Hello! I'd like to thank everyone who gave me some positive reinforcements! Arwingman is back online! Okay! New chapter!

Never Look Back
Chapter VII
Family Trouble

Tails and Knuckles were in the usual burger shop, doing the usual, every-other-daily routine. It has been a couple years since a great tragedy has befallen our favorite, cobalt hedgehog. Everyone has been recuperating nicely since then. Now, what of our other heroes? Let's go into the conversation!

"So it must be a hell of a long way to Station Square from Angel Island, huh?" Tails remarked.

"Meh. It's not that far, but it still takes a while. Hey Tails…" Knuckles questioned.

"Yes?"

"Since when did you start talking like that?" Knuckles interrogated.

"I have no idea. It's been too long. Hey! Have you heard about Shadow and Amy?"

"Yes! I can't believe Shadow would actually get into that stuff. I can't believe I dad… I mean uh, id. Err, di- di- did! Yes, that's the word I'm lookin' for! Did!"

"Havin' problems, there Knuckles?"

"My head is not on right." Knuckles took a sip of his coffee.

"Hey, speakin' of dad, how's Sammy doing?"

"She's just fine. (sip) Ahh… Rouge is watchin' her right now." At which point, Rouge came down from the sky and stormed into the shop, heading for Knuckles.

"Hey! What are you doing here? Where's Sam? Why are you lookin' at me like that? What's wrong?" Knuckles had a bit of a scared look on his face.

"Oooh, family trouble. Gotta go." Tails quickly darted out of the shop.

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG!" Rouge stormed towards Knuckles, scaring away customers while overturning tables in her way. "I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S WRONG!" Knuckles quickly got out of his seat and backed towards the wall. "YOU HAVE NOT BEEN WATCHING YOUR MOUTH AROUND OUR LITTLE GIRL!"

"W-What the hell are you talking about!"

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! SHE LOOKS UP TO HER FATHER AND HERE YOU GO, BLOWIN' OUT A SERIES OF SWEARS! CHILDREN PICK UP ON WORDS THAT PEOPLE SPEAK, AND NOW I HEAR HER SWEARING AROUND EVERY CORNER! IF SHE DIDN'T CARE FOR YOU SO MUCH, I'D MURDER YOU RIGHT NOW!" By now, pretty much all the customers left the building. "YOU BEHAVE AROUND OUR CHILD MISTER!" Knuckles was scared stiff… Literally.

"I-I-"

"DON'T YOU INTERRUPT ME IN MID-LECTURE, YOUNG MAN!" Rouge grabbed Knuckles by the throat, suspending him in mid-air.

"Y-Yes. I-I understand!" Gagged Knuckles.

"GOOD! NOW YOU LISTEN AND YOU LISTEN GOOD! NEXT TIME I CATCH YOU DOING THAT, SAMMY'S NOT GONNA HAVE A FATHER, YOU UNDERSTAND!" Rouge released Knuckles from her grip. Knuckles coughed and gagged as he tried to get his breath back.

"I-I-I (gasp) understand! I-I (cough cough, gasp) won't do it (cough, gasp, cough) again!"

"Good! Next time I won't be so nice about it!" Rouge quietly walked out of the shop, flying away into the sky. Knuckles slowly got up off the ground.

(A/N: Yummy! Cheesecake!)

"Ugh. If she was being nice about it back there, then I don't wanna see what happens when she gets REALLY angry!"

"E-Excuse me sir. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I-I'm fine."

"Can I get you anything?"

"N-No. I-I… I'm done… for today…" Knuckles headed for the door.

"Uh, b-be careful out there sir!"

"I'll be fine!"

Later...

Back at Tails' place, Tails was pacing back and forth, wondering what was going on. "Damn. Poor Knuckles. I bet he got a real good talkin' to. I wonder how he's doing." The doorbell rang, and Tails quickly ran to the door and answered it. "Knuckles! You're alive! What the hell happened to you?"

"Don't talk like that… please… don't…" Knuckles walked past Tails, into the house.

"W-What's wrong? You look horrible!" Knuckles sat down on the couch.

"Rouge just got done givin' me a lip and strangling me half to death."

"What happened over there? Can I help you at all?"

"No I'm fine, I just… gotta lay down for a while." Knuckles spread himself out on the couch, trying to relax after the past event. Tails brought out a glass of water and put it on the table.

"Here's some water." Tails sat down on one of his recliners, while Knuckles carelessly swung his arm around the table, trying to get the glass of water. Knuckles finally got it and took a sip. "(sigh) Man. This day took a major 180 degree turn."

"What happened?"

"Rouge had a talk with me about Sam."

"What did you do?"

"Let's just say I didn't do what I was supposed to."

"Hey. About Shadow and Amy…"

"Yeah. I can't believe Shadow would get into that stuff, but he has changed a lot. So when do you think he's gonna propose?"

