Haunting Memories - NocturnalWhiteWolf

*I don't own any of these characters, nor anything that pertains to Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega, or its parents. I'm just a fan ^-^

This is rated T for coarse language, violence, and some mild sexual themes toward the beginning.

"Shadow?" The room is without a fraction of light except for the reflection on Maria's eyes as she looks to Shadow's resting body. "Shadow are you awake?"

Shadow opens his eyes slowly as he sits up in his bed. "Hi Maria." He says somnolently.

"Sorry. I didn't wake you, did I?" She whispers tenderly.

"It's alright, Maria." Shadow says quietly as he gets up, cracking his neck to one side. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no." she says, a giggle rising in the back of her throat. "It's just that Grandpa's having a dinner party with a few friends in the colony, and he wanted you to come."

"Oh," Shadow utters, the drowsiness evanescing into an energetic smile. "He wanted me to join him?"

"Yeah," Maria giggles at Shadow's enthusiasm. The enthusiasm you see out of a child who just got a hard father's approval, or worker receiving a long awaited promotion. "So come on sleepy-head. It's starting in about twenty minutes."

"Okay, just give me a minute to get my shoes on." Shadow spun to the side of his bed and grabbed his shoes and socks. Maria watched as he strapped them on and put on his gloves. Shadow noticed her. "Is something wrong, Maria?"

She giggled. Shadow always loved that. To him it was like an angel's harp playing in his undeserving ear. It left a solemn bliss in his chest. "No, it's just…" She began, smiling but turned slightly away. "Sometimes it's hard to believe that you're one of grandpa's… inventions." A sigh left for a short silence. "You seem so… real. Not like a machine or anything."

"Thanks Maria. I'd like to think I'm not that way either." Shadow got up and walked toward her. "Well…" He said, gesturing to the door. "Ladies first." He smiled.

"There's no way you're a machine." She laughed. "You're too damn cute." Shadow blushes as he turns his head down and smiles bashfully.

Shadow's eyes ease open with a grunt in his bed. "Uggh" He groans, looking at the clock. It's six a.m. "Damn it!" He growls as he rolls quickly out of bed, swearing as he struggles to get his clothes on.

Rouge stands on the white sidewalk lining the building behind her. She's bundled up in an imitation fur coat that ends just before the belt line of her skin-tight jeans. She's wearing brown leather heeled boots and her lower abdomen is slightly exposed to the cold.

She hears the loud roar of a motorcycle and sighs in relief. "Oh, finally." She says. Shadow pulls up to the sidewalk. "What took you so long; I'm freezing my ass off out here!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Shadow says routinely. "My alarm clock didn't go off." Shadow's wearing a dark wool car-coat, a cloth hat, jeans, and leather gloves; all monochromatic in black. Of course he's wearing his jet-shoes too.

"Yeah, well you better fix the Goddamn thing. Or better yet, GET A NEW ONE!" Rouge yells.

"Look, I know I fucked up, and I'm sorry." Shadow says through his teeth. "But I'm here now, so unless you want to argue about something I can't change and freeze to death in this icy hellhole, get on the fucking motorcycle and we'll talk when we get home."

Rouge stared at him in hesitation before getting on the back of the motorcycle. Once Rouge got on the back of the bike, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's torso, Shadow turned back the right handle bar and the bike carried them to their apartment.

They walk into their suite. It's a very decent living space. The walls are painted a light shade of green that went well with the black leather couch and silver lined glassed table. A giant plasma screen T.V. added a luxurious feel to the place.

Rouge walked into the bedroom as Shadow walked to the small kitchen. He started up the coffee maker while taking off his car coat and gloves. Once its set, he heads over to the bedroom where Rouge is as he kicks off his shoes.

"So…" He starts over the rumble of the coffee maker. "You gonna yell at me some more." He smiled sarcastically.

Rouge turned her head and grinned a little. "No" She said. She turns back to him. "The damn thing's broken obviously." She sighs. "I guess it's not your fault." She cocks one hip out and puts her hand on her hip.

Shadow sits down on the bed. "So how was NYC?"

"The crowd was great, but the apartment sucked." She turns her head back to him again. "You would think they could find a decent place for their star."

"Oh," Shadow starts. "Well I guess frugality's a good thing sometimes."

"Not this time, hon." She said, her eyes studying the room. "And you know the worst part about the trip."

Shadow laid back on Rouge's eleven-hundred dollar tempur pedic bed. "What's that?" He said.

Rouge eases herself on top of Shadow. "There was no one to keep me warm at night." She said in her seductress voice, grinning slyly with half open eyes.

Shadow smiled. "You want to make up for the week you were gone, dontcha?" Rouge nodded as she pushes him onto his back.

"I missed you…" she said as she slips off her jacket. She leans down onto him and they kiss tenderly.

"Shadow" he hears a voice in his mind.

"Maria?" He whispers out of Rouge's earshot as she continued to kiss his neck and chest.

"Help me Shadow" Flashing images rage through his mind. Maria screaming, being taken by the G.U.N. forces, the gunshot that killed her… "Shadow!" her voice screamed, echoing itself in his mind. "Shadow!" it cried helplessly again. He felt his eyes growing hot with tears forming.

"Maria…" Shadow said, just loud enough for Rouge to hear.

"What was that?" she asked softly, not quite making out what he'd said.

Shadow rolls out from under her. "I can't do this." he whispered to himself. "Not now…" He's standing up now, drying his eyes while Rouge is still turned away.

"Shadow?" She says. "What the hell are you doing?" she says softly.

"I…uh," I can't tell her that that's the reason. He thinks. That's a great way to completely ruin this relationship. I got to think of something… I can't be here right now. "I forgot… I had…" Come on, COME ON! Think of something! "I had plans…to meet with Amy."

"You have plans." Rouge said, not buying his little act one bit.

"Yes." He said defensively. "What, I can't have plans?"

"At seven O'clock in the morning? When we're about to have sex? What could be so important?" She's pissed and Shadow can tell.

"I was going to talk over coffee with her, if you must know." Shadow's improvising is starting to sound believable to himself, but Rouge is still unconvinced.

"If you didn't want to fuck me, you could've just said so." She says, very frustrated.

"I'm leaving now," He said, false anger rising in his voice. "I'm supposed to be there at seven-twenty, and I'm not the type to be late."

"And what exactly could you have to talk about with that giddy little brat?" She bites back at him.

"She wanted to tell me there. Knowing her, it's probably a surprise party for the 'almost weds'." He starts to put his clothes back on. "Why do I have to explain this to you anyway?" He raises his voice a little.

"Because you're lying. You just can't get it up." she says snootily.

"I don't have time for this, I'm running late." He says sharply.

"So if I were to call Amy right now, she'd tell me that you were gonna meet her for coffee at seven twenty today."

"Yeah, she would." he said. Because I'm gonna call her the second I leave this suite. He thought. And that's exactly what he did. Once the door closed, he pulled out his cell phone and pressed call on her name in his contacts list.

The phone rang for three long tones until Amy picked up. "Hello?" she answered.

"Hello, Amy?" Shadow spoke.

"Who is this?" She asked.

"It's Shadow. Are you doing anything this morning?"