STH © SEGA
Sarah © Cozy Shadow
Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask
Italicized brands belong to their rightful owner.
Look on my profile under UPLOAD SCHEDULE FOR THAT CITY GIRL (NEW VERSION). It explains and shows an updating schedule for the new version (this story you're reading right now) that will hopefully work. *crosses fingers* If it does work, I should be done with this new version of That City Girl in December and have it completely uploaded by Christmas Eve of 2015 or sooner.
When this story is completely finished, I plan to edit and change some scenes for Those Country Boys so it follows the new version of That City Girl. The old version of TCG might be deleted when this newer version is completed, but I haven't decided on anything yet. Just keep in mind that TCB will follow THIS version of TCG. Not the old version.
Thanks to those who reviewed: TheDivines, Admiralkirk, aliciathewolf45, xXDarkAngelKittenXx, and Kosma Bandra!
Also, you might notice something with this story as we progress. No more Mike (he actually gets a small part as a waiter later). That means no more Alicia or Belle. They took too much away from the story the more I looked at it. They're gone for good unless I need them for short, unimportant-to-the-plot roles.
Chapter Five:
Not So Bad
He never understood how humans created coffee, much less managed to drink it.
Red eyes glared at the cup, wishing for some orange juice instead, but he knew the coffee would at least wake him up. And then he would crash sooner than later on the couch. Shadow frowned as he watched the cup sit there.
Silently, Shadow thought about what had happened the previous day.
In summary, his brain couldn't handle it. He was still trying to process that he had seen Samwell Turner, made Amy angry and possibly leave, and gotten into a fight with Sonic all on the same day. If this was how it was going to be with the pink hedgehog there, Shadow wasn't sure he wanted to remain anywhere near her.
And yet, she was so contagious in her beauty and personality that he found it hard to stay away.
The thought had occurred through his brain late last night when he was thinking about what he had done. It was probably one in the morning when he admitted that what he'd said was a little out of line.
Amy was only being…Amy.
Still, it irked him.
He wasn't sure why, but something about the female had caught his eye. Whether she was annoying to him or not, he wasn't sure just yet. But there was some type of feeling growing towards her, and he didn't dare call it…fondness.
Shuddering, Shadow grabbed the cup and scowled at nothing in particular.
No. He wouldn't get close to her—especially when he was so close for the first time in four years of having a house to himself once again. Amy would surely make it go topsy turvy continuously.
His thoughts were soon cleared when Sonic came into the kitchen, searching for a bowl in the cupboards. The blue hedgehog whipped out a bowl and glass, flashing to the fridge and cupboards with the cereal.
There was a tension between the two that Shadow had never felt.
It raised the hair on the back of his neck.
Shadow watched as Sonic made his breakfast slower than usual, knowing that the nuisance was really waiting for the perfect time to strike and make Shadow feel like a complete and utter asshole.
Just when Shadow thought he was in the clear, Sonic piped up, setting the milk down on the counter and digging into his cereal with his spoon.
"Have you talked to Amy?"
Shadow mentally groaned as he set the cup down on the counter. "I didn't know she was still here…" he chose his words carefully.
"Hmph," Sonic took a pause to chew and then swallow. "Well, maybe you should."
"I'm not going to date her, if that's what you're still trying to do," Shadow eyed him suspiciously.
"Not with that attitude."
The black hedgehog sighed. Leave it to Sonic to get through the tension with ease while leaving Shadow in a sticky situation of a topic he didn't want to talk about ever.
"Trust me, Shadow," Sonic continued to speaking much to Shadow's dismay. "I'm not saying you should date her. Just give her a chance at being an actual person while living here."
"My rules still stand."
"I know," the blue male scoffed. "She knows. We all know." He raised the spoon and pointed it at the bolshie hedgehog. "But if you ever make her, or any of my friends, cry again, I will kick your ass."
"Your loyalty is sometimes annoying."
"But it's the only reason you still have me," Sonic smiled cheekily. "And you wouldn't have me any other way."
Shadow grunted and turned away, only to see Amy walk in. He tried hard not to roll his eyes.
I just can't catch a break with these two.
The rose female stopped at the counter and sat down across from Sonic, with Shadow at the end of the table.
"Good morning…" she nearly whispered.
Sonic sighed and set the bowl down. "You're still here."
"Yes," Amy stated and then shrugged. "For now, I mean. I don't know."
"Amy, you don't—"
"I'll figure it out on my own, Sonic," Amy interrupted and looked up for the first time that morning. Her eyes were still red stained and it tugged a little at Shadow's heart, though he would never admit it.
There was a long silence after that. The only audible sound was Sonic's chewing and slurping. When he was finished, he put the bowl and spoon in the sink—gulping down his orange juice while ignoring the envious Shadow.
