Sorry for the delay. I'm making it a goal of mine to have this story finished before I graduate May 28th. I'm also on Wattpad for any of you who'd like to read just a regular fiction book. It's called "Ace" and my username is the same on there. Thanks. :)

Dry Your Tears Chapter 37

No P.O.V

SMASH!

Xander and Shadow ducked seconds before another glass plate hit the wall in their direction. Only a split second later did a hard, porcelain doll hit Xander across the head. He stumbled back with a grunt as Shadow dropped low to the ground beside him. They exchanged a look both mixed with fear and shock. Xander furrowed his eyebrows in frustration.

"Doesn't she know it was an accident?!"

Shadow shook his head. "What does it look like when we stumble in and just stare at her body? Which happened to be completely naked!"

"I was not staring", Xander spat back.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Well you sure weren't in a hurry to look away either were you?"

Amy had been getting dressed that morning in hopes of attempting to return to school when Shadow and Xander barged into her room to make sure she was okay. There she was, fully naked from stepping out of the shower while the two gawked. Not until she began screaming and throwing things did they catch a clue. Another object whirled past, barely nicking Shadow's quills. Xander looked to Shadow with an expression of determination. "I'm going up there."

Shadow shook his head. "Don't do it-"

"I must", Xander interrupted. "This has been going on for almost half an hour." Xander inched up sowly when the objects came to a hault, peeping over the couch before braving a full stand. "Amy? You come out here right now young lady. We didn't do any of this on-"

CRASH

Xander dodged a hair dryer as it soared over his head. He dropped back down, rolling his eyes at Shadow's mocking expression. "Women are scary. Well...I tried. I want to see you try." Shadow looked back at him in contemplation. He nodded and crawled toward Amy's doorway. Xander cursed to himself, waiting for Shadow's head to get crushed by the next object. Shadow slid up to his feet and pushed Amy's door so it could open a little wider.

"Rose."

Silence.

"It's me, Shadow."

Silence.

More silence.

Then the creaking of the door as Amy made it wide enough for Shadow to fit in. Xander looked on with a gaping mouth as Shadow did what he couldn't do with such ease. Shadow walked into Amy's room and closed the door. He looked at Amy's cowering figure as she sat in a corner balled up in a bath robe. He kept a safe distance by sitting on her bed. "I'm sorry."

Amy shook her head. "It's fine. It just reminded me of when I used to have to stay at my aunt's house. She'd force me into hot baths and make me get out while she was still in there. She'd tell me I have an ugly body and it wouldn't become much of anything. I never remembered that memory until now. With the two of you staring at me the way that you did..." Amy trailed off and remained silent for a few seconds. "I thought you were both thinking the same thing she said. Disgust."

Shadow blinked and looked away from her. "Call me a perv if you wish, but that's not what I saw. I saw beauty in every angle, every dip, and every curve." Shadow saw the look of doubt on Amy's face. "I'm serious."

Amy looked up and studied his eyes. She knew he wasn't lying, but a part of her wished he was for some reason. She didn't want to think about him caring, and that's why she cursed in her head when the words slipped out of her mouth that she had been intending on keeping locked in. "Shadow, what are we?"

Shadow's eyes snapped up, taken by surprise of her question. "What are we...", He said softly to himself. What were they? He didn't want to say the wrong thing, but if he said the right thing he'd risk starting something he wasn't necessarily trying to get in to. He remained quiet for a moment, searching for a safe answer. "We are...well we're...sorta like... with a little...you know?"

Amy smiled and buried herself deeper in the robe. "Yeah. I know."

Shadow sighed. It wasn't an answer, but apparently it satisfied her. He walked over to her and kneeled to her level. Her eyes were closed. He studied her face. Her lashes curled perfectly, there was always a small hint of a smile on her lips, which too were soft and silky. She smelled of lavender and honey. She opened her eyes, emerald green jewels. She sat up closer and studied Shadow as well. "We're...you know", she said softly. Shadow nodded.

"I know."

They kissed. A knock came at the door making them jerk apart. Xander stepped in with a pillow shielding his face. He peeped over it. "Are we all good here?"

Shadow looked to Amy who nodded. "All good."

There was a long pause. Xander cleared his throat. "I suppose you changed your mind about going to school then?"

Amy nodded. "Not today..."

Xander left without another word. Shadow looked back at Amy who had turned red in the face. He tilted his head in question. "What is it?"

"You've got a little...sort of...you know?"

Shadow stood and looked into a mirror. He saw traces of her lip gloss lingering on his lips. He wiped it off and smiled at her softly. "I know."

POP, POP, POP!...POP, POP!

Shadow jumped over Amy in an instant after the sound of gun shots. Amy screamed and clutched on to him. More shots were fired, the sound of cracking glass following close behind. When it ceased Shadow stood and went to the doorway. Glass littered the living room floor. "Xander?"

"Here." Xander peered from around the couch. "They came from outside. I heard the screeching of tires."

Amy peeped out of her door. Shadow turned to her. "Stay." He went over to the window and looked out onto the street. No cars. They must have driven off. He opened the door and listened for any sound. His ears twirled at the sound of a soft beeping. He couldn't pin point it. He looked left, right, down, and then up. He cursed when he saw what he feared on the roof of the apartment complex. He rushed back into the house and pulled Amy from her room. He then jerked Xander to his feet. "Go! Now! Run!"

Xander frowned in protest. "What if they're out there? What's going on?"

Shadow pulled Xander by his shirt collar and practically dragged him down the apartment stairs as Amy ran ahead of them. Xander pushed Shadow off after he dragged him all the way across the street. "What the hell is-"

BOOM!

The force of the explosion blew the three of them back several feet, going air born for multiple seconds. Thick, black smoke filled the air. Alarms. And a sharp ringing filled all their ears. Shadow rushed over to make sure Amy was okay. "I'm fine", she coughed out. Shadow turned to Xander who stared at his flaming apartment. "We were the only ones occupying this section, but if there were others..."

They would have been dead in an instant. Shadow knew and didn't need him to finish the sentence to understand. They had bigger problems. They were being targeted. Amy grabbed Shadow's hand and looked at him in fear, silently asking what was going on. He had an idea, but he wasn't going to share it with her. Not yet. She wasn't ready. "I'm not sure...I don't know." Xander looked from them, to the apartment, and then to Shadow. They exchanged a glance that had a thousand words in it, but one word stood out in particular.

Jackie.

Sorry it's a bit on the short side. I'm not feeling good right now, but I knew I needed to update. Hope everyone has a great day.