A/N

Hello my dear readers! Sorry for the delay but this chapter took some rewriting! I didn't like how it first turned out, it was too dry for my liking, but thanks to my wonderful inspiration and Beta, Nothin'Fancy, we managed to make it way better! She helped me so much with the direction of this story!

Anyway, I've decided to change the pairing preference since Sonic's involvement with Amy is larger than I anticipated at first. We'll have some SonAmy but the main pairing still remains ShadAmy, so stay tuned for some juicy drama in the next chapters!

I hope the wait was worth it, please enjoy and share your opinion about the story!

Episode 3: Inner Conflict

The set of Sonic Boom in SEGA studios was abuzz with activity. Crew members ran back and forth with props and costumes, moving like frantic worker bees, desperate to please their queen. Season one had been a huge success, and after a month of hiatus to give the crew and actors a break, production for a second season was already underway.

Amy sat still as she stared into the mirror of her changing room, her stylist and her agent chatted behind her about the upcoming season while they styled her quills. This was always Amy's least favorite part of her job. She didn't really care for the feel of other people dressing her, their hands moving about her body, and messing around with her fur, quills, and makeup. However, she had grown to accept it, and instead used the time to reflect on her day and bring herself to a calm and focused place.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Today in particular she was in need of inner peace. Her stomach had been in knots all morning, and she honestly could not pinpoint the reason as to why. Especially since for the past month, she had been feeling quite the opposite.

During the past month, she had seen little to none of her co-stars. Sonic and Tails had gone off the explore other countries in an attempt to feel that sense of adventure from the good old days. Knuckles had seemed to completely fall off the grid, and she had honestly not given it much thought, as she found that she enjoyed the relief of a maleless life. She had spent most of her time helping around Cream's bakery and treating herself to spa days.

She had been so focused on herself and relaxing, that she hadn't thought about much else. However, now that she was thrust back into her responsibilities, her mind started overworking and was sending her signals of panic. She cringed as she felt the stylist begin plucking at the mismatched fur on her muzzle.

She didn't want to admit it, but there were two hedgehog's in particular that she both dreaded, and at the same time, found herself a nervous ball of energy at the idea of seeing again after a full month. She hadn't seen Shadow at all since their last 'date,' and she knew it wouldn't be fair to avoid him forever. But why was she avoiding him in the first place? Sonic…

She sighed, and the sound caused the hands applying the final touches to her look pause. "Are you alright Ms. Rose?"

Amy's eyes opened in slits and she tried her best to smile, "Yes, thank you. Are we almost done?"

The female cat flicked her ears, and she huffed stuffing the makeup back into one of the many glittering bags on the vanity. Amy felt a misplaced annoyance fill her at the girl's attitude, but she gritted her teeth and formed another smile.

"Sorry… guess I'm just a little grumpy to be back at work."

The cat glanced at her, and narrowed her eyes, but she took the peace offering and swiped her hand in front of her, "No worries dear, and yes, I think you're all finished. They'll be ready to begin in a few minutes, so I recommend heading out there."

The stylist smiled and gathered her personal makeup box, her tail flicking the entire time. Amy shut her eyes as she heard the door close, and braced herself for what was to come. She was about to see Sonic for the first time in a month, and she just didn't know how she was going to react to seeing him, especially after the whirlwind of confusion that had developed this morning.

A confusion that had begun that night a month ago when her and Shadow had almost… She shook her head and smacked her cheeks. That was nothing! It was a joke, they both had said so. She had successfully ignored the moment all month, pushed the muddled emotions into a dark corner of her heart. Until this morning it had all came back… the feeling of his hand on the small of her back, his ruby eyes glazing with seriousness as he dared her to put her mouth to his, and the heat she had felt…She wouldn't admit it, but the mixed feelings today could be traced back to the fact she'd woken up from a dream she couldn't remember. But it'd left her panting and with the same heat from that night flowing through her body. She had even felt the ghost of his touch on her -

"Nope! Hahaha!" She announced, standing abruptly. She probably was just a little ill from something she ate the day before, which had resulted in a small fever. There was no way she had dreamed of anything scandalous... especially not about Shadow. She smiled crazily at herself in the mirror and smashed the feeling down, before exiting her room quickly.

Walking out onto the set, she felt the unrest within her build to a crescendo, and she started picking at the sports tape the stylist had just painstakingly put on her arms. Maybe I should just say I feel sick and go home. Panicking, she whipped around and bumped into someone. A startled squeak popped out of her mouth and as she felt herself fall towards the ground, but a firm hand gripped her lower back and kept her from falling.

