A/N

Hello my beautiful readers! First of all i would like to give a shout out to all the people who took the time to review my story! This was first started by my friend Nothin'Fancy and I think it's a great way to show our gratitude to you guys!

Thanks to: The Guest who I reverted from SonAmy to ShadAmy LOL,

to Angel-kohai, and also to pinksakura271, in answer to your question about Sticks, I might add her in a bit later, personally I have nothing against Sticks, I'm just not experienced to write such a conspiracy driven character, and she's not really a big influence in my story anyway.

And last but not least a HUGE thanks to my AMAZING Beta Nothin'Fancy who helps me so much with this story and influences it towards the better! Like always, go check her out, she recently updated both of her ShadAmy stories. And a small shameless plug, I am also one of her Betas for Team Dark's Rose.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and like always, don't be shy to leave reviews, they keep me writing and give me a good perspective to what my readers think of my story!

Episode 4: Tainted Night

A deep sigh escaped the dark anti hero's lips, his ebony eyelids half closed in a mid eye roll. A handful of bags hung over his forearms as he followed the rosy hedgehog all around the mall.

Amy Rose had not been kidding yesterday about shopping. She'd dragged him back and forth through the large building, entering shops that were usually decorated in pastels and neons. He'd sat on the outside of fitting rooms among other male prisoners and was subjected to round after round of outfits and shoes torture. She always asked him what he thought, but he'd quickly found out she wasn't looking for a honest answer. So instead he would make unintelligible grunts and scoffs, allowing her to come to her own conclusions on what she wanted.

His eyes shut, and he tapped his foot irately as Amy stopped in front of another shoe store, staring intently at a pair of red sparkly heels. Shadow felt a sharp migraine begin to form in the corner of his temple, and he was just about ready to dump her insane amount of purchases on the ground and stomp his way out of there.

"Oh! Let's go in this store! They have amazing shoes in here!" Amy beamed cheerfully as she skipped towards entrance of the store but a firm hand pulled her back.

"Rose..." The ebony hedgehog growled at the female practically yanking her back towards him. The pull made Amy stumble back and she lost her footing, crushing her back against his lean chest.

She turned her face towards his, the lack of distance between them made her muzzle turn into a light shade of pink almost matching her fur.

Her reaction didn't go unnoticed. There it was again, the look she sometimes had with him, it was a look that screamed attraction, and was a small opportunity to show her how he felt. He smirked to cover his nervousness, but it was now or never. If he was going to snap her out of her 'crush' on Sonic, then he'd have to show her what a real male was like. He leaned in, his smirk wavering slightly as he approached her trembling lips.

"S-shadow…" She whispered her emerald eyes darted between his half lidded eyes, and the smirking lips that were getting closer and closer. She felt a thrill run up her spine, and suddenly that warm feeling returned with with a vengeance.

This is it...Your first kiss… Her mind started swirling all over the place. The way Shadow made her feel, she wanted the kiss. She yearned for it, her lips ached for his yet something in the back of her mind screamed 'STOP!'.

Her eyes snapped open from the sudden realization. Shadow could never be romantically involved with her. She wasn't even sure if he was capable of feeling something more towards her. He was just toying with her. She couldn't deny anymore that there wasn't some animalistic attraction between them, but that was exactly the issue. There was nothing more, nothing deeper than the shallow lust that any male had for any female Mobian. Shadow wasn't Sonic, and Sonic was the only person who she could see entering a real relationship with. She didn't even know if she could see herself with anyone else.

Shadow immediately recognized the look of confusion and repulsion taking form in her eyes. Her whole demeanor had shifted, her body had stiffened, and her gaze was looking anywhere but him, but the worst was the way she was leaning her face away from him. He cursed under his breath and let her go before she could officially reject him.

"I've had enough shopping for the day." He cleared his throat and fixed his stance to his default cross armed stance.

Amy blinked in confusion and sighed looking away. She was glad that Shadow broke the kiss before it even happened. At least he had some boundaries. But a small part of her felt disappointed. His musky scent still lingered around her from the earlier closeness. It made her fur and quills bristle. The girl took a breath to compose herself and nodded.

