“Looking good, kiddo.”

 

Melinda finished adjusting Miles’ tie and gently straightened his suit coat, making sure to double check that all the buttons on his shirt were lined up properly.

 

“I still think it might look better if you actually wore pants, though.” Melinda teased.

 

“Thanks, mom.” Miles smiled nervously, “I barely wear even normal clothes, let alone complicated stuff like this so I don’t really know about ties and stuff”

 

“No problem, It’s what I’m here for,” she smiled back.

 

“You look nice, to,” Miles smiled wider, “your hair looks nice braided like that”

 

“Thanks, kiddo,” Melinda reached out and gently brushed around the fur on his head in an attempt to neaten it.

 

Her clothing was nothing fancy or extravagant, but she had found a nice pair of dark blue jeans and a dark blue flannel she wore over a black undershirt. A small gold cross hung around neck.

 

She noticed Miles looking down curiously at her left hand and and playfully wiggled her fingers, “Don’t tell me the missing finger still bothers you, it happened like two years ago.”

 

“No, I was just wondering how you’d explain your sister missing her left pinkie just like you, unless being that clumsy runs in the family.” Miles said, obviously thinking hard

 

“Think I could pass it off as some kind of genetic deformity we both share?” Melinda asked.

 

“Maybe, I dunno,” Miles replied.

 

“I guess we’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.” Melinda said.

 

Small footsteps hurried down the stairs, attracting Melinda's attention as well as Miles gaze to the source of the sound as Cream stepped off the stairs.

 

The girl wore a short-sleeved, dark red dress that reached her feet with a sash tied around the waist.

 

“You look very pretty,” Melinda said.

 

“Thanks, Aunt Mel,” Cream hurried over.

 

“Yeah, you look nice.” Miles smiled.

 

“Thanks, Tails,” Cream giggled, “You two also look really nice. I like you’d hair braided up like that, Aunt Mel.”

 

“Thanks, honey.” Melinda smiled warmly.

 

“and Tails, you look nice in that suit.” Cream smiled.

 

“Thanks, Cream.” Miles nervously rubbed the back of his head and laughed.

 

“So, is everyone ready to go?” Melinda asked as she stood up.

 

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Miles took a deep breath

 

“As long as you’re there, I’ll be fine,” Cream said

 

“Then I guess it’s time to go bury myself, symbolically speaking,” Melinda took a deep breath and reached out for Cream’s hand.

 

“File that under things I never thought I’d hear someone say,” Miles said.

 

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The three stood on the steps of the funeral home and Melinda looked up at the doors, pondering the how darkly humorous the idea of walking into her funeral was. “Melessa” was going to have to put on a hell of an act to get through one.

 

“This is kind of strange,” Cream said

 

“I know, but we’re gonna get through it and everything will sorta go back to normal,” Melinda knelt down and put a hand on Cream’s shoulder.

 

“”Yeah, I’m the one has to deal with an awkward conversation at dinner tonight,” Miles gave an uneasy smile and mimicked half a conversation, “So, mom. Your funeral was really nice today.”

 

“It’s still kind of scary though, even if it’s just sort of like pretend,” Cream gave a small smile.

 

 

 

“The seating is arranged so you’re going to be right between your mother and me, and Miles is going to be on the other side between me and Kai, so I’ll be right there if either of you you need me.” Melinda gave a sly smile, “Sonic is even right behind Miles and I stuck Amy next to him.”

 

“Poor Mr. Sonic,” Cream giggled

 

“Hey, Amy needs someone to cry all over when she gets emotional, right?” Melinda winked, “maybe it’ll be a bonding experience for them.”

 

“Oh man, he’s going to get you back good for that one,” Miles laughed.

 

“I have to remind him I still care somehow,” she winked, “Oh and one last thing: everyone remember how we talked about calling me Melessa in front of people that don’t know?”

 

Both children nodded.

 

“Oh, and one other last thing. I’m going to have to put on a show to really sell this, so just play along no matter how weird I have to act.”

 

“Okay, it REALLY makes me nervous when you say things like that.” Miles said as the three walked inside.

