Sonic: REMgaged

Chapter 3

The next morning, Alex was up and dressed in the clothes she'd worn for their date on Friday evening. It was Sunday and she and Patrick needed to return to campus, as they had classes the following day. Patrick had found some more of his clothes boxed away in his old bedroom and decided that he'd simply take some with him in a duffle bag. He felt a little silly dressing in a striped button-down over an old T-shirt and a pair of jeans while Alex was wearing her super-cute date clothes. Maybe he should have worn something nicer.

"Okay," said Alex, checking the fridge and kitchen cabinets one more time. "I think you guys have enough food to last you the week. We'll be back on the weekend to check on you. Is there anything else...?" She glanced at Patrick questioningly, then looked back at Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. "Will you guys be okay without me here?" she asked.

Oddly enough, despite her concerns and her question, she was the one who didn't look all that okay. There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked more tired than usual.

Knuckles waved off her concerns. "It's not a problem. Stay out of the main house. Watch for the cleaning woman. Protect the property from danger. Got it!"

Patrick arched a brow. "Wait... what was that third thing?"

"I don't think it's us that you should be worried about," Sonic cut in. "What about you, Alex? Are you alright? You look like you haven't slept a wink."

"Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry."

She didn't sound convincing.

"I wonder," said Sonic, crossing his arms, "And also... I don't know if I like the idea of you going off where I can't keep an eye on you."

"You're worrying too much," said Knuckles. "She's got a Master Emerald shard. She's practically invisible."

Sonic shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I should go with you guys."

"Knuckles is right," said Alex. "With the Master Emerald, I'm untraceable. And, while it's not that I'd mind your company, it would be too risky. Especially after what happened Friday night. So many people saw you. We brought you out here to get you away from the public eye. It's possible..." She hesitated, chewing her lip nervously before plunging on. "It's possible there may be some fallout from that. And if there is, it would be better if you weren't around, especially if we're going to maintain our cover that you guys were robots and got damaged... and scrapped."

Seeing Sonic still seemed uncertain, and maybe a little frustrated, Alex hunkered down in front of him and whispered in his ear. "Besides, you've got to look out for Tails, don't you? And if anyone might do something impulsive, it's Knuckles. You've gotta keep an eye on them, keep them out of trouble. Otherwise, I'll worry." She smiled as she held up her phone. "Besides... You've still got that phone I gave you, right? You can text me any time. And I can even call you and we can talk every night until I see you again. Okay?" She pecked him on the cheek. Flushing, Sonic touched the spot with his fingers. "Take care of everyone, Sonic. We'll see you this weekend, okay?"

Knuckles raised a hand in farewell. "See you. And don't worry about us. I'll keep an eye on everything."

Out of Knuckles' view, Sonic rolled his eyes.

Alex glanced at the couch where Tails was still fast asleep, snoring away. She smiled softly at the young fox boy. "Let him know I said goodbye and that I'll see him later, all right?"

She ruffled Tails' fur affectionately. The fox made a contented sound in the back of his throat before rolling over and continuing to doze. Alex turned to Patrick.

"Okay. I think I'm ready to go. How about you?"

"Yeah. I'm good to go. We'll see you guys. And Knuckles, if you see a vehicle dropping anything off out front... just... leave it alone. Okay?"