A/N: This story is being made with the assistance of an incredible group of Shadouge fans! Special thanks to them for offering ideas and helping me chart out the format & story beats!

The sound of gunfire blasted through the streets of Westopolis, chasing three figures who sped from the rolling army of Egg Pawns. They followed at a slower pace than the trio, who aimed to open a gap of opportunity by fleeing. The city was dim, darkened by a cloudy sky threatening to rain soon, but the roads would be safe again once the robots were taken care of.

"Targets approaching optimal positioning," said E-123 Omega, trailing his teammates to shield them from bullets.

"Just a little farther!" Rouge the Bat replied. "We have to make sure a good chunk of them split off from G.U.N's barricade!"

Coming up to a four-way intersection, Rouge flew into the air to gauge the gathering of Dr. Eggman's goons. Safe in the sky, she could see the back end of the group; they'd attracted enough minions that G.U.N would have no problem cleaning up the rest, and she knew the three of them could make short work of the split army.

"Alright, boys, let's take 'em out!" she shouted, descending to meet with her team.

Omega stood on guard, switching out his hands for guns and drawing their fire. Shadow rushed out from behind him to flank the side of the battalion, scaling a building so he could drop down on the enemy. Rouge palmed two of her smoke bombs, then threw them with all her strength at the mechanical crowd. They exploded with a bang, damaging the bots nearby, and a thick cloud of fog quickly engulfed the surrounding area.

Omega aimed his guns near the ground and unleashed his ammunition to take out the robots' bottom halves, while Shadow jumped into the mist and smashed the blinded minions with relentless, lightning-fast attacks. Rouge flew into the fray as well and used her kicks to disorient her targets before destroying them, continuing to throw bombs as more bots filtered towards them.

Using this strategy, Team Dark disassembled their foes while avoiding getting blasted themselves; the pawns couldn't aim properly through the smoke, and their reflexes were sluggish compared to the speedy pair who bludgeoned their sensors. Omega easily withstood the gunfire that pelted his tough metal casing, bullets only leaving small dents in his steely exterior. He hardly had to move as his steady attack swept across the front lines of Eggman's small army.

Once the last of their enemies were taken out, they let the fog dissipate and regrouped. Rouge had a big grin on her face, her eyes gleaming with confidence. "Good work, boys! That was a piece of cake."

"I'll radio G.U.N that our mission is complete," offered Shadow. "They should be just about finished with the ones we left behind."

"Destruction of Eggman's robots achieved," Omega stated, stomping over to the pile of destroyed drones. "I will collect data for potential upgrade schematics."

While he scanned the broken pawns, Shadow ended his brief report with G.U.N and approached Rouge. One hand slipped across her lower back and he gave her a satisfied smile. "Good work out there, agent. That smoke cover made this job a trivial one."

Her glossy lips curled slyly and she rummaged one finger in his chest fur. "Thanks, sugar! I do have the best ideas, don't I? So, what's my reward for being so resourceful?"

He tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her closer, then flicked his gaze up and down her body. "I'll tell you after dark."

"Oh, always so secretive," she teased, wrapping both arms around his neck. "My sexy, mysterious Shadow – I knew I made the right call marrying the Ultimate Lifeform."

"Your best idea yet," he breathed softly, then leaned in for a brief kiss. When they parted, he added, "This job has me thinking…"

Red eyes glanced at the defeated robots while Omega finished scanning for information. "We've been doing mission work since our honeymoon ended." He looked at his wife again. "And I know that's mostly my doing; but I think five years is long enough without a proper trip to destress. I'm ready to take some time off."

"Finally!" Rouge chimed. Omega joined them and the bat draped the back of her hand over her forehead. "I was starting to think you'd make us work until we die!"

With a chuckle and a playful tinge lining his tone, Shadow replied, "Hush your dramatics. You didn't want to vacation without me."

Rouge waved her hand swiftly at him. "Yes, I know, you don't have to remind me! But perfect beings need breaks too. I was hoping to whisk you away to a tropical island sooner than this!"

"I do not need time off," claimed Omega, raising one arm to punctuate his point. "I only need more of Eggman's inferior pawns to destroy."

"Fine, then we'll go without you," Rouge said, still embracing her husband with one arm while the other extended towards Omega. "You can stay here with G.U.N and have all the bad bots to yourself, big guy."

She patted her palm firmly on his metal casing and he responded, "I accept this agreement. Your promise has been logged in my database."

Rouge gave him a nod and turned back to Shadow. "Oh, and our anniversary is coming up. We should take extra time off to make it extra special!"

"No doubt we've earned it," he agreed. "We could take an entire month off if you'd like."

