"That's it, Gimmie De Keys."
A Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction.
By: Taryn Wander'r (taryn_wanderr@hotmail.com)

*The Legal Lingo- Sonic and Tails property of Sega. Nina copyright Holly B-Kraft (not sure of the year and couldn't get in contact with her). Josh and Dale property of me. But I don't plan on writing any more of them, so it don't really matter. Tricky property of me. 'That's It, Gimmie De Keys' Copyright 1998 Taryn Wander'r. Thanks to the makers of 'King of the Hill' for the 'love' bit and the makers of 'Friends' for the 'huge breasts' bit. Thanks to (I think) Cantel for the "ing man' bit. Feel free to distribute this as you see fit, as long as you don't alter it in any way, claim it as your own, or make any money off it.* 
*Author's Note- Tricky is Tails' cousin-once-removed I'm going to introduce in my fanfics soon. The only thing you have to know about him in this is that when he was younger he had a drug overdose and nearly killed himself. This takes place eight years after where the comics are currently, but really has nothing to do with the actual comics or fanfics I plan to write- it's sort of a 'what if' story. Also, I don't know if the Floating Island  has a real defined legal drinking age, so the story I'm going with is that there is none. And I kinda rushed through this one, it's not as well written as people say my first one was. *blush* BTW, I don;t believe in saying 'the end'. Stop reading when you see my logo, the kitty- ^._.^*

There may be an itsy bitsy widdle bit of bad language and mature subject matter in this story (alcoholism)- reader discretion is advised. 

"THAT'S IT, GIMMIE DE KEYS"

        Dedicated to my crush, that bad @$$ juvenile delinquent whom I am inexplicably attracted to- was ruining your handsome face and costing your family hundreds in hospital bills worth the temporary high alcohol brings? 
        
'Cause the ol' black rum's gotta hold on me, like a dog wrapped round my leg, yes the ol' black rum's gotta hold on me will I live for another day?
				-Great Big Sea, Old Black Rum