 

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Melinda smiled when she noticed the preacher pacing back and forth in front of the casket. It was a young hedgehog standing around 4ft tall with his long, charcoal quills tied into a ponytail and flowing down his back. He smiled as his yellow eyes locked onto her.

 

“I see you’ve all come early enough to make the last minute preparations before anyone else arrives,” he said, “My name is Jonathan McCall. I admit I’m a little nervous because I’ve never handled this sort of thing before.”

 

“I’m sure you do fine,” Melinda assured him, “It’s just like any other funeral. Well, aside from the fact I’m in the audience instead of the casket.”

 

“I guess I’m just nervous because this was all sprung on me so suddenly when I’ve never so much as met an immortal face-to-face before.”

 

“Well now you have, so relax,” she patted him on the back, making him jump.

 

“Aunt Mel, how does he know about you?” Cream asked.

 

“Well, sweetie,” John gathered himself as he spoke, “Since the church is meant to be a sanctuary to everyone, and especially to immortals it’s not uncommon for us to know about them and offer help with things like this.”

 

“Is that why Mr Kai lives in a church?” Cream asked innocently.

 

“Yes, since immortals can’t fight on holy ground it’s common for really peaceful types like him to live in places like old churches,” John smiled.

 

“That sounds nice,” Cream smiled.

 

“Is everything ready?” Melinda asked, getting John’s attention.

 

“I believe so, I didn’t know if all the pallbearers were in on it so I had them stick a weighted dummy in there,” he carefully opened the lid, revealing a rough mobian analog made of cloth and stuffed with sand, “I assume you’ve informed everyone it’s a closed casket?”

 

“Yes, that was a given when there’s not actually a body,” Melinda answered, “and everyone handling the casket knows, so we’re fine with or without the dummy.”

 

“Good, that means we’re in the clear,” John let out a sigh of relief, “Is there anything else?”

 

“Nope, we just need to set up the photo board,” Melinda said.

 

“Great, then I’ll just finish planning,” John smiled and walked over to a pile of papers laid out on his pulpit.

 

The bulletin board was balanced on a tripod next to the the casket and Melinda carefully removed it, admiring the aluminum frame and matte-black coating on the surface. It was just the sort of simple yet elegant design she liked. She turned and gently placed it on top of a chair and motioned Miles and Cream over.

 

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” she said, “Just like looking through the picture album.”

 

“That sounds fun,” Cream said.

 

Melinda opened the padded enveloped she had been carrying and pulled out a stack of photos. On the bottom was a 8x10 of her and Miles smiling and hugging each other and on top was a uniform stack of smaller, 4x6 shots. She produced a thumb-tack from her pocket and pinned the large photo to the center of the board.

 

“That’s a really nice picture,” Cream said, “You both look really happy.”

 

“We took this on his birthday last year,” she nudged Miles, “Remember that?”

 

“Of course, you had to go to the bakery in town at the last minute because you tried to bake a cake yourself,” Miles giggled.

 

“I guess I should ask Val to teach me how to bake without making charcoal,” Melinda.said, “Won’t I, Cream?” She nudged the girl.

 

“That sounds like a lot of fun, maybe we can teach Tails, to.” Cream smiled.

 

“Uh, Maybe,” Miles blushed.

 

“We’ll just to have to make sure we have a fire extinguisher,” Melinda laughed and slapped Miles on the back, “But for now, how about we see what else is here, shall we?”

 

The top picture on the stack was one of Melinda sitting on the ground with a confused expression as Cream placed a flower crown on her head.

 

“Hey, that was right after we all became friends!” Cream said excitedly

 

“That’s right, you hung out with me while Sonic and Miles were saving your mom and we became friends. You snuck off to make it while everyone was celebrating afterward,” Melinda pinned the photo to the board.

 

“I’m glad we all met, I guess sometimes when a bad thing happens a good thing can also come out of it,” Cream smiled.

 

“Every cloud has a silver lining, right?” Melinda asked.

 

Cream nodded in agreement and looked down at the next picture, giggling.

