Iron Skin, Golden Heart

by obsidian dreamer

After the Bloodstone's destruction, two beacons of hope are lit. Yet as the Dark Legion grows and an old foe rises once more, the choice must be made between a perfect life, or another's life. Continuation from A Bloodstone Rose. SERIOUS KnuxRouge, Big

6. Chapter 6 Of Nerves and Nuptials

Chapter 6 – Of Nerves, Nuptials and Naughtiness.

A/N: This should have been up yesterday, but the monitor of my computer crashed completely and I had to zip out and buy another one this morning; I hate computers! Hope you all enjoy this ceremony.

HHH – Hello Soulio; hope you're behaving well for your owner :-). This is the one HHH, hope you enjoy it as a Knucks-fangirl!

TH – Computer trouble, how well I can sympathise!

"Will you just sit still?" Shadow asked exasperatedly for what felt like the millionth time as Sonic continued to fidget in his seat, giving the distinct impression he had a nest of ants crawling around in his seat and couldn't quite get away from them all as he shifted uncomfortably. Licking his lips, the blue hedgehog looked up nervously and offered a strained smile,

"Sorry dude, but it's tomorrow man, this is it, the big one", Shadow groaned as Sonic launched into another of these now famous rants, for some reason Sonic had become even more talkative than normal as the wedding date had come closer, seeming to channel his tension into verbal form; and as a consequence, how many of these speeches have I put up with over the last few weeks – bloody countless! "what the heck am I going to do up there? I'm a bundle of nerves now, just think what's going to happen when I'm at the altar, with all those eyes…" he broke off, shuddering at the thought as Shadow snapped his newspaper shut and, having rolled it up, bopped Sonic over the head with it smartly,

"Tomorrow, you are going to be stood in front of an altar, the priest is going to ask if you have the ring, you are going to say yes and give it to him and Knuckles is going to do the rest, got it? Now for the love of Pete calm down; you're putting me off my stocks and shares". Sonic rolled his eyes and snorted,

"Scintillating read I'm sure", he made to get up, "I've gotta check my tux is pressed right". With an incoherent yell, Shadow threw down his paper and buried his head in his hands, speaking brokenly through his fingers,

"Sonic, your tuxedo is pressed and packed along with mine, the ring is safely secured in the right breast pocket and transport's well arranged. Now I mean it", he let his hands slid free and grip his paper again, as it was curled into an even tighter roll, he spoke levelly and with impressive menace, "sit still and shut up, or I swear to the good lord above when the police find your body all they'll have to go on is the newsprint covering it". Sonic eyed the way the black hedgehog's hands were twisting the thick paper, together with supplements, into a solid coil and nodded, falling quiet and picking up a nearby television magazine. For a second, Shadow knew bliss with his paper, then of course,

"Ever wonder why some people spell realise with a Z? It's always worried me that, you know; what is it with that Z, it's the same with las… er, Shadow? Put the paper down, don't do anything you'll…right, I'm off!" A second later, Sonic speeded out the door of their joint apartment with Shadow a fraction of a second behind him, swinging away with his paper and bellowing like a rogue elephant. The race was fast, frantic and most importantly long; by the time the two hedgehogs returned to their domicile, the sun had well and truly set and sleep beckoned. Despite the nerves and apprehension, tiredness from the extended chase took its toll on both hedgehogs; Sonic barely had the energy less to take a shower before he crawled into bed and was lost to the land of the living.

XXX

This time tomorrow; Knuckles lay awake in the room he had built with his own two hands, the wooden cabin still his as he spent his last day here as a single Mobian; I'll be married to Rouge, and we'll be together forever. So well he remembered that last conversation he'd managed to snatch with her before she had retired to stay at Lara-Le's until the day of the wedding, for it was ill-luck for the bride and groom to meet before the day. That single, simple minute, before all the plans had been drawn, the words of his sixth-father had echoed in his head and he could not keep them within, he had to tell her what she was letting her in for. So he had sat with her, and he had admitted that, as a guardian, it was his destiny to live a long life, that he would remain on this earth long after she had been forced to depart from it. He had asked if she could do that, if she could marry a Mobian in the full knowledge she'd never grow old with him; and you answered batgirl – words I can never forget; as he had for many nights these past few weeks, the guardian smiled and stroked the pillow next to him, the vision of Rouge smiling and taking his hand filling his mind as her words floated back to him:

"That's not really a question for me is it Knuckles", he had been confused by this; she must have seen as she smiled and explained, "it's a question for you".

"I, ah", his ignorance shamed him, "I don't follow".

"Then I'll ask you", she had taken his hand, her beautiful blue eyes meeting his amethyst orbs and holding their gaze levelly as she spoke again, "Knuckles, can you love me, even when the years take away my youth, my beauty leaves me? Can you look deep inside yourself and know you'll stay with me, even when I can't run, or fly, or fight anymore? Are you strong enough to care for me even if I can't recognise you, if dementia takes my senses and memories from me? Have you got the courage to face death with me, when the time comes, and can you emerge from it whole, with memories of the good times we had? Are you man enough to do those things – it's not up to me here, this is all about you, and you're the only one who can answer yourself". There had been silence for a moment, Knuckles struck by the sheer truth of the matter, stunned so far he couldn't even register the tears sliding down his snout.

"It was", he managed to croak, throat suddenly constricted and tight, "it was a stupid thing to ask". Without another word, the guardian embraced the love of his life and held her close, words meaningless now; he knew what his answer must be. For how long they held each other he didn't know or care, all that mattered was that they were together now, for the last time in a couple of months. Finally, with great reluctance, Rouge had slipped away, whispering Lara would be missing her soon; with last murmured farewells, the fiancés had parted, Knuckles remaining seated for a long time, a strange happy-sad feeling suffusing him, though he knew he'd made the right choice.

Well, tomorrow would be the beginning; the time when he and his partner; wife tomorrow; Knuckles felt the same rush of heady anticipation flood him again, the same tide that had been keeping him awake all night buoying his consciousness up once more. He tossed and turned, trying to sleep but at the same time not wanting to, knowing that every second brought that single instant closer, the unique second he knew he would be united with Rouge for all time and forever.

And several miles away, a white fruit bat tossed and turned also, thoughts similar to those of the guardian churning her mind into a fever of restlessness.

XXX

One other could not sleep also, though very different reasons were keeping Vector awake, even as the snores of the other two exhausted Chaotix filtered through the walls of their new home in Echidnopolis. As a reptile, he didn't sweat as for once he was grateful; if he could have it'd be coming off in buckets by now. It all kicks off tomorrow or the day after; the leader of the team of former detectives had nights like this, often before important cases were due to begin, and this was probably the biggest thing that had ever happened to him in his life. Because if this goes well; the crocodile thought uneasily; we've got a job for life, but something could go so horribly…no! With an effort he jerked himself away from doubt and worry; he couldn't afford to think like a defeatist now. Look on the bright side; he whipped off the covers and looked down at what he liked to call his new body; red's routine did a number on this – I've never been fitter and as a team we're running like clockwork, eight hours on, sixteen off, goes like a charm.

That much was certainly true; the guardian, since the deal had been struck that day, had drilled him and his friends mercilessly; he and Rouge together had made their lives a living hell, except for Espio, who seemed to take it in his stride much the same way as he did everything else in life. Exercises, training, wilderness survival, tracking, route finding, you name it, he'd done it, but he hadn't broken; he'd come close, but he'd never thrown in the towel in anything he'd attempted and he wasn't about to start now. He thought about the pay-check, the unsaid glory and, he admitted in the quiet minutes when no-one was looking, the fact that he was going to be protecting not just a valuable jewel, but an entire race that depended on that jewel to survive. But from tomorrow; the same nagging fear he couldn't banish, no matter how positive his outlook; Knuckles isn't going to be around to help us. That thought he couldn't shake; he lay awake for many hours and, when he did finally fall into slumber, his dreams were uneasy; all he could recall of them were a crushing hand at his windpipe, eyes of blood and three silver knifes, all set against him as he struggled for his life.

XXX

The alarm's note didn't last longer than a split-second; Sonic shut it off, was up, out of bed and had his shoes in all in the same movement; stick with the plan – do not mess this up; he though savagely as he wrenched open his bedroom door and shouted,

"I'm off, see you in a minute".

"Go for it; breakfast when you get back". Shadow's head peered out from his open door as the black hedgehog made to get on with his part in the proceedings. Nodding and snatching his keys from where they'd been strategically placed for ease of finding, Sonic unlocked the front door and took off, forcing himself to go to the limit as every microsecond counted on this day.

