightly. He spoke in a measured voice, sounding like a younger Eli, with a clipped tone in it.

"Well, we were both made the old-fashioned way, Father."

The Skunk blushed slightly, and he hit the echidna on the shoulder. Then he went over and bowed in front of the king, and so did the echidna.

"Your majesty...our mother died giving us life. She gave us enough energy and she is gone now...she sent us to come here, to live with you, and to help you with whatever you needed. We shall live in the castle, though, for we do not want to burden you too much... And we would have our Guardian, with us; when he gets better, of course. What is it you wish us to do for you, Maximillion?"

Max stood there, and the young squirrel, which resembled Sally came up beside the skunk and the echidna, and she smiled at Max, as so did the young hedgehogs, both blue and black/red, then others, who resembled all of the Freedom Fighters, came up and then knelt in front of the king, then there was one who caught Max's eye...she was a small one, in the back, who was having trouble walking up to where her older siblings were. Max tapped the echidna's shoulder.

"Who is she taking after?"

He pointed towards the small girl in the back, the older brother went and scooped her up, and carried her towards the front. She resembled the vampire herself; she resembled Sara.

"She was the last born, Mother didn't have any extra DNA, so she is solely like Mother...which isn't good for a vampire...she is weak, and unable to fly, 'Sally' carried her here from the castle."

"'Sally'? Who is that?"

The echidna male, he gestured towards the sister who looked like Sally, in fact who even seemed to act like her. Her blue eyes were tinged with red, as were all the children's, and her hair was a little more wild, and her body a little more voluptous then Sally's. She smiled, sweetly, and bowed to the King, and then to Sally.

"It's a bit easier if we name ourselves after our DNA providers, wouldn't you think so, Sally?"

Sally smiled, uneasily, then nodded sharply back, not saying another word. 'Geoffrey' held 'Sara' who was very sick now, and her wings fluttered feebly, as if she was dying. 'Eli' knelt towards the King, and he nodded sharply to the other children who then took flight.

"We'll be in Castle Hellan, should you need us, your majesty...we are always at your beck and call."

The children then took flight, after 'Geoffrey' hugged his 'Father'...

"Thank you, Father for being there, for Mother...I am in your debt, as are the rest of us. Thank you."

He saluted Geoffrey, and then he flew off with the other children. Towards the castle in the distance, where it is always darkened, and cold...but it is always forgiving for the Mobians, and their kin.

Christy stared up at her father, having not said a word during this entire time. Her eyes were so large and lurid as well...she looked to be scared out of her head now.

"Daddy? What the hell was that about?"

Geoffrey laughed right out loud, and picked Christy up, and hauled her on his shoulder, then he carried her into the house, and plunked her down on the bed.

"That was an old friend's children, Christy...they came to thank us."

"Okay...why did one of them look like YOU then?"

He looked nervous right then, and he gulped deeply then kissed Christy on the cheek.

"...Um, ask your mother about that, Christy."

He stood up, and got dressed to go to work later that night, and he went in early as well. He saw his 'son' hovering near the outpost, watching him clock in for work. Then 'Geoffrey' flew off towards the castle with a deep screech, he told his breathern that all was well in Knothole, for that night...

"We shall watch them forever, and take care of them; when no one else wishes too, right my siblings!"

"RIGHT!"

All 19 of Sara Hellan's children gazed out from the outcropping of rock, towards the glimmer of Knothole, the place their Mother wanted to descreate, but found it in her heart, to save it...for all of her children to keep...

"...For ourselves."

'Eli' smiled wickedly, and then nearly all of them dove upon the countryside, drinking from the cows and sheep in the field, biding their time...till it was right...

THE END