Well... err... here's chapter 14. And merry christmas, too! Yeah... r-review. Seriously.

Oh! Reviews! Heh-heh... almost forgot there...

Gamewizard: Thanks for the forgiveness. I know I went crazy with the laziness there and I'll never let myself forget.

Isu: Indeed it does, my friend, indeed it does. I'm all the glader for it too.

Saphire: I know it took me waaay to long with chapter 13. By the way, you never got back to me as to what you want to do with that plot. I'm not going to type up chapter one untill you say you're going to adopt the story. I can't start ANOTHER story- I havefour in the works counting the sequel I'm writing next spring.

Blueblur: Thanks! That really does make me feel better- I was worried that people would scream and throw things. But thankfully they didn't. Alteast... not yet... (paranoid.)

Stev: Thanks, I thought so too. I hope you like chapter 14 as much.

Liz: What do you mean being afraid of centepeides wasn't original? I haven't read anything where a goverment spy was a fraid of centipeides! Oh well- anyway the plot twist thing here was also depicted in my other story so some of the people here might know what it is- BUT THEY PROBABLY WONT! MUAHAHA! Ayway, update your stories soon, and have a merry unspecified winter holiday!

SpecialED: Aww, thanks. I wouldn't delete it, even if it did take me four... months.. to type up... I HATE when witer's block strikes. Oh well- atleastI didn't have to stay up all night to write THIS chapter.

funvtfun: Thanks for saying that. Me and liz have been friends for a while but I think she'll alwaysbe more well-known on this site than me. But it's good to know that We're both doing well!

Ri2: Why, I have not the slightest idea! You have to read and find out!

ElektraGirl: ...err... no... I don't get it. (sweatdrop) Thanks for reviewing, anyway!

Wow, I actually responded to all of them. Neato.

Alexi walked down the hall, her thoughts whirling as Shadow silently followed.

Was it right for her to tell him this? True, it was his past and he probably had the right to know; but was it really her responsibility? Not only was this discussion going to be unpleasant; as Shadow might not react very well; but the consequences of this knowledge could be disastrous. What if he told Sonic? As much as it was Sonic's right to know as well- the boy wasn't in the position to deal with such information, or at least not at the moment.

Another question that was bothering her- why was she doing this in the first place? As stated before- Shadow's happiness was neither her responsibility nor her concern. It wasn't going to bring her any benefit by telling him this. And at the same time she felt reasonlessly compelled to do so. Maybe it was for the satisfaction of seeing his discomfort at the news. Or maybe she was curious as to what he would think. Possibly, somewhere in her conscious a part of her was still trying to reason with the world, like a little voice of moral in the back of your head that you have to make sure to step on every few days. Maybe a part of her wanted Shadow to know.

But that part of her was long dead- so that couldn't be the solution. Perhaps she didn't need a reason- but nonetheless Shadow was about to discover a hidden element of his past.

"Shadow," Alexi began, her voice monotone and void. "What would think if I told you that I knew something about your past- about the 50 blank years between Ark and now?" She told him, turning around to look Shadow in the eye.

The hedgehog carried a lit torch, since Fliara and the others were far out of earshot, and thusly would leave where they stood dark without it. He seemed concerned- somewhere between the belief that Alexi was beginning some cruel joke or discontent that this was going to be bad news. In a way, the latter was correct. Or maybe not- Alexi neither knew nor cared how Shadow would take the news- just that he heard it.

"Like what, Alexi?" He asked, switching the uncomfortably warm torch from one hand to the other. "This isn't bad, is it?"

Alexi scoffed slightly, her ears twitching in amusement. Uncanny that he should ask the same questions she had asked herself.

"Not exactly, Shadow. It will depend entirely on how you take it in." concluded the leopard, not bothering to give away too much detail that the hedgehog didn't ask for.

For a few moments Shadow stood there, awkwardly shifting his weight. He wasn't stupid; he knew very well that Alexi was not the type of person to give this information out on a charity basis. As a matter of fact, it was odd for Alexi to even talk to him like this, and he had the right to be suspicious.

"What is this really about, Alexi?" He asked. "I already told you- Maria never told me how to kill you. She just told me to stay away from you- and I understand why now."