Amy had been waiting with extreme impatience at the table of her apartment; it was a lot like waiting for Tails to arrive at Christmas, only somehow even more maddening. Her knuckles were white around the cup she cradled in her hands as she stared at her clock, ticking off the seconds; therefore when a sudden hammering echoed through her door she launched herself upright, unable to release her grip on her drink and lukewarm tea went everywhere, splashing all over the table. Oh no, that'll take ages to…; the pounding came once more and somehow snapped the importance of this day back into focus; oh forget it – I can get a new table and tea stains never hurt anything anyway. Throwing her hands up at it, the pink hedgehog flew to her door, twisting the key in the lock hard and springing it open; her eyes met Sonic's and they must have communicated telepathically somehow; the blue blur rushed towards her sitting room while she dashed back into the kitchen, ripping some kitchen roll for one of her draws and mopping up the spill. Spinning, she threw it towards the bin just as Sonic reappeared in the kitchen doorway, a couple of small travelling bags under his arms,

"This everything Ames?"

"You bet; going light as we're not going to be there long" she answered, quickly hustling him out through the hallway and pausing only to lock her door before springing onto her new boyfriend's back.

"Ready?"

"Let's go!" She said by way of answer, hugging tight into Sonic's back as he raced away from her apartment block towards his own home; from there, the three of them could race to the Mystic Ruins and then to…Sonic cut off that line of thought as he gritted his teeth and fought for even more speed; there he'd met his next challenge, and he prayed he'd not be found wanting.

XXX

Cream tore her eyes away from the horizon, flicking a glance down to where Tails now stood, the fox having just loaded everything onto his unique vehicle with a little help from Big. She could see his tails swishing the air behind him rapidly, a sure sign he was agitated and nervously anticipating something; and he's not the only one. The rabbit sighed as she remembered the struggle she'd had to try and sleep the previous night; she had been dropped off by her mother the night before in order to make an early start – the fact she had been granted permission for that that had been a stroke of luck and no mistake.

She was sure her mother would never have let her stay over if Big hadn't said he was going to be there as well, and sure enough when Vanilla had pulled up, Big and Tails together had been on the porch waiting for her to arrive. The cat had explained that he'd needed an extra day to transport some of the bites he'd made to the fox's house on time; these delicious looking treats had spent the night in Tails' freezer and were now stored safely in a refrigerated box in the Tornado's passenger compartment. They just needed reheating and they'd be ready to eat, and speaking of eating; she patted her stomach hungrily as she realised the very light nature of the breakfast she'd eaten – the last thing she needed to do was get air-sick on the big day. She'd seen her mother off before darkness had set in; Vanilla had sorely wanted to come but her boss had refused her any more time off, so she had to settle for the next best thing; Cream with a camera.

"Don't worry mum, I'll get loads of pictures for you".

"Make sure you do", the older rabbit mock-ordered before hugging her daughter and pecking her on the cheek, "have a great time everyone, and wish Knuckles and Rouge all the best from me".

"We will" they all chorused as the orange rabbit exited and climbed into her car, waving from the window as the three friends posed victoriously, preparing for the day awaiting them tomorrow.

The memories were shattered by a gruff call from behind her, Cream spinning around to see Big pointing from the porch towards the edge of his vision; due to his height, he'd been able to see a bit further into the distance than either of his friends could,

"Over there"; without a second thought she took to the air, seeing Tails mimic her actions out the corner of her eye. Training her vision forwards, she looked up to see two comets of black and blue speeding towards where she was waiting,

"They're coming, they're nearly here!" she squealed in delight as the two blurs rushed towards her. Sure enough, a few seconds later Sonic and Shadow screeched to a joint stop in front of Tails' home, forcing the other three Mobians to shield their eyes from the plume of dust they kicked up.

"Everyone here?" Cream heard Sonic's shout and blinked her eyes open, watching the dust settle and seeing with dismay that there was still someone missing,

"Where's Rosie?"

"We just brought the bags; get them aboard and I'll go back for her"; with that the blue hedgehog span on his heel and reverted once more to blur mode, streaking away to the horizon and the city that lay beyond it. Next to where he had been, Shadow reached down and slung another bag over his shoulder Big wading forwards to help,

"I've got it" he said simply as he scooped up most of the assorted luggage with a single paw, the bags dangling easily by their straps as he hefted them effortlessly, "where do you want them put Tails?"

"Follow me; you two, mind keeping an eye open for Sonic again?" There was no opposition and the fox led the huge cat to the waiting Tornado, hurrying to secure the baggage as soon as was possible and then nip inside to give Locke the message they were on their way through the communication system they'd jointly developed.

XXX

Another cloud of dust preceded the arrival of the final two hedgehogs; Cream didn't even wait for the dirt to hit the floor again,

"Right, everyone in and buckle up; Tails is just confirming our ETA to the Brotherhood. Let's roll people". The rabbit heard several footsteps pass her and an almost silent voice mutter,

"Bossy-boots" as its owner went past. Bloody cheek; the rabbit felt mildly affronted by this; I am not that bossy; a flash of orange assailed her newly returned vision and she shouted almost without thinking,

"Tails, get locked up and come on; we're all present and correct, we're just waiting for you. Move it!" Nah, not bossy at all – just good at organising.

XXX

Tails had pushed his trusty machine to the limit; they touched down on Angel Island in record time, it was barely half-past nine when the plane morph of the fox's mecha rolled to a stop and the landing ramp deployed,

"Okay, here's the plan", the disembodied voice crackled over the intercom, "Rouge is at Lara-Le's place getting ready and Knuckles is at Haven. We're splitting up here; all the girls are getting out and going into Echidnopolis, the rest are heading to Haven", Amy unbuckled her seatbelt and lurched to her feet before there was another burst of static,

"Oh wait, sorry nearly forgot", Tails sounded rushed and apologetic, "Shadow, Locke says Rouge wants to see you as well; you'll have to get out here too". The black hedgehog raised his eyebrows and looked around; he was met with mystified expressions all around as he slowly eased off his belt and stood up, following the now-curious Amy down the ramp. There was a bit of a biting breeze and he hugged himself before looking up to see the object of his, Amy's and Cream's transport stood before him, Locke at his side,

"Just the three of you?" Sojourner commented as Cream touched down by the side of her big sister; when the pink hedgehog nodded in answer, the echidna sighed with relief,

"That's not too bad, I should be able to manage in just one jump; any more of you and I'd end up falling asleep in church". Shadow smiled at this quip before his brain, seemingly more alert for potential potholes than he could ever remember being at any time in the past, shot a timely reminder his way,

"Wait, my tux", he pointed at the Tornado as it began to transform into the jeep variant, "how will I get dressed?"

"Leave it to me", Sojourner assured him before casting Locke a sideways glance; with a nod the younger echidna headed for the jeep, where Tails immediately threw open the passenger door for him, "now let's go; I've got a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in". He extended his hands, letting Amy take one and Shadow the other; Cream was just about small enough to slip between the former guardian and her sister and take hold of his upper arm; after a couple of seconds concentration, destination firm in his mind, Sojourner called silently on the Master for its blessing and then triggered his unique gift, vanishing with his passengers in a violent green flare.

XXX

It's dark; this was Shadow's first thought as his eyes strove to adjust to the gloom – he took a deep breath only to sneeze; dusty too – where are we? Before he could ask though, Sojourner had answered,

"Don't move anyone and stay calm; we're in Lara's attic", he explained, letting go of his passengers and seeming to shuffle forwards, trying to feel with his feet as he kept talking, "we had to set up a point where the flare of my gift would go unnoticed and this was the best and closest spot we could find. Hold on and don't move around; last thing we need is for one of you to go through the ceiling; ah there we are". Squinting, the black hedgehog saw an indistinct shape shorten and a second later a hollow tapping echoed through the still, sultry air. The shape grew back to its original height and approached him once more as suddenly, part of the floor fell away, light streaming upwards and illuminating part of the scene. Of course, a trapdoor – how else are you supposed to get up here; Shadow nodded in understanding and strode forwards to peer downwards from the rim of the hole, expecting to see Lara stood at the bottom, maybe on a chair to compensate from her slightly shorter frame. What he did not expect, not even in his wildest imagination, was for a hand to reach up towards him and a soft, slightly grating voice to speak out,

"Come here, I will carry you down to ground level". The black hedgehog's tongue clove to the roof of his mouth, mind scrambled for a few minutes as he tried to think of how this could have happened,

"O,Omega?"

There was a slight 'whumpf' noise and a second later the light was blocked out; Shadow's former team-mate had risen up on his thrusters and was now blocking the attic exit with one hand and his head unit.

"Greetings friend Shadow; it has been a long time. Are you well?"

"Er, yeah, I guess so", pleasantries aside, and realising Amy and Cream must have been at least as confused as he was, he decided to bite the bullet and ask, "Omega, how did you get to Angel Island?"

