The Wicked Rose – By InuSonishaUnlimited
Disclaimer: This is an Amy story for the most part, producing a character of her that has rarely been used in order to write a story. The style of this story will be written both concerning events of the past and present action, which will be properly labeled for your convenience. In order to comply with the rather-odd policy regarding Mature-content storytelling, much of the detailing that many of you who read my stories are accustomed to will be to less of a degree. By now, I'm certain many of you that read my stories possess excellent imaginations (as many of the messages I've received from you clearly show the greatness of your imaginations) so the excessive detailing will not be too necessary. All the same, considering the nature of this story, it is an M-rated story for violence, language, sexual content (to a point) and the subject matter itself. If you do not enjoy any of those things, skip right on over. Other than that, enjoy and let me know what you think.
Chapter 1: Last Slumber
8:00 PM – Suite 01, Emeraldberry Township Condominiums
It had begun like other evenings before it: a couple sharing a lovely dinner by candlelight by the window overlooking the bright lights of the skyscrapers, cuddling on the couch while watching a black-and-white film closely resembling Casablanca and simply enjoying the cozy nature of the relationship that they have been blessed with. The woman is a pink hedgehog by the name of Amy Rose.
Her trademark short pink quills have elongated to the point of reaching her lower back. Her emerald green eyes are a slight deeper green showing her advancement to maturity. Her red dress is exchanged with a long red bed robe with red and white slippers and around her fourth finger on her left hand is a golden ring with a small emerald gemstone attached to it. She had been proposed to by a successful lawyer by the name of Charles H. Slyfox, a fox with brown fur, dark blue eyes, a white muzzle, long pointed ears with small tufts of hair poking out and a long bushy tail. He is wearing a black bed robe with similarly colored slippers as he leans into the couch, feeling Amy leaned against his body. On his right hand is the same ring as Amy's, signifying their relationship following two years of dating.
"Ah that was quite an enjoyable movie wasn't it, darling…?" Charles whispers into Amy's ears, hearing her make a slight chuckle.
"Yes, though it wouldn't be the first time I've seen it. Still, it does remind me of the day we first met…" she replies, closing her eyes as she recalled.
3 years earlier…
Three years ago, Amy is blissfully shopping to her heart's content and on her way back to her apartment; she bumps into the charming foxy lawyer. Her full bags of clothing and various other items fall to the sidewalk, but the fox quickly picks them up for her.
"Oh my, thank you for that. But really, you didn't have to…" Amy says softly.
"It is no trouble at all, ma'am. After all , I bumped into you…and what a lovely person I did happen to bump into. Excuse me, I don't mean to act in such a way without first introducing myself. My name is Charles, Charles H. Slyfox." The fox smiles and extends his hand for a shake.
"Wow, I've seen your practice posted around the city. You are well known for your knowledge of the law and your proficiency as a lawyer. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Amy, Amy Rose." Amy replies with a smile.
"Amy… Now that is a lovely name. Well it has been a pleasure to meet you Amy. I would love if you would join me for a drink together sometime?" Charles asks.
"That sounds wonderful. How about tomorrow afternoon?" Amy replies.
"Tomorrow afternoon will be perfect. Have a good afternoon and subsequent evening, Ms. Rose." Charles says with a smile before he departs, heading towards a sleek black car parked down the street.
"Wow, a lawyer is interested in me… It must be my lucky day." Amy thinks to herself as she proceeds to her apartment.
The following day, Amy and Charles meet at a popular juice bar near the Emerald Coast in order to get some especially delicious drinks. The professional juicer prepares a special blend of various berries and pineapple before presenting it to the pair.
"Ah it smells divine…" Amy says before she takes a sip, instantly showing a smile in response. "It really is excellent!"
"Absolutely. This is a well-known place for quality beverages, with or without alcohol. I wasn't sure if you were a drinker of alcoholic beverages, so I wanted to play it safe." Charles explains.
"Thank you, and I do appreciate you taking out me out like this. It is not too often that I have the time or opportunity to date." Amy replies.
