HI PEOPLES!! Okay...it took me a while to write this chappy because I have had a lot going on in my life...so sorry if it seems all rushed and everything ^.^ OH YEAH! Thank you guys so much for the reviews! It's a lot more than I expected for this story! And I have never realized it, but Knuckles has his own Amy now!! I didn't realize that I altered Rouge's personality THAT much O.o Oh well! Onto the show!

I would like to tell you all how this story was formed. I was over at my friend's house one day, and she plays as Knuckles and I play as Rouge. So since I don't own this game, she said I can have a chao on hers. So we got me a shiny orange chao egg, blablabla. When I thought that it would be a funny fanfiction of Knuckles and Rouge to have a chao! So as funny things kept happening, I made it final that I would write a fanfiction about this! So everything in this fic is based on a true story, of course details added here and there to make it more lifelike! ^.^

Disclaimer: Knuckles is red, Sonic is blue, I no own, so you no sue!

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Knuckles drummed his fingers impatiently on the warm, sun basked rocks. For Chaos Emerald's sake, he thought to himself. I've been sitting here for 20 minutes now! When is this stupid egg going to hatch?

Suddenly a small cracking noise could be heard throughout the quiet peacefulness in the Chao Garden. "Finally!" Knuckles cried as he sprang to his feet and watched the egg with growing anticipation. The shiny orange chao egg cracked in a zigzag line across the middle when finally POP! went the shell. Knuckles put his head closer to the egg, not daring to blink or breathe. A shiny orange head suddenly popped out of the egg, and Knuckles staggered away.

The small chao climbed out of the egg shell carefully and cautiously, then crawled around on the ground curiously. Knuckles regained his balance and walked after it. "Whoa there, little guy." He picked up the chao and looked into its eyes. "Hey...you're kinda cute..." [1] The chao cocked its head and wiggled its little body, trying to get out of Knuckles' grasp.

Knuckles walked over to some fallen fruit underneath a tree. He set the chao down, picked up a small berry and gave it to the chao. The chao looked curiously from Knuckles, to the berry, then to Knuckles again. "You're supposed to eat it, like this," Knuckles picked up another berry and popped it into his mouth. The chao looked again from Knuckles to the berry in its small hands then delightfully started chewing on it. Knuckles couldn't help but smile, and patted the chao carefully on the head.

"Ahem," a voice came from behind him. Knuckles spun around and came face to face with an all too familiar figure.

"Rouge!" he cried out. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," Rouge answered with a grim smile. She strode up to Knuckles and knelt down next to the chao. She smiled down at it and patted its head. "And how is Mommy's little girl doing today? Did Daddy feed you?" The chao looked up at Rouge with her curious eyes, then crawled around on the floor again.

Rouge squealed in delight and grasped onto Knuckles' neck. "Isn't she just so adorable?!" Rouge went over to the chao and picked it up, but suddenly it started kicking its small legs and let out a continuous piercing cry. Rouge quickly set the chao down and stepped back, startled. The chao continued to kick and scream.

"What's wrong with her?" Rouge asked Knuckles in an astonished, worried voice.

Knuckles picked the chao up and gently rocked her back and forth in his arms then laughed softly. "She was probably the egg of chao adults raised by 'good guys'," he said. "Since you're a 'bad guy', she's reluctant toward you." [2]

"So," Rouge said in a disappointed voice, "you're the only one who can see her?"

"At least until she's an adult," Knuckles replied after he had calmed the chao and set it down to its business.

"Oh." Rouge cast Knuckles a curious look. "How do you know so much about chaos?"

"Sonic always asks me to baby-sit when he and Amy go out."

Suddenly a constant beeping noise was heard. Rouge reached into her purse and pulled out her black beeper. "Uh-oh." She looked down at the chao then back at Knuckles. "This is an urgent call for me. I might be gone a week or so..." Knuckles was preoccupied with the chao, so she continued. "How long does it take for a chao to become an adult?"

Knuckles turned back to Rouge. "With proper care, about a week."

Rouge smiled delightfully. "That's perfect! Listen, I want you to take care of our baby while I'm gone. When I come back, I want her to be an adult so I can interact with her!"

Knuckles stood dumfounded. "Why? Where are you going?"

