In Due Season

Chapter VIII

The Price of Freedom is Always High

"Is he going to be alright?"

"Don't worry about it, Blaze. If anyone can reach Shadow, it's Rouge," Sonic reassured the feline sitting across from him and his wife. They were currently seated on some rocks around the base of the Master Emerald Shrine. Cream and Solana were there too, all waiting for Tails to make it to the island. The fox had gone out to survey the area and see about creating a plan for taking out the robots. The rest of the group sat chatting about the recent events when the conversation turned back towards the ultimate life form.

"Still, why didn't he come with us? He had to of seen us land and get out, but he just sat there. It's like he wasn't even hearing anything," she continued. It was true they had reached the island and exited the helicopter without Shadow, but Sonic advised they leave him alone. Solana had been very upset about the idea, not wanting the dark hedgehog to occupy her aircraft any longer than need be. An argument would have broken out if Knuckles hadn't insisted on checking the Master Emerald.

"Maybe it is because he is always behaving uselessly like this. Just a force of habit for him," Solana huffed, folding her arms across her chest from her position next to Blaze. The princess gave the dhole a side glance, recalling the canine's reaction when Rouge, Amy and Cream made it to the island. While greetings and explanations were being made all Solana mentioned was her discontent with Shadow still being in her helicopter. It hadn't gone over well with Rouge.

"You don't seem to like him very much," Blaze pointed out, turning slightly in the young female's direction. Solana snorted.

"I don't trust him; him or that bat . . ."

"Chill, Sol, they're on our side, remember?" Sonic intervened.

"Yes, for now. But you cannot have forgotten what these people did that one time . . ."

Blaze witnessed the others rolling their eyes and couldn't help but feel this must be a fairly complicated matter.

"We know, but its ancient history. They're helping us now and that's all that matters, right?" Sonic grinned. Solana made a disgusted face but nodded all the same. The hedgehog's optimism was contagious after all. He tried to give her a thumbs up but regretted the motion as he felt a sharp pain move up his arm. He masked it incredibly well from the others, lowering his hand to his side, but Amy noticed the flash of agony and stiffness. She couldn't help it, in fact, the first thing she noticed when her group met up with the others was her husband's wince of pain. They all had their dents and dings from the battle, but Sonic's injuries were more numerous and severe.

She knew he could be impetuous, but sometimes it was to the point of non-thinking. It upset her to see him in this condition, but she was well aware he probably got half those wounds due to his recklessness. She also knew how stubborn he was to admit being hurt. It wasn't his pride alone, but his strong dislike of being sidelined from the action. Gusto and impulse were not always very good companions on the battlefield; she knew from her own experience. Her short-temper had gotten her into quite a few jams in the past. Nonetheless, she knew he wouldn't fess up to anything in front of everyone so, for now, she decided to play along with his cover-up. She would defiantly have a little talk with him later.

"So, why are we here again?" Amy asked as she rocked Kimi gently. The baby hedgehog was still restless over being jolted by loud noises and jostled around in the escape.

"Well, Miles thought it would be best to come here being the robots were following us from the ground. Happily, it appears they cannot swim," Solana stated.

"So, they're still out there?" Cream asked concernedly. Cheese mimicked her agitation.

"Afraid so, but don't worry. Tails'll come up with a plan and with all the help we have now we're sure to kick some serious robo-butt," Sonic smiled and so did everyone else.

"That reminds me. Was the city able to be warned along with the others?" Solana inquired.

"To be honest, there really wasn't anything to warn them about. Once Rouge and I picked up Cream we flew towards town and there weren't any robots there," Amy voiced loudly as Kimi started getting fussy. Sonic offered to take her for a while and the baby was switched off between parents.

"We warned the campsite though, and Espio is still there. We told him what was going on," Cream continued.

"Sorry, but who is Espio?" Blaze asked.

"Oh, he's a ninja that works for the Chaotix Detective Agency, or at least I think he's working with them again. That's right; we never introduced you to everyone. You'll probably want to know who all the Chaotix are. Well, there's Vector the Crocodile, he's kind of the leader of that group you could say and Charmy Bee, he's a bit of a comedian in my opinion, but a nice kid. Anyway, Espio the Chameleon is a pretty good guy and . . ." Amy explained on, while Sonic cheered his daughter up with silly faces. Blaze gave them a confused stare. Cream decided to finish clarifying Solana's original question.