"Woah there Ames! What's got you in a rush?"

Amy blinked, and when she focused on the face above her, she felt nervous butterflies join the acid ocean in her stomach. Gorgeous emerald eyes stared at her with humor, and a slick smirk was showing glittering white fangs from a handsome azure face. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him until she was staring at him in the flesh. Not to mention the fact that his touch was holding her suspended in the air with gentle strength was causing her muzzle to turn into a lava pool. Sonic's smirk suddenly flattered, as his own muzzle turned a little pink at her reaction. He immediately steadied her and then he hopped back, his hand finding a new home on the back of his neck.

The two hedgehogs stood awkwardly next to each other, and Amy felt, ironically, like running from the entire situation. And then, like she had been slapped in the face, she felt a bizarre understanding wash over her. She looked at the male before her, he was standing there, grinning awkwardly and rubbing his quills into a tangled mess. Wow… did he always want to run away because of similar conflicted feelings? But that would mean…

"Yo yo! Look at this! My two favorite hedgies!" The cheerful, deep voice broke through the tension like Amy's very own hammer, and suddenly the two hedgehogs were squeezed into a bear hug that only their very own echidna friend would be able to give.

Amy felt the warm tingle intensify on her muzzle from the sudden crushing body contact with the blue blur. Both hedgehogs were practically squished together by the massive arms of the crimson echidna, causing Sonic and Amy to be inches away from a kiss if either one of them turned their head.

"O-oh..! We missed you too buddy!" Sonic managed to choke out while desperately trying to squeeze out of the grip.

Knuckles grinned mischievously fidgeting the hug a bit in an attempt to get his hedgehog friends in an even more awkward position with impure intentions. At this point, Sonic was too busy trying to slip away, to notice how close his face was to his female cast mate. Amy on the other hand couldn't even breathe, and it wasn't just the rib crushing embrace. She could feel him pressed against her, her head was resting on his chest, and her hand was positioned awkwardly near his rear end which felt full and toned in a way that made her fingers twitch with a desire to squeeze.

"Awww, I missed you guys too!" Suddenly the hug was joined by Ivo who grinned under his moustache. At that point the male hedgehog had enough of this.

"O-okay, okay! Enough hugging!" Sonic coughed and finally managed to squeeze himself out of the death grip. Knuckles frowned inwardly at the clueless hedgehog and let them go. Amy rubbed her arms and smiled awkwardly.

"Way to ruin the moment, Sonic." Ivo grunted and crossed his arms as he walked over to the catering table to indulge in the appetizing hors d'oeuvres. At this the blue hero only rolled his eyes and pulled a gloved hand back over his quills to smooth out the snagged pieces. As his hand moved through his ocean quills, his emerald eyes glanced at Amy, and he almost seemed to glow to her. She didn't know if it was because they hadn't seen each other for a month - and for the past couple years they had not been separated for more than a couple days - or if she was just plain crazy. She had heard the saying in the past, that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but did it also make your crush look sexier?

"So, how was your trip?" Amy finally managed to compose herself and put on a sweet smile turning to Sonic, who had been joined by Tails. The two males looked over at her, and the fox beamed in excitement at the question.

"It was awesome! We went to Japan, it was so different and interesting there!" The young fox exclaimed and pulled out his tablet to show off photos.

"It wasn't bad. They had a lot of merch of us - Boom us - which was kind of weird to see." The blue hedgehog shrugged nonchalantly. Amy and Knuckles gathered around Tails to look at the photos.

"They had really cool food there, and Sonic got to race." The kitsune explained while swiping the photos of him and Sonic trying out some foreign food, and standing in front of beautiful buildings and monuments, along with photos of their miniature action figures.

"Oh yeah, that was the best part of the trip." The hedgehog smirked confidently. "I admit, these guys really know how drift, but they never stood a chance against me in a race with Blue Force One." He grinned smugly pointing a thumb at his chest. This earned an amused eye roll from his friends.

"Gather up everyone, time to start!" A male squirrel announced speaking through his megaphone and signaled the group that it was time to get to work.

The first day of filming was very casual, as the actors were given time to read over the script and read it out loud without acting so that they could get the feel of the scene and how to present it. The first couple hours were fine, Amy simply sat with the crew and went over her portions with the director to make sure she was understanding what they were looking for. Finally, close to the end of the day, the cast was sat together to run through the lines.

