Well, I can honestly say the past month or two has been interesting, monitoring the response to this story. I've only gotten about two DOZEN PMs asking for this epilogue ever since I asked people if they thought I should write one. Clearly, this story has found its place in the fandom. I'm just glad I worked up the nerve to post it.

I decided that I'd actually put the preview image I used to good use. Nice little getaway for our heroes to wrap things up in. I'm normally not a softy/romantic type of writer, but just this once, I'll indulge you guys.

New Shadouge fiction never seemed to appear that often, so I wanted to at least add one small piece of my own to the community. Thank you all for supporting it so much.

Immortal Queen

Five months pass…

The light blue hue of the horizon was slowly becoming tinged with yellow and orange as the sun set beyond the waters of the coastal retreat. Strong waves lapped against the shore, foaming as they crested and spilled against the fine sand of the beach. The coast spread for miles in either direction, with large cabins built along the shore front here and there, each one with a path leading down to the beach from the back porch. Each building was separated from the others by at least half a mile, if not more, ensuring a suitable amount of privacy for all. A few healthy palm trees planted near the cabin waved in the salty breeze from the sea. Few boats sailed through the straits in that area, so the breathtaking view of the ocean was free of distractions.

The place truly seemed like paradise.

At least, in Rouge's opinion, it did. The bat was reclining in a beach chair on the back porch of a big white cabin, reading a novel as the day wore to a close. She was garbed in a black two-piece swimsuit, her bare legs stretched out as they soaked up the last of the sun's rays. Her wings were unfolded, sticking out over the back of the chair as they dried off from the day's swim. Only a few dozen pages remained in the book she read, but Rouge was not rushing to finish it. For the first time in a while, she was allowing herself to relax.

There had been more missions for Team Dark after Shadow had recovered from his injuries, enough to have them running all over the world in an effort to keep G.U.N. one step ahead of Eggman and all the other villains that threatened the peace. For several months they had worked feverishly, giving Shadow and Rouge very little time to spend together. On the rare day off, the pair would usually visit the clubs and stores of downtown Station Square- or more accurately, Rouge would drag the unsociable hedgehog around the city with her- and eventually, Shadow had started to enjoy himself somewhat. Most people wouldn't have noticed the change, since Shadow was just as moody as ever on the surface, but Rouge had known the hedgehog long enough to tell that he was finally learning how to have fun.

To be honest, Rouge thought to herself, her mind wandering from the book she was reading, he's been learning a lot of things since we got involved. A light blush rose to her cheeks as she recalled the nights they had spent together since Shadow first opened up to her. Rouge had unleashed quite a beast, it seemed, and the black hedgehog's methods of pleasuring her only got better every time. The bat found the endurance of the Ultimate Life Form both shocking and incredible; there had been several nights during their vacation when Shadow had left her utterly exhausted, unable to even drag herself out of bed the next morning.

Their relationship was more than just lovemaking, though. For the first time since they had met, Shadow had begun to talk- truly talk- about his past, his hopes, and his fears, confiding in Rouge as he had never done with anyone else. At first, the bat had felt a sense of pride that she had been the one to finally make the stalwart hedgehog drop his walls, but it hadn't been long before Rouge realized just how much Shadow had been keeping bottled up within him. His days with Maria aboard the ARK, the frustrations his rivalry with Sonic caused him, the anxiety of his Black Arms heritage, even the dreams that had haunted his frozen sleep for nigh on 50 years- it all had come pouring out as if from a breached dam in the weeks and months following their first night together.

Rouge had taken it all in, the realization of just how alone Shadow had truly been in the world driving her to fill the gaps in his life, to be someone the hedgehog would never lose faith in. They had become the closest of partners, and when the deluge of missions had finally abated after a successful joint operation with Sonic and his friends to beat back Eggman, she had gone to Commander Towers and asked for some time away from the agency for both her and Shadow.

When she had been forced to explain why, Towers had laughed, long and loud. But he had conceded all the same.

"If I claimed to never have seen this coming, I'd be lying like a rug," Towers had admitted, a smirk stretching his aged face. "I know you both well enough, though, that I'm certain that you won't allow your relationship to interfere with your work here." The graying commander had dismissed Rouge with a wave of his hand, telling her, "Now go, before I remember that I don't like you two. And… enjoy yourselves. You've both accomplished more than enough lately."

A week later, they had arrived for a month-long stay at the beachside cabin, alone except for the occasional delivery truck that dropped off supplies every couple of days. They had not told anyone, even Omega, where they were going; Shadow had wished for the trip to be one of solitude, and Rouge had not argued. She felt the same way, after all. The bat wanted Shadow all to herself for a change, and out here, away from the rest of the world, she had gotten her wish.

