I feel I am now at the right place to let you know I am working on a follow up to this fiction, and the first few chapters are posted. It is set 14 years after these events, and concentrates mostly on Shadow, but Sonic and Amy play a huge part. It's called "The Dangerous Innocent" and as it refers to scenes in this chapter, I suggest reading this first.

Anyway, back to here. This chapter was hard to write, my weaknesses show through in parts and it eats at me. The premise will not change, but it may get a tidy up later. I have not forgone my promise to resolve the Staci arc, that will come next chapter.

Thanks so much to my reviewers, and to all who are sticking with me. Once more into the breach!

Sonic et al belong to Sega.

The wind picked up in the short time it took them to reach the village. Cloud cover had buried the sun and it was dark though it was mid morning by that point. The villagers were appearing from everywhere and the girls met up with Tails and Knuckles. A few wore coats but the vast majority were either wrapped in blankets or nothing but their own arms. Amy handed out what she had to hand.

"Where's Sonic?" Amy immediately asked as she reached the guys, kicking herself for asking after him too readily.

"I helped him back to my place," Tails replied, "he can't stand for very long yet. Without any power though he's going to get bored."

"No power?" Amy mumbled.

"Didn't you notice? It's been out for hours. We were just in the middle of a Monochrome the Monkey marathon when..."

Amy didn't wait to hear any more before she stormed in to City Hall and made a beeline for the Mayors office. His door was wide open and as she permitted herself entry she was able to confirm what she feared the most. The Meroki crystal was gone.

"Oh Amy Rose! I'm glad you and Sonic are here! You see..."

"Somebody took the crystal. We've lost our power. It's getting colder outside by the minute and people cannot heat their homes."

"I was going to say that! Wait where is Sonic?"

She stood before the hole in the wall that housed the Crystal. They had only found the village a new one a couple of years previously and it was set to power the village for years to come. As her friends followed her in they too understood the perilous situation they were in as they clocked the missing artefact.

"Did the retailers take the crystal too?" Sticks asked.

"Retailers? Oh no," replied Mayor Fink, "it was Shadow."

Amy burst out laughing, "That's almost as nutty as the retailers theory."

The Mayor remained sour faced, "He was seen leaving through the front door. I'm sure it was all caught on camera too, but of course with the power out we can't check."

Amy scoffed, "In the middle of the night, someone is sure they saw him sneak out the front door with the crystal? What would he even need it for?"

"A black figure was seen sneaking away. Who else do we know who is black? Last we knew, Miss Rose, Shadow was working with Doctor Eggman and that traitor Staci. He could be doing this for either of them."

Of course Amy wouldn't have any of it, but she couldn't tell the Mayor the truth about Staci and Shadow. Instead she tried a different angle.

"Reliable witness?" she asked, addressing the Mayor.

"I am not at liberty to divulge that information," he replied, fidgeting with his collar.

"We have bigger concerns," Sticks called from the window, and they all walked over to stand by her. The sky was now black and snow had started to fall in heavy sheets.

"We need to get everyone in the hall!" Knuckles called, running out of the room, "warmth in numbers!"

They all jumped in to action. Tails said he would go fetch Sonic, but Amy's mind was racing and she didn't really hear him. Most of the villagers were running their way anyway, and the more able bodied were searching the homes of the elderly and anyone with young. Visibility was getting worse by the minute and the cold was painful against her exposed limbs. Her senses were on high alert and she could just about make out the shapes of her team mates running through the village. They had come across snowy weather in the past, but never this close to home and never on this level. She had clothing at home more suitable to this kind of weather, but at this rate she may never find her way back there.

"Chumley!"

Usually the voice of Lady Walrus was nothing more than an annoyance, as was her youngest sons ability to get him in to danger. But in this weather, it sent a colder chill up her spine than the snow. He was still only a toddler and very much in danger. Amy called in to the bleak sky for Lady Walrus to go back inside, and that they would find Chumley.