"Well," Sonic smacked his lips after a second. "Despite both of you now ignoring each other, guess who's coming over for a visit?"
Amy never thought she would live to see the day that Shadow widened his eyes so much.
And in fright to boot.
"You better not say who I think you're going to say…"
"They should be here soon," Sonic continued as if Shadow weren't having a mini panic attack. "I told her I had to work but she still decided to come up."
"Who?" Amy piped up excitedly.
Sonic grinned warmly at the pink hedgehog as he leaned up against the counter. "Sonia."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Amy clapped. "But how did she end up where you are?"
"After Mobius and after we all split, my mother thought it best that we all kept in touch—being family, ya know," Sonic shrugged. "Well, Sonia moved to town and went to college—where she met her husband. Manic moved to California two years ago, though, for his job as a magazine graphic designer."
"Sonia's married?" Amy questioned, tilting her ear toward him.
"Yep," Sonic seethed through his teeth, "Ex-womanizer. I told Sonia she shouldn't fall for his tricks but…I guess he was sincere."
"You guess?"
"Several years married and he hasn't given me a reason to dig his grave," Sonic playfully shrugged and then saw the ebony hedgehog frozen at his chair. "But, Shadow's not afraid of Sonia or her husband," Sonic teased, motioning to the male beside them.
Amy raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Shadow definitely didn't look good.
He seemed as if he wanted to Chaos Control to Mount Everest but was too sick to do so, the poor soul. His eyes became bloodshot and his knuckles turned white as they clutched the cup.
Sonic leaned towards Amy and whispered in her ear, "The kids."
"What?" Amy asked, turning to Sonic with a surprised look on her face.
Before she could say anything else, they heard the engine of a car. And then it turned off and doors slammed shut.
Sonic nudged Amy and motioned her to follow him to the front door.
The two left the male to wallow in his fear of nail polish and hair ties, which was set by the one lifeform on Earth that gave him more hell than Sonic the Hedgehog.
Green eyes stared adoringly at Amy, and it wasn't from Sonic.
Shadow watched curiously as Amy held up the one-year-old that gurgled at her with fascination. The ebony male huffed and raised an eyebrow at the tall Mobian on his couch. "What exactly brings you to my house every month?"
Sonia's husband was a bright orange hedgehog, standing taller than the heroes and sporting quills that were crazier than Manic's. "Date night."
"And Aleena couldn't—" Shadow stopped himself and glanced quickly towards Sonia and Sonic. They were both oblivious to the Ultimate Life Form. He turned back to Flame with a somewhat apologetic expression. "How is she?"
Flame shrugged. "Still in the hospital, last time we checked. It's not the end of the world for them, Shadow. She'll get better. The doctor's already said she'll make it through with flying colors."
"I know," Shadow droned and stared off at the siblings again. "But it's the only real sensitive part of Sonic I've ever seen. He hasn't visited her in a while."
"He's been busy," Flame whispered. When Shadow gave him a questioning look, the orange male sighed. "You'll know pretty soon if you don't already. But it's the reason he hasn't visited."
"A Valentine's Day party?" Sonic's voice boomed. "And you want to dump the kids with us for a couple of days?"
Just like that, Shadow was shot out of one conversation and into another. He put out his hands as if to say no hurriedly.
"Absolutely not!"
"It's just for four days!" Sonia pleaded. "Our friends are having a Valentine's Day party but they live a couple hours away. We're going to head up there today, get to the hotel by night, see some of Flame's relatives on Friday and then go to the party on Saturday. We'll be back Sunday—probably late. But we just figured, ya know—"
"Since you're driving through, you'd just drop off your children and expect us to care for them?" Shadow folded his arms stubbornly.
There was no way he was going to do that. There was absolutely no way he was going to try and survive four days with the little girl that dared to put hair clips in his quills.
Upon not seeing the certain hot pink hedgehog, Shadow froze. His eyes scanned the area but there was no sign of the five-year-old.
"Where's Petunia?"
It came out as a whisper, but Sonic still smirked upon seeing the slight fear and hesitation in Shadow's movements. If there was one being on Earth that annoyed Shadow more than Sonic, it was Petunia. But the toddler also had a knack for wiggling into Shadow's soft spot occasionally, though he would—again—probably never admit it.
At Shadow's odd tone, Amy raised her eyebrow and looked over at him. Flame was sitting on the couch, staring up at the ebony male with amusement, and the other adults had a similar expression. While the pink hedgehog vaguely remembered a child older than the one she was holding, she hadn't formally met her.
"Petunia?" Flame calmly called out. "Why don't you come out of hiding and not scare Shadow again, hm?"
Amy smiled lightly.
Someone named 'Petunia' that could scare Shadow and wasn't even half the size of him? Oh, it was too good to be true.