 

“This one is actually from a camping trip,” Melinda couldn’t help but laugh as well

 

It was Kai with his long hair untied and falling over his bare shoulders, the top of a blanket barely visible. He had a goofy smile plastered on his face, and his arm was around a younger Miles who was barely holding back laughter.

 

“I’ve never seen him without his hair braided, it’s actually really pretty,” Cream said.

 

“He fell into the river and got soaked so he let it down to dry. Miles hadn’t seen him like that either and had the same reaction. It’s why they're both laughing,” Melinda pinned that one to the board as well, followed by the next of Miles and Kai holding up a large fish right next to it.

 

“Awwww, these bring back memories,” Melinda held up two photos of her and Kai respectively, each holding Miles when he was a baby, “These were taken right after I found him and we finally managed to get the adoption to go through when they realized there was no family to claim him.”

 

“Tails was a cute little baby,” Cream smiled

 

“Funny story about the night I found him. Since it was raining and he was soaked I didn’t notice his little gift in my haste to get him home,” Melinda laughed as she thought about that night, “Kai was getting him dried off and bundled up while I put on dry clothes and all the of the sudden I heard “that’s something new” from the other room.”

 

“Did he find my second tail?” Miles asked.

 

“Sure enough, I finally came in and the first thing he did was ask me to count them to make sure he wasn’t seeing double because neither of us had seen someone born with an extra before,” Melinda ruffled the fur on his head, “I guess that makes you extra special if you managed to surprise people with nearly 1500 years of combined experience.”

 

“I guess, I’m glad I learned to be proud of it.” Miles smiled.

 

“Speaking of that,” The next picture was of him using his tails to hover off the ground with Kai watching in open-mouthed shock, “Glad I had the camera when I thought to ask you show your Uncle Kai that trick after you terrorized the house with it for a couple weeks.”

 

“Yeah, but looks like he got back at you in the next one.” Miles smirked at the next picture of her digging a trench with her heels as he happily tried to fly while gripping his mom’s wrists.

 

“He just had to see if you could lift me and even managed to get a hold of the camera,” Melinda shook her head.

 

“How old are you guys, again?” Miles laughed.

 

“In my defense, I likely still have the brain chemistry of a 19 year old to match my body. No idea what his excuse is,” Melinda smirked, “of course, you could ask yourself.”

 

“That may be true, but from a different perspective I might as well be a pup compared to you,” a familiar voice said.

 

Melinda quickly looked up as Kai put a hand on her shoulder, “Are you calling me old?” she playfully glared at him.

 

“Hello, Mr Kai.” Cream said happily.

 

“Hello,” Kai smiled and waved before turning back to Melinda.

 

“I’m only saying that my birth year actually has four numbers and that you’ve seen three millenniums to my two,” he smiled and crouched down next to Miles.

 

“Whatever, “old man”,” Melinda said a sly smirk.

 

Kai shook his head and laughed as he turned his attention to Miles and the photos, “Remember this?” he pointed to the picture with the fish, “I remember sitting on the ground holding on to you so it wouldn’t pull you in.”

 

“It was the first fish I ever caught and we made a trophy out of it, it’s still hanging up at home,” MIles laughed, “I think it’s still bigger than I am.”

 

Miles smiled for a moment before quickly hugging Kai, “I’m sorry I acted the way I did the other night, I was just scared and didn’t know what to do.”

 

“It’s okay,” Kai hugged him back, “I just want you to know that I’m always here for you and that you can talk to me about anything, okay?”

 

“Okay, and it would also be cool if we spent more time together,” Miles said as they broke apart.

 

“I think we can work something out,” Kai said.

 

Melinda supressed a giggle, not only at how cute the scene was but at the quick wink Kai gave her as he spoke. The two of them had already starting planning the surprise camping trip he had suggested what seemed like an eternity ago before tragedy almost struck.

 

“I hope so, we don’t spend enough time together anymore,” Miles smiled, “I guess I’ve been to busy helping Sonic.”

 

“Being a hero is a big job,” Kai smiled, “Have you been doing okay?”

 

“Yeah, even if this whole thing just feels weird and makes me a little nervous.” Miles fiddled with one of his tails.