They settled in around a large round table, and they first discussed what they thought were problem areas, or tips that they needed to keep in mind. Knuckles put his reading glasses on and cleared his throat, his eyes skimming through the script.

"I can't believe we're about to meet Tommy Thunder! He's my favorite movie star! He's got it all: Strength, muscles, ability to lift stuff!" The echidna exclaimed and glanced at Amy who was next to read.

"Not to mention eyes you could get lost in for days!" The female sighed, her gaze unconsciously landing on a certain blue hedgehog who was leaning on his hand and looking at the script, his eyes rolling ever so slightly at the flirty comment about the new character.

"As if Amy would fangirl over a new random character." He interrupted and put his script down looking at the script writer. "That seems so out of character." He waved his hand nonchalantly.

"How is it out of character? 'Amy' has a tendency to have a crush on new characters in this show, like the time we introduced Swifty the Shrew and Justin Beaver. What about this time makes it any different?" The script writer rubbed his temples already feeling annoyed to be interrupted on the second line of the script.

Sonic narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I think 'Amy' should only fangirl around 'Sonic'." He placed his legs on the table, crossing them, and he leaned back on his chair making it stand only on two of its four legs. He was looking at the group with arrogant 'I know better than you,' eyes, and Amy forgot all the earlier butterflies she had felt towards him. She smashed her fist into the table and growled.

"No way!" Amy glared at Sonic dropping her script on the table. "I am no one's fangirl!" She growled making the script writer drop his head into his hands.

"'Amy' isn't fangirling, she's just having an ordinary celebrity crush like most teenage girls have." The male bandicoot sighed deeply and lifted up his head. "Now can we please continue?" He practically hissed out the 'please' and looked over to Tails to continue with his line.

The blue hedgehog rolled his eyes once again while rocking back and forth on his chair waiting for his next line.

"Hey, remember when Tommy was being chased by ninja pirates while skiing down Haunted Mountain?" The young fox read through the text casually and glanced at his echidna co-star.

"What movie was that again?"

"Ninja Ski Pirates on Haunted Mountain?"

"I don't think that was it." Knuckles read the line and made a disappointed face turning to the screenwriter. The bandicoot squinted his eyebrows warningly at the echidna giving him a 'Don't you dare' look, to which Knuckles sighed in defeat.

They continued reading along without any more interruptions. The screenwriter sighed in relief listening to their interpretations, finally feeling calm that everything was going smoothly.

"I was just thinking, completely on my own, that you should give him another chance! Let him follow you for a few days." Amy smiled reading through with a quirky voice making hand gestures in a 'as-a-matter-of-fact' way. She glanced at her fellow hedgehog who was still swinging back and forth, a bored look on his face.

"But he's such a phony! Only a slack jawed rube would be charmed by that guy." Sonic retorted to this as he looked back at the pink hedgehog who was sitting right across him from the table. His gaze was lazy, but self assured, and his quills bristled a little when he said the line.

Amy was suddenly completely lost in his jade eyes. Her eyes locked onto his and he gave her a little eye roll and wink, as though saying 'this is stupid.' She giggled nervously at their telepathy, and only gave her next line a quick glimpse before saying it.

"Right...Well, not everyone can be as hot and heroic as you. This is your chance to fix that! He can finally make a film that expresses what it's really like to be a hero!"

Suddenly a loud thud could be heard and everyone's attention redirected to Amy. Her head snapped up when she heard the noise, and looking around the table her face reflected their confused expressions. What was the problem? Did they not like the line… Oh shit… her hand slapped into her mouth as she realized what had happened. Her eyes darted to the right where Sonic was laying on the floor having fallen back from surprise.

"Shit!" He groaned rubbing his quills while trying to process what Amy just said.

"I appreciate your interpretation, Amy." The bandicoot was frowning deeply. Oh this day was never going to be over. He knew it'd been a mistake to give the actors a month off of set. "But let's stick to the script… PLEASE!" His fingers crunched the papers that laid on the table in front of him.

"R-right...Sorry…" Amy blushed furiously feeling everyone's eyes on her, but she was thankful that the bandicoot covered her unintentionally.

Sonic finally lifted his chair back up, and he felt his head spinning from connecting with the ground. However, this didn't stop him from blurting,

"W-wait a second… did she just say -"

"I've had it!" The bandicoot stood up angrily and started ripping his script into tiny pieces going into full rage mode. "I'm sick and tired of working with ammature actors! You can't pay me enough to take this crap! Either pull your shit together or I quit!" He shouted throwing the pieces all over the table while the team stared at him silently disturbed by the outburst. Sonic's eye twitched and was about to protest but Tails patted him on the shoulder and shook his head quickly signaling him to keep quiet and continue reading. The hedgehog narrowed his eyes and pulled his chair up. He sat down and took his script and continued reading his lines.

