Disclaimer: See first few chapters.

Chapter 7

That was the first time in a long time that Amber and Shadow had fought over something. When school resumed, the two became somewhat strangers once again. Amber didn't want anything to do with Shadow, in case he tried to bring it back up.

Shadow got to the point where he wanted to give up. He knew he wasn't going to convince her of anything.

A few weeks after, the two made an effort to patch up their friendship once again.

"Look. We need to stop fighting about things like this...it gets us no where. You won't listen to me, and I'm not listening to you, we're wasting our time. So...can we just try again?"

The two were at Amber's house, supposedly studying some of the new biology notes they had received. Their teacher had warned them that this quarter would be far from easy. The two had actually given up on studying about 20 minutes ago, and spent the rest of the time lounging around in her room in their typical silence.

"...I guess so. You're right. And I'm sorry," Shadow finally spoke from her lounge chair. Amber was laying down horizontally on her bed, her head hanging off the side.

"I would hate to lose a best friend..." Amber mumbled softly.

"Yeah. Me too."

Amber stood up from her bed and approached her guest, catching him off guard with a tight hug. He inhaled sharply, unused to the physical contact. Awkwardly, he wrapped his arms around her.

She released him and then smiled. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm kind of hungry. Would you like to stay for dinner again?"

"Depends. What are they cooking?"

"I think tonight we're all on our own. Mom seemed pretty tired when I got home, and dad still isn't home from work. What do you want?"

"...Would you like to eat out somewhere?" Shadow asked after some thought. "I'm kind of in the mood for pasta."

"That sounds great, I'll just go tell my parents we're heading out, and then we can go."

X-X-X

It was after dark when the two hedgehogs finally set out for home. After eating at the local Italian kitchen, they had decided to make a trip to the bookstore. They'd spent way longer than they'd intended to, thanks to a few great books they had found.

As Shadow described the book he had found for himself to her, Amber felt unease creep over her. She instinctively moved a little bit closer to the crimson-splashed hedgehog.

He immediately noticed the change in her. "What's wrong?"

"I...I don't know, I just feel uneasy..." she trailed off as she sense someone behind her. She quickly turned around, but no one was behind her.

Shadow chuckled. "There's no one here. I think you've been watching a few scary movies too many. Maybe we should try renting something other than horror every time we all get together for movie night. Come on, let's get you home."

No sooner had Shadow spoken than did a huge silhouette appear in front of them. The figured was tall and stocky with golden fur. Amber's breath caught in her throat.

"S-Spikes..."

"Yeah. It's me," came a gruff response. His voice was deeper than Amber remembered. "You'd better back off. She's mine," he addressed the darker hedgehog before taking off into the night.

"...Well. He's...charming," Shadow said after a bit. Amber shook her shock away.

"He's actually really nice...really. He's just...a little jealous I guess."

Shadow snorted in annoyance but let the subject drop, for the moment. "Whatever. Your parents probably expect you home soon. So let's go." The black hedgehog grabbed Amber's wrist and began to pull her along with him. She followed unconsciously, still trying to get past the face that Spikes had actually come looking for her. He hadn't forgotten about her. She felt relief flood through her system.

I'm sorry that I ever doubted you.

X-X-X

After that night, Amber didn't see her werehog again for a long time. But the visit renewed her faith in him. She wished every night that she had some way to contact him, to let him know that she had not forgotten him either, but there was just no way.

Blazes' birthday was right after 1st semester finals, and the group of friends gathered at Rouge's house, trying to come up with some ideas for a party. They had wanted to do something similar for Amber's birthday as well, but her parents wanted just a "family" party, so they decided they'd do something great for her the next year.

"Well, how about we take a ski trip?" Amy suggested.

"I've never been skiing..." Amber admitted shyly. Everyone around the room gasped.

"Am, even I've been skiing! And I am not even from this country!" Skye proclaimed.

"Yeah really Amber, you've pretty far behind. What do you for vacation then, if you've never been skiing?" Knuckles elbowed her lightly.

"I actually spent a lot of time in more tropical places. I've never been a big fan of the cold..."

"But, it's so much fun! All that snow also means snowball fights, and if there's one thing I'm good at, it's snowball fights," Tails grinned mischievously. "Besides, it would be great fun, and we could all teach you how to ski."

"A ski trip sounds nice..." Blaze agreed.

"Does any one object to this idea?" Skye asked. No one spoke up at first.

"Well...I've never been either, and I really have no desire to go," Shadow mumbled from his corner of the room. "But...it's not my party. It's Blaze's. Whatever she wants to do, I'll tag along for it."

"I'm going to take that to mean that no one's in protest. It's decided then, we're going skiing!" Sonic grinned. "It's been a long time since I've been, but I remember how fun it was to move at those speeds. If there's one thing I love, it's high speeds."

"Yes Sonic, darling, we've seen you drive before," Rouge retorted softly, earning a few giggles from her peers.

"..." Sonic huffed indignantly.

"So now we just need to work out a date, how long we're going to stay, and what all we'll need," Amber volunteered.

"Oh, let me plan, please guys? I would love to put it all together! I can plan really well!" Amy was practically jumping where she sat next to Sonic.

Blaze chuckled. "Okay. You can plan it. Let's go on ahead and decide times right now though."

"I say we should stay for a week, and we should go December 7th. That way we'll be out there for Blaze's birthday, and be home in time for Christmas!" Amy said excitedly.

"All in favor?" Skye asked, looking around the room. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled. We're going skiing for my birthday. Now, about what we should pack..." the girls all around the room pulled out their notebooks, ready to write down all the necessary information. The boys simply listened on, since all they were really going to pack was clothes for the week.