It was true; Maria had told him about his prototypes. Alexi he had always had a curiosity for, but every day he began to increasingly doubt her innocence. No matter what the scientists had done to her it did not justify the murder of hundreds. Sometimes the leopard just exploded- and Shadow hated having to be the one to hold her back.

Alexi, after hearing his last statement, turned around and glared.

"It's about what I said it was about- Now Shadow, do you want to hear the news or not?" She growled, her tail twitching in aggravation. Normally Shadow would take this as a sign to back off, but he was getting sick and tired of Alexi's attitude.

"Why do you care? Alexi, this isn't like you. Now I know you know I want to learn more about my past- but why do you want to help me?" He demanded. "You never consider the needs of anyone- not even yourself. Why am I an exception?"

Alexi groaned, finding she had no answer to his questions. So, that's how she decided to respond.

"You don't need to be an exception, Shadow- maybe I just feel like it." She protested.

"Then why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"You weren't ready." She answered. And it was true; he hadn't been. Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"So I'm ready now?" He asked. Alexi decided that this was taking to long; he needed to be told. Whether he wanted to or not, it was time for him to know.

"Shadow, have you ever wondered why Sonic could use chaos control?" She asked, careful not to make eye contact with the hedgehog. For a few moments his only response was silence, but then he replied:

"Don't change the subject, Alexi." He snapped. The leopard ignored him, and continued.

"Have you ever really thought about it? The people in 'Project Shadow' spent nearly three generations figuring out how to build a creature capable of harnessing chaos energy. Could it really be that another hedgehog with exactly the same abilities just appeared out of nowhere 34 years later?"

Shadow was silent, and Alexi could tell what she was saying was starting to effect him. Maybe he was catching on.

"Haven't you wondered why he looked so much like you? Haven't you wondered why he was able to run so fast? Do you really think he could have obtained those abilities without some form of unnatural factor?"

At first the black hedgehog opened his mouth to speak- but he was unable to find words. What Alexi was saying was starting to fall in place inside his head. 16 years ago... Sonic was 16 years old... What had happened? What was she saying? Had G.U.N cloned Sonic from him? What was going on? He summed up his courage, and attempted a reply.

"Are you saying that Sonic is a clone of me?" He asked. Alexi laughed out loud, and turned to face him.

"No, Shadow- but that was a good guess. But even if that were so- then how would I know about it?" She asked. Shadow shook his head- he still couldn't figure it out- he still couldn't decipher what she was talking about.

"Alexi... just tell me... I don't remember anything about whatever happened 16 years ag-." Shadow began, when suddenly he froze, realizing something. But... no, that couldn't be right. That couldn't be right! Alexi had to be lying- or talking about something else! He couldn't be Sonic's...

Alexi grinned smugly.

"Figured it out, did you? That was fast." She chuckled darkly. Shadow snapped out of his trance, and glared at the leopard.

"You don't know what I was thinking." He argued, backing away from her. The leopard scowled in mock injury.

"A girl can guess, can't she? ...Shadow, I think you should know that Sonic is not just your friend..." She began. The hedgehog in front of her backed away.

"...No..." Shadow shook his head, disbelieving.

"Yes, Shadow." Alexi argued, a thin, dark smile appearing on her lips. " ...Sonic is your son."

"What do you think they're talking about over there?" Asked Knuckles, absent-mindedly adjusting the knob on the portable heater. Fliara gave a good-humored shrug, and nestled deeper into the little enclove she had made with her large wings. The dragon yawned, stretched, and curled back up- her knees to her chest and her tail draped over her feet.

"Your guess is as good as mine- but if either one of them starts screaming I suggest we intervene." She commented, picking the dirt off of her claws. In all truthfulness, the group as a whole looked terribly bedraggled from the adventure, and they were still freckled with the blood of the Chihuahua demons and the dirt from this tunnel-like maze. Sonic was currently trying to put up with Amy fussing over his quills, and Fliara simply couldn't get the viscous demon blood out of her hair. It was quite a dilemma.

"Why couldn't they talk about- ow!" Sonic protested as Amy accidentally pulled on his quills with the brush. She gasped lightly in apology, and stroked her hand over his quills in guilt. " ...Whatever they're talking about in front of us?"

