It was a crisp night and a bitter breeze whipped back her long strands of faded pink hair away from her face.
"Amelia Rose... the single, lonely nobody..." She whispered as she leaned against one of the rough trees in the famous Central Park, under the dim light of the old street lamps.
Amy nearly jumps out of her skin when a deep, calm voice reply's, "But you're not nobody Ames." It takes her a minute to put a name on the oddly familiar voice.
"Shadow! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Amy chirps as he steps out of the dark velvet shadows that surround the night. The smile lights her gentle emerald eyes and Shadow laughs slightly at her joy to see him. No-one is ever happy to see such a dull hedgehog...
"Come sit down," Shadow motions to a bench under the street lamp as he takes a seat himself. Amy just looks at him for a minute, surprised by his kind notions. After a minute, she sits next to him on the cold bench. A shiver runs down her spine and Shadow glances at her before removing his leather jacket and draping it across her shoulders.
"A-aren't you c-cold Shadow?" Her eyes light up in concern for her friend. But Shadow only shakes his head and smiles like he knows something she doesn't.
"I like you better when you're alone. Whenever I see you it seems like it is always from opposite ends of a battlefield." Amy has that look on her face that she gets when she's lost in thought. Her bright green eyes are glazed over slightly and her hair covers at least half of her face.
"Well that's probably because it is Amy. You're a Freedom Fighter. One of the good guys and heroes. I'm just a Rebel. We are on opposite ends of a war Ames," Shadow knew that she would never exactly understand why there was even a war going on in the first place. In her mind, everyone should just care for each other and forget about fighting. "Do you even know what this war is about? Do you even understand what side you're supporting?"
"Shadow, you have been asking me those same questions every time we run into each other." Amy sighed quietly, letting her head fall onto Shadows shoulder. No-one had ever seen them together on nights like these. It was around two a.m. and the city was asleep. These encounters had happened many times, starting out awkward and short then turning into long and deep conversations. You never really know someone until you have stayed up all night with them. Until you have heard the things they say in the times of night when they don't hold anything back.
Shadow let out a loud breath, as though he had been holding it, waiting for her to say something. His watch let out a series of beeps. "I have to go Ames. Stay safe." He stood and walked down the street until he was swallowed by the dark night. Amy pulled his coat tighter around her as she walked home slowly.
The next day
It was just past eight a.m. as the Freedom Fighters headquarters, Freedom Tower, became alive with work and chatter. Everyone was in their offices, working on large monitors or having heated discussions. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles sat in the largest wing of the building, working out their next plan of attack on G.U.N.'s factories. According to Tails, it would delay any production and help the Freedom Fighters get part and speed up the making of their next big weapon. The three boys hardly glanced up when Amy, Cream and Cheese came in to give the reports.
Cream walked over to Tails and handed him a manila envelope full of blue prints and ideas for the next big weapon. Amy clutched her mug of hot cocoa tightly, hoping the warm will help stop the cold she felt coming on. Sonic glanced up from his work and did a double take.
"Amy. What are you wearing?" He questioned, causing the others to turn their heads towards her too. Oh crap. Amy realized she had spaced and worn Shadows jacket. His one of a kind leather jacket with the Rebels symbol, a large red 'R' over a black streak, on both sleeves and the back.
"Umm… a jacket," She decided to be a smart mouth, but immediately began to regret it when Sonic shot her a look that could kill. "It's Shadows. I saw him last night when I went for a walk. I couldn't sleep and thought the fresh air would do me good."
"And why exactly did you stop and talk to him? Why did he give you his jacket, and more importantly, why did you except it?" Sonics voice was sharp and filled with anger. The others could hardly stand to look at him when he got like this.
"Because I felt like it. It was cold so he did the gentleman thing to do and gave me his jacket." Amy stressed the word gentleman and narrowed her eyes, finally sick of being told what to do be a complete jerk.
"Amy this is a war! You can't just waltz around befriending the enemies! This is beyond you! Think for the team, not just yourself." Sonic snapped, his anger blowing out and his face turning red.
"You know what, if I am such a danger to the Freedom Fighters, then why risk having me around? I quit!" Amy's voice cracked on the last word. She turned around, storming out of the room then out of Freedom Tower. Her cheeks were bright pink, contrasting against her pale rose skin as everyone watched her slam out of the large doors in rage.
Her thoughts were buzzing. She still held her mug in the cold fall air, wishing she had brought gloves. She knew the drill of getting fired or quitting. Amy had 48 hours to empty out her office and her rented apartment before they threw everything away.
Only one place to go. Scourge was her trusty big brother, so he would be glad to help her when the Fighters abandoned her. He would be overjoyed to have another reason to hate them. Another reason to stay a Rebel.
Amy felt the cold seeping through her dark jeans and her thin gray sweater. The Rebels were on the opposite side of town, and Ames was already freezing. She gladly hopped on the bus at the closest stop and rode to the Rebels area in warmth. It was the middle of the day on a frosty Tuesday, so everyone was at school or work or cuddled up at home. The streets were almost empty and only about three other people got on or off the bus. It was nice to be alone with her thoughts.