Sonic knew that his "unplanned" encounters with Amy were anything but. Amy stalked him. She had his daily routine written in a little black book that she'd once shown Tails.

Every run-in with him was planned. He'd known this for quite some time. He'd known but done nothing. Though there really was nothing he could do. Amy wouldn't stop stalking him even if he asked, and he had.

Yet, there was one place Amy never unexpectedly ran into him. His abode. For reasons he couldn't imagine, Amy refrained from entering his place of living. Perhaps she knew that he needed somewhere to be completely free of her persistent declarations of love, or perhaps she just couldn't get past the hotel's first floor security. Whatever the reason, Amy never bothered him at Topaz Hotel. Sonic pondered this.

As he ate the breakfast that room service had brought him, his pondering branched out. What would Amy do if she were unable to stalk him? She would forget about him, right? After all, out of sight, out of mind.

Then that's it, he decided. He wouldn't leave the hotel for a week. And during that week, Amy would be sure to fall out of love with him.

-

Chapter Two

-

"Amy." Shadow found her standing outside Topaz Hotel, staring longingly at the revolving doors.

"Hmm?"

"Can I talk to you about something?"

Her gaze remained on the doors, hopeful, desperate. "Now really isn't a good time."

"But it's important."

"Now really isn't good time."

Shadow stared at her. She wore her usual red dress and matching red boots. Her usual hair band rested on her head's quills, brushed back in their usual style. Usual, ordinary, everyday; as appropriate as these words were for describing Amy, Shadow did not believe they suited her. For, whenever he looked at Amy, he saw extraordinary. And if this extraordinary female said that now wasn't a good time to talk, now wasn't a good time to talk. "Okay."

He remained next to her, his hand itching for hers.

She remained where she stood, eyes fixed on revolving doors. "Shadow?"

He leaned toward her and sniffed her fragrant quills. "Hmm?"

"You look like Sonic, right?"

His eyes did a quick sweep of her delectable form. "No."

"So then there should be no problem if you went in there and said you were Sonic and asked for another key to your room, saying you'd lost yours?"

"There would be a problem."

Amy nodded. Shadow reached for her hand. Amy clasped her hands together and tucked them beneath her chin. "Oh," she sighed, "why won't Sonic come out and take my hand."

If she let him, Shadow would take her hand. "Amy."

"He must be feeling extra shy today."

If she let him, Shadow would unabashedly hold her. "Amy."

"I just know that must be it. He'd be out here if it weren't."

"Amy." His voice didn't reach her. He moved in front of her, but she didn't see him. She spoke, but it wasn't to him. Her words streamed passed him, flowed through the revolving doors, and into an elevator, going up to the floor of the hedgehog who resided in her heart.

"I love you, Amy," Shadow said and knew that the words would never reach her. "I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."

A gloved hand wrapped around his arm, then; tugging him away from Amy; tugging him down the sidewalk. Yet he continued his declarations.

Amy stayed where she stood, oblivious of Shadow's departure. Her gaze never shifted from the revolving doors.


"A Pink Princess Strawberry Splash." Tails set the drink on the counter and slid it to Shadow. "Don't worry, this one's on the house." He reached for the phone below the counter and gave Shadow a big grin. "You earned it."

Shadow didn't feel like he'd earned anything. He felt like someone had walked inside him and taken everything out. He felt empty.

"Hey Knuckles, this is Tails. Fine, just fine. Can you guess why I called?"

Shadow looked at the drink before him, stared down into the depths of the translucent pink liquid. "Pink," he murmured.

"That's right. And I got it on camera too, just in case you want to see it."

Shadow encircled the glass with both hands. He cradled the glass and murmured, "Princess."

"Knuckles, Knuckles, Knuckles. Begging doesn't suit you."

Shadow lifted the rim of the glass to his lips and sipped. Returning the glass to the countertop, he murmured, "Strawberry Splash."

"What else could you possibly have to offer?"


Shadow returned to Angel Island when the sun was high in the sky. The air, lacking its earlier coolness, stung one's flesh with its sultriness. Shade provided no shelter from the heat. Breezes provided no relief. A house with air-conditioning provided relief.

Shadow walked into the house that he and Knuckles shared, the house that had been built two months ago, funded by Tails. Knuckles had never told him why Tails had funded the building of their home. Shadow had never thought to ask.

Heat saturated the house. Shadow checked the thermostat and found the central air set to off. He turned the air on and set the temperature to 50°F.

"Knuckles?" The echidna wasn't with the Master Emerald, so he was either patrolling the island or resting in the house. Shadow hoped it was the latter, because he really needed to talk to him. "Knuckles, are you home?"

Shadow walked into the living room and found Knuckles on the couch. He sat with his forearms resting heavily against his upper legs. His hands were clasped, his forehead pressed against them. His hunched back convulsed spasmodically.

Shadow placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think Amy will ever love me," he said. Then, sitting next to Knuckles, he simulated his hunched form. "She's so in love with Sonic that she can't see anyone around her."

Knuckles nodded and hmmed, half listening. His mind buzzed with fear and guilt.

"I told her, again and again, that I loved her, but she didn't even hear me. It was like I wasn't even there." Shadow fell silent, allowing Knuckles the opportunity to put in a few comforting words.

Knuckles did not speak.

Shadow continued waiting.

Then, "Shadow." Knuckles sat up, his back rested against the cushions, his hands splayed against his legs. "Don't give up on Amy." He turned his face to the hunched hedgehog, his eyes desperate, hopeful. "Please, don't give up on her."