Chapter 6 – Packing Up and Breaking Down.

It was a beautiful morning; no matter how many times the sun shone over the mountains, he never got bored of the spectacle. Giving a long, luxurious stretch, Knuckles the Echidna flipped off the shrine to the Master Emerald and gave a huge yawn. The air was crisp and clear as the renowned emerald guardian tracked up to his favourite hillock, bounding from tree branch to tree branch as though he'd been born to it. Which, he reminded himself, he had; the entire island was his playground, its bounty his and his alone and all its secrets his to know. Knuckles smiled as the realisation soaked into him, empowering him as surely as the sweetberries he was eating from a single gloved paw.

But, he mused, it was not without its price. It was his ancient and overriding duty to guard the island from all trespassers, and especially prevent its main treasure, the Master Emerald itself, from being perverted to evil causes. He recalled the few times he'd failed in that duty and shuddered; he had sworn a binding oath after the events of the Death Egg that he'd shatter the gem before anyone could take it from him again. Just his luck, not so long after the oath had been swore, he'd been forced to do just that – proof if any were needed that no decision ever goes unpunished. As he crested the top of his hill and checked the wind direction, a smile forced its way to his face as he remembered the complete scramble he'd had trying to recollect the shattered emerald shards. He kicked off, dreadlocks catching the wind and propelling into the air as his mind slipped back.

Though he'd never admitted it, the events that led up to the final battle with the Biolizard and, even after that, the Metal Overlord, had been a real eye-opener for him. Knuckles had never in his life seen a city like Station Square, or ever even dreamed about the possibilities of going into space and boarding a colony like the ARK. It had been painful, desperate and at times downright spine-chilling, but it had been fun for the echidna. That didn't mean he'd repeat it if he had the chance, but he did wish that just on occasion, he'd get the chance to see a bit more of the world than the hundred and fifty or so square kilometres that were traditionally his.

But there was a second reason, wasn't there? It wasn't just the Emerald that got you into all that danger was it? As he glided over his island, keen eyes alert for any kind of trouble, he gave a resigned smile. It was true; concern and duty to the Master Emerald hadn't been the only reason he'd joined up to help save the world on more than one occasion. It might have been the main reason, but it wasn't the only one.

The simple fact was that Knuckles, up until just under two years ago, had held one very firm view on treasure-hunting and adventuring – just don't do it. Just don't; no loopholes, no clauses, no excuses, no nothing. But ever since he'd realised what he'd been up against, he'd just had no choice. At the first sight of Rouge he'd been smitten – much as he'd tried to dismiss it, ignore it and curse it, the fact remained that in his eyes, Rouge was perfect. She was smart, sassy and for the first time, in her iron-shod footwear, Knuckles had an equal in the martial arts. The fights they'd had had tested him to the limit and beyond and the echidna relished it; he loved the challenge of holding off someone who was equal to him in strength and smarts. Still, old pangs resurfacing in spite of himself, the echidna sighed. He was under no illusion that the bat probably hated his guts – he'd stopped her getting her immaculately manicured fingers on the world's largest and most powerful jewel, had hassled and fought her all the way to the ARK and as a final indignity, had saved her life. Knuckles smiled wickedly; sometimes he just wished the bat was here, just so he could rub her face in that fact and watch her squirm. The echidna chuckled on the wing, thinking of Rouge and all the ways he could make life uncomfortable for her.

A dull, repetitive 'whump-whump' noise reached his ears and immediately, the echidna readied himself. All his thoughts went out like lights, replaced by the supernova certainty of intruders. On his island. Maybe after his emerald. Snarling, Knuckles wrenched his head in the direction of the sound, changing direction on a dime. Whoever was dumb enough to set foot on his turf was in for a rude awakening.

Earlier that morning, Nack had been forced to resort to a glassful of cold water to the face to wake Rouge up properly. After calming down, and threatening the weasel with all manner of unpleasant and biologically possible eventualities if he tried that again, Rouge had said to move out,

"Where we goin'?" Rouge slammed her still mostly unpacked suitcase down before replying,

"We're going on a trip somewhere I know; what I don't know is if the jerk who owns the place is going to let us stay". Nack nodded, a confident sneer on his face,

"I'm pretty sure we can persuade 'im to do it".

"I'd love to see you try, but just get ready; we need a cab". Nack's face fell,

"Oh what; I gotta leave me bike down here?"

