A/N: I actually really hate it when fanfiction authors write sequels to their stories and you have to go and read the first story before the second. With this story, it's exactly the case. If you want to understand what on earth it's going on about, go and read my story The Meaning of Christmas. It might be a pain, but quite frankly, if you're reading this because you want Big/Rouge Christmas goodness, what's wrong with reading my other story first?

I was stumped for ideas for my next Big/Rouge Christmas story when it occurred to me I could continue the last one. I decided to create a new story instead of adding more chapters because this is a different story. It didn't feel right to just make a new chapter. It continues straight on. The same day, in fact.

So, you've ready The Meaning Of Christmas? You're looking forward to more Big/Rouge stuff? Well then, read on, my friend. Read on.

Rouge's ankle was still swollen and red, although her wing had healed as she thought it had. Presumably, before she had lost all sense of friendship and gone after the Emerald again, her ankle had been better, but not one hundred percent healed, and the succeeding events had put so much strain on it that it had gone back to being swollen and tender, which obviously meant that Rouge had to stay with Big in the Mystic Ruins for longer. Of course, as you may have guessed, neither of the two new friends had any complaints about that. Big had finally found a creature who really cared for him, and as for Rouge... She had found what her empty heart had been searching for. A true friend, able to stand by her no matter what she did. Rouge was more than willing to stick around and allow Big to look after her, and Big was only too happy to have Miss Rouge around.

It was the twenty-sixth of December, the day after Christmas, and the day Rouge woke to find that Big was still looking after her. A few hours had passed, Big having left Rouge alone for a while for rest and recuperation after having been out so long in the cold.

Rouge hoped Big would return to her soon; despite being wrapped up warm in a blanket made from large leaves that Big had so kindly weaved for her earlier in the day, she was shivering violently. It seemed being out by herself in the snow the previous night had brought her down with something horrid. Though it was most likely just a cold, it felt so much worse. She longed for her furry friend to wrap his warm arms around her and hold her close...

Suddenly a violent sneeze erupted from her, followed by a bout of painful coughs. Of course, she had not had drop to drink since the previous afternoon, and so much had happened since then...
Water. She needed water. The not freezing kind would be preferable. She gingerly sat up, swinging her legs round to the side of the bed as she had done that morning and allowing the leafy cover to fall from her body. She immediately regretted it; her exposed shoulders, back, wings and décolletage had already been freezing, but now she felt like she might turn into an icicle herself if she didn't cover them. But she had not anything to cover them with, so crossed her arms, putting her hands on her shoulders and attempting to cover her bare skin with them and her wings, which didn't help their temperature at all.
This open hut was hardly suitable for winter accommodation.

Shivering violently, Rouge began to struggle to her feet, before shrieking in pain and collapsing onto the floor as pain shot through her ankle.
"S- Str- Strong women... D- Don't cry..." she told herself, her teeth chattering and her voice interrupted by pain. 'If I have to crawl to the stream, I will,' she thought bitterly.

So that's what she did. Slowly creeping forward on her hands and knees, she approached the gently flowing river and momentarily glanced at her reflection. Goodness, what a state she was in! The areas around her eyes and nose were red, and her hair was wild. It was odd; the last time she had looked at her reflection, it had been in this same stream, and she had noticed that she was blushing when thinking about how caring Big was. It had only been a couple of days ago, but so much had happened that it seemed longer. Such thoughts about whether or not Big really did care for her or not seemed foolish now. It was clear that from the moment he had found her broken body near the ancient temple, he had cared about her. The way she had subsequently treated him, climaxing in the horrible betrayal the previous evening... It was enough to make her never want to look at her reflection again! Closing her eyes, Rouge leaned forward and took a drink from the stream. Having refreshed herself and doused her burning throat, Rouge pushed herself to her knees, but she knew it would be foolish to try and stand. She was desperately tired. Exhausted, in fact. If she was honest, she longed to get back to her temporary base; Eggman's old lair at the edge of the temple ruins. It wasn't exactly homey, but at least it was airtight. She was completely protected from the elements in there. Not to mention she would be with her treasure. Her beautiful treasure...
Rouge laughed quietly and wrapped her arms around herself again. If she had gone down with something, staying here with Big wouldn't help her. Of course, she didn't want to leave Big...

Unless, of course, she took Big with her...

