Chapter 3 – To Break a Dream.

A/N: The reviewers as always get the first shout:

HHH – Pervy kid, urgh, the stuff of nightmares. Well, at least the school should help you sort him out – remember, getting help from a teacher isn't weak, or being a snitch, it's being smart. If someone causes trouble, get out of town and get some help; they might act big and tough, but they all look the same when they're in detention.

DH – I am very touched and humbled; my work's not bad, but I don't know how I do it. I just sort of have an idea, think about it, try all sorts of combinations and go with what seems to fit. Just glad people like to read it, and as for the lack of reviews, I like to think of that as, hey, at least no-one's flaming me!

Ri2 – I will say this – close, very close…

In the space of seconds, Knuckles had blinked his eyes open in the darkness of his bedroom.

The guardian had always been a light sleeper, but even more alert than usual of late; the new threat of the Dark Legion, and the fact he seemed to have more to protect than just the Master Emerald, had honed his abilities to new heights. If they were to strike, I can't be found wanting; eyes softening as he looked to the right of his, a hand that could crush steel slowly, tenderly moving to caress the wings of the bat who slept beside him, not disturbing her rest as Rouge dreamed on; not when there's so much more at stake. He heard the siren's song once more, the insistent scratching at the back of his mind telling him all was not as it should be and, bound as he was by the blood than ran from his earliest ancestor, Knuckles could do nothing more than obey. Quietly he slipped on his shoes and gloves, making no noise in the darkness of his home, not wanting to rouse Rouge; this was something he would face alone and hopefully prevail against before the bat awoke. I'll be back soon; stilling the need to be gone for a few moments, the echidna softly padded back to the bed; his lips brushed the downy fur of his wife's cheek even as his mind made the promise. Lilac eyes closed as he at last realised the time had come to face whatever was threatening the shrine and that which he had devoted his life to protect; quickly exiting his home, insulated from the slight chill in the air by the thicker fur on his body, Knuckles jumped and caught the wind, gliding to the Master Emerald as it's silent imperatives warned him of the potential danger approaching it.

XXX

The journey had been long, and it had been hard; isolated, alone from everything, if this failed to work; but it will – it must work, there's no way it can't; there would be no way back. To even get this far, acts heeded as treasonous had been committed without a second thought and the theft had taken place that had provided sustenance for the arduous trek that had followed. A deeper shadow in the darkness shifted; the guardian would be coming, he who had struck and caused such pain, not only with his fists, or more correctly his elbow, but also with his own body, his own presence. I should hate him, him and his friends, for what they've done to me; a robotic arm flexed in the darkness, careful not to reflect the moonlight and cause a glint that would have given away the ambusher's position, a mind fighting to keep the emotion of a burning, passionate heart in check as the truth behind the mad logic revealed by coming here, to the near-mythical place where the guardian was sure to be, was run over again, the maddening frustration and helplessness chafing; but I can't – I can't hate him. He's stopped me hating, I can't do what I've been doing any more. It took weeks to even find his name, and now I know who it was that caught me like this. Knuckles; the silhouette shivered as though tasting the very finest nectar, the memory of the guardian's name evoking the scenes of victory it knew would be following, the pleasures that were sure to follow; you've got me forever, now it's my turn to do likewise.

XXX

With barely a rustle, the guardian touched down on the shrine, eyes closed for not longer than a split-second as he made peace with the soul of Angel Island. What he read there was comforting to a small degree; no-one's in the shrine, the Master's safe, for now – hang on, that was quick. The last realisation was a bit of a shock; it had taken less time than usual for him to scan the area adjacent to the Master, but he stored the response away – he could deal with that later. Right now, it was his sworn and solemn duty to ensure whatever threat had summoned him here was deal with quickly and efficiently. Dropping into a slight crouch, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dimness even if the moon was full overhead, the guardian crept forwards, alert to the slightest change in circumstance, the barest hint of someone or something else being here. A noise like a slight gust of wind behind him, wind where there was no wind, sent him spinning around, seeing something hidden in the shadows of a nearby copse of trees. Raising his guard, wishing for not the first time that he could see like Rouge could in this darkness, Knuckles issued his challenge,

"I know you're there; come out and face me".