"Yes", the bat exclaimed in exasperation, "we can't afford to be traced". The weasel didn't like it; he'd had the machine for nearly six years, but needs must when the devil drives he grudgingly concluded.

"Alright fine, jus' lemme get a few things out the pannier first". As Rouge nodded and hefted her case, Nack rushed downstairs, flipping a couple of bills onto the counter that would have more than paid the hotel costs for this shack. He flipped the pannier open and carefully extracted the most important bits; his photos, smokes and a lighter, a couple of energy bars and a strange assortment of metal parts that looked like some blown-up air-fix kit. Satisfied, the weasel took one last, long lingering look at his pride and joy before reluctantly turning away and heading back into the building.

"Just how high up are these friends of yours?"

"Trust me, I don't think you want to know" Rouge answered sweetly, inwardly cracking up at the sight of Nack's hanging jaw and bug eyes. Having caught a cab to a high rise apartment block and then the lift to the very top of the building, the sight of the two-seat helicopter had not unexpected, but still shocking for the bounty hunter, who was used to stowing away in the holds of ships to get anywhere in lean times. Rouge smirked again; she'd had to pull some mighty long strings and think up some spectacular white lies to get hold of this at such short notice, but at the time it had seemed like a price worth paying. Had she known the grilling her boss was going to give her when she got back to work she might tried something a bit less drastic, but now, in blissful ignorance, she was basking in the satisfaction of a job well done. Nack sorted out his jaw and smiled for the first time in what felt like years,

"All right, let's fly this bird and get where we wanna go".

"Just a sec", Rouge took something out of a pocket in her jumpsuit, "put this on". She was holding a slim black strip of material; Nack folded his arms and scowled,

"An' just why do I need to be blindfolded; we're partners, remember?"

"I know that Nack, but it's not me that's the problem", the bat tried to think of the best way to explain, "the guy who owns this island is…", several choice words came to mind but the bat resisted the urge to speak them out loud, "…well, he's got trust issues. If we show him I haven't shown you the way to his pit, we'll have a stronger case in trying to convince him to let us stay". Rouge smiled coaxingly as the scowl deepened, but eventually the weasel snarled and threw up his arms in defeat.

"Oh fine, just let me get the damn thing first".

The flight had been pretty uneventful; Nack had appeared to have dozed off after about thirty minutes, so Rouge had flown the rest of the way in silence. As she gently touched the helicopter down on a relatively flat bit of the island (a good distance for the Master Emerald shrine – every little may have helped) the bat tapped the slumbering weasel on the shoulder.

"Wakey, wakey sleeping ugly, we're here".

"Oh good, wish I could see it" he remarked sarcastically, clambering gingerly out of the helicopter, making sure his feet were on firm ground before taking the blindfold off.

Batgirl! What the hell is she doing here? Knuckle's mind was temporarily short circuited as one of the last people he expected to see on his piece of real estate hopped lightly out the cockpit of the small helicopter. More to the point, who was the other one; Knuckle's face hardened – he'd hardly expected a social call from the bat but hired muscle didn't seem her style. Though, he noticed as he crept closer, he had been blindfolded – what kind of game was Rouge trying to play here? Well, he wasn't going to find out just by sitting here watching.

"Hey, Nack, don't go anywhere" the bat warned as she sat with her legs under her. The weasel turned to her from his position near some trees; he wanted to set up a camp ASAP and get ready just in case.

"Why not; we gotta get ready".

"We're waiting for someone".

"Who?"

"Me" a voice whispered in his ear. Nack yelped and sprang away from the voice, heart rate pumping as he span into a ready stance.

Well, if that guy is hired muscle her budget must be a bit less than I'd imagined Knuckles thought to himself as he watched the weasel try to gather up a scrap of dignity. He'd assessed the potential threat and reasoned that, in a straight fight, he reckoned he'd have the edge of this, Nack character. It was just that Rouge was notorious for not allowing a fair fight that bothered him. Talk of the devil; the bat had stood up and walked towards him, face creased in a cocky smile.

Don't blush, don't blush; Rouge repeated the thought like a mantra against severe, possibly terminal embarrassment. Damn Knuckles; even if he did blush at seeing her, she doubted she'd see it due to his fur hue. He was the same as always, taciturn, silent and waiting for her to make the first move.

