Hello Readers!

Thank you for sticking with me for 7 whole chapters! I'm surprised I was able to make it so far, but honestly it is all thanks to my faithful readers and my BetaReaders: WolfsLegend, ThisVioletofMine, Depressing Shadows and hscp1! I also wanted to thank all those who reviewed, it always puts a smile on my face: pinksakura271, Depressing Shadows, xXAmberAddilynRoseXx, Amelia Luna Rose, shootingstar4562, and my mysterious 'Guest' Thank you again for taking time to write a heartfelt review, you may not think it but it really helps with my motivation! XD

This chapter has some fluff in it, mostly because it's the calm before the storm! XD Be prepared for what is to come *evil laugh*

As always hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and let me know what you think!

Happy Reading!

All main characters belong to SEGA and some places (Orhiem is of my creation)


CHAPTER 7: A Date With Disaster

Orhiem's FunLand flashed vibrantly over their heads in large, cartoon letters. The telltale sound of the carnival reached over the volume of the gathering crowd. It being the only carnival pier in Orhiem, the line was rather horrendous for it stretched as far as the parking lot and even then some. Amy and her friends had arrived early for this very reason; nevertheless, it took them over an hour just to reach the gates. All the while, Amy hummed to the continuous music and Rouge chattered absently about fashion-she was on the topic of jeans on men now- while Shadow and Knuckles remained silent behind them.

"I have to say, I am glad male Mobians started to wear clothing like those human males." Rouge whispered, glancing at the group of Mobian guys that waited before them.

"I have to agree with that. It adds so much more to the fashion industry, and we don't always have to see them in all their hormonal glory. However, I have occasionally seen them walking around without clothing. For example, Sonic isn't one to normally wear clothes. I think it's probably because it helps him run faster." Amy talked about the blue hero like it was nothing, which made her friends mentally sigh in relief. "Oh, I can't wait to see the rides they have!" Amy said, clapping her hands together as the group of Mobian males in front of them moved up to purchase their entrance ticket.

"I know! I hope they have a screamer!" Rouge said, making Amy's eyes brighten even more. They started giggling, rocking on the balls of their feet.

"What's a 'screamer'?" Shadow asked in a whisper as he leaned over to Knuckles. The echidna in turn looked at him with a boyish smile.

"It's a ride that either goes very fast and twists or one that goes really high and drops quickly. They're designed to make you scream. They're one of the more interesting rides. Rouge always likes to claim she loves them, but she's usually the one that gets too scared and throws up at the end."

That comment earned a stern glare from his girlfriend, to which he just shrugged and winked. She narrowed her eyes but it was their turn in line now, so she whipped her head around to step up to the counter. The mousy employee stared at each and every one of male Mobians with his black beady eyes, frowning all the while. His fur was a dull brown, and the shirt he was wearing was a rather ugly red and yellow striped button up. His name tag read Phil. Phil's judging gaze settled on the large group as he waved them off with a monotonous, "Next." Then his gaze rested on the two females next in line, and he immediately straightened, giving them a crooked smile.

"Hello, ladies, how can I help you?"

Rouge, picking up on his sudden interest, leaned up on the counter, allowing her breasts to squish upwards. Phil's eyes twitched as they tried desperately to remain looking at her face rather than her generous display of cleavage.

"Hello, Phil." She cooed, batting her big, round eyes. Phil blushed and finally, blatantly, looked down to her breasts. Knuckles glared at his girlfriend and the mouse, his namesakes clenching into fists, but his look of disdain went unnoticed, as did the territorial growl that reverberated from his throat.

"My friends and I want to go have some fun in the park, and I was wondering if there might be any special deals going on today." Rouge asked suggestively with a wink.

Amy giggled and swiped some quills that had fallen in her face. The very action sent the rebellious quills flying out in a lovely pink wave, and they settled gracefully just below her chin. This caused the mouse to turn his attention from the bat to her. Shadow's expression hardened and he, too, felt the primal instinct to growl- yet he only glowered in silence. While one female was elegantly sensual, the other was breathtakingly beautiful. The mouse started to sweat uncontrollably from the attention of the girls, and he pulled nervously on his striped collar.

"Well, how many in your party?" He asked, trying to look past them.

"We have four, but we could always use a fifth." Amy replied, catching onto Rouge's plan. The bat gave her a side smirk before looking at the mouse again with big doe eyes.

Phil blushed and said, "For you ladies, today I will give you the friends and family discount-buy two, get two free."

"Aww! Aren't you just the sweetest?" Amy gushed, leaning forward as she pulled her wallet out.

Phil's blue eyes widened almost immediately when the hedgehog leaned over his counter, right next to the bat. He even took the golden opportunity to look down her dress. Shadow growled then and pulled Amy away from the counter. He eyed the sleazy mouse maliciously as he slapped down a wad of Mobian bills.

"Here you go, money for two passes. Now hand them over before I get impatient."