"You remember my mother is there too. We told her about it. She and the Chaotix decided to stay behind and help evacuate the city when Tails called us. I do hope you get to meet the Chaotix though, Blaze."

"Yeah, if you want a headache," Knuckles declared as he descended the steps with confidence, "Anyway, the Master Emerald seems to be all right."

His booming voice was followed quickly by Kimi's ear-splitting cry. Everyone gave a start as Sonic folded his ears back. Amy quickly reached over and took the baby from him. She glared at the echidna who held up his hands in surrender.

"What I do? What I do?"

"Never mind," she groaned as she and Sonic tried to figure out the problem. Amy discovered it right away.

"I think she needs to be changed."

Everyone crinkled their noses.

"You wouldn't happen to have any diapers on the island would you?" the pink hedgehog asked doubtfully.

"Yeah, sure, I keep a whole stash of baby stuff in a hut."

"You don't have to be sarcastic, Knuckles," she deadpanned.

"Huh? No, I'm being serious. Rouge forgot to give it to you on the baby shower thing so she had me keep it in the storage hut Tails built up here. Shut up, Sonic," he barked as he saw the blue hedgehog snicker out of the corner of his eye.

"Really?" she stated standing to her feet with Kimi.

"Yeah, really. Follow me, I'll show you," the guardian sighed. Sonic began to stand up too, but Amy noticed his sore movements and at once commanded him to sit back down and not move. It was the echidna's turn to laugh.

"That's a good boy, Sonic," Knuckles mocked as he began leading Amy and Kimi away. Just then the sound of an engine bellowed in the distance. It sounded like the Tornado. The blue hedgehog scarcely had the thought of standing up when he heard Amy's voice shout back.

"Keep it parked, Sonic!"

"Don't worry, I will bring Miles back here so you don't have to move, Sonic," Solana smiled slyly as she went off in the direction of the noise, leaving Cream and Blaze to giggle good-naturedly at Sonic's pout. Eventually, he couldn't help but chuckle too, which caught the cat off guard.

Memories of Sonic's laughter bubbled up within her, stirring up emotions she was trying so desperately to snuff out. While the blue hedgehog was completely distracted by the idea of his wife convincing everyone he needed to strick bedrest, Cream noticed Blaze's expression. The slight reddening of the cat's cheeks, her adverted eyes, and nervous tightened mouth. It was all the rabbit had to see to prove her theory fact. The guardian of the Sol Emeralds did have a crush on the hero. She had suspicions earlier but now there was no doubt. Cream noticed Sonic was now giving the feline a concerned frown.

"Blaze, what's wrong? You've been acting kind of strange lately. Is everything all right?"

"Well, uh . . ." the cat froze, feeling a weight build in her stomach and a knot in her throat.

"Oh, that's because she's a long way from home, Mr. Sonic, and has a kingdom she's worried about," Cream interjected trying to keep her old friend from any more embarrassment. Blaze looked to the young rabbit who winked back. The princess wasn't sure of the gesture but grateful for the save.

"I'm sorry, Blaze. I guess I didn't look at it that way," Sonic apologized.

"That's alright, Sonic. It isn't your fault. Still, I wonder what brought me here?" she asked.

"Well, the Emeralds did it last time, so, maybe they've done it again."

"Yes, but to what purpose? There was nothing happening in my dimension when I left. How about here? Has anything strange taken place?"

"Nope, no earthquakes, no fire demons or anything. All that's basically happened here is the Chaos Emeralds went missing two years ago and Eggman's crazier than ever. Other than that . . ."

"Wait, the Chaos Emeralds went missing two years ago?" Blaze interjected.

"Yeah."

"That's when Eggman Nega quit attacking us. At least, no one has seen him this whole time. That's why my kingdom has been running so smoothly."

"Are you saying the emeralds and Nega might be related?" Sonic mused.

"Well, it is an odd coincidence wouldn't you say?"

"But not all of the Chaos Emeralds are missing now," Cream pointed out. Sonic nodded in agreement as he pulled out the green gemstone. Blaze looked at it and was reminded of Sonic's failed attempts at utilizing the emerald's power against the robots and her own inability to use the Sol Emeralds.

"Yes, but it appeared to do you little good," Blaze stated.