"Hey Knuckles, long time no see". He folded his well-muscled arms,

"What do you want Rouge?"

"Still as unfriendly as ever Knucklehead; no wonder you never get any visitors".

"My personal connections aren't your concern; you've shown up on my island unannounced with him", he jerked a thumb at Nack, who was eyeing Knuckles with a casual sneer, "for company. I want to know what's going on and you will tell me". It was a simple, concise statement, but you'd have to be deaf not to pick up on the subtle threat in the echidna's voice. Rouge, however, ignored it; if anything, her smile grew ever more disdainful.

"Poor, poor Knucklehead – being alone up here for so long has eroded the few social skills you ever had. Give it another couple of months and you'll be a complete savage, oh sorry forgot, you already are". The bat smirked as she noticed the spark in Knuckle's eye burst into flame; his ego wasn't going to take that lying down.

In actuality Knuckles was a little concerned, but he'd rather be bludgeoned to death with the Master Emerald than admit it. In all the time he'd known Rouge, the bat had always looked immaculate but now she had bags under her eyes and her make-up looked like it hadn't been touched for at least a day or two. Something was wrong here, but he was going to make her tell him what it was rather than ask.

"Well if I'm a savage, answer me this – what does that make someone who needed rescuing by a savage?" Rouge growled as the memory pricked her anger, but forced it down. She opened her mouth, but a second, deeper voice cut in,

"I take it you own this joint then, Knuckles is it?" The echidna glanced around; he'd almost completely forgotten about Rouge's companion. The purple creature fanned itself with the hat it wore as he answered,

"Yep, that's me; Rouge, who's this?"

"Me name's Nack the Weasel kid", Nack was getting a bit annoyed from the ignorance he was receiving, "I'll speak for meself". Knuckles turned to face him, a slight smile on his face,

"Okay Nack, what did Rouge promise you if you joined this little escapade, 'cause I can assure you won't get it. Not while I'm in the way…"

"You could be removed very quickly" a female voice muttered, causing Knuckles to grimace; he should have seen that coming. Nack answered,

"Rouge promised nothing, but she said this island of yours is a good place to hide".

Knuckles ran that sentence through his head over and over, but it just refused to sink in. A place to hide? Oh, right, now it made sense; the echidna grinned broadly and stretched,

"Oh right; who's toes did you tread on this time batgirl? And what possessed you to try and hide here, of all places?" Rouge looked down, gritting her teeth as she prepared to kiss her pride goodbye forever. Swallowing bitterly, the bat looked the echidna square in the eye,

"We, we need your help Knuckles".

Well wasn't that a kick to the head… The echidna simply stared, stupefied, as the bat went slightly redder, examining her shoes as she waited for the storm to break. And when Knuckles finally realised what the bat had asked, it broke. Big time.

"Do my ears deceive me", Knuckles began slowly, his grin starting to engulf his face, "or did the mighty, I'm-a-big-bad-treasure-hunter-who's-soooo-much-better-than-you Rouge the Bat just ask little savage me for help?" Rouge glowered, face smouldering; I'll make you pay for this Knuckles, just give me time to work out how.

"Yes, I said it, now will…"

"AHHAHAHA", the echidna dissolved, openly mocking her as he pointed with an extended glove, "so, so what was nasty enough to force you to come grovelling to me?"

"I'll tell you that", Nack had had enough of this verbal banter; he marched up Knuckles and thrust a creased photo into his face, "the guy who did this is after us and probably wants us both dead. Now you gonna let that happen or you gonna help?" The photo of the battered wolf stopped Knuckles dead, the warrior snatching the photo and scrutinising it closely. Both Nack and Rouge watched his reaction closely; Rouge in particular paid close attention. She snorted quietly; from the way his face fell and eyes narrowed, she could tell he was thinking similar thoughts to hers when she had first seen it. Maybe she and Knuckles weren't so far different after all. Knuckles carefully gave it back and addressed her again,

"Right, what did you do to deserve this?" There was no sarcasm in his voice; this was a purely business question. That didn't mean she could answer it though,

"I, er, I don't want to tell you that Knuckles".

"Really; that's odd, I thought you wanted my help".