And just like that, a hot pink hedgehog flew out of her hiding spot and crushed Shadow's legs in record timing. "SHADOW!" Petunia, who shared her father's orange-ish red-ish eyes, smiled gleefully up at her "uncle" and squeezed onto his legs. "Guess what?! Momma says we're staying with you for a while! It's gonna be fun, fun, fun!"
Shadow groaned and slumped against the wall, lightly patting Petunia's head to get the little girl to ease off of him. The dark male glared at Sonia. "Fine…Four days, then they're kicked out."
"Shadow," Sonic warned with a hard look. "We all know you won't do such a thing."
"I mean it this time!" Shadow growled and moved Petunia aside, heading for the door. "They'll be mailed to Tails if Sonia and Flame aren't back in time!"
He barely got to grab the door knob and his coat when Petunia raced over to him. She scooted in between him and the door and stared expectantly at him.
"Let's go make a snowman!"
Amy had seen plenty of defeated men, especially when it involved their children. Never had she seen Shadow defeated though—and it was quite hysterical.
An hour had passed by the time Sonia and Flame had left, and Petunia proved to be difficult to entertain.
Amy blew out a breath, leaving her bangs to puff up for a second and then flutter back down against her forehead—where she felt sweat forming. "Maybe we can watch a movie instead, Petunia?"
"Play!" Petunia giggled as she raced around the table.
Her brother, Jeffery, was a magenta hedgehog like his mother—but he adorned an orange Mohawk. He remained on the floor, watching as Amy played tag with Petunia around the house.
"You sure?" Amy panted, holding her side. It'd been forever since she had run. In New York, she could get her exercise walking to work. But after she'd gotten fired, she'd only scoured the newspaper for jobs. "I'm sure Shadow has some kid movies lying around."
That was the only tip Sonic had given her before he left for work.
Anything animated would work on Petunia. She'd fall asleep halfway through the film, along with Jeffery. It was Sonic's key to babysitting most of the time—especially when he had housework to accomplish.
So, while Shadow was in the garage tinkering with the truck, Amy was left to make sure Jeffery didn't wander off and eat anything. She also had to keep Petunia under check, which was, again, proving to be difficult.
"Maybe a princess movie?" Amy suggested as she slowly rounded the table and as Petunia lapped her for the fifth time.
Petunia screeched to a halt and excitedly looked up at Amy, "What about the one with lions?!"
"Yeah, sure," Amy breathed out heavily as she collapsed to the floor. She pointed to the living room. "Go get it!"
With that, Petunia was off running again—though Amy was sure she'd be back soon because neither of them knew where the movie was.
~.~
When they finally did find the movie, Jeffery was whining for food.
With the things that Sonia left, Amy chose simple baby food. Plopping Jeffery into her lap, she fed him the food for a good while as Petunia watched the movie. When Amy was done, it didn't take long to notice that Petunia was nodding off.
Carefully placing the silverware from Jeffery's feeding on the stand with the phone and lamp, Amy glanced at Petunia and then Jeffery. He too was slowly shutting his eyes.
Maybe taking care of kids isn't so bad after all.
Amy smiled proudly at her work.
She cradled Jeffery as he got comfortable and fell asleep. Petunia slumped up against Amy's side and started to drool, but Amy wasn't going to wake her up any time soon.
And it's not even halfway through the movie.
The pink hedgehog smirked in triumph.
Eat your heart out, Sonic.
He didn't mind the grease after a while.
It took only a day to get used to, and Shadow was somehow at home with the mechanical machines that he seemed to always be fixing.
But the truck was not cooperating.
The ebony male stood over the opened hood for a good five minutes, mulling over what might be wrong. Part of him told him that it was simply an old truck, and the other part of him told him that perhaps Sonic knew what the issue was.
Being obstinate, Shadow wasn't going to accept either of those thoughts.
Maybe some food will help.
At that rate, anything could've helped.
But his stomach growled for food and Shadow found himself walking to the garage/house door. He trudged up the steps with the thought of lunch on his mind and he opened the door to quite a sight.
Sitting on the floor of the laundry room, which connected to the kitchen, was a familiar one-year-old.
It wasn't so much that Jeffery was out and about (the kid was a born drifter), it was what he was doing. A pet bowl was in his grasp and dry pet food was in his tiny little fist. His cheek had remains of the previous pet food that he'd eaten, with the occasional string of slobber.
Shadow swallowed, not quite wanting that sandwich he had been thinking of earlier.
He reached down and grabbed the bowl from Jeffery. The toddler whined and lifted his hands up as Shadow inspected the bowl.
A rush of feet from the living room warned him of Amy's approach not a second later.
The rose hedgehog, with quills every which way, skidded to a halt on the tile floor. She first glanced down at Jeffery and then gaped at Shadow and the bowl. "I fell asleep for a few minutes, I swear."