"Uh, y-yeah...Let's go back."

It was already getting late. The sun had set painting the sky in beautiful magenta and orange hues were merging into the dark purples and blacks of night. The moon was rising to its peak as the brightest stars started to appear.

Shadow felt extremely uneasy at the way he and Amy had had left things off earlier. He wanted to take her out of their normal setting and dynamic, maybe if they were alone and not joking around, she would feel open to hearing him out. So instead of dropping her off back at her apartment and going home, he suggested they take a nightcap walk on the beach in the backyard of her complex.

Both hedgehogs strolled along the coast, light waves neared and drifted away from the sand near them. The most of the walk was silent, from the occasional small talk that Amy tried to pick up but failed miserably when Shadow either replied with a 'yes' or 'no' gesture. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened to them? They used to hold long, and deep conversations easily for hours on end. Now she couldn't even make simple small talk with him. It was as if they were back at square one.

The rosette starred at the dark ocean not having given up entirely on trying to break the awkwardness in the air. She started to think about every little thing that had transpired today and the day before trying to find clues between the lines. She could never figure out what he was thinking. She could read his surface emotions, but she could never figure out if what he displayed reflected his true thoughts and opinions. He was a mystery that she constantly got lost in and was obsessed with solving. His darkness was pulling her in. He enticed her.

The worst part was the fact she could no longer deny the attraction she felt for him. She recognized that she enjoyed every tease he made, every touch they shared but she knew better. Shadow would never fall for her. Just like Sonic…

Both hedgehogs just loved to play with her emotions. She didn't want to make the same mistake with Shadow. She didn't want to give her heart away again only to be met by a friendzone. Besides, she still wasn't sure of her actual emotions, as Sonic still held a large part of her heart, and she couldn't figure out which male would be able to fill her completely. And she doubted she ever would… neither one of them the slightest interested in helping her find out. Chaos, was she doomed to die an old maid?

"Rose…"

His soft husky voice broke her out of thought.

She always loved the way his voice sounded. The calmness in his tone, the way he pronounced her nickname. Amy looked up at him and was met by those melting crimson eyes. This was one of those rare times where his gaze was softened, and his emotions were exposed. She could see...regret?

"Rose, I…" He didn't look away. He kept his gaze locked onto hers. He kept his emotions exposed and unhidden by an unreadable brooding mask. She couldn't look away. She was trapped in those crimson pools like a moth attracted to a flame. She didn't even want to blink. She didn't want to miss a split second, otherwise she would think she was imagining it.

"What…?" Her voice was softer and quieter than usual. It felt like time had stopped between them, and her heart was beating slowly but hard in her chest like the thumping of a war drum.

Shadow couldn't delay this any longer. At the pace he was going, he was sure to cause Amy to drift away from him with his mindless teasing flirts. He could see her feeling uncomfortable, and each time he casually brought the subject up, her reactions were more and more distant. He could feel how he was crossing boundaries that she didn't want to let down. The cracks he had made in her walls were repairing themselves. He didn't want to lose her. He needed her.

No more denial.

"I have to tell you something…"

Her large bright eyes stared cut into his very soul, and caused the words to feel thick in his throat. They looked at him with deep curiosity, and his heart skipped a beat like a schoolgirl. Dammit, get your shit together!

"I… - " He started but was suddenly cut off by a deep feminine voice.

"Oh, Shadooooe~!"

An albino bat flew down and landed swiftly next to him. Both hedgehogs suddenly tensed from her appearance.

"Rouge?" Shadow broke his glance away from Amy and directed it questioningly at the bat next to him.

"Fancy meeting you here, handsome." Rouge practically purred out as she leaned on his shoulder. The ebony hedgehog stiffened from the closeness and growled slightly. He couldn't react. His body was trapped in shock from the sudden shift of situation. Suddenly, anger overcome his senses. He was finally ready to express himself to her, and Rouge was ruining it all.

