STH © SEGA/Archie
Sarah & Wilson Family © Cozy Shadow
Flame, Petunia, Jeffery, and Sunny © Phantomask
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WARNING: Chapter title is deceiving. XD I apologize in advance - this chapter is a little...odd paced, you could say. I intend on doing flashbacks with Amy about Cream next chapter (something I normally find myself doing, or at least did awhile ago) because of the lack of importance Cream is to this story now. *sweat drops* My bad.
Chapter Twenty-One:
A Reunion of Sorts
Shadow had to admit that this new female wasn't half bad at farm work.
It was dustier than usual as Manic swept the tractor shed. Sunny was organizing Shadow's tools in his toolbox while happily humming to herself. Her cheeriness reminded the bolshie male of Amy.
He mentally tried to shake the thoughts, but the rose hedgehog popped into his head. And then what happened at breakfast…and then Silver's words.
Animal…
A frown calmly placed itself across his muzzle.
It was true. Shadow thought more about it – figuring out he had used dominance over Amy to get not only her moving, but everyone else. Silver had seen right through it though. Something in Shadow said it wasn't good that another male in the house spotted the dominance move for it could cause rivalry.
Rivalry to what? This was where Shadow remained perplexed. He could tell he was more animalistic than the others around him. Sonic sure as hell didn't act overly possessive of Sarah – until last night.
He replayed how so suddenly Sonic switched from gripping Sarah too tightly around her wrist to growling at Shadow like he was an enemy. Shadow himself could recall feeling slightly peeved at the way Sonic held her too tightly.
Perhaps with the accumulating amount of house guests, we're becoming more feral. No. It's something else. I could have sworn something almost tugged me towards Sarah. Just like something tugged me towards Amy when she was on her period. Only nothing about this tug was sexual. And Sonic didn't seem to respond harshly like I had tried to make a move on Sarah.
It was almost like… Shadow furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. Something was in need of protecting.
That was as far as he could think. He couldn't describe the way it felt. It didn't have any words. But the thought of being more animalistic than the others…intimated the Ultimate Life Form.
What if that meant he was more prone to lose control?
What if Amy was still around after Sarah and Sonic moved out and he lost control when Amy was in heat again?
Shadow tried to not think of the scenario. He didn't want to intentionally hurt the young rose. She was full of flaws like the rest of the household and yet for some reason, he found himself closer to her than the others.
We've created an odd bond of sorts.
He recalled the night they had "made up." It was hellish waking up to hear Amy screaming bloody murder. It had brought a heart attack upon him, he was sure. Waking up to a scream like that…it had been years and back in Mobius. What made it worse was that he had instantly known who the screams were coming from.
Shadow hadn't taken long to leap out of bed and race downstairs before Sonic could even open his bedroom door. Something had told him to hurry the hell up. A small little pang in his chest tweaked when he saw her curled up on the couch in a fright, shaking like a leaf. An instinct within him, now known as his animal instincts, told him to protect the lovely flower. Even in that instance he saw Sonic as a threat, but he did his best not to show it.
"I wanna make a truce. And a pact. Between you and me."
He stood in the shed, remembering her words while Manic and Sunny continued about their jobs, completely oblivious to the over thinking Shadow in the corner. On his stool, he leaned against a metal work bench.
"A truce?"
"I'll do my best not to insult you when you aggravate me, and you do the same for me. We become friends – or at least tolerable of each other in the nicest way possible."
"And the pact?"
"We help each other move on with our lives. And if one of us is falling into a relapse, then the other is there to help – no matter what's going on."
He had leaned in towards her at that moment. He could remember the moment perfectly as she had blushed. Shadow had watched her sink back onto the bed.
Sitting at the stool now, the dark blur almost smirked.
Realizing his effect on the pink hedgehog, Shadow had found himself trapped in a place he didn't want to be.
"And what makes you think I'll agree to either of those things?"
"Because we're more alike than you think, Shadow. At least, we understand one another. Sonic and Sarah can't understand you like I can. That and…"
"And what?"
Shadow had been genuinely curious. Her embarrassed look had caught his attention quickly and something told him to pry.
"And I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose anyone."
In that moment, Shadow figured out where he was for sure. He had stared at the female next to him in awe, despite the obvious fact that he would never admit it. Yes, he had admitted in his head more than once that Amy was alluring. And tolerable. And available.
And a small part of him, a more touchy feeling part that was used to staying hidden and unused by its owner, had surfaced. From the time Shadow and Amy first slept next to one another, and Shadow could only stare at the beautiful sleeping figure…that small part of him knew.
Being just friends wasn't going to be easy. Especially since the sudden idea of Amy leaving and finding herself that sappy romantic ending caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.
The tiny, powerful, and unknown feeling from that night was resurfacing with a vengeance.
And it had shown when he kissed Amy on the forehead last night.
I had to turn away just so I could think straight. I was in a daze or something, I'm sure. Shadow tried to wave it off as he thought, still seated on the stool. Hopefully she didn't think much of it.
A small spark ignited in him with curiosity.
Did she think anything of it? He closed his eyes. No, Shadow. No. Stop it. You're falling for everyone's words right now. Sonic's. Even Frank's. Ugh, Frank.
Why did that old man have to know so damn much just by looking at Shadow? He could instantly tell that Amy wasn't the normal "friend," no matter whose friend she really was from the beginning. The black hedgehog had tried his best to wave off Frank's words. But the human proved smart with his years and gray hair. Shadow narrowed his eyebrows again in deep concentration.