Shadow ignored her. "This is not my bowl…" he whispered in deep thought.
"What?"
"We have dogs downstairs in the basement, but this isn't one of their bowls."
"Are you sure?" Amy fixed her sock and then picked up Jeffery.
Shadow gave her a blank look. "I've lived here for a couple of years—I think I would know what bowls my dogs ate out of, especially since I feed them."
"Sorry…" Amy's ears flapped back against her head. It didn't take another second before Amy was back to her original personality and interested in the bowl. "So…Any ideas?"
"It's smaller."
"A cat?"
Shadow shook his head, but he knew it was true. "I don't have a cat."
"Sonic?"
"He doesn't have a cat either."
"Sarah?"
Shadow paused. The thought made sense. Sarah didn't get along with the dogs, and Shadow vaguely remembered that Sarah simply liked the calm company of cats rather than the rambunctious company of dogs. "It would make sense. But for how long has it been here?"
"And is it still here?" Amy questioned. "You'd think you would have seen it by now. You know, since you've lived here for a couple of years and all." Her mockery earned a glare from him.
Shadow shook his head after a long moment and passed the bowl to Amy. He put his hands up in the air as if waving the situation off. Turning to the garage door, he said, "Never mind. We'll know when Sarah or Sonic gets home. I've had enough of newcomers in my house—I don't need to learn that we've had a cat for the last four years."
Amy watched with a slight smile of amusement as Shadow left. He was back in the garage and without lunch still.
She glanced down at the pet bowl as Jeffery reached in and grabbed some of the food. "Jeffery," she scolded and set the bowl down, taking the food in Jeffery's hand and placing it in the garbage. "Let's get you some better food."
He seemed happy about that decision as he chirped up and gurgled.
Amy giggled lightly. "Boy is Sarah going to get chewed out when she gets home."
"I'm home!"
Petunia and Jeffery wasted no time when it came to bombarding their uncle. Wrapping themselves around Sonic's legs, the two youngsters giggled in delight. Sonic smirked down at them warmly while Amy leaned up against the wall.
"How were they?"
"Besides Jeffery eating cat food, I'd say they were just fine."
Sonic glanced up at her as the toddlers got off of him so he could hang his coat up. "We have a cat?" He hung onto the hanger where his coat rested and raised an eyebrow.
"It's most definitely Sarah's. I just haven't found it yet."
Sonic sauntered to the kitchen with Amy and the children in tow. "How was Shadow with that? Or does he not know yet?"
"He's actually the one that found the cat bowl after Jeffery did."
Sonic sighed and leaned against the counter. "Well, Sarah hasn't told me anything about it. Then again, she knows I don't like cats all too much and neither does Shadow."
"She'd keep a cat a secret for four years?"
"She didn't have one at her old place when we started dating," Sonic shook his head. "But maybe that's just because the cat likes solitude. Still…I don't think Sarah would do that. Especially for four years."
"It does seem like a long time," Amy agreed. "But it does flash by quickly. It still feels like we were fighting Eggman and saving the world yesterday."
Sonic lightly grinned but it vanished quickly as a certain emotion flashed through his eyes. "Yeah…Listen, Shadow needs you to drive some windrowers into the shed."
"Some what?"
"Swathers—they cut the crop." Sonic motioned with his hands. "I'll get some food for the kids and get them a bath. I've got some paperwork to do afterwards."
"He specifically asked for my help?" Amy winced. She wasn't looking forward to being alone with Shadow any time soon. What happened that afternoon didn't count—Jeffery was with them. This time would be different.
It would be just them. Alone.
An argument with Shadow seemed almost unavoidable every time she thought of him or went near him. It made her shiver in fear to say the least. Plus, she wasn't happy being around the ebony male. He definitely wasn't the kind and thoughtful type.
Sonic sighed in sympathy. "Relax, Ames. You work for him now. It pays your rent. At least try and pitch in on the farm work. It's not all that bad."
As if walking to her execution, Amy slowly put on her boots that were actually Sarah's. She grabbed a coat, not paying attention to whose it was, and then walked out the front door—leaving Sonic to deal with the kids and her to deal with Shadow.
If she had a choice, she would've chosen the children.
~.~
The shed that kept the farm equipment dry and clean for the most part was also like a warehouse. Sonic called it a shed and Shadow called it a warehouse. Sarah could care less. Amy hadn't really noticed it until now, but it was rested right up along the garage.
While the house and garage were connected, there was a space large enough for a truck to pass through between the shed and the garage. Amy walked along the side of the garage and stopped by a four-wheeler, glancing down the road that led into the field and would ultimately lead to the barn.
"Amy."
