Suddenly , the door slammed, showing Rouge was indeed back from, where ever she had went. Knuckles mind went into panic mode and he hastily tried to shut the draw, forgetting he still had the positive test tucked away in his hands.

" Knuckles? Where are you?" She called, throwing down her bag onto the sofa. He gulped and rushed out of her bedroom, slamming the door and racing into the living room where Rouge was. The bat figured out where Knuckles had headed in from and grinned.

" Want to go in there already? Do you? Honestly Knuckles, you have a one track mind" she said in a seductive tone. Knuckles eyes widdened an unbelievable rate and he didn't answer from embarrissment. Rouge continued to smile, that it, until her eyes travelled to the little stick that Knuckles was holding in his hand. She became visably uneasy and said " Oh! That's my freinds you know, not mine". Knuckles raised an eyebrow, he had lost what she was talking about, until he realised what Rouge was looking at.

" Oh! I um...i was looking for..." He fumbled around with it in his hands, eventually dropping it onto the floor. He hastily side stepped away from it, as of it was a bomb ready to explode. The bat rolled her eyes and picked it up, throwing it into the bin as if it were no more than a piece of screwed up paper. " Your freinds?" Knuckles asked, finnaly getting his brain working within reasonable levels again.

" Yes" said Rouge. He licked his lips nervously and asked

" Not yours?".

" No" said Rouge. Knuckles took a long, drawn out breath and asked

" You've never?".

" I'm a virgin Knuckles" she confirmed. The echidna breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that Rouge wasn't that sought of person. But then he remembered the comdoms. Without thinking he burst out

" Why are there comdoms in your draw?". Again Rouge looked mildly shocked. She paused for a second and then said

" My freinds. She moved out a couple of weeks ago, so I moved into her old bedroom. She's staying with her boyfreind becuase they've decided to keep the baby. So your sleeping in my old room" she added. Knuckles had a breif thought of pleasure about how he had slept in a bed Rouge had once laid in.

Rouge uncrossed her arms and put her hands on her waist, tipping her hips slightly so her whole body was in more of a seductive position. Knuckles felt himself begin to sweet. " So Knuckles. What do you feel like doing?" She asked innoscently.

Knuckles slammed down on his bed, falling asleep almost straight away. His second session with Rouge was more intence than ever, so he took an early night, forcing himself not to drag Rouge in with him by the arms and throw her on the bed. As he sunk under the covers he felt his new erection fall slowly as he calmed down. He let out an exhausted breath. It had certanly seen it's deal of attention today, as Rouge had taken to oppotunity to massage it rather roughly when it had made it's appearance. As Knuckles felt the throbbing die down his mind shut itself down, and he slowly felt himself going to sleep.

He was once again on angel island, the emerald lay in thousands of shattered peices. He felt a twingde of guilt as he saw something he had been guarding for as long as he could remember lying broken on the floor. But this thought was soon forgotten when Rouge appeared again.

" Rouge!" He yelled in surprise, oblivios to the fact that he had this dream just last night. Once again, like the last night, Rouges eyes looked sad, lonly. She even looked close to tears.

" I thought you loved me Knuckles" she almost sung in sadness. Knuckles gritted his teeth and after a little hesitation he said

" I do love you Rouge". Like the previous dream Rouge didn't seem to hear him, and a tear gently rolled down her cheek.

" I thought you would give your life for me" she said again. Knuckles didn't hesitate in saying

" I would!". Suddenly, her face took on an angry expression. She frowned at Knuckles and yelled

" You ungreatful bastard!". Knuckles was more than a little surprised.

" What?" He stuttered, utterly confused. They stood there, in silence for a while, before Rouge began to change. Her wings melted into her back, her ears shrunk back into her head and re-emerged in a more pointed shape. Spikes burst out of the back of her head and her chest shriveled away, her white shining fur mixing into a murky black, while red strieks splattered on the new quills. As her clothes feel away, Knuckles realised he was now looking at the newly formed shape of Shadow. Not knowing it was a dream, he simply stared in disbeilief. The new hedgehog looked around in confusion, apparently not knowing he had just grown out of the body of Rouge. When he spotted Knuckles, the echinda expected him to shot him an accusing look, blaming him for bringing to angel island. But to Knuckles surprise, he let out a wide smile. Knuckles felt disturbed, he had never even seen Shadow smile that wide, it looked like it hurt.

" Knuckles, I've been meaning to talk to you" he said, and Knuckles felt strangly excited by his voice.

" What is it Shadow?" Knuckles replied, without smiling back. Shadows eyes drifted to the ground and he blushed.

" I just wanted to say..."

" Yes?" Said Knuckles, urging him on.

" I love you" he suddenly said. Knuckles almost chocked.

" WHAT?"