Knuckles shrugged, and leaned back against the wall.

"I have no idea- maybe it's something kind of embarrassing." He suggested. "Maybe she's trying to get him to leave her alone."

Sonic's eyes widened slightly, and he raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He asked. "Everyone leaves Alexi alone. If she thinks Shadow is doing anything differently, Alexi is even more demented and paranoid than we thought." He argued, reclining back into Amy's arms. She put down the brush, finding herself satisfied with the status of Sonic's quills, and added to the conversation.

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed. Shadow's always trying to get close to her and talk to her- I think he might have affection for her." Amy said. Fliara, at hearing this, sat up abruptly.

"Shadow and Alexi? ...It just wouldn't work. Alexi is too messed up in the head- the poor guy would be wasting his time." The dragon stated. Knuckles shifted his weight.

"I don't know- people change, Fliara. Maybe if Shadow tries hard enough, he might make Alexi..." The marsupial paused, trying to find the right word.

"Normal?" Asked Fliara.

"Happy?" Offered Sonic.

"Less apathetic?" Suggested Amy.

Knuckles thought it over, and shook his head.

"In a way, yeah... I think Shadow would love Alexi because he feels guilty. I mean the only reason she isn't a happy little snow leopard living it up in the Himalayans is that the humans wanted to create him. I don't quite think he wants her to be normal exactly, but yeah, I think it would make him very happy if Alexi could actually feel something besides 'me want die now'." Knuckles explained, satisfied as he got a few laughs from his friends.

"I don't think that's ever going to happen." Laughed Sonic. "...So that's probably why Alexi wanted to talk to him: to get the notion out of his head." The blue hedgehog looked down the hall, to see the tiny speck of light that represented Shadow and Alexi.

"I just hope he takes it well."

"You're a liar! That can't be true!" Shouted the black hedgehog, backing away in disbelief. Alexi's expression softened just slightly, and she took a step towards the hedgehog.

"It is true, Shadow. Sonic thinks he's 17- he's wrong. His birthday is really on December 1st- not July, as he believes. And the truth is that you are his father, Shadow. There is no denying it- if you doubt what I say, go get DNA evidence when this is over. It won't tell you anything different." She said.

Shadow paused, and something clicked in his head. Sonic's birthday... how could Alexi have known that as well, if she was telling the truth? He filed through a few explanations, when finally he found one that made sense... but he didn't want to believe it! It couldn't be true!

"...What else would it tell me, Alexi?" He asked, his gaze hardening. "...How did you know his birthday? How would you know any of this? How can I believe what you're saying to me!" Shadow demanded. Alexi paused, then sighed. So he had considered the truth- other wise he wouldn't be asking these questions. She hesitated before telling him this; he would not believe her, or at least not admit to believing. Oh well; that was one thing that Alexi found she didn't care about.

"The reason I am able to tell you these things is because..." She paused for emphasis, and enjoyed watching Shadow squirm uncomfortably at the suspense.

"Just tell me." He growled; fed up with her stalling. Alexi grinned.

"I am Sonic's mother."

The words took their time sinking in- and as expected, Shadow did not believe her. He didn't take it very well. The hedgehog gaped and stumbled back, his expression forming into shock, disgust and anger.

"No!" He protested. "Alexi, stop it! This isn't funny!" The hedgehog once again backed away, the torch in his hand shaking along with his arm. Alexi's gaze grew more intense; the hedgehog's reaction was starting to concern her.

...Wait a minute- what? No, concern wasn't the word. Aggravate- that was more like it. Shadow was beginning to aggravate her. She scoffed- it wasn't the first time.

"It's not funny because it's not a joke, Shadow." She offered. It might take him a while to believe her.

"You're a liar!" He snapped. "You're a Goddamned liar!" Alexi sighed, and turned a cold gaze in his direction.

"And what does that make you? A saint? What exactly is so hard to accept? You fight so hard for things you just can't have, Shadow. Give up- you can't change what you've done. Stop trying to be such a hero. You're never going to 'fix' me. I'm broken for good- don't make the same mistake twice." She lectured. Shadow stared at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He snapped. "You're lying! I hate you!" The leopard chuckled darkly.

"Don't play dumb, Shadow. I wish I could say it didn't suit you, but that would be a lie."