On this particular day, however, Shadow had left on some "errand" that he had refused to elaborate on, and rather than waste time questioning the stubborn hedgehog, Rouge had simply rested for the majority of the afternoon, awaiting his return. The water next to the coast was warm and crystal-clear, an inviting swim if Rouge had ever seen one. The bat had donned her swimsuit and drifted through the water for a while, listening to the waves crashing around her.

Every day of her life, there had been some new conflict for her to deal with. Her childhood in the slums that was the fuel for her obsession with gems and wealth, a childhood Shadow had recently become the very first person to ever find out about, had made her early years a living hell. Even her escape from the poverty and her years as a thief had brought her little solace, instead forcing her to live a wraith-like existence evading the law. And of course, there was her work as an agent of G.U.N. The concept of peace was almost a joke to her.

But out here in the calming presence of the ocean, free of the worries that had plagued her every waking moment for most of her life, Rouge was starting to figure out what that word meant. She knew Shadow was too; she could see it in his maroon eyes whenever the hedgehog stood on the porch and gazed out over the sea in silence. They had spent many hours of their getaway watching the waves together, not talking, but simply enjoying one another's presence and the comfort it brought them both. Just thinking about it made Rouge long for Shadow's return; finishing the last page of her novel, Rouge put the book down next to her chair and leaned back, stretching her stiff legs out and sighing as impatience began to fill her mind.

A moment later, a chill shot through her and raised goose bumps on her flesh as a salty breeze from the sea ran across the coast, the setting sun no longer warming the air as it did in the middle of the day. Rouge quickly sat up, rubbing her arms as she rose from her chair and retreated through the open sliding glass door of the cabin. Her bikini wasn't exactly going to keep her warm in the cool air of the evening, so the bat stepped into the small bedroom of the cabin, opening a closet full of the clothes she had packed and pulling out a sundress that matched her swimsuit. It didn't do much to cover her tanned legs, but it would do a better job of keeping her warm than a swimsuit would.

As she pulled the sundress on, Rouge heard the creak of the wooden front door of the cabin as it opened and closed, and relief shot through her as she turned and walked back out of the bedroom. Shadow stood in the doorway, his back to her as he kicked off his sand-covered rocket shoes to avoid making a mess. Interestingly, he held something in his hands so that it was hidden from Rouge's view.

Without turning, Shadow said, "I'm sorry for the long wait. The errand took me longer than I anticipated."

Rouge smirked, amused that he was trying to hide something from her. "Alright, what did you bring back? And why are you hiding it?" she asked teasingly. "Is it something you're worried I'm going to steal?"

"If I thought you were going to steal it," Shadow muttered back at her, "I wouldn't bother hiding it. You're too good of a thief." He turned his head, fixing her with a stare over one shoulder. "I want to make this a surprise, though, odd as that may sound. Go outside for a moment."

Rouge pouted, tilting her head and giving him an offended look. "Oh, is that an order, Agent Shadow?"

Shadow grinned wolfishly, although he kept his voice gruff. "Porch. Now."

The bat gave an exaggerated huff and sauntered back outside, arms folded underneath her chest as she waited for Shadow to finish whatever he was doing. Thankfully, it was only half a minute before the door slid open behind her and she felt the hedgehog's arm circle around her waist, pulling the bat against him. Rouge leaned her head on Shadow's shoulder, the two of them standing there together and watching over the waves that glistened with the evening light.

After a long moment, Shadow turned and murmured to Rouge, "Why don't we take a walk down to the beach? Enjoy the sunset while it lasts?"

The bat glanced at him in suspicion. "What about that surprise of yours?"

"What about it?"

A glare appeared on Rouge's face. "Shadow the Hedgehog, if you think you can just keep me in suspense, then you've-"

"Let me rephrase my suggestion," Shadow cut her off, and he promptly grabbed Rouge tightly with one arm and swung her over his shoulder. Rouge yelped in surprise and then laughed with amused delight as Shadow carried her down the stairs of the porch and set off across the beach, his bare feet leaving deep prints in the sand due to the extra weight he carried. Rouge felt herself grow dizzy from hanging upside down across Shadow's back, but she was enjoying herself too much to care. Waves started to surge around them as Shadow began walking into the surf, prompting Rouge to exclaim, "Shadow, my dress! You'll get it soaked!"

"It'll dry out," Shadow replied nonchalantly, sliding the bat back over his shoulder and into his arms. "Don't you enjoy the water's warmth as well?" Rouge laughed again as the hedgehog caught her, the waves flowing just below her as Shadow walked into the water up to his waist. Rouge smiled up at him, asking in a half-serious manner, "Sure you should be going out so far? You haven't exactly got the swimming thing down yet, you know." She had been trying to teach Shadow how to swim over the course of the vacation, but it was one of the few skills that, surprisingly, the hedgehog could not easily master.