The pink hedgehog turned and saw Shadow opening up the side door of the giant tractor shed. "The swathers are on the other side. We had to move some stuff around when we remodeled the inside. Come on."
Amy followed Shadow hesitantly through the tractor shed. For the most part it was dusty and caused her to cough. She was holding the jacket arm, which was too long for her, up to her mouth and nose while she looked at a giant machine Shadow called a combine.
Apparently it was super slow.
The rattling of a door caught her attention and then light cascaded in. Shadow opened one of the giant doors with the rope, much like a garage door only without the garage door opener.
He stepped outside and turned around to raise an eyebrow at her. "You okay?"
She nodded and gratefully stepped out, breathing in the fresh air as he directed her all the way to the other side of the shed. It occurred to Amy that the entire property was almost surrounded by fields and barbwire fencing.
Shadow stopped at the first swather and climbed up the small steps. He opened the door and twisted around, holding his hand out to her. "Come on."
Amy hurried up and ignored his hand, which he noticed, and got into the small space with him. Shadow sat down and stared at her.
They were very close.
She had to hunch over because it was meant for a person to sit not stand. And the only chair was the driver's seat and currently occupied. No way was she going to sit in his lap either.
"All right. Pay attention. You're going to have to remember this for as long you live here, got it?"
She gritted her teeth and bit back the nasty comment she wanted to throw at him.
God, he's such a prick.
Amy mentally rolled her eyes and with all the force she could muster, she lightly smiled at him. This caught Shadow by surprise as he slowly reached for the key.
"Okay…Time for you to learn how to drive a swather."
~.~
"I am so, so, so sorry!"
Amy bit her nails as she watched Shadow circle the swather and inspect the dent she had given it not five minutes previous.
She was shaking in her boots at his eerie calmness.
"It's fine…I can just pop it back out with a hammer," Shadow droned.
Amy would've been a little bit happier but his tone told her not to get too excited about getting off the hook.
Looking at the ebony hedgehog now, Amy slumped her shoulders and let her arms dangle to her sides. The arms of the jacket hid her fingers, and her messy bun made her look tired. But it wasn't anything compared to Shadow.
He looked physically well, but for some reason—his tone. His tone made all the difference.
Amy swallowed as she took a step closer to him.
"Look. Either you leave him alone, like I did, and he won't mind you as much anymore, or you get under his skin like Sonic."
"There's a way to break his shell, Ames. Trust me. You just have to find it. Give him a chance and he'll do the same for you."
"I reckon it's the change in pace that's thrown him off. He gets moody when that happens."
And yet…Amy could see what Sarah and Sonic couldn't.
Shadow was exhausted.
Of course, she never thought about farming and its consequences. It seemed Shadow was still busy even when the fields were dead and covered with snow.
And suddenly she came stomping into his home without asking him.
Sudden guilt washed over Amy.
He must be so tired. And now he has to put up with my smart mouth and still feed me. While this pays for my rent…I should start really pitching in.
With that, Amy took another step. "I'll fix it."
Shadow stopped and raised a brow at her—looking at her up and down. Then he shrugged as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Fine. You've yielded that hammer of yours for so long, I don't see why a regular sized one makes a difference."
Amy smiled genuinely this time. She walked past him and towards a toolbox.
Shadow shook his head in confusion as he followed her movements with his watchful eyes. "Not now."
"What?" The rose hedgehog spun around. "But…we're done with the swathers…"
"And it's nearly six. Sarah's home by now. Not only can I finally eat because dinner is without a doubt on the table," Shadow sniffed the air like a hungry carnivore, "but I can also interrogate her about a certain cat."
"Why don't we hold off on that for now?" Amy anxiously walked towards him.
"Why?" Shadow was caught off guard. He didn't expect Amy to tell him not to do something. It almost made him growl at her.
"We've got the kids and we all know you're not the best at keeping interrogations calm and kind. Why don't we wait to ask her later? Or better yet, let me do it. I've been looking for the dang thing all afternoon," Amy pointed to herself and grinned cheerfully.
Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Fine…But if I find so much as half a hairball in my house—"
"Got it!" Amy ran towards him and squeezed his arms before racing out of the shed. "Thanks, Shadow!"
The ebony male watched her leave with something akin to amusement in his eyes.
She was definitely a character. Amy Rose was indeed her own person and an intriguing one at that.
Shadow couldn't help but admit that maybe, just maybe he could live with her presence a little while longer.
Who knows? Another hand on the farm. She might not be that bad after all.
Friday the thirteenth was supposed to be unlucky for most people, but not for Amy Rose.
Overall, the day passed smoothly.
She colored with Petunia in the morning as Shadow vanished for most of the day and Sonic left for work. He promised to be back by five thirty so they could get to the Valentine's Day party at school in time. It became known to Amy that Shadow was being dragged along for the ride.