She could hear four other voices calling out for the child. At most there should have been three. Sonic was in no state to be outside.

She buzzed his communicator, "Sonic, get to City Hall, we'll find him."

"He needs finding," came his blunt reply.

"You are hurt," she snapped in to her device, "we don't want to have to look for both of you."

"No, I'll bet you aren't keen on doing that again."

She opened her mouth to respond angrily, but a hard gust blew so hard it caught her air supply off for a second. Her heart began to race with adrenaline and shock as she heard a creak cut through the whistling winds. It started as a heavy groan but once the sound of splintering wood joined it she knew what was happening. Her eyes scanned blanketed sky for the sight of the tree falling, and towards the Library she saw the outline of it rushing towards the ground. The sound of it's impact thundered all around her, but even that could not drown out the sound of Sonics cry of pain.

She pushed against the blistering cold towards him. The outline of Knuckles and Sticks became clearer as they approached the chilling groans of agony. Her heart was in her throat, but the odd curse mixed in with his yells were at least a sign he was alive and had his wits about him.

His blue finally showed through the driving snow. She could see his leg was trapped beneath one of the branches of the fallen oak. Chumley was sat to the side of him, looking scared and confused. Amy knelt by them both and scooped up the child, holding his trembling body close. Sonics eyes were clamped shut.

"I got this!" Knuckles cried over the howling winds, and he furiously dug away at the ground below Sonics trapped limb. Sticks put her hands under his armpits, ready to pull him free when given the signal.

"Where's Tails?" Amy cried.

"He's back at City Hall I think," Sticks yelled back, "it will be chaos back there. Get Chumley to safety!"

"But...Sonic..."

"Go!" Sonic snapped, turning sharply to her. His face was contorted with the pain and the sharp kick of the wind, "These guys can get me out. Get the kid out of here."

"But you're going to need hospital treatment," she snapped back, "and we don't know how much back up power the doctor has."

"Amy! NOW!"

She raised to her feet and ran. Chumley held on to her for dear life and this small act was the only thing that could break her away from her fallen partner. The snow was already so deep she waded the rest of the way.

Tails met her at the door, ushering her inside. He threw a blanket around her shoulders and prised the baby walrus out of her arms.

"Well done Amy," he smiled, "Sticks just beeped me, they got Sonic out and they'll be back any minute."

Her smile was weak, but she had faced a lot in a short amount of time. Strong as she was even she must have had her limits, they all did. He carried Chumley over to his Mother, and once he got the local physician giving the baby the once over he headed back for Amy. He knew the situation was looking dire but with Zooeys caring nature and basic nurse training they would be able to keep everyone safe for now. A storm this strong could not last.

Before he could find her the door burst open and in staggered his other three friends. From their extremities he could tell it had only gotten colder and those who could provide medical care rushed about to get them looked after. Sonic was in agony and given painkillers right away. Knuckles had scooped up Sticks and had wrapped her in to a bear hug and try and warm her up. Even with all the villagers in one room like that they cold seeped in. They were only lit by lanterns and even the mildest expression of fear was heightened in the poor light.

"Amy?" Sonic called, the haze of drugs now kicking it, "is Ames back?"

Tails smiled at his fallen companion, "She and Chumley got back fine. Just rest for a bit, she's probably off investigating the crime scene."

Sonic nodded and conked out. But as Tails searched for Amy he began to get a strange feeling in his stomach. As much as Blue could be reckless, so too could the rose. He tried to reach her communicator but she was not responding. He passed on his concerns to Knuckles and Sticks.

"She looked as white as the snow when she was with us earlier," Sticks mused, "that was a pretty nasty noise coming out of Sonic."

"They've barely spoken since he went in to those woods," Tails added, "he hasn't really been himself. I know he doesn't want to push Amy away, not really. But when she got mad..."

"She turned in to Amy," Sticks interrupted, "and even now when he's told her he doesn't want her she's out there in this frozen hell, no doubt worried about his medical care."