Cream gasped at this information. Having one of the mystic gemstones was normally enough to secure a victory, so, the fact Sonic couldn't defeat those robots even with a Chaos Emerald only showed how much the odds were stacked against them.

"It's true. I couldn't even get a scratch in on one of those bad boys without the emerald and I barely got one in with it," Sonic replied.

"That's because I think you were going up against six Chaos Emeralds," a voice joined in from their left. They looked up to see Tails and Solana had joined them. The fox continued.

"I was able to locate one of the machines that attacked you. It appears they operate on a duel-system of power. It combines some kind of electrochemical energy conversion device, maybe a hydrogen base with oxygen as an oxidant, and because of the energy spikes at different points in time . . ."

"Plain speaking there, buddy. Some of us didn't graduate from Central U," Sonic quipped.

"Sorry, I got carried away. According to the readouts, I think each robot has a Chaos Emerald inside of it, that's why they're so fast and strong. It's amazing you made it out of there at all Sonic. Are you okay?"

"You know me, Tails, never better."

"Yes, it appears we all made it out fine, except . . . um, Shadow. He didn't seem to fair that well," Blaze added as an afterthought.

"Shadow? Is he back?" Tails asked in surprise.

"Yeah, he's in the Blizard. I think he's having one of his moments," Sonic informed as he took note of Solana's disdain.

"Yes, and he won't get out," Solana said curtly.

"Come on, Rouge is working on getting him now," the speedster emphasized.

"Well, he is still creepy and she's no better," Solana mumbled. Sonic scoffed.

"Look, if it wasn't for Shadow showin' up back there, I'd of been doggy kibble by now," Sonic joked, directing a smirk to the dhole. His laid-back approach to danger resonated in his features until his eyes locked onto Amy's. She and Knuckles' return had gone unnoticed by him until now. No one else reacted to his flippant statement, but he read fright and resentment in her face as she turned with Kimi and stalked away. He watched as the echidna tried to question her about her swift departure.

"I'm just glad you're all okay. Maybe we can get started on a strategy with this new information . . . Hey, where are you going, Sonic?" Tails questioned; a hint of distress in his voice as the blue hedgehog passed between him and Solana in pursuit of Amy.

"Uh, go ahead and get started without me . . . I'll catch up on the details later," he called back as he brushed past Knuckles.

"Now, where is he going? Hedgehogs, I swear," Knuckles grumbled as he walked up to the others, "So what did I miss?"

The fox looked back at the retreating couple and frowned.

"I don't know," he finally sighed, before turning to the rest with a shrug, "I guess we'll just work on a plan then. It's a good thing you found that Chaos Emerald, Knuckles."

"Yeah, actually Sonic has it now. So, besides the obvious, why is it a good thing?"

"I think we could use it to track down those robots. Maybe if we can get to them one by one, we could overpower them and get all the Emeralds back," the fox continued. Knuckles expression changed to confusion, but before he could say anything the fox's features also twisted into bewilderment.

"Wait, didn't Shadow have an Emerald too?"

"Yes, that's right. I saw him use it during the first attack," Cream voiced. Tails scratched the top of his head.

"Are you saying the robots have the Chaos Emeralds?" Knuckles asked. Tails didn't seem to give the guardian's question much heed.

"That's funny because I could have sworn my equipment read six emeralds and six robots."

"That's because I believe the guardian picked up the emerald I dropped during combat," a low voice said from behind the genius. Tails whirled around to see Shadow and Rouge standing there.

"Whoa! You guys surprised me. Uh, so you think Knuckles might have found the one you lost?" the fox asked, giving the darker hedgehog a weak smile.

"I don't think; I know," Shadow stated curtly.

"So, the rest of the Chaos Emeralds are in those robots?" Knuckles blurted out.

"Yes! Anyway, Shadow, it's been so long since anyone's seen one. Where did you find it?" Tails stated trying to gain information from the darker hedgehog and ignore the echidna's irritation.

"I found it in one of the doctor's bases. I believe he was using it to power his operations there. I was able to take it and use it in order to come here. Unfortunately, I lost it while protecting the Rabbit Family."

"Yes, thank you very much," Cream voiced. Shadow nodded in her direction.

"What are we wasting time here for? We need to go back down there and get the Emeralds," Knuckles stressed as the message from Eggman replayed in his mind's ear. Blaze picked up on his distress and sympathized with him. She too understood the sense of responsibility that came with guarding such powerful resources.

