AN: I decided I'd give you guys an extra chapter to read this month. I saw quite a few people request more Shadamy moments or fluff. If you're one of those people, you'll probably enjoy this chapter then. I like to write a slow build up to relationships, personally. So again, sorry if you feel it's taking too long to get the Shadamy smut, LOL. So I hope you all enjoy this bonus chapter!

Shout out to my loyal reviewers: Rebecca, Pirilaxa, Soni rose Amelia the hedgehog, Undernet-Broker, and Tessa the hedgehog. You guys are the M. .

•~•
Once Mephiles and the rest of the crew returned. Things began to settle down again. A week later, Gadget hustled into the living room with a manila folder in hand. He spotted Shadow lounging on the couch and watching T.V. The ebony hedgehog was still recovering from his injuries, but he was doing much better and had more mobility. "Hey V.P, I finally got that report you wanted!" he shouted excitedly.

Sitting upright and looking panicked, Shadow placed an index finger to his lips and made a shushing sound. "Hey, you're supposed to keep it discreet, idiot," he whispered harshly looking towards the dining room. He had no idea if anyone else had heard him.

Gadget bowed his head apologetically. "Oh gosh, sorry, V.P," he replied quietly back.

Shadow extended out his arm to accept the report and rolled his eyes at his nickname. "It's Shadow, Rookie," he corrected. "Now, what'd you find out?"

Gadget handed over his findings. "Uh, nothing much," he replied, as he started rubbing the back of his neck. "A few parking tickets from her early teen years. No arrests and no warrants. She's got a pretty clean record actually," he noted.

Shadow continuously flipped through her file and allowed his eyes to scan the documents as he listened to Gadget. Inside he had copies of her school report cards from high school and even college. There were some social media photos of her from online, and some other miscellaneous, yet useless info. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he droned. "Nothing to worry about, then?"

Gadget tapped his chin in thought. "I mean, she's moved about three times in the past eight months, which is kind of weird, and uh, she filed for a restraining order six months back."

Shadow's eyes lifted from the folder. "Restraining order?" he repeated with intrigue. "Any idea on whom?"

He shook his head. "Sorry sir, I couldn't find the details on that. All I know is it was someone that lived in Tech City. However, that specific information was even blocked from me. Whoever it is, must be someone pretty important…"

"—Gadget!" Rouge called from the front door.

The red wolf's ears perked up as he heard his name called and he spun around. "Yes, ma'am?" Shadow quickly took the folder and placed it under the sofa cushion, hiding it from the white bat. If Rouge found out he was doing his own private investigation on Amy, he knew she'd flip out from his paranoia.

Rouge sauntered into the room and placed her hands on her hips. "Heellllo! You're supposed to be helping me load the rest of the dishes, Rookie!"

Gadget adjusted his glasses nervously. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, ma'am I was helping Shadow," he apologized.

Rouge scoffed and waved a hand. "Well, get to it, those dishes won't load themselves."

"Right away!" he saluted before charging towards the kitchen. Rouge followed after him leaving the ebony hedgehog alone. Shadow leaned further back into the sofa coolly and relaxed.

Once he saw the coast was clear, Shadow grabbed the folder from under the cushion and headed upstairs. When he entered his room, he scoured the area for a good place to hide his intel. He opened his drawer and stashed the folder under some boxer briefs. He moved them over the folder to conceal its hiding spot just when a voice interrupted him. "Ahem."

Shadow jolted from the unannounced visitor and turned around only to spot Amy standing in his open doorway with a first aid kit in hand. What perfect timing… "Mind if I come in?"

Shadow collected himself and pressed his back against the drawer, closing it shut. "Huh? Oh yeah, sure."

Amy walked further into his bedroom and set her first aid kit down. "I just came because it's time to take out your stitches."

He watched as she opened up her kit on the end of his bed. "That time already, huh?"

She put on a fresh pair of gloves. "Yes, now would you mind taking off your shirt and lay down on your back, please."