"Really? I find it almost hard to believe. You are quite a radiant beauty, if you do not mind my being so blunt." Charles says.
"Why, thank you. That is so sweet. So aside from law, what else are you into?" Amy asks with a blush from the remark.
"Well, aside from the law practices, I do enjoy walks on the beach, an occasional movie and some relaxing activities to keep me centered." Charles says.
"Sounds quite like the good life to me." Amy says before checking her watch. "Ah, you'll have to excuse me. I promised a friend I would meet up with her. How about we meet up again soon?" She asks.
"That sounds fabulous to me. Until next time, Amy." Charles says with a smile before giving her hand a gentle kiss.
With a soft blush, Amy proceeds from the juice bar back to her apartment to meet up with her neighbor. Over the next few weeks and months, the kisses upon her hand are switched to kisses on her cheek and before long, the two share their first passionate kiss during a movie date. Two years later and the couple tie the knot with specially-crafted wedding rings and a beautiful wedding ceremony.
Following the wedding, Charles moves Amy into his beautiful condominium, located in the beautiful township of Emeraldberry, just outside of Emerald Town. The home is a white-bricked and red-roofed two story building with black-painted railings leading up to the front door, red roses planted in a small garden just beside the stairs and painted stairs towards the door.
Inside, the home is a bright white painted beauty, with ornately-patterned carpets, white-suede furniture, glass tables, large vases filled with exotic plants, a beautiful kitchen with the latest of appliances and tile work on the floor and several rooms for guests and the master bedroom on the second floor. Inside the master bedroom, the large redwood bedframe holds a comfortable soft mattress with three windows pointed towards the front of the street.
The bathroom is a medium-sized room with an enclosed bath and shower, a smooth-stone sink and bathtub, as well as a cushioned toilet. On the floor are smaller soft mats and along the wall are two towel bars made of metal. Against the wall above the sink is a beautiful mirror with several egg-shaped colorful stones around the reflective glass.
As the couple approaches their third anniversary, Charles smiles as he returns home to his lovely wife waiting for him in the kitchen. She is wearing her usual attire of choice, but with longer red boots, a longer red dress reaching her knees and a pair of thin-framed reading glasses, which she is using to read from a recipe book.
"Ah there is my loving wife. What are you up to, honey?" he asks as he approaches her, giving her lips a tender kiss.
"Welcome home, my dear husband. I was just preparing dinner. You must be quite hungry after your day." Amy says with a smile, returning the kiss.
"Thank you, my love. I am quite famished. The case today was quite involved." Charles says, sitting at the kitchen table as he observes her cooking.
"Oh really? What were you involved in?" Amy asks him, adding some seasoning to a marinated roast beef she pulls from the oven.
"There was a recently uncovered body of a man in nearby Sunflora Town. He was a married man, no children, but his wife was nowhere to be found. The police believe that she might be a victim as well, and with the husband dead, the value of the property is being disputed as to whether it goes to the wife's account if she is still alive or if the city simply takes the property." Charles explains.
"Sounds like quite a tricky case, no wonder you are exhausted. I'm sure tonight's dinner will prove to be very filling for you." Amy says with a smile, turning down the heat on a small pot of boiled vegetables.
"Your cooking is always a blissful end to the workday. Thank you for being such a wonderful wife, my love." Charles says with a smile.
Present Day…
The beautiful dinner has been eaten and after a relaxing movie, the couple slowly stretches against the couch against the large screen television showing the ending credits to the film.
"That was and remains to be the happiest day of my life." Charles says, running his fingers against Amy's quills.
"Yes…It is also mine…" Amy replies, yawning softly before standing up. "I am feeling ready for bed. Come with me."
Charles happily follows behind his wife, entering the bedroom as she freshens up in the bathroom. As Charles takes off his robe and settles into his nightwear consisting of a buttoned long-sleeve top and pair of stripped bottoms, Amy removes her robe in the bathroom and walks into the bedroom with a set of revealing white-lace lingerie. She smiles as she approaches him in bed, lying beside him and running her hand across his chest.
"Your touch is always so heavenly…" Charles says, his own hand running across her thigh slowly, feeling the warmth of her skin against his fingertips.