"Knuckles, we need a plan first. Attacking them head on didn't seem to work. Having the Emerald plays in our favor. We can use it to find . . . the other Emeralds . . ." Tails trailed off as he saw the ultimate life form's features grow dark, "That is if it's okay with you," he muttered quickly.

"Actually . . ." Shadow began.

"What say does he have?" Knuckles glared over at the hedgehog. Shadow took a step forward.

"How dare you . . ."

"What Shadow means to say is it would be fine, Tails. We both know how important it would be to find all the Chaos Emeralds," Rouge cut in loudly, giving Shadow a pointed look. The hedgehog hated it, but a deal was a deal. He offered to stay and he would do as he promised. He glared at Tails and nodded. The genius for his part looked uneasily at Shadow but continued to hold the gaze as he spoke.

"You wouldn't happen to have any way of communicating with your friend, Alyson, again? That data she sent me had some pretty interesting information that could really come in handy."

Shadow gave the slightest hint of acknowledgment and pulled out the flash drive he had been carrying. He tossed the clip to Tails.

"That should have all the details you're looking for along with some kind of tracking program that lays out the doctor's schematics and planned attacks," Shadow said as if he couldn't care less, turning his head and locking eyes with Blaze again. She wore a neutral expression but maintained eye contact with him, beginning yet another staring contest between them.

"Thanks, Shadow! Guys, if you'll wait here I'll go get some of the supplies I keep aboard the Tornado and we may have a plan sooner than expected," Tails cheered.

"Do you need any help?" Solana asked.

"Sure," Tails smiled lovingly at her. Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"You two make me sick."

"That's not very nice to say, Mr. Knuckles," Cream insisted as the two canines decided to take their leave.

"Yeah, Knucky, where are your manners?" Rouge smirked. The echidna was about to respond, but instead held back and let out a small laugh instead.

"I think I'll go check on the Master Emerald again. Now that there's a thief on the island, I need to make sure it's extra secure," he smiled back sweetly before turning to head up the steps.

"Yeah, good idea. I hear the guardian of that thing is a real slacker," the white bat called after him, chuckling when she heard the echidna growl on his way up. She nearly toppled over though as Shadow brushed past her quickly, leaving the group. Rouge gaped at him.

"Where are you going, Mr. Shadow?" Cream asked; concerned.

"Away. I'll still be on the island if you need me," he stated without turning back. His jet shoes activated and he took off in a burst of speed.

"What's wrong with him, Miss Rouge?"

"Aw, you know him, sweetie, all business," Rouge sighed. Blaze cleared her throat and the other two looked at her.

"I just don't think he likes me very much," Blaze stated.

"Well, don't feel bad. I don't think he likes anyone that much," the bat said, taking a seat on one of the rocks.

"He seems to get along with you," Blaze pointed out as she too sat back down. She had improved her social skills immensely and making conversation was not as hard as it once was.

"I've known him for some time. We used to work together for the government. Actually, I still do, but he quit a year ago. Before that we went on several, let's say, expeditions together as a team. All I can tell you is, don't take it personally. He's just moody," Rouge stated, with a level of endearment in her voice. Blaze didn't know the relationship the two shared and she didn't want to seem intrusive but was curious.

"Are you close to him? I mean, well, he doesn't seem like the friendly sort, not that I'm judging him. I was kind of the same way, but . . ."

"I know what you're saying. The answer to that honey is yes and no. I guess the best way I can describe it is he's like a younger brother; the kind that won't listen to any advice you give him. I never had a younger brother, don't even think I would want one now, but, hey, someone's got to keep that guy on track."

"And you do a good job, Miss Rouge. I think it's very nice of you to take care of Mr. Shadow like that," Cream smiled as Cheese shouted in approval.

"Yeah, but this conversation better not leave the three of us, okay? I have a rep to keep up believe it or not. I don't want to go down as Mr. Sunshine's big sister project."

"Don't worry, all secrets are safe with us, right, Blaze?" Cream emphasized her friend's name as she winked at the feline, who awkwardly smiled back. The princess had nearly forgotten about the rabbit's discovery of her forbidden crush. Rouge raised an eyebrow.

