A/N: Thank you, Crazy Muffin Assassin for editing and proofreading. The only reason this chapter exists and Silver and Blaze aren't getting married immediately, is because I think it's a little silly to have two chapters about roughly the same thing right next to each other.

Blaze's POV

I hate irony. We survived fighting Mephiles only to have the wedding postponed due to our ruined clothing. My mood, already bad from being kidnapped, only got worse. As naïve as he is, Silver noticed my anxiety and held my hand.

"It's gonna be okay, Blaze. We'll be married soon enough," he murmured, smiling. How does he do it? No matter what, he can always put on a smile. In the bleakest of situations, in the darkest of times, in the face of adversity, at least he can still smile.

I looked away. "I know. I just wish we could be married and alone. Just you and me for two weeks."

"Don't worry about it. We'll be relaxing by the ocean, at the Cliffs of Moher in no time." Silver kissed me lightly and gave my hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Hey, glad ta see ya guys're all right. Ya know, I almos' got married once," Joseph said, walking over to us. He was one of the few who didn't crowd us upon arrival.

"What happened? Dropping a little too much acid in Las Vegas?" I asked sarcastically.

He laughed briefly. "Nah, I don't do drugs. Nasty business, they are. We had ta fire a drummer over them. I mean, they help ya write great music, but still. Anyways, she was a waitress in a restaurant, beautiful, foxy thing, she was."

Now I was interested. "What happened?" I asked, my ears perking up.

"Well, back when we were a small band, openin' up fer headliners like Shallow Violet, Steel Dirigible, The How and other rockin' bands, our truck broke down, so we had ta stop there." He paused to clean his sunglasses. "We didn't have much money, about ten pounds between us, so she treated us to a meal. The boys and I figured the least we could do was invite her ta one of our concerts."

"And everything went downhill from there?" I guessed.

"Nah, uphill. Our hotel room was on the fifth floor."

"Of course, typical rock star," Silver snorted.

"So... you had a one night stand and asked her to marry you?" I asked.

"Nah, we dated fer a while, she tagged along on a couple 'a tours, and then I asked her ta marry me."

"So why aren't you married now? Get cold feet or something? Divorce?"

"Damn, I wish, mate. She left me standin' at the alter and made off with the ring."

I wasn't quite sure what to say. What do you say to a guy who was left at the alter, especially a guy you don't know well at all? Silver, being naïve as he was, and just a guy in general summed up the whole story in three words. "That sucks, dude."

He smiled. "Yeah, but don't worry; you guys're gonna be happy together,"

"Thanks, Joseph, it means a lot." Silver stood a bit closer to me.

"Well, that's my two cents; I'll leave ya guys alone now." He put his hands in the pockets of his ripped jeans and walked off.

I hope I'm never that emotionally detached to talk about something terrible like that like it's nothing.

Shadow's POV

It's the same old song and dance. When the five of us returned, Silver, Blaze, and Sonic were immediately swarmed by the others. Sky and I were left relatively alone. For me, this is old hat. When I defeated Black Doom and destroyed the Black Comet, the news crews and reporters went to Sonic and the others. Sure, they passed the majority of the credit onto me, but still, nothing. I'm not saying I want to live in the limelight and be constantly followed by reporters, but a little credit where credit is due would be nice.

I sat down on a hill overlooking the beach, a good twenty yards from everyone else. Uh-oh, Joseph is walking my direction. Pretending not to notice, I ripped a strip of my ruined dress shirt and tied it around a gash on my arm. As I was pulling the knot tight with my teeth, the black fox approached me.

"Ey, Jonny, how ya feelin'?" he greets me, grinning.

"Stop calling me that. I just spent the last hour or so being a demon's punching bag; how would you feel?" I scoffed.

"Dude, ya ever hear the sayin' ya get more with honey than with vinegar? It would do ya some good if ya listened to it. So, what're ya gonna do now?"

I was perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean Sky, mate. Ya got the perfect opportunity." Joseph rolled his eyes.

"What, with all those people over there near her?" I ripped another portion of my shirt off and used it to bandage my remaining wounds.