"Friend Tails transported me here two days, thirteen hours and twenty-six minutes ago as part of a shipment he was transporting in his Tornado vehicle", the robot answered, "his charter business is going well and he agreed to ship me here discreetly; now would you mind holding on to me – I do not wish to run the risk of peeling the wallpaper with the flames from my jets".

"Er, yeah, sure", the black hedgehog stepped forwards nervously, trying hard not to flinch as the robot's fist closed around his chest, bringing him almost to the point of constriction as Omega descended, his departure illuminated by a green light as Shadow assumed Sojourner left in the manner he had arrived. As his feet were set on the ground once more, the black hedgehog found himself looking up at Omega as the robot extended his hand for Amy; despite himself, he smiled slyly,

"I take it the club's going well?"

Despite a lack of emotions, it seemed at least some of Rouge's fashion sense had rubbed off on the robot; all of the paint on Omega's bodywork was buffed and his joints were chromed, shining in the light of his jet boosters. Unfortunately, being unable to recognise sarcasm if it jumped up and bit him, the robot answered the question logically,

"The profit margin is averaging at nineteen and three-quarter percent", he droned as he set Amy down and let the pink hedgehog smooth off her dress; suddenly one of his LED eyes flashed suddenly; is he trying to wink? "the previous proprietor only managed thirteen percent at the best of times". I guess so; Shadow sniggered as an outraged voice burst from somewhere nearby,

"Hey, I pretty much signed Club Rouge over to you for a pittance; you have no right to criticise me you overgrown water-heater". The robot gave a half-shrug as, in the distance, the others could hear a voice they presumed to be Lara's chiding Rouge for moving too much,

"Friend Rouge speaks the truth; I paid only one-fifteenth of the true value of such a property at the time", his mechanic voice rose in volume, "and I am grateful; I have never attended a wedding ceremony before this time and am thankful for the opportunity".

"You don't need to be Omega; we've been through too much for you to be denied an invite", the bat's answering tone was softer, though still humorous before she suddenly changed tack, "wait, is Shadow there?"

The black hedgehog started at the mention; it took him a few seconds to find his voice and answer,

"Yeah, I just arrived with Cream and Amy".

"Oh good, he passed on my message then; would you mind coming here for a minute, I've got something I want to say to you". Looking around ands seeing nothing but support on all sides, he stepped forwards, following the bat's voice to wherever it was leading him.

XXX

Shadow pushed the door open, looking in to where Rouge was obviously getting ready; his first impression was white, the beautiful white of her dress and the way it blended so perfectly with the pale fur of her body. She had her back to him, hitching up part of her gown as Lara pinned it in place, the echidna careful not to prick her through the fabric. Shadow cleared his throat and Lara looked up, the older woman smiling and reading down for her dress case,

"Shadow's here Rouge; I'll give you a few minutes"; with that she snapped the small case she had with her closed and carefully squeezed past, the former ultimate life-form moving over to let her exit before wetting his suddenly dry lips and making the first move,

"You, ah, you wanted to see me Rouge?"

"I did", she turned around slowly, not wanting to disturb Lara's ministrations of her dress as she shifted to face the ebon hedgehog, "Shadow, I wanted to ask if you'd do something for me".

He couldn't reply for a minute; his breath had been stolen by the way she looked in this masterpiece of the dressmaker's craft. The dress was fairly typical but so well made; tiny threads of silk and satin were cunningly spun to make it appear like her bodice was hung with tiny, shimmering spider-webs. The dress was ankle-length, thin but heavy enough to stop it flapping around in a stiff wind, and white, the whole thing was white as virgin snow. It spoke of elegance, of beauty and most of all, of a woman wanting to look her absolute best on the biggest day of both her and her groom's lives.

"Rouge, you look…", flapping wildly, he seized the first word that came even vaguely close, "…magical". She smiled and took a step forwards, reaching out for him and gently taking hold of his hand,

"Thank you Shadow, that really means a lot", her face fell slightly; Shadow was tempted to place a hand on her shoulder but resisted, waiting for the request she wanted to make, "you know, don't you, that I've never really had a family I can remember?"

"Yes, you've said so; I'm sorry about that…"

"I can't be helped, but listen, this is a big ask, but I've known you the longest of all; we were almost close once, even if you can't remember it, so please", she raised her eyes to look right into his face, searching and pleading with her face as she made her want open, "please Shadow, could you give me away at the altar?"

Give you away?; the traditional duty of the father, to give away his daughter in wedlock – Shadow was speechless, shocked; were we really as close as that once – curse this memory. He was understandably quiet for a few moments, letting this sink in and trying to digest this request, sum up logically what it meant for him before answered with the only words he could find,

"It would be my honour, a privilege and a great pleasure Rouge", he wiped suddenly damp eyes, taking her as she hugged him softly, whispering her thanks into his ear as he finished what he needed to say, "thank you for even asking".

"Knuckles wanted Sonic by his side", her reply was muffled, but he heard it effortlessly, the words etching on his heart and soul, "I want you there Shadow; you always were a true friend". I know I was; the black hedgehog lowered his face into the material covering her shoulder, reassuring himself and her both; even if I can't remember, I know that for certain.

XXX

Sonic was out the car before it had stopped; the boot was open before Tails had even had time to consider putting on the handbrake. With frenetic energy, the hedgehog lifted his own travel bag out of the vehicle's boot, taking care to make sure it remained as flat as possible; the last thing he needed now was a crease.

"Oh goody", oh great; with a sudden sense of dread, Sonic looked around to see Athair sprinting towards him at the same time as race up the wall to the ceiling – with a painful mnemonic pinch, Sonic remembered the last time that had happened and winced. Having said that though, now he had a better look as Athair approached, Sonic realised he was going a lot more placidly than he normally did; if anything, Sonic would have expected him to be ricocheting around like a ping-pong ball in the wake of his great grandson's forthcoming nuptials. He was dressed much the same as always, though if anything his dreadlock wrappings were a tad more formal than normal and, miracle of miracles, the hyper third-father was wearing shoes.

"I know", almost as if reading his mind, Athair dropped to the floor and bend down, worrying the laces of his footwear the same way a blackbird might try and prise an obstinate worm from the ground, "I hate these things; they don't let any light or air to my little piggies and they need to breathe, especially in this weather".

"Don't take them off – there'll be the devil and grandfather Spectre to pay", there was a trice of panic in Locke's voice as he hurried over and straightened his grandfather out, finishing with, "and between them I'd take on Lucifer any day of the week". Athair sighed and kicked the floor,

"He double-knotted them, I can't free my feet, but maybe", his eyes lit up and everyone cringed in readiness to pounce on his next mad idea, "maybe I could get some scissors and cut the top off; ancient one would never know and…"

"No, grandfather, there's a…", Locke though fast; Athair with a piece of paper was a hazard for everyone's health – him and a pair of scissors was a case of death from above, "…more pressing matter for you to deal with". The scientist indicated where Big was now looking around him as he heaved the refrigerated crate containing his fish platters out of the boot, the black sash of the blindfold he'd voluntarily worn dangling limply from one hand.

"That gentleman needs to find a kitchen", Locke explained, "he's brought some nibbles and they need to be cooked before they can be served at the reception; think you handle it?"

"Of course grandson – it's not like I'm incompetent or anything" Athair sniffed haughtily before flying over and hovering in front of the purple tabby; after a few seconds of introductions, and Big taking in this larger than life persona, the two departed, Athair attempting to orbit the cat's head at the same time as show him the way to go.

"Thank heavens for that", Sonic sighed as he heaved hiss case out, patting his breast pocket to make sure the ring was still in the correct place, "he's nice in small doses, but how you guys haven't turned him six feet under by now's beyond me".

"A question each of us asks every day, at least once", Locke answered before smiling and beckoning, "come on, Knuckles is this way and waiting for you; we've got two hours to get ready".

XXX

The door swung shut behind them, Locke muttering he'd give them some time to get ready; Sonic immediately dropped his case and unzipped it, though his eyes never wavered from the back of his friend as Knuckles paused in fiddling with his neck area and spoke,

"Hi guys, glad you could make it? Where's Shadow?"

"Rouge wanted a word with him, he's at your mum's", Sonic answered before giving a weak smile and making a brave stab at conversation, "so, how're you feeling? Nervous?" here was gruff chuckle and Knuckles turned to face them, the lines of worry deep on his face as his nearly manic grin grated to form the answer,

"Nervous? I've gone way beyond that Sonic; I've fought Metal Sonic in his hyper mode, I've been in space and done all sorts of crazy and plain stupid stuff, but believe me I've never been like this before – I'm half-way between bed-wetting and a near-death experience".

