Hey everyone! I've finally got round to doing the happier version of that genius Nevermore Raven's "Fading Shadows". With his kind permission, I have rewritten the ending. So I hope it makes you guys warm and mushy! Lol. Original story belongs to Nevermore Raven. Features my fan characters for the first time!

Fading Shadows: A Happier Ending.

I turned away from my make-shift home, ready to embrace my final journey. As I made my way up the street, tears blurred my vision and I found myself falling slowly to the floor in a flood of tears. To tell the truth, I was scared. What if I was not to be reunited with my family and Maria?

I would truly be all alone then...

I tottered to my feet, suddenly feeling unwell. I panted for breath, exhausted from having cried so much.

Suddenly, there was a hand on my shoulder. I had not heard or noticed the person come up behind me.

I must have been depressed...

I whipped round, a hand flying up to catch my chest.

"Oh." I gasped when my eyes locked onto the figure. "Mephiles?"

"That's my name."

"What...what are you doing here?"

"Wondering what the heck's up with ya, that's what."

My head turned towards the group behind Mephiles.

"Alan..."

"Oh Shadow! Whatever is the matter?" Rebecca cried, touching my hand in sympathy.

The look of kindness and love in each of their eyes did it for me. I fell to the concrete and howled with exhaustion and a broken heart.

Fermat knelt down beside me, putting an arm around my thin shoulders while Rebecca pulled me into her lap and stroked my fur, humming soothingly.

And for the first time in a long time, I knew pure, untainted love.

I wept for a long time in her kind arms. I found myself pouring out all of my woes and they looked simply horrified when I told them I was thinking of "ending it all", to put it politely.

I admitted everything to them, including the...rape. I was expecting them to be disgusted with me.

But they were not.

They were angry at the babysitter though and Ross swore that he would find him and kick his "furry behind".

But I pleaded with him. The babysitter was already doing time in jail for it.

Ross replied, "That's not good enough. You're so nice. He deserves to rot in hell for what he did to you..

This sent me into more fits of tears.

Afterwards, I stood up, thanking them profusely through my tears. I did not want to trouble them anymore.

Just then, as they were telling me not to go and to come home with them for a while, I felt really ill again.

I swayed a little and uttered a little groan.

Tintin was immediately in front of me shaking my body until my bones rattled, for it appeared that my face had turned a pale green.

I knew I was going to be sick, for I felt the bile rushing upwards, and I pushed her away, not wanting to give anything to her. I ran to the end of the street and heaved violently onto the concrete.

I faintly heard Elyon shriek, "Oh my god!"

Everything swam around and around.

"I'm going to pass out..." I thought hazily.

Around and around and around...

...

...

Then all was black.

*****************************************************************************

We all saw the minute he collapsed that he was in bad shape.

"Quick, to the Whirlwind!" I yelled, sprinting for my nearby parked jet plane.

"Then what Batman?" Alan joked, hoisting the shivering hedgehog onto his back.

Typical. Always the comedian.

"We're taking him to the hospital."

"And when he is better, he is to stay with us."

Rebecca's soft words made me look at her. "Why?"

"Because he has no home to go to." Was her reply.

The thought of Shadow living in a cardboard box and homeless saddened me.

Then I wondered where the hell the other members of the Sonic gang had been all this time.

"We'll call Sonic and the others when we get there." I yelled over my shoulder as we strapped Rebecca in, Shadow carefully secured with a seatbelt and his head in her lap. He was panting and covered in sweat.

"We better hurry, he doesn't look too good." I called.

The team gave the affirmative. "Right!"

************************************************************************

My eyes opened slowly, for they were heavy and I was very weak.

I scanned the room carefully. Suddenly, my full vision returned, crystal-clear.

And I saw them. My friends.

"You came! You really do care!" I rasped happily.

Amy nodded wordlessly, tear-stained face full of relief and the whole group, including Alan and his friends surrounded me in one giant hug.

It took me a while to recover from the trauma, physically and emotionally. My friends are careful to make time not just for me, but for each other now too. I think we all learned something from this.

But do you know what?

From that fateful day onwards, I have never walked alone again.

My heart is healed.

Hooray! All done! Review and flames will be donated to cook giant chickens for Oompa Loompa orphans.