"That's my man!" she beamed, loving his willingness to break off from work for a big vacation. She cupped his cheek and kissed him again.

Soon, two military vehicles found them following the path of destroyed robots. One picked up the trio to return to their headquarters while the other stayed behind to clean up the destruction. Rouge's confidence flared during the ride, bragging about their flawless execution while Shadow sat watching her talk, coolly taking in the compliments peppering her ramble. Omega added statements of superiority over Eggman's lesser creations, backing up his partner's claims of the three of them being the perfect team. And as Shadow listened, pleasantly content after their mission, he had to acknowledge he felt the same way.

Commander Tower's office was cold, as always; physically and spiritually. His demeanor hadn't changed much over the course of ten years, except for the noticeable decline in the amount of energy he put into his meetings. He was past the age of retirement, but the stubborn human remained in his position as long as he was lucid. He could still give orders and summarize missions, though these days he mostly handled reports after the missions were complete – which he was doing now that Team Dark had returned to their headquarters.

"Well done, you three," he said flatly, signing his name at the bottom of a form. "Westopolis is safer now, and I have to commend you for not destroying any of the surrounding area during your counter attack." He looked up at Rouge. "You made sure you got all of them? We won't be getting an urgent call of stragglers causing trouble in the street, will we?"

"I'm sure of it, Captain," she answered, saluting casually with two fingers. "None of Eggman's pawns survive us."

"Good."

While he stapled a stack of papers together, Rouge took the chance to make a request. "By the way, Commander, we were discussing taking some time off. Shadow is finally ready for a vacation, so we'd like to schedule one ASAP."

"You expect me to give you the all-clear on that?"

"Well, we do report to you directly. If we could just get your approval now-"

"You know the rules," he interrupted, filing a folder behind his desk. "You'll have to go through the proper system if you want time off. I'm not responsible for reporting your absence, only signing off on it."

Rouge let out a sigh. "You humans and your rules. You know, sir, I think you could use a break too." She took a step forward and leaned one arm against the desk, her voice sweet but teasing. "I can tell this job is tiring you out. And we care about you, ya know? I want you to stay healthy, and that means a vacation for you, as well!"

His heterochromatic eyes met hers but his stone face didn't change. "I'll rest when I feel the need to, agent. Your niceties haven't swayed me yet, and I don't plan to let them."

Rouge's charming expression dropped and she pouted while backing away from his desk. He addressed them all, "Now… before you go, I need to remind you of the routine checkup tomorrow. Be here at 8am sharp, all of you. If we have to delay another mission because of late arrivals, there'll be disciplinary action."

"Yes, sir," Shadow replied, flicking his gaze to his wife. They all knew Tower was talking about her.

The old man gave them a respectful salute. "As always, thank you for your service. You are dismissed."

With their duties finished for the day, the trio drove back to their G.U.N-provided home in their G.U.N-issued vehicle, two of them ready to wind down for the night. Shadow parked the forest-green Jeep in the spacious garage, in front of the half-wall that led to Omega's power station.

He turned off the car and asked Rouge, "What do you want for dinner?"

"Whatever you're feeling is fine, hun," she replied, stepping out of the passenger side. "I'm actually going to check in at the Club and see how everything's going."

"Oh." He let Omega walk ahead, watching Rouge approach her sleek white convertible. "A stew, then? You can heat it up when you get back."

"Sounds good." She opened the driver's door, then looked back at her man and blew him a kiss. "See you later, handsome!"

"Later, love," he called with a smile, letting his gaze linger as he walked towards the house.

Rouge drove the ten minutes to her club blasting her favorite songs, still riding the high of acing a mission and the thrill of her husband agreeing to a vacation. She parked in her designated spot outside the entrance and strutted up the steps to the double doors. Walking through them put her in the path of the bouncer, Bane – a tall, gray wolf whose brown eyes brightened when he spotted his boss.

"Evening, Rouge!" he said with a brief wave, then his hands rested firmly on stocky hips. "Checking in?"

"Mhm," she hummed, glancing around the lobby full of casino games. "How is everything?"

"Can't complain!" He grinned and shrugged broad shoulders. "People were too occupied spreading gossip about what was going on in Westopolis to misbehave."

Rouge gave him an inquisitive look. "Oh? And what of Westopolis?"

"Just that G.U.N were cleaning up Eggman's mess again; but I heard some wild rumors about how you and your group went about clearing the streets."

"Please, do tell some of the things you heard," insisted Rouge, crossing her arms and raising a brow.

"For one, they were saying you threw bombs into the crowd of pawns."

"Smoke bombs, my dear. Nothing unseen before."

