STH © SEGA

Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow

Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask

Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.

This…I can't even say anything for this chapter because this batch itself was a fucking nightmare to write. I apologize, readers. I'm still having mixed feelings about these chapters but it feels right. And if not...I can just make another redo in two years. XD Jk

Chapter Ten:

The Real Monster

Turns out, Shadow and Amy didn't need Sonic to move them closer together.

While Shadow hardly ever moved in his sleep, he failed to think about the consequences of falling asleep next to Amy Rose. She constantly moved.

So, if anyone knew that Amy moved a lot, it wouldn't be strange to see her sprawled out on the couch. The blanket rested over her and her legs dangled over the side. Her nose buried into Shadow's side and his arm hung over her head.

Yup, the sight wouldn't have been weird.

But three of the house members didn't know that Amy moved a lot (it was surprising she hadn't fallen off the couch yet). And Amy was still asleep and probably didn't think she would move around upon shutting her eyes last night.

The basement didn't have windows, so the light never came in that Tuesday morning. But Sonic had smartly turned on his phone for an alarm to wake Sarah up for her job at school. It was almost seven and she was getting ready upstairs—leaving Sonic to watch the humorous display before him.

Looking at the two on the loveseat, Sonic gently smiled.

They actually look calm and peaceful right now…Like an actual couple. I don't see why not. I mean, they've got their differences but those can be worked with and molded if need be. But they also have more similarities than they see.

He watched them still.

At least I think they do.

~.~

A headache. That's what Shadow woke up with.

I knew I should've gone upstairs...Every time I stay down here for the night, my throat hurts and I get a stuffy nose. Ever since the portal that got us to Earth, I've been able to get sick.

It's terrible. How do the normal people do it? Even Sonic catches a cold once in a while.

But when I catch a cold…I can't heal quickly anymore. Damn portal just had to ruin everything.

At least it'd gotten them to Earth. Or none of them would've survived the destruction that followed on Mobius.

Shadow exhaled through his nose, noticing his palm wasn't holding his head up anymore. Instead, he was slouched down even further—something under his left arm while his right felt numb and squished up against the couch and his side.

Red eyes tiredly glanced to the left.

Blinking awake, Shadow gawked at the lifeform that dared to snuggle up against him.

No one snuggled up against Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow the Hedgehog snuggled up against you—if he truly wanted to, which he didn't. So, he never did snuggle. Or cuddle. Or any other term of being close to someone like this.

Amy seemed to be content though.

He lifted his arm off her head and looked up, noticing feet in his peripheral. Sonic stared with a smug look and his arms crossed against his chest. Shadow growled lowly and immediately regretted it. Amy made some sort of whining noise, neither male was sure, and curled up into a ball. She pressed harder against Shadow, lifting her snout onto his bare stomach and tilting her head sideways to continue leaning against his frame.

Shadow gulped as his arm was continuously raised.

Where the hell was he supposed to put it?

He didn't want to wake her up. She seemed pretty happy. And if she woke up angry like the first night…Shadow didn't want to deal with that again. They were already so close—literally.

Her left hand was curled up towards her face and touching his bare side. He regretted only wearing pajama pants, but he hated the pajama shirt unless it was winter. His bedroom was the coldest in the house during the winters and the hottest during the summers. It was spring. Ish.

Why the hell didn't he wear his pajama shirt?

Sonic was still watching with that cocky grin on his face. Shadow didn't want to think about him though. He had to deal with the female up against him first.

Maybe I could move her without waking her up.

Shadow stared down at the pink hedgehog. She seemed so tiny against his bigger self. Not to mention she was curled up in a ball.

Okay. I can't move because her head would move and she'd wake up. So I have to move her first.

The Ultimate Life Form saw no way to do it though.

Unless I just flung her to the other side, make a run for it, and blame it on Sonic if she wakes up angry.

Staring at her still, he liked the idea.

That could work.

"Was not how I wanted to wake up this morning…" Amy droned as her quills stuck out and she listened to Sonic's side of the story. "He really flung me?"

"Like you were a giant spider."

"Huh…" Amy took a bite of her cereal. "Where's Sarah?"

"Left. But she is coming to pick you up after school."