"Don't panic"; all eyes swivelled to the speaker in shock; Sonic and Tails had been so fixated on the echidna they'd completely neglected to register the fact that the Chaotix were there also. Charmy was being helped into his shirt by Vector as Espio wrestled with the belt of his trousers; the bee strained to smile as the crocodile tried to gently position his wings through the twin slits in the fabric,

"Listen, in two hours it'll start, in four hours you'll be married, in eight hours you'll be hammered and in twelve you'll be on your way to the best damn holiday you've ever had". There were a few polite chuckles to this frank statement, though Knuckles did have to correct the bee on one count,

"Hopefully all right apart from the eight hours bit; no alcohol at the reception. Too many minors and too many bad memories to justify that, not to mention I'll have to face mum again"; the guardian broke off shuddering as Sonic shook his head in shared sympathy. He looked back up as Knuckles laughed again, suddenly pointing right at Tails and speaking mock-reproachfully,

"Speaking of which, Wyn's starting to think he's got a rival for her affections you. What have you been up to?" Ah, right; the fox felt the fur of his muzzle grow uncomfortably warm as querying glances were sent his way, not helped when Espio added,

"And that little business you've got racketed; making you a pretty penny I bet".

"Business?" Sonic glared at his adopted sibling, eyes probing for answers as Tails squirmed, "good question Knuckles; what have you been up to foxboy?"

"Well", he stammered, trying to come up with an excuse on the fly, "I saw a bit of a gap in the market; you know", he elaborated at the obvious confusion, "Spectre's message about the world below was broadcast, so there was a bit of curiosity as to what it was like down there. So I had a word with Spectre just before Rouge proposed to you; I decided to make a bit of a go of it", crunch time; he girdered his loins to deliver the news, "I'm a charter pilot now; I fly echidnas that want to sightsee to and from the Mystic Ruins on a day trip basis; I want to expand in the future but I'm doing all right for now".

"You ship things as well", Vector added helpfully, "I don't know what I'd do without the weekly battery supply I get from you, and Lara like the tea and chocolates you keep bringing her".

"Yeah well fair's fair; she always invites me in for a cup of tea or place to crash for the night if I need it", the fox answered confidently before shrugging, "I do what I can; I've gotta make money somehow" the fox remarked casually before a hand descended on his shoulder and Sonic's jade eyes bored into his,

"Yes, speaking of which", the grip tightened almost painfully, "where's that money you must be making going Tails? And you were going to tell me about this, when exactly?"

"it doesn't really concern you does it Sonic" the fox answered quickly, trying to remain focussed as Sonic raised his eyebrows, "I mean, you'd never want to work for me would you?" The blue blur pursed his lips before nodding in agreement,

"Nah, guess not; flying's never appealed to me the way it has to you", he suddenly smiled and Tails smelt trouble, "but you only answered half my question Tails; what are you doing with the money you're making?" This'll be interesting; Sonic had known his brother so long reading him was second nature; the way the tip of his pink tongue flicked across his lips was a sure sign that he was trying to hide something,

"Not too much", he said evasively; Sonic simply smiled and put on the evil eye; Tails hated being stared at too long – eventually he'd crack and sure enough it started as Tails scowled,

"Quit it", the fox demanded, knowing what the blue hedgehog was up to and knowing equally well that he couldn't do a thing about it, "Sonic, stop, that really bugs me". The eyes widened slightly, tracking his every movement like iron filings to a magnet as the younger Mobian raised his hands as if to shield those bale eyes from view,

"I stop staring when you start talking Tails", the hedgehog said, eyes still glued on his brother's reluctant form until eventually,

"Ah, okay, okay, just stop with the freaky staring; one day I will poke your eyes out, you do realise that?"

"Sure do, but it's not today", the blue hero said smugly, folding his arms, "now out with it". Tails sighed and tried to prepare his next move, acutely aware that he had the undivided attention of everyone in the room focussed solely on him,

"Well, I'm trying to build a second Tornado, and the parts don't come cheap – you know I said I want to expand when I can, well I need more planes to do that and the Tornado's a good start point. Maybe I can improve it this time around", his eyes misted up as he thought about his baby now cocooned safely in Haven's vehicle bay; unfortunately this sudden lapse in concentration took his eye off the ball for a fraction of a second as his own tongue punished him, "then I've applied for the amateur pilot license for…" he cut himself off just in time.

"Why?" Sonic pounced on the error; not like Tails to make a mistake like that one; "you've already got an amateur pilot licence haven't you?"

"Yeah, I mean of course I have", the fox blustered, keeping his fingers crossed and silently pleading with all the deities remotely associated with luck to keep his cover, "I meant a pro license; I need one to have more than one plane at a time". Yes; he was flushed with quiet jubilation; no-one saw it, I'm home scot…

"So who's the amateur licence for", Espio's voice slit the conversation wide open and Tails was struck cold with terror as the chameleon finished, "I know from you tone you have one ordered; you're training a new pilot I take it?"

"Yeah", the fox shrugged, attempting to sound off-hand with the matter, "yeah I'll need someone to fly the next plane I make and…" he was cut off by Knuckles doubling over with a sudden burst of laughter, slapping his knee as something ate into him; and don't I know just what!

"And I know", Knuckles spoke, eyes now practically alive with jest and fun; Tails closed his eyes waiting for it as the echidna finished, "who it is you're training, don't I foxboy?" Taking the silence as answer, the guardian broke down into helpless giggles,

"Right on you little hound-dog; when're the invites going out for you and Cream getting hitched; I want a front row seat!"

"You're training Cream as a pilot!" Sonic looked torn between deep shock and heading down the same path as Knuckles, "what's Vanilla got to say about this?"

"She doesn't mind; she thinks Cream belongs in the air and watches her train with me", the fox admitted, cheek blazing as Knuckles laughter was oil on the fire, Vector trying to be discreet in his mirth not helping much either, "it'll be better money than any other job she'll have in the school holidays".

"Lucky her", Charmy said suddenly, eyes misty as something seemed to occur to him; without really realising the impact of his words he explained blithely, "wish someone loved me enough to build me a skateboard, never mind a whole plane".

Oh crikey; that was enough to set the whole party off; Sonic was giggling with his mouth open, pointing at him with his hands over his mouth as Vector and Knuckles both fell about laughing; alas poor ego, I knew ye well. He did the best he could in the circumstances; stand there and take it, nodding and grinning painfully at the flak as it came; or at least, he did until Knuckles spoke again, his phone at his ear,

"Hey, mum, is Creheheheeam there?"

"No", the fox darted forwards, only to be restrained by Sonic; in desperation he shouted the clinching words, "she doesn't know about the plane; it's a surprise for when she passes her amateur license test!" Apparently though, Knuckles didn't hear him and continued to speak amid the gales of laughter,

"Hi floppy, guess what…"

"Don't you dare you red headed hillbilly!"

"…Tails has a little surprise hidden for you…"

"I'm warning you Knucklehead!"

"…he's building you…", Knuckles left a dramatic pause, Tails dared to hope, "a new plane!"

Tails slumped forwards in his captor's arms, sudden shame and embarrassment writhing in his gut like a fiery worm; he couldn't believe Knuckles of all people would have done something a cruel as that, and worse as he listened on,

"Yeah, ain't he a sweetheart", the echidna gave him a thumbs-up before saying the words he dreaded most of all, "you want a word; sure, hang on". Knuckles offered his phone to the almost weeping fox, grinning like a maniac and half-singing, "it's for you!" Well, better get this over with; extending a suddenly heavy arm, the mechanic brought the appliance to his ear,

"Hi Cream, yeah it true I…huh?" It was only then that, rather than talk, the fox actually listened to what she was saying,

"…to hear our options for double rooms, press six, to hear these options again, press seven…" The fox flung the phone back at the echidna, who simply fell over hysterical,

"YOU…"

XXX

Git, git, git, git, git; Tails stalked down the corridors of Haven in high dudgeon, smarting like hell at that cruel prank; I can not believe Knuckles did that! The fox slammed open the nearest door, threw his case inside and sat down on the nearest chair, running his hands through his hair and noticing even as he did that by sheer good fortune he was in a bathroom and he could use a shower before the big event, now under two hours away. As he peeled off his shoes and socks and laid out his lovingly pressed tuxedo, the fox suddenly bumped his pocket with his elbow; this tiny contact was enough to fuel his revenge-craving mind to new heights of maliciousness. In a second he'd cut the water to the shower for a little while; he had a call of his own to make before he could get ready. It rang four times before he received his answer,

"Oh, hi Lara, it's Tails", he greeted pleasantly before moving onto the crux of the issue, "this might sound a bit random, but I need a favour; could you have Sojourner bring your photo album to Haven, I promise I'll get it back to you", he crossed his fingers once more before sighing in relief, grinning like a maniac as he finished the call, "you're an angel, thank you. See you in a few hours; not long now hey?" With that, he cut off his call, hit the on button, climbed into the shower and plotted his next move; now I need Locke to talk to…

XXX

Vector gave him the nudge just as he was straightening his tie; Knuckles glanced around to see Tails heading into the departure bay lugging what looked like a briefcase with him, aiming for the seeming fleet of cars present ready to transport the Brotherhood and the others to the church where the ceremony would take place. Excusing himself for a few minutes, the echidna walked over to the kit and cleared his throat, speaking immediately as Tails looked up,

"Listen Tails, I've got to say sorry", the fox's ears twitched, a sign he was listening, which in Knuckle's eyes could only be a good thing as he continued, "about what happened earlier; there's no excuse to play with your feeling like that; I really am sorry". The kit looked up and something like a wistfully annoyed smile crossed his face,

"Oh don't worry; at least you didn't actually tell her anything; if you had there'd be a funeral rather than a wedding today". The echidna chuckled before pointing down with interest,

"What's in the bag?"