So many people were trying to play matchmaker, it seemed.
What do they see? When I'm standing next to Amy Rose, how does that scream compatibility? How do they see any potential for a loving and trustworthy relationship between the two of us?
What are they seeing that we're not?
He was confused beyond words and actions and anything else combined. Love was a mystery to the Ultimate Life Form – that was no guess.
But he was curious.
What did they see? And why didn't he or Amy see it?
It's not like the idea of settling down scares me. But people would be judgmental.
Amy's words were brought back to life.
Even if I could give the people a reason to not fear me, what then? I doubt they'd all accept me with open arms or at least welcome mats. Shadow scoffed in doubt. Amy still deserves better. Not the likes of me. The sooner I get rid of this growing, itching, obnoxious, warm feeling – the better.
"Hey, Shadow?"
His train of thoughts derailed. Staring into the dark eyes of Manic, Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"You okay?" Manic held the broom to lean against it. "You were mumbling a bit there. Couldn't catch a word of it though."
Sunny sat on the work bench not too far away from Shadow and offered him a grin. "We're all done, by the way. Anything else you need help with?"
"No," Shadow stood abruptly and dusted himself off like he had been doing all the work. He was about to leave but turned to Sunny. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Sarah said how exhausting it can be. I can relate to it. Or I could have a long time ago," Sunny laughed halfheartedly and softly as she tried to ease the tension, "Back on Mobius."
Shadow hummed and turned before catching Manic's gaze. The dark hedgehog sighed and stood in place. "I'm assuming you want to say something?"
"Yeah. What's up with you and Amy?"
He gritted his teeth while Sunny made some sort of noise. Turning, red eyes glared into the soul of Manic the Hedgehog. "Why didn't you visit?"
It was silent.
Any jest in Manic's question was completely gone. Any humor in the younger male's eyes had vanished. He remained stoic for some time as Sunny looked at anything but the two breathing beings in front of her.
"I couldn't bring myself to do it," Manic finally answered. "My mother was our rock. She held us steady. And for us to suddenly wake up one morning to find that she was…losing memory…"
"You were preparing for the worse?" Shadow guessed.
He shrugged. "Something like that. Having your mother forget who you are isn't the best thing in the world, ya know?"
"I wouldn't know the feeling."
Manic flinched. "I'm sorry, Shadow. I didn't…" He groaned heavily. "It's difficult to explain. I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of my mother slowly forgetting who we were – and then she just couldn't do the things she used to love doing. It was heartbreaking. And the best way I could deal with that…was leaving." He swallowed. "I wanted to visit. Especially when she landed back in the hospital. But work really has been dragging me down as well as my selfish actions and emotions."
"You couldn't bring yourself to visit your own mother in fear of breaking down yourself?"
"We're losing her, Shadow." Manic shook his head slowly as his eyes seemed to water – but Shadow couldn't quite tell. "It'll only be a matter of time. The portal did something to her, I swear it."
"You don't think it's just old age?"
"She was perfectly fine before the portal," Manic seethed through his teeth. "And then whatever the hell happened – it…it started to take over her brain. Everything started to deteriorate. It was like erasing memory on a drive and you couldn't fix it."
"Alzheimer's affects many, Manic," Shadow twisted to face him completely. "The portal isn't there to blame without proof. Your mother isn't getting any younger."
"Then what do you suggest I do?" he nearly hissed in annoyance. "I've tried to cope, but I can't find the peace I'm looking for. I still have that fear that one night I might get a phone call saying she's passed away from another tumble down the stairs because she forgets they're there. Or that she got into a car because someone wasn't looking after her. Hell, with Sonic acting like this, I might not ever get that phone call!" Manic eyes were surely watering now, but he was mostly frustrated.
Shadow clasped a hand on his shoulder. "Running away from the situation was all you tried to do. Perhaps that's not the best thing to do. If you want to prepare for this, or have closure, you might want to start with explaining this to your brother."
"But he'd just –"
"Sonic will come around eventually." Shadow let go and turned towards the side door. "Your mother isn't dying, Manic," he added before opening the door. He twisted the knob and caught the breeze from outside as he glanced back at the young and lost hedgehog. "She's recovering smoothly. There's no need to act like she's on her deathbed. Aleena still has plenty of life left in her, despite not remembering things."
He was about to go, but could sense Manic's doubt all the way from the door.
"I'm the Ultimate Life Form. Trust me on these sorts of things."
"I don't recognize her."
Amy was vaguely listening to the fox as the trio sauntered towards Cream and another Mobian girl. The rose female was too caught up in the dream.
It felt so real…The baby – my baby.
"Who? The chick beside Cream?"
"Yeah," Tails wondered out loud as Silver was the only one keeping up with the conversation. Amy was slowing down, "Ames, you with us?"
"Huh?" she shot her head up and mentally shook the dream out. She had to focus on reality. A dream was just a dream. "Right, I'm coming!" Quickly, she caught up with the two males.
"Maybe she's secretly an FBI agent," Silver went back to the unknown girl next to Cream. They were nearing the two, but not within earshot. School had just gotten over with and students were filing out of the big school.
"Sure. Maybe she wants to recruit us for a top secret mission," Tails snorted. "Or draw DNA samples to create clones."
"Could you imagine?"
"What - another you?" Tails pretended to shudder, "Dear God, no."
