Authors note: I was trying to post before Christmas, but of course I got hella lazy. Plus, I had to do a lot of last minute Christmas shopping lol

Nebula the Hedgehog I hope you don't think I'm talking about Raven from Teen Titans lol XD This is just a character I made up to be Shadow's ex girlfriend

Day-Week, no promises there. Shadow's ex will give off that crazy ex girlfriend vibe lol

Enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter Eighteen: Feelings grow

May 11

Shadow's glare narrowed as he made eye contact with his ex girlfriend. Raven is a black cat with a very shapely figure similar to Rouge. She has long silky dark purple hair, a long fluffy tail, a white muzzle, and piercing lilac colored eyes. She was currently wearing a tight fitted silver dress that ended past her knees, black high heels, and wore a white blazer over the dress. She stood there before the ebony hedgehog with her hands on her wide hips as she stared at him with a blank expression. Shadow grunted as he turned on his heel and continued his way to his car.

Raven rolled her eyes and followed behind him. "That's it? That's all you have to say to me after all these months?!"

"What the hell do you expect me to say?" Shadow questioned as he quickened his pace.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe something like 'Hey Raven! It's been a while!' or maybe 'Sorry for kicking you out of the apartment, destroying everything I bought you, and blocking all your calls.' That would be a great start."

Shadow stopped abruptly and turned around to face the feline. His glare seemed to have gotten more intense as his scowl deepen on his muzzle. "Typical Raven fashion. Everything always seems to be my fault and somehow you're always the one who can do no wrong."

"Oh please! Like you're so damn perfect," Raven spat as she crossed her arms. She eyed him up and down and scuffed with a roll of her eyes. "That was always some thing I hated about you. You were always quick to point out my flaws."

It was Shadow's turn to roll his eyes. "I never would have to if you would of never started lying to me." He took his keys and unlocked his car. "And don't act confused about what I'm talking about. Because you know damn well what I'm talking about." He opened the car door and slid inside. He slammed the door close, started the car, and sped off.

Raven watched as his car went further down the road until she could see him anymore. At first, she frowned and felt a little down that he left so suddenly. But her frown quickly turned into a smirk as she giggled quietly to herself.

"This won't be the last time you see me, Shadow."

Shadow stormed his way into his hotel suite as he growled slightly. He was still fuming about his bump in with Raven, but he was slowly calming himself down. To help calm his nerves, he went over to the mini bar and opened the fridge. He grabbed a bottle of vodka and had one shot of it. When ever he and Raven got into an argument, he would turn to cigarettes as a way to calm down. Fortunately he stopped smoking a long time ago when he realized it was affecting his health. It also made him realize just how much he and the feline fight, since he would usually go through three packs of cigarettes a week.

After putting away the alcohol, he took off his suit and undid his tie. He figured now was a perfect time to call his pink girlfriend since he won't be interpreted this time. He dialed her number on face-time and laid himself down on the bed. A few seconds later, the face he loved to see appeared on the screen.

"Hey Shadow!" Amy exclaimed with a bright smile on her face. Since it was evening time, the pink hedgehog had her long hair up in a messy bun and wore a plain shirt with pajama pants. But her face was still done up with makeup.

The ebony hedgehog smiled with a chuckle. "Hey beautiful. You seem really excited to see me," he joked.

"I'm just so excited to hear from you! It's only the first day and I miss you so much. But anyway, how was your first day? Anything interesting happened?"

Shadow was about to tell her about his confrontation with his ex girlfriend, but he thought that now wasn't the best time. It's the first day that he's gone, and he knew Amy was feeling lonely without him being there. So telling her about Raven at this very moment probably wasn't the best choice. He figured he would tell her if something more drastic were to happen between him and Raven while he was here.

"It was fine. The flight was quiet, then a friend of mine drove me to the hotel. Then I attended the meeting for a few hours, and now I'm back here talking to you. How have you been?"

"Well after I dropped you off, I took out Luna for a walk around the neighborhood. Then Sonia invited me to her place to chat. After that the girls came over and now I'm alone. At least you called me like you said you would. By the way, you look incredible handsome." Amy giggled as she twirled her hair. She wished that Shadow was physically here so she can be held in his strong, warm arms. "So what else do you have to do for the rest of the week?"

"From what I'm told, I have to train some new people tomorrow, another meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, then I'm back home on Friday."