Shadow gave a small smile in return, red eyes glinting with amusment. "Unlike that blue fool, I'm not stupid enough to be cowed by a little water. There are far more frightening things in life…" He glanced down at her, his expression darkening. "…such as losing you."

Rouge giggled at that. "Well, well, look who's becoming Mr. Romantic. Have you been practicing lines or something?"

Shadow raised an eyebrow in skepticism as he placed Rouge on her feet, allowing both of them to stand together in the water. He held the bat close to him with one arm as he spoke again, murmuring, "It's the truth. I don't believe a truthful statement needs practice to say." The hedgehog raised a hand and ran it across her cheek, looking the bat right in the eye. His face had become unreadable again, as it so often did, but his gentle touch spoke volumes. "Have you ever known me to say something I didn't really mean?"

Rouge shook her head, grinning in amusement. "No. You're not one to waste your breath on lies." She wrapped her arms around the hedgehog's neck, pulling her head against his as the bottom of her dress floated around her, caught in the surging waves. She muttered in a voice just louder than the crashing sea, "That's one of the things I like best about you. Don't ever change that, alright?"

Shadow chuckled softly, tracing the contours of her back with his hand as he held her. "I haven't changed much in the last fifty years, you know. I don't plan on changing in the future, either." He turned his face to look upon the setting sun, and Rouge followed his gaze as she pulled herself closer to him. The couple stood in the waves, the orange light of the sun reflecting off the water and giving everything a surreal brightness to it.

Without taking her eyes off the sun, Rouge murmured, "Shadow… I'd be happy spending the rest of my life with you, but I want you to tell me something." She swallowed before continuing, "What are we? What…" She faltered as he turned his piercing maroon gaze on her, but she managed to recover her train of thought. "…what am I to you? These past months we've had together- what have they meant for you?"

Shadow did not reply for a while, until he quietly muttered, "Let's get out of the water." At the back of Rouge's mind, a hint of worry sprang up at his evasion of her question, but she did not press the hedgehog- she knew he would answer her one way or another. The two of them stepped out of the water, drops falling from Rouge's sundress onto the sand, and they began to walk along the shore. Rouge's hand curled around Shadow's, and the hedgehog allowed her to interlace her fingers between his. The two of them walked in silence, strolling along the shoreline in the light of the setting sun.

Shadow looked away from Rouge for a moment, deep in thought about something, and he muttered without looking at the bat, "About that surprise… you should close your eyes for a second."

Rouge glanced at him in suspicion. "What are you planning, Shadow?"

"Just trust me." His tone left no room for argument, so Rouge reluctantly shut her eyes and stopped walking, waiting to find out what the black hedgehog was up to.

From behind her, she heard Shadow softly murmur, "Chaos Control." Even through her shut eyes, the blue flash of light emitted by the Chaos energy was evident, and Rouge almost flinched. Shadow didn't normally use his powers lightly, and he hadn't even used them once during this vacation; whatever he was doing was clearly important to the hedgehog.

A moment later, Rouge felt Shadow's hands delicately slip something cool and metallic around her neck, like a thin chain of some sort. A heavy weight on the end pulled the object against the back of her neck.

Shadow's voice was almost too quiet to hear. "Open your eyes. And look down."

Rouge did, to be met with the sight of the blue Chaos Emerald resting against her chest, with a necklace of pure silver that she had admired in a store many times before attached to the shining gemstone.

For several seconds, Rouge stared down at the blue emerald. Light danced and shone from within, the great power that the jewel held constantly emitting a bright aurora. In the setting sun's light, faint rays of blue radiance shown from each of the facets of the emerald, dancing across Rouge's face. The silver chain lightly brushed through her fur as the bat tentatively lifted the emerald, holding it at eye level and gazing into its depths.

All she could do was ask, "...How?"

"I took it from Eggman," the hedgehog answered. "I figured his defenses would be weak anyway, what with the solid defeat we recently handed him. It was almost laughably easy to run straight in and break through to where he was hiding it." A small smirk tugged at Shadow's lips as he continued, "Now, the necklace; that I obtained legally. I saw how much you admired it during one of our trips into the city. It's not like I have any other use for money anyway."

Under normal circumstances, Rouge might have made a sarcastic crack about Shadow trying to put a thief like her out of business, or perhaps she would have chastised him about risking his neck so rashly, but she couldn't think of anything to say at all. That the hedgehog would do something like this for her had completely blown her away, even after the many months they had been together.