"No - two Blaze's," Silver sighed romantically, although his face expression shouted perverted thoughts. "Could you imagine?" he repeated but with more humor laced through his voice.
"Ew, stop," the fox chortled. Amy was walking beside him on his left, closest to the parking lot while Silver trailed almost on top of the grass voluntarily. "I don't want the image in my head."
"Something tells me it's too late-"
"AMY!"
Silver and Tails both stop joking as soon as a rabbit zipped by and hugged the life out of their Amy Rose. They both blinked with blank expressions of 'What the hell just happened?'
The white hedgehog turned first and saw something peculiar. Weren't these two supposed to be fighting? Or something? Amy wasn't happy with Cream. Cream wasn't happy with Amy.
Yet here they were.
Cream giving Amy a death hug and Amy…
Silver raised an eyebrow.
Amy's clutching onto her like she's the most important thing in the world right now.
It was true. One hand was gripping Cream around the waist as her other hand clutched the back of Cream's head as if to burrow her in Amy's chest. The motherly instinct arose in Amy as soon as the rabbit tackled her in a hug.
Perhaps her thoughts on the dream hadn't subsided completely.
Her mind played as if Cream were the infant in her dream. Slowly, Amy came back to reality as Cream pulled away with a soft grin on her face. Amy returned it.
"You look beautiful," the rabbit whispered.
She had grown too. Cream's hair was longer, now falling to her mid-back. She had grown taller over the years, but not as tall as Amy. Her ears were longer. Her body had definitely matured as well.
"As do you."
Cream blushed and laughed it off. "I want you to meet my friend!" She tugged Amy's hand and brought the rose hedgehog to the mystery Mobian girl.
Amy looked her up and down while Silver and Tails stood behind her. Cream grinned at the bobcat waiting to be introduced. She had big, round glasses on, and when she smiled she showed off her braces. "This is Meg! She's one of my best friends!"
Something should have sparked in Amy – told her that she was Cream's only best friend. But it didn't. That spot was replaced with some bobcat named Meg with goofy glasses and probably straight A's for grades. And Amy didn't mind.
She had Silver the Hedgehog. It was nice just to see Cream not down in the dumps or completely angry with her. That or it was all a façade. Amy was still keeping her guard up just in case.
"Hello," Meg waved slightly. "I'm a big fan."
Amy smiled widely. No wonder Cream brought this friend out. Who knows how many the rabbit had? Or didn't have? It didn't seem to be a big deal if this Meg girl was Cream's friend. She appeared to be genuine.
"Hi. Amy Rose," she brought out her hand and shook it with Meg's. Silver and Tails did the same after her. "This is Silver the Hedgehog and Tails Prower."
It was probably clear that Meg knew their names if she was a fan, but Amy introduced her friends formally anyway. She turned to Cream. "Is Meg going to be hanging out with us?"
"No, my brother should be coming by-" the bobcat was cut off by a deeper voice.
"Megan, let's go." Another bobcat, probably a senior, walked down the sidewalk from the school's front doors with his bag over his shoulder.
He halted upon seeing Amy and raised his eyebrow. Making his way over, the tom smirked. "Who's your friend?" he gave Amy a nod.
While Silver and Tails gave each other a look, Amy opened her mouth to speak. The bobcat whistled, cutting her off as well. "You're not from around here, are you, good lookin'?"
Amy gritted her teeth when suddenly Cream bolted forward and glared at the senior daringly. "She's not interested, Paul."
"Yeah," Silver suddenly coughed from the back. "You don't recognize her?"
The bobcat raised an eyebrow at Silver – as if the white hedgehog was an idiot. "I think I would remember a pretty face like hers-"
"She's Amy Rose, numbskull," Silver finished – not caring if he cut off the guy's lame attempt to flatter his best friend. "The hero?"
Paul grew quiet as his face turned to stone. His cheeks flushed a great amount as he stared down at Amy. The rose hedgehog fidgeted under his awestruck gaze. Silver noticed Amy's uneasiness and decided to "help" further.
"You might remember her boyfriend as well? Not Sonic, but the other darker one. Yeah, he doesn't like it when people stare at her."
Amy blushed herself, but her face also turned red with anger.
Oh, Silver just had to take the moment! I'm going to kill him!
"I don't see him here," Paul suddenly seemed to gain confidence back and neared Amy. Purring, Paul seemed to whisper only to her, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind sharing."
"He does in fact mind sharing," Tails joined in. "Shadow is very, very, very, very, very possessive of things. Most importantly Amy. Remember Christmas Eve, Silver?"
"Yeah, that poor guy didn't make it through the night."
"What-what poor guy?" Paul questioned nervously as he stared between Tails and Silver. He could sort of call the heroes, and he knew which one they were talking about now that he had a face with a name.
"Well, reports say he magically flew out a window," Silver started, noticing that Amy was close to bursting in rage. "He did not get what was on his Christmas list that year – let me tell you."
"Yup," Tails put his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. "Simply wanted one dance with the lovely Amy Rose but went a little too far and – splat. He went from a dance party to a hospital surgery in a matter of seconds."
"Seconds," Silver echoed with a nod of his head.
Paul scoffed. "Yeah, right. Why haven't we heard about something that serious then?"
"We managed to keep it on the down low," Tails answered. "But trust us, when we tell you this –"
Silver wrapped an arm around Paul's shoulders. "Shadow is always watching. You think you can mess with him? You better think again."
"You so much as speak to her and he remembers your face."