Shadow obliged and took off his black leather jacket and draped it across the back of a recliner in his room. He then reached behind him and pulled off his white t-shirt and tossed it into the chair. Now topless, Shadow plopped down onto his bed and placed his arms behind his head. Amy bent over and took off his bandages and discarded them. She then began to sterilize the area with some anti-septic. "Wonderful, your wound is healing beautifully."

"Good to hear," he replied dully as he stared up at his ceiling waiting for her to finish.

While Amy began to delicately remove his sutures, Shadow's mind began to wander to the information he had gathered earlier. She had no arrests and had never committed any minor or major crime, yet she had a restraining order on someone. But why? Better yet, who was it, and why was the person she had it against anonymous? He needed to get more information out of her, but it would be difficult. He'd have to use some manipulation tactics to get it out of her if he wanted to know more.

"…Almost done," Amy chimed as she pulled out the last sutures.

He lifted his head slightly to look at her. "Hey, uh, thanks for putting up with me this past week. I really appreciate it."

Amy finished applying a simple medical-grade healing ointment over the wound. She screwed the cap back on and placed it in her first aid kit. "Like I said, it's my job."

"—Oh my, am I interrupting something?" another voice called from the doorway.

The two glanced over to the door where Mephiles stood staring at the position in awe. From his perspective, he thought he had walked in on something rather lewd seeing his brother shirtless and lying in bed. Amy's head was hovering right over his groin area, making him think dirty thoughts.

Shadow scoffed at his brother's perverseness. "Shut the hell up, you sicko."

Mephiles ignored his brother's jab. "Well, in any case, I came up here to inform you that a few of us are heading to the gym in town. If you two are interested in going, we're leaving in ten."

"Is Mighty going?" Amy inquired while packing up her belongings.

"Yes, I believe so," Mephiles answered with a head nod.

She snapped off her disposable gloves. "I'll be joining you then," she smiled as she sauntered out of the bedroom past the dark hedgehog.

"Mmm, and I'd love to have you," he whispered lewdly making sure she didn't hear his comments as he watched her enter her bedroom.

Shadow swung his legs off the side of his bed and sat there shaking his head. "What is wrong with you?"

Mephiles leaned his right shoulder against the doorframe as he continued to stare off down the hall where her figure once loomed. "She's a beauty that one…"

Shadow grimaced at his comment. "No, she isn't," he countered sharply. "She's so, so…boring," he concluded. "So vanilla."

"Different tastes I suppose, but some of us enjoy the simple things in life," he shrugged. He turned to face him again. "Will you be joining us as well?"

Shadow hummed on the thought until he realized there may be an opportunity for doing some snooping. "I'm sick of being confined to this house so I'll go."

•~•

Meanwhile, in Mercia's police station, Zonic was hard at work connecting the dots to the brother's business connections. Following Mephiles and collecting those photos would be very beneficial in taking them down, but he needed to make sure he had all the details before he came for them. There was also the mission of hunting down Amy. Honestly, he was quite surprised he hadn't run into her yet. He knew she was hidden away somewhere in this town, but he just couldn't figure out where. He had already checked all the local hospitals and Amy was not registered to work at any of them.

Zonic stood in front of his evidence board he had begun constructing and tapped away at his chin at the other possibilities of her locations. Had Amy truly outsmarted him this time? His thoughts were interrupted when Silver popped into his office with two coffee mugs in hand. "How's it going?"

Zonic came out of his thoughts and turned his head towards Silver's direction. "It's alright for now," he answered. "I'm just trying to determine their next move is all."

Silver walked over and eyed the evidence board, quite impressed with what he had collected. There was plenty of incriminating evidence already there, but even he knew they'd need more. Silver handed Zonic one of the mugs of fresh coffee and stared at the evidence board in awe. "Wow, you've really been hard at work in here."

Zonic accepted the caffeine. "I'm good at my job," he boasted and then took a sip. "We'll get them, but we need to be patient."

Silver watched as he continued to drink his coffee. "Do you plan on doing any more undercover work today?"

"I'm not sure. They haven't moved much or attempted to look like their moving any illegal arms. I think I'll just go on my usual lunch break—hitting the gym," he grinned.