"I have no idea, but they seem happy together." Knuckles stayed and talked a bit at Tails house before leaving for Angel Island.

Shadow and Amy are at Amy's house, trying to make hot pockets, while Amy was taking care of some things in her room.

"Hey Amy! How do I do this thing!"

"Just put it in the microwave!"

"What's a microwave?"

"The thing in front you!"

"What thing? This thing?"

"The thing with all the buttons and numbers!"

"Wait! I think I found it!" Shadow put the hot pocket in the blender. "Uh… Lessee… Uh… Power button… Where is it… Ah! Here it is!" Shadow pushed the red button, turning on the blender, sending ice-cold hot pocket filling everywhere. "OH DEAR GOD! AAAAAAHHHH!" Amy came running into the kitchen. "HOW DO I STOP THIS THING!"

"THAT'S NOT THE MICROWAVE! THAT'S THE BLENDER!" Amy yelled over the loud ruckus that the blender was making. "AAARRGH!" Amy tried to stop the blender, but it was useless, so she unplugged it. "From now on, I'LL handle all the food! You make sure Swift is alright!"

"O-Okay!" Shadow quickly went upstairs. Swift was there in his room, playing with his toys. "He still hasn't said his first words yet." Shadow sat down on the floor next to Swift. Swift handed him one of his building blocks. "? Hmm…" Shadow fiddled with the block for a little bit, until Swift was reaching for the block. "Here you go." Shadow dropped the block. "Dammit!"

"Dammit!" Shadow's eyes grew wide.

"I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not!"

"Dammit!"

"Uh, Amy?"

"What is it?"

"Can I speak with you for a minute?"

"…Hold on!" Amy calmly walked up the steps and into Swift's room. "What's wrong?"

"Uh… Swift said his first words…"

"He did! What was it!"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

"Dammit!"

"…Well there you go."

"Shadow!"

"Oh shit…"

"Shit!"

"Shut up little kid!"

"Shut up! Shut up!"

"Uh-oh. This does not look good for Shadow the Hedgehog…" Amy grabbed Shadow by the ear and dragged him out of the room. "Ow ow ow! That hurts!"

"You're comin' with me young man!" Amy dragged him down the stairs.

"Owie! Owie! Owie! What do mean young! I'm 78! This is no way to treat a man my age!"

"Well you're as energetic and foul-mouthed as if you were 28! You're comin' with me!"

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"

"Oops. Well this sucks…"

Amy called Rouge…

Later...

Back at Knuckles' pad…

Knuckles walked into the door, forgetting that it was there.

"Damn. Did it again. (opens door)" The house was empty. Rouge still hadn't been back yet. "Hmm… Rouge? I'm home!" Knuckles remembered to close the door when he came in. "Rouge? Are you here?" The phone rang and Knuckles answered it. "Hello? Hello? Frickin' phone isn't workin'. Oh." Knuckles turned it around, topside up. "Hello?

"Hello, Knuckles."

"Uh, hi."

"I was wondering if you could watch swift for a while."

"Uh, sure. Why?"

"Knuckles! Help!"

"Shadow? What's going on?"

"Shadow said some bad words and Swift repeated them."

"I know exactly how you feel Shadow. Same thing happened to me."

"Help!"

"Okay! I'll be over in a little bit!"

"Let me go!" Amy hung up the phone.

"Oh boy. Now I've got two kids on my hands. Oh boy. Rouge will be here any minute." After a few minutes the doorbell rang, and when Knuckles answered it, Amy stood there, holding Swift in her arms, and Shadow's ankles under her pits.

"Let me go! Argh!"

"Here you go Knuckles. Thanks again for baby-sitting him for me. Now I've got another kid to attend to." Amy reinforced her grip on Shadow. She turned around, and Shadow rested his head on his hand as Amy walked off. Knuckles just now got the joke.

"Oh! I see!" Knuckles closed the door and sat on the couch, putting Swift next to him. Soon after, Rouge came home with the groceries to see Knuckles flipping through the channels on the T.V. and Swift playing with his blocks. "I'm baby-sitting for Swift."

"You better not say anything around him!"

"I won't! And I didn't!"

"Good!" Rouge walked into the kitchen, and when she passed Swift, he knocked down his blocks. "Dammit!"

"!" Rouge looked down at Swift.

"Uh-oh…"

"Shit!"

"Knuckles!" Rouge looked up at him.

"Shut up! Shut up!"

"! No, please don't!" Rouge picked up Swift and took him to Sam's room. She came back out and stormed towards Knuckles. "It wasn't me! I swear! Please don't!"

"That's the last time you'll ever swear in this household again!"

"NOOOOOOO!"

END CHAPTER

Poor Knuckles… He just can't catch a break. Well, that's all for this chapter! Please review.