XXX

Every detail, as exquisite and perfect as last time, stood out even in this darkness; it was a curse the augmented vision couldn't be used – it would have alarmed the guardian. His senses must have been extra-ordinary – for such a shallow gasp to have alerted him was beyond the ken of almost anything thus far seen, no technology yet seen had been so sensitive to the audible wavelengths. Drinking in the sight raptly even if the menace behind the pronouncement was undeniable, the figure who had tracked the guardian to his ancestral seat of power, risking it all to claim him forever, stepped forwards from the safety of the hiding place.

XXX

It was still too dark to see clearly, but Knuckles instinctively knew his opponent had moved forwards; just how far didn't become apparent until he blinked and suddenly there were a pair of shadows; someone stood before him dressed in an enfolding robe that, if not black, had to be an evil shade of colour. The Legion; he felt hot blood course through his veins, battle lust waiting to overtake him, but as there was no movement from his sworn enemy, or at least one of them, he stilled the impulse. Guardian and Legionnaire regarded each other for moments, lost in analysis or imagination, until Knuckles decided to take the initiative,

"Who are you?" He stepped forwards, planting his feet solidly in the earth in a stance that would allow him to move in any direction, for defence or offence as the situation called for it, "and what do you want here?" There was a slight chuckle for his answer; this was probably a trick, but then a voice answered him, the unseen trespasser taking further steps forwards and answering in a voice that really made the guardian sweat. Not because of the words, but because of the tone.

"You, Knuckles. Everything I want is you".

The guardian had been prepared for anything but that; dropping his guard to disguise his shaking arms, Knuckles licked suddenly dry lips and swallowed, trying desperately to think of something to say, some sort of previous experience he could draw upon, the thought of Amy not really helping much as he recalled what had happened at the end of her fan-girl approach to chasing Sonic. Taking advantage of the silence, he saw with dread that the Mobian before him was approaching, that same soft voice weaving its way towards him as he backed off, trying to force his stunned mind to think clearly as to what to do next,

"I knew from the moment we touched", a laugh, not ugly or evil, one of gentle merriment, sank blissfully into his ears, "all right, we struck each other in anger, but it was there, I knew it. You're the only one for me guardian, and I need you. I can, I will be yours; I can do anything you ask of me, I just need you to be as bound to me as I am to you". The distance was closing, it was almost short enough to reach and touch the one who'd made an indelible mark on…

"I can't".

XXX

Whoever this was stopped short, trembling as though he'd screamed at her, the whisper that passed his lips stopping it's progress dead. Knuckles wasn't sure quite what he was dealing with, but there was no way he could ever think of betrayal. Not of Rouge; his mind drifted back to the memory of her striking a blow against the greatest enemy he'd ever faced even if it had almost certainly meant her injury, her foot slamming into Dimitri's face, forcing the ancient, crazy echidna to deal with her rather than brush his dreadlocks aside. He loved that bat with every fibre of everything he was; there was no way he could break a bond that strong, no reason he would ever want to do so; compared to the brawling, squabbling, passionate love he shared with the woman of his dreams, whatever this strange figure was offering was only, could only ever be, a pale imitation. And not an offer I can accept; his mind made up, the guardian still faced an unpleasant task, ever more galling as he realised no matter what he did, someone was going to get hurt. Slowly bracing himself, the guardian raised one of his massive hands.

XXX

The second the glove slid upwards, the quest died, blood rupturing from it just as it did from a shattered, mortally wounded heart. To preserve nothing but pride, all that was left now that ambitions, hopes and dreams had been sundered forever, obliterated by the jewel that sparkled in the light of the silvery moon, there were no tears, no screaming and no sense of blame. Logical thought overrode everything else, sealing off the ruptured emotions until they could be vented safely, away from the one who was destroying her again. Someone else had claimed this incredible Mobian forever – denial was futile and pointless, it was obvious in Knuckles' manner and, as he began the tortured explanations, his voice as well, that he would not be tempted to stray,

"I'm sorry"; there's nothing you can say; he wouldn't stop though, each word, mangled through a contrite speech that he didn't need to use, twisting the knife he had unwilling used to slay everything she'd aspired to, "I can't…I love another, and I'll always love her. We've fought, nearly died…" Speech couldn't be trusted, no weakness could be shown now, for if it was he might attempt to cross the gulf between them at that really would be the end, there would be not even the slimmest hope of a recovery. Escape was the only option; I have to get away, let me die in peace Knuckles – you killed me without even meaning to, just like you smashed me down without even knowing who I was.