"I do", the words had left her lips before she could control them and she desperately scrabbled for a cover up, "We need your help. But some things I'd rather keep private". Not good, he wasn't going to buy that completely. He had no reason not to simply order them off Angel Island, and she didn't back herself on being able to stop him. She had to offer a compromise,

"I tell you what; if it matters, and hopefully it won't 'cause he won't find us, I'll let you know. Until then, my lips are sealed". Knuckles had a poker face on; he was looking deep into her as though examining her with X-rays. She met and held his gaze; she couldn't back down, too much depended on it. Knuckles nodded as though coming to a decision – she only prayed it was the right one,

"Alright, you can both stay here. Follow me". Without so much as a second glace, the echidna turned and moved back into the bushes. Nack raised his eyebrows and whispered as Rouge brushed past, following the echidna,

"I see what you mean, he's got people problems".

In reality, Knuckles was having trouble coming to terms with what he'd just seen and heard. Originally, he'd just thought it had been a plot by the bat to try and go for the emerald again, but that photo put a whole new spin on things. He fought to protect and defend what was his but that was repugnant; fight to win, not to hurt. He'd also not been able to see any lie in Rouge's eye; not that that meant too much, she could probably fake sincerity as second nature, but it reassured him just the same. In fact, he rather liked this arrangement; if Rouge and her friend were in trouble, he was in the perfect place to try and help out, if she wasn't and this was a plot of some kind, he could at least keep an eye on her. The more he thought of it, the more appealing he found the idea.

Eventually, the echidna stopped and pointed towards something the other two couldn't see. He turned his head and smiled,

"Welcome to your new home" he said with a flourish, "with the latest ensuite and washroom facilities" he added as Rouge and Nack saw what he was pointing at. In fact, it wasn't that bad; there was a small waterfall and shallow pool it fed, surrounded by a stony bank and short grass. Some large rocks provided enough room to sun oneself on. It wasn't bad, but neither guild member believed for one second this was the best their host could do. However, neither was dumb enough to antagonise Knuckles by saying so.

"Cheers", Nack said at last, "this'll do for as long as we need, won't it Rouge?" he said with a stern glance in her direction,

"Yeah, it's fine" the bat said in a bored tone of voice; she'd accept the echidna's help, but she'd be damned if she'd do it gracefully.

"Glad you're happy", Knuckles said dismissively before turning serious, "stay here until I get back, I've got some business to take care of. Oh Rouge, a word with you?" The bat looked up, saw the meaning in Knuckles' eye and followed him slightly away from their impromptu campsite. When he was sure Nack was out of earshot, he stopped and turned towards her, hands on hips,

"How much does he know?"

"Oh Nack's pretty good, he can read, write and I'm pretty sure he can count as well…"

"You know what I meant" Knuckles said sternly, not showing any trace of emotion as Rouge stopped having fun.

"Nothing; no I mean it", she said, slightly hurt at the disbelief on the echidnas' face, "I blindfolded him on the way here; he doesn't even know this piece of dirt's about three hundred feet above sea level". Knuckle's eyebrows rose,

"Really, you blindfolded him all the way here?" That was a bonus, it'd save him having to swear the weasel to secrecy later, "that's saved me a job. Right, I have to go; stay here and just for once, don't wander off and try to stay out of trouble" he said with emphasis on the last words.

"I WASN'T", Rouge began, but it was too late; Knuckles had gone. Rouge took a deep breath, then another, before venting her frustration in a childish, schoolgirl yell.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU, KNUCKLES ECHIDNA!"

Interesting. The research on the targets indicated the situation could become very dangerous. The danger made the mission less likely to succeed. The friends of the bat were many. Records also showed many could use Chaos energy. The correct tools were necessary for success against these possible foes.

Nack heard the bat's shout and fought to hold a chuckle down; he was currently assembling the big kit he'd brought with him. Soft footsteps behind him caused the weasel to take a break for a few seconds and peer over his shoulder. Rouge was stalking back to the waterfall, face like thunder and kicking at perfectly innocent stones as she worked off her bad mood. Nack smiled; had he ever been that young, once upon a time. Ah, the memories;

"What are you up to?" The cross tone suggested to Nack that not answering would prove detrimental to his health, so he slotted the last piece home and called back,

"Just a little insurance policy I always keep handy". The weasel lit a cigarette up and heard a gasp as Rouge caught sight of what was now nestled in the weasel's lap,

"Is that, what are you doing carrying that around?"