So I said, "You want the money? Then come and get it 'cause I don't know where it is you baloney! You make me wanna..."...rah! *thunk*
				-Homer Simpson, when he's drunk.
Timeline- late August, 3243
___________________
Living the car commercial-
	"Echidnaopolis. Center of the universe. A bohemian haven for all those scarred and torn. Or something." Josh said into the vanity mirror. The eighteen year old black cat held up a camcorder bahind him, taping himself staring in at himself as the groundcar sped across the Floating Island.
	Tails glanced at him from the driver's seat. "Josh? What the hell are you talking about?"
	Josh laughed. "God damned if I knew." He flipped up the vanity and zoomed in on the city growing in the distant. "Ah. There she is,"
	"You really excited, ain'tcha?" Tails asked, turning up the CD player; the car almost shaking from the beats of the loud new school techno he had this weird thing for.
	"Hell, yeah," Josh turned off the camcorder and rolled down his window. "I've been waitin' for this since the Annihilator went off,"
	"You're kidding," Tails said. "I was more interested in getting much needed sleep,"
	"And that was all?" 
	"Probably not. I can't remember,"
	Josh grinned and reached over Tails to roll down his window. He turned up the stereo even louder. "Good part here," He said, and the techno went into a couple of bars that left you craving more. He and Tails started banging their heads, hands off the wheel, headfur whipping in the wind blowing past them at a bijillion miles an hour.
	The 'computer noise' awoke Nina, who had so far been enjoying a dream about a certain boyfriend in the backseat. "Mmm," She said, rather annoyed, and sat up rubbing her face. She punched Tails in the shoulder. "Eyes on the road," 
	"Ah?" Tails asked, then turned his attention outside. He muttered something unprintable, and got in control of the groundcar again. Not without barely missing a hitchhiker, though.
	Tails kicked at the brakes, and since not one of the three was wearing a seat belt, they all almost successfully stood up and hit their heads, resulting in a single syllable from each of them- "Ow."
	Nina sighed and opened the door, not even noticing the hitchhiker. "That's it. Gimmie de keys,"
	"What? We agreed I'd drive us the rest of the way!" Tails got out of the car, too, and he and Nina stood in front of it. To the hitchhiker they must've looked weird; two mainlanders fighting over control of the car, both young and well dressed, probably connected with the mainland government somehow, and definitely trying to find their way to Echidnaopolis. 
	Josh leaned out his window and squinted in the sunlight at the hitchhiker. "Hey, dude," He said. He nodded at the guitar case lying next to the hitchhiker. "You selling? How much?"
	The hitchhiker looked at him funny.
	"Ah, see, it's 'cause me and Tails play instrumental, but I had to leave my own behind 'cause a HIS drum set," Josh nodded his head to the rear of the car, behind the back seat, where a bunch of drums were jammed in. He managed to do this while slipping sunglasses onto his face and popping a lollipop in his mouth. 
	The hitchhiker was just noticing now that Tails did in fact have two tails, and he and the girl he was fighting with were now kissing madly on the hood of the car. Josh glanced at them and back at the hitchhiker. "So how much?"
	The hitchhiker stared at him again and thought to himself 'what the hell'. 
	And he walked off a richer echidna for it.
	Josh grinned and slid the guitar under the backseat, then went out and watched Tails and Nina for a few minutes, toying with the lollipop with his tongue. "So," He said around it after a moment. "Who's driving?"
	Nina stood up, smiling, and took Tails' hand. "You," She said wickedly, and pulled Tails into the backseat. Tails turned for a split second and gave a delighted, childish grin to Josh, who smirked back. 
	"Just don't hurt my guitar," He said, stepping into the driver's seat. "Hey, you guys wanna stop for some ice cream?"
____________________
Nothing particularily interesting happened for a while, then-
	Nina stepped out of her bedroom, wearing a thin shirt and boxers. 
	"Cool," Josh and Tails' new best friend Dale commented. "Girl roommate"
	Nina stopped in front of the fridge, grabbed a small bottle of milk, and turned to wink at Dale. He laughed stupidly.
	Josh, who was trying to do some psych work at a small desk, made a sound dangerously close to 'arg' and spun around to face Dale. "Would you PLEASE shut up?" He didn't even sound mean, he sounded pathetic.
	Dale pretended to look hurt. "Does...does this mean you don't want me around anymore? That...that you want to be alone with your best friend Tails who you love so much?"
	Josh sighed. "Yes, Dale, I love Tails, and if this roomie thing turns out good I hope to marry him and live in this apartment forever. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
	Dale couldn't help it. The seventeen year old purple-blue echidna started laughing raucously.
	Tails, currently on the apartment's tiny little plank of a balcony with Sonic, who was visiting, grinned. "And these are the people I live with,"
	Dale stood up and came to the doorway to the balcony. "Hey!" He said to Sonic. "Is it true you can run faster than the speed of sound?" 
	Now, amazingly enough, in the eight years that had passed, Sonic had sort of outgrown his macho cool exterior and actually acted like a normal guy. "Why, yes, yes it is,"
	Dale grinned stupidly again. "That ROCKS!" He cried before Tails calmly closed the glass door on him. "Okay, okay!" Dale said obnoxiously before turning away. "Ya big freak of nature," He muttered.