"Boy, that was freaking embarrassing…" Amy mumbled to herself feeling extremely sick to her stomach from the incredibly stupid slip up. She and the rest of the crew had awkwardly finished reading through the script, and after that display no one dared question or improvise the screenplay. The writer had given them all a glare before announcing they could take a break, because he had a few changes to make before continuing, and stormed out off set.

Sonic had looked at her, his emerald eyes filled with question, and she saw him start to make his way towards her. But thankfully he was stopped by Tommy who wanted some acting tips. The blue hedgehog looked troubled, but Amy didn't wait for him to turn the tiger away. She quickly made a shallow excuse of needing the lady's room, and dashed as quickly as she could away from the casting room.

Now she strolled through the island set to clear her head and try to avoid yet again her blue hero. She gave polite nods and smiles to anyone who greeted her, but her mind was scrambling for a way to escape her current predicament. What did Sonic think of her now? It had been a while that either of them had faced the feelings she had for him head on, and they'd developed a comfortable friendship. But with this one mistake, they were once again thrown into the awkward situation of Sonic's less than romantic feelings for her.

She groaned, and kicked a styrofoam cup that was on the ground. How am I supposed to get through the rest of the day? I really don't want to hear those careful words of rejection from him again… The pink hedgehog placed both her hands to the side of her head, shutting her eyes and shaking it back and forth as she continued walking. She failed to notice that she had carelessly wandered into the eggbot storage room for the show. It was common knowledge to keep away without having the proper gear and backup. As Amy quickly discovered the hard way...

"Watch out!"

The sudden shout brought her back from her thoughts and before the rosette could completely comprehend the warning, she felt a cold metal object connect with her stomach. Time seemed to slow around her, as her eyes popped open just in time to see her stomach collapse under a metal fist, and a sickening grunted was pulled from the depths of her throat as she was knocked off the ground and sent flying a few meters back. Her back and head smacked into solid concrete and she saw stars as she collapsed to the ground clutching her diaphragm. Her mouth gaped like a fish for a couple seconds as she attempted and failed to fill her lungs with air.

Before she could compose herself, she saw through tear filled eyes the bot retract it's arm and begin to move towards her. Dammit! Why is this bot even functional?! She gasped again and tried to lift herself up, it had been too long since the last real battle she'd been in and she found that'd she'd completely forgotten how to recover quickly from a actual blow. Everything on the show was scripted, and even though they did their own stunts, the choreographers were very careful to make sure they were never in real danger, having multiple fail safes for the robots.

She snapped her hammer into existence and prayed she would be ready when the thing lunged. The mantis bot was getting closer now and she gulped, fear rippling through her body for the first time since two years ago, and she felt close to vomiting.

Then like a blue streak sent from heaven, she watched as Sonic spin dashed into the badnik, causing metal shards and sparks to fly all around. He hit it several times before unrolling and landing a few feet away with a furious look on his face.

Amy felt all the tension and fear that was locking up her muscles release, and her hammer disappeared in a puff of pink. She felt light headed and even though she could breathe again, her throat burned.

Sonic was glaring at the crumpled mess, his heart pounding in his chest frantically, but from the corner of his eye he saw Amy slump forward on the wall. Fear like he hadn't felt in a long time flooded him like a tsunami.

"Amy!" Sonic shouted, his jade eyes going wide in shock and his body moving instinctively as he dashed to her side. He knelt down next to her and gently made her sit up. Her eyes were shut and suddenly his mind went wild with thoughts that she had died. He felt a sickness in his stomach, and he quickly started to pat her cheek while shouting, "Come on Amy! Open your eyes!"

She groaned, and her eyes fluttered open. "Jeez! K-keep it down will ya?" She croaked, her body twisting slightly as she tried to alleviate the discomfort in her core. Sonic's whole body deflated with relief and he sighed. Chaos… she was okay… he hadn't lost her. He'd forgotten what this felt like, the constant fear of losing the ones you care for. He had grown complacent, comfortable in their new life. He realized quite suddenly that even if they weren't battling real enemies everyday, she could be taken from him at any moment. His green eyes shone like electrical sparks, and he placed his forehead to hers.

"Ames I -"

"You okay Amy?!"