Shadow's arms wrapped around her waist, and he leaned his chin on her shoulder as he, too, watched the light dancing around inside the Chaos Emerald. "I know how much you wished to have a Chaos Emerald for yourself. I found it to be the best gift I could give you, especially since it matches your eyes," he whispered. "You want to know what our relationship means to me? Honestly- I can't say. I'm not good enough with words to describe it." The black hedgehog gave a long sigh, continuing, "However, I do know what I want. And what I want is to face eternity with you at my side. It's as simple as that."

Caught off guard due to the shock she was still feeling, Rouge could only stutter, "What are you saying? I… I don't…"

"I am immortal," Shadow said simply. "I will endure long after everyone we know right now is dust in the ground. Every day of my life, I have dreaded the future; I knew that nothing but everlasting pain and misery awaits me there." His maroon eyes gleamed with the light reflecting off the blue Chaos Emerald as he continued, "I have always thought that would be my fate; to wander the world alone and forgotten while everyone around me ages and dies. But you… you have allowed me to hope for something more than that. Something better than that."

The bat felt chills as Shadow took her by the arms and brought her around to face him, their eyes locked together. "Will you become my immortal partner?" Shadow murmured, his voice more serious than Rouge had ever heard before. "Stay with me through eternity? Are you strong enough to do that, Rouge the Bat?"

Rouge looked down at the sand beneath her feet, wide-eyed and short of breath as she tried to comprehend what Shadow was asking of her. Immortality was just a concept, something people talked about without a shred of belief. Even if it was possible… even if Shadow could give her such a momentous gift… Rouge wasn't sure that she was brave enough to take it.

"I…," Rouge hesitated, trying to force the words past her shuddering lips, "I don't know, Shadow. That's… I mean… is that even possible?" The words burst from her as her pent-up shock broke loose. "Living forever… that's just crazy. Most people never even consider that to be possible."

"We are not 'most people'," Shadow growled. "I am the Ultimate Life Form, and you are the one person I can't bear to lose." The scowl he so often wore on his face twisted as anguish mixed into it. "I've kept my promise to Gerald and Maria. You are my only reason for existing now. If I lose that…" The black hedgehog fell silent, looking away from Rouge and out over the sea, although he did not let go of the bat. Rouge could only wait for him to speak again, her head filled with so many conflicting emotions that she couldn't even begin to think about how to answer the hedgehog.

An eternity… with Shadow.

Rouge glanced down at the Chaos Emerald that lay against her chest, the blue light flickering all around. Obtaining the emeralds had been her life's dream ever since she learned of them, and Shadow had risked his life to bring her one- as a present. There was no doubt in her mind that if she asked the hedgehog for the other six emeralds, he would get them all for her, and to hell with what anyone else wanted. He would do anything for her.

It occurred to her in that instant that she shouldn't have hesitated when Shadow asked her to join him in eternal life. Everything she had ever wanted- a loving partner, all the treasure she could want, everything- it was all staring her in the face. And she was acting like it was a difficult decision.

"Yes," she murmured. It was a whisper, so quiet that for a second she thought Shadow hadn't heard her. His head turned after a second, though, the red eyes widening as she repeated, "Yes." Rouge looked the hedgehog. "If it's possible… Shadow, there is nothing I could want more."

Shadow opened his mouth to say something, but Rouge cut him off. "I know what living forever entails. I'm not a fool." She wrapped her arms around Shadow, pulling herself against him. "But it would be even more foolish if I rejected my one shot at a truly happy life."

Shadow held her against his body then, held her tightly, refusing to let go- ever. "I will make you my queen, Rouge," he whispered, "my immortal queen. I will find a way."

There were no more words between them after that. The two lovers held each other in an embrace that lasted forever, both of them silhouetted in the light of the setting sun as it sank behind the glistening waves.

(I've been turning this over and over in my head for a while now- how do I follow up something as awesome and well-received as the first chapter of this story? What with the time I've had to spend on my other stories, I realized that there was something smarter to do than try to create another heavy work like chapter one- I've decided to split the epilogue into two chapters, with one set soon after chapter one, and the other… well, you'll see. I think you guys can see where this is going based on this chapter's ending. I'm sorry that this chapter was far shorter than the other one, but I couldn't come up with many ideas besides the main point of the chapter. Hopefully, the last chapter of the story will have far more for me to play around with. I will do everything I can to get it out as soon as possible, but guys- I'm starting college in a week. Hopefully you all understand what that means for my schedule. The quality won't suffer, rest assured, but my time is going to be vastly consumed with schoolwork now, especially since my ability to attend school depends on my grades. That's in the future, though. For now, adios, and I hope you enjoyed this next segment of By Your Side.)