Maybe it'll be good for him. A nice night to relax.
Amy paused as she curled the end of her quills in the bathroom. Petunia and Jeffery were playing with some of the toys they had brought just outside in the hallway. Jeffery was leaned up against the doorway. As Amy looked down at him, she smiled softly.
Then again, Shadow will probably only pretend to be having a good time. That or he'll simply show that his problems are still on his mind. If only I could help him more.
She still needed to fix the dent in the swather, but she decided she would do that once the kids were gone. For now, she stuck to keeping the little ones entertained while also getting ready.
The time was already at four thirty and the kids had yet to be dressed. They were still in their pajamas but Amy was too—she hadn't found a reason to change and waste clothes when they weren't going anywhere.
Plus, pajamas were just comfier.
But, boy, was it a sight for Shadow when he walked in for lunch.
Flashback
Amy stirred the bubbling water while Petunia danced around with the box of macaroni noodles.
"Be careful with those, Petunia."
"I will!" She skipped around the table in the center of the small kitchen with the box as the garage door opened. Petunia whirled around to the laundry room and yelped as she almost ran into Shadow.
The ebony male raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. He didn't think it was all too odd to see Petunia in her pajamas still and with crazy hair, but when he looked up…
Shadow hadn't been expecting to see Amy without make-up, her quills messy, and in her pajamas. The pajamas that his money bought when they were town. He had to admit, the silk pajamas looked good on her, but the scene still caused him to be speechless.
"Hey…" Amy uneasily grinned. "We were too lazy to change. Jeffery's taking a nap in the living room. I'm making mac and cheese, though. You want some?" she held up the wooden spoon and waited for his response.
Shadow only shook his head while trying to close his gaping mouth. Then, without any other exchanged words, the ebony hedgehog turned and left the house—going back into the garage.
Amy shrugged and went back to the stove as Petunia started to dance again.
End of Flashback
The memory caused Amy to flush in embarrassment.
Shadow probably thought even less of her now, if possible. He most likely thought she was a freak and super weird and would never talk to her again and—
You're getting worked up over nothing, Amy.
The pink hedgehog consoled herself and flinched when the door opened and shut. Sonic wasn't supposed to be home by now and neither was Sarah.
So that left Shadow, but what did he want?
Amy listened to his footsteps. At first, they traveled to the kitchen and stopped when Jeffery gurgled and laughed loudly.
"Amy?"
So much for avoiding him.
Amy politely smiled and stuck her head out of the bathroom. "In here!"
His footsteps got slower as he came closer. Soon, Shadow was in view. He watched Jeffery and Petunia for a moment before glancing up at Amy.
She was too busy curling her quills to notice him looking.
The bolshie male put his hand up and leaned against the door frame with the tip of his quills barely showing in the mirror, but Amy still didn't notice. He had to admit, he almost liked it better when she was in her pajamas.
Now she has her make-up and hairdo and clothing—
Shadow raised an eyebrow. No, she didn't. She was still in her silk pajamas.
"You do have a dress, don't you?"
Amy sighed as she set the curler down. "Sarah told me it was formal last night and I nearly panicked. The dress I have isn't exactly one for school…"
Suspicion rose in Shadow's mind. "It's…inappropriate?" he gritted his teeth at the thought of the lovely female wearing such a dress.
"Well, not really. I mean, it's short and doesn't have any straps, but Sarah said it would do. She told me that there'd been worse before."
Shadow vaguely remembered the tramps at any school party that dared to show their faces. It was a religious community with the occasional family who wasn't religious or wasn't the same type of religion as the majority of the town. Either way, those two groups were berated more than others.
While Shadow wasn't religious and neither were Sonic or Sarah, they were at least respected. He didn't want people to judge Amy though.
She was too good of a person to end up hated in this valley. And when a person was hated in their small, collected towns, it was like a living hell. Eventually the person would move. Shadow couldn't believe how rude some of the religious folk could be because someone was different than them. He chose never to get involved, but he still felt slight sympathy for the victims.
But I'll be damned if Amy becomes one of those victims. I might not like her being here, but she still helped save lives.
"Let me see it."
Amy's eyes widened. "W-What?" she blushed a little but Shadow's stern look told her that he was serious. "Why?"
"You'd be surprised how quickly some of the people in this community are to judge someone, especially an outcast like yourself."
Amy swallowed, sure that her red cheeks were just like tomatoes by now. Shadow was looking out for her? Sarah was right. He definitely changed in moods.
"Umm…"
Shadow folded his arms. "Now, Amy."
"Yes, sir," Amy squeaked and hurried to the living room. He followed her to her suitcase—where she pulled out the dress and held it up against her body. "Is it…bad?" she winced.
Shadow had to pause.