"He figures out your name and address later on though."
Paul gulped as the two continued talking. Everyone knew Shadow's past life – everyone knew he had worked for G.U.N. and probably had good resources. Paul didn't want to be visited one night by the Ultimate Life Form, however. He didn't need to see an angry male in his doorway.
Paul chose life.
"I didn't mean any harm…" he backed away, getting out of Silver's hold. "C'mon, Meg."
He grabbed Meg's arm and tugged her as she quickly said goodbye to Cream, who had stood and watched in wonder.
"Well, that's over with."
Not two seconds after Silver got the words out was Amy's hand wrapped around his throat. "Hey, hey, easy! I've got a Blazey Wazey to return home to!"
"You couldn't think of any other idea but that one?!"
He was silent and rather smug. "Nope."
"UGH!"
"Amy?" Cream whispered and the older female turned about, raising any eyebrow in question at her. "Are you and Shadow really dating?"
"No, Cream. Silver and Tails are being like everyone else and saying we are when we're not even remotely attracted to one another," Amy answered, although more than half of them knew it was a lie.
Silver recalled the drive as did Tails. He was still unsure about Shadow actually being in Amy's life, but if Tails thought Shadow was good for Amy and vice versa, he figured it was worth a shot.
Amy knew she had lied because she had admitted herself that Shadow was attractive – or at least had good qualities.
The dream was still fresh on her mind; as if Shadow's gentle touch from the dream was still casting a spell on her.
Amy blushed at the thought but tried to wave the entire situation off. "Let's go, shall we?"
"Where to?" Silver shrugged. "We just came here to pick up cargo," he pointed at Cream.
The rabbit glared slightly as Amy pondered. Cream turned to her old friend with a sweet gaze that Amy still wasn't sure was real or not, "How about a bookstore? It's my favorite place to be at – it's got a nice coffee joint too if you're tired from the drive. We could catch up there before going to my house for dinner. What do you say?"
Tails shrugged, finding it slightly awkward to be in Cream's presence after all this time. Amy offered her a warm smile. Silver groaned in a heavy exhale, but the rabbit and female hedgehog were already headed down the sidewalk.
The fox stopped short beside Silver. His eyes narrowed at Cream's back as the two ladies continued to walk ahead of them towards Tails' truck. Amy led the way. "Something isn't kosher here."
"I was about to say the same damn thing."
Brown eyes stared tiredly at the fax paper.
Spam. Spam. Oh, look – another spam.
The fax machine was literally useless in Sarah's life. She was a teacher for preschoolers for God's sake. Why the hell did she need a fax machine right next to her computer? It took up valuable space on her desk.
Amidst her routinely timed complaints, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Ms. Hutchington?"
"Yes?" Sarah shot up from her slumped position in her comfy chair.
The secretary from the office had poked her head in, but why? She hardly ever visited after school hours. School had ended thirty minutes ago. The clock ticked almost four in the afternoon.
Wherever Amy's at, it's the same time. Sarah wondered how the rose female was doing. She had never met Cream the Rabbit in her life – but Sonic held a grudge against the rabbit just like he held one against his little brother. And we still need to work that situation out.
"I need to run over to the high school real quick, but there's this little girl whose mother is normally late picking her up. Can you watch her until I get back, please?" The secretary was human and taller than Sarah, but she was still intimidated by the preschool teacher.
It was times like these that Sarah regretted becoming a teacher. She hated kids most days.
"Sure."
But a kid that was late being picked up? What kind of parent did that on a daily basis?
Sarah followed the secretary down the hall and towards the front door. Sure enough, a small pink hedgehog sat on the bench by herself. The secretary reached out to grasp Sarah on the shoulder, but remembered last minute the private teacher didn't like to be touched by strangers. "I'll be back soon," she said instead and walked quickly out the front doors.
Sarah watched her leave so rapidly. Sighing, she turned her attention to the young girl on the bench. She had to be about first or second grade – but Sarah didn't remember her. Wouldn't she have taught her just a few years ago?
I remember plenty of kids. I have a good memory. Sarah pondered. But I don't remember her.
Sitting down beside her, Sarah debated on making small talk with a small child.
"So…Is your mother normally this late?"
"Hmhm."
Sarah leaned back against the wall and watched as the little girl swung her feet.
She was a lighter shade than Amy with blue eyes. Her quills were long for her age and straight – they'd probably grow out like Silver's long quills. She was dressed fairly normal, minus the odd bracelet around her wrist with dates on the leather part.
"Why is your mother so late?" Sarah spoke again.
The child only shrugged. "We live near the edge of town. That's what she says."
Edge of town…meaning they either live in the direction of the mountains like us or they live further towards the south where the sagebrush is. Either way, it's either fields or more fields they'd be surrounded by.
The only place populated with houses was in Lenore. That was five minutes tops from the school.
"We're the closest school to you?"
"Hmhm."
Sarah sensed the girl was uneasy next to her. She didn't blame the child.
I'm not particularly easy for kids to get along with.
The door opened and Sarah figured the secretary was back. Instead, she was surprised to see another pink hedgehog – only it wasn't Amy. She was a lighter shade as well and with lighter colored green eyes that were fixated on her child.
"Rosemary, sweetie."
The girl's head popped up and she ran to her mother as Sarah stood. The mother glanced up and warmly looked at Sarah. "Thanks."