"Nothing much; just something to make the reception go well", Tails saw the look in the guardian's eye and hastily added, "it's not alcohol or anything like that".

"Good", there was steel in his voice now, though it softened as he reached down and relieved the fox of his burden, "I suppose this is the least I can do to make up; I can only plead that the stress is doing funny thing to my mind".

"There's enough in there for funny things to happen?"; Knuckles chuckled and led Tails onwards, not seeing the kit's smile widen; stress does funny things, but I bet there not as funny as things your stag night did to you were!

XXX

"This is it Knucks", Sonic spoke as though sizing himself up for a death-defying stunt, "show-time".

"Don't", the echidna moaned softly as butterflies created a whirlwind in his stomach and potential calamities flittered in and out of his mind's eye; he could recall every turn, every twist and every slight jolt of the hover-car trip here in minute detail and every minute of it seemed to have lengthened into a year. He adjusted his tie again and suddenly his legs were weak and barely able to support him, he was going to fall…

"Steady", a clam but firm voice growled in his ear; Spectre was suddenly at his shoulder and Knuckles could draw strength from his presence, "we've all been there; it's natural to feel jittery on the big day".

"Jitters; I feel like I'm going to faint".

"Don't you dare", the younger guardian had the sudden bowel-freezing fear that Spectre was about to pounce on him if he did anything of the sort, "we've all waited long enough for this; we are not going to wait another fifteen or so minutes to resuscitate you just because you're feeling a few nerves".

"Yes grandfather", Knuckles answered meekly, staring at the doors in front of him as if by doing so he could force them to open, or force them to say closed – his thoughts alternated between the two options almost with each second. He could hear what sounded like an organ began played behind the door and its notes echoed the frantic beating of his heart and the beads of sweat trickling down his forehead; he wanted to wipe them off so badly but was prevented by the irrational fear that if he did it'd show up on his sleeve. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing in an effort to keep his cool,

"Hi", the voice was female; Knuckles looked down to see Cream, dressed as a bridesmaid with Amy, take her place ahead of him and next to the pageboy Tails. That must mean; his breath came quick and shallow, the room fading as a simple truth became plain in his eyes; she's here – oh my God, this is actually going to happen – I'm going to marry Rouge the Bat!

He could not dwell on such thoughts; at that second, the doors ahead of him were opened and out of them strode a fairly elderly looking echidna, dressed in clerical robes and with spectacles, smiling benignly as he said in a quiet voice,

"Guest please, this way"; Knuckles watched a seemingly endless procession of Mobian he knew and loved walk past; his family, mother and father side both, offering small smiles (with the exception of Athair, who somehow nipped in and pecked him on the cheek before zipping through the doors), then Shadow, a knowing nod his only contribution. The three Chaotix followed him, Charmy giving a thumbs-up before, to the echidna's amazement, a robot that simply had to be a buffed up Omega walked past, dimming his jets as he clumped inside. Big followed last, wrapped in the black garment he'd had to try and modify on his own as he'd admitted that none of the shops in Station Square stocked tuxedos his size. He still looked presentable though, sitting down behind one of the Brotherhood as his size easily afforded him a good view. With a sudden shift of position, the echidna priest smiled at him next,

"And now for you my son"; what, aren't there more? Knuckles glanced around to check everyone had gone it, but no, there was just him really left. A hand planted itself in his back and he stumbled forwards with Sonic's voice in his ears,

"Go red; this is it".

Never had twenty or so feet felt like such a marathon; eyes of expectation were beating down on him every step of the way and he was almost crushed into the floor by their combined weight. It took every ounce of strength, physical and mental both, to put one foot in front of the other and carry on going, drag himself to the altar and stand before the priest without his nerve shattering and him rushing away, far away as fast as he could go. He forced himself to look at the window, the beautiful stained glass that looked down upon him and cast the strange patterns on the floor around him. Luxurious reds and yellow, intricate and so perfectly crafted it was a miracle; he almost lost himself as the light played on the floor around him, splaying over his suit and beautiful in his hair; as he looked up, he stumbled to a halt as he realised he was at the steps leading up to the altar. This is it then; with a slow, deliberate movement, he lifted his foot up and placed it on the step; I've come through battle, fire and pain to be here today, with the woman who claimed me as her bridegroom; he heaved the rest of his body onto the step, driven by a single thought; I will not let her down now!

XXX

The first warning he had after an eon of seemingly boring waiting was the shuffling of a small congregation standing up; a second later the organ's music filtered through the still air and his breath caught in his throat. Summoning the very last of his courage, the singular scraps of his resolve, he steeled himself up enough to glance behind him, just once, at where she was now coming from, coming to join him in this now-on-longer lonely vigil at the altar; he saw white in his vision, he took his first glimpse of Rouge for nearly two and a half months and as he did, something unexplainable happened – all the fear, nerves and self-doubt, they just melted away, lost like straws on the wind as he saw Rouge approach, face covered with a thin white veil, looking more like an angel flanked by celestial bearers in the forms of Cream and Amy. An angel she is, my angel; the echidna finally loosened off as he head her soft footfalls on the carpet behind him, smiling now easily as the basic truth came out; Rouge is here with me – nothing can go wrong.

And just for once, for maybe the first time in his life, nothing did; the blessings were conducted with the proper air of respect and dignity, there was a brief gasp as Shadow stood up at the priest's declaration of giving the bride away, standing beside Sonic and behind Rouge with an air of combined gratitude and dignity as he nodded at the echidna conducting the ceremony. Knuckles was half-afraid that one member of his family in particular would raise their hand at the declaration of their reasons for these two not to be married, but Sojourner must have been able to hold his peace this time, for the church was still as stone. In fact, the biggest panic came when Sonic nearly fumbled passing the ring to the preacher, though Knuckles was too euphoric to lay blame on him, merely whispering,

"Nearly", from the corner of his mouth. He slid the ring he had so long yearned for onto his new bride's fourth finger, cherishing the softness of the skin on her now-bare hand, touching it with his own naked paw and treasuring the sensations as she symbolically reciprocated the gesture, speaking ancient promises of binding for eternity. Almost before he realised it, the priest turned to him and spoke those priceless words he'd waited for too long to hear,

"I pronounce this couple echidna and wife", he turned to Knuckles and smiled, "you may kiss the bride"

With reverence, with humility and with great, boundless joy, the guardian turned to his partner and slowly raise his hands, brushing the veil that still covered her face and so gently, raising it, exposing her immaculate features. The white material sloughed down the back of her dress as Knuckles was lost for all but two words, engulfed once more by her breathtaking beauty and vibrancy,

"You're perfect". She looked up, tears of triumph glistening in her eyes as she shook her head quickly, reaching down, entwining their bare hands as they had at the start of their relationship proper,

"No", she contradicted him correctly, "we're perfect". With that, she leaned forwards, Knuckles drawn towards her magnetically as the first claps began; their lips met like fire and ice both combined, they held each other as close as could be as applause was raised to the rafters, celebration and nothing less erupting at this culmination of happiness.

Finally, when they were ready, when they were satisfied that all the time spent apart and frustration of being separated for that time was gone forever, they parted, but could never be parted; as surely as night must follow day, they would be together. Smiling eternally, Knuckles looked to see Sonic, tears streaming down his face as he applauded, and nodded in deference, thankful for the duty he had done; the hedgehog shook his head and pointed down the aisle, the meaning clear; run you two – your future is waiting. With a shared glance, the new husband and wife took off, love lending wings to their heels as the congregations cheered them on unstoppably, many in tears but cheering still. Without pause, without thought, they raced into the car awaiting them, already pre-programmed to the destination courtesy of Locke, held each other in their arms and kissed once more.