"I can tell you are very relaxed…I am glad for that. Let me see if I can make you more relaxed…" Amy whispers into his ear as her hands begin to massage Charles' shoulders slowly.
He slowly closes his eyes and enjoys the relaxing touch of his wife against his body before the relaxation takes a hold of him, causing him to fall asleep. With a soft smile, Amy kisses his lips before lying beside him under the sheets, loving the warm embrace of the comforter against her body.
12:30 AM…
As the night grows dark and quiet, the couple remains asleep in bed in blissful relaxation. Charles feels the happiness of his life in his dreams as he imagines his wife approaching him in a field of flowers. Just as she approaches him though, a sharp pain creeps along his heart. The pain grows into a much deeper sting, with each beat his heart makes causing the pain to increase. Before he can shout for help from his beloved, the intense pain causes his heart to finally stop beating. Within a matter of moments, a joyous occasion comes to a horrifying close and yet his wife remains oblivious as she remains asleep.
7:45 AM…
Amy slowly awakens and turns to her husband, smiling as she sees his face: a wide-open gaze into the ceiling, with his mouth open and his fingers laid flat against his chest.
"Good morning, honey. If you don't hurry up, you'll be late…Charles?" Amy says, giving him a gentle nudge.
When he fails to register, Amy moves her hand to his neck to confirm the horrifying truth: her husband is lying next to her in bed, dead. With haste, she picks up the phone and dials 911 with tears running down her eyes.
"Hello, this is 911 Emergency Response, how may I help you?" the male voice on the other end of the phone speaks before hearing Amy's frantic voice.
"Help! Please help! It's…It's…My husband! My husband isn't moving! I don't think…I don't think he's breathing! Please send help!" she shouts into the phone.
"Okay, ma'am, just try to take deep breaths and give us your address so we can get the proper help there for you…" the voice replies, taking down her information before immediately dispatching the ambulance and police officers to the condo.
They soon arrive to find Amy waiting at the door, the tears still running down her eyes as the police and paramedics rush up the stairs. As the police speak with Amy in the kitchen, the paramedics enter the bedroom and check Charles for vital signs. Without question, the highly-reputed lawyer is dead in the bed and as they carry him down the stairs and out of the house to the ambulance, Amy breaks down on the floor of the kitchen again.
"Ma'am, our deepest apologies go to you. We are going to figure out what has happened here, but we must ask you a few questions as well." One of the police officers explains.
"Yes…Yes I understand…Oh Charles…!" Amy replies, wiping her eyes as best as she can.
"Now you say that you woke up and discovered him in that position, correct?" The second police officer asks her.
"Yes…I had made dinner last night, we watched a movie together and then we went to bed so he wouldn't be late this morning…I tried to wake him up but he wouldn't respond. When I…When I checked his pulse… There was nothing…" Amy speaks, trying to speak clearly in spite of the intense pain she is feeling.
"I understand… Do not worry; we will uncover whatever has happened here. We will let you know what we come up with." The second police officer explains before they leave the house.
At the Emeraldberry General Hospital, the doctors run a full examination of the body of Charles H. Slyfox. After multiple tests, the doctors make a confirmation and call the police.
"So what do we have here?" the police officers ask the doctors, notepads at the ready.
"From what we have determined here, Mr. Slyfox suffered from an intense heart attack. However, there were no traces of any poisoning, no irregular doses of common medications; it appears to have been a surprise heart attack." The doctors explain.
"Has he had a history of heart attacks in his medical record?" The police officers ask the doctors.
"Indeed he has, here's the reports for confirmation." The doctors reply, producing a folder containing documentation regarding Charles' health. Sure enough, smaller heart attacks were noted within several occasions of his record.
"Well, it appears that is the cause of his death. I'm sure that will at the very least help his wife in some way…" the police officer says before leaving the doctor's office.
A few minutes later, the doctors receive a phone call in their office. The number is an unknown number but one of them picks it up and takes it to his section of the office. "Hello? Yes, this is me. Yes, we've given them the file, just as you requested. All right, I understand. I'll take care of it." The doctor hangs up the phone and sits in his chair before turning on his computer, checking several files before beginning his work.