"I was looking all over the place for you!" She pointed a gloved finger at his chest fur as it traveled down to his abdomen.

"What are you doing here, Rouge?" The dark hedgehog snapped at her, moving away to the side, his eyes narrowing in annoyance and fists clenching to his sides.

"Just checking up on my favorite hedgehog!" She smirked her voice low and sultry. Her glass blue eyes skimmed over to the frozen female hedgehog next to him. "And to provide you with better company, seeing how dull the mood is around you two."

Amy furrowed her eyebrows watching the scene in front of her. She felt anger boil down her very core. Who did she think she is?! Cuddling up like that to Shadow...But…

A small dark voice in the back of her head, which she constantly pushed away everytime Rouge was around, broke through her better judgement.

Maybe he doesn't mind it that much...He didn't pull away immediately, and her actions are smooth and comfortable, as though they touch like this all the time… And I wouldn't blame him… Look at her, she's stunning… Compared to me…

Suddenly the anger in her eyes was replaced by hurt. Their usual shine dulled out as her gaze dropped to the ground. Her thought traveled down to a rare path for her. She'd always felt confident with her looks. But suddenly she felt like she was so average and dull compared to the gorgeous bat next to the dark hedgehog. They looked like a model couple, one you'd see walking down a red carpet, as people gawked at their beauty.

Not to mention the unknown past the two shared. She was closer to him, they've spent countless missions working flawlessly together. Not to mention that there was a time when they even lived together along with Omega. Amy couldn't even bring herself to think what could've happened between them during that period…

Shadow glared at the white harpie. He knew very well what she was doing. And right now her 'push' towards the pink hedgehog was about to sabotage everything.

"Go home, Rouge." He growled lowly at her but before she could respond the rosette next to him spoke up.

"No," Amy shook her head and stepped back from them, "stay, Rouge. I'm not much of company anyway...I feel tired, I'm going back home...You guys enjoy the night." She spoke softly with an uncharacteristic monotone voice while looking away from them.

"Rose -" Shadow's eyes widened but suddenly his G.U.N. watch rang. He cursed under his breath. Not right now!

Rouge's watch also rang as she glanced at it.

"Looks like we have an urgent mission, hon." She glanced up at Amy who was already walking away. Damn it! This was not going how she had planned. The girl had gotten bit too intimidated by her than she expected.

Rouge had been casually flying around town when she spotted both hedgehogs near the fancy apartment complex. Her ears twitched around trying to capture what both of them were saying but the wind made it difficult for her to differentiate their words. The moment she saw Shadow's face change into a slightly panicked look, she knew she had to interfere and set her plan into motion.

However, now she feared she had made a terrible mistake. Amy wasn't responding with a jealous anger like she'd expected, instead the girl looked like she accepted their - fake - relationship and was stepping down. Then she wondered if the girl even liked Shadow to begin with, and worry set in her heart for her partner, and what seemed like his unrequited love.

"Amy!" Shadow yelled after her but Rouge put her hand on his shoulder.

"Let her leave, she'll be alright, I guarantee you she'll be running into your arms tomorrow..." She tried to assure him but in reality she was trying to assure herself also. Rouge couldn't let herself think that she possibly just made things worse.

The dark hedgehog gritted his teeth furiously, his sharp canines showing. Now he was beyond pissed.

"What the hell did you just do!?" He snapped at her, his crimson eyes glowing darkly.

"I just helped you by giving her a little nudge in the right direction!" She pulled her hand away her brows narrowing down. A bead of sweat traveled down her forehead.

"By pushing her away?!"

Rouge shook her head trying to calm herself down.

"You'll see! She'll come to her senses! Now, c'mon! We have a mission to do!"

Shadow growled furiously clenching his head with his hands. He didn't have time to deal with this right now.

Amy had left the beach to walk back to her apartment, but couldn't seem to bring herself to enter once she'd arrived, so she'd just kept walking. She allowed herself to fall into a blank minded state while crossing the dimly lit streets. It was a really peaceful night, the only occasional disturbance was passing vehicles from time to time. The female hedgehog closed her eyes for a moment enjoying how a glint of cool air softly graced her face, and swayed her quills back.