"I'll find her," Knuckles said, proudly puffing out his chest, but Tails shook his head.

"Look at your communicator. It indicates the weather is dropping by the minute. It's not safe for any of us to go out there. The only one quick enough to chance it, was Sonic."

They all looked at each other with blank faces. It was quickly dawning on them the gravity of the situation.

"She'll have just gone home," Knuckles said, nodding his head, "Can't leave behind her healing crystals, am I right?"

"Not the time Red," Tails sighed.

"Sorry. Not the time to force a laugh eh?"

The fox froze, "Force...force...oh I am such an idiot!"

He quickly brought up the tracker on his communicator. Blue Force One had been installed with a tracking device years ago and even through the storm he should have been able to bring it up.

He did, and much to horror it was moving. Not only that, but Amy's little pink dot was riding on top of it.

"She's gone looking for another crystal," Tails whispered, his stomach dropping through the floor as he racked his brain for something in his inventory that could handle deep snow and strong winds. There was nothing. Amy was in terrible danger and they couldn't do anything to save her.

An all too familiar feeling.

Her wonderful, cosy little home was so cold she could have cried. The icy temperatures seem to draw the happiness out of everything it was touching. Regardless of whether or not it would pass quick, they needed power right away. It wasn't just that Sonic was injured and needed x-rays, there were villagers, young and old, who would already be struggling. They couldn't warm themselves with just the blankets and clothing they had. Small fires could be contained inside but they would not be enough.

There was no way Shadow was the culprit, but there was no time to try and find out who it was. She would have to go back to the Temple and try and find another Meroki Crystal. The Ancients ran their civilisation on them, they had unknown power, they would have had more than one stored away. She would take Blue Force One and find her way up the mountain, dig out a new crystal, and be back before anyone had to succumb to the frozen storm battling down on the village.

It only briefly crossed her mind that the two events were too close to be coincidental. The cold was already affecting her thought processes, so before she could regret her decision she buttoned up her ski gear and headed out.

The world was white. The wind felt like it was stripping her fur off her skin. How could such a vibrant, beach side paradise have been wiped off the face of the planet in such a short space of time. Even in her boots the snow was a struggle, and by the time she neared Sonics hut she was already reaching exhaustion. The ocean crashed violently against the shore, but the blue waters were thick and sludge like. She looked out to the horizon and wondered how Eggman was coping. There was no safe way to get to him now.

As she passed by the doorway to Sonics hut she paused. It was deserted of course, virtually empty even when he was there, but it conjured up a thousand memories. Their first meeting as children, their first awkward kiss, many many fights, and most recently where he had pushed her away.

She shook her head. Tears would be a dangerous thing to shed in this weather, so she set about digging out Blue Force One. By some miracle Sonic had kept it covered and once the blanket was off she settled in to the drivers seat. After some calculated button pushing, the machine around her warped itself correctly, and she set off for the mountain.

The weather was treacherous when they searched for the crystal before. Back then they could have powered through on foot, but as she found once behind the wheel that weather had been nothing. The snow covered mountain was horrendous in it's regular state, but as she was finding, in a storm it was deadly.

Outlines became vague shapes, shapes became nothing and soon the world around her was pure white. Her eyes stung in the biting wind and even the thick scarf covering her nose and mouth were covered in icicles. Had seen been able to see anything, or even been able to feel the change in surface below the wheels, she may have been able to avoid her terrible fate. As it was, there was no time to react after a sharp crack pierced the air. Like broken glass, the frozen lake below her cracked in to a thousand pieces, and she was dragged in to the black, icy depths.

Even the Ultimate Lifeform had his weaknesses, and his was lying half frozen in his arms. Until he had marked her he had no idea how strong that bind would tie him to her. No matter how far he got from her he felt the uncontrollable pull to come back to her. He needed to protect her, to hold her. He had wanted to for months, but now it felt like he would break in two if he didn't.

