Chapter 4 Gaining
Author's Note: Okay, sorry about the wait for this chapter but I got lazy... Anyway I don't have much more to say except for the fact that I'm skipping Jamie's funeral for two reasons. One, I don't want to write it, two, it doesn't apply to the story. So, this chapter takes place at Shadow and Joan's wedding reception, two months after the funeral. If you still don't know who Joan is, then read my bio. Ok I talk too much, on with the fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.
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It was Shadow and Joan's wedding reception, and all was blissful. Everyone was eating, dancing, or talking as music played in the large assembly hall. Only one person in the whole building was still, and that was Knuckles.
He had tried to seem happy, but it was just so hard. Everything reminded him of his own wedding and reception, which had been the last social event his father had attended. He sat at a table near the wall with his head in his hands, wishing the pain would go away. He had gone on many adventures and fought through countless battles, but nothing he had ever done had prepared him for this. Never in his life had he felt pain this great.
Rouge walked through the crowds looking for Knuckles. She hadn't really seen him since they had left the wedding chapel, and she was getting concerned. Finally, she spotted him sitting at his secluded table, looking like a marble statue. She sighed as she headed towards him and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Knuckles, come on hon, try to look alive," Rouge said softly.
Knuckles turned around and looked at his wife. "Sorry Rouge, I'm just not feeling great today."
Rouge sighed. Knuckles hadn't been feeling "great" since the day his father passed away. Grieving was one thing, but watching Knuckles suffer like this was unbearable.
"Knux, I hate to see you like this," Rouge explained.
"I'm sor-" Knuckles started to say, before Rouge cut him off.
"Don't be sorry, just try to have a good time,"
Now Knuckles sighed. He wasn't going to say it to Rouge, but in his heart he knew that he had forgotten how to have a good time.
"Look, there's Shadow, why don't you go talk to him, you are his best man."
Knuckles searched for an excuse, "Maybe later..."
Rouge looked around for something else for Knuckles to do. "Why don't you try to convince Tails to ask Cream to dance?"
"Not today..."
Rouge tried again, "Hey, why don't you go tease Sonic, he's dancing with Amy!"
"I'm not in the mood..."
Rouge closed her eyes as he said this. He had to be in really bad shape if he didn't want to tease his friend. "Knuckles, you're father wouldn't want you to act like this!"
"I know..."
Rouge hadn't been intending on saying what she blurted out next, but it just slipped. "Knuckles you need to shape up, you're gonna be a father soon!" She covered her mouth the minute she realized what she just said.
Knuckles was about to answer with an, "I know..." but what Rouge said registered in his mind.
"What?" he asked, sounding very confused.
Rouge let out a deep sigh, "This isn't exactly the way I wanted to tell you, but about a week ago I found out that I'm pregnant."
Knuckles stood up and did something Rouge hadn't seen him do in a long time. He smiled. He smiled a true smile as he walked to Rouge and kissed her. "That has to be the best news I've heard in a long time," he told her.
Rouge smiled. She hadn't known how Knuckles would take the news, but she was glad that it pleased him so much.
"Now if you excuse me," Knuckles said with a smile, "I'm going to go tease Sonic now. And I'm pretty sure Shadow and Tails would like to join me."
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Later that evening, Knuckles decided to visit the cemetery on Angel Island where his father was buried. He walked through the forests, searching for it. It was sort of a secluded place and hard to find. After about a half-hour he finally spotted it. He walked towards his father's tomb stone.
"Hey Dad," Knuckles whispered, feeling slightly foolish that he was talking to someone who was dead, "You know, it's times like these that I wish you were still here. I need you're advice.
"I'm gonna be a father, isn't that cool? I guess this is what you meant when you said I wasn't losing someone, that I was gaining someone. I mean, I couldn't be happier, but I'm also kind of worried. I mean, I'm I gonna be a good father? I've never really had experience before.
"God, Dad I wish you were here, I need advice. Will I be a good Dad or not? I wish someone were here to answer my question! I need help!"
"Calm down, Knuckles, you'll be a great father."
Knuckles spun around, "Huh? Who's there?"
"I am."
Knuckles looked through the fog, and he saw a translucent figure of his father appear. "D-Dad?" he stuttered. The figure nodded. "No, that can't be you- you're dead."
His father's spirit smiled, "Humph, Tikal's dead too."
"Why are you here?"
"To give advice."
Knuckles stared. How could this be happening? How could his father who had died two months ago be standing in font of him to give advice? "OK, then answer my question, will I be a good father?"
His father smiled, "Yes. I raised you to be a good, caring person, and I'm sure that you will raise your own children the same way."
"But Dad-"
"No buts. Just have faith in what you do and you will succeed.
"If you ever need advice Knuckles, just ask for it, and maybe I'll be there."
With that, Jamie disappeared once again into the fog.
"Thanks Dad," Knuckles whispered, "Thank you very much."
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Yay another chapter! Just so you know, by the time the baby is born Knuckles will be 19, and Rouge will be 20. The next chapter may take a while to go up, but until then, here's something for you to think about that has NOTHING to do with the story!
In Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic calls Shadow a faker. How could Shadow be a faker if he was created over 50 years ago, while Sonic is only around 15? Just a thought, please don't flame me for my randomness, even though it was pointless. Oh well... next chapter will go up when I feel like it. The more reviews I get, the faster the chapter goes up. Bu Bye!