"Miss Rouge?" a low voice suddenly called. Rouge looked up, turning her head towards the source of the sound. Big approached her and crouched down beside her. "Are you okay? You look cold."

Rouge managed a smile as best she could.

"B- Big," she said happily. "I need to go somewhere else. Somewhere warm, okay?" Her friend stared at her glumly.
"You want to leave?" he asked sadly, his furry face falling.

"N- No!" Rouge exclaimed, linking her arm around Big's and resting her head on it. "Come with me. I know the perfect place; it's just downriver. You'll be able to get back here easily, I promise." With hope in her green eyes, she stared up at the face of her friend, who looked back at her in confusion.

"I... Guess Froggy might like it there..."

"Yes!" Rouge cried in excitement. She quickly began to push herself to her feet, but a twinge of pain shot through her ankle again and she collapsed onto Big as she had done before. "Damnit, I have to stop doing that!" she gasped in pain. Then she felt an arm slowly move around her waist, before Big's other arm moved out of her grasp and around her back. He pulled her close, then slowly stood up before shifting her so he was carrying her securely, just as he had done when she had collapsed the previous night. The only difference was that this time, Rouge was conscious.
"You're so cold, Miss Rouge," Big commented. "Are you okay?"

Where her body was in contact with Big's warm fur, it felt wonderfully warm. So warm she might melt, in fact, but those places still open to the elements (most of her chest and her left shoulder and upper arm, for example) seemed to be even colder than before. Though... It felt as though some peculiar power was warming her on the inside. Rouge barely registered that Big had asked her a question.

"Please, Big," Rouge asked, "It shouldn't be too hard to find. Just follow the direction of the stream, and you'll find it."

"Okay, Miss Rouge," Big agreed. Peering at the stream, Big saw that it was heading right, so after returning to the bed and grabbing the pillow and the leafy cover, he began to lumber slowly, following the direction of the running water.

Rouge didn't remember fainting as Big carried her towards Eggman's abandoned base, nor how he fumbled to find his way in and out of the tunnel that lead to the main building. She wasn't aware of how his jaw had dropped when he went down the stairs to find a large hoard of gold and jewels, or how he had carefully cleared a patch of floor before placing her down, her head atop the pillow, and gently laying the leafy cover over her again.

"Uggh..."
Rouge put her hand to her head as she slowly began to regain consciousness. Her eyes were clenched shut, and she became aware of a sound much like the whirring of a very large machine around her. She groaned again. 'That must have been one heck of a Christmas party,' she thought to herself.
She then became aware of a light breathing sound, and of a presence nearby. She blearily opened her eyes. Above her she saw a metal ceiling. Around her, metal walls. The events of the past few days suddenly flooded back to her, and she looked around to find that Big was asleep on her left. His ears were drooping, and his chest heaved as he breathed in and out slowly. 'He must have carried me all the way here,' Rouge realised. Rouge shifted herself onto her side. She reached out and stroked Big's furry cheek with her right hand. The cat stirred slightly, but did not wake.
Big had done so much for her over the past few days. It was really quite disorientating to be treated with so much kindness from someone who barely knew her. Big was sleeping on his side, but Rouge knelt up and gently turned him onto his back before resting her head on his chest and pulling the thin cover over herself again. The whirring machines meant the ground was warm, and she was definitely feeling better for being inside, but the feeling of warmth and comfort from Big's fur was truly exquisite. Rouge breathed in, inhaling Big's scent. It never ceased to amaze her how a creature that spent so much time around fish didn't smell fishy. No, Big smelt... Natural. He smelt clean and refreshing. Rouge supposed it made sense, considering he spent so much time in the wild outdoors. Smiling dreamily, Rouge snuggled deeper into Big's fur, and surrendered herself to sleep.