XXX

He choked of his ramblings as the black hood dipped, then raised again, obviously not wanting to listen to apologises that sounded horribly contrived even to his own ears. Whoever this was, they were now desperate to leave, as desperate to go as Knuckles was to offer reparations; even if his head told him there was probably nothing he could do, his heart demanded he do something. Closing his eyes, trying to make sense of this, the guardian called out just as they reached the hiding place his visitor had previously occupied,

"Wait"; at least they've stopped; he'd had an irrational fear that his rebuff would have forced them to run, get away as he'd hurt them cruelly, even though there had been no other way – he could no more betray Rouge than he could have thrown the Master Emerald from the side of Angel Island, "is there anything you need? Money? Food?"

"No", the answer was short and to the point, but just prompted another question; he bit down on his tongue, trying to imagine what it would sound like to her, but in the end he had to know. He needed to see who would come out here, into the wilderness, just to find him, proposition him as this figure had,

"Wait", he said again to the figure's retreating back, again feeling a relief in his chest as it did, head lower this time but still listening as he asked his final, most caustic question, "who are you?"

XXX

Why not?; fatalistic humour dredged up from the core of her soul flooded out all over her deadened emotions; not like he'll care too much. Just tell him, then I can walk off and die. The words came slowly to numb lips,

"Julie", she saw the guardian cock his head, digesting her name, "Julie-Su". Under his gaze, a look that had seared her mind just before his savage strike had sent her reeling into unconsciousness, she retreated forever, walking without seeing where she was heading for, the water in her eyes not falling yet as she refused to show any weakness before the one who had broken the dreams of her heart forever.

XXX

She had been confused upon waking, not feeling the pressure to the side of her where Knuckles normally lay; the confusion had deepened to fear and shock when she'd rolled over, only to feel more soft mattress beneath her, her movement not arrested by the warm, firm body of her husband. Galvanised by such loss, Rouge had quickly interpreted the most likely cause of Knuckles' absence and rushed outside, not feeling the coolness of the air through her nightshirt as desperation to discover where Knuckles was at this late hour. Anxious eyes scanned the sky, followed a second later by the sounds unique to her species; ears twitching, Rouge had assimilated the returning sound waves from her ultra-sonic bursts; clutching the doorframe, she let out a long, slow breath of relief.

There was no way she could mistake that silhouette; even though echo-location gave only vague proportions to shape and orientation, she knew her husband's form when he was gliding. And he's heading for home; smiling slightly, wishing abstractly for a rolling pin to really hammer home the image, Rouge waited on the doorstep for her wayward partner, calling as he came within earshot,

"And just where have you been sneaking off to Knuxie? Another merry little jaunt with your eldest but one father, per chance?" Strangely the echidna didn't reply, merely changing his direction slightly to get home faster; either there was something big on his mind or, she tensed, ready for him to try and tackle her as he swooped in, he was going to use body language rather than words. She sniggered a little; six months ago she would have bet her life he'd have been to shy to even consider some of the thing he now did routinely, taking a few risks in his life now just to spice things up; I've been a bad influence on his no-risk attitude – oh well, he's never complained. She put a hand over her lips to cover her spreading smile, a smile that withered away, replaced by concern as she saw the state of her husband as he touched down and stumbled to a halt.