Amy gave the blue blur a confused look as he ambled around the kitchen, looking for something other than cereal to eat. Shadow was still hiding, or possibly asleep in his own bed. Sonic had already fed the animals.

Sonic saw the questioning gaze, "Something about a dress for you."

"Doesn't she have other bridesmaids?" Amy inquired with a little curiosity. It seemed odd if they went shopping solely for Amy. "I mean, her college friends aren't. No one else?"

"The only other female she talks to who's actually organized and helpful is heavily pregnant," Sonic explained while he leaned up against the counter. "She decided against making the pregnant woman feel fatter."

"Okay…So just me?"

"Yep."

"This is going to be awkward," Amy groaned. "I mean, I like her. But I always feel a little out of place when I'm shopping for myself. Now I'll have her looking at me too."

"If it makes you feel any better, Shadow and I can come," Sonic grinned mischievously. "I get off work at five, but I can leave earlier. It's not busy anyway—no farming means no one's broken down, which means they don't need parts, which means I get to relax. Might as well close shop up early and make you feel better about yourself."

"It's not that I don't think I have a good body," Amy scoffed. There was a silence between the two. "Okay, it's a little about that. But it's always with so many eyes watching me. I don't know how I'm going to walk down the aisle when I get married."

"Sarah said that too. So many eyes watching her. She's always been a little self-conscious about her body though," Sonic shrugged it off. "You two have nothing to fear. I'll trip down the aisle when I escort you, Miss Rose. So everyone will look at me. Then you make a dash towards your future hubby. But don't trip or we'll just cause a chaotic mess."

Amy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right. What about Sarah walking down the aisle?"

"I'll just push the pastor gently enough so he'll fall and cause a distraction."

"You're full of ideas." Amy looked out one of the only windows in the cozy kitchen and sighed. "Then what do I do for now?"

"Go back to sleep, watch TV, or plot Shadow's murder. Whichever. But if you plan to do the latter, make sure you figure out how to get into his bank account. The guy's loaded."

Amy scoffed and raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"No. He doesn't trust banks," Sonic concentrated deeper as he stared off into the distance. "But he's been getting a lot of money from the government. Technically, he saved it all up after we saved the planet. I spent most of mine on chilidogs."

"Did you really?"

"Of course not, Ames. What type of person do you take me to be? Nah, I just traveled a bit after the group split. Tails found a job out here as a crop duster pilot. Mom thought Sawyer was a little under populated for her taste so she moved to town. Sonia and Manic went to the nearby college and I caught up with them. Lived with them for a while but I liked the solitude, quiet life out here better. Didn't want to intrude on Tails so I stayed at the motel until it shut down."

"How'd you get to Shadow?"

Sonic sniffed and rubbed his nose. He squinted in thought. "…Hm…Well, I knew he was already out there. Tails suggested the place to him. When I went to travel, places like South America, I asked Tails to keep tabs on Shadow. I didn't want the guy to fall down a well or anything. Never thought Tails would actually suggest Sawyer though. It's good for Shadow, however. The quietness."

He stared at Amy with more seriousness than she had seen from him the entire time she'd been there at their house. "Shadow needs this place. It helped define him. Plus, the farmers around here didn't know who he was at first. Then they just saw him as a hero—like he should've been noticed from the start. The Wilsons were especially nice to him."

"The Wilsons?"

"Big family. They own a lot of land and cattle. The only humans to ever actually give Shadow a chance, despite what he over-exaggerates about, are the humans in this town. The Wilson's family name goes on for generations—they were one of the first settlers in the valley back in the late 1800's. They gave Shadow the land around the house. The house originally was owned by someone else. They didn't farm the land around the house though; they just worked for the Wilsons."

"So why didn't Shadow rent it out?"

"He would've needed help either way, but he likes to do stuff alone. You and I both know that. And so did the Wilsons. Frank Wilson—nice old man—saw it immediately and just offered a cheap price to Shadow. He took it. Within the fourth year the gang had split, he had finally found a home."

Amy shook her head in confusion. "Wait. He's been here for four years, right? And the gang split eight years ago. What'd he do the first four years?"