The shout caused Sonic to look up, and he immediately shut his trap as he saw Knuckles and Tails run over. The red echidna knelt down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She was now holding her chest and still gasping for air.

"Take deep breaths, Amy, slow and deep." The two tailed fox knelt on one knee next to his friend, while Sonic gently rubbed the female hedgehog's back, his eyes skimming frantically over her. His mind was going into an overdrive. Now that the initial shock was over, he started obsess on the details to distract from that uncomfortable feeling that had taken root within him. Amy should've reacted, as she always did, not stand in the way of the blow like a deer frozen in front of headlight. Something wasn't right. He'd never seen his female companion so distracted. And why the hell was she even strolling through the robot testing grounds in the first place?!

The air started to buzz, as curious crew members and staff gathered in the hall and doorway, mumbling and glancing with looks ranging from concerned and curious. Sonic glanced up and he felt anger overtake his body at the lack of assistance. Didn't they see Amy was injured?! They just stood there and watched the scene like innocent bystanders.

"What are you all standing there for?! Call a medic, she can't breathe!"

His growling shout was enough to make the director himself jump and snap out of his shock, "Call Dr. Vixen, right now! We have an emergency!" He barked at his assistant who quickly grabbed his phone and dialed for the doctor.

"S-sonic…" Amy managed to let out, taking slower and deeper breaths trying to regain her composure. She felt her chest burn as each breath attempted to fill her empty lungs. The blue hero snapped his gaze immediately towards her, his anger dying down a bit from the relief to hear her speak with more strength in her voice then before. "I'll….be okay…" She put a hand on his shoulder breathing deeply.

Knuckles sighed relieved to see his friend was regaining herself slowly, and stood up, "I'll get you a bottle of water, Amy." The echidna said making his way out of the room.

"Are you feeling better?" Tails smiled sympathetically at the pink female, who nodded at him. "That's good, but we definitely need a medic to check if you have any bruises or broken ribs. We shouldn't underestimate the blow you took." The kitsune explained and also stood up. Knuckles returned and gave Amy the bottle of water. She took it and nodded him a thank you, as she opened it and took a couple of small gulps.

"What happened out there, Ames…? Why didn't you jump out of the way?" Sonic spoke softly staring at the girl before him. She could see the worry and fear in his eyes. Fear? She blinked a couple times and felt the butterflies join the mess in her stomach. That was… unusual for Sonic to show that kind of emotion.

"I kind of got distracted… Sorry to get you all worried for me, it was pretty stupid of me to casually walk around this place." She looked in his eyes innocently, guilt filling her emerald orbs mixed with a hint of shame. How could she let herself get hit so easily? Yes, the blow had been unexpected, but her reactions were usually faster than that. She was growing rusty, and she was making mountains out of ant hills with her incessant worrying over Sonic and her feelings for him.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Ames," Sonic smiled reassuringly at her, his eyes soft, with a hint of worry lingering in his jade orbs. "It happens to the best of us, it's pretty easy to get distracted and bored out of all the predictability we have on set. There's no use to criticize yourself, I know you." The hedgehog winked at her, removing his hand from her back and placed it on her shoulder.

"Thanks…" Amy smiled sincerely. His words truly encouraged her, and a small deeply buried side of her couldn't help but relish his touch.

In the meantime, the doctor arrived to the set and hurried to Amy's side. Sonic stood up and joined his friends, leaving the doctor to her elder female fox gently put her stethoscope on the pink hedgehog's chest and started listening to her breathing. After a bit, she examined her ribs and came to a conclusion.

"You're going to be okay, dear. Judging by the lack of pain and no bruising, you don't have any fractures or broken ribs, you just had the air in your lungs knocked out of you. You should rest up today, don't do any heavy activities. If you feel any pain in this region, please contact me so we can take an x-ray to eliminate the possibility of hairline fractures. For now, I don't think it's needed."

The rosette hedgehog nodded and thanked the doctor. Sonic helped her stand up and she brushed her clothes from all the dirt.

"Alright, Amy, go home and rest up." The director walked over to both hedgehogs and looked at the pink girl. "If you don't feel well, take a break for a couple of days." The director usually didn't give the cast time off during shootings, but the fear of an upcoming lawsuit for not taking safety precautions around the area where they kept the eggbots, would definitely shut down the show. He felt lucky that the injury wasn't that serious, so he decided not to push his luck further.

"No, no, I don't need more breaks. I'll rest today and I'll be back tomorrow." The squirrel looked at her unsure but decided to trust her judgement. After all, the more they postponed the production, the bigger the budget they had to spend.