	Tails grinned again, and leaned against the railing of the balcony. Sonic was turned away, facing the city. "So, what'cha think?"
	Sonic smirked. "It's great." Even as he said that, there was a trace of melancholy in his voice. Tails cocked his head. "You learning...stuff?" Sonic asked, for no truly explained reason.
	"Well, yeah," Tails shifted uncomfortably. "I got the history and physics and engineering and computer technology, and there's this one Prof who always tells you this really interesting...stuff. You'd be amazed how many chemicals are in a single tear, you really would,"
	Sonic smirked sadly. "You enjoying yourself?"
	"Of course..."
	Sonic nodded, his eyes still not meeting Tails', focused on a faraway building. "Just don't do anything stupid,"
	"What?"
	"There a time and a place for everything, and it's called University,"
	"You never even went to University, what are you talking about?"
	Sonic smiled sadly again, and turned. "So you share a room with Nina?"
	"Yeah. Do you have a problem with that?"
	"No. I trust you." He was silent.
	Tails leaned in to Sonic. "Just...don't tell Aunt Sally," He whispered. "Cause she'll freak out,"
	Sonic almost smiled, but at the sound of Sally's name his face sort of darkened. 
	"Sonic...what's wrong?"
	Sonic sighed and looked thoughtful for a minute. "I've...been thinking of asking Sally to marry for some time now," 
	Tails grinned. "Alright for it, man! Go for it!" He thumped his idol on the back.
	Sonic grinned, but it was still sad. "It's just....she's all....busy and important now. And I don't think her father wants us together,"
	Tails furrowed his brow. 
	"And...what if we can't? My," He sighed and closed his eyes. "I was younger than you when I did what I was put on this planet to do. Twenty three and my life is already over. And if I can't marry her...then my life really IS over. There's nothing left."
	Tails wanted to say something, he really did, but what do you say in a moment like this?
	"That's why I want you to be okay here. Because like this....your life is just beginning," He looked up at Tails. "Don't waste it like I did,"
	Tails looked up at Sonic with a confused look. "You didn't waste it. You did the most heroic thing I think anyone in the universe could have done,"
	Sonic shook his head and swallowed. "You don't understand,"
	"My ass," Tails said rudely. "It just happened too soon. It wasn't your fault. If anyone should be blamed, it was Robotnik. Now if you love Sally, and she loves you back, which I know she does, marry her,"
	Sonic glanced up at Tails, surprised at the authority in his voice. 
	"Well, what are you waiting for?" Tails cried. "Go ask her, ya big freak of nature!"
	Sonic looked at Tails a second.
	Tails grinned. "Sorry," He said. "That's just something we're always calling each other,"
	"So I noticed," Sonic said, smiling sincerely this time.     
	"And don't worry about me," Tails went on.
	Sonic smirked with brotherly love at his little buddy.
	"I won't be bussing tables all my life,"
____________________
Another oddly boring month, then-
	No one was home but Tails. He was in a corner, beating at his drums, tears running down his face.
	That talk with Sonic had gotten him thinking the past month. About something he hadn't thought about in years, something he had tried desparately to put behind him- Robotnik.
	That guy must've ruined countless lives, more than is imaginable. Hate personified, Satan's own pampered slave. Tails had been thinking a lot about his parents. Tricky, his cousin, had once told them their names- Tommy and Ginny. Tricky had never met them, he never knew his own parents either. All their other aunts and uncles had died. Robotnik had killed them.
	And his parents had lift this, so many pounds of unbearably cute red fox with a second tail- Miles 'Tails' Prower. Apparently the Chosen One, but Tails no longer felt any magic or chaos or anything that would make him 'chosen' in a long time. His tails had made him different. And that's all. 
	For the first time in his life, or maybe the second, he was wondering about his parents. What they had been like. What they looked like. If they had shared his interests. He often teased himself with the fairy tale that Tommy had played drums in a band, and Ginny had fallen in love at a concert. 
	And there was no way he would ever find the truth. 
	All this wondering had distracted him from school- he was falling behind in physics and computer technology, his strongest subjects. He missed prerequisite classes for history and engineering often now- he had simply felt too depressed to get up. 
	Josh and Nina had both tried to do something, but it never worked. The most comforting thing was when Nina sat across from him, silent, and the two gazing into each other's face. Their relationship no longer had the youthful charge and flare that others had envied anymore. 
	The only other thing so far that killed the pain was playing drums. He'd beat on them, sometimes coming dangerously close to breaking the skin on the drums, and let the beat and rhythm calm his nerves and stop his tears. Sometimes he'd get into a few rolls and start yelling with it, his rage eventually almost leaving him. Almost. It never really did. Now there was just this hurt in his chest, not really a hurt- an emptiness, that never went away.
	The phone rang. He couldn't hear it. 
	Josh's voice came on "Hey, you've reached Josh, Nina, and Tails. We're not in right now- well, actually, I'm in 'cause I'm recording this message, but when you get it...oh, God," 
	