"Like I said, insurance policy", he casually stroked the barrel of his pop-gun, "I don't plan to use it, but if I get a decent shot, Seraph's going to end up missing at least part of his anatomy" he said gruffly. Rouge gave a mute nod, eyes still trained on the gun her companion now carried; she was so focused on it she nearly missed his question,

"So how'd you know Mr Personality then?" Rouge eventually answered after thinking for a few seconds.

"Hmm, oh, I was doing some treasure hunting and came on this island by accident. He showed up and we had a bit of a row". Rouge skipped most of the important bits and Nack either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Oh, right, how long you known him then?" The weasel was picking his moment,

"Just shy of a year now".

"How long you been in love with him?"

Knuckles raced to the Master Emerald shrine; not because he thought it was under threat, but just because it was a place he felt safe and comfortable. It was also a place he could think unmolested. Seeing Rouge again, knowing she could be in danger and she was on his island – did that make her safety his concern? Or was it only the Master Emerald he had to protect, at the cost of all else? He wasn't sure, but anyway he needed to check the recent repairs to the shrine hadn't come loose. He may, in the moments he was being completely truthful, have admitted to himself he had feelings for Rouge, but that didn't mean he was going to turn his back on her for too long.

"WHAT!" Nack howled with laughter at the expression on Rouge's face; he just wished he had brought his camera with him. The bat wasn't sure what she wanted to do; ask the weasel how he'd come to that conclusion, argue furiously with him or just force-feed him his pop-gun. Backwards.

"Wha, you're nuts, I don't…" she gabbled, mouth instinctively reacting before brain.

"Really?" the weasel chortled, gaining moderate self-control again, "then why have you gone red as he is?" Rouge touched her face, and sure enough it was burning up. She snarled; if Nack could be childish so could she, only much better.

"I'm not talking to you any more, not until you apologise for that statement" the bat declared, turning her nose up and walking straight past the weasel. Nack tried to stop himself, he really did, for the sake that he needed Rouge's help against Seraph as much as his own personal health, but in the end he just couldn't help it,

"Awww, young love, so cute and free and…owww!" It might not have been the first promise Rouge had ever broken but as she piled into Nack shrieking a litany of curses that would have made a trooper blanch, it certainly proved to be the fastest.

It was about mid-afternoon when Knuckles returned to the waterfall where he'd left his guests. The echidna had come to a reasonable conclusion; if nothing untoward happened by the end of a week, he'd say the pair should be safe, but the first sign of treachery they'd be off his island too quick to blink. A fairly satisfactory compromise he decided, before a rustle off to his left brought his guard up.

"I told you to stay at the waterfall" he said as he caught sight of the tips of a pair of large, white ears. He scowled, a little disappointed as it seemed Rouge couldn't do anything he asked for longer than a few hours without supervision.

"Oh, hi Knucklehead", the bat stood up, "guessed it was you; you'd never make a spy; you've got club feet" she complained as she swivelled her ears to face him. Knuckles crossed his arms,

"What are you doing here; I…"

"I know, but Nack's getting a shower in the waterfall and I really don't need to see that", she shuddered, causing Knuckles to smile a little, "anyway, I had a favour to ask".

"Two favours in one lifetime", the echidna gave a grin that made the bat's heart flutter a little, though nothing showed on her face, "when you're good you're good". Rouge cocked her head to one side, smiling sardonically.

"If you've quite finished your macho one-upmanship?"

"Nah, give us another couple of minutes", the echidna flexed his arms, just to annoy the bat as she tapped her foot, smiling, "Okay, that'll do for now. Now, you wanted something?" The bat dropped into a fighting stance,

"I need some practice and couldn't fit my punch bag into the chopper. You'll have to do instead" she insisted as Knuckles silently admired her pluck, taking up his usual ready stance and nodding,

"Fair enough, just remember this bag punches back".

"Don't cry if you get hurt".

"Ditto". With a sudden cry and shuffling of feet, both Mobians charged, punches and kicks flowing like water between the two fighters. It was a sort of cross between ballet, a martial arts bout and a street fight; low punches and kicks were gracefully evaded, blocks were capitalised upon and guards repeatedly broken. Unseen by either of the furiously concentrating fighters Nack, having finished his washing, settled down on a comfortable patch of grass and watched casually. He could hold his own in a fight, but these two were better than he was, he could see that even from here. All he wanted now was some soda and a bucket of popcorn…

The targets were not foolish; their position would have changed following identification. The satellite should be in position by now. The chances were reduced this time, but it was possible for the same method of tracking to be utilised twice.