"Oh." Silver watched as the agent left the room. "Uh, have a good workout then."

•~•

At the local gym in town, Shadow, Mephiles, Knuckles, Amy, and Mighty worked out vigorously. Mephiles worked on the rowing machine off in the far-left corner working his upper arms, chest, and shoulders. Meanwhile, Knuckles worked on weight training, working his arm muscles. Shadow, on the other hand, was working on his legs, lifting heavy weights by pumping his legs up and outward. Using the small boxing ring provided in the center of the gym, Amy and Mighty worked on boxing practice.

Mighty held up his punching mitts as he walked in a circle, darting his hands at different levels to keep Amy in sync with her punching strikes. Amy stood just a few feet in front of him, keeping her hands held just in front of her face in a fighting stance. "Come on, right here," he encouraged, holding up his right hand high covered by the mitt. Amy threw a hard punch at it. Mighty smiled at her efforts and continued the routine. He moved his left hand to the side. "Now a high kick!"

Amy swung her leg and hit his hand covered by the mitt again. "Yaaah!"

Mighty lowered his hands with his punch mitts. "Yeah, alright!" he cheered. "Amy, you did amazing. You've really improved your stamina and strength."

Amy took off her boxing gloves and caught her breath. She bent over and grabbed her water bottle on the floor and took a gulp. She wiped her mouth on the back of her arm. "I know, you're a great coach," she smiled while trying to catch her breath. "Thanks for helping me out with this."

"Fantastic job," another voice praised with a clap. Amy looked to her right and spotted Mephiles leaning his arms along the bent rope of the boxing arena. His eyes traced up and down her body checking her out in her tight fitted black and blue sports bra and tight form-fitting leggings. "I had no idea you enjoyed martial arts, Miss Rose."

"I've only recently picked up the hobby," she replied, trying to ignore his obvious gawking. "I've wanted to learn the fighting style especially when I was living in Tech City."

Shadow's ears perked up on the conversation and he stopped his leg workout. Moving himself away from the machine, he casually walked over towards the fighting rink to learn more. Why exactly did she feel she needed to learn this fighting style in the first place?

"How long have you been boxing?" Mephiles inquired. "You look quite experienced."

Amy worked on tightening the gauze around her hands as she spoke to the dark hedgehog. "Oh, um, probably a few months now. I'm no expert yet," she admitted shyly. "But I want to get better, that's why I asked Mighty to help train me. Once I moved here, I didn't have my old trainer to keep up my training."

Mephiles looked over to the armadillo and gave him a curt nod. "Kudos, Mighty, you've done well."

Mighty shrugged arrogantly. "Hey, you all know I used to be a professional trainer before I joined up with you guys. Anyway, if you're impressed with Amy's boxing you should witness her self-defense techniques. She's become wicked good at that."

Amy blushed by his compliment and felt her face heat up. She waved her hands out in front of her. "Oh, Mighty, don't," she dismissed. "I'm still not that good yet."

Mephiles turned his head to look at his brother who stood off to the side, not looking impressed by the display. Shadow kept his arms crossed over his chest and looked bored by the exchange. "What's with the sour face, brother?"

Shadow shook his head and shrugged. "Nothing."

"Say, I have an idea," Mephiles chimed as he snapped his fingers. "Why don't we give Miss Rose one more round of practice? I'd like to see some of her self-defense in action."

"Hmm…" Mighty tapped his chin in thought as he stared at Amy. "You know, that isn't half bad of an idea. Amy and I have been practicing for a few weeks now and I think she should experience a simulated event."

Amy rubbed her hands nervously together. "Wait a second, are you saying you're not going to perform with me for practice?"

Mighty nodded. "Yeah, but you know me, Amy. I'll go too easy on you. I need someone to come at you with full force and no holding back, just like if it happened in real life."

Amy's ears lowered slightly, and she looked apprehensive. "But-"

Seeing her worried expression, Mighty sauntered over and placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Ames, it's okay. You've got this. Don't hesitate and fight like your life depends on it," he encouraged.

"You need a volunteer?" Mephiles offered, raising an arm.