"What are you two hiding?" she asked. Blaze blanched. Cream may have been sweet, but the rabbit was still a teenager and secrets didn't tend to hold well with their kind when it came to topics like this.

"Well, I was just telling Blaze the secret," Cream started, causing more confusion for the purple cat but some clarity for the white bat.

"Oh, you did?" Rouge questioned.

"Yes, the fact that I like Mr. Sonic," Cream continued in a low whisper. Rouge smirked while Blaze looked on in shock.

For her part, Cream was telling the truth. She had harbored a small crush on the azure hedgehog at one point and still found him enchanting sometimes. It had been hard for the rabbit considering she was friends with Amy and it was months of guilty feelings later until Rouge spoke with her.

"Ah, honey, who doesn't? He's a great guy with a big heart, plus, he's not half bad-looking either. If Amy hadn't beaten me to it, I would have netted him," Rouge said with a sense of mischief in her eyes. The feline's gaze darted over to the bat with an equal amount of astonishment.

"Oh, don't look so stunned over there. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"I guess he did have a few admirers," Cream giggled as she played with one of her ears.

"Ha, a few? Trust me; everybody and their mother has or has had a crush on Sonic the Hedgehog. Crazed fans out there worship him, Celesta thought she was in love with him; heck even Solana admired him for a little while there. I bet even you liked him at some point, am I right?" Rouge commented in Blaze's direction. The cat blushed but wasn't as embarrassed now after hearing all this. Without realizing it, she gave a small nod.

"See, Cream. Like I told you. No reason to feel bad about it."

"And I am happy for Amy," Cream added.

"Oh, yeah. Amy's a good person and good for him, but being jealous of her sometimes, well, welcome to the club. So, can your friend there be trusted?" Rouge asked, giving the cat a doubtful look.

"I think she's able to keep a secret," Cream said, giving the lavender feline another wink.

"Yes . . . I can."

"Well, you better, because if you ever tell anyone outside of this, especially Amy, I'll have to kill you," Rouge stated matter of factually. Blaze didn't know if she was joking or not.

"Uh . . ."

"Calm down, sweetheart, I'm just having fun . . . You seem trustworthy enough. Besides, I like you. Welcome to the Sapphire Pact," the bat smiled in good humor.

"Thank you, guys, it always feels better after talking about it," Cream smiled. Blaze looked to the two skeptically. She wondered if she'd been tricked somehow, but in seeing Cream's innocent eyes and reddened face, Blaze knew this couldn't be the case. She felt better admitting she liked Sonic and seeing as the rabbit helped her do so in a way that didn't bring judgment made it even better. A small smile graced her majesty's lips.

"Thanks, Cream."

"You're welcome, Blaze."

It was Rouge's turn to give a puzzled look.

"Did I miss something?"

"No, just appreciating one of the few good friends I have," Blaze stated. The three chatted pleasantly a little longer until the topic shifted to a certain red echidna. Blaze noticed the somber tones of her companions and decided to listen rather than speak.

"Maybe you should talk with him now. You'll never know if you don't ask," Cream said with counsel in her voice. Rouge closed her eyes and chuckled dejectedly. She was taking relationship advice from a seventeen-year-old and sadder still, it sounded more decent than anything she could come up with. She really must be desperate, but it was worth a shot.

"You know, dear; I think I will," Rouge declared as she spread her wings, preparing to leave their company in search of Knuckles, "Thanks."

"Good luck, Miss Rouge," Cream called as she and Blaze watched the bat head towards the shrine.

"Where did everyone go?" a voice said from behind them. The two turned to see Tails coming up, cumbersomely holding quite a few things. Solana trailed after him carrying a suitcase. Cheese flew forward and caught a pencil that had slipped from the fox's grip. Blaze and Cream came over as well to help, taking the laptop and several other devices he had to ease his load.

"Thanks," he breathed.

"Miss Rouge just left to go talk to Mr. Knuckles up there."

"And I believe Shadow wanted to be left alone," Blaze stated.

"Oh. Well, I think I'm on to something, but I was going to need some help," he looked at them expectantly.

"What do you need?" Cream asked.

"Well, if you'll take these things and follow Solana back to the workshop, I'll try to round up the others," Tails informed as he handed the rest of the equipment to them.

"Tails, I know you have several other obligations and events to deal with but . . ." Blaze began as she took some of the items.