A single hand flicked open an brick-sized, archaic model of mobile phone and the other rested within easy reach of a functioning computer. Pressing a few buttons, the figure tensed, primed for action as the receiver rang.

Rouge stepped back, narrowly dodging a strong left cross when something inside her pocket buzzed. The tickling sensation threw her minutely, allowing Knuckles the chance to land a glancing hit before the bat yelled,

"Time out!" The two fighters backed off as Rouge fished her phone out of her jumpsuit pocket, mind still on the fight and eyes on Knuckles as she flicked it open,

"Hello?"

By then the figure in Station Square had nearly enough information to go on; fingers punched the keyboard lightly as the call dragged on. Hundred square miles, fifty, twenty…

Knuckles saw Rouge's brow crease in confusion as she repeated her greeting,

"Hello?" Shaking her head slightly, she took the phone away from her ear, wondering if it was malfunctioning somehow. As soon as she saw it face on, the veteran spy felt her blood freeze. With a cry that sent Knuckles jumping back startled, the bat hurled the phone to the floor then brought the heel of the boot thundering down on it as hard as she could. The resultant crack was like a gunshot, the phone pulped to ruin.

The static in his ear was proof that the gambit had been discovered and neutralised. It had been partially successful, however; the area had been narrowed down to approximately two square miles. Ending the call, the black clad assassin turned towards the area he had to search as displayed by his computer.

This appeared impossible; the area was approximately a mile out to sea off Station Square peer. The most likely explanation was the target was on a nautical vessel. This escape attempt must not be allowed to succeed. There was little time to waste.

"DammitblastandbuggermayIburninthefiresofHell" the bat stated, grinding the plastic case to paste under her boot. Knuckles was torn as to what to do; of all the things he'd expected, this was among the least likely. He decided to stay quiet as Rouge shouted for Nack; the weasel arriving with almost indecent haste.

"I saw…"

"It was a trace; the bastard traced my phone", Rouge exclaimed, cursing herself for not realising it earlier, "that's how he knew where we were staying and where to go". The weasel swore as the consequences of this crashed onto Knuckles with a rush of horror,

"Wait, you mean someone knows where Angel Island is now?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean", the bat snapped, more angry with herself than anything else, "Seraph'll be on his way here right now and there's nothing we can do about it". The bat held her head in her hands as Knuckles raised an eyebrow at Nack. The weasel answered his unspoken question,

"Yeah, Seraph's the one after us". Knuckles grimly assessed the situation; unless this was a really elaborate plot to get him to drop his guard, he reckoned he could believe the two reprobates in front of him. More importantly, someone who was almost certainly a threat to his island was on the way with possible murder in mind. He was going to ask how it was possible for the guy to trace a mobile when Rouge stiffened suddenly.

The bat had been thinking furiously and cursing herself for her stupidity; first thing you did if you thought you were being spied on was changed your phone number. That was a rookie's mistake, but then, how did Seraph get hold of her number? The only people who knew it were…

Oh no. Please God and all the saints, no! Anyone but Amy!

Rouge slowly turned to both male Mobians and the horror in her face cut through both of them like a knife. Her face had drained of every drop of blood and her usually full, velvety voice was a harsh croak.

"Knuckles, is there any way to contact Station Square from here?" The echidna thought but Nack answered, holding out his cell phone. The bat had snatched it and dialled furiously, panic lending her speed.

Amy had just got in from the weekly food shop when the phone rang. She quickly arranged the bags so they wouldn't fall and dashed into the front room, snatching the phone up. To her utter surprise, it was Rouge who was speaking.

"Amy, is that you?"

"Yes, hi Rouge; everything alright?" There was a pause as the bat let out the breath she'd been holding, visions of the hedgehog house-sitter lying dead banished from her mind as she tried to control her voice.

"Hi Amy; listen, I need you to check something for me; go round and check all the windows are shut on the first click, okay?"