The dress wasn't bad. But the silence made Amy think that.
No, the silence was for something entirely different as red eyes look her up and down. Shadow knew Amy was…attractive to say the least, but he could only imagine what she would look like with the dress really on.
The red fabric had always looked good on Amy—everyone told her that. The black ribbon around the dress and the almost ruffled look to the dress made it look pretty elegant, despite what Amy thought. The dress would probably reach mid-thigh to her.
"Shadow?"
He cleared his throat and hopped out of his reverie. "Yes?"
"The dress?" Amy waited timidly.
"It'll do," Shadow rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a little short for school parties though…"
Her ears flattened against her head as she looked down. "It's the only one I have. But I do have black stockings that I could wear. I tried it on last night and Sarah said it looked good. I was able to wear this and not show so much skin."
Shadow swallowed deeply and nodded, turning to the hallway. "Yes, well…I was just coming in to see what you were up to. I still needed to take a shower."
"Oh, sure!" Amy chirped in, motioning to the bathroom. "Just unplug the curler. I'll get dressed in Sonic and Sarah's room."
"No," Shadow raised his hand up to stop her. "That's quite all right. I have a bathroom in my room."
"Y-You do?" Amy narrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side a little. She thumbed the fabric of her dress.
"Yes." Obvious that he was annoyed with the pestering, Shadow walked down the hall—patting Petunia's head softly and ruffling Jeffery's washed and now flat hair.
The dark hedgehog turned once he got to the door of his bedroom. "I hope you know how to get Jeffery's Mohawk back. We all seem to fail. Flame is the only one that can do it."
"Wouldn't gel do it?" Amy shrugged at the obvious thought.
"You would think that." Shadow shared a blank expression before disappearing into his bedroom and shutting the door.
Amy hummed and bit her lip.
I wonder what his bedroom is like. I mean, I'm not jumping at the opportunity to see it, but I wonder how it is compared to Sonic and Sarah's. When Sonic is in there, the curtains are drawn back and the room is completely filled with light. When Sarah's in there, she keeps the curtains closed.
Shadow would most likely keep his room dark. But…Perhaps he likes it light. I mean, he does like the outdoors and he's always keeping the curtains drawn back out in the living room and kitchen.
It wouldn't surprise me either way…But still, I wonder.
Caught up on Shadow's room, Amy shook her head and stared down at Petunia. "We don't have any dresses for you, do we?"
"Uncle Sonic keeps some of our clothes in a drawer in his bedroom."
Amy nodded and set the dress down. "Well, then. Let's get you ready."
With that, she directed Petunia into the bathroom and set to work on her quills before Sonic could get home.
Little hearts made of paper were hung from the ceiling. Desks were pushed out of the way for more room for games. Lights were now pink and red instead of just white.
The atmosphere at Elkridge Elementary screamed love.
Not that Sarah had a problem with it; she simply felt the teacher's lounge should have at least been spared from decorations and foods.
Though the cupcakes were tempting…
Sarah, in her blue dress, slumped in her chair while watching teachers and parents file in and out of the teacher's lounge, dropping off food mostly. Sarah was supposed to stand guard and make sure no rowdy kids came in and stole the food—apparently it had happened before.
I doubt it…The secretary saw me busy setting up for my own classroom and decided to give me more work to do. And it's not even work work. It's just sit work.
I sit here, tempted to eat some sweets, and just as I'm about to grab one, someone will walk in and I'll have to act like I was looking at my nails, or tapping the table, or anything other than sneaking food into my mouth.
The lime green hedgehog grunted. Already, the principal had dropped by in her room and commented on how things were looking nice. She had to give her CD player to the seventh graders and prayed to God that it would come back in one piece.
"Uh oh…"
"She's got that pissed off look on her face. We should leave."
"Shadow. Please, I know my girlfriend. That's not a pissed off look. It's a concentrated look, and you're just trying to think of an excuse to go home."
Sarah glared at the table and then up at the trio in the doorway. Petunia hurried and climbed up on a chair, looking at the foods with hunger and greed while Jeffery had to stare from afar while attached to Amy's hip.
"Ooooo!"
The bored female stared at Petunia in warning. "Don't."
Petunia hummed sadly as her ears folded back. She slid off the chair while Sarah straightened up but didn't move from her spot.
"You're early."
Sonic shrugged and walked in after he noticed she wasn't going to move. He pecked her cheek and stood behind her chair. "Amy decided to get everyone ready a little too early. When I got home, they were all geared to go."
"Is that why you smell like oil?"
"I was working in the shop today," Sonic retorted. "And I didn't have time to shower because someone was antsy to go."
Shadow rolled his eyes. "You could've taken a shower. The sooner this gets done, the better. The less I have to stay here, the better."
