Shadow and Berban walk down the hall of Cream's school. "I think that went well..." Berban told Shadow. The dark hedgehog only grumbles, at the experience of dealing with students.

        "I don't see why command thought I would need a advisor for giving a seminar.?" Shadow mumbles."  The two walk out of the building and down twords the parking lot, when Shadow spots a familiar bat. "Rouge? What are you doing here?"

        She looks up from the boxes she is carrying and sees the two. "Oh, hey Shadow. How was the career day?" She asked.

      Berban jumped into the conversation. "He was fine. So, you want any help with those boxes?" He asked. Rouge hands over the two large boxes to the Rabbit. 

        "So, what are you doing here?" Shadow asked again. "I volunteered to help set the gym up for the school's trick or treat night." Just then a little rabbit ran up to the three of them. "Ms. Rouge, hurry we need more decorations, and Ms. Amy needs more paints." The rabbit stops when she sees Shadow, and a rabbit she has never meet before. "Mr. Shadow!" She greets the dark hedgehog. The little rabbit holds her hand up to shake the stranger's, "Hellow, my names Cream t. Rabbit."

        Berban is stunned for a moment as he looks at her. He then smiles warmly and reaches his hand down, to shake hers. "Names Berban J. Rabbit, too."

        "Well, I'm out of here. See you Monday, Rouge." Shadow waves back as he leaves.

        Rouge tries to ketch him, "HEY! Your not going to stay and help?!?" But he was already gone. "Considering that I am already carrying your supplies. Do you mind if I stayed and helped? I got nothing else today."

~Later...

        Rouge flies the banner up over the doors, while Amy leveled it. "Okay, right... there." The pink hedgehog tells her. The gym was really coming together, sure Halloween isn't for another week or so, but they may have this done by the weekend. Amy smiles warmly at the sight of the children coloring and decorating. Her eyes stay however on Cream who is laying on her stomach next to Agent Berban, as they colored together. However, her warm smile turned into one of concern. "Hey, Rouge." 

        "What is it hun?" Rouge answered, as her heels clicked agents the gyms floor.

         "Is it just me? Or does Cream look like, Agent Berban?" The pink hedgehog asked, putting a hand on her hip as she examined the two rabbits from afar.

         Rouge who is now curious takes a closer look at the two rabbits. "There's not much to go off of. Cream does take after Vanilla though, they DO share the same pattern on their ears." Just then Cream and Berban started laughing about something, and they both have the same laugh. Amy and Rouge were now storming up questions...

        "Afternoon, Amy. Rouge. How is the preparations going?" Vanilla the Rabbit asked. The two snap out of their trance. "Oh, hey Vanilla." Amy greeted.

        Berban grabs a yellow marker. "... and I'm going to color this part with my favorite color, yellow." He tells the young rabbit.  Cream smiles at him, "Yellow's my favorite color, too." At first she wasn't too sure about him, but Ms. Rouge and Mr. Shadow friended him, and she found it very easy to talk to him like he was family. They laugh about the sillyness, until someone's shadow came up behind them. Cream looks up to see her mother. "Mom." She gets up and gives her a hug.

        "Hello dear." Vanilla hugs her daughter. Cream then introduces Agent Berban to her mother. Vanilla just stairs at the slightly taller rabbit, and he looks at her. "Go ahead to Mr. Vector's car Cream. I want to talk to Berban for a moment." Vanilla tells her. Cream obeys and leaves...

        Berban begins their conversation, " 'V, I " Vanilla snaps at him, "Don't you call me like that. You lost the right to use that nickname." She was crossed with Berban. 

        "Look I understand that you still hate me, but it's been 7 years. For heaven sakes V- Vanilla, she doesn't even know who I am. Don't I have a right to be in her life? After all I'm her... I'm family." Berban pleaded.

          Vanilla softens her gaze, before she turns away from him. "I know it's been 7 years, but I'm still not over him. Please, stay away from my daughter, I just don't want her fallowing her father's path." 

        Amy fallows Vanilla, after she leaves the gym. As she past Rouge could see the pain on her face after talking to Berban. Rouge turns around in time to see Berban walk thru the back doors. She fallows after him. He stands over the railing as his hand rubs around his jaw.  She couldn't see his face, but she knew he wasn't alright from his shaky breaths. "Berban?" She calls softly.

