TWO MONTHS LATER

By now everyone had noticed that Siberia had been getting rather large latly. Shadow took very good care of her and protected her at all times. The couple were very happy, but Shadow decided that there was not enough room in there small apartment, so he bought a nice, modern house for them to live in. He also insisted that Siberia stoped working early, so he could keep an eye on her just in case. Knuckles was also just as protective. Rouge , who was now six months preganant, was also being noticed by everyone. However she was beginning to have frequent mood swings and Knuckles was finding it hard to cope.
Rouge and Siberia frenquently visited each other, Siberia telling Rouge what to expect as she was in a more advanced stage. Amy had also began to visit Rouge and Knuckles and Shadow frequently talked over the phone or met up somewhere, just to dicuss how there wives were coping. Sonic also visited once in a while, as well as the chaotix crew and Tails, who had managed to make up with Talim for now.
One day Rouge was walking alone with Knuckles , talking about chaos and the chao. Then Rouge suddenly stoped. Knuckles stoped as well and stared at her, waiting for an explanation as to why she wasn't walking anymore. She stood for a few seconds, her mind seeminly else wear. Knuckles waited patiently for her to carry on and was beginning to get immpatient. Suddenly Rouge frantically yelled his name and he immidiatly started to panic." What! What is it Rouge!" He said, franticly searching around for some enemy that he thought Rouge had seen. He circled around, his back now turnt from Rouge. He flicked his eyes around and waited for an attack. Suddenly he felt something grab his arm. He raised his fist to defend himself but instead of being punched or shot at by something he felt his palm being pressed into something soft. She stood there , tenced up about something, holding his hand to her stoumuch. Knuckles raised an eyebrow and said
" What Rouge?". Rouge looked dissapointed and didn't awnser straight away.
" It stoped" she finnely stated. Knuckles stood there, his hand still being pressed to Rouge stoumuch and utterly confused
" What stoped? What's going on?" He asked. However he didn't need an awnser as he suddenly felt something moving beneath his hand. He was shocked when he realised it was the baby. He smiled widly and in awe as he felt it kicking.
" He's strong" said Rouge " Like you" she added foundly. Knuckles meerly nodded, still shocked to feel his child kicking. When the baby stoped moving Knuckles smiled at Rouge and they walked off, the topic of conversation now chanced to what they had just experianced.
That week passed with relative peice. However it wasn't going to stay peiceful for long...

Knuckles sighed heavily. Rouge had seemed to be getting more angry with him latly than she usually did. The only time she seemed to tolerate his presence was when the baby had kicked. But now that was over, Rouges personailty had reverted back to that of a spitting cobra. The nagging worry of her cheating on him still lurked in the corner of his mind and the fact that she didn't seem to like him anymore could be counted as evidence for that. He was currently sitting on the egde of a small cliff, avoiding Rouge and her bad temper. He shock his head. He shouldn't be avoiding his pregnant wife, he should be helping her and caring for her. Trouble was, he still wasn't sure if it was his child inside of her and latly he had begun to question her loyalty again. Of course they had tried to get a scan done. One that would give a clue whether or not it was his or not. However something seemed to block the signal and they couldn't get a clear image. He guessed he would just have to wait and see.