That was all she said as her and Rosemary walked out. It really was a normal routine for the mother to be late to pick up her child. Sarah didn't like children, but even she'd be on time to pick her kid up from school.
But that wasn't what got to her.
Never before had she seen a pink hedgehog until Amy Rose walked in. And then suddenly another pink hedgehog that looked slightly different and had a child came forth.
A while passed and so did many notions.
The secretary came back later as Sarah remained standing in the hallway. "Are you okay, Ms. Hutchington?"
"Who is her mother?" Sarah pointed at the front door, although the pink hedgehog was long gone by the time the secretary arrived back.
"I think her name was Rosy," the secretary went into the office and checked the sign in/sign out sheet. "Yeah, she checked her daughter out last week at one. Signed it Rosy Rascal."
"That's an odd last name," Sarah snorted.
The secretary took a moment. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Hm, no…Nope, that name – you sure you never heard about her from your boyfriend?" The human was aware Sarah Hutchington was the same Hutchington dating Sonic the Hedgehog.
"He never said anything. Why?"
"She knew Sonic," the human recalled. "I just can't remember how, but Rosy Rascal sounds very familiar with the heroes' names. They're tied somehow, I'm sure."
"I'll ask."
The secretary nodded but locked the office door. "Principal left early tonight. I'm leaving now – thanks for watching her. You good?"
"Yeah, fine."
Sarah didn't care to watch as the secretary left. She didn't even remember the human's name. But Rosy's…Sarah would remember that name.
I have to ask Sonic about it. Now that I think about it, the kid kind of looks like Sco-
An annoying ring in her pocket filled the hallway. There was a specific ringtone for a specific person in Sarah's life – and that was her mother.
She cringed as she answered the call. "Yes?"
"I called this morning! Where were you?!" her mother's yell came off to Sarah as tiring rather than angry. But it was normally how her mother spoke to her – in a shrill voice that snapped back at anyone.
"I was skydiving. What do you think, Ma? I was at work," Sarah hissed.
"Don't get sassy with me, young lady. We've got a lot to talk about since you texted me last night. What the hell are you even talking about?! You know how angry your father is right now? He won't even talk to me - that's how angry he is with you."
"Sorry to disappoint you guys."
"This is serious, Sarah. As soon as we get there, we are settling this."
Fear gripped Sarah as something tightened in her throat. Her hand lightly skimmed her stomach as she glanced around. No one else in the hallways.
"When will you get here?"
"Soon. We'll be flying in – should hit that town you say you have to shop at or whatever."
"Alright. Bye, Mom," she stated, wanting nothing more than to hang up on her own mother.
"Sarah, wait!"
Putting the phone back to her ear, Sarah swallowed her disgust. "Yeah?"
"Is the wedding still on?"
"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" She glanced around the hallways just in case for a second time.
"Well, your father only dreams. As do I some nights. Have you told Sonic?"
"No." Sarah clenched her jaw at the thought. "Listen, Mom, I've got to go."
Quickly, without having to hear her mother's annoying voice again, she hung up.
Never before had she endured sweeter silence.
It was chilly out – but it was one in the morning. Technically, the alarm clock in Shadow's room had shined 1:37 a.m. It was probably almost two by the time Amy grabbed Shadow's jacket and met Silver outside on the porch.
The two shared their warmth while seated closely together on the porch chairs.
She could faintly make out her own breath every time she exhaled. The others were asleep. She had quietly walked in and out of Shadow's room to grab a long sleeved shirt from her suitcase – which she may or may not have permanently placed in his bedroom.
The male hadn't even stirred.
Which was either a good sign or a bad sign.
"I'm not gonna lie," Silver spoke without a whisper, "that wasn't how I thought it would go at all…"
Amy smiled softly and leaned against her best friend in comfort. "I had a feeling she would ask time to talk to Tails. But she just…wanted closure."
"It's nice to know someone her age asked her out, though. I thought for sure you two would be so surprised at how much each of you have changed and then a big cat fight would break out and all this drama," Silver sighed as he trailed off. "It's almost a disappointment from what chaos has been erupting here."
"No kidding," Amy laughed lightheartedly. She heavily exhaled through her nose and closed her eyes. "Dinner could have gone better."
"Who would have thunk a rabbit and a crocodile could have a child?" Silver snorted. "Crazy to see Vector again. Less crazy to see those two married. I mean, honestly, didn't Vector have a huge crush on her and he was like, what, thirty?"
Amy let out another laugh, greater this time and with more emotion. "Sammy was cute, though."
"Sammy was cute. And hungry most of the time," Silver glanced at his fingers. "I can still see bite marks."
"Well, don't put your hand near sharp things."
Silver scoffed in humor. The two quieted before Amy wondered out loud, "What do you think's going to happen with Tails and Cream now?"
"Not a damn thing. Whatever they had ended," Silver responded. Tails hadn't told Amy about his almost-girlfriend from his business class. "I don't have much right to say, but long story short, Tails has moved on. And it looks like Cream has the chance to do so, too. Let's not ruin it for either of them, alright?"
"I like to meddle," Amy pouted in a joking manner.
The white hedgehog gently smirked. "Sometimes, we have to learn to let things go. Keep the more important things."
"Blazey Wazey is important, no?"
"Absolutely."
Unbeknownst to them, another figure was there.
On the inside of the house, listening through the front door, Shadow stood still and didn't make a sound. It was either to not let Amy or Silver hear…or it was to not let the feline sleeping on the couch catch him. Shadow had a sneaking suspicion that Blaze was also a light sleep like him.