"You want me to try and figure out what brought you here and maybe why?" Tails smirked. Blaze smiled knowing that some answers might be forthcoming.

"Exactly."

"I'll try my best, Blaze. With everyone's help, we should be able to figure something out," Tails grinned. Blaze nodded and they parted ways.

o

He stood near the edge of the floating island, staring out over the partially frozen lake below. Shadow noted the contrast between the wintery scene on the ground and the tropical temperatures Angel Island seemed to maintain. It reflected his current state of mind perfectly; ambivalence. He uncrossed his arms and turned to walk along the shoreline, not giving the scenery any more thought. Instead, his attention was focused on his current situation and a certain purple cat. He would have much rather preferred to push the feline aside in his concentrations, but her image kept coming back up.

Her intently focused brilliant, yellow eyes seemed to bore into his consciousness. He didn't know anything about her outside of what Rouge mentioned briefly, but the few encounters he had with the mysterious feline drove him crazy. There was something unsettling about her but equally intriguing. Maybe it was the way she appeared to both challenge and understand him each time they shared gazes or the fact he had to turn away from her, in essence, losing and contending every time. Either way, he hated the feeling it created within him when he locked sights with the cat and he didn't trust her for it. With that, he finally pushed the subject away as he thought about his second dilemma; his deal with Rouge.

He wasn't one for breaking agreements, but he also wanted to leave and see if Alyson was okay. After all, Sonic and his gang were safe now and he practically gift-wrapped a means of defeating Eggman in the form of that information drive. In his eyes, staying here was pointless and interfered with his original mission; something that didn't sit well with the dark hedgehog. But the thought of Rouge's disappointment gave him pause; that, and the fact if he tried jumping off the island he would just land in a lake of freezing water. How had the bat convinced him to stay in the first place was beyond him, or perhaps it wasn't. It was just another quandary on his long growing list of issues.

Whether he would admit it or not, along his eleven years of knowing her, his incredibly rare affections had fallen on the ever-ambitious Rouge the Bat. So, it should have been easy to help her out, but for him, it was like riding a constant roller coaster. His attitude conflicted with his desires, his reputation warred against his dreams and his inexperience complicated his progress. Whenever he was with Rouge it was daunting and awkward, when he was away from her it was frustrating and depressing and his recent attempt at ignoring her was just making him sick. But, he wouldn't put a name to the feeling he had for Rouge because it hurt too much. His memories of Maria prevented it.

He had been created to help the human girl. He was created with her in mind. He had loved Maria and she died. He was immortal.

Then he was locked up for fifty years with little in the way of memories to be awakened to destroy mankind . . . or save it. Who knew.

So, when Rouge first encountered him, he wasn't a happy camper. Even after those events, when she befriended him, he still pushed the kindness away. She persisted and overtime his defenses wore down. She slipped in somehow and that wasn't all. She brought compassion and trust back into his life. Working with her and Omega for G.U.N. had been some of the best times of his life, but then he began to see how fragile life was once again. He was the ultimate life form and yet he couldn't protect them, he couldn't stop the threat of death. He left them.

He wanted to shut it all out again; like before, but he couldn't. He met Alyson and felt the same need to protect her as he did for Team Dark and Maria. And it angered him.

"Deal or not, I'm leaving this island one way or another," he growled to himself. Shutting down emotions with a task-driven mindset was still within his control and he believed he had the perfect means of departure.

o

Knuckles could hear the familiar beating of wings behind him and the graceful landing that usually accompanied it. He didn't bother to turn around but took note of Rouge walking up beside him. They both looked out over the island, something the two had done several times in the past but on this occasion, there was a tense silence between them. They hadn't really spent time in each other's company since their argument a month ago. The disagreement in question was always the same and never seemed to reach a conclusion or a climax for that matter. Each time the subject was broached, a heated dispute would begin followed by their abrupt parting of ways. Usually, this resulted in them not speaking to each other for weeks or even months at a time. Normally, the guardian was the quieter of the two so he surprised them both when he spoke first.

"Hello, Rouge."

She looked at him for a moment, though he continued to stare off.

"Hi, there," the bat replied softly turning her gaze back out. There was another moment of silence before two weary sighs were heard.

"Rouge, I'm sorry."

"I am too."

