Oreo Sweet Oreo

Next to Christmas, the holiday known as Halloween is undisputedly the favorite of all seasonal celebrations. Stores and businesses chalk out candy, costumes, and decorations by the bucketful. And many a dentist dreaded November 1st. Parties, pumpkin carving, and the traditional Trick - or - Treat runs keep the younger generation equally excited and terrified, while the more adolescent population of society would entertain themselves with the unfortunately also - traditional rituals of egging, TP- ing, and doorbell ditching.

Unless they come to Rouge's house. Three juvenile delinquents were still in therapy after the white bat was done with them. Thankfully, no parents pressed charges.

The mobian in question was carefully arranging jack- O -lanterns on the balcony of her manor house, wearing a stylish brown jacket to ward off the autumn chill. A light wind rustled the amber trees; leaves, dry and ed, flew through the air, the evening suns rays transforming them into bits of flame. Rouge paused, watching the leaves circle her boots in a playful way, smiling. After checking that the carved pumpkins wouldn't give any unwary visitor a minor concussion, she walked back inside her home to prepare for the Halloween party she was hosting tonight. (She and Amy switched off every holiday.)

Rouge was just descending the grand staircase when a large spider dropped down inches away from her nose.

"Aah!"

The arachnid jumped comically and scuttled back up its silk thread, disappearing through a small in the ceiling. Rouge watched it go, her ears perking up and her expression devious. She'd just had the best idea ever...

The albino bat quickly made her way to the living room. Every inch of Rouge's home was festooned with every variation of orange and black known to Mobius. Streamers, garlands, confetti, lights- and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Cobwebs, ghosts, pumpkins, spiders, and of course bats, were scattered about tastefully. Bats being the more prominent feature. (Having an extensive budget of...um...questionable legality really helps in shopping.) It had taken Rouge all day to decorate, but with Shadow's help, it all went up in no time.

Rouge stopped just outside the living room and peeked in. Shadow was currently sitting on one of the enormous sofas, playing a game of Solitaire on the coffee table. (Shadow had upped the playing field by adding three more decks, claiming that made everything more challenging.) Whenever the weather was bad, or he didn't feel like roaming around, OR because he actually wanted to sleep, the ebony hedgehog would stay at Rouge's house and enjoy the comforts a house provides. However, there was one significant downside to staying here...

"Shaaaadoooow."

The Ultimate Lifeform closed his eyes for a moment, steeling himself for what was coming, and looked over his shoulder and Rouge. "...what?"

Rouge sauntered in, her eyes gleaming in a way that filled Shadow with a sense of foreboding. "Nothin' really sugar, I just need your help with something."

The hedgehogs eye twitched; he d it when she called him that. "No."

"But you don't even know what-"

"I don't know, and I don't care. No."

"Pleeeeeeassseeeee?"

Shadow crossed his arms, turned his head, and closed his eyes in a classic 'Shadow' pose.

"NO!"

Rouge paused for a moment before walking over to stand in front of the obstinate male. Lowering her tone, she murmured, "I'm serving Oreos tonight."

Shadows eyes snapped open, that five letter word echoing in his mind. Oreos, Oreos, Oreos...
His head slowly revolved to stare at the bat, his eyes wider than normal. "O...Oreos?"

Rouge grinned. "Yep, I bought three packets...double-stuffed." She knew she had him. Ever since New Year's Eve when Cream had offered one to Shadow, he couldn't get enough of the cream and chocolate cookies. She could get the dark hedgehog to do almost anything if Oreos were in the mix.

"Ill do it."

Three Hours Later

A cloaked figure standing on the balcony was swearing in the night air. Lit Jack- O -Lanterns glowed around him, their grinning and snarling faces flickering. Distant shouts, laughter, and screams echoed around the neighborhood, signaling that the nights activities had begun. A yellowed harvest moon slid in and out of clouds, full and bright. All of this was ignored by a very aggravated Shadow. Face fixed in a fierce scowl and eyes turned heavenward, the shrouded hedgehog ran through his entire library of profanity and then some. There was no way in the world he'd be doing this if those Oreos weren't involved. Shadow paused in his expletive mutterings to savor the taste of those unbelievable cookies he'd had minutes before. The crunchy and yet oh so heavenly chocolate followed by the puffy, soothing cream made his taste buds sing. Sitting there in pristine rows, begging to be tasted, screaming for him to sink his teeth into-

His sugary were cut off as voices approached the house. Shadow sighed as he prepared to do his job. However, when they were close enough to be recognized, a truly malicious smile curled his lips. 'I'm going to enjoy this.'