She adored these summer nights. She could hear the sound of crickets all around, and the weather was so warm and pleasant with the occasional cool breeze passing by. These midnight strolls helped her calm down and clear her head. She just found she could think better in the open, rather than inside closed walls.

As she was walking, colorful blinking suddenly caught her attention. Her boots came to a halt as the pink female turned to the side to face the lights. In front of her, there was a hude shop window, with dark frames, and behind the glass, there was a big flat screen TV on display that was playing a commercial to show off the great definition that the TV's screen emitted. The hedgehog found herself staring at the commercial.

There were two mobians on it, an onyx male wolf and a creamish-pink female wolf. The male was holding the female by her waist, while she placed her hands on his chest. He was saying something to her, but Amy couldn't tell what because the TV was on mute. The line had made the female stare at the wolf with a loving gaze and parted lips. He then placed a hand on her cheek and gently brushed a strand of hair her face.

Suddenly the female hedgehog started replacing the wolfs with hedgehogs. One black, with crimson stripes on his quills, arms and legs, and a fluffy white patch of fur on his chest. The rosette sighed at it with a daydreaming tone when the hedgehog gently caressed now the pink hedgehog's cheek and slowly closed the gap between their lips.

No… what was she even thinking? She was once again fooling herself with a fantasy that would never come true. Tonight was proof enough for her.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a roaring car engine that passed throught the street. Amy shook her head and blinked a couple of times, not noticing how the car suddenly stopped a few meters ahead.

"Ames…?" She heard a very familiar boyish voice behind her. She snapped her gaze from the TV and turned around.

"Sonic…?" The pink hedgehog watched the blue one with confusion. He was wearing a brown leather jacket, a shade or two lighter than his scarf. He was holding a shiny navy car key with a tiny screen on it.

"What are you doing here so late, and all alone?" He crossed his arms in disapproval, but his voice and eyes gave away his concern.

"I was just walking back home from… the beach." She stared at him not really giving any other emotion than pure confusion. She really didn't expect to meet anyone else tonight.

A deep frown formed on the hedgehog's mouth as his brows furrowed down.

"Why are you alone after getting injured yesterday? You Should've called me and we could've gone together."

As much as Sonic would rather be zooming through the streets in his decked out car, he deeply cared for Amy's well-being and found he no longer cared for his own plans.

"I'm not a child, Sonic. I can handle myself."

It was Amy's turn to frown and fold her arms. His demand just poured more salt in her wound. Who did he think he is? What right did he have to treat her like a weak damsel in distress? She was getting really tired to be bossed around by the male two hedgehogs.

Sonic stared at his female friend but his frown had softened. He didn't mean to make her angry, he just wanted to be sure she was safe. It wasn't that he didn't trust her. He did, he just didn't trust the drunk fools that might be roaming at this hour. Sure, Amy could handle herself pretty well, but he didn't want to see her in any harm's way.

"I know you're not, Ames…" He sighed and looked away at the ground. His voice was low and gave out the concern he felt. At this, Amy softened her glare at her former hero.

"Just...Can I give you a ride home…? I know you can handle yourself, but I won't forgive myself if I leave you out here and something happens to you…" He averted his gaze back to her jade eyes. The way he looked at her, it was so sincere. She could even see the pleading in his deep jade eyes.

The young female bit her bottom lip. She didn't want the blue hero to worry about her. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. With a final sigh she nodded her head slightly. Today was a long enough day and right now she just wanted to go home and bury herself in her covers.

"Alright Sonic, take me home."

This made the blue hedgehog smile. It wasn't an arrogant self-assured smile. It was just a soft one, with a hint of relief, and it sent her heart soaring.

Sonic made his way to the shiny, dark navy-blue, sports car that was parked a couple of feet ahead. Amy blinked a couple of times and she followed along.

"You drive a car?"

