DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters, but I do own the story itself. WOW!

Well, hope you liked chapter one. Well, you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't. Uh, unless you were lookig for more crap to quote in your cynical, sarcastic review of how utterly crap this story is. I admit to doing that myself...

I would like to apologise slightly. There was some stuff I had to get done in this chapter which may have made it seem a little... forced. After this one, though, it'll all be fine.

Also, a note on Rouge and Knuckles's duet. I realise that neither Rouge nor Knux sing songs remotely like this in the game (especially Knuckles!) but I really can picture them doing it.
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Sonic found himself surveying the others once more. The party was hardly what you could call in "full-swing", but the music was slightly better (Louder + newer = better), the disco lights were, well, lighting, people were chatting, he was drinking and the party was slowly but surely progressing towards that point where everybody is either slighlty drunk or hyped on caffine (Tails had started drinking Coca-Cola now, as had Shadow since he didn't drink, the creep) and the darkness had started to relax them, and the disco-style lights had started to excite them slightly, and they had all been chatting with the vague idea of dancing with each other in the back of their minds. THAT was the point at which the party became interesting, and Sonic knew it was only a matter of time, although he was only subconsciously aware of that whole procedure.

He looked around, and saw everybody (except Eggman, who was currently relishing a bowl of peanuts and, anyway, Sonic was damned if he was going to talk to *him*) was chatting.

"Aww, come on, you must have SOMETHING else you really love doing" That was Rouge, to Knuckles
"No, no, I don't really. What about you? Other than this treasure hunting thing" Knuckles, in reply.
"Yeah. Fifty - fifTY, with a 'y'" Shadow, chatting to Tails.
"Wow! That must have been awful!" Tails
And Amy. Amy was- er, was-
"SONIC! Have you been listening to a word I've been saying?"
-was standing just to his right, and looking indignant.

Shit.

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"Right. Right. Uh-uh. Mmm.. Right. Uh-uh. Yeah" Shadow said, nodding his head vaguely at Miles' mind-numbingly boring tales of his mech. "Yeah, that's very- uh huh"
"TAILS!" That was Amy's voice. Shadow closed his eyes, and looked to the heavens. It was miracles like this that tested his Atheism.
"Tails! Look at this!"
What 'this' was would forever be a mystery to Shadow, who was already halfway across the room and trying to engage Eggman in conversation.
"So, Eggman, what are you up to nowadays?"
"The usual, the usual" Eggman replied, a mouth full of peanuts "Of course, most of my plans fail, but I've built a NEW Eggwalker which *can't* fail! Y'see, the huge boulder has now been covered with spikes! Retractable ones!"
"In case you want to swing a big boulder at somebody without actually hurting them, I assume?"
"No! For more room! Not that I need it, of course, with this new engine. You see, whereas usually, the fuel consumption was increased by the eighth gripthly, which of course eventually-"

It was going to be a long night.

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Knuckles looked deep in Rouge's eyes. They had been chatting since they had arrived.

Chatting, of course. That was all. Chatting, laughing, smiling, sitting close to each other (VERY close to each other) but, really, just chatting.

"Hey, look" Knuckles said ('Hey, look'. Just that. Not 'Hey, look, baby' or anything of that sort. Of course.) "There's a karioke machine over there. Let's see if we can get the barman to turn it on."
"Great!" Rouge giggled "This'll be fun! But what can we sing?"
Knuckles leaned closer.

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Eggman shifted to a stool closer to the karioke machine, and the mini-stage which the singer, or in this case signers, would sit. By this time, everybody knew that Knuckles and Rouge were going to sing a duet (Sonic's wolf-whistles were starting to become unbearably annoying, and he could feel one of his migranes coming on) Eggman's knowledge of music began and ended with Queen, and he had a feeling that this would NOT be "Another one bites the dust".

Whatever the song was, at that moment it began to play. This had a profound impact on the others: Sonic almost shrieked with laugher, Shadow sighed and his eyes glazed slightly, Amy jumped backwards, as in shock (although this may just have been because she was sitting right next to Sonic), and Tails belched lavishly.

Knuckles and Rouge both put their mouths to the microphone:

"I know I stand in line, until you think you have the time
To spend an evening with me
And if we go someplace to dance, I know that there's a chance
You won't be leaving with me"

"I wouldn't worry!" Sonic yelled
"Shut up!" Tails said, elbowing him

"Then afterwards we drop into a quiet little place
And have a drink or two
And then I go and spoil it all
By saying something stupid
Like I love you"

"Pah!" Sonic ejaculated
Everybody frowned at him, and Eggman threw a peanut.

"I can see it in your eyes
You still despise the same old lines..."

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Right. This wasn't my best chapter and I don't intend it to be. It was very forced because I had to get the karioke machine out. The first two chapters have just been scen-setters, so the fun should start soon. I've got some stuff planned for Chapter 3 to make it interesting.

RESPONCE TO REVIEWS:

WarriorKnuckles: Right. Thanks for that. Uh, I guess I can't be annyoed for you being so critical, but anyway, answers to your questions/comments in order: Yes, Rouge and Knuckles will be getting together even more. Nothing intimate though, I want to keep the PG rating. Belive me, I've got alot planned for Shadow, as you'll se in chapter 3, and I generally thought that he'd be good for the fic, especially as somebody to bounce off Sonic later, Uh, I don't actually have any idea what you mean with your next comment but I *think* that I'm planning to do whatever you said. Yes, the characters will have a bit more to them, I'm not going to stick everything in the first chapter, am I now?

Formerly known as: Well, you're very hard to please, aren't you? ;). Yeah, now with this horrible chapter 2 out of the way I intend to keep on getting better, hopefully. Thanks for the support! Oh, and don't give up on Hero, I love that fic!

FelinaofL2: *climbs behind bullet-proof glass* Okay, you scare me! And just to tell you, there will be no Shadow sex, gay sex, or lesbian sex in this fic, OKAY?