"We do actually," Mighty nodded. "Come on up," he gestured. Obliging, the dark hedgehog moved between the ropes, lifted himself up, and walked over to Mighty.

Shadow scoffed under his breath and shook his head in embarrassment as he watched his older brother being his typical creep self. "Tsk.."

Getting done with weightlifting, Knuckles walked over wiping the sweat from his face with a rag. "What's going on over here?" he asked stopping beside Shadow.

"Mighty is having the doctor practice her self-defense he's been teaching, and my brother has just offered himself up as a volunteer to demonstrate her skills," he explained dully while rolling his eyes.

"Oh boy, this should be sweet," Knuckles grinned eagerly.

Amy walked over to the ropes where both Knuckles and Shadow stood. She clutched the ropes. "I-I don't know if I can do this, what if I really hurt him? Or what if I freeze up and forget all the moves?" she panicked aloud. In the background, Mighty whispered some instructions to Mephiles who nodded comprehending it.

Knuckles cupped his hands around his mouth. "Amy, relax, I've seen you practicing over the weeks. You're a total badass," the echidna encouraged. "Take him down and make us proud!" he clapped.

She nodded, feeling a build of confidence rise. "You're right. I can do this." She walked back towards the center and shook out her nerves, shaking her arms out by her side.

Shadow eyed Knuckles as if he were insane by his comments. "You really think this girl could hold her own in a fight?" he asked in disbelief.

"Hey, you haven't been hitting the gym recently. Amy is mad good. I wouldn't mind having her back to back with me in a bar fight." He nudged Shadow with his shoulder. "Just wait, you'll see." Shadow placed his eyes back on Amy. He remained skeptical of watching her fight. Would she be as good as everyone claimed? She certainly didn't fit the mold for a fighter type.

Now facing her opponent Mephiles, across from her, Amy felt her adrenaline pumping. Her brows furrowed as she eyed Mephiles down. No longer was he just someone she lived with, she now viewed him as a dangerous enemy with his only intent on harming her.

Mighty stood in the middle, between the two. "Alright listen up. Mephiles is going to come at you full force and he will not hold back. I've instructed him on some attack moves to demonstrate so we can see you display them correctly. No holding back, Amy. Give it your all."

Her fists tightened by her sides. "Got it."

Mighty turned to look at Mephiles. "As for you, you volunteered to be a part of this. Do not hold back just because you know her. But be prepared, you signed up for this," he warned.

Mephiles stretched his left arm over his chest in a horizontal manner, stretching out his pectoralis. "Trust me, it'll be hard enough to keep my hands off of her," he smirked lewdly.

Amy gulped nervously at his comment and made an uncomfortable smile, unsure how to respond. Suddenly, that cold-sickening feeling began to overcome her. She remembered quickly that Mephiles gave her the creeps. Why did he have to be the one to volunteer for this? However, her thoughts of distaste for the dark hedgehog were disturbed when she heard Mighty yell, "Start!"

Coming out of her daze, Amy went into defense mode as she spotted Mephiles charging at her. She placed her fists up in front of her face for protection just as Mephiles took the first swing. Amy easily dodged his thrown fists with ease with a lean back. He threw out left and right punches, and even some uppercuts. Calmly, she merely moved her head to the side, backed up, ducked, dodged, or pivoted with every swing he brought her way. Mighty watched on proudly from the sidelines, watching all his training come full circle.

Off on the side, Shadow watched in intrigue as Amy was able to evade every punch or kick committed by his brother. He knew his brother was a pretty good fighter, but even right now he was looking out of breath. Mephiles growled, growing frustrated from his lack of physical contact. "Mighty has trained you well," he panted.

"Yeah, that's it!" Knuckles cheered from below. "Go, Amy!"

Amy turned to look at Knuckles and smiled cheekily and waved in his direction. Seeing her focus off of him for a second, Mephiles charged in for his first move Mighty had told him to perform. He captured Amy in a classic chokehold. With his right arm looped around her neck, Mephiles kept her back pinned against his chest as he began dragging her backwards. "Seems I've finally managed to lay my hands on you," he whispered victoriously.