Amy did a little cheer that made Shadow grin. "Good. This is where you belong anyway," she said softly as she looked into his eyes. She didn't want to get too emotional like she did with Sonia earlier. She sighed and smiled. "Well, I should probably let you get some rest for work tomorrow. I Don't want you acting all cranky at work."

Shadow chuckled as he shrugged his shoulder. His laughter came down as he looked into her eyes. There were so many things he wanted to say to Amy but he knew now wasn't the best time. Especially something he's been feeling for a while now. Something that was real important to say, but would be best said in person.

"I guess you're right. Then again, I could always say my breathe taking girlfriend kept me up all night," he said with a smirk in a suggestive manor.

"Get to bed you freak," Amy said with a giggled. She sighed and smiled as she looked into her boyfriends eyes. "I miss you."

Shadow smiled. "I miss you too."

After the two said goodnight to each other and ended the call, Shadow grabbed a towel and walked over to the bathroom to wash up. He took a mental note that he only had to be in New York for four more days until he can be back with his Rose.

May 12

Giving a tour to dozens of people with a big smile on her face was Amy herself. The pink hedgehog had a great night and a great morning. She had a good nights sleep since she got to see and speak to Shadow. Sure, it was only through face time, but it was something. When she woke up this morning, she checked her phone to see that she received a good morning text from the ebony hedgehog. It was along the lines of him hoping that she has a good day and telling her how much he misses her. She thought it was sweet of him to show that much affection towards her, even though he was in a different state at the moment.

So far, her day was going well. She didn't have to be stuck in the office all day, so that was one thing to be happy about. All she had to do was this open house tour for a little while. She was hoping today that she can sell this house to get it off her hands. As she was showing off the backyard to a young couple, her cell phone began to ring. She immediately thought that it was Shadow trying reach her. She excused herself from the couple as she reached into her purse for her phone. Unfortunately, it wasn't Shadow that was calling her. It was Sally.

"Hello?"

"Hey Amy! Are you busy right now?"

"I am actually. I'm in the middle of hosting an open house. What's up?"

"Oh nothing. I was just calling to invite you to come with me and Fiona to go shopping for my wedding dress!"

Amy's eyes went a little wide as she inwardly gasped. "Really?"

"Yeah silly! I can't be walking down the isle in some boring dress! You can meet Fiona and I there after your done. You can bring a friend if you want also."

"Uhh, okay! Just send me the address of the place and I'll be there."

"Thanks girly!"

Amy hanged up her phone and placed it back inside her purse. Of course she knew that Sally would be going wedding dress shopping soon, but she didn't know it'd be this soon. She started to wonder when exactly this so called wedding would be happening. She thought of inviting Rouge and Blaze, but she remembered that Rouge and Fiona don't get along for obvious reasons. So she would just invite Blaze with her.

Shadow's day, just like Amy, started out pretty great. When he woke up this morning, the first thing he did was send his girlfriend a good morning text. He thought that she would appreciate it since he knows that she misses him a lot. Afterwards, he received delicious and filling breakfast via room service. After he ate, he got dressed for work.

When he arrived at work, he was greeted by several people that he use to work with. As he walked down the halls of the building, he would wave or nod his head towards people who would call out his name. He made sure to not even utter a word to Raven when ever he was near her. He knew that if Raven were to say something problematic, which she defiantly would, he would have snapped.

Instead of sitting through meetings today, he had to teach various new employees how to do their job. It went well. Known of them were rude, stuck up, or acted as if they knew everything and didn't need his help. When he was done, he decided to head over to the employee lounge to get himself a coffee. He was feeling pretty tired and needed a pick me up.

When he walked into the employee lounge, he was greeted by Jet.

"Hey man," greeted the green hawk as he poured himself some coffee, "how did training go?"

"It was alright. They picked up on the steps pretty fast so it wasn't as much as a hassle as I thought it would be." As he stirred his coffee, he looked up at the window to see Raven pass by. Luckily she didn't notice him. He sighed with a roll of his eyes. "So I saw Raven last night."

Jet looked at him with wide eyes. "How? I didn't even see her yesterday?"

"It was in the parking lot. I was walking to the car when she came up behind me."

"I was hoping you wouldn't see her while you were hear," Jet said as he rubbed his neck. "She became more of an annoyance ever since you left."

Shadow scuffed. "How so?"

