STH © SEGA

Sarah and Samwell © Cozy Shadow

Newly edited version of TCG: Shadow is so much more in character this time around! :D I'm happy about that.

Chapter Three:

Crazy for a Jacket

The navy blue pickup truck was absolutely freezing.

Generally meant for two people, the truck was used for the farm more than anything else. Shadow rarely took it to town anymore after having to fix it up when he got it four years ago. Unfortunately, four years was starting to catch up to the ancient piece of machinery. Shadow was reluctant to take it anywhere out of his property in case it completely broke down.

It was practically a piece of junk to Amy.

The heater failed to work within five minutes, but that didn't seem to affect the Ultimate Life Form. He drove in silence as they traveled out back and through the fields, towards the barn that wasn't even placed anywhere near the house.

That part perplexed Amy the most.

Constantly shivering, the pink female leaned against the cold window when suddenly; something was draped across her shoulders. The pickup truck bumped along the dirt rode in between fields. Amy's eyelids lifted open at the feeling of the object and she looked to her shoulder to see a jacket.

Amy glanced over at Shadow, noticing he only wore a shirt now. His brown jacket she had used as a pillow on the ride home from the airport was now around her for warmth. She smiled softly while burrowing into his jacket.

"Better?"

She was stunned that he would make such a gesture as giving her his jacket, but speaking was going further. Amy assumed it had to be because of Sonic living in the same house after all the years that had changed Shadow somewhat. That or Shadow had always been a gentleman and she had failed to realize it.

Of course, Amy hadn't spent much time with him in Mobius.

"A little…"

A minute passed, though it felt like an eternity for Amy. The ride lasted forever and all she saw was darkness and the bits of field the headlights showed.

"What are you doing?" his voice cut through the cold air. It was so chilly in the truck that they could see each other's breath.

Amy glanced over at him. "What?" It nearly came out as a whisper.

Shadow gave her a look, glancing up and down at her and his jacket. As his eyes went back to the road, Amy noticed she had been cuddling his jacket and enjoying the smell of it. The smell of hay and nature were new to her…but in a way, she liked it.

"…Smelling your jacket…" A blush was most prominent on her cheeks by now.

His eyes had been on the road. Glimpsing at her, he raised an eyebrow slightly. She's still that crazy girl that's for sure. If she's not crazy for Sonic, then she's at least infatuated with my jacket.

A thought occurred to him as he remembered who exactly Amy Rose was.

She was the girl who had constantly chased Sonic, night and day. She had searched for him endlessly and all for what? Shadow knew Sonic never returned her fangirl-ish feelings. Shadow couldn't quite remember what happened to them when Mobius was destroyed.

Did they have a falling out? Did they ever actually date?

The questions gnawed at his brain. Mindlessly, he wondered if a love triangle would befall between Sonic, Sarah, and Amy. He couldn't have that happen. He needed Sonic and Sarah out of his house by getting married sooner or later—they'd been together for a solid three and half years. Shadow only needed to kick Amy out then. He couldn't just kick Sarah out if Sonic went with Amy because…Well…he knew Sarah.

Sure, they never really spent time with one another. But he still was pestered by her presence. And if he had to choose between Sarah and Amy to have live with him, Shadow was sure he would prefer Sarah. She ignored him, he ignored her. It was like having no housemate at all.

Still…Shadow didn't want any drama at his house. He wanted all three out. The sooner, the better. Therefore, questions had to be answered.

"Are you in love with Sonic?"

…

Amy wasn't quite expecting that. Sure, she suspected that sooner or later, Shadow would remember who she was and she was almost certain that she would be labeled as Sonic's crazed stalker. But that was years ago. She hadn't thought about Sonic romantically in nearly eight years. Plus, for the last two, Amy had known and fully accepted that Sonic had a girlfriend and was in a serious relationship.

"No."

"Good. Because I don't want to witness any drama in my house."

…Oh. Shadow was in for one hell of a ride.

Her boot crunched in the late winter snow. It traveled up to her ankles and sunk further with every step she took.

Amy looked up at the old, classic red barn and sighed heavily. "Here goes nothing…"

As if reading her hesitance, Shadow brushed shoulders with her and nudged her forward with said gesture. "Let's start with the heifers."