Furrowing her brows, Amy used her right arm and brought it upright in a ninety-degree angle and struck it backward in a diagonal angle with full force right into Mephiles' upper rib cage. Mephiles yelled in agony as he was temporarily winded loosening his hold around her neck. Using this as her opportunity to get rid of him, Amy turned slightly, grabbed him by the upper right shoulder, and used all her strength, and swung him down onto the mat.

Shadow's eyes widened at her sudden move. It all happened so graciously almost like a perfectly synchronized dance. Mephiles collided onto the mat with a powerful thud, holding his right side with his arm. "Damn it…" the president winced.

Amy walked closer, standing just above him with both legs on either side of his spread ones. She placed her hands on her hips triumphantly. "Not too bad, huh?" she panted, trying to catch her breath.

Mephiles rolled over and began to chuckle. "Let's see if you can continue to impress me…" Before Amy could question his choice of words, Mephiles swung his right leg, hooking it behind her left ankle and knocking her over backwards and forcing Amy down onto her back. With a loud thud, Amy was stunned just enough for Mephiles to trap her. He quickly scurried over and straddled her hips, trapping her legs under and behind him. He kept his hands pinning her wrists above her head as he towered over her. Amy squirmed trying to wiggle her legs and flail them about, but his weight, strength, and position had her overpowered. He chuckled darkly. "Looks like I've finally pinned you." His eyelids lowered suggestively. "Now, just give in and let me win."

Amy's eyes dilated as she heard those words, triggering a repressed memory.

.::Flashback::.

Amy was pinned in the exact same position with a handsome blue hedgehog in government official G.U.N uniform straddling her. "Please, don't do this. This isn't you!" She could smell the alcohol on his breath. Amy continued to fight, squirming under him, thrashing her legs, and trying to free her pinned wrists above her head.

"Give in and let me win," he whispered harshly to her.

.::End Flashback::.

"Amy! You can do it!" Knuckles shouted, bringing her out of her haze. Amy blinked a few times out of her stupor and her adrenaline spiked further.

Mephiles kept her held down as she stared up at him. "How are you going to get out of this one then?" Amy thrusted her pelvis upward, lifting her entire bottom off the floor and held her weight along with his using her feet. Mephiles, astonished, began to lift upwards and realized his body was lurching downwards. With his hands still holding her wrists, Amy swung her wrists outwards and down towards the sides of her body in a snow angel manner. "What the…" Mephiles was forced to release his hold of her wrists to catch himself before faceplanting into the mat below him. His hands braced the mat just above her head and Amy wrapped her arms around his upper chest and used her power and now sudden control to roll them over onto his side and then appeared on top of him in a straddled position. She lifted her raised fist in the air ready to strike Mephiles in the face but realized then he was not truly the enemy of her past. She relaxed her stance and stared down at Mephiles, who seemed to not mind having her straddle him.

Both Knuckles and Shadow looked impressed and shocked by her escape method. Knuckles, Mighty, and Shadow all applauded at her performance. As the adrenaline began to wear off, she placed a hand to her chest and began to pant even harder. She could feel her chest begin to tighten and constrict. Amy got off of Mephiles and backed away before running off and out of the cage. Mighty watched on, confused by her display. "Amy, where are you going?" he called after her.

Mephiles groaned from the mat and sat upright. "…Someone, give me a hand," he ordered.

Mighty approached him and extended his hand out for him to take, however, he noticed something odd going on with his pants. "Are you freaking hard right now?" he whispered harshly with a hint of disgust.

Mephiles was lifted to his feet. "I can't deny what turns me on."

Mighty shook his head. "You're sick, man."

Ignoring their conversation, Shadow watched as Amy fled down one of the halls of the gym passing other gym on-lookers. He felt his heart suddenly sink, and without realizing it, his expression softened in empathy recognizing what she was going through in that moment. He instinctively walked after her in a trance. "Hey, Shad, you going after her?" Knuckles called out noticing the direction he was heading.

He turned his neck to look in his direction. "Yes. Tend to my brother, will you?"