Sarah blankly stared at the ebony male. "And here I was thinking you came willingly this year."
"Only in your dreams, Sarah."
"Okay!" Amy clapped her hands with difficulty as she still held onto Jeffery. "This is going to be fun! What's happening again?"
"It gets over at eight," Sarah explained as she stood up and as Sonic picked Petunia up. "It's almost six now, which is when it starts, but people normally show up late. Basically, we get free dinner and let the kids play games."
"Well, then," Amy piped up, "Where to first?"
~.~
The dinner took place in the small gym of the elementary.
Shadow hated it.
Eight chairs to a table. The gym was filled to the brim. To make it worse, he was seated between Petunia and Amy. Beside Petunia were Sonic, Sarah, Jeffery, and then back around to Amy. The two remaining chairs were kicked out and given to another table.
The food was good though—that he'd admit.
"So, you do this for Christmas and Halloween, too?"
Sarah nodded at Amy's question, "Yup. Every year."
"And Sonic and Shadow still show up?" Amy asked in disbelief. "I mean Sonic coming I could understand. But Shadow?"
"I'm right here," the ebony male growled lowly as he turned his head to Amy.
Sonic stretched back and gave Shadow a threatening look, which Shadow ignored.
The female across from him shrugged. "I guess Sonic made him go. I don't really know why he shows up to these sorts of things."
"Well, I think it's sweet of him," Amy said as she started to stuff food in her mouth—as if she noticed that what she said was a little embarrassing to admit (especially since Shadow was so rude to her to begin with).
The three adults raised their heads and looked over at Amy as if she'd grown a horn and started calling herself a unicorn. Sonic leaned forward and glanced at Shadow before looking back at Amy.
"Why do you say that?"
"Yeah, why do you say that?" Shadow propped his elbow up on the table and eyed her carefully.
She was awfully beautiful in that dress of hers. Part of him wanted to compliment her, and another part of him wanted her to still go away and find a new home. Still, why'd she say that? He never did anything sweet for anyone.
Why should coming to this stupid holiday dinner change anything?
"I don't know," Amy shrugged. "I guess it seems like he would still try to be antisocial. I'm just glad to see that after ten years, he's not completely terrible to be around."
Shadow frowned as he sweat-dropped. Sonic was obviously holding some chortles in as Sarah smirked expressively. The kids were completely oblivious.
"And to think I was about to compliment you on your dress and say that you might not be as bad of a housemate after all," Shadow stuck his nose up in the air.
Sonic glanced over at Sarah—both sharing knowing looks.
Amy, on the other hand, smiled while her cheeks lightly flushed. Whether it was from the makeup or naturally, Shadow didn't know. He simply kept his nose up and his head held high while he looked away.
The rose hedgehog leaned closer to him, "Really?"
Wait… Shadow mulled over what he just said. I just said that out loud…Great. Now she'll never leave.
He sighed and turned to peek at her. Shrugging his shoulders, he went back to his plate of food. "It's nothing to get worked up about. I've seen plenty of better looking women."
"Hey!" Amy glared for only a second but waved off the situation. "No. I mean, you think I'm…tolerable?"
Red eyes curiously glanced in her direction.
A switch flipped in Shadow's mind.
Yes, Amy Rose was very tolerable.
Something tugged at the back of Shadow's head, telling him that her company wouldn't be so bad after all. He crossed his arms and continued to look at her as the soft light of the gym cascaded down on her, making her aura glow. She looked stunning and even got Shadow tongue tied for a moment or two (again, not like he would ever admit that).
He cleared his throat and stared at anything but the people at his table.
"For now."
Amy tilted her head, her ears perked towards the ebony male as she listened to him. A soft smile played at her lips.
I think I cracked his shell a little bit.
Either way, Amy had made her decision and intended to keep it.
While they got back to eating and joking while reminiscing about the fighting days and Mobius, Amy couldn't help but think she had gotten somewhere with Shadow. Even if it was a small moment shared between the two of them, the female still liked to think that the two could become friends in the future.
After all, Shadow didn't seem so bad.
So, it's settled. Amy thought to herself as she listened and occasionally piped in.
Soft, emerald eyes watched as Sonic laughed at something he said while Sarah grinned in amusement. Even Shadow huffed, but if it was out of humor was unknown.
The three definitely had gotten used to each other. Tails, too, if what Shadow said about him living close by was still accurate. Amy couldn't help but wish that she could be a part of it though. They seemed so comfortable around each other—even Shadow, who had changed from an arrogant, cruel, rarely compassionate being to…well, whatever he was now. Amy still had yet to find out completely.
Still, it felt good to be around old and new friends. It felt good to be with them.
Call it lack of contact with civilization since she had lost her job, it didn't alter Amy's decision one bit.
I'm staying. For as long as Shadow will let me.