~.~

The bottle was sticky after the calf licked all over the teat, searching for more "milk." Amy grimaced at the powdered milk and water combination on her hands, not to mention the saliva from the calf.

Shadow was too busy with feeding horses to notice that Amy was having a crisis. She glanced around for a towel or a rag—anything to get the disgusting mixture off of her hands. The calf bumped its nose up against the bottle and the bottle holder in its calf pen. In result, the bottle lifted up and out of the bottle holder and landed on the ground.

Sniffing the bottle, the calf licked it a few more times.

"Oh, no…" Amy noticed a little too late. She glanced around, seeing Shadow nowhere in sight. The calf pen was to her thigh—she would definitely need some sort of boost. Grabbing a nearby stool, she grumbled to herself.

"He has a random stool but no rags…" She lifted one leg over the wooden calf pen and then the other. Landing on the ground, she picked up the bottle as the calf crowded her, licking her quills. "EW! EW! EW!" she flailed her arms backwards and sent the bottle flying out of the calf pen.

In turn, she flipped over the back of the calf pen—but her shirt got caught on the wooden nail of the ancient pen and snagged her there. So, there Amy Rose was. Vulnerable and upside down.

Her head nearly touched the ground, but she couldn't quite lift herself off the calf pen and she definitely couldn't unsnag her shirt from the nail. The stool was beside her. She could use that to her advantage. Grabbing it a little too late, she prepared herself to do an awkward pushup when a voice rang through the silence.

"What the hell are you doing?"

She blankly stared at his legs. This day was just getting better and better.

Shadow walked closer to her and tilted his head as he bent so he could look at her. "Is there a reason you're upside down and caught on the pen?"

Amy exhaled heavily and tried to point to the calf. "That thing may be too cute for its own good, but it certainly isn't smart. It knocked the bottle out of the holder and into its pen!"

"I told you to watch out for that."

"I told you to watch out for that," Amy mocked in a high, nasally pitched voice. She rolled her eyes and lifted her arms towards him. "Help me up!"

Shadow glared. "You're definitely moody today."

"Shut up."

"Normally Sarah doesn't communicate when she's PMSing. I assume you're the same?"

"WHAT?!" Amy shrieked as she was still hanging upside down. "I am not on my period, Shadow! Now help me!"

"So you're naturally this terrible to be around?" Shadow straightened up and frowned as he walked over to her, reaching underneath her back. "I'd hate to be around you when you really are on your time of the month."

"Shadow…" Amy ignored the blush on her cheeks. At least up until he wasn't reaching for her arms, but when his fingers were grazing her lower back, her flush cheeks reddened. "What are you doing?!"

"Finding the nail," Shadow murmured and turned his head to see where her shirt was caught. "Good news is, you're not the first to get caught on the nail."

"The bad news?" Amy breathed out heavily, puffing her bangs up exasperatedly.

"You're the first to land upside down. I'm still trying to figure out how you managed to do so." He grabbed her back once he unsnagged her shirt. Helping her upward, he noticed her wince. He snorted as he put his hands on his hips. "Chances are this won't be the only time you get yourself in serious trouble."

"Hey!" Amy turned around and glared at him. "You know, you're making this a real living hell, Shadow!"

"I told you—you won't last."

"I can too! But I can't if you keep tearing me down."

Shadow frowned. "It's not my fault if you're too sensitive for a good jab."

"A good jab?" Amy whispered menacingly, "A good jab?"

Shadow wasn't one hundred percent positive, but he had a good feeling that Amy was about to wallop him with her hammer—if she still had it. "Now, now. Calm down, Miss Hothead."

"I am not a hothead!"

Amy paused suddenly and looked down embarrassingly as Shadow gave her a blank stare. "Alright…I'm a bit of a hothead…But I wouldn't be if you weren't so rude…"

"I'm only doing it in hopes of discouraging you."

"What?" Amy asked and glanced up. "You'd be that rude? That greedy to have a house all to your own?"

"I'm not sorry I like my privacy—especially when someone waltzes in unannounced. I don't appreciate you being here, Miss Rose. If you do anything that I don't like, I will not hesitate to throw you out. Trust me…" Shadow growled with a threatening glare.

Amy stared at him, her ears flattened. "I'm sorry I'm invading your space, Shadow. But you guys are all I have at the moment. Friends are there to help each other when one falls down. I need my friends right now, Shadow."

