Knuckles started running as soon as he heard Amy's cries. He burst through the door and took in the scene before him. Those hedgehogs were back, and were trying to take Amy. A sudden rage built up inside him. He wasn't going to let them get away with this.

Amy suddenly felt the weight of the black hedgehog thrown off of her. She looked over and saw Knuckles taking on all three hedgehogs, the look in his eyes was one of pure anger. She was glad those fists weren't directed at her. She watched as he quickly finished them off and dragged all three of the now unconscious hedgehogs out the door. Amy sat on her couch and awaited his return.

A few minutes later Knuckles strode back into her home and embraced her quickly. "Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

Amy nodded, "Except for a few bruises I'm fine. Thanks so much Knuckles."

Knuckles growled into her ear, "I should've came sooner. But don't worry, they won't be bothering you ever again."

Amy released him and looked away. "Knuckles, why did you save me? You've never, ever shown me anything but hostility before. I want an answer this time."

Knuckles blushed a little. He couldn't run away this time. He had to tell her. "Amy I, I like you, a lot. I have for awhile I guess. But I just never realized it until now. I know you probably don't feel the same way since you like Sonic-"

Amy cut him off, kissing him passionately. Once they broke apart she whispered, "Don't worry about Sonic. He was never going to feel the same way about me. I gave up weeks ago. But you, you actually like me for who I am. You've been kind and sweet and you've protected me when Sonic hasn't. I like you too Knuckles."

Knuckles grinned and stood up, offering his hand. Amy took it and he led her out the door.

After ten minutes of walking Amy finally spoke up, "Where are we going?" She asked.

"To a place I've never shown anyone before."

Now she was curious, "Where?"

"It's a surprise."

Amy let herself be led along as she took in her surroundings. They were on Angel Island, so they had to be close. Suddenly, Knuckles stopped and turned around. "Close your eyes."

Amy did what she was told and felt herself be led forward again. She could feel tree branches brushing against her body. They must be going through the forest. Knuckles kept walking until they reached a clearing. He took a deep breath and turned towards her. "This place is very, very important to me. It's where I go when I'm not guarding the Master Emerald. Before I tell you to open your eyes, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone about this place."

Amy felt honored that Knuckles trusted her enough to show her something very special to him. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, "I promise, I will never tell anyone."

Knuckles believed her, she sounded so sincere when she said it. "Alright, open your eyes."

Amy opened them, and couldn't believe what she saw. It was a large meadow, with a bubbling stream cutting through the trees. Wildflowers of many different colors dotted the landscape, and a soft breeze rustled through the tall grass. It was the most beautiful place she has ever seen. Knuckles couldn't help but grin at her reaction. She saw exactly what he saw in this place. "It's nice, isn't it?"

She nodded and looked at him, tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. "It's beautiful. Thank you so much for showing me." She whispered.

Knuckles took her hand again and took her to see the stream. "There's tons of different kinds of fish, and the water is so clear you could probably drink it."

"It's so peaceful." She commented.

"Yeah, I like coming here because it gives me a chance to relax and not feel like I want to hit something all the time."

Amy giggled, "Yeah, you do have a tendency to do that a lot. Especially when Sonic's around."

Knuckles stiffened, "Yeah well, you always liked him, and I liked you, so it made me a little mad I guess. Plus his cocky attitude didn't help my temper much."

Amy walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hey, don't worry about it. I like you now, you can go hit Sonic whenever you want, just have a good reason. Okay?"

Knuckles relaxed under her touch. She was his now, and he wasn't going to let anyone take her away from him. "Fine. But if he does anything that upsets you, come get me. You shouldn't have to put up with his crap. And as much as I want to hit him right now for all the times he's broken your heart, I won't, because if he hadn't, then I might've never gotten the chance to tell you how I felt."

This made Amy smile. Not everyone saw the softer side of Knuckles, actually, she didn't know if anyone other than her had before. That made her feel special. He may be hot-headed, temperamental, and maybe a little mean sometimes, but he had a good heart, and that's all that mattered.

She looked at her watch and sighed, she had to leave. "I have to go, Cream needs me to help decorate her house for Tail's birthday party." She mumbled.

"Alright, I'll walk you back since you have no idea where we are." He smirked a little and put an arm around her shoulder.

She leaned against him, relishing the closeness. "Do I have to close my eyes again?" She asked.

He chuckled a little, "No, I trust you."

That rewarded him a sweet smile. Secretly, he loved her smiles. They could light up a room, and anyone who got one felt special because they held so much love in them. He knew from experience. Sometimes he wondered why Sonic never returned her feelings for him. He got a few of those smiles everyday. But then again, he was an egotistic hero with tons and tons of fans. He probably didn't savor each one like he did. They made his day when he got a few directed towards him. But of course he would never admit it.

A gloved hand waving in his face broke his daze. He shook his head and looked at Amy, who was a little concerned. "Knuckles, are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine." He stuttered, a little embarrassed that she caught him daydreaming about her. Taking in his surroundings, he realized they were back in Station Square. How long was he staring at her? A small blush graced his cheeks. At least she didn't know what he was thinking about.

Amy almost burst out laughing when she saw Knuckle's face. He looked so cute when he blushed. He was so innocent when it came to love. "Are you coming to Tail's party tomorrow?" She asked, trying to ease his embarrassment by changing the subject.

"Y-yeah. I still have to find something to give him though. You got any suggestions?"

"Some new power tools? I got him a new chrome toolbox, so that would go perfect with my gift."

Knuckles mulled it over. He had a few rings to spend, so he could get Tails a really nice drill over at the hardware store. "Sounds great. Oh, it looks like we're here."

It was true, they were in front of Cream and Vanilla's home, but Amy didn't want to say goodbye just yet. She embraced Knuckles tightly, resting her head on his wide shoulder. He did the same, but laid his head on top of hers, given the height difference.

They broke apart after a few moments and said their goodbyes. Knuckles watched as Amy walked gracefully towards the door, knocking on it softly, then was quickly let in by Cream. Once she was gone he headed to the hardware store, planning on making it quick since he had other more important things he needed to be doing. Guarding the Master Emerald being one of them. As he walked he thought about what had transpired in the last three days, he saved Amy, got approval from Sonic to make her his, and finally got the girl of his dreams. Life was pretty good for him right now.

After searching the store he found the perfect drill for Tail's. It was expensive, but he didn't mind. After all it was pretty heavy duty. He paid for his gift and jogged back to Angel Island, a small smile on his face. He just knew the rest of the day was going to go just as good.

A/N: I know, FINALLY she updated! Gosh guys, I am sooooo sorry! It's been really busy for me lately. My best friend was hit by a car a week ago, he was killed instantly. And then three kids that I baby-sit went missing about a month ago so I just didn't have time! But I promise I'll be updating more frequently from now on. I think you should thank someone called Nexin for that, he/she brought it to my attention that there are people who are waiting for me to update this story, so I promised him/her that I'd update on FRIDAY, which I did. Hope you enjoyed!

~Court