XXX

The hall had been booked by the Brotherhood, the food and drink provided by Wynmacher's restaurant and a little help from Big's idea and the music and entertainment as a gift from the Chaotix to their former drill sergeants; truly a family effort if ever there was one. Locke had programmed a very slight detour into the newly-weds car, a canny scheme designed to give everyone else time to prepare everything. As Vector and the rest of the Chaotix set up the disco lights, Wyn was in his elements organising the team of caterers,

"Put that next to the best man's seat", he ordered curtly, trying to keep on top of the job as a stream of echidnas went passed and showed him plates of delicious food; with a quick once over he asserted the correct place for everything to go, "that should go onto the main table", there was a stab of panic as the main wedding cake was brought in by a team of three, "and for the love of the lord don't drop that or Lara will flay me alive".

"If you're lucky", the lady in question asserted before sneaking in and squeezing her new flame, "thanks for everything Wyn; you've really outdone yourself this time".

"Well, it's your son's big day; I had to make sure it went with a bang didn't I?" he answered, hugging her back before something on one of the buffet tables caught his eye. Disentangling himself from Lara, the chef whistled over,

"Hey Jose", his friend from the restaurant hurried over after putting down his plate of crisps; Wyn pointed and he followed with his eyes, "did you order those fish rolls? I can't remember doing it". The slightly younger echidna shook his head,

"Nah, wasn't me. Where did they come from?" there was a discreet cough from behind them; turning around, al three echidna found themselves face to chest with Big. The cat managed a nervous smile as his elephantine feet shuffled in worry; clearing his throat, he explained the mystery,

"Sorry, those are mine; I made them", his voice failed him and all he could do was smile; to his eternal relief, Wyn smiled back and nodded his head,

"Okay, thanks for that" he managed to say before a sudden loud cheer rent the air; Lara latched onto his arm and began dragging him off towards the door,

"They're here Wyn; oh I can't believe it – my boy's married a girl, oh they're going to have the best time of their lives together, I can feel it". Regathering his feet, the male echidna straightened himself out and grinned,

"Well, best we go and meet them then; race ya". The two echidnas ran forwards, the larger form of Big moving more slowly behind them, careful not to disturb anything with his bulk as he moved forwards to congratulate his friends.

XXX

With a barely audible crack, the icing was broken by the keen edge of the knife, a cheer going up as the wedding cake was cut cleanly and, with surprising delicacy, Knuckles eased a sizable slice onto the plate of his new wife. There was genuine, warm applause as he repeated the movement for himself before sitting back down, flanked by a grinning Rouge and his mother, the two most important women in his life. The bat smiled as she leaned towards him,

"Thanks Knuxie"; of course, just as she had planned, he opened his mouth to answer; it was then she thrust her other hand forwards, cramming his teeth with the cake he had presented her with, the icing splashing all over his muzzle as he tried to avoid choking amid gales of laughter, "how's it taste?" She was ready to defend herself should he look for revenge, but strangely he didn't, merely swallowing his mouthful of cake and smiling as he as he licked the spun sugar from his lips,

"Sometimes batgirl", a drip of icing fall from his nose and he just whipped out his tongue in time to catch it before finishing, "I really, really hate you". She laughed at his mock-serious expression and punched his arm,

"That's why you married me isn't it?"

"One reason", he confessed before giving his own wicked grin, "that and the fact you've got a butt you could park a bike in"; he caught her wrist as she tried to slap him for his cheek at the same time as try not to laugh,

"You", she spluttered her answer, "you married me for my body?"

"Not much else worth taking is there; I mean, I've got brains for both of us, you're just there to look like a million dollars". At this, she burst her slim wrist from his grip and gripped his tie; for a second he feared strangulation before she yanked his forwards, kissing him again as the first demands of a speech went up. The new couple broke apart, Rouge commenting that Wyn really had done something special on the cake icing, just in time to see Sonic rise from his seat the other side of Shadow and reach into his other breast pocket, pulling out the notes he'd spend the better part of a week working on. Clearing his throat and gesturing for silence, the hedgehog began,

"Well, here we all are, and I can't think of anywhere else on earth I'd rather be right now than here watching two of my closest friends finally getting their acts together and wedding each other", he favoured Knuckles and Rouge with his traditional smile and they both rolled their eyes, "took your time about it you two, but I suppose it's better late than never".

"You can talk" Amy whispered from beside him, poking him min the thigh and causing him to chuckle a little before he caught his place again,

"Knucks, we met four years ago in, well not the best of circumstances; as in you robbed me blind and then legged it, but once we got it through to you that we were friendly, we hit it off pretty well. In fact", the hedgehog scratched the side of his face, "when Rouge met you, she nicked all your worldly treasure and ran off with it; you had something in common right from the word go – a pair of kleptomaniacs". There was scattered laughter as the hedgehog suddenly threw all the pieces of paper casually over his shoulder and spread his arms wide, twisting to face the room as a whole,

"Forget the fancy stuff – I know these two deserve each other, were made for each other and I am one of the happiest Mobians alive today now I know they've finally got each other. Knuckles, Rouge, I want you to have the time of your lives together and hell, I'm sure you will; oh one last thing though, I need you to do me a favour Rouge", the bat glanced up as Knuckles saw a trademark mischievous smirk on his friend's face; this'll be embarrassing.

"Knucks is a little shy in the ways of the world, so please", he put on a pleading expression and appealed to the now grinning bat, "be gentle with him, at least at first. After that, well, who knows…"

Just too far away to hit; the echidna scowled as the beaming hedgehog took a small bow and sat down, merry peals of laughter following him, Rouge being amongst the contributors as she faced him again and mocked,

"Don't worry, I'll look after you". Just as he made to deliver his counter, another voice pierced the mirth, this one, however, was a little more unexpected,

"Hold it, hold it", Amy had stood now, apparently unconcerned that she was the centre of attention as she too looked over at the centre of the main table, smiling serenely to disguise the mischief in her heart; been waiting for this chance for ages – cruel maybe, but hell, she'll get over it.

"I've got a question of my own, one I'm pretty sure all us other girls wanted answering from you Rouge", the bat raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was after; before she could form much of a guess though, Amy had carried on, "everyone who knows you would admit you've got a fantastic figure and, unlike us lesser mortals, can get away with wearing those hugging jumpsuits without looking like someone forgot to iron you". The pink hedgehog waited for the whistling and cheers to die down, grinning inside as she realised the bat was already starting to blush a little; then this'll make her go my sort of colour;

"But there's one thing that gets to me, one thing I really can't figure out, one secret I need to know the answer to", she laid it on with a trowel, setting her victim up for the KO blow as she somehow found the mental resolve to put on her cutest, most pleading face and spell it out, "how, how, how do you wear those jumpsuits and avoid VPL?"

As the laughter crashed down around her, Rouge fell forwards and buried her face in her hands, the skin she could feel warm even though her clothes; even her ears were burning up as she ran her hands up and over the top of her head, not believe that Amy had found the guts, the sheer outright nerve to ask a question like that. She panted with shock and embarrassment, even as Knuckles banged his head on the table in throes of hysteria, everyone else in a similar state as she looked up. She must have had a motive; her mind tried every avenue to try and escape this excruciating purgatory of embarrassment; what did I do that…? The bat dared to glance around over where Sonic was sprawled in his chair, heaving with dry laughter and gasping for air, to Amy, who was still stood up, a wicked grin on her lips as she noticed Rouge looking at her. As an explanation, she almost casually ran a finger through the quills on top of her head but, more importantly, Rouge saw her fingers touch her left ear; her pierced ear! Rouge understood now, having seen the jewelled flower fixed there and accepting that, just maybe, she had deserved a bit of a comeuppance after embarrassing the pink hedgehog's boyfriend at Christmas; note to self, hedgehogs really do bear grudges.

"Well", Rouge snapped her eyes open as it appeared Amy wasn't done yet, "come on, I'm dying for an answer here". The bat glared round, waving a warning finger as the hedgehog tried to look innocent; but at that second Knuckles controlled himself just enough to come to her rescue. Well, sort of,

"Tell you what Ames", the echidna chortled, hugging his wife in by her shoulder, "when we get back, I'll let you know how she does it".

"Oi", Rouge squirmed in his grip and made to pummel him as the howls of hysteria and wolf-whistles threatened to deafen them all, "you rotten little marsupial, I aught tooohhoo…" She tailed off as Knuckles' fingers found her ears again and she was overcome, helpless as he smiled at her,

"Gonna calm down now?"