Rouge didn't know how much time had passed when she opened her eyes again. Her head was back on a pillow, and Big was gone. Rouge sat up, looking around for the cat. There was no sign of him, so she crawled to the wall and hoisted herself up, leaning on the wall for support as she approached the stairs. Grasping the metal banister, Rouge used her well developed arm muscles and her wings to lift herself up the stairs without putting too much pressure on her ankle. She hoped it wouldn't be too long before she could walk properly, but until then she could use her wings to give her lift and stop putting too much weight on it. Rouge looked around for Big again when she reached the upper floor, but saw no sign of him; just two creepy looking robots that seemed to be based on Sonic the Hedgehog. They always creeped her out, especially the one by the door. It just looked... Evil. Menacing. It looked more like Shadow, really. Drawing her eyes away from the robots, Rouge looked at the door that led to the outside world. It was impossible to tell the time in this place, but it was probably nearly midday. Big must have left to do some fishing or something. She didn't blame him. This place was pretty intimidating, and to an outdoorsy guy, it would be quite horrid. As she approached the door, it opened, and she stepped into the automated carriage behind it to begin her journey to fresh air.

Big sat by the side of the small lake, his fishing rod by his side. The lure was cast out into the water, but he wasn't expecting anything to bite. His thoughts were elsewhere, anyway. Miss Rouge... When he had woken to find her head on his chest, he had instantly frozen in fear. How had she got there? He had to move her, quickly, before she woke up and thought he had put her there while she was asleep. Something stopped him momentarily, though... She had looked so calm and peaceful... He had gently sat up, having first put his arms beneath her to stop her falling and waking up, then gently stroked the white curls at the base of her head, before suddenly realising what he was doing and placing her back on the floor...

Big winced with the memory and reached for the fishing rod.
"What's wrong with me, Froggy?" he sadly asked the amphibian that swam in a circle close to the bank. He glumly reeled the lure back in, placed the rod on the ground next to him, and lay back on the grass. "I'm so confused..."

Rouge peered out at Big from behind the bushes. He seemed confused. Upset, even. Was this about her using him as a pillow? She hadn't realised he would take it so badly. He needed a distraction, and upon spying the fishing rod that lay next to him, she grinned before taking off and gliding towards Big's hut.

"Boo."
Big's eyes shot open, and leaning over him was a smiling Rouge. He did not flinch, but blinked in confusion for a moment before she disappeared from his view and stood beside him instead. Big sat up and looked at the bat, who held her fishing rod in her hand and looked out over the lake. He opened his mouth to begin to speak, but stopped when Rouge herself began to speak. "So, big guy, I was thinking..." she looked back at him, "Due to... Complications..." She looked away. "We never finished that fishing lesson. So how about we do it now?"

Big blinked a few times, then rose to his feet.
"Okay, Miss Rouge," he agreed.

Rouge turned to smile at Big. "Do you remember how to cast the line?" he asked. Rouge nodded, and she did so. The lure now bobbed gently on top of the water a few metres from the bank. "That was good," Big said, "For a beginner."

'For a beginner?' Rouge thought, feeling her muscles tense. 'For a beginner?!' She, the greatest treasure hunter of all time, was good for a beginner?
"It was either good or it wasn't, Big," Rouge said darkly. "What did I do wro- Aaah!" A fish had suddenly bitten, taking Rouge totally by surprise. She clutched madly at her rod, trying to remember what it was that Big had told her the other day. Big had loosened the windy thingy, then pulled back after a few moments. Rouge therefore took her thumb from whatever that windy thing was, planning to pull it back after a few moments. However, she wasn't planning on everything happening quite so quickly. The line began to be pulled out of the rod at a rate of knots, and when she instinctively tried to grab a hold of the windy thing to stop it, it was turning so fast that it just hurt her hand as it spun so quickly. All of a sudden the line was at its full length, and now the rod was being pulled towards the water. Rouge was not going to let this fish steal the rod that Big had made for her, no matter what, but too late she realised that digging her heels into the ground wasn't going to work as the pressure on her ankle built up too much and with a final jerk, she was pulled into the water with a resounding SPLASH!

Of course, that wasn't the end. Rouge was now being pulled through the water by this insane fish. Her head was in and out of the water like a yoyo.
"Miss Rouge!" Big called out in desperation after seeing her go in, "Let go of the rod!" Rouge did not register his calls, but had no choice but to let go as the rod was finally wrenched from her hands. She gasped for air, watching the rod disappear under the water, shrieking in fury. She trod water for a few moments, then began to swim back towards the bank, muttering under her breath. Stupid fish.