"STOP IT!" Yelled the hedgehog- and Alexi grew quiet. The entire hedgehog's body was shaking violently- probably trying to contain his frustration, and the leopard could tell that she had gone a little too far. She grinned; it was good to see his usually compassionate attitude crushed.

"...I don't know what you think you're doing, Alexi; but stop it. Right now." He growled, pointing the torch threateningly at her. "I'm not going to fall for whatever sick mind game you're pulling so cut it out and leave me alone."

The leopard sighed. Well, it was still a better reaction than what she had expected. Oh well- if she knew Shadow, then his curiosity about his past would drive him to check DNA evidence as she recommended- and then he would know the truth. But for now, she really shouldn't have expected him to believe her and might take precaution not to speak to him until he had calmed down. Even if Alexi could not be 'killed', she could still be injured by anything that wouldn't break the skin or bones, and didn't want to go through an unnecessary handful of aches and pains. Although Alexi had talents in battle, Shadow had something she never would- motivation. And thusly, he would do more damage to her than she would to him. The leopard scoffed lightly to herself at these thoughts. Just great- not only was she a monster, but now she was weaker than Shadow. What was more pathetic?

"Fine." She answered, walking past the hedgehog and towards the others, sitting further down the hall. "You win, Shadow. But if you have any questions- I have been rather bored lately. It's fun, watching you squirm..." She cackled. Shadow shuddered and glared after her.

"I hate you." He snapped, running ahead of her and soon meeting up with his friends. Alexi sighed, and stared at the group before her for a moment. She knew he didn't mean it, but it was still slightly unsettling to hear, for whatever reason...

It dawned on her, why she had told Shadow what she had. Something the hedgehog himself had said to her...

"Maria never told me how to kill you."

She didn't believe that. How could he have learned nearly every other aspect of her being and not be told of the method of her destruction- if his precious, motherly 'Maria' was so concerned about his safety, than why wouldn't she tell Shadow how to kill something that was a threat to him? Unless of course she didn't know; and Alexi knew that wasn't true. Gerald Robotnik had supervised the creation of many if not all creatures in project Shadow- there was a way to kill her and she knew it. If Shadow didn't remember, than she would just have to make him remember. And that could only be done by two means:

One- telling him everything she knew about his past, resulting in complete recall. But Alexi had just given her best attempt- and that didn't work very well. The second option would be to find some sort of physical object to remind him of what he had forgotten. But nothing came to mind: and if Shadow wasn't affected by what she had just said, nothing would affect him. So her efforts were once again wasted. What a damn shame.

She again stared at the group of people standing a handful of meters before her and sighed. Not one more step towards her goal of self-destruction- even after 79 years.

What in the world was taking so long?

"What in the world is taking her so long?" Demanded Sonic, tapping his foot impatiently as he leaned into Amy for support. He was getting stronger now, and could support more of his own weight by the minute. Shadow, ignoring his question entirely, stormed past the group and walked further into the labyrinth, taking care to push Fliara over as he passed. The dragon jumped to her feet and growled, about to pursuit in some form of retaliation- but Knuckles held her back.

"Give him some space, Fliara. He doesn't mean it- he's just angry." The echidna offered quietly, making sure that Shadow himself couldn't hear. Although by now he probably could have shouted and not gotten across to the hedgehog- Shadow had continued his angered walking through the hall and was now many meters ahead of the group.

"...What's up with him?" Asked Sonic, staring down the hall as Shadow continued to gain distance. Amy shrugged.

"Well, I don't know, but it's safe to say he didn't like what Alexi told him." She sighed, helping Sonic gain his balance and starting down the hall after Shadow. Knuckles and Fliara at first followed, but soon the red echidna turned back to look at Alexi- she was still a little farther behind.

"Should we wait for her to catch up?" He asked. Sonic scoffed.

"It's Alexi, Knuckles. If she wants to walk with us, she'll walk with us. If she doesn't, stay the hell away from her." He joked, making the 'crazy' gesture towards the blue leopard. Knuckles sighed, and looked up ahead at Shadow, who was keeping an even distance of three meters from the rest of the group- which was also six meters from Alexi.