"She's sitting by herself, mate," Joseph pointed out, his eyebrow twitching irritably.

"But there are other people there! I can't just…" I stopped talking when I realized how stupid I sounded.

A small smile spread across Joseph's face. "Jonny, are you scared to talk to her?"

"No. Don't be an idiot." I frowned.

"Okay, then, if ya don't wanna make a public display of it, then you'll hafta do it in private."

"Okay, so I go and say I want to talk to her alone?"

"No, ya hafta be suave an' charismatic. Ya can't just go up an' say it to 'er, ya hafta go up an' show her what yer made of. Shake her foundations, ya know? Use swagger."

Swagger?

"So, I just go and say it?" I repeated.

Joseph groaned. "Dude, if you couldn't kill me, I would slap you. Ya know, all my advice made a whistlin' sound when it went over yer head. Go up to her, tell her ya wanna talk to her in private, an' be confident about it."

Heaving a huge sigh, I hoisted myself off of the ground and started walking down the hill. I took a deep breath and made my way over to Sky.

"Hey," I said quietly. Hey, I scolded myself. You can't come up with anything better than that?

Fortunately for me, Sky looked up and smiled. "Hi, Shadow. What's up?"

Be confident, Shadow. Suave and charismatic. "W-well, I wanted to talk to you." Close enough.

"About...?"

"I was wondering if-"

"Hey, Sky, Jonny, how're ya guys doin'?" Joseph popped out of nowhere and put his arm on my shoulder. "D'you mind if I borrow Jonny fer a minute?"

"Nope, not at all," Sky said, looking confused.

We started walking away.

"What are you doing?" I growled once we were out of earshot.

Joseph snorted, "Savin' yer ass. Ya can't talk ta girls ta save yer life."

"I was doing fine," I contradicted, frowning.

"Fine fer a seventh grader." The black fox retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Well if you're so smart then what would you do?" I growl, my frustration starting to build.

Joseph took another moment to clean his glasses. "Well, I would go up to her, take her by the hand, an' take her someplace private. Simple as that."

"Forget it. This is getting stupid. I'll ask her some other time."

Joseph called after me, but I just ignored him. I need something to get my mind off of Sky. Eventually, I decided to go for a run.

It's almost funny how everything you see reminds you of what you're trying to take you're mind off of. Running through the city, I saw several couples kissing, someone proposing to his girlfriend, and a few couples just on dates. It makes me sick; people everywhere are falling in love, while I'm too cowardly to even talk to a girl.

I sat down on one of the benches in the park. Silver and Blaze's wedding still won't be for another few days at the least, so I doubt I'll miss anything important while I wallow in self-pity.

Sky's POV

Where is Shadow running off to now? Was it something I did? Oh, wait, here comes Joseph, maybe he can tell me where Shadow went.

"Joseph! Why did Shadow leave?" I demanded.

"Oh, um, his sista' called…an' needed his advice…about music…fer a party she's throwin'. Yeah, an' I told'em to put in a good word fer us." I watched him closely as he spoke. He wouldn't make eye contact, and his hands were twitching.

"You're lying!" I accused, grabbing him by the front of his t-shirt and raising a fist. "Tell me the truth!"

"Please, not the sunglasses!" Joseph pleaded. His hands rose to shield his face.

"Then tell me what I wanna know!" Other people started to look over at us.

"Alright, alright. He…he wanted me ta help 'em…ask ya out," he answered ruefully. "I was teachin' him how ta be charismatic and stuff. He left 'cause he couldn't get to the point."

"I see." Shadow wants to ask me out? Hmm... After pondering for a moment, I spoke again. "Here's the thing; you're gonna help me to get Shadow. Shadow's not one to be open about his feelings, so we'll just have to trick him."

A sly grin spread across the fox's face, replacing his frightened expression. "Now that's more my style."

"Here's the plan…" …Fifteen minutes later, Shadow's POV

Fifteen uneventful minutes of sitting and staring at clouds passed. Several people walked by, giving me pitiful looks. One person stopped over and gave me a dollar. I'm guessing I look homeless because of my tattered clothing and disheveled appearance.