The male hedgehog grinned at the remark.

"Guess all these cart races rubbed off on me. Hop in."

He lifted his hand towards the car and pushed the screen on the remote key he was still holding. The vehicle beeped once and its blinkers flashed a couple of times. At the same time, the two massive doors of the coupe, slowly opened upwards giving both hedgehogs access inside.

Amy begrudgingly had to admit, the car looked stunning and expensive. Every line of the exterior was smooth and curved into sexy shapes for better aerodynamics. Its paint job was so shiny that everything reflected on the dark blue surface, making a collage of colorful lights like a nebula in space. She knew that Sonic liked experimenting with all kinds of new vehicles but she didn't expect him to go for such a car. Nonetheless, it suited the speedster.

Once both of them got in the car, Sonic pushed a button near the gearbox, and both doors lowered themselves to a closing. The interior of the car wasn't any less impressive. Red leather seats - in the same shade as his sneakers - with white stitching and logo of the silhouette of the blue hedgehog's quills on the headpiece. Everything was definitely custom made.

Sonic placed the key in the ignition and pushed the Start button. The engine growled loudly like a lion, while the dashboard and the headlights lit up. There was a big touch screen above the gearbox that also came to life in a dulled light and read "Welcome, Sonic."

Ah...can it get more vain than this? She thought with a slight giggle. This was so Sonic.

Amy adjusted her seatbelt and sat back to the comfortable seat. At this point Sonic drove off revving the engine. Amy leaned on her hand and gazed from the passenger window at the quickly passing city lights. A mild tune was playing in the background. She recognized the song. It was nice and mellow and it made her relax even more into her seat. The ride was quiet and wasn't awkward. It was actually a very comfortable type of silence.

As Amy stared out the window, Sonic stole a couple of glances at her while driving. At one point he saw the female hedgehog doze off. The sight made him smile. He unconsciously relaxed the pressure his foot gave the gas pedal, causing the car to slow down to the actual speed limit (something he never did) and its engine purred from the unfamiliar rate of speed. He wanted to enjoy this moment a bit longer.

In what seemed forever, but in reality took a couple of minutes, the ride was over. After he parked the car, Sonic killed the engine and glanced back at the resting pink hedgehog next to him. She was fully asleep now.

The blue hedgehog chuckled quietly and got out of the car. He walked quietly to her side and knelt down beside her. Carefully, he scooped her up from her seat in bridal style and pushed the screen on the key to close the doors. As he walked towards her apartment, the hedgehog felt her small head lean onto his chest for support. He looked down at her while stopping in front of her apartment door. She looked so innocent and sweet in her sleep.

Sonic caught himself starring and shook his head a bit. He adjusted her weight in his left hand so he could search for her keys with his other hand. He prayed that they were in one of her pockets, so he wouldn't have to wake her up. Luckily for him, he felt the cold metal in her right pocket. He reached and grabbed the keys, taking them out. Readjusting her position again, with one hand on her back, and a knee bent up in the air to support her bottom, he pushed the key inside the lock and opened the door as silently as possible. Thankfully there was only a soft click as the gears unlocked.

The speedster sighed in relief and put his free hand under her knees and let his leg drop on the ground. He entered her apartment and pushed the light switch with his elbow. Taking a second so his eyes could adjust to the sudden light, he looked around at his surroundings. The apartment was actually pretty nice. The kitchen and living area were decently big and the style of the home was retro, with a hint of modern. The place was tidy and a nice fruity aroma greeted him. Her apartment smelled the same way she did.

He walked through the living area and entered a hallway. He looked around and saw 3 doors. When he and the rest of the gang went to her house they usually only stayed in the living room. So he wasn't really sure which door was for her bedroom. But he knew that the middle one was the bathroom, so that left either the door to the right or the opposite one.

Sonic walked over to the door to the right and was content to see the big white bed covered with a baby pink furred blanket. He entered the room and carefully set the pink hedgehog on the soft bed. He was relieved that she was a heavy sleeper. He took off her boots and gently pulled the covers over her. He stared at her for a moment. He'd never really cared to take the time to notice her soft features before, and now he found he couldn't tear his gaze away. Suddenly, on a whim, he placed a hand over her cheek and stroked it, pushing a couple of quills away.

