Time Heals All Things

  The moment Shadow closed the door to his office he pressed the call symbol on the screen above Rouge's name so that the call link symbol appeared as the screen filled with the flirty image of the white bat and flashed as the dial-up tone began.

"Hello Handsome.." The moment she answered Rouge's voice oozed down out of the ear piece in her usual sultry drawl. "I'm glad you wanted to call me I wanted to ask a favour.."

"Hmh. Funny, I was calling for the same reason." The darker hedgehog said with a small smirk of amusement playing about his lips before his brow furrowed curiously. "So what is this favour you want from me?"

"Ah-ah.. You first cutie, you're the one who called me." The female bat cooed in a reprimanding girlish voice that was light but sounded intrigued, he could picture her neat quirking eyebrows and hear the smile on her mouth.

"Well I wanna know if this favour is worth the cost.." Shadow crooned in a syrupy voice that could send shivers of delight down anyone's spine and his eyes narrowed when Rouge gave a little gasp before tittering.

"Hehe, you're such a hard bargainer.."

"I learned from you." Shadow purred in that same seductive tone knowing that flattery would get him everywhere with thugs bat.

"Hm, that is true.." Rouge's voice mused from the other end of the line before she suddenly relented. "Alright, I wanted to ask you guys if you would come out here and stay with me while Knuckles is away."

"Away?" Shadow frowned in concern, wondering why her meat-headed husband would leave her so close to the Rouge's due date. "Away where.."

"Urgh..!" The female bat sighed in immediate dissatisfaction and the black hedgehog narrowed his eyes imagining her teal eyes rolling. "The Chaotix need his help with one of their cases so I told him I'd get you guys to come over and watch things here so he wouldn't worry. So would you mind?"

"Hmh, it might do Sonic some good to get away from here. The media has been particularly harsh towards him since we came out and it's starting to really get to him.." Shadow exhaled slowly, knowing that he sounded stressed. He had been keeping his own concerns locked up so that he could concentrate on keeping his boyfriend's spirits up but he had doubts of his own which were festering and poisoning his daily thoughts. Perhaps getting away would help them focus more on each other and less on the press and opinion of others.

"Yeh, I know hon. They tried interviewing me and Knuckles about you two and he just went nuts and scared them off, you know he doesn't like reporters. Especially when they come out here." Rouge replied in a sympathetic tone. "So what was it you wanted from me?" She added looking to change the subject back to the favour Shadow wanted as she was still curious about that.

"I need you to help me get hold of the G.U.N files on Project Shadow, I think it's time I went through them." The black and red hedgehog said expecting there to be some kind of pause but her response was immediate.

"Oh, ok. I have those. I figured you would want them sooner or later.." Rouge's calm voice made Shadow blink in surprise.

"What?" His response was to be completely dumbfounded.

"You remember years ago when Black Doom was trying to manipulate you? And the Chaotix were sent to locate the missing G.U.N discs?"

"Mhm. Go on.." Shadow nodded as he listened.

"Well, they were all encrypted. Dr Eggman was the only one that knew the password which automatically translates the code, it was the name of his deceased cousin."