Once Shadow got down the hall, he spotted Amy huddled up in the corner by the water fountain with her knees up to her chest. She kept her head pressed up against the wall directly behind her, breathing rapidly. Her arms were tightly wrapped around her legs and she shook. "Doctor?"

"Please. Stay. Away," she gasped, shutting her eyes and turning her head away. She was completely embarrassed to be seen in the state she was currently in. Especially by Shadow of all people. She could only imagine what he might be thinking right now.

Shadow crouched down to her level but remained a respectful distance. "You do realize you're having a panic attack, don't you?" he asked calmly.

She seemed surprised that he recognized her current situation. "How. Do. You?-"

He frowned as he thought on his response. "—Because I get them too sometimes," he admitted empathetically. Amy looked into his eyes and connected with him for a moment. He knew what she was experiencing right now? Sensing she was willing to accept his help at that point, he moved in a little closer and extended out his hand to her. "Let me help you."

Hesitantly, Amy placed one of her hands in his and he held it gently. He inched in a little closer but made sure not to crowd her space. "Focus on my eyes and follow my instructions, okay?" She nodded quickly and swallowed a big gulp as she continued to hyperventilate. "Deep breaths," he instructed, demonstrating himself. Amy followed along with him, never taking her eyes away from his. She took in a deep breath herself. "Now hold it for fifteen seconds," he said and then held his breath himself.

After about fifteen seconds, Shadow exhaled, and she mimicked his actions. They repeated this pattern a few more times until her breathing had steadied. Once he saw she had calmed down, he helped ease her up to a standing position. "Are you alright now?" he asked softly releasing her hand.

She placed a hand to her chest and could feel her heart rate was at a normal steady beat. "Yes, thank you…"

Mighty, Knuckles, and Mephiles walked down the hall spotting the two. Shadow quickly retracted his hands from holding hers the moment he heard the others approaching. "Hey, Amy, you okay?" the armadillo questioned, looking concerned for his friend.

"I'm fine, Mighty," she smiled shyly. "Sorry about that…"

He gave her an assuring pat on the back. "Good, you gave me a scare there, kid."

"Miss Rose, I must commend you for your strength and determination back there," Mephiles added. "I've never had a female toss me around so violently before. It was exhilarating."

"I-I didn't hurt you, did I? I might have gotten lost in the simulated experience," she expressed apologetically.

"Perhaps a bruise here or there." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll recover."

"Let's get back, I'm sure Rouge is pissed we're still not back yet to help with chores," Knuckles bemoaned with an eye-roll. The group agreed and headed for the exit.

While they walked out of the gym, Mighty slung an arm around Amy's neck. Amy jumped slightly from the gesture, still slightly shaken from the triggering event and Mighty was quick to notice. "Hey, you sure you're okay, Ames?" he asked quietly. "You seem a bit jumpy."

Amy tried to force a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I just went through an adrenaline rush that caught me by surprise," she justified. "I'm fine now, honest."

She must have convinced him because Mighty returned a charming smile her way while they continued to walk through the parking lot. "Good to hear."

At that same time just outside the gym, Agent Zonic had just parked his car. Now dressed in his gym shorts, grey, and a sleeveless tank top, the blue hedgehog slammed his car door and locked it preparing to head for the gym entrance. However, he halted in his tracks when he heard familiar angelic laughter in the parking lot. Staying hidden by a large parked red truck next to his car, he peeked behind the trunk of the car to look for the owner of the laugh. Looking up and down the parking lot he spotted the person it belonged to. There she was—his Amy Rose. She laughed playfully as Mighty had his arm over her shoulders and whispered something in her ear causing her to erupt in a fit of giggles.

He narrowed his eyes as he spotted the people, she surrounded herself with. It was a group of males belonging to the exact biker gang he was investigating. He kept himself concealed behind the parked truck and watched as she climbed into one of the pick-up trucks they drove. Thinking quickly, he knew he'd have to tail them to see where they dropped her off. Only then could he find her new residence. Zonic rushed back over to the driver's side and got in his car and quickly started its ignition.

