A little while later, Amy sat on Shadow's couch, her eyes aching and stinging from crying. But she had stopped, finally having managed to calm down. Shadow had held her for a few moments, pulling her so close she almost couldn't breathe. He didn't say anything until he went into the kitchen to start making dinner, which Amy had taken as a gentle rejection.

It hurt, but she'd at least been expecting it this time. She hadn't convinced herself for six years that Shadow had to be the one. Maybe she could just move on now that the secret was out.

The mouthwatering scent of raspberries filled the air, pulling her out of her sulking. Raspberries... and chocolate?

A few minutes later, Shadow came out of the kitchen and back into the living room, a mug of something hot in his hand. When he saw her, she smiled, softer and wider than she'd ever seen, and it set off both the butterflies and the cracking feeling in her heart. He came over and sat down gently beside her, holding out the mug. "Try this," he told her.

She took the mug and sniffed, then gingerly took a sip. It was delicious! Sweet milk hot chocolate and raspberry, and Amy realized he'd put mini marshmallows in it, and whipped cream on top. She couldn't help but smile. "Oh my gosh, this is so good! Thank you, Shadow!" She lifted the drink towards him. "Aren't you gonna have some though?"

Shadow shook his head. "I'm not very fond of chocolate," he said. "I just... thought you'd like that, and you still seemed upset so..." He chuckled awkwardly. "It was originally going to be dessert, but uh... I figured this was more important."

Amy smiled sadly at him. "Thank you, Shadow," she said. "I mean... as far as rejections go, this is really nice."

Shadow's eyes widened, and he stared at her with a bewildered expression. "When did I ever give you the impression I was rejecting you?" he asked. "I mean, I know you're nowhere near ready for a relationship right now and that's alright, but did I ever say anything that sounded like a rejection?"

"Well, no," said Amy. "But you also didn't say anything."

"That's because I couldn't think of anything to say that didn't sound idiotic."

Amy gaped at him, her jaw slacking open. "So you're saying...?"

Shadow shook his head, laughing quietly. "Rose, one of the reasons I can't stand that blue faker is because you only had eyes for him. That and everything else about him annoys me to no end. But that was a big one."

"You were jealous of Sonic?" Amy asked, laughing. The idea seemed so absurd. Shadow often said he was the ultimate life form. If he was so convinced, why had he been jealous.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "I wasn't jealous of him," he said. "I was annoyed that he kept trying to throw away something that I wished I could have. I mean, you're a beautiful, strong, intelligent girl, and I never understood how he never saw it when I did. Very clearly."

Amy looked down at the half-empty mug of chocolate in her hands, frowning in thought. "How long... how long have you liked me, Shadow?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," Shadow replied. "Do you really think that I knew immediately with how much of a mess I was? At least a couple years now, I think. I... I always had a bit of a soft spot for you." Amy could see his cheeks going red. "Honestly, I have to thank you for helping me get off the whole... revenge thing back on the Ark. And even after that... you annoyed me the least out of everyone. And as time passed... I wanted to at least talk to you more. But..."

"But I was always hanging around Sonic," Amy guessed, and Shadow nodded.

"Well, that, and I didn't think you'd even want to talk to me anyway, even without him there," he continued. "I mean, why would anyone want to be around me of all people? I have made my peace with who I am, but most people don't interact with me unless they absolutely have to."

Amy smiled a little and poked his arm playfully as she said, "Well, I mean, during the Eggman days you built up quite the reputation," she said. "But I never really had anything against you as a person. I didn't trust you, that's true, but I never disliked you. If you had come up to me before the whole... mess a few weeks ago, I would have been happy to talk to you, Shadow."

Shadow sighed and smiled softly. "That's another thing I admire about you," he said. "You're kind to everyone, as long as they haven't pissed you off."

Amy laughed.

Shortly after that, Shadow went back into the kitchen, and Amy followed, taking her last few sips of raspberry hot chocolate with her. She was still processing the fact that he liked her back. It explained quite a bit now about his behavior for the past few weeks. But part of it still didn't quite make sense. Was that the only reason he was trying to help her get over Sonic? So that he'd have a chance with her. Something told her that wasn't quite right, but she still couldn't quite shake that thought from her mind.

A little while later, Shadow came over and set a few things on the table. Mashed potatoes, a smallish honey-baked ham, green beans, and a small basket of rolls. Amy's eyes widened. "That's a lot of food," she remarked.

Shadow shrugged. "Eh, just means some leftovers," he said. "Besides, better too much than too little. I wasn't sure how much would be enough for two. Go ahead and help yourself."

He handed her a plate, and she loaded small amounts of each item onto it, careful not to let anything touch. Shadow brought over a gravy boat with brown mushroom gravy and the butter dish, and once she had a liberal helping of both on her potatoes and her bread roll, she set the butter knife down gently and politely put her hands in her lap.

"I didn't get anything fancy to drink," said Shadow. "Is water alright?"

"Oh, umm, yes, please. Water's just fine," said Amy, and he came back a moment later with a full water glass, setting it down near her plate and then finally sitting down himself.

"Well, let's dig in," he said.

The food was delicious, and their conversation drifted in all different directions. Some of it was meaningless in the long run, but both of them were practically drinking in what the other was saying, as if it was paramount that they remembered absolutely everything.

It wasn't until a while later that they left the table, their food long eaten, and took their dishes over to the sink. Shadow said he could wash them later as he left the plates and serving dishes to soak in soapy water, and they moved back into the living room.

Amy checked the time. It was about seven forty-five. I should probably leave soon, she thought sadly. She watched as Shadow looked outside and saw his eyes widen. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Rose, look at this!"

She peered out the window over his shoulder and her jaw dropped. There was a blizzard outside, making it impossible to see more than a few feet out. And the snow had piled up, tripling in height and making it impossible to walk through. "Well," Amy said with a nervous chuckle. "Looks like I'm snowed in."