Author's Note: Okay, sorry about the wait for this chapter but I got lazy... Anyway I don't have much more to say except for the fact that I'm skipping Jamie's funeral for two reasons. One, I don't want to write it, two, it doesn't apply to the story. So, this chapter takes place at Shadow and Joan's wedding reception, two months after the funeral. If you still don't know who Joan is, then read my bio. Ok I talk too much, on with the fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.
============================================================================
It was Shadow and Joan's wedding reception, and all was blissful. Everyone was eating, dancing, or talking as music played in the large assembly hall. Only one person in the whole building was still, and that was Knuckles.
He had tried to seem happy, but it was just so hard. Everything reminded him of his own wedding and reception, which had been the last social event his father had attended. He sat at a table near the wall with his head in his hands, wishing the pain would go away. He had gone on many adventures and fought through countless battles, but nothing he had ever done had prepared him for this. Never in his life had he felt pain this great.
Rouge walked through the crowds looking for Knuckles. She hadn't really seen him since they had left the wedding chapel, and she was getting concerned. Finally, she spotted him sitting at his secluded table, looking like a marble statue. She sighed as she headed towards him and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Knuckles, come on hon, try to look alive," Rouge said softly.
Knuckles turned around and looked at his wife. "Sorry Rouge, I'm just not feeling great today."
Rouge sighed. Knuckles hadn't been feeling "great" since the day his father passed away. Grieving was one thing, but watching Knuckles suffer like this was unbearable.
"Knux, I hate to see you like this," Rouge explained.
"I'm sor-" Knuckles started to say, before Rouge cut him off.
"Don't be sorry, just try to have a good time,"
Now Knuckles sighed. He wasn't going to say it to Rouge, but in his heart he knew that he had forgotten how to have a good time.
"Look, there's Shadow, why don't you go talk to him, you are his best man."
Knuckles searched for an excuse, "Maybe later..."
Rouge looked around for something else for Knuckles to do. "Why don't you try to convince Tails to ask Cream to dance?"
"Not today..."
Rouge tried again, "Hey, why don't you go tease Sonic, he's dancing with Amy!"
"I'm not in the mood..."
Rouge closed her eyes as he said this. He had to be in really bad shape if he didn't want to tease his friend. "Knuckles, you're father wouldn't want you to act like this!"
"I know..."
Rouge hadn't been intending on saying what she blurted out next, but it just slipped. "Knuckles you need to shape up, you're gonna be a father soon!" She covered her mouth the minute she realized what she just said.
Knuckles was about to answer with an, "I know..." but what Rouge said registered in his mind.
"What?" he asked, sounding very confused.
Rouge let out a deep sigh, "This isn't exactly the way I wanted to tell you, but about a week ago I found out that I'm pregnant."
Knuckles stood up and did something Rouge hadn't seen him do in a long time. He smiled. He smiled a true smile as he walked to Rouge and kissed her. "That has to be the best news I've heard in a long time," he told her.
Rouge smiled. She hadn't known how Knuckles would take the news, but she was glad that it pleased him so much.
"Now if you excuse me," Knuckles said with a smile, "I'm going to go tease Sonic now. And I'm pretty sure Shadow and Tails would like to join me."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Later that evening, Knuckles decided to visit the cemetery on Angel Island where his father was buried. He walked through the forests, searching for it. It was sort of a secluded place and hard to find. After about a half-hour he finally spotted it. He walked towards his father's tomb stone.
"Hey Dad," Knuckles whispered, feeling slightly foolish that he was talking to someone who was dead, "You know, it's times like these that I wish you were still here. I need you're advice.
"I'm gonna be a father, isn't that cool? I guess this is what you meant when you said I wasn't losing someone, that I was gaining someone. I mean, I couldn't be happier, but I'm also kind of worried. I mean, I'm I gonna be a good father? I've never really had experience before.
"God, Dad I wish you were here, I need advice. Will I be a good Dad or not? I wish someone were here to answer my question! I need help!"
"Calm down, Knuckles, you'll be a great father."
Knuckles spun around, "Huh? Who's there?"
"I am."
Knuckles looked through the fog, and he saw a translucent figure of his father appear. "D-Dad?" he stuttered. The figure nodded. "No, that can't be you- you're dead."
His father's spirit smiled, "Humph, Tikal's dead too."
"Why are you here?"
"To give advice."
Knuckles stared. How could this be happening? How could his father who had died two months ago be standing in font of him to give advice? "OK, then answer my question, will I be a good father?"
His father smiled, "Yes. I raised you to be a good, caring person, and I'm sure that you will raise your own children the same way."
"But Dad-"
"No buts. Just have faith in what you do and you will succeed.
"If you ever need advice Knuckles, just ask for it, and maybe I'll be there."
With that, Jamie disappeared once again into the fog.
"Thanks Dad," Knuckles whispered, "Thank you very much."
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Yay another chapter! Just so you know, by the time the baby is born Knuckles will be 19, and Rouge will be 20. The next chapter may take a while to go up, but until then, here's something for you to think about that has NOTHING to do with the story!
In Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic calls Shadow a faker. How could Shadow be a faker if he was created over 50 years ago, while Sonic is only around 15? Just a thought, please don't flame me for my randomness, even though it was pointless. Oh well... next chapter will go up when I feel like it. The more reviews I get, the faster the chapter goes up. Bu Bye!