Shadow gave a gruesome smile and one of his eyes twitched. Phil was really sweating now as he took the money quickly, gulping when he dropped one of the bills. He squeaked when he heard the black hedgehog growl. Briskly, as if his life depended on it, he then handed over four bright pink bracelets.

"Thank you. Can't say it was a pleasure to meet you. Hope to never see you again."

Shadow growled, ripping the bracelets from the mouse's shaking hands and grabbing Amy's left wrist, pulling her towards the entrance. Rouge stared after the two, wide-eyed, before Knuckles grabbed her hand, dragging her after the two hedgehogs.

"Jeez, Shadow! You're hurting me!" Amy said as she tried to yank her arm free.

Shadow continued to pull Amy along until they reached just inside the entrance gates. He pulled her wrist up and loosened his hold, but when she tried to yank it away, his grip tightened and he said, "Hold still. I'm trying to put this ridiculous thing on you."

She stopped and pouted as he gently fastened the pink bracelet onto her wrist. Even though he was angry, his movements were soft, and Amy found herself blushing as his fingers brushed against her bare hand. When he was through, his hand held hers for a second before he let go and huffed.

"Thank you, Shadow. It would have been impossible to put that on one-handed."

Shadow grunted an acknowledgement, and went about putting his own on. She watched him patiently until angry shouting erupted near the ticket booths. She turned, not at all surprised to see that a certain hot-tempered couple had started throwing harsh words and gestures in dramatic flare.

"Chaos, Rouge! Sometimes I don't know what the fuck to do with you!" Knuckles said, red in the face.

"What's your problem?! It was just some innocent flirting!"

"That's exactly why I'm pissed! You always do this, and I am tired of seeing other males look at you like a piece of meat!"

"Oh! So if I'm dating you, I can't interact with the opposite sex AT ALL?! Is that what you're saying?! Should I lock myself in a fucking tower to satisfy you?!"

"That's not what I am saying, Rouge, and you know it!"

"Lighten up, asshole. I got us free tickets!" Rouge's wings were spread out in anger, making her appear bigger, and Knuckles's skin was as red as his fur with veins popping out of his neck and forehead.

Amy and Shadow stared at them in horror, both wishing they could melt into the crowd and leave the two to bicker, but Shadow still had their bracelets.

"I don't care if you got us something for free! It's humiliating, not to mention disgusting, to see you like that with another guy!"

"THAT'S IT! I FUCKING DISGUST YOU?! WELL, YOU'RE IN LUCK! I'LL JUST LEAVE YOU THE FUCK ALONE, THEN!" Rouge screamed before she stomped off into the crowd. Amy panicked and almost ran after her friend, but Shadow calmly put his hand on her shoulder.

"Amy, take this," He said, placing a bracelet in her hand. "Catch up with her and help her cool down. I'll text you when Knuckles has calmed. And you do the same. We'll meet up again when they're ready." Amy nodded and looked up at him.

"I'm glad you're here, Shadow. See you later."

She hugged him, surprising them both, but before he could see her blushing face, she ran off after her friend. Shadow stared after her, feeling warm and fuzzy, her touch lingering on his body.

He heard a moan and looked over to see the big red echidna crouched on the ground, muttering angrily. Shadow rolled his eyes to the sky. This was going to be one hell of a day.


Amy watched as Rouge threw up in a trash can for about the third time. As soon as she'd caught up to her friend and handed her the bracelet, Rouge had dragged Amy to all the rides. Knuckles had been right- the bat claimed to love the rides, but her stomach said otherwise. They had gone on about three 'screamers' and already Rouge had puked up all the food from the day.

"I think we should take a break." Amy suggested gently while rubbing her friend's back.

"Nonsense! We came to have fun! And I want to prove to some people that I don't need them to have a good time!" Rouge grabbed Amy's wrist and dragged her towards yet another ride. Amy rolled her eyes, and as they were waiting in line for the fourth 'screamer,' she felt her watch buzz. She flipped it open and saw a message from Shadow waiting to be read.

How's the crazy bitch doing?

A: She's still refusing to talk about Knuckles, and dragging me on all the rides, even though she keeps throwing up afterwards. And don't call her a bitch. She's hurting right now.

S: Well she sure is acting like one. But fine, I will refrain from using such language- for you.

Amy looked at it- "for you." She smiled at the screen; Shadow had his cute moments.

A: Thank you, I appreciate that. How's Big Red fairing?

S: Much the same, although he's starting to calm down. I can assume that's not the case with the bat.

A: You're right about that. I can't enjoy myself with her attempting to kill us both with what she calls 'fun.' With this message she added an exasperated emoji at the end. It took a couple seconds longer for the reply, but when it came she almost burst out laughing at how adorable it was.

S: How the hell did you send a little picture of a yellow human face? I haven't seen that before. Amy let out an amused sound, and Rouge looked over at her, curious. Amy only glanced up to flash a smile before returning to her watch to reply.

A: If you're interested, I can show you later when we meet up again. After that one she added a winking face and a thumbs up.