Amber leaned over to Shadow. "You don't want to go skiing because you don't want to make a fool of yourself learning to ski. Don't worry, I'll be there to be an idiot along with you."

"Hmph."

X-X-X

The 9 friends were able to get their semester tests done early so that they could leave for their vacation. They all met at the airport at 8 in the morning, eager for their trip to Holoska.

"I can't believe I'm actually going skiing!" Amber exclaimed anxiously. "This will be so much fun, I don't usually go on vacations without my parents."

"Well, this will definitely be a blast," Rouge grinned devilishly. "I will personally make sure you have the time of your life!"

Amber laughed nervously. "Hey, I'll be right back, I need to run to the bathroom."

As Amber searched for the rest rooms, her eyes caught a familiar face.

"Oh! Spikes! I can't believe it! I've missed you so much!"

The larger werehog pulled her into a tight hug, following it up with a kiss. "I've missed you too," he mumbled softly into her fur. "You have no idea."

"Three years is such a long time to wait..." she mumbled softly. "I hate it."

"Just remember. It will be worth it. Where's the ring I gave you?" he questioned as he caught sight of her bare hands.

"Oh, it's here, in my pocket." Amber reached inside the pocket of her white jeans and showed the ring to him. "I never let it out of my sight, seriously. It's so beautiful..."

"Well, nothing less than the best for my girl," Spikes smiled softly. "So...where are you guys going?"

"Oh, we're going to Holoska for a week. Blaze's birthday is on the 12th, so we're celebrating with a ski trip."

"Dang...I really wish I could go. You're so lucky to have all that money."

Amber smiled back apologetically. "Well, I promise you, we'll go after we get married. As many times as you want," she said with a kiss on his cheek. "I need to get going. It was amazing to see you again though. I'm glad I got to see you. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"Don't worry baby girl," he mumbled, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Soon, we'll have all the time in the world to be together."

Amber smiled and said goodbye to him before rushing into thee bathroom, then rushed back to her friends just in time to board the plane.

X-X-X

The whole week sped by. The first day was mostly a "get settled" kind of day for the group. They had each gotten their own rooms, all down the same hall in the five-star Ice Palace Hotel. The next three days were spent watching Amber try (and fail repeatedly) to ski.

Amber was about as frustrated as she was sore. "This is ridiculous. You guys make it look so easy! Maybe I'll just sit with Shadow on the sidelines," she gestured to said hedgehog, who was in the same spot he'd been every time they'd come down the hill. He chuckled softly to himself.

"It's a better idea, you don't get so hurt this way."

Amber sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I should take a break."

Shadow left to go find some hot chocolate while Amber waited at the bottom of the hill for her friends. Finally, he returned, a steaming hot cocoa drink in each hand.

He passed one to Amber. "Here, drink this. You'll feel a lot better," he advised.

Amber took a careful sip of the deep brown liquid. It still managed to scald her tongue. She ignored the feeling and relished in the warmth it brought her. "Thanks, Shadow. Why won't you try to ski with us?"

Shadow chuckled darkly. "What's happened to you is a pretty good example of why I don't want to. It's a wonder you're willing to even move."

"Oh...it's not that bad. Please Shadow? At least try?" Amber shot him a "puppy dog" look, and Shadow felt himself lose his resolve.

"...oh, alright. Just stop making that face. You look dumb," he growled. Amber ignored his comment and jumped up with joy.

"Yay! Let's go Shadow!" Amber grabbed a hold of his wrist and dragged him over to the ski left.

At the top of the slope, both hedgehogs looked down nervously, although Shadow would never admit he was nervous.

"Well, here goes nothing," Amber said shakily.

"Alright. Let's get this over with." Shadow urged himself forward and over the edge of the slope. Amber sighed and reluctantly followed.

For once, she started off alright. She didn't feel like she was going to lose her balance at all. Amber relaxed slightly and focused on keeping up with Shadow, who actually wasn't doing bad for his first try at all. He managed to keep his balance and keep his skis pointed in the right direction.

Suddenly, Amber lurched forward as her ski caught a rock. She gasped and tried to warn Shadow about her fall, but landed face-first in the snow before she could utter a word. She continued to roll down the hill, suddenly colliding with something somewhat solid. She heard Shadow grunt in surprise as she smacked into him, knocking the two down and sliding them quite a ways down the slope. They landed side by side in the snow, their skis tangled together.

"Ouch..." Amber whined softly. Shadow sat up and rubbed his aching head.

"Well...shit," he cursed, taking note of their skis. "And now you know why I didn't want to ski."

Amber laughed nervously, the aggravation and anger apparent in his crimson eyes.

However, to her surprise, a sudden, goofy smile over took his features. He started off chuckling, but eventually fell back into the snow, laughing loudly. "Wow. Don't we make a great team?"

Amber grinned. "Of course we do! That's probably the only reason why you put up with me in the first place, is because you and I are so alike!"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Typically opposites attract. There's a large flaw in your logic."

"Logic isn't my best suit. Come on, let's go back to the hotel. I think I've had all the fun I can stand today."

X-X-X

Oh hey, looky who made an appearance! XD

Can't forget just what this FanFiction is about, now can I? That would be terrible.

For those of you guys who love Spikes, well, I just hope you don't hate me for later chapters…ehehehe….

I'll have the next chapter up either Friday or Saturday, whenever I can get online. Keep dropping those reviews :D I need them to LIIIIVVVEEE.

Okay. That was a lie. But reviews are nice :)