Sonic and Tails chatted as they walked up the sidewalk. The fox kit was wearing a green jerkin, a green hat with a red feather sticking out of it, and was carrying a bow and arrow. Sonic on the other hand was dressed in a red body suit, with gold boots and a gold lightning bolt on his chest.

"I still think that dressing up as The Flash is a little weird Sonic."

"Hey, it was either this or a King of the Pixie Fairies costume. I didn't have a lot of choice. Besides, what else would fit my personality?"

The pair walked up to the porch and rang the doorbell, completely unaware of the dark figure that had dropped behind them. Shadow silently sneaked up behind Sonic, put his mouth right next to his ear, and whispered, "Faker."

Several weeks later, Tails would say that his ears still hurt as Sonic turned bone white and an unearthly scream ripped out from his throat. The blue hedgehog rocketed upwards, out of his costume and smashing halfway through Rouge's balcony. After restarting Tails' heart and five minutes of coaxing (done by Rouge and Tails because Shadow DOESN'T coax), Sonic eventually came down.

"NOT cool Shadow! NOT COOL!"

"Blame Rouge."

No less than ten minutes later, a red echidna wearing baggy clothes, a hockey mask, and carrying a plastic chainsaw stomped up the drive. Knuckles really didn't want to be here. Memories of dancing on the roof and alternating between yelling "Happy New Year", and singing Viva la Vida at the top of his voice were difficult to repress. And when he found the idiot who spiked his drink with vodka...

It was almost to easy for Shadow to creep up on Knuckles, who was muttering what sounded like threats under his breath. Filling his lungs, Shadow bellowed, "Knuckles!"

"WAAARGH!"

And so, several fist sized holes in the front door were added to the list of Home Depot projects. Gingerly massaging a bruised jaw, Shadow was all set for the next victim, when approaching voices made him freeze as he recognized who was speaking.

"I hope Rouge doesn't go overboard again. Remember when she spiked Knuckles' punch? I was scared to go near him!"

"Oh I'm sure Miss Rouge will behave this time. Right Cheese?"

"Chao!"

It was Amy and her friend Cream. Shadow swallowed. Ever since that Christmas party, things had become horribly awkward between the two. True, he hadn't seen her in a while, but when they had met, Shadow had found it difficult to say anything to her and Amy wouldn't look him in the eye. Sure, things underneath that accursed plant had gone...a little farther than necessary, but that happened a long time ago right? Why was it so hard to forget about it? With dread, Shadow shifted, getting ready.

"I wonder if Mr. Shadow will be here tonight. I didn't see him at the New Year's Eve party."

"Chao, chao!"

The two females came into sight. Cream was dressed in a blue princess dress and a small tiara sparkled from her head. Her chao Cheese was floating at her shoulder, garbed in a chao-sized pumpkin costume. Amy was wearing an elaborate gypsy costume complete with gold jewelry and a purple veil covering half her face. And her blush as she answered her younger friend's question. "Um...I don't know Cream. You can never tell with Shadow. Although I think I did see him at New Year's. Briefly..."

Amy trailed off, thinking about the black hedgehog. Every time she saw him, even from a distance, her stomach would drop and she would remember the...incident. And it was so gosh darn hard to talk to him, because all she'd think about were his strong arms wrapped around her, his warm smooth lips...

Amy stopped short, her blush deepening. She'd done it again! What had happened between her and Shadow was seriously messing with her mind. The pink hedgehog quickly caught up to her friend and joined her on the porch. Several things happened at once. Something black fell from the balcony, Cream screamed, and Amy, reacting instinctively, drew up her hammer and smashed the thing with all her might. It dropped like a stone and in the dim porch light Amy saw a cloaked-

"Shadow?"