The storm had caught him off guard. He was inexperienced with snow, but with his instincts he had begun to close in on her. It was easy enough to teleport to the places he already knew but he had not found her in the village. Her footprints had been buried under the snow but his instincts were on the mark.

He heard the ice crack before he had seen anything. He had been flying high, fighting against the painfully cold gusts, but at that sound he dived and followed his heart. The water was so cold even he had felt his vision go black for a moment, but he reached in to the depths and found her hand all the same. She cannot have been in the water for more than half a minute, but she was not awake. Her breath came out in ragged gasps as her body fought against the weather.

She was too weak for him to teleport them to the village. It was a shock to the able bodied, in her state the action might very well kill her. The area around them was a white out, but he saw a speck of black against the backdrop. A cave, his cave, not ideal but at least a place he could shelter them and bring her back from the brink. He could feel himself starting to weaken but his resolve to keep her safe was keeping him going. For now at least.

He glided over the snow, the white powder melting under his rocket shoes. The temperature was so low it froze again almost instantly. As he made it to the mouth of the cave he was relieved to see the soft, pink glow of the Ancients marking was still present and he carried her deep inside. There would be no wood for kindling and none could be dried effectively. They were out of the wind, and as the cave went deep down they were warmer than the surface. As best as he could he blocked up the entrance to the cave to but a barrier against the icy blow. The storm would pass soon enough. He had already tried reaching his teammates, but there was only a static crackle to be heard. All the same he set the headpiece buried in his ear in to Emergency mode. It would continue to give off a distress call.

He took off her dress carefully, making sure it hadn't frozen to her fur. It caught on the bandage on her shoulder, and he carefully peeled the whole thing off. The bite wound was deep but it was healing well. He removed her boots and stockings, replacing them with his own shoes and socks to at least try and cover her a little. Lastly he replaced her sodden gloves with his own. He didn't feel comfortable doing this without her consent, but she was in more danger lying in wet clothes. He lay back and rested her still trembling form on top of him, wrapping his arms around her tight.

His ear twitched at the sound of her whimpering in her sleep. There was one place he could not protect her, perhaps the one place he still haunted her. He could understand why that blue fool wanted to experience what she had been through, but while Shadow had confidence she could fight her demons he hadn't been so sure about Sonic. His fears had been justified, but he did not hold it against the faker. Just as Shadow had always known fear, Sonic had never faced loss. Somewhere in between the two of them stood Amy Rose, capable of facing her inner demons but also of living a content life.

He wanted her, but he did not wish his life on her. Much as it killed him inside to admit, she belonged with Sonic, and the fool had made it clear he couldn't live without her. If he was aware of how close he had come to losing her, to still losing her, he would snap out of his selfish attitude. Shadow knew Sonic still perceived him as a threat, and it must have seemed justified when he had lost his mark on Amy. Of course Shadow had not tried to bite her that hard, but perhaps his animal instinct had won. Part of her would always be his after all.

She stirred, her hand tugging lightly at his chest fur. She tried to lift her head but he held her down gently.

"Don't waste your energy Bud, lay still."

"Sha..dow," she whispered, her voice juddering as her jaw shook, "what...hap..."

"You were stupid is what happened. What were you doing out in this weather? Everyone else has stayed sheltered."

"Crystal...stolen...Sonic...hurt...he needs...hospital. N-n-n-no power!"

A voice in the back of his head was trying to speak, but he pushed it to one side as Amy curled in to a foetal position. She was still so cold to the touch but too weak to move. He rubbed her back, and pulled her up closer so her nose rested against his neck. He needed to feel her breathing, and he leaned his cheek against her forehead. Her scent, even now, intoxicated him.

"They will all be fine. The storm will pass. Once it's safe to take you out there I will get you home."

She nuzzled against him, "Our home."

He didn't understand her meaning, and he didn't want to encourage the conversation in a way that would take advantage of her weakened state. She belonged in the village and he did not, that was the way of it.

"Shadow?" her tiny voice asked?

"I told you not to waste your..."

"Wh-why didn't...you w-w-want to k-k-keep me?"