That alone was reason to be worried; Knuckles never made mistakes on landing for fear of twisting ankles or knees if he botched it. Coming off the shelter of her front door, Rouge was struck by the seeming emotion that was permeating the normally confident echidna that shared her life; rather than the focussed, get-the-job-done glint in his eyes, there was only a disbelieving haze, as though he was trying to come to terms with some monstrous decision and not having a lot of luck with it. Stepping closer, she reached out, trying to meet his gaze, and put her hand on his well-muscled shoulder; the touch seemed to jar him, help to snap him out of whatever fugue he was in; a process aided further by her first words,

"Knuckles?" His eyes cleared up a certain amount, lilac meeting aqua blue as she made her next words clear and deliberate, "why are you up this late at night; what happened out there?" He was silent for a little while before shaking his head, the movement making his dreadlocks ruffle. He pointed towards the still open front door,

"Let's go inside first; you're freezing"; as though reminded of her boy by his words, the bat shivered as chill air threatened to seep through her skin completely. Letting her go on ahead, walking slowly as he tried to come up with some kind, any kind of explanation on the fly, Knuckles paced slowly towards his home, still thinking deeply as he solemnly closed the door. Turning back around, seeing Rouge shivering more violently now as she registered the cold, he concentrated on that problem first; his larger hands quickly and vigorously rubbed her shoulders and arms, generating heat, helping her warm up. She smiled at him, making no move to dissuade his work,

"It's late, come on", she jerked her head towards the bed, only hoping the blanket there had preserved some of the warmth that had been there of late, "we can talk there". The echidna nodded; for some reason he and Rouge always seemed to do most of their important talking in bed, a habit that had been born on their first night in Echidnopolis.

A few minutes later, combined in warmth and comfort, the two Mobians were tucked in together, Knuckles with his arm under his wife's head, her nearest wing similarly draped over his chest and stomach. As he carefully stroked the fragile membrane, he heard her voice question, as he knew it would,

"So then", she had to handle this delicately, calling on all her previous experience with feelings to try and make this as painless as possible, "where were you up and about so late? I take it something was up with the, ah, third member of the family?"

"Yeah", he propped himself up on one elbow, looking at her even if all she could see was his silhouette set against the darkness, "my guardian powers must be getting stronger, I must be growing up more quickly now". Unusually, extenuating circumstances dictated by the strange behaviour her husband was displaying the face of a threat to the Master, Rouge let a golden quip opportunity slide, allowing him to maintain his momentum with a careful question,

"They never specified a time scale for the powers, did they? You've been able to glide since before I knew you, you were just starting when Sonic gate-crashed Angel Island you said earlier", Knuckles smiled, remembering the first time the wind had kissed his dreadlocks, allowing him to soar free in the skies of his island, "and now this, you can really sense the Master Emerald shrine; pretty soon you'll be able to scan like you grandfathers".

"Yeah, just think of that; I can keep tabs on you even when we're at work". This time Rouge couldn't turn it down as she raised a causal eyebrow with a laugh in her voice,

"Are you insinuating…?" He replied in the same vein,

"Well Vector does have a dashing smile"; he didn't need to see her gag to know it was there, but the memory of what had just transpired killed the humour instantly; he couldn't get this Julie-Su out of his mind. She was wandering through the wilderness of Angel Island, in the dark and on her own, but him being there would only make things worse. Knuckles was first to admit he wasn't a leading authority on emotions, but even he could tell she had been after him in a big way; the shudder that had run through her body when she'd seen his wedding ring, well, he'd only ever seen that shudder once before, when his father had explained that his ex-wife would be married once more. He started as a smaller hand slipped into his own,

"Talk to me Knuxie"; well, I know I made the right choice; the echidna relaxed slightly, nothing else could chill him out the way Rouge could, "what happened at the shrine?"

"Someone was there; I think it was another echidna, maybe one from the Dark Legion". The hand tensed its grip,

"Did they attack you?"

"Worse", and it was, the feeling that he'd crushed someone in the callous way he had was eating him up inside as he sighed, "she propositioned me".

There was a very stunned silence for a few seconds before an audible snort broke the air; Rouge, as he had suspected, was having a hard time believing that; as am I; but laughing wouldn't help here.

"Rouge", he spoke over her giggling fit, "I'm serious, I think, no, in fact I know she was serious. I never really saw her face, but I could just hear it in her voice, she really did want me".

"What, er, what did you do?" The bat's question was attempting to be supportive, but even so he could still detect the faintest quaver of doubt there; would his answer be what he needed to hear?