" WHAT THE HELL!" yelled Knuckles as he shot upwards , the covers flying wildly off of his chest. He shock his head in discust, that dream was horrible, he had a sick feeling in the pit of his stoumuch, making him feel like he was going to be sick. But then something occurred in his mind. If he was now with Rouge and he was supposed to be happy, why was he still seeing things? And why did he keep having these strange dreams? Was his subconscise trying to tell him that something wasn't right? What could possibly be wrong? He was with Rouge, he had what he had always wanted. He had finnaly rid himself of his encaging duety, and he was actualy sleeping in a bed at night and not on a patch of grass.

' This isn't what you need, and you know it'

' How do you know?'

' It's a feeling'

' Oh yeah, and who else could possibly help me? Huh?'

' Well, I can think of someone'

' Who?'

' Now that would be telling'

' Hey wait!'. But the other half was gone. Knuckles growled at the fact that he still seemed to be able to have a meaningful converation with himself and yelled out " Moron!" At his other half.

" Started talking to yourself now Knuckles? I'm not driving you that mad am i?" Asked Rouge innoscently from the edge of the doorway. Knuckles flustered a little and shock his head.

" No. I wasn't talking to anyone". Rouge rolled her eyes and wondered out of the room. ' Great, now she thinks im insane'. He thought to himself.

ONE MONTH LATER

Rouge had continued to see both Knuckles and Shadow in secret. She would wake up in the morning, spend the morning in her appartment with Knuckles, then left in the beginning of the afternoon, spending the rest of the day with Shadow, then she worked in her club in the night. Knuckles wondered if she ever slept, becuase he never saw her go to bed, and when he woke up in the morning she was always up, although sometimes she was in her night clothes. Knuckles was still wondering where she went when she wasn't with him. She had used various excuses, but Knuckles was sure she was running out, as they were becoming rather exotic and unusual.

Shadow wasn't exactly ignorant either. His feelings for Rouge had begun to grow and shrink at the same time. The lust and pation that he had tried so badly to hide had erupted to the surface and he found himslef not even bothering to go out with Rouge anymore, they just spent all their time in his appartment. But his feelings for her as a person began to decline. When there wern't being physical, she seemed to completly ignore him, become moody, or accuse him of not loving her. She never seemed to want to stay over night either, Shadow had offered, and although she looked extremly tempted , she always refused. Shadow began to dought her loyalty. He sat up all night debating whether she loved him, and whether he loved her himself. Finnaly , he made the disision to use the phone number he had never dialed.

" Hello?"

" Rouge. I need to talk to you"

" Errr, this isn't a great time Shadow" replied Rouge as she tried to keep Knuckles from hearing the phone call.

" Not a great time? Why?" Came Shadows confused reply.

" I'm...occupied" she said, as Knuckles kissed her chest. Rouge let out a moan when Knuckles bit her nipple, but even though she tried to silence it, Shadow heard.

" What was that?". Rouge tried desperatly to push Knuckles off, but he wouldn't get the message.

" I er, bit my tounge".

" Bit your tounge"

" Yeah". There was a pause as Shadow listened to more suspitious sounds and tried to figure out what was going on. He heard another muffled voice through he phone connection.

" Who is that?" He asked. Rouge lounged back to try and get away from Knuckles, but the fact that she was half naked made the echidna full of urges that he couldn't ignore. Rouge hid another moan and gasped out

" No one!". Shadow heard the other voice ask the same question he had and said

" Someone is there, I can here them". There was a pause, from which Shadow heard more suspisious sounds. " Rouge? Tell me who's there or i'll come over and break the door down to see!-" he yelled frantically into his resiever, then the phone cut off, and Shadow threw his phone down on the floor in rage. Knuckles , fed up of Rouge attention not being fully devoted to him, grabbed the phone, cut off the call and threw it across the room where it landed mirably in the corner. He continued to fondle with her, that was, until the doorbell rung.

" Crap!" Burst out Rouge, as in the pation of the moment, she had forgotten about the fact that Shadow could do chaos control. She shoved Knuckles off of her, which he was not happy about, and dragged him into the bathroom with her. He threw her an incredably angry yet confused look and she placed a finger to her lips to indicate he should be silent. He frowned but obeyed, thinking someone important was here too see her, and he didn't want anyone seeing her topless, no one but him of course.

They waited through a few more tension bringing rings of the doorbell and then the ringing stoped. Rouge sighed with relief. Then a strange sounds rang through the apartant followed by a thud as Shadow used his chaos control to invade Rouge house. Knuckles felt anger rage within him as Shadow's voice was heard calling out for her.

" Rouge? Where are you?" He yelled, as shuffeling was heard and footsteps showed that Shadow was wondering around the appartment, looking for Rouge. She knew she has to get rid of Shadow quickly, or he would start blabbing and Knuckles would finnaly realise what was going on, and she definatly didn't want that.

" Shadow, i'm in the bathroom, leave me alone" she yelled through the door. The foot steps grew louder as Shadow made his way to the outside of the bathroom door. They ceased when he had apparently got there. Shadows voice, now alarmingly close, came through muffled as he spoke

" Who was here?" He asked, as if the person who had been here could have left within three seconds. Knuckles surpressed a growl.