"Miss Rouge!" Big cried from the bank. "Are you okay?" He held out a paw, and when she reached the bank she took it and allowed herself to be pulled into Big's warm embrace.
"I'm fine, Big," she assured the cat, her voice muffled by his fur. "It's just a bit of water." She snuggled into his fur for a moment, then pushed herself away. "But that stupid fish!" she roared in fury. "I'm sorry, Big – the rod... I tried to stop it... I guess I'm just not cut out for fishing..."

"It doesn't matter, Miss Rouge," Big said kindly. "I'm just glad you're safe." Upon his words, Rouge looked up to lock gazes with Big, and instantly knew he was telling the truth. His arms were still around her shoulders, and goosebumps that had nothing to do with the cold water with in she was covered appeared on her exposed skin. Though her body was wet, her mouth was turning drier by the moment as she gazed into Big's large yellow eyes.

She didn't deserve such kindness.

"Goodness me, look at how wet I've made your fur!" she suddenly exclaimed, pulling herself from his grip. "Sorry, Big! I've got a change of clothes back at the base. I'll see you back here in a bit, okay?" And with that, Rouge glided speedily towards her lair, leaving a flabbergasted Big with his arms still outstretched, wondering what on earth had just happened.

Meanwhile, Rouge zoomed through the trees towards Eggman's old base. She couldn't stand it any longer. She didn't deserve to have a friend like Big. She never had.
Once she reached her hoard of treasure, she sifted through it to find a spare set of clothes, then gingerly began to pull off her boots. Once she had lost them, as well as the rest of her one piece outfit and her gloves (as well as the broken G.U.N. communicator), she hung her wet outfit on the wall to dry off and began to redress, cursing herself for only owning spare sets of the same outfit. With a bad ankle, it was hard to put on this infernal onepiece. She was reaching for her protective heart shaped breastplate when she suddenly, under a pile of clear jewels, saw a small black item that looked like a wristwatch. Smiling her usual seductive smile, she crawled over to it, held it close to her mouth, pressed a small button and murmured "Hello, boys."

"Special Agent Rouge! We've been trying to contact you- There's a warrant out for you immediate arrest-"

"Yeah, yeah," Rouge interrupted. "Thought you'd send out one o' your Spidertroops to arrest me and seize the Emerald I took, huh? That little plan backfired now, didn't it? But listen, I'm returning the Emerald."

"WHAT!?!"

Rouge grinned slyly. She recognised the voice on the other end of the line, and she knew she could manipulate him easily.
"You heard me... Ross," she added in a seductive voice. "I plan to return it... Later today, in fact. I just need to dry myself off and finish getting dressed..."

It was hard for Rouge to hold in her laugh as she heard the young man on the other end getting flustered. Goodness, how easy it was to manipulate these G.U.N. grunts! "By the way," she added, "My other communicator broke, so that's why I've been off the radar for a while, and... If you send another Spidertroop to the Mystic Ruins and try to hurt us again, G.U.N. will pay. Special Agent Rouge, over and out." With that, Rouge strapped the communicator to her wrist and pulled on her dry gloves, before carefully attaching her protective breastplate and sitting down on a pile of gold to wait for her boots to dry.

She hadn't meant what she'd said about returning the Chaos Emerald to Tails, but now she thought about it, it was a great way to try and redeem herself. To begin to try to make herself worthy of being friends with Big.
"Miss Rouge?" Big's voice suddenly asked, and she quickly looked up to see Big lumbering in, his hands over his eyes.
"Don't worry," she called, "I'm dressed."
"Miss Rouge!" Big exclaimed, "There's a funny robot like the one that came the other day flying over the forest!"

Rouge clenched her fists. How dare they send another one? Well, she wasn't going to make the same mistake as last time; that was for sure. Damn Chaos Emerald.
"Alright," Rouge said angrily, making a mental note to beat Agent Ross up as soon as she returned to G.U.N.. "Big, I don't want you getting hurt again. Stay here. I'll deal with that guy myself."

"But Miss Rouge," Big called down, "What if you get hurt? What if I wait here to come back and you never come back?"

"Big..." Frowning sadly, Rouge made her way up the stairs and embraced the cat. "Don't you worry. It's just a Spidertroop. I've had plenty of experience with these guys." She pulled away and headed for the tunnel that led outside.

A few moments later, she stood outside. Shoeless. She cursed under her breath and made to head back in, but a bright spotlight suddenly shone upon her, and she knew she was cornered. She couldn't accidentally lead him towards Big. Frowning, she turned around to glare at the mech.