Sonic only shrugged. Amy frowned and narrowed her eyebrows. "I thought you said Tails kept tabs on him."

"He was around, Amy. The important thing was that he was still alive."

Her eyes widened a fraction. "You didn't think he would kill himself, did you?"

"At times…" Sonic looked away with a look of pity. "You have no clue, Ames. You never saw his face when he was the only one of us to be treated like a villain. Two years—two goddamn years and humanity was so rude to him. At first, it didn't affect him. But then…I remember, one time. We were just dropping by somewhere in Chicago to eat. And these humans come up—adults, mind you—they come up to us and thank us. I was with Shadow, Silver, and Knuckles."

Sonic shook his head as if the memory pained him. "They looked us each in the eye to thank us. About five of them. The last one, some lady, just turned to Shadow and spat in his face." The blue blur closed his eyes, which Amy thought had been watering. "I never saw him heartbroken—still haven't. But I know that's the closest to heartbroken he's gotten. I don't know if I could've lived with that. To be treated like scum when you saved their lives."

Green eyes stared into a darker shade. "We'll never know what he went through. We'll never be able to feel the same, miserable way he had. But the important thing is that he's content here. With people who like him and support him—like the Wilsons, Sarah, me, and you. We are so lucky compared to Shadow. We have so many people who will stop and thank us. He only has us. Even if he won't ever admit it, I know he cares."

Amy swallowed as Sonic leaned fully against the counter, tilting away from her now. She sat back in her seat and contemplated before speaking. "I said some mean things…"

"I heard. You apologized."

"He…" Amy bit her lip in embarrassment as her ears flapped back against her head. "He told you? Was he angry with me? Is he going to kick me out?" The questions piled out before she could stop them, worry laced through her tone.

Sonic cracked a small grin as he shook his head softly once more. "No, Amy. If anything, he was intrigued that someone apologized for their own rude actions towards him. Apparently, no one's done that. It's always one of us apologizing for someone else's words."

"So…He's going to let me stay?" Amy whispered.

"Yeah." Sonic stared at her completely and offered her an encouraging smile. "Yeah, kid, don't worry. You're staying."

Tears prickled her eyes. "I shouldn't have said those things."

Amy collapsed against the counter after moving her cereal bowl to the side. Her shoulders heaved as she cried harder than ever before. The feelings she had kept bottled up were out now. It didn't take long to show them either.

"I hated myself the second those words came out. He's done nothing wrong, Sonic. Nothing. And even I treated him like garbage."

Sonic rubbed her back soothingly after he made his way around to her side of the kitchen table. He scooted the bowl even further away as Amy poured out her emotions.

"He was such a jerk though…" Amy whispered as she lifted her head. She shook her head. "But he was never a monster. A monster would hurt people. He never hurt me. He would never hurt me. But I hurt him. I feel like I just reopened his biggest scar, if not made it bigger. I'm the monster."

"Amy, you are no such thing. Don't talk like that. If anyone's the monster, it's humanity," Sonic reprimanded gently as he continued to rub circles. "He's forgiven you, hasn't he?"

Another cry. "I don't know. He shouldn't, though. Why? Why?!" Amy shrieked against the counter table. "Why did I have to say that?! Why did I have to be like them?!"

She sat up a bit more and coughed as she nearly choked on her spit. Her eyes were red and puffy from both crying and just waking up. Her nose was runny now. And all she could think about was Shadow.

Unfair. That's what she had been. Ungrateful. That was all she seemed like to him. Amy was sure of it. Shadow had his own issues. And the rose hedgehog hated herself for coming in unannounced. It made her sick to her stomach.

"He never got to live like the humans—like us. Now, when he's finally got a chance to…When he finally got comfortable. I waltzed in without permission and threw it back in his face—that the majority of society doesn't like him." Her tears never stopped but they were dying slowly. Sonic could only rub her back like a parent letting their child vent. "Why do I ruin everything?"

"You don't."

"I do. I really do."