"Y,Yeah" she agreed, desperate to stop this luxurious torture, but Knuckles wasn't being quite as forgiving as that,

"Sure?"

"Yeah", she said again, eyes half-closed in ecstasy as she moaned, "Knuxie, stoohohop".

"Okay, on one condition though" he offered; she nodded, going beyond the power of words now as he suddenly let her go and took her hand, standing up as he gave the nod to Vector, "I have this dance". The bat shook herself and smiled back, leaping up to match him as everyone else, sensing the serious stage of the proceedings had been well and truly blown to bits by Amy's fantastic query, made to stand up and join in the play.

XXX

Sonic bowed to his partner, almost breathless after the fast number as he was led to the seating at the edge of the dance floor, flopping gratefully into a chair and grabbing a glassful of the nearest cold substance, draining it in one,

"Wow, you can really dance Lara". His partner looked over, smoothing her hair and not even appearing to have broken a sweat as she smiled,

"Wyn taught me everything I know" she admitted freely, smiling over Sonic's shoulder; turning to follow her gaze, the blue hedgehog saw the brown echidna talking to Big, pausing every so often to scribble frantic notes on what looked like a napkin. Seeing his questioning look, Lara laughed,

"He'll be after the recipe your friend used to make those fish rolls; Wyn's never happy unless there's some other culinary delight or other he can cook up", she reached over casually and took one of the aforementioned delicacies, pausing to take a mouthful before finishing, "and this time, I have to agree with him; this is divine".

"That's Big all right", Sonic chuckled, looking over at where, having finished talking with Wynmacher, the purple cat was now sitting quietly, content as always to observe the scene at his own pace, "what he doesn't know about catching and cooking fish could be written on a pinhead with a pneumatic drill; he lives in the wild you see", he explained as Lara looked a little confused, "likes it out there and looks after himself".

"Sounds like my son" the echidna woman smiled as she indicated where the guardian was dancing a quick number with a giggling Cream, the rabbit's feet barely touching the floor as old pangs resurfaced despite herself. Seeing this, Sonic was grateful when, with a hefty thud and a groan, Vector flumped down in a seat nearby,

"That aught to do it; next five tunes are rigged up on autocue, enough for us to grab a drink and some chow", Sonic realised the 'us' referred to Espio, the chameleon visible only by his suit as he'd naturally blended in with the background again. Curious as he'd never really gotten the chance to speak to any of the Chaotix yet, the hedgehog looked around,

"How's it been going up here; been working you hard has he?" The crocodile favoured him with a very long-suffering look,

"And I thought slavery was illegal; I even think about the exercises we did and I start to get cramp", he suddenly smiled, "but it was worth it; those two deserve a break; can't be easy guardin' a big rock all yer life".

"Well said but", Lara looked around her (Sonic out of instinct for checking the coast was clear flicked his eyes upwards) and then leaned forwards, whispering under the blanket of noise coming from the speakers, "who's guarding the you-know-what now?"

"We are", Espio whispered back, settling himself down and surreptitiously extending his arm, something like a wristwatch falling into view, though it didn't have a face on it as he explained, "we had a word with Locke and the Brotherhood, after Charmy roped us into this job, and together we came up with a plan", he gestured for them to come into a huddle as Vector kept watch, "Locke rigged up a network of electronic sensors all around the shrine, you can't get through it any way without getting through these sensors, even by air; we all tried for weeks on end, with scramblers and reflective material to try and slip the net, but we couldn't. So no-one can get near the shrine without being detected by this hidden system". The chameleon fell silent, obviously waiting for someone to ask so stifling a sigh, Sonic obliged,

"Okay, how does this affect you?" The chameleon pointed to his wrist,

"Because of this; when the net's broken, it sends a signal to this and it emits a low buzz; that's the signal to move. We now have a place in Echidnopolis, can't say where, with a teleporter array courtesy of your ex-husband", if Lara coloured slightly here, Espio didn't notice the feelings he was stirring up, "it gets us right to the Master Emerald and we go from there". At this point, Vector leaned in, the song changing, and motioned for them to swap roles, realising perhaps a little to late that Espio, for all his talent at hiding his emotions, would never be any kind of diplomat,

"There's also this", he pointed to one of two buttons studded on the edge of the fake timepiece, "press it and it'll send an electric shock through the other pieces; lets us call in the cavalry; one press is 'get here' , two is 'get here now' and three is life or death. I already told red that we're as hard into this job as he is; someone wants the M.E. they have to go through us first, and I for one ain't goin' down easy". Surprised by the steel in the normally placid crocodile's voice, Sonic looked up to see the fire in his eyes as well as his belly; taken aback, he had to let Lara answer for him,

"Good; you know what's at stake here?"

"Yeah", the crocodile nodded, falling back into his normal relaxed state as Espio suddenly tapped him on the shoulder; Rouge was approaching with Sabre in tow and a smile on her face,

"Ah, there you are". Espio raised a non-existent eyebrow in distain,

"You've been looking for me? Why?"

"Tradition", the bat answered, smile widening with each word as she held out her arm, "the bride has to dance with every male guest, and that includes you".

Espio's face physically fell and his skin went grey in shock; Sonic would have fallen into laughter if it hadn't been so serious – for a fleeting second he'd thought the chameleon was going to drop dead in terror before, with a visible effort, there was a flush of purple and he was himself once more, if a little uncertain of his words,

"Ah, but…"

"No buts", the bat ordered, "I like tradition and you're sticking to it, like it or not".

"I can't dance". Rouge swept her arm back, showing Espio the scene,

"Neither can the rest of us, but that's not stopping us; now come on, it won't be that bad I promise". The chameleon cast Vector a despairing look as he was almost dragged away to the dance floor, but the crocodile merely toasted with his glass; Esp needs to lighten up more, but I don't think dancing is really his thing.

XXX

Made it; with a joyful hiss, Tails rigged up the last few wires he needed, ensuring power to the small projector that was now resting on top of the boom box Vector had supplied to this event; oh vengeance, your name is Miles Prower. Peeking out from where he was now crouched, the kit made to sidle back into dancing, milling throng unnoticed, slipping behind Thunderhawk when the echidna's back was turned. Taking a drink from a pitcher on one of the buffet tables, Tails faced his next problem; how to call a halt to this whole celebration without Knuckles getting a sniff of his plan; that would be tricky, but as Cream span in beside him and asked to dance, breathing heavy and dress ruffled from her spin with Knuckles and Athair, he reckoned it was a problem that could wait,

"Excuse me Cream", both younger Mobians looked over to see Rouge bearing down on them, a smile on her face as she inclined her head to the rabbit girl, "mind if I have this dance?" Playing along, Cream dropped a curtsy and grinned,

"Not at all; I'll catch you later" she promised as Tails allowed himself to be led to the floor by the bat, already settled on his plan due to his massively tuned intelligence. She should be easy to rope in, especially as he embarrassed her not an hour ago; the fox felt his grin darken as the next song began and he followed Rouge's lead; this'll be a plan to remember.

"Hey Rouge", the bat looked down at her dancing partner, raising her eyebrows as he put a finger to his lip and spoke in a voice so quiet only her ears would hear it in the background of music; at the start she was confused, but by the end of their waltz together, she was grinning almost as much as he was, still confused, but the promise of 'he'll go twice as red as you did' sealed the deal for her.

XXX

The music dies suddenly and abruptly; naturally, all eyes turned to the stage, where Rouge had a microphone and was not afraid to use it,

"Listen up everyone, especially you Knucks", the echidna raised his glass as the bat pointed to the side of her, where Tails was stood seemingly innocuously, "Tails has something he wants to show you all. Take it away foxboy". With that, she tossed the mike to the fox, who caught it deftly and switched on his projector in one fluid movement, speaking as he did so,

"Well, I'm not old enough to make a proper speech, but I had to do something at the wedding of two of my best friends; I'm sorry I couldn't do the same for you Rouge, but anyway", he cut off to hide his own smile as he took a drink, all eyes now curious as they tried to guess what the fox was up to, turning to see the blank white screen focussed on the back wall, coming into focus as Tails manipulated the controls on top of the small box, "so with no further ado, I present the history of the one, the only, Knuckles Echidna". He pressed the switch in his hands and a pearly white oval was displayed on the screen as Tails spoke again,

"From humble beginnings…"

There was scattered laughter as everyone realised what the picture was; Knuckles before he'd even hatched. The echidna shook his head a little as Shadow punched his shoulder and spoke mirthfully,

"The ultimate baby photo Knucks", before Tails cut him off with his microphonically assisted volume,

"…the future guardian grew into the echidna we all know so well today. Even in his early years, he was a skilled opponent", a picture of Knuckles, still wearing a nappy and seemingly gurgling happily as he fought with a single hand of his mother's, "facing off all comers, though he wasn't afraid to use weapons if he could get them", Locke this time, trying to feed the infant Knuckles, apparently unaware that the baby echidna held a rattle poised right over his head; the laughter spread a little at this baby portfolio and Knuckles turned to shake a fist playfully at the fox, who simply smiled and pressed the switch once more.