The pick-up truck Amy got into, pulled out of its spot, and drove out of the parking lot. Zonic reversed out of his parking spot and followed after them. After about a twelve-minute drive, he arrived at the Brothers' compound. He parked on the street along one of the sidewalks just outside their wired gated entrance. His mouth dropped as he had the sudden realization of her new residence. His hands clutched the steering wheel as he tried to understand her motive behind her new home. "…That stupid bitch," he breathed. He watched as Amy hopped out of the car and sauntered into the house with the group of males.

Now that he knew where she lived, he knew it'd be a lot harder getting to her one-on-one. His only hope of getting her alone would be to extract each biker member from the clubhouse, which he knew wasn't impossible, but would take time.

•~•

Later that evening, after everyone had showered and eaten dinner, Amy found Shadow standing on the front porch and leaning against one of the railings. He was smoking a cigarette as he enjoyed the crispness of the cold air around him. Clutching the zip-up hoodie she had put on for the night, Amy pushed open the front screen door to approach him. Hearing the door creak, he turned slightly and pulled the cigarette out from between his lips, holding it between his index and middle finger. "If you're going to nag me about how smoking is a deadly habit, don't bother. I've heard it enough."

She put up her hands defensively. "No, that's not why I'm here at all. I just wanted to talk, if that's alright?"

Shadow stared at her for a long moment as he processed the thought before taking one last long drag of his smoke. He exhaled the smoke out the side of his mouth and then flicked the end of the cigarette out onto the dirt. "Sure," he answered and walked over to the bench sitting on the porch. "Have a seat," he instructed, gesturing to the bench.

Amy obliged and sat down next to him on the bench. "I wanted to thank you for helping me out back at the gym."

"Oh, you mean with the panic attack?" he stated for clarification. He shrugged indifferently, glancing away momentarily. "Yeah, no problem."

She fumbled with her hands and turned her head to look at him. "There's just one thing that's bugging me. Why did you help me anyway?"

Shadow debated within his mind on revealing some relatable anecdote to help answer her question and eventually caved in. Perhaps with his little tragic story, he'd be able to gain enough trust and sympathy to get her to spill the beans. "Alright, you want the truth?"

She nodded. "Obviously I do."

Shadow leaned further back against the bench. "I helped you because I'm still dealing with shit like that, too. I just happen to have a better grasp on it," he explained.

Amy blinked a few times as a thought came to mind. "The night terror you had the other night," she suddenly pieced together. "You were going through a panic attack when I entered your bedroom, weren't you?"

He felt a genuine pang of sadness hit him in his chest as he was reminded of his own tragic memory. "…Yes."

She leaned back in her seat. "I doubt you'd tell me what happened anyway, which I understand, but-"

"—No, I'll tell you," he said, cutting her off. "About three years ago, my girlfriend was murdered in a drive-by shooting by one of our rival biker gangs," he started. "She was an innocent bystander but was not spared in the bloodshed."

"Oh my." Amy placed a hand to her mouth and gasped at the reveal. "I-I I'm so sorry…"

Shadow reached into his jacket pocket and whipped out his wallet. He opened it up and pulled out a picture and handed it over to her. "This was her," he pointed. "Her name was Maria, we met in high school. We were high school sweethearts."

Amy took the picture and looked at the image of his deceased girlfriend. "Wow, she was beautiful," she complimented before handing the picture back. "I think I saw another picture of her in your bedroom."

"Yeah, that's her." Shadow glanced at the picture before tucking it away again. "But…enough about my tragedy. Most panic attacks come with triggers, and I noticed yours started when my brother said something to you on the mat. Whatever it was, it seemed to trigger the response. So…what did he say to you?"

Amy's ears lowered and she shut her eyes tight. Shadow tilted his head at her curiously as he watched her. Whatever Mephiles had said must've brought on some sort of painful memory. "I've only recently started having panic attacks for a few months now. They're still very new to me." Amy clutched the fabric of her sweatpants on her knees.

He could see by her body language it was bothering her just to even relive it again. "Oh…hey," he began, starting to feel guilty from his subtle interrogation. "You don't have to say anything. I understand."