"I'm not your friend," he hissed and turned his back on her.

"You were once. To me, at least."

Shadow stopped short and glanced over his shoulder at her. She continued to stare at him with her wide eyes. She sighed and climbed over the wooden pen, using the stool, and prevailing this time. She put her hands on her hips and picked up the bottle on the hay-covered ground.

Walking up to him, she brushed shoulders with him. "I'm new to this farming thing, Shadow. I know you may not like me, but I promise to do as you say. This is your home—your farm and your animals you have to take care of. I don't have any way to pay rent now but…this is the best I can do."

She offered him a small smile and a squeeze on his arm before she left to wash the bottle.

Shadow watched her go with a little guilt tugging at him. He shook it off quickly and cleared his throat, heading off towards the doors where he would wait for Amy.

~.~

The drive back to the house was shorter than the drive to the barn.

Shadow mulled over what she had said and a part of him wanted to say something, but he didn't. She sat in the passenger seat, curled up towards the window, with red cheeks from the cold.

"I have to go town."

Amy blinked, not expecting Shadow to say anything else to her for the remainder of the day—or her stay. "Wha? Oh…Okay."

"You're coming with me."

She raised her eyebrow. "Why exactly?"

Shadow bit his tongue. Why'd he say that? He had to think of something quick. Normally, Sonic went with him, or even Sarah on rare occasions. He was just naturally used to having someone sitting there in the passenger seat—whether talking their jaw off or staying quiet.

"School."

"What?" Amy scrunched up her nose. He was making absolutely no sense.

"Sarah works with preschoolers. This Friday she has this…Valentine's thing for the kids. The school does it every year. Anyway, she's stuck with having to make dessert of some sort and she stuck with brownies since that's all we have. But she said the next time I go into town, I have to buy some more boxes—she's serving parents, students, and teachers, I assume."

"Sheesh, how big is the school?"

"Not big. Have you seen this town?" Shadow scoffed. "It's tiny…but I'll admit, it's a good place to raise kids. Sort of."

"What do you mean?"

"Most of them don't graduate college. Instead, they work in mechanic shops in town, but mostly, they work on farms—rent some land from their parents or work for their parents altogether. Our education isn't the best at the school, apparently."

"And you'd know this how exactly?" Amy smirked lightly. "I don't recall seeing a mini-Shadow running around."

Shadow swallowed at the thought. Being twenty-eight physically had a toll on him. He still thought about family from time to time. It was a natural bond anyone would want at that age. Even Shadow, the most anti-social person in the universe thought of a family. Sure, it was once in a blue moon, but the idea still crossed his mind.

"Sarah, again. I may or may not listen to her and Sonic at dinner."

Amy smiled lightly. "Okay. So, we need brownie mix?"

"And I need more powdered milk for the calves," Shadow spoke, deciding to use simple words rather than the correct terms for Amy's sake. "We'll stop off at Cal Stores. And wherever you females shop for groceries."

Amy raised an eyebrow at him. "Like a…grocery store, Shadow?"

"Don't get smart with me, Rose," Shadow gave her a look as they bumped along home.

The rose female couldn't help but think she was getting somewhere with him, and she definitely didn't contain her cheesy grin.

The drive to town reminded her of the drive from the airport to Shadow's house last night. Then again, she slept through most of it.

Amy looked out the window this time, listening to the radio. But as soon as the truck stopped and the engine was cut, she twisted her head to look at Shadow and then at the store they were parked in front of.

Cal Stores stood there, looking rather inviting to a farmer or a rancher, but Amy didn't get the hype.

She dragged her feet towards the automatic doors, trailing behind Shadow. When she saw the clothes, she instantly lit up, "Ooo!"

"Amy, don't get distracted," Shadow grabbed a cart and walked down the main aisle, looking for the sub aisle of milk formula, though he knew where it was by heart. "We came here for one thing."

"I'll just have one look! I swear!" Amy wandered off through the racks of clothes. "I'm right next to the cashiers, so I'll see you."

"You better, or I'm leaving you here."

She rolled her eyes at the empty threat. Instead, she turned her attention to a white, fluffy shirt with lace. She immediately went onto another shirt upon seeing the price tag.