His hand stopped still on her back. She didn't move or even open her eyes, nothing to indicate she was even aware she was speaking. To answer seemed such a painful process when they were both already suffering so much. To answer and not be able to run away almost made him angry with apprehension. But they were bound, not just by the temporary mark, and perhaps he would ease his soul to do what he feared.

"Because it would be keeping you. You did not want to stay, and I accepted that. You...belong with him."

"H-he p-p-pushed me...away!"

"He's a fool who got scared. When he finds out you ended up at the bottom of a lake trying to help him...he will forget his childish pout. And you will be happy."

She let out a long moan, as if a ghost was escaping from her, "I want you happy too."

The tension in her body was gone and she was asleep again. He took comfort in the feel of her breath and her heartbeat, now stronger than they were. As strong as he was he too was fighting the effects of being in the icy lake, and soon enough he too had fallen asleep. For a frozen moment, they looked like two lovers passing the night in each others embrace.

Something they would never be. Loving her was far too foolish.

That was how they were found. Knuckles smashed through the rock, a thick layer of ice making the task harder than usual. The white bat that had led them there squealed with delight and soon he was cracking stone like it was chalk. He really wanted to impress her.

She had flown in that morning, along with military men. The villagers had only known Eggman, so when a dozen humans in military uniform had burst in they all tried to flee. Rouge, the pretty white bat, and flown above the crowd and bellowed for them all to hold still. Knuckles had fallen in love on the spot. As the humans had brought in supplies, Rouge presented them with their missing crystal.

"Oh it's such a pretty rock," she had sighed in a sultry voice, "but for the greater good I will give it up."

Sticks had jumped in to fight mode, "And why do you got it, Toots? Was it you who stole it? Who are all these guys? Are they all related to Eggman? I knew this storm was a plot by the corporations. What kind of brand is G.U.N?"

Knuckles had pushed forward and taken hold of Rouge's lovely, long fingers, "She means no harm, she's just a little coo-coo. How may I be of service?"

The bat had smiled, "My my, I was told you were an idiot, but what a tall, handsome idiot you are. I need you and your friends to come with me."

"I'll do anything for...the one who brought back our crystal," Tails added, beaming a goofy smile at her. Sticks and Zooey had both growled. The white bat winked at both of them, squeezing her cleavage together.

"Good. I got a distress call from Shadow, but I can't reach him on his communicator. If he's here, he's probably with that Rose."

They didn't need asking twice after hearing about Amy. They had spent the last day waiting for the storm to die down enough to go out after her. Or at the very least hear from her. After the signal from both her communicator and Blue Force One had vanished, they feared the worst.

With Sonic still doped up and broken they went without him. The military men loaned them a couple Snowmobiles, and Knuckles had jumped up behind Rouge while Sticks and Tails followed on their own. The sun was beaming down on the white snow, and the bat had trouble seeing so she let Knuckles drive. At least that's why she said she swapped positions, but Sticks noticed she seemed to rather enjoy wrapping her greedy arms around the echidna.

"That's one way to keep warm, I guess," Rouge had smirked when they found the sleeping pair.

"Don't be stupid!" Sticks snapped in return, "Look, her clothes must have got wet, they're frosted over. This is the best way to preserve body heat!"

"I'll bet," the moaned, "how about it handsome, fancy a cuddle?"

"IthinkIcoulddothatMiss!" he had cried a little too eagerly.

"Knucks don't you dare! Get them bundled up and back to the Doctor."

"Both of them?" Tails asked uneasily.

"Leave Shadow to me," Rouge smiled, patting Knuckles on the forearm, "I'm going to get him back to headquarters. Take that pretty pink girl back, but don't go forgetting me. I'll be back soon enough."

Sticks snorted, "Who said we want you back?"

Rouge laughed as she eased Shadow to his feet, "I've got a lot to clear up honey badger. Somebody wanted your whole village to perish last night. Aren't you the least bit interested who?"