"Alright, but if you don't feel well tomorrow, contact us."

The male squirrel walked away and Sonic looked at Amy again.

"Want me to walk you home?" There was still worry in his voice. The male hedgehog couldn't help it. Sure, it wasn't a serious injury, but it still could've ended up worse. She could've had her ribs fractured, or shattered, a piece of bone could've impaled her lungs or heart and it could've been lethal.

"No, don't worry, you guys continue reading over the transcript, I'm not in this episode much anyway. I'm fine, I can go home by myself." She shook her head and tried reassuring him again. But the way Sonic was looking at her, she knew he wasn't going to let it go.

"Yeah, I'll walk you home."

"But-!"

"No buts." He was stern and his face completely serious. He wasn't going to let her walk alone after this situation. "Grab your stuff and let's go." He crossed his arms as the female sighed in defeat. She was stubborn, but the gesture was kind of him, and she did feel a bit more comfortable with the idea of someone watching her and making sure she didn't pass out in a ditch somewhere.

Amy returned to her dressing room and refused the stylist help to remove her sports tape and boom costume. It was going to be slow to do it by herself as her body ached, but she really wasn't in the mood to have someone touching her all over the place. After she was finished, she grabbed her purse and opened the door. Unsurprisingly, Sonic was leaning on the wall across from her, and he quickly jumped up and grabbed her bag. She didn't have the energy to argue, so she followed him as they walked off set.

After a few awkward moments of silence, she heard Sonic cough lightly beside her, and she glanced over to him,

"Want me to carry you while a run?" The azure hedgehog carefully asked, nervousness coming off him in waves. He knew this way he could get her home faster and let her rest more, but it had been a while since they had done that type of thing in their personal life and not on set surrounded by other people.

"No, no." The pink hedgehog shook her head. "I still feel a bit dizzy, and I don't think I'll be able to hold in my guts at your speed." She laughed lightly, trying to lift up the mood and distract him from her current state.

"Oh...You're probably right about that, I didn't think about it." Sonic grinned sheepishly and offered his elbow to her. "Shaw we, then?"

Amy smiled brightly at his gesture and hung her hand on his elbow as they started walking aging. About ten minutes in, the self proclaimed fastest thing alive was already feeling antsy with the slow pace. He wasn't used to walking from place to place. Slowing down wasn't his thing, but felt an odd strength to resist his urge for speed when he glanced down at her pain filled face. The thought of her getting injured further, or having more pain was enough to squash his desire to run. He just wanted to be sure that she got home safe.

On the way they chatted about Sonic's trip and Amy's activities during the last month. Sonic wouldn't admit it, but he felt huge relief and contentment when he didn't hear mention of Shadow being anywhere near her for the whole time.

Good, he better stay away…

But, speak of the devil… or rather think about him… and he shall appear.

The navy hedgehog frowned seeing the ebony one. They'd just rounded the corner of her block in time to see Shadow appear with a flash of blue light in front of Amy's apartment complex with a red sweatshirt in his hand.

"Shadow?" Amy spoke up and stared at the male hedgehog who was about to knock on her door. Her voice quickly drew his attention as he turned to face them. The moment he saw his blue rival next to Amy, he narrowed his eyes and a frown curled on his muzzle.

"What are you doing here?" Sonic growled returning the glare as both him and Amy came to a stop near the dark hedgehog.

The rosette sighed. She was not in the mood to hear their bickering right now. She'd a long day, and witnessing yet another hassle between both hedgehogs was going to overwhelm her. Besides, seeing the two males that caused her so much inner turmoil was not helping the pain in her ribs.

Shadow was ready to spit out something demeaning to Sonic, but the moment he noticed Amy's expression he tightened his jaw and swallowed his pride. He turned to her and handed her the red sweater ignoring the blue nuisance next to her.

"I found this in my apartment…" He trailed off for a moment and suddenly his lips curled up in a small smirk. A wicked idea lit up in his mind. "You must've forgotten it the last time you came over, and I just noticed it now after coming back from my month long mission."

He could see the blue hedgehog's quills bristle at the mention that she was in his apartment. Shadow's smirk widened, he could practically see how the faker's mind was going into overdrive right now wondering what they had been doing in his house that she'd forgotten an article of clothing.

The thought made the azure hero tense up. Amy and Shadow were not only spending time together, but they were actually even secluding themselves in Shadow's house. Sonic clenched his fists and grit his teeth but his pride prevented him to speak out and interrogate the girl next to him to what exactly were they doing in the faker's home.