By the time she had circled five clothing racks, she felt another presence near her.

Turning around, she nearly collided into someone. Firm hands gripped her waist to stop her from moving. She looked up with a slightly parted mouth.

Blue eyes stared down at her with amusement. "Hello, there."

His voice was definitely that of a charmer. Amy blushed and stepped back, into the clothing rack. "Oh!" she turned around and held the clothing rack still before glancing at the male in embarrassment. "I get clumsy when I get nervous…"

"No need to be nervous," the male was a black bat, with a wide wingspan. He flapped his wings a little before folding them against his back. "I'm Samwell Turner. You are?"

"A-Amy Rose." The pink hedgehog mentally scolded herself for talking to a stranger. Then again, he was rather charming and handsome. It only seemed right that he had seen her and thought she was pretty.

"Let me take a moment to praise the two people who named you that."

Amy glanced down at the ground. She didn't have any memories of her parents, but it was a sweet thing to say to her and still had her knees buckling. Samwell didn't seem to notice the grief in her eyes for a split second, probably because Amy lightly smiled at him.

She was breathtakingly beautiful. And her name suited her—it was almost too good to be true. Samwell cleared his throat. "I don't take it you come here often, do you?"

"No…I just moved here."

"Figures," Samwell responded. "You have city slicker written all over you."

Amy narrowed her eyebrows together. "Well, you—"

A deep chuckle cut her off guard as he leaned in closer. "I like girls from the city. I might like country girls better…but you…" he looked her up and down before gazing into her eyes, "…you are the exception."

Amy opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't. It didn't go unnoticed to her that he had looked at her with lustful eyes.

Okay, Amy. He's either going to ask you out on a date and try to take advantage of you then, or he's just going to do it now.

Gritting her teeth together, the pink hedgehog glanced around for Shadow. But the ebony hedgehog was nowhere in sight.

Oh, Shadow, where are you? She wasn't sure what drove her to finding the stubborn male, but she knew that Shadow would protect her from this creep. Seeing his quills for a split second several feet away, Amy glanced back at Samwell.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Samwell—"

"Please, call me Sam."

"Sam. But I've gotta go," Amy started walking away. She thought she had succeeded in losing the bat, but then an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"No need to rush out of here," he spoke smoothly into her ear. She shivered a little—cursing her body for being not only attractive, but attracted to Samwell.

Amy swallowed nervously and grinned lightly. "Well, I must say that you're kind, but…"

He walked in front of her as she took a few steps backward until she hit something. A shelving display full of jars and jams. She was stuck between the creep and jam.

Oh, God…Please…

Sam put his hands on the ends of the shelves to trap her further. His short spikes stood on the top of his head as he gazed down at her. "You are beautiful…" he whispered suddenly, "Quite beautiful." He didn't hesitate to run his hand over her cheek.

Being a hopeless romantic and being Mobian—Amy had that animal side of hers, and it was calling out on instinct. She was only twenty-two, but she hadn't been kissed for years. A part of her wanted that sort of attention, but she didn't want it from this bat.

Just the thought of being kissed and being loved sent her brain into slumber mode as her animal side kicked in. It was taking control, simply saying, "Look at this damn fine guy in front you! He's gorgeous and totally into you! That makes him mate potential!"

Amy bit her bottom lip as she watched Sam get closer to her. The bat inhaled and smirked as she leaned into his touch as he caressed her cheek.

She shivered again, in complete delight this time.

~.~

Shadow had been calmly soaking in the quiet, alone time as he walked down the aisles with his cart.

He had assumed Amy would probably get bored and look for him, but the more he came up empty handed as he neared the cash register, the more he got slightly concerned. Sonic would surely have his head if he didn't show up with the annoying pink female.

He could already imagine the conversation:

"You just left her there?"

"She's in good hands—she lives in a store with plenty of clothes, food, and water. It's even got an inflatable mattress and bathroom."

"Shadow…"

And then he would have to grab the keys and go and get the damn girl.

Oh, she was a pain in his quills.

Turning to the cash register, he ignored the cashier's friendly grin. It was a little mouse this time—probably a college student. She walked around and did her best in flipping the large calf formula bags to see the bar code, glaring at Shadow for not helping her along the way.

But Shadow was busy as something pink caught his eye.