"Amy—"

She choked back another sob and hiccupped. "I ruined my career, my life, and now I'm moving on to making others' lives a living hell. I'm no better than what society thinks of him. But Shadow will always be better than me at heart…"

"Amy. Stop. You haven't ruined your life. You've just pressed pause. And you're not ruining Shadow's life or anybody else's." Sonic grabbed her chin so she looked up at him. "You're staying, Ames. That much I do know. Like you said. Shadow wouldn't hurt you. Because you and I both know that he's not a monster."

For what felt like the millionth time, Amy collapsed against something and continued to cry. Only this time, it was a living being. And the hug felt nice after so long. However, it never stopped the tears until she was fully dry of them.

It made listening to those tears all the more difficult for Sonic as he held her.

As a hero and a male, he should've held the lone tear in. But he couldn't.

He let it slide.

Because even though he would never know how Amy or Shadow felt, watching them sink to the lowest point was sometimes just as hard.

But there was one who held the tears in.

On the other side of the doorway, he remained passive, but Shadow felt something he hadn't in a long time. An emotion that developed as Amy's words rammed into him and as her tears made his headache worse.

An emotion that made him want to console her. A feeling that proved he cared about what people said about him or to him. A feeling that didn't make him seem like this stone without feelings.

An emotion that left Shadow very vulnerable. But he couldn't place it. He was too focused on the drumming in his head and the pulling in his chest.

Something in his heart began to ache worse than in his head.

Guilt.

Pity.

Regret.

Sorrow.

Similar feelings that Shadow was going through were what Amy had to endure as well. And as the four drove into town near four o' clock, everything remained silent.

The pink hedgehog was sure Sonic told Sarah because even she proved to be knowing of the situation that was going on between Shadow and Amy. It made the guilt worse. It made her heart ache even more. It made her regret the words she said twice as much. It made her pity her judged host despite his rude behavior earlier.

If only I could change the past. Turn back the clock. I would've never said those things. I just had to open my big mouth. All because Shadow knew I had lost my self-esteem. I just had to get defensive and remind him of something that's been haunting him for ten years.

How can he live with it?

All the glares. All of the milkshakes thrown at him. All of the saliva spat in his face.

I would've gone into hiding. I would've never shown my face to the world every again. Who knows…maybe I wouldn't have been able to find that place. Death would've been my last resort though. I would've gone to Cream or Silver for help. I would've hidden in their embrace like the coward and quitter I am.

But Shadow pushed through like the fighter he is.

She leaned up against the window, peeking to the left occasionally to watch Shadow.

He had remained quiet throughout the day. There were the random sniffles from him and the sneeze that came out of nowhere. The coughs were beginning to build up along the drive to town.

I didn't think he could get sick. Maybe it has something to do with being on Earth…Or the difference between Earth and Mobius? Maybe the portal between the two?

Amy mentally shrugged it off and looked out the window.

It had been a beautiful day, but neither of the two hedgehogs acted as good as the sun had felt. Amy watched TV on the couch and Shadow had remained in his room or in the kitchen. She had purposely avoided him until now.

Sonic had left for work a little while after Amy's cry fest was over. He was a little hesitant to leave the hysterical female, but decided it would be better to give her time to think through her thoughts.

And think through her thoughts, she did.

But it always left to silently crying in the pillow until she could cry anymore.

The only thing Sarah had noted out loud was Amy's puffy and red eyes. Sonic had given his fiancée a look and the two had vanished from the living room while Amy continued to pick out an outfit. Shadow had been in the kitchen and had heard, but the rose hedgehog gave no hint that the remark bothered her.

Instead, if she wasn't thinking, she was sleeping.

Amy had slept through most of the day and most of the car trip. By the time they got into town, she was out like a light.

"Maybe we should've chosen a different day," Sarah mused as she looked at the pink hedgehog sound asleep. She gazed over at Sonic and then at Shadow. Being the blunt female she was, Sarah spoke first in the long pause, "What are you gonna do?"

Shadow looked straight ahead at all times. "I don't know," he said it so it came out as a whisper and Sarah barely heard it.

"An apology on both ends sounds fair," Sarah shrugged and unbuckled. "For now, what do we wanna do? Go home to let her rest or go in?"

The dress shop wasn't welcoming to the males. But they'd driven all this way.

Sonic sighed as he knew the answer. "Wake her up."

He should've stayed home.