"Oh? Thanks Shadow!" Amy on the other hand, didn't notice Sonic's reaction and took the sweatshirt with a smile on her face and she felt a bit relieved to hear that he hadn't reached out before now because he'd been occupied with a mission. Doesn't change the fact that you were avoiding him, a voice whispered in her mind, but she ignored it. At this point it was extremely hard for the ebony hedgehog to hide the smugness on his face especially when he saw Sonic's expression. So he felt the need to push it further and he gripped her hand pulling her from Sonic's elbow.

"You're welcome, Rose."

Sonic was practically glaring daggers at Shadow at this point. The only thing stopping him from going up to both of them and yanking her back was his pride and ego. He didn't fully understand why he felt so threatened by their contact. The nasty knots in his stomach were there again, but this time they were accompanied by a burning desire to beat that stupid smirk off Shadow's face.

"Hey, you guys wanna come in for a cup of tea?" She pulled away from the awkward stand off and turned to face both of them.

"I'll pass Ames, I have to get back to the set." Sonic was still glaring at Shadow, who was now glaring back at him. He knew better not to accept that invitation because he could barely hold his anger and he feared he'd do something stupid. And right now he didn't want to upset his female companion. Not after what happened today.

Amy looked at Sonic with a slightly disappointed look on her face. They'd had a pleasant walk together and she found herself wishing they could spend more time together, Plus, he would be a good buffer for the awkwardness she still felt with Shadow from the last time they'd hung out alone. She opened her mouth to argue, but Sonic gave her a dazzling smile and placed his hand on her cheek.

"Give me a call if you don't feel well." He looked at her his face softening and after that he quickly dashed away leaving her with no chance to make him reconsider.

Shadow lifted a brow and glanced back at Amy who sighed with a hint of dejection while unlocking the front gate.

"What did he mean by that? Did anything happen?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about, I just got accidently hit by an eggbot." Amy brushed it away as they entered.

"Accidently?" The hedgehog had a suspicious look in his crimson eyes.

"I decided to take a walk around the testing grounds, but I... kind of got distracted." The rosette looked away in embarrassment and avoided his eyes. The reason behind her 'distractment' being the conflicting emotions in her chest that involved the very hedgehog before her. She expected Shadow to tease her about it but he only nodded keeping his eyes on hers.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She nodded again as they entered her apartment.

Unlike Sonic, Shadow decided to join her, he wanted to catch up with her and also make sure that she was feeling well. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, the sweatshirt had just a good excuse to see her today. He wasn't a stranger to how they'd left things a month ago, and even his mission had been an excuse to get away from her and his feelings. It'd been optional and even Rouge had lifted an eyebrow when he'd accepted it. Now that he felt more solid in his emotions and had better control, he wanted to bridge the fractured relationship.

"Have a seat, while I make the drinks." Amy invited him to the balcony where a small, round, white marble table and two white chairs sat in the middle. The view in front of the small terrace was gorgeous. Since the building was near the coast, her balcony faced the ocean.

Shadow sat down as Amy went inside to prepare drinks and snacks. He gazed at the ocean and thought how interesting it must look during sunrise and sunset. Oh you'd just love to wake up here and watch the sunrise with her, wouldn't you? A small, sneering voice whispered in the back of his head and made a light blush appear on his muzzle. He frowned at his own mind and shook his head violently trying to shoo away the thought before it created more images of his deeper and darker desires.

Luckily, Amy came in time to distract him from his own thoughts. She served him a small porcelain cup filled with black espresso and a tall glass filled with cold homemade lemonade. Shadow's lips curled up ever so slightly into a smile. The fact that Amy remembered his drink preferences made a warm feeling travel to his core. She was always so thoughtful, and never made a big deal about his pickiness when it came to food.

Amy went back inside for a moment to retrieve her glass of ice tea and quickly returned. She took the seat in front of him and smiled.

"So, what have you been up to Shadow?"

The ebony hedgehog took a sip out of the dark bitter liquid and placed the small cup back on the table. His eyes traveled up from his cup to her gazing emerald ones. He couldn't help but feel the nice warm feeling in his stomach return. It wasn't overwhelming, it was actually quite comforting being in her presence.

"I had a month long surveillance mission for G.U.N. I arrived home last night."

Amy mused for a moment her eyes locked onto the cold liquid in front of her. Her fingertips gently tapped on the glass.

"Yeah...I assumed that."