"You know that's professional secrecy, silly! I want you to teach her how to swim or fly, one of the two. Maybe both, but one more than the other. Oh, and I've been thinking of a name for her! I now name our baby, Pumpkin!" [3]

Rouge knelt by the chao and cooed to her, "Do you like the name Pumpkin?" The chao looked at her and blinked. Rouge stood up and clapped her hands. "See! She likes it!" She walked up to Knuckles and gave him a short kiss on the lips, then ran a finger underneath his chin as she walked towards the ext. "By Knucklehead!" She blew a kiss towards the chao sitting on the ground and watching the whole scene. "Bye Pumpkin! See you in a week!" then an instant later, Rouge was gone.

Knuckles looked at the chao rolling around cheerfully on the grass. "Well, Pumpkin, I guess it's just you and me for a while..."

~OUTSIDE~

"First of all, we should make your name permanent," Knuckles told Pumpkin as they exited the Chao Garden. Then we can see how healthy you are...and maybe even buy you something nice along the way. How would you like that?" Pumpkin cooed in Knuckles' arms, entertained by the wondrous outside world.

As they entered through the doors of the Chao Kindergarten hall, Knuckles first made his way to the Fortune-Teller. He pulled open the doors, careful not to let Pumpkin crawl out of his arms, and entered. The room was dark and eerie. Knuckles felt uncomfortable immediately, and he knew Pumpkin did too, for she was writing in his grasp. As he walked further in, a dull light shone from the distance. He came closer to it, and finally made out that it came from behind a curtain. He pulled the curtain back, surprised to find a lovely adult chao sitting in front of a crystal ball, the object of the light.

"Come in, children," the chao spoke out.

Knuckles reluctantly made his way towards the chao and her "magic ball". He sat down in the chair she offered to them.

"Ah, a new born. I see. Would you like a name for it?"

"Yes please," Knuckles answered.

"All right then, I will pick one for you."

"No I would rather-"

"Magic spells, I summon thee. Bring this chao's name to me! Presto! How about the name, Rover?"

Rover? Knuckles thought. What kind of a name is Rover? "No thank you. I would like to name her myself."

"Oh I see...well then, what would you like to name it?"

"I would like to name -her-, Pumpkin."

"Hmm, Pumpkin. That's a good name. I see a great feature for this chao, treat her well."

Knuckles nodded and hurried out of the room. "That was...interesting," Knuckles muttered to himself. Next, he pushed open the door to the medical center. The purple chao sitting in the chair across from the room turned around from its work and lowered his reading spectacles. "Ah, Knuckles. What a surprise! What happened...another one of your chaos get the hic-ups?"

Knuckles shook his head. In all his babysitting times, a few of Sonic's chaos had gotten sick and Knuckles had to rush them here in sheer embarrassment. "No, this time it's just to have a check-up." The chao got out of its chair and walked over to Knuckles and Pumpkin. He put his face close to Pumpkin's, as she stared back at him with curious eyes.

"Hmm...this is a new one, yes?"

"Yeah, Pumpkin was just hatched today."

"Oh! What a wonderful name!" the doctor exclaimed as he put the stethoscope up to Pumpkin's chest. "So why did Sonic send you down to check on his newborn?"

"Well actually...this one's mine," Knuckles mumbled out, hoping the doctor wouldn't hear him.

The doctor gave out a hearty laugh. "Well congratulations, my boy! I was wondering when you and that bat would get together and form a family." Before Knuckles could reply the doctor took a step back and went back over to his chair. "Pumpkin is doing great. She's an energetic one...and very healthy at that. Take good care of her." With that he swiveled back to his desk and continued with his work.

Knuckles took this as a dismissal, and walked out of the medical center. He looked down at Pumpkin in his arms. "Well that was...interesting." She stared back at him with her large eyes, then blew a spit bubble. Knuckles snickered. "Well, Rouge wanted me to teach you something...let's go back to the garden and think about it. Or better yet, let's go up to Chao Heaven [4] instead! Then you can meet the other chaos you'll be staying with for a while..."

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[1] Hey...I figured Knuckles had a soft and cuddly side too...

[2] Okay...the truth is that you pick if your chao is good or bad and then pet it lotsa times with a good or bad person...but I figured that Rouge would want hers to be bad...and the actual Pumpkin is a good chao...so...yeah...

[3] I got the name Pumpkin from the level, Pumpkin Hill! My friend was playing it and I was watching her and thinking of a name for my chao...and I really liked the name Pumpkin!! ^.^

Okay...there's my chappy. Yes, boring, I know. But hey, you gotta get through the boring parts to get to the funny and adventurous parts!! ^.^ Soooo I'll see you all next chappy!!!!

R+R PLEEEEEEEEZE!!!!!!!