	Maybe it was fate, or some ungodly luck, that made Tails stop drumming at that moment. He never checked his messages after. In fact, many believed that Tails himself was afraid of the telephone- he was never seen near or on one. He stopped and leaned forward on the cymbals, panting, tears mixing with sweat. 
	Dale's voice filled the now silent room. "Hey, guys, it's me. Um, there's a party at Gen's tonight, and we were all wondering if you would come down. It's gonna be great, she's got that apartment over by the river. Starts around eight, goes to whenever, and apparently I'm the designated driver," He sounded like he was sighing. "So I'll see you there, right?"
	
	Tails was still resting on the drums. Almost reverently he lifted his head, listening to the silence he was unnacustomed to. A party. A party. Maybe a party would provide a means to fill that emptiness. 
	He was right in thinking that. 
	Almost.
___________________
Living the beer commercial-
	That night, Gen's apartment was so dark Tails nearly forgot who he was. Literally. There was just too much stuff happening. He did feel better- kind of. He and Nina danced their faces off, and after that he felt good, but it wasn't the way he used to feel. 
	It had to have been then when it started. That exact moment.
	Tails was sitting on a couch, well, he was sort of thrown on the couch, the lower half of his body was in fact, on the ground. Nina was next to them, the both of them grinning happily. Various friends, Dale, Gen, (whose real name was Genna-Lu) and others, were crowded around, talking and laughing.
	"Did you know," Tails started slowly. "That if you're not enchanted, or have magic or anything, and you hold a chaos emerald for a certain amount of time..." He held his hands in front of him, illustrating the fact. "It can generate the same high as a whole lotta ludes?"
	"Really?" Dale said, laughing as usual. "Cool," 
	Tails stood and stretched. "I'm gonna get another vodka. Anyone want?"
	Nina laughed and looked up at him. "How many have you had tonight?"
	Tails shrugged. He looked at his hands. "One, two....somewhere around there,"
	Everyone laughed. No one bothered to stop him. And later in the night...
 	"I mean," Tails was in a corner talking with a girl he had just met. "Why do we have to let the legacy Robotnik left behind control us for so long? Why can't we those are some huge breasts you have,"
	Nina and Josh were not too far away, listening.
	"I can't believe he managed to get the word 'Robotnik' out through all that vodka." Nina said sullenly. 
	Josh looked at her curiously. "Nina! You're not jealous, are you?"
  	Nina sighed. "I don't think it matters anymore. I'm just worried about him. I mean, a month and a half and he's a totally different person. Look at him." She nodded to where Tails was now happily trying to feed a stuffed echidna doll some nachos. 
	Josh smirked half-heartedly. "It's alright. He was just depressed and got a little drunk. Happens to all of us," He ate a nacho himself and continued. "There's a time and a place for everything and it's called University,"
	Nina sighed and stared at the ground. Suddenly she straightened and said, "Did you guys ever get accepted into that fraternity?"
	"I think I did," Josh said. "They haven't told us yet. But even if we did, I don't know if Tails would. I don't think he wants to leave you behind alone in that apartment,"
	Nina sighed again. "Don't you guys worry about me. I won't be bussing tables all my life," She glanced up at the clock, and was amazed by how much time had gone by. "I think we should get back. The super won't let us in after four,"
	"Okay," Josh yawned, and abruptly burped. "I don't think I'm too wasted, but I don't wanna get caught at the Checkstop. You wanna drive?"
	Nina yawned, too, and rubbed her face. "I'd fall asleep at the wheel. Get Dale,"
	Josh nodded and called Dale. To Nina he said. "You have the keys?"
	"I thought you had 'em,"
	Josh felt around his pockets for a while. "Um...no..." Both their gazes went to Tails. Sure enough, the keys were hanging off his wallet chain. 
	"Guys?" Dale came up next to them, his shirt stained with dipping sauce. He was unbearably happy.
	"Uh, we're gonna go home and need a driver, but Tails has the keys and I doubt he'll give them,"
	Dale glanced at Tails, still trying to feed the stuffed echidna. "I see,"
	The details of the three getting Tails down to the car are monotonous and dreary, so I will not bore you with them. Once there, though...
	Dale placed a hand on the handle of the driver's seat door. "Kay, Tails. Gimmie de keys,"
	Tails looked at Dale, befuddled. "Wha...I'm driving. S'my car, I'm driving,"
	Dale smiled faintly. "Kay, man, not kidding. The keys?"
	Nina put an arm on Tails' elbow. "Let him drive, honey,"
	Tails backed away from Nina, looking a little groucy. "Hey. It's cool. I'll drive,"
	Dale sighed. "Kay, that's it, man,"
