This being her very first 'walk of shame,' Amy was just a little more than embarrassed. She had managed to escape Shadow's embrace without waking him, and for this she was thankful. She had not spoken to the dark hedgehog since ARK. She saw him around from time to time, sure, but he was always so aloof and detached from his surroundings… finding herself with him in such a vulnerable position left her cheeks flaming red. She pulled her dress on, thankfully able to find her phone and wallet next to the heap it was in. She stole one look at Shadow before she left, lingering on his sleeping form for just a moment too long before slipping out and calling a cab.

The ebony hedgehog came to his senses a little over an hour later, sitting up and rubbing his forehead with a quiet groan. To his surprise, Amy was no longer in bed beside him. Did I imagine last night? Looking down at his naked form, he was sure it hadn't been a dream. She must have left.

He pulled on some sweatpants made his way into his living room, glad to see there were no lingering guests from the previous evening, only to be disappointed to find Rouge on the floor of his kitchen. He nudged the bat girl until she came too with a whine.

"Leave me alone...!"

"Want some coffee?"

After a long silent pause, she gave him a reluctant yes, and slowly managed to sit up. "Have you seen Knuckles?"

"No, I just woke up." Shadow replied as he started his coffee machine. He leaned against the counter, arms crossed over his chest, watching Rouge slowly get onto her feet with mild disinterest. "Shouldn't he be with you?"

"Ha, I don't remember anything after doing a bunch of shots with Amy at the bar." She replied, hopping up on the island counter. "Did you see her last night?"

"I did actually," he replied, swallowing the lump that immediately formed in his throat. "We, uh, danced."

"Oh? Careful not to step on Sonic's toes now." She teased her friend lightly.

"Uh, well, it's a bit late for that."

"Oh my god, what did you do?" She asked with a cocked brow and a grin.

His coffee maker beeped, pulling away his attention for a moment as he poured two cups for them and gave her one. "I don't have creamer or anything."

"Black is fine." She said, bringing the burning hot mug to her lips, not breaking her gaze with him once.

A long silence followed as they stared at each other. "I slept with her." He relented.

"Oh, my, careful not to catch yourself a stalker. You remember what she did to Sonic right? Chased him around, always hanging on him—"

"That was a while ago wasn't it?" Shadow cocked an eyebrow at her remark. "Why are you all so quick to demonize her for doing things that teenage girls do?"

"She did seem a bit more mature, but she's the same gal she always has been." Rouge turned a nose up as she spoke. "I'm sure only time will tell. She's in university now, did she tell you that?"

"We didn't do a lot of talking."

"Then why are you so quick to defend her?" Rouge's voice was sharp with accusation.

"She was always quick to defend all of you back in the day. Seems only fair someone be on her side."

"Sonic sure does lead her on, I'll give you that."

"Do you still talk to him?"

"Knuckles still hangs out with Tails from time to time." She rolled her eyes. "I'd never have such a goody two shoes like Sonic hanging around my household."

"I should imagine not. Seems like he'd get in the way of business."

Rouge finished off her coffee and slid off the counter, getting close to Shadow and dropping her voice to a whisper. "Speaking of… I have some clients to meet this afternoon. Will you be joining me?"

"If you'd like." He sighed deeply, eyes fixed on some point behind Rouge.

"Don't act so broody." She teased, offering him a flirtatious smile. "I better collect my man and leave you to it. Check your email for the details, okay hon?"

"Very well."

Rouge combed the house and eventually found Knuckles sleeping soundly in Shadow's guest room. She woke him up and dragged him out of the house with a happy grin. "Boy do I have some drama for you." She said as they got in their car, leaving Shadow far behind them.

After she left Shadow made his way to his study, sitting at his desk with a yawn. He kept books for Rouge these days, and as she always preferred his company when meeting new clients, he figured he might as well get as much work done this morning as possible before he had to take on the 'bodyguard' role.

He took a moment to consider his dealings with Rouge. He'd never been bothered by doing illegal things before, and the fact that he was a bookie for a gang that dealt in stolen jewels didn't really bother him either. For some reason, though, as he stared at the computer in front of him, he felt a twinge of concern. What would Amy think?

She liked the hero type. He already knew that. He'd never been a hero and never even tried to be. What he was doing now… was he a bad guy? Were his actions villainous? Not inherently, he argued with himself. Could they be looked on as such? By someone like Amy, perhaps. But why should that bother him?

Amy had always been such a strange character to him. No one ever seemed to recognize her as anything but Sonic's fangirl. It was like she'd been designed just to adore him. The thought made Shadow grit his teeth. He remembered speaking to her on ARK, when she talked him into saving everyone. He didn't know why her words had been able to touch him. No one ever affected him like that since Maria's death. Was it because her words had mirrored what Maria had told him? What was Amy to him then? A living version of his only friend? If that was all he reduced her to, then how was he better than anyone else? Shameful.

He leaned over his desk and let his head rest in his hands. His personality had always been a bit obsessive. Maybe he should go for a run, clear his head… then maybe he could get Amy off his mind. Suddenly his mind was taken back to the previous evening. He remembered her eyes burning into his as they danced, cheeks flushed with alcohol. He could recall how soft her fur had been as he ran his bare hands along it. He could see her body writhing underneath him as he—

Snap out of it! He chastised himself. You have work to do! It took all the willpower he had, but eventually he forced the pink hedgehog out of his mind, vowing to forget the previous night completely.