Curiouser and curiouser, Shadow eavesdropped.
Something in him, an annoying something that turned out to be holding on to a lot of new emotions for him, told Shadow that Amy shouldn't be outside with Silver – much less, cuddling. Shadow gritted his teeth, however.
They're just best friends. What the hell is happening to me?
Just because he felt a small pull to Amy now, as if some tether tied them together, it didn't mean he had to be near her all day and all night. Still, Shadow found himself getting attached to Amy quicker than he had ever attached to Sonic or Tails or even Sarah.
It didn't feel right.
No.
It was supposed to not feel right.
But it did.
Shadow frowned at his own mental thought.
I shouldn't be making up these feelings and attractions. The quicker she gets a job, the quicker she is to moving out with the rest of these fools.
And yet something, that same something that obnoxiously laughed at him every time Shadow denied feelings to anyone, told him he was in denial. Denial to what – he didn't know.
The long silence from outside sparked a bit of wonder in Shadow.
What was going on out there?
Jealousy wound up tight in his chest again. Silver the Goddamn Hedgehog was everywhere now. Wherever Amy was, Silver was probably her shadow or vice versa. The two stuck to each other like glue.
What the hell am I saying? I haven't even seen them spend a day together with my own eyes. I'm just making this shit up now.
Was he really making everything up to fuel his jealousy and hate to the white hedgehog even more so than it already was? Possibly. Would he ever admit it? Hell no.
"Still," Silver's voice brought Shadow back into reality, "it was a little strange…"
"I thought she was faking the entire time," Amy whispered against Silver. "But she wasn't. She was actually genuine. And apologetic."
"Maybe one of us changed for the better." The white hedgehog looked up at the cloudy sky. It was probably going to rain, but thankfully they were under the porch roof. "I guess I shouldn't have been so quick to judge," he added. Glancing down, amber eyes softened. "I'm sorry for this morning."
"No big deal…" Amy murmured. It was evident she was falling asleep.
He cracked a small grin. "Do you need to go cuddle up with a certain someone?"
"…" Amy was going to tell her best friend to can it. But she didn't. Instead a soft sigh came out and she asked, "Why is everyone pushing us together? Even you did it today."
"It wasn't like I planned to – that guy was all over you. Blaze doesn't trust Shadow entirely and I trust her judgment." Silver looked out and clenched his jaw. "Not to mention he's more animal than the rest of us. Tails thinks it's because he was artificially created. Maybe something in his DNA. Who knows?"
"What are you saying?" Amy lifted her head up in questioning. "That Tails made me read that dumb Mobian behavior book because he knew Shadow was more animal than us? That something in that book would tell me something? Give me a reason as to why everyone suddenly thinks we should be together?"
"Blaze doesn't think you two should be together, if it's any consolation."
"Well, thanks," Amy sarcastically said as she lied back down on him. He was beginning to be a better leaning post than a friend.
Silver exhaled gently after a minute of silence. It was clear she wasn't happy with anyone. "Tails thought it would…bring out something in you. Something primal as well. Even he's playing matchmaker, Ames."
He felt her anger. "And you did nothing about it?"
"How could I? It was just reading some book. I doubt it worked – you seem perfectly normal to me. You're not jumping Shadow."
Amy blushed at the thought. "I never even thought about being with him-"
"No one does."
"-I'm serious, Silver. Blaze can hate my decision of coming here all she wants. But I know that deep down I was supposed to be here. I never felt like I fit in New York. You can't ask me just to go back and get my life situated out there again."
"It doesn't have to be New York. It could be anywhere. But why here? Why in their lives?" Silver asked. "We just didn't understand why you wanted to live in the past."
"I'm not living in the past, Silver. I'm not looking for a fight," Amy stood and wrapped Shadow's jacket around her tighter at the sudden breeze. It felt good to have his scent around her – like he was standing next to her and defending her in person. But he wasn't. He was in bed, sleeping away. "I'm just living with people from the past. And they accepted me. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Have they accepted you?"
Shadow felt his quills quiver at Silver's inquiry. This white hedgehog was getting more on his nerves as he could sense Amy's frustration with him through the door. He wanted nothing more than to open it, march outside, and tell Silver off. But why? He wasn't doing anything in particular besides pissing Amy off.
Something that should be reserved for me only. Shadow thought smugly as he felt an instinct within him state that his protectiveness over Amy was for a completely different reason.
"Because if you ask me it seems like you're all at each other's throats if Shadow isn't putting on a dominance display."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Amy breathlessly asked. She was partially confused, but a knowing truth told her she knew deep down what Silver was talking about.
"Every single one of us is a mess right now for some unknown reason," Silver stated as he stood, standing taller than her but not necessarily superior to her. "Manic and Sonic are going to snap eventually. It's pretty obvious Sarah's a bit of a hothead herself. You're one too. Shadow can put his foot down all he wants, but he shouldn't have to act like he's Alpha."
"He is."
The white hedgehog was surprised to hear the words come out of Amy's mouth. Amy was surprised too.
She meant to say that Shadow was in charge because it was his house. But the word…
Alpha. It seems so…animal. Amy cringed mentally. But her own instinctive side said that Shadow was Alpha. But Sonic defies him all the time and so does Sarah. He can't possibly be an Alpha –
The thought dawned upon her. The way Shadow could so easily turn tables on her and nobody else. He could tower over her, growl at her, do whatever – and she would shrink back and admit defeat without speaking a word.
