A pair of unblinking, venomous green eyes peeked around the corner of the Family Room and the Corridor.

Seeing the coast was clear, Mephiles slipped around, silent as a shadow, untill he walked up to a door on the right; it was white, and made so as you pushed it, it would become literally half it's regular size.

The teal streaked hedgehog stood next to the door, not opening it. Instead, he pushed his ear to it, and tried to catch some of the conversation that was going on inside.

"... I'm sure he's fine." Said one voice. Mephiles recognized it immediatly as the she-hedgehog who had saved him from his near drowning.

"You just picked him up off the streets! How are you to know he's safe to have around?" The voice of her aoptive mother, a human by the name of Annie, argued.

"Mom, he's fine..." Rebecca sighed. "I've talked to him, and he's told me everything about himself. I felt like a stalker."

"Look at him, Rebecca! He melted! That is not natural! And he changed from that crystal monster into a regular hedgehog! Not normal!"

"Thats because he isn't natural!" Mephiles just managed to pick up her hiss. "He was created! Not born. He's a failed experiment."

"Exactly!" Annie continued. "He was failed. And I do not want him here! He could hurt, or kill one of us! Even I know enough about him to say he has committed murder. After all, you were the one who told me! He killed Sonic the Hedgehog. He killed a hero."

"So what!? He said he was sorry! Heck, he even apologised to Sonic himself, even though he couldn't remember a thing about Solaris because of the Time Paradox!" Rebecca growled. "And Sonic just stood there with a dumb-ass expression, then said 'Uhhh... You're forgiven?'!"

"He's a murderer!" Annie hissed.

"He's a friend." Rebecca countered. "And I don't just leave a friend out, alone!"

There was silence for a few seconds as Annie absorbed this new information.

"Does he have anywhere else to stay?"

"Heck no. You honestly think he has parents?"

Again, a few seconds silence.

"He has to pay rent." Annie laughed, aparently reassured.

"Thank you!" he heard Rebecca move towards the door, and his pupils contracted in fear as it began to open.

"Oh crap..." He muttered, barely audible, then sped off to where he was supposed to be; Rebecca's bedroom.

Quickly sitting down on her bed, only a second before she came in, he gave her a curious look, pretending he had not eavesdropped on her conversation.

She sat next to him with a huff, and smiled.

"So... What did she say?" He asked.

"You can stay here!" She said, giving him a hug. "I'm so glad she said yes! I didn't want to see you get thrown out! But if you were, I'd come too."

Mephiles looked at the girl who had entered his space bubble, wondering what his response should be. Thinking that she may be expecting a physical gesture to match hers, he put one arm around her shoulders in an awkward hug.

"I'm very thankful for all you have done for me." Mephiles said, lacking any emotion whatsoever, due to the fact he wasn't used to emotion, having had none but hate, anger and fear (for fear is a subtler form of anger) early in life.

"No problem, Meph. Im just glad you arn't gonna be dissapointed again." She smiled, refering to his less-than-happy introduction to the world.

"Still... Thank you."

He stroked a hand through her quills, subconsciously, not even realising what he was doing until she batted his hand away, and released him from her embrace.

"It's nothing, Meph. And anyway..." She grinned and winked. "... Just being able to put up with me for a day's already made up for anything I did."

"I find you rather amusing..." Mephiles stated, not really getting her joke.

She rolled her eyes, "Sure thing, Meph. Sure thing."

Mephiles felt an emotion rising within him; not hate or anger, fear or depression, but something he was unsure just what it was. But... It was nice. He liked it, it felt like a reward.

Happiness.