She opened her eyes and kept them focused on the wooden porch below her. "Just like you said you weren't comfortable with sharing things with me at first, I'm not very comfortable sharing those types of things with you yet."

"Yeah." He nodded slowly. "I get it."

She got up from her seat and he mimicked her actions. "Although, I appreciate you feeling comfortable enough to open up to me. It looks like we're finally building some bridges of trust, huh?"

"Yeah, it appears so," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his stomach turn. Why was he feeling so guilty for trying to exploit secrets from her? He didn't give a damn about her, right? All he wanted was the information to piece together her past and motive.

Amy tucked her arms behind her back. "Well, I'm going to go to bed now. See you tomorrow morning."

He looked down at her. "Right, night, doctor."

Amy reached for the door briefly but stopped. She turned around to face him. "Hey, Shadow?"

He tucked his hands into his jacket pockets. "Yeah?"

She walked back towards him and looked up at him. For whatever reason, looking down into her jade eyes made him feel a sudden pang of nervousness. Was she onto him? Did she know that he was doing his own personal investigation on her history? His racing thoughts were broken when he felt her arms wrap around his torso softly, being careful of his healing injury. He gasped as she embraced him, placing her face against his chest. Shadow felt a sudden warmth overtake his entire body and suddenly found himself return the gesture cautiously. The hug lasted only but a few moments, but it felt like it lasted a lot longer. Amy pulled away and looked up at him and backed away before turning to head indoors.

Once she was gone, Shadow exhaled a huge sigh of annoyance and paced on the front porch. He walked over to the porch railing and leaned one hand against the railing while his other hand pinched the skin between his eyes. "No, no, no damn it. I refuse to let this happen," he said to himself. "Repress those feelings, you are stronger than this," he pledged to himself. He turned and looked back at the front door where Amy had gone back inside. "Stupid girl…" he muttered as he shook his head to himself.

Unbeknownst to them, Agent Zonic had watched the entire display occur before him within the concealment of his vehicle. He lowered his binoculars seething from the close contact of his girl with the dark male hedgehog. He quickly reached for his flask inside his coat pocket and took a swig. He knew this game would require strategy and patience, but he desperately wanted to get in there and intervene.

•~•

At a diner in town in the early hours of the morning, Mephiles sat at a lone booth in the back of the old-style diner among the mostly empty establishment. It was merely 6 AM and he was still expecting company. The bell to the front door jingled and in walked Sam Murphy looking quite sleep deprived. He approached Mephiles' table and plopped down. "This better be worth it."

Mephiles smirked wickedly. "Oh, it is."

Sam reached for the empty coffee cup sitting in front of him and flagged the only waitress there who hurried over and poured him a cup before wandering off. "Just what is it that required me to get up so damn early to meet you here?"

Once the waitress was out of earshot, Mephiles continued. "Well, according to some little birds at the police department, my club seems to have acquired a little fanboy by the name of A.T.F. He is apparently doing random surveillance of our group to gather reconnaissance, so I figured a little breakfast with one of the locals wouldn't look too inconspicuous if it turns out he's watching."

Sam took a sip of his coffee and exhaled. "What the hell do you want, Mephiles? My time is precious around here."

Carefully and discreetly, Mephiles pulled out a Ziplock bag from within his leather jacket. He laid it on top of the table and kept his hand over it to conceal its content. "You know the police still haven't found that pedophile Ivo Robotnik, correct?"

"Yeah, I'm assuming you took care of him," he whispered.

"Absolutely," he replied. "Now, what I demand is for your company to kindly donate one of those new warehouses you're building to our M.C."

Sam chuckled uncomfortably. "You've got to be joking. Why the hell would we do that?"

Mephiles lifted his hand revealing the bloodied weapon. "Because it'd be a shame if the police were to find this murder weapon with your D.N.A along with Ivo Robotnik's…"

Sam's face dropped into panic before settling into anger. "You son of a bitch…"

Mephiles carefully tucked it away inside his jacket. "So, is it a deal then?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "You're not going to give me much of a choice, are you?"

Mephiles chuckled lowly. "Not at all."