Because he was controlling her.
Amy bit her bottom lip as Silver saw the flash of understanding across her face.
"I don't know why they see you two together. I don't. I did what I did today to get you away from some high schooler who was hitting on you – because you looked uncomfortable and you're my friend, Amy. I'm not sure why even Tails is going along with this matchmaking thing. It's clearly not working as you have had more tension than romance between the two of you. But I also trust someone like Tails. He has good judgment too."
"But?" Amy was close to tears for some reason. Maybe it was the dream mixing with the harsh reality that Shadow's animalistic side was controlling her like a mate. Like they were feral Mobians and not civilized beings.
"They're all so positive that you're good for Shadow. That once Sonic and Sarah get married and leave – Shadow needs someone. And he might. The guy seems lonely, especially in a place like this," Silver motioned to the farm. "It must be pretty boring here."
"You have no idea…"
He looked at her with a serious gaze. "But even with Tails trying to reason, I couldn't help but wonder if Shadow was good for you."
Words had probably hardly ever cut Shadow so deep before, but Silver had a way of saying them just right.
He took a shaky step back, staring at the door with wider eyes than usual.
She can't stay here…I'm ruining whatever friendship we've created because some part of me is…
He was disgusted with himself again.
It wasn't the first time, and something told him it wouldn't be the last. He was revolted that he had just controlled Amy Rose – played the dominating Alpha mate like a feral Mobian back on Mobius.
Shadow could recall the feral Mobians that acted more animal and savage than anything else he'd ever seen. The males were territorial over their mate and children more than actual territory. Trying to get them out of Mobius was a struggle – Knuckles had been assigned the job. In the end, Shadow could recall the echidna hadn't been able to talk all of the feral Mobians into leaving their home planet.
They died on that planet, thinking all was right in their own little world. It was probably a better way to go than some had. Shadow eventually figured as he took a step back. But I'm not about to create some feral relationship with Amy.
I'm not becoming that type of monster.
There was a difference between destroying people while striking fear into their hearts, and destroying the one thing that he would cherish more than his own life.
Shadow's heart beat uncontrollably faster as he thought of it. He could feel the animal within him as soon as he concentrated on it. It was prowling about, waiting for the white hedgehog to turn his back. The hate deep down towards Silver – the jealousy – it told Shadow to eliminate the rival.
He backed up so far he touched the wall that jutted out between the front main room and the living room.
The bolshie hedgehog felt his head lose control for a split second. His fingers shook and his quills quivered.
He could only focus on the fact that the lovely rose flower was outside with another male.
Whatever it was that was controlling Shadow felt mostly dark. A slow moving thing that felt sick and overpowered with lust and hatred. It was easy to piss off.
Snap out of it.
Shadow heavily breathed as he opened his eyes. He didn't remember closing them to begin with, but he could see the main room again. His desk where he did the bills, the couches, and the sleeping feline were all still accounted for.
Controlling his breathing, Shadow felt normal once more.
That…should never happen again.
He gritted his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows.
I can't let Amy in. Even if she starts falling for everyone's games for a split second and feels something towards me – I have to push her away.
He heard the door knob turn. His eyes flashed up quickly to see the metal turning still. "Let's head in. It's been a long day," he heard Amy croak.
No matter what. I can't let her get to me.
Amy opened the door and glanced up at the wall.
Turning, she took off the jacket and hung it up. Silver walked past her and simply got on the couch. Amy locked the door and started to walk away.
"Goodnight, Amy."
"Goodnight."
She wasn't in the mood to speak. Amy was still thinking about the fact that Shadow's primal side wanted to have her as a wife. It caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach – and Amy didn't want it to. Sort of.
Halfway down the hall and his scent became stronger.
Is it just me or was his scent even by the door?
She waved it off. Clearly, they were in his house and his house smelled of him – although his aroma was nothing but inviting to her now. Amy bit her lip as she felt herself falling for him.
Scratch that.
The rose hedgehog was tripping down ten flights of stairs for the Ultimate Life Form.
Is he good for me?
Well, he's done nothing but help me. I've been the jerk to him if anything, although he can say hurtful things. But he means well, I just know it.
He's stubborn and a pain in the ass sometimes but…maybe what they say is true. I mean, he kept me around this long. Something in him likes me – even if he can't logically see it yet. Maybe that means he doesn't know what to do with his emotions.
A small bubbly feeling within her called Love exploded.
And Amy Rose smiled lightly at the fact that maybe Shadow the Hedgehog wasn't that bad at all. Sure, they were a hell of a long way from being anything as serious as Sonic and Sarah – but the sudden possibility of being with Shadow didn't seem all that ridiculous.
While he has controlled me, I think it's time to have a talk with him.
Maybe we can sort things out even further. Help him stop losing control even past my period. Since that's probably what helped his primal instincts to kick in. Not to mention Mobians at his age normally have kids by now.
Amy decided all of this within seconds at two in the morning and very sleep deprived.
Not a problem, right? Probably not.
She didn't know how well this plan was going to go, but she didn't care for once. She didn't care if Shadow laughed in her face or took her seriously. All she knew was that Love had her wrapped around its finger.
And try as she might, Amy couldn't let go. She had told herself countless time she couldn't like Shadow the Hedgehog. It was odd and never going to happen.
Yet, something now seemed to be asking her, 'What makes you figure it's odd?'