S: Hmph. Seems interesting. Keep me posted.

Amy smiled at the tiny screen, but her attention was averted when she heard a light cough coming from her friend. She looked up then to see Rouge studying her with narrowed eyes.

"What's so funny?" Rouge asked, tilting her head. She had a guess as to Amy's sudden change in attitude, but she didn't necessarily believe it. Shadow- the Ultimate Life Form- actually holding a conversation over electronics and causing someone to laugh wholeheartedly? Doubtful.

"Uh, Shadow." Amy said, blushing and wisely choosing not to elaborate.

Rouge groaned and rolled her eyes. "You totally like him, don't you?"

Amy stopped dead in her tracks, causing people behind her to barrel into her. She apologized to them and moved forward to catch up with her friend, who had continued on without her.

"Of course not! He was just saying funny things!" She protested, still red in the face.

"Yeah, right. Shadow purposely being funny is not something I've ever heard of."

"Well… Maybe he's changed since the last time you saw him." Amy said firmly. Rouge gave her a skeptical look.

"Yeah, and pigs fly."

Before Amy could argue with her again, it was their turn, and she then realized what ride they were in line for. It was a horror-themed rollercoaster, which meant it went through a haunted house.

"Nope." She said simply. The hedgehog turned abruptly on her heel, trying to flee.

"Amy, don't be a child- let's go." Rouge grabbed her arm and dragged her through the fenced gate and to the graphically bloodied carts that awaited them.

Amy pulled and tried to escape, but to no avail. The bat had an iron grip. Amy loved screamers, but hated horror. She could stand excitement and thrill, but when it involved dead bodies, gore, and- especially- death, she had a light stomach.

Amy watched as though from an out-of-body experience as she was strapped in and held down by her so-called 'friend'. As they moved through the ride, Rouge was laughing and screaming about how the costumes were pathetic and fake, while Amy had her mouth open in a silent scream of terror. Her knuckles were white as she held onto the safety bar. When she tried to shut her eyes, the wind would rip them open.

Once they got off, Rouge went about her throwing up- again, but this time without a friend to rub her back. Amy stood to the side, trembling and on the verge of tears; some of the props had reminded her of her parents' murder.

She needed a distraction. She didn't want to reminisce about that day. Not only that, but she was getting rather tired of being pulled along by an insane bat.

Not wanting to relive another horrific ride or another tug-of-war with Rouge, she flipped open her watch and called Shadow. It took a couple of rings, but he answered with an annoyed, "What?!" Amy could tell he was busy, and almost hung up- that is, until his face softened into concern, and he moved to the side of the busy boardwalk.

"Rose? What's wrong?" His eyes darted back and forth between hers, and his brow furrowed in worry.

Shit, I must look like I'm about to cry. She moved the watch so that she could rub her eyes and plastered a smile on her face.

"Uh, I'm fine. I'm just tired of being dragged around- let's bring these two together and ditch them so that they figure out their issues."

Shadow stared at her suspiciously; he could tell there was something else she wasn't saying, but decided that he would ask when they were alone.

"What do you suggest?" He asked, moving away from Knuckles. Amy could see the red echidna in the background. He was playing one of the carnival games that involved a gun and Eggman-shaped bottles. Amy glanced over at her own companion, who was now leaning against the trash can, panting and glaring at anyone who gave her an odd look. If anything, the bat looked even more irritated than before- which meant they would likely endure more horrific rides. Amy shuddered at the thought and told Shadow her plan.


Shadow shut his watch with a groan. Great. How am I going to make this happen? He thought bitterly. He turned towards Knuckles, who was still trying to shoot all the Eggman bottles, and closed his eyes. He was worried about Amy; she had seemed just fine when they were texting each other not twenty minutes ago, so what could've made her look like she was going to cry?

Paranoia ran amok in his head. What if she'd had an encounter with another horny male, like the mouse at the ticket booth? He felt a growl fall from his lips as the sudden urge to run to her side, overcame him; however, he would have to deal with the dead weight first.

"You've won a stuffed animal! Congrats!" The stall vendor exclaimed, handing Knuckles an over-sized teddy bear. He took it with a slight grin on his face, and suddenly felt two hands grasp his shoulders. Knuckles glanced behind him, glaring at the hedgehog that propelled him to the pier's edge.

"Wha-"

"I've gone along with what you've wanted to do without complaint- now you're going to where I want to go." Shadow said while pushing the big echidna towards the meeting place set by Amy.

Knuckles looked down at the ebony hedgehog and shrugged, allowing him to steer him away from the walkway. When they reached the pier, Knuckles could see the ferris wheel, it was spinning slowly and was painted in bright colors. It was something that a girl would've dragged her boyfriend to, claiming that it would grant their wish of everlasting love.

He rolled his eyes, he could think of a few females that would be all for that. He expected Shadow to to steer him far away from that ride, and towards some of the 'screamers.' But when he felt a push in the direction of the wheel, Knuckles was surprised, and dug his heels into the ground to prevent going forward.