 

“It is strange and I can understand it being a little upsetting to be at your mother’s funeral, but since she’s still with us I’m sure we’ll get through it, “Kai said, “and you’ll be right between us if you need something.”

 

“I know, and that does make me feel a little better,” Miles gave a small smile.

 

“Good,it helps to stay optimistic” Kai looked over Miles’ shoulder at Cream, “Have you been doing okay?”

 

“Yes, my mother even let me sleep over with Tails and Aunt Mel last night so we could all get ready together and talk about it,” Cream smiled, “It was fun.”

 

“I’m glad everything turned out okay,” Kai smiled, “and just as I told Miles: I’m here if you need anything.”

 

“Thank you, it’s nice that everyone is becoming better friends now,” Cream smiled back.

 

“I’m always happy to help people,” Kai looked up at Melinda, “I guess that rubbed off on me from my teacher.”

 

Melinda merely smiled and laughed at the idea that there was a time it was him needing her guidance when he had been her shoulder to lean on for so many years. Still though, she was happy to have passed her moral code down to him and proud of the man he had grown into.

 

“Glad I actually taught you something, “ she said, looking down at the next picture in her hand and smiling. It was simply something akin to a family portrait with her and Kai crowded together and him holding Miles so he could get in the shot. She quickly pinned it to the board.

 

“Hey, Cream, take a look at this one,” Melinda held up a selfie of herself with a huge grin, pulling a confused looking Vanilla in close, “I took it on her Birthday last year.”

 

“Oh my,” Cream giggled, “That happened when you trying to explain to her what a selfie was.”

 

“It was fun, wasn’t it?” Melinda stuck the picture on the board.

 

The four were interrupted by front door opening and footsteps accompanying voices, voices that Melinda immediately recognized as that of Sonic and Amy.

 

“This kind of gives me the creeps,” Sonic said, “I’m not used to attending a funeral where the guest of honor is still alive.”

 

“Yes, but the public doesn’t know that and it would weird to them if Tails didn’t have a funeral or gravesite for his own mother.” Amy said as the two entered the room, “I’m sure people have already seen them together and the tabloids will be all over it soon even without that kind of intrigue to cling to.”

 

“That’s why I just tell everyone else I’m my own sister,” Melinda said, smiling at Amy.

 

“That reminds me, I’m never going to get used to the new name,” Sonic said.

 

“If you really want a mindscrew, remember that Melissa is my birth name and Melinda is the new one,” she smirked, “So you’ve all known me by an alias this whole time”

 

“On that note, I’m gonna guess you share more than a name with the ancestor Espio mentioned,” Sonic said.

 

“Maybe,” Melinda gave a sly smile, “There might be a story I get around to telling later when this is over”

 

“I’ll hold you to it,” Sonic laughed, “So, I see you raided the family album. Any pictures of me?”

 

“Sonic, will that ego of yours ever shrink?” Amy asked.

 

“I hope not, it’s my best feature,” he smirked

 

“Actually, I do have some of both of you.” Melinda said, holding out two pictures.

 

The first was a picture of Sonic and Tails smiling and laughing as Melinda crouched down behind them pulled them both into a hug.

 

“That one is from Sonic’s last birthday,” Miles said.

 

“You gave him the his wrist communicator as a gift,” Melinda added, “You rigged one into my cellphone later.”

 

The second photo was taken outside the fitting room in a store. It was of Amy in a Scottish-style dress with a white top and red-plaid skirt. Melinda was seated on a bench next to her helping adjust the belt wrapped around her waist. Both of them were smiling.

 

“That’s when we went shopping a few months ago,” Amy smiled, ”I still love that dress, it’s why I wore it today”

 

“It looks really good on you,” Melinda carefully attached the last two pictures to the board and scratched her head, “You know, I kind of wish we had some pictures of me and Knuckles, but I guess he’s just camera shy.”

 

“Maybe he still believes camera’s steal your soul or something,” Sonic laughed.

 

“Maybe,” Melinda let out a sigh, “I guess there’s nothing left now but to hang this up and wait for everyone else to show.”