"This G.U.N.! Special agent Rouge, you are hereby under arrest for breaking and entering, and wilful thievery of Government property! If you do not surrender, we will use force!"

Rouge rolled her eyes at the combat vehicle.
"Is this scripted or something?" she asked dryly. "You said exactly the same thing last time you were here."

"Agent Rouge! Come quietly or I will use force!"

"Oh, I'm shaking!" Rouge scoffed, before getting into a sort of Kung Fu battle position. "You're going to use force against an injured lady? Shame on you!" She grinned sweetly at the cockpit.

"You leave me no choice! Entering combat mode!" Rouge rolled her eyes again. Geez, couldn't they leave her alone? "This is Spidertroop Dark Bear reporting to base. We have engaged the enemy. It shouldn't be too long, prepare to receive prisoner for containment!" Rouge grinned, and pressed a button on her G.U.N. communicator through her glove.
"I wouldn't count on that if I were you, boys," she murmured sweetly. "I told you I would return the Emerald, and I plan to. Too bad I'll have to leave Dark Bear's wreckage in my wake."

Rouge looked up in time to see a round of missiles heading straight for her, so she deftly jumped out of the way, only to have the missiles follow her. "Homing missiles, eh? No problem." Quickly changing direction, Rouge headed directly towards the combat mech, ducking between its legs at the last moment and hearing a mighty explosion and feeling a rush of heat as the missiles came into contact with the vehicle. Rouge turned and landed to see the whole mech go up in flames and collapse in a pile of twisted metal. "That was easier than I thought," Rouge commented quietly as she leapt on top of the machine and pulled off the clear, fireproof, protective cover over the cockpit. Inside was the barely conscious pilot, and she sighed as she leaned in to undo the guy's safety harness. With a groan, she then pulled him out of the cockpit and through the air before placing him on the ground. She gently unfastened his helmet and, after becoming sure he hadn't suffered any great head injuries, slipped it off and gently laid his head back on the ground. "You G.U.N. workers..." she sighed. "How many times have I told you lot not to mess with me? Yet you still try." Rouge gently unfastened the young man's bulletproof jacket, knowing he would find it easier to breathe. "I don't think you have any broken bones- Hey!" she quickly batted away the hand that was reaching for the gun in the holster at his waist, then grabbed the gun herself and pointed it at him. "Honestly. I pull you from the wreck of your burning machine and try to aid your recovery, and you want to shoot me? Geez, you're an ungrateful guy." Rouge tossed the gun into the shrub behind her and stood up before speaking into her communicator again. "Now listen here, you schmucks," she said angrily. "That's the third guy of yours I've nearly killed in a month. Seriously, get the message. I'm not to be messed with. I'm returning the stinking Emerald to Tails today. Now how about you lot come and clean up this mess and get your guy out of here before I change my mind and throw him off the cliff, hmm?" She stopped speaking and made her way back to her base.

As the automated cart took her down the tunnel, Rouge cursed G.U.N. under her breath, angrily shooting a glare at her wrist every time the communicator on it started to make a noise. After about twenty seconds, Rouge felt the cart whirring as it began to slow, and sighing angrily, raised her wrist to her mouth again.
"Listen, G.U.N.," she spoke sweetly, "Let's you and I make a deal. I return the Emerald to Tails and promise never to try and steal it again. In return, you leave me alone. No more combat mechs, no more fighting, no more death threats. There's nothing for you in the Mystic Ruins. If I haven't returned the Emerald by tomorrow morning, feel free to send another Spidertroop, but don't waste your time preparing one. Over and out."

The mechanical doors of the tunnel whirred open, and Rouge readjusted the communicator as she stepped out, straight into the waiting arms of someone with a very familiar red jacket.
"Why, hello, Bat Girl."

A/N: Merry Christmas! Your gift is a cliffhanger.
The next chapter should be up... By Easter? Actually, probably not... By Valentine's Day, perhaps. I really don't know.

It's not exactly Christmassy, I know... Perhaps I'll bring in some bad jokes about fat guys with awesome moustaches and big red coats in future chapters... XD
Anyway, yes! Big/Rouge is your gift. The genres are subtly different in this story... =3

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my fellow Big/Rouge enthusiasts! =D
xX