12:30 PM...
After about a week, the body of Charles H. Slyfox is committed to the earth and buried in the Greenwelch Cemetery alongside several deceased family members. Among the visitors of the funeral, Amy stands near the gravestone with a black dress, a black veil over her eyes, a black hat and matching boots. She wipes her eyes slowly with a handkerchief, sniffling as the casket is finally covered with dirt. As everyone else begins to leave, she continues to stare at the grave until she is alone.
Amy looks up into the sky as rain begins to fall, running water down her cheeks. The tears that she had coming from her eyes had stopped and a stone-cold face replaces the appearance of misery that everyone had been a witness to.
"Rest in peace…my former husband." Amy says before leaving her wedding ring on the grave.
Following the burial, Amy is brought to the legal office where Charles' previously worked in order to take care of the final matter regarding legal documentation with his family and associates.
"Thank you all for coming. I know we are all deeply saddened by the loss of a member of our family, our friend and closest associate, Charles H. Slyfox. However, he desired for us before his time to make certain that his most intimate of business was taken care of. For the family, Charles has left his vacation home along the Emerald Coast for you to take into immediate possession." The lawyer explains. The family replies with only soft crying and tears before taking the paperwork required of them. They quietly leave the room, leaving Amy with the lawyer who reads the next piece of business.
"And for his most beloved wife Amy Rose, he leaves behind his condominium in Emeraldberry Township as well as over three million rings. He also leaves behind his legal practice for you to assume immediate professional control of. Finally, he leaves this note." The lawyer explains, handing a tearful Amy her paperwork in a file as well as the note in question.
Slowly she reads it: "To my most beloved wife: While I am uncertain when or where, I want to be certain that you will be taken care of at the time of my death. I know it is silly to think of such things so early on in our relationship but I do not want to leave you with nothing in the world should my time come. I know we will spend many years together in happiness and even at the hour of my death, I will always be with you. My love for you will burn brighter than any force on this world and as long as you remain happy, I will always be happy in turn. I love you, my beloved wife Amy. ~Charles H. Slyfox."
"That was quite a beautiful letter… He truly did love you, Mrs. Rose. I hope that will help lessen the blow that has been placed upon you." The lawyer says, feeling a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you, sir… May I return home now please…?" Amy asks, to which the lawyer nods slowly for her.
As she approaches the condominium in the black car her former husband drove, the rain comes to a stop. She walks into the living room and places her handbag, as well as the documentation from the service and laywer's office, onto the couch before entering the kitchen. Amy reaches into the fridge and slowly uncorks a new bottle of red wine before taking one brief sip. She places the glass down and looks into the folder containing the documents declaring her the owner of the condominium as well as the written statement regarding the money she had been given from her former husband.
Slowly, the stone face begins to cast a grin before a genuine smile comes on her face. "It took a little bit…but at least it was not for nothing. Everything went as it should." Amy says to herself before taking another sip of the red wine. "It is all mine now... Then again, why wouldn't it be? The others gave so willingly as well…" Amy says, walking up the stairs into the bedroom before she removes a small suitcase from underneath the bed.
Inside are three folders of documentation with different last names printed on the labels. In each folder are documents detailing property ownership, money entitled to her and photographs of the men that had given them to her. She smiles once again before putting the suitcase back.
"It is amazing how swift these men are… You show them even the slightest interest and they throw themselves all over you. In the end, they take care of me much better dead than alive…" she muses to herself as she takes out a small vile from a secret compartment beneath the bedframe.
Inside, a tiny trace of a lethal poison remains until she washes it down the sink and shatters the vile into several pieces. Quietly, she places the fragments into a tiny bag before putting it in a small hole behind the house in the backyard. "Now then… What shall I do with my new earnings…?" Amy thinks to herself before pouring the remaining wine into the small hole and returning into the condominium.
~ The first chapter is complete. Coming in the next chapter, a new face captures Amy's attention and new developments ensue as well.