Well, it's Shadow. We don't mesh like Blaze and Silver do. We'd be even more of an arguing mess than Sonic and Sarah. We certainly aren't cute like Manic and Sunny.
'You've seen worse couples that have worked. What makes you think a relationship between you and Shadow could never happen?'
Because we're polar opposites! We're a ticking time bomb. And yet Amy couldn't help but count off the "good qualities" Shadow had and admire him even more so than before. We couldn't work, could we?
That small voice in her head was either a sign of craziness or her conscience. All she knew was that it said, 'You'll never know until you try.'
And for once, Amy wasn't afraid to get hurt in a relationship. She wasn't going to go looking for the perfect stroll into the sunset.
If people saw Shadow and her working together, maybe they weren't insane fools to be laughed at. Perhaps they knew what they were talking about. Or maybe they just wanted to see Shadow with someone and not alone forever.
Either way, Amy was for once crawling in next to Shadow rather closely.
Feeling the male tense, Amy figured he was wide awake. Leaning over his shoulder, Amy saw his red eyes stare at her blankly. "It went well."
"Hm…"
"We need to talk in the morning."
Shadow could already tell what it was about. Flipping over, he stared at her. "No."
The rose hedgehog scrunched up her nose as anger welled up in her. He was not going to start that dominating thing again. No way, no how –
"We need to talk now."
Amy paused and slunk down beside him, "Shadow?" Okay, his scent was by the door and stronger down the hallway for a reason, wasn't it? It wasn't coincidental at all like she had previously thought. She raised an eyebrow. "Were you…eavesdropping?"
"Possibly."
She should have been angry. At least, she figured she should have been. Instead, Amy sighed and lied down on her back, staring at the ceiling. "So, what are we going to do?" she whispered. "If you're losing control like this…"
Shadow felt some sort of pain at that moment.
He wanted Amy to leave. He wanted her to stay away from him to avoid him losing control. He wanted Amy Rose safe from him.
And yet, the Ultimate Life Form had never felt more selfish in his life.
"We'll figure it out," he found he had whispered. Amy still heard though, and from what Shadow sensed – she was content with his response.
Amy turned more towards him and curled up, exhaling in a soft sigh. It was a satisfied sound that made Shadow feel strangely comfortable. The feeling of having her next to him was a feeling he found himself getting used to.
Getting attached to.
At that moment, Love had them both catapulting towards each other at a reckless speed.
Shadow couldn't tell what was happening anymore. His head told him that logically, she needed to go. She needed to stay as far away from him as possible. On the other hand, his heart spoke out that things could be resolved.
But how this certain situation could be resolved was what irked Shadow the Hedgehog.
Or what should have irked him.
And the thought hit him like a brick being swung at his head. He wasn't sure what he entirely thought about the idea – but Shadow wasn't rejecting it immediately. And that part intimidated him.
One way they could resolve the situation so Shadow didn't lose control, was if the two were together. Plain and simple, yet entirely its own adventure probably full of touchy feeling moments he tended to avoid and random useless arguments only spouses had. The idea of being with Amy Rose should have repulsed him or at least made him slightly uncomfortable.
But as said female curled up closer to him, Shadow couldn't bring himself to admit anything.
He felt numb but in an entirely good way – a new way he had never felt. It was Love, again, deciding to play its game on the two although neither could fully see it. Amy saw it more than Shadow. Shadow was still new to the idea of sharing affection with one of the opposite sex.
And Love knew this.
Shadow would need a little push – but not by anyone like Sonic or even Frank Wilson. He would need a push from within himself to fall for the girl.
And Love was about to send the next stage into motion:
Hallucination.
I have no clue if I've written these two "characters" in yet…but with the word 'hallucination,' I'm sure you can all guess who's coming to party soon:
Angel and Devil Shadow. Boom jams.
I gotta reread and see if I've written them before in this version. I really don't remember and it's too late in the night to even care. If you readers know off the top of your heads, please tell me. XD And this chapter was…somewhat edited. Honestly, things are getting very confusing right now on where Shadow and Amy's relationship stands. This happened last time with the old version. I can't keep track of those two. XP I don't know why it's so hard for my brain to understand – but it is. Hence why I am rereading this story, I gotta know where I'm at right now. XD
You might also be wondering, 'Was that it with Cream?' Honestly, it's like you guys don't know me. ;) I tend to let the characters remember NEXT chapter. That and honestly - Cream just became a character I didn't see fit in this story anymore. I'm purposely breaking up one of my favorite couples because she just doesn't work with the story. She doesn't do anything. I'll add a flashback next chapter though - no biggie. :) The rabbit can still cause a little drama, thankfully. And you'll finally see Amy and Cream have a little tension. But this chapter was going to be WAY too long. I have to break things apart and put them in different places, but don't mind my random placing - it all works out in the end...eventually! That and we still have Sally and I was just bringing Worthington back into the mix with Samwell. So if you have questions or complaints, keep it to yourself until the story says COMPLETE. Just for my sake because I do have the story's notes written out and I'd rather not see reviews solely focused on, 'You haven't talked about Cream in the last two chapters.' Yeah, well, I don't talk to my cat for several days either and we're still both fine.
ALL WILL BE REVEALED IN DUE TIME, PEEPS. But really, chapter 20, 21, and 22 are one long ass chapter split into three parts. We'll get to Cream. I know, I'm a tease. ;)
Thank you, readers, so much for the support! Spread those positive vibes!
Arrivederci!