"I heard whispers of Chaos Blast being used. Is that also-?"

"Untrue!" Her voice was casual and airy. "Shadow didn't need anything that extreme."

"I figured. The rest of their stories were about gunfire on the road." He gazed at her expectantly, suspecting that point to have weight.

Rouge let her shoulders jump in a short shrug and tilted her head to nod a few times. "Okay, yeah, that one's true. Just Omega doing his job."

"Well, you sure got the citizens riled up!" he chuckled. "They had a lot to talk about. But I'm glad they didn't get hurt, thanks to you three."

"All in a day's work when you have a government badge." She trailed her attention to the bar, which was mostly empty, save for a couple of quiet drinkers. "It's good to hear things went smoothly today! I'm going to check in at the bar. Thanks, Bane!"

She tossed him a casual salute and he returned to his post as she walked away. Crossing the carpeted lobby to the bar, the bat slid onto a stool to address her bartender, who was bending down to retrieve a bottle of liquor. "Hi, Jay!"

He rose quickly from his stoop, ears perking at her voice, and a surprised expression painted his face. "Rouge! You're here! Sorry, I- I didn't expect you."

"Don't fret, darling," she soothed the fox. "I was just dropping in to check on everything."

"Oh, right!" He stood clutching a tall gray bottle in one hand, his silver eyes stuck to her. "All's been well here. A bit busy – I guess Bane might've already told you we had a lot of customers from Westopolis earlier."

Rouge nodded, then looked to her right when one of the customers called for another drink. She waved at Jay to serve him before he returned to speak with her some more.

"Anyway," he said, "can I get you a drink? You must need it after that mission!"

Rouge thought about it for a second, then smiled. "Sure. Maybe something light and delicious; cherry margarita, please."

"Yes, ma'am, coming right up!"

As he mixed the drink, teal eyes watched clear alcohol being mixed with bright red, ice-cold slush. But strangely, the usual allure she felt towards the drink wasn't making her crave it tonight. Despite the yummy taste of one of her favorite mixes, she felt a sense of unease creep in at the sight of the booze being poured, rather than the mouth-watering excitement of enjoying a cold, tasty adult beverage. The longer he spent making the drink – dolling it up with sugar around the rim and flavor crystals in the liquid, then using a candy straw to stir it all up – the club owner felt her desire for the drink shrink. And eventually, by the time Jay was done making it, the desire had shriveled.

He placed the wide, rounded glass on the bartop and beamed a friendly smile at his employer. "Voilà!"

Her own smile had faded by that point, but she brought it back to thank him. Yet, when she pulled the glass closer, something in the back of her mind seemed to reject the idea of sipping it.

"Everything okay?" Jay asked, noticing the pensive look in her eyes, and ran a hand through the back of his dark green hair. "I can remake it if it's not right."

"No, it's perfect," she assured, though the unease didn't leave her.

To her fortune, the other bar patron called for a drink, and so he left her alone to contemplate the bold beautiful margarita in front of her. It looked tantalizing – Jay had really been improving his skills over the years – but raising the cup to her lips just didn't feel right.

"What the hell…?" she mumbled to herself, plucking the candy straw. She turned it over and put the wet side into her mouth. The sugar and cherry flavor of the stick were divine, but the alcoholic tinge ended up making her cringe, so she stopped tasting it.

When Jay finished serving the customer, he looked at Rouge's untouched mix and asked, "Well? Is it okay? By the way you're looking at it, I'm kind of worried I might've messed it up."

"You know what, I just remembered I have an early morning tomorrow," she replied, neglecting his question and standing from the barstool. Her fingertips pushed the glass closer to his side of the mahogany surface. "You can have it. Thanks anyway!"

She didn't stick around to hear what else he would say, so he called out a goodbye while Rouge made her way back across the lobby. White brows furrowed a bit over blue-painted lids, her glossy pink lips pursing into a disheartened pout as she tossed the candy straw into the garbage on her way out. Even once she got back into her car, she couldn't shake the weird disgust lingering from the prospect of drinking.

An early morning would not have normally stopped her from having a glass of well-prepared tequila; and she was hardly into her 30's, so she couldn't imagine she was losing her tolerance for it already. But while she could've ignored the little nagging thought, she'd learned very well to trust her gut by this point. If it was telling her not to drink, she figured she should listen, lest she fall prey to unseen consequences like she had so many times in her early-20's.

As she drove, the ivory lady decided she would draw up a bubble bath when she got home. With the day she'd had – and not to mention the overdue rest she needed to take – it was likely she was feeling the effects of some exhaustion creeping in. So, a little self-care was in order. It never failed to make her feel better.