They faced one another; Knuckles allowing his arms to fall from their position across his chest while Rouge wrapped hers around herself; both gestures a sign of vulnerability. Neither one could look the other in the eye for very long, however, and the guardian tilted his head down while the jewel collector looked skyward. They both cared deeply for one another, but working out a stable relationship still appeared to elude their grasp after eleven years. Nothing emphasized this more than their broken off engagement three years ago. Still, even after that, they had been attracted to one another, courting off and on. The quarreling and conflict never stopped, but it seemed to keep them coming back to the other. They brought tough things to the table of love; her selfishness and his stubbornness, but, over the years, the bat had learned to be more giving and the echidna more understanding.

"No, I shouldn't have said what I did. I didn't even give you a chance to explain," he finally said.

"Well, Knucky, it takes two to tango and I knew what you were trying to say," she stated lamely. They'd been through this dance so many times now and always came to the same results. Rouge knew she couldn't take it any longer. With all the stress of the day and thoughts of her life, she had to do something. She had to break past this terrible barrier they had built between them and move on, with or without him. But before she could say anything . . .

"Knuckles! Rouge! Hey you, guys!" Tails voice could be heard approaching them from below. The military agent gave a displeased grunt as the guardian just shrugged.

"Yeah, Tails?" the echidna asked as he watched the fox ascend the last bit of the way using his namesakes.

"I'm trying to get everyone together at the old workshop. Remember? The one you helped me build, Knuckles . . . up here on the island . . . near the mountains," Tails informed as he took notice of the guardian's confused face.

"Oh, yeah. I remember now. It was a pain in the butt too," Knuckles recalled with irritation, "And you didn't even use it for that long."

"Right, well, Solana is taking Blaze and Cream there now and I was hoping to get everyone there. I just have to find Sonic, Amy and then Shadow . . ."

"We'll be there, honey, but I think you better leave Shadow to me. He can be a bit testy and he didn't leave in the greatest frame of mind," Rouge advised in her usual confidence. She observed a slight reaction out of Knuckles when she said the darker hedgehog's name. The bat wondered if it was her imagination or if she just detected a bit of jealousy there.

"Okay, Rouge, you know where the workshop is right?" Tails inquired.

"Sweetie, I know this floating rock better than anyone standing here," Rouge quipped as she spread her wings and took off.

"Hey!" Knuckles called after her raising a fist, "Sometimes she drives me nuts."

"Now, all I have to do is find Sonic and . . ." the fox began until he was interrupted by an angry female voice off to the east of them, "Amy? Well, I guess that solves that problem."

"Sounds like Sonic's getting chewed out for something," Knuckles laughed as he started heading towards the steps, intent on seeing said hedgehog's tongue lashing. Tails grunted.

"Why don't you head to the workshop and I'll go find them."

"What? You can't tell me what to do, besides it'll be fun."

"Yeah, but you have a tendency to make situations like this worse, which takes time to straighten out and we don't have that time. I really need everyone to hear this. Plus, you know how short Amy's temper is and how large her hammer can get. It might not be Sonic she's angry with for long," Tails countered; his argument solid.

"Fine, I'll go to the stupid workshop," Knuckles grunted as he marched off in the opposite direction. The fox smiled victoriously as he twirled his twin tails in the direction of the arguing.

o

"Amy! Amy, please stop!" Sonic pleaded as he followed behind his wife who showed no signs of slowing her angry tirade. They were currently outside the storage room Knuckles had shown the pink hedgehog earlier. She had placed Kimi securely in a hammock within the hut while she and her husband now paced back and forth in front.

"Why, Sonic? You sure don't know when to! Why don't you just shut that hole in your face and leave me alone," she fumed, still walking forward. The blue hedgehog paused in his tracks. He knew she was upset, but this was a bit over the top. Tried and true, he fell back on a method that usually never failed; humor.

"Whoa, where is all this coming from? I thought the hormones were supposed to be back to normal after six weeks," he joked only to realize how stupid that was when she whirled on him with fire in her eyes.

"You think this is funny, Sonic?!" she yelled, causing him to stumble backward; his expression holding panic quite well, "You running around all the time . . . and you think it's funny! Well, it's not funny!"

"Yes, I mean no . . . I mean . . . I don't think what's funny? I don't even know what you're talking about!?" he raised his voice in defense.

"You don't know? Sonic, how could you not know? You looked right at me and you knew, you knew," she whispered harshly as she became aware their argument may upset Kimi.