"She got a higher position after she had the baby. She's in charge of a lot of important things, so now she walks around here thinking she's the shit basically."

Shadow stiffed slightly when Jet mentioned her baby. She didn't say anything about it last night, so he was a bit curious. "So this baby," he started, "have you seen it?"

Jet shook his head. "Nope. But I do know that it's a boy and he's around the same age of Sky. Maybe a few weeks younger than her. I over heard her telling her friends about him."

"Knowing her, she'll find a way to bring that up whenever she sees me," Shadow grumbled as he poured himself more coffee.

The hawk decided to try and lighten the mood since he knew Shadow was on edge. "How about you come over tomorrow night for dinner? I would say tonight but I know Wave wants to have time to tidy up the place."

"That would be great." He looked up at the clock and saw that his break was over. "I should get back before they come looking for me," he joked as he placed the mug down on the table. He and Jet said their goodbyes as they both went their separate ways. As Shadow walked down the hall, he didn't realize that Raven was watching him the entire time.

"Oh my god! There's so many beautiful dresses to choose from!"

Amy and Blaze met up with Sally and Fiona at the wedding dress boutique a while ago. It was a very fancy and up scale place that practically screamed money. There was hundreds of various styled wedding dresses that surrounded the women. There was also a section of various accessories like vials, tiaras, shoes, and jewelry. At the moment, three of the females were seated on comfy couches as the bride to be was in the dressing room.

"So Amy," said Fiona, "have you talked to Sonia yet about taking the wedding photos?"

"Yeah, she's really excited about it," answered the pink hedgehog as she lied through her teeth, all while having a smile on her face. Blaze had to discreetly cover her mouth to keep herself from giggling.

"What about Manic? You know, to sing at the wedding?" asked Fiona.

"Uhh, not yet. He's probably really busy at the moment." It's true that Amy hasn't spoken to Manic, but she doubted that he would be willing to do it.

Just then, Sally stepped out from the dressing room. The wedding dress she wore was very beautiful. The top of the dress was sleeveless and tight, while the skirt of the dress was loose with a long train in the back. She wore a vial on top of her head and had high white heels. She squealed as she looked herself in the mirror then turned to the other woman.

"Is this dress gorgeous or what?" Sally said as she twirled to show off the dress. Amy had to admit that the dress was indeed very beautiful and made Sally look very elegant. The whole attire, right down to the shoes, was perfect. "All I need is a dress to wear to the reception," Sally said as she continued to examine the wedding dress.

Blaze glanced over at her pink friend then back at Sally. "How much is that dress exactly?"

Sally looked at the price and shrugged. "Only $2,500."

Amy took a deep breathe and sighed through her nose. 'Only $2,500. Who the hell is paying for dress anyway?'

When Sally took off the wedding dress, her and Fiona went off in the store to find a dress for her to wear for the reception. Amy and Blaze stayed behind on the couches.

"Sonic sure has a hefty fee to pay for this crap," Amy mumbled.

Blaze nodded her head in agreement. "From what Silver told me, Sally's parents aren't in town at the moment so that's why we're here with her. Apparently her parents sent the money for the dress to Sonic already."

"I sure hope so. Because going by the list of what she wants at her wedding including two dresses will be a whole lot to pay for."

"Well besides all that, how's Shadow? And how is like without him being around?"

Amy sighed and smiled a small smile. Her heart would always beat faster whenever she got to talk about Shadow. "It's okay. We face timed last night for a while and then he sent me a cute message this morning. You know, with him being away, it shows me just how much I like him. I mean, I know it's only for a week that he'll be gone. But ever since we've been together, I've gotten so attached to him."

"Is that a bad thing?" asked Blaze as she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh God no. It feels amazing. Before my daily routine was going to work then going back home. Now it's going to work, being surprised by Shadow throughout the day, and then spending time with him after work. I guess what I'm saying is that it feels great to have somebody that I have strong feelings for again. And with him being away, I'm always wondering what he's doing and how he's feeling, and wondering if he's thinking about me. Which I know he is."

"You two are just too cute," Blaze said with a big smile. "It's like you two were made for each other. I see the way he looks at you and the way he treats you. It's obvious that you too are a match made in heaven."

"So are you and Silver," said Amy, "Rouge, Cream, and I have been dying to see you two date for the longest time cause we all knew you'd both be perfect for each other."