But she looked so goddamn depressed…He could hear the soft cries even from his bedroom. While he was surrounded by warm blankets and tissues while watching TV, he had to listen to her cry.

Relief flooded through him whenever they stopped. It meant she was finally asleep. Unfortunately, Amy had slept on and off for the day. She cried whenever she wasn't sleeping or eating.

This damn female is the reason I came along.

She regretted her words so much that she's been crying all day and hardly eating. All she ate was her cereal from this morning, a granola bar after her first nap, and a cheese stick for lunch. It was all liquids mostly. My milk carton is nearly gone.

Shadow leaned back against the couch, not caring that Amy was rather close to him now. Sarah walked through the aisles of dresses while Sonic sat on a one-person couch. He didn't seem to notice the two on the loveseat.

And Amy didn't seem to notice Shadow.

The hoodie on her jacket was hung over her head and covered her face. Her bangs were pushed to the side. She leaned back against the couch and brought a knee up.

At first, it seemed like she was watching Sarah go through the dresses, but it later became clear to the dark hedgehog that she was asleep again.

She's never going to get to bed tonight. She'll be up all night and worrying about her words if I don't say something.

He watched Amy cautiously—as if she were a fragile piece of glass that was bound to break.

But how and when can I say something to her? She's either asleep or crying. And now she's busy with Sarah, or will be.

"What color scheme were we shooting for?" Sarah called from one of the rows of emerald dresses.

Sonic piped in without missing a beat, "Blue."

There was a quiet groan of annoyance. "I knew you were going to say that," Sarah murmured. She appeared not a moment later. "But then you'll blend in with everything."

"That's camo, my dear."

Sarah rolled her eyes but halted midway upon seeing Amy snoozing. She marched over and tapped the rose hedgehog on her shoulder.

It didn't take much before Amy was awake.

She lifted her head groggily. The sight that met her was one of Sarah standing before her. The older female had her hands on her hips. "What color would you like to wear, Sleeping Beauty?"

"Um…Haven't you picked a color scheme?"

"Sonic wants blue."

"What's so wrong with blue?" the hero asked, mainly himself, as it came out as a whisper. "It goes with everything I wear."

"White. We can add some white," Sarah noted. But she glanced back down at Amy. "Unfortunately, you can't wear white and blue doesn't look good on pink."

"Gee, thanks."

"Red?"

"What are we shooting for, the Fourth of July?" Amy's dry tone nearly drove Shadow bonkers. It wasn't like her. This was a different Amy Rose—one he had never seen.

It wasn't the Amy that had changed over eight years. It wasn't the old Amy either.

She was becoming a depressing Amy Rose.

"No, but red looks good on you. We'll go with red. And if people want fireworks in May, let it be."

"May?"

"The date is the only thing we really have planned," Sonic responded as Sarah vanished down an aisle of red dresses. "May 5th. Hopefully."

Amy only nodded. By then, Sarah was ushering her to the changing room with a red dress. Simple and Maid-of-Honor-ish. "Try it on."

The lime green hedgehog sat patiently in Amy's spot. Amy, however, felt a little awkward. The couches were placed right in front of the changing rooms. Anyone could see her feet, but the trio with her averted their eyes elsewhere to give her privacy—though she didn't know that.

She figured one was at least looking. But none were.

Mostly.

Sarah got up as another red dress caught her eye. She had gotten Amy's size while in the truck—it being the only thing Amy would make conversation about. Other than that, the rose hedgehog's lips were sealed tight.

Sonic leaned his head back and got comfortable, closing his eyes to rest.

Shadow would hate to admit it, but he might've been the only one looking at the changing room door occasionally. At first, he looked away and stared at the nearby lamp. But the movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and he seemed to forget that Amy was changing.

He watched as her pants were discarded and her socks magically came off with them. Bare ankles and her feet were the only things that could be seen.

The dark male didn't mean to stare so long.

But it was just her feet after all. They were pink furred, unlike some Mobians that had skin. It was all genetics, he assumed.

Amy hopped a bit once the dress was pooled around her feet. Her nimble hands reached down and pulled the dress up.

So, to say Shadow watched some of it was basically lying. He watched all of it.

