Okay, I lied. This is not the last chapter. I'm sorry, but I can assure you that the final chapter is right around the corner. I'll explain more at the bottom of the page. For now, enjoy the fourteenth addition to the story!

Amy Rose ran through the streets of Mobius, because she was heading to her favorite place on Earth, Sonic's place.

Today at work, she was thinking about things she could do for Rouge, who she had not seen for months now, and the baby.

While she was scanning up a heinous orange cardigan for a woman who looked like she escaped from a psyche ward, she was stuck by an idea. The orange cardigan lady was also buying a guide for party planning and Amy got the idea of a baby shower. But, she knew there was no way that she could pull it off by herself. Sonic was a friend of Knuckles', so he was the person for Amy to ask. Plus, she took every opportunity to go see her hero.

She approached the tall apartment building and pressed the buzzer up to his room.

"Yo, Sonic here," the familiar voice squawked through the voice box.

"Hey Sonic! It's Amy!" she squealed, "Lemme up!"

"Okay, fine, but step away from the voice box," he said reluctantly, "You nearly blew out my eardrums."

"Sorry about that," she whispered then took one step back.

She heard him give a sigh and the front door's bolt unlatch.

She entered the building, took the elevator and walked down many hallways until finally she was knocking on Sonic's door.

"Hey!" she squealed, rushing forward to give him a tight hug, "Long time no see,"

"Too bad it didn't last longer," Sonic gasped trying to breathe in some air.

"I totally heard that, but I really don't care at the moment. I need your help."

"What?" he said, "Please don't tell me that you're being chased by one of Eggman's robots again."

"No, silly. I'm planning a party for Rouge and Knuckles."

"For what? They've only been together for like 6 months; it can't be their 1 year anniversary yet,"

She walked over and flopped down on his couch, "It'll be a baby shower."

Sonic frowned. He didn't want Amy to stay very long, but she was already making herself comfortable, "Don't those usually happen during the 6th or 7th month?" he asked.

"Like it matters, she'll still love it." she said.

"Knuckles won't."

"Boys aren't allowed anyways."

Sonic looked perplexed, "Then, why the hell am I helping you out with a party I can't even go to?

"Good point, but I needed a good excuse to see you." She stood up and walked over to him, grabbing his hand, "I missed you, Sonic."

Sonic was about to squirm out of her grasp like he usually did but something held him back. For some odd reason, Amy seemed so different then she usually was. She looked older, "When did you start wearing eyeliner?" he asked all of a sudden, leaning in closer.

Amy pulled her head away, "What?"

At that moment, her cell phone ringtone went off in her pocket. She let go of Sonic's hand and flipped the screen open and looked down to see who the caller was.

"Speaking of Rouge" she said, with a smile. She put the phone up to her ear, "….hello?"

Rouge's voice came through, "Amy? Hey! Do you have a moment? I need to bitch. Badly."

Amy looked once at Sonic, who raised his eyebrows, "About what?"

"Knuckles. Lately, he's been driving me nuts. He's so stressed out about crap and he's acting really weird.

"I bet. The baby should be here any day now. That's pretty stressful to think about, especially for a guy."

"Well, get this, today we went to Walmart. Yeah, I know. It's the last place on earth I'd ever be, which proves how low I've sunken."

"Right," Amy said halfhearted, picking lint off her shirt she was wearing that she had bought at Walmart.

"Anyways," Rouge continued, "I saw these really cool drapes that goes perfectly with my plans for the baby's room, but Knuckles was all, 'the baby doesn't give a damn about the drapes' and insisted we didn't need them. So I was thinking, 'Oh no, that's not how this girl is. I will not let some stubborn ass just roll right over me,' so I bought them just to spite him. Later, he found them and flipped out. I got so fed up with him that I grabbed my cell phone and left."

Rouge had said this all in one big breath and was now breathing heavily through her nose, "Amy? You still there?"

"Yeah," Amy muttered, "I see now, how I came into this whole fiasco."

"Exactly,"

"Is everything okay? Nothing's permanently over, right?"

"I don't think so," Rouge said, her voice sounding sad.

"Okay, Rouge. You know what? How 'bout we go shopping sometime, that always makes you feel better."

"That would be nice. I need to get out, seriously, this island is compressing my nerves and it's making me go mad. I also need bigger pants, the elastic on the ones I had are getting tighter."

"I think you're just getting fatter, no offense." Amy chuckled.

"None taken, but you can only get away with saying that now. Just come pick me up tomorrow around noon."

"Alright, I'll see you then." she said.

She put down the phone and looked back at Sonic who wore a smirk on his face.

"Knuckles and Rouge are living together?" he asked, "Since when?"