There was a brief silence between both hedgehogs. Shadow started studying the female in front of him.

What was she always thinking about? What was causing that small worry line to form between her brows?

Is she thinking about that faker? A frown appeared on his muzzle as his intense crimson eyes pierced her distracted emerald ones. Sonic probably played hero again when she got knocked out. His jaw tightened.

Suddenly emerald met crimson when Amy looked up at him. His stare made the fur on her body prickle. It was crawling into her very core. The dark hedgehog had a tendency to glare. It wasn't something new to Amy. But the way he glowering at her now made her feel utterly uncomfortable. As if she had done something very wrong. She could see anger and disappointment. It wasn't obvious, all these emotions were hidden away by a mask of intensity and a usual grimace, but Amy could see them clearly. She'd developed the skill to read his true thoughts beneath the stoic veil he covered himself with.

The pink hedgehog bit ever so slightly on her lower lip and fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. She felt like she was being interrogated without him even asking any questions. She didn't really know why or what had triggered his reaction but a small part of her had a theory. It was Sonic. And the fact that he walked her home. Not run, but walked.

Suddenly she felt the need to explain herself and the words started falling out of her mouth before she knew it.

"About earlier, Sonic just wanted to be a good friend and help me out. He wanted to dash me over to here but I preferred walking because I felt nauseous." She laughed nervously and immediately mentally slapped herself. What the hell was she saying? Why was she explaining herself as if Shadow had caught her red-handed in a crime scene?

Shadow's stare suddenly turned into a confused look. Where did that come from? He stared at the now blushing embarrassed female and a mischievous smirk curled around his lips. He'd provoked her, just by staring at her. And what was that blush all about?

"I'm not worried about that faker, Rose." His voice rang smooth with the signature deep husk in some tones. Amy glanced up again at him and the way he smirked at her made her blush deepen.

Damn this hedgehog… He's doing it again...

"You and I both know who the better hedgehog is." He leaned on the palm of his hand staring half lidded, eyes full of smugness and flirt. This earned him a steady eye roll and a "hmpt" from the girl but her blush remained.

At Least he's not glaring at me anymore…

A small smile curled on her lips.

"Yeah, that hedgehog being me. You have a month to make up for, by the way, and I know just the thing you can do for me." She grinned widely with a hint of mischievousness. There was no way Shadow would agree to her plan, and this was a good way to distract him from his teaseful flirting.

Shadow crossed his arms smirking.

"You know I will, Rose."

Amy clasped her arms together contently still grinning.

"Great! So tomorrow we're going to the mall."

Shadow's smirk dropped. Oh now he got it. She wanted to torture him.

"No." He responded flatly and leaned back in his seat.

"Aw, c'mon, Shadow! You promised!" The rosette whined and stared at the male with a disappointed pout. God he's so predictable.

"No, I am not taking you to the mall, I have a better idea." The signature smirk returned to his lips. The look he gave made the pink hedgehog feel uneasy.

"Oh? And what could be better than the 'Ultimate Lifeform' taking me to the mall?" It was Amy's turn to cross her arms and stare at the male bemused. He's up to something...

"I'm going to take you out," He leaned on the table, shortening the distance between them, "on a real date."

That brought everything to a standstill. Amy's eyes widened. Did he just say what she thought she heard him say? A 'real date'? Not a hangout, not a 'not a date, date'. A real date.

"Stop messing around, Shadow." She frowned at him. The statement made her feel confused.

His stare was serious, and the air between them was electric. But the longer the silence lasted, the more Shadow regretted asking, and he quickly chuckled and shook his head. She wasn't ready...

"Fine, fine, I'll stop."

Amy gave him a glare. The sickening feeling from the morning returned, and she felt like she was going to go crazy. This had to stop. She liked Sonic, and this flirtatious game she played with Shadow was making her second guess everything. She wouldn't allow a person who had no interest in romance or dating to sway her away from her true love.

"Hey, the 'date' joke is getting kinda old, don't you think? Let's stop calling our hangouts dates."

Shadow felt his stomach clench. He'd gone too far, he'd pushed it too soon, and he could see her pulling away from him quicker then a hedgehog could run. He covered his true reaction with a smirk and a scoff.

"Meh, it was getting boring anyway."

He watched as her face relaxed with relief, and he felt as though he'd been stabbed with a Chaos Spear. Did she really hate the idea of dating him that much? And now because he had pushed too much, they couldn't even joke about it anymore. He'd taken two steps back by trying to take a step forward.

Damn...You messed up big this time…