Amy walked out rather timidly. Red eyes glanced away just in the nick of time. Sonic opened his eyes upon hearing the changing room door open and nodded. "Looks good."

"I have another one," a determined Sarah broke through an aisle of dresses and shoved one into Amy's arms. "Try this one on instead."

Amy groaned and took the first step of a long journey.

~.~

Five dresses later, Sarah proved to be not only picky but indecisive.

"Sarah, why don't you just ask Amy's opinion?" Sonic suggested with his palm upwards in a motion. "She is the one that has to wear the dress."

"Amy?"

"I don't care for this one," Amy shrugged around in the annoying dress. It was too tight, she could barely breathe. And there was an infuriating bow at the back to tighten things up even more. "I liked the third one. It was simple and red."

"Me, too," Sonic agreed for Amy's sake. He glanced over at Shadow, who was watching the conversation silently. "What about you?"

"They all look the same…" Shadow couldn't care less. The fact that Sonic was actually involving himself in dress shopping was a little weird. But there was no way Shadow would be a part of it.

"Okay, I'll go get it," Sarah waved her off and pushed her back into the changing room. "Sonic, help me find it."

"But—"

"Please? I have no clue where I put it."

Sonic moaned and got up, following his fiancée into the aisle a little ways away. Shadow remained on the couch with his arms across his chest.

Just a few more minutes and then we're going home. I can't take all of this dress shopping in one day. Hell, I can't take shopping. That frappe-whatever was the only thing that allowed me to shop with Amy yesterday and even then, I slept through most of it. That, or I don't remember any of it.

But he remembered all of this and it was boring as hell.

He didn't have one of those drinks either so he couldn't get a buzz and then crash.

"Ow!"

Shadow's eyes went to the changing room door. He sat up abruptly as he watched Amy's feet tangle together painfully. She landed with a thud against the door and groaned.

"Great…"

"Amy?" Shadow stood up and took a wary step towards her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" She was quick to answer him and brush his concern off.

Yet, just as he was about to take his seat again, Amy groaned once more. Having enough of the situation, Shadow marched over to the door and knocked on it.

"Amy—"

"I'm fine!" He never heard the female hiss so angrily at him before. It made him angry. After all, he was only trying to help the hopeless hedgehog on the other side.

"Obviously you're not."

There was a pause and then she let out an aggravating sigh. "The zipper's stuck."

Shadow noticed that Amy had always been able to zip the dress up herself, whereas Sarah seemed to marvel at Amy's flexibility and could never quite do it herself. Shadow figured that was why girls went dress shopping together. Ultimately, one would need to zip the other up.

But Amy had no trouble.

Had she gone shopping alone? The thought made him stop and pity her slightly. Amy had been alone in New York. By the way she talked; she probably had little to no friends. He would be correct. Blaze and Silver were constantly traveling. And Rouge was in Florida. Amy, if she ever went, had gone alone to look for dresses.

Shadow grasped the handle and breathed out heavily. "Do you need help?"

"Could you get Sarah?" Amy wheezed. She was currently grasping the fabric at her stomach and trying to inhale and exhale. "It's too tight."

Shadow's ears twitched in Amy's direction at her tone. But his eyes were searching Sarah. The lime green hedgehog, as fate would have it, was nowhere in sight. He cursed both Sarah and Sonic—they were probably making out in a different changing room rather than actually looking for the certain dress Amy wanted. And the pink hedgehog sounded like she was going through World War III in the changing room.

"She's nowhere in sight. Amy, just open the door."

The rose hedgehog wanted to do anything but.

But as her face became pale, she was beginning to run out of options. She pressed the lock and unlocked the door. Shadow opened the door and slid in before taking in the view.

She hadn't gotten anywhere with the zipper. It still rested near the top of her neck, but it was supposed to go down to her lower back. Shadow swallowed and hesitantly approached her in the medium-sized changing room.

He only prayed to God that Sonic and Sarah wouldn't come back and look under the door. Or else they'd see Amy's feet and Shadow's shoes and assume—most likely—the worse.

Amy was still tugging at the fabric. Shadow noted how the color in her face had vanished and how shaky her movements were. His hands delicately reached the zipper as she turned around fully for him. He worked on the zipper with slow movements.

