Chapter Four

Sonic sat up late that night. Feeling bad for Knuckles. Poor guy had never been in love in his life and he thinks he is...

What will he think about this if he ever goes back to before? What would Rouge do? What would he do? So many questions left unawncerd. All Sonic could think about is Rouge and Knuckles and that they wernt really in love. It saddend him.

Okay. Im gonna get back to Knuckles and Rouge cause that is way more interesting.

Rouge was unable to get to sleep. She had slept so much during the day that she couldnt sleep now. Knuckles sat up with her, though tired.

"Rouge. Lie down. I can get you to sleep." Knuckles offerd sweetly. Rouge smiled and nodded. She lied down beside Knuckles and He stroked her hair. Gently. Soothingly, and in a motion. Rouge was lieing so close to him, That she could hear his heart beat. That is what soothed her the most..

Slowly, her eyes lowerd, almost closing. She gave Knuckles a kiss good-night and both fell asleep near eachother in about 20 minutes or so.

"What!" Shadow exclaimed angerly. "They took 4 of our 6 Emeralds! Damn it Eggman you were suppost to be on the watch!"

"Sorry! but I was hungry and I was only gone for 1 minute!" Eggman snapped back at him.

"Shut up! We needed those damned emeralds! You bumbling Idiot!" Scolded Shadow. "Did you at least see who took them?"

"Yeah...That Echida and Rouge." Eggman said. Triumphantly. Shadow snickerd.

"I think I know how to get them back.."

Rouge and Knuckles woke the next day as lovy-dovie as they were before. Sonic constantly tried to tell them what was wrong. But Knuckles would just hide it. He didnt want to hear it. Untill Sonic got so fustraited that he tied Knuckles to a tree. Rouge sat beside the tree, watching.

"Lison to me damnit! Bokkun Threw a love bomb at you! that is the only bomb in the world with pink smoke and after effects! damn it Knuckles! I've been trying to tell you before you got too hurt! But you wouldnt lison to me!" Yelled sonic. Both Rouge and Knuckles were silent. Knuckles's head hung.

"I knew it wouldnt be anything good...I knew that the news was bad by your expression...I didnt want to hear it. I didnt want to stop loving her..."

"You dont have to stop Knuckles. But we do need to get you two an antidote for this. Sadly...you wont remember any of this..." Sonic said, shaking his head sadly. Knuckles felt tears spring from his eyes. "Do you want to live a life caused by a prank. Or do you want to live a real life. A life that isnt fake..?"

"I'll do it...I'll go back...But Rouge...I love you..." He said sadly. Sonic untied him. Rouge wouldnt remember what he had said. Sonic just took both of them back to the mansion and Chris's grandfather began finding an antidote for this. Once he found it. He made Knuckles and Rouge drink a blue liquid and almost instantly. They were back to how they were before the bomb prank.

"How the hell did we get here?" Rouge asked looking around. Sonic sighed.

"You two came back last night. Crashed right out afterward." He lied to them. The lie was for the best. He wouldnt be able to stand it if they got hurt. Really bad. So he gave everyone else a look that read 'lie to them..its for the best.', they all agreed to him and his lie. Knuckles looked around confusably. But he just went along with it.He looked at Rouge, who seemed to be equally confused. Ella called everyone down for dinner. Everyone walked down to the table as Ella and that one..other...butler dude finished putting the food out on the table.Everyone sat down at the table. There was a long silence in the mansion. No one sat a word during the dinner. All afraid to bring up what had happend. Rouge and Knuckles didnt understand why everyone was silent.No one looked happy either. They were all sad and silent. Cream and Cheese were also very sad, they just ate their food as did everyone.

"Why do you all look so blue?" Rouge asked. Feeling awkward in the silence. They all looked up at her and then put on a fake smile.

"We arnt." Sonic lied. Though, they were really feeling bad for the two. Though the love was fake, they rather liked the Idea of Rouge and Knuckles. The Echidna had never fallen in love before. He was always one to look after the Master Emerald. But after the insadent, they saw what it would be like if they were in love.

"Then why were you guys so quiet and depressed?" Knuckles asked. Contributing to Rouge's question. He too, wanted to know what was up with all of the silence.