"Hello, Amy, I really don't know what you're talking about. Running around all the time? It's kinda my thing," Sonic snapped back in hushed tones as she had.

"Arg, you're so stupid sometimes!" the pink hedgehog exasperated. She refused to believe he was unaware of what he was doing and how it affected her. They had been married for two years now, going on three; how could he not see the problem?

"Stupid for what?" Sonic growled in frustration. He didn't understand why she was so upset over this. He was always running around, he was Sonic the Hedgehog for crying out loud. She never had an issue with that before. After all, that's why they got married.

"It's not the running, Sonic. You looked right at me when you said that line about 'I could have been dog chow'," Amy said mockingly adding a dumb laugh for emphasis.

"It was doggy kibble," he corrected.

"See! You can't take anything seriously. You were almost killed and you think it's funny," Amy strained, her voice growing raspy.

"Amy, I didn't get killed. I'm fine. I'm right here in front of you," Sonic stressed, beginning to grasp what the real concern here was and not liking it at all. This was a more serious impasse in their relationship. It was one discussed and negotiated time and time again. And it appeared it was here once more.

"Yeah, but you could have been, Sonic. You could have been. You always put yourself in danger; always," Amy cried as she turned away, not feeling up to facing him. Sonic quickly slammed the door on that option, however, as he dashed over to face her again. He wasn't going to beat around the bush with this one.

"Amy, we've talked about this before. I have to do these things . . ." he began swiftly, the urge to make it right blinding him from all other emotional reason until he saw the tears covering her face.

"One day you're going to do something reckless and stupid . . ." she started until her frustrations with her husband subsided to the real fear, "And we'll never . . . see you again."

That shocked him for a moment. We'll never see you again. It wasn't just her and him anymore. The blue hedgehog felt regret as he watched her cover her face with her hands. He reached out and took her into an embrace where she buried her muzzle into his shoulder.

"Amy, I . . ."

"I know you have to help people, Sonic. I do too. I just . . . it scares me to think I could lose you," she softly murmured to him. It scared her and then it scared him. His mind instantly raced back to the point when he didn't know if she or Kimi were okay after that fire. His stomach lurched as he realized he was trying to downplay that fear in her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No, Amy. I'm sorry. I know you put up with a lot for me and I need to recognize that more often," he said gently as he stroked her head gently, "Man, I really can be stupid sometimes, huh?"

"No, just clueless, that's all," Amy sniffled out a laugh as she pulled away to look at him. He stuck out his lower lip, giving her a fake pout. All anger between them was dissolved.

"That kind of hurt my feelings," he sulked.

"Oh, my poor blueberry muffin, here," she cooed giving him a quick peck on the lips, "feel better?"

"I don't know, maybe another one of those will help," he said as straight-faced as he could, though a grin was etching on his features. She smiled and made contact with his lips a bit longer this time before pulling away. He couldn't hide his smile now.

"That good?" she giggled.

"One more?" he requested readily.

"Okay, you want one more," she said alluringly, wrapping her arms around his neck while he moved his arms to her waist. The two hedgehogs leaned in to share a deep and impassioned kiss that probably would have progressed further if Tails hadn't of interrupted.

"Sonic! Amy! Oh . . ." the fox stopped short as the couple pulled apart quickly, each letting out a long breath. Amy blushed while Sonic reached up and scratched the back of his head.

"Tails, so uh . . . what's up?" the blue hedgehog asked with some irritation in his voice.

"Sorry to interrupt, I didn't know you guys were busy," the fox stated facetiously.

"Yeah, well what did you need, Tails?" Amy sneered, not appreciating the canine's second offense of disruption between the two that day.

"Right, um I was hoping to get everyone to the hanger. I think we have a chance of getting all the other Chaos Emeralds, especially with the help of the one you have."

"Okay, buddy, we'll be there in a sec," Sonic assured as he waved for Amy to follow him into the storage hut to retrieve Kimi.

"Alright, but try not to get too distracted guys," Tails quipped. Amy glared at the young male and he shrank back a bit.

"Kidding. Okay, I'm leaving, I'm leaving!" he exasperated as the pink hedgehog's glower intensified.

Author's Note: Happy New Year! I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks to Platonic49 for proofreading some of this. The suggestions were most needed :). A special thank you to those who left reviews, always helpful.