"Jonny! Jonny, there ya are! I've been lookin' all over the city fer ya!" Joseph ran over to me, panting.

"What's wrong now?" I asked indifferently.

"It's Sky, mate; I saw 'er with another guy!"

"What?" I curl my lip, my hands tightening into fists at my side.

"Yeah! She was holdin' hands with that blue hedgehog. Can't remember his name though."

I grimaced. That's such a typical Sonic thing to do. It's like he knows exactly what to do to piss me off.

"I'm going to go put a stop to it," I growled, standing and running back to Seaside Hill.

"'Ey! Wait fer me, ya prick!" Joseph called after me.

I reached Seaside Hill in seconds. Everybody was down on the beach except for Sonic and Sky. After a bit of searching, I found the two of the sitting on one of the bluffs overlooking the sea, and, get this, holding hands.

"What the hell is this?" I snarled loudly.

Sky turned around and immediately dropped Sonic's hand.

"Hey, Shads, how's it goin'?" Sonic greets me cheerfully with a nonchalant wave.

"Don't you 'hey, Shads' me. What the hell are you doing with Sky?" I asked harshly, gritting my teeth.

Sonic remained perfectly calm. "What do you care what I'm doin' with Sky?"

"She's my friend; I don't want her to have to put up with you," I growled through clenched teeth.

"A friend? Is that all she is to you?" he teased, his green eyes twinkling with amusement.

"What exactly are you insinuating?" I snarled.

"What exactly are you hiding?" Sonic retorted. Unconsciously, my hand clenched into a fist and my mouth twisted into a sneer. He is the most infuriating hedgehog I've ever had the displeasure of meeting.

"I'm not hiding anything," I grumbled, trying to maintain my composure and keep from beating him.

"You sure about that? You're not making eye contact." Is he pushing me, or is he just stupid? It's like he wants to get his arse kicked; Mephiles wasn't enough of a "challenge."

"I don't have to make eye contact with you, you-"

"Shadow, you don't have to shout," Sky intervened quietly, rising up. "Calm down."

"No," I scoffed. "I don't have to put up with this." I started to walk away.

"Shadow, wait!" Sky called after me.

"No, I'm not going to wait. You can go make out with Faker if you want, but don't ask me to watch." I turned and walked off, not caring in the slightest.

Sky ran in front of me and halted my progress.

"You're too damn stubborn for your own good!" she snapped, though she didn't sound as mad as she looked.

"Tell me something I don't know." I mumbled. I really didn't like arguing with her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sonic slink off towards the others. Too cowardly to finish your battles, Faker?

Sky thought for moment. Apparently I said something thought provoking.

"Okay, I will," Sky spoke softly. "I don't like Sonic. He's a cool guy and all, but I don't like him."

I only stare at her in surprise. Then why was she holding hands with him?

"I want to talk to you in private," she continued. "Meet me by the bluff tonight."

"Uh…Okay." I didn't quite know what to say; she just kind of sprang on me with all that she just said.

Sky's POV

Shadow stuttered out an answer and walked off to where everyone else was. As soon as he left, Joseph arrived and started questioning me.

"So, did it work?" he asked. His eyes lit up like an excited little kid.

"Yes…and no," I responded, still staring at the spot Shadow stood before.

"Whaddya mean?" Joseph asked. "Did it work or didn't it?"

"Oh no, it worked; just not according to plan." I shrugged.

"Sweet, mate! Plannin's overrated anyways!" He is so excitable. I wonder what he's like when he decides to act serious. "So, what's the plan now? Can I help?"

"Why do you care about this anyways?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow. "This has nothing to do with you."

He told me the story about how he got left at the alter. How could such a nice guy be kicked in the teeth like that? Sure he's a rock star that's had about a million one-night stands, but he's a great guy once you get to know him.

"Gosh, no, you've done more for me than you could ever know. I owe you," I told him.

"Forget about it. You an' Jonny daserve ta be happy; everyone does."

"Still, thanks dude, if there's anything I could do for you…"

Joseph took off his sunglasses and wiped the lenses on his t-shirt. "Don't mention it." He smiled.