"But as time passed, the baby grew into the imposing guardian he is now", there was a picture of Knuckles in his classic boxing stance, face grim and stern as Sonic recognised that picture; the first one they'd ever been able to take of their new ally, after the destruction of the Death Egg, "though, behind that iron mask, he was a caring soul and a really good friend", the screen flickered again, showing the echidna this time with Amy, apparently helping the hedgehog stand up after a fall, a slight 'aww' echoing through the watching crowds as the pink hedgehog smiled; my first time on Angel Island – how did Tails get that one – I didn't think he had a phone then.

"But then", the fox continued his narrative, "came his ultimate test; the one who fought him all the way to the limit and beyond", Rouge appeared on the back wall, posing as she often did, dangerous yet at the same time so alluring, "these two fought tooth and nail both against and with each other, forever it seemed they could never be anything other than deadly foes", a still of one of the bat and echidna's frequent spars followed; it looked as though Knuckles was about to get his teeth kicked down his throat as he stood directly in front of the bat's Drill Drive, though Tails didn't leave the image there long, "and yet, there was something there; somehow, slowly, hate turned to affection", a picture of the Boxing Day Bash, Knuckles and Rouge posing beside the main fountain, making it look as though water was spouting from the bat's ears and out the crown of the echidna's head, "and then even to love, ending with the reason we're all here together now. I want to wish both of you all the very best for the future", the fox bowed his head, but before any applause could start, snapped back up again, eyes full of fire as he gazed once more, now a little venom in his voice as he added, "but also a warning for Rouge".

Knuckles looked around baffled, as did everyone else save maybe one; Tails used speed as his saviour, off the blocks before he could be questioned,

"When his blood is up, Knuckles can take on any foe due to his ancestry", the next slide showed the guardian flashing a dark red colour, the signature of his hyper form, "but there's another power he has that only recently came to light", Tails was fighting not to laugh as he suddenly pointed at the bride, "Rouge, be warned; when Knuckles is mixed with alcohol", the penultimate slide was doctored, by the exacting standards for the fox somewhat crudely, but it was passable as Knuckles seemed to be sitting down, holding a glass of something in his hand; Tails wound it up as danger alerts flashed red in Knuckles' mind, "he becomes…" the fox took a faint, fleeting second, just to savour the apprehension that came about the end of his performance, then he hit the switch for the final time, a last word welcoming the final slide of the show,

"…irresistible!"

There was shocked, appalled silence as the image flickered into view; everyone stunned into speechlessness, not least the ones who were actually in the slide. Knuckles was certainly there, though not a lot could be seen of him as it appeared he lay on his back in a bed; nothing unusual in that, save his bed partners. No-one could mistake the fact that he had Sonic on one side of him and Shadow on the other, each cuddled up close with one of their hands on his chest, each of the hedgehogs held in place by one paw around their shoulders, hugging them in as they slept. The blanket was pulled up to the guardian's chest, the mere tips of his crest visible through a combination of the material and Thunderhawk, the elder echidna with his head resting on the guardian's stomach, face down on top of his sixth-son. As a final, poisonous cherry atop of this macabre dessert, Knuckles and both hedgehogs had huge grins plastered on their faces, evidently they appeared to have enjoyed what had gone on during the echidna's stag night as the fox's revenge was served not just cold but straight from the freezer.

Knuckles had gone white, then red and now as he looked up at that blasphemy again, went white again, unable to conceive of anything like this ever happening; he must have been out of his mind to let anyone get away with something like this. Shadow by the side of him had both hands clapped over his mouth, eyes bulging out of his head as the whole grisly scene burned into his retinas forever. Oh my life is over; the guardian felt his precious ego ripped into absolute shreds – compared to this he'd have welcomed a thousand terrible middle names; it was as this thought thundered into his head the inevitable happened.

A single hiccupping laugh broke the silence, followed by another, then three more and before his very eyes, the dam broke. Everyone spared from such pictorial travesty, even Spectre himself, let rip with unstoppable belly laughter, folding up and howling like they would burst something internally. Knuckles fell to his haunches, face in his hands as his ears filtered it all into his abused brain; Vector collapsed against him, almost sobbing with the effort of laughing so hard and asking if he needed a manager in his career as a porn star, while the other three actors in this black comedy received similar treatment from anyone nearby. However, as the helpless laughter continued, Knuckles slowly stood up, one voice seemingly picked out by his ears, filtered and purified above all others; looking to the side of him, he saw Shadow and their eyes met, the same burning, white hot yearning filling both of them; kill the foxboy!

XXX

He saw them coming and knew what he had to do; he'd been in motion long before they'd started marching towards him. Sprinting down the stairs, the fox flung himself behind the only other Mobian to remain at least partially in control in the aftermath of this bombshell, thrusting her forwards like a shield as Sonic, Shadow, Thunderhawk and Knuckles all bore down on him,

"Lara, protect me". Got you all and you can't get me; the echidna woman would see to that as she dried her eyes on a napkin and faced them – he knew he was safe as she put an arm around his shoulders and gently pushed him forwards,

"Now, why would I do that?"

What?; Tails had to think fast through the shock as he could feel his back skin crawl, trying to escape from the deadly eye beams the four older Mobians were sending his way,

"But Lara", he appealed to her obviously faulty memory, "you said you'd look after me…"

"If the picture slipped out", she finished for him smoothly before nodding at the back wall, "I didn't say you could show it willy-nilly so", I'm dead; Tails cringed, knowing his escape was impossible as Lara doomed him with a flippant, "he's all yours boys". A hand clawed itself in the back of his shirt collar and he had barely time for a yike as he was jerked backwards into the waiting bear pit.

"Well", Thunderhawk demanded as he wrapped the fox up in his favourite full-nelson hold, "what shall we do with this little squirt?" Knuckles had fire in his eyes so fierce Tails cringed as he extended his hands towards his now extremely vulnerable throat,

"I say we break both his tails and throw him off something high, with an anchor on his ankles".

"Don't kill my brother", Sonic interjected before grabbing a handful of scruff and hauling the fox painfully out of Thunderhawk's grip, "let me do it!"

"No, I've got it", Shadow declared, bending down and picking Tails' feet off the floor, "this way, one each", together they carried the struggling fox to the centre of the room, plenty of open space as each wronged party took hold of a limb, Shadow grinning like a madman as he announced, "little squirt here's about to get a growth spurt; ready guys?"

"No wait", Tails pleaded frantically, trying one last wriggle against the iron hands holding him, one last desperate defence, "my suit'll stretch and…"

"Pull!"

XXX

It's traditional for the groom to carry the bride over the threshold, but maybe not so much for him to have to carry her out of the reception; Rouge was so exhausted from laughing herself hoarse and reminding Sonic that the best man was supposed to run away with the bride, not the groom, Knuckles had to half-carry her towards the car that would take them to their flight to freedom. Everyone assembled on the steps behind them, some more vocally than others,

"Look, I'm walking lopsided now", Tails complained to Sabre as he clumped forwards, "my left leg's longer than my right".

"Don't worry, you're still in balance", the echidna assured him with a slight smirk, "you're right arm's longer than your left, and you deserved it after that little prank; honestly Tails, I thought you were a bit more mature than that".

"Hey, one reversion to childhood per year's not bad is it?"

"Bad for your health maybe", Sonic interjected, blush still present as he growled at his still unforgiven brother, "you wait until I get you back in Station Square; the paddle is waiting".

"Later" the fox hushed him and pointed to where both newlyweds were now hanging out the hover-car window, Rouge winking at Lara especially as the echidna woman had caught the bouquet she'd thrown completely by accident, the flowers landing in her lap as she sat down, "now's your last run".

"You bet", anger was forgotten as the blue hedgehog winked at his black counterpart, "ready Shads?"

"You bet…now!"

As the car pulled away and gathered speed, the two super speed heroes took off after it, something held between them; they hared up to the rear bumped and slapped hands against it simultaneously, exchanging a high five in the centre of the road, task completed as the banner reading 'Just Married' fluttered in the breeze before vanishing around the corner, cheered on by the exhausted but still jubilant friends and family.

A/N: Yes, all complete! This was originally going to be two chapters, but I couldn't bear to split it. So much KnuxRougeness in one chapter, can it get better? Well, maybe with the new character reappearing next chapter…oops, did I give a cliff-hanger there? Naughty me!