Red eyes searched the area where he had thought he had seen her. And then, he turned a corner, a couple feet away from the cashier—who was trying to get his attention with her small, frail voice, but it was no use.

Slits for eyes now, Shadow glared at the male in front of Amy.

Samwell Turner…

The guy was bad news. Shadow had gotten into a scuffle with him a while back with Sonic. And now there was he, flirting with Amy Rose. Shadow growled when he saw Amy shiver.

She's not thinking straight.

"Samwell," he spoke menacingly.

The bat turned suddenly and smirked. "Shadow."

Amy blinked before coming out of her delusional state. She saw Shadow and immediately went to walk over to him, but an arm caught her around the waist. "AH!"

Sam's arm around her was all it took for Shadow to punch him in the jaw. Unfortunately, Sam was quick and dodged the move, dragging Amy with him. The pink hedgehog squirmed. "Let me go!"

"Hey!" a worker yelled from the gun department several feet away. "Let the lady go!"

Sam sneered but pushed Amy away, into Shadow's hold. The bat's fur bristled as he watched Shadow scowl at him. Shadow picked Amy up and moved her behind him as he stepped forward. His fangs showed while he growled at the bat.

"Don't ever come near her again."

"My apologies, Shadow," Samwell snarled and fluttered his wings a little as he held his nose up high. "I didn't know you had a little mate. Your boyfriend not good enough for you?"

"His name is Sonic and he's not my boyfriend," Shadow responded gruffly as he caught movement from the gun department. The worker was coming over. The mouse at the cash register was in shock as she stood there with wide eyes. "He's a housemate."

"Hmph," Sam sneered and backed away, glancing at Amy, who refused to meet eye contact with him. "You might want to watch your back, Shadow. She's a pretty little thing—any male might take a look at her one day and snatch her up," he threatened.

Shadow hissed ferociously.

The worker came between the two suddenly. He was a human and quite large looking—in muscular terms. He placed a hand towards each of the males, taking a glance at Amy. He sighed mentally. A fight like this only happened with Mobians—they seemed to be more animal than humans at times, fighting over each other. If only they could love just one Mobian. It would make his job so much easier.

"Hey, lady," he called for the pink hedgehog.

Amy glanced up and looked at him. "Huh?"

"Who are you with?"

"Wha?" Amy shook a little. "None of them."

"Me," Shadow growled at her and then back at the worker. "She lives with me."

Samwell raised his eyebrow and smirked. "But she's not your girlfriend."

Shadow glowered at the black nuisance. He couldn't tell a lie, but he didn't want to tell the truth. Sam knew where Shadow lived. Now he'd have to worry about Amy's wellbeing even more so. Shadow didn't need to wake up in the middle of the night to see Sam over her and having his way with her.

Just the thought sent Shadow growling.

Blue eyes only held amusement towards the ebony hedgehog, lust towards Amy, and menace towards the stupid human that dared to stop him from getting his next victim.

"I want you both out of this store right now," the human spoke. "Solve your issues elsewhere. Not here."

Sam huffed and turned. He stopped short of the automatic door that had already swung open. He stared one last time at Shadow, who met the harsh gaze. Smirking in humor, Sam shook his head and walked out of the store for good.

Shadow's quills quivered as he watched the rival walk away. The human turned on Shadow suddenly as the mouse blinked with large eyes in the background. "Get your things and leave."

Swallowing, Shadow kept his opinions to himself and paid for the formula. The mouse was shaking by the time they left. Amy followed the ebony male with her head hung low. She searched the parking lot though, just in case Sam decided to pop up.

Shadow hefted the bags up into the back of the truck before opening the passenger side. He twisted around to glare at Amy. "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Amy turned around. "I was making sure he was really gone."

"Hmph," Shadow looked away but held the door open for her. She walked slowly towards him, mostly out of uncertainty. "He's bad news, Amy. Stay away from him."

"How do you know him?" Amy asked.

Shadow tilted his head downwards to stare at her with a strict expression. "Just get in the truck."

Her ears flattened at his demanding tone. It didn't take her long to get into the truck. She flinched as Shadow slammed the door shut. He walked over and opened his door roughly before climbing in and shutting it with as much force as he had with Amy's door.

The pink hedgehog slunk down in her seat, gulping and staring out the window.