He didn't move.

"Amy, I think you killed him!"

"No, I just knocked him out. Quick, run in and tell Rouge to get some ice!"

Cream scampered away as Amy knelt by the inert Shadow and shook him. "Shadow? Shadow can you hear me?"

Nothing.

'Crap. Oh why am I so hammer happy?!' She thought belatedly, bending over him. 'Is he even breathing?'

"SHADOW!"

"GAH!"

The ebony mobian shot up, his forehead smacking into Amy's nose. Both hedgehog's held the injured areas, a muttered chorus of 'ouch' and 'I Rouge' ringing through the air. "Amy?"

"Yeah. Are you ok?"

"Just fantastic." Shadow looked over at Amy and sat up, noticing that her clutching her nose. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing."

"You're a bad liar."

Amy rolled her eyes. "And you have a hard head. I just bumped my nose ok? Nothing major."

"It obviously is, otherwise you wouldn't be holding it."

"It smarts!"

"So does my head, but you don't see me gripping my skull."

"That's because you're a guy. Guys don't do that."

Shadow huffed and glared at the stubborn female. "Let me see it."

"W-what? Why?"

"Because you owe me for my headache." Amy sighed, and taking this as consent, Shadow shifted closer. He raised a hand and gently pulled the veil from her face. Amy held still, looking down, unable to completely keep the blush off her face as Shadow lightly fingered her throbbing nose, memories flashing through her mind. After a long while, Shadow said quietly, "Everything seems alright."

Amy looked up and was lost in Shadow's crimson eyes. Her heart thudded heavily in her ears as Shadow's hand glided over to caress her cheek. Shadow's brain completely shut down, thoughts nonexistent. He leaned forward in one swift, smooth movement, and kissed her.

"Mmm." Amys gasp was muffled by Shadow's lips moving against hers. Her eyes slid shut as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her, closing the distance between them. The hand cradling the side of her face moved to the back of her neck while the other slid up her bare back. Amy shuddered.

The feel of her quivering against him lit some forgotten flame inside Shadow. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss to a more passionate level, all but molding his mouth to hers. Amy's taste, her unique, delectable flavor on his tongue was more than he could stand. It fueled the bonfire burning within him, building in intensity, searing his veins, melting his heart.

The clouds shifted and the moon slipped out, bathing the intertwined hedgehogs in pale light. They broke apart, staring into each other's eyes, breathing hard. Amy gazed into Shadow's vivid eyes, too caught up in the moment to organize her scattered thoughts. When it finally clicked in her mind, a brilliant blush flared across her cheeks and she ducked her head.

"Not again..."

Shadow's hand lifted her chin up, his lips a breath away from hers. "Yes again." He whispered, kissing her once more. He didn't know how this happened, but frankly, he simply didn't care. And apparently...neither did Amy.

Rouge, who'd been standing in the doorway for quite some time now, quietly left a packet of Oreos on the porch floor and walked away, a broad smile etched across her face. She walked into Cream and Cheese on her way to the living room.

"Is Mr. Shadow alright Miss Rouge?" Cream asked, her brown eyes worried.

"Trust me hon, he's doing just fine." Rouge steered Cream towards the living room, Cheese fluttering behind them. "Amy and Shadow are just talking. Let's give them some privacy shall we?"

And as the night progressed, more than one person thought, 'I love Halloween' as they shared Oreos, and a little something more, on the porch.

The End.

Author's Note: Yeah, yeah, I know. "But you said around New Year's..." I doon't care! I couldn't help myself and is it near a holiday(sorta). Labor Day! Nooo schoooool!
I hope you all like. I think I'm going to let it end here. IDK...

Elise the Cat: And why am I not in this one again?

'Cause you were off on vacation and you're in the AN.

Elise the Cat: oooooohhhhh. Right.

Amy, Shadow, Sonic, Tails, Rouge, Knuckles, Cream and Cheese belong to Sega.

Elise the Cat: READ & REVIEW!