Blah, I hate getting sick over and over again. It really pisses me off. Damn the flu to hell! Ahem, yeah, that's the main reason why I haven't updated in a while (besides too much homework again). But thank god I didn't have the swine flu, just a cold. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

"I saw him! I swear!" Sonic broke free from the guards and looked around angrily.

"What are you talking about?" one of the knights asked.

"Uh-oh", Amy said in thought. Sneakily, she took off her ring and hid it in her mouth and turned around.

"He was here, I swear! After him!" the prince yelled again.

"Miss, did something happen here?" another knight looked at Amy.

"Well…I was sitting at the folly, minding my own business, until I heard Sonic screaming. When I came here, I saw him swimming in the fountain", the princess told a lie while making sure she doesn't choke on her ring.

"Why you… (Hiccup)", Sonic held his head and fell back.

"Oh dear", one of the knights said as the group caught him. The prince let out another hiccup and fell asleep. "Red wine", the same knight spoke. "I can smell it from his breath."

"Hopefully we won't get in trouble for this", a younger knight said nervously.

With that said, the knights carried the drunken prince back into the castle. Amy hoped that Sonic won't remember what happened tonight. If he did, then things would get out of hand. While no one else was around, Amy took the ring out of her mouth and wiped the saliva off of it. She stared at it with joy and a bit of uneasiness. Of course, she would cherish it with her life, but if her father or anyone else saw it, then she would have to get rid of it and may be forbidden to see Shadow again. Hopefully, nothing like that would happen.

"Sister!" Lily called out for her.

"Uh-oh", Amy said and quickly hid the ring back in her mouth. She looked back and saw Lily and her mother standing at the garden's entrance. "What is it?" she asked.

"We are leaving now, Amy", her mother replied. "All I can say is that your father and Aleena have gotten a bit carried away with the red wine."

"So Sonic wasn't the only one?" Amy thought oddly. "Well, at least his mother won't have to know what happened earlier."

So far, tonight was not that bad. Sure Amy did have to deal with Sonic for a little bit, but she was able to spend her time with Shadow. Plus, she was glad to leave the kingdom, since there was nothing else to do there. What surprised her was that through the carriage ride, her father was drunk and continuously said ridiculous things to everyone. As soon as they made it home, Melissa helped her husband to bed, Lily went to her room, and Amy rushed to her room and made sure that the door was locked and everything was clear.

Once again, she took her ring out of her mouth, wiped the saliva off and puts it back on. Through her trip back home, she didn't talk to anyone but only nodded or shook her head when her mother asked a few questions. Nonetheless, no one was suspicious. The princess walked out the balcony and found Shadow leaning back against a wall with his arms crossed, looking like he was asleep. Carefully, she shook him a little until he woke up.

"Have you been sleeping here?" Amy asked.

"Only for a little while", Shadow replied as he turned to her. "Did anything happen after I left?"

"Well…Sonic did try to tell his guards that you fought him, but I stood up for you and lied to them saying that he was just fooling around in the fountain."

"Did they believe you?"

"I…I really hope so. Besides, they figured out that Sonic was drinking too much wine. What's better is that his mother had a lot of wine as so did my father. So it's not a problem now."

"I see."

Amy chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. Shadow could tell that she has never lied before and wondered if she did a good job. Regardless, the two were together again at the same spot. Calmly, Shadow came up to Amy and pulled her close to his body. Amy gasped as that happened.

"Shadow?" she blushed.

"Now, where were we?" the black hedgehog caressed her left cheek.

At that moment, Amy remembered where they left off before they were interrupted. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and waited for her kiss. On the other hand, Shadow wrapped an arm around her waist and kept his left hand on her cheek. He leaned slowly and placed his lips upon hers. Amy opened one eye and realized that this moment was happening. Her first kiss. She closed her eye and stood on her tepee toes whilst pressing her lips deeper upon Shadow. He responded by deepening the kiss, not wanting to let her go.

Sometime later (God knows for how long), the two departed and stared at each other. Even though they only shared one kiss, it felt like it would last forever. They would cherish this moment for as long as they live. Nothing can compete with the affection they have for each other, not even Sonic could make Amy this special.

"That was…" the princess spoke.

"…wonderful?" Shadow smiled a little.

"Definitely", Amy nodded. "Shall we do it again?"

"Of course", the male hedgehog said in a whisper and then pulled her into another kiss. This time, he felt Amy's arms wrapped around his neck as his were around her waist still. Gently, he titled his beloved's head to deepen the angle of the kiss. Moments later, they released one another and panted softly.

"That was great", Amy smiled. "We should do it again next time."

"Agreed", Shadow replied. "I'm afraid I cannot stay long. You had a long day and I need you to get some rest", he took one of her hands with kindness.

"I understand", the princess looked at him romantically. "Will you give me a kiss goodnight before you take off?"

The black and red hedgehog answered her question by carrying her in bridal style. Amy giggled as she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled against his chest. Taking his time, Shadow reached to Amy's bed and placed her on it and tucked her in. After that, he kissed her lips tenderly, admiring her taste once again. Before long, he departed his lips from hers.

"Sweet dreams, my love", he said. He took another rose from his front pocket and placed it in the vase. After that he made his way out.

"Goodnight, Shadow", Amy smiled as her eyes closed slowly.

Shadow looked back at the princess and noticed that she has fallen asleep. To be honest, he thought she looked beautiful when she sleeps. Quietly, he walks out of her room, closes the curtains, and jumps to the roof. Then afterwards, he takes off once again to make his exit. While he was dashing through the garden, a small smile came up on his face.

"Yes", he said confidently.

OMG, so sorry that I haven't updated in a long time. Homework was not the only problem, I was busy all week with cleaning the house and I had a birthday party on Saturday night. However, my birthday's on the 14th of this month, and I'm turning 18! W00t! Anyway, R&R, and take care! And let me ask you guys a question, is the weather getting cold where you live? Because it's like 30 degrees where I live. Not kidding!