	"It'll be alright. Just give Dale the keys," Nina.
	"I can drive! I'm fine!" Tails.
	WHACK.
	Tails landed unconscious on the ground. Amazingly, it had been Josh who had punched him out. 
	Nina stared at Tails' thrashed form, then up at Josh. "Wh..."
	Josh shrugged. "It's either him unconscious for a while or the four of us dead. Forever. Which is a surprisingly long time."  He knelt and slid his arms under Tails. "Now help me get him in the car,"
	And it was a good thing, too. News on the radio the next morning reported three accidents- all relating to young people, driving, and drinking. And Tails didn't remember either way, so there really WERE no awkward moments.
_____________________
Living the sordid, dreary true-story newspaper article about sad, sorry people-
	Tricky, Tails' cousin-once-removed...or semi-cousin...whichever, was touring with his comedy by himself. He came to Echidnaopolis to perform one night, and Tails, naturally, went to see him. Sort of. Before the show at this particular restaurant, was dinner.
	Tails hadn't seen his actor cousin in what seemed like years- true to life, only a few months. But in any case-
	"So th're I was," Tricky said in his hard-to-understand thick eastern accent. "With Kristia and Chevy and Mel and Mike. An' sudden'y Mike, who never censors his thoughts, stands up and shouts, 'IT WAS PURPLE!'"
	Tails burst out laughing. I dunno. You had to be there. And I wasn't, so don't look at me.
	"An' it turned into this whole big THING," Tricky went on. "An' of course me 'n Chevy were the ones to figure it all out," Tricky sighed and leaned back in his seat. 
	"'Nother Hootch," Tails called to a waiter.
	"Hootch?" Tricky asked. "Ya like th't?"
	"Hell, yeah," Tails said, eating like....an eighteen year old eats, I guess.
	"Didn't like it when we were younger,"
	"You're thinking of screech," Tails said around a mouthful of chili dogs.
	"Th're's screech in Hootch,"
	"Really?"
	"Yeah. It's just screech an' Pepsi," Tails looked up at Tricky. Tricky grinned. "Hey. I lived the first four years of my life in a Tavern, what d'ya expect? How many of th'se have ya HAD t'night?" He cried when another glass was set at their table.
	Tails stared at the myriad of glasses crowding the said table. He started laughing. 
	Tricky muttered something in Yiddish about 'that story never being that funny anyway'. "Ya haven't started drinkin', have ya lad?"
	Tails stopped at looked at Tricky. He didn't answer.
	"Oh, no," Tricky said.
	"Well..." Tails started. 
	"Why?" Tricky asked. "What's wrong?"
	"It's just," Tails sighed. "I feel so....empty...and then..." He nodded at the glasses and shrugged. "It goes away,"
	Tricky sighed. "Why didn't you call me?"
	"Don't you think I tried? I kept getting this woman, and...I can't ever understand you people with your damn accent,"
	Tricky sighed again. "Well, what's wrong? Why d'ya feel empty?" 
	Tails bit his lip and leaned back in his seat, staring up at the empty stage. "It's...my parents,"
	Tricky was silent. 
	"I just," He rested his elbows on the table and covered his face. "I can't stop thinking about them. Like...why did Robotnik have to do that?" He had so far started crying. "And all my life I've been alone. With no one. Do you have any idea how that feels?" He stopped to drink some of the Hootch.
	Tricky sighed. "Ya honestly think I don't know? Y'think I never think'a my parents like th't?" He put a finger to his lips and made a 'pfft' sound, a Jewish sign of respect for the desceaced. "YOU were not alone, me friend. /I/ was alone. Two people to look after us. Aunt Emma, and Uncle Jacel. TWO. For some forty kids, with fifteen more each year. Some hundred by th' time I moved out. You had Sonic. You had th' Princess. You had th' Princess' nanny, you had th' entire fraggin' village'a KNOTHOLE for ya. An' ya don't think they're STILL there for ya?" He took a breath and leaned back."What did I have? Two bloody New Hollywood agents who didn't honestly give a damn,"
	Tails was shocked. He had never seen his cousin like this before. Tricky had gone from joke-cracking airiness to dark desolation almost as fast as Sonic could run. 
	"So y'think it makes it better, eh?"
	Tails nodded reluctantly. "It does. I feel good after, Trick. Don't you want me to feel good?"
	Tricky just stared at him. "I felt th' same way about drugs. An' it does make it go away, for a while. An' th'n one day ya wake up alone an' cold an' bloody an' in more pain th'n ya ever have been before. An' all th' people you've cared about, ALL of 'em, are hurt an' scared an' in more pain th'n ever, too. And th't pain never goes away. Even years after. It never does,"
	Tails glared at Tricky. "What makes you think I'll make the same mistake you did?"
	"Because we're weak, Tails!" Tricky cried. "It's in our blood. For all your choseness and magic and enchantments, you're still a Prower! Nothin' can change that. An' we're all weak, th' whole lot of us. Why do you think only three Prowers, out of some fourteen," Pause for the sign of respect, "survived th' coup?"