"Its nothing. Really." Tails lied as well as Sonic. He hated lieing to them. But he knew it was for the best. Wasnt it? They made such a cute couple.

After that, Chris started a conversation to change she subject. Rouge finished her dinner and placed her fork down on the plate.

"Im finished." She said getting off the chair and walking out of the dining room. She apparently had something on her mind. She retreated to the balcony of the room she was sleeping in. Knuckles wanted to follow her, but then everyone would get wise to how he felt about Rouge. So he stayed. But something in the back of his head told him to follow her. Not because he loved her, but because he had a feeling something was going to happen. Something, bad. So he finished up his dinner and left as well. Hearing Rouge's loud scream coming from the room she was staying in. He ran quickly to her room in a panic. He saw Eggman with Rouge tightly pressed against his egg shaped chest with his right arm. Laughing.

"You want Bat girl back? Bring the emeralds.Or else." Eggman threatend. Tossing a smoke bomb into the room so that Knuckles wouldnt be able to save her. Eggman hopped out the window into that robot he has int he video game. (Sonic Adventure 2 battel) and left with Rouge screaming.

It took about 5 minutes before the smoke cleared. Knuckles was found by sonic coughing from the smoke. Once it was cleared and Knuckles relized that Eggman hag gotten away, he pouned his fists on the floor; leaving cracks in the floor.

"Damn damn damn DAMN!" He shouted as he beat the hell out of the floor. "Damn Damn Damn"

"Knuckles..." Sonic mumbled sadly. "What happend?"

"Damn! Eggman took Rouge and I dont know what he is going to do with her! He wants the emeralds as a ransom. I guess I'll have to give them to him." Knuckles mumbled. Ashamed.Sonic gasped.

"Your going to give Eggman the peices to the master Emerald! But you spent your life protecting it!" Sonic protested.

"I know. But Rouge is more important to me than some stone." Knuckles mumbled as he got the bag out from under the bed. He left the mansion with sonic begging him to think of a diffrent plan. "Sonic. I wont change my mind. Rouge...she means everything to me. I will put the world at stake just to make sure she was okay." Sonic stayed silent.

"You really love her dont you?" He asked Knuckles.

"Yeah." Knuckles told him, outside of the mansion. He then left the whole parimater of the mansion and got Topaz to fly him to the head quarters. As he got twords it, he was greeted by shadow.

"Emeralds." Shadow snapped.

"Rouge." Knuckles snapped right back.

"First the Emeralds, then you get your bat girl." Shadow said to him.

"No. I want Rouge out here or you don't get the emeralds." Knuckles snapped at him. Shadow nodded.

"Eggman! Bring out your fiance!" Shadow orderd. That stopped Knuckles's heart. F...Fiance? With that, Eggman brought out Rouge, her head hung low. She had a forced ring on her finger that she couldnt get off. It had a small chip attached so that if she ever got it off. It would just get right back on. Rouge saw Knuckles as Eggman thrusted her forcefully forward. Her gloomy face smiled as she ran to him. Grabbing onto her Echidna. Knuckles held onto her as well. The bag of emeralds in his hand. Though his grip, wasnt as tight as Rouge had hoped.

"Knuckles...Im sorry...Im forced to marry Eggman...they figured you wouldnt come..." Rouge explained, nearly in tears. Knuckles just held his grip on her, if anything, his grip tightend.

"Shadow. I'll give you the emeralds. Just get this ring off of her finger." Knuckles snapped.

"well of course!" Shadow said smugly. "But you got your girlfriend back. I need the emeralds first." Knuckles thought about it. Would shadow keep his promise? He could only trust his gut. He tossed the bag over to Shadow. Shadow began to leave them. Having Eggman follow.

"What about the ring?" Knuckles yelled. Shadow laughed.

"You should make better deals. I mean, You should wait untill I take the ring off before giving me the emeralds dummy!" and with a laugh, the bad guys left. Knuckles sat there with Rouge in his arms. The cold metel ring on her finger. Rouge only apoligized to Knuckles.

"It wasnt your fault Rouge. Dont be so hard on yourself. I dont care if you were Eggman's fiance by force. Rouge. I still care about you." He told her as she cried on him. He gave her a kiss on the forehead.