"I showed her my wedding ring, but I never said who my wife was", that was certainly true; the last thing Knuckles wanted was the Legion to have a more eminent target in the form of his wife – as far as he knew, all the information the Legion had was that the bat was, at best, the fifth member of the Chaotix, "after that, she, ah, she just left, turned and walked away; I asked her name, but she didn't want anything else. I hurt her".

"You didn't have a choice", Rouge slipped smoothly into the conversation, easing the guardian's concerns as she realised this was an area where even Knuckles, formidable as he was, would have a problem understanding the motives of the jilted woman, "if you'd have stuck around or chased her she'd have got more desperate; you just came back here right?"

"Yeah". She nodded,

"Right, that was the best thing you could have done; she's very upset and highly emotional – if you'd have gone after there's no telling what she could have done just because she was feeling so bad. You got out the danger zone, let her cool off in her own time; I'm not sure about echidnas but if they're anything like women from the land below she'll have a good, long cry and then start to sort herself out".

Knuckles was silent for a few seconds, then settled into bed with a sigh, gazing up at the ceiling,

"I hope so", he shook his head again, "I don't know where she is now, but I hope she stays safe – I'll get one of the Chaotix to look around tomorrow morning, see that she gets somewhere safe okay. If what you said was right it's probably better she doesn't see me".

"You're learning Knux", Rouge leaned over and gently kissed his lips, rubbing his forehead softly as she settled back down, "slowly but surely, you're learning". The guardian prodded his wife in the side for revenge and rolled over, seeking sleep that was a long time coming, even when the gentle snores of his soul mate sounded out in the darkness.

XXX

She slept as she walked and ate, when her body demanded sustenance, from the last of the rations she had stolen from her former home; when all was gone, she tossed the bag, meaningless and empty as she now was, into a nearby stream, the flowing water swallowing the bag and the contents that had taken her weeks of hard, patient work to attain. The data disks containing the Dark Legion's most accurate predictions of the guardian's lair, the shrine of the Master Emerald, were destroyed by the water as Julie marched on, seeing nothing, feeling nothing in her blank state. Abstract thoughts told her what she already knew; she was now more of an outcast from the Legion for her treachery than she had ever been before, and the rest of the echidnean society would revile her for her augmentations, the physical marks that she had been part of something they reviled. Strangely, she couldn't be bothered enough to care; it didn't matter what happened next, either the Legion or the EST would get wind of her location and she would be in serious trouble either way. But what the hell?; she snorted slowly, dimly aware of lights on the horizon and that she was heading towards them; I've lost – nothing's left for me now. The guardian chewed m up and spat me out, who cares what happens to the carcass?

The sun was fading in the sky when she realised she was on her way into Echidnopolis; Julie chuckled, a low, mirthless sound as she realised this made it certain who'd get to her first as she pulled her now ragged robes, concealing her cybernetics just a little longer, up against the rainy sky. Her feeling was returning; now she could feel the nip in the air, the atmosphere soaking her fur and, she grimaced, the dull, empty ache where her heart used to be. She moved forwards, eyes fixed forwards, feeling her clothes pull water up from the pavement, drenching her legs further, trying hard to clamp down on the welling misery in her soul for just a little longer:

...bad day, please don't take a picture.

It's been a bad day, pleeaaaassseeee……

The words were distorted by speed and whipped air, but she heard them; the irony hit her like a kick in the face and, suddenly, she laughed; bad day, this redefines bad day – days don't come any badder than this. Not for me; unbidden, unexpected, tears fell from her eyes and she began to shake, all her energy focussed on dragging her body a few steps to the left before her knees gave way; not for me.

Finally, Julie's grief was released; sobs tore through her soul as she mourned the loss of her dead, broken dream, the only one she'd ever had since her first was destroyed by her father, her real father. The guardian was lost to her, the Legion had hurt her twice; what else was there? She curled up, her knees hugging her chest as she let her head sink, defeated, onto her arms, muffling her crying, letting her release her injustice, her anger at the aching, unfair world, in peace.

"Hey", he voice broke in on her private mourning; she let her head rise to see a blurry picture as to who was trespassing, "you okay?"

A/N: The lyrics were taken from REM's Bad Day – awesome record, awesome band. So, what's going to happen next?