Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic The Hedgehog or any of the characters, they are owned by Sega and Sonic Team.

January 14th 2000.

Two weeks into the new millennium and already everyone was back to work.

With Sonic back in the spotlight after Adventure's success, it was time to strike while the iron was hot.

However, like most things throughout their lives, it would prove to be complicated, both on and off set.

The Sonic crew were hanging out on the set of their newest special, Sonic Shuffle.

Shuffle was pretty much guaranteed to be a hit, after all, a certain someone already had a party that was a huge hit, with a sequel coming out in a few days.

"Hey Knuckles, what's going on with the Chaotix, I haven't seen them in awhile?" Sonic asked.

"You and me both." Knuckles said.

"Ever since Mighty moved out to the country, things haven't been the same." Knuckles said.

"Vector was kind of torn up, he was like a parent to us, it's difficult for him to see us start to leave." Knuckles said.

Sonic understood, remembering the look on his mother's face when he had left home.

"Speaking of which, you've been living with Rouge for a few years now, what's that been like?" Sonic asked, with a hidden motive.

Amy had taken notice of Rouge's distance from Knuckles, something even he didn't see.

Rouge revealed to Amy that Knuckles had barely even payed attention to her anymore and that he hadn't even kissed her in months, not even on New Years.

It seemed that Rouge was just another infatuation that Knuckles had grown bored of.

Hearing this, she told Sonic everything and of course, he was concerned.

He had been friends with both of them for so long, without Rouge, he probably wouldn't even have been able to perform that first day on set.

So, he had to know what was going on.

"It's been alright, she's cool." Knuckles said.

Sonic gave him a look, with slight disappointment.

Knuckles noticed this and spoke up.

"I'm not good with words, point is, we're married." Knuckles made his point.

"You don't seem too happy about it." Sonic said.

"I'm not gonna lie, I miss the single life, doing crazy stuff, partying all the time and all the different women." Knuckles told him.

"I actually went out with a fan last night, I got her number and I think I'm gonna ask her out again." Knuckles added on.

Sonic couldn't believe what he was hearing, he didn't always agree with Knuckles, but he did always have respect for him.

But this just wasn't right.

"What about Rouge?" Sonic asked.

"She's alright, she's good to have around, I figured we dated so long, I should tie the knot, I didn't know everything would change so much." Knuckles said.

"But, you still love her, right?" Sonic asked.

Knuckles looked at him, a little annoyed.

"Why are you asking?" Knuckles asked, in a threatening tone.

"I'm just curious." Sonic replied.

Knuckles sighed and shrugged it off, not answering his question.

It was true, Knuckles didn't feel that way about her.

He had married her out of necessity, not out of love.

Unfortunately for him, their microphones were still on.

Sound Booth.

Rouge had heard their entire conversation, Amy sitting next to her, comforting the bat as she started to tear up.

"Rouge, it's okay, I'm sure you two can work this out." Amy told her.

Rouge rested her head against the sound deck, letting a few whimpers slip out.

As Amy was about to try again, Rouge stood up.

"Tell everyone I wasn't feeling well and that I had to go home early." Rouge asked, of Amy.

"Okay." Amy said.

Rouge walked out of the sound booth, leaving the studio to think things out.

Rouge dialed on her phone as she walked to the local park, hoping who she was calling could help.

"Hello?" She heard on the line.

"Shadow, it's Rouge." Rouge said.

"Hey, it's been awhile, what's going on?" Shadow asked.

"I was wondering, could you meet me at the park." Rouge said, trying to hold back her sobs.

Shadow noticed the hint of sadness in her voice and said yes.

Later.

Shadow arrived and the two of them took a seat on a bench, Shadow staying quiet for a moment and just trying to calm her with his presence.

Finally, he began to ask her what had lead her to this.

"What's troubling you?" Shadow asked.

Rouge sniffled a bit and spoke up.

"It's my husband, he's…seeing…someone else." Rouge struggles to get her words out.

Shadow's already mixed emotions are heightened, immediately comforting Rouge out of concern while feeling nothing but disgust towards Knuckles.

"He's an idiot." Shadow said.

"What?" Rouge asked.

"He's betrayed one of the most beautiful and caring women, he broke your trust, he's an idiot for doing so." Shadow outright said his opinion.

"Love isn't something that you should take advantage of, it's meant to be treated with care and devotion." Shadow continued.

"I'm sorry that he's done this to you." Shadow said, giving her an awkward hug.

Despite his passion and conviction, he was still rusty when it came to displays of affection, seeing as he lived alone most of his life.

Rouge returned the gesture, finding some form of solace when she was with him.

"Thank you, Shadow." Rouge said.

They broke the embrace and chatted the day way, Rouge feeling a little better, but still having that same thought in the back of her mind.

"What am I going to do?" Rouge thought.

Shadow, as if sensing her worry, tried to put her mind at ease.

"If you're wondering how to handle the situation, ask yourself a few questions." Shadow said.

"How do you feel about him?" Shadow asked.

"Can you still trust him?" Shadow asked.

"How will you confront him about this?" Shadow asked.

"Should you be with him?" Shadow asked.

"It's up to you to make the call." Shadow said.

Shadow bid her goodbye and walked off, leaving her to ask herself those questions.

Rouge went over them in her head, over and over again.

She was hesitant to marry Knuckles, but she had still loved him with all of her heart.

But he was always distant, even when he was romantic, he was still off in his own little world.

She still loved him, despite the way he was.

She knew she couldn't trust him, he was always the party type, not willing to settle down.

Could she confront him?

No, she didn't have the heart to face him.

She just didn't feel loved anymore and If he didn't want to be with her, than she shouldn't be with him.

Rouge flew home, hoping Knuckles hadn't returned yet.

Thankfully, he hadn't.

Rouge went upstairs, grabbing her suitcases and began to pack her clothes.

Rouge packed her things in a quick pace, fearing that he would arrive at any second.

Rouge finished packing and went downstairs, grabbing a slip of paper and a pen.

When all was said and done, she left her note on their bed.

Her suitcases in her hands, she took one last look around the house, saying goodbye to her life there.

With that, she walked out the door.

She had left him behind.

Hey everyone.

So, sorry if you didn't like how Knuckles was in this chapter.

I basically wanted to do a satire on celebrity relationships and also a point against cheating.

Next chapter, we'll get back to the movies and try to lighten the mood a bit.

Until then, thanks for reading.