"I dunno, since awhile."

"So, they're pretty serious shit, huh?"

"I don't know about that, they're on their way to serious issues if they're already bickering over drapes."

"Surprisingly, that doesn't shock me," he said, "They fight over everything."

"I know." she sighed, feeling stressed from just talking to Rouge, "I should get going."

"Wait, Amy." Sonic said suddenly in a voice so severe that it made her jump, "What about those party plans?"

Her surprised expression seemed to flatten, "Oh, right. I'll call you later about that, okay?"

"Sure, I guess."

"See ya," she said, and gave him one last smile before disappearing behind the door.

Sonic sank onto his couch and sighed. That girl could be so random sometimes.

Rouge was walking along a long dusty path alone.

She felt her feet throb from walking way beyond the limit they were equipped to last. The sun was barely holding on to the edge of the horizon and a few stars were already twinkling in the soft orange and purplish sky. She looked straight ahead, walking opposite the direction of the master emerald altar and her jerk boyfriend.

It just now dawned onto her, the whole picture of what she had gotten herself into. And for the first time she found herself angry at the baby. If she had never gotten pregnant, she and Knuckles could have gone out for awhile, maybe longer, but if they ever had to break it off, there would be no real connection between them. Now, with the baby, there was that unbreakable bond between her and the echidna. Strangely, that scared Rouge. She had never been in a real close relationship with anyone. She never knew true love before now and it disgusted her that she let herself become what she tried for years to avoid.

But deep down, she knew it wasn't the baby's fault and it wasn't Knuckles' fault. It was her own fault because of her selfish desire to always get what she wants. Except this time, it backfired.

"I wanted Knuckles so badly, and now, look, what I ended up with," she thought bitterly.

She put her hand on her stomach and felt the baby kick her right in the middle of her palm.

"You think so too?" she asked it, although she was pretty positive it couldn't hear her.

A cold wind blew through and Rouge shivered. Maybe, it was time to go home. She turned to start in that direction when something right ahead, caught her attention.

It was a large temple. Rouge approached it and noticed the strange symbols that was etched into the stone, were the same ones that Knuckles put on the cradle.

She walked inside of it. It was mainly empty space except for several pew-like benches and a large tapestry hanging on the far wall. Right below it, there were candles. Some lit, some extinguished. She couldn't make out the figure on the tapestry very well. It smelled like incense.

"I didn't know there were visitors here today!" a loud voice boomed, scaring Rouge shitless.

She jumped and spun around. A hunched-over echidna was shuffling towards her. He looked old and the tips of his dreads locks were gray and white.

"I-I'm sorry," Rouge stuttered, "I didn't know this was a private residence. I'll leave, sir."

The echidna waved his old crooked hand at her, "No, no. I didn't mean to frighten you. This is a public place. I was just surprised to see someone of your kind, here."

Rouge looked around, "What is this place?"

The echidna sat down on one of the benches, "The ancient temple for the echidna brotherhood. Quite dusty, huh?"

Rouge smiled, "Only a little bit," she joked back, "You look a lot like someone I know. Are you related to Knuckles?"

"Yes, I am. I am Athiar. Knuckles' great grandfather. It's been quite some years since I was in my great grandson's position as guardian," He sighed and looked up at the tapestry, "It is an honored, yet very complicated job. Lots of tough choices to make about morality and your own eternity."

"No kidding," Rouge muttered sarcastically under her breath.

"Do you know my grandson?" Athiar asked, his eyes going to her baby bump for the first time.

Rouge noticed this, "I do, and in case you were wondering, yes, he is the father of this child," she said.

Athiar chuckled to himself, "I am very glad to hear that. I'll admit for awhile, I wasn't sure our Knuckles was ever going to find someone and pass on the family name. Ever since the day Knuckles was born, I knew he had the great power within him and not just of physical strength, but emotional as well."

Rouge listened intently as Athiar kept talking, "This strong commitment to things he truly loves and cares for which is what many of us predicted would make him a great guardian to our emerald. But lately, I've noticed this commitment has been directed towards something else," he said looking at Rouge, "I have not seen him at his post as often,"

Rouge was slightly puzzled, "Do you live nearby? How do you know this for sure?"

"I watch from the master emerald." he replied simply.

'Creepy' Rouge thought but she decided to let it go.

"Quite frequently," Athiar added, "I have also seen my grandson here,"

"Knuckles?" Rouge asked, "He comes here? To the temple?"

He nodded, "On a daily basis. He prays a lot, for forgiveness mainly."

"Why?"