It was obviously caught, but he didn't know where and how.

Even with a tug, it wouldn't budge. He was beginning to lose patience, but was glad to hear Sonic's laughter from far off. He could care less what the couple was doing, but at least they weren't anywhere near. The damn zipper was on his brain.

Amy began to lean back as she was short of breaths.

She was caught in a strong hold and then leaned back up against the wall. Her cheek pressed the cold surface of the brick wall and she narrowed her eyebrows. Closing her eyes, Amy tried to think. She had to breathe. But she couldn't. The damn dress—the annoying damn dress. It was her size, but it was sucking the life out of her.

"It's not working," Shadow growled under his breath. He was left to yank on the zipper as hard as possible but that movement seemed to make it worse. Finally, he had enough. As if on instinct, his hand reached in his pants pocket.

Amy flinched at the sound of a switchblade. "Shadow," she murmured. "Don't…"

"I have to." His voice was firm and there was no stopping the Ultimate Life Form. "We can't let you go anywhere," he sneered as the knife cut through the stubborn fabric. "You go shopping and run into Samwell. You go dress shopping and a dress tries to murder you."

Shadow was slow in movements so he didn't cut her or ruin the dress even more. He got to her shoulder blade length and halted as his knife began to cut something he didn't want it to. The back of her bra was almost sliced. He gulped nervously as his fingers pressed against it. He resituated his knife and inhaled.

"Looks like we'll have to keep a better eye on you."

"I'm…a nuis…ance," Amy gulped for air.

"Shut up." Shadow gritted his teeth as he sliced quickly this time, avoiding her body. Amy flinched. The dress was cut. The knife stopped where the zipper did. He stepped away as Amy seemed to cling to the wall. "You're not as big of a nuisance as Sonic."

Her breathing became even as he helped sit her down on the bench in the changing room. Shadow leaned up against the mirror and watched her, slipping his switchblade back into his jeans. "You live with us now. That doesn't mean things will be perfect. It's been rocky to begin with, but that's how it started with Sonic."

Amy slowly glimpsed up at him with her green eyes. She gripped the dress to herself, leaning towards her knees. The back opened up a bit more because of the movement, but neither seemed to care or notice.

Shadow hastily set off to the door and opened it only enough to slink through without anyone noticing. But Amy interrupted him from doing so.

"So, you're not throwing me out? After all the harsh things I've said?"

It was there that Amy was met with warm, red pools staring at her. "Believe it or not, Rose. But I've been told worse."

He left without another word and without another glance. The door clicked shut but remained unlocked. Amy curled her feet up to the bench and her knees to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin in the middle of her knees.

A little smile erupted on her muzzle.

He called me Rose.

The nickname had become a sign of Shadow's emotions. If the Ultimate Life Form never showed his feelings through his face, he proved to be good at showing them through his words.

Rose, to Amy, meant she wasn't on his bad side any longer. It meant he was either tolerating her for the time being, or he was somewhat fond of her. Maybe it meant that he actually liked her as a housemate.

Still, the name she rarely heard had a meaning that was very clear.

He's forgiven me. There's nothing to fear.

I'm still staying.

The torn dress became a mystery to Sarah.

She didn't want to pay for it and neither did Amy. The lime green hedgehog held it up and glanced at Amy questioningly. "You mean, it just ripped? In a nearly perfect, straight line following the zipper?"

"What? You've never had that happen before?" Amy shrugged innocently. Neither have I, but please don't question it Sarah.

Thankfully, Sarah copied Amy's movement and waved the entire thing off. "We'll just leave it for them to find for all I care. It nearly suffocated you?"

"I was left to rip it."

Sarah raised an eyebrow again and stared Amy up and down. "You're that flexible?"

"I was a fighter," Amy lied with a small smile on her face. "My specialty was my hammer and my flexibility."

"Okay…"

Sarah walked away with the ripped dress. Amy breathed out in relief and shut the changing door, walking back out with her bag and regular clothes on. She stopped almost instantly at the sight before her.

Sonic had his hands wrapped around Shadow's throat as they both wrestled on the loveseat as quietly as possible.