"You want to go on the ferris wheel?" He asked, shocked.

Shadow said nothing, but made a neutral grunt that could've meant either yes or no. When they got there, they didn't stand in the short line, but off to the side. Knuckles looked down on the hedgehog with confused amethyst eyes, only to become more lost at the male's odd behavior.

Shadow was looking around as though he were searching for something, and his foot bounced up and down impatiently. He was anxious to get this over with; one because he would finally be rid of the huge red doofus beside him, and two, he planned on getting to the bottom of Amy's sudden change in attitude. It had become like an unreachable itch, and he hated the feeling.

"Shadow! Knuckles!"

Knuckles' head snapped around, to see a pink hedgehog waving with her casted arm as she dragged a struggling bat behind her. Amy was smiling, but it looked terrifying. They could tell she was on her last thread of patience- her quills were a mess, her makeup was slightly smeared, and her eyes were a little red. Her appearance paired with, what looked like a kidnapping, made both males second guess the desire to run for the hills.

"NO! I don't want to!" Rouge was whining from behind the hedgehog; she started pulling at her wrist trying to break free. Many Mobians stopped to stare at the duo, and a few snapped pictures. Although Rouge was making a valiant attempt, Amy was using all of her superhuman strength to drag her around. The bat stood no chance.

"Fancy meeting you here!" Amy said brightly in mock surprise, not fooling anyone.

"Why are you guys here?" Knuckles asked, raising a brow and glaring at Shadow.

Shadow shrugged and got in line, Amy followed suit with a fidgeting bat. Now that she was closer, Knuckles could see Rouge in all her glory. Her whole face looked as though it had started to melt off, almost like Dorothy had tossed a pail of water on her and she had started to liquefy. Suddenly she stopped struggling for a moment, and her head snapped in Knuckles direction, giving him a stink eye that would make a mother faint. The echidna almost bolted, but Amy pushed Rouge into Shadow, and yanked the large male back into line.

"You wouldn't ditch an injured girl, now, would you?" Amy asked in a dark voice, dripping with honey. She finally released his arm when he stood with a furious glare.

She grabbed hold of the bat again, before she could run away, and stood in line with a gruesome smile on her face. The wait settled in complete and utter silence, moving slowly towards the ride. Shadow was staring at Amy, wanting to speak to her desperately and see why she was so upset. Amy continued her unearthly sweet, unfixed stare at the wheel, her green eyes radioactive with poison. Knuckles and Rouge shuffled awkwardly next to their respective friends, refusing to acknowledge each other's existence.

Finally it was their turn, and when Amy walked up to the basket she shoved the bat inside roughly, closed the door, and held it shut. The ride engineer gave her a look and was about to yell at her, but the hateful eyes that turned in his direction, stopped him mid-sentence. Behind her, Rouge was screaming and kicking the door. Mobians started to gather around the fence to the ride, pointing and gasping at the dramatic display before them. A few recognized the famous heroes, and the crowd instantly went a-buzz with excited chatter.

"Just a moment, sir--" Amy said, unfazed by the attention they were receiving, "There is someone who absolutely must join this lovely lady in her car. Please be patient while I retrieve him. Shadow?" She commanded, giving the hedgehog a knowing look. He nodded and pushed a startled Knuckles forward; when he reached the door to the cart, Amy opened it quickly and shoved him in, just as roughly as Rouge, shutting the door behind him.

"Listen assholes, you two have a pleasant ride. And if you're not made up by the time you come back down, you'll be having a discussion with my hammer. Are we clear?"

Not waiting for an answer, she motioned for the engineer to lift the basket and allow the next one to get ready to for loading. He followed her command; there was something scary about the pink girl, and he didn't want to find out what her 'hammer' was.

Once the basket was safely in the air, Amy visibly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. Shadow looked at her and was about to attempt saying something, but she turned and smiled at him.

"Now, I am getting on this ride and having a much needed rest. I know this sort of thing isn't up your alley so if you choose not to join me, I fully understand."

With a curt nod, she got into her basket and sat on the furthest end, staring out the window. Shadow sighed; she was right about this not being his thing, but he didn't see another opportunity to be alone with her anytime soon.

"You getting in, sir? I do have a line."

Shadow glared at the engineer, who just shrugged, not finding him as intimidating as Amy. Deciding he wasn't worth his energy, Shadow turned and stepped into the car, sliding the door closed and placing the lock in. He sat opposite Amy and flinched when the ride jerked upwards. They were silent for a few minutes, and Shadow took the chance to look around the car.

It had a slightly bad smell to it, puke and popcorn mixing in a quill splitting way. There was gum on the bottom of the seats, and on the sides of the car, where tiny inscriptions, and graffiti were either scratched in or written in sharpie. Some were curse words and foul language and others were couples claiming their 'undying' love for each other.