	Tails stared at Tricky.
	"Because we're weak," He stared at Tails intensly in the eyes. Quietly, almost timidly, he added. "An' what about Nina?"
	Tails was caught off guard. "What...what about her?"
	Tricky sort of nodded, as if understanding something. "Th're was a grrl th't I loved, Tails. A lot. A very lot. Th't I hurt. D'ya know what th't's like?"
	Tails glared again and slid off his seat. "You may of hurt a lotta girls, man, but I'm not like you. I'm not weak like you say," They still held each other's eyes. "I was a Freedom Fighter. I trained with Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm the Chosen One. I'm stronger than that." Angrily, and finally breaking his cousin's intense eyehold, he downed the rest of the Hootch. "I'll see you later. There's a...I have a...I have to do some stuff,"
	Tricky watched him go, certain he'd never see his act. 
	And he didn't. For at the time when people were writhing with laughter in front of Tricky, Nina was crying while Josh and Tails fought.
	"Leave me fuckin' alone!" Tails yelled through all the screech and vodka in his system. 
	Josh faced Tails, panting and crying silently, hands held in a signal to calm down. "It's alright, man. Just lay off for a while."
	"Shut up,"
	"It's called pre-alcoholics. It's not fun anymore. I saw you drinking alone. Tails,"
	"I said shut up, you tree-hugging bastard!"	
	Nina stood next to Josh, crying and sweaty. "Please, Tails. I don't like this. Please."
	"Why the hell not?" Tails cried. "It's makes me feel good. Don't you want me to feel good?" He lifted the vodka bottle to his mouth and let the clear, bittersweet liquid in. 
	"Please, Tails. I'm worried. I know a place. We can go there," Josh pleaded with his friend.
	"Please, Tails," Nina said pusillanimously. "Let Josh take you there,"
	Tails was strangely silent. He leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, the stench of alcohol just wafting off him. He took another sip.
	"Tails?" Nina quietly edged towards him. 
	Tails bit his lip, and Nina saw a few silent tears on his face. "Get the fuck away from me," He whispered. 
	"Honey?" Nina whispered back.
	Suddenly Tails started screaming something incoherent. He wacked Nina matter-of- factly in the face, and shoved her down, into his own drumset. 
	Silence.
	"YOU BASTARD!" Josh cried and threw Tails against the wall, pinned him there, Tails' face inches away from his own. 
	Tails made no signal that he noticed. He was staring, his face looked stricken. "I..." He whispered. 
	Josh gave him one last shove and let him fall to the ground before going to Nina's side. 
	Tails started crying, sullenly, and felt nothing but remorse. No more emptiness, granted. No more cheap high. No more anger. Pure pain, utter remorse.
	"D'ya know what th't's like?" He whispered, staring at his hands. That they...that he...had done this...was unthinkable.
	"I'm...I'm sorry..." He whispered faintly, as Josh hugged Nina and made sure she was okay. She'd been through worse, she said.
	"I'm...oh, god, I'm...so sorry....Nina..." He was struggling to keep consciousness now.  "N....Nina...."
	And he lost it. Consciousness, I mean.
____________________
Back to living the car commercial....but it never really was the same....
	Tails sat at his window, staring out at Echidnaopolis. His paws were folded reverently in front of him. To some it looked like he was praying, which he was, to the Ancient Walkers for forgiveness and help, but his hands were folded to prevent the shaking. He was weak. He had always been. He probably always would be. 
	He felt bad. Not really empty, anymore. This feeling he had had since he had hit Nina. There was just this bad feeling, like guilt and depression, but sometimes it was hardly noticeable. It was always there, though. It never went away. This must be how Tricky felt.
	Tricky sighed, and tried to concentrate. It was hard, now. Granted, he was stopped in the pre-alcoholics stage and never reached true drug dependency like Tricky, but it was still hard. He was craving a Hootch. Or a vodka. Either would be nice. 
	No! It wouldn't. He was stronger than that. He was past that. And Tricky would agree that he was stronger. He had beaten it. One of the many of the hardest obstacles in his life, and he had beaten it. 
	The phone rang. He made no move to get it. 
	"Hey, you've reached Josh, Nina, and Tails. We're not in right now- well, actually, I'm in 'cause I'm recording this message, but when you get it...oh, God,"
	
	"Hey, Tails! How's it going, big guy? Well, even though it too so long I took your advice and asked Sally. AND WE'RE GONNA GET MARRIED! I'M THE  ING MAN! Oh, wait, I got another call. Anyway. Call me, big guy! WOO!"
	

								^._.^

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