Rouge sat in the living room that she shared with Knuckles, eating an apple. Her stoumuch now bulged out and she wasn't really happy about it. It irritated her that she had become so large so quickly, it seemed like the baby had done two months worth of growth in one month. Rouge didn't really feel like doing anything anymore. They hadn't seen anyone for a while and were unaware of what was happening on the outiside world. That was until Vector invited them to a party to cellibrate his wedding anniversary.
Rouge sighed. She had been absent midedly been trying to think of an outfit to where to the party and some how none of them seemed suitable. Then she realised that this was because they all involded showing off her slim figure, a figure she no longer had. Crushing the apple in her hand Rouge marched out. She walked out of the house, round the corner and came face to face with Knuckles.
" Hey Rouge arghh!" Said Knuckles as Rouge slapped him around the cheek. His head jerked back and then he faced her , screaming " What did you do that for!". Rouge sucked in a breth and burst out even louder
" I HATE YOU! YOU MADE ME LOSS MY FIGURE! YOU MADE ALL OF MY OUTFITS A HUNDRED TIMES TOO SMALL! YOU GAVE THIS HUGE BUMP AND YOU GOT ME PREGNANT YOU MORON!". Knuckles stared at her for a few seconds then looked down guiltily. He was used to her being stressed but not this much. He wondered why she had suddenly started acting like she had "Err? Sorry...". There was a pause, Rouges face fell and she suddenly looked upset. She sighed and looked at Knuckles , who was watching with a concern look on his face.
" I'm sorry Knuckles, it's just i'm getting worried". Knuckles frowned.
" About what?" He said, taking her hand carfully incase she felt the need to slap him suddenly, as she often did lately. However , instead of that she paused, looking as if she was debating something in her mind. She looked up again and said
" Well im worried about, about..." She trailed off. Knuckles lifted up her head as she lowered in and was about to speak when Rouge blurted out " About the birth!". Knuckles jumped a little from the suddeness of her statement. He grew concerned again and said
" I'm sure it will be fine"
" No it won't!"she screamed, making Knuckles jump again. As she began to speak again tears began to build up in her eyes and roll wobbely down her cheek " I just know something is going to go wrong! The baby is going to die or be deformed or have cancer or be missing it's legs or something" she stopped again, staring at the ground. Knuckles watched, a little shocked and didn't respond. Rouge sniffed and continued " And what about me? What if something happens to me during it?" Another tear escaped her eye " I don't won't to die" she said in a small, almost inaudable voice.
Knuckles eye ridges curved into simpathetic positions. Rouges eyes were now firmly closed, a few tears still hung to her eye lashes. Suddenly , she felt familiar strong arms around her and was pulled into Knuckles body. Feeling some relief from this, she turned and nuzzeled into him, or at least as much as her enlarged belly would alow. She turned sideways so that her large ears just brushed with his neck fur. The stress had always been there, since she had begun to realise that their child would be...different. But so far she had managed to keep it in, at least most of it. But now, suddenly the feeling of seeing her freinds again, the fast approaching dew date and the memory of the time she fainted had all suddenly and unpredictably rushed to the surface and she had found her self in Knuckles arms, crying for the first time in two months.
She became aware of a sudden pressure and warmth on her stoumuch. Opening her tear filled eyes, she saw Knuckles holding his hand to it, his own eyes closed and slightly focassed. Rouge wondered what he was doing, as he generally didn't touch her belly unless she put his hand there first. But there was something about the way he was concentrating, something, strange.
She didn't interpt him while he stood there, still not removing his hand. His face grew more strained as he seemed to deepen his concentration. Rouge was starting to get a bit creeped out by him now and was just about to riggle away when Knuckles suddenly opened his eyes. Rouge jumped slightly at his movement.
" The baby is fine" he said, his voice seemed troubled. Utterly confused Rouge questioned
" What did you do?". He sighed and managed a smiled, but it looked strained.
" I used the master emeralds power to look at it in my mind" he paused, seeming confused. 'Perhaps' Rouge thought to herself ' he had never done it before'. He opened his eyes again, his face lookng almost pained. " I felt it's health, or at least, I think it healthy, it's so strange to determine the health of a creature that hasn't been born yet". Rouge , who still felt a little creeped out by the tone and way her husband was talking, as he usually never talked like that. It must be something to do with the emerald, she thought.
" Something is still wrong" she said, it was easy to tell from his face that he was upset. He sighed and looked her in the eyes, eyes that were beginning to show signs of pain. His voice shook a little as he said it.
" I , I saw how it looked" he said slowly. Rouge heart began to pound, perhaps he saw the sex? " It had wings forming" he said stuggeling to get the words out. Rouges eyes widened in anticipation. He swallowed and a tear trickeled down his eye, Rouge wondered why. " It was a bat Rouge, a plain bat, no echidna traits, no sign of anything of me being in there". Rouges eyes widened, she could see where he was going with this.
" Knuckles I didn't..."she began desperatly. But Knuckles cut her off, his voice rising worringly
" No, of course you didn't, you've always been loyal havn't you? Well then why Rouge, why does it not look anything like me? Why hasn't it got any Echidna features at all? Not a trace! I trusted you Rouge and I can't believe you were gonna use me for, for..." He finished , trailing off after he couldn't think of a reason for Rouge to have stayed. Rouge felt her anger spike up.
" Oh yeah! I used you! I used you for sex! Just like all the others I'm with! And i'm only staying with you becuase your helping me! Is that what you think! I can't believe after all this time and all these years! You still can belive my word!". Knuckles growled and said
" But I did believe you and some fool I turned out to be! I was right all along! You have been cheating on me for some, for some...BAT!". Rouge clenched her fist in rage and yelled back
" Look Knuckles! I don't know why it's a bat! I don't know why it doesn't look anything like you! But I havn't been with anyone else for years! I swear, I swear on our childs life, it is yours". This seemed to halt Knuckles. He opened his mouth, looking like he was going to make a comeback, but then closed it, no sound escaping his lips. He looked down to the floor and Rouge simmered from rage. In his mind he debated all of Rouges words, old worries remerging to haunt him again. When he did look up again, he looked as if he was hiding his pain.
" Rouge" he said quietly, so even Rouge had to strain to hear " I know it's not mine, your word, you swore on our childs life, OUR child, but it isn't our child, is it? Your promise is hollow". The tears started again, both with the bat and echidna. Rouges anger turned to fear as she backed away, frightenly stammering the word ' no'. Knuckles gasped and closed his eyes as the tears began to come thick and fast. For the first time his face seemed to show his sadness as his bottem lip quivvered, his eyes scrunching up in pain as he desperatly struggled to say the words
" Rouge...leave, please". Rouge felt like she had been struck round the face. She gasped and said weakly
" Knuckles I..."
" Rouge, just go...please" he said, his words leaking out emotional pain.
" But..."
" GET OUT!" He screamed, so loud it seemed to shock both of them. Shaking her head in disbelief and tears rollling down her face at an incredble, she backed off, nearing the egde of the island. Just as she was about to leave, she turned and saw Knuckles watching her leave. He stared with glassy eyes and said quietly yet firmly
" Goodbye Rouge, don't come back" and with that he turned to leave. Rouge broke down into a fresh mound of tears, jumping off the island and flying away. Away from angel island, away from Knuckles, away from the father.
She didn't care where she was going, all she cared about was one thing.
It was over.

AUTHORS NOTES

Oh dear. That went a bit wrong didn't it?