Amy saw no workers in sight, so she swiftly went over to the awkwardly quiet fighting males. "What's going on?"

They ignored her as usual.

Sonic growled with a deadly look in his eyes. "You can't keep it in your pants now or what?!" he hissed silently at Shadow.

"I didn't—"

"You disgust me right now," Sonic snarled and pressed harder. "I know what work from a knife looks like—especially from you! Straight and neat—I bet you enjoyed it!"

Shadow squirmed underneath him as he clawed at the tight grip around his throat. This must've been like what Amy felt like with the suffocating dress. Only it wasn't her friend trying to kill her and it wasn't around her throat—not to mention, she didn't have nails digging into her neck.

"Guys! Stop it! Sonic, nothing happened!"

The cobalt hero loosened up a centimeter and Shadow took the advantage, flipping Sonic off of him and onto the floor. Sonic rumbled crossly at Shadow and vice versa.

Amy groaned in annoyance, puffing up her bangs. She walked between the two and put her hands on her hips while staring down at Sonic. "Although, I'm flattered that you care for my wellbeing, nothing happened. Shadow merely saved my life from the cursed dress."

The two breathed heavily as Amy stood between them. She gulped unsurely. "Are we good now?"

"Fine." Sonic put his nose up and got up off the floor. "But if he ever—"

"Got it," Amy interrupted the male. "Now, can we just go home?"

Sonic folded his arms and Shadow remained on the couch. The former sniffed stubbornly. "Sarah's busy getting the dress you wanted for the wedding."

"Alright." Amy took a cautious seat on the one person couch that Sonic originally sat in. He still stood.

"Who's all coming to the wedding?" A sudden thought sparked in her head.

"Our relatives," Sonic stated with a shrug and he leaned up against a column, "Tails. Shadow. You. Why? What's with the sudden interest?"

Amy paused and thought her idea through. If she pressed the matter too much, Sonic might become annoyed and kick her out himself. But how would he take it? Would he think it was a good idea? She exhaled lightly through her nose.

You'll never know if you don't ask.

"What about our friends?"

Sonic raised eyebrow. Amy licked her lips and whispered, "The team?"

Both males before her were frozen in place. Shadow stared at his shoes. Sonic stared at her. They were both in a state of contemplating what she just said.

"Like…" Sonic blinked in confusion, "The team? Knuckles?"

Amy nodded and gave him a soft grin. "We could get Silver and Blaze here. Cream—Shadow said Tails knows where she is. Knuckles, Rouge, and—" The rose hedgehog stopped short.

"And?" Sonic narrowed a brow. "That's the group, Amy."

"Right," she nervously responded. Her fingers clasped together tightly in her lap as she avoided Shadow's calculating gaze. "I was just thinking—"

"What do you know?"

The voice was Shadow's—Amy knew that without looking at him. But the tone intimidated her so much that she actually shivered in her seat. Slowly, green eyes peered over at the bolshie hedgehog.

"What?"

His eyes were emotionless, which probably meant he was thinking. He had sat up and was closer to her now. He tilted his head in question and curiosity. "You weren't spewing out names. You knew exactly what you were saying."

"Shadow—"

"I might've been adding a few more friends," Amy interrupted Sonic. The one at the column stood straighter now and was leaning towards Amy in caution. "They aren't a part of the team, technically speaking."

"I can talk to Sarah, but most likely they'll be welcomed," Sonic shrugged. "It would be cool to have the team back together, I must admit. Still, random strangers we don't know are a little different. No offense, Amy, but it's not your wedding."

"I know," she was quick to apologize. "I'm sorry."

"Technically speaking." The intimidator spoke again. His eyes never left her figure as he quoted her. "That would mean they're somehow affiliated with Rouge or Knuckles—or both. Who are they?"

"They're…" Amy bit her tongue.

Rouge is going to hate me, if not kill me.

But as her eyes met Shadow's, she couldn't help but think it was now or never.

Take a breath, Amy. It might be the last one you get.

They might as well know, she figured. But she never found it her place to tell Rouge's secret. Plus, it was never easy to talk about.

Here goes nothing.

"They're Rouge's kids. Rouge was raped five years ago."