" No one Shadow, go away!" Cried Rouge in desperation, getting a towel and clutching it around her exposed chest incase she would need to physically prize Shadow out of her home. There was a pause and neither footsteps nor a voice could be heard. Then Shadow voice was heard on the other side of the wood again, but this time it seemed to be different, with a softer, more persuasive tone leaking into his voice.

" If there's no-one there, I could come and keep you company". Rouge felt Knuckles shudder with fury next to her and quickly screamed

" Piss off!". Shadow grunted and apparently got the message, as his footsteps started up again, this time getting fainter. Knuckles heard the footsteps stop and the rustling sound as Shadow removed his chaos emerald from his pocket.

" If I find out there is anyone else there. I'm gonna rip there head off!" He boldly claimed, before a flash was seen under the door crack and he was gone. Rouge unlocked the door and Knuckles rudly shoved her aside to get out first. Not seeing Knuckles baring his sharp teeth in an infuriated snarl, Rouge reacted to Knuckles boystrous behavior with an equaly angry

" Watch what your doing, prick!". Knuckles turned slowly and Rouge saw the most angry expression she had ever seen on his face since she knew him, more than when she stole the master emerald, more than when she used to flirt with him , more than anything that had ever happened. It was then she realised, she had made a mistack.

" Why , the FUCK was he here?" He asked in a slow, menicing voice, locking onto Rouge with his deep voilet eyes with a deadly stare. She knew if she didn't play it right, she would be in trouble.

Avoiding his unnerving eyes, she causionally moved over to him, wrapping her arms around Knuckles and leaning as much as her chest into him as she could and said

" Don't worry about him Knuckles, what about us?" She almost drooled into him. It was working, she could feel his breathing deepen as he tried to control himself. He looked down into her face and she smiled in the most desirable way she could. But to her alarm his eyes widdened into a more angry hard look, and he shot his arm out, catipulting her across the living room.

Rouge gritted her teeth and lifted herself off the floor, her cheek ached and her rips felt broozed. She had never had a man do that to her in her life. Her head began thumping from the impact as she lay, still half naked, with her abusive boyfreind still fuming in the corner. She realived where she had landed. The table from which she had been drinking from her bottle of vodca earlier. The glass shards had been smashed against her face and some of her ear. She felt a few drops of blood against her face and one tiny shard that he made it's way into her skin. She suposed she was lucky that the whole bottle didn't embed it'self into her body, but it still bought quiet a pain into her face.

She stole a glance at Knuckles. He no longer looked angry, but was staring in shock at his arm, the same one that had thrown Rouge across the room, the same on that had made her bleed. He saw the blood, the glass shard, and it was like his whole face melted. His eyes misted over and a droplet of water ran down his face. His knees wobbeled and collapsed underneath him, and he went down on all fours, weeping.

" I'm a fuckin' ediot!" He yelled to himself, holding his head in his hands and scrunching his fingers against his skull. He bashed his head in fury and wept onto the floor. Something clicked in him then, and all the confusion he had struggled to lock away through the years sprewed out like a mountain falling to the ground

" Help me!" Yelled Rouge when she realised that Knuckles seemed to be in his own head. But he ignored her, sceaming like a little child and howling, bashing his head onto the floor and ripping at his dreadlocks. Rouge pushed herself up painfully and grabbed for a bunch of tissues on her right. Next she wrapped her hand carefully around the shard in her face, and with one swift, painful moment, she yanked it out of her face, causing fresh blood to leak out from the new cut. Meanwhile Knuckles kept his howling, and began punching his head with his fist, slamming it against himself with worrying force.

" Hello? We need an ambulance, I think..." Rouge stuttered , afriad into the phone as she called 999. Her fear was not for herself however, but for Knuckles, as blood began to trickle from the place he had hit himself so many times. Why was he doing this! She thought to herself in panic. By now the crying had stopped and Knuckles was simply screaming ' I hate myself! I hate myself!" Over and over again. Rouge had never seen him like this, but it seemed as if he had suddenly turned completly insane. " Knuckles! Stop it! Your hurting yourself!" She said, crawling over and trying to pull his arms under her control to prevent him from hitting himself again. But he didn't seem to notice at all, and simply continued striking himself as is Rouge wasn't even there.

To Knuckles, the catalist that realised all the tension he had been holding through the last three years was the shard of glass, embedded into the one he loved. It was his fault, his mind screamed to him, and in a way it was. He had hurt Rouge, the only one who ever cared for him , and now he was paying the price. Perhaps he overeacted. Any normal man would have simply rushed to help Rouge. But Knuckles mind was crushed from years of isolation, so all he did was weep.

The ambulance arrived and took both of them. At some point during the journey Knuckles and Rouge were seperated, the bat was clothed properly and carted off to another part of the hosiptal to have her face sewn up. She didn't know what they did with Knuckles...

AUTHORS NOTES

I'm sorry about that time this chapter took. I had major writers block for this story. But i'm back on track now! R+R please!