"Umm, sure. Hang on a sec". The pink hedgehog set the phone down then took off around the house, wondering why on earth Rouge was spoiling her holiday by worrying about something as trivial as that. She was so engrossed in her thoughts she nearly missed it when one of the lounge windows opened at her sudden push. She quickly checked the others then returned to report her findings,

"They're all locked 'cept one in the lounge. Don't worry about it, it's just…" She never got the chance to finish that sentence as Rouge's voice exploded down the line,

"Amy, get out of that building now! It's not safe for you to stay, just pack up and get out! Go to Sonic's, you'll be safe there; just promise me you won't sleep in there tonight". The young hedgehog was shocked, and more than a little scared, to hear something like this. She tried to ask, but was rapidly overridden,

"Never mind, I'll explain when I get back, just promise me!"

"Okay, I promise; Rouge what's going on…" but it was too late. The line went dead, leaving Amy alone and afraid as the evening began to fall.

Rouge silently handed the phone back to the weasel, eyes screwed shut. Nack accepted his appliance back and broke the silence,

"Rouge, what happened? What was…?"

"He broke into my apartment", Knuckles was shocked by the bile in those words; if bottled they could have been used to strip paint, "that's how he got my number. He must have broken in during the night. Amy's house-sitting for me, she's alone", the bat opened her eyes and they were filled with shimmering tears, "he could have done anything to her. Anything. Because of me". She tailed off, breath hitching as Nack slowly removed his hat and kept his breathing steady by force of will. Knuckles clenched his fists; if this was true, this Seraph had threatened one of his friends; if he was on his way here he'd better be ready for Knuckles Echidna.

Rouge was scared and in pain; her alert mind turning against her as it tormented her with possibilities of what could have been. She had lost her trademark sassiness and self-assurance; it was her fault that Amy had been in danger – if the pink hedgehog had been hurt, or even molested; her mind shut off that possibility, granting her at least some relief. It was all too much; the stress and strain she'd recently been exposed to clawed at her barriers, demanding release. She tried to hold back the floodgates, I don't want to cry in front of him, but it was hopeless and she broke down utterly, tears falling in a silver rain. In a tiny, vindictive part of her mind, the part of her mind that always told her that no matter how well she did, she should do better, was grinning and sniping maliciously; she'd never be able to look Knuckles in the eye again. That part of her mind was silenced when a gloved hand touched her shoulder.

Contrary to many of his friend's beliefs, Knuckles did have a heart; he was just able to shield it better than most due to his isolation for most of his early life. However, just because it didn't show didn't mean it didn't happen and the sight of Rouge crying over something as big as this was enough to break through even to him. She's crying because she was afraid for Amy – these are tears split for others. Unfortunately, his shielded heart meant he had little idea what to do in a situation like this. He glanced round for Nack, but all he could see was the weasel's retreating back; he was on his own and had to make a decision.

Gingerly, acutely aware that if he botched this he'd hurt her even worse, the echidna slowly reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. When she didn't flinch, he moved again, pulling gently and drawing her slowly, ever so slowly, towards him. He started as the bat collapsed against him, tears soaking his shoulder as Rouge cried harder, fingers raking his back fur as she sobbed all the fear, all the worry and all the stress of this week out of herself. The echidna, more terrified than at any time during his fights with her, just froze and let nature run its course, gently stroking her wings and back as the fear wore off slightly. He didn't know how long the two of them stood together, the steel soul of the echidna providing a support for Rouge's weakened one, but eventually the sobs lessened, the tears dried and Rouge looked up.

He held me; why, after all the hell I've put him through?

She lent on me; but she's always been so strong, stronger even than me.

I shouldn't have done that; I should be stronger than that, but this, feels…good.

Maybe she'll think I tried to take advantage; she's done it before; it's not true.

I've thought about him so much, was Nack right earlier?

If I hadn't fallen before, I think I just did.

Slowly, Rouge stood upright again, a little dizzy from the effect of the tears. Knuckles let her push off his body, not moving as she ran her hands over her eyes to dry them a little. When she was approaching a state resembling presentable, the bat shook her head and walked back off towards the waterfall. Knuckles headed back towards the Master Emerald shrine.

"Hey Knuckles", the echidna turned to see the bat giving him a weak, watery smile, "thank you". He felt himself returning the smile, more at ease now than he had been for ages,

"Don't mention it". The sound of a gunshot echoed through the air, causing them both to flinch and look for the source of the sound.

Not far away, Nack reloaded his pop-gun and sighted, blasting another small rock to chippings. The weasel's eyes were hard and cold as he reached for another clip. Just one clear shot, that's all it'll take. One shot and I'll put you in the grave you deserted seven years ago, Seraph!