One in particular caught Shadow's eye- it was a heart with an arrow through it that had Lily + Jake 4ever inscribed on the plastic wall. However, there was a thick sharpie line crossed through it that boldly stated Liar, Cheater with Jake's name circled.

"Guess that wasn't forever."

He looked up to see Amy staring at the graffiti he had been looking at as well.

"Yeah… Well, sometimes people change." He replied simply.

She looked up at him, her red rimmed eyes staring into his soul. It made him catch his breath, and he couldn't look away- those green eyes held him in a trance. Although her makeup was a mess and her quills were going every which way, Shadow was struck with her beauty. After a few seconds, she blinked slowly and sat back in her seat, breaking the spell.

"Sometimes I wish they didn't." She muttered, staring out the window again. They were about a fourth of the way up now, and Shadow took a deep breath before asking what had been on his mind.

"What's going on, Amy? I know you're upset- don't try to convince me otherwise."

She glanced at him, not moving her head, before she sighed and chuckled.

"I can't hide anything from you lately, can I?"

Shadow didn't say anything, but looked at her with questioning, ruby eyes and perked ears. He would wait until she was ready, even if that took forever.

"I hate unnecessary horror." She stated.

This seemed out of the blue to Shadow, who didn't know what had happened earlier. She looked at him and giggled at his confused face.

"You know, you can be really cute sometimes, Shadow." She said, smiling sweetly at him. He was completely caught off guard and it only deepened his confusion. She was jerking him around like a roller-coaster.

"I am not." He said with a tiny glare.

"Oh, right. You're cool, 'cause you're the Ultimate Life Form." She said with another giggle. Now he was getting annoyed, but before he could reply, she looked out the window and continued.

"Rouge forced me to ride on a haunted-house themed roller-coaster." She said with a hard edge to her voice. Shadow got an idea now as to why she was upset, but she was obviously not finished, so he waited.

"I can't stand horror. Never been able to, never will... and she wouldn't listen. Of course, she has no idea why I hate it. Probably the only person who does is Sonic, and he's most likely forgotten by now." She said sadly. She closed her eyes and her body tensed.

"I can't handle it, because when I was six years old, I witnessed Metal Sonic killing my parents." She whispered the words so quietly that Shadow had to lean forward and perk his ears towards her. What she said sent a cold shiver through his body.

He had no idea this girl had gone through something so terrible, and traumatic. She had always been the positive one, the optimistic one of the group- the girl with a huge hammer and matching smile. She was known to be so bright and happy that it sometimes got annoying.

"I can see it so clearly- his sharp hands bursting through my father's chest, my father's last words that he choked out through his own blood- 'Run, Amy. Run.'" Amy's body was trembling now, as she brought those memories to her forefront. But Shadow could see her clenched fists, and knew she wanted to power through, and so he remained still. She took a shaky breath and continued.

"My mother's screams cut short with a sickening thud. His cruel hands as he grabbed me and took me away… people… they know my parents died, but before now only Sonic knew how they passed." She chuckled darkly, and slowly rolled her gaze to meet Shadow's.

"So you can see why horror isn't my thing." After she was finished, she closed her eyes, and slowly relaxed her stance.

Shadow didn't know how to respond- what was there to say? He could understand how she felt- the hopelessness of watching a loved one killed in front of you. How frustrating and heart wrenching it was to not be able to do anything to help them, to not be able to save them. He had gone through it with Maria. He had witnessed her being shot to death in front of him. All he'd been able to do was watch as her shaking and bloodied hand had pressed the button that released and freed him to Earth. Dooming her to a lonely, cold death.

"I understand." Was all he could think of saying. Her eyes opened, jade wet with tears that refused to fall. She gave him a searching look and then her features softened.

"Maria." She said simply, and he nodded in agreement.

A single tear slid down her cheek, and he got up, sat next to her, and placed his thumb under her eye to catch it. She looked at him before resting her head gently on his shoulder. She felt him stiffen instantly, but then his muscles relaxed. She closed her eyes, feeling safe. He didn't hold her or pet her, but he didn't move, either. He just silently became her rock, and she welcomed the feeling of having that strong support.

He's been there for me, he hasn't left me. I feel so safe with him. And now I want him to feel the same with me. I've never shared my pain like this with anyone else before. It's new and scary, but I think I like it.

She wanted to stay like this forever- to feel him underneath her and know that everything would be fine. This type of security, was new to her, and she felt a warmth spread from her belly to her whole body. I'm not alone.

Shadow looked down at Amy- her muzzle was curved into a peaceful smile. Her lashes were moist from Salt water, and her quills shone gently in the light. Her head felt light and comfortable on his shoulder, as though they had been made to fit perfectly.

She started to quietly hum a song he'd never heard before, and he realized that she must be feeling very happy. He blushed and looked out the window, focusing his erratic attention on trying to place the tune. They were now on their descent down, and he found himself wishing the ride would last longer. Only so that I can figure out the song.