Blaze blush and smiled. "Speaking of Silver, we went to dinner last night and he told me he loved me."

Amy gasped and squealed like a little girl. Her smile was from ear to ear. "How cute!You better have said back to him."

"Of course I did," said Blaze as she laughed. "It felt so amazing to hear him say it. And it felt even more amazing to say it back to him." The purple feline then looked back at Amy and tilted her head. "Have you and Shadow said it yet?"

The pink hedgehog shook her head. "Not yet. I really want it to happen, but I'm just waiting for the right moment to say it, you know?"

"It'll happen soon enough. I just know it."

Amy smiled and gave Blaze a hug. Unfortunately, their tender moment was ruined when Sally called for them to help her and Fiona look for another dress.

"Let's get help before we get bitched at."

Instead of being stuck inside of a wedding boutique store for hours and hours, Rouge was having time for herself at the mall. She knew she couldn't be in the same room as Fiona. Surely one of them would be leaving the store in handcuffs, and Rouge knew it would most likely be her. So here she was, minding her own business and shopping around for a new outfit. Her and Knuckles were going out tonight, but she felt like she needed something new. Plus, one of her favorite pair of heels broke so she had to buy a new pair.

She's already been to several stores and had about five bags full of new clothes. She decided to take a break and go get a smoothie. When she got in line at the smoothie stand, she took out her phone to distract herself from the long line. She checked up on her social media, her emails, messages, things of that nature. Every now and again she would move up in line when ever it got shorter.

Suddenly somebody came right behind her, pressing his chest firmly against her back. "It must be my lucky day," said a husky voice behind her. She rolled her eyes and turned around to look into icy blue eyes.

"What do you want, Scourge?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

The green hedgehog smirked as he took in the bat's appearance from head to toe. "Just wanted to say hello. It's been awhile since we last got together."

Rouge scuffed in disgust and walked off, completely losing her taste for a smoothie. Of course, Scourge was right behind her.

"That's because I got tired of being your real life sex doll," she spat. "I'm sure you get enough play time from your wife and any other chick who's desperate enough for some money."

Scourge gently grabbed the bat's arm and pulled him into his chest. "Don't be like that," he said with a grin. "We had a lot of fun together."

Rouge pulled away from his embrace and glared at him. "You probably had fun. But having to pleasure you during work, or having a quickie during an open house, or having to leave my house at three in morning, was not fun for me."

The green hedgehog rolled his eyes with a smirk planted on his muzzle. "But it was worth it. I got to fuck your brains out and you earned yourself a shit ton of money." He winked at her as she grunted and continued to glare at him. "If you come back to me, I'll give you even more money. Plus, any car of your choice baby."

In the past, Rouge would of taken up Scourge's offer without a second thought. She wouldn't care that she had to have sex with a married man in exchange for money and expensive gifts like diamonds, purses, or a brand new car. But the new and improved Rouge quickly rejected his offer. She has self respect for herself and has a caring boyfriend her treats her like she's royalty. She didn't need all the money in the world when she has Knuckles.

"You can give that money and car to another chick. Hell, you can give it to your wife. I really don't give a damn. Now if you excuse me, I have to get going. I have date tonight with my big strong boyfriend." And with that, the ivory bat flipped her hair and walked off, leaving Scourge behind. She knew that the green hedgehog wasn't hurt by what she said since he could easily find another girl to replace her. But that was the least of her worries. All she cared about was the man she called Knuckie.

Inside of her office, Raven was packing up her things to leave. She had an annoyed frown on her face as she walked around her office. Shadow had ignored her the entire day. When ever she was around, he would find a way to leave the area quickly before she had a chance to try and push his buttons. But the ebony hedgehog was unaware that she was watching him for most of the day.

Every chance she got, she would look to see what Shadow was doing. Little did Shadow know, Raven had a plan in order to speak to him one on one, with no interruptions. All she had to do was wait for the right moment. She smirked to herself as she thought about her little plan. She knew exactly what she was going to say to her ex boyfriend.

When she stepped out of her office, she noticed Shadow walking the opposite way towards the exit. She grinned as she turned around and walked down the hall. "Just you wait, Shadow."

Authors note: I hope you all liked this chapter! I wanted to post this chapter before the year ended.

Please leave reviews! They are highly appreciated!

Happy Early New Year! I just want to say thank you to all of you that read my fanfics. I appreciate you all so much!

Bye! :)