        He takes a deep breath to calm himself, before turning around to face her. "Oh, hey Agent Rouge. Just needed some fresh air." He tells her, gripping the rail.

~~~

        Shadow relaxes in Team Dark's office, eating his coffee beans in peace. When Rouge walks in she paces back and forth until it started to annoy him. "Will you sit down." He ordered. 

        "Well- sooorrryyy, Mr. Grumpy." She spat back, "I can't help it, that I'm worried about Cream." She tells him annoyed also.

        The dark hedgehog quickly straitens up, hearing that something may be wrong with Cream. Both Rouge and Shadow have a soft spot for children, and Cream is close to them. "What's happened to, Cream." He asked worried.

       Rouge realizes how she worried him. "Nothing, yet. Sorry for jumping the gun... I'm just worried that she'll get caught up in-between Vanilla and Berban. After you left, when Vanilla came to pick Cream up, she and Berban had some words that didn't end well." She sits down across from him in a chair. "I then went to ask, about what happened, with Berban and-"

        "And he told you not to pry into their past.?" Shadow finished for her.

      "In a few more words, but pretty much." She sighs. "All he told me, that it was a family matter, and I should just stay out of it..."

       "You're thinking, he's Creams father.? Well, he's not." Shadow tells her, as he takes another hand full of coffee beans. "How do you know that?!?" The white bat asks. Nonchalantly he tells her, "I asked him and he said "no", but he is related... He's, her uncle." Rouge explodes in astoundment, "Berban's, Vanilla's Brother!?!"  Shadow holds his ears, as she screams out. 

        "-her Brother-in-Law." He corrects, rubbing his ear. 

        Rouge starts writing things down on a note pad. "So, if he's the brother-in-law. What happened between her and Vanilla?" 

        Shadow rubs his face as he growls. "I'm only telling you, because I know you will keep pushing... Berban, Vanilla, and Cream's Father were members of a early Resistance team, calling themselves "The Rough Riders". "She writes down the information, "Is there two "d's" in Riders?"

         He leans closer over his desk. "Rouge, listen." The bat looks up from the page of notes she just took, to see a very serious hedgehog. "Leave this alone. What is going on between Vanilla and Berban is something only the two of them can lay to rest."

~

       "Oh~ Cream. You look so beautiful~." Rouge cooed the little rabbit in a princess dress. Vanilla sets the bowl down next to the door. "Thank you, again for taking Cream out tonight." Vanilla thanked.

        "It's no problem, Vanilla." Amy told her. Rouge puts away her phone, after reading a message. She walks over to Vanilla and takes her around the corner to talk, "First, don't get mad at me, and we all love you. Second, since you were going to spend the night her alone, mostly, I messaged someone to come and keep you company." The bat tells her.

       Vanilla smiles. "Thank you, dear." They hear a knock at the door, followed by Cream yelling, "I got it!" Rouge smiles nervously, "This is the reason I told you not to get mad." Around the corner they could hear Cream happily greeting, "Hellow, Mr. Berban."

       Vanilla gives Rouge a cold glare. Rouge quickly grabs her coat, "I don't know what happened, but he's family. I want you two to at least talk it out, if not for me then, for Cream. Doesn't she have a choice to know her family?"

        "Bey, Mother." Cream waved goodbye as the two others joined her. Vanilla calls out to her to be safe, and that she'll be here when she gets home. 

         The 20's rabbit closes the door. She walks into the living room where Berban is sitting in a chair. "We both know you don't want me here, so I'll just go."

        "Why were you at Cream's school?" She asked. 

        "GUN wanted someone to go with Shadow to talk to the high-schoolers for career day." Berban tells her. He runs a hand thru his brown hair. "I think your friend has the right idea... let's talk."  She looks up at him. "Let's talk about what happend to my brother."

        "NO. No, no. We are not going to talk about James... I've put that to rest." Vanilla tells him.

        "No, you haven't 'V. You only pushed it to the side." Berban tells her. 

        Vanilla runs up and pushes into his chest. "DON'T You CALL me THat... NOT AFTER... not after you got James killed..." Vanilla starts tearing up, and slowly starts crying.

        "Do you really think I wanted James to...?" Berban starts tearing up as his own voice began to crack. "It took me years to except, thAt I couldn't do anything to save him... Every day since I've been doing what I can, saving people, Ike he done that day." His hands start to shake a little. "... and I know you hate me, but you and Cream are the only family I have left in this world, after the war."

        She holds his jacket, as her hands rest on his shoulders. "I don't hate you... I hate knowing I could not stop James, from being James. It was always one more rescue mission, or a sabotage mission after another... and NO matter how much I loved him I know he would have done the same thing." Vanilla hugs her brother-in-law, "I'm just scared, Berban... I don't want Cream ending up like her father* sob* dying alone somewhere under rubble."

       Burban wraps his arms around her and they both squeeze eachother, for comfort. "That will never happen, Vanilla." ........

~Hours later...

        Cream skipped along down the sidewalk, her bag full of candy. Cheese hovered over her, eating a candy bar. Rouge and Amy fallowed close behind her, while they talked.

        "How do you think it went with, Vanilla?" Amy asked, her. She looks down to Vanilla's house, worried. 

       "well... it's been nice knowing you..." The bat said, nervously.

       Cream walks in through the door, hanging her coat up. "Mother, were home!" The rabbit called. Vanilla, calls back, "Welcome home, Cream. We're in here."

       Amy looks at Rouge with a smile, "She said, "we", that's a good sign... I think?" The two decided to wait around the corner to give them some talking room.

       Cream greets Berban, and shows them the bag of candy. She then asked why their eyes were so red. Vanilla stands behind her daughter, hugging her from behind, "Cream, there is someone I want to introduce to you." Berban gets down on a knee, so that he is eye level with Cream. She smiles at him, "Mother, I already meet Agent. Berban.?" She asked curiously. Vanilla and Burban chuckle slightly. 

        "Yes, Dear... Now I want to introduce you to your, Uncle Berban." Vanilla tells her sweetly. Cream looks back at Berban with shock and disbelief on her face. He smiles at his niece, and  extends his hand, "Hey, Cream. I'm your father's brother. Your Uncle Ber- *Ooofff*" Cream couldn't contain her excitement as she tackled her Uncle to the ground, in a hug. 

(Yes I know this took a while to publish. I only had a lot a good notes, and I just needed to organize them. It was too good to leave alone.)