When they were almost to the ground, Amy sighed and sat up. She pulled her purse into her lap and rummaged through it before taking out a round disk. She flipped it open to revealing it as a mirror, and, looking into it, she gasped.

"Chaos! I look like shit dragged through a muddy field!"

Her face was so shocked and horrified (even more so than the expression she'd made earlier) that Shadow found himself laughing- actually laughing- out loud. Amy dropped her mirror in surprise; she had never heard anything like it. She looked over, to see him holding his stomach with his eyes closed, as his body shook in laughter. His laugh was deep, hearty, and surprisingly contagious. She started laughing alongside him, and she didn't even know why.

"What's so funny?!" She said through her giggles. He looked at her, trying to calm down.

"You, Amy Rose! You are the most intriguing person I have ever met." He said, giving her a heart-stopping smile.

It was better than any that Sonic had ever given her. It was honest and teasing, and if it had been anyone else she would have been greatly offended by his statement.

"What the hell do you mean?" She asked nervously.

"I've just never met someone who could, so easily, go from completely serious, depressing and having a horrible day, to someone so horrified by their own appearance, it's as though it's the end of the world!" He shook his head, the good-natured grin still grazing his muzzle,

"You've done it twice, and the last time I hadn't seen your face- which, by the way, is priceless. I just find it unbearably amusing." His smile turned into his trademark smirk, and he looked out the window again.

Amy sat, frozen, for a second. Had that really just happened? She hadn't imagined the great Ultimate Life Form laughing, had she? All she knew was that she wanted to hear it again.

"Uh… I hope that's a compliment." She said evenly, and although she couldn't see his face, she saw his body shake in silent laughter.

"Of course." He said gruffly. She stared at him with wide eyes before shaking her head. She didn't want to ruin the moment so instead she pulled out a hair tie and a hankie and set about making herself presentable.

By the time they were ground level, the pink and black hedgehogs had returned to normal. Amy had pulled her quills into a ponytail and had wiped the runny makeup from her face. She had applied new lip gloss- she always carried some with her- and her face had its usual happy smile. Shadow was aloof as always, and quiet. The two looked like nothing had gone on between them.

Knuckles and Rouge, who had been one car ahead of them, were waiting by the exit. They, too, had returned to their normal lovey-dovey selves; Rouge holding the huge teddy bear tightly and Knuckles smiling with his arm around her waist.

"Glad to see you two are being civil with each other." Amy said brightly. Rouge blushed deeply, looking away from her friend. Knuckles gave her a nudge and the bat stepped forward, looking anywhere but the pink girl.

"I'm sorry, Amy. I treated you pretty horribly today."

The bat rubbed her toe in the ground, and her huge delicate ears were pulled back against her head. Her lipstick was slightly smudged, and Amy smirked, knowing that part of their 'make-up' had been a 'make-out.'

"Of course you're forgiven, Rouge. You're my best friend in the whole world, and I can take your abuse when you're having a bad day. Just try to go easy on me next time, will ya?"

Rouge looked up at Amy with tears in the corners of her eyes. She threw the bear at Knuckles and leapt into Amy's arms.

"You are the best friend I have ever had! I was so worried you were pissed at me!" Amy hugged the bat back and chuckled.

"Well, I was a little upset with you, but I've cooled off now." Rouge leaned back and looked at the shorter girl with admiration.

"What would I do without you? I don't think anyone else could put up with my bullshit."

"I'll say." Shadow muttered, earning a firm punch from Amy.

"I'm sure that's not true! You have Knuckles, don't you?" Rouge looked back at her boyfriend with loving eyes.

"Yeah, I do." Knuckles smiled happily, no trace of his earlier anger left. Rouge leaned in and whispered in Amy's ear.

"Well a big part of it is that I give him sex."

Amy gasped and smacked Rouge on the arm. The bat giggled mischievously and hopped back to her boyfriend, leaving two blushing hedgehogs. Shadow was sickened by his ex-partner's vulgar ways. Again he pondered, how in hell had he been able to live with this she-demon in the past.

"Okay, let's head back to the car and get to the nearest theater- I'm tired of this place." Rouge announced, grabbing hold of Knuckles's hand and leading the way. They held hands all the way back, giggles and chuckles floating back in the sweet cotton candy-filled air. Amy smiled as she watched the two; she loved it when couples were happy with each other.

"They may be difficult, but they sure are cute, aren't they?" She asked, looking to her left towards Shadow.

"Humph." He grunted. Not agreeing, but not disagreeing either.

Amy smiled, slipping her arm through his. His hand had been in his pocket, and his eyes widened in shock as he stared down at the pink female. She was blushing and looking away, not wanting to see his reaction in case it was bad. Shadow smirked, removing his hand from his jacket. She jerked away, thinking he was rejecting her touch, but then, to her surprise, his hand grabbed a hold of hers. He held their joined hands up for them to see.

"Is this what you wanted?" He asked teasingly.