"And Shadow? He'll slow down if he wants to?" He offered. Sonic nodded.

"And he's not psycho enough to try and kill you just for talking to him."

"Who's psycho, now?" Came a voice from behind Sonic, and the blue hedgehog froze, turning around quickly inside Amy's arms to look the leopard in the face.

"H-hi, Alexi!" The blue hedgehog offered. Alexi sighed in disgust and shook her head. "...How'd you get up here so fast?"

Alexi ignored him, and kept walking at just enough speed to keep up with the group. All the while she stared at Shadow, and the surrounding heroes couldn't help but notice.

It hadn't been very long since the incident with Shadow and Alexi came to an end. Perhaps an hour or two- and the heroes had gone one level further into the labyrinth- or so Fliara's book had said. All in all the details available about this place were scarce and unreliable- but there had been a handful that had gotten them this far, and they could only hope there was more where they came from.

Shadow was still walking ahead of the rest of the group, and when asked Alexi would reply 'Because he's mad at me'. Asking twice would obtain you some bruises, so the heroes refrained from it and walked uneventfully through the dark halls. Actually, walked is not the word, since they were more inching cautiously through the cobblestone tunnels than making any actual progress. Running through these halls could and would draw attention to thousands of unwanted things- and although it would have saved time it was important to move as slowly as possible.

However, Fliara found some way to move through the halls even slower- and soon stopped altogether. The group turned to stare at her and the dragon looked between them.

"Does anyone else hear that?" She asked. The group paid special attention to the silence around them- and discovered she was right. A steady, quiet dripping sounded from what seem like only meters away- but on either side there was only the darkened hall.

"What is it?" Sonic asked, looking around more carefully this time. "I-It sounds like water... "

Fliara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, before sticking a forked tongue at him.

"Phhp. Oh no, water!" She grumbled sarcastically. "What ever shall we do?"

"You know- your body is actually 80 percent water, Sonic." Knuckles added. The blue hedgehog glared, and pulled himself closer to Amy.

"I'm not scared of water;" He began, aiming a very venomous glance at Fliara. "I'm scared of swimming. And with Amy here, I won't have to, so I'm not scared!" Sonic concluded, although he jumped slightly at the next drip of the nearby water, wherever it was.

"If only Rouge was here, she could use sonar and figure out where it is... it might be a shortcut." Knuckles stated.

"Or a horrible trap that will kill us all!" Suggested Sonic, nearly cutting off Amy's air supply as he clung to her waist. Unintentionally, of course- his real attention was focused on glaring at Fliara and Knuckles, still mad that they were trying to poke fun at him. I'll let you know that fun is sharp and pointy, and can be quite lethal if it pierces the skin.

"The only thing we have to worry about are the demons, Sonic- and they haven't shone their faces for a while... " Fliara agued. "Hmm, now that you mention it- I haven't seen half the demons described in the book. I wonder where they are?"

Sonic let go of Amy's waist slightly, and stood a bit straighter than before.

"Y- ...you mean the hunter spirits?" He asked. "Those things that were after me? ...They... they could be here?"

The dragon's eyes widened, and she shook her head.

"Worse than that, Sonic. From what this book describes, the first shamans didn't run into a second gate for weeks. We're halfway to the third and it's only been a handful of days." Fliara mused. "...I don't know what's going on, but we have to keep our guard up. We can't be sure of what Dan-Chilack is planning." The dragon said.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed before the group, and Shadow (who had been walking ahead and was previously unaccounted for) appeared before them. He fell to the stone ground and stood up abruptly, turning to his friends.

"Guys," he began, panting in exhaustion. "You have to see this!"

Well, sorry for the jumpy chapter- and please feel free to demand answers to any questions you have about the whole 'Shadow-Sonic-Alexi' thing. That plot twist will be explored more throughout the story, and trust me Shadow won't like what he finds out- neither will Alexi. Sonic is still oblivious, but he will know sometime in the future. If you have any suggestions as what you would like to see incorporated into this plot-twist, do send it in your review! I get some of my best ideas from reviewers!

Also- lo and behold, does Dan-Chilack have a plan? An evil plan? I sure hope so!

And what did Shadow find while walking ahead of the rest of the group? Is it good or bad news?

Tune in next time to find out!