The azure hedgehog flinched when he saw movement on her face. Her eyes trembled for a moment and her expression changed.

That was his que. He should be going, but his legs stayed glued to his place.

No more running.

In mere seconds Amy had opened her eyes groggily but could see only a flash of blue blur for a split second, before her vision fully adjusted.

"Sonic..?" Her voice was raspy as her eyes blinked a couple of times locking themselves to his jade ones. She finally registered the warm hand that was lingering on her face.

Amy's eyes widened as she expected her realization to quickly make the azure hero retract his hand. But he didn't.

"Hey Ames…" His voice was huskier than normal and she felt her chest squeeze, this was out of character for him. The way he was tenderly touching her, and the look in his eyes… she tried to sit up, but his grip tightened a bit,

"Will you hear me out for a bit…"

Sonic's tone was hushed as he leaned his forehead gently onto hers. His lids slowly dropped until his eyes closed, while her curious emerald ones skimmed through his expression slightly alarmed from the sudden gesture. But the feeling was coaxed away by the soothing strokes his thumb made on her cheek. A momentary silence settled around them until he finally broke it.

"I... I thought I lost you for a moment yesterday…"

"Oh Sonic…" Amy couldn't help but feel her eyes burn with tears of guilt and sympathy. Her hand traveled up his face and brushed his quills gently in an attempt to calm him down and not interrupt him.

"Yesterday made me realize...That I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you… If I'm not there to protect you… you could be gone, from a simple accident. Just one little thing could go wrong, and you'd be..." His eyes slowly opened into a half lidded state and locked themselves onto hers once again.

She could see multiple emotions pouring out of them. Care, kindness, worry, hurt… And an emotion that she had never seen in his eyes before. One she recognized but couldn't believe would ever populate his face.

Her heart was racing so fast by this point it was ready to burst from her chest. Her mind was overthinking the situation so much, that it was practically blank. Anticipation, excitement and anxiety crawled into her very existence. Was this really what she had been waiting to hear for 10 long years?

"It made me realize… I don't have all the time in the world… I can't keep running from this, because we don't have forever. I'm not going to waste anymore time." His voice turned into a soft whisper towards the end of his sentence. His thumb brushed lightly over her lower lip as his eyes lowered longingly towards the same direction.

"W-What are you…" Amy's mouth could barely form words at this point. A light shade of pink covered the top of her muzzle as her eyes stayed hypnotised onto his.

"I'm not a kid anymore, and I should stop acting like one."

Sonic sighed as he removed his hand from her lips and placed it on the back of her head expertly between her quills. The movement made the female hedgehog shudder. It was so pleasant and yet so foreign.

The blue hedgehog took a deep breath and closed his eyes once again for a moment, gathering up all the courage he had for this next part. After a moment he felt the nervousness exit his body completely. He was finally ready.

"I-I like you…" He paused for a moment but his eyebrows suddenly furrowed down. "Not just as friends, but - well I… have… deeper feelings for you, Ames. And if you still feel the same… I'd like to give us a try."

At this point his eyes skimmed back and forth through hers anxiously waiting for her reaction. Hoping she would reciprocate, that he wasn't too late.

Amy stared at him in shock. Her pupils were dilated and her eyes wide. His whole body was rejecting the situation, and he wanted to dash from the room. That look was not what he'd been expecting after wearing his heart on his sleeve for her, but then she blinked, and her mouth gaped open comically.

"Am I… am I dreaming? Are you... joking?"

Sonic gulped, and gave her a nervous grin, "No Ames, I'm dead serious… so what do you say?"

Amy heard a ringing in her ears, she couldn't believe this was happening. He wasn't joking... She tried to get a handle on all the swirling emotions within her, and then suddenly a calmness entered her as she came to her decision. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth hesitantly,

"I…"