Athiar shrugged, "Honestly, I don't know. Maybe you should ask him, I have a feeling it's about something he was gonna tell you sooner or later,"

Rouge stood up. She was now eager to get back to the house, "Thank you," she said to the old echidna, "for everything."

Athiar nodded again, "Of course, my dear. Remember to keep your chin up; brighter days will come. I promise."

Rouge smiled at the echidna who was now standing up and hobbling toward the shadows. Then, she left the temple and took off towards the house as fast as her swollen aching feet would take her.

Knuckles had a large basin full of warm water and a billion apologies waiting for her when she arrived.

For second Rouge was confused. She had forgotten all about the fight.

She closed her eyes and collapsed into a chair, "Knuckles, relax. It's no big deal."

"But I was a moron," he said, "I yelled at you for drapes! Drapes for crying out loud! I feel like a pathetic, lowly-"

Rouge had enough. She reached up and smacked him clear across the face, "Get a hold of yourself, Knucklehead. I hate when people grovel,"

Knuckles seemed broken from his frantic spell, "Thanks for that," he murmured.

"Don't mention it,"

The warm water was working wonders for her feet. Rouge felt so much better.

Knuckles pulled up a chair next to her, "I was really worried about you," he said, "Where did you go?"

"You won't believe me, when I say it, but I just so happened to stumble upon the ancient echidna temple,"

Knuckles raised his eyebrows, "You did?"

"Yeah, and I met your great-grandfather, Athiar."

Knuckles eyebrows lowered and furrowed together, "You…..did?" he said, this time much more confused.

"What?"

"Rouge, you couldn't have met him. It's impossible."

"You think I'm bullcrapping you, don't ya?"

"No," Knuckles said slowly, "Athiar is dead."

Rouge sat up, "Huh?"

"He's been dead for over 20 years,"

"That can't be. I-I just talked to him. He was real and alive."

Knuckles shook his head, "No Rouge, he's definitely dead."

"Oh god, I'm going crazy."

"No, not really," Knuckles muttered, "I've heard stories of people seeing the ghosts of ancestors in the temple before."

"But why me?" Rouge asked, still feeling slightly dizzy from realizes she was talking to a ghost.

"Isn't it obvious?" Knuckles indicated at her pregnant belly, "You're carrying the next heir,"

"Oh, that's true," she said, "It's still strange though. I could've sworn he was real."

Knuckles didn't say anything and stared down at his sneakers. Rouge then remembered one thing that Athiar did tell her, "Knuckles?"

"What?"

"Athiar said he'd seen you in the temple recently. He hears you praying for forgiveness. What's that all about?"

Knuckles met her eyes. The same guilty and caught look was raging in his expression.

Rouge shook her head and pointed an accusing finger at him, "No, not this again Knuckles. This time just tell me, straight up. What's going on?"

"Well, I've been thinking," he began.

Rouge smiled, "That's something I don't hear from you everyday."

"Har har." Knuckles said dryly, "Anyways, I've been doing some thinking about," he hesitated, swallowed, then said, "giving up my guardianship,"

Rouge gaped and pushed back her seat, almost making the basin tip over, "What?!?! Why would you do that? I mean, you've always said that-"

Knuckles grabbed her hands, "-I know! I know what I've said in the past but now, it's not the same. Anytime now I spend with the emerald, is time I spend away from you and then later, the baby as well. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

Rouge shook her head sadly, "I couldn't let you do that. This job means everything to you and your ancestors. It would be wrong."

"Listen, take it from a guy who's had the experience. Wouldn't it be better on our lives to know it'll be completely out of our hair? And between you and me, I've been dying to leave Angel Island for years." He said.

"But it's your birthplace! It's someplace where you have a foundation and roots, why would you want to abandon all that?"

Knuckles gave her a hard look, "Would you want to stay here?"

Rouge bit her lip, "It wouldn't be my first pick…" she said softly.

"Then, that settles it,"

Rouge held up her hand, "Wait! Are you absolutely, positively-"

But she was interrupted when Knuckles slipped his hand behind her head and he pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was so passionate that it lasted for almost two minutes. Rouge let herself fall into his arms and closed her eyes. 'Dang! How could I ever give this up?' she thought.

After they broke off, Knuckles smirked, "Does that answer your question?"

"I guess," Rouge said, "But, for the record, if you have any objections to this in the future, just know that I had no say in this decision and was not ultimately responsible for it."

Knuckles smiled and said, "Deal."

--

Okay folks, I'm so sorry that I lied about this being the last chapter. To make sure this doesn't happen again, I can say confidently that this story will be done in 1-2 chapters after this. There was no way I could finish this up in this chapter, I wrote way more than I expected to. And I know, this was pretty boring, but the next chapter should perk you up. TTFN! :)