Amy looked away, feeling very flustered. As they started forward, Shadow looked at the back of her head, drinking her in. The ponytail was small, but had a cute curl to it, and he liked the way the tiny quills, that were too short, curled up on the back of her neck. With her quills up, he could see all of her mid and upper back. There was a beautiful curve to it that set his heart on edge, and her shoulder blades pushed out gracefully. They slowly moved with her steps, and he had an urge to run his hand from the top of her spine to the bottom, feeling the small bumps and soft fur under his hand. He gulped, not used to these emotions.

Amy was just as aware of the male beside her as he was of her. His hand seemed to cover hers in a perfect way, and she could see the powerful muscles of his arm, tensing and relaxing as they moved through the carnival. She suddenly had an urge to feel his strong arms hold her close to his firm body, and she felt her temperature rising at an alarming rate.

She looked forward and realized that they were getting close to the parking lot. She didn't want Rouge and Knuckles to see them; she knew they would tease the two endlessly. Amy wanted this moment to be special, something they both could look back to. She didn't want it to be clouded with embarrassment and frustration because of their friends.

Shadow felt a little hurt when she ripped her hand from his- he thought she was happy to hold hands with him. It sure was a nice feeling to him.

"Sorry, I just didn't want them to see." Amy said, motioning towards the two in front of them, who were now waiting by the car. Relief flooded through Shadow- so it wasn't because she hated it.

"Smart." He said knowingly.

If they had been caught they wouldn't hear the end of it. And Shadow still wasn't quite sure exactly what he felt for the pink female. Was it still platonic like he'd thought earlier? Or had his feelings grown into something more?

Amy ran ahead to the car and hopped into the back seat. She didn't want anyone to see her face, because right away they would know something had happened. Her eyes were wide and excited and her cheeks, flushed. She couldn't help but feel extremely happy and nervous at the same time. She began to recognize the signs- she was falling for the gloomy prince. It was shocking and scary to her, and although she was excited, she was also cautious. She didn't trust herself.

I just got over Sonic like two weeks ago. How could I already start liking Shadow? Am I just trying to rebound? If that's the case, then I shouldn't pursue it- Shadow deserves someone who will love him completely. Not someone with one foot in the door. But, then again, maybe it isn't just a rebound.

As she was having an internal battle with herself, everyone else had gotten into the car, and they were now headed off to the movie theater. She looked up- she was sitting behind Shadow, and all she could see was the top of his long ebony and red quills.

He turned his head to look out the window, and she could see a sliver of his face. He had on his normal gloom and doom look, and she wondered what was it about him that attracted her. Was it really just because he was a male, and it didn't matter who it was, as long as they helped her get over Sonic? How would she be able to tell? She didn't want to ruin her second love like she had with the first, and she was determined to figure out a way to be sure of her feelings. Because if she really was falling for the dark hedgehog, she wanted to make it count.


"Let's watch Sleepy Knothole! It looks thrilling!" Rouge said, looking up at the movie list.

It was around 5:30pm, and the four Mobians were trying to decide on a movie. Of course Rouge had suggested a horror flick, and Knuckles was down for whatever. Amy was looking troubled- she kept refusing the movies Rouge wanted because they were either horror or very, very gory. She could handle action movies as long as there weren't people getting their bodies ripped apart with guts splattering the scene.

She was about to refuse when she heard a deep growl from next to her.

"No, Rouge. I am not interested in a horror movie or a gory story. Just fucking pick one that isn't going to make us all throw up." Shadow stood with his arms crossed and a red glare on his face.

"Jeez! Didn't expect the Ultimate Life Form to be afraid of a little action." Rouge said, shocked.

"I am not afraid of anything. I am just not interested in seeing poorly-done movie effects." Shadow was definitely now annoyed with the bat, and Rouge just shrugged, stating, "Suit yourself." And proceeded to pick something else off the list.

When Amy was sure the other two weren't paying attention, she leaned over to Shadow, smiling.

"Thanks, Shadow." She said. His ruby eyes moved to look at her, and he just grunted an acknowledgement. She smiled again and slipped her arm through his. He shivered and looked down at her- what was it about her that made his heart beat faster?

They stayed like that until Rouge and Knuckles turned around, holding their tickets- then they separated quickly, both having a blush to their cheeks. Rouge raised her brows.

"What'd we miss?" She asked, her eyes narrowing and ears twitching, searching for juicy gossip.

"Nothing. What movie did you decide on?" Amy asked, skipping over to them to take a look. Rouge kept staring at Shadow, but answered Amy.

"It's a romance, since Mr. Ultimate Scaredy Cat over there can't handle a little heat." Shadow gave her an ugly face and bared his fangs.

"Oh, leave him be, Rouge. I wasn't interested in those movies, either." Amy said while whacking her friend on the arm. The white bat's eyes went huge and she looked back and forth between the two hedgehogs.

"Something's going on. How come you the two are on each other's side?" Amy coughed, Shadow looked away, grumbling, and Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"Come on, babe. Can't two people have the same opinion on something?" Knuckles asked, grabbing his girlfriend by the waist and leading her towards the entrance to the screens.

"Humph. It wouldn't be so weird if they normally saw eye to eye. Which they don't, so I find this extremely suspicious."

"Let it go. Let's enjoy the movie, okay?" He said, pulling her forward as the two hedgehogs followed closely behind, avoiding eye contact. Both of them were thanking Chaos that Knuckles was there- they didn't like being looked at under a magnifying glass.

They got some treats and drinks and moved off to find theater number 6, which was playing their choice of movie, Becoming Happy. The seats were fairly empty and there were only a few couples sitting spread apart.

"The last row in the middle is the best seat." Amy whispered loudly to Shadow, who nodded and led the group up to the area she'd pointed out. He went first, then Amy, and after her came Rouge, Knuckles bringing up the rear. They sat down in that order and waited for the film to start. They sat through a couple of commercials, and when it finally started Amy sat forward in her seat, excited.

Shadow didn't really like the movie much, and started to regret allowing Rouge the freedom to choose. The only thing he liked was the fact that his arm and leg were touching Amy comfortably. He also found himself watching her more than the screen- it was interesting to see all the different faces she made as the story progressed. Her green eyes were wide and focused, and she was so enthralled in the story that she looked adorable with her mouth slightly open.

The story seemed to be about a female fox who couldn't decide which male to choose- she had about three male Mobians trying to date her. So her plan was to go on a date with each one and see who she liked best. To Shadow, this was unrealistic and stupid; he didn't like how the female treated the males like pieces of meat. He could tell, though, that both Amy and Rouge loved the movie. He felt sympathy for his red echidna friend, who was sure to have an angsty girlfriend after this. They would probably end up fighting, like they had at the carnival.

The dark hedgehog looked over at Amy as she laughed at a funny scene. What kind of girlfriend would the pink female make? Would she flirt with other males like Rouge had? No. Probably not. From observation, when she loves something she tends to only focus on it and nothing else. At least, that's how she was with Sonic.

Shadow's mood instantly lowered when thinking of his blue rival. It was no secret that the azure hero could be cruel to Amy, but everyone had been expecting him to come around. Especially in these past few years. Shadow remembered how- about six months ago- Sonic had been hanging out, alone, with Amy, when Shadow had found them.

He'd even seemed pretty annoyed that Shadow had interrupted them, and had wanted Shadow to hurry so that they could get back to whatever it was they were doing. What the hell changed in that bastard between then and now? I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought he was coming around. And if I, who can be dense in social situations, had picked up on it, how would Amy have felt?

Shadow glanced over at his roommate as she stuffed popcorn in her mouth with her left hand, tears brimming in her eyes. He glanced at the screen to see a supposedly 'emotional' scene happening between the fox and one of her admirers.

She was probably expecting him to ask her out, but then he started dating that other girl. I can't even remember her name. I may not like the hedgehog, but I didn't expect him to be like this-- leading one girl on and then switching to another. It seems very unlike him. Almost out of character.

Amy started to clap lightly, and Shadow saw the end credits flow upwards on the screen. Great; he hadn't been paying attention. He hoped that no one would ask him what he thought of the movie, since he had no idea what had happened. Rouge and Knuckles started down their row to exit the theater, giggling and teasing each other, much to Shadow's disgust. He went to get up but saw that Amy made no move to leave- she sat, staring at the screen.

"What are you doing?" He grumbled. She didn't look at him, but she did reply.

"I'm watching the credits. I always do this after a movie. I like to show respect to all the people it took to create something that I enjoyed. You can go ahead, if you like- Rouge knows that I do this, so they're probably waiting outside."

Shadow grunted and was about to do as she'd suggested when he remembered how the couple had been acting. If he were to join them without Amy, he was sure to be witness to all kinds of gross, mushy behavior, and Shadow liked that less than he if he were to stay here with Amy. He sat back down and watched the screen.

He was actually surprised at how many names were mentioned- at one point there were three names listed under Wind Sound Effects. It was something he hadn't even realized needed people to create. It almost became a game for him to find the most bizarre credit he could.

When it was over, he decided it had to be the Toenail Designers. There had been five listed, and he had no idea why they had needed to design toenails, and why they had needed five people to do it. Who the hell had a career in toenail design?

Amy stood and stretched, giving out a yawn.

"Well, that was a cute movie. Although I'm sure you weren't paying attention." She said, giving him a smirk with playful green eyes.

He stared at her with a blank face, and she turned around and started down the aisle, her ponytail bouncing side to side. How the hell did she know? It was starting to frighten him a bit, how well she knew him. The only other person who could read him like that was Rouge, and he didn't like the idea of another female knowing his inner quirks. She turned around at the end of the row and gave him a quizzical look.

"Are you coming?"

When he nodded and walked towards her, she gave him the bright smile that crinkled her eyes. The smile